Chapter Five: You'll Have Him Drooling

I surveyed the common room looking for my adorable scot. The room was full of rambunctious teenagers, full of energy after being on the train all day. Someone was setting of fireworks (surprisingly not the Weasly twins), and there was a large group playing exploding snap. Hermione Granger was even having a good time, not holed up in her usual corner. Though, classes weren't starting for another two days, so that may explain a lot. Everyone was having fun.

Not quite ready to jump into the noise, I sprawled out on an overstuffed love seat in the corner of the room. I grabbed my journal and Walk Man from the pocket of my robes and started writing about my day.

"Well," I wrote, "I sure have a lot to say. Alicia clued me into the fact today that Oliver likes me. I can't believe it. It seems so weird. I'm worried that the dynamic between us is going to change but Alicia made it sound like he's felt this way for a long time. So maybe it'll stay the same.

But... I afraid to write this down... I realized that I like Oliver too. And that freaks me out too. I'm not allowed to like my brother. Like he said, 'It would be like making-out with my sister.' Did he mean that? What the hell, what happens happens. I just hope it happens SOON.

On another note, Alicia is playing the Weasly brothers like nobody's business. This is bad, even for - "

"Writing about me I'm sure." A voice said, behind me.

"Oliver!" I exclaimed, quickly snapping my journal shut and turning off my Walk-Man. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know what you really are thinking." He looked at the embarrassed look on my face and laughed. "Kate, I'd never read your journal." I sighed relieved, "What were you writing in there anyway?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Nothing," I said, quickly. "Nothing at all."

"In that case, can I sit down?" he asked, lifting up my legs so that he could sit and then putting them on his lap. "That's better."

"I see you've decided to stop running from me." Oliver said, playfully.

"Me?" I cried, indignantly, "Run from you? You're the one that high-tailed it from our carriage this afternoon."

He laughed, "I suppose you're right, sorry about that. I just needed to catch up with Fred and George. We always sit together at the Welcome Feast, it's tradition."

"Well, who am I to stand in the way of tradition?"

"Kate," Oliver started, looking nervous, "I have something to ask you."

"What?" I asked, innocently, knowing full well what was going on. I felt quite evil and suddenly knew what Alicia felt like... all the time. It was quite good fun.

"Well, uh, I was wondering..." He looked down at his hands. "Ifyou'dliketogotothenexthogsmeadevisitwithme?"

"Oliver, you're mumbling incoherently again." I scolded playfully. He's the Quidditch captain for Pete's sake. He gives orders and wakes us up at any bloody hour of the morning all the time. Why was this so hard?"

He took a deep breathe and said very slowly, "I was wondering if you'd like to go the next Hogsmeade visit with me?"

I smiled, a bit confused. "Of course. We always go together. Why wouldn't we?" I thought he was going to ask me on a date. We always went to Hogsmeade together - Him, me, Alicia, Fred and George. We had been doing so since our third year. Well, this was sort of anti-climactic.

"No Kate," he said, a bit frustrated, "You don't understand. I mean, just us, not the rest of the group."

"But, what will they do?" I was genuinely confused. I still hadn't realized he was asking me on a date. I'm a bit dense at times.

"Forget it Kate, if you're just going to make fun of me, forget that I asked, I just thought that you - well - that you liked me too." Oliver stood up in a huff and started stalking away.

It finally dawned on me what was going on. "Oliver," I called after him. He turned around and looked my way. "When is the next visit? I need enough time to do my hair, you know."

He smiled, "We're going tomorrow. Will that be enough time?"

"I don't know." I teased, looking as if I was really contemplating it. "We'll just have to see how it goes..."

Oliver laughed, "See you down here at eleven," he put on his stern, Nazi captain face, "And don't be late."

"Yes, sir, Captain sir."

I skipped up to my room, grabbing Alicia off of Fred's lap on the way up.

"Hey, what's this all about?" She asked, angrily. "I was having fun down there."

"Alicia," I said, grinning like a idiot. "Oliver and I are going to the Hogsmeade visit together tomorrow."

"So, what's the big deal. We always go together, the whole group of us." Alicia was just as confused as I had been.

"No, Alicia, we're going alone." I stressed the last word.

"But," she asked, confused. "What will the rest of us do?" Then it dawned on her. "HE ASKED YOU OUT! HE ASKED YOU OUT! YOU'RE GOING ON A DATE WITH OLIVER!"

We did a little girly dancing around in circles for a few seconds before Alicia got deadly serious. "We need to find you some decent clothes."

She opened my trunk and began surveying the contents. "Do you own anything other the hooded sweatshirts, jeans and cords?" she asked, exasperated.

"Umm... No?" I replied, a bit afraid.

She sighed and opened her own trunk. "This will do." she finally said, after pulling out a few items of clothing.

"Alicia, where's the rest of that skirt?" I asked.

She roller her eyes. "You've worn shorts shorter then that, it's no big deal."

Alicia had picked out a mid-thigh length jean skirt, a pink peasant top that gathered under my bust, and brown chunky sandals. "You'll have him drooling in this outfit." Alicia told me proudly.



~THE NEXT MORNING~

I woke up to the sound of tapping on my window. Someone's owl was trying to get in. I trudged out of bed to let the poor guy in. I relieved him of his letter and he flew back out of the room. I was surprised to see that the letter was for me. I quickly unfolded it.

Katie darling,

Can't wait to see you at Hogsmeade. We'll have to meet up, I know you're dying to see me.

Love always,

Marcus

"Good thing I'm with Oliver," I thought, 'He won't do anything as long as he's along." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Holy crap!" I cried. "It was already ten o'clock." I ran to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Afterwards I used my favorite charm to put my hair into little braids on top, letting the rest hang back. I pulled on Alicia's clothes and headed down to the common room.

It was a little past eleven by the time I got down there and Oliver was waiting with his back to me. He looked handsome in his tan cargo pants and sweater. Very American Eagle, very hot.

"Oliver." I called, when I reached the bottom of the stairs. "Ready to go?"

He turned around and gave me the once over. "Katie...Woah...Katie! You look... nice."

"Thanks Oliver. Let's get going or we won't catch a carriage." I felt a bit clumsy in the high shoes that Alicia had given me and kept stepping on them incorrectly, bending my ankle and stumbling a bit.

"You going to be okay?" Oliver asked, as I stumbled down another step.

"No." I replied, smiling. "I'm not used to these shoes. I think I'm going to twist my ankle."

"I can't have a hurt Chaser. As your captain and fellow team mate I think it is my duty to help you so you won't get hurt." He slid his arm around my waist, giving me extra support. "Better?"

"Much," I told him.

"Remember, I'm doing this only as a team mate. I'd be doing the exact same for Fred, George or Harry."

We both laughed at the thought of George in high heels. This was off to a good start!