Disclaimer:  I own absolutely nothing but Toby, and I'm pretty sure the idea, but I can't be certain.  I didn't get it from anywhere, but someone else may have a story like this and I don't know it.  Anyways, I am unfortunately receiving no money for this.  But I'll bet the "Bonus Buc" in my pocket that JK Rowling is. 

A/N: Okay, folks, I know you've been waiting for an update on this for a really long time.  WELL HERE YOU GO!!!! Lolz.  This is kind of just a "get it out there" chapter, but I'm trying desperately to get them back under the bleachers! ;)  Lolz.  Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed!  I'm writing this on my laptop and I haven't checked my thing in a bit, so I can't remember everyone but I know that someone whose been waiting the longest is jojochinto (unless of course she's gone and changed her name again).  Kali Lestrange, watch for my reference for Miroku.  If you find it, I'll know that you actually read this chapter and didn't just skim and review, as you so tend to do.  Either way, hopes you like this!  Please REVIEW!!!!

Summary:  Toby's slowly becoming the person she always wished she could be, Oliver's on cloud nine, Harry's crying, and an appearance, brief, but there nonetheless, by the Marauders!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 4: Out Of Her Shell

            Toby sat at the Gryffindor Table, completely ignoring her toast and eggs, looking around for a particular brunette that had not let her sleep last night. Her usually shy face broke into a bright smile as he walked leisurely into the Great Hall.

*          *            *

            Oliver walked at a calm pace towards the Great Hall. In his mind was a picture of a smiling face, pale with rosy cheeks, midnight ringlets framing it perfectly, and two laughing baby blue eyes. He hadn't slept at all last night, but simply stared at the ceiling and out the window, thoughts of her dancing through his tireless mind. He walked into the Great Hall and his chocolate eyes scanned the large room. His face broke into a wide grin when he found what he was looking for. Or rather- who he was looking for. He quickened his pace slightly and made his way around the table to the empty place beside her.

            Toby sat with her back to the windows and the morning sunlight that poured inside behind her outlined her entirely in gold. She was the perfect picture of an angel to Oliver and he'd never felt so… so… so lucky before. The feeling he felt was hard to explain. It was like butterflies in his stomach, and then at the same time it was a peaceful calm that had come to lay itself over him. It was strange, and new, but he was loving every second of it.

            " Good morning," he said happily as he sat down beside her.

            " Good morning," she replied cheerfully.

            Oliver couldn't believe how her voice sounded. He'd always heard it from her lips as being very quiet, and shy, like she was simply speaking for the sake of being polite. But now her voice was full of life and energy and he couldn't help but feel that perhaps he had had something to do with it, if even just a little bit.

            " Did you sleep well?" He asked conversationally, reaching for a slice of toast.

            " Did you sleep at all?" She asked in return. They both looked at each other, Oliver stopping halfway through buttering his toast, smiled and shook their heads. They both laughed lightly and Toby took a sip from her orange juice. She lifted it to take another sip, but stopped, the glass just brushing her bottom lip. She looked sideways at Oliver, who was looking at her out of the corner of his eye as well, his toast just resting between his teeth, ready to bite down. He leaned forward a bit and they both turned their gazes, without turning their heads, and looked up the table. A suspiciously large number of Gryffindors suddenly became quite interested in the ceiling, while the rest were all looking intently at their food, as though it had just said 'hello.'

            Toby blinked once before quietly and slowly setting down her glass. Oliver carefully set down his toast as well, after quickly contemplating the idea of actually taking the bite. He decided against it. They both looked at each other once more.

            'Are they looking?' Toby mouthed.

            Oliver slowly nodded his head once without looking away from her.

            Toby gave her little half smile. She then whipped her head around so fast; it took Oliver a few seconds to realize what she'd done.

            Katie let out a quick cry and Alicia's hand flew to her mouth. Everyone else jumped at Toby's sudden movement and panicked. Fred accidentally knocked over his orange juice; George fell out of his seat; Ron choked on his cereal; Hermione whipped a book up in front of her face- it was upside down; Angelina simply sat frozen, her eyes wide; Neville jumped when Toby spun around and banged his knee off the bottom of the table; and Seamus choked on his milk. For some reason only Harry Potter seemed immune. In fact, it almost looked as though his eyes were tearing up. Oookaay… thought Toby. She returned her attention to everyone else. 

            " Would you all just let it go?"  She asked.

            Oliver was trying to hold in his laughter. 

            " I mean," Toby continued, " you're all acting as if you've never seen a couple before."

            That was the first time either of them had openly come out and called them a couple.  Oliver liked the way it sounded. 

            Toby sighed.  " Well, I really should get ready for class."  She started to rise from her seat.  A few of the other fifth year Gryffindors rose to their feet as well. 

            " We'll be along in a minute," said George in a rather strained voice from his place on the floor.  He gave a weak and somewhat painful smile to Oliver, who simply shook his head.  He and Toby left the Great Hall together.

            Everyone left at the table that had without saying joined the Toby/Oliver fan club looked at each other, trying to keep the grins from their faces.  They failed miserably and before long everyone was doubled over in peels of laughter.

            Toby sat at the back of the Charms class next to the window.  The golden sunlight spilled through and spread itself across her desk.  She unconsciously traced her fingertip along the many designs that had been carved into the desk by previous students.  At the moment she was moving her pale finger along four letters that had no meaning to her but were carved nevertheless into the very center of the desk.  'MWPP.'  She assumed it was someone's initials.  She slowly moved her blue eyes across the room until they landed on a figure seated at the desk in the front row on the far left of the room.  Elbows leaning casually on the desk, brown hair neatly messy (if that was possible) and chocolate eyes wide-awake, but not focused on the tiny Charms professor.  Instead Oliver Wood was staring straight ahead at a small poster pinned to the wall beside the long chalkboard.  Players on the English Quidditch team raced by, to and fro, and Toby was certain he was thinking up game strategies for Gryffindor. 

            She smiled.  She had spent five years at Hogwarts and always she had been a loner and quiet and always shy.  Oliver had done something to her.  He had opened a door inside of her, letting her step through and out into the world, to show them who she really was and that she really did exist.  In all her lifetime and whatever came after, she would never be able to thank him enough.  She felt like a whole new person.  Like she was starting all over again and meeting entirely new people, not the students she had been going to school with for the past five years.  It was refreshing and she swore not to waste it. 

            Transfiguration was simply note taking, and then lunch finally came to the rescue of many half-dead students.  Toby walked out of the classroom to find Oliver leaning against the wall waiting for her.  She smiled when she saw him and he returned it happily. 

            " Walk with me?"  He asked, raising his eyebrows and turning to start off down the hall. 

            " Of course," she answered and he hooked his arm through hers and they began walking towards Gryffindor Tower to drop of their books.  When they stepped laughing through the portrait hole, they found it occupied by the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team, Hermione, Ron, and Neville.  Upon noticing Oliver and Toby, Fred leapt to his feet, dropping his Potions book in the process, and let out a dramatic gasp. 

            " Oh no!"  He said loudly.  " It's the happy couple!  Quick!  Look busy!"  He made a very over dramatic slow motion turn and started to run across the common room in the same fashion.  George, in the same pathetically slow motions, slipped from his armchair and landed in front of Fred's feet (doing quite a good impression of a slow motion cartoon fall by bouncing a few times) and Fred tripped over him and hurtled towards the floor in an Academy Award worthy slow-mo.  Ron and Harry were the first to burst out laughing, followed closely by Angelina, Katie and Alicia, and finally, Hermione.  Oliver and Toby laughed as well, to the point where Toby found herself desperately trying to hold Oliver up.  After about ten minutes they both found their way to the stairs and both returned their books to their dormitories.  When they came back down to the common room, Hermione, Ron and Harry had gone, as well as the twins, and the three girls that were left were all seated comfortably in front of the fire doing homework and talking about boys, no doubt.  Oliver and Toby walked together out into the hall and then Oliver took Toby's arm and turned her to face him. 

            " I have to go talk to McGonagall about next week's match.  So, I guess I'll have to wait till tomorrow to have lunch with you."  He looked at her apologetically. 

            " Don't worry," she smiled.  " There's always tomorrow."

            " And the day after that," he smiled, pulling her to him.  " And the day after that…"  Toby laughed.  " And the day after that," he continued.  They both laughed.  Oliver marveled at the fact that it wasn't even funny, and yet they laughed anyway.  They stepped back from each other, still smiling.

            " Well," said Toby, " I should go."

            " Yeah," agreed Oliver.  He leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheek before smiling one last time and then starting off down the hall.  Toby stood where she was for a moment before giggling excitedly and skipping off towards the Great Hall. 

            When Toby walked, smiling, through the large doors and into the Great Hall, Hermione's face visibly lit up.  " Toby!"  She called, waving her arm in a gesture for the other girl to come sit by her.  Toby came over and slipped into the seat between Hermione and Lavender Brown.  " Hello, Toby," said Hermione brightly.

            " Hi, Toby," said Lavender.

            " Hello," answered Toby.  Her voice was quiet, but it didn't seem as shy.

            I don't know what you're up to Oliver, thought Hermione, but it's working wonderfully!

            " How are you this afternoon?" Lavender asked. 

            " Fine," answered Toby.  She had a suspicion that the events of breakfast were almost too likely to repeat themselves.  " You?"

            " Good," answered Lavender.

            " Great," said Hermione. 

            Toby looked at the sandwich trays set out over the tabletop and realized she wasn't actually hungry at all.  " I think I'm going to go for a walk," she said suddenly.

            " Oh," said Hermione, sounding slightly surprised.  " All right then."  Toby wondered if it was just her, or if there really was a hint of disappointment in the younger girl's voice.  Either way, for some reason it made her want to smile. 

            Toby rose from her seat and walked out of the Hall, waving a polite goodbye to the other two.  She walked leisurely through the Entrance Hall and stepped out the front doors.  The sunlight struck her pale skin and she felt its warmth soaking into her.  There was a faint breeze that was cool, but not too cool, and the birds of the Forest were alive with song.  There were groups of students gathered together, enjoying the beautiful afternoon.  Some were standing together under the shade of a tree, some were sprawled out across the grass, and some were tossing stones into the lake and seeing how long it took for the squid to throw them back.  She made her way towards the lake, shaking her head as she watched the boys wing in stone after stone, praying for their sake that the stones they threw in were indeed the only things the squid was likely to whip back out at them. 

            She looked up and noticed that Harry Potter was sitting alone under the shade of a small tree.  She remembered his reaction earlier at breakfast and for a moment she nearly decided to avoid him altogether.  But her "niceness" got the best of her and her slowly dissipating shyness stepped back.  She walked over casually and stopped in front of him. 

            "Hello, Harry," she said.

            He looked up at her.  She sensed that she might have startled him out of some revelry he had been in.  But he smiled kindly at her nonetheless.  "Hello, Toby." 

            "Am I interrupting you, or anything?"

            "Oh, not at all!  Please, sit down."  He patted the ground beside him and smiled.  Toby returned it and sat down gracefully on the soft grass.  There were a few moments of silence and then Harry spoke.  " So you and Oliver look great together, ya know.  Congratulations."  He turned his head and smiled at her. 

            She smiled back.  " Thank you," she said.  " I really like him and all, I just wish people wouldn't make such a big deal of it."

            " I know what you mean," he said quietly, smiling faintly and looking at his hands. 

            It took Toby a few seconds to register what he'd meant.  When she finally did, her hand flew to her mouth and she turned to him.  " Oh, Harry!  I'm so sorry!  I really have no right talking about unwanted attention, do I?"  She knew who Harry Potter was.  She knew quite well why he was so famous.  She suddenly felt incredibly guilty.  He probably got hounded all the time for everyone gawking at the scar placed on his forehead by his parents' murderer, and here she was complaining about a popular relationship. 

            Harry laughed.  " No, no!  Really, I didn't mean it like that.  And even if I did, I should be the one apologizing.  I shouldn't complain about it at all.  I've no right to it either."  He gave her a reassuring smile and she immediately felt better.  " And anyway," he continued, " Oliver is a great guy, and I can tell you personally that he really, really likes you.  Talks about you all the time."

            Toby couldn't keep the smile from her face.  " Really?"

            " Oh, yes," said Harry leaning his head against the tree trunk and turning his it to face her.  " Constantly asking for ideas or tips and things.  Wondering whether this is too forward, or if this is too cliché corny.  Things like that we've gotten used to.  It usually only lasts a few minutes.  But when he gets going on just you alone, God, somebody stop him."  He closed his eyes as if just talking about it made him exhausted. 

            Toby laughed and her jaw dropped.  " He talks about me that often?!"

            Harry opened his eyes and looked at her.  " Please don't take this personally or anything," he said.  Then he jumped quickly to his knees and clasped his hands together as if in prayer.  " If you know any possible ways to shut-him-up, please!  Don't hesitate to share them!" 

            Toby burst out laughing and Harry keeled somewhat and fell back into a sitting position, flopped against the tree.  

            They sat in a peaceful and content silence for the next ten minutes. 

            " Harry?"  Asked Toby quietly.  " Can I ask you something?"

            " Hmm?"

            " At breakfast, everyone was acting strangely about the whole thing with Oliver and I, but… well… I sort of noticed… This is going to sound stupid, but…" She sat up and turned her entire body to face him, and he turned his eyes from the lake to her.  " W-Were you… c-crying?"

            Harry's eyes fluttered shut as he laughed quietly and shook his head.  He looked back out over the lake.  " When you pulled the Tilt-A-Whirl on us, you scared the hell out of me and my hand slammed down on the cutlery."  Toby's hand flew up to attempt to hide her laughter.  He looked at her incredulously.  This only caused her to laugh harder.  " It's not funny!"  He said in disbelief.  " Bloody fork was halfway in my hand!"