Chapter Six
The next day dawned clear and warm for what should have been a dreary winter's day. A good omen?
Harry took it to be so.
He rolled over in his bed to see everyone was still asleep. Hoping to get a bit of a chat with Katie before everyone else woke up, he dressed quickly and headed to the common room.
She was there, absently doodling on some parchment with a few books open beside her. At his arrival she immediately put down the parchment. "Up early?"
"Obviously, as are you," he said, sitting beside her.
"Professor Snape wants me to do an essay on the signs of a werewolf to see what I already know, McGonagall wants me to describe in detail a Vanishing Spell, Flitwick wants a list of every charm I know....and if I work on this during the day with Kay around she'll think I'm a dork....even though she has to do it too."
"We did werewolves third year," Harry said absently.
"So did I, so this isn't really hard, it's just time-consuming."
"If you want to work, I can leave," he said, getting up.
"No, no, please don't," she said, smiling. "There are other things more important than homework."
Harry was speechless for a moment, then said, "Er.....so, uh.....well.....today is a scheduled trip to Hogsmeade, and uh.....would you....well....."
"Like to go with you? Sure!" Katie said excitedly.
Harry smiled in spite of himself. "That's good."
"Let's go now!" she said suddenly. "Get away from the rest of them. The Three Broomsticks is always open, as are several other shops. It'd be fun!"
Harry thought on that a moment, and decided more and more that he would enjoy that very much. "Okay, sure."
"Besides, it'd give Kay a chance to land Fred."
Harry grinned. "Is that how you think of it?"
"It's how she thinks of it."
"Well you are twins....."
"Doesn't mean we think alike," she said with a smile. "Come on!"
The two left the grounds and headed for Hogsmeade, absently talking about unimportant things along the way. At some point they found themselves sitting underneath a tree not far from the Shrieking Shack.
"I've been in there," Katie said calmly.
Harry looked at her incredulously. "You've only been here what, two days? And already you've been in there?"
"Well," she said with a secretive smile. "Me and Kayla saw the Whomping Willow on our way here yesterday and decided that it was there for a reason, probably hiding something. She distracted it – she's the faster of us – and I looked around the base of it and saw a funny knot. I pressed it and it stopped, so me and Kay just went in and found it."
"Wow," Harry said. "It almost killed me, Ron, and Hermione, until we found the secret knot.....you're terribly brave."
"No, terribly stupid perhaps, or nosy," Katie said with a grin.
"I would most certainly not say either of those," Harry said.
Katie smiled. "I'm really glad we could do this today."
"Yeah....me too."
"Where is she?" Kayla demanded as she stormed down the stairs from the girls' dormitories.
At the same time, Ron came stomping down from the boys' dormitories, asking "Where is he?"
The two saw each other and stopped. "She's gone."
"So is he."
Kayla groaned. "They're off making love somewhere. I know Katie.....it's always on her mind."
"I don't think Harry would go for that," said Ron skeptically. "Then again, he's been acting a bit off lately....."
Fred and George came bursting in to the common room at this point. "We've spotted Harry and Katie at Hogsmeade.....all alone...." Fred said with a conspiratorial wink. "What say you we have some fun with them?"
"I'm game!" said Kayla.
Hermione came down the stairs at this point. "What's all this fuss about?"
"We're going to pull a lovely joke on Harry and Katie," said Fred. "Care to help?"
Hermione groaned. "Must you?"
"Yes, we must."
"Then I'll go.....only to make sure you don't do anything too stupid, you understand."
"Perfectly," said George with a straight face.
"Well," said Fred. "Let's go!"
The next day dawned clear and warm for what should have been a dreary winter's day. A good omen?
Harry took it to be so.
He rolled over in his bed to see everyone was still asleep. Hoping to get a bit of a chat with Katie before everyone else woke up, he dressed quickly and headed to the common room.
She was there, absently doodling on some parchment with a few books open beside her. At his arrival she immediately put down the parchment. "Up early?"
"Obviously, as are you," he said, sitting beside her.
"Professor Snape wants me to do an essay on the signs of a werewolf to see what I already know, McGonagall wants me to describe in detail a Vanishing Spell, Flitwick wants a list of every charm I know....and if I work on this during the day with Kay around she'll think I'm a dork....even though she has to do it too."
"We did werewolves third year," Harry said absently.
"So did I, so this isn't really hard, it's just time-consuming."
"If you want to work, I can leave," he said, getting up.
"No, no, please don't," she said, smiling. "There are other things more important than homework."
Harry was speechless for a moment, then said, "Er.....so, uh.....well.....today is a scheduled trip to Hogsmeade, and uh.....would you....well....."
"Like to go with you? Sure!" Katie said excitedly.
Harry smiled in spite of himself. "That's good."
"Let's go now!" she said suddenly. "Get away from the rest of them. The Three Broomsticks is always open, as are several other shops. It'd be fun!"
Harry thought on that a moment, and decided more and more that he would enjoy that very much. "Okay, sure."
"Besides, it'd give Kay a chance to land Fred."
Harry grinned. "Is that how you think of it?"
"It's how she thinks of it."
"Well you are twins....."
"Doesn't mean we think alike," she said with a smile. "Come on!"
The two left the grounds and headed for Hogsmeade, absently talking about unimportant things along the way. At some point they found themselves sitting underneath a tree not far from the Shrieking Shack.
"I've been in there," Katie said calmly.
Harry looked at her incredulously. "You've only been here what, two days? And already you've been in there?"
"Well," she said with a secretive smile. "Me and Kayla saw the Whomping Willow on our way here yesterday and decided that it was there for a reason, probably hiding something. She distracted it – she's the faster of us – and I looked around the base of it and saw a funny knot. I pressed it and it stopped, so me and Kay just went in and found it."
"Wow," Harry said. "It almost killed me, Ron, and Hermione, until we found the secret knot.....you're terribly brave."
"No, terribly stupid perhaps, or nosy," Katie said with a grin.
"I would most certainly not say either of those," Harry said.
Katie smiled. "I'm really glad we could do this today."
"Yeah....me too."
"Where is she?" Kayla demanded as she stormed down the stairs from the girls' dormitories.
At the same time, Ron came stomping down from the boys' dormitories, asking "Where is he?"
The two saw each other and stopped. "She's gone."
"So is he."
Kayla groaned. "They're off making love somewhere. I know Katie.....it's always on her mind."
"I don't think Harry would go for that," said Ron skeptically. "Then again, he's been acting a bit off lately....."
Fred and George came bursting in to the common room at this point. "We've spotted Harry and Katie at Hogsmeade.....all alone...." Fred said with a conspiratorial wink. "What say you we have some fun with them?"
"I'm game!" said Kayla.
Hermione came down the stairs at this point. "What's all this fuss about?"
"We're going to pull a lovely joke on Harry and Katie," said Fred. "Care to help?"
Hermione groaned. "Must you?"
"Yes, we must."
"Then I'll go.....only to make sure you don't do anything too stupid, you understand."
"Perfectly," said George with a straight face.
"Well," said Fred. "Let's go!"