Disclaimer: Morgana's mine . . . yeah.
Author's Note: Well I am glad I got some feedback! Riley, you aren't dense, don't worry, there is something going on there.
Chapter Eleven: How Dates Are and How They Could Have Been
Oliver and I went down to Hogsmeade that Sunday before the slytherins and gryffindors went down. Only Ravenclaws or Huffies go down early. Because they are smart, they don't want to run into the slytherins. Gryffindors do it so they can glare at us.
Anyway, Oliver unnecessarily helped me out of the carriage and took me to a little café type place for breakfast. "Clever, Morgan,"he said as he opened the door for me.
"What?" I responded, a bit confused my his statement.
"You didn't wear your house scarf," he said with a smile.
"Neither did you," I remarked as we walked inside.
"What can I get for ya?" the middle-aged man behind the counter asked.
"Can I just get some hot chocolate?" I said more than I asked.
"With march newts?"
"Sure," I said.
"And for you?" the man asked Oliver.
"Same," he said. When the man said the total or our orders, I subconsciously reached into my pocket to pay, I was so used to paying for all the stuff I ordered that when Oliver said he would get it, I was surprised.
He grinned coyly at me as though he knew what I was thinking, "Surprised?"
I glared at him briefly then the man handed me my hot chocolate. We sat down and looked across the table at me. "So," he began, resting his chin on his hand. "Do you drink a lot of this stuff?"
I shrugged, "All my brothers hate it as does my dad so I don't get it all that much."
We drank in silence for a while. I looked up at him. He was incredibly handsome. I had never really gotten a chance to look at him. He was staring at the table while I studied him, he looked so different from the guys I surrounded myself with. He seemed so . . . wow I can't believe I am about to use this adjective . . . wholesome. I mean, he appeared so masculine. A guy. Probably any girl's description of the all around perfect guy. I was used to sly, corrupt, conniving guys. I had grown to know ever trick in the book that guys would pull on girls. I mean to get in their pants or get a cheap forgiveness etc. I had shot down slytherin guys like Flint who had tried to pull shit like that on me but . . . never had someone taken me out like this. Not even my brother on our birthday.
He looked up and met my gaze, snapping me out of my thoughts. He grinned and jokingly said, "Is there something on my face?"
"No," I said quickly and started to viciously drinking my hot chocolate, sucking up the marshnewts.
"So where do slytherin guys take their dates?"
I snorted, thinking of Marcus, Graham and the rest of the guys. "They don't take them out anywhere special. Group hang outs to come down here, go to the pitch for a so-called 'romantic walk' when they end up pinning the girl to a tree and making out."
He looked at me surprised. "Do slytherin girls have really low standards or something?"
"No," I said sharply, secretly wondering why I was defending girls I don't' like. "You get used to dealing with your own kind I suppose, that's all."
"Did Flint take you on lame dates like that?"
I nearly choked on my hot chocolate. "What makes you think I dated him?" I nearly shouted, coughing on my hot chocolate.
He looked like he wanted to pat my back or something to help but chose to answer my question instead. "You mean you didn't?"
"Is it just me or have I told you this before?" I growled.
"Sorry, sorry," he said waving his hands. "He just seems. . . very protective of you."
"What do you mean?"
"He is always glaring at me, when I look at you."
I stared at him, "He has caught you looking at me? I rarely catch you doing that!"
"Yeah I know," he said proving his point.
I shivered, "I don't want to go out with Flint. Not unless I absolutely had to."
"Why?" Oliver inquired, "he seems pretty popular."
I threw one of my marsh newts at him, "Because I have more fun with you."
"Oho?" he said with a coy grin. "Now why is that?"
I smirk/grinned but didn't respond. I thought it would be best to let him figure that one out on his own. I don't need to be feeding his ego. "Come on," I said standing up. "Let's go before it gets crowded."
"You aren't planning on leaving are you?" Oliver asked, with his eyebrows raised. I actually had been so I said nothing. "Oh no," Oliver said, grabbing my hand, "you aren't getting away yet." He held onto my hand tightly as he led me out of the café.
"Might I ask what we are doing?" I asked, slightly irritated at how I was being jerked like a ragdoll.
"We are going to walk around Hogsmeade and talk," he said with a confident smile and releasing my hand.
"Are you serious?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Completely," he responded.
"Alright then." So we did just that. For about an hour, we walked around Hogsmeade, just talking and making jokes. Or at least that was what I was doing unconsciously because he kept finding things I said funny. I really couldn't see it. Gryffindors have an odd sense of humor. Every now and then he would steal kisses. At one point, when our feet had taken us to a little area that was only full of first and second years, the kisses got a bit more passionate. Now, I never would have kissed him if I knew that the three gryffindor chasers would see us as they came out of the robes store.
Oliver grinned at me, "Hey Morgana, do you like candy?"
"Not really . . ." I replied knowing that it was probably his favorite food by the look on his face.
His face suddenly fell. "Do you want some or something?" I asked looking over at the candy store.
"Yes . . ." he mumbled.
I rolled my eyes, "Then go get some. For Christ's sake, it isn't like you are incapable."
His face lit up and he wrapped me in a tight hug accompanied by a passionate kiss. He thanked me again for something that I honestly didn't think needed it. He ran off into the candy store. I turned around to go find a bench to sit and wait and instead found myself staring at the three gryffindor chasers, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnett and Katie Bell coming towards me. I realized by the looks on their faces that they had seen my kiss with Oliver and were about to put me in my place. Sound oddly specific? Slytherins do it all the time, that's how I know.
"Just what exactly, do you think you're doing, Montague?" Bell sharply snapped at me.
The three kept coming closer and I unconsciously began go back up, back up into the narrow alley between stores.
"I happen to be enjoying my date with Oliver," I said trying to keep my composure which was growing more difficult by the second.
"Date?" Spinnett mocked. "Is that what you call it? You're manipulating him!"
"Do you have proof to back up that statement?" I challenged. I usually I wouldn't be discouraged but the topic was making my blood heat up and I felt their hostile energy.
"We just saw you kissing him!" Johnson snapped.
"I can assure you it was of his own free will," I replied.
"Like hell it is!" Spinnett shouted at me. "We all know you slytherins are incapable of relationships. Too slimy, too sick and too shallow. You are only using him to bring him and the gryffindor team to downfall!"
"Don't think for a second we will let that happen," Johnson snarled.
Now I am sure if I hadn't been in slytherin, I could have probably gotten along with these girls. But I am in slytherin and when someone throws a punch at me, it isn't apart of my constitution to ignore it. However, I scanned Oliver's possible reactions if I beat back on his chasers, causing broken lips, limbs and swelling eyes. I shouldn't have cared but for some reason I did.
Spinnett punched me hard in the chest and I crumpled slightly. They encircled around me and ganged up on me. Don't underestimate quidditch girls ever. They can throw their punchs and I knew this well. I lashed out when I got the chance but one of their nails had make a cut above my eye and the trickle of blood was blinding my vision. I felt my nails make a deep scratch in someone's skin. The brawl continued, if you could call it a brawl. It was more like three gryffindors kicking the shit out of a slytherin. I am tough I will say but I am not invincible to the advantages of a group.
When I felt another punch hit me in the stomach, I latched onto their sleeves. I pulled them forward. I could see that it was Johnson. I sprinted through the opening I had made in their circle and darted out of the alley. Oliver was standing in front of the candy store, looking around for me most likely. I pushed past him so hard that he stumbled back. "Morgana?" I heard him said. I ran down every deserted alley in Hogsmeade until I was out of the village and then I still kept running.
Before long, I felt my legs collapse beside the lake. I stared out at the water. It was so calm and peaceful. I leaned over and looked into the water at my reflection. I cringed. I looked terrible, even by my standards, clumps of hair had come out of my ponytail, I had lots of cuts on my face, some that were bleeding. I felt bruises forming all along my stomach and my skin in general ached.
"Fuck," I cursed as I slumped over. I should have fought back more. I should have beaten each of them to a bloody pulp. But I didn't, for Oliver's sake, and it was I who was paying for it. Damn him.
"Morgan?" I looked over my shoulder to see Marcus coming towards me.
"Shit," I muttered and quickly turned around so he would not see the state of me.
I was too late, he apparently already had. "Morgan, what happened?" he asked and sat down beside me. His voiced sounded genuine and that was unnerving. I tried to look away but he tugged my hands so I had to look at him. "What happened?" he repeated.
Could I really confide in Marcus? What would happen if I did? What would happen if I didn't? I figured the latter would the be the worst out of the two so I decided to tell him. I tried to keep all the dignity I could in my voice when I began, "Gryffindor – "
He cut me off in a fit of anger. "What! Those Gryffindors did this to you? I will kill Wood! I will kill him!"
"Marcus, please," I said grabbing him and pulling him back down as he tried to stand. "Don't."
"Don't what?" he asked looking at me. "How can you not want me to beat the daylights out of them? I will make every gryffindor pay for what they did."
Marcus was starting to sound like some war-driven general. Sure, apart of me would love to see every gryffindor suffer but I wasn't about to be the reason that Marcus went off on his long awaited massacre. "Marcus, don't . . ." I said.
He stared at me. "I don't understand you, Morgan . . ."
"Is it so hard?" I snapped, "I said don't do anything."
He took a hold of my hands, I was too tired to protest. "Can I at least help you back to the common room? Help clean you up?" I was surprised that Marcus Flint had actually listened to me, or at least taken notice to drop the subject.
Before I could respond, I heard someone calling my name. I looked over my should and saw Oliver running towards me. I turned away quickly and he stopped upon seeing Marcus. "Morgana?" he questioned. I didn't need to see his face to know the expression. "What is going on?"
I guess I spoke to soon about Marcus, because he jumped right up and shouted. "I am going to beat you to a bloody pulp that's what's going on, Wood!"
"What the –?" Oliver said jerking back in surprise. "What did I do? Morgana, what did you tell him?"
"Told me enough to give me reason to beat you into the ground," Marcus shouted.
I clutched my head as they both shouted at eachother. I was getting sick of this.
"Why are you so protective of her?" Oliver shouted at him.
"Are you going out with her or something, Wood?" Flint asked angrily.
"Yes I is!" he shouted.
"Oh you son of a bitch," Marcus snarled just before pouncing on him.
I pushed myself up to my feet as they started to brawl. "Stop it!" I shouted. "Just stop it! You're acting like children!" They stopped upon my command. Oliver's eyes widened as he took in my appearance.
"Morgana . . ."Oliver whispered in shock.
"Go to hell," I growled. "Both of you! I don't care if you rip eachother to shreds but make damn sure it isn't over me." I turned on my heel and stormed off to the castle as fast as I could.
Author's Note: sorry that one took a while, I have been a bit uninspired. Well, I did give the brawl that Riley wanted. Thanks for the feedback that I have been getting. I hope people don't think Morgana was being a wuss when she got attacked. It was more that she knew Oliver would be very angry if his chasers were hurt, little does she know that he as more angry that she was hurt.... dun dun dun! Stay tuned!