Authors Note: This chapter is less than half the length of the last one...maybe even a quarter...but it's still quality. Haha just kidding...well I dunno, I'll let you all be the judges of that. Review it and tell me what you think!

Chapter 5

A Severe Let Down

"Hello Bella." Oliver greeted her cheerily, a week later. She was sitting in the common room reading a transfiguration assignment from the day before. "What's up?"

"Not much Ollie. How about you?" Katie replied hesitantly.

"Oh nothing really." He told her, looking at her anticipating something.

"Er...good day?" She asked.

"Now that I can see you? Its amazing." He told her, smiling cheekily. Even though that was the most often used line ever, it had special meaning between Katie and Oliver.

Flashback

Katie, a third year Gryfindor, was sitting in the common room late at night catching up on some reading. It was not school reading. Katie was embarrassed to admit it, but she had been staying with Alicia for a week the previous summer when she discovered muggle novels. Alicia had an astounding collection of them, and Katie devoured them. She loved reading about the tangled love lives of the heroes and heroines in the books, probably to supplement for her very obvious lack of one.

She heard the portrait hole open but did not look up. She did not know who was out at this hour and did not particularly care. She assumed that whoever it was would go straight up to bed.

"Hey Katie." Said an all too familiar voice. It had to be Oliver to catch her in this moment of naive girliness, didn't it?

"What were you doing out so late?" Katie asked, trying to distract him from the book in her hands which she could tell he was peering at curiously.

"I was with Jess, actually." Oliver said, blushing a little. In the glow of the firelight his eyes twinkled merrily, reflecting the glowing embers.

"Jess?" Katie repeated. She had had a thing for Oliver for a while, though he didn't know it.

"Yeah we were, er-"

"You don't have to tell me!" Katie said quickly, not wanting to hear about her best friend/love interests romantic carryings on with another girl. It was well enough in books, but not when it was real. Oliver laughed.

"You're so prude Katie." Oliver told her. Katie privately agreed, although there was another reason she did not want to hear about it. Ignoring the comment, she looked back to her book.

"Anyway, what are you doing up so late? That's not a school book."

"Oliver, just because you hate reading doesn't mean we all do. There is such a thing as a book that is non academic." Katie informed him, not looking up from the book.

"Let me see this." Oliver said, leaping to his feet and snatching her book before she could tuck it away. "What is this rubbish?" He asked disgusted, rifling through the pages.

"Don't lose my place." Katie requested, knowing she would never retrieve it from him. There was no point in trying.

"I got it." He told her. She saw that his finger was marking her spot. "What is this?" He asked, reading a passage.

"Muggle book." Katie admitted embarrassed.

"You actually read this garbage?" He asked her.

"Yes, I like it." She told him indignantly.

" 'Having fun baby?" she asked seductively. 'Now that I'm with you honey' he replied, sweeping her into his arms and-'" Oliver said, reading from a random passage.

"Stop that!" Katie said, catching him unawares and taking the book back. "You wouldn't understand. You have to read them." Katie told him, angry and embarrassed.

"Sorry Katie, I didn't mean to make fun. How can I make it up to you?" He asked her.

"Read the books." She said firmly. She kept a straight face as Oliver's face contorted.

"All right. And then you'll be my best friend again?" He asked her, wheedling.

"Then I'll be your best friend again." Katie agreed.

"So where are the books?" He asked.

"You'll read them?" She asked.

"Anything for you, baby." He said, employing the same tone he had used when quoting the book. Katie took the book and whacked him soundly until he begged forgiveness. She got him the books from her dormitory. Surprisingly enough he had actually read them too. And, although he had expressly forbidden Katie from telling anyone, he had actually enjoyed parts of them. The books particularly enjoyed using the term "now that you're here, baby." and "Now that I'm with you, baby" and all other variations of that. It had become something of an inside joke that Oliver and Katie sometimes shared since that night.

End Flashback

"Katie?" Oliver asked.

"Mm? Oh, sorry. What?" Katie said, jerked from her reverie.

"What are you thinking?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Just about those books. Remember in our third year?" She reminded him.

"That's what I was thinking of when I said it!" He told her excitedly. They shared a private laugh at the memory. "So…" He said after she had been quiet for a while. She had started to peruse her transfiguration reading again.

"Yes?" She asked, looking up.

"Nothing." He said quickly.

"Oh." Katie said, looking down again. This was the way things had always been between her and Oliver. Companionable, comfortable, friendly. And that was probably all they ever would be, but Katie supposed ruefully that that was better than nothing.

"Hogsmede weekend coming up soon." Oliver said casually, although inside his stomach was knotting up.

"Is there?" Katie asked absently, not really paying attention. Or at least pretending not to. Inside her attention had perked up and she was listening with every inch of her being.

"Yes. So…" Oliver started, trailing off. Katie closed her book, placing it beside her. It was obvious that Oliver wanted to say something. He had something on his mind, that was apparent enough, but he wasn't saying. He was fidgeting in a way only Oliver could, making him look shifty and guilty of something. It put Katie in mind of the way her younger brother looked when he had stolen her toy. Her brother was not yet at Hogwarts, as he was only ten. When she was his age and he was a baby, he would always take her ponies and hide them from her.

Katie smiled at the mental image of an infant Oliver playing with ponies.

"You'll be going with Cedric then?" He suggested.

"I don't know." Katie said, remembering her friends' advice. It was now the perfect opportunity to tell Oliver that she had broken up wit Cedric, but Alicia and Angelina's' voices kept playing in her head. 'Don't tell him, just wait and see what he does.' And so Katie waited, staring at him calmly. She did feel a nagging voice in the back of her mind telling her to end the games now, but another part of her loved playing.

"Oh." He said simply, still with a shifty expression on his face.

"Who are you going with?" She asked innocently, with all the airs of holding a regular conversation with a friend and not noticing anything amiss.

"I'm not sure. Maybe Fred and George, Angelina, Alicia, and Lee. You too if you'll come?" He said quickly, spitting it out at once. Katie subdued an almost irresistible urge to laugh. She always went to Hogsmede with her friends and yet Oliver was acting as if it would be something out of the ordinary. He was treating it like a big deal.

"I'm not sure. I'll probably see you guys there, it's not that big of a town, is it? Anyway, why wouldn't I want to come with you?" She asked, curiously.

"I thought- are we?- I don't know. No reason." Oliver stuttered, obviously confused. "So we aren't fighting then?" He asked.

"Fighting? Why would we be fighting?" Katie asked. "Oh, that. No, we're not fighting. You're still my best friend." Katie assured him, assuming he was referring to the constant comments he had been making, albeit all positive and flattering ones, that had annoyed her so for the past week.

The weekend of the Hogsmede visit had come. Although it was almost two weeks since she and Cedric had broken up, by some circumstance beyond Katie's control or understanding, Oliver had still not found out about it. Apparently they were really serious about keeping things under wraps.

"So, Katie, have you given any thought to coming to Hogsmede?" Oliver asked her as casually as possible the morning of the trip.
"I don't know. I was thinking of maybe doing some homework." Katie said nonchalantly, feigning unconcern.

"Oh, please come Katie! It'll be really fun, I promise." Oliver told her coaxingly.
"All right, I suppose I have all tomorrow and tonight to do my homework." Katie said, pretending to give in, although she had always been planning on going to Hogsmede.

The truth was she had almost finished her homework anyway.

"You won't regret it, I swear." Oliver assured her.
"I never regret a moment spent with you, Oliver." Katie said under her breath, barely audible at all. He did not hear her over the buzz of the great hall, and she did not repeat herself.

"So, I'll meet you in the entrance hall in an hour, okay? I have to go now, but I'll see you soon." Oliver said, leaping to his feet and running out of the hall. Although Katie was puzzled, she did not really take much notice of Oliver's sudden disappearance.

Katie turned instead to Angelina, who was sitting on her other side, and engaged her in a conversation about their History of Magic report for professor Bins.

After finishing her breakfast a little while later, Katie left the great hall and went upstairs to change. She would need boots and a cloak to go into Hogsmede, as it was cold and looked like it was about to snow.

Katie, after having changed, went down to the entrance hall to wait for Oliver. Checking her time piece, she noticed that he was 15 minutes overdue. Most of the carriages had already left for Hogsmede. Katie was alone in the entrance hall, and feeling very much the fool. With a last glance around, Katie left, feeling hurt and let down. She was astonished, she could not believe that Oliver had stood her up. Had he insisted she come just for the sole purpose of hurting her? that seemed beyond Oliver, much more malicious that he was normally. But still, the circumstance did appear rather suspicious.

Katie walked back up the stairs to the common room, settling down to finish the charms homework. She was alone in the common room save for a few first and second years. The rest of the house had all gone out to Hogsmede. It was apparently a popular weekend to visit the village. Usually there were a few older students who stayed behind, but this time, what with the fine weather and the fact that it would be the last visit for a while until Christmas, everyone who could had gone.

Katie felt rather upset that she was all alone in the common room on such a perfect Hogsmede day while all of her friends were in Hogsmede. Katie could not help but think that Cedric probably would not have stood her up. He was too polite for that. But he was with Cho now, and they were most likely having a wonderful time in the village, holding hands, drinking butterbears, while she was alone in the common room doing charms homework.

She must be the biggest loser on the face of the earth. She had been looking forward to a pleasant afternoon with her friends. She had thought that things between her and Oliver had worked themselves out, but apparently they had not.

She finished her charms homework ten minutes later and was left with day stretching ahead of her with nothing to fill it. Her friends were all in Hogsmede, she had said she would wait for Oliver and meet them there, and she had finished her homework.

Making up her mind to go to Hogsmede alone and try to find her friends there, she made her way back to the entrance hall. She went outside into the courtyard just as a gust of wind came up. There were two carriages remaining, and Katie jumped into one of them.

The carriage, knowing somehow where it was meant to go, took her on the designated course to Hogsmede.

The mystery of the horseless carriages would never cease to amaze her. She had read books about headless horsemen, but never about horseless carriages. She wondered whether she would ever learn the answer. The carriage stopped and Katie jumped out, glancing back at the empty harness. She saw the carriage go to stand next to the others, and wondered for what felt like the millionth time if there was some invisible creature pulling it. Perhaps they could communicate with each other. Or maybe the carriages were alive.

Catching herself before she got too absorbed in her imaginings, she walked into the center of town. As the wind picked up again she wrapped the cloak tighter around her thin shoulders. Her hair whipped her face painfully.

Squinting and shivering, she looked around. The streets were deserted. Everyone had more sense than to be outside. The day was not nearly as fine as it had appeared from the Gryfindor common room. But then again, the grass was always greener on the other side. Katie found herself thinking that perhaps she should have stayed behind.

Reaching the Three Broomsticks, Katie pushed open the door. The room was crowded with Hogwarts students sitting around and talking. Katie, after a cursory glance around the room, established that her friends were either not here, or had found an isolated table.

She went to the bar and bought a butterbear, gripping the steaming mug to let it warm her hands. Now that she was warmer she looked around again, examining the occupants of each table more thoroughly.

At last, in a table half concealed with shadows, she found her friends. There was Angelina, Fred, George, Alicia, Lee, and, Katie could not believe her eyes, Oliver. She had in the back of her mind thought that perhaps he had a good reason for having stood her up. Such as perhaps he had been stopped by a professor and been asked to do something that he could not avoid. But here he was, laughing and chatting and having a grand old time, without her.