To those who are worried, NO, Fred and Katie will not be getting together. He's more of a best friend that...more than that lol.

I woke up. It seemed colder today than any other this year. Somehow, my window had become open and cold air spilled into my room, letting warm, comforting atmosphere seep under my door. I shuddered and huddled deeper into my quilt.

I realized that by ignoring it, it wouldn't go away. I sat up, the quilt falling to my lap. I leaped out of bed as quickly as humanly possible and propelled the window shut, still shivering. It was still cold in my room after that, but the ever-present wind did not make it worse.

I went back to bed. I didn't care was time it was. As I got comfortable, I understood that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. The sun was up and it was too bright.

I sat up again, this time too fast. My head spun and I smacked my palm into my forehead. It didn't help, I know it, but it was a reflex, the same one I did when I got brain freeze.

I got up, went to the bathroom, changed into some clean clothes, brushed my teeth, fixed my messy hair (which was always like that and was never going to change) and was finally ready to go down to breakfast.

I slowly made my way down to the Great Hall. I kept blinking my eyes sleepily; maybe I should've tried to sleep more. As I got closer, I saw Fred and George sitting alone at a table. George looked like he was trying to cheer Fred up. Fred was a force to be reckoned with.

George's eyes fixed on me and he stared. He blinked, like he was trying to see if I was real or not. Fred caught what he was staring at and turned around. Fred's depressed face fell even more, it actually was possible, when he saw me.

He stood up from the table cautiously and looked around the room. He walked over to me; I was frozen.

"Katie, maybe this isn't the best place-"

"Fred-"

"-for you right now," Fred finished. He stared at me with urgent eyes, like he was scared of something.

"Maybe we could go out on the Quidditch pitch?" he offered hesitatingly with a small fake smile. His smile was easy to see through and I was uneasy. Fred had never acted like this before.

Fred looked behind him and quickly turned back to me. He moved in front of me, blocking someone. I looked over his shoulder at Cho. She was sitting, eating breakfast, nothing out of the norm. I looked at him questionably. He didn't meet my eyes. I looked again. Still, the same, normal Cho.

"Let's go!" Fred said quickly. He grabbed my hand and led me out of the Hall. I didn't ask about Cho. He was walking quickly, still gripping my hand. I had to almost jog to keep up with him.

"Hey, Weasley!" a playful voice called from behind us, "You stealing my Chaser?"

We turned. It was Oliver. I was almost relieved to see his face. With all this weirdness, he was my one thing I could count on to be stable.

He walked over to us and Fred dropped my hand. Oliver smiled and kissed me quickly. I heard Fred scoff and then groan.

"Yes, Wood, I'm stealing your girlfriend for a second," Fred said, angry and aggravated.

Oliver didn't respond to that. Fred had said 'girlfriend' like it was something none of us wanted me to be.

"Do you want to come with us out to the field?" I asked, offering. Fred scoffed again, this time much, much louder. Oliver shrugged.

"I gotta take care of something first..." he said, walking away. Fred began to lead me to the Quidditch field.

"Fred, what's going on??"

"Okay, well, you know how you were with me last night? Or, I was with you, whatever? Well, did you ever wonder who was with Wood last night?"

"Um, maybe he was with his bed and his pillow and his quilt sleeping??"

Just then a group of Hufflepuff girls walked by. I caught some of their comments:

"Well, I heard that he told her he loved her..."

"No way! Oliver Wood!? Geez, I can't believe it!"

"I know!!"

"Wow, he told her he loved her..."

Then they were out of earshot. I blushed. Fred stopped a second.

"Katie, did you tell anyone that? Besides me?"

"Tell anyone what?" I was still caught up in the girls' conversation.

"That Wood said he loved you?"

"No?" I wasn't catching what he was getting at. Fred sighed and pulled me along the hallway, towards the field.

"Katie," he said slowly, "Girls are the ones who stress that kind of stuff..."

I looked at him. I was stupid, I didn't know what he was getting at, still.

"Guys are the kind of people who tell everyone that they told the loves of their lives, their girlfriends, that they love them. Maybe that they 'score' or whatever, but they don't spread that mushy stuff...Guys just don't do that..."

"So, what does that mean?" I asked.

"Either: A) Someone was listening in. Or B) There's another girl involved. And he told her he loved her."

He was stressing option B, but I wasn't listening. It was absurd.

"Fred, you really think Oliver would be like that?" I asked sarcastically.

Fred looked serious. I shook my head. "No," I said flatly.

Just then, out of PURE luck and coincidence, Cho and her gang of friends walked down the hall.

"Hey, Bell!" Cho yelled. She had a confused look on her face, surprisingly. Fred backed up.

"You broke up with Wood, right?"

I frowned, shaking my head. The idea of me going out with Oliver was still new to me.

"Oh," she said, handing me a piece of parchment, "That's not what he told me..."

She had a smug smile on her face that I almost wanted to slap off instantly, even without reading the note. I looked down and I actually started to read.

"Cho,

Thanks again for last night. I think we both needed it, desperately. We both finally realized that things change and so do people. People's emotions that is. Can't wait to see you again. I'll see you soon. Thanks. You are amazing.

Oliver"

I handed her back to the note. Fred had read it over my shoulder.

"Looks like you lost your boyfriend, Bell," Cho said evilly. I took a deep breath.

"Okay," I said coolly. After a few seconds of war-staring she stalked off. I turned and went in the direction of the field. Fred followed. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. Somehow, he was right, and he knew before I did.

"Fred, if you knew, which I'll bet you did, why did you tell me?" I asked. I was surprised at myself; my tone was smooth but harsh. I wasn't angry. I thought I should have been, though.

"I wished that I had only caught the end of something and I didn't want to tell you something that wasn't true.... Maybe you should ask Wood...just to make sure..."

I sighed. He was right. Again and always. "When should I ask him?" I asked Fred. He shrugged.

The rest of the day, I couldn't focus. When Fred passed me the quaffle on the field, I didn't catch it; he was two feet away.

I wasn't sad or angry that Oliver had "cheated" on me. I was more hurt and confused. Too much so to cry. I wasn't the crying type. But I wanted to cry. I felt bad that I didn't cry when I was hurt. I knew that if I cried in Fred's presence, though, he'd feel sorry for me. Sympathy was an evil emotion. Feeling it, getting it, seeing it, it was all bad.

"Katie, just go talk to him, okay?" Fred asked.

"And what if it's true?" I asked, "What if he's really with Cho now?"

"Well, if that's the case, then he's a jackass. Especially after he just told you that he loved you."

"And if it's not true?"

"Then Cho's the jackass and you and Wood can get back together..."

"Are you sure? At this point I feel like he did do something even if he hasn't. If I find out that he didn't, I may still believe that something happened and it'll all seem so strange..."

I loved Fred being here. I didn't have to talk to myself in Question, Comment, and Answer sessions.

"It may seem strange, but you don't know what happened!"

I nodded. Fred was still right. Damn.

"Okay," I said decisively with a sigh, "I'll go talk to him..."

"Now?"

"Yes," I said. Fred looked hesitant and he was the one who suggested it.

"Do you want me to go with you?" he offered.

I shook my head, "No, that would be even more awkward."

I went back to Gryffindor Tower. I don't think I breathed the entire way there.

I found myself at Oliver's door. I found myself wanting to go walk around the castle to think and prepare myself for it. Too late.

I knocked on the door. I heard rustling inside and then a high-pitched giggle. I then heard Oliver's laugh. The doorknob twisted and a girl came out with thick black hair and a beautiful face. Cho.

She slipped by me and grinned, walking off. She didn't have to say anything. I was standing there, frozen, when Oliver acknowledged my presence.

"Yeah?"

I stepped inside his room. His hair was tousled and he was adjusting his shirt.

"Katie!" he said cheerfully but hesitant at the same time. I closed the door behind me. I glanced at his bed. It was messy. I closed my eyes.

"Katie?"

"What's going on, Wood?" I asked. I had said Wood. I hadn't realized until I heard myself say it. He didn't seem to notice.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, where were you last night?" My tone was calm, like I didn't have any idea.

His eyes widened, surprisingly. "Um...here...did you come by?"

I took a breath. "No. Fred said you weren't here and came to my room to see if you were there. You weren't there either..."

"Oh, well, I mean, I was here, I just, um, I guess he didn't catch me when I was in... I went to go meet... George... in the library..."

"Did you?"

"Yeah, well, I-"

"Oliver, don't lie to me, I'm not stupid," I said, crossing my arms in front of me. I wanted to run from this conversation but I knew I had to stick it out.

"Well..."

"Oliver Wood, if you're like Cho now and you're going out with her, you at least had the decency to dump me first, well at least I thought you had the decency to. I mean, why shouldn't you like Cho? Every other guy here does anyways. But I thought you would at least dump me or tell me-"

I thought I would have been in tears right now, but I wasn't. I thought I would have wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and forget about everything, but I was comfortable just staring at him.

"Katie, what are you-"

"Oh, come on, Oliver, you don't think I don't know? "Thanks again for last night. I think we both needed it, desperately" You don't think I didn't realize?"

As I mimicked him as I repeated his words, his face fell and then it showed shock. I didn't look at his eyes. I knew that if I looked at them, my attitude would change. I didn't want to lose it.

"Katie, I can explain..."

Of course those famous words had to be heard SOMETIME in this conversation, otherwise, it just wasn't something we both knew.

"No, Oliver, I guess what you said was true, people's emotions do change. I just wish that I knew when yours did..."

I turned and left. I almost wanted Oliver to come after me. He didn't. I think that was what hurt me the most: Oliver letting me leave.

It wasn't until I reached the Owlry that tears came on. It was only about one or two, but I was feeling the full impact. I didn't think that this would happen, but I didn't remember that I really did love Oliver. I didn't convince myself that I didn't love him and I hated him. I really didn't. I loved him. I wasn't going to induce myself to otherwise.

I sat there, with those stupid owls everywhere around me, hooting and whatnot. I began to think that it was me, that I had made it all turn sour. Something along the lines that I wasn't pretty enough, tall enough, sweet enough, anything that Cho was, I wasn't. I tried to think of what Fred would say. He would say that Oliver wasn't worth it and that he screwed up, nothing to do with me. I reminded myself that Fred was usually right.

I shook my head. 'Staying here for Christmas and for Oliver was a bad idea' I thought. I realized that the holidays still lasted a few more weeks. Damn.

Just then, an ordinary brown owl flew in. Nothing out of the norm. It flew over my head twice before dropping a plain white envelope into my lap. I frowned, wondering who it could be from. I realized it was Dad.

Katie,

I think it's wonderful that you've met a boy. I met your mother for the first time at Hogwarts, did you know? I'm sure staying won't do any harm. I must meet this boy, you understand. I need to approve, as I always do. Now, don't worry, I'm sure that if he's good enough for you, he's more than good enough for me.

I'm sure your mother will be VERY pleased to hear that I'm 'spoiling you rotten'. Well, stay safe and I hope things go very well with this boy of yours. I hope Quidditch doesn't stress you out too much. Would a new broom perhaps make it less stressful? I'll look into it...

Love you very very much.

Dad.

Perfect timing. Dad won't have a chance to approve on Oliver. I was wondering if it wasn't too late to go home...

I heard footsteps on the stairs and I froze, clutching my father's letter to my chest. I took a deep breath and slid the letter back into the envelope. I looked over towards the door of the Owlry. It was Oliver.

Oh, look, the nice person I am, I loaded both portions of this TOGETHER! 17&18 were all one then I broke it into two to make it better, but I posted them at the same time for your benefit. I knew that if I only posted 17 I'd be a dead person and you all would be very very angry.