A/N: okay... chapter 14. i forgot about these author's notes thingies. i'd like to thank all of my reviewers! u r not forgotten. also i'd like 2 thank the reviewer who inforrmed me that The Ramones are not English. and also i got the qualities of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw mixed up. thanks 4 that heh heh. lub u allz. MUAH

Chapter 14

Katie went into her dormitory right after she had dinner. She didn't forget her promise she made to Freddy. Katie changed into a pair of jeans, put on a white "3/4 shirt" and applied some lip gloss. She grabbed a light blue fleece sweater and left. Katie thought that since she couldn't wear normal clothes in the morning and afternoon, she'd wear them in the evening.

Katie made her way down the stairs of the Entrance Hall and out to the lake that Lavender and Parvati had showed her. Professor McGonagall had informed that the assigned partners did not have to hang around each other after 6:30PM so they would have time to themselves.

Katie found Freddy by the lake, with one hand in his pocket, and he was glancing at his watch. He looked at Katie and smiled. "I thought you had forgotten."

"Of course I didn't!" Katie replied warmly. She noticed that Freddy was no longer in his robes either. "So what was your favorite class today?" Katie asked, trying to make conversation. The two started walking around the lake. The snow had stopped falling and it had been warm for a winter that night.

"I don't know," Freddy replied truthfully. "I really don't have a favorite. I guess if I wasn't so bad with wands, I'd like Charms and Transfiguration the best."

"I know you'll get it soon! It's only your first day anyway," Katie assured. The two laughed and joked for a while, then it grew silent.

Freddy stopped walking around the lake. "Listen, Katie..." His voice trailed off.

"If it's to ask out a girl you met here, I'm not doing it for you!" Katie joked. Freddy usually asked Katie to do this kind of a favor, and she refused. Sometimes.

"Actually," Freddy began. "I do want to ask this girl out, but I don't know how."

"Aw, Freddy! That is so cute!" Katie gushed. "All you have to do is tell her what you like about her and then sort of ask her out! You're usually a pro at this kind of stuff Freddy! What's up?"

"This girl is different," Freddy said nervously.

"Really? Who's the lucky girl?" Katie asked.

"Uh...actually, she's standing right in front of me," Freddy managed.

Katie's eyes widened when she realized Freddy was talking about her. "Wow, I don't know what to say..."

"I just want you to go out with me, Katie. I've had the biggest crush on you since... forever..." Freddy confessed. "So will you be my girlfriend?" Freddy smiled weakly.

Katie's mind was zooming at a mile a minute. She didn't like Freddy in this way. She had been best friends with him ever since they were kids. They had played POWER RANGERS together. Katie didn't want some simple fling to ruin their friendship. Katie looked into Freddy's eyes. How was she going to resist them when they looked at her so longingly?

"Freddy, I..." Katie couldn't say anything so she looked away from Freddy's eyes. She couldn't believe that a night of joking and talking was ruined with one simple question that Katie couldn't even answer. "I don't... I can't...I really like you but..." Katie couldn't believe she was actually hurting one of her best friends.

"Oh, okay..." Freddy managed. Katie looked into Freddy's eyes. She could nearly see Freddy's heart being torn in two just by looking in his eyes. Freddy started to turn to walk away.

"Freddy, wait," Katie said, grabbing one arm so he wouldn't leave. "It's not fair that I don't even give you and reason."

"Why, Katie?" Freddy asked, feeling hurt. "I thought we actually had something going."

"What we have going is friendship, Freddy," Katie replied gently. "Freddy, you're one of my best friends. I love the way we are right now! I feel like I can tell you anything, and I know you can tell me anything." Katie sighed. "We have a lot of trust for each other. That's what I really like about you: I can trust you. I don't want that to be taken away, you know?"

Freddy nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"I'm sorry," Katie apologized. "I didn't know the way you feel about me. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I was scared to be rejected," Freddy admitted.

"I'm really sorry to turn you down Freddy." The two stared at each other. "But I want to be your best friend, not your girl friend."

"If you're my best friend, why are you making me hurt so much?" Freddy mumbled, hoping Katie didn't hear.

Katie did hear him. She tried not to get angered by this comment. Just because Freddy wanted a girl friend who happened to be his best friend didn't mean he could just transform the relationship. Katie sighed. "Freddy, when girls dump you, who makes you feel better?"

"You," Freddy answered.

"And when your grandfather died, who was the first one to come to you to comfort you when you didn't want to talk to anybody?"

"You," Freddy repeated.

"And when you're in a fight with someone, who's the first one to take your side?" Katie asked.

"You," Freddy said again.

"See Freddy? This means I'll always be there for you, just like you have been for me." Katie smiled at Freddy. "Like when my cat Pepper died when we were six, you offered to be the priest at his funeral."

Freddy smiled.

"Or what about the day we got popsicles from the ice cream truck when we were like five?" Katie reminded. "I dropped my popsicle on the floor, so you..."

"Broke mine in half and gave you one half," Freddy finished.

Katie chuckled. "Freddy, we'll be best friends forever, k?" The two began to walk back to the castle.

"Can we, um, forget about tonight?" Freddy asked.

"Already forgotten," Katie replied warmly. The two started walking back to the castle holding hands.

"So we're best friends, eh?" Freddy asked. "What about Zack?"

"He's my best friend, too," Katie answered.

Freddy opened the doors to the Grand Entrance and let Katie in first. "Who do you like better?" Freddy asked with a grin.

"Freddy! I'm not going to answer that!" Katie exclaimed.

"And why not?"

"Because I like you both the same," Katie replied smoothly.

"But we're two different people, so therefore you can't like us the same," Freddy pointed out. "Damn, I feel smart now," he murmured.

Katie giggled. "I can't answer that... but I do know that I like you both the same because of your different qualities."

"Fair enough. Race you up the stairs? First one to the common room wins?" Freddy challenged.

"Game on!" Katie declared. "We'll go when I say 'one' Three... two..." Katie broke out in a run.

"Hey!" Freddy called. "You're such a cheater!" Freddy joked. He ran behind her. "Come back! We'll have a rematch!"

"Fat chance!" Katie exclaimed. She was already on the second floor. The two continued to run. They kept laughing, which made it hard to run but they kept running anyway.

Katie, who was still ahead, reached the sixth floor. She looked behind her to see how far ahead she was of Freddy. He was about seven or eight steps away from her. "You'll never catch me Jones! I'm so going to-" THWUMP

Katie had run into Harry. She had hit him with such an impact that she could have just bounced off of him and fallen backwards down the stairs. Harry held her so she wouldn't fall down the stairs. He had been walking up with Seamus from the library. The fact that Katie had her leg stuck in a trap step didn't seem to make matters any better.

Trap steps were steps on stairs that sank if they were to be stepped on. They were put in by students as pranks. Many of the first years were the ones to usually get caught in these steps, but the older students had memorized where the trap steps were.

Katie blushed when she saw that Harry had practically saved her life. "Thanks!" Katie said gratefully.

Harry chuckled. "You need help getting help out of the trap step?" He asked.

"Yeah, I do!" Katie put her arms around Harry's neck while he put his hands on Katie's waist and hoisted her out of the step. "Thanks," she said again, relieved.

"No problem," Harry said.

"Harry's been a help to girls today, actually," Seamus mentioned chuckling.

"Really? What did Mr. Macho man do to help to save the girls of Hogwarts today?" Katie asked sarcastically.

"Well, Malfoy tripped Hannah Abott, and I caught her before she fell. Later, this first year girl learning to fly on a broom , and she fell off and I caught her. Then I saved a certain someone from falling down a flight of stairs, and lifted her out of a certain trap step." Harry winked, and Katie giggled.

Seamus cleared his throat. "Uh, Harry, you can let go of Katie now..." Seamus grinned, while Freddy chuckled.

Harry immediately began to blush. "Right." He let go of Katie's waist. She took her arms from around Harry's neck. There was a faint pink flush on her cheeks, but she kept grinning.

"You two headed back for the common room?" Freddy asked. Harry and Seamus nodded so the group began to jog up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

"Yup," Harry answered. "Parvati's looking for you and Katie by the way."

"She probably wants to ask about that sketch of the Demiguise," Katie thought aloud. "She said something about his ears being all wrong or something."

"When's that due anyway?" Seamus asked.

"Wednesday," Freddy replied.

They kept walked up, talking about the lessons they had tomorrow. When they got to the portrait of the Fat Lady, they said the password, and walked through the portrait hole to the common room.

"Hey guys!" Parvati greeted.

"Hey," Katie said, plopping down on the couch, beside her.

"Some girls from your band came by looking for you," Ron called from a long table. He was doing his homework.

"Oh cool!" Katie exclaimed. She loved getting visits. "Who were they?"

"I don't know," Ron said. "But they were really cute." He smiled remembering them.

"It was Marta and Alicia," Zack called, not even looking up from his own homework at the table.

"I'm sorry I missed them!" Katie said disappointedly. "We should go meet them tomorrow. And Ron, I'll introduce them to you." Katie grinned.

"Can't wait," Ron said, grinning himself. He hadn't noticed Hermione glaring at him.