"Blimey, Fred! You read her diary? And people think I'm the stupid twin!" George exclaimed, walking up the stairs with practically everyone else.
"If some guy read my diary, I'd--" started Stephanie before she was rudely interrupted by Chandi.
"Punch his lights out?" Steph and Chandi glared at each other and then cracked up.
"Fred! Don't you remember the time when George read Ginny's--" George clamped his hand over Ron's mouth.
"Erm, Ron, no one wants to hear about that." Croaked out George.
Steph rounded on him with a glint in her eye. "Oh really? What exactly did you read of Ginny's?" She pushed him back onto a couch and sat next to him.
Hermione was searching through Kat's books. She found and arithmancy book and went off to study, knowing that it would be okay with Kat.
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron had set up a game of wizard chess. Chandi was sitting back, watching and sketching them. She would occasionally point out flaws in their logic.
While everyone got settled in the Common Room, Kat grew uneasy. She took her potions book along with her diary and walked out the portrait hole. She hated large groups in small areas almost as much as she hated being alone.
"Why hello dear," said the portrait hole, assuming that Kat was leaving. When she sat down, the portrait looked perplexed. "What are you doing out here? Wouldn't you rather be in there, with all your friends?"
Kat shook her head and opened her book. "No…I don't like lots of people…" She started reading, much to the Fat Lady's displease. She never got to talk to people on a regular basis and life as a painting got rather boring.
Students walked by her, not even noticing that she was there at all. She almost didn't notice when someone sat next to her. "Whatcha doooin?"
She recognized that voice and glanced at him. It was the boy she'd met last night at dinner. "Hallo. I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name." Kat blushed a bit.
"'S okay. I'm Brad. And you're the famous Kat Riddle."
"God, word travels fast."
"Yeah, well, there are only about four hundred students here."
"Oh, only that many?" She rolled her eyes and laughed.
"So why are you sitting out here? Didja forget the password?"
"What? No. I just…don't like crowds. I get really…twitchy."
"Twitchy? Where'd you hear that?"
Kat dropped her accent. "My 'parents' raised me in America until a few years ago. I was also raised as a muggle, and their language is a bit…" she searched for the right word. "Unsophisticated."
"I love muggles! Especially their music." Brad got really into the conversation. "Avril Lavigne is one of my favorite bands!"
Kat laughed. "Avril? Okay, first off, she's a singer, not a band, and second, she doesn't even play her own guitar. And she is such a poser! I mean, ugh!" Kat rambled on for a minute and then glanced at Brad's face. She'd lost him. "And besides, Linkin Park is so much better."
They debated music for half an hour before anyone even noticed they were gone. Finally, Fred poked his head out the portrait hole. "What're you two doing out here?"
Brad looked from Fred to Kat. "I was just about to go inside." He pushed past Fred and walked in.
Fred sat next to her. "So why were you two out here?"
Kat looked up at him. "I was sitting out here, he came by and sat down next to me. We were just talking about muggle music."
"Why were you out here?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Kat shivered. "I don't like big crowds. They make me…a bit uneasy."
Fred grinned. "So Kattykins' got a wittle fear of cwowds?"
"Noo…I just don't like them. Phobia of being completely alone is more like it." Kat thought for a moment. "Fear of the dark, too." Fred chuckled and Kat smacked him playfully. "So tell me, what's the famous Fred Weasley afraid of?"
"I-erm-me?" Fred stuttered and blushed. Kat nodded with a mischievous grin. He leaned over and whispered something in her ear. She started giggling like mad. Fred's face turned even redder as he became more and more embarrassed. "Ka-at…stoooop…!" He pushed her, which only made her laugh more. She slid from leaning against his shoulder to resting her upper back in his lap and her head on his knee. He absentmindedly reached down and stroked her hair.
She smiled and closed her eyes. They just sat there for a few moments. There were footsteps coming and Kat opened her eyes and turned her head to see who it was. The person stopped in front of them, her face covered in shadows. They started giggling and Fred groaned. Kat sat up, confused. The person stepped forward. "You two make such a cute couple!"
"Ginny…" Fred stood up and ruffled his little, and only, sister's hair. Ginny stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in Fred's ear, which in turn, made him blush. He made a grab for her, but missed as she darted around him and into the Common Room.