Ch. 4

Sometimes I astound myself. Penelope Clearwater no longer thinks of Percy as "that freak". She now refers to him as "that smart kid". While some might call that a slight difference, I call it a giant leap down the road to coupledom. She's a good kid, she just doesn't understand Percy. It'll take time, but I think I can get them together. I can't wait to see what Percy does with himself when he has a girlfriend.

I set up a meeting with Evelyn for later tonight. I keep going over what I am going to say to her. I can't believe that I'm going to talk her into going out with my crush. It's blasphemy.

But, by 7:30, I was heading down into the Great Hall where we had agreed to meet. She was already waiting for me.

"Hey Emma." She said, giving me a lukewarm greeting.

"Hey Evie." I said, trying to refrain myself from bitch-slapping her. I had asked around about her, and from what I had heard, she was stuck-up, rude, cocky, mean, and evil. The type that pretends to be your friend but can turn real nasty real quick.

"Sorry I'm late." I apologized, knowing that I was two minutes early.

"Naw, you're fine. I was a little early. Becky Howe was being a total idiot so I left before I worked up the nerve to kill her. Besides, you wanna talk late, try Hattie McCloud. She told me last night that she thinks she might be pregnant! I mean, get out of town! In this day and age? There are spells for that sweetheart! But Hattie was always a little slow in the head. And Marcus Flint ain't no genius either. Ew, imagine if she really were preggers! I mean, how could you do that to a kid? It'd be so ugly!" She scrunched up her face.

I was trying to figure out how I got all that information out of saying, 'Sorry I'm late.'

Evelyn Darcy wasn't impressing me in the slightest. We had never really even talked before and now she was spilling me the secrets of her best friend.

I was still trying to work out a response to that when she turned and asked me a question.

"So," she started as we headed out the doors and onto the grounds. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Er...yeah. I know that we've never really been friends, but you seem like a...nice girl and I thought we could get to know each other."

"You too? It seems like everyone wants to be my friend these days. Wait, sorry, that sounded conceited. I meant, people have been coming up to me more since I've started playing Quidditch, you know, trying to take a piece from the pie." She laughed, this shrilly laugh that gave me goosebumps but in that 'I think I might die' type way.

"Yeah, Hufflepuff is on fire right now." It was the only thing I could think of. I mean, how are you supposed to respond to something like that? I almost changed my mind about talking to her about Oliver, but I did make a promise.

"Your Quidditch team is doing okay too." She told me, nodding enthusiastically, like I should have hope that we might win a game or two. I chose to ignore her look and get straight to the point.

"Yeah, Oliver Wood is Captain this year and he's doing a great job-" she cut me off.

"Oliver Wood? Isn't he that hot Keeper?" -- 'Yeah, and so much more!' I wanted to scream at her but kept my cool to score the date for Ollie.

"Yup, that's the one."

"I'd do anything to bone him." She gushed and my eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets I was so appalled at her frankness and slutiness.

I KNEW she was a skank!

"Just kidding!" she added as an afterthought, laughing again and I shuddered.

"Aren't you friends with him?" Do you think you could hook us up?" She asked me. My mind couldn't handle it. Were all girls this straightforward and cocky and rude? I sincerely hoped not. My conscience screamed at me, 'Stop! Walk away!' but my mouth didn't listen and betrayed me.

"Sure, I'll see what I can do."

"Great!" she replied and surprised me further yet by giving me a hug.

"Thanks Emily!" she cried and she abruptly turned and took off towards the school, mumbling something about having a date with Roger Davies she had to get ready for. Did she seriously just say that? She wants me to hook her up with Oliver and then goes and gets ready for a date with a different guy?

I slumped down on a rock next to the lake and began to replay everything that just happened. For a few seconds I was ashamed of the whole female sex. I mean, I knew girls were mean and slutty and backstabbers, I just never knew it went to that extent. I felt extremely lucky to be 'one of the guys' where I didn't have to deal with it to that extreme.

Once I got over that, I kept thinking, I'm going to set Oliver up with that? I couldn't do it to him. What would I say when he asked? There was nothing to do but tell him the truth. I got up and headed back towards the castle, feeling like I was headed towards my own execution.

He accosted me as soon as I got through the portrait hole.

"Let's go for a walk." He said and pushed me right back out.

"Sure, why not, I don't get enough exercise."

He waited to say anything until we reached a large portrait of dense forest.

"I found this today." He said, giving me a smile and whipping his wand out of his robes. He used it to conjure up a large fan, causing a breeze to enter the painting and move the leaves. A single golden leaf among the green appeared and Oliver stroked it gently. The leaf fell gently towards the ground, and the second it hit, the canvas swung open to reveal a real life version of the art.

He ushered me in past the trees, across a dense patch of grass, moss, twigs, and pine tree needles. Within minutes we were in a clearing, and I realized the trees were just a border to an indoor garden, permanently stuck in springtime.

I could see vibrant, colorful, wonderful smelling flowers everywhere. Lilies, roses, petunias, pansies, morning glories, baby's breath, daises, narcissi, myrtles, poppies, lavenders, lilacs, tulips, carnations, chrysanthemums, bells of Ireland, daffodils, forget-me-nots, gillyflowers, lupines, orchids, marigolds, snapdragons, sunflowers, and every other type of gorgeous flower you could think of. It took my breath away. I'd never seen a more beautiful garden.

"Ohmigod, Oliver. It's beautiful." I got slightly teary-eyed. My mum loves to garden and she had taught me everything I knew about it. I got really homesick at that moment.

"I ran by the painting earlier and noticed the breeze from me moved the leaves. So I experimented for awhile. I knew I had to show you, you know, because of your mum."

"Thanks Ollie." And he wrapped an arm around my waist as I wiped the corner of my eye. My mum and I were extremely close. I wish I could show her this.

Oliver slowly guided me towards the center of the garden where a splendid water fountain of a child holding an umbrella stood. We sat down on the edge.

"I knew you'd like it." He grinned.

"I love it." I said and he gave me a few more moments to take the room in. It looked like an outdoor courtyard, I couldn't tell if the ceiling was enchanted or not.

But enough on the room. I decided to get to the point. "I talked to Evelyn." I started.

"So did I." he said with this light in his eyes. "Earlier, before dinner. You were in the library talking to Penelope. I...er..."accidentally" ran into her. I think we hit it off, no pun intended." He smirked.

"I think you did, because she's interested in you. She wants me to hook you two up."

"That's fantastic!" he said, slapping his hands together.

"Er...Oliver." I tried.

"Yeah?"

"Can I say something?"

"You don't need to ask permission."

"I know, it's just...it's about Evelyn." He just raised his eyebrows, giving me the look to continue. "Well...I don't think she's good enough for you." I rushed.

"What do you mean?"

"She's just..." I couldn't continue. He seemed so excited about her. But I had to let him know how I felt about her.

"Look, I'm going to be honest. If you want to date her, I'm not going to stop you. But I don't think she's a good person. I don't like gossiping, so I'll just say she isn't your type. She's not a person I would want to be friends with. So I'm just letting you know in advance. I don't want to see your heart get broken by her. Because then I'd have to kill her."

"I appreciate it Emma, I really do. I've heard some stuff about her as well, but you know how rumors are. She's the first girl I've ever really liked...you know...in that way. I want to at least give it a shot. I don't always want to wonder 'What if?'"

"Then I give you my blessing." I grinned.

"There's just one thing." He said slowly, and turned his head away from me, closed his eyes and scrunched up his face real tight. He sat there for a moment fighting himself over something. I could tell he couldn't make up his mind on whatever it was.

But then he did. He turned back towards me, grabbed my face with both his hands and dove in towards me.

Before I had time to react, I felt those tantalizing lips on mine and my breath caught in my throat. I had imagined this moment a million times before but not one of them came close to what I was experiencing right now. I was such a cliché. My stomach twisted into a knot, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, a chill ran up my spine, my heart started beating faster, adrenaline pumped through my veins, I became dizzy, I was spinning faster and faster into oblivion.

Then as quickly as it started, it stopped and he pulled away, looking embarrassed. I gasped for air as I tried to figure out why. I wasn't complaining, I just didn't know where it came from.

"Ollie-"

"Look, I'm sorry. It's just...I didn't want Evelyn to be my first kiss. I wanted it to be with someone I knew inside and out. My mum always taught me it was an important event. And I knew it wouldn't be the same with anyone else. My first kiss has always had to be with you. I knew that since first year. I'm sorry I didn't warn you ahead of time, and I hope it won't ruin our friendship. And I don't like you in that way...it was just something I had to do and that seemed to be the perfect way.... Are you mad?"

"No. I couldn't be mad at you Oliver. It just shocked me a bit. To be honest, I've always wanted my first kiss to be with you. I understood everything you just said. No worries. Everyone wants their first time to be right. Right person, right moment. I think we accomplished that." I smiled at him, and he broke out into a grin as well. We both knew it wouldn't affect our friendship. It couldn't have been more right for us.

"Well, matchmaker." He started as we headed back to the common room, "When is my date?"

"Next Hogsmeade trip."