Chapter 14 - Taking a Step in the Right Direction
"Ah, pumpkin juice. The drink of the Gods."
George took a big sip, grinning at the others. Lunch was his favourite time of day.
"You all ever wonder why we haven't given ourselves a name yet?" Alicia asked
everyone sitting around her at the table in the Great Hall.
"Oh! You mean, The Sensational Six? Or how about the Six Musketeers? May not be
so original…" Angelina trailed off.
"Dumbledore's Dandies!" exclaimed George.
"Weasley's Waddlers!" Fred said.
"The Crazy Cardinals!"
"Oh, I know! How about the Howling Heretics? Or, I know…"
"Alright, alright! I get it! No names for us!" Alicia grumbled, going back to
her food.
"And why does the lovely Alicia Spinnet look so displeased?" waltzed in Lee,
placing his hands on her shoulders. She smiled up at him, thankful that someone
wasn't making fun of her today.
Little did she know that George was sitting quite still, glaring at the two of them.
Someone was a tad bit jealous today, so it seems.
"'Ello Lee! Care to join us for a quick lunch? I fear we have not much time
until our next class shall take place," Fred murmured, mocking his older brother, Percy,
by pretending to push up a pair of tortoise rim glasses and glancing at his pretend
watch. Everyone around him laughed at the imitation.
"Excuse me!"
They all turned around to see Percy glowering down at them all.
"Why, hello my older brother whom I love so dearly! Really corking to
see you!" exclaimed Fred, still imitating poor Percy.
"And whom we can't bloody stand," George muttered under his breath.
Fortunately, no one but Alicia heard him, and she burst into giggles.
Too much giggling going on today, isn't there?
"Will you please stop it with the imitations of me? You are quite obvious,
you know," scoffed Percy, pushing up his glasses, only causing (but not meaning to)
the girls to erupt into more laughter.
"Why yes, dearest brother, I think I shall for today!" Fred replied cheerily,
and jumped out of his seat to embrace his brother, knocking him off balance.
Way off balance.
"Geroff me! Fred! Off! Off!" Percy shouted, his voice suddenly muffled.
"Yes, Ickle Percykins."
Before he had another chance to attack his older brother, however, Percy
broke out into a quick run out of the Great Hall to who-knows-where.
"Was that great or what?" exclaimed Lee, slapping the table. Uncontrollable
tears escaped from his honey brown eyes. Katie looked at him and smiled, for
some reason unable to laugh so much.
Well, it's not like I don't know why I don't really want to laugh.
Indeed.
Alicia looked up from her food, noticing that Katie was lost in her
own thoughts. She nudged George.
"You know… we should figure out a way to get those two back to being friends," she
whispered in his ear.
"Fred and Angelina?" he asked stupidly. The two looked up after hearing
their names being mentioned.
"No you idiot! Katie and Oliver!" she whispered fiercely. "Later," she mouthed
to the other two, answering their questioning looks.
"Ah." Realization was finally dawning on him.
"I just so happen to have a bright idea," Alicia said to George, sitting even closer
to him. George was beginning to feel quite warm.
"Uh… idea about what?" his voice squeaked. She impatiently slapped him
on the chest.
"Oh! Right. What is this bright idea, then?"
As she whispered her brilliant "plan" into his ear, Angelina and Fred, or
rather, Fred began a rather loud conversation with Katie.
"So! Katie! How are your classes faring today? Snape still giving you a hard
time?" bellowed Fred. Katie stared at the two of them for a moment, wondering
how in the world she could have friends like these.
"When does Snape ever not give me a hard time?" she questioned.
"Oh, you know. Ever since we found out that he obsesses over you late at night,"
shrugged Fred, glancing at Angelina, who was too immersed with her food to even
join in on the conversation. George seemed to cover up a snicker by
coughing, and Alicia's face seemed to change to an abnormally reddish color.
Katie, however, stared calmly at Fred and raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.
"Right."
"You know, Katie… I really don't understand why you and Oliver aren't
friends anymore," Alicia said quietly, looking up at her. Katie whipped
around to glare at her.
"What! Just a little while ago you were saying how horrible he is! Besides,
we aren't friends anymore because he was extremely rude and mean to me!" she
sniffed, looking at no one in particular. Fred leaned toward her, trying to get her
to look up.
"Katie," he murmured rather sternly. She immediately looked up.
We've already been through this! He seemed to say. Somehow, Katie
understood this and kept her head down.
"I know," she whispered. It's just so hard.
"I… I have to go… to class. I'll see you later," Katie muttered, getting
out of her seat and walking right out of the Great Hall.
She laughed manically aloud at herself as I walked up the stairs,
receiving several odd glances.
I miss him. I miss the old bastard. Okay, he isn't really a bastard.
And he isn't really old, only a year or two older than me. But I do
miss him. Seems it's about time to do something about this, now, isn't it?
But what?
Well, why don't you just go find him, jump into his arms and
snog the living daylights out of him? That will ease the tension
between you two.
NO!
She shook her head. I really need to stop talking to myself. It isn't
healthy.
First, she needed to remember what class it was she was going to. Potions?
No, thank the wizards above. She knew it couldn't be Transfiguartion. Either
History of Magic or…
Oh no.
Charms.
She slapped her forehead and groaned.
My next class is with him!
He wasn't even hungry. Randomly picking at food, he couldn't help but stare
at her as she rushed out of the hall, looking more distraught than ever.
He stood up after a few seconds and headed straight for class. Which was…
Charms!
Howling kidgeons! I have that class with Katie, don't I!
For once, Charms class seemed oddly quiet to Katie.
Perhaps it was because she had no one to talk to.
Well, there is always Natalie in Ravenclaw, and her group of friends.
She shook her head.
Oh.
She had inconveniently forgotten that she and Oliver were partners in this
class, and there was no way to switch. Fun.
She tensed as she felt his presence. He took a seat right next to her, letting
out a long sigh as he did so. Carefully avoiding one another's eyes, they both
found that they were constantly looking at each other, then quickly turning away.
Back and forth, the game went on.
Katie gritted her teeth and pulled out her quill and parchment, ready for
a day of notes.
Oh, Oliver. I have to talk to you. But how! She thought with frustration.
She needed to focus on today's assignment. No more interruptions or distractions.
For a while, she had successfully been able to forget about Oliver. Until
they brushed each other's hands when they both reached for the same book.
"Er, sorry. My fault," he muttered apologetically. Katie didn't look up at
him, only reached for another book.
"No, no. I got it," she replied quietly, staring at the Professor as he lectured
on excitedly on a new charm they were to learn today.
"Katie."
She heard his whisper. Just barely. She turned to face him.
Oh! Why did I just do that? I can't take it when I look into those eyes of his!
"Yes?" she murmured back, trying her hardest not to blink.
"Can I talk to you, later?" he asked, his voice barely audible as his worried
brown eyes frantically searched her blazing green ones. She shrugged.
And went back on to her lesson.
She sprang out of class as soon as Professor Flitwick dismissed them,
not wanting to be stuck with Oliver.
Why so cold, Bell?
She ignored her inner conscience, quickly gliding towards her next class.
At least there, she would be able to think some.
Or so she thought.
Well, that couldn't have gone any worse, Wood. She just storms out
of here faster than lightning!
He sighed loudly and gathered his books. He could have cursed some
rather foul, nasty words aloud at that moment, but decided better of it
when he realized that Professor Flitwick was there, along with a few other
students.
Next time I see her. Next time, I am going to make her listen to me.
Ah yes. I have finally returned. You all won't believe how long it took me to write this chapter, and it wasn't even that great! But I do have the next chapter already forming in my head, so hopefully sooner rather than later I shall have that one typed and ready for publication out there. Please, forgive me for being gone so long. I… have been going though quite a bit as of late, and my inspiration to write this particular story has somewhat dwindled. But I think that, given time, I will want to write this story just as much as I did when I first began writing it.
So, without further ado. I am back.
FIN