Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue.
A/N: Once again, I apologise for the delay. This chapter jumps to the Ravenclaw game. Nothing has changed. Alicia and Oliver are still together and George and Olly's roommates are the only ones who know about the relationship. George is still nursing a broken heart unfortunately. This chapter will also include Alicia's birthday! That should be interesting.
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Chapter 32
For Merlin's sake. Could they get anymore obvious? Oliver was being as subtle as a Hippogriff in heat.
"Here, Spinnet, your grip isn't right."
Oh, please. Alicia's grip was perfect.
"Thanks, Wood." Alicia smiled as Oliver slid his hands over hers.
George was gripping his own broom so hard that it almost snapped. It was so blatantly obvious that the two of them were having a secret little affair. Why didn't anyone else notice?
Well, there was the Firebolt for one. Katie was still fawning over Harry and his new broom. Then there was Angelina and Fred. They were fighting about something pointless as usual. So George was the only one who witnessed the sickening interludes. And he'd witnessed a lot more than that.
Somehow George had been drawn into the whole stupid situation. According to Alicia and Oliver, people would start to put two and two together if they were always absent at the same time. That's where George came in handy. The couple told everyone they were going to study or practice with George and nobody would think it was odd if all three of them were together. So George had been accompanying them on their romantic meetings and sitting in the corner while they snogged.
It was horrible. George told himself every time that it would be the last but Alicia would beg, plead, flatter or make him feel guilty. She did anything she had to and George caved in almost immediately. But next time he wasn't going to. Nope. Not again.
"That was such a great training session!" Alicia exclaimed as the team, minus Harry, headed back up to the castle. George just gave her a sidelong glance. Her face was pink with excitement and her ponytail was askew. She'd never looked prettier in his opinion.
"We have a real chance tomorrow," Angelina added. "Ravenclaw won't know what hit 'em!"
"Let's not get cocky," Oliver reprimanded.
***************
But Oliver had nothing to worry about. Ravenclaw didn't know what hit them. Though when the 'Dementors' showed up, Alicia nearly fell off her broom in surprise.
"So much for them not showing up!" Angelina yelled as she streaked past Fred.
"What the hell is Potter doing?!" Oliver demanded as his star Seeker thrust his hand down the neck of his robe and pulled out his wand. As Harry was up the Ravenclaw end and Oliver was guarding his posts with Angelina and Fred nearby, he didn't hear what Harry said.
Alicia, George and Katie were right near Harry when he yelled, "Expecto Patronum!"
It wasn't a spell that Alicia knew so she shrieked when something large and white exploded from the end of Harry's wand. She watched as the large white something struck the 'Dementors' and sent them reeling back. She was so preoccupied with that display she didn't see Harry catch the Snitch.
"He did it!" Katie squealed in her ear and rushed to engulf the boy in a hug. George and Alicia shot off towards their Seeker as well.
"You did it!" George slapped Harry on the back so hard that his glasses nearly flew off.
"I knew you could do it!" Alicia kissed one of his cheeks while Katie kissed the other.
"That's my boy!" Oliver punched the air repeatedly. Angelina grabbed Harry roughly by the head and planted a kiss on his temple.
The whole team was a big tangled mess when they finally managed to land. The Gryffindor students came running onto the field and while nobody was looking Alicia gave Oliver an impulsive congratulatory kiss.
But they weren't the only ones showing affection. Angelina had jumped all over Fred then remember that she was supposed to hate him. Katie kissed Lee on the cheek more than once. Though she tried to deny it later.
***************
The momentous party that followed went on forever. By midnight Alicia had fallen asleep in an armchair. She was curled up like a cat and George pulled off his cloak and draped it over her. Oliver was nowhere to be seen. Presumably he'd gone up to his room to devise some new plays.
He'd left his girlfriend alone in the midst of a party. Luckily George had come along. He sat on the floor by her armchair like a tenacious bodyguard as revelers ran around. Neville Longbottom nearly accidentally sat on her at one point, which would have been a rather rude wake up call if George hadn't shooed him away. So Alicia slept on peacefully and George just sipped his Butterbeer and watched his twin brother flirt with every female in the room. He even tried it on with Katie while she was sitting right beside Angelina.
"You're looking nice tonight, Katiebear," he said with a leer.
Angelina rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, as if that's going to work."
"She's right, hon," Katie informed him kindly. "I'd never date my best friend's ex."
"Stupid girls and their stupid morals," Fred mumbled then stomped over to join George. "What are you doing over here by yourself?"
"I'm not by myself." He jabbed a thumb at the sleeping girl.
"She's certainly the life of the party tonight. Say, Alicia doesn't look too bad either. You think she'd have any objections to dating her best friend's ex?"
"Get lost," George replied casually.
"What's wrong? You want her for yourself or somethin'?" Fred wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Just get lost."
"Little touchy about her, aren't you, buddy?"
George glared. "She's my friend, you git. Nothing more and nothing less. All right?"
"Whatever you say. How about we ditch Spinnet and go find a couple of lively girls?"
"No thanks. I think I better stay here and make sure no one annoys her."
Fred rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut. Just friends? George was so obviously in denial. But there was no point disputing the issue so he skipped off to find something a little more exciting.
George yawned loudly. The party didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon and he was tired. He glanced at Alicia and sighed. Why did he get stuck on sentry duty while Oliver got to relax in his room? Why should he go out of his way to look after Oliver's girlfriend when he would get all the affection?
Because Alicia was his friend first and foremost. Before Oliver had come along they'd been friends so why should his involvement change anything? George took a swig of Butterbeer, suddenly wishing he and Fred had bought the alcoholic variety.
"Hi," a small feminine voice said from behind him. He turned slowly, knowing immediately that it wasn't Alicia. It was a sixth year girl he knew vaguely. "It's George, isn't it?"
He just nodded and she took it as an invitation to sit beside him. "You played really well today."
"Thanks, uh-" Oh man, what was her name? It was something like Mary or Maria or Marjorie.
"It's Samantha."
"Right. Sorry."
"Don't worry, George."
He didn't say anything for a few minutes but Samantha didn't leave. In fact, she just shuffled closer. She might as well have been sitting on his lap. It was obvious that she was waiting for him to make some sort of move and part of him wanted to do just that. He put his hand on her knee then Alicia shifted in her sleep and he retracted it as if he'd been burned.
"What's wrong?" Samantha demanded. She peered around him and saw the sleeping girl. "Oh, I see. Well, you could have just said that in the first place."
"It's not what you think," George explained hastily. But it was too late. Samantha pursed her lips then sauntered away to find someone else to flirt with.
George groaned in frustration. Alicia was ruining his life! He couldn't even think about being with another girl. She occupied his every thought and fantasy…
"George?"
"Nice of you to join us." He smiled as Alicia stretched her arms above her head.
"Where's Oliver?"
"Up in his room, I think," he answered. Negligent prat, he added silently. "You fell asleep and I figured I had better stick around and make sure everyone left you alone."
"That's sweet of you."
Damn straight it is. "Oh, it's nothing."
"You've been really great about this whole Oliver thing. Say, I was meaning to ask you earlier if you wouldn't mind coming to the Astronomy Tower with Oliver and I tomorrow night?"
There it was. Time to test his resolve. George took a deep breath then calmly said, "No."
Alicia looked surprised. "Come again?"
"No way in hell," George replied firmly. "Does that make it a little clearer?"
"But - you - it's not-" Alicia stammered incoherently.
"You're taking me for granted and I'm tired of it."
Alicia shrugged off his cloak and sat up. At first she was still confused then recognition dawned and she smiled knowingly. "You're jealous because I'm spending so much time with Oliver."
Jealous? Well, that was it. No more Mr nice-guy,
"You know what, Alicia?" He finished his Butterbeer and stood up to look down at her. "I really don't care anymore. You can spend as much bloody time with Oliver as you like, just don't bring me into it anymore. Find a new sucker because I quit."
With that, he snatched up his cloak and strode up the boy's staircase without looking back. Alicia sat stunned for a minute or so before tears began to sting at her eyes and she rushed up to her own room. Blinking back threatening tears she changed into her pyjamas and slid into bed and drew the curtain so Angelina and Katie would think she was asleep.
Why had George reacted to abrasively? It didn't make any sense! He was supposed to be happy for her but he seemed the exact opposite. In the screwed up mess that was her relationship with Oliver, George was the only one she could rely on for support. She'd dearly love to be able to talk to the girls but that was forbidden so she naturally turned to George.
And now even he had deserted her. Perhaps he had a point though. When compared with Oliver, George meant as much - if not more - to her so it wasn't fair to expect him to always be there to provide an alibi. She was taking him for granted.
She was a little startled to find she'd been crying without realising it. She wiped her eyes with the corner of her pillowcase and tried to stop sniffling as Angelina and Katie came upstairs. The party had evidently drawn to a reluctant close and everyone was trudging off to bed.
Angelina and Katie sat up and talked for a while, mainly about how stupid Fred was, then both finally went to sleep. Alicia listened to their deep breathing and stared up at her canopy trying to think clearly. Everything was jumbled…
Then she heard a scream. An echo of a scream actual. It rang through Gryffindor Tower and had obviously originated from one of the boys' rooms. Angelina and Katie groaned and mumbled in their sleep and Alicia heard them stumble out of the room, leaving the door open.
As a prefect she should probably have gone to investigate but she really couldn't be bothered. It was probably nothing anyway. Some first year probably had too many sweets before bed or maybe Neville had another nightmare where Snape married his grandmother. Either way, Percy could handle it.
She lay in bed expecting the girls to return grumbling and swearing. But they didn't. More and more people were waking up and going down stairs. Something obviously had happened. She strained her ears to catch some of the conversation occurring outside her door.
There was too much commotion and all she caught were the names Weasley and Black mentioned repeatedly. Then the word that made her heart stop beating for a second. Attack.
Weasley. Black. Attack.
She sat bolt upright and threw her covers aside. Without even bothering to grab a dressing gown she ran out of her room and joined the throng of girls on the staircase. They were all huddled in small groups whispering. Alicia tried to make her way through the crowd as quickly as possible.
If anything had happened to George she'd never forgive herself. Never.
"Oh, get out of the damn way!" she yelled. "Don't just stand there! Out of the way! I'm a prefect! MOVE IT!"
Most of the girls jumped out of the way as she charged through but Alicia did manage to knock over a second year. She jumped the last three stairs and looked around the common room.
Oh, God, where was he?
She noticed most of the students were crowding around one table. George had to be somewhere in the middle of all that. Alicia began to elbow and kick her way through.
Please don't let him be hurt.
"George!"
Before he even had to time to look up, Alicia had thrown herself at him. She had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and had buried her face in his shoulder. Everyone in the general vicinity could only stare.
"Alicia?" George asked shakily, more than a little alarmed by her behaviour.
"I was so worried when I heard what happened!" she cried. She drew back and put her hands on his flaming cheeks. "I'm sorry about everything. I'll never take you for granted again if you promise not to die. Promise me that, George."
"Um, ok…sure."
"Did Black hurt you? Oh, my poor George," she cooed as his face turned even redder. Everyone was watching curiously and Fred was teetering on the edge of hysterics.
"Leesh, Black didn't attack me. It was Ron," he explained quickly. "I'm perfectly fine."
Alicia's hands slipped back down to hang by her sides and she began to blush as well. "Ron, you say?"
"Black almost killed me, not George!" Ron crossed his arms indignantly. He'd almost died and George got all the hugs. Bloody typical.
"It's nice that you at least care," George said awkwardly. It wasn't everyday that Alicia threw herself at him, but it would have been much more enjoyable if they didn't have an audience. And if a murderer hadn't just tried to stab his brother, of course.
"I'm just glad that everyone's all right," Alicia said diplomatically as she spotted Oliver in the hoard of students. She prayed he hadn't seen her just make a fool of herself.
"So, what happened then?" she asked as everyone turned their attention back to Ron.
"Black managed to get hold of the passwords and he slashed Ron's curtains with a knife," Fred answered, the excitement in his voice barely suppressed. He didn't want his brother to be killed or anything, but he loved a good emergency every once in a while. It got the blood pumping at the very least.
"A knife?!" Alicia squealed.
While the teachers searched the castle Ron told a dramatic recount of his near death experience. Fred looked on in confusion at the number of girls surrounding his brother. Angelina was sitting on one side with Lavender Brown on the other side. Alicia and Katie were amongst the other girls who were kneeling in front of him. If Fred had known it only took being rudely awoken by an escaped convict to become popular with girls he would have tried it years ago.
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So after Black's latest intrusion Hogwarts became a veritable fortress. Every possible precaution was being taken to keep him out this time. And Alicia's life just became more and more complicated. It was the end of the Easter holidays and she hardly got to spend anytime alone with Oliver due to the tighter security and aside from Quidditch training every evening Percy had taken to calling emergency Prefect meetings and planning pointless drills and plans in case Black got in again.
"Spinnet," he said during one such meeting, "would you like to suggest a name for our new plan of action?"
How about Operation Waste of my Bloody Time.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Operation Safety First?"
"Perfect," he said exuberantly. "Operation Safety First will be implemented immediately. You will all be required to report everything! We'll have to update the patrol roster as well. All of you will also be required to carry around a whistle that is to be blown in an emergency."
Alicia groaned. There was no way she was going to walk around with a whistle. Fred already teased her enough. Thankfully, no one else seemed to like the idea.
"If we run into Black in a corridor, blowing a whistle is hardly going to stop him stabbing us. It'll probably just make him stab harder," an older Slytherin boy pointed out darkly.
Alicia shivered but Percy didn't find a problem with it. "But the idea is that you'll alert others to your position."
"And in the meantime we get stabbed?"
"Sacrifices have to be made," the Head Boy stated seriously. Everyone shook their heads but he didn't seem to notice. "Now, to the next order of business. We are all aware that the Quidditch final between Gryffindor and Slytherin is coming…"
This induced a bunch of cheers and jeers. People were slapping Alicia on the back and congratulating her while the Slytherin prefects all laughed derisively at her chances. Order was only restored when Percy blew his whistle.
"That's quite enough," he said sternly. "I expect better from you lot. As I was saying, it is up to us to keep an eye out for fights that will undoubtedly erupt between students from opposing houses. Such students are to be reprimanded immediately and in extreme cases they should be escorted to Professor Dumbledore's office. Are we all clear?"
Everyone mumbled inaudibly. "Right. Meeting adjourned."
The second Percy called the meeting to a close Alicia sprinted to the Quidditch pitch where the rest of the team was waiting for her. Oliver eyed her for being late but didn't say anything. He immediately gave them some drills, which were performed with consummate ease.
After this, he dragged his team back to the change room and went over the same thing he'd been telling them all week.
"More than 200 points! That means everyone has to play their part perfectly or it'll fall apart. This means we're going to have to rely on you girls."
"Us?" Katie squeaked. If she wanted to be relied on she would have been a Seeker.
Oliver walked over and knelt in front of his Chasers. "We all know Harry won't have any trouble beating Malfoy to that Snitch so it all depends how fast you girls can score the goals. We want to end the game before they can take one of us out with dirty play. The three of you have to score more than fifty points as quickly as you can."
The longer you take the more likely their Chasers will be able to get past me. And the pace of the game is going to tire Fred and George out really quickly so the longer you take the less they'll be able to protect you. Do you understand what I'm asking of you?"
All three of them nodded mutely. Alicia suspected that the speech had been partly to take some pressure off Harry but it was largely true. Everyone had to play their part if Gryffindor were to win the House Cup and it all started with Alicia, Angelina and Katie. If they failed then it was over.
The heavy burden of pressure settled on their shoulders and as the three of them followed the boys back up the castle later Katie was nearly in tears.
"I don't think I can do it," she whispered to her best friends. "It's too much pressure. I'm not used to having to score so quickly."
"I'm not worried about the scoring," Angelina admitted. "If we don't score more than fifty then we can't win so it makes sense that the Slytherins are going to target us."
Katie moaned. She hadn't thought about that. "What are we going to do?"
"There isn't much we can do," Angelina sighed. Of course she wasn't scared or anything but if Slytherin started paying her more attention than usual it was going to make it hard to score. But she wasn't scared. Or so she told herself.
"What do you think we should do, Leesh?" Katie asked. Alicia was staring off into the distance. She hadn't been listening at all.
"Hello?" Angelina waved her hand in front of her face. "You awake?"
Alicia snapped out of her reverie and nodded. She'd been thinking about Oliver. It was her birthday the next day and he hadn't mentioned it yet. Maybe he'd forgotten…
***************
Alicia pulled a brush through her hair. So she was sixteen now. It felt no different really. She finished up and went to sit on her bed, which was covered in presents. Six owls had swooped into the window as soon as Katie opened it that morning.
She was wondering where the girls had got to when the door flew open. "Happy Birthday!"
Alicia nearly fell off her bed in surprise. Angelina, Katie, Fred, George and Lee all filed into the room carrying food.
"We brought breakfast to you!" Katie announced cheerfully.
"You guys are so sweet!" Alicia gushed as they all placed their plates on the floor. She leapt of her bed and hugged and kissed everyone.
"I've got a present for you but you'll have to wait till later," George whispered in her ear as she hugged him. Ever since the incident after the Ravenclaw game he'd been much nicer to her and she didn't mention Oliver to him as much. Things were much better between them. And that just made George want her more.
Alicia smiled gratefully and sat down to eat. It was a wonderful birthday present but she still wished Oliver were there. Hopefully he hadn't forgotten all together.
"Open your presents!" Lee urged.
Alicia grabbed the nearest package. "It's from my gran, you know, the Muggle one? She sends stuff to my house and mum forwards it here."
Fred yawned. "I bet it's something boring."
Alicia pushed aside the tissue paper and gasped. It was pink and lacy whatever it was.
"Your gran bought you lingerie?!" Lee exclaimed.
"You know you'll have to model it for us now," George said.
"No way. It's going to sit in the bottom of my drawer forever," Alicia said firmly.
They all stayed around to watch her open the rest of her presents. The boys were hoping for more lingerie but thankfully the rest of Alicia's relatives weren't as eccentric as her grandmother. As soon as she'd finished though they all left. Except George.
The two of them sat in silence before Alicia blurted; "Do you think he forgot?"
George didn't need to ask who 'he' was. She was looking genuinely worried so he assured her he hadn't forgotten but she still didn't look too sure.
"Don't worry about it. Look, I'll go get your present, ok?"
She nodded and forced a smile. George hurried out of the room. Oliver had forgotten. He was sure of it. So George was left with two choices.
He could go and talk to Oliver and make it right or he could plead ignorant and leave it to run its course. That would pretty much end the relationship and it would be sure to break Alicia's heart. George was quite stuck. The slightly vindictive part of him felt that Alicia deserved it but the rest of him couldn't do it.
There was no way he could sit back and watch Alicia get hurt, especially if it was in his power to correct it. Resigned to the fact he was going to be alone forever, George looked around the common room for Oliver. He was predictably sitting in the corner surrounded by Quidditch books.
"You're in trouble, mate."
Oliver looked up slowly. "What?"
"It's Alicia's birthday today," George hissed. "She's upstairs and she knows you forgot. If she cries, I'm going to get very angry."
"It's her birthday today?!" Oliver exclaimed. "I thought it wasn't till next month! I am in trouble! I don't have a present or anything."
"I thought as much," George sighed. "Come on, then."
Oliver hesitated. "You're not going to hex me, are you?"
"Not today. I've got something you can give to Alicia."
So a very curious Oliver followed George up to his room and waited patiently as he fished around under his bed. When he emerged, his hair was covered in dust and he was holding a light blue box. He handed it to Oliver without a word.
"What is it?" the recipient asked cautiously, half expecting it to explode.
"I bought it for Alicia last Hogsmeade weekend. You'll see what it is when she opens it. Off you go," George shooed him.
"But…this is your present for Alicia. I can't give it to her."
"You have to," he said calmly. "She'll love it, don't worry about that."
"What will you give her then?"
"I'll find something."
Oliver squirmed uncomfortably. "I don't feel right about this."
"Do you want me to hex you? I know some good ones…"
"No, no. I'm fine," he said quickly. "Thanks a lot. You really didn't have to do this."
"Forget about it."
Oliver gave him one last grateful look then hurried out of the room. He was really confused. George obviously liked Alicia but it didn't make sense for him to be so nice about her being with someone else. To even go so far as to help his rival said a lot about his character. It at least showed how much he cared about Alicia.
Oliver slipped up the girls' staircase and stopped outside Alicia's room. He glanced down at the box in his hand. It was heavy but that was about all he could tell. But he trusted George to get something nice for Alicia. He knocked and the door opened immediately.
"Oliver!" She pulled him inside roughly. "I knew you hadn't forgotten!"
"Of course I didn't forget," he said, with a charming smile. "Here you go."
"A present!"
Oliver watched with anticipation as she pulled the lid off and gasped loudly. "It's beautiful!"
'It' was a crystal Quaffle that was about the size of a baseball. Alicia pulled it out of the box and held it up in the light. It was engraved as well. It said:
Alicia Spinnet
Sweet Sixteen.
Oliver just gaped. It must have cost a packet. And George hardly had money to throw about. Alicia was admiring it from every angle and he had to admit it was nice to see her so happy. "I'm glad you like it."
"Like it? I love it!"
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A/N: I know it wasn't a terribly exciting chapter but the last one was draining. I wonder if Alicia is ever going to find out how sweet George has been. It seems she might be having a few doubts *wink*
So many reviewers!
Meredith: Hey! It's been aaaages! I keep meaning to email you but end up getting sidetracked. I really don't know how I managed to do that to George. It was hard though!
Ashlee: Hiya! Heartbroken!George is rather huggable. Let's all give him a hug! I see Fred and Angelina being a fiery sort of couple I guess.
Oliverwoodschic: Well, Brian isn't dead and I don't know if I'll be able to kill him off. But we'll see what happens with him. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him.
Hopeless Angel: It's funny how you can feel sorry for a character, isn't it? It is a horribly awkward situation for poor George. Especially since he's been dragged into it.
Shenaux: Another Brian hater! We'll see what happens to him. Alicia is starting to realise George cares about her as a bit more than a friend. She's bloody slow though.
VanessatheMagnificent: I don't know if you'd consider Alicia cruel or just really ignorant. The good news is that George will recover from his broken heart.
Jessa: Thanks for the review and suggestion. I'll try not to stick any author notes in the middle of the chapter. But only because you asked so nicely!
Tessa: I don't want to keep you from your homework! Everybody should do their homework then read! But I can't talk, as I should be doing mine right now. I don't really think Alicia and Oliver's relationship will end badly but the end is nearing.
Elvenfire09: You like the on again off again F/A relationship too? Glad I'm not the only one!
Mystical: You wouldn't believe how hard it is for me to refrain from taking sides. It would be much easier if I made Oliver the bad guy. I just can't do it though.
Eriador: Nothing remotely like this has ever happened to me (thank God) so I'm really just winging it. While it's never happened to me I know that bad things happen in relationships so there's no point ignoring the bad aspects. I try to be realistic at least.
Star2717: It was some of the hardest writing I've ever had to do. I suck at angst so I really had to be careful. Sirius, Oliver and George…how can you resist!
Giet: New reviewer! Yay! George is awfully sweet. If only I knew a guy like that.
Lil azn mystikal girl: Thanks for all the reviews! I missed them and I'm glad you're back!
Wilma Love: Another new reviewer! I know I jump too much. It's a very bad habit. I just get bored really easily. I'm an 18-year-old with the attention span of a toddler. It annoys me as well but it's probably better this way. You'd get really bored if I wrote the pointless chapters where nothing happens. I wish I could say I'll rectify the problem but…I just can't. Hehe. Sorry.
CoolBreeze: Hi! You've been reviewing my stuff left, right and centre! I love it! You know, I really do like the love/hate couples! I just like tension I guess. I also try to stick to minor characters. The breathing room really does come in handy.
Violante: Sorry for not posting earlier! Hehe, I suppose we're as bad as each other. I'm glad I managed to keep everyone in character. It would have been really easy to let George punch Oliver but I don't really think he's capable of that. Sure, you can add me to your contacts list! I love getting emails and talking to people on messenger.