***IMPORTANT A/N***
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
A/N: I suggest you read this note if you're wondering about the future of this story. I've recently come to a decision. Don't worry. It's nothing horrendous. I've just got all these ideas for an alternate ending. Now that I know the events of #5 I can make the ending of my story coincide with that. So I guess this will no longer really be the prequel to Yule Ball. It will now be able to stand-alone and it will carry through to their graduation. So I'll cover all seven years before the story is over. That also means that you guys won't know when George and Alicia get together. Will they get together or will George go insane first? Of course, there's no Ball in seventh year so our favourite couples will have to get together another way. And then the sequel, which I also have lots of new ideas for, will take place straight after the group, including Katie, *blows raspberry at JK* leave school.
I hope that was clear but if you've got any questions you can put them in a review or email me. If you have any other comments you can always email me as well. I love getting email and I promise to reply. Anyway, this is an important chapter so I hope you enjoy it! Oh, and this momentous chapter is dedicated to Heck E. Nah for being for my 400th reviewer. Yay!
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Chapter 35
"What a year!" Katie sighed as she collapsed into a seat.
The Hogwarts Express gave a farewell whistle and began to pull away from Hogsmeade station. The students silently stared out the window as they left Hogwarts yet again.
"The OWLs were the worst part of the year," Fred moaned. "Mum is going to skin us alive when she finds out how we did."
"You couldn't have done that bad," Angelina reasoned.
"Maybe not, but look who we have to live up to. Bill, Charlie and Percy don't exactly make it easy," George said.
"I don't know how you can think about the OWLs while Sirius Black is on the loose." Alicia shivered slightly. "And to think, he was in the castle! I'd like to know how he escaped, I sense a cover up."
"Black will be long gone now." Katie waved her hand dismissively. "But what about Lupin? He was the best Dark Arts teacher we've had, not to mention the cutest. So what if he's a werewolf?"
"So what?!" Lee demanded, wide eyed. "Are you mad?!"
"After Quirrell and Lockhart I'd settle for a werewolf," Angelina said with a shrug and a smile. "It didn't hurt that he was cute."
"Typical girls." Fred rolled his eyes in disgust. "They don't care that he turns into a man-eating beast every month, as long as he's cute. That's feminine logic for you."
The Chasers just glared at him while George and Lee nodded in agreement. The train continued on its southward journey and the sun shone through the window to lift the spirits of the compartment's occupants.
"On the other hand," Alicia mused, "it was a pretty good year. We did win the Quidditch Cup."
"And we won the House Cup again," George added.
Angelina grinned. "And, of course, Oliver kissed Fred."
"Oh, yes," Katie said as she barely restrained a giggle. "That was the highlight of my year."
"You girls must find yourselves terribly amusing." Fred scowled and refused to talk for the rest of the trip.
***************
"Dad had a fit when he found out."
Alicia winced. She'd been expecting that. Erica was driving her home from King's Cross Station and filling her in on what had been happening.
"Sirius Black escaping was bad enough," Erica said. "When he found out your teacher was a werewolf he was determined to drive all the way to Hogwarts to get you."
Alicia shook her head in amusement. "He was going to drive all the way to Hogwarts?!"
"Oh yeah, he was half way to the car before mum managed to talk some sense into him. She pointed out that Muggles couldn't find Hogwarts and his plan hit a brick wall."
"So have they been fighting or anything?" she asked cautiously.
"I don't think so but I'm not over there very often anymore. From what I've seen they're fine but the real test will be tomorrow when Jasmine comes home. Although," Erica said slowly and hesitantly, "there was one tiny hiccup a few days ago."
"What happened?" Alicia demanded.
Erica suddenly looked a little guilty. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you." She kept her eyes firmly on the road so Alicia reached across and pinched her arm. She yelped. "Don't do that. I hate it when you do that!"
"Then tell me what happened!"
Erica sighed in resignation. "Well, if you really must know-"
"I must."
"-dad and I were with mum when she got a letter from Jasmine's father."
Alicia gasped. "What the hell does he want?"
"I don't know. Probably visitation rights or something," Erica replied with a shrug.
"What did mum do?"
"Set the parchment on fire."
"Good. What about dad? Was he angry?"
"Not visibly. He knows he can't prevent this bloke - whoever he is - from corresponding with mum so he's staying pretty calm. Anymore questions, nosy?"
"Just one more," Alicia said, a cheeky grin creeping across her face. "How's Brian?"
"That's none of your business."
"What happened when you told him you couldn't marry him? Did he cry? I bet he bawled like a baby."
"For your information, he took it like a man."
"And what about Charlie? I bet he was happy when you told him."
"I haven't told him."
"You mean Charlie still thinks you're engaged to the toff?"
"The toff has a name," Erica said sharply. "And as far as I'm aware Charlie doesn't know the engagement has been cancelled."
"What about Mrs Weasley?" Alicia asked. "If she knows then she'll tell him. Or Mr Weasley. Does he know?"
"Nobody else knows! Jesus, Alicia, what did you expect me to do? Should I take out a full-page ad in the Prophet and announce it to the world?"
"That would be a start."
"This is absolutely the last time I volunteer to bring you home," Erica growled. "You can walk next time for all I care."
"All right," Alicia placated hastily. "But if it makes any difference, you can tell Charlie about the toff in person."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Erica turned to glare and almost hit another car while she wasn't watching the road.
"He's coming home to catch the Quidditch World Cup."
"World Cup?"
"You know Quidditch, the game with the broomsticks and all the funny balls? I play it occasionally. Well, they have this tournament-"
"There's no need to be smart. I know what the World Cup is. I just - I didn't realise it was on now."
"It starts on the weekend," Alicia said, giving her older sister an incredulous look. "Do you live under a rock or something?"
"I don't really care about Quidditch. Just tell me when Charlie is coming."
"So you can rush over and visit him?"
"No. So I can leave the country," Erica replied calmly.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Charlie loves you!"
"I know he does. He told me once."
This made Alicia gasp. She didn't even think he had got that far yet. "But when did he tell you? Furthermore, why didn't you tell me?"
"For the same reason I'm not going to tell you now. It's none of your business!"
"Oh, please, Erica!" Alicia begged. "Did you tell him you love him back?"
"What makes you think I love him?" she demanded.
"I can just tell."
"Oh, you're hardly an expert on the topic, Alicia Spinnet. You can't even see what's right in front of you!"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Maybe you should just think about your situation before you start lecturing me."
"My situation?!" Alicia shrieked. What bloody situation? She didn't have a situation!
"Yes." Erica turned into the Spinnet's driveway and pulled the handbrake so hard it nearly snapped off. "Out you get then. Hurry up."
Alicia huffed in displeasure and removed her belongings from the car. Erica pulled back out again and drove off without another word to her sister.
***************
Alicia decided that if Erica wouldn't talk she'd just have to question Charlie, but she still didn't know when he would be arriving. While George was at her house one afternoon she asked him.
"So when is Charlie arriving?"
"Any day now," he answered plaintively. He was lying on her bed while she rummaged through her closet in search of something. "Why the sudden interest in Charlie? You fancy him or something?"
"He's a little old for me."
"That still didn't answer the question," George said as he glared up at the Muggle poster on Alicia's ceiling. He didn't know who Orlando Bloom was but he didn't like the look of him.
Alicia peered over her shoulder at him, a smile on her lips. "No, I don't fancy your brother. Satisfied?"
No, he thought. "Yes," he replied instead. "What are you looking for anyway?"
"My skirt. You know, the denim one. I can't find it anywhere. Jasmine better not have stolen it."
"A skirt, huh? Date with Oliver?"
"Yep. Ah! Found the stupid thing. Turn around while I change?"
George rolled onto his side. "Where is he taking you?"
"World Cup final," was the muffled reply.
He snorted derogatorily. "And they say romance is dead."
"George," she warned.
"What? Come on, Leesh, you have to admit that a Quidditch game isn't the most romantic setting for a date."
She ignored his comment. "We're going to be sitting in the Puddlemere box with all the other players. It's going to be brilliant."
George barely suppressed a groan. He'd heard enough about Oliver and Puddlemere to last him a lifetime. He and Fred had gone to a couple of the Cup games with Oliver and the girls as a sort of good bye thing for their departing captain. Oliver had only stopped talking about how excellent Puddlemere was to cheer on Scotland.
"George?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you like this top?"
"Yes," he said, without rolling over. "It matches your eyes."
"The top is white."
"Exactly. It matches the white part of your eyes."
"You're being particularly unhelpful today. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he replied automatically.
"Fine. Don't tell me what's wrong. I don't care." Alicia walked around the bed so George could see her outfit. "What do you think?"
She gave a short twirl and he squinted. "Skirt's a little short."
Alicia only grinned. "I don't think Oliver will complain."
George rolled his eyes. "I thought you were going to the final with Angelina and Katie? What did you tell them?"
"That I was going with Erica because she got really good seats from the Ministry."
"So you're lying to them. That's nice."
"I already feel guilty enough without you making it worse."
George sat up and watched Alicia examine her reflection in the mirror. "You like it, don't you?"
"The skirt is nice but I think the top-"
"No, not your outfit. I'm talking about Oliver. You like sneaking around with him. I never noticed it before but you really like it."
"Do not."
"Yes, you do! You love being his saucy little secret."
"I am not Oliver's saucy little anything. Furthermore, I do not like sneaking around and lying to my best friends. I hate it."
"Liar," George muttered to himself.
***************
Alicia had never been to a World Cup. As she walked through the campsite with Oliver and his parents, she couldn't stop grinning. They passed through the cluster of Ireland supporters and Alicia spotted Ron's friend Seamus amidst all the green. They then passed through the group of Bulgarian supporters.
Posters of Viktor Krum leered at them from every direction. Oliver seized Alicia's hand in an uncharacteristic public display of affection. "Isn't this brilliant?"
Alicia looked over at him fondly. His eyes were shining brightly and the last time she'd seen him so happy was when he'd been holding the Quidditch Cup. She nodded fervently in agreement. "It's wonderful. I can't wait to meet your teammates tonight."
"Here we are!" Oliver's father announced happily. He was almost as excited as Oliver was. Well, almost.
Alicia helped Mr and Mrs Wood set up camp. Oliver was far too agitated to be of much help. Halfway through hammering a peg into the ground he would abandon it and start pacing around like a hyper puppy dog.
"Oh, look, there's Harry." Oliver suddenly leapt up. He dropped the mallet he was using and it narrowly missed his foot. "Harry! Over here, mate!"
Alicia sighed and grabbed the forgotten mallet and went around the back of the tent to fix in the last peg while Oliver introduced Harry to his parents. She swept her hair back from her sweaty forehead just as Oliver returned.
"Ready to go join the team in the official Puddlemere tent?" he asked, then without waiting for an answer grabbed her arm and dragged her around the front of the tent.
"I'm ready to go." Alicia had to pry his fingers from her upper arm before he cut off all circulation. "Thanks for your help with the tent," she said sarcastically.
He beamed down at her. "No problem."
"Oh, honestly."
"Mum, dad, Leesh and I are going now," Oliver announced, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"All right, love." His mother smiled at them both. "Enjoy the game."
"I'm still sticking with Bulgaria."
Oliver shook his head at his father. "No way. Ireland have the better team."
"Yeah, we'll see."
"Well, come on!" Oliver gave Alicia's arm a mighty tug and she barely had time to call good bye to Mr and Mrs Wood before she was being pulled through the campsite.
"Slow down a bit, Oliver! You're going to pull my arm out of the socket!"
"Sorry," he said and slowed down a fraction. "I'm just a little excited."
"Excited, you say? Really? I hadn't noticed."
Oliver put his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "That's real cute, Alicia."
She smiled to herself and snuggled into his warmth. "I'm a little nervous about meeting everyone," she admitted. "All the women are going to be older than me. I won't have anything in common with them."
"They're very nice people and I'm sure they'll love you. Just be yourself."
Famous last words, she thought.
"There it is!" Oliver suddenly pointed towards a navy-blue tent adorned with golden bulrushes. It only looked like it would fit four people but Alicia knew not to underestimate the size of wizard tents.
She was right. The interior of the tent was nothing like the exterior. It was a veritable mansion. The walls were navy blue with gold trim and the furniture was all classy and most of it was antique. There was a large candle-endowed chandelier hanging in the foyer. Everything was so shiny!
Alicia felt rather out of place and she tugged at her denim skirt nervously. Oliver remained unperturbed and dragged her down the hall. It opened into a large, lavish room. There were chaise lounges and leather sofas everywhere. Women were sitting around the place with glasses of champagne while their men congregated near the bar.
"It's lovely," Alicia breathed.
Oliver kissed the top of her head. "Go and mingle." He gave her an encouraging shove towards a group of sophisticated and bored looking women.
Oliver headed over to his friends, leaving Alicia completely alone. She stood off to the side and glanced around. There were about two dozen women all split into groups of five or six. Oliver was welcomed into a group of young men and he didn't spare Alicia another glance.
"Er, can I get a glass of champagne?"
Alicia looked up from the carpet. A very pretty blonde woman in a scant red dress was frowning at her. Alicia blushed fiercely and shook her head slightly. "Um, I'm not actually serving. I'm here with my boyfriend. Well, not here because he's over there ignoring me but I came here with him and-"
"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman apologised and looked Alicia up and down. She seemed to find her acceptable or at least tolerable because she stuck out a perfectly manicured hand. "My name's Brandi, with an i."
"My name's Alicia." She clasped the proffered hand daintily. "Er, Alicia with a c."
"You must be new, I don't remember ever seeing you."
"Yeah, my boyfriend just joined the reserve team." Alicia pointed across the room. "He's wearing the blue knitted jumper and the khakis."
Brandi giggled. "Honey, they're all wearing khakis and blue jumpers. The boys don't know much about Muggle clothing."
"Right."
"Never mind. Come on, let's find something to drink."
Before Alicia had a chance to object, her new acquaintance had seized her hand and led her across the room. Brandi and Alicia sat on a black leather sofa and a woman carrying a tray approached them.
"It's about time!" Brandi sighed dramatically. She snatched a glass of champagne and handed it to Alicia.
"Uh, I'm only sixteen," Alicia said dubiously as she stared at the glass.
"Only sixteen!? In that case I think we better make it two!" Brandi pushed another glass into her left hand. The blonde took a glass for herself and dismissed the waitress.
"Well, drink up, sweet."
Alicia took a sip from the glass in her right hand. But she must have sipped too quickly because the bubbles went straight up her nose and made her cough and splutter. Her eyes watered terribly and she could imagine everyone looking at her.
"Here," Brandi said, taking the glasses and placing them on the coffee table. "Perhaps you should stick to Butterbeer."
Alicia blushed and nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Don't worry about it," Brandi assured her. "Stick with me and you'll be fine, darling. Anyway, my fiancé is the Seeker, Nathan Furner. I used to model for Gladrags. What's your story?"
"Well, I go to Hogwarts."
"Oh," was all Brandi said. Not much she could say, really.
Alicia realised she was totally out of her depth. Brandi was very pretty and Alicia tried not to stare at her but she was the first model she had ever met. And there was no way her breasts were real.
"You like them?" Alicia almost died of embarrassment when Brandi caught her staring.
"Um…"
"They're fake," Brandi whispered conspiratorially though Alicia was quite sure everyone else could tell they weren't real. She tried to look politely surprised anyway. "Nathan gave them to me for my birthday. They're brilliant because they don't have to be redone. It's this marvelous Muggle stuff called silly comb."
Alicia nodded carefully, not even bothering to correct her. She found herself even more grateful that Oliver had only given her an ornamental Quaffle for her birthday.
"They feel very authentic, too. Would you like to touch them?"
Alicia's jaw dropped. That was just plain disturbing. "Uh, no thanks."
"Oh, well, it doesn't look like you'll need them in the future," Brandi said with a shrug. Alicia quickly crossed her arms over her chest. Brandi downed her champagne then stood up, pulling Alicia along with her. "I'll introduce you to the girls!"
Alicia tried desperately to appear excited but she was dreading meeting other women like Brandi. She followed in silence, trying to covertly judge the distance to the nearest exit
"Girls!" Brandi squealed suddenly, causing Alicia to jump.
The group of bored and sophisticated women all turned to the two newcomers and smiled obligingly. Brandi went around the group and lots of air kisses and compliments were exchanged.
"This is Alicia, our newest edition!" The women all looked at her and some exchanged exasperated glances. Brandi didn't seem to notice this. She pointed to each woman in turn. "Alicia, this is Jenice, Indigo, Marybeth and Teanna."
Alicia nodded politely. "Pleased to meet you all." They all mumbled something similar in return then proceeded to completely ignore Alicia.
As Brandi happily regaled the women with her latest bit of gossip Alicia tried desperately to remember all of their names. Why did they have to have such stupid names anyway?
"And who are you here with, darling?"
It took Alicia a good moment to realise that one of the women was talking to her. The one with the pale skin and the shiny brown hair. She appeared to be the oldest and the 'leader' of the group. Marybeth? Or was it Jenice? "Uh, my boyfriend just joined the reserves team. He's the new Keeper."
"Keeper?" the black woman, who Alicia thought was Teanna, asked. "Do they carry the bats?"
Alicia almost rolled her eyes. These women were dating Quidditch players and they knew nothing about the game. "No, the Beaters carry the bats. The Keeper stops the Quaffle from going through the hoops."
"I thought the stopper did that?" the Asian woman with soft black ringlets said. She was wearing a necklace that said Indigo. Alicia thought it would be handy if they all wore nametags.
"No, the Keeper stops goals."
"Then what does the stopper do?"
Alicia took a deep breath and tried not to lose it. "Well, stopper isn't actually a Quidditch position."
"You don't say! That's most interesting, isn't it, Jenice?"
The woman to her right looked up from inspecting her fingernails. "It's most thrilling, dearest," she said pertly then went back to her nails.
The older woman who was apparently Marybeth gave Alicia an impatient stare. "Darling, all of these technical terms are lost on us. Point him out, sweetheart."
"All right." Alicia hunted around for Oliver and finally found him talking to an elderly man by the fireplace. "He's over by the fireplace. The one talking to the fat old man."
No one said anything and Alicia realised she'd done something wrong. Marybeth pursed her lips. "The fat old man is the coach and he's also my husband."
Alicia paled considerably. How was she to know that? The bloke had to be twice Marybeth's age and thrice her size. At least it explained why Marybeth was the leader of the group. "Uh - I didn't mean - um, sorry about that."
Marybeth flicked a dainty hand that was weighed down by rings. "Don't fret, honey, it gives you wrinkles. I've been telling Richie to go on a diet for years. So your boyfriend is the one talking to him?"
"Yes." Alicia had to bite her tongue to stop herself from adding "ma'am".
"Isn't he the one you thought might be a good shag, Marybeth?" Teanna asked.
"You know, I do believe that is him."
Alicia clenched her fist in her lap. What was it with people wanting to shag her boyfriend all of a sudden?!
"You're so lucky!" Indigo exclaimed. "What I wouldn't give for a piece of that!"
"So," Marybeth said, "is he a good shag?"
Alicia had no idea how she was supposed to answer that. "Well, we haven't…erm, I haven't…well, you know."
"You haven't?"
"No."
"How old are you, darling?"
"I'm sixteen."
Indigo slapped her hand over her mouth. "Sixteen?"
Teanna put a hand on Alicia's arm. "Some girls are just late bloomers, sugar."
"Late? What-" Alicia began.
Jenice looked up from her nails again. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Alana."
"My name isn't-"
"Jenice is right," Brandi nodded emphatically. "I've never told anyone this…but - but I didn't lose my virginity till I was sixteen and a half."
Marybeth apparently found this extraordinary. "I would never have guessed! Times have changed."
Alicia could feel a huge migraine coming on just listening to these women. Since when was it odd to be sixteen and still a virgin? These women were so immensely insane. She had to get away before her head exploded. "I'm going…over there…to, ah - get myself a drink! Yes, a drink."
The crazy women didn't even notice her leave. Indigo was busy telling everyone about her eighteen-year-old niece who was still a virgin. Oh, the horror!
Alicia walked away as quickly as she could. Finally, a safe distance away, she slumped against a wall and tried to catch her breath. The clock above the fireplace told her the final wouldn't be starting for another seven hours. What on earth was she supposed to do for another seven hours!? She tried desperately to catch Oliver's eye from across the room. It took her nearly ten minutes but he finally spotted her and waved excitedly. He said goodbye to the coach, who was looking very thankful that Oliver had stopped talking, and wandered over.
"Having fun?" He grinned extravagantly as he followed her out into the hall. "I saw you with the coach's wife and her friends. Those women are highly respected around here. I'm glad you made friends so quickly."
"They're not my friends, Oliver!" Alicia snapped, all her repressed emotions spilling out. "Those women scare the hell out of me! I can be a bloody virgin if I want to! And her husband is fat and old! And they don't even know the Quidditch positions, Oliver! Stopper, for Merlin's sake! And Brandi! That's Brandi with an i because it's terribly plebian to use a y like everyone else! She wanted me to touch her breasts! Her breasts!"
"And did you?" Oliver asked, suddenly a lot more interested in the conversation.
"Oliver!" she shrieked and thumped him on the arm.
"I was only asking! There's no need to get violent." Oliver rubbed his arm and looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Relax, we'll be having lunch very soon."
Alicia clearly wasn't finished ranting, however.
"If anybody calls me honey, sweetheart or darling ever again…oh, and you should have heard them gasp when I told them I was a virgin. Like that makes me some sort of freak! I think I'm going to take a vow of chastity just to spite them. Tell me, does my name sound anything like Alana? No. They're completely different!"
"Alicia-"
"And you should have heard Marybeth talking about you! She wants to shag you, of course. Everyone bloody does!"
"What?"
"Well, she can just wait her turn like everyone else because I was here first. Stupid Marybeth can take a stupid ticket and get to the end of the stupid queue. She's not getting her claws into you until I'm finished with you! And you should have heard-"
Oliver finally silenced her by slapping a hand over her mouth. "That's it! You have to stop it with the crazy talk."
Alicia was outrageously indignant. She was crazy?
"I'm going to take my hand away but you have to promise you'll be normal." Alicia nodded mutely and Oliver removed his hand. He gave her a relieved smile. "That's better. So have you been having fun?"
"Did you not hear a word I just said?!" Alicia hissed, fighting to keep some composure.
Oliver winced. He had heard something about breasts, shagging and a vague reference to virginity but that was it. Alicia probably wouldn't want to hear that though. "You were talking so quickly," he said apologetically. "Could you summarise it in one sentence? Preferably without yelling, swearing or hitting me."
"I hate these people!"
"Ah. So you didn't get along really well with the women. The players are all very nice. At lunch I'll introduce you to them. You don't have to worry about anything, honey."
"Oliver!"
"What now!?"
***************
Alicia had gone to lunch with high hopes thanks to Oliver's assurance that the players were quite sane. Fortunately, he was right about them being sane. Unfortunately, he did forget to mention that they were stuck-up, vindictive, condescending, self-righteous and just down right horrible.
Even Alicia's favourite Chaser in the league turned out to be a bitch. Alicia had asked her for an autograph and the woman had laughed in her face.
"How dare she?" Alicia mumbled through gritted teeth as they sat at lunch. She and Oliver had been relegated to the end of the table with the other nobodies. "It was only an autograph. And when I told her I was a Chaser as well she gave me a dirty look, as if I was something she scraped off her shoe! I thought you said these people were nice?"
Oliver looked up from his gourmet salad guiltily. "Usually they are. I think you must have caught them on a bad day."
"Bad day? It's the World Cup final! Who can be in a bad mood today?" Alicia glared at her salad. "This is not gourmet. All they did was pick weird leaves from trees and throw them on a plate and call it exotic. I bet if I went outside I'd find most of these green things around the campsite. See, that stuff looks suspiciously like grass."
"Thank you very much for ruining my appetite." Oliver pushed his plate away. "I really wish you would stop complaining."
"You know what really annoys me?"
"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."
She ignored his comment. "There are kids everywhere who idolise these people. Kids all over the world look up to them and want to be just like them. They go about not even suspecting that their beloved role models are nothing but petty and self-obsessed idiots. I never thought I'd say this but Quidditch players suck. They really do."
"Not all of us," Oliver reasoned. "This is just a small minority. I doubt Viktor Krum is like that."
"Krum can hardly speak English, he does not count. The problem is that it all goes to their heads. They just get so much attention and praise that they begin to think they really are better than everyone else."
"That's very pessimistic, Alicia. Am I conceited? Do I deserve the praise I get?" Oliver asked. She opened her mouth to answer but he cut her off. "What about Harry? He gets more attention than everyone at this table put together. Is he just a stuck-up little git?"
"He's only a kid."
"But when he's older you think he'll end up like one of those players down there? Do you think I'll end up like that as well?"
Alicia shook her head. "What do you want me to say, Oliver? That I can just simply go along with these people and not say anything about their behaviour?"
Oliver sighed. "I don't know what I want. I really don't."
The pair was silent for the rest of the meal. The 'gourmet' salad was followed by lasagne that was supposedly imported straight from Rome. It tasted just like the one Alicia's mum made from a packet. This was followed by dessert, which was peaches and cream. The peaches were from a tin and the cream wasn't even fresh.
"That was a lovely lunch!" Alicia distinctly heard Brandi say as they all left the dining room.
"It certainly was, darling," Marybeth agreed. "Pity the dessert was so rich. I'll have to do an extra twenty minutes of yoga tomorrow. Not to mention a double session of Pilate's."
Alicia rolled her eyes and grabbed Oliver's hand. "Come on, before the wicked witches catch up."
"Shh. Someone might hear you call them that."
"Tch. You worry too much. Look, there's a vacant sofa over there."
"Leesh, I was going to chat to some of the guys about the game."
"Well, you can chat to me about it. Or I could come with you. Either way, you're not leaving me alone again."
"Fine. But only for an hour or so."
The couple sat down and had a pleasant, though somewhat heated conversation about the upcoming game. They were laughing and teasing each other while effectively ignoring everyone around them. That was until someone interrupted them.
"Wood. Just the person I was looking for."
They looked up to see a man in his late twenties. Alicia recognised him as the Puddlemere Keeper. Oliver stood up as if he was being addressed by royalty.
"Damien! Pleased to see you!" Oliver clasped his hand reverently. Alicia was surprised he didn't kneel and try to kiss Damien's hand.
"Sure." Damien shrugged. "Say, who's your little friend?"
"This is my little girlfriend. I mean, my girlfriend. Yes."
"And what's her name?" Damien asked, speaking as if Alicia wasn't even present.
Oliver peered up at the ceiling for a second. "Um…"
"Alicia?" she offered from her seat.
"Yes. I was about to say that. She's Alicia."
"Right." Damien nodded, obviously not caring but diligently sticking to protocol. "Well, I'm going around taking bets for the game. What do you say, Wood?"
Oliver quickly fished around in his pocket and pulled out a handful of Galleons. "Put my money on Ireland."
"Ireland?" Damien suppressed a smirk. "I hope you realise you're throwing your money away. Krum is in top form."
"But one player doesn't make a team." Oliver said carefully, as if hoping Damien would agree with him.
He didn't, of course. "Wasn't it true that your little Quidditch team couldn't win before you got hold of Harry Potter?"
Alicia bristled. No one insulted her team. "Harry was just the missing link we needed. He couldn't catch the Snitch if the rest of the team weren't there to help him."
"And what do you know about it, doll?"
"I'm a Chaser on Oliver's little Quidditch team. And everybody knows that Quidditch is a team sport."
Damien chuckled and looked back up at Oliver. "You got a fiery one there, mate. You'll want to make sure you don't get burnt. They have a tendency to do that."
"Alicia's fine. She's right, though. I'd like to keep my money on Ireland."
"Sure, it's your money to waste." Damien added Oliver's coins to a jingling pouch he was carrying. "I guess I'll see you at training, Wood. You might want to keep working on that Double Eight Loop. Don't get discouraged, few people can pull of a perfect one like me. See you later."
Oliver took his seat again and took a deep breath. Alicia was staring after Damien. "What was he talking about? You can pull off a perfect Double Eight Loop. I've seen you do it dozens of times."
Oliver looked at his hand sheepishly. "I don't want to show all my cards at once."
"This is Quidditch, not poker! You can't let everyone think you're a lousy player. You definitely can't let Damien talk down to you like that. You're better than him!"
"I know all of this, Alicia. I'm at the bottom of the food chain; I can't go around disrupting the natural order of things. Damien's the top Keeper so I have to yield to his dominance."
"Suck up, you mean?"
"If that's what it takes," Oliver replied seriously.
"I don't understand any of this." Alicia shook her head fiercely. "How can you go along with all of this rubbish?"
"I don't have a choice if I want to be a top player."
That reality hit Alicia hard. Oliver didn't have a choice. Then, as his girlfriend, did that mean she didn't have a choice either?
"You're going to be a part of this world, aren't you."
"Yes." Oliver looked at his hands, realising there was a problem with this. Alicia didn't belong with these people.
Alicia peered around at the superficiality that surrounded her. "Uh, I think I'm going to take a walk."
"Ok. Make sure you're back before the game starts."
Alicia nodded then left.
***************
Alicia wandered around the campsite for an hour before she ran into Lee. He was there with his father and he let her stay with them for a while.
"Why aren't you with Katie and Angelina?" Lee asked her as she sat out the front of the tent with him and his father.
Alicia grinned. "I got tired of Katie telling me how gorgeous she thinks you are."
"Ha, I wish. Really, you aren't fighting or anything?"
"No, no. Nothing like that. I just felt like a walk."
"Have you had lunch, Alicia?" Lee's father asked.
Alicia stomach grumbled at the thought of real food. "Not exactly."
"Well, we have some burnt sausages. Dad left them over the fire too long."
"Hey, if you had been helping me instead of trying to chat up that witch in the next tent over!"
Lee tried to look sorry but he didn't quite pull it off. "If you don't feel like burnt sausages we also have squished sandwiches that my mother put in the bottom of my bag."
"A squished sandwich sounds excellent."
"Come on, then."
Alicia followed him into the tent. She was immensely pleased to see that it was rather small and cluttered. The sink was full of dishes and the beds were unmade. Alicia also spotted a pair of Y-fronts dangling from the back of a chair.
Alicia sighed contentedly. "Burnt sausages, squished sandwiches and underwear strewn about the place. Oh, I love you, Lee."
He stopped rummaging around in his bag to stare at her. "That's new."
"Yep. You're my kind of people." Alicia hugged his arm tightly
"Your kind of people? That doesn't make sense. You feeling all right?"
"I'm better than all right. I know where I belong now."
"I'm real happy for you. Are you certain you haven't bumped your head recently?"
"I'm positive. But I'll have to skip the sandwich. Thanks for the help." Alicia kissed him on the cheek quickly then dashed out of the tent.
"Anytime," Lee said, quite pleased with himself for helping without even trying.
***************
Alicia was on her best behaviour throughout the game. Thankfully, Oliver sat with her while most of the other ladies sat at the back of the box and discussed their hair and nails.
Alicia enjoyed the game immensely. It was much better than listening to it on the Wireless. Being there with Oliver was better than anything she could have imagined. She hardly got to spend any time with him so she found herself wishing that the game would go on and on.
Oliver leapt out of his seat as Krum caught the Snitch, ending the game and giving Ireland the win. "I knew it!" Oliver exclaimed.
Everyone around him just gave the excited teen odd looks. None of them had been particularly vocal during the game, preferring to make criticisms behind their hands. Alicia was itching to point out that none of them had played Quidditch for their country and were therefore the last people who could pass judgement. Instead of starting trouble Alicia held her tongue like a good girl and watched the game.
Even as she followed Oliver back out of the stadium she refrained from pointing out that he was right while Damien was wrong. Oliver said goodbye to his teammates and Alicia tried to avoid having to talk to anyone again.
"Did you enjoy it?" Oliver asked as they wound their way through the crowd to find their tent.
"I enjoyed the game but not anything prior to it."
"Alicia, I don't know what I can do to make it better for you."
Alicia understood his exasperation. "I have a solution."
"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" he asked cautiously.
"You're going to be a great Quidditch player one day but I know you're not going to turn out like those players. The problem is that you're going to have to be around people like that all the time and I don't think I can stand it."
"So what does that mean for our future?"
Alicia didn't answer until they had returned to the tent and gone inside. Oliver's parents hadn't returned yet so they had a few minutes to talk. She almost didn't want to say it but she knew she had to. "Oliver, I really don't think we have a future."
Oliver sighed as if he'd been expecting that. "I know. I reached the same conclusion while you were taking your walk."
Alicia took a seat on Oliver's bed and gestured for him to join her. "I wish there was another way but I don't want to hold you back."
"And I don't want you to have to go through that again. I guess we just shouldn't push it."
Alicia nodded. It made perfect sense, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. She really did like being with Oliver, but if they had no future then she was willing to face up to the reality. "It seems like a waste though."
"Yeah, it is a pity." He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "But I'll always be here for you."
"I know, that's why you'll never become a stupid git like Damien."
Oliver's parents walked in and conversation ended. It wasn't till much later that night that Alicia fully realised what she'd done. There was no more saucy little secret. There would be no more lying to her friends. That also meant there would be no more snogging Oliver.
That was definitely a downside.
She lay awake wondering if she'd done the wrong thing. That meant she was awake when the trouble started. Alicia was the first to reflexively grab her wand, leap out of bed and run to the front of the tent. A sleepy eyed and tousled haired Oliver quickly joined her, pulling on a jacket as he stumbled out. His parents emerged a moment later.
"What's going on?" Oliver's mother asked worriedly as she clutched at her husband's arm.
"Oliver and I will go and find out," Oliver's father said immediately.
"Not without me!" Alicia insisted.
"I'm not letting my boys go off by themselves."
So all four of them went to find out what all the commotion was about. Alicia was only expecting something minor like the Ireland supporters getting drunk and accidentally setting fire to a tent. She definitely was not expecting to find a group of Death Eaters torturing a Muggle family.
The gruesome procession passed right by them and Alicia trembled with barely suppressed rage. She'd seen a lot of disgusting things in her life but a group of masked vigilantes humiliating and terrifying an innocent Muggle family was the most despicable thing she'd ever seen.
Oliver and his parents were also rightly outraged but for Alicia it was more personal. She could almost see her own father floating with the other helpless Muggles. She took a foolish step forward as if she expected to single handedly stop all the Death Eaters. Her folly was realised when one Death Eater did stop and stare at her.
It was worse than facing a Dementor. Alicia's knees trembled as the Death Eater stared at her from the depths of his hood. She had the silly notion that he would be able to smell her Muggle blood. Perhaps he could, she didn't know.
"Leesh!" Oliver yelled, pulling her away violently. "Do you have a death wish? You of all people should not be trying to face them!"
"We have to do something!"
"Alicia?" someone yelled from behind her
She froze. Did the Death Eater know her name? Maybe they could read minds as well. Then again, the voice was vaguely familiar.
She whirled around. "Charlie?!"
"What are you doing here!?" he snapped. Bill was behind him trying to muster support to help the Ministry regain control. "You definitely should not be anywhere near this. Make for the woods. Fred and George are taking the others there. Go!"
Oliver pulled off his jacket and threw it at her. "He's right. I'll stay and help. Get going!"
"But-"
"No buts!" Charlie and Oliver said in unison.
Alicia gave up and turned to follow the majority of the crowd as they fled into the woods. If she could manage to find George then everything would be all right. She certainly didn't like the idea of running through the woods by herself.
She'd gone barely fifty metres into the woods before she tripped over an outcropping and went base over apex. The outcrop turned out to be someone's leg.
"Are you all right?" Alicia asked desperately as she went crawling back to the whimpering person. She lit her wand and directed the light onto the person. She didn't know whom she'd been expecting to find but certainly not…
"Damien?" she gasped and jumped to her feet.
He peered up at her imploringly. "Have they gone? Is it safe yet?"
Alicia had just seen the second most disgusting thing in her life. "You're unbelievable! Oliver is out there risking his life while the great Puddlemere Keeper cowers in the dark. He's one thousand times the man you are!"
He tried to grab at her leg, but she kicked his hand away and continued deep into the forest. It was only a minute or so later that she came upon a small group of children standing in a clearing crying. None of the kids were over the age of ten and Alicia had trouble trying to get them to settle down.
"Mummy told us to run but we got lost!" one boy sobbed.
"It's all right. The Ministry has it under control. Follow me."
Alicia led the five children deeper into the woods. She thought she was going the right way before the trees were suddenly illuminated with green light. She stopped in her tracks and looked up. She and the children squealed. Of course, the kids didn't know the significance of the Dark Mark, but the sight of a snake emerging from a skull is enough to frighten anyone.
"Wrong way," Alicia said under her breath. She looked around. Rampaging Death Eaters behind and the Dark Mark ahead. "We'll go left."
The children took a little coaxing before they started running again, but they quickly realised they couldn't stay in the same place. Finally, unable to run any longer, Alicia collapsed amongst the protruding roots of a large tree. She hunkered down there with the sobbing children huddled around her for what felt like hours, but was only fifteen minutes.
The Dark Mark still glittered in the sky, but everything had fallen quiet. "All right, I think it'll be safe to go back to the campsite now," Alicia told the children. They all looked up at her with wide eyes. They were obviously in no position to object. She hoisted one of the smallest children onto her back and gathered another in her arms.
She marched off and emerged from the woods to find the Death Eaters gone and people running around looking for friends and family. She was on her way back to Oliver's tent when she spotted him running towards her. He was looking shaken but thankfully unharmed.
"Gee, you've been busy," he commented as he peered around at all her new companions.
"No smart comments," she sighed, thoroughly disgruntled and ready for sleep. "Just help me get them back to their parents."
***************
After the fiasco of the World Cup Alicia's father refused to let her out of the house. She understood that he was only worried about her but she didn't like being confined to her house. Especially since it gave her too much time to think about her ended relationship. The more she thought about it the more she figured it hadn't been such a good idea to end it. She had only been away from Oliver for a few days and she already missed him.
She really needed to talk to someone.
"Dad, I'm going to the Weasleys'."
"I've told you how-"
"Yes, I know how you feel but I seriously doubt I'm going to find any Death Eaters at the Burrow."
Having successfully allayed her father's fears she used some Floo Powder to get to the Burrow. Ginny and Hermione were playing a game of Gobstones when she emerged from the sooty fireplace.
"Hi, Alicia."
"Hi, girls. Is George around?"
"He's up in his room," Ginny answered, exchanging a covert glance with Hermione.
Alicia blinked back cumbersome tears and dashed up the stairs. She ran straight to the twins' room and knocked. She waited for a second, as there was a lot of commotion from inside. By this point the tears were flowing freely. She opened the door to find Fred hiding something behind his back while George was in the process of stowing something under his bed.
"Relax, it's only Alicia," Fred said, bringing out a handful of brightly wrapped sweets.
George banged his head in his haste to get out from under the bed. "Alicia?"
The two of them noticed her tears. George looked concerned, but Fred only looked perplexed. "What is it?"
"It's over," she said simply.
"What is?" George demanded.
Alicia glanced at Fred. "The saucy little secret."
"Oh," George said.
"The what?" Fred exclaimed. He did not appreciate being left out.
"I feel awful."
"It'll be all right," George assured her. She gave him a weak smile and stepped into his arms.
"It just ended. Just like that," she mumbled into his shoulder.
"Oh, that's…terrible," George said, with as much sincerity as he could muster, which wasn't a whole lot.
Fred stomped his foot and demanded, "What's terrible?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Wow! That was 20 pages in Word! The longest chapter I've ever done on ff.net. I hope you liked it. If you want to know when the next chapter will be out you can keep up to date over at my profile page. But I can tell you now that the next chapter will probably involve Alicia getting drunk and flashing her knickers at George. Seriously. I'm not kidding.
Now my customary replies to reviewers!
Yoshi-fan2003- I feel sorry for Fred too. It'll get better for him soon. I'm still interested in the collaboration as well. I'll email you soon.
Kelsey- Thank you! It was quite easy to pick the songs actually. Fred and George just can't get it right at the moment. Poor boys.
Stephanie- You deserved the dedication! I thought you were the same Stephanie but I didn't want to sound stupid if I was wrong! Yeah, I thought it would be more effective to use different songs.
Oliverwoodschic- I'm glad I made you happy with a simple update. I know there's a lack of Fred and George stories and I'm a little surprised. They're the perfect comic relief. Keep reading and reviewing and I'll keep writing!
Aly- Hi! Hehe. I apologise for almost giving you a heart attack. Thanks for not coming after me with a knife. I appreciate it. I don't know what it is with me and Quidditch. I just have to really make sure I don't use rugby league terms! Yes. I don't really go on MSN anymore. People I want to avoid…but don't want them to know I'm avoiding them. Very confusing. But you can still contact me by the email address on my profile.
Lil azn mystikal girl- I'm glad you thought it was sweet. There's plenty more F/A coming!
*HarryPotterLuver989*- I'm afraid I won't be doing a Charlie/Erica story unfortunately. Three storied at once is plenty. I know I said there would be Charlie/Erica in this chapter but I had to hold it over till the next one. But I don't see why anyone else can't borrow Erica to write a story. Ick. I can't believe I'm whoring out my characters. If anyone wants to attempt a story then just let me know!
Tonibelle- At least you've reviewed now. Late is better then never. Honestly, I reckon any could create a story like this. I really just sit at my computer and type whatever comes into my head. Not a lot of planning goes into it. Which might be a bad thing?
Bluepharaoh- I'm glad it's got you hooked. In my experience that's a hard thing to do. I really do hope you keep reading.
Star2717- Hiya! Yes, Lee and Katie are coming along well. I'm going to try to include them in the next chapter. So you didn't quite like the songfic, huh? That's cool. It's all about feedback. I guess I just got sick of having to explain everything and decided to let the songs take over. The Draco/Alicia story should be updated after I do the Harry/Alicia one. Whew. Too many stories. And yeah I love Buffy. Or loved. *sniff* So if you need any help just email me.
CoolBreeze- I hope this wait wasn't as painful. George will get around to declaring his love sometime. The fun part is coming up with a new scenario now. Oliver's a hard character to write. He doesn't seem like it but he is. I passed on the hugs to Fred and George! They appreciated them muchly.
Phredtheflyingmonkey- I so glad I made you laugh. It makes me laugh as well. Just imagining the look on Harry's face gets me laughing. I think you'll enjoy the next sequel. It's going to be quite a saga.
Tessa (1)- That name thing is a little annoying. I'm glad I changed mine or I'd have a number as well. Ok. When I refer to the sequel from now on I'm referring to the sequel of this story. It will begin as soon as they leave Hogwarts so the last chapter will be the graduation or something. If that doesn't make sense then feel free to ask again. Thanks for the reviews and I'm sure Steph appreciated the thanks as well.
Vereniel Greenleaf- Hehe. Having an identity crisis? Glad you like it.
Heck E. Nah- My 400th reviewer! What a milestone. Ok, I will NOT stop writing if you promise that Bob won't hurt me.
Mystical- Thank you. I understand what you're saying about the songfic but I guess you live and learn. Hehe. My style. Wasn't aware I had one. Oh yeah, you gotta love Robbie! Highly commendable work? Wow.