Disclaimer: Ok, this is FANfiction! You shouldn't even need to write one of these…right? Anyway…I don't own Harry Potter or any Harry Potter Characters…I'm just borrowing them.
Summary: When the gang returns to school after the summer holidays, they've changed. Oliver and Fred are finding themselves strangely drawn to Angelina…but she can't be more than a friend…to either of them…right?
Rating: PGish
Note: The character's thoughts will appear in Italics. Sorry if it's confusing. I've updated (YAY!) Hopefully I can get the plot flowing a little more smoothly soon. (If one would call this a plot.) Ah well. Well, here's Chapter Five, make of it what you will. Happy Reading!
Closest Thing to Heaven
© Angelface04
September 19, 2004
If I've apologized to him – and we've made up – why isn't everything going back to how it was? How it used to be – before…? It's just not the same…everything seems…forced…somehow…like everyone's being fake. My god, why don't people just stop pretending and be themselves…admit what they really feel? Why don't I stop pretending? What do I really feel?
She groaned as she stretched in bed. She should be getting up now…but it just seemed so much easier to stay in bed. No one could get her…as long as she had her deep burgundy curtains around her she was safe…
"ANGE! HURRY UP! GET A MOVE ON! OLLIE'S GOING TO SLAUGHTER US IF WE AREN'T THERE IN FIVE MINUTES!!"
Or not…
She seized a pillow and chucked it at Katie's head.
"Go'way!" She murmured, burrowing underneath the blankets. She felt a pillow smack her in the head and she moaned.
"ANGE! UP!"
"Okay, okay! Goodness Kate!"
Just minutes later Angelina was being jerked out of the portrait hole, dragging her broom behind her and sliding her left arm through her Quidditch robes.
"I just know we're going to be kicked off the team! Thanks to Miss Let's-Sleep-In-Until-5:25 over there!" Alicia was practically ready to have a heart attack and was nearly running down the hallway. Angelina moaned.
"Is it really only 5:30?" She nearly stumbled and Katie giggled helplessly, grasping onto her arm and steadying her.
They arrived at the Gryffindor changing room just a few minutes later. Oliver's eyebrow's raised, acknowledging their lateness. Katie and Alicia gave him cheesy grins and slid past him, while Angelina was too busy trying to avoid looking at him to notice the way that he was looking at her. She attempted to slide past him as well, although she was much less graceful.
"Johnson," Her heart very well stopped as she froze.
"Um-hmm?" It would better have been described as a squeak than anything else. He beckoned for her to follow him, with that strict look he got when he was talking about quidditch, and she did, into the Captian's Office.
When he turned around to look at her again, the strict look had melted.
"Angie…" His voice had dropped to a throaty whisper. "Let's stop this." She suddenly realized that this had nothing to do with Quidditch. Her stomach plummeted.
No Angelina. No. He lied to you.
She shook her head.
"Please. I can't stand this…"
Okay, this office is small, but it's not that small! He doesn't have to be standing so close…does he? God…
"Oliver…I…you…you lied…" He shook his head vigorously.
"I never lied to you." He replied, with a valiant fervor that shook her. It made no sense! She had been lied to…she just didn't know who had lied to her yet. She rubbed her temples gently.
"It's too early to think about all of this."
"No, Angelina, please, I – I can't stand this."
Can't you see? This hurts me too Ange!
"Do you think this is easy for me?" She shot back, folding her arms across her chest.
"Look, Angelina, I know that I've screwed things up…but I never lied to you." Her eyes were shooting daggers at him. "I know you're not happy." His voice was a whisper, and he took a step closer. She could feel the heat of his body now.
No Oliver…not again…
She took a steep back. "So what? Since when did you start caring how I felt?" She regretted the words as soon as the came out of her mouth, wondering how he would reply. There was a silence, then; finally, he turned, hoping that she wouldn't see the hurt that was so evident on his face.
Stop being so emotional Wood – she's just a girl!
"Okay Angelina, if that's how you want it to be – okay." She didn't move for what seemed like ages. She stood there, her arms across her chest as he bustled around the room, totally ignoring her. As he gathered up a few loose papers and made to the door, he glanced at her – a glance that told her he'd become strict quidditch captain again.
"Don't just stand there Johnson, we don't have all day." And with that he strode out of the room, disregarding the ache he felt in the back of his throat.
He was out on the pitch now – a good thirty minutes after the others had gone in for breakfast. He shoved the quaffle into the chest; closing it and latching it shut.
"Hey," She was truly the last person that he wanted to see.
"Hi," He didn't look up as he grabbed the handle of the chest.
"You want some help?" She asked quirkily.
Not from you…
"Nah – I got it." He began dragging it towards the castle, with her following closely behind.
"So…how was practice?" She was trying awfully hard to make conversation with him.
"Fine." He pushed open the door, turning and entering backwards so that he could keep the door open.
"What's wrong?" Nina prodded.
"Nothing." He opened the supply closet door, shoving the chest in its place between the old brooms and extra quidditch robes.
"Oliver, you can tell me." Her hand was on his shoulder. He shrugged if off, ignoring the injured look that flitted across her face.
"I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
"Why not?"
God Nina! Quit being so prying, will you? Just leave me alone!
"Just leave me alone, okay?" He snapped as he brushed past her, still unable to banish the thoughts of Angelina from his head.
Her blonde hair fell in a curtain surrounding her face, and she was hugging her book to herself tightly. Angelina watched as she slid down the corridor, looking upset and sad, as if her whole world had just come crashing down. Her eyes flicked up suddenly when she felt Angelina watching her, and she halted, a look of understanding passing over her face quickly followed by a look of anger. Angelina raised her eyebrows, confused. The girl's mouth fell open, then shut again in a thin line before she took a deep breath and turned on her heel, making her way back down the corridor.
"What was that all about?" Lee was at her side, his eyebrow cocked and a smile tugging at his lips. "I've never known Nina to be like that."
"Nina?" Angelina let the name roll off of her tongue.
"Yeah." Lee nodded in the direction that Nina had been going. "She's nice. What's up with her and you?"
"I dunno." Angelina answered, quite honestly.
"What do you mean you don't know? She just glared at you like you'd killed her Great Aunt Melba or something!" He smiled at this. Angelina cocked her head and looked at him, hoping that it conveyed the look of absolute stupidity she was going for. "She doesn't really have a Great Aunt Melba-"
She had to laugh, but she shook her head. "Shut up Lee."
"That hurt Ange." He placed a hand to his chest, closing his eyes and tilting his head up towards the ceiling. "Deep down."
"Come off it Lee!" She shoved him and he stumbled, laughing all the while.
"I like it rough!"
"Shut up." She rolled her eyes. They had arrived at the portrait hole by now.
"You shut up."
"Password?" Came the shrill voice of the Fat Lady.
"Canary Cremes." Lee blurted. He pushed in front of Angelina purposely, making her trip over him.
"Prat!" She yelled after him, smiling all the while.
"Who me?" Fred was at her side, smiling at her and making her stomach suddenly jerk.
"No…"
"Good." He slipped his arm around her waist, as if it belonged there.
Oh Merlin…
Her skin tingled ever so slightly as his fingers played with the hem of her shirt, slightly brushing her skin. Alicia winked at her from where she was sitting with Katie and George on the couch. Angelina knew she was blushing horribly – but how could she help it?
She felt a few eyes on them, but she didn't care. For once she didn't care about what people thought about her, what people might whisper and say behind her back. Why should she? When the only one who's thoughts about her really mattered was whispering that George's fly was unzipped in her ear?
The only one that really matters…? Don't you start Angelina! Don't you start thinking about Oliver again. He's not worth it.
He's not worth it?
Fred surveyed her quietly. Her skin felt warm where his finger's were stroking it softly. Her face held a small grin; she leaned into him gently. She seemed happy, she seemed content, but one look at her eyes and they gave it all away. She was somewhere else entirely.
"What' s on your mind?" He whispered gently into her ear. Her head swiveled around a little too quickly.
"Nothing." She stated. "Why?" He shook his head.
"I dunno…you just seem…weird." He let his hand drop from her waist and her eyes flicked away for a second. He followed them, and when he saw Oliver sitting in a corner, surrounded by other seventh years he was beginning to fit pieces together.
So she fancies Oliver…
"Look, um…I gotta go…" He took a step back as George looked up at him quizzically.
"Go where?"
"I forgot – I – er – have detention with Filtwick…" Angelina could see right through him and he hated her for it.
"Right." George nodded briefly, though Fred was 100 sure that he could tell he was lying.
"You want me to walk with you?" Angelina took a step forward. He shook his head.
"No thanks." He turned, making his way out of the common room
"What's up with him?" Katie blurted as soon as the portrait swung shut.
"Haven't the faintest." George shrugged, glancing up at Angelina. Angelina's brow was furrowed in thought, and she kept glancing over to a corner in the common room that seemed to be occupied by a bunch of seventh years…
"Hey George – your barn door's open," Lee suddenly quipped from the chair that he was nestled in. The group erupted in laughter as George blushed profusely, zipping up his pants. None of them seemed to notice when Angelina slipped away, except a dark eyed keeper sitting in the corner, wondering why in the world the girl who had told him 'no' so many times kept staring at him, and why he cared so bloody much about her.
Well, watcha think? It was a bit shorter than I'd expected, but that can't be helped. And for all of you who are feverishly supporting Fred/Angelina, don't give up hope yet! I'm not making any promises though…J .
Review! You don't know how much I love it, and the more I get the faster I write!
angelface04