"Darn homework fairy didn't finish my Potions homework," I grumbled to myself as I stuffed my essay for Potions into my bag, "At least it's not due until after lunch."
"Bad news Katie," Jeremy, a 2nd year Gryffindor, informed me, "Potions got switched up to being our first class today. We had to switch with the first year Hufflepuffs for some-"
"Oh, bloody Hell!" I exclaimed and sprinted out the door narrowly avoiding a disgruntled looking Oliver coming down into the Common Room.
"Katie what-" Oliver started.
"Sorry Ollie, no time to talk!" I called over my shoulder, not sure if he heard me or not, "I have to finish a Potions essay due in an hour!"
I made it to the Library in record time and practically threw my stuff onto the table. I yanked out my Potions book and hurriedly wrote the rest of my essay. I had just finished when the bell signaling the end of breakfast rang. Potions would start in thirty minutes. Why did I have to miss breakfast, I pondered as my stomach protested its emptiness.
"Katie, come here," Oliver mouthed beckoning from the door into the Library.
I grabbed my stuff and, seeing the food Oliver was holding, hurried over to meet him in the hallway.
"Ollie, you're the best!" I exclaimed as he handed me some absurd fruit that I had never seen before, "What in the world is that!"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it's not bad," Oliver replied, "and don't call me 'Ollie'. It's really annoying."
"I wouldn't tell Fred and George that," I replied, "or you'd never be called Oliver again! Come on, I've got to get to Potions on time, I've just finished my essay."
"Did you put it off until the last minute again?" Oliver asked in a mock exasperated voice.
"No, I was supposed to have until after lunch but Jeremy says they changed the schedule for today because the first year Hufflepuffs have to do something," I replied taking a second of the strange fruit.
Oliver sighed, "Which Jeremy told you this?"
"Jeremy Mattson told me, why?" I asked suspiciously.
"Do you remember last year when Jeremy told you that Astronomy was meeting in the North Tower at midnight and you got caught out after hours and put in Detention?"
Oliver does have a point, I thought.
"Yes, I remember," I replied feeling stupid, "Oy, Nance, what class is first?"
Nancy Walter, another 2nd year Gryffindor, replied, "Herbology, same as always. Why do you ask?"
"Jeremy is going to get it," is all I said in reply as I started off down the hall towards the Entrance Hall.
"Whoa," Oliver said, grabbing me by the waist and restraining me, "Katie, think about what happened last time you went after Jeremy for telling you something wrong about classes."
I thought for a second and recalled McGonagall yelling at me in front of some nice looking third-years and a then a two night long Detention.
"Now, what did we learn today?" Oliver prompted.
"Don't listen to that bloody arse, Jeremy," I replied as Oliver released his grip on me.
"That's very good, and Katie?"
"What?"
"See you at practice tonight, and you better not have mauled Mattson, or I'll kick you off the team," Oliver replied and walked off towards his class.
"Bye Ollie!" I called.
"Don't call me OLLIE!"
"Thanks Jeremy for telling me that we had Potions as first class earlier," I said, and not sarcastically.
"Why's that?" Jeremy asked carefully, he was treading on dangerous ground.
"Since you told me that we had Potions first, I actually did the homework and got a decently good grade. I would say I owe you, but you made me skip breakfast, so I think we're even. Oh, and I didn't put you in the Hospital Wing this time either, but you have Oliver Wood to thank for that one," I replied smiling at the stunned look on Jeremy's face, "See you later Jeremy, I've got Quidditch Practice."
I walked out of the Entrance Hall and out to the Quidditch Pitch. I had just gotten to the locker rooms when I heard voices coming from downstairs near the Ravenclaw locker rooms. I listened carefully and recognized Fred and George's voices.
"Fred, George, you do realize that I can hear you up here!" I called down the stairwell.
"Oy, is that our favorite Chaser I hear?" George called up the stairs in reply.
"No, it's only Katie," Fred added jokingly, "Really you shouldn't butt into people's conversations like that."
"And if Oliver hears you plotting to do what you're plotting to do, he's going to have your heads! And then you'll probably get kicked off the team!" I called back.
"But, dearest Katie, that's the beauty of it. We're not going to let Oliver hear and we certainly aren't going to get caught!" George corrected.
"You're not going to let me hear what?" Oliver asked Fred and George from right behind me. I jumped six feet into the air because I hadn't heard him walk up.
"Nothing, Oliver," Fred replied sweetly.
"Well then get to practice! Hurry up!" Oliver yelled back.
Four hours later I staggered into the locker room spattered with mud and limping on my right ankle. The strangest thing was that it hadn't rained in days. That's saying something.
"If you hadn't have fallen so fast, then you wouldn't have hurt your ankle!" Fred insisted.
"And you wouldn't have hit the ground hard enough to liquefy the dirt!" George added.
"If you two hadn't dropped me," I replied as I lay down on the bench, "I wouldn't have fallen in the first place."
"We wouldn't have dropped you if Oliver hadn't tried to get us to do that play!" George retorted.
"Don't pin this on me!" Oliver protested as the rest of the team walked in, Alicia carrying my broom as well as hers.
"Oliver didn't teach us that bloody play!" I said irritably, "You two made it up on the spot and tried it without informing me you were doing do!"
"Oh, I do believe she's right," George said sheepishly turning to his twin brother, "I guess the fall didn't harm her memory after all."
"We have such bad luck," Fred replied as the two of them walked over into the boy's row of lockers to change.
"If I could walk properly I'd bash your identical heads together repeatedly!" I shouted after them.
"Maybe it's a good thing she hurt her ankle after all," George said loudly to Fred, "Otherwise we'd be done for. You remember last year when she went for Jeremy Mattson, don't you?"
"She is prone to violence isn't she?" Fred replied just as loudly, "Poor girl, everyone thinks she's just sweet, innocent, Katie Bell."
"Shut it you two," Oliver called as I struggled to walk across the locker room, "Katie, if you don't sit down I'm going to have to make you sit, and that's not going to be pleasant."
I muttered something incoherent that sounded suspiciously like, "Damn Weasley twins," and sat on the ground where I was.
"This is going to hurt," Oliver warned before he grabbed hold of my foot and twisted it sharply so that it cracked and fell exactly into place.
"Oh my GOD, you Fricking-kilt-wearing-damn-Scottish-flipping-ankle-twisting-Quidditch-Captain," I screamed and jumped to my feet completely forgetting about my ankle, "Do you even know what in the bloody Hell you just did?"
"Obviously he did," Alicia broke in stepping between me and Oliver, "You're walking again."
"Oh, right," I smiled sheepishly, "sorry Ollie."
"That's okay, but what did you call me?" Oliver asked looking shocked at my outburst.
"Why I called you a Fricking-kilt-wearing-damn-Scottish-flipping-ankle-twisting-Quidditch-Captain, duh Ollie." I replied like it was a perfectly normal thing to call one's Quidditch Captain.
"Okay then, and Katie," Oliver said starting to walk off towards the showers.
"Yes, Ollie," I replied sweetly.
"Don't call me Ollie."
"Whatever you say… Ollie," I replied grinning evilly.
"Alicia, I'm nervous," I admitted on the morning of our first Quidditch match.
"Did you not finish Potions again?" Alicia mumbled; she wasn't fully awake yet.
"No, it's Quidditch today," I replied as I dressed in my Quidditch robes, "Our first game, remember?"
"How could I forget?" Alicia replied excitedly as she rolled out of bed and threw on her own robes and then proceeded to wake Angelina up.
In case you're wondering why I share the dormitory with the third year girls, it's a very long story. Well, not really but you get the point. My first year, last year, There were four second year girls and six first year girls. Each dorm room only had five beds so one of the first years got bumped up to live in the second year girl's dorm. Guess who drew the short straw, yep, that's right. Katie Ann Bell drew the short straw.
"Go away 'Lic, it is way too early," Ange muttered flailing her arms through the air in a wild attempt to hit Alicia.
"Get up Ange!" Alicia replied as she yanked Angelina's covers making Angelina roll out of her bed and onto the floor, "We've got our first Quidditch match in a little!"
This got Angelina's attention and Angelina popped her head up from between the beds, "Where are my robes?"
"I don't know. I'm not your maid!" Alicia replied irritably.
"They're in the top drawer on the right," I said smiling, "I can't help if Alicia's OCD and I'm around so much that I see where everything goes."
"If you had a life outside of homework and Quidditch, then you wouldn't be around as much," Alicia remarked huffily.
"Well excuse me for liking to not bite off more than I can chew," I retorted.
"Hey you two don't have an argument now," Angelina said playing peacekeeper for the first time ever, usually that was Alicia's job.
"Sorry Alicia," I said automatically, knowing that she knew I didn't mean it.
"Sorry Katie," Alicia echoed, well aware of the same thing.
"You three had better get some breakfast!" Oliver said sternly from the doorway, "If you don't I'm going to personally force feed you some."
"Just going to breakfast," Alicia stated as she walked past Oliver.
"I do enjoy eating in the morning," Angelina agreed as she too passed Oliver in the doorway.
"I'm with them Ollie," I said stopping to give him a stern look, "And you'd best eat something too, mister."
"Okay mother Bell," Oliver said laughing at my stern expression, "And don't call me Ollie."
"I'm going to get some breakfast, coming Ollie?"
"Yes, I'm coming. Would you tell me how I can get you to stop calling me Ollie?" Oliver asked as we walked out of the portrait hole.
"That's just it, you can't."