As I stepped into my father's office, I felt like I was being watched. I looked around and there sat Oliver in my dad's favorite chair. He looked mad, but then he always looked mad anymore. I ignored him.
In a second Fred stepped through the fireplace and was quickly followed by Alicia, Angelina, Fred, and Ginny.
"Katie," Ginny asked, "Is it okay if I stay here for the night? Mum and Dad are going somewhere and Ron's being a prat and Percy, well, Percy is Percy."
"Sure Ginny," I replied, "We've got plenty of rooms. Now follow me guy and I'll give you the grand tour. Just leave your stuff here and Jobber will carry them upstairs for you."
"Who's Jobber?" Alicia asked giving me a strange look.
"Our House Elf," I replied, "Now come on, or are you all too stunned by my father's office to move?"
"This is an OFFICE?" Fred exclaimed.
"This is bigger then our kitchen!" George added.
"Mum's is bigger," I replied and walked out of the room leaving them to follow me.
Much to my displeasure Oliver joined the group. I led them across the hall and into Mum's office. She looked up to greet us all.
"It's so nice to see you all," she said, "Katherine Ann's friends are always welcome in our home, either one of them."
"Thanks Mrs. Bell," my friends chorused.
"Okay," I said leading them out the door, "Let's go to the kitchen now."
We walked down the hall and into our kitchen which was large enough to cook for a small army. I grinned at Nanny, our cook/housekeeper/grandmother-type-figure. She smiled at everyone as she hurried out the door to get some vegetables or something from the garden.
"This is the kitchen," I announced, tour guide style, "Through here is the Living Room, there's the Sitting Room, that's the Library, and here's the front door and the stairs."
Our stairway was an open two stories with one of those staircases that started as a single one and then fanned out into a double stair case with one leading to each wing. Down the right hallway were the family's bedrooms, including Oliver's, and the upstairs entertainment room where a large TV was located along with other Muggle and magical items. (The Maggle Room)
I took the right staircase and showed everyone my room, Kent's room (which we didn't venture into for fear of walking in on something) my parents room and what I had dubbed the 'Maggle Room'.
"Katie, your house is huge!" Alicia exclaimed as I turned and walked back across the landing above the place where the stairs split and over to the other wing of the upstairs.
"Oliver's is bigger," I replied, shrugging, "Besides, my parents are both very prominent people. I've told you about the crazy important staying with us before and all their amazing balls and such."
"Yeah, but how do they live here when you and Kent are both away?" Angelina asked awed.
"They only come up here for holidays and the occasional business in the countryside." I replied as I opened the door to Fred and George's room.
"Bloody Hell," Fred exclaimed when he spotted both his and George's things laid on the beds, "This is like a five star hotel!"
"Yeah, Mum is thinking about turning it into a bed and breakfast when she retires."
"How much money do you think those things rake in?" George asked nobody in particular.
"It depends," Alicia answered, "Katie, do I even want to see my room?"
"Yes," I assured as I led them out of the twins room and into the room Alicia was going to occupy.
"Oh, Merlin," Alicia said as she sank weakly onto the bed, "I feel like a princess!"
"Oh well dear princess," George said regally as he bowed, "May I be your knight in shining armor?"
"Of course," Alicia assured him, "but that means you must carry me over to see the bathroom."
"As the Lady wishes," George picked Alicia up bride-style and carried her over to the bathroom and promptly dropped her out of amazement.
"Oh," was all that Alicia could say, "my."
"I want to see my room!" Angelina shouted excitedly, "Both the twins and Alicia have rooms that perfectly suit them. I want to see what you picked out for me!"
I grinned and led them out of Alicia's room and ran directly into Oliver. I fell on my butt.
"Katie," Oliver said helping me up off the ground, "We are going to have to talk sometime."
"Later Oliver," I said coldly as I brushed by him. Then I added quietly, "I promise."
Oliver didn't say anything but went downstairs.
"What was that about?" Angelina asked me suspiciously.
"I don't know," I replied as I opened the door to her room, "But here is your room."
Angelina ran into the room and jumped onto the bed and then she peered out the window. She dashed around the room and into the bathroom; out she darted from the bathroom and into the walk-in closet. She threw open the large window and stuck her head out. The view was spectacular and everyone clustered around the window.
"Katie," Angelina breathed, "Your house is amazing. This room is perfect."
The others agreed and I smiled. I walked out of the room and called over my shoulder.
"Hurry up and change so we can go swimming before dinner!"
My friends made a mad dash for the door and Angelina slammed it shut and locked it. We were all done changing in a couple of minutes. (I was already in my bathing suit) I tossed everyone a towel and led the way down the stairs and out through the kitchen. We walked along the path towards the lake (the pool was right beside the lake) and when we got there all of us quickly peeled off our extra layers of clothing and jumped in.
Well, all of us except Alicia jumped into the pool.
"Alicia," I called from the for once non-freezing water of my pool, "What are you doing?"
"I'm working on my tan, duh!" Alicia called back as she put on her sun glasses.
I looked at Fred and smirked. He nodded. We climbed out of the pool.
"That sounds like a good idea," I said, "Mind if I join you?"
"I like the sound of tanning too," Fred added, "Nothing like skin cancer to brighten your life."
"You can all join me if you want," Alicia replied, not suspecting a thing.
Suddenly Fred and I grabbed Alicia and swung her back and forth and then let go. She flew into the pool screaming.
"You guys made me drink pool water!" Alicia screamed as she resurfaced.
"Alicia," I sighed, "Didn't your mum ever tell you not to drink the water in the pool? It's just disgusting."
Alicia clambered out of the pool and started towards Fred and me with a look of rage on her face. I grabbed Fred's arm and we began to run around the lake. Halfway around I ran into someone and fell on my butt.
"Ouch," I said as I stood up.
"Katie?" Jeremy Mattson asked.
"Jeremy?" I gasped.
"What are you doing here?" We both blurted at the same time.
"I live here," I answered quickly.
"I'm visiting Grandmum," Jeremy explained.
Fred's jaw dropped in amazement. What was the likely hood that Jeremy Mattson would be visiting his Grandmum right near my house? I guess probability didn't have anything at all to do with my life.
"Katie," Alicia screamed as she sprinted up to us, "Fred, you two are dead!"
"You rhymed," I commented as Alicia joined the group of amazed people.
"What's going on?" Angelina asked as she and George came jogging up.
"What's he doing here?" George demanded.
"Yes, what is he doing here?" Oliver asked as he too joined the group.
"Bloody Hell, it's going to be a long week," I muttered under my breath as Jeremy explained why he was near my house.
"You're on Katie's family's land," Oliver said coldly, "You're trespassing."
"Shut it Oliver," I said.
"Well he is," Oliver muttered crossly.
"And you're being a baby, but I don't hear anyone saying anything about that," I snapped.
"Katie," Fred said softly so that only I could hear, "calm down."
"I'm trying," I hissed back.
"So, I'm just going to go then," Jeremy said, giving me a strange look, "I'll see you around?"
"Okay," I replied, "Whatever floats your boat."
Jeremy laughed as he walked off. He remained seemingly oblivious to the glares he was receiving from Fred, George, and Oliver. I hit all three of them in the back of the head.
"Be nice!" I warned them.
"You, Katie Bell," Oliver said, "Are being a hypocrite."
"How do you figure that?" I asked.
"Well," he replied "You told me, and I quote, 'you're being a baby, but I don't hear anyone saying anything about that,'. That's not exactly showing that you are the queen of nice."
"Shut it Oliver," I snapped as I stalked off, "And now I'm not sure that I want to talk to you anymore."
"Katie, stop being a prat!" Oliver called after me.
"Oh, look who's talking," I retorted, "It's the King-of-the-Prats himself."
"Fine, then I won't tell you that Sarah is coming tonight to stay for the rest of the week," Oliver shouted angrily.
"Sarah who?" I asked as I came to a halt and turned, confused, to look at him.
"Sarah Everett, you know, my girlfriend," Oliver replied cruelly, well, not exactly cruelly, but it seemed cruel at the time. "And since you're like my sister I expect you to be nice to her. You'll always be like a sister, Katie, never anything else."
I felt the color drain from my face and the tears started to pour. Oliver had just said the cruelest thing he had ever said to me in his life and I know he didn't realize it. I turned and sprinted to the house, pausing only to grab my clothes from the poolside. I ran until I came to my secret spot by the secret lake in the woods, the spot where I had been sitting when I had the strange daydream about Oliver and me getting married.
The tears kept pouring and I knew that everyone was looking for me. But instead of saving them the time of looking for me and not being able to find me, I pulled on my clothes and sat down in the exact same spot I had earlier in the day. I let the tears fall freely and looked out across the water, not even bothering to stop and think about why I was crying.
Actually, I didn't really need to think to figure out why I was crying. I had fallen in love with my best friend, Oliver Wood, who had thought I was actually interested in Jeremy Mattson, had started dating Sarah Everett without telling me, invited her to MY house and then told me that I'd always 'only be a sister' to him. He probably thought that was a compliment of some sort.
I heard Alicia, Angelina, Fred, George and even Oliver (gasp) calling my name in the distance. Fred's shouts seemed to get closer and closer until he spotted me and came to sit next to me quietly.
"Kat, what's wrong?" he asked softly in a voice that told me he had known I was in love with Oliver longer than I had known.
"You know, don't you Fred?"
"Yes, I think I figured it out before you did," Fred replied softly.
"What should I do? I feel so stupid."
"You're not stupid, Kat," Fred assured me, "but you do need to find yourself something to get your mind off of Oliver. Alicia and Angelina will help you come up with something."
"Does anyone else know?" I asked.
"Oliver doesn't," Fred replied, knowing that's what I meant by 'anyone else', "I'm almost positive that the others figured it out when you went running off bawling your eyes out."
I laughed a sniffling kind of laugh, "I must have looked right stupid."
"Naw, well, maybe a little," Fred admitted.
"Thanks Fred, you're the best," I smiled as I kissed him on the cheek.
"No problem mademoiselle," Fred replied in a French accent as he wiped the tears off of my face, "It is what best friends are for."
We stood up and walked off calling to the others. They all came over and hugged me knowingly, well, Oliver's hug was apologetic, not knowing.
"I'm sorry Katie," Oliver whispered as he hugged me, "I'm not sure what I said but I'm sorry for all of it, especially not telling you about Sarah."
"It's okay Ollie," I whispered back, "I love you."
"I love you too, Katie," Oliver replied, not knowing how much the fact that he loved me in some way would mean to me, "Now let's go and eat dinner. Sarah's coming after dinner."
I forced myself to grin happily. It was a good thing I was a trouble-maker and had learned to fake innocence a long time ago because the same principle was applied to making yourself seem perfectly happy.
"That's great Ollie," I replied as cheerfully as I could manage, "Which room is she staying in?"
"I was going to ask you what you thought," Oliver started, "The Beach Room or the Paris Room."
"Paris," I replied before running into my house for dinner, "It seems more her style. And Ginny's in the Beach Room tonight. Wait, where is Ginny?"
"At the Pool," George replied, "She's in Heaven here. I'll go get her for dinner."
"Thanks Katie, for letting Sarah come, you're the best." Oliver called after me.
"I know," I called back arrogantly, "And don't you forget it!"
AN/ Okay, so there, how do you like it? My beta is out of town this weekend(I hope you have a nice time!) so this wasn't checked for errors, sorry if there are any big and annoying ones!
I'm still not sure if I want Katie and Jeremy to go out or not so please let me know what you think! I'll count each opinion and that's what's going to happen, unless I get some other brilliant idea or something.
Oliver and Sarah won't last very long, don't worry about that.
Please Review!
Love From,
MotherCrumpet