Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Thank you to my beta, HPalto87, and thank you to my reviewers!
2: Observation
Like every Sunday, the Gryffidor common room was crammed with students trying to get the work done that they had utterly failed to do on Friday or Saturday. As usual, this included Alicia and me, and excluded Angelina.
Angelina sat in one of the big, gaudy, comfortable chairs and smiled in a self-satisfied sort of way, knowing that academically, she was more intelligent than anyone in that room, with the possible exception of Hermione Granger.
I knew this irked her because any time Hermione's name was mentioned, her right eye would twitch slightly; and any time the younger girl got excited over solving some sort of problem (which had been happening more and more frequently over the past year) she would give a disapproving look at the outburst, then pointedly ignore whatever she was going on about (which usually no one understood anyway, except for Harry and Ron Weasley).
So today, like every Sunday, Alicia and I sat on the floor with our books spread across one of the low coffee tables; and Angelina sat nearby in one of the considerably more comfortable chairs, legs tucked comfortably under her, reading and occasionally joining in our conversation or, more rarely, helping us.
"I don't understand plants," I announced.
"We know," Angelina said in an amused voice.
"Well, can you help me then, oh, all-knowing Angelina?" I mocked. Herbology always gets me quite testy. It seems like all the plants I touch die. I always miss something vital, and end up having to write an essay on it.
Angelina leaned over my shoulder to read my report on magical plants that grow in moonlight.
"You need mooncalf dung. Dragon fertilizer won't do much for nocturnal plants. Mooncalf dung is much harder to get, but it will actually help any plant grow better; and if you don't use it for the nocturnal plants, you'll end up with a withered stalk, at best," she informed me.
"Thanks," I said glumly, and crossed that portion of the essay out.
I sighed heavily and laid my head on the table, hoping futilely that the essay would write itself.
"So, when are you going to get with Oliver?" Alicia asked me, suddenly changing the topic of conversation from potions.
I sat up a bit too quickly and hit my head on Angelina's knee. I was suddenly torn between being in absolute shock over Alicia's statement, and being offended at the pain in my head. I compensated by both rubbing my head with my fingers and staring wide-eyed at Alicia.
Once the pain subsided and I was done being shocked, I managed to form a reasonably intelligent answer. "Oliver doesn't even like me in that way."
Alicia rolled her eyes. "How dense can you be, Katie?" she asked. "Didn't you see the way he smiled at you yesterday?"
"He didn't smile at me, he smiled at us," I insisted; but as I looked at my friends' incredulous faces, my resolve weakened.
Angelina lowered her book and gave me an irritated expression. "Every time Oliver smiles as us, or compliments his chasers, he is actually complimenting you," she informed me.
I shook my head. I can be really stubborn when I want to be; and I was convinced that Oliver Wood could not be in love with me. Even if he were, it wouldn't matter because in two months it would be summer, and Oliver would be leaving Hogwarts to go have exciting adventures in the world of professional Quidditch.
When I pointed this out to my friends, Alicia sighed dreamily. "Think of it as a forbidden love affair," she said. "Two lovers, both alike in dignity-"
"-Sort of," Angelina snickered. "I never quite associated either of them with dignity."
Alicia gave her a pointed look and continued. "-In fair Hogwarts, where we lay our scene. From ancient stubbornness to new mutiny, where civil grudges make otherwise civil Quidditch games unclean. From forth the fatal- err… well, you know, star-crossed and all that."
Angelina and I dissolved into giggles. Alicia is a hopeless romantic, and spends far too much time reading Muggle romance novels and plays. She is kind, loving, and generally cheerful, if a bit dreamy sometimes. She is cute and popular, with a wide circle of friends.
Eventually we composed ourselves enough to continue with our work, and Angelina even helped us a bit.