6: Hogsmeade Date

Oliver took me to Madame Puddifoot's, and refused to let me pay for my tea and chocolate. Madame winked at me as he handed her the galleons. Then we sat in the far corner, where I began spooning sugar into my cup.

One spoon.

Two spoons.

Three spoons.

I lost count. It was fascinating, watching the little crystals fall and swirl around in the liquid. It almost distracted me from the misery that had become my life.

"Um… Katie?" came Oliver's voice, thick in accent and uncertainty.

I snapped out of the trance I had been in and looked up at him. "Oliver."

He smiled, and unlike Alicia's smile, it was not only warm and inviting, but it was directed at me instead of through me. I couldn't help but smile back. My stomach fluttered a bit, and I thought I could just lose myself in those gorgeous brown eyes if I wasn't careful.

"Are you all right, Katie?" he asked. "You seem… distracted." He motioned to my tea.

"Yes… no." I pushed the now inedible drink aside. "I feel like I'm losing my two best friends."

"Did something happen between you three?" he asked, voice laced with concern.

"Yes… no," I said again. "Not really. It's just like, we're drifting. Alicia spends all her time with her 'other' friends, half of whom she's never even spoken to much before now; and Alicia spends all her time with her books. It's like I don't even exist to them anymore," I pouted. I'm sure I sounded like a whiny child, but I didn't care.

"But they're your best friends," he said. "Even if you feel ignored or something, I'm sure they don't mean it."

"That's what I thought, at first. But now it's like… well, they treat me so…" I was struggling to find the right words. I didn't want to speak ill of either if them. It wasn't as if our friendship was completely lost, yet. I still cared for Alicia and Angelina.

Oliver shifted uncomfortably in the seat across form me, waiting for me to continue. I suddenly felt bad for being so down. This was supposed to be a date, and I was too worried about my friendships to focus on him.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm a horrible date."

"No, you're just worried," Oliver said. He smiled reassuringly. "You're a good person."

Oliver reached across the table to take my hand, and I let him. I tried to smile for him, and after a few moments of awkward silence, I went back to poking absently at my tea.

Oliver didn't seem to know what to do. I wondered if he ever had o deal with a depressed teenage girl before. He rubbed circles into the palm of my hand with his thumb. The gesture was comforting and appreciated, but I don't think the half-smile I managed for him properly showed that. His eyes were full of concern for me.

"They're probably just stressed over the O.W.L.s," Oliver said. "We all go through it. They'll come around."

"I hope so," I said dejectedly.

The rest of our date went a bit better. Oliver bought me a chocolate rose from Honeydukes that looked and smelled like a real one. It was sweet of him, and I made sure to show it off to the other girls in Gryffindor before eating it. Leanne said it was lovely, and Parvati Patil gave me a jealous look.

As we walked back to the school, Oliver seemed to become rather nervous. I ate my rose, hoping it would make him feel better, knowing that I was enjoying my gift.

"Katie?" He asked finally.

"Erm?" I asked, sucking contentedly on the candy.

"I wanted to ask you… I mean…" He was so cute just then. Despite the circumstances, and that I had been so miserable and distracted all day, I couldn't help but smile. He smiled back. "I'd like it if you would be my girlfriend."

All things considered, this was not a shocking statement. He looked at me with a hopeful gaze, but I just didn't know how to answer right away. I stayed quiet, thinking. After a moment, he shifted his eyes to the ground and shuffled his feet in a gesture that was very unlike him. I realized that my hesitance must be hurting him.

"Oh, Oliver, I would like that, I just can't right now," I said quietly.

He cleared his throat and looked up at me, questioningly.

"I mean, with everything that's going on, I just don't think I'd make a very good girlfriend at the moment. Plus, you'll be leaving in a few weeks, and then were will that leave us? I'll hardly see you," I tried to explain.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I'd just really like to be with you."

"I'm sorry," I said. And I was, really.

We walked the rest of the way back to Gryffindor tower in silence.