7: Studdies, Snogging, and Angels

After a few days, I became convinced that Oliver was upset with me, but there was nothing really I could do about it, short of agreeing to be his girlfriend. Which I wanted, but I knew I couldn't handle.

After much deliberation, I decided it would be best to simply forget about him. He would be gone in a few weeks anyway, and out of my life. But I couldn't ignore all the time we had spent together over the last four years. How incredibly helpful he'd been to me when I was just starting Quidditch. He had become more than a teammate, more than a captain. I realized that I really did like him. I could fall in love with him if I let myself.

What had I done?

Alicia and Angelina were no help, of course.

Angelina was in the library, pouring over an impressive pile of books. She looked worn and sleep-deprived. Her usually neat appearance was haphazard. Her robes were wrinkled, and I could tell she had resorted to her nervous habit of running her fingers through her hair. She always tried to keep that under control, but it seemed that now she didn't even notice she was doing it.

I sat next to her and pulled her hand from her hair, laying it on the wooden table. She jerked away from my touch and glared at me.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

Against my better judgment, I began to tell her about Oliver. To her credit, she actually seemed to listen for a few minutes before rolling her eyes and returning to her books.

"I don't have time for this," she said.

"What?" You don't have time for your best friends anymore?" I challenged.

"It's nice that all you've got to worry about is how much Oliver Wood is in love with you, while some of us have tests that can determine the rest of our lives as witches to worry about," she said.

I tried to form a comeback, but couldn't. Her harsh tone had just shocked me so much. I knew Angelina could have a bit of an attitude sometimes, but she had never been so abrupt with me.

Besides, I thought she was exaggerating a bit, and I pointed out (though probably not very eloquently) that as the smartest witch in her class, she really had nothing to worry about. For some reason, this only made her more upset, and she kicked me out of the study-space she had claimed in the library.

I gave up on Alicia before I even spoke to her. I found her snogging a Ravenclaw who's name I didn't even know. She wouldn't be able to help me when her face was attached to some boy's.

I reflected that I shouldn't be angry that I didn't know him, but I was. It somehow felt like she was going behind my back, and getting with some random guy just to spite me, or the O.W.L.s, or life in general. It felt wrong and rushed, especially since Alicia always told Angelina and me about the boys she liked. Not that she needed our approval. But still… I guess I was just feeling neglected.

I took out my frustrations by pacing my room and cursing out Oliver Wood; which of course was a pointless activity. Unfortunately for Leanne, she was in the room as well, trying to read. She got to listen to all of my ranting about stupid boys, and their stupid ideas, and their stupid cute smiles and eyes that make me melt. It's a wonder she even stayed, without getting angry or anything. She's an angel, really.

"Do you like him?" Leanne interrupted my rant.

I stopped abruptly, in the middle of a sentence about Quidditch keepers. There was a short pause, during which I stared stupidly in her direction and she waited expectantly for my answer.

"Of course I do," I said. Which was true. Just because I thought we couldn't be together while I was still at school didn't mean I didn't like him.

"Then what's stopping you? Love doesn't come by that often, you know," Leanne said.

It was such an Alicia-like thing to say. I tried to make excuses, but it came out as incoherent babbling. The topic turned to my friends, and soon I was crying. I wiped frantically at my eyes, as if that would stop them. Leanne held out her arms, and I sat next to her for a hug.

"Be patient with Alicia and Angelina. They need support now," she advised. "And I think you and Oliver care for each other enough to make it work. I think it's pretty obvious to most of the Gryffindors, in fact. We were sort of wondering why you two didn't get together sooner.

Leanne smiled, and I nodded. She really was an angel.