Anything But Ordinary

Chapter 10-All You Wanted

Following the fight, Kelsey experienced what could be referred to as an extreme cyclone of change. It didn't matter to the rest of the student body that for the last seven years, Kelsey had been a nobody. It didn't matter to hardly anyone that for the first time, Kelsey Meadowes' name meant something. Yet, it mattered to some people. Four, in particular.

Mary, for one, was extremely displeased at the fact that her confrontational plan had completely backfired upon her. Not only had Kelsey walked off with a bit of pride, but she had acquired the life Mary had grown so comfortably accustomed to. Kelsey was now replacing Mary as the leading female within the walls, control suddenly becoming available to her disposal. Mary wasn't exactly shunned, but she was no longer treated as she had once been before. She was no longer anyone, merely a passing face within the crowd.

Dorcas observed the steady change within the social circle of Hogwarts, taking in the renovations with a wary eye. She could see that without Sirius, Kelsey was going to lose the grasp she had once help upon her life, choosing to please the crowd rather than the individual. Yet, her words were no longer impacting upon her sister. Dorcas couldn't prevent Kelsey from living her life, from making her own mistakes. She'd already made quite a few and well, she was facing the consequences. There was nothing more she could do, but sit and watch as it all unfolded.

Sirius knew that Kelsey was at her most vulnerable, was at her weakest, and could do nothing but watch as the crowd sucked her in. She was becoming the type of girl he'd always gone after, the type of girl the Marauders were known for bringing in. All but James. James Potter had been the one individual of the group, choosing to chase after one girl who, although she did run with their social circle, was not a complete sell-out. Lily Evans aspired to make something of herself one day. She had goals, inspirations. She was all that the typical girl resented. Now, James had her. After many long, hard years of enduring complete, dismal rejection, James had finally managed to reach the one girl who had stricken him differently, who had stricken them all differently. And Sirius, who had thought he'd found someone just as special, had no one.

Without Sirius, Kelsey assumed she'd fall into a pit of hopeless desperation. She had figured that without him to guide her, she'd become lost and unsheltered. But, it had all unfolded in a completely ironic way. No longer was she the outsider watching from afar. She was actually involved, she was actually within the crowd, and now, she actually mattered.

XXX

It was a strange, new feeling to walk down the hall and actually receive greetings, to actually walk alongside one of Hogwart's elite. Kelsey, who had always viewed herself as the type to blend in, thought that now she had more reason to shine. She could prove to Sirius that even without him she could persevere. She didn't need a boyfriend to become someone. That hadn't been what it was about at all.

Although he'd never said it, she knew he regarded their relationship as a way for her to gain more friends when in actuality, it had always been genuine. Yet, he hadn't stayed to listen to her. He had only heard what he'd wished, only saw what he wished, and now, she figured they were better off. Together, they endured so much drama. Apart, there was room for improvement.

The week preceding Hogsmeade was filled with many golden opportunities. Kelsey no longer had to worry about shutting herself away in her room and wallowing as she watched Dorcas get ready to go out. She didn't have to be concerned with the fact that no one even cared if she arrived. Because, now, they did.

It was one particularly chilly afternoon that Kelsey found herself heading to the library, her sweater half-heartedly thrown around her shoulders. It had taken at least ten minutes to escape the common room, questions being thrown at her left and right.

Was she going to attend the party that night? Was she going to their study session in the Great Hall the following day?

It was endless. It seemed as if the people she now considered her friends were never left without something to do. Ironically, she barely knew the names of any of them. There were just so many people to keep track of, people she hadn't even heard of before she'd gotten in a fight with Mary. That fight, that simple outburst of anger, had sealed the deal for Kelsey. It was with that fight that Kelsey had brought shame to Mary, the bitch of the castle. Apparently, none of them had ever liked Mary. They had all just been too scared to do anything about it. And so, they had taken Kelsey in as her replacement.

"Kelsey?" a voice interrupted hesitantly, bringing Kelsey's frantic thoughts and steps to a halt. She turned her head abruptly, her brown eyes curious and inquisitive.

She saw a boy from her common room, a boy who'd been watching her lately. It hadn't really creeped her out, but it had inspired questions as to what exactly he was looking at. He was rather tall, blonde, and extremely bright eyed. His flirtatious grin had not gone unnoticed and she had taken into account of the fact that he did socialize with the same people she did. It was Falcon Malley, a boy she hadn't even heard of before become one of Hogwart's 'it' girls.

Sometimes, she regarded herself as a bit of a hypocrite, considering the fact that after seven years, she hadn't taken the time to learn half of the names of people within her common room. For the first time, she realized that perhaps they weren't at fault. Perhaps it had been her own fault for being cast aside. Perhaps she should have taken more of an initiative. Yet, she thought that her initiative had been befriending Sirius. And she'd seen how quickly things with him had escalated.

"Falcon," Kelsey greeted pleasantly, flashing him a toothy smile that was surprisingly pleasant despite the fact that she really did need to hurry to the library before Madam Pince closed it up. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a figure standing in the shadows. It was probably Severus Snape of someone equally as disturbing who enjoyed mingling within the darkness.

"It seems you're getting along rather nicely with your new friends," he commented, walking slowly around her, his hand at his chin in a way that expressed current interest. Her mind was begging her feet to move but for some reason, they remained planted upon the hard floor. She couldn't deny her own interest.

For almost a week Falcon had been watching her, eyeing her with his intense blue eyes and nearly studying her. It was as if she was some sort of circus performance, full of laughs and amusement. But for some reason, she felt intuitive to the fact that her wasn't watching her for kicks and giggles. There was something going on, something he was most likely going to bring up.

"Yes," she agreed hesitantly, the figure in the shadows still lurking in the back of her mind. She wondered, momentarily, whether it was Sirius. That would be extremely plausible, considering he had been keeping a careful eye on her since their break up two weeks ago. But, for some reason, she knew it wasn't. Another part of her, a part that she had once been so in touch with, wished it was him. "Everyone's just been so friendly since that incident with Mary. I can't say I'm not grateful."

"And why shouldn't they be friendly?" he asked her, his hand going to her chin, cupping it tenderly in his palm. It was a bit strange to have another guy touching her besides Sirius. She couldn't say she was used to it. Although, it wasn't something to complain about. He seemed nice enough, friendly even. "You're such a bright, intelligent girl. Beautiful girls such as yourself shouldn't be left in the dust when there is plenty of potential."

She wanted to know exactly what this potential was, but figured it would probably seem extremely adolescent to ask. Instead, she simply brushed a strand of wavy brown hair from her eyes and nodded, as if allowing him to go on.

Cutting to the chase, he removed his hand, which went instinctively to his pocket, and asked, "What are you doing this weekend?"

"Going to Hogsmeade," she told him immediately, the weekend plans still ripe in her brain. That's all she'd been hearing about lately. There was supposedly going to be a huge get together in the Hog's Head, the only pub in the entire village that served fire whiskey to minors. "Why? Aren't you?"

"Of course," he answered briskly, smiling in a shy, almost unexpected, manner. "But, I was wondering whether you'd like someone to accompany you? Someone like, let's say, me?"

He was asking her out. It all made sense. The staring, the shy demeanor, the flirtatious grins. He knew she was off the market now, officially, and he was taking Sirius Black's sloppy seconds. It had indeed surprised her. She had figured many guys wouldn't even want to risk going near her knowing Sirius' reputable bad temper. But, Falcon seemed more than willing and he seemed to actually want to go out with her.

So, reluctantly, she agreed. And as he walked off, she couldn't help but feel a rising heat appear within her cheeks. Bringing a hand to them, feeling the warmth, Kelsey grinned like the seventeen year old girl that she was. She hadn't ever officially been on a date. She and Sirius had spent all their time within the castle, hanging out and kissing. But, they'd never sat down and eaten an actual meal or gone out to actually do something productive.

To think, her first date wouldn't be with her first boyfriend. It was completely contradictive to what she'd imagined for herself as a little girl, but this was her life now. She couldn't live in the past. Sirius wasn't her boyfriend anymore and Falcon seemed like a really nice guy.

Walking back to the common room, she didn't even notice the fact that a pair of identical brown eyes were watching her from the shadows. Dorcas lurked out from within them, her books clenched tightly to her chest, and concern that she couldn't express adorning her face.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Set up for next chapter. Hope you liked it.