I don't own it. I admit it. I wish I did. Then I'd be rich and be able to donate huge amounts of money to the Red Cross. And go shopping. Can't forget shopping.

Back in England…….

Aislinn Alaìnne Bell was not stupid. Ten year old girls are more intelligent than they seem. So why had Katie not written her? Well, she decided, she would have to take this into her own hands.

Dear Katie,

This is Linny. WHY HAVEN'T YOU WRITTEN ME? Mum got a letter from you, and so did Leanne, and Oliver, and Fred and George and Tonks. So why not me? Anyways, I'm going to be a bridesmaid in Leanne and Aiden's wedding, Mum said I can after Leanne turned her skin yellow or something with that spell you sent her that sounds like it's a combo of Portuguese and Norwegian. Juniper's going to be the flower girl. So I get to wear the dress you designed! Oh, Katie, I got a new stuffed frog. I named him Philip.

Love,

Aislinn

Dear Linny,

I'm sorry for not writing you, but I had Auror Training. Again. That's great that you got a new frog. But I would have named it Kermit. GO MUPPETS! Anyway, honey, I don't like Oliver, so next time you see him please tell him he's nothing more than a dried up old fart. Anyway, Lin, I love you and sorry for not writing.

Bye dawg-

Katie

Aislinn laughed as she read Katie's letter three days later. Good thing Oliver was here for wedding planning. (He and Aiden had snuck off to play Quidditch in the paddock, but she could get there, even if it meant she'd have to bring rations. Also known as chocolate chip cookies.)

Aislinn had a tendency to take things extremely literally. Katie had forgotten this.

"Hey Ollie! I have something to tell you so stop flying! And Aiden, Mum wants to know whether you like blue and silver or blue and gold better!"

Both of them landed.

"Ah hell," Aiden mumbled as he ran out of the paddock. With good reason too. Kaolin Moore was on the wedding warpath. Magic + wedding FUN!

"Oliver, Katie said to tell you that you're a dried up old fart. Though I don't know how farts can be dried up."

Oliver turned red.

Dear Katie,

Why did you tell Aislinn to call me a dried up old fart?

Oliver

Dear Oliver,

Because you're a Quidditch maniac. I don't care about your training for Puddlemere. Not NOW, anyway.

Katie

I stuck to writing short, jokey letters to Oliver. There was nothing in them that said anything about anything. Except sometimes you really could tell that I was having mood swings. And I didn't really feel like listening to a play by play of how Casey Logan, the Seeker for Puddlemere, had held her hand as she caught the Snitch. I like Quidditch a lot. But not that much. There was a reason I went for Auror instead of Chaser for Pride of Portree. Oliver's three in the morning training sessions made an indention on my memory. So did Angelina's cursing- "BLOODY EFFING SCOTTISH FREAKING IDIOT SON OF A BI-"–and of course, just because I may have joined in once or twice (or almost always) doesn't mean anything.

Damn. Leanne was coming today. I needed to clean up the flat, conjure a bed to put in the spare room, or at least transfigure something into one, and I needed to perform a Glamour Charm on my stomach. I was four months pregnant, I was beginning to show. I also had an appointment with my doctor, her name is Baihua Chou. I think she's Rachel's cousin. She looks like Rachel, low cheekbones and dark dark brown hair. Actually, Leanne was coming in about an hour and a half. I pointed my wand at my stomach.

"Tego Texi Tectum."

Now to conjure a bed.

"Katie it's so good to see you!"

I saw Leanne as she arrived by Floo at Julsie's place. I didn't have a fireplace. Another thing to list against my flat. We also were at Julsie's to go wedding dress shopping for Lea and Jules, and bridesmaid dress shopping for me as a bridesmaid at Julsie's wedding to Ben. Mika, Tasha and Rachel are bridesmaids also, and Mika's maid of honor. Tasha could have been, but she declined because she's been maid of honor at her cousin Lora, Leigh, and Emma's weddings. She said she's not worrying about how many times she's a bridesmaid, and she doesn't think she'll be a bride anytime soon. She broke up with Jacob and now is dating some bloke named Noah.

Julsie walked out of the loo, her red hair damp.

"Hi, are you Leanne?"

I pulled Leanne over with me.

"Leanne, Julsie Pastel. Jules, Leanne Corpson."

I've asked my friends here to keep on calling me Katie when other people I knew (like Leanne) are around. Otherwise, it's Kitty, my new middle name, or Rhi. But they still kind of are calling me Katie, then they'll catch themselves and correct it.

"Katie, we HAVE to go to Tribeca!"

"What's Tribeca?"

"The bridesmaid dresses shouldn't be pink, right? Tasha would kill me."

"Yeah, I so would. The pink looks nice on blondes. Nothing against you, Mika, but still..."

"Lovely."

"I know."

"I really need cashews."

The last one was me. Tasha, Mika and Rachel had come with us, and all I heard was a canopy of voices surrounding me, rising and falling. Then stopping short when I made that stunning last statement. (That, obviously, was sarcasm)

"Okay," said Tasha. "I'll go with Katie to the deli, and then we can go to Tribeca. Leanne, Tribeca is a downtown area of the city. Since you were wondering."

We walked to a delicatessen, or deli as it's said here, on the corner in silence, until Tasha asked me something.

"Are you going to ever tell your family and him about your pregnancy?"

I shrugged.

"That's not an answer, Katie."

"I don't know."

"I think you should."

We entered the deli, and I saw peach gummies. I squealed and ran towards them.

"Gummies! I need them too!"

Stupid cravings.

"So Julsie, I think that you should stay away from any wedding dresses that are anything but white. Although cream could look nice…" trailed off Mika.

We've been to thirteen stores. Leanne found a dress, it's white with a cream surcoat thing. There's really pretty beading, and the sleeves are flouncy. We also found bridesmaid dresses for Julsie's wedding, they're really pretty, in peach. Tasha loved it and brought another version in black. Honestly, sometimes I worry about her. She says if she ever gets married her wedding dress is going to be dark purple.

I ate my cashews and gummies, and now I want a pickle sandwich. Preferably with mustard and peaches. It's not my fault. I'm under the influence or hormones and I don't know what else.

"Katie?"

I rolled over.

"Leanne it's two in the bloody morning."

"I know," she said. "But what's up with you?"

"What do you mean?" I said semi coherently. I'm not my best when I've just been woken up.

"You're hiding something."

"No I'm not, Leanne."

I know. I'm so clever.

"Katie, I've known you since we were seven, same with Angelina and Alicia and the Weasleys, and I'm sure that all of them would say the same thing I am right know. You're my friend, right?" asked Leanne, plucking at a spot on the mattress.

"Lea, of course I'm your friend."

"So why aren't you telling me anything?"

Damn. I hate it when people use guilt trips against me. Mostly because they usually work.

"There's nothing to tell."

"Of course not,' she said skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

Cool. About the raising eyebrow thing. Not the guilt trip. Like I said, guilt trips suck.

"Fine." I said. "You really want to know how messed up my life is?"

That was a bit melodramatic, but maybe it wasn't as much when I was practically screaming.

"Yes," Leanne said, after a pause. "Yes Katie, I do."

"You can't tell anyone, Lea. Not Aiden, not Mum, not Ange or Alicia, hell, you can't tell Linny."

"I won't" she said.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down a little bit.

"I'm pregnant."

And therefore I need my sleep.

"How is that bad?"

I love Leanne and all, but sometimes she really doesn't get it.

"I'm nineteen, Leanne. Mum had Aiden when she was twenty, and that was considered young. I mean, I'm only a year younger but people see me as a teenager. Teenagers aren't supposed to have babies, Lea. In Mum's world they aren't, and that's what matters to her. She'll go ballistic, you know she will."

"Oh," she said. "I won't tell, although you should tell whoever the father is."

"I am NOT telling Oliver!" I exploded

"When did THAT happen? You two aren't dating!"

"I don't think drunken people can be held responsible for what they do or did." I reminded her.

She waved this off.

"Your point of view, darling. What are you going to name it? Do you know its gender?"

"If the baby's a girl, I'm going to name her Keira Alaìnne Bell. If it's a boy, I don't know. Maybe Sean or David. And I don't know the gender. I want to be pleasantly surprised that my child's not a mutant."

"And it would be a mutant why?"

I glared at her, even though it would be really hard to see in the dark. Apparently Leanne saw it.

"Has ickle Katie been reading sci-fi or watching it on the ellyvegan?"

Ellyvegan. Hah.

So Leanne left twenty minutes ago, after I made her swear she wouldn't tell a soul. Even Linny. And so far, I can she that she hadn't. I haven't gotten any Howlers from Mum, and that would be my indicator. Like I'd said, she'd go ballistic.

It funny that while my life is pretty screwed up, all my friends lives are going okay. I've heard from Angelina and Alicia, and they're okay, I think Fred is planning to propose to Ange soon, Leanne's getting married, to my BROTHER of all people, Julsie's getting married, Mika's happy, Rachel got tickets to the World Cup, Tasha has her new boyfriend who she really likes, and Aislinn's got a new frog. Though I still don't see why she named it Phillip. Kermit is much superior.

Dear Tonks,

How's Sari/Sirius? (So glad you decided on names!) You're having the baby in like four weeks, right? Don't worry. I'll send you cookies.

Love, Kat

Dear Katie?

Oh, so it's Kat now? Thanks for the cookie offer, but I'm having peach gummy cravings. And kumquats. Forgot about the kumquats.

Tonks

Dear Nymphie,

Ew. Kumquats.

Dear Katie,

Die.

Love, TONKS

Dear TONKS (Can that be an acronym for anything?)

Lovely letter you just sent. Although Aubrey Wishelfing didn't find it that funny. By the way, he still thinks you are "unprofessional" and that your hair is "distracting". I asked.

Love, Katie.

Dear Aislinn,

How's Kermit?

Love, Katie (the best sister in the world!)

Dear Katie,

By Kermit I am assuming that you mean Phillip. And if you really ARE the best sister in the world, please teach me American slang.

Love, Aislinn

Dearest Linny.

No.

Katie

Katie,

Why?

Love, Linny

Dear Linny,

Our dear mum would kill me. And scream at you.

Love, Katie

Dear Katie,

No, she won't. She's currently mad at Aiden for hiding under the pasta with parsley (not to be confused with the pasta with garlic and the pasta with red sauce) (all this food we have now is a "test" to see what people like. I shudder for the amounts of food that we'll have for the wedding) just to get away from her. I would say that you're safe.

Love,

Aislinn

Dear Aislinn,

Then your lesson begins now. Yohello. Also, don't overuse it. WE don't. Otherwise, you will most certainly get labeled. People will say that you've gone ghetto. Also, sister tip thing: try not to piss mum off. Life will be better for you if you don't. Unfortunately, Aiden never learned this.

Love, Katie

And there is Chapter five. Alive and surviving through writer's block, sickness and peach gummy cravings. All of which happened to me. Also, if anyone would like to volunteer to be a beta, that would be quite nice. –Kaeliian

Also, for a picture of the bridesmaid dress (I have a drawing of Leanne's wedding dress somewhere) see her, take out the spaces

http/ / dresses / rb / 1762 / f.jpg

But picture it in peach.