Chapter 4: Phase One

Disclaimer: It's all Jk's

A/N: My first OC chapter. Hope you like it! I've been planning these people's stories for about two months and it's exciting that I'm going to be able to write them down before I forget them.

As the tags promise, I will get back to Sev and Lily's story and they will most likely be the main focus.

Enjoy!

Winry sat at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast staring across the hall at the Ravenclaw table. Although the kippers and toast were quite good, the feelings her taste buds were sending her brain weren't quite reaching the rest of her body.

That's were he sat. Brett Lee. They had barely talked since school had started a week ago. As she continued staring she realized she would have felt stalkerish if he had not been her boyfriend. Yes, he was her boyfriend, if you could call him that. She'd hardly seen him at all since summer when her friend Jane had been visiting. After Jane had returned to France she hadn't seen Brett at all. He kept making excuses to why he couldn't hang out.

The logical thinker she was, she had already concocted a dozen theories, the most popular being:

He no longer liked her, although he always said he did in his letters. Which led her to think of how he had also been corresponding to Jane, which in turn led her to believe…?

He no longer liked her because he liked Jane. This seemed perfectly logical, which was why she came up with her next theory………

He no longer liked her because he liked Jane because she was a pureblood, where as Winry was a "filthy little mudblood" as Lucius Malfoy always called her.

The last always seemed to make sense. Jane King and Brett Lee belonged to old pureblood families where as Winry had found out she was a witch when she got her letter to Hogwarts. Her dad had called the police when McGonagall had come to explain the Wizarding world to her and her family because he thought she'd escaped from an asylum, for crying out loud. How more muggleborn could you get?

She thought it hadn't matted to Brett what her lineage was when they'd stated dating in their second year. They were in love, or so she had thought. Come to think of it, she had never really met his parents or hung out with him much in the summer. Maybe it was okay to date her at school where lineage only mattered to Slytherins, but out in the real world she actually was just a 'filthy little mudblood' after all.

She looked at him laughing with his friends recalling their relationship through the years. It had always seemed like she wasn't good enough for him. She wasn't popular enough for him, didn't act like the other girls in their year, why did she wear 'ghastly' muggle clothes so much. He'd always say stuff like: "don't answer so many questions in class", and: "Why did you do that". She had loved him so she had always just said "piss off" and punched him lightly on the arm, and they had laughed. But know that she was questioning that love it seemed that she could finally think clearly. It was an epiphany of sorts.

Within that epiphany she had realized that there was actually a really good chance that Brett liked Jane, and not her. She remembered clearly when Jane had come to Hogwarts. It was after Winter Break in their second year. Winry and Jane had hit it off immediately. So had Brett and Jane. Although Jane was more: I-will-be-your-friend-'cause-your-my-best-friend's-boyfriend. She had thought Brett thought of Jane that way too but now she realized he'd probably been more like: I-worship-you-and-your-pureblood-awesomeness-and-will-date-Winry-as-she's-the-closest-I'll-ever-get-to-dating-you.

Well, he may not have thought that at first, but in third year she had thought she noticed something different about how Brett acted around, and talked about Jane but had ignored it as she had been so smitten and listened to him when he said how much he liked her, Winry and not Jane. Then Jane had moved to France before the start of their fourth year. You'd think anything Brett felt for Jane would have disappeared, but nope. Winry felt bad for Brett's owl flying to France so much. She'd just thought that maybe Brett just missed Jane like she did. Jane always replied politely to be nice.

Jane had come to stay at her house for a month in the summer. It had been great seeing her best friend. They hadn't actually seen each other since winter break when Winry had flooded to Jane's house for a few days. She lived in a tiny town in France, which was cute although Jane and herself both agreed London was better. Doondas was just so boring compared to London. There almost nothing to do for entertainment.

When Jane had been at her house, Brett had come over many times. But as soon as Jane had left, Brett kept making his damn excuses. He'd probably told his parents that he was hanging out with a nice respectable King girl, not his lowly muggleborn girlfriend….

God, Jane was too, perfect. No wonder Brett liked her. She was like the super Winry. Nicer, prettier, smarter (well not quite, but she almost rivaled her marks, okay almost almost), cooler, pureblood and she had a normal name. She also got points for being from Canada and now she was a freaking French lady. Not that Jane wanted Brett, but still there was no chance in hell that little Winry could compete with a freaking Beauxbatons girl.

But the question was, did she want to?

"Hey Win, why the hell are you sitting there staring at your own boyfriend? Just go see him!" Serena said.

God, couldn't she tell something was wrong. Winry just said, "I'm eating, unlike you"

"I must keep my figure up for Sirius. So what do you say? I need to start Operation Hard to Get-phase one. That means I need to go flirt with some random guys, preferably people I dumped Sirius for in the past. The Ravenclaw table's littered with them."

Win just looked at her.

"Okay Win. I know you and Brett are at a ruff patch. I'm not that stupid.-"

"Really, news to me." Win snapped

"But it will get better." Serena continued ignoring Wins sarcastic jibe. "Really he loves you, you love him, and I need your help! No lets get our arse up and over to the Ravenclaw table!"

Win gave her a weak smile, got up and said, "Okay, you win" Serena was pretty blunt when it came to love, but she seemed to really understand her. She was the first person who really had since Jane had left.

"Aww perfect little Win, actually admitted that I beat her, or win. Get it, Win?"

"Don't let it get around", Winry mumbled at her friends comment.

"Wow you really are sad. Um, this little mission will now be called Operation Hard To Get/What the Heck is With Your Boyfriend-Phase One. We will me at 12 hundred hours at Fort Beach Tree to discuss our results." Serena said with a salute.

"Lets go, you spaz", Win said laughing. Even though Serena was a bit dim when it came to most things, she could do one thing apart from getting guys. She could certainly lighten up any mood. Win grabbed Serena's hand as they walked to the Ravenclaw table. "Thanks", Win whispered.

"Don't mention it" Serena said. "We girls gotta stick together."

Although she had said it lightly, Serena really meant what she said. Winry was the only one who saw behind her ditzy exterior and she was the only one who saw the real Winry behind the brains and sarcasm. They were each others only real friends. They had to stick together, back each other up. No one else in this damn school would.

A/N: About what Serena just said, she's not counting Jane, she realizes she can never replace Win's friend. (partly because Jane is based on a real person, and the author wouldn't want to hurt her best friend who moved away's feelings).

Also if your wondering about some things that are said, but not expanded upon, they are to set up the plot, the primer for the paint. If you don't then don't worry about it.

Please review, they seriously brighten up my day! Thankyou to Moto Moon, Beoman, and snevans78 for their encouragement, enthusiasm and help!