Chapter Ten: Tommy Croft
The four sixth years jumped down into the back of the one eyed witch. Lee and George went first, Fred keeping look out while Kellie made her way down. George helped her down the last couple of steps as they were rather old and rather slippery. Fred walked down and closed the back of the one eyed witch. "Woah, I forgot how dark it was in here," Kellie said grabbing George's wrist once he had let go of her hand.
"Lumos," Lee said as he was in the front. The four were hunched over as they weren't to fond of hitting their heads on the top of the small tunnel to the cellar in Honeydukes. Kellie didn't let go of George though, the light only illuminating so much, if she fell, she was going to take someone with her. Her victim happened to be by the name of George Weasley. She tripped over a small hole and nearly fell, but regained her balance by pushing her hand against the wall.
Her hand landed in something rather slimy and sticky, "W-what is that?" she asked a little shakily as she removed her hand, the sticky coming with it. Lee turned and shone it's light on it. White silky webs hung against the wall, "Where's the spider at then?" she looked around, she wasn't scared of spiders, unless they were abnormally large and venomous, then she was scared.
"Maybe it dropped dead?" George suggested, rather concerned too.
Fred let out a yell, "Kellie, what is that growing off your head?"
"What are you talking about Fred? I would know if something was on my head," Kellie said pointedly.
"No, love, there is something on your head..." George said looking at the top of her head with wide eyes.
Kellie cried out, "Get it off! Get it off!" she finally swatted at her head, feeling nothing.
"Oh! You missed it!" Fred said, Kellie heard the amusement in his voice.
"So close! It's a jumper!" George added in.
"You two are the pompous prats I know," Kellie shot hitting Fred and brushing past George and pulling her own wand out with a short, "Lumos."
"I think that's a sign you rather pissed her off," Lee warned the two, "Good luck with that."
Fred and George frowned at each other, a very angry Kellie was not fun to be around, especially if she was angry at them. As they opened the cellar door, Kellie waited for the boys to go up first, Lee obligated but Fred and George both looked at her waiting for her to say something, "Go," she told them.
"Ladies first," Fred said, trying to be the charmer.
"Going up vertically, boys go first," she stated, "Or do you want to say something else is on me when there isn't anything?" she frowned at them. They both frowned as well, Fred going up first.
"Smile? Please? We're sorry, Kellie?" George told her, "It's us, you love us!"
"Just go," she told him and he finally obligated to go. She followed up last and the four walked silently through the Honeydukes store, waving to the manager with a, "We'll return shortly!" before leaving the store. "I'm going to the Three Broomsticks to get something to eat, you can go off to Zonko's if you please," Kellie told them.
"I'll go with you to the Three Broomsticks," Lee offered, "It's best we stay in pairs."
Kellie nodded and left with Lee to the Three Broomsticks while the twins slumped over to Zonkos. "Two Butterbeers," Kellie said to Rosemerta as her and Lee sat at the bar.
"You know you can't be mad at them, Kellie," Lee said, getting straight to the point.
"I know," Kellie said, "I never said I was mad at them."
"Then what are you feeling towards them?" Lee asked, a little confused.
"If they think I'm mad at them over something small like that, they have a lot to learn. I was mad for all of five seconds, more freaked out that there was probably a giant spider roaming the walls, but the fact is they think I'm mad at them, so they're going to try and be sweet to me in order to get me to not be mad at them," she explained as the Butterbeers arrived, "But don't think they're going to get away with doing that little stunt?"
Lee chortled, "Have I ever told you how I love you?"
"No, Lee, I don't believe you have," Kellie told him and the two shared a laugh. The door opened to the Three Broomsticks and Lee and Kellie quickly ducked to a back table. Kellie looked to Lee, "What's Mr Crouch doing around here?"
"Don't know, but it can't be good..." Lee told Kellie, "And if he sees us, he'll be sure to tell Dumbledore."
"No shit, Sherlock," Kellie hissed as Mr Crouch took a seat at a table near-by, his back to them. "He looks rather worried."
"What does he have to worry about?" Lee asked Kellie.
"Maybe he's freaked that his house elf is conjuring Dark Marks in the sky again," Kellie frowned, "You heard about that, didn't you?" she asked him.
"Read it somewhere, but didn't quite get the jists," Lee told her. She frowned and explained what had happened at the cup, what she had heard from Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Explained S.P.E.W. now," Lee laughed.
"We should probably leave before he sees us, and before Fred and George parade around here quite loudly and abruptly?" Kellie suggested. Lee nodded and the two left after paying for their Butterbeers, Mr Crouch not noticing the duo as they left. As soon as they opened the door, Fred and George were just about to enter. Lee grabbed one twin and Kellie grabbed the other quickly pushing them away from entering the building.
"What's wrong?" Fred asked as Lee had nearly pushed him into the snow that was building up.
"Didn't know you could be so rough when you were so mad at me," George said as Kellie looked up at him quizzically, not quite getting what he meant. It took a moment and she gave him a light push back with a glare.
"Mr Crouch is in there right now, and I don't particularly like the idea of being caught by such a high-up in the Ministry that could easily get us expelled from school if he catches us!" Kellie shot quickly as she looked over to Fred and Lee, "I don't think it's that safe for us to be staying here."
"That's the best thrill is to almost be caught, but you don't," Fred said as he and Lee walked over.
"Says you," Kellie said dully.
"Let's just head to Honeydukes and go back to the castle," Lee suggested, "If you are in desperate need for drinks, we can go to the Hog's Head."
The other three nodded in agreement. "It's not like we have all day. It's only lunch," Kellie told them.
"Yeah, but we have a free period afterwards," Fred said as he pointed out to Kellie. She didn't look pleased with his point. They spent the next hour in the Hog's Head and Honeydukes before finally leaving through the cellar of Honeydukes. They made their way back to the castle and Fred volunteered first to go up through the witch's back, claiming it was towards the end of the period and that everyone would be in class. The four clambered out and dusted themselves off as the witch moved back into place.
There came a rather loud meow from a cat, and the four turned to see Mrs Norris. Kellie's eyes widened, knowing that meant Filch was around. "Oh crap, Filch," Lee hissed as he spotted the cat that was rubbing against Kellie's left leg.
"We don't have any class, remember?" Fred reminded Lee.
"Doesn't matter, it's still Filch," George commented. The four made their way down the hallway and up some flights of stairs before entering the library. The four spotted Filch out of the corner of their eyes as they closed the door. Kellie set her bag on one of the tables before leaving to one of the iles of books.
"You're not honestly looking for a book are you?" Fred whined as he set his bag down and followed her, "What are you looking for now?"
"I read somewhere the other day of this possible ingredient that could cancel out the possible effect of a fatal attack due to the frog's leg in the potion, but it was called something rather strange..." Kellie bit her lower lip, "Curatio something," she pulled down a book and opened it, "Immo Curatio Herb," she said finding it, "It's a rare herb, but I think I can get ahold of it."
"How are you going to manage that?" Fred asked, reading over her shoulder.
"We have a fairly updated herb garden on the grounds near the forest," Kellie told him, "As long as I can get some, there is no worries, or course,a Bezoar could work just as well, but this Immo Curatio one is specific to just Frog's Legs."
"You're insane, have I ever told you that?" Fred mused.
"But you still love me," Kellie grinned up at him, he beamed back.
"There's a really good reason we kept you around," he told her, causing her to push him slightly as she made her was over to the table. She pulled out her wand and tapped the page, "Geminio," she said and the picture was copied onto a piece of parchment.
"When do you plan on going to get it?" Fred asked her.
"Get what?" Lee asked.
"Some herb that's in the forest," Kellie said dismissively.
"Do you not remember the last time you went into the forest?" George said warningly.
"A week in the hospital wing due to an attack of merpeople," Kellie stated, "It's not my fault that if the flower came in contact with water that it was poison to them! You shouldn't have startled me to cause me to fall into the lake, George," she told him trying to suppress the smile at the memory.
"You know you liked it," Fred teased, "Didn't you pull George in with you."
"Yeah, but the bloke got out before the Merpeople attacked!" Kellie said pointing at George, "Traitor!"
"Oh yes, because you absolutely hate me," George said and Kellie couldn't help but laugh.
"You're such a prat," Kellie said returning the book. She came back and stuffed the copied page in her bag and left with the three to their class.
"Hey, the first task is coming up this month, I say we get some fire whiskey and party like no tomorrow when Harry kicks Diggory's arse," Fred suggested as they walked down towards Transfiguration's.
"I'm not taking part in that," Kellie objected.
"What's wrong? Can't handle a little liquor?" George teased.
"No, I can't," Kellie admitted, "And anyways, under aged drinking in prohibited."
"Says who?" the twins chimed together.
"The school board and Ministry of Magic," Kellie stated.
"Ah- I see," Fred began.
"The school board- Professors," George continued.
"Ministry of Magic- Percy," Fred added.
"Two forms of authority that we particularly don't listen too," George told her.
"Why start now?" Fred grinned, George matching it.
"I won't allow it," Kellie said heatedly as she narrowed her eyes at the two.
"I will," Lee pipped. Kellie shot him a dark glare and he slithered to the other side of Fred.
"How about this, Kellie," Fred said wrapping an arm over her shoulder's as usual, "It'll be the three of us, only, and you can see that we drink responsibly."
"I think what you really mean is," Kellie paused, clearing her throat to mimick Fred's voice, "We want to see what you're like Kellie, when you're piss drunk, so we know to either avoid or snog you when we decide to go against your opinion anyways and bring Fire Whiskey in after the first task, am I right?"
Lee and George busted into large amounts of laughter, Fred objecting, "I do not sound like that!"
"Actually, you do," Lee said through his laughter.
Fred looked horrified, "I object!"
"I concur!" Kellie said, "No drinking!"
"No!" Fred said pushing her slightly, "I object to you!"
"In your dreams, Weasley!" Kellie shot with a laugh.
"You know you are, Cotton," Fred said raising his eye brows and winking at her. The four shared a laugh, knowing that it was all in joke.
When dinner came around that evening, the group took their seats with Alicia and Angelina, the girls on one side with the boys on the other. They were talking about different things, like what Qantas had turned her chair into, was it a duck? or was it some mutated creature?
Someone slid into the seat next to Kellie and the twins almost immediately stopped talking, causing Kellie to look over. She figured it was Clovis, he occasionally joined them for meals. "Hey... Tommy," Kellie said a little surprised to see him. Alicia and Angelina looked at each other a little confused.
"So, for Saturday?" Tommy began. Kellie then remembered he had asked her to Hogsmeade.
"Oh! Right!" Kellie gasped, remembering. She paused for a moment, looking down at her plate. She could feel her fellow Gryffindor's staring at her, making her feel awkward, "I suppose a Hogsmeade trip can't be horrid, right?" she didn't know what to say.
Tommy let out a smal laugh, "So does that mean yes?"
Kellie nodded, "I believe it does."
Tommy chuckled a bit more, "You're rather funny, and here I thought it might have only been the twins this whole time."
"I should take offence to that, but I won't," Kellie told him.
"Cool, well I'll see you in class tomorrow," Tommy said with a wink as he stood up. He bent down and kissed Kellie on the cheek quickly before walking away. Fred and George both making a rather rude gagging noise as Tommy did this.
"You've got to be kidding," Angelina and Fred said at the same time. "You actually said yes?!"
Angelina sounded rather excited- Fred sounded rather displeased.
"Don't be happy about this, Angelina!" Fred protested.
"Don't be upset because she got a date before you could," Angelina told him.
"Why don't you be my date for Saturday then?" Fred said smoothly. Angelina had dark skin, but it was still visible that she was blushing. Alicia and Kellie shared the same grinning expression.
"Yeah, I suppose I could," Angelina told him, trying to come off nonchalant. It didn't work.
"I'm feeling rather left out," Alicia protested, "Who am I suppose to hang out with now on Saturday?"
"Why don't we make it a date, Alicia?" Lee asked, "If you don't mind?"
"I'll take anything right now," Alicia giggled. Angelina and Kellie beamed at each other, finally something happened with the two.
"What about you, George?" Kellie asked, "You should find some pretty girl and ask her to go to Hogsmeade with you on Saturday."
"I don't know any pretty girls that aren't all ready going with someone else," George shrugged, "I might just stay at the castle."
Once dinner was over, Angelina, Alicia and Kellie were sitting in their dorm, all on Angelina's bed, in their pajamas, girl talking. "I kind of feel bad," Kellie frowned.
"Why?" Angelina asked, "You have a date with Tommy Croft! I mean, c'mon, someone has to date him!"
"Why does anyone have to date anyone?" Kellie said, her frown still in place.
"I thought you were the smart one," Alicia asked.
"She's been around the twins to long," Angelina excused. Kellie gasped jokingly.
"I cannot believe you would call them stupid! They are rather smart, you know."
"I know," Angelina said, "But I was calling you stupid, you small little prat!"
"I am not small! I am average sized. Alicia is small!" Kellie protested.
"But you don't deny being a prat?" Alicia asked. Kellie stuck her tongue out at the girl, merely laughing at her.
"Are you going to snog Croft?" Angelina cut over.
"I don't know? Isn't that like... awkward action on a first date?" Kellie asked.
"You have been on a date before, right?" Angelina asked her.
"Of course!" Kellie told her. Angelina looked at her knowingly, "Well... sort of, maybe... not?"
Angelina let out a disgruntled noise as she fell back onto her bed, "What am I going to do with you, Kellie?"
"I didn't think anyone would ever ask me out! I mean, look at me! I'm like the ugly step sister compared to you two beautiful Cinderellas!"
"Cinder-who? Is that a disease? Are you saying we look like we have a disease?" Alicia shrieked.
"No! It's a book, a very good book, and Disney movie," she told them, "Muggle thing."
"Kellie, you are not an ugly step sister," Angelina said with a frown, "Why would you even think that?"
"It's true," Kellie frowned, "I don't know, I guess it's just imprinted in my mind from all the whores my uncle sleeps with over Summer Holidays?"
Angelina snorted, "They can't be pretty if they're whores! They must look like a Slytherin!"
"That's rather cruel," Kellie stated, "Leave Draco Malfoy out of this! It'd be a disgrace to the whores!"
Angelina and Alicia busted into fits of laughter, "I can't believe you just said that!" Alicia hollowed as she fell off Angelina's bed.
The laughter died down and Kellie grew her frown once more, "I don't know, guys, I mean.... Tommy Croft.... we're childhood friends..."
"That's the best there is!" Angelina assured her.
"We'll help you, Kellie, we'll make sure nothing goes wrong on your date," Alicia told her, resting a hand on Kellie's shoulder.
Kellie gave a weak smile, "Thanks..."
"You're beautiful, darling, you make the sun look dark," Angelina told Kellie as she got off the bed.
"Yeah, because it runs and hides," Kellie snorted, "I'm going to go downstairs really quick. I left my bag down there."
"In your pajamas?" Alicia asked.
"Yeah, it's not like it's anything inappropriate, and besides," she sighed, "No one should be in the common room at this hour."
"I suppose that is true," Alicia said before crawling into her bed. "We'll see you when get back up."
Kellie nodded and headed down the stairs to the common room. It was pretty much emptied out, except the fire was still going and the chairs were out as if they had just been cleared. She walked over to the couch where she knew her bag was left and reached down to grab it. She was startled into oblivion when someone spoke, "You're out late... nice pajamas, by the way."
She spun around to see Ron Weasley lying down on the couch staring at the ceiling. "Hey Ron, what's up?" she asked looking at him. She knew he had been rather down lately.
"Nothing much," he shrugged, his gaze falling to the fire.
Kellie sighed and sat down. Ron looked at her oddly, "This is ridiculous Ron," Kellie stated.
"What is?" Ron asked, moving to sitting position.
"You, Harry and Hermione," Kellie told him, "I mean, you and Harry are best friends, and I know best friends fight, but you know Harry didn't put his name in the Goblet, and you're both to stubborn to talk to each other."
"If Harry wants to talk to me he can," Ron huffed, obviously annoyed with Kellie's topic of interest.
"You Weasley's manage to get upset and depressed way to easily," Kellie frowned at Ron. He looked at her quizzically and she answered before he could ask, "Percy is so uptight that he gets all fussy about anything, Fred is pretty good, but he has his moments of depression and being mad at George, Lee or myself. George loses it a lot. You can tell, he'll smile, and try to tell you everything's fine, but you know it's not. He gets that way a lot," Kellie explained to Ron, "Like today after dinner, George had the fake laughs and smiles."
"He seemed perfectly fine to me," Ron told her.
"You're not looking close enough," she frowned, "He's your brother, Ronald!"
"I know, but I'm not madly in love with him," Ron stated.
"I'm not madly in love with him!" Kellie shot at Ron with a glare.
"I never said you were," Ron snorted, "But now that you mentioned it, I'm going to start to wonder."
Kellie narrowed her eyes on Ron before looking away, "What's it like to snog someone?" she asked randomly.
"What?" Ron asked, a little surprised by her question.
"You haven't done it either then, eh?" she asked with a frown, "I wonder if I message Oliver if he'd be able to reply back before the Hogsmeade trip on Saturday..."
"Who are you thinking of snogging?" Ron asked, "Because if it's Fred or George, please do not let my mum find out!"
"No," Kellie shot, "They're my best mates, Ron! Why would I snog my best friend?"
"I don't know!" Ron huffed, crossing his arms, "Why wouldn't I just give up on being stubborn and talk to Harry?"
"Why don't you?" Kellie asked him, "Try to talk to him. Make the first move."
"Why don't you snog a twin?" Kellie hit him and the two shared a small laugh.
"Go to bed, little Weasley," Kellie told him, standing up.
"I'm not little! I'm taller than you, Kellie!" Ron protested.
"Height and Age, two different things," Kellie miffed as she headed towards the stair case, "And don't think to hard."
"As long as I don't catch you snogging someone, I'll be fine," Ron rolled his eyes as he went up to his dormitory. Kellie returned to hers to see the girls asleep.
Saturday came quickly, and Kellie was not ready. "Wear this!" Alicia said tossing a red turtle-neck sweater at her.
"No, no! Green! It'll bring out her eyes!" Angelina called tossing over a green long sleeve v-neck shirt.
"Green?! Slytherin?! HELLO! Earth to Quidditch Team Captain!" Alicia hollered at Angelina.
"What about a nice purple?" Kellie asked as she picked up a purple zip up sweater, "I can just wear a black shirt underneath, it'd be simple."
"Tommy Croft does not like a simple girl," Angelina frowned, "C'mon, girl, you've known him for how long and you don't know this?"
"No, it's just..." Kellie frowned, "Why can't I dress like me?"
"A skirt?" Alicia asked holding up a simple black plated skirt.
"In the snow?" Angelina and Kellie both asked.
"Fine, jeans it is!" Alicia huffed tossing Kellie a pair of black boot-cut jeans, "Go get changed!"
Kellie got changed into the black boot-cut jeans, the black long-sleeve v-neck shirt and pulled the purple sweater on over it. She had on purple and black boots that seemed to match. She looked at herself in the mirror, she believed she looked quite Muggle like. She pulled her hair half up and put that in a bun while the rest of her blond locks fell into their place over her shoulders.
She sighed, figuring what she had on was fine. Suddenly Alicia spun her around, "Mascara?"
"Mask what?" Kellie asked. She had heard of it before, but rarely used it.
After five more minutes of fighting with Alicia and Angelina over make up she left the dorm with only mascara and light lip gloss much to her pleasure of not being sugar coated with the girlish products. She made her way out of the dormitory while the other two ravished in their girlish products and galore.
"Someone's looking rather nicer than usual," Kellie looked up to see Ginny smiling at her.
"You're saying I don't normally look nice?" Kellie smiled at her.
"No, I'm just saying more than usual," she shrugged, "Is there anything wrong with that?"
"I think there is something wrong with that, dear sister," Fred said wrapping an arm over Ginny's shoulders. Kellie miffed, it wasn't her for once.
"I think Kellie looked rather nice all the time, don't you George?" Fred asked his twin who let out a tired yawn as he made his way over, not as awake as his twin.
"Hmm?" he asked before looking over to Kellie. He nodded as he looked over to Fred once more. "Breakfast sounds rather nice, doesn't it?"
"Breakfast was a couple of hours ago," Kellie told him, "I think you mean lunch."
"Oh, right," he said flatly. Kellie frowned at him. "I think I'm going to the kitchens, have a nice time in Hogsmeade," he waved sleepily over his shoulder as he left the common room.
"He's such a bad actor," Kellie stated as she looked to Fred, "What's got him under the weather?"
Fred shrugged before plopping himself on the couch, "Don't you have someone you're suppose to be meeting up with, Kellie?"
"Yes, but that's not until later. He wanted time to get things ready, and said we'd meet at two at the three broomsticks."
"What a shame!" Fred said dramatically, "Angelina, Lee, Alicia and I are going as soon as the girls are ready, and then we're heading out. Looks like we won't be able to hang out before your special date!"
"Date?" Ginny asked, clearly misinformed. "What date?"
"Oh, Kellie's got a date with Tommy Croft," Fred said dismissively.
"Tommy Croft? Isn't he rather... fast moving?" Ginny asked, unsure how to word it.
"What do you mean?" Kellie asked.
"From what I heard from Leanne, he and Katie dated for a while last year, and he likes to move rather fast, and he's more experienced than most boys your age," Ginny warned, "Why him of all people, Kellie?" And Fred! Why didn't you and George stop it?"
Kellie frowned, "Well, I'm going to catch a small bite from the kitchen's before heading to Hogsmeade."
"Have a nice day, love," Fred waved over the couch as he flipped the page in a Muggle magazine someone had left out.
Kellie made her way to the portrait with the pear, slightly tickling it before it opened. She climbed into the kitchen to see George sitting at the table with his head down on top of his folded arms. "George?" she asked, unsure of how to warn him that she was there.
His head popped up, "What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean what are you doing here? I'm hungry, and I want to eat before going to Hogsmeade. You have to pay there, whereas here you don't," Kellie frowned at him, taking the seat across from him. "What's wrong, George?"
"It's nothing," George shook his head, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Kellie stared at him, disbelieving. George avoided her stare, every once in a while taking a chance at a glance, and wishing he hadn't, "Why him?"
"It's not like I like the bugger," Kellie said getting a small smile out of George.
"Then why are you going to Hogsmeade with him?" George asked her.
"He asked," she told him flatly, "Like you should have asked someone else. Fred and Angelina obviously like each other, they have for a while, and Alicia, I think she likes Lee, but she'd never straight out admit it," Kellie told him, "You just need to find someone you like, and go for them."
George stared at her for a moment, "I do like someone, but they couldn't make it with me."
Kellie frowned, "You like someone and you didn't tell me?!" she stared at him, "Me? Of all people in the world, you couldn't have told!"
"It's no big deal, she doesn't like me back," George shrugged dismissively.
Kellie let out a frustrated groan, "George, don't do this to me!"
"Do what?" George asked confused.
"You're being all depressed again!" she told him, "I don't like it when you're depressed! It makes me sad!"
George frowned. Kellie frowned. The two stared at each other for a long moment before they both cracked into laughter.
"So, really... Who is she?" Kellie said after a moment.
"It's no one important," George said brushing it off.
"She obviously is if you like her," Kellie said lightly with a smile. George did like someone, and she liked the fact that he did, but inside, there was something that upset her about it. She figured it was the House Elves that were making food for the duo.
"She's fantastic, but like I said, she doesn't like me," George shrugged, "Don't you have a Hogsmeade date to be attending?"
Kellie rolled her eyes, "I'm alone till two," she told him, "You should come to Hogsmeade with me... I'm not use to being there alone without a twin."
"Ha. Ha," George said as he rolled his eyes, "I suppose I could, I mean, what type of gentlemen would I be if I let you run off by yourself?"
"One who thinks highly of himself but really isn't anything," Kellie said and the two looked at each other, both saying, "A Slytherin."
"Or a Malfoy for the matter," George shrugged.
"I'm sure Qantas would be the same," Kellie grinned, matching George's.
Disclaimer: I am not JKR
A/N: No reviews on the last chapter? =( What about this one? Next one is going to be fun. =)