Chapter 2- Allies or Enemies?
"What are you going to do hex me Stapleton?" Oliver chuckled.
"If that's what it takes to get you to take it back." She said clenching her fist and reaching into her pocket for her wand.
"Calm down, you know you can't use magic on the train," Oliver said becoming serious. "And besides, that would put your perfect image in jeopardy," he added rolling his eyes.
"What perfect image?" she asked as if clueless to how everyone viewed her.
As a reply Oliver picked up a book from besides Allison and threw it in her lap. When Allison gave him a look that questioned his sanity he sighed and commanded, "Now open it and stick your nose into it."
Allison hesitantly opened the book and did as Oliver told her. She stuck her nose in the crack of the book to where her eyes were peeking over the top of it and kept it there.
"Yeah love, we've been meaning to talk to you about that, George and I," Fred laughed expressing his amusement with the scene in front of him.
"You see, Potions are equal to Professor Snape. Therefore whenever we see a potions book we think of…" George raising his voice on the end part as if emphasizing that he was asking a question instead of making a statement.
"S-Snape?" Allison stuttered.
"Look Fred, we've got a smart one on our hands." George joked. "I've always told you we raised her right."
"Yes, well I guess we did." Fred played along.
"Poor Fred here worried about that for a while," George said shielding his mouth from his brother with his hand as if telling Allison some sort of secret.
"For such a pretty girl, you spend way too much time behind a potions book," Fred told her in all sincerity.
"And I'm really tired of Snape's image popping into my head when I look at you."
"Despite what you may think, we actually do like seeing your face," Fred laughed.
"I prefer she stays hidden there, a little less ugly in the world. Merlin knows the wizarding world has enough competition for ugly creatures," Oliver laughed testing his luck.
"And this world has enough horrible want to be Quidditch players too, but no one really says anything to you about that do they," Allison retorted shooting a glare in Oliver's direction.
"We are all so fortunate that you were here to remind us of that Stapleton," he said returning the same hard, cold stare. "I didn't even know you were capable to say such a barbaric and filthy word. Correct me if I'm wrong, weren't those the words you used to describe Quidditch?"
"Who told you that?"
"I know a lot more then you assume I do, that's an additional benefit of having girls on my team. I get to hear every bit of gossip that goes on at school. Oh and also, Teagen Bucklin fancies you, although, for the life of me, I can't figure out why. "
"He does?" Allison asked with her cheeks turning a faint pink.
Oliver's face Hardened. "Yes," Oliver answered through clenched teeth, "But he knows to stay away."
"Why would he have to stay away from me? What did you tell him Wood?" Allison questioned furrowing her brow.
"Ward!" George yelled hitting himself on the forehead in realization.
"What?" Allison and Oliver asked in confusion.
"The girls name Wood, her name is Samantha Ward," George said ignoring Allison.
"Right. Samantha Ward," Oliver nodded comprehending what George was saying. "Wow she was something wasn't she?" Oliver said to himself getting a dreamy look in his eyes.
"Wait, wait. This whole outburst is over some girl that you and George snogged?" Allison asked in a disbelieving tone.
"Pretty much," George said nodding his head.
"You are too much!" Allison yelled at Oliver.
"I'm too much?"
"Yes you're too much."
An innocent look took over his face, "I am? Me?"
"Yes you! You, Oliver Wood, are way too much! You are the reason Quidditch players have such a bad image at Hogwarts. You use your position as team captain to lure girls and get them to shag you." Allison said in an aggravated tone, emphasizes the word lure with disgust.
"Believe me, girls would shag Marcus Flint as long as he was on the Quidditch team. Am I right Fred?" George said chuckling and nudging his brother in the stomach.
Fred looked at his brother and franticly shook his head from side to side to tell his brother to stop talking.
Oliver let out a fake laugh and ignored Allison's statement, "Speaking of Quidditch Stapleton, why don't you finally clear up for us all how your father died."
The whole compartment became so quiet that not even breathing could be heard. The faint laugh of someone in the compartment adjacent to theirs forced the situation to progress. So in silence, Allison grabbed her books, roughly slid the compartment door open, and walked off with tears building up in her eyes.
There are three major mistakes you can make in life, one, ask about the death of someone's parents or loved one, two, open a door and exit without looking to see if anyone's on the other side first, and third…well that doesn't even matter. Allison was already making mistake number two. Allison hadn't checked for anyone on the other side when she threw herself out of the compartment and slammed the door closed behind her, and in consequence at the last second when she looked forward she was forced to let out a huge shriek.
"Well I can't say that I hadn't hoped we'd meet again like this. Although I couldn't have ever dreamed you would have ended up sitting on my lap."
When Allison turned to see the source of the voice she was greeted by a mouthful of ugly. Her eyes were fixated on the rotting teeth and a lopsided smile in front of her. Currently she didn't care whom she had landed on, it was the teeth that gave away his identity anyways.
"Correction Marcus," Allison said lifting herself off of Flint, "I fell on your lap, I didn't sit on it. Sitting is intentional and also something I would never do."
"Spoken just like your mother would expect of you. Allison…"
"It's Stapleton Flint."
"Okay, Stapleton. Your mother isn't with you when you come to Hogwarts, so there no need to hold yourself back when you're around me. I know what kind of effect," he said in a hushed tone, as he closed the space in between them, "I can have on women." Marcus smiled and then leaned in to close the gap between their lips.
Allison, like any sane person, had different plans. She let out a grunt of disgust and pushed Marcus away. "You're Disgusting! I wouldn't even consider doing that with you even if you were that last person on the face of the earth."
"Not even your mother could make a better match. You have the brains and I the beauty." He stated stepping closer to her once again.
Marcus' cold fingers caressed her cheek causing her to shudder. For a second she closed her eyes and scrunched her face in disgust. However, when a random and surprising image of Oliver appeared in her mind, her expression softened. She breathed in deeply so that her whole chest moved with the filling of her lungs.
When Allison opened her eyes again, Marcus was no longer standing in front of her. Oliver had taken his place and he was hovering over a curled up Marcus.
Allison's face no longer showed pleasure, in its place was confusion and concern. "What happened?"
Oliver had no intent on filling Allison's curiosity. He turned on his heel, whispered a "Let's go, now," grabbed her by the hand, and ran off with Allison trailing behind.
Despite the big scene that happened in front of her, and the adrenaline pumping through her veins Allison could only seem to focus on Oliver's fingers laced through hers.