Chapter 5 – Kevin Bradley - Hufflepuff - Prefect, Quidditch Beater... Boyfriend?

"Hogesmeade weekend coming up. Will you spend the day there with me?" Kevin asked Jen as they walked around the lake the following morning.

Jen stopped and looked at him for a moment before answering "Of course" She smiled. After all, she liked Kevin, he was a nice enough guy. Plus Sirius asking her to the ball was more than likely just him listening to James and Lily. She wasn't going to buy into it anymore.

He smiled back, "Great." He took her hand in his, "You know Jen, your an amazing girl. Your pretty, your smart, I've liked you for some time now."

Jen already knew this, he was always so sweet, it really was very obvious. But it was cute. "I'm not that smart Kev, in fact i do believe you have better marks than me in almost every subject."

They made small talk and continued around the lake for the remainder of the free period before they parted ways, Jen to potions and Kevin to Transfiguration...

"Hey Jen!"

Jen had just walked into the dungeon and there was Sirius, calling her over already. She walked over to the table with him and dropped her book bag. "Morning Sirius."

"Didn't see you at breakfast missy."

"That's because I wasn't there silly."

"I noticed that. Listen I was looking for you at breakfast because I wanted to clear something up. I wasn't really upset you turned me down last night, your my friend, really, I want to have a talk with this Kevin, friend duties you know, but I'm happy for you. Really." The look in his eyes told only truth.

That's just about the moment Jen knew Sirius was going to be a great friend from now on, but never more.

"Thanks Sirius." Jen smiled to herself as she moved her attention to Professor Slughorn.

"Alright class, today I want you to make and antidote for the poison I have in this cauldron here next to me." He gestured to the black cauldron by his feet admitting red steam and a rather dingy smell.

"If we take Golpalott's third law to be true, "The antidote for a blended poison equals more than the sum of the antidotes for each separate component" then none of you should have any problem producing me an adequate antidote. You may begin now, please come up here and I will give you each a scoop of this poison."

The class filed themselves into a line at Slughorn's desk. After Jen had gathered her sample and taken it back to her desk, she lit a fire under her cauldron and began to work immediately.

Sirius returned to the table at this point.

"You coming down to the grounds with us after class? Its Friday, we were going to take a swim in the lake." He asked her as he took his seat again. "Lily's coming with James." He added.

"That sounds like a lot of fun, but I'm afraid I can't. I told Kevin I would see him right after potions. I'm sorry."

"Bring him." Sirius said with a large smile.

"Really? Could I? That would be wonderful!!"

"Swimming" Kevin asked her apprehensively after Jen told him about the invite after potions class.

"Yea. Well we don't have to swim if you don't want to." Jen had the hinting feeling he didn't want to go.

"I don't know Jen, we just started seeing each other, isn't this the stage where we are trying to find all the time in the world to spend alone?" He asked her.

Jen frowned, "Or course it is, I just really wanted you to come and get to know Kate and Lily, they're my best friends after all."

Kevin appeared in deep thought for a few moments and then added, "I really like you a lot Jen. I know we have only been seeing each other a couple of days, but it just seems like we have something special you know? Sure, I'll come."

Jen thought he didn't look too pleased, but accepted his answer anyway, "Thank you Kevin, it means a lot to me." Then after a moment she added, "I really like you alot too." With that she leaned forward slowly and gave him the first kiss.

To Kevin it was totally bliss, to Jen, well, at this moment it was wonderful, but in the pit of her stomach she somehow thought the wonderful kisses would not last...

"Kevin, this Kate, and I'm sure you've met Lily before in prefect duties?" Jen said introducing her two friends to Kevin by the lake.

"Nice to finally meet you Kate. Hello Lily." He said with a small smile to both of them.

"INCOMING!!" A boy yelled from the lake as a fizzing wisbee came flying right through the middle of there little circle they had formed.

Jen looked to where is had come from, of course, Sirius had sent it.

Sirius wondered over followed by James, Remus and Peter. "Hello Kevin." Remus said, they did know each other from prefect duties also after all.

"Hi Remus."

James walked forward and put his arms around Lily from behind. "JAMES!! You're soaked!!" Lily screamed as he drenched her dry clothing with his hug.

"Aw come on Lil's, its just a little water, in fact, want a dip?" He said raising a brow and getting a mischievous grin about his face.

"James Potter don't you dare." Lily said sternly.

James took a moment to look at Sirius, who shrugged, then grabbed Lily about the waist, lifted her over his shoulder and ran toward the lake as fast as he could...

SPLASH!

They all began laughing.

"Anyways," Jen finally managed to say amidst the ruckus. "Kevin, this is Sirius and Peter and that running away was James, but I'm sure you knew that already from being a beater. You must know James from quidditch already."

"Hello" All three said, along with Peter and Sirius shaking Kevin's hand. "And yea Jen, I do know James."

"You two coming for a swim?" Asked Sirius.

"No." "Sure." Jen and Kevin both answered.

"You don't want to?" Jen asked him.

"Not really, you do?" He said back.

"Yea, I kind of wanted to. Would you mind?"

"Yea Kev, mind if she jumps in?" Sirius added in a slightly off voice. Little be-known to Jen, to Sirius it was sounding like after only a couple days of dating she had to ask permission and there was one thing Sirius didn't like: People treating his friends with disrespect; and to Sirius, this was definitely disrespectful.

Kevin just stared at Sirius for a moment before saying, "I kind of think this is between me and Jen."

"Kevin? You ok? It's fine. Really. Would you mind if I swam?" Jen added giving Sirius a warning look.

Kevin looked back at Jen, "If you really wanted to, I guess that's..."

But before he got the last word out, Sirius had shouted 'GREAT!' and grabbed Jen, flung her over his shoulder and ran to the lake and jumped in.

Had either of them looked back they would have seen a look of fury on Kevin face. Peter was laughing and had moving into the lake right after Sirius and Jen. Unfortunately, Kate and Remus saw this look of Kevin's.

"He means no harm Kevin." Remus told him.

"That's not your girl he just took into the water was it Remus?" Kevin said angrily."She's my girlfriend, that type of fulling around is for me, not him."

Jen and Sirius had finally come to the surface, Jen kicked Sirius, who buckled and went back under, and swam toward the edge to safety. Once reaching it, she was shocked to meet Kevin ankle deep in the water.

"Thought you didn't want to come in?" She said playfully while pulling his arm.

He grabbed her arms to stop her and lead her out of the lake. "You're soaked now."

Jen laughed. "It's ok..." He cut her off.

"Let's leave now." Kevin looked upset.

"Kev, what's wrong? Why are you so mad?"

"This is what you do with your friends? Are you always touchy with Sirius? People talk you know, don't think I don't know who he is. Sirius Black: Ladies Man. I'm not stupid Jen. Well your my girlfriend, not his."

"Oh... Kevin... It's not like that between Sirius and I. I'm sorry to make you think that..."

"Can we please just leave Jen? I would feel much better if we did."

Jen couldn't help but feel slightly guilty, all Kevin wanted was to spend time with her and here she was splashing in the lake with another guy. After, like he said, she was his girlfriend.

Jen nodded, "OK Kev, lets go somewhere, just you and me. I'm sorry."

Kevin looked relieved, took her hand and together they left the scene without another word to anyone.

ooooo

"Where are they going?" Sirius asked Remus coming out of the lake after rescuing Lily from the clutches of James trying to dunk her once again.

"Don't think he likes you much mate." Remus said

"So she's just going to leave? What happened to friends first?"

"Sirius, you act like you've been friend with her for years. You've only really been her friend for a couple of weeks now. Let it go mate, that is her boyfriend now."

"Well, I think Sirius has a point. He may not have been her friend very long, but I'm her best friend, she can't do that to me." Kate said. "Plus, Kevin, well, I just don't really know about him yet. Not sure if he's right for her. Didn't even try to get to know us."

"You can't always judge people the first time you meet them baby." Remus told her.

"I know I know. It's just, well, I got a bad vibe from him, like he's never going to fit in with us, and if he doesn't then he may take her away."

"You'll just have to trust Jen to make the right choices for herself though."

"Yea, your right." Kate sighed.

"Right? He's wrong, you have to tell her Kate." Sirius chimed back in.

"No she can't Sirius, you can't just tell a friend you think the guy she is with is bad. She will never listen, She has to find out for herself. Plus, we don't even know if he is bad for her yet. You're just jealous Sirius because for the first time a girl you openly flirted with didn't swoon at your feet but got up and left with another guy." Sirius told him flatly.

Sirius gaped. "I did not flirt with her!"

"Tell yourself want you want Sirius. We all saw it."

"Did not flirt."

"OK fine, you didn't flirt." Remus admitted in defeat.

"Exactly." Sirius said turning and heading back for the lake.

"He so flirted." Kate said.

"Oh I know." Remus agreed. "Now, swim?"

"Race you!" Kate said as she took of running.

Remus chased after her and caught her quickly, grabbed her about the waist and they both went tumbling just into the edge of the water, all the while laughing.

"I'm really sorry about Sirius." Jen told Kevin as they reached a lone spot in the grounds of Hogwarts.

"It's fine Jen, I just, well, you know how I have like you for so long? I really don't want to lose you already. Also, it's more than that, I know we have only been seeing each other a couple days, but Jen... I've... well..." He exhaled. "Thing is, I've loved you since sometime last year. I know he didn't know each other well, but whenever I saw you... See you... I can still feel it you know?"

Jen sat there next to him on the lawn trying to take this in. HE LOVED HER?! OK, that's fine, but in no way did she love him.

"Kevin..."

"I know you don't love me back. I' hoping that's only a yet though. We're together now, perhaps you can one day fall in love with me?" He asked her pleadingly.

"Oh Kevin," Jen laughing. "Yes Kevin, one day I could fall in love with you, but you must remember right now I am not in love. Also, could you hold off on telling me you love me? It's just weird so soon you know?"

"Absolutely, I understand." He kissed her. "Thank you for accepting it though."

"How could I not?" She said laughing.

"True..."

A/N:

Hey guys, thanks for bearing with me on this. But now I am getting happy with this story. This is a start of the direction I envisioned. I'll get Ch 6 up soon!!

Thanks for reading!

-Ms Potter Charms