A/N: This story has been rewritten. If you have not started at Chapter 1, please do!

Chapter Two
New Morning
I don't give a damn about the gold that we could eat…

I wandered into the kitchen with a fuzzy head, hair haloed in a mufasa-like mess around my shoulders.
I sat down, and flopped my head directly onto the countertop. Oliver's voice issued from his similarly situated arms.
"Grblef?"
"Mmmm?"
"Mmmm."

About five minutes passed this way.

"We should get up, shouldn't we?"
"Idon'twanna."
Oliver ruffled my hair, and got heavily to his feet.
"Tea. You want?"
"Please."

I could hear him whistling as he bustled around – yes, Oliver bustles, like a cheery little housewife – and the bubbling as he magically boiled tea water. There was a plunk as a bright mug, emblazoned with a blue script declaring: Chasers score in threesomes. (I rolled my eyes) was placed in front of me, milky tea threatening to slop over the sides.

"I love you," I said, gratefully, grabbing at the mug with two hands.

Oliver leaned back against the countertop, sipping his own tea (PUDDLEMERE UNITED – why didn't he get a stupidly innuendo-ed cup?), and smiled.

"I know."

xoxox

When I came back into the kitchen, it was in sensible muggle clothes, hair tamed and makeup on. Oliver turned round to look at me and smiled. He still had a sleepy, boyish look to him – a 'Firebolt' t-shirt on, blue checked pajama pants and his hair ruffled and tufted. My heart flipped over and my stomach squirmed. "Awake now, Sleeping Beauty?" he said cheekily, turning back to the stove. I yawned dramatically. "Entirely and utterly, my dear Prince. Now, more importantly, what is on the menu today? For your first day back into the land of us poor, non-quidditchers?"
As an answer, he handed me a plate of pancakes-my favorite- and bangers and mash on the other side- his favorites.
Whoever thought that pancakes and mashed potatoes should not be eaten in the same meal was wrong. They might be a heart attack on a plate, but God it tasted good. Oliver took the opportunity to talk to me while my mouth was otherwise occupied, chowing down on sausage in the meantime.
"Any plans for today?"
I shrugged.
"Did you visit Fred and George at all while I was away?" I opened my mouth to respond, but though better of it and held up two fingers.
"Twice?" I nodded.
"That's it?" I glared.
"Well, that's changing. Hurry up."

xoxox

"Katie Pie!"
"Katie Darling!"
"Katie Dearest!"
"Katie dum-diddly scrumptious!"
Oliver was doubled over laughing at this point.
"You know, " I said conversationally to the twins, hanging by the ankles in mid-air, "I don't think that last one was even a word."
Fred was slowly turning redder and redder, rotating in a gradual circle.
"It ought to be, really."
I cocked my head, innocently,
"No, I don't think so. So what have we learnt, sweetums?"
"Testing products on Katie as she walks through the front door is frowned upon. Specifically uncured ones." George recited cheerfully.
I dropped them with a thunk.
"Excuse me?"
I looked like a large smurf with bright blue skin and yellow hair, and my voice squeaked just like Smurfette's. It was enough to want to strangle them.
"I'm stuck like this?"
"Just our little joke, Kates." George chuckled, picking himself up off the floor.
"Here, eat this," Fred rummaged in his pocket and held out a large lime-green sweet.
"Should reset everything."
I glared at him suspiciously, then turned to Oliver, who was still chuckling.
"You see why I only visited twice?"
"Oh, I don't know," he responded merrily, "Blue suits you, I think."
"You're not funny. Give me the sweet, Fred." I grabbed the offensively colored candy and popped it in my mouth. It tasted like lemon drops. Odd.
"So, Oliver, what brings you to our neck of the woods, ol' captain, ol' pal?" George grinned up at Oliver cheekily.
"Yes, we thought you were too busy off winning tournaments to visit your poor ol' beaters!"
I began to gag loudly on the candy, behind them.
"Er- Katie- is she...?"
"Oh, she's fine," Fred confirmed, without looking at me, "Just a twist we put in there. Tastes like your least favorite food about halfway through. Should be back to lemon-y in one...two...three..."
I finished choking on the pill and swallowed, hard, watching my skin slowly return to pink.}
"I – gasp - am so – gasp - not finished - gasp - with you two-" I wheezed. "You'd better expect payback. " I hissed, breath returning slowly. Fred and George smiled identical evil smiles.
"Bring it on, Squirt." I resisted the urge to wince at the old Hogwarts nickname.
"Are we forgetting the Flaming gingers incident of '94? Don't underestimate me, boys." I raised an eyebrow. Both twins winced. In my fifth year, I had managed to permanently set their vivid red hair on fire for an evening – it hadn't hurt them, but looking like the Disney–version Hades for a night was something none of the three of us would forget.
Oliver paused a moment, and then broke out chuckling. "I'd forgotten about that!" he choked, between laughs. "You two looked like-".
We never found out quite what they had looked like, for at that moment, Oliver was drowned out by a loud scream of "KAAAAAATIE!"

The breath was knocked out of me as two bodies flying-tackled me, two pairs of arms crushing me into a powerful hug. "Gerrof- can't- breathe-"
What is it with everyone and the over-the-top greetings? Let's dye her blue, lets cut off all her air - why, it'll be great fun!
"Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" a girly voice gasped.
Ohh.
"Now, no hogging Kat," a sterner voice said. I grinned.
"Hey there, Alicia. Ange." They grinned, disentangling themselves. "Missed you, Kat," Angelina smiled. Angelina looked just the same, eyes sparkling with pleasure at seeing me. Alicia suddenly caught sight of something behind me. "COACH!" she squeaked, and without hesitation, flung herself onto Oliver. Ange's head whipped around. "Oliver!" she cried, and ran to hug him too. I glanced at the twins. They shrugged. "We're unloved too," George said, nonchalantly. I laughed, as Angelina and Alicia began congratulating Oliver on Puddlemere's wins.

"Okay," I heard Alicia say, louder and clearer than before, "well, we're going to steal Katie for a bit of girl time. You boys play nice." And within moments, they had dragged me upstairs and sat me down in their living room, tea (that I had protested) boiling in the kettle. They had this homey stuff so down. It felt like visiting my mother.

"So, Katie," Angelina began, "Why haven't we been seeing you?"
"Yes!" Alicia's voice was indignant – she always came to emotions passionately and, occasionally, a little late – "Where have you been, Kates? I mean, Ol at least could claim he was off in France, or whatever –"
"I've just…I've just been busy, that's all. You know."
"Oh, busy doing what, Kat?" Alicia's voice was surprisingly scornful. "Pining over Oliver?"
I blushed and spluttered. "What? No! I've been…I've been….well…keeping house. And…working at Flourish & Blott's." I could feel my face reddening.
"Flourish and Blott's? Katie! You're an accomplished witch. Have you even applied for a Ministry Job? Or…I don't know. Something that leads to a career?" Angelina was fuming, bitter that I was, in her opinion, failing to realize my own potential.
"I'm 18, Ange! A shopkeeper's assistant is a perfectly respectable job for a teenaged muggle!"
"But you're not a muggle, Katie." Angelina retorted briskly and matter-of-factly. Alicia didn't seem to be listening to our exchange, her brow knitted. She glanced up at me, smiling slightly.
"Keeping house? You? Really? Practicing for something?" And she grinned, suddenly mischievous.
"Yes, actually – Katie," Angelina grinned too, "You never answered Alicia's first question. You setting up house for a certain Scottish keeper? And lots of little Scottish babies?" She winked.
I blanched.
"NO."
Angelina laughed.
"Kidding. But, really, Kat…?"
I sighed. "Nah. You know Ol. He's interested in girls solely when the whiskey's been flowing. And even then, it's not going any longer than one night. I just don't think that he's looking for a relationship. Or, you know. Maybe just not me. I don't know, guys. Maybe it's time for me to move on." This was why I hadn't been visiting Ange and Alicia. I knew, just knew, that they'd bring up Oliver, and I haven't been ready to discuss it. I'm not sure I am, even now.

"Oh, Katie. Honey…" Alicia sighed, sympathetically. I swallowed hard, feeling my eyes prick. Oh, really. I turned away. This is pathetic. I wiped my eyes, and turned back in time to see them share a glance. "What was that?" My eyes flickered from one to the other.
"Well, Katie –" Alicia began, cautiously.
"Don't get mad, but…" Angelina trailed off, looking at Alicia.
"Spit it out."
"Do you really think that if you were able to get over Ol, you would have by now?" the words poured out of Alicia.
"I mean," Angelina added, before I could articulate a response, "It's been years, Kat. I just…just don't think you can give up. And there's a part of me that wonders…well…"
"No, go on." My voice betrayed nothing, layered in a freakishly calm tone, with the slightest edge.
Angelina is not easily cowed. She took a deep breath and said, without looking at me, "Maybe you're just chasing him for that – the chase. You've gone so long being in love with him and believing you can't have him that you don't even give yourself the chance to be with him."
"Or anyone else, for that matter," Alicia piped up.
Sometimes, I hate girltalk.
"Especially since," Angelina went on, steam-rolling over my obviously irritated face, "Alicia and I keep telling you that he's obviously liked you and if you just took the initiative and asked him out there wouldn't be this dram—"
"Ange-"
"No, Katie, you know it's true. And you're just so stubborn-"
"You don't know what you're talking abo-"
"Yes, I do, I've known you both for ages-"

"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU!"

Angelina and I had jumped to our feet, face to face, fists clenched in twin poses of anger. Alicia was intervening, hands over her head to separate us.

"You always end up doing this! Katie – you need to accept that we're your friends and we have your best interests at heart and that we're not stupid. Give us some credit, and realize we wouldn't say these things without some sort of evidence! And Angelina…tact? Come on – you know that this is a touchy subject, for anyone. I mean, what are you, a boy? Sometimes you're as bad as George!"

Angelina and I looked at eachother. Angelina looked offended for a moment, before smiling. I giggled weakly.
"Sorry Ange. You know – I…"
"I know, Kat. And I do think you're a stubborn git."
I frowned.
"…but that I'm also a bit of a bitch about it."
Typical Angelina. Captain to the end. Just like…
"What?" Alicia's voice was a bit plaintive. We turned towards her. "I have to listen to you both shriek and I don't get any apologies?"
Angelina and I exchanged a look. "Nope." We said in unison. I laughed, Angelina grinned and we high-fived.
Alicia rolled her eyes and flopped back on the couch.
"Never any respect…"

Rewritten & updated! Please R&R! =]
New Morning – Alpha Rev