Saturday came and went. I had a really nice time, though we had heatedly debated the pros and cons of supporting Man U vs Chelsea. I had always loved the English League. Soccer in America is shameful. I was glad he had asked me out, all in all, and, before we said goodnight at the bottom of the dormitory stairs, we decided to go snowboarding the next Saturday.

I was grinning from ear to ear when I entered my room. Georgie and Carly were bouncing up and down on my bed waiting for me. "How did it go?" they screeched.

I laughed. "Pretty good. We're going snowboarding next weekend."

Carly just rolled her eyes. "We were wondering if he kissed you, dolt!"

I blushed. "No."

Carly looked disappointed, but Georgie beamed. "He must really respect you, then."

I frowned. "I think it was because we were surrounded the minute we stepped into Hogwarts."

Georgie frowned, too. "Oh."

"Where's Jane?" My frown deepened. "I thought she'd be here with you guys."

Georgie started giggling as Carly rolled her eyes. "She's studying with Marcus."

I had a moment of confusion, but suddenly realized who she was talking about. "Marcus Swift? The beater?"

Carly nodded. "He's got a crush on her."

Georgie, still giggling, poked Carly. "Silly, she has one on him."

I thought about it smilingly. "They'd make a cute couple," I mused.

Carly looked at me with a smirk. "Kind of like you and Kyle!"

I blushed. "Shut up."

Kyle and I spent the next couple of weeks getting to know each other. He taught me how to snowboard on some of the smaller hills surrounding Hogwarts, and that's where we could be found every weekend. I had even gotten Carly and Georgie to try it, though Jane and Ary refused to betray quidditch.

One weekend we decided to have a race down the slopes.

"What's in it for me, Richardson?" I teased with my hands on my hips.

He winked. "A surprise if you win."

"What surprise?" I tilted my head to the side.

He laughed. "If you stay standing there," he jumped and started sliding, "you'll never find out!"

I laughed as I, too, started my decent.

I followed closely on his tail for a few minutes, before I slowly overtook him. In fact, I was very confident I would win, and probably would have, too, if he hadn't stopped me suddenly, sending me flying.

"KYLE!" I screeched. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" I landed flat on my back.

He laughed as he sat down next to me in the snow. "You know, you're quite beautiful when you're angry."

I had opened my mouth to retort, but, when I finally understood his words, all I could do was squeak.

He laughed. "God, you're really cute."

I had no idea what to say to that. I bit my lip instead of replying to him. His gaze went towards the movement, and, before I could think, he was kissing me. I was starting to really like him

We walked into the castle several hours later.

Jane saw us come into the Great Hall, hand in hand. She gave a little shriek as she ran to us. She stopped short of crashing into us. "There you are, Linny! I've been looking everywhere for you! I had a ques-," she paused when she took in our appearances, and then smiled widely, as if she knew a secret we didn't.

"What is it, Jane?" I asked. I was concerned about her mental health already.

She patted me on the shoulder. "Might want to look in a mirror after your next snog, Lin. You look thoroughly ravaged."

Kyle and I both turned bright red. I stammered a goodbye to him as I ran to the nearest bathroom.

A/N: I just wanted you to know that I really, really hate this chapter. Unfortunately, I can't get rid of it, as it sets up stuff that happens later on. Please forgive me!