As the train chugged across the countryside Kate, Angelina, Alicia, Fred and George all managed to cram into one compartment. Fred sat next to her and the other three crushed together on the bench across from them. Fred popped another chocolate frog in his mouth and mashed it loudly in Katie's ear. Katie gave him a shove. They may be sixth years now but Fred still acted like they were first just coming to Hogwarts.
Katie still had not tied her tie; it lay limply around her neck. Fred gave it a tug and Katie couldn't help but smile indulgently at him. Fred and George pushed her buttons, everyone's buttons, but you couldn't help but see their goofy faces and laugh.
Across from them Angelina fished through her backpack until she found a pack of cards. Without being asked George stretched his legs across and plopped his heels down on Katie and Fred's bench, effectively making a table for their cards. Angelina dealt them and Katie was surprised to see they weren't for exploding snap. Fred looked at the cards in askance and picked one up. He turned it over and over, trying to figure out its secrets before Angelina snatched it back from him.
"Oh for heaven's sakes! They're muggle playing cards. My grandmother taught me all about them this summer. We're going to play poker!" Fred looked at the cards again and curled his lip a little. Katie only rolled her eyes. She knew a little about poker. Her brother had a muggle girlfriend once. Every time she came over they all had to act normal, and it proved to be a real struggle. She had, however, learned poker during the course of that rather short-lived relationship.
Alicia dealt the cards and Katie only paid a little attention to her poker instructions. She was hardly an expert, but it was clear from intense joking on the part of the twins that Katie didn't think her rudimentary playing would be the worst part of this game.
When the cards were dealt they did fall into a rhythm of basic play. Angelina was by far the best, followed by Katie. Fred and George seemed to take more pleasure in teasing everyone else than trying to win the game. Alicia soon found out that poker was not her game; she was the most hopeless of the five. She snorted self deprecatingly and folded, not for the first time. When a break in the conversation rose Katie looked around and realized what was wrong.
"Where is Oliver? I can't believe he's missing this. I mean, Fred might actually be good at something and he's not here to see it." Fred howled as if wounded and playfully shoved Katie. He had won the last hand, to everyone's surprise. At her question George's eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Haven't you heard Katie dear?" Katie shook her head and all three girls looked suddenly more interested. Fred looked around and picked up the conversation where his brother left off.
"Really none of you have heard? Our dear captain has gone and got himself a girlfriend!" That left stunned silence all around. Katie's mouth dropped open a little, as did Angelina and Alicia's. Katie could hardly believe it. Oliver didn't do anything but talk about quidditch and hang out with them. Even when he was with them he was talking about quidditch. How could he have managed to get a girlfriend? They weren't even in school. More importantly, how could none of them know? It was so out of the blue it made her a little nervous. What if she was awful? What if she hung around all the time and made things weird? Katie pushed such thoughts to the back of her mind. It was very ungenerous of her to immediately assume she wasn't going to like this girl. But something still troubled her, and her eyes fluttered down to avoid letting the others see her expression. How could Oliver not tell her? They hadn't had as much time to visit each other this summer, as he was working for his dad, but they had been friends since they were kids! This was important enough to warrant a letter, or at least a note. Something along the lines of "Hey Kates, I got a girlfriend. How are you?" would have been sufficient. Katie might have been trying to find her feelings but Angelina blurted hers right out.
"That bastard! How could he not tell us?" Katie snorted and looked up at her friend, a bright grin on her face. Angelina had a way of saying exactly how Katie felt. It was proof of how in sync they had become. The same was true with Alicia, half the time they felt like mind readers. Katie giggled and answered.
"He's obviously embarrassed of us. I mean look at us, we're like a pack of wolves." George reached his foot across the compartment and used it to poke Katie, his jabs emphasizing his words.
"Speak for yourself. I'll have you know my mother says that I have a very distinguished look." Fred joined in, unable to resist joining in the joke.
"Hate to break it to you bro, but 'distinguished' is mother speak for 'like a toad." The boys tussled briefly. Katie groaned and wrapped her arms around Fred, successfully pinning his arms to his side. Her left hand grasped her right wrist to strength her grip. Fred struggled briefly against her than quiet. Katie smirked at him and then released her prisoner. Katie looked at George since he seemed to have the most information.
"Who is she? Do we know her?" George shook his head.
"I'm not sure. I saw him on the platform. Dear old Ollie said he couldn't sit with us because he was meeting her friends. Didn't say who the girl was. I didn't ask. I was so surprised to hear anyone could stand to snog that great lug that all thoughts escaped me." Katie's smile warmed a little. Oliver was a great lug, but he was their great lug. She was trying very hard to be excited for him. A real friend would, but Katie felt a jealous little tickle. It was petty, but Katie missed him. Katie shook her head again; they would seem him tonight in the common room. The new girlfriend couldn't be a Gryffindor, they would have heard about it before now if that was true. Alicia looked up at Katie, and Katie knew that she was reading her expression. Alicia spoke delicately, as if she was worried it would upset Katie.
"He didn't mention anything to you at the World Cup, Kates?' Katie shook her light chestnut hair. The gentle waves flopped around in front of her eyes. Every year the Bells and the Woods got together and went to the World Cup. They spent a few days camping. The families were very friendly and Mr. Bell and Mr. Wood had been school friends. After a moment Katie answered her friend.
"No…it must be very recent, he didn't even talk about one girl in particular." It was possible that Oliver was so entirely distracted by the game that he had forgotten about everything else. But Katie didn't think that was it. They had spent nearly three days running around and chatting. Most of their conversation was about quidditch, but that would have been true even if it weren't cup season. Besides, they had talked about other things.
Fred and George had apparently noticed that this topic was causing some unease for they quickly changed the subject. Their talk ranged to sillier things, and soon they were laughing again. The five of them were all very dynamic, and so tussles often broke out. They would push and shove each other, playfully goading and teasing. After one particularly rough match Alicia and Angelina both stood up, squawking angrily about their hair. Each twin had held one girl with the other gave her a vicious nougie. Both their hair stood up in puffy tangles, frizzled and mussed by the twins tormenting. Both girls marched off to the restroom, smoothing and petting their black hair.
As the compartment door closed George joined Fred and Katie on the other bench. It seemed he didn't want to be alone even for a short while. Occasionally, Katie couldn't help but think that the Weasleys were a little like puppies. Big grins, wide smiles, endlessly sweet and endlessly troublesome. Fred and George scotched closer to Katie as she grinned, and pretended to be unable to breath because of their squishing. It was Fred who spoke first.
"So Miss Ring-a-ding-ding. Are you worried that you'll have to, finally, share your man?" Katie's chocolate brown eyes widened in surprise, than she tried to make them look innocent, as if she had no idea what they were talking about. In truth she had very little idea what they were talking about. Not no idea, but very little.
"Oliver is hardly my man. He's my friend. I'm happy for him." She paused for a moment.
"I'm surprised he's managed to stay off a broomstick long enough to find a girl. I was starting to think he's taken a few too many bludgers to the head and decided to become asexual." Fred and George both grinned at the idea. Oliver was very married to the game, he had little time for anything else. When George spoke his voice was equally as goading at his brother's had been.
"If he's anyone's man he's yours. Haven't your parents been trying to get you together for years?" Now it was Katie's turn to grin. This much at least was true. When Katie and Oliver were kids, and before their friendship had become so simply friendly their dads had harbored hopes they would create an attachment. It would permanently connect the families, and neither father would have to worry about their child finding a ne'er-do-well instead. Katie answered, still grinning.
"They gave up on that a while ago. I knew Ollie before he was tall and handsome. He'll always be a stumbling awkward twelve year old to me." Fred chortled with laughter.
"Poor chap." Angelina and Alicia chose that moment to tromp back. They both looked a little more put together and a lot more cheerful. They whispered furiously to each other and when the door closed behind them both were in a flutter. Angelina chirped at them while Angelina nearly bounced on her feet.
"You guys could have seen it! Daphne Greengrass cursed Draco Malfoy right on the train! Apparently she saw him flirting with another girl." Alicia cut in, equally amused.
"She cursed his eyes shut and he started blundering around like a troll!" Smiles touched all their faces. Off in the distance Hogwart's tall dark spires reared towards the sky, and the Hogwarts express began to glide to a halt. All five Gryffindors looked up in expectation. They had finally arrived.