Anything that rings a bell belongs to JK Rowling

Italian to English translations

"Ti voglio bene" : "I love you

Chapter Nineteen: Brammocks and Bobby Brown

"Shit."Clank.

Ky's eyes shot open…. something had fallen next to her. She jumped off the bed, seeing the silhouette behind the curtain. Her heart was in her throat; she grabbed her wand just as a body jumped through the drapes and closed their hand over her mouth. She hit the bed as the moonlight caught on flaming red hair and familiar brown eyes.

"Ky?" Bobby's voice floated through the curtain.

"Sorry Bobby…I dropped my…bra." Ky shrugged at George, who clamped his free hand over his own mouth, stifling his giggle. Well, forgive her for not being quick on the up take once woken from sleep. Plus, it was the first thing Ky saw. Just as she looked at the black garment, George made a grab for it. She guessed it served her right for flinging it on the floor when she was getting ready for bed. Ky jumped down and grabbed the other end, trying to wrestle it from his grip. She heard light footsteps; and stuck her head out of her four poster, looking up at Bobby from her crawling position.

"Hey Bobby." Ever since Ky found out Lavender's surname was Brown, she would only call her Bobby, a reference to famous muggle musician Bobby Brown. This frustrated the blonde to no end as she was the self-proclaimed most feminine person on the planet and did not take lightly to being called by a 'man's' name.

"What are you doing on the floor Ky?" She asked, as she rubbed her left eye sleepily.

"I'm not on the floor…. you're flying."

"What? No. What?"

"You're dreaming Bobby."

"Dreaming?"

"Of course. Why else would Brad Pitt be under your bed."

"What? That hot muggle actor? No way." She quickly turned to her bed and dropped to the floor. Ky grabbed George's hand and made a run for it out of the dorm. He was lucky Mi was so exhausted from doing homework that she was out for the count and Parvati slept with earmuffs, apparently her beauty sleep was not to be jeopardised at any cost. She let George lead her down the stairs and through the portrait; she made a grab for her bra again. He held it above her head, and she slapped him on his chest.

"Aww come on Princess, I always wanted one."

"Why?"

"Do you know what range I can get with this thing? I can hit an unsuspecting victim feet away with a gobstone and they would be none the wiser. Plus, I kind of always wanted to make a bra hammock for the gnomes back home and it's too weird stealing Gin's."

Ky sighed, who was she to deny George his sling shot toy or 'brammock' for his little friends. "Fine. Keep it, but I don't think we're whispering in a dark corridor because you snuck into my dorm for my bra."

He smirked at her, "You think I wouldn't do something like that."

Ky chuckled quietly at him, "Of course I do. I don't think you would do it without Fred though. Where is your better half?"

She followed him as he began walking. Ky knew it might seem strange following a boy into the unknown in the middle of the night, but it's George. Wherever he took her, there was sure to be a laugh at the end of it.

"Since I like you so much, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that last part." He stopped at a portrait of the night's sky, jabbed at a few stars, and walked through as it slid open. Ky followed him in.

"Finally, I was afraid we might not need the aging potion at all with the amount of time you were taking Georgie. Ahhhh, I see you brought our secret weapon. Ky, welcome to our humble abode."

She looked around the small room, taking in the little couch and the bunch of junk stacked in corners. Fred was sitting in front of a little cauldron, the fumes permeating throughout the room, forming a thick haze.

Ky sniffed at the air, "Ahhhh the sweet aroma of disobedience."

She plopped down next to Fred, and he smiled at her, "I like to call it resistance…like against oppression and dictatorship."

She laughed, "So Nonno has oppressed you by restricting your entry into a tournament that has a death toll?"

"I knew you'd understand." George sat on her other side, "We have a problem."

"I see it. You have no armadillo bile."

They smiled at each other and then at her, "You're brilliant." They said in unison.

"That's just observation. You know what's brilliance though…triple the dosage of the Billywig Sting and add three more sprouts of lavender. That should be the right amount for a substitute. A drop should do, you two know that already of course."

George smiled at Fred, "I told you we should have asked her in the first place. Poor Lee is out there somewhere looking for an Armadillo."

Fred shrugged, "Didn't want to get you more detentions Princess. People will start to think we're a bad influence."

"And we couldn't have that now. It would decimate the reputation we have worked so hard to create." Ky laughed at George's impression of Percy and stood.

"Well, if that's all, I don't want to push it. Mi just might wake up whilst I'm gone and then I would never hear the end of it."

Fred stood as well, "I'll escort you back. And I hope you have a spare of what you gave George because if you don't give me one too, I'll think it's favouritism." Ky held the door open for her, "And if anyone is to be favoured it is to be me, we all know I am his better half."

Ky jumped back into the bed; two bras down than she was in the morning. She began squirming into a comfortable position. She stopped mid-wriggle as she heard a scratching sound. She snatched the Parch that was next to her bed.

Ky?

Lenzo?

No, Linus, how are you doing? Why are you up so late? Not another detention?

No complaints. ME? Detention? I shudder at the accusation.

Haha, very funny. Seriously though, no more detentions

Yeah yeah

Do not 'yeah yeah' me, I know what 'yeah yeah' means, it means you are not listening to a word I am saying.

Well of course I'm not listening, I'm reading, aren't I?

KY!

Haha sorry, you kind of walked into that Linus. So, is everything Ok? I highly doubt you're messaging at this time of night to nag me.

You're actually right. I'm messaging to tell you tomorrow is cancelled. Please tell the Old Man as well.

Woohoo, who do I have to thank for saving me from having to dine with Nessie?

Her father

What did the old billionaire do this time?

He died.

Oh…. you could have started with that….

But then I couldn't make you feel guilty about it like I can now.

You're evil. When's the funeral?

Day after tomorrow.

Oh, sneeze bits, that's the day of the Goblet of Fire naming champions thingy.

I know. It's fine though…. I think she wants to be alone for a while. I'll just pass her your sympathies. Oh, and naturally we are postponing the Wedding…again.

Yeah, do that…. she ok?

I have to go now Ky. Ti voglio bene.

Ti voglio bene, Linus.

-x-x-x-

Ky rushed down the stairs. Oh, crap if she was late for this feast as well Minnie will have her head. She chided her for ten minutes straight for not only showing up at a 'despicable' time but looking like a 'hobo' for the last one.

Ky laughed at the oddity that was the stern Scottish deputy headmistress saying hobo, but that just got her another detention and five more minutes of scolding.

It's not her fault really. She just got caught up with making a few adjustments to the Wide Eye Awakening potion. Ky managed to increase its intensity and decrease its brewing time by five minutes. She could tell Sev was proud even though he had covered it well with some retort of his.

She had monopolised on all those detentions she served with him and really honed her skill in potion brewing.

Sev let her have a go at all his ingredients too, and sometimes he stayed and even brewed a potion or two with her.

Ky finally entered the Great Hall and snuck to the Gryffindor table and sunk into the seat next to Mi just as the French girl Ron fawned over left the room through a door to the side. Nonno caught a piece of parchment that shot out of the Goblet of Fire, and he cleared his throat.

"The Hogwarts champion is…Cedric Diggory."

Ky clapped along with everybody else, an unwanted smile slipping onto her face. As he made his way to the front, amidst the handshakes and pats on the back, he made a side long glance that she caught, and he smirked. Ky rolled her eyes at him. He was always humble and polite to everyone except her!

Ky thought back to the day that Harry had grabbed her and stopped her from hurting Malfoy. She internally groaned. What an ass she was, she was both hurt and relieved that Harry did not follow her that day. She had been hyperventilating in the dungeons so angry at her stupidity that she punched a wall.

"Yes, break your knuckles. That would solve all your problems." Ky didn't turn around at the voice and continued to stare at the wall.

"I don't have any problems."

"And the trip down denial continues. I'm guessing by your little display up there you still haven't confided in anybody?"

She whirled around at that. Display? Did everybody notice? Shit, she thought only Harry saw….

"Don't worry. Nobody noticed. They were too busy with Moody's antics. Seems like he up-staged you again."

Ky knew Cedric was referring to Mad-Eye's entrance at the welcoming feast. He walked towards her and held out a handkerchief. She didn't take it and rubbed her face on her robes. He rolled his eyes at her stubbornness. He then held out his hand, she just looked at it.

Ky gave him a questioning look which he just returned with a small reassuring nod, and she placed her hand in his. Two minutes later they were in a little stone room in the basement. Cedric muttered something to the fat little goblin statue that made the bare wall next to it turn into a small door.

They crouched down and entered a room, which probably couldn't handle more than four people.

"Ok. Talk."

He sat down on the cushion that he conjured and just managed to stretch his legs in front of him. Ky sat down opposite him, slightly surprised at the softness, seems he conjured a cushion for her too. She crossed her legs and didn't answer. Instead, she started tracing rings on her lower thigh thinking about her absurdity.

She remembered the sudden warmth that rose within her when Harry brought her up against his chest and his hands that felt like fire against her waist. She could feel her whole body heat up and she was sure her face had a deep blush. But suddenly the hands stopped feeling warm, became cold and spindly and the fact that she couldn't move seemed to send her right back to that time.

"There's nothing to say." Ky was stalling… looking down, hypnotising herself with the circles she made. They sat silently for a few moments, he then laid a gentle hand on hers, and she looked up.

Having achieved his goal of eye contact he let go of her hand. Ky stared him down and he returned it easily, she'd win this contest. Two minutes later she couldn't take it though and leaned forward and squished his cheeks together.

His eyes widened in surprise, and she burst out laughing at him – he looked like a fish. He laughed too and she leaned back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling.

"His hands were cold. Like ice. I've never felt hands that glacial. Thinking about it now, it's weird, seeing as the weather was warm. Or maybe they weren't cold. Maybe they felt like that because I didn't want them near me. He wasn't very big either, around your size." She looked at him and smirked as he resisted the urge to defend his manly stature. "I couldn't see his face, just his eyes behind the mask, they were black and… hungry? He smelled…. nice. I know… he is supposed to smell like cheap cigars and firewhiskey, but he actually smelled of fancy cologne. He really didn't touch me anywhere that…intimate. Just my waist, and my tummy… I mean people…girls in this world go through so much more."

"Don't compare what happened to you, to what happens to others. It's all equally disgusting."

Ky looked him in the eye, he was such a Hufflepuff, his whole face exuded care. She dropped her eyes to the little birthmark she had on her knee and busied herself with tracing patterns on it.

"I guess…I think it's because I've never…I was home schooled prior to coming here and I never went anywhere without my brothers and I…" She gulped, " It's not that big a deal. I mean, what was he even going to do? He probably just wanted to scare me. And he failed." She added, defiantly, "Harry just surprised me just now."

"It's OK Ky, and it's nothing to be ashamed of."

Ky scoffed. She knew it wasn't anything to be ashamed of. She didn't do anything to deserve someone touching her when she didn't want it, rationally, she got that.

But there was this small voice in the back of her head wondering if she didn't accidently give off a vibe or something…the other night she shortened her skirt to annoy Minnie, and possibly Sev, but boys kept coming to introduce themselves to her all week. Why didn't she even think that that would be a side effect of showing that much leg…

Ky didn't blame Linus and Lenzo for the decisions they had to make when raising her, but it's not normal to only be exposed to your brothers for socialising. She had been so sheltered, her guard was completely lowered, and despite knowing how to defend herself… she hadn't.

Cedric moved forward slowly, clearly anxious at her silence. He carefully took her hand. She let him hold it.

"There's nothing wrong with feeling the way you are. Even if he didn't touch you somewhere… intimate…he had no right laying his hands on you at all. You'll learn in time that even the most normal of touches on the most normal of places can make you feel things that are not normal. So don't minimalise this by thinking about where he touched you, but that he did at all. And Ky…don't blame yourself. Stop being disappointed that you-"

"That I did nothing until the last minute! I didn't throw him off until the last second and I have a black belt and I let some insolent jerk put his filthy hands on me! On me! To touch me! To make me cry! I'm not this weak girl who freaks out when a friend touches her. When she feels…I'm not weak!"

"Of course, you're not. You're feisty and strong and smart and powerful. And you're OK."

Ky creased her forehead up at him, wasn't he always telling her she wasn't OK.

He smiled at her, "You've finally faced it. You are going to be OK. I still think-"

"I can't tell anybody because my brothers will freak out and take me back to New York…I don't want to leave Nonno, to leave Hogwarts…"

He took a second to respond, contemplating, "I won't tell a soul. Thank you for telling me that."

"Thank you for…you know." She grimaced, hating this subject, but weirdly wanting to talk about it at the same time, "You think the next time someone grabs me I'll freak out?" He looked at her unwaveringly, not judging the fear in her voice.

"I think you will." He smiled, "But that's a normal reaction if some stranger just grabs you. But if a friend grabs you, I don't think you're going to freak out."

"How do you know?"

"You won't freak out if someone you trust grabs you… if they touch you. Even if you can't see their face, trust is one of those senses that transcends the physical realm. I mean… I've moved my hands up your arm and have them rested on your shoulder and you didn't even flinch."

Ky realized he was right, and he let go of her shoulders and stood. He held his hand out for her, and she took it without hesitation.

Her memory was interrupted by Nonno's voice cutting through the room,

"Harry Potter."

Ky turned and looked at him, breaking her own code of ignoring him just as he was doing to her for these past few days. Heaven knows why but she had her guesses.

He was blabbering that he didn't do this and Nonno continued to call him. Mi actually gave him a slight shove and he still didn't move. All of Gryffindor House was staring at him, and he was rooted to the spot.

Ky got up and walked the two seats down to him and grabbed his hand and physically pulled him up.

"I didn't-"

"I know. But when Nonno says go, you go. Except if you're me, then you just do whatever you please."

She lightly pushed him, hoping the joke will help him out of his shock. He slowly walked away. She walked back to her seat and suddenly the Great Hall filled with animated voices.

Ky looked up and realised that Minnie, Sev, the headmasters and the Ministry delegations had all left. She turned and looked at Mi who was ashen faced and Ron whose face was slowly matching his hair. He suddenly shot off his seat and walked out and Ky rose to follow him, but Mi stopped her, a sad look on her face.

-x-x-x-

Ky gulped down the water and pushed her hair out of her face. It really had been a while since she enjoyed a good old-fashioned jog. She looked up at the large hoops with the pretty blue Sunday sky in its background.

She knew Mi would want to spend this morning with Harry.

Ky didn't see him yesterday, choosing to have a cup of hot chocolate with her grandfather instead. Not that Harry would miss her, seeing as he had been ignoring her for ages. Her theory was that he had a clue that she had a crush on him, and he was trying to let her down without using words.

Coward.

She jogged on the spot for a bit, really missing her Walkman. She stretched and made her way to the changing rooms. Just as she opened the Gryffindor one her head lightly hit a chest. She didn't have to look up to know who it was; there was only one person she could place a scent to.

Ky lightly kicked his shin, "Watch where you're going, Scarhead!"

"Yet again, you were the one that walked into me. What are you doing going into the Gryffindor Changing Rooms anyway?"

"Erm…let's see…they're changing rooms…so I must be going there to…"

"I know that. I mean, how did you get a key to this place? It's for quidditch players only."

"You doubt my powers of persuasion Potter."

"More like powers of plundering. Nicked it off one of the girls?"

Ky made a mocked shock face, "I'm wounded that you would think I would ever do something…OK that even sounds weird to me. Fred lent me his."

A weird expression flitted across his face at that. He then shrugged and shouldered his broom and crab walked passed her.

"I'll leave you to it then."

Ky left the door and followed him instead. He turned around, giving her a quizzical look.

"I thought you said were going to teach me how to play quidditch?"

"When did I say I was going to teach you how to play quidditch?"

"Oh, thanks Harry, it's so kind of you to offer. I don't have a broom yet." Ky placed her hand on his broom, "So you'll have to use one of the school ones."

He lifted his broom up out of her reach, exposing his armpits in the process. Of course, that was like an open invitation for her, and she pounced on them with feather touches. Harry quickly dropped his arms, and she snatched his broom, he let out involuntary chuckles. Stroke of luck that he was ticklish.

"Look Ky, I'm not really in the mood. I actually came down here to de-stress a little." She ignored him and walked to the pitch.

"Best broom-up Potter, last one to the goal post has to be vice president of SPEW."

She put her legs on either side of the broom and emulated what Harry did the last time. It worked and she was off, she shot up too high and then descended too quickly and then veered too much to the left. She eventually got to the goal post.

Unfortunately, a blur passed her, and a mess of dark hair hovered in front of the second post smirking.

Harry tossed the quaffle at her and she caught it easily, "I guess congratulations are in order Miss VP."

She tossed the quaffle back at him hard; he was a seriously good flyer to beat her on the school broom, which was notorious for being slow, even with her lengthy head start. They ended up throwing the quaffle at each other for a while and then flew around the grounds for what felt like seconds but must have been an hour. Harry's broom was a beauty, life just rushed passed her. Her heartbeat fastened and her eyes zoomed all around, the cold air cleansed her skin and every cell in her body committed to the experience.

Ky landed a few minutes after Harry did; it had already gotten dark. She walked up to him, sitting in the stands.

"I was about to come up there and bring you down myself."

"It would have only made me stay up there longer." She sat a step above him. All was silent for a moment.

"You didn't ask." He murmured into the darkness.

"I didn't have to." He turned and looked at her and she sighed.

"You're not smart enough to get passed Nonno's age line. That means whoever did is smart enough to trick the cup into thinking Hogwarts can have two students or something like that. But I'm not worried."

"Why?"

"It's quite obvious. Nonno surely wouldn't allow anything bad to happen to you. Adding to the fact that you pretty much eat trouble for breakfast and chuck it up for lunch, you got this thing in the bag."

"I wish I had that kind of faith in myself."

"Oh, it's not faith Potter. It's fact." He rolled his eyes at her.

Harry sighed, "Too bad Ron doesn't see it that way."

"He does. He's just blinded by jealousy at the moment. Don't see why though."

Ky didn't have to explain to Harry, he knew it was not an insult. It was true, Ron had all the things that mattered in life. He stood and stretched, and the wind brought over his musky masculine scent. She inhaled and simultaneously mentally slapped herself.

Ky followed him down the stairs, and off the pitch, the winds of flight washing the previous days awkwardness away.

"By the way, you're a lousy flyer." He smirked.

"I had a terrible teacher." She grinned; glad they were back to talking again.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Hope you liked the Harry/Ky interaction at the end!