Talk

Katie and I sat down in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Everywhere else was full-up, except for Cho Chang's compartment.

Nobody wanted to sit with Cho in the state that she was in. She...was sort of depressed, but it was not totally about Cedric's death...moreso about the passing of her father. The atmosphere around Cho was morbid and depressing. I would have sat with her under different circumstances, because I liked Cho. But, she wanted to be alone, and I could not blame her, at all.

Angelina was sitting with her boyfriend, Fred. She was the most outspoken of us three, the one who made most of the conversation. We would have been sitting with them, but there wasn't room for anyone else.

We sat in silence for the first few moments of the ride. Katie was quiet around everybody, even Angelina and I. She seldom spoke up in class, or even when she was declared Captain of Quidditch at the beginning of our sixth year (the season was canceled, but Katie had everyone but Harry running drills till our hearts stopped). Of course, she didn't seem so quiet when she was shouting at us for hours at a time.

"It's going to be different now, huh?" Katie said in a soft voice. "I mean, now that You-Know-Who's come back."

"I guess so," I replied.

"I don't want anything to change..." she trailed off.

We lapsed back into silence. Katie began to twist her blonde hair into her hands. It was a nervous habit of hers that she'd had since we first started at Hogwarts. I remembered how she sat during the Sorting, twisting her long braids around her fingers while the Sorting Hat deliberated on where to place her. And then, before every Quidditch game, she would repeat the ritual.

At that moment, George Weasley just happened to walk into our compartment, breaking the silence. He sat down on the seat next to Katie, and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay, love," he whispered.

They were an odd pair, Katie and George. She rarely spoke, and he never shut up. But, you could tell how they felt about each other by the way that they looked at one another.

She kissed him on the nose.

"I'm fine, George. You don't have to worry about me. Alicia'll protect me...right Leesh?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Go away...we have something to talk about..."

He rolled his eyes and obliged by returning to his own compartment.

"Katie," I asked as soon as I was sure that George could not hear my voice any longer.

"Yes?"

"What's it like to be in love?" I questioned her.

A dreamy look cast over her face as she thought about the question.

"It's.... wonderful," she responded after a moment or so. "The best feeling you'll ever feel. There's nothing like it, at all."

I paused for a moment, thinking of something else to ask.

"Even better than playing Quidditch?" I asked childishly.

"Even better than Quidditch," she replied firmly.

"How do you know…when you find the one?" I said.

"I don't know…I guess that you just…know. Like with George. I knew from the very beginning that he was the one for me."

There was another pause.

"I'm never going to find anyone, am I?" I said.

Katie frowned. "Don't be a pessimist...you'll find a guy, I promise."

That was easy for her to say. She was pretty and petite, with bright blue eyes and long blonde hair. And then there was me. Plain, brunette, tall, and as round as a redwood tree. Well, maybe not that round, but not as skinny as Katie.

We stopped talking then, with Katie wearing that same dreamy face. It was obvious that she was thinking about George.

--- When we stepped off the train, George was immediately by Katie's side. He slid his hand into hers, and smiled at her. She returned a grin, and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.

They walked over to a bench, still hand-in-hand, and sat down. Katie leaned her head on George's shoulder, and began to talk. They stayed like that until Mrs. Weasley appeared on the platform. He kissed her, than went off to join his mother and brothers on their trip home.

She stared after him with the same look on her face, not turning away until he was out of sight.

That was the first time I realized the extent of their feelings for each other. I had never seen anyone so deeply in love before. Sure, Angelina and Fred were dating, but it was different somehow. My own parents were never as happy as they were...I mean, they divorced when I was three.

At that moment,I wished that I could have a relationship like theirs.

Something that would last forever.