Either/Or

Chapter 4: Introducing... The Misled Cupids

Near the end of their fifth year in Hogwarts, Arienne received a letter from her mother. Its contents made her heart soar. The Woods were going to spend a part of the summer with them in Monaco. The second Arienne found out, she made it her personal mission to get Oliver Wood fall in love with her.

She knew that they hadn't talked all that much in Hogwarts, but that didn't matter. Arienne was somewhat superstitious. She believed in karma, because it made sense. If you did something good, something good will happen to you and the same thing goes for if you did something bad. In other words, payback.

And Arienne also believed in signs. She was seven when she heard someone say "Signs are everywhere..." and she had never forgotten it since. The way she figured it, signs were the root of thoughts, thoughts of ideas and ideas of breakthroughs. And this, was definitely a sign. A sign that she was going to have to go into action if she wanted something--or in this case--someone.

She had it all planned out--the clothes that she was going to wear, the flattering things that she was going to say and the seductive way she was going to act. Every single day was a preparation for the day that Oliver Wood was going to realize that she was the girl for him. And she was so sure that that day would come, because she knew in her heart that they were perfect for each other.

She just had to convince him a little.

Unfortunately, summer came and there was no Oliver to convince. He had gone to Ireland for some quidditch camp... or workshop... or whatever you called the darned thing. Arienne's heart was broken. And so was her spirit. She put all her heart and soul into believing that someday, things would work out between the two of them. It hurt to know that he had chosen to spend the summer playing quidditch over spending it with her.

And now this. Just proof enough that the fates had Arienne's number and the prank calls wouldn't be stopping any time soon. To Hades with signs!

Arienne hadn't realized that she and Oliver had started walking again, catching up to Penelope and the twins, until she slipped on a piece of ice. How convenient to have someone so alert walking beside her.

Oliver gazed absentmindedly at the pink tinge on Arienne's cheek as he helped her into standing position. He had been deep in thought when she almost fell. He was thinking about Harry's broom. The Whomping Willow destroyed his Nimbus 2000 during the match against Hufflepuff and it was of the utmost importance that he find a replacement. And a good one at that. Since the accident, Harry had been using one of the school's old brooms and it was safe to say that--it just wasn't the same.

"A sickle for your thoughts?" Arienne asked softly. "Perhaps two?"

Oliver was still looking at her, but it was clear that he wasn't looking at her. He was obviously preoccupied with something.

"Come on," Arienne cajoled, threatening to poke her finger at his ribs. "You can tell me anything..."

But please don't let it be about some girl, she thought a little wildly. Pretty please? With sugar on top? And a couple of chocolate frogs even?

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. "I was thinking of Harry."

"As in Potter? Harry Potter?" Who else could it be? She didn't know any other Harrys in school. " You were thinking of him?"

Arienne was certain that she would rather hear about him thinking of other girls to him thinking about other boys.

Then a thought came to her.

No wonder he had so many girlfriends! He had been so dissatisfied with them that he was now settling with men! But then... she and Oliver had sex.

No way, Arienne's heart and mind screamed in denial. I couldn't have made him gay!

Or maybe, he had been gay all along and had been trying to hide his sexual preference with a flurry of females. Well, perhaps this revelation happened after his second or third sexual encounter.

If that was true, then perhaps it wasn't her. There wasn't something wrong with Arienne. It wasn't just her--it was all girls in general.

Oliver was certain that Arienne didn't know how expressive her eyes were at that moment, which was rare, considering how guarded they normally were. He could read her like an open book now. And Merlin! She wasn't just jumping to conclusions. She was practically inviting them into her home and serving tea.

"I'm not gay," he informed her emphatically. In fact, he said it emphatically enough for her to believe him immediately. "I like girls as much as the next heterosexual male. When I said that I was thinking about Harry, I meant that I was thinking about his broomstick." And before she could even think to raise an eyebrow questioningly, he added, "The kind that you ride on."

"Oh," Arienne whispered and continued walking again.

Oliver was confused by Arienne's reaction. What did he do now? Was she disappointed to know that he wasn't gay?

Oliver had to jog to keep up with her. He was never good with women. They had the worst mood swings that just threw him off sometimes. There were moments when they looked at you with love and caring in their eyes and then suddenly turn to you with the wrath of hell the next.

"Arienne?"

She kept on walking, not missing a beat. "What, Oliver?"

"Is there something wrong?"

Arienne gave him a bright smile through her gritted teeth. At the same time she jammed her hands into her pockets. Just a tiny precautionary measure should the urge to throw up her hands up in exasperation arise. That or should she want to punch the living daylights of the man which was a very good possibility now that she thought about it.

"No, no. Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all."

Absolutely nothing is wrong. Except for me.

There was definitely something wrong with her. She couldn't understand it. She couldn't fathom why she was always so full of confidence with other people, but with Oliver, she felt utterly worthless. Only with him did she feel like she was nothing.

She was going to have to stop. It wasn't healthy. She was like a poor child who would stand outside a sweets shop everyday looking at the one candy that she wanted the most but knew she could never have. Ever. Merlin, she was pathetic.

Oliver eyed his companion cautiously as they continued their walk on a brisk pace. He knew that Arienne was bothered with something but didn't want to press. It was obvious what it was, actually.

Women's trouble, he deduced. And any male knew that when it was "that time of the month" that best thing was to not say a single word.

A couple of minutes more of walking in silence found them standing beside an empty white carriage with Penelope who was now carrying a large and colorful canvas bag, and the arguing Weasleys.

"Seriously, Percy," Fred said, his arms crossed. "How would you know if your invisible horse was stolen?"

"Or what if it died?" George put in, his hand gesturing at where the invisible horses were standing. Or at least, where they assumed they were standing.

"Then it wouldn't be there now, wouldn't it? There are other senses that you can use aside from sight to know that something's there or not. You can touch it, smell it, or whatever else..." Percy answered irritably.

Penelope sighed. "Stop baiting Percy." She finally noticed Arienne and Oliver standing to the side. "You took your time," she said, stating the obvious, while linking her arm with Percy's.

She was dying to ask Arienne about her and Oliver, but kept her mouth shut. She had never seen her friend like that before. She had always been so cool and collected and just moments ago she was all over the place.

Oliver glanced over at Arienne who shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "Yeah. We were just chatting a bit... Found out that we were going to spend the holidays in the same place."

"What a delightful coincidence!" Penelope gushed. "The two of you in Altenaia."

Arienne raised her eyebrow. Penny never gushed. She was definitely getting at something here. "Altenaia may not be that big, but I'm sure that we won't be able to spend that much time together," she replied flatly. "What are the odds that we're staying in the same hotel?"

"We're staying at the Willow Bend Beach Resort?" Oliver offered.

Arienne nodded in agreement. "Right. We're staying at the Willow Bend Beach Resort..."

It took a couple of minutes of staring at Oliver's surprised face, Penny's delighted face and the Wealeys' oddly amused faces, before the gravity of what she had just said sank in.

It's a sign, her heart sang. Don't be stupid, her mind argued. And a very good argument at that.

"Where is Altenaia anyway?" She heard someone ask, not noticing who.

Someone answered, "Somewhere near Greece, I think. It's a small enchanted island in the Mediterranean."

"Some people say that it's really Atlantis, but no one's really proved that to be fact."

"Don't they have nude beaches there?"

Arienne heard Penny gasp. "Percy Weasley, you are the last person I would have thought capable of saying such!"

"I can't believe that I'm actually standing up for Percy, but my brother's a man. And that, Penelope Clearwater, is the way men think."

"I wonder what Angelina is going to say about that."

Arienne looked up just in time to see Fred's face turn almost the same color as his hair. "Forget I said anything!" he squeaked. "We should probably get going! Wouldn't want to miss that train!"

Fred already had a leg up when Penelope gave him a hard look. There were two long seats facing each other, each seating three. In the back of her mind, she already had the perfect seating arrangement planned out. And the twins better not ruin anything.

Fred sighed as he stood in the carriage. After scratching his head in evident frustration, he finally sat down, choosing the seat farthest away, facing the front. He better not do anything to get Penelope's ire up. She could get real scary sometimes.

His twin was up next and George didn't bother looking at the formidable Head Girl. He didn't have to be told the obvious. He took the seat in front of his brother. Immediately, George looked at Penelope, his eyebrows raised as if looking for a sign of approval.

Penelope narrowed her eyes in reply then smiled brightly as she turned to Arienne, and her motioned to her. "Go ahead."

Numbly, Arienne stepped on to the carriage and promptly sat on the opposite end of Fred's seat.

Halfway there, Penelope silently thought as she sat beside George. Then she half dragged Percy into the seat next to her.

Perfect.

Four pairs of eyes watched as Oliver took his place between the silent Arienne and Fred who was passing the time by twiddling his thumbs. Arienne didn't budge a millimeter at the action beside her. She seemed perfectly content pondering the whiteness of the snow.

The horses took off the second everyone was seated and the group was enveloped in silence, as they traveled at a smooth pace.

Oliver didn't know what to do. He was in a very awkward position. Aside from Arienne's sudden mood swings and accompanying silence, his position wasn't all that comfortable--especially since he was seating in the middle.

He barely had any space to move. He was about to cross his right ankle over his left thigh, but that meant hitting Fred's leg. It was a good thing that it was Penelope who was sitting in front of him or else he wouldn't have been able to stretch his legs before him and cross them at the ankles. At least, not so much, since he didn't want to kick Penelope's bag that was lying on the floor of the carriage.

But his problems didn't end there. He still didn't have a place to put his hands. He tried placing them on his lap, but that didn't seem to work. Men just didn't place their hands on their laps like prim little ladies, so he crossed his arms instead. But Oliver wasn't used to being immobile. Movement, along with breathing, was something constant to him. Even in his sleep, he would kick at his sheets and flail his arms--so does his roommates claim, at least.

He looked at his other male companions. Both of the twins had hooked their arms over the carriage's side and they were looking enviously comfortable. Percy, on the other hand, had his arm wrapped around his girlfriend and looking quite content. And Oliver couldn't think of anything more comfortable looking than that.

That gave him an idea. He could just stretch his arms out. Or an arm, if that was as far as he was allowed to go. He looked to his left at Fred. No way. He then looked at his right. Would Arienne mind if he stretched his arm behind her neck? They were close enough friends for him to be able to do so without being misunderstood, right?

Arienne hadn't said a single word to anyone since the ride had begun. She was fixing the creases on her blue button-down blouse, when she finally realized that he was looking at her.

"Yeah?"

Oliver quickly averted his gaze. "No, just wondering..."

"About what?" she said, turning her body to look at him fully. This time, it didn't matter if it was a girl or not. She didn't care anymore.

Oliver tried not to get flustered. "The Yule Ball," he quickly lied. "Who's your date?"

"My date?" Arienne repeated, looking at him a bit oddly. "Well, I was going with Jon. Um, Jonathan Stratford."

Oliver knew Jonathan. He was also a seventh year Ravenclaw and the quidditch girls' occasional topic of conversation. He also happened to be a prefect like Arienne. In fact, he seemed to have a lot of things in common with Arienne... and Oliver wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that.

But something was wrong in what she said.

"What do you mean was?"

Penny took the liberty of answering for Arienne. "You didn't hear? The Yule Ball was cancelled. It was announced this morning."

"I kind of overslept," Oliver explained sheepishly. "But cancelled?"

Percy shrugged. "Not a lot of students are planning to come back for the Yule Ball, so the school staff decided to cancel it."

"I heard someone say that Dumbledore said that it was only postponed." George shrugged his shoulders. "But I'm not so sure."

Arienne nodded as she crossed her legs. "I heard that too, but what are the odds?"

"The odds don't really matter." Arienne watched as Penelope squeezed Percy's hand. "I just hope that it really is postponed. Besides, if it's true that Dumbledore said it, then he has all my faith."

Percy sighed. "When you think about it, if it is indeed postponed like you say," his voice, gaining it's authoritative tone once again. "Then it won't be a Yule Ball in essence now, would it?"

"Of course not," Fred said, a freckled grin dawning on his face. "It'll be the Thank-Goodness-Percy-Weasley-Is-Leaving-Hogwarts-Forever Ball."

Percy frowned Fred and he was about to give George a warning but his brother had already leaned forward towards Oliver and Arienne. "Percy was really supposed to be in Ravenclaw, didn't you know?" He paused for a little dramatic effect before continuing. "But the sorting hat figured that only the Gryffindors would be brave enough to stand living with the likes of him."

Arienne bit on her lower to keep it from shaking with laughter. But Penelope was braver. She laughed right at her boyfriend's face. In fact, she was laughing so hard, that tears were forming in her eyes.

"Oh, right," Percy said, obviously affronted. "No 'stop making fun of Percy' or 'Percy not that bad'... thanks a lot!"

"You know, Percy." Arienne said, an unmistakable twinkle in her eyes. "The fact that your brothers can joke about you like that means that they love you a lot."

And with that one statement, Arienne was able to insult all three brothers.

"Love?" Percy scoffed. "I'd rather be the object of their hate rather than anything slightly resembling affection."

"What did he say?" Fred asked turning to his twin.

George shrugged. "I'm not sure what he said, but it sounded amazingly like 'Hate me, I'm full of myself and quite stupid to boot'."

Oliver turned to Arienne, laughter in his eyes. "I'm not sure if I agree with Percy," he told her, and without thinking lifted his right arm and settled it behind her. "If that's the way the twins show their love--I wouldn't want to be around when they show their hate."

Their eyes met for a split second before Arienne looked away. But it was enough for Oliver to be taken back from what he saw. He saw nothing. She was smiling, yes, but it didn't seem to reach her eyes. He had looked into emptiness and it scared him a little.

Whenever she was sad or depressed, Arienne made it a point to hide it behind a smile. It had never made sense to Oliver whys she did so and he doubted if Arienne knew why herself. That's the way she had always been. But he had never seen nothing in her eyes before. Perhaps sometimes there was a mask of indifference, absolute irritation or something akin to forced cheerfulness, but never were they filled with emptiness.

"Hey," he whispered so that the others couldn't hear. It wasn't necessary though. The brothers were arguing so loudly that it seemed the mountains were echoing with their voices. "Something wrong?"

Arienne turned to him... again with her empty eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," he shrugged trying to avoid meeting her eyes. They gave him more discomfort than his seating position awhile ago. "You just seem different."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Arienne answered. She turned her gaze to the scenery. Bare trees, snow as far as the eye could see, not a blooming plant in sight and black mountains looming overhead. Perfect.

Percy was still squabbling with his brothers and Penny was tired. Arienne was just getting harder and harder to guess. She didn't know if she had the stamina to get her and Oliver together. But it was still worth a try.

Penelope winced when Percy's voice got a notch louder as he presented his rebuttal. She rubbed her free hand against the lush, maroon velvet that covered the soft seating. "Of course you just had to get the carriage with the red seats," she interrupted, gazing at her boyfriend.

"Red was the only color."

Fred snorted. "Red is the only color."

It was a trick that Penelope learned early on when she began seeing Percy. There were three things that could bring the brothers together: their loyalty towards their family, their loyalty for their house, Gryffindor and their over protectiveness for their little sister, Ginny.

That had stopped the fighting brothers, but the group had returned to their earlier silence.

The silence was broken by a constant drumming sound near Arienne's right ear. Oliver's fingers were making that incessant thumping that was starting to make her head ache.

She looked over at Penelope who was leaning against Percy while he toyed with Penny's blonde hair, twisting it around his finger. Arienne sighed. Maybe she wasn't meant to fall in love. Perhaps she was destined to become an old maid and write like her mother. But she would write romance novels about a love that she will never experience.

What was she talking about?

She was still young and there were plenty more fish in the sea. She'll fall in love. She'll get married. She'll have children. She'll be happy.

She'll be happy... did that mean that she wasn't happy now? Roger had told her to be happy. Could he see that she wasn't?

Arienne sighed in frustration. She didn't want to think about that right now. She had the rest of her life to figure it all out. But at that moment, she was just planning on getting the trip over and done with. When they got to the train station in Hogsmeade she would say goodbye to these people and search out her brother or any of her other friends. Then after the train ride, she could go to Diagon Alley, take the port key to Altenaia and go to the hotel and lock herself inside her hotel room. Sounded like a plan to her.

She could already see the small village of Hogsmeade as it came into view before her. In a few minutes she was going to leave this jovial group and get on with her life. She tried to smile in anticipation, but couldn't. She'd just have to settle for a glimmer of a smile of anticipation. One will have to make do.

She looked around at the other occupants of the carriage. Percy had just whispered something to Penelope that had made her giggle, which surprised Arienne somewhat. She had never envisioned him to be someone who would make someone giggle--on purpose, that is.

Fred and George were absorbed in their whispered conversation, both of them grinning like silly idiots. She caught George's eye for a second and after giving her a tiny and slightly mysterious smile, turned back to his brother.

And Oliver... Well, Oliver seemed lost in his own thoughts and that was perfectly fine with Arienne since it stopped his hand from its relentless drumming. It was better this way. And she wasn't talking about the silence, though that was part of it.

It was better to not feel anything beyond mild affection for Oliver Wood. They were friends. The best of friends, in fact. And that's the way she wanted to remember him. As the boy she grew up with, her friend and constant companion during her infamous garden jaunts. She couldn't label him as the 'boy who broke my heart.' He didn't ask for her heart. And it shouldn't have to hurt that he didn't.

The ache in her heart came back with full force and for awhile, Arienne found it difficult to breathe. This time, it really was goodbye. For good.

She felt the carriage slow down and come to the inevitable stop in front of the crowd of students who were scrambling to find their trunks and seats and friends.

The door flew open and Arienne knew that it was time. She turned to her friends, old and new, and smiling, told them, "Well, I guess this it. Thanks for the ride. You guys have been great fun. See you after the holidays!"

She hopped off the carriage and gotten as far as several feet when she heard Penelope call out to her.

"You forgot something!" She yelled over the chaotic din of the crowd.

Arienne sighed. She was never good with exits. Turning around she saw Penelope coming towards her, the others close at her heels.

"What did I forget this time?" she asked. "I didn't bring a scarf. I know that because I knew that if I brought one, I'd just lose it..." Arienne left off, while she watched Fred lean forward and whisper something into Penelope's ear. Something was definitely up.

"You, er... you promised..." Penelope looked at Percy for a little help.

"You promised Penelope that... you were going to take a photo!" Percy grinned broadly, as if quite proud of himself for some reason.

Arienne shook her head. "I don't remember making that promise." She shot Penelope a pointed look. "Besides, how are we supposed to take our photograph if you don't have even thing... that whatever you call it, that you use to take photos with."

"An insta-pic," Oliver helpfully supplied. He looked at Arienne in the eyes then, though he had been avoiding it earlier. "You aren't going to sit with us?"

Arienne shook her head again. "No, um... I think I'm going to find...I don't know. Jon, perhaps or Kat or my brother..."

"I do have one! I just bought one!" Penelope said suddenly, pointing at her bag that was now slung over Percy's shoulder. "It's somewhere inside my bag. I'll find it."

Arienne rolled her eyes in exasperation. The odds of Penelope finding anything in her big bag of infinity et al., were slim to none. She was about to suggest that they take the picture some other time when Fred suddenly stood before her.

"Why don't we start, erm, posing... you know, so we won't waste time while Penny's digging in her bag."

Before she could get a word in edgewise, she was already being hauled into position. "Okay, you stay there, Ari."

"Arienne!"

"Sorry. Arienne." Fred studied her for a moment, then his hand shot out grabbing a handful of Oliver's sleeve. He pulled him until Oliver was standing beside the already bewildered and annoyed Arienne. "Okay, that's nice. George..."

Arienne and Oliver couldn't miss the wink that Fred gave his brother even if they tried. They shared a wary look as they watched George walk over and stand behind them, his face peeping between them.

Arienne had enough. She didn't know what they were up to, but she knew she didn't like it. "Listen, I don't think that this is a good idea-"

"Two," she heard George whisper from behind them.

Click. Accompanying this strange noise was the falling of cold metal against Arienne's left wrist.

Arienne froze and for some reason, she knew that Oliver was in the same state of shock as she was in. She didn't dare look down. She knew that if she did, it would only be a mere confirmation of what she already knew to be true.

She stared at the four laughing faces before her. "Take it off, George!"

Arienne raised her right wrist, involuntarily raising Oliver's left one.

And the handcuffs were finally revealed.

"Take them off!" she yelled.

And they should have been scared. Really. The nerve in her neck was already bulging, for Merlin's sake. However, the damage was done and no matter how hard or loud Arienne asked them--or yelled at them--to take them off, there was nothing they could do.

"We're stuck together."

Arienne turned to fellow captive in disbelief. "We can't just be stuck together," she argued. "There has to be some sort of spell that can get us out of these things."

She stopped short when Oliver shook his head at her. "These aren't the type of joke handcuffs that they sell in Zonko's, Arienne. These are the real things." He gave the twins a good glare before continuing. "Fred and George told me about them. They got them from the Ministry of Magic last summer. These are the type of handcuffs that they use on prisoners in Azkaban."

"So there isn't a spell?" Arienne knew that she was starting to sound hysterical, but this was a straight out of a nightmare. "What? We're going to stay like this forever? Be all pseudo-Sirius Black for the rest of my entire life?"

Fred grinned at Arienne's infuriated face. It had been difficult to actually get them close enough together to be able to put the handcuffs, but it had been worth it. Just seeing Arienne's face like this was worth all the trouble. Nothing completes his day like someone looking at him with murder in his or her eyes does.

"Ministry handcuffs are time-locked," he informed her cheerfully. "They are sealed with a length of time given and after the time has passed, the handcuffs will disintegrate. Just vanish into thin air."

"What I wouldn't give to vanish you into thin air," she retorted. Not even Marcus Flint could rile her like this. "So how long is this? I heard George said the word 'two.' What's that, two minutes? Two hours? And you better say minutes or there will be hell to pay!" her voice shook with an anger that surprised even Arienne.

If George was the least bit scared of Arienne's threat, then he was very good at hiding it. "Two days or forty-eight hours or two thousand eight hundred and eighty minutes..."

Arienne couldn't keep her jaw from dropping. "I can't believe this!" She shot Penelope and Percy an accusing look. "I can't believe that the two of you were in on this! The Head Boy and Girl! The epitomes of orderliness and discipline! How could you let them do this?" She waved her right hand--and Oliver's left hand at that--to make a point. "To me, your friend?"

Penelope knew that Arienne was getting hysterical, but she wasn't worried. Arienne was a logical person and sooner or later, she was going to realize that there wasn't anything anyone could do for her and Oliver. She had to admit that she had been a little apprehensive when Fred told her of their plan. It seemed a tad childish and a bit nasty a trick. But Penny figured that sometimes, one did have to be a little childish and nasty. Like now.

Arienne held herself back from crying out when Penelope shrugged her shoulders. "I can't believe this," she whispered.

They really were stuck.

This was probably some sort of malicious test on her. A very malicious test. But it didn't make sense. Had she done something so horribly wrong in her childhood that she was now being punished? Okay, so maybe she broke a few things when she was a kid and perhaps she told some lies to get herself out of a fix... but those were only minor offenses.

Oliver, on the other, seemed to be handling the situation rather well. He was usually the emotional one, but now he seemed to take it all in stride. And that was rather odd.

"We should get on the train," Oliver told her quietly.

Arienne looked up at Oliver and slowly nodded in agreement. There's no point trying to fight it. "The four of you," she snapped anyway. "Better help us with our things."

Ten minutes later, while Fred, George, Penelope and Percy struggled under the weight of their trunks in addition to their victims' (one of which was now a very subdued and accepting Arienne), the two who had no choice but to walk side by side as they searched for an empty compartment.

"What do you have in here, Arienne?" George groaned. Arienne had specifically asked for him to carry her things. "Stones? A dragon, perhaps?"

Arienne ignored him. She wasn't mad at him anymore, but it was a chore having to find their way through the throngs of students who were all trying to find seat themselves.

"Talk about hysteria," Oliver muttered under his breath.

Arienne smiled. "Hysteria? Are you talking about me?"

"You weren't hysterical," he assured her as they plunged once again into another compactly filled walkway. "You were just a bit upset. It's understandable."

Fred instantly chimed in. "He's right, it's understandable. Besides, you should meet our mother. She's the personification of hysteria. And not the quiet kind either."

Try as he might, Oliver could never imagine her mother as being hysterical. She always had papers strewn around her wherever she went and ready answers for all of young Oliver's questions. If she had ever screamed, it was probably before he was born. A long time before his birth...

He was about to step aside to let someone pass when he noticed that Arienne wouldn't budge.

"Hey," said the person in front of them. "I was looking for you."

Oliver watched Arienne smile at Jonathan Stratford engagingly. "Really? I wonder why?" Now that they stood side by side, Arienne could see that Jonathan and Oliver actually had some similar features. They were nearly the same height, Jonathan being a tad bit taller, and both had darkish brown hair and eyes to match.

Jonathan returned her smile. And indulgently so, Oliver was quick to note. "I just thought that you might want some company." He turned to Oliver then, as if only just noticing his presence. "But I see that you already have company. Hello, Oliver."

Oliver gave him a curt nod in acknowledgement. He never really like Jonathan, now that he thought about it. Well, they didn't really know each other save for some classes that they shared over the years. But Oliver was certain that he wouldn't like him either way.

Arienne tried not to frown at Oliver's uncharacteristic reaction to Jon. This wasn't like Oliver at all, being so rude and aloof.

"He's more like a charm bracelet, really," she joked, showing Jon the handcuffs. "Like it?"

"That's a joke, right?"

Arienne shook her head. She was about to explain what happened when George groaned again. "Do you think we can get going? We're holding up traffic here at the back..."

"Well," Arienne gave a small shrug. "I have to go now... Merry Christmas, Jon."

"Merry Christmas, too. I'll send you an owl soon," he promised before he continued passed them.

Arienne watched his retreating form and felt Oliver looking at her. Glaring at her, to be precise. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong when Oliver stomped off--hauling her into step and setting the rest of the group after them.

"Oliver?"

"What?" He didn't bother holding back on the irritation in his voice.

Arienne planted her feet firmly to the floor, preventing Oliver from taking another step, which was difficult since they were being constantly pushed by the endless stream of students. "What?" She said in disbelief. "What's wrong with you? And why were you so rude to Jonathan?"

"I wasn't being rude. I was being mildly polite," he lamely lied. "Fine, I was being rude. But what did you want me to do? Flirt with the man like you were doing?"

Arienne stared at him like he had just grown horns on his head and fangs in his mouth and his skin, the murky color of the slime at the bottom of the lake. "Flirting?" She gasped. "I was not flirting with Jonathan. He and I happen to be good friends and I was just being nice." She gave him a good sniff before adding, "I would think you of all people would know the difference between being nice and flirting."

Oliver opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Unfortunately, someone had thought of a cutting response before he did and was generous enough to share it with everyone else.

"Go get a room already!"

Arienne turned in time to see Penelope bodily push a guilty looking Fred into an empty compartment.

Arienne gave a frustrated sigh amidst the hoots and catcalls as she followed Penelope into the compartment, pulling Oliver in her wake.

"That wasn't funny, Fred," she admonished, sitting down, leaving Oliver with no other choice but to sit down as well.

"Well, humor is relative, "Percy pointed out as he took his seat in front of Oliver. "What isn't funny for one may be hilarious for another."

"Oh, I get it," George said. He was standing in the middle of the tiny compartment for four. "Like when Percy-"

Penelope shot the Weasley twin a warning look. "Shut it, George. I don't think that anyone's in the mood for any more jokes."

Arienne nodded and slowly noticed that George was no longer carrying her trunk and neither was there a single trunk in the compartment. "Where are my things?"

"We left the trunks back there awhile ago, when you were flirting with whoever it was you were talking to."

"See?" Oliver said triumphantly at Arienne who was unattractively gaping at him. "You were flirting with him."

"I-"

Arienne closed her mouth and turned her gaze to the windows, silently willing the train to start moving and go run over the nearest cliff.

Oliver examined her closely. "Aren't you going to deny it?"

"There's no point. You've obviously convinced yourself that I was flirting with him." She turned to him then, the challenge evident in her blue eyes. "What could I possibly say for you to believe me?"

Oliver paused for a moment in thought. "So... you aren't going to deny it?"

Arienne averted her gaze angrily. "I suggest that you get as far away from me as possible before I give in to the urge and slap you silly."

"Wow," said Fred from the door of the compartment, followed by a swallow. A hard swallow. "Maybe it should have been two minutes."

Penelope stared at Fred in aghast. Making things worse that they already were was like art to the twins. Fred gave her a big smile before going out of the small room. "Think about it," Penelope told Arienne and Oliver in what she hoped was a reassuring voice. "By the end of the day, you'll be in beautiful Altenaia."

George was already at the door when he turned around and interrupted whatever nice and beginning thoughts of "beautiful Altenaia" the chained pair had. "That is if they ever make it there," he joked before going after his brother.

George Weasley had no idea how prophetic his parting words would prove to be.