A Little Thing Called Love

Chapter 3

Meanwhile, Cathy had stolen away from the castle and did something she used to do when she was smaller: she climbed a tree. She loved willow trees, and the one she climbed kept her hidden away from everyone. Yet she could still see out onto the lake, which was stained crimson already from the early sunset.

Catherine was a pretty girl, with chestnut hair and clear hazel eyes, but she had never thought much of her appearance. She was average-sized and had small features, and aside from being a bit shy, she was often jealous of anyone who got close to Harry (even though she had no right to).

Sighing and leaning back against the tree trunk, she recapitulated over the day's events. She'd been waiting to have a good excuse to meet Harry, but the circumstances had been awkward. Even Hermione had acted really strangely- she usually was quite levelheaded even when taunted. She had known her friends long enough to stop acting that way. Obviously that specific issue had been bothering her for a while; she would often complain about Harry and Ron to Cathy, but she'd never outright insulted them. It must have been one of those mood swings she had been having lately. Often she was quite irritated for no reason at all.

Catherine remembered when she first noticed Harry. It was during the Triwizard Cup; it was unavoidable to hear about him. Obviously she was curious -her friends kept telling her everything they knew- and throughout the Cup she had become rather attached to him, watching him from afar. She had met Hermione that very year.

Since it contained about one-fourth of the school's alumni, Gryffindor was obviously a very crowded house. Many people didn't get to know their housemates at all; they'd only just seen them around. Cathy used to have her own little group of friends, so she only knew them and a couple dozen acquaintances. This was the way it was for most students- and Catherine didn't mind- yet when she met Hermione and she found out how much she'd been missing, she... shone out more.

This wasn't easy for her. Coming from a strictly female family (her father died when she was a toddler) only accentuated her already shy personality, but all her years in Hogwarts had done wonders to her, and finally she was comfortable around boys.

Catherine tossed a stone into the lake and settled into a comfortable position. Not feeling much like writing or drawing, she tucked her quill and parchment away and resigned herself to watch the sunset, letting her thoughts chase themselves away from her mind.

Most adults Cathy knew believed that teenagers like herself spent most of the time with their friends and couldn't stand to be alone. This, however, was not her case, and Cathy enjoyed being alone and quiet, although she also had fun with her friends. Catherine didn't belong to the crowd; spending time with just a few close friends she could trust in was something she liked more.

Cathy was a dreamer, which made her a complete opposite to the practical, down-to-earth Hermione. She loved drawing, reading, daydreaming and writing, but she did pretty normal things too, like talking about boys, shopping, spending time with friends, laughing and having a generally good time. So even though she was incredibly different from her friend, both enjoyed each other's company and had been getting closer and closer in the past two or three years. She hadn't told Hermione about her feelings towards Harry yet, partly because he was her friend and she didn't know how she'd react, but also because she hadn't told anyone else.

Thinking of Harry, Cathy smiled, and the last of the sun disappeared in the horizon. She got down from the tree, landing quietly, and began to walk back to the castle. Hermione would be wondering where she was soon.

Looking up, she saw the first star appear in the sky. The breeze ruffled her hair slightly, but Cathy breathed it in, just as reached the castle doors.

*

Climbing into the Common Room, Cathy found Hermione talking avidly to Ron and Neville near the fire. Noticing her appearance, Hermione grinned.

"Rosy cheeks, messy, windblown hair... have you been a naughty girl again, Catherine?" she asked amusedly. Catherine sat down (feeling rather childish) and self-consciously pulled the leaves and twigs out of her hair, shaking it back. Ron chuckled.

"It looks like you climbed a tree," he remarked, leaning over and pulling the last leaf from her long chestnut hair.

Cathy blushed lightly. "Actually I did," she admitted with a little smile. "But I didn't think it would be so messy."

They continued talking for a while until Harry came down and joined them. Cathy was a bit self-conscious at first, but was soon at ease talking with him and everyone else. She realized how normal it felt talking to him and thoroughly enjoyed her time with them. Hermione was back to normal again and gushing about the great book she had just discovered, and Ron was teasing her lightly as usual, something she seemed to enjoy even though she tried not to show it. Harry was slightly drawn back, she noticed, and seemed to be a bit of a shy person. Taking advantage of their similarities, she quietly started a conversation that kept the both of them engaged for the rest of the evening.

Cathy dreamt of him that night.