I Only Wanted

****

    Days passed and Katie spent those days in her room. She only left when Tom pestered her to eat. Katie didn't want to eat. She wanted to sleep her life away in this place. No one would notice. Her parents hadn't even contacted her to see where she had gone. Katie thought they might have packed up the house and moved to Paris by now. Taking their chance while they could.

    One day, close to evening, Katie cleaned herself up and made her way into Diagon Alley once more. She went to Gringotts to retrieve the money to pay for the room she had been staying in. As she walked back up the Alley, she noticed some of her teammates at Quality Quidditch Supplies. She took off at a run and made it back inside the Leaky Cauldron, only to pale at the sight in front of her.

    The Weasley's. All of them. Sitting at a long table. She vaguely thought that Tom must have pushed a couple of the regular tables together for them. She saw Harry among them, and Harry's friend Hermione Granger. She barely knew the girl, except for the fact that she was very intelligent. If she had been in a better mood, she would have laughed at Percy. A fez, perched on his head, had a pin attached to it. He must have been made Head Boy, she thought. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at her curiously.

    "Katie, dear? What are you doing here?" Mrs. Weasley asked, keeping the twins from accosting her.

    "She's staying here until school starts is all, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, noticing how pale Katie was.

    "Well, stay and have dinner with us," Mr. Weasley said kindly.

    Katie looked to Harry who nodded, and sighed heavily.

    "Let me pay Tom for my room, I'll be right back."

    Katie walked over to the bar area. She rang the tiny bell and waited for Tom to appear. He walked over to her, grinning.

    "What can I do for ya, my dear?"

    "How much do I owe you for the room? I'm staying up till the start of term and all."

    "Not many people stay here, to tell ya the truth. No real set price. Whatever you have, I'll accept."

    Katie brought out a leather bag. She dumped the contents onto the counter.

    "I got twenty Galleons out of my vault, specifically for this. Is that alright?"

    Tom stared at her. "More than enough. Miss. Bell, take some of that back. Keep it for while you're at school," he said, pushing a portion of the coins back towards her.

    Katie nodded. "Thank you, Tom."

    She looked over towards the Weasley's. "I'll be right back," she said as she ran up the stairs. She walked down the hall to her room. Once inside, she placed her bag back into her trunk. When she walked out, Percy was standing outside in the hall.

    "Hello Percy," Katie said, walking away down the hall.

    Percy reached out and grabbed her wrist. Katie flinched slightly. She had cut herself again the night before, and her wrist was still sensitive.

    "Wait," he said, turning her around, "What are you really doing here, Katie?"

    "What do you care what I do, Percy. Last I checked, you had no reason to."

    Percy's face contorted into a hurt expression. "You are a friend of my brother's and almost a member of my family. Of course I care. You, of all people, should know that."

    Katie stared at him. "So, you're Head Boy now."

    "Yeah, I am. Don't change the subject."

    "I really don't want to talk about this with you."

    "Ever? Or just right now?"

    Katie looked down at her feet. "Just right now, I suppose."

    "I'll help you, you know. Whatever it is."

    Katie looked up and forced a smile. "Thanks Percy."

    "Its nothing, now come on. You're having dinner with all of us whether you like it or not."

    Katie did like it. But at the same time, she hated it. The Weasley's were the family she wished she had. What every family should be. Everyone cared about each other. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were model parents. And all the kids, whether they were picking on each other or not, loved each other. She found herself holding back tears as she watched them. They had what she never would. She noticed Harry watching, with the same longing in his eyes. She didn't know how much more of this she could take.

    With that thought, Mrs. Weasley suggested everyone ought to go to bed, seeing as it was getting late. Katie silently thanked the Gods, and ran up to her room.

****

    A few days before the start of term, Katie ventured out into Diagon Alley one last time. She was walking along, quite content, when she caught the eye of someone she hated. And she hated her for one reason : Oliver noticed her as a girl. Not as a member of the same House, as a fellow Gryffindor. But as a girl, and everything that came with being a girl.

    Paris Wheeler was a seventh year this year. Long blonde hair, green eyes, and tall. Model tall. And she was very pretty. And to Katie's great dislike, she wasn't dumb either. She was in the top ten of her class.

    "Katie? How are you? How was your summer?" the girl asked, rather energetically.

    "It was fine, I'm fine. What about you, Paris?"

    "I'm fantastic," she said smiling.

    'How did I know that? The enthusiasm of a cheerleader,' Katie thought cynically.

    "That’s good."

    "What are you doing here so late?"

    "Oh, I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron till term starts. Needed to get out of the house, ya know?"

    Paris looked like she was thinking about this. "Yeah. I understand. So, have you talked to the Weasley's? They won that contest in The Daily Prophet."

    "Did they? The one for seven hundred Galleons?"

    "Yeah. It said in the paper they were going to Egypt."

    "Oh, well they're staying ate the Leaky Cauldron now too. That’s what I get for not having a subscription to The Daily Prophet."

    Paris laughed at that. "I suppose. I better get going. My mum and dad will be wondering where I am. I see you at school, Katie."

    "Yeah, see you at school."

    Katie watched as Paris disappeared into the crowd. She tried to keep her emotions composed. Happy for the Weasley's, hatred toward Paris, and sadness for herself.

    "I need ice cream," she said to herself, making her way over to Florean Fortescue's.

    She walked inside and ordered a cup of chocolate ice cream with peanut butter chunks in it. No better way to drown her sorrows than in chocolate and peanut butter ice cream, she thought, sitting outside at one of the tables. She hadn't been there more than two minutes, when Fred and George Weasley, along with Lee Jordan, invited themselves to sit at the remaining chairs at her table.

    "Hello love," Lee said, smiling at her.

    "Hey Lee," she said, before looking to Fred and George, "How come you didn't tell me that you won all that money?"

    "Hello to you too," George said sarcastically.

    Katie looked at them, waiting for an answer.

    "Well its gone now, isn't it?" Fred said.

    "Yeah, most of it went to our trip to Egypt to see Bill. Rest went to our school supplies for this year. We're broke again," George said mournfully.

    "Well it wasn't like I was going to ask you for money or anything. You know my parents don't get The Daily Prophet. They could care less," Katie said, silently thinking, 'In more ways than one.'

    "Sorry Kate, didn't think you cared," Fred said, looking at her curiously.

    "I can’t think of a family who deserved that money more than you guys."

    "I second that," Lee said, stealing some of Katie's ice cream.

    Katie promptly smacked him, and the seriousness evaporated. Insults were exchanged and comments were made about wizards and witches passing by. Katie silently wished that everyday could be spent like this. But she knew once she got to school, everything would change.

    "Ran into Oliver last week. He bought a new teaching method for us," Katie said, laughing at Fred and George's pained expressions.

    "No more charts," they said in unison.

    "No, it’s a mini-pitch. Its really rather cool. I looked at one at Quality Quidditch Supplies. You can make mini-versions of yourself and put them on the pitch and play an actual game. So maybe now we'll understand what he wants us to do."

    "Too right. This year's going to be drama from Wood. Its his last year here and his last chance at the Cup. We'll never hear the end of it," Fred said, banging his head on the table.

    "This is it," George began, standing from his chair and pacing.

    "The big one," Fred continued.

    "The one we've been waiting for," Katie said, throwing her spoon at George to stop him from pacing.

    Katie heard a jingle behind her and turned to see Oliver walking out of the parlor, ice cream in hand. George mock-saluted him as he waved. Katie couldn't hold back a laugh, and Oliver looked at her curiously.

    "You forget something, Katie? I never took you as the social type."

    "Can't three handsome men take her out for ice cream?" Lee said, placing a protective arm around Katie.

    Oliver's face split into his heart-stopping grin. "Sure they can, but I don't see any handsome men here."

    "Now that’s just mean, Ol," Katie said jokingly.

    "Oh, you know I'm only joking," he said, obviously trying to change the subject, "Have any of you seen Paris around?"

    "I ran into her earlier, but she ran off. Something about her mum and dad looking for her," Katie said, shooting her empty cup at a nearby trashcan and making it in.

    "Oh well. I'll see you guys around. By the way, nice shot, Bell," Oliver said, walking off with a wave.

    "'Nice shot, Bell'," Lee said mockingly, "What a prat."

    Katie silently thanked Lee for saying what she had wanted to say. She had told Lee last year about her crush on Oliver, and how she had thought she was stupid. Lee had reassured her. For some reason, Lee had the gift of making anyone feel like the world with a few words and a smile. But Oliver's comment had nonetheless cemented his opinion of her in her mind. Teammate.

    She leaned against Lee, glad he was there. Fred and George noticed her, acting in what appeared to be a weird fashion.

    "You ok, Kate?" Fred asked.

    "Yeah, I'm ok. Its getting late. Maybe we should be getting back," Katie said, just as Lee's parents walked over towards them.

    "Hide me," Lee said clinging to Katie's sweater.

    Katie smiled sweetly. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Jordan. Looking for your child?" Katie said pointing over her shoulder.

    Lee's mom, Blair, laughed. "Yes, I am in fact. Come on Lee."

    Lee gave Katie a tight hug. "Don't worry about the prat, love."

    "Thanks Lee."

    He stood and walked away with his parents. Fred took his vacated seat and turned to Katie, looking very serious.

    "Kate. I want you to tell me why you're staying at the Leaky Cauldron."

    If he hadn't had just asked that, Katie would have laughed at the serious expression on Fred's face. It was never without a smile, or at the least, the trademark Weasley Twin mischievous grin. But his question had angered Katie, as a matter of fact. Why did everyone care that she was staying there?

    "What the fuck, Fred," she said, looking at him angrily, "Why does everyone bloody care that I'm here? Its really none of your fucking business. If I wanted you to know, I would tell you, ok?"

    And with that, Katie left the table and two stunned Weasley's and ran back to the Leaky Cauldron. All the way up to her room, where she promptly shut the door.

    She cried then. She cried hard. She fell asleep some time later. She didn't hear someone knocking on her door. Nor did she notice when a certain red-head covered with a blanket and said a silent prayer.

    No, Katie hadn't the faintest idea that that had happened.