I Only Wanted

A/N : Thanks for some of the suggestions from my very creative reviewers. Some I have thought of how to work into this, and I thought of some of my own. And as much as you would like, Paris is not going to die, but indeed make Katie's life hell. As this is how real life plays out. There's not always the perfect happy ending.

    That being said, read on loyal readers!

****

    Katie wasn't completely sure of the time, but the banging on the door was instinctively inappropriate. Katie sat up and rubbed at her eyes until she was sure that she could keep them open long enough to look at her watch. She pulled her wrist close to her face and squinted.

    "That can't possibly be right," she muttered sleepily, but then turned to look outside, "Alright, five in the morning it is," she said throwing her legs over the edge of her bed and walked to the door, getting angrier by the second.

    She vaguely noticed Angelina sit up in bed also. But knew from experience that Alicia was fast asleep. Nothing short of a bomb going off could wake that girl. Katie threw the door open and looked straight into a Quidditch clad chest. Her eyes scanned upwards and came to lay on Oliver Wood's face.

    "What could you possibly want?" she said, placing her hands on her hips.

    "Besides seeing you in your pajamas," Oliver said, arching his eyebrow suggestively, "Quidditch practice, hun. Wake Ang and Alicia for me," he said leaning down and kissing her kiss sweetly before walking away.

    Katie slammed the door and turned to see Angelina already standing and stretching. "I hate him," she said stalking off to the bathroom.

    "So you say," Angelina said laughing and walking over to wake Alicia.

****

    "Alright team, as long as Harry catches the Snitch when we're up by fifty points or more, the Cup is ours," Oliver said, the maniac glint back in his eye.

    Katie found his passion for Quidditch to be an equal balance of annoyance and attractiveness. Angelina had agreed with her on this. Any person who was anti-Quidditch could fall in love with the sport if Oliver explained it to them.

    "Alright, we get it Oliver. Now, can we please go up to breakfast. I'm starving here," Fred said clutching his stomach dramatically.

    Oliver rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Yes, fine," he said glancing at the brightening sky, "I think we'll be just in time for breakfast."

    The team grabbed their brooms and trudged back up to the castle. Once inside the Great Hall, they found it almost deserted. Hunger overwhelming them, they bypassed the idea of taking their broom back up to Gryffindor Tower and just propped them up against the wall behind the table. Oliver sat beside Katie. Next to Katie sat Angelina and Fred. Across from Angelina was Alicia, and next to her was George, followed by Harry. As they began to pile food onto their plates, student began to fill the hall. Katie could still feel the stares aimed at her, but she was used to it by now. But when Paris entered the Hall and sat down across from her, her jaw instinctively clenched.

    "So, how's the happy couple?" she said, mocking sweetness.

    "Not jealous are we, Paris," Lee said standing behind her, and motioning for her to move, "You're in my seat."

    Paris reluctantly moved down and Lee plopped down in front of Katie, grinning. "Up at the crack of dawn were we?"

    "Oh, did you hear me bitching or did the twins wake you?" Katie said sarcastically.

    "Both," Lee said, grabbing a piece of toast.

    Katie picked a bit of her toast up and chucked it at Lee expertly, hitting him squarely between the eyes. Fred snorted into his orange juice and Angelina high-fived her. Katie squealed and hid behind Oliver's shoulder as Lee retaliated, throwing his own bit of toast.

    "Act you ages!" Percy said, taking a seat across from Oliver, making Paris move further down the table.

    "Yes, sir," Lee and Katie said in unison.

    "Merlin, did Percy just yell at you, Katie?" George said, eyes widening.

    "Hey yeah!" Katie exclaimed, looking at Percy suspiciously, "What's with that, Perce? You let me get away with everything."

    Percy shot a no-nonsense glare at her. "Well, everyone has to grow up sometime."

    "I still have another year to have fun!" Katie said pouting.

    Paris scoffed from beside Percy, and Katie shot a glare at her. "No one asked you, bitch."

    Paris looked at her, shocked. "What?"

    "You heard me, I won't repeat it. There are children present," she said as Ron and Hermione joined the table, sitting beside Harry.

    "Go on, Kate," Ron said, leaning forward on the table, "We're mature enough."

    Katie turned and smiled at him. "Not if you anything like your brothers," she said motioning to Fred and George.

    Fred looked at Katie around Angelina, a look of mock offense on his face. "I resent that, Kathleen."

    "I second that," George said, mirroring his twins look.

    Katie stifled a laugh and looked up to see Cedric walking towards the Gryffindor Table. She waved slightly and he smiled.

    "Hey Kate, do you still have time to tutor me today?"

    "Yeah, of course. Why?"

    "I was just making sure. Could we meet a little earlier? I need to ask you something."

    "Sure. How about we meet at 12:45 instead of at one?"

    "That would be good. Thanks, Kate," he said before walking away.

    "Anytime," Katie said, her brow furrowing.

    "My fancying-meter is flashing red," Lee said in a teasing voice.

    Katie chucked another bit of toast at him, laughing. "Sod off. If I've told you once, I've told you a million times. He does not think of me like that. Besides, he knows I'm with Ol."

    Katie got up and walked over to get her broom. "I need to get back up to the Tower. I still have to finish that report for Advanced Potions and I wanted to stop by Lupin's office before tutoring today," Katie said more to herself than anything.

    She started to walk toward the doors of the Great Hall, when she heard Oliver clear his throat. She turned around and he motioned for her to walk over to him. She did and he pulled her down for a sweet kiss. Catcalls and whistled sounded in her ears and Katie pulled away blushing and continued her journey out of the Hall, a bounce to her step.

**

- Young and with no clue,

And I wanna love you.

Give me the key to what it's about.

Everything I've read,

And everything you've said,

Prove you're over my head.

Help me climb out.

I know that you don't need nobody.

Are you sure you're that sure about me? -

Nickel Creek - "Young"

**

    She didn't notice someone following her discreetly. Katie had barely placed her foot on the first marble step, when a hand grasped her robes and pulled her off of the stair. She looked at the crest of the person's robes and she didn't have to look up to know who it was.

    "So, you and Wood are an item, are you?" Marcus Flint sneered.

    "What's it to you?" Katie said, taking a step back and up onto the stair to gain some height on the taller boy.

    "Oh, it just makes you so much more desirable, Bell," Marcus said, looking her over perversely, "Not only are you forbidden by being a Gryffindor. But now you're dating Wood, the opposing Captain."

    "I don't have to listen to this," Katie said, turning swiftly and making it up the next stair.

    Marcus reached out and pulled her back down and flush against him. "Don't tell me you haven't imagined it?" he said softly.

    Katie backed up and in a quick motion, had her wand aimed under Marcus' chin. "Say something else, Flint. Give me an excuse to curse you so badly, you'd wish you'd never been born," she said, angling her wand so it was pointing at his crotch.

    Marcus let go of her robes and took a step back. He kept his composure and smirked at her. "When you're done with Wood, come and see me."

    "In you wet dreams," Katie said, her wand hand never faltering.

    "Exactly," Marcus said, reaching out and touching her face.

    Katie smacked his hand away and pointed her wand at his head. "Didn't I warn you never to touch me?"

    "Miss. Bell. Mr. Flint. What's going on here?" a monotone voice said from the doors of the Great Hall.

    Katie could see the intruder from the corner of her eye. Snape. Katie pocketed her wand quickly and looked to Snape.

    "I was provoked, Professor. I was on my way back to Gryffindor Tower and Flint here was preventing me from doing so."

    "Indeed," Snape said crossing slowly toward them, eyeing Flint menacingly, "Back to the Slytherin Table, Mr. Flint."

    Marcus gave Katie one last glance over, before walking back into the Great Hall. Katie looked to Snape, anger still flashing in her eyes over the incident. Before she could speak, Snape held up a hand to prevent her from speaking.

    "I suggest you walk this school with one of your fellow Gryffindors to avoid this kind of confrontation, Miss. Bell. I don't want to hear about Mr. Flint ending up in the Hospital Wing because of a nasty curse," he said smiling slightly.

    Katie grinned back at him. "Sure, I'll remember that, Professor Snape."

    Snape nodded curtly and turned on his heel, walking back into the Great Hall as Katie ascended up toward Gryffindor Tower.

****

    After working for a few hours, Katie's report was complete, and she smiled satisfied with her work. Katie sat it in her drawer of papers beside her bed, and laid back on her bed. She glanced at her watch and noted the time.

    "10:30. I've still got some time until I could leave for Lupin's," she muttered to herself.

    But idle time always made Katie's mind wander. Today, it seemed, her mind was wandering to what would become of her next year. Oliver and Percy were leaving her. That thought made her nervous. Oliver would be going out into the wizarding world. Surely, he wouldn’t want to be tied down to a girl who still had two years left in wizarding school. Especially if he got the placement he wanted with Puddlemere United. All those Quidditch groupies. She closed her eyes and opened them again, sighing. She trusted Oliver, sure. But a guy is still a guy. But still, a little voice told her that if ever cheated he would have to tell her. Oliver was not good at keeping secrets from anyone.

    And Percy was another story. He was who she ran too when she needed someone to talk to. This was the first time in all her years at Hogwarts that she had the inevitable fear that Percy was just not going to be there. And that scared her to death.

**

- With you here,

Baby I am strong.

No sign of weakness.

With you gone,

Baby I am hanging by a thread. -

Nickel Creek - "Hanging By A Thread"

**

    She hoped she could keep a hold of the strength that she possessed right this moment throughout the next two years, and make it out of Hogwarts alive. She checked her watch again, and noting that it was now 11:15, she thought it best to head over to Lupin's, so she wouldn't have to rush.

    She left Gryffindor Tower and traveled down to the third floor, where Lupin's office and quarters were located. She knocked on the closed door and Lupin opened it a moment later. Upon seeing her, he smiled broadly and allowed her entrance.

    "How are you, Katie dear?" Lupin said closing the door and walking over to sit on a couch in the room.

    "I was doing alright until I had a run in with the troll that is Marcus Flint and then it got worse when I started think a little while ago," Katie said, her brow furrowing.

    Lupin conjured a tea tray and motioned for Katie to sit on the chair adjacent him. "Tell me what happened."

    Katie explained what happened with the Marcus incident and Snape's suggestion.

    "Sounds like a good idea to me," Lupin said, a worried expression on his face.

    "I just hate having to depend on the boys like that," Katie said sipping at the tea Lupin had given her.

    Lupin smiled. "Sometimes we have to do whatever is best."

    "True," Katie said, her brow still furrowed.

    "What else, Katie? What were thinking about before you came here?"

    "Oliver and Percy are leaving at the end of this year. Graduating and all. I'm just worried about how I'm going to get along without them. They've always just been there and now they're going to be gone from the major part of my life," Katie said motioning around her, "I mean, besides the two months or so for summer holiday, I'm here. For another two years. It sucks. Do you know what I mean?"

    Lupin had a closed expression on his face when he answered. "I do. Its devastating to have people who have always been there be gone," he said, looking into his teacup, "But I think you'll manage fine."

    "Professor," Katie said and Lupin looked up at her, "Harry said you knew his mum and dad. Is that why-"

    "Yes, that’s why I understand," Lupin said forcing a smile.

    "I didn't mean to bring it up. I'm sorry-"

    "It's ok," Lupin said, holding up a hand to stop her, "You didn't know."

    Katie studied him for a moment. Taking in the contrast of his youthful face to the gray flecks in his hair. Katie figured it was from his transformation and the stress toll it took on his body. Her eyes scanned over his shabby wizards robes. They were patched, frayed and well worn in some areas. She felt sorry for him. It had to be horrible, living in a society that shuns his kind and trying to get by. She supposed that’s why he took the job at Hogwarts. Dumbledore was the most understanding and forgiving man Katie had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

    Lupin looked up and noticed her studying him.

    "What are you thinking, Miss. Bell?"

    "Just about stuff. How hard it must be to be what you are in this stupid society of ours," she told him honestly.

    Lupin smiled. "Well it has had its rough moments."

    Katie looked at him thoughtfully. "I'm sorry it happened to you."

    "Well," Lupin said, setting down his teacup, "It makes me who I am, doesn't it?"

    "It does, but you deserve a better life. And better robes," she said smiling.

    Lupin laughed and reached over to pat her hand. "I wouldn't trade my life for anything, Katie."

    Katie logged that statement away in her memory. A werewolf wouldn't trade his life for one of a normal wizard with a family. And Lupin was an intelligent man, so Katie knew to take anything he said to heart and commit it to memory. Katie looked at the timepiece on the mantle to her right.

    "12:30! I have to meet Cedric in fifteen minutes," Katie said looking at Lupin, "Sorry."

    "No, don't be."

    "Thanks for the talk."

    "Anytime, Miss. Bell," Lupin said standing and walking her to the door.

    I'll see you around, Professor," Katie said giving him a small hug before darting down the hall.