More Than Friends

Chapter 4

The room was empty. Katie let a sigh of relief. Oliver stepped in and grinned at her. Lilly maybe missing, but at least she wasn't missing with Jonathan Clearwater. Oliver and Katie, aware that their presence in a Ravenclaw's dormitory as Gryffindors was particularly suspect, left promptly.

Just as they had stepped out of the Ravenclaw Common Room, they saw Lilly exiting the Hospital Wing across the hall. Oliver yelled, "Lilly! Hey, Lilly!" and ran up to her. Lilly faced him, a confused look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Thank goodness we found you. What happened last night after you ran off? I had dinner plans!"

"Oliver, I'm really sorry. I wasn't hungry because... well, I had something important to tell you, but I just couldn't do it. I twisted my ankle near the Shrieking Shack and Jonathan used a body-transporting spell to bring me hereafter he found me." Realizing at once what she had said, Lilly clasped her hands over her mouth.

"Lilly? What were you going to tell me?" Oliver looked desperate.

"Oh Oliver! I care for you so much, and I don't want to say this." She glanced menacingly at Katie.

"DO YOU MIND?"

Katie jumped, and reluctantly walked a little ways off, half wanting Lilly to dump Oliver, the other half not.

"What Lilly?" Oliver's voice was dripping with concern.

"I'm... oh this is terrible... I have to..." Lilly composed herself.

"I'm leaving during the Christmas holidays... that's three weeks. ForAmerica."

"WHAT? Why?" Oliver's voice went almost to a shocked whisper.

"I got a scholarship for the Salem Witches Institute and Mum wants me to go. And you know what long distance relationships are like. I have to end this. Now."

"So... it's over between us then?" Olive said glumly. Lilly nodded. She couldn't look at him. Or perhaps she just wouldn't.

"Right," said Oliver quietly, unable to move. Lilly turned her heel and looked at Oliver with a pained expression.

As soon as Lilly had turned the corner for the Great Hall, Katie ran up to Oliver.

"What happened just now?" she asked, "you look as though you've been pushed in front of the Hogwarts Express." Oliver looked down at Katie, frowning.

"Lilly... she left me." Katie's eyes rounded in both surprise and... happiness.

"Oliver, how can you just agree with her that's it's over? I mean you love her, don't you?" Katie asked frantically.

"I don't love her, and she neverloved me. It wasn't love,Katie."

"Well, what was it then?"

"It was dating someone to look good. I was foolish. I thought she liked me. And all it did was hurt my mates."

"You didn't hurt me," Katie whispered, biting her lip.

"Yes, I did. I was horrible to you. I believed all the things she ever said about you without a second thought. That's no way to treat your best mate." Oliver's large brown eyes had swollen, shining with reluctant tears. "Please don't cry, Oliver," thought Katie, "it's too much for me."

"You haven't hurt me. You've never hurt me. And all you're doing right now is hurting yourself!" Katie walked off. She could not watch him weep over her hurt feelings. The idea was at once both too terrible and wonderful to imagine.