25. Freedom From Exams

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"I get you, sometimes girls are a better choice".

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"Come on, come on!" Ophelia muttered impatiently and bounced a little in her seat.

"Quick Minnie," Katie groaned and tapped her foot from a few seats ahead.

"Time's up. Please stop writing and let me collect your papers," finally came the voice of McGonagall.

"Fucking finally," Marlene smiled. "I was almost at the end of a cardiac arrest".

As though all the students were waiting for her call, they quickly scrambled out of their chairs and threw the spare parchments into the air, their faces lit up with joy.

"FREEDOM!" George yelled as he continued summoning and throwing a piece of paper.

"LET'S GET OUT OF THIS HELL-HOLE MY FELLOW COMPANIONS!" Fred commanded and held up his wand to shoot some sparks.

The rest followed him and soon the ceiling was filled with many colors, colors of happiness.

The students were all screaming and shouting something and McGonagall who was collecting papers didn't even try to stop them.

"LISTEN UP CHUCKLEFUCKS! PARTY TONIGHT IN THE RAVENCLAW COMMON ROOM! ONLY FOR FIFTH YEARS AND ABOVE!" A random Ravenclaw informed and was met with several nods.

"Ravenclaw parties are awesome," Dorcas grinned.

"Yeah but nothing compares to Hufflepuff. Their celebrations are wild," James chuckled.

"I doubt I've ever felt so happy," Angelina laughed once they were out of the hall.

"It really feels like my shoulder has lost half of it's weight," said Alicia and the others smiled in agreement.

"Where should we head to now?" Asked Lee once they had literally threw their bags into the common room.

"Everywhere," Ophelia smirked as she rolled up her shirt sleeves.

They all had discarded their robes and had kept the shirts, ties, pants and skirts on.

They were walking in the hallway, all had their wand out and were randomly pointing towards walls and splashing paint on them.

"Throw a little hot red on here," Katie grinned and Ophelia obliged happily as she jabbed her wand and a large crimson blob had appeared.

"A deep green would've been better," Regulus suggested, stroking his non-existent beard.

They continued this for a long time and other fifth-years quickly caught on and started helping in the 'castle redecoration'.

"Alright you three?" Fred called out towards their favorite third-years.

"Never been better," Ron gave a huge smile which then turned into a look of horror.

"What the bloody hell is this about?!" He exclaimed and pointed at the inscription that was no doubt written by Ophelia.

"Dear everyone, do worry about the tortures that you have put us through. Because karma is pronounced as 'Haha fuck you' ," Lee read it with a mischievous smile.

"Brilliant isn't it?" Ophelia asked as she gazed at it proudly.

"Totally fabulous," George smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist to give her a side-hug.

"Absolutely spiffing," James nodded.

"See you later then?" Said Harry and the elders nodded, waving them goodbye.

This was not the only writing that was seen on the walls of the castle. Many students were finding various things inscribed on different surfaces.

There was one on the third floor, painted in bold blue-

"If you want to really slap someone, do it. Then say 'Oh there was a mosquito!' "

"Yep, I'm gonna use that," George grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

"No no check this out," Angelina interrupted and they turned to see another quote written in a dark green color.

"Boys if you want to know how a woman works, take a look at her hands and it'll usually tell you how she feels. For example, if she's holding a wand and you're misfortunate head is on the other side, she's really angry- A random Slytherin".

"Take notes, Potter," Dorcas smirked at an embarrassed James.

The girls all snorted loudly, leaning against the wall and holding their stomachs at the horrified expressions on the boys faces.

"What in Dumbledore is this?" Lee grumbled and glared.

"This is completely useless," said Fred, rolling his eyes.

"It's rather informational actually," said Katie as she continued to chuckle.

"Let's go out on the Quidditch Pitch," Lee suggested with a bright smile.

"We'll gather others too, come on!" Ophelia muttered and they ran to the Great Hall where everyone was probably having lunch.

Reaching the entrance, they leaned against the wall to steady themselves and were panting heavily.

"Sonorus," Katie chanted and her voice was amplified, gaining everyone's attention including the staff too.

"THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS ONLY FOR FIFTH-YEARS. THE REST PLEASE CLOSE YOUR EARS OR JUST OBLIVIATE YOURSELF AFTER THIS I DON'T CARE. ANYWAYS BACK TO THE POINT, IF ANYONE OF THE FIFTH-YEARS ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING A GAME OF QUIDDITCH THEN BE PRESENT AT THE PITCH THIS INSTANT. THANK YOU OVER AND OUT".

There was a long silence that fell and Ophelia had the impression that many were still trying to process what was said.

"ROGER THAT!" A Hufflepuff screamed who just so happened to be Cedric.

"SEE YOU ON THE PITCH THEN PRETTY BOY, GET YOUR ASS THERE IN FIVE MINUTES!" Angelina instructed and he shot her a thumbs-up, flashing his signature smile.

The teachers were all unusually silent, not even batting an eye at the interactions happening.

Lupin and McGonagall were chatting pleasantly as though someone hadn't just screamed their lungs out. While Snape had his usual poker face on and was eating at quite a speed.

The seven friends were on the Quidditch Pitch now, brooms hoisted over their shoulders as they waited for other students to arrive.

Almost all of the fifth-year had turned up from each and every house and to their surprise and delight, the teachers were also there.
Professors Lupin, McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, Hagrid, Snape and  Dumbledore.

"Moony!!" James exclaimed in childish delight.

Even the other students had gathered around and were fighting with each other to take the closer seats.

"Hey Minnie!" Ophelia greeted her favorite teacher with a smile.

"Hello Ophelia," McGonagall smiled back.

"Will you be the referee Madam Hooch?" Fred questioned and the grey-haired woman nodded eagerly.

"Please form the teams everyone," she commanded and there was a hustle.

In the end it was Gryffindor and Ravenclaw against Slytherin and Hufflepuff.

"GIVE IT UP FOR TEAM GRYFFINCLAW!" Came the loud commentary of Lee Jordan.

"GO GO GRYFFINCLAW!" Everyone chanted collectively. Even Regulus who only did so because of his precious niece.

"BLACK, CORNER, BELL, WEASLEY, CHANG, WEASLEY AND WILLIAMS!!!"

A loud cheer and applause followed as the players zoomed in and were standing in a line with a grinning Ophelia as their captain. Their white shirts were tinted on the back with red and blue colors.

"AND NOW A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR TEAM SLYTHERPUFF!! THAT'S ANDERSON, ASHTON, FLINT, SMITH, ZAYN, WATSON AND DIGGORY!!"

There were many whistles and shouts clearly displaying the support as the players stood in a line facing the other team, with Cedric as the captain. Their shirts were colored with green and yellow.

Ophelia and Cedric both smirked and playfully glared at each other. The whistle was heard and they kicked off of the ground.

"KATIE BELL OF GRYFFINCLAW HAS TAKEN THE QUAFFLE IMMEDIATELY! SHE'S STREAKING UP THE PITCH- A NICE PASS TO CORNER THERE! AND NO- QUAFFLE IS GRABBED BY ANDERSON AND HE'S ABOUT TO GOAL-  INTERCEPTED BY BELL AGAIN AND TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINCLAW!!"

"Hell yeah, Kate!" Marlene cheered. "That girl is my favourite".

The audience gave a loud cheer for their team and were frantically waving red and blue flags.

"ANDERSON HAS THE QUAFFLE- AND WHAM! NICE HIT THERE GEORGE! WELL DONE YOU ALMOST BROKE THAT POOR BOY'S NECK. CORNER WITH THE QUAFFLE NOW AND HE'S ZOOMING IN AND UH-OH... APPARENTLY HE CAN SEE THE SMALL QUAFFLE FROM ACROSS THE PITCH BUT CAN'T SEE THE GROUND RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS FUCKING FACE!"

"Jordan, it'll be appreciated if you improve your language," McGonagall muttered sternly.

"AFTER THAT LAME TECHNIQUE BLACK HAS TAKEN THE QUAFFLE AND SHE'S MOVING IN THROUGH THE PLAYERS IN AN UNBELIEVABLE WAY! THAT GIRL IS GOING TO BE BETTER THAN GWENOG JONES I TELL YOU. SHE'S CLOSE- AND- AND- SHE SCORES! TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINCLAW!!"

"Good job, love!" Regulus whooped happily with extreme enthusiasm.

Ophelia smiled brightly and did a small loop to release her happiness. Just as she had snatched the Quaffle from Ken and stuck her tongue out at him rather teasingly, she saw something from the corner of her eyes.

Keeping a firm grip on the ball, she chanced a glance and saw a shaggy, black dog sitting outside the stadium. His tail was wagging like crazy, tongue hanging out of his mouth and he was slightly jumping in excitement.

"Padfoot is there too!!" James screamed loudly, almost falling off the sofa.

Ophelia couldn't help but smile, he was watching the match. And with a new-found confidence, she easily put the Quaffle through the right hoop, scoring another ten points.

The game went on for quite a time and the score was 150-10 to Gryffinclaw.

The red and blue crowd was going wild with screams and yells whilst the green and yellow audience all had their arms crossed with frowns on their faces.

But then something happened that was quite a big plot-twist for the game. Cedric Diggory had succeeded in catching the snitch, bringing their score up to 160 and they had unexpectedly won the game by 10 points.

"Noo pretty boy, I thought you were good," James frowned deeply.

"Give it up for... Slytherpuff..." Said Lee in a monotonous tone.

But his weak voice was drowned by the extremely loud claps and yells that had erupted from the winning team's supporters. They were clearly surprised but pleased.

The red and blue crowd on the other hand had shock printed across their faces. Not believing that they had lost after such a high score.

"What the fuck, Chang!" Ophelia heard Katie growl in anger.

She herself was a little annoyed but still happy due to the match. It was not something that happened often and she enjoyed it wholeheartedly.

"Good game, Black," Ken smirked at her teasingly and she huffed a little but laughed anyway.

"You too, Anderson," she chuckled and patted his arm.

"A wonderful game!" Professor Sprout exclaimed. Obviously delighted at the victory of her house.

"No need to rub it in," James pouted and looked down, making his messy hair shake.

"Definitely," Lupin agreed though a small frown was seen on his scarred face.

"Now now Remus," she grinned cheekily at her colleague. "Celebrate a little why don't you? My house has won after all!"

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Students were eating their food even though it was way past lunchtime. The reason was that all of them had abandoned their plates and had rushed to the stadium as soon as they heard Katie's announcement.

"The match was really wonderful," Cedric smiled as he ate sausages.

"It was," agreed Ophelia. "Though it would've been a lot better if we'd won".

"Too bad you didn't get pretty boy on your team then," said Ken as he took a seat next to her with Theo sitting next to Cedric.

"Cho's not that bad," Ophelia muttered. "It's just that Harry's a lot better".

"Of course he's better! He's my boy after all," said James with a fond and proud smile.

"Doesn't mean she isn't good," Lily muttered sternly.

"I never said she wasn't good. I simply stated the fact that my Prongslette is better," he smirked.

"Yeah, Potter's good," Theo nodded.

"What are you planning to do next?" Cedric inquired as he set down his fork and drank some water.

"Get out of this uniform," she answered. "Then just hang around doing nothing".

"How about a game of chess?" He suggested looking up at the other two.

"Yes!" Theo grinned eagerly as he was really good at the game.

"Well... Alright," said Ken and pouted a little because he sucked really bad.

"Come on then! What are you waiting for?!" Ophelia exclaimed as she dragged a frowning Ken by his shirt.

After changing into casual clothes, the four met near the black lake and sat down under a tree while drinking cool lemonade.

"Right me and Theo, and you and Ken," said Cedric as he arranged the pieces.

"Absolutely not!" Ophelia disagreed immediately. "I don't want to lose every match".

"Thanks Lia," Ken mumbled though he knew it was the truth. He was really bad at chess and Ophelia was average.

"Then you and me, Theo and Ken," Cedric laughed at her pouting face that had changed into a look of delight.

"I wanted to be with Theo, but it's fine I accept. You can't always get what you want," she sighed dramatically.

The first game was won by Cedric and Ophelia, it had been quite a close match.

"You dumb fuck," Theo growled in annoyance at Ken who had a hand slapped over his forehead and was laid down on his back as though on the verge of death.

"That was exactly the move they needed to win!" He frowned and rolled his eyes when his partner muttered a small "Sorry".

"Aww don't scold wittle Kenny," Ophelia cooed in a high-pitched voice and Cedric snorted.

"Yeah, Theo. Ken here is still a baby, don't scold that poor child," he smirked and pulled Ken's cheeks.

"Shut up!" The Slytherin pouted which only led to more teasing and baby talking.

"Alright! On with the second round now," said Theo as he clapped his hands.

"Let the war.... begin," said Cedric in a low and dramatic voice.

"I'm warning you beforehand, Anderson. Another dumb move and you're out," Theo threatened making Ken gulp.

"No no no," Ophelia groaned as her king was slaughtered after fifteen minutes of intense playing.

"Ha! You lose," Ken teased and poked out his tongue at his best friend.

"You're one to talk, Anderson. It was Theo who did all of the work, you were literally wiping his sweat and holding his drink for him," Cedric reasoned with raised eyebrows.

"I don't hear anything," Ken sang cheerfully and continued to do a little victory dance.

"Look at this bastard," said Theo in disbelief. "Not even thanking me".

"Oh my dear, Theodore Nott. Thank you so much, darling!" Ken whispered tearfully and hugged a rather disgruntled Theo.

"Accio radio!" Ophelia muttered suddenly and watched as the medium-sized box flew towards her and ended up slamming into Ken's back.

"OUCH!" He groaned loudly and almost fell over on the ground.

"Sorry Ken," she apologized though a grin was spreading across her face.

"What have you brought this for?" Theo questioned as he picked up the radio and dusted off the dirt.

"As a model, so we can start our work of creating it," Dorcas rolled her eyes.

"So I can hit you on your head with a nice bang," said Ophelia sarcastically. "It's a fucking radio, Theodore!"

"You've got many records here," said Cedric as he examined each one.

"Of course I have," she smiled proudly. "Choose whichever you like and dance".

"Dance?! I don't dance," Theo whined and started backing away.

"Yes you do," she said sweetly and took hold of his hands as 'Moonage Daydream' started playing.

"For Godric's sake don't be so stiff!" Ophelia exclaimed and laughed a little at his tense posture.

"I'm trying," he grumbled and tried to loosen himself up and dance as smoothly as the girl opposite to him was moving.

"You're from a pure-blooded family, Nott. Haven't got enough ballroom practices have you?" Cedric asked and twirled around a smiling Ken.

"More than enough, I just suck at this," Theo frowned as he almost tripped.

"A disgrace to pure-bloods you are Nott," smirked Regulus.

It was only Lily Evans who understood the actual meaning behind his sentence, whereas the others were all clueless.

"This is exactly why you are my favorite, Evans," Regulus sighed. "My puns are wasted on those dim-wits".

The four continued dancing and laughed hysterically at Theo's terrible skills. He had improved but only by a really small amount.

The next song that started playing was 'Killer Queen' leading to Ophelia and Ken eagerly jumping back up from their resting position.

"Yes yes yes! Get up Dorky and dance!" James screamed.


"Come on, Anderson! Let's show these wimps the true art of waltzing," she grinned and accepted the hand he had extended towards her.

Cedric and Theo watched as the two performed a perfect duet dance, both moving so gracefully that it was a  beautiful sight.

But that slow movement vanished away as the chorus neared and instead they both took on a fast jumping motion.

"SHE'S A KILLER QUEEN! GUN-POWDER AND GELATINE-"

"-DYNAMITE WITH A LASER BEAM!"
They screamed out loud and matched their steps to the tempo.


The two were panting heavily after the end of the song. Their faces red from dancing so much and a small layer of sweat on their necks.

"That was fun," Ken whispered in between heavy breaths.

"It's your turn now," Ophelia sighed heavily and leaned against the tree.

"Put on a slower song, we don't want to break our necks," Cedric requested.

But upon hearing the song chosen by his annoying best friend, the brown-haired boy turned to give her an exasperated look.

"Interesting choice," Regulus smirked.

"This really?!" He groaned but held out his hands for Theo to accept anyways.


"Which is this son- Oh," Theo mumbled as the lyrics started.

You're just too good to be true,
Can't take my eyes off of you.

"You wanted a slow one, this is the only one I have," Ophelia shrugged with a small smirk.

They had spent several more minutes dancing and screaming to the beautiful songs and it was almost evening when they stopped.


"We've got a party to attend," Ken reminded them, sitting up with his back against the tree trunk.

"Yeah," Ophelia mumbled. She had her head resting in his lap and was making something with small flowers.

"Why are they so cute together?!" Dorcas exclaimed.

"Let's stay here for sometime," Theo sighed from his place to the right of Ken.


"Alright," agreed Cedric and turned around onto his back as he laid down on the soft grass.

The sun was almost setting, creating a beautiful orange and red mixture in the sky. It's blazing yellow rays were slowly fading away as it started to sink low and low.

"Aha!" Ophelia grinned as she held her now complete flower tiara in her hands.

"That's nice," said Ken with an impressed look as he continued to gently run his fingers through her caramel-brown locks.

"It's for you," she chuckled as his smile faded a little.

"Ooh Lilypad you remember when you helped Moonfoot in making a tiara when she was three?" James asked.

"Yeah," Lily nodded and chuckled. "She didn't wear it herself but instead put it on Remus' head. She looked so happy when she saw him wearing that".

"She was so adorable. Smiling non-stop and continuously giggling," he laughed fondly.

"I'm not wearing that!" He exclaimed and pushed her off his lap.

"Yes you are!" She retorted back. She said, "Geminio!" And there were two more similar tiaras now.

The boys all shared an apprehensive glance but they all grudgingly agreed and bent their heads down for her to put it on.

Ophelia clapped her hands in delight as she looked at them wearing her hand-made tiaras. "You all look pretty".

The other three, though not wanting to wear the crown in the slightest let out a fond gaze at her happy face. The innocent and pure joy in her eyes once she saw them wearing her creation was enough for the boys to smile and lightly shake their heads due to the unfathomable adoration they held for this beautiful girl.

The unbelievable amount of love present in their hearts for Ophelia Black was really something else.

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"Where the hell where you?" Katie hissed once Ophelia had climbed up the stairs to her dormitory.

"Sorry I was hanging out," she apologized and quickly went over to help her get ready.

"You go and get yourself ready first," Katie instructed.

"What should I wear? I only have that one dress and I wore it once already and now I don't have anything-"

Ophelia's rambling was cut off when a gorgeous dress was held in front of her by Angelina.

"They're seriously the best," Marlene gasped in awe.

"You mean siriusly best?" James questioned with a troublemaker grin.

But the poor boy had only an exasperated sigh as a warning before he was thrown off the couch.

She was speechless as she admired it, "That's so beautiful".

"Yeah and it's for you," Alicia smiled as she applied a faint blush on her cheeks.

"For me?" She questioned and it was evident she didn't believe them one bit.

"Yes for you Black," Mary snickered as she pulled the curtains of her bed aside. "Atleast you'll good look and maybe the boys will overlook the fact that you're a murderer's daughter".

"Someone hold me back before I commit murder," Dorcas growled. "Or on second thought, don't".

Ophelia rolled her eyes and just sent a sweet smile towards her.

"You better shut it, Collins," Katie grumbled and was on the verge of taking out her wand.

"Leave her be Kate," Ophelia whispered and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah that useless shit's just really jealous," said Alicia with a little snort.

"Watch what you're saying, Spinnet!" Said Mary with narrowed eyes. "Or there'll be a lot to pay".

Ophelia turned towards her, jaw clenched but a resting expression on her face, "Well lucky for you darling, I come from a really really rich family. So don't you worry your head about the pay eh? I like them expensive anyway," she whispered with a smirk.

"Damn Ophelia sass master, drama queen, Lupin-Black," Marlene gushed.

Mary's face contorted into a look of absolute rage and it seemed as though she wanted to say something, but closed her mouth. She shot a nasty glare to the rest and left the dorm.

"What a bitch," Katie huffed and watched her disappear in the half-crowded common room.

"We'd better get ready," Angelina muttered. "Don't want to ruin our time because of some asshole".

Ophelia nodded and drew the curtains around her bed to change. She put on the simple but elegant dress that stopped just above her knees.

"How's this?" She asked, stepping out and smoothing the area over her hips and stomach.

"It's unfair to the rest of us for you to be this gorgeous you know?" Alicia let out a small laugh.

"She's breathtaking," Lily uttered the line that Marlene was just about to say.

"Oh shut it, y'all are a whole damn meal," Ophelia smiled.

"Shall we go then?" She asked making the two nod.

"Let's go and conquer them all then," Angelina laughed. "Kate you okay?" She furrowed her eyebrows.

Ophelia turned to look at Katie who was still staring at her dress, her eyes slightly wide, mouth a little open and cheeks faintly flushed.

"I see you, Katie. I see you," Lily laughed teasingly.

"Kate!" She called making the dazed girl jump a little as she snapped out of her frozen state.

"Galleon for your thoughts?" The caramel-haired girl smiled gently, her already knowing what was going on in her friend's mind.

"Nah," Katie snorted though it had some type of strange bitterness. "My thoughts are too pathetic and worthless for a galleon. We're getting late, come on".

Ophelia sighed at her behavior, her vowing to properly talk to Katie about this whole thing.

The four girls walked down the staircase and were not surprised to find the common room empty.

They walked to the Ravenclaw common room where a prefect was standing outside. He answered the riddle on their behalf and welcomed them inside.

"Thank you," Angelina smiled at him making the boy flush.

"My pleasure," he stammered a little and gestured with his hand for them to enter the room.

The girls walked in side by side and almost immediately the students stared at them as they stepped in. Boys were subtly stealing glances while the girls on the other hand were shamelessly checking them out.

"Hello ladies," Fred, Lee and George chorused together and walked closer.

"Damn boys," Lily whistled just to annoy James and it worked instantaneously.

James Potter stared at his wife in disbelief before letting out a huff.

"Hey," Katie smiled. "Ah you've all cleaned up nicely haven't you?"

"We always clean up nicely. You've just noticed it," Lee smirked and smoothed out his shirt.

Though Ophelia always teased them about having average looks, she had to admit the three looked really good.

Fred Weasley had worn black pants as well and had set it off with a nice crimson colored silk shirt. Many girls were eyeing him quite hopefully

Lee Jordan was wearing a black shirt with a matching waistcoat on top and had black trousers on. His dark hair was pulled back in a small ponytail.

And lastly George Weasley had put on a plain white shirt that was tucked into his dark blue jeans. His tie that a was similar shade to his pants was knotted loosely around his neck.

All three boys had their sleeves rolled up till their elbows, had a few top buttons unbuttoned and were all grinning with mischievous smirks. So to conclude, they were a rather wonderful sight.

Fred and Lee had whisked away the others for some dancing but Ophelia had declined, saying she needed a few drinks for warm-up.

"You look really beautiful," said George who had also decided to stay with her.

"Oh my oh my," Dorcas squealed.

"Thanks," she smiled shyly and stared at the floor for a few seconds before looking up to see his gaze already set on her.

"You're looking particularly handsome too I must say," she laughed a little at his bashful grin.

"It's a nice dress," he complimented and looked at the fabric up and down. "Suits you well".

"Smooth Weasley, just continue telling her all these things and she'd be head over heels in no time," Lily smiled.

"What's the hurry? She's still too young for boys," Regulus frowned.

"Exactly! She's free to date when she's sevente- no eighte- no. Twenty one," James nodded firmly.

The girls just sighed and shook their heads at the pair's unbelievable protective nature.

"Godric help her," Lily groaned. "It's lucky you two are dead".

But then Dorcas' eyes widened, "Evans.. Did you forget about Sirius Black and Remus Lupin?"

"Oh Merlin," she muttered, already dreading the inevitable protectiveness that was to come.

"Why thank you," she chuckled in between some sips of Firewhisky. "You're giving some unexpectedly nice feedbacks tonight huh?"

He just shrugged though his lips were stretching into a big smile. "One more?" He inquired and pointed at her empty glass.

"Yes please," she nodded and he refilled both of their glasses once again.

Ophelia raised it to her lips and took a small sip, loving the way her throat itched and burned ever so slightly.

She surveyed the room and saw Alicia dancing with her boyfriend, Angelina singing along happily with Lee, and Katie slowly waltzing with Fred.

"Care to dance m'lady?" Asked George as he held out a hand for her to accept.

"Hell yes!" Dorcas yelled in excitement.

She smiled fondly at his antics and placed her palm on his, him leading them to a less-crowded corner.

As though even the radio was waiting for the dance, the song changed to another one with a slow tempo that was perfect for the two.

George gently placed his left hand on her waist while his other was intertwined with Ophelia's left. Her palm resting on his shoulder and they moved around slowly.

"They look so perfect," Lily sighed. Happy for her goddaughter, but sad at the same time because all she wanted was for her and Ophelia to have a gossip conversation.

She used to imagine it all the time. Just waiting for her to grow up so they can talk about crushes and all, like a mother and daughter.

He was really handsome, she thought to herself.

George's hair was not styled like his brother's but was kept messy. It was perfect in it's own way. His face was had an orange glow due to the dim lights spread across the common room. His chocolate-brown eyes too reflected the light, turning them into a shade of melted caramel. His lips held a soft, classic smile as he looked at her.

She was so beautiful, he whispered in his mind.

Ophelia's sandy-brown hair was tied at the back of her head in a small rose shape. Her dress, though simple was really gorgeous according to him. It was a plain black with some details here and there. She wasn't wearing heavy makeup, just a faint lipstick, some blush and thin eye-liner around her mischievous grey eyes.

The two were swaying around softly and they held onto each other. Their movements weren't too precise, but it was the perfect amount of mess and grace.

"Sorry to interrupt Weasley," said Ken as he walked towards the pair. "Mind if I steal her for a moment?" He asked.

"Noo go away, Ken!" Marlene frowned.

"Of course," George smiled and let go of her hand, releasing his hold on her waist.

"See ya later, George!" She called out to him and he shot her a grin.

Ken quite literally dragged her towards the drinks table where Theo and Cedric were sipping drinks.

"Hello there boys," Ophelia greeted cheerfully as she took a seat on the high-stool next to Cedric.

"Hey beautiful human," Theo smiled and passed her a shots glass filled to the brim with dark, amber liquid.

"I've already downed three glasses," she laughed and emptied another one.

"It's nice isn't it?" Cedric sighed and leaned back against the counter while his eyes scanned the room.

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Only two more years and this is will all be gone," added Ken as his lips turned downwards.

"Thanks for the reminder," she frowned deeply.

"I've only got one year left," said Theo as he refilled his drink.

"Don't worry, this year was really good. We'll definitely have a blast next term," Ken grinned.

"We're not going anywhere right?" They heard Ophelia mumble.

Ken glanced at the other two with a confused expression, "What do you mean, Star?"

"We'll stay together won't we?" She questioned and looked each boy right in the eye as she spoke. "Even after school I mean, we wouldn't fall apart?"

"Oh no, my skin is tingling," Marlene muttered and rubbed her arm. "Something bad is going to happen".

"Hey," Theo said softly as he took her hand and enveloped it with his. "We're not leaving you, okay? Never".

"Promise?" She asked desperately, eyes filled with uncertainty and doubt.

The three once again shared a glance at her strange behavior but they all grinned, "Promise".

"We're going to stay together," said Ken with a firm tone.

"Together," she smiled.

"Together," they nodded.

Their sort of emotional ending was cut short because of Fred running towards her, his expression filled with urgency.

"What happened?" Ophelia asked as he grabbed her hand and was weaving through the crowd.

"It's Katie," he muttered. "She's acting strange".

They spotted Katie whose head was buried into George's chest as he held her close. Her shoulders were shaking and Ophelia frowned.

"Kate?" She whispered and gently pulled the girl away. Her heart clenched as she took in Katie's broken face, slightly swollen eyes and red nose.

"Poor girl... What happened to her?" James fretted, not happy at all.

"Come on, we'll go to our room," she smiled and wrapped her arm around the trembling girl as she guided them back.

Thankfully they didn't meet any teachers and students as it was past curfew. The two girls slowly climbed up and Ophelia placed her on the bed and sat next to her. Before she even had the chance to ask her, Katie had silent tears rolling down her cheeks and was shaking really bad.

"Hey love, shush," said Ophelia as she rubbed Katie's back. "What happened?"

"W- Why am I s- so strange?" Katie stammered out and breathed heavily to steady herself her uneven speech and irregular breathing.

"Why do you say that?" Ophelia asked and straightened up to listen carefully.

"I'm so fucking strange," she said again but this time her voice had toned down to a whisper. "I like girls," she stated bluntly and rather abruptly too.

"Awhh darling that's completely okay!" Dorcas cheered.

"It's fucking great. I mean look at me, a raging lesbian," smirked Marlene and sassily flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Ophelia's tense posture immediately relaxed and she let out a small laugh, "God I was so worried there".

"What do you mean?" Katie asked, her voice slurring. "You should be worried. What girl likes other girls over boys?"

"I do," she answered with a smile.

"Yess our bi queen!" Lily laughed loudly.

"Y- You what?"

"Yeah I do, I like both girls and boys. There's nothing wrong with that".

"But I feel.. So different when I compare myself to other girl. I feel ashamed of myself in some way," Katie confessed and fiddled with her fingers.

"Now you listen to me, Katie Catherine Bell," Ophelia instructed sternly.

"There is nothing, and I repeat nothing wrong with who you fall in love. It's not something that's in our hands. There are many girls that like fellow girls and many boys that fancy other boys too. That's just how it is, that's just what they want, that's just what they feel. We can't do anything, we don't have to change anything because feeling that way is not wrong. It's just the way we are. I assure you, love, there's nothing strange going on with you just because you don't like boys but prefer girls. It is completely and totally alright! Okay? Now don't you dare call yourself different or obnoxious once more because I'd be forced to punch you then and there".

Katie had listened to every word that was said, at the end she looked at Ophelia with the most grateful and thankful look ever seen.

"Thank you," she mumbled and wrapped her awesome best friend in a hug.

"Anytime," Ophelia smiled. "And I get you, sometimes girls are a better choice," she winked making the other laugh loudly.

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'Three Thousand'.

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Hello!! Here I am back with another chapter!! This was again a fun/filler chp.

The confrontation will definitely happen in the next one, and in 1-2 chps we'll be done with POA!!!

Thank you for reading!
Let's hit 2k asap!






















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