The Dark Mark (The Girl Who Lived part II)

Deja Vu

And for a moment, it felt as if the world had stopped moving. Everything, even time, had come to a complete stop. I was the one to speak first. Oliver was speechless. "Why are you here?" "There was a match nearby and I decided to drop by and teach some of the first years a thing or two". "Oliver, why are you really here?" I asked, knowing I wasn't hearing the whole of the truth. "Since the Yule Ball, I haven't been able to forget about you. About us". He dropped Trevor on the ground and grabbed my hands in his and tenderly massaged them. My feelings for him in third and fourth year that I could've sworn that I buried so long ago, came flooding back. "Oliver, I can't...." I trailed off. " Why not? There's nothing from stopping us". 'Oh, but there is'. I thought to myself. "Scarlet, I found him!" Exclaimed Neville who made his way over to the two of us. He arrived with Trevor clutched in his hands who struggled to escape Neville's grip. Neville glanced in between me and Oliver. Half of me wanted to run into his arms and enjoy that feeling of safety I had whenever I was with him. But the other half, the more realistic side, knew that I couldn't leave Harry. Both due to the promise I had made to him, and to my feelings for him, whatever they were.

I came to a decision. It'd just be a whole lot better for everyone, if Oliver was gone. He didn't need to get involved in all this. And adding one more person to the equation would make the situation even messier than it already was. "I already have a boyfriend". I told him. His face remained the same. He obviously thought I was lying to him. "Who?" He asked me. I knew that if I said that it was Harry, he wouldn't believe me in the slightest. He was stubborn like that. Perhaps he could ask around to see if it really was true, but then he'd accuse me of bribing them. I could hear Neville slightly inhale. He was going to tell him. I broke my hands from Oliver's grip and entwined them with Neville's. "It's Neville". I said, simply. Immediately, Neville's hands felt hot. His whole face was a bright pinkish hue, except for his ears, which were scarlet. "Mhmm". Oliver's face was skeptical. It was obvious that he didn't believe me. Even the tone in his voice indicated this. "Well, we must be going. It's almost curfew. Nice seeing you again, Oliver". I said over my shoulder as I pulled Neville along me.

When we reached the common room, a confused Neville pulled me onto the couch. "Scarlet, what was that?" He asked me. "I'm sorry for getting you into this, Neville. It's just that I don't want Oliver to get caught up in all of this. There's no need for him to. And he said that the reason he was here at Hogwarts was because of me. You know Oliver, and how stubborn he is. The only way to get him to leave, is by showing him that there isn't a reason for him to be here". "Alright, I understand. I'll help you in any way that I can". "Wonderful!" I clapped my hands together in amusement much like Mrs. Weasley often did. "So what do you want to do?" He asked me, referring to the situation with Oliver. "Lets go on a date". I said as Neville took a sip of water from his water bottle. His eyes widened when he processed what I said and then did a spit take. "E-excuse me?" "Tomorrow's the trip to Hogsmeade. I'm sure we can convince Oliver that there's something between us". He pinched himself in disbelief. "I know that it's a lot to handle. Thanks for being such a good friend". I said, pecking him on the cheek before heading upstairs to bed.

...................................

".....And so, that's how it happened". I explained everything to Ginny and Luna. Ginny sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs back and forth. Luna was helping Ginny reorganize her clothes. "So let me get this straight, you're going on a date with Neville so Oliver loses hope and leaves, correct?" Luna asked as she folded the clothes and put them in a trunk in which she would then slide underneath Ginny's bed. "Yeah. That's pretty much it". I said. "How could you be confused about such a thing? It's as simple as "one, two, three". What I'm confused about, is why you'd be wearing that on a date". Said Ginny who pointed a finger at my outfit and shook her head in disapproval at my choice of clothing for the day. "I get what you mean". Agreed Luna. "Why, I don't see anything wrong with it?" I asked, as I assessed my outfit. A collared shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. What was so bizarre about it? They were acting as if I had worn an outfit manufactured out of nothing but duct tape and candy wrappers. Ginny dug through her closet. "Take that off. I'll give you something pleasant to wear". She said. "I think I have a cute pair of shoes". Said Luna as she dug through the trunk she had shoved underneath her bed.