the one | h. potter

26. katie

Harry and I spend almost the whole weekend together, except for my Saturday morning visit with my dad and Harry's Sunday dinner with the Weasleys. He invited me to come, but I thought it was a bit too early to introduce myself to his family.

When I walk into the office on Monday morning, I find Harry setting another cup of tea on my desk, this time accompanied by a pastry.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," I say, and Harry turns around, grinning.

"Oh yes I do," he replies, grabbing my hands and pulling me closer to him.

"You don't need to buy me with tea and- ohmygod an almond croissant?"

Harry smirks. "I don't need an excuse to buy my girlfriend tea and croissants."

"I'm your girlfriend now?"

Harry's eyes widen. "I-I mean I thought so? We are going out, and I would like that?"

My lips curl into a slow smile. "I'd like that too."

"Good," he says, and his lips crash to mine.

Harry's definitely done this before, for sure, kissed other girls. The way his lips move against mine, the way his hands cling to my hair and waist, the way he makes all the air disappear from my lungs. He's entirely too good at this, and it just makes me want more.

Harry shifts and starts kissing down my face, up to my jaw, and down my neck, making me shudder.

"We- oh- Harry, we shouldn't," I say.

I feel Harry pout against my neck. "You're probably right, but I don't care."

Harry resumes his kissing. I try (and fail) to push him away, savoring the feel of his lips, his breath against my neck. After a minute, he moves back up to my lips but freezes when he hears the door open.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Katie.

Harry clears his throat before rubbing the back of his neck. "Good morning, Katie."

"Yes, today is a good morning indeed. Liz, wouldn't you agree? It's a great morning, isn't it?"

I grimace and turn around. "Hi... Katie."

"You're a little bitch, aren't you?" Katie jokes. "I knew it! I knew it!" she jumps up and down. "How long now? Ron and I had a bet."

Harry slides his arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him. "Friday," he says.

Katie grins. Ron chooses that exact moment to walk in and looks gobsmacked as Katie turns on him.

"You owe me five galleons!" Katie declares.

Ron sputters. "What for?"

"I just caught these two," Katie points back at us, "snogging in the workplace!"

"Well then, congratulations Harry! You finally did it!"

I look over and see Harry's ears turn bright red. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Katie stomp on over to me, and she grabs my arm.

"We're gonna talk, right now," she whispers in my ear, pulling us over to our side of the room. She sits me down in my chair and drags hers over so it's right across from mine. The boys are still looking at us, but she sends them a glare and they stalk back to their desks.

Once they sit down and start working, Katie casts a charm around us so they can't hear what we say. She studies me for a bit until I interrupt.

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what?' Liz, we're supposed to be best friends! But now, you're a whole different person. You need to tell me things! It's like I barely know you anymore!"

"I know, I know, you're right."

"Liz," she says, studying me for a moment longer. "You're not telling me something. You're not the same person you were before the war."

She must notice me tense up because her face scrunches up in sadness. "Liz, if this is because of your dad-"

"Katie," I choke out. "It's not. And I promise you, I'll tell you in due time, but not yet."

"What happened?"

"I can't tell you."

"But you can tell Harry Potter? Someone you've only known for what, two months now?! You've known me for years! Liz, six years!"

"Katie, it's not like that-"

"So you told him?"

I freeze. Katie has always been able to get things out of me, and now she'll be downright pissed. I know I'd be.

"Katie... I didn't tell him, he found out!"

"What's your secret, Liz?"

"Katie..."

"Liz..." Katie says, her voice soft. "What happened to you?"

Her words surprise me. "What? What do you mean?"

"I know you, and you've been so different... What happened, during this last year? I know you better than anyone, and you've been so... distant."

I sigh. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's that I can't."

Katie sighs. "It's all right."

We sit in silence before Katie speaks up again.

"So, you're dating the chosen one now?"

I purse my lips and smile. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Katie's face bursts into a wide smile. "Well congratu-fucking-lations, sweetie, now you're even bigger of a deal than before."

"You do realize you can't tell anyone, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Only the two most famous eighteen-year-olds in the wizarding world? Of course, I can't tell anyone." Katie sends me a crooked smile.

"Katie..."

"I know, I know. So, tell me. Is he a good kisser?"