I've Just Seen a Face →Kat←

[Katie]

The din of the Great Hall was a of normal decibel, seeing as how it was the regular time for lunch. Friends were sitting, talking enthusiatically with their friends, and looking altogether happy. Most people were at Hogwarts. The lunch was, of course, delicious as always. The House Elves did amazing jobs making the meals, and James almost felt bad for taking advantage of their cooking when he went to visit in the kitchens. Of course, he would always feel bad when his Aunt Hermione would chastize him about the way he treated them.

James sat, just finishing a sandwich and talking with his friends that sat all around him. It was a pretty normal day. James had gone to all of his classes-well, mostly all of them. He didn't really count Divination as a class, per se. He thought of it more as an hour to do absolutely nothing. Of course, if Professor Black knew that that is what he thought of her class, he'd be in a bit of trouble.

Just as James was done laughing at something funny his friend did, he spared a glance towards the Hufflepuff table and then at the doors to the Great Hall. To the unsuspecting eye, James would look like he had just grown a little bored and was daydreaming as he looked around. But in reality, James was looking for someone. A certain someone...

[Katherine Finnigan]

Double Defense with the Slytherins was something that Katherine Finnigan could certainly do without on some days. This was one of those days. It wasn't that she hated the subject or that she was anti-Slytherins but when the two things were mixed, it was usually a pretty good recipe for disaster. As stated before, today just happened to be one of those disastrous days. For that reason, Kat found herself walking into the Great Hall much later than a brunt of the students of Hogwarts. As she wandered in, she found her regular seat toward the centre of the Hufflepuff table.

Once seated, Kat was greeted with a tonne of questions about where she was, why she hadn't been there earlier and what she was up to. To all of them, she merely responded: "In hospital." It was the simple truth. Though it hadn't been something drastic, she'd needed to be carted out of class nearly half way through so that her right ankle up to her knee could be repaired properly. Oh the joys of being paired with a bitter seventh year Slytherin boy who wanted nothing more than to show off for a group of giggling Slytherin girls by nearly putting a Hufflepuff out of commission.

One of her fellow seventh years started to tell her tale so Katherine decided to pick up a piece of fruit and at least make the most of her lunch. Instead of listening to the events, she took to glancing around the Great Hall and eating her apple. Every so often, between bites, she reached for her glass of water and took a drink. Even with a free period for revision to follow lunch, she probably wasn't in the best of humours. She sighed softly to herself and picked up a second piece of fruit before grabbing her bag and opting to head off for the library early.

[Katie]

James had finished looking around the hallway, figuring that she was late or wasn't coming to lunch. He played with his fork, moving it in between two fingers constantly, looking utterly bored. One of his friends that he had known since 1st year was talking animatedly to another one of his friends, using his hands and body to describe a story that, as far as James could tell, had someone falling down a flight of stairs. James grinned as he tuned his ears in to hear what they were saying.

"...and then I stuck my foot out like this-" his friend made a motion of sticking his foot straight out. "-and then he fell flat on his bloody Slytherin face!" Everyone around him roared with laughter at the expense of a Slytherin that had, no doubt, done something to the one that tripped him. James chuckled a little and grinned, happy that his friend had gotten revenge.

Still grinning, James, who had grown tired of playing with his fork, made another search around the Great Hall. Then he spotted her and his heart started to beat really fast and then slowed down as he remembered something. He swiftly picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and made his way over to the girl before she had a chance to get away from him.

"Kat!" James called, making sure to smile as she turned around to face him. He took a few more steps toward her so he was right in front of her. "Hey, Kat." James said her name again. He tried to will his heart to stop beating so fast, knowing that it wasn't going to help him in this situation.

[Katherine Finnigan]

Adjusting her bookbag over her left shoulder and carefully tucking the pear into an outside pocket, Katherine slowly rose from her seat at the table. One or two people questioned where she was going and why she hadn't stayed at lunch longer but it was simple enough to ward off their interrogations with one word: "Revision." Everyone knew what that singe word meant...especially if they were in fifth, sixth or seventh year. It was one thing to revise for regular school exams but quite another to know the necessity for revison with Ministry administered exams like the O.W.L exams for fifth year students and the N.E.W.T exams given to all seventh year Hogwarts students. Grueling really.

Once more, Kat shifted the bag full of books so that the strap was rested comfortably over her left shoulder. Since she'd been told to take care with how much weight she put on her right side, due to the injury, she was sure that the bag was being carried on her left...just to be safe. With a final nod at her fellow Hufflepuffs, the dark haired Finnigan girl started for the door. Nearly half way there, though, she heard someone calling after her.

The voice. It was a voice she recognized better than she'd even admit. Turning slightly, she found herself faced with a smilig James Sirius Potter. Well isn't this something? she thought to herself. Katherine could feel herself getting a little nervous with him standing directly in front of her but there was no use in letting this show. It'd only make her look like a complete fool right there in front of half the school. Instead, she swallowed her nerves and casually replied with a soft, simple, "Hey James."

[Katie]

"Uh, hey." He said again. Damnit James! Stop saying hey! He thought to himself. Really, his nerves shouldn't be this bad. He was a Potter! The son of THE Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived's son. And plus, he had never had any real trouble talking to girls before. They usually just came to him, and he would flirt them up, and maybe go out with them once or twice. How come it was so different with this girl? Well that's an easy one...

He ran his fingers through his hair, making it messier than before. It seemed like James had become stupid in the length of one minute, making him lose the ability to say any other words but 'hey'. In reality, he was just buying time. So, he decided to start the conversation out with a bit of small talk. 'What's up?" He asked her, keeping the octave of his voice down as best he could, seeing as how nervous he was. "Did you go out on the pitch today? The weather was excellent." The WEATHER?! James groaned inwardly, realizing how pathetic he must seem.

James mouth seemed to like to betray him a lot. Either that or his brain did. Before Kat had any time to answer both of the questions, James blurted out, "I have to ask you something!" He willed himself to not run away, and groaned inwardly again. If Remus ever caught wind of how this conversation had gone, he would never stop ragging on James about it.

[Katherine Finnigan]

Things felt a little more...they felt...awkward? She couldn't quite place if it was just her imagination or if things really were a way more awkward and uncomfortable than they'd been the last time the two had talked. Even he seemed to be at a loss for words for a couple of moments. Lifting her right hand, Kat absentmindedly ran her fingers along the strap of her bookbag. The silence was a little uncomfortable but she didn't know what to say. Then again, she also didn't want to just blurt something out since he was the one who'd stopped her. What if he had something important to tell her and she just happened to interrupt? No, she couldn't do that.

Glancing down at the toes of her shoes, Katherine waited a second or two more in complete silence. The longer they stood there, the more she started to feel as though others were watching them. If anything, it would only wind up getting her into more trouble. Sure she fancied him a bit but no boy really seemed worth getting into fights over...especially if he wasn't even interested in her. Glancing up again when he spoke, she gave a nervous smile and quietly replied, "I'm just - uh...heading off to do some revision. And -"

Before she could get out any other words out, she was cut off by James randomly blurting out that he needed to ask her something. If she hadn't been curious enough before about why he'd stopped her, she certainly was now. Her fingertips fumbling with the strap to her bag, Katherine found herself looking directly at his face rather than at the floor or over his shoulder. She stood there a second, as if expecting him to just out with his question, but finally urged, in a light tone, "Yes...?"

[Katie]

The awkward, tense, and completely uncomfortable feeling between them only increased as the silence did. He didn't mean for this to happen. Usually he was so suave and loquacious, knowing exactly what to say to make the girl blush, giggle, kiss him on the cheek, or just flat out on the lips. But no. No, it couldn't be tht easy with the girl he actually liked. No, no, no. He was to be embarrassed every time he talked to this lovely girl and completely make a fool out of himself. Damnit.

James grimaced shortly after interrupting the poor girl from what she said and almost felt like burying his face in his hands and running away. All he could do was nod and try not to think about how utterly pathetic he must seem to her. He could feel the eyes of a bunch of people's eyes burning on the back of his neck, which, if you could believe it, actually made James blush he was so embarrassed. That's right. James Sirius Potter was blushing. He rubbed the back of his neck during another one of their uncomfortable silences.

"Uh..." he started to say. He was now mimicking what GIRLS did when they talked to him. He was looking down at his feet. "Um...well you know, we've known each other for a bit now...and i've seen you looking and so has my friend..." He said, noticing how it sounded. Oh God. He thought to himself. She's gonna get the wrong impression! Might as well get this over with. "Um, so I was wondering if you'd like to go out on a date...with Remus. The words burned him from the inside out. Remus had asked him earlier if he would ask Kat out for him because Remus was completely oblivious to the faact that James liked Kat. James, being the nice, caring kid he is, obliged for his friend.

[Katherine Finnigan]

It was just uncomfortable as Katherine stood there with James in front of her in complete silence. She didn't know what else to say to encourage him on to ask whatever it was that he needed to ask. Oddly enough, she sort of felt worse for him than she did for herself considering he was actually noticeably blushing. It wasn't blatantly obvious for all to see but she could tell he was anyway. Though she couldn't really fathom why he'd be blushing or embarrassed for any reason at all, Katherine decided to simply keep quiet so that he could gather his thoughts. It was, after all, only fair.

As insane as it might have seemed, Katherine was finding his bashful and nervous side slightly cute. Considering she'd only ever seen him as the epitome of calm, cool and collected...especially with girls, it just seemed different that he was quite tense and looking at his feet. Each word that finally came out of his mouth almost made her want to smile even more. From the sounds of it...well, she couldn't exactly pinpoint what he was trying to get at but she was starting to feel a little more nervous now as well. She even blushed a little when he stated that he and his friend as 'seen' her 'looking.' Then, as if her every ounce of anticipation was suddenly crushed, he asked if she would go out with Remus.

Repeating the words over in her head, she tried to gather what in Merlin's name had just happened. It wasn't as though she disliked Remus or anything but he was just...well, to put it bluntly, a player. It made no sense at all for James to be asking her out for Remus and she was having a very difficult time believing this. Finally coming to the conclusion that she must seem like an idiot for standing there silently, Katherine looked down at her hands and shrugged as she responded, "Yeh...sure..." She was a little intrigued at the prospect of going out somewhere with one of the most popular boys in Hogwarts but she was also disappointed that he hadn't even cared to ask her himself.

[Katie]

Not only was James's face burning and completely red, but so were his insides. He couldn't believe what he had just done. Damn Remus. The girl HE had a crush on was going out with his best friend. Is that even legal? He kept looking down at his feet, making sure not to make eye contact with Kat while they sat through even MORE uncomfortable silences. Could this get anymore awkward? James shifted his weight onto his other foot and watched his shoes. Stupid. Remus.

Just as James was thinking of ways that this could get worse, she said it: "Yeh...sure..." She AGREED?! So she did like Remus. This is just great. James ran his hands through his hair, messing it up a little, and not even caring to try and flatten. Well this conversation sucks. James was starting to feel worse by the second and wished he could come up with a witty comment to say but he was drawing blanks. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

"Uh...good then." He said to her response to his question. He tried to make it sound cool and calm but it came out sort of squeaky. More silence passed while James was trying to figure out his next move. Finally, he looked up at Kat, noticing how pretty she looked. "Right. Well, I'll just be going...now. Remus will probably owl you or something for the date He made to turn around but then caught her eye again. "Um...see you later." He turned around and started to walk away, feeling worse than he ever had before.

[Katherine Finnigan]

Kat wasn't even sure why she'd agreed really after hoping that it had been Potter asking for himself but the words were out and she certainly wouldn't go back on them. At least, she thought, At least now I'm sure he's got no interest anyway. As much as she wanted to sigh, she simply wrote off the mere idea and stood there in complete and total silence. Actually, she sort of wanted to go scold Evie for even putting such silly ideas into her head. Turning her face to the floor, she closed her eyes for a brief second or two to rethink why she'd even said yes. It wasn't like Black fancied her anyway. She was probably just another tally on his scorecard.

The more Kat thought about it, the more annoyed she was with herself. Second guessing and questioning herself were two things that she was a professional in. Then, she also found that she was annoyed with Evie, Potter, Black AND that ruddy Slytherin that had practically ruined her day. In fact, Katherine was starting to wonder if today could possibly get any worse. Of course it could! She had hours of revision to look forward to. Mentally groaning, she finally glanced back up to see that James was still standing there.

As much as she wanted to go mental on him for doing Black's dirty work, she still felt bad about how awkward things were going. Even with his question out, it felt sort of as if he was nervous or uncomfortable or something. Almost as though she'd forgotten how irritated she was or how awkward she usually was around James, she found herself actually walking to catch up with him as he walked away. "Hey...wait up a sec," she said, actually putting her hand on his shoulder but revoking it quickly once she'd realized what she'd done, "Um...d'you...um...would you like to go for a fly or something? I mean...just sort of...I'm probably wrong or whatever...but it seems like you're not having the best day or something...and flying usually helps. It does me anyway..."

[Katie]

In the few steps he had taken towards the huge doors of the Great Hall, the one thing that stayed in his mind was what the HELL was he doing?! He just asked KATHERINE FINNIGAN to go out with REMUS-JAMES! He ran his hands through his hair and then rubbed his eyes, all the while shaking his head. Why was he so stupid? Cause I just have to be the effing nice guy all the time.

It hadn't been more than a few minutes when he heard her voice calling out to him. Oh, God she's gonna make it worse for me than this already is! He stopped in his tracks and just rubbed his face again. He was already completely hurt at what he had to do, and was quite embarrassed because of the way he made it sound before he actually got the question out. There's most likely no way that I'll EVER have a chance with her now.

"Um...d'you...um...would you like to go for a fly or something?
He sighed inwardly and turned around to face her. His heart was screaming YES! YES GO WITH HER! but he knew that if he did, it might make Remus mad. "Kat...you have no idea how much I would love to go and fly with you, because I do that too to cool off...but I think I'm gonna have to give you a raincheck. And again with the words that made him sick. "I mean, you just agreed to go out on a date with Remus and that might not bode well for me if I go and, you know, hang out with you...right now." He patted her on the shoulder, almost hoping with that one sign she would know how he felt about her, and then said, "So...I'm just gonna go now...

[Katherine Finnigan]

Frowning in disappointment, Katherine pretty much mentally slapped herself for even taking that little chance only to be rejected anyway. She hated this feeling. In fact, she hated it so much that she simply wanted to disappear off the face of the earth. Perhaps taking a trip to the Bermuda Triangle over holiday was just what she needed. At least then she wouldn't be faced with being a complete and utter fool or having days like this. Oh how she hated herself right now!

Kat nodded, a disheartened expression on her face, and replied, "Alright then. Wouldn't want you getting into trouble with your friend or anything. Guess I'll...I dunno...see you around or something." Instead of letting him walk away, Katherine hurried off such that she wasn't standing there looking like an idiot. She felt like enough of one as it was so to have the rest of the school laughing at her for being so pathetic was just something she didn't think she could stand.

Insead of heading to the library for her revision, she ran down the staircase to the basement to hide in her dorm. With the rest of her fellow Hufflepuffs at lunch, she could lock the door for an hour or two to be left in silence. After muttering the password, she scurried inside and ultimately threw herself down on her bed face down. "Damn it all to effing hell! What the bloody hell were you freaking thinking Finnigan!? You right bloody idiot!" she grumbled into her pillow, hoping beyond hope to at least suffocate the feelings and thoughts coursing through her