Applications {Cooper}

[Cooper Weasley]

Cooper's face fell, and he pouted slightly. "Aw, shoot," he said. "You can't blame a guy for tryin', he added, switching back to his grin. He hoped that Katherine knew he wasn't just being a pig. Like he had already decided, he wasn't going to treat Kat the same as he had his other girlfriends. Coop was determined to do this right. He held the greatest respect for her, and didn't want to lose her respect for him.

Cooper shurgged at her suggestion to take a short cut. "If that's what you want to do love, that's fine." He didn't hear anything, except Katherine's voice. Coop found himself on paying attention to anything aroudn him except her, and her alone. It was like she was the only other perons in the world with him at the moment. That feeling wasn't going to change anytime soon either.

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[Katherine Finnigan]

Giggling a little at Coop's slight pout, Katherine couldn't help shaking her head gently in amusement. Even if he'd had a reputation for being quite the lady's man, she was sure that he'd only been joking about it this time. After all, he'd promised that it wouldn't be like it had been with most of the other girls he dated. Just letting his words from much earlier play over in her head caused Kat to smile quite brightly. This was the sort of thing she'd been waiting for...well, this and her chance at playing professional Quidditch. With a cheeky grin, she jokingly noted, "Oh and it was a nice try at that...but you'll have to try harder next time, mate."

With a slight nod, she replied, "It's exactly what I want really. Can't be interrupting the little grope-fest just down that corridor." Casually, she made a gesture toward where she'd heard the giggles coming from. She was a little surprised that Cooper hadn't mentioned anything about what was surely going on in the corridor. After all, the giggles and sounds were quite audible and obvious. Without commenting on this, she gave him a light pull in the opposite direction and suggested, "C'mon then." Kat knew about an interesting little passageway behind one of the tapestries not too far from where they were which served as a clever shortcut.

[Cooper Weasley]

Cooper smirked. "Is that a challenge?" he asked, sounding intrigued. It was clear to Cooper that his dear Katie was not going to make things like that easy for him. Cooper liked that challenge, considering convincing her to more or less date him was a challenge in itself. He, however, had completed that challenge. Here is where Cooper had to stop his imagination from running off. No, he told himself. The kiss that the pair would undoubtedly share later - well, as Cooper was hoping - it just had to be unexpectedly perfect. Coop wanted to use the element of surprise since Katherine knew him so well. All his normal "moves" could probably be shut down.

Cooper chuckled. Yes, a time or two he'd been the one interrupting - well, disrupting rather - the little snoggers. Sometimes - most of the time, he'd been the one being interrupted. He actually liked getting caught sometimes, if it was for the sole purpose of seeing a look of pure jealously on some bloke's face. Cooper realized that those actions were quite unminister-like. Any thought he ever had of making some guy, or girl, jealous had all but left his mind. Cooper had exactly what he wanted, Katherine.

Coop merely nodded and followed Katherine in the direction she pulled him. "Oh, come on, I know you want to go all Head Girl on them," he teased, nodding his head behind them. Part of Cooper wanted to go back, just to see if maybe the giggling girl would be Elizabeth. I'll kill him, he thought. Coop suddenly remembered his sister hadn't shown up, so it couldn't be. His mind briefly lingered on the idea that it could be Lucy but, he didn't think she would snog in a corridor in some obvious location. He shook the idea away, becoming quite happy with were he was at the moment.

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[Katherine Finnigan]

"Depends on how you take it, Mister Weasley," said Katherine with a light laugh. If Cooper wanted to take it as a challenge and try ever harder to get her off in some secluded area, then so be it but she certainly would not make it easy on him. Then, if he decided to take it as her joking with him, she'd be perfectly content leaving it as such. That was one of those things she didn't think needed all too much time spent dwelling on it. After all, she trusted that Coop wasn't going to try anything that she would be uncomfortable with. They were pretty much best friends to start with, so he would know well enough what not to do. Besides that, she knew him equally well and could find ways around some of his more obvious moves if he tried them.

Katherine had always ended up being the one who had to break up conflicts and snogging sessions. There were times when she took pride in her duties as a prefect and now as Head Girl...but there were others when it was much more trouble than it was worth. Considering tonight was going far too perfect, Kat didn't much feel like ruining it by getting grumbled at for breaking up the little couple. The best way to do that was to avoid them all together. Why not let the kids have a little bit of fun? It would probably all be done and over the next morning anyway. Relationships at Hogwarts more or less always seemed like that...but hers wouldn't; she was sure of that.

Laughing softly, the Hufflepuff girl shook her head in response to his teasing. Lightly, she replied, "Havin' too good of a night for that. Maybe next time Minister." Giving him a wink, she continued down the corridor away from the couple. The giggling sounds were getting softer and softer the further away they got and Kat easily put the nameless, faceless pair out of her mind. Even despite her mild curiosity, the only person who she was concerned with at the time was the person with whom she was currently walking.

[Cooper Weasley]

"Alright, fine. I'll accept the challenge but, I'm gonna win sooner or later," Cooper said, ending in a sing-song voice. He grinned at her, ideas brewing in his head of just how to do so. Coop had to remind himself that it was Katherine that he was with, not some random girl. She was speacial above all others. Their first kiss had to be speacial.

"Oh, alright if you say so, love." Cooper replied, leading them toward a side door. With a smile, he opened the door for her. "Ladies first," he said. The moon light streamed into the open space - reflecting off of Kat. For a second, Cooper got lost in her image. The moonlight surrounded her making her look angelic, and extremely gorgeous. This only made him smile wider, and had him feeling extremely lucky.

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[Katherine Finnigan]

"Later than sooner," she teased with a bright smile. Letting out a soft laugh, she gave the Gryffindor boy an appraising look as he grinned back at her. Katherine had a feeling that he was already working out how he'd win the challenge but she honestly wasn't worried about it. Sure, she was aware that he'd eventually win but there was plenty of time for her to ward off some of his best efforts. Being the competitive sort, a challenge was always plenty of fun and she wouldn't just give in easily.

Allowing Cooper to take the lead once more, Kat continued along beside him with a rather content smile upon her lips. Any sort of detour was a good one as long as she was spending time with him. As he opened the door, she couldn't help laughing lightly and replying, "Still as charming as ever Coop." Passing through the open door, the brunette Hufflepuff paused on the other side and gazed up at the brightly shining moon. It was so much more beautiful than it had been just looking through the owlery window. The way the silvery moonlight bathed the grounds of Hogwarts was a sight unlike any other.

[Cooper Weasley]

Cooper's brown eyes followed Katherine through the door. He stood there a few seconds, still staring at her. His eyes blinked, bringing him back to reality, and Coop joined Katherine's side once more. The door quietly clicked closed. Once again, Cooper took her arm in his. Gently he guided her down the path, the look of extreme delight in his face and eyes.

Cooper hadn't really thought about a certain cousin of his that was pretty much in love with Katherine. It wouldn't be long - he gave it a day or two - before the entire school knew that Cooper Weasley and Katherine Finnigan were now dating. He sighed as James came to mind. The poor guy would be crushed - and probably furious with Coop. Ah, well, he thought. Cooper knew that James had hurt Katherine - even if it wasn't James' fault. He lost his chance, end of story. Besides, Cooper hadn't really expected Katherine to accept his offer of a relationship. In time, Coop knew James could find someone else - he did after all have his own group of fan girls.

Cooper looked at Katherine once more and grinned. "Nice night out," he said to break their silence. Nice night out?! You're ridiculous, he thought to himself. It was only a matter of time before Coop began sputtering out stupid sentences like that. It wasn't that he didn't know what to say - it was just that Katherine was different. Kat meant something to him - she was his best friend, and he loved her. Cooper promised himself and her, that he wasn't going to hurt her - he couldn't do that to her. Maybe it was because he wanted to avoid causing her any sort of pain that he suddenly became lost for words. The normal phrases he would use at times such as these, all seemed stupid and not worthy of her ears to hear.

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[Katherine Finnigan]

As Katherine walked beside Cooper, her mind had begun to wander over some of the best memories she'd had out on these very grounds of Hogwarts. Nearly every single one from her six and a half years here involved either Cooper Weasley or Evelyn Thomas, her two best friends. Kat let the images from her very first proper flying lesson at the school play over in her head for a moment. She could recall, quite vividly, standing about four or five people away from Cooper during that class. Perhaps the bit which she remembered the best were the silly little comments they made back and forth...even despite the students standing between them. The very thought nearly made her giggle quietly but she only just managed to keep it to a bright, cheeky grin.

"Nice night out?" she questioned of his comment, trying to let her own thoughts subside for a moment, "Nervous much Coop?" Gently, Katherine nudged him with her shoulder and offered a reassuring smile. Of course she had no way of telling what exactly was going on inside his head but short comments about the weather and such usually meant someone was nervous or had nothing better to say. If she knew him well enough, which she figured she did, Cooper Weasley always had something clever to say so that couldn't be it.

Rather than let things get too awkward or allow nerves to interfere, Katherine glanced up at the half orb which was surrounded by thousands of glittering stars and asked, "D'you remember our first night here?" The memory hadn't been one which she thought much about in years passed but it had come up more than once since the start of term. With a warm smile, Kat shifted her attention from the sky back to Cooper. "It seems like so long ago, aye? Being an ickle firstie just gettin' off the Express. Nothing could prepare you for that...for the whole boat ride across the lake and then seeing the castle for the very first time," she noted pensively, her chocolate brown eyes still locked on Cooper, "Just think...after this year, we won't be coming back here."

[Cooper Weasley]

Nice night out. Nice night out, Cooper repeated it in his mind, over and over. It was the most stupid line that could ever be used in the history of Hogwarts. Was he loosing it? No - no, he couldn't be. Maybe he was nervous about his application results, nervous about the goodnight kiss he had all planned out. Cooper dug deep down to inwardly yell at himself. No - Cooper Andrew Weasley - you will not be nervous. Just play it cool, he told himself.

Cooper shrugged when Kat questioned his comment. He tossed his head back in a loud chuckle, "Me? Nervous? Just who do you think you're talking to, love?" Cooper grinned at her, thinking he made a pretty good recovery. Extending his grin to his ears, Coop snaked his arm around Katherine's waist, holding her close to him gently.

Cooper watched Katherine curiously as she vocalized her memory. He, too, remembered their very first night at Hogwarts. It saddened him that after this term, there was no coming back. However, there was a better chance for a bright future - his dream job, and of course, having a dream girl. Coop felt he was one for two. It brought his mind momentarily back to his siblings, and then his application which was one it's way the Ministry as they spoke.

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[Katherine Finnigan]

The response Katherine received made it seem blatantly obvious that he hadn't been nervous. Then again, she figured, there wasn't really anything to be nervous about. Neither of them had really ever been all that nervous around each other before, right? Letting out a light laugh, she rolled her eyes and shook her head in a highly amused manner. "Oh yes, how could I possibly forget?" she teased in a very lighthearted tone, "THE Cooper Weasley, future Minister of Magic, never gets nervous. Nerves of steal and as unmovable as Hogwarts castle itself, right?"

Even with his arm around her and the distance between them practically nonexistent, Kat managed to give Cooper a gentle nudge with her arm. It was still hard to believe that things had worked out so perfectly. It was even more strange to think that she was officially going out with one of her absolute best friends. As different as that should have made things, she felt entirely comfortable and at ease. Even with his previous reputation with girls, Katherine Finnigan trusted Cooper and had this odd feeling that this could possibly be it. Of course, there was still plenty of time for them to make even more memories and see how things turned out first.

"Well, at least we can always still visit Hogsmeade for old time's sake whenever the urge strikes..." she mused after a moment, glancing back out over the horizon with a content smile playing on her lips. As much as she knew she'd miss the castle and everything about Hogwarts, Katherine couldn't help feeling as though this would be the next great adventure. Much like the first time she'd stepped foot inside the massive school as a young girl, she would be facing unfamiliar and extraordinary new things as an adult. The best bit about it was that she would still have Cooper there to lean on when times got hard or to share the joys and excitements that her life, or theirs, had to offer.

[Cooper Weasley]

Cooper gave Kathrine a cheesy grin. "Don't forget - buns of steel too," he added with a suggestively tone. His grin simmered down to a smirk. Sometimes, he sounded so stupid to himself. He just couldn't resist saying it. Coop did wonder if maybe Katherine was nervous at all. Deep down, he was a nervous wreck. He wanted this - them - to work out more than anything. There were several obstacles ahead of them. Those are what made him nervous. What would happen to them when he was in the Ministry and she was playing quidditch? Nothing. Everything will remain the same, he assured himself. Things had changed over the past two hours - their relationship had evolved.

Cooper felt a slight nudge in his side. He shook his head and grinned. It only caused him to pull her closer - if that was humanly possible. He slowed their pace - seeing dark casts of figures to their right. It appeared they weren't the only ones outside of a stroll. Cooper wished there had been enough light to see who the two figures were. Giving that notion up, Cooper looked forward again.

"Personally, I can't wait to leave," he said. "I won't have to deal with my sisters, or brother, anymore - er..as often." Cooper knew Katherine would just know that was a lie. As much as Cooper wanted to get the heck out of Hogwarts - he was saddened that he'd no longer be returning. There is a big, bright world out there. Curious as he was to see how everything worked, it would be a step out of the comforting, safe, shell of Hogwarts. "Hm, random visits would be alright," he agreed, nodding his head.

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