Chapter 7

"I still think it's crazy that our DADA professor was literally He-who-shall-not-be-named." Olive shuddered as they packed their picnic basket. Today was Rowans birthday, and they were going to have a picnic. 

"Remember that one time Sage helped Professor Quirrel during class, maybe He-who-shall-not-be-named will feel indebted to you." Jill gasped. "I doubt it." Athena laughed, entering the kitchen. "I wish I could come." Athena frowned.

"Sorry Thea, Rowan doesn't know you that well." Sage shrugged. "But everyone adores me." She frowned. "Sorry, Athena." Olive pouted, hugging the younger girl.

"I wonder who our DADA professor will be next year." Jill put in. "We'll find out soon enough, come on. It's time to go." Olive glanced up at the clock and they hurried outside, getting on their brooms, and waving Athena goodbye as they left for the picnic spot.

"Happy birthday, Rowan!" They got off their brooms at the picnic spot, which was near Sage's house. "Thanks." Rowan grinned as they set their basket down on the picnic blanket. "This is a cute little field." Olive admired the grassy field they sat in.

"This is where Sage and I used to play when we were little." Cedric smiled. "And me." Jill frowned. "Sometimes." Cedric teased. "Who made the scones?" Rowan asked, pulling a container of scones from the basket. "I did." sage smiled. "They're perfect." Rowan blushed, looking down at the scones.

"So how's everyones summer been?" Harper laid back on the blanket with his arms behind his head, staring up at the sky. "Good. Athena was sad she couldn't come." Olive told him. "She could've come." Rowan frowned.

"Really?" Sage asked. "Y-Yeah, really.." His face flashed pink, indulging on the strawberries in an attempt to avoid eye contact. "Gosh, I should've brought her." Sage frowned. "Did you.. Did you want to go get her now?" Rowan kept his eyes on the strawberries. "I'll come.." 

"Oh, sure! Thank you, Rowan." She beamed, getting up and grabbing two broomsticks, passing one to Rowan. "Right." He looked back at Harper, who shot him a thumbs up, and suddenly Sage realised what might be happening. Why is it, she thought to herself, that Harper encourages Rowan, even though he knows she doesn't like him.

"I hope she's not too upset." Sage told Rowan as they flew back to her house. "When we land, I was wondering if I could speak to you before we go back inside?" Rowan interrupted, looking nervous.

Sage paused for a moment. She knew he must be wanting to ask her out, or confess his feelings, and she couldn't handle rejecting him on his birthday. "Okay." She smiled, unable to think of a proper excuse. She had guessed correctly.

When they landed, Sage subtly picked up a pebble, tossing it at Athena's window when Rowan wasn't looking. "So.. I just-"

"Oh, look Athena's already seen us." Sage interrupted, pointing up at Athena's window where she was waving. "Oh.." He waved back at her. "I suppose we can talk later." He smiled, and Athena came outside. 

And for the remainder of the picnic, Sage dodged every attempt Rowan made to get her alone.. Which was a lot.

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"And all the girls are swooning over him." Harper rolled his eyes. "I mean, what do they see in him?" He scoffed. "Don't talk about Gilderoy Lockhart like that." Olive scowled at him. "He's.. Dreamy." She gushed. "You're just jealous." 

"Not you too." Harper shook his head. "You guys don't like him, do you?" Harper turned to Jill and Sage, who both shook their heads. "I personally don't think he did a single thing in those books he wrote, sorry Olive." Sage told them, sending an apologetic look Olive's way.

"I can't believe we're getting him for DADA. It's going to be dreadful." Jill sighed. "Sorry Olive." She also sent an apologetic look Olive's way, seeing as she looked ready to storm out of the compartment.

"Hi Cedric." Cho Chang passed by their compartment, waving at Cedric, who waved back. "Who's that?" Olive asked, glancing quickly over to Sage, then back at Cedric. "Cho Chang." Cedric answered. "She's on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team."

"So she's the enemy, then." Olive glanced over at Sage again. "What- No, she's not the enemy." He laughed. "So you care about her?" Olive looked once more at Sage, who was confused by her friends gestures. "I don't.. What do you mean?" Cedric frowned.

"Do you fancy Cho Chang?" She rolled her eyes. "No- What?" He chuckled. "I just waved at her." He shrugged and Olive glared at him suspiciously. 

"Anyway.. I saw Athena walk straight past Draco and his friends when we boarded, they saw her, but they didn't say a word." Rowan grinned. "He was showing his friends his new wand, and hid it when she walked past." Harper added.

"Brilliant." Sage grinned mischievously. "I'll tell Athena that when she sees it, she should tell him that her sister likes his new wand." She giggled. "That's gold." Harper laughed. "Oh look, we're here." Cedric spoke up, and we looked out the window to see Hogwarts.

"4th year." Jill sighed. "Almost there. Oh, hey. We'll be 15." She smiled. "Not me, I'm already 15." Cedric boasted, he turned 15 in the Summer. "And I'll stay 14 till next Summer." Rowan frowned. "So.. Sage is older than you." Harper grinned. "N-Not that it matters!" Rowan scowled as they left the train.

"My little sister's coming this year." Harper told us as we found ourselves a carriage. "I didn't know you had a sister." Sage gasped. "Yep. Her name's Ophelia. My mother likes Hamlet." He chuckled. "I'd bet money she's a Ravenclaw." He tells them. "She's a genius."

"Well I look forward to meeting her." Sage smiled as they neared the school. "Ophelia? Nah, she'll be a Hufflepuff for sure." Rowan interrupts. "five Galleons." Harper grins. "five galleons." Rowan agrees to the bet. 

"Is that her?" Sage asked, pointing at one of the first years who were lined up for the sorting. "Yes, how'd you know." Harper furrows his brows. "She looks just like you." Sage shrugged. "Oh look, there she goes now."

The small, brown haired girl wanders nervously up to the hat, and the sorting commences. "Ravenclaw!" The hat cries and Rowan groans in defeat. "Pay up." Harper reaches his hand across the table, and Rowan drops five galleons onto his palm. 

----

"Can I come with you while you practise?" Sage follows Cedric out of the school as he makes his way out to the Quidditch pitch, to practise on his own. "Sure." He smiled, linking arms with her. "Maybe I can show you how to play." 

"I know how to play.. Well I know the rules and how it works." Sage told him. "But you don't know how to play." He raised his eyebrows. "Sure, i'll do a little, I guess." She shrugged as they reached the pitch.

"It smells in here." Sage screwed up her nose as they entered the boys locker room, Cedric retrieving two brooms. "I know." He laughed, leading them back outside into the pitch. "So let me see how fast you fly." Cedric takes out the practise snitch, tossing it up, and it speeds off into the air, as if it had a mind of it's own.

"You want me to catch it?" Sage asks. "I thought you said you knew the rules." Cedric laughs. "I do!" She frowns, kicking off and dashing after the snitch. 

"I'm not good at this." Sage groaned ten minutes in, landing back on the ground. "No one's perfect on their first try." Cedric shrugged. "Don't pause when turning, you just have to go with the flow when the snitch changes directions." He advised her.

"Okay." She sighed, getting up off the grass and flying off after the snitch. "That's better!" Cedric cheers from the ground as she follows after the snitch, though she never caught it. "I'll go get it." Cedric told her when Sage landed back on the ground, but she stopped him.

"Can I fly on the back of your broom, see how you do it from your perspective?" Sage asked. "Sure." He smiled. "Hop on." Cedric got on the broom, signalling for Sage to climb on behind.

"Okay, now don't go until I say so." She gets on behind him, and he takes off immediately. "CEDRIC I DIDN'T SAY GO!" She wraps her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his back as he speeds forward. "You have to look!" He laughs, and she raised her head to look ahead, but his shoulders blocked the way. "You're too tall." She frowned, and Cedric landed back on the grass

"Get on the front." He hopped off the broom. "I doubt that'll work." Sage laughed, but still got on the broom. "We'll see." Cedric climbed on behind her, holding onto the front of the broom, crushing her slightly. "Cedric." Sage complained. 

Cedric kicked off the ground, flying off into the air after the snitch. Sage cringed slightly as he leant forward, gaining speed, pressing his chest into her back. Pretty soon, she was almost laying on the broom. 

"Almost.." Cedric reached over, grabbing the fake snitch. "Yay!" Sage smiled, though she hadn't noticed a single thing he was doing, too distracted by how awkward she sat. "That was the most awkward way I've ever ridden a broom." She laughs as they land back on the ground.

"It was a little." Cedric chuckled. 

"So what's going on with Rowan.." Cedric asked when they reached the locker room. "What do you mean?" Sage frowned. "Just, I mean.. Has he asked you out yet?" 

"I think he's tried to a couple of times, but i've avoided it." She smiled sheepishly. "Why? Do you like him?" Cedric pressed on. "No, I just don't want to hurt his feelings." She frowned. "Letting him get his hopes up will hurt his feelings more." He told her.

"I suppose.." Sage looked at the ground. Cedric admired her for a moment, she was so gentle and caring, even now that they'd grown. "If you really don't want to hurt his feelings, just say you feel too young to have a boyfriend, and you see him as one of your best friends." Cedric took a seat beside her.

"Friend-zone him?" Sage laughed. "Better than straight up rejection." Cedric shrugged. "Then at least he knows you greatly appreciate his friendship." He went on. "Okay, thanks.." She smiled up at him, as an unfamiliar expression crossed Cedric's face.

They looked at each other, longer than they normally would have, and Sage was confused by the interaction. When they left the locker room, the silence between them was uncomfortable and confusing, but Sage didn't dare speak first. 

"August has grown.." Cedric broke the tension, pointing at Sage's cat, which followed behind them. "Yes, he has." Sage smiled. She didn't like how awkward they were being, it was never like this. 

"And.. Athena's got a cat now too." He chuckled. "Yes.. February." She looked forward. "An odd name.." Cedric bit his lip, the conversation was going nowhere. "Hi Cedric." A group of giggling Gryffindors interrupted their silence as they passed by them in the hall.

"Hi?" Cedric glanced over at them, then at Sage. "What was that about." He laughed as Sage's eyes followed the girls. Why were all these girls suddenly interested in her best friend. Sure, he'd grown, he'd matured, though he was always quite mature.. 

But wasn't it quite obvious he already had a best friend? Perhaps they found him attractive, which over the Summer, he had grown to be quite more attractive than usual. Still, Sage couldn't comprehend it. 

----

"I can't believe we have to take our O.W.L's next year." Jill groaned. "It's going to be so awful." She buried her head into the couch. "And not to mention N.E.W.T's." Harper added. "That's even worse." He shook his head gravely.

"Sage?" Rowan spoke quietly to the girl, as the rest of the group continued their conversation. "Can I speak to you for a moment.." He asked nervously, and Sage agreed, sending a quick look over to Cedric who was watching them.

They wandered up the stairs, looking over the balcony at their laughing friends. "I.." Rowan took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date.. To Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Rowan asked.

"Oh.. Rowan." Sage smiled sympathetically. "It's a lovely idea.. It's just, you're one of my best friends.. And I greatly appreciate our friendship, besides I sort of don't really want a boyfriend right now.." Sage stuck to Cedric's advise. 

"Oh.." Rowan looked taken aback for a moment. "Okay.. No, that's okay." He smiled weakly, but his eyes were filled with sadness. She hated having to reject him, it was like scolding a puppy. "I respect that." He nodded and she paused. 

"I'm really sorry, Rowan." She apologised, and Rowan nodded understandingly. "Can I.. Can I hug you?" Sage asked, hoping this would comfort him, not lead him on. "Sure." Rowan laughed, and Sage hugged him briefly.

"Could you not tell the others.. Harper wouldn't let me live it down." Rowan chuckled as they neared the group. "I won't." She smiled, and they sat back down. 

Cedric got up from his seat, taking one next to Sage. "So?" Cedric whispered. "Nothing, he was just asking if Athena was still getting bullied." She lied. It felt wrong lying to her best friend. "Oh, okay." Cedric looked for a moment as if he knew she was lying, but covered it quickly.

"Okay." He repeated, wondering if her reason for lying was because she'd actually accepted Rowan's love confession, or proposal for a date. 

----

"Sage!" Harper waved to Sage from across the library, making his way over to her. "Hi, Harper." She greeted the boy. "Great, you're alone." He smiled. "What happened with Rowan? He won't tell me. Did he ask you out?"

"No, no. He was just asking if Athena was still getting bullied." Sage lied, and Harper eyed her suspiciously. "Come on, Sagie, you can tell me." He grinned. "Sagie? Since when did you call me Sagie." She rolled her eyes. 

"Since now, Sagie. So tell me.. How'd he take the rejection?" He raised his eyebrows, and Sage turned her face away from him, inspecting the books. "Come onn." He reappeared on the other side of her, leaning against the bookcase. 

"I told you what happened." She didn't look at him. "Oh, but I know you're lying." He chuckled. "Pretty please." he batted his eyelashes. "I told you, what more do you want from me." She suppressed a grin at his behaviour. 

"Right, we're going to have to do this the hard way." Harper shook his head solemnly. "What do you- HARPER PUT ME DOWN!" She shrieked.

Harper hoisted Sage over his shoulder, carrying her out of the library as she squealed and kicked, before she eventually gave in, hanging loose off his shoulder like a rag doll. "I hate you." She repeated over, and over, as they reached the outside. 

"What was that for." She scowled. "Because I can't have you laughing and screaming in the library." He grinned. "Why would I- HARPER!" She shrieked as he began to tickle her from her spot over his shoulder. "HARPER! STOP!" She laughed.

"Tell me and I'll stop." He continued to tickle her as she wriggled herself free, dropping onto her back on the grass. "Harper I will avada kedavra you." She reached for her wand as he leaned over her, wiggling his fingers to show he was going to tickle her again. "Levicorpus!" She pointed her wand at him and he was flipped upside down.

"You really like this spell, don't you." He groaned from his spot in the air. "This would've made a much better method for tickling, now that I think about it." He frowned. "I already told you what happened with Rowan." She scolded him. 

"Maybe I'll just use the same spell.." Harper retrieved his wand from his pocket, but Sage snatched it off him. "Harper. I. am. in. a. skirt." She hissed. "Even better." He grinned and she slapped his face gently.

"I'll let you down if you behave." She folded her arms across her chest. "We both know that'll never happen." He grinned, and Sage flopped back onto the grass. "You're impossible." she played with his wand. "Your wand is prettier than mine." She sighed. 

"Can I see your wand?" He asked from his spot above her "Nice try." She laughed. "Seriously, Sagie. The bloods rushing to my head, I think I might pass out." He groaned. "Seriously?" She looked up at him. 

"Seriously." He pouted. "Fine.. Liberacorpus." She casted the counter-jinx, and Harper was dropped from the air, landing on his back. "Ouch." he got up, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wasn't really going to pass out." He shot up off the ground, dashing after her.

"Harper, NO!" She squealed as he chased her around the castle. 

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