The Not Famous Potter

Chapter 4

Oliver was abruptly awoken by a red-haired freak on top of him, who was pinning his arms above his head. Oliver blinked sleepily and yawned widely, not bothering to resist.

Fred blew a raspberry, "You need to brush your teeth mate."

"You're the one on top of me if I remember correctly."

Standing at the end of the bed was George, who laughed, "Freddie likes to wake people up in the weirdest ways possible."

The bed across from Oliver was Cormac McLaggen, who groaned, "Will you lot keep it down. It's Saturday."

Fred leapt off the bed and pulled Oliver to sit up, "Come on, Oli. Georgie and I want to ask you something."

Oliver rubbed his eyes as he rolled out of bed. He threw on a jumper and a pair of sweats. The small trio went down to the Common Room and settled on the comfiest armchairs by the fire.

"So," Oliver cocked an eyebrow, "what did you need that couldn't wait till a reasonable hour?"

Fred smirked, "We wanted to know how you felt about pulling a prank on Halloween. We had a few ideas in mind..." he trailed off, listing hundreds of possibilities.

Oliver began to zone out, his own mind spinning. His parents always gave him a cake and a few presents for his birthday but they mostly ignored the day. He never understood why they hated Halloween so much. This was his chance to do something memorable.

"I'll do it," he announced suddenly.

George shot a look to Fred, "Er, Oli, you weren't even listening."

Oliver stood up and put his hands on his hips, "I don't care. Whatever it is, I want to do it."

"Geez," Fred put his hands up, "no need to get so excited."

Oliver smirked, "So, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it."

Fred grinned mischievously, "Perfect. I know the exact person to help us too."

George matched his twins grin, "He seems like a good kid, but we both know he just needs that little extra push."

Oliver raised an eyebrow, "Who?"

Fred and George cheered, "Cedric Diggory!"

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Oliver gushed when he saw the boy. Cedric was an adorable Hufflepuff with curious, bright grey eyes. Oliver was almost tempted to pinch the boy's cheeks, almost.

Oliver watched as Fred tried to convince Cedric to participate in their Fantastically Frightening Halloween Prank. Oliver had told George that they needed to come up with a new name.

Cedric was listening to Fred intently, his eyes wide in anticipation. From what he had heard, Oliver knew Cedric was a well-behaved kid, who was always the first to volunteer his help with anything. He wasn't sure how he could help them pull off a prank.

Somehow, Fred had managed to convince Cedric. George had given a thumbs up and the twins hurried off to breakfast. Oliver stayed behind, wanting to get to know the boy more.

"So," Oliver began, "You're in Hufflepuff."

Cedric flashed him a shy smile, " Uh huh. And you're in Gryffindor."

Oliver gulped, he didn't really know what to say, "Are you excited about this prank?"

"Sure."

"Cool."

An awkward silence passed over them.

"Do you like Quidditch?"

Oliver's eyes brightened behind the lenses of his glasses, "I sure do! I've always wanted to be on a team, but I've never played before."

"I know how to play. I can teach you the basics if you like?"

Oliver nodded, "Sure. It would help to know some of the rules before trying out next year."

The boys walked together outside and continued to talk about Quidditch, which led to talking about classes, and then their favourite sweets. They spent the whole morning talking to each other, about everything and about nothing at all, sometimes it didn't even make sense.

They were sat in a tree, their gaze in the direction of the Great Lake. They were throwing rocks and seeing who could throw the furthest. Cedric had just won and Oliver had tried to push him out of the tree.

"Do you know why Fred and George picked me for their prank?" Cedric asked quietly.

Oliver shrugged, "Not really. They told me you were the perfect person for the job."

Cedric sighed, "It's probably because I'm the good kid of our year. At least that's what everyone says. I know that's what Professor Sprout told me and my parents tell me that all the time."

"Why did you agree to do it then?"

Cedric leaned against the trunk of the tree, "I don't know."

Oliver frowned, what an odd boy, he thought. "Well, I'm not sure why they picked me either."

Cedric shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe they think because you're younger you have more ideas?"

Oliver laughed, "Sure, Ced. We'll go with that."

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Burning. Oliver's cheeks were burning, they almost felt like they were on fire. His books were scattered across the floor and tears welled up in the back of his eyes. He didn't understand what he had done to deserve this kind of treatment. He didn't bother any of the older students, yet they continued to bother him.

A firm hand grasped his shoulder and Oliver looked up and tried to smile, "Hey Charlie."

Charlie sighed and bent down to pick up the textbooks, "What happened?"

"N-nothing," Oliver sniffled and hastily wiped the tears away, "nothing happened."

"People don't normally toss their books on the floor and start crying."

"Sure they do," Oliver hiccuped out, "I just did it now."

Charlie handed the books back to Oliver, who shoved them into his book bag. He sighed and ruffled Oliver's already messy hair.

"Do you want me to talk to Professor McGonagall?"

Oliver quickly shook his head, "No. I already getting teased about my family," he hung his head down, "I don't want them to think I'm a snitch either."

Charlie frowned at the young boy in front of him. Oliver reminded him of his own younger brothers and he wished he could do more to protect him. Why did people have to be so close minded?

"How about I distract you?" Charlie said cheerfully.

"How?"

Charlie rested his arm across Oliver's shoulders and grinned, "I'm going to teach you how to fly. Next year when I'm gone, maybe you'll get to try out for the team and take my place as Seeker."

Oliver beamed, "You think I can do it?"

"With me teaching you? Most definitely."

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