A/N:
This story takes place in the hospitalwing, during a Quidditch match, in which two people get involuntarily closer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Damn!" Swore a rather annoyed female voice.
Katie angrily broke away from Madam Pomfrey and stormed over to the nearest bed.

"Miss Bell, that is no way to conduct yourself!" Came the disapproving voice of the nurse, who went to work on disinfecting Katies wounds.
Katie endured the treatment while her stare was fixed on the opposite wall.
How could this happen?
Bad enough that Oliver was out of the game, but if a chaser is now also incapable to play then they have already lost.
How could she have been so stupid as to overlook the Bludger ...

"So that's it." Madam Pomfrey tore her from her thoughts.

"You'd best not move your hand, otherwise the injury could worsen and that would bring devastating consequences."

Katie groaned slightly as a response.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes." The Gryffindor-chaser answered irritated, whereupon the slightly chubby nurse walked away from her indignantly.

"Well, I'm going back to the game, stay in your bed, understood?"
With these last words, the door slammed shut, for some time she heard the steps of the nurse before these had ceased entirely.

Sighing, Katie dropped into the cushions.
Katie couldn't believe it.
They made her leave the game because of such a small injury...

Well, she saw it a yes, it's not like she could keep playing with one hand, especially as a chaser.
However, it annoyed her.
Couldn't it have hit her foot of instead ?

Sullen she looked at her wrist.
It went so far that she had resisted to leave the field.
Again she let out a sigh.

"Looks like it didn't go too well what Bell?" Asked an arrogant voice beside her, a few beds away.

Surprised Katie turned to face the speaker.
Had God not punish her enough today?

For just a few beds away was none other than Marcus Flint.

That's right.
He was also badly hit by a bludger.
She had almost forgotten.

"I don't see how that's any of your business Flint.", She replied coldly and turned pointedly away from him.

He gave a short joyless laugh.
"Such trivial things don't interest me anyway." He said mockingly.

"Then why do you ask?" She snapped back time angrily.

"Do you know how boring it is here without anyone to talk to?"

"So what? I really don't care. Suits you right."
She answered annoyed.
Who does he think he is?

Flint sat up slowly.
His brown eyes sparkled against her.

For a moment they stared at each other just before he began to speak.

"Careful there Bell."
His menacing sharp voice echoed in the cool hospital wing.
Like a snake waiting for its prey, quiet but dangerous.

A short silence was heard, in which Katie could only stare at him perplexed, but she recovered very quickly.

"So what? You're threatening me now?"

"It was just a warning."
"Anyway, what are you doing here?" He asked shortly afterwards with a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair.

She looked at him suspiciously even before she began to speak with some hesitation.

"I was caught by a Bludger at the wrist."

"Oh, what a pity." He replied mockingly.

"Then Gryffindor probably only has two chasers now."

"Yes, and so does Slytherin." Katie added snidely.

His eyes narrowed.
"Thanks, but that's probably because of your damn Beaters, don't you think."

"Absolutely not. With your ancestry its rather a sequence of stupidity, ignorance and pride."

"Oh really?"

Slowly, more and more clearly a grin apparent on his lips.
Not mocking or condescending.
No, he seemed amused.

Katie looked at him with a mixture of confusion and amazement.
What was there to grin about?

"So you really think that it's my fault?"
He continued.
The grin still stuck on his lips.

Was it glued on or something?

"Well, it is undeniable that you are at least partly at fault.", Replied the Gryffindor-chaser.

"A second ago it was all my fault." He reminded her.

"Yes, from my point of view." She replied dryly.

For Katie this conversation was over.
Slightly annoyed she lounged on her bed and tried to get as comfortable as humanly possible.

However, her counterpart didn't seem very pleased about her decision, because he just kept talking.

"Tell me something Bell, what you find so great about Oliver Wood anyway?"

Katie stopped short in her movement.
Slowly, very slowly, she turned her head in his direction.

"Come on. It's an open secret that you like him."

"I don't see how that's any of your business."
She rasped tedious.

He raised an eyebrow.
"I'm bored." He answered simply.

"Well, bad luck. That's still not a good reason to get on my nerves."
Her voice slowly turned into a snarl.

What's going on with this idiot?
Well, he harbored a terrible enmity with Oliver, but that was long no reason to pull her into it.

"Haven't you ever thought that there are other guys in your environment? Wood doesn't want anything from you."
He spoke calmly on, while he looked bored at the ceiling and rested his head on his crossed arms.

"How do you know that and anyway, why does it matter to you ?!" she glared at him angrily.

Now he turned his gaze back toward her, looked her straight in the eye.

"Are you really that naive?"

A question, a very simple question, which still managed to stab her like a knife.

A peace reigned in the room, which was not exactly of pleasant nature.

Katie met lowered her eyes, hoping that he didn't see the hurt in them.

"You shouldn't t close our eyes to the facts, even if the truth hurts."

His voice echoed in her head, over and over again.
Unwilling to let go.
His words hurt more deeply than she would ever admit.

"Why are you doing this?" She whispered softly.

"Just because you can't get to Oliver, you're trying it with me now?!" she yelled at the next moment.

Her eyes sparkled with loathing for him.
"You're disgusting."

"And you're just crazy. You're hellbent not to see what's really happening. You're so fixated on him, although you knew that he would never reciprocate your feelings!" He shouted back equally.

Slowly but surely this was staring to get on his nerves.
How could anyone be so blind?

Katie shrunk back.
She wouldn't have expected that he approached things so openly.
But still, she had to admit that he was right.

He was right with what he said.
It was true, she had closed her eyes, had apparently watched impassively as he met other girls.
Even tough it hurt her deeply.
She would have never thought to hear such a thing from Flint, even to prove him right.
That was crazy.

"What would you do?" She finally asked meekly, still looking down.

Flint looked at her intently.
As she sat curled up on her bed, trying hard to ensure that he didn't see her current vulnerability, but unsuccessful.

He saw her.
It was hard to believe.
Her, Katie Bell, who went fearlessly and confidently through the world and didn't allow herself to be intimidated, to see her in such a moment was truly a rarity.

A feature that had hardly anyone has seen on her.
One side, so different from the other.

"What do you mean?" He then asked quietly.

"What would you do in my place?"
Her voice was brittle.

"Start a new beginning." Was his terse reply.

Confused, she looked up.
A Fresh Start?
Should she really dare a new beginning?

To start from scratch and go through her live independently and proud?
Should she really listen to Flint?

It was really incredible.
An hour ago she would have laughed out loud, if anyone had told her that any of this would happen.

Marcus Flint, her longtime enemy, was playing an actual shrink.
Today was really crazy.

"A Fresh Start?" She asked again to be sure, glancing directly into Flint's grinning face.

"Exactly. Meet up with other guys, try something completely new."

He was still grinning at her.
It was not a sneer or contempt.
On the contrary, it radiated a certain honesty.
A kindness that also caused her to smile slightly.

Yes, maybe she should give it a try.
What was there to lose?

Suddenly the hospital room door was opened and a hectic Madam Pomfrey came running in and beamed from ear to ear.

Gryffindor seemed to have apparently won.

Flint sighed silently.

The nurse hadn't noticed them at first, until her smiling face turned toward her.

"Oh, you two are still here. You can go as far as you don't but too much pressure on your wounds there shouldn't be a problem. "She said, pleased and disappeared shortly thereafter softly humming into her office.

Lightly irritated Katie got up slowly, careful not to put too much pressure on her wrist.

Flint also sat up gradually.

As they stood in the corridor, Katie was unsure of what to do now.
She didn't really know what to say.

"So then."

Flint raised his hand slightly in farewell and turned around before he finally started moving.

The Gryffindor stood petrified, looking after him in horror.
No, he couldn't leave just yet.

Without giving it a second thought she hurried her hand forward and her fingers dug into the fabric of his sleeve.

"What ..." he managed to say surprised.

"A new beginning..." she interrupted him hastily.

She felt the blood fire into her cheeks.
When she noticed that she was still holding onto him, she let go immediately.

What had driven her to stop Marcus Flint from leaving?

Slowly, a smile formed on his face, as she had seen so many times in the last hour.

"So, a new beginning, then?"

She nodded resolutely to confirm.

"I think we should start again from the beginning." She said, holding out her hand.

"Katie Bell, nice to meet you." She smiled at him.

"Marcus Flint, nice to meet you too."
He replied, not without sounding amused.

Then, without warning, he tugged on her arm, so that their bodies almost touched.
He leaned slightly down at her.

"So you want to try something completely new?" He whispered close to her ear before he stood up straight once again.

Katie grinned at him cheekily.

"It depends."

He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her amused.

"So?"

She gave him no answer, but just had to start to grin.

That was crazy.
Completely crazy.

"Well then. See you soon, Katie Bell." He said with a knowing look at her and said goodbye.

When he passed by her the backs of their hands touched gently, as if by accident.
Then he was gone.

"See you soon, Marcus Flint." She said a little too late and also went on her way.
However, in the opposite direction.