Warning for gore, obsessive thoughts, slash-ish, nothing sexual is very graphic. Not my usual thing. J.K. Rowling owns the characters. Thanks to Davros Fan for his help with this.

Colin smiled at Harry across the hall when he saw him, waving excitedly. The boy knew to keep his camera out of his hero's face; he could never get enough photographs of the other boy but he knew Harry didn't like it. Harry waved back, if you could call it that, it was more of a 'hand-flop' motion, what he did just then. Colin took it.

War was coming and Harry Potter was the center of it. He was stressed, unhappy, Colin understood that, wished he could make Harry happier, in fact.

Colin found his eyes drawn to the bigger boy yet again that breakfast. Harry was running a hand through his messy hair, and then brought it straight back up to pat down his fringe, covering the scar - Colin knew he hated people staring at his scar. The Chosen One rubbed his eyes under his glasses and pushed his plate away.

Harry was tall, finally catching up to the other seventh years, and broad shouldered, made even more obvious by the black school robes and the stress which must have been practically coursing through his veins to make him all jumpy like that.

Colin scanned the Gryffindor table for Ron and Hermione. They were together, looking infinitely more relaxed than their friend. Some friends; when Harry needed them the most, they were oblivious.

"Harry!"

Harry stopped in the doorway of the great hall and turned around.

Ginny Weasley stood from the Gryffindor table, calling to him, loud enough for half the hall to turn, silly girl, Harry hated attention. She ran to Harry, practically jumping into his big arms and hugging him tight. Colin watched as the boy forced the stress to melt away, Harry shut his eyes and hugged his girlfriend back.

Colin's trigger finger twitched, and he brought his camera up and snapped a single shot. As soon as it was back in his lap, Ginny let go of her hero-boyfriend and the stress literally jumped back onto his posture and he stormed out of the Great Hall, not angrily, just rushed, anxious.

Colin shook his head sadly. Harry needed someone right now, and his friends and girlfriend were reminding him of this huge responsibility he was unfairly given.

Colin didn't feel hungry all of a sudden; he pushed his plate away with a sick look and stood.

"Colin?" Travis asked him as he turned to leave.

"Oh," Colin said to his friend, "I'm just not hungry; I'll see you in Transfiguration, yeah?"

Travis nodded and Brad waved goodbye to him as he left, but Colin was thinking about how he could help Harry.

First thing was waiting for the weekend, it was a Hogsmeade weekend this Saturday, and Harry hardly ever went to the small village anymore, it would be a great time to talk to him, maybe help him forget about all his responsibilities for just a minute and Harry would have his friend. Colin would be the prefect friend for his hero.

He would have to leave his camera in his dorm room, Harry always gave it a suspicious look when Colin had it with him, and Harry seemed less nervous around him when they were in the D.A. together fourth year, and Colin had no camera then.

Colin peeked in the transfiguration classroom, noting the cat sitting on McGonagall's desk; he shuffled into the room and took his seat, looking around before grimacing and saying softly.

"Hello Professor."

The cat meowed loudly and jumped off of the desk, running from the room as McGonagall walked in.

Damn, just a cat.

"Mr. Creevey, you're early?"

"Sorry Professor, I wasn't really hungry today."

She accepted his excuse wordlessly, allowing his thoughts to drift back to the Chosen One.

It was Wednesday today, meaning he had a couple days to finish his homework and brew a new batch of developing solution (it was way too expensive to buy). Colin sat back in his chair, excited for Saturday, when Harry Potter would realize what great friends they would be.

It was Saturday morning, and Colin was up before dawn, he was so excited about today, not only did he have the developing solution finished, but he knew, for a fact, Harry would be in the castle; he had a remedial Potions lesson with Snape this morning.

Colin dipped the film in the developer, pulling photo paper and his little 'clothes line' - as Brad called it - towards him, He watched the photo he snapped of Harry develop. Ginny ran across the little screen into his arms, and he swept her off the ground a little bit. Harry's face looked a bit pained – of course it did, Weasley was a nightmare – as he hugged her. Something stirred in Colin's stomach as he sat there watching the picture; jealousy, maybe? Of course he was jealous; he wished he could have a girlfriend like Harry had. Colin pointedly ignored the nagging voice in the back of his head that made retching sounds at the thought of having a girlfriend and slipped the photo into his Harry Album.

Travis called him creepy for it, but that was mostly because Colin's potion smelt pretty funky and Travis didn't like it, there was nothing wrong with following the life of a celebrity, muggles did it all the time in tabloids, and Colin had always wanted to be a photographer, Harry just happened to be his favorite thing to photograph; and they were friends anyway, people take photos of their friends all the time.

Colin smiled at his first few photographs of the castle, and the first one of Harry. It was in the Great Hall, when they first met, Harry was smiling and then the flash went off and he looked scared, a bit. Imagine, Harry Potter scared of him? It was ludicrous.

Harry was such a cute kid, his hair was wild as always and his glasses too big for his nose, his fringe firmly plastered over the famous scar and his kind eyes shining. It may have been Colin's favorite photo, not only was it the first of Harry but it was the first photograph he managed to develop using magic.

Colin shut the book and vanished the used potion before heading for the dungeons.

"Bellatrix Lestrange's vault, Snape-"

"Professor Snape-"

"Not as an Order Member-"

"Dumbledore-"

"Is dead, Snape and I want this war done as quickly as I can, Sirius and Dumbledore are two too many casualties, thanks."

"We're not looking for them today Potter-"

Colin didn't mean to eavesdrop on Snape and Harry's conversation, he didn't understand any of it anyway and he coughed loudly to announce his presence.

"Harry, I was hoping your potion lesson was finished?" Colin asked, ignoring Snape as best he could.

"Colin, hi, yeah, lets go."

Harry ignored Snape's sneer as he turned his back on the dour man, grabbing Colin's wrist gently, touching the skin, Colin looked at Harry in shock.

"I Harry… can we be friends?" He blurted out; Harry offered him a kind smile.

"We are friends, Colin," Harry said. Colin had a speech prepared, but it went out the window when Harry had reached out to him, touched him.

"I mean closer, you, Harry you look so sad, all the time I-" Colin stopped talking as Harry smiled and shook his head, he was the happiest Colin had seen him in a while, carefree even, from one conversation.

"Just school, obviously Potions isn't going so great and N.E.W.T.s are really knocking me around."

"Harry," Colin stopped him and grabbed his hand. Harry frowned at their linked fingers. "You're lying, I can tell, just give me a chance." Colin could feel Harry's breath on his nose they were standing so close, Colin just felt like they should be closer.

Harry was glaring at him, and threw his hand away, which forced Colin to take a step back.

"No," Harry deadpanned, but Colin knew he didn't mean it. "I don't want to be friends with you Colin, fucking touchy feely bullshit and the fucking photos, leave me alone, I'm not a fucking zoo animal!"

Colin shook his head, dismayed as Harry left; the hero was more stressed than he thought, Colin had to help him, but still, that was an odd reaction, from both of them. Colin just went completely scatterbrained as soon as Harry had touched him, Harry got so defensive about it. There was something special between them, but Colin left that though alone for a moment while he though about more pressing matters, like how being so close to Harry had set his nerves on fire, he always wanted to be close to Harry after that one, angry conversation, his closest friend, his confidant, his trusted companion, his… his boyfriend?

Boyfriend was the right type of word, but not profound enough.

His lover.

That's what it all meant! Harry was so violent because he's uncomfortable, he didn't understand the feelings, but Colin did, because Harry had saved him from being petrified, Harry had killed the Basilisk for him…

Colin was lost in the euphoria of his thoughts. This was right this was his purpose, he needed to love Harry Potter, like no-one else would.