Practice had not gone well. Oliver Wood had about torn Harry apart when he missed his assignment for the third time in a row. Harry did not understand why he even had to practice flybys when all he had to do was find and catch the stupid snitch during the game.

Now that practice was over, Harry moped around on the field not wanting to face Wood's wrath once again in the locker room. As he replayed the day's events in his mind, he grew upset once again and kicked the stands.

"Hey, watch it, Harry!"

Startled, Harry looked up way above in the stands to see a splash of yellow leaning down towards him. "Who's that?" he yelled.

"It's me! Susan!"

Susan Bones, the Hufflepuff, was not supposed to be at a Gryffindor Quidditch practice, especially since the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff game was less than a fortnight away.

"Whatcha doing up there?!" Harry didn't want to be rude and accuse her right out of being a spy.

Susan leaned over and appeared to yell something at him, but a wayward gust of wind stole her words away.

"I didn't catch that!" Harry yelled back.

Susan didn't appear again, and he wondered if she'd run off, when she appeared by his side.

"How'd you get down here?"

"I jumped." Harry's eyes narrowed. "Nah, I walked down the stairs, you know?"

Harry asked again, "What were you doing up there?"

"Braiding my hair."

"What now?"

In answer, she held up her long brunette plait, "Braiding."

"Why were you braiding your hair up there?" Harry pointedly added, "during our practice?"

"It wasn't like I was up there just to braid my hair, I was up there, and I happened to need to re-braid my hair. It's windy, ya know?"

Harry frowned. Maybe Hermione would understand this braiding-business, but he was losing patience and Wood would kill him if he let a spy slip out from his grasp. "But why were you up there in the first place?"

Susan's pink cheeks turned a bit rosier. "I like watching you guys."

"Oh really?" Harry muttered skeptically.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm no athlete - can hardly stay on a broom - but it's fun watching ya'll play and all." Susan seemed to be babbling.

Harry glared. "Are you sure Diggory didn't send you to spy."

Susan's face paled slightly as she demanded, "You really don't think I'm a spy, do you? Cedric, none of us, would ever, ever do that!"

Backing off, Harry apologized, "Sorry, Susan. It just seems unlikely that you'd be out here when you must have better stuff to do."

Susan lifted her chin and stated, "I don't, not that it's any of your business."

Feeling bad, Harry placed a hand on her shoulder, "I really am sorry."

She shrugged, and he removed his hand, asking, "So you like watching us?" At her nod, he smiled wondering if he had it figured out, "you like watching all of us or one in particular."

As color rushed back into her face, Harry grinned - Hermione would be so proud; he was getting so good at understanding women. "Is it Wood? or Fred? or George?" Susan shook her head decidedly after each name.

Confounded, Harry supposed that he must have been wrong. "Guess I was wrong, Susan. Sorry I teased."

Susan smiled shyly, "Nah, Harry, you weren't wrong." A dramatic pause. "I like you!" With that, she kissed the started boy on the cheek and ran off, braid bouncing merrily behind her.