Legal Stuff:

Read the legal stuff in Chapter One, just says I don't own Harry Potter in a nutshell.

"Suggestions"

Chapter Two: "Colin and Common Room Rows"

"Password?" the Fat Lady croaked in a bored, tired voice as Harry and a rather fidgety Hermione neared the portrait.

If it wasn't for the fact that a stern Professor McGonagall had reminded Hermione that they should be in bed, Hermione would still have been hounding Professor Flitwick in the Staff Common Room. Harry had no idea why he had agreed to join Hermione as she apologised to Flitwick about not mentioning Lowering Charms in her response in their previous class, when Flitwick had asked her what the incantation "Wingardium Leviosa," did.

"How could I forget to mention the counter charms?" Hermione whined, looking irritated. "I so glad that we caught Flitwick in time…"

She stopped when she caught the Fat Lady giving her a raised eyebrow and a frown. "Oh…Blancmange," Hermione said briskly, before the portrait swung open, and she climbed through the hole with Harry.

"Maybe I've should have said something about Floating Charms, can't believe I forgot…" Hermione continued in a fretful tone, which was starting to seem rather irksome to Harry.

Hermione remembered what time it was and stopped her talking as she glared around the Common Room. It was almost empty with the exception of Collin Creevy, who was thoroughly asleep, but had his head against one of the tables, with rolls of parchment both beside him, and on the floor. His quill was also on the floor, as were tattered bits of new parchment, which evidently had been ripped and clawed to bits by Crookshanks during Colin's nap. "Kneazles, and their hazards," said the title of a large shredded bit of parchment. Crookshanks obviously hadn't been amused by Hagrid's recent choice of Care of Magical Creatures topic, but Harry found that it was rather tame of Hagrid to let his classes view something besides Blasted Ended Skrewts or Firecrabs. Colin gave a loud snort, and rolled his head, crushing several parchments, then giving another loud snort, he returned to his sleep unaware that his footlong essay on The Giant's Garlands Wars between the Mountain and Hill Giants, which was for Professor Binns the following morning, now had a large ugly crease across it.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, from across the room on one of the large lounge chairs. Quite unsurprising to Harry was the nervous undertone in her voice.

"Yeah?"

"Umm…er…how are you going with…umm," Hermione stole a glance at Colin Creevy, who was now snoring quietly. "How's…Professor Binn's essay on 'The Renewal of Gringotts Bank, and it's impact on the Wizarding World' going?" Hermione gave him a nervous look.

"Er…great, I just need to make it a bit longer I suppose…" Harry replied, bemused.

"Well…that's great," Hermione continued. "So…I hear, that…oh for goodness sakes!" Hermione snapped. "When will you start telling Wood how you feel?"

Harry's stomach gave a lurch. He'd been half expecting and half avoiding this conversation with Hermione.

"Hermione, I can't," he muttered.

"Why, Harry?" Hermione asked, folding her arms "You know hiding it isn't right,"

" I don't…I don't want to lose him…" Harry heard himself mutter feebly, glaring at his feet.

"But Harry…"

"Look, you don't know what it's like Hermione. I've…I've had feelings for Oliver since I'd first met him. I…still do, but I can't control them anymore," Harry lowered his voice, looking blankly at a particular painting of a few women circling a large tree. "I can't lose him…even if he doesn't know, I don't want him to hate me,"

"Harry…" Hermione continued in a gentle voice, placing a hand on his shoulder. "How long are you going to wait?"

"Wait for what?" came a rather loud voice from behind them. The pair turned to see who was it that made the outburst, expecting it to be a loud voiced Seamus Finnegan, only to find Ron Weasly, still in Percy's old crumpled pyjamas, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Er…" Hermione started. Harry suddenly couldn't speak, his Adam's apple stuck in his throat, wondering whether Ron had heard what he'd said to Hermione. He stared at the ground in front of Hermione's feet, which gave her an indication to quickly make up a lame excuse "Wait to get his…Fireball back,"

Ron raised an eyebrow, he no longer seemed tired, rather alert whenever something that involved Quidditch was talked about. "It's 'Firebolt' Hermione, not 'Fireball'. Besides since when did you start talking about Quidditch, I thought you didn't get any of it,"

"I do so!" Hermione retorted, biting the bottom of her lip, looking desperately at Harry for help. "Umm…that…ummm…Viktor Krum…that Beater is good,"

"Viktor Krum's a Seeker Hermione, and you probably only like him because he's a 'pretty boy'," Ron replied giving her a look.

"What?! That's not…I never like someone based on their looks!" Hermione retorted heatedly.

Ron coughed, which strangely sounded like "Lockhart?"

"Oh Ron, don't be so naïve. He was a professor for goodness sakes," Hermione replied, folding her arms across her chest and turning a bright red.

"Oh, and who's the one that got all those questions from him right, and got him to sign that note for us?" Ron continued reproachfully.

"That's common knowledge!" Hermione shrieked.

"Yeah, sure, we all know his favourite colour's lilac," Ron replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, your mom knows as well! She was the one who told me his favourite getaway vacation was the Black Forest, which was also where he met the Hags in Holiday with Hags," Hermione spat back.

"Oh, come on, mom obviously fancies him as well," Ron glowered.

"What? How-"

Hermione was fortunately interrupted by a rather loud yawn, which came from across the room. Colin Creevy rubbed his eyes fuzzily, then turned to see Hermione and Ron, both scowling.

"What?" Colin spluttered, frightened as he looked from Ron to Hermione.

"Nothing Colin," Harry said patiently. "Er…is that your homework?". Harry looked at the creased, crumpled and furrowed parchments besides Colin.

"Oh no! I can't believe this! I can't believe I fell asleep!" Colin cried in agony. "Professor Binns is going to kill me," He frenetically gathered his things, "Thanks Harry, I better scoot to bed and get these done, I need help from Penderwa Pigma, I hope he's not sleeping yet…well good night Harry,"

Harry gave Colin a similar 'goodnight' and watched him wander off, holding his things heading towards his dormitory, muttering "Professor Binns is going to kill me…wait, how can he kill me? He's a ghost! Oh, but he can still out detentions…aww,"

"Well, I better go to bed as well, we've got Trelwany first thing tomorrow…coming Ron?"

Hermione's mouth had been ajar when Harry said that, almost as though she was about to relight her bickering with Ron before Colin had interjected. She lowered her finger when she saw Harry look at her, and breathed in, reluctantly locking her lips together, giving him an embarrassed look.

Ron looked as though he was about to gloat, until he saw Harry glowering at him. "Yeah…it is late…"

"Well, good night Hermione," Harry said tiredly. He turned, heading for the stone stairs, which would lead to his beloved four-poster bed. He heard Ron mumble a weak goodnight to Hermione, then follow him rather excitedly.

"So…when are you going to get the Firebolt back?" asked Ron enthusiastically with a grin once he noticed Hermione was out of earshot. "Damn Snape, I can't believe he got it confiscated just because you rammed into Notts last game…I mean come on, it was his fault he went for Katie like that…a complete cheat if I ever saw one, still can't believe Snape got your Fireball confiscated for that!"

Harry was slightly glad that Ron hadn't heard what he and Hermione were talking about. He didn't know what he'd do, having to explain to both Ron and Hermione, though he wouldn't bother even explaining to Ron, as according to Hermione, he was the "most insensitive wart" she'd "ever had the misfortune of meeting" - emotional problems just wasn't his thing, and he wasn't sure Ron would be as understanding as Hermione, and didn't want to spend his days in solitude or worse – stuck in the library with the obessive Madam Pince and Hermione.

Harry's mind then returned to Oliver Wood as he changed into his pyjamas. He was always constantly having his problem, he'd think of the Keeper more and more often, and whenever he tried to force the thoughts out of his head, he either thought more about him, or was told off by Professor Flitwick for raising his voice in the corridors.

Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, Harry rolled over in his bed, listening to Ron whimper about 'so many legs,' and Neville Longbottom snoring loudly.

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Well, I hope you guys liked that one! And please REVIEW, I refuse to post unless I get at least 5 or 6. Next Chapter: "Insomnia"