Another oneshot. Please R&R!

Katie Bell was sitting by the fire. I hadn't been watching her, but there was no way I could ignore her vibrancy. The way she tossed her head and let out uproarious hoots of laughter, or how, in moments of actual studious behavior (they were few and far between, I noted amusedly), she scrunched her eyebrows in concentration and pressed the feather of her quill to her lips.

Okay so maybe I had been watching her. I felt it was my job, after all. Her older brother had graduated last year. Of course, it was purely brotherly protectiveness I felt for her. Mostly. Okay, that was a lie.

Merlin's saggy left-

"Wood!"

I blinked slowly, looking over to Percy Weasley as he flounced down the stairs, wearing an offensively orange beanie and an irritable expression. There weren't many students in the common room, but the low buzz of conversations quieted to watch the scene unfold.

"Hey, Percy," I replied warily.

"I'm headed off to bed. Don't forget to move your broomstick polishing kit," the Head Boy's face pinched in a sort of glare, "I've tripped over it three times."

"Right," I sighed, "I'll do that. Night, Percy."

As Percy gave a final, dramatic huff and returned upstairs, I risked a glance at Katie. She met my gaze, a slow, teasing grin sliding across her features.

My heart, ever the traitorous bastard, leaped in my chest. The conversation picked back up again, and Katie's eyes returned to Alicia Spinnet.

No. Bad, Oliver. She was beautiful and clever and an incredible chaser. And she was off-limits. I rubbed my eyes blearily, trying (and failing) to remove the sleepy sand from them. This was all far too complicated. I needed sleep.

I gathered up the pieces of parchment I'd defiled with my hurried scribbles of Quidditch plays, stretching my arms above my head.

As I turned to leave, Alicia piped up in a sickly sweet voice, "Don't forget to pick up your broomstick polishing kit, Ollie!"

I chose to ignore the comment. Punishment would come later, at practice. I was truly the most ruthless Quidditch Captain. I held back my smile of evil. Instead, with a glorious amount of self control, I walked up the stairs to the dormitory.

"Merlin," I heard Katie mutter once she thought I was out of earshot, "Poor Oliver."

"I was funny though," Alicia's voice was laced with a grin.

Katie made a small hum of passivity before I was truly unable to hear the conversation.

Damn, Percy.

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