Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. :(

Part 21, errbody! I'm going to Mexico tonight (SO FREAKING EXCITED) so I won't update till sometime in March. :) It means a lot to know you guys are reading, so thank you!

Reviewers, I love you. Thank you so much! Every single word/sentence counts! :D So thanks to: JainaZekk621, xxbabyxox, xolunaxx, Leanora, Ecmm, kt . potter93, Gilly Gillespie, spannieren, Reyrayankar, Kiku-Ai, Spelllesswonder29, and sweetypie200494! You guys make me SO happy!

Btw, I hate Seamus in my story too. ;)

Enjoy!

- - - -

"Psst, Annabelle!"

"Hmm…."

"Annabelle!"

Annabelle felt a sharp poke at the side of her ribs – that definitely opened her eyelids.

"Ow!" She looked up, all drowsy and weary-eyed, and couldn't believe she was face to face with Harry.

Then her mind suddenly blew up with tons of different questions.

Where am I?

Why is Harry here?

Why are my books all over a table?

Why am I sleeping at the table?

Harry grinned his trademark and absolutely adorable grin. He was holding up his invisibility cloak and some piece of parchment in his right hand.

"You fell asleep in the library," Harry said, answering three of her questions. Didn't explain why he was here though.

"What time is it?" she asked groggily.

Harry glanced at his watch. "One in the morning."

She yawned and slumped back in her chair. Her eyes were half-asleep as she scanned the books on the table. She fell asleep working on the package from Flitwick.

Harry made himself comfortable, sitting in the seat beside her, as she began to stack everything up.

"Isn't the library closed?" she asked, struggling to stay awake.

"Yep."

"Then what are you doing here?" she tried to raise an eyebrow, but it didn't exactly work out.

"Snuck in," he smiled.

She sighed and looked at all the homework unwillingly.

"Is Madame Pince in here?"

"Nope."

"Well then what are you doing here for? And how did you find me?"

"Your boyfriend was worried about you," Harry said in a neutral tone. "So is Hermione. And I found you with a special little map," he raised the piece of parchment higher.

She stared at it for a moment before asking what it was.

"It's a map that shows everyone on the castle and where they are," he said, his mood lifting high. "It's pretty cool, I'll show you how to use it another time. But we should go."

Annabelle looked at her books anxiously, and bit her lip. Harry watched her for a few moments before opening his mouth in horror.

"You're not actually considering staying here and finishing all that homework?" he said incredulously.

She sighed. "It's not like I have any other time to do it. Tomorrow – well, today, technically – we're going to Hogsmeade all day, and on Sunday Seamus probably won't let me off his sight like he's been doing for the past few days – "

"You don't like that?" he inquired.

"No!" Annabelle said quickly, afraid she got the wrong message to Harry. "No, I mean, I like Seamus a lot and everything, it's just… tiring," she admitted, "I can't do anything when I'm with him except be his girlfriend, and he won't hear of doing homework. He'd rather sit with his arm around me in the common room all day, or taking long walks outside. Which I enjoy," she added hastily.

Harry stared at her.

"Listen, this really isn't a problem. I'll finish all of it tonight, then I'll be free for the weekend," she told him.

But Harry didn't get it at all. "So you're basically sacrificing your sleeping times just to make your own boyfriend happy," he said slowly. "Not to be rude or anything, but since he is your boyfriend, shouldn't he care enough about you to know you have to get this done?"

Annabelle groaned, throwing her face in her hands. "You're making it sound totally different."

"But that's just what it is!"

"No it's not Harry. It's not the same," she said stubbornly, opening her Transfiguration textbook. But the minute she had it opened, Harry reached out to slam it down again. At first, Annabelle thought it was an accident, but when she met his determined eyes that looked so calmly down at hers, she knew he did it on purpose.

Once again, she opened the book to the page where she was at, only to receive a slam down again.

Frustrated, and glaring at Harry, she pulled it open and put her arms around it in a defensive manner. Harry shrugged, stood up, and bent down to close it again, but Annabelle didn't let him have it. Instead, she grabbed the book out of his reach and sat in a different chair.

He merely walked over, and ripped the book out of her grasp, closing it with a satisfied smile.

"Harry," Annabelle said trying to keep the anger out of her voice. "Give me the book, now."

Harry glanced at her, before opening the book to keep to a certain page. "Ah, learning how to turn bacon into live pigs this year?" he said annoyingly, pretending to be very interested. "To make a farm or something, perhaps?"

Annabelle was about to scream; but stopped herself. Instead, she took steady footsteps and approached him carefully. "What is it with you and stealing my things? Aren't there any other people you wish to torment?"

Harry seemed to actually consider this. He raised his hand to his chin, and thought. Annabelle finally exasperated, happy he was actually listening to her.

Then he smiled, and shook his head. "Nope."

Annabelle jumped on him, knocking him down on the ground, and tried wrestling the stupid book out of his hands.

"Give me the book!" she shouted, as they struggled to make out anything in the fight. Annabelle was hitting him in the side while she had one hand tightened around the book, pulling like a mad woman.

Harry, at first was defending himself, and then he decided this wasn't helping his side of thing so he simply rolled over so she was beneath him.

At first, he put no pressure on her, as she strived to push him over, but then when she was kicking him in the legs he had no choice. He casually laid down on her, but he just put the weight of his lower body on hers so she couldn't kick.

She glared at him dangerously, even though the butterflies in her stomach were flying so violently she was sure her stomach would explode.

He was so close. So, so, close.

"Get off me Harry," she told him, trying to bring herself up but failing miserably. Harry was just too heavy.

"What are the magic words?" he grinned.

Her eyes narrowed, but noticing she really had no other choice, she muttered furiously, "Please."

And then she looked into his gorgeous, beautiful, sparkling, intense, amazing – She can go on forever. But when her eyes met his, she couldn't pull herself away from the trance.

Harry too, seemed like he was into it because suddenly they were leaning in slowly, and even though all the brain cells in Annabelle's head was saying, "No!" she couldn't help but feel excited, nervous, and wonderful. This was a moment she'd knew she'd never forget…

Then there was the noise.

Harry immediately snapped out of it and got up, leaving Annabelle on the floor in a daze. He looked uneasily at the door of the library.

"It's probably Peeves or something. But I'm going to check, just in case," he said, grabbing his cloak, and then he left, as if he couldn't stay in Annabelle's presence any longer. Annabelle was stunned, and stood up nervously.

She almost kissed Harry Potter. She almost kissed Harry Potter. She almost kissed Harry Potter.

"Shut up," she whispered to the voice in her head, as she regained her old seat, and pulled out her book. She opened it to the page she left off on, and began to work awaiting Harry to come back – if he was going to come back, she didn't want to scare him off – but felt her eyelids get heavy pretty quickly.

No Annabelle. Stay Awake. You just almost kissed Harry Potter, remember?

She didn't even have the energy to tell the voice to shut up.

With all her strength she forced herself to read countless words, reading, reading, and she didn't even realize it when she fell asleep in the same spot twice that night, the book used as a pillow for her.

-;-

As Harry came back, cursing Peeves because it was him who knocked down the huge amount of brass knights on the ground – making it impossible to walk through – he couldn't stop thinking the one name.

Annabelle.

Yes, he felt something there. He was going to kiss her, he knew he was. But the sound Peeves made stopped the amazing but yet a little stupid moment. How could Harry even think that way? Seamus is Annabelle's. She's not Harry's.

He hoped with all his heart that Annabelle wouldn't tell Seamus about the incident, and then wondered if she felt it too.

When he finally reached the table where she was sitting at, he smiled.

Annabelle regained her spot and fell asleep, once again. Man does that girls sleeping muscles work fast. He was probably gone for about ten minutes and she managed to fall asleep in that amount of time. Usually it takes him about half an hour to fall asleep every night.

But he wasn't smiling at that. He was smiling at how at ease and peaceful she looked when she was sleeping. Her hair was a little bit of a mess, but that made her look even more beautiful. It looked like everything could repel her – she didn't have one care in the world.

How she managed to make everyone happy around her was a mystery to Harry. He couldn't imagine her hurting anyone, not even a fly. Heck, she even goes overboard when it comes to Seamus.

Seamus.

Now that name, instead of bringing Harry butterflies in his stomach – wait, since when did Harry Potter get butterflies? – it brought jealousy. And a little bit of anger.

Harry waved it off, and hesitantly he sat down in the chair beside Annabelle.

He looked at his invisibility cloak before unfolding it and placing it on Annabelle's shoulder gently so she wouldn't be cold.

Then, as stupid as it might sound, he fell asleep right beside her.

- - - -

Annabelle woke up with a start that morning. She had the weirdest dream ever, even though it was one of her best ones.

The way Harry looked at her in that dream… she sighed happily.

And then she opened her eyes.

Firstly, half her body was missing. Secondly, she was in the library. Thirdly, Harry was asleep right beside her. Fourthly, her dream wasn't a dream after all.

She gasped as she stared at all the homework she didn't finish, and almost screamed when she saw the time displayed on Harry's watch.

"Harry!" she shoved him so hard, he nearly fell off his chair, looking around mildly.

"Annabelle? What happened? Is someone hurt?" he said panicky, standing up and whipping his wand out.

When the atmosphere and reality started to sink in, he took in a deep breath and dropped into a chair, rubbing his eyes lamely.

Annabelle was already standing up, realizing that the invisibility cloak was what made her body disappear.

She folded it quickly, and threw it at Harry, picking up her books, but dropping half of it.

"Annabelle, really. What's wrong?" Harry asked, a little more seriously now, picking up her stuff and holding it for her.

"The time Harry! Look at the time!" she said worriedly, walking past him and on the way out of the library.

Harry made a grab for his Marauders Map then raced after her, glancing at the library and realizing that students were already there and Madame Pince was in her usual spot at the desk.

He tried to lift up his arm while half-jogging by Annabelle who seemed determined to get to the Great Hall on time, and he too, almost dropped the books when he saw the time.

"8:53."

In exactly seven minutes, the carriages would come up to pick them up and take them to Hogsmeade.

He swore out loud.

"Harry!" Annabelle hissed disapprovingly, trying desperately to reach the Great Hall. They were on the moving staircase right now, sometimes jumping four stairs at a time.

"What are we going to do? We can't go to Hogsmeade like this!" he said, noting his wrinkled shirt and more than messy hair.

But Annabelle ignored him completely, muttering words underneath her breath worriedly.

All Harry could make out was "Seamus, Hermione, Seamus, Hermione."

Finally, they reached the Great Hall in a minute's time, and Annabelle let out a sigh of relief when she saw Hermione, Ron, Seamus, and Neville all sitting together at a spot at the Gryffindor table.

Harry stood by her, also relieved.

He didn't know what reactions he'd expect.

Seamus stared at them open-mouthed, with a look of worry mixed with horror when he saw Harry with Annabelle, Ron grinned and waved through his mouthful of food, Hermione looked like she was just about to have a heart attack, and Neville looked completely blank.

Before he knew it, Annabelle was walking quickly to where they were sitting, so he picked up his pace and when they reached the table, he put her stuff beside his cloak and wand. Then he sat beside her.

"Where were you?" Hermione demanded, full of anguish when she saw Harry's and Annabelle's disheveled faces.

They opened their mouths to explain, but Hermione wouldn't give them time.

"Annabelle, you weren't in the common room or dormitory all afternoon yesterday – "

"I was – " Annabelle began.

"And then you weren't in the dormitory this morning, your bed completely untouched – "

"Hermione – " Annabelle tried again, ignoring Seamus' expectant and a little hurt face. It broke her heart to see him like that.

But once again, Hermione kept going.

"I even went to the hospital wing, all your classes, searched everywhere outside – "

"Hermione, listen, it's not – " Harry interrupted this time, defending Annabelle.

"And you," Hermione narrowed her eyes, raising her finger and pointing it at him as if in attack, "You weren't any better. Ron woke up at three in the morning you know. He freaked when he didn't see you in your bed. And then at eight in the morning when you still weren't there you'd think – "

Seamus' pain filled eyes were scorching Annabelle to the skin.

"HERMIONE!" Harry yelled, gaining the attention of half the Great Hall. Hermione looked a little shocked, and then stared at Harry as if he went mad.

Annabelle sunk in her chair when Harry began to explain. Seamus would hate her if he knew she spent the entire night with Harry.

"Listen, okay? Annabelle was in the library the entire time yesterday, catching up on some homework. And while doing that, she fell asleep. And just now, she woke up. Killing herself by worrying what you guys would think when she wouldn't meet you guys here in time."

Annabelle bit her lip as she prepared herself for the next part.

"And at midnight I went looking for Annabelle, because she obviously was lost. I checked the entire Hogwarts underneath my cloak – even the library but it was locked."

Annabelle glanced up in surprise.

"So then I went back to the dormitory, thinking she'd be back by the morning but I couldn't sleep. I was in the washroom at around three, so that might explain Ron," he added, eyeing Ron who reluctantly agreed, "And then woke up early and found her in the library."

Everyone seemed to buy the explanation except for Hermione, who only stiffened, but then said nothing more.

Seamus grabbed Annabelle's hand in his own, smiling warmly at her, all signs of hurt washed away. Everyone in the table started to get into a conversation, and Seamus whispered, "You still up for Hogsmeade, Bee?"

"Bee?" Annabelle asked, suspicion etched in her voice.

"My nickname for you," Seamus grinned. "Like it?"

Annabelle nodded, though she wasn't sure how he got "Bee" from Annabelle.

"Yeah, I'm up to Hogsmeade. Wish I could get changed though," she muttered, grabbing a bagel from the table and biting into it.

"You look beautiful no matter what," Seamus said into her ear softly.

Annabelle jerked away from him – not because of what he said, but because of the extremely weird feeling she felt from his breath in her ear.

He looked sort of confused, but Annabelle covered it up by a quick awkward peck on his cheek. However, she missed his cheek, and kissed his jaw instead. Seamus looked even more confused.

Embarrassed, Annabelle looked away and fortunately met Harry's green eyes. He looked like he was trying hard not to laugh as he drank his pumpkin juice. Annabelle narrowed her eyes at him, and desperately begged to stop embarrassing herself. She bit into another piece of her bagel just as McGonogall announced,

"All students who are going to Hogsmeade please begin lining up in front of the school. The carriages will be here shortly."

Annabelle stared at all her books in deep thought. How on earth was she going to make it to the Gryffindor tower and back in two minutes?

Thankfully, Neville answered her mind.

"I'm staying Anna," he said, watching her stare at her books. "If you want, I can take those upstairs for you," he offered.

Annabelle beamed at him. "You'd really do that?"

"Sure."

Annabelle could have hugged him if he wasn't sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"Oh Neville, that'd be perfect! Thanks so much," she said, smiling at him.

He shrugged as if it was nothing, but returned her smile.

"You ready to go?" Seamus asked, standing up.

Annabelle nodded and got up from her seat as well, shoving the remains of her bagel into her mouth.

She turned to Neville once more. "Thanks Neville, really."

Neville smiled warmly, and he as well as she knew that it wasn't just for the books she was thanking him for. It was for his understanding. She was so lucky to have a friend like Neville.

Seamus put his arm on Annabelle's waist, and Annabelle couldn't help but let a surprised, "Oh!" squeak out of her mouth.

Seamus glanced at her quizzically, and she immediately regretted saying anything.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry's raised eyebrow as well.

"Still getting used to the whole thing," Annabelle explained shyly.

Even with the explanation, she didn't feel comfortable with Seamus' arms around her. So she pretended she needed to tie her shoe lace, and when she got up she made sure to keep distance as she and her friends walked out of the castle.

- - - -