Hero Worship 3/?
Classes started for them that Monday, and Colin was already busy writing essays for Snape on strange ingredients found in the Indus valley and Eastern world, as well as studying the boring famines brought on Ireland by a drunken wizard getting curse happy. He hadn't seen much of Harry in the last few days since school had started, he'd heard rumors about reporters hanging around the castle looking for the 7th year he was hoping this wasn't true. He knew first hand how much Harry hated that stuff.
When Colin was returning from Transfiguration Thursday several books in his hands, he stopped confused there was a crowd around the Fat Lady's portrait, not a crowd of students either.
"Excuse me?" He tapped a tall balding man on the shoulder. "What's going on?" The man looked down his beaky nose at the short sixth year as he answered, "We're looking for Mr. Potter, just want a small word with him."
"Leave him alone already." Colin rudely elbowed his way through the crowd of camera holding strangers whispering the password and just squeezing behind the portrait so the adults could not follow him. 'Dumbledore wouldn't let them in…' Colin shook his head moving farther into the almost empty common room. He needed to study. He spotted an empty chair away from the fireplace and lit well enough to read in. Hauling his books over Colin just flopped into the seat. Which grunted at him?
Colin stood up dropping his books as he whirled around to look at the presumably empty seat. He frowned, nothing there, so what had he sat on?
Harry pulled the invisibility cloak off his face and shoulders getting a strange pleasure out of seeing Colin's shock and then quick flush as he realized he had just sat in Harry Potter's lap.
"I'm really sorry Harry; I didn't see you…literally." Colin bent down gathering up his dropped books. "Hiding from the crowd?"
Harry shifted letting the cloak fall the rest of the way off and pool in his lap as he nodded, "They've been following me all day. Snape took points off Gryffindor for it this morning." The anger about the incident still burning bright.
"What a git. What do they want?" Colin pulled up his own chair just next to Harry's setting his books at his side after sitting down in the cushy chair.
"Same as always. They want to know what happened last year. Sirius ran them off at the beginning of summer, guess they think he can't get them while I'm here and have restarted." Sighing Harry leaned his head back against the chair. "Professor McGonagall said she would take care of them after lunch." He did not want to wait. Harry glanced over to the boy sitting beside him watching the brown head bend over a book, he found himself enjoying the view, something normal in this hectic day. Colin was completely engrossed in his Transfiguration unaware of Harry watching him as he bit his lip in concentration. Harry watched the other boy run a thin hand through his hair ruffling the dark strands before dropping again to turn the page leaving his hair sticking out funnily across his forehead. Harry canted his head to the side slightly, an amused half smile across his lips as he observed the boy before leaning forward slightly so Colin was within arm's reach.
Colin looked up sharply, confused as he felt something brush through his hair gently, the strands falling back down across his forehead correctly. He blinked in confusion at what he saw; it was just refusing to compute in his head. Harry was just pulling back his arm, retracting from where he'd run his fingers through Colin's long fringe of hair lingering just a moment in the soft strands before pulling back and settling in Harry's lap where it belonged. Colin just blinked at him trying to tell his heart to start beating again; he exhaled a breath as he recovered his senses giving Harry a carelessly charming smile, "Thanks."
The moment ending Harry giving a tiny smile in return, leaning back in his chair and watching the other boy go back to his homework as if nothing had happened. 'I was just being a friend, he looked funny.' Harry never questioned why he had to rationalize his actions to himself just letting it pass by him.
Colin tried going back to reading he really did but his concentration was broken and its cause was still sitting in the chair next to him. His mind kept replaying the moment in his head mercilessly making him forget to read or to pretend to anyway.
The two teenagers sat in a relatively uncomfortable silence for over half an hour before any other Gryffindor students decided to grace the common room with their presence. Ginny Weasley and a small cluster of friends come to put their books in the dorm before lunch with the others. The redheaded girl waved brightly at the two boys giving them a warm smile as the group of girls took their own seats around a small spindly-legged table. Several of the girls giggled and peeked at the two boys, in what they thought was a fetching manner. Harry looked at Colin rolling his eyes at the girls' silliness. The gesture brought a smile to Colin's features. The silence between the two almost friends was more companionable now after the shared amusement.
The other Gryffindors soon broke that silence though, hungry for lunch appearing from rooms and returning from class. The sounds of laughing and typical school gossip filled the air quickly causing the two boys to flee, separately, from their small haven. Colin disappeared to his dorm and Harry once more donned the old invisibility cloak and snuck out the portrait hole.
Harry squished himself against the wall to get past the group of reporters waiting to pounce him. He once more thanked God for Dumbledore's insight his first year giving him the cloak. It had been such a crucial part of his school life since then. It was a clear shot to the Great Hall after sneaking past the group of people.
Colin, on the other hand, found his sleeve snagged as he passed by Ginny's group. He shifted his heavy books in his arms as he turned to face the redhead in question. He smiled lightly to her ignoring her giggling friends.
"Join us Colin?" Ginny asked, apparently the other girls having put her up to it, were quick to nod their agreement with the suggestion by their leader.
"I well…um I was just heading for lunch, I'm sorry." He did not like those girls; they had been giving him funny looks all week and it just freaked him out. He tried to edge away from the girls as politely as he could, sighing as he felt Ginny grab him again.
"You can sit with us in there too. It won't be very hard to make room for you." It was oddly frightening as he watched the group of girl's faces go from disappointed to hope filled as Ginny weedled him. "Please Colin?"
No, he refused to give into those puppy eyes that seemed as much a genetic trait much as the red hair in the Weasley family. "I can't, I really have things to do." He pulled his arm sharply out of the girl's grasp and backed up a few hurried steps before outright fleeing the scene.
'Scared of a few girls, Colin?' the thought bringing a thin smile to Ginny's lips as she watched his retreating.
As soon as Colin was out of earshot the group of girl's chattering picked up again. Some girls commented on Colin's behavior giggling at how adorably he had flushed as he left. The 6th year girls had found their prey, namely Colin, and would not rest until he was attached to one of them. They drilled Ginny for information on her friend; the redhead laughed brushing some questions off completely answering others, easily managing the girls' questions.
Colin breathed a sigh of relief as his escape succeeded. It was not that he did not like Ginny, quite the opposite; he was very fond of her. She was his closest friend; he just did not like her friends, at all.
Lunch was normal, well as normal as the lunch at Hogwart's got. First years starting food fights, the vein in Professor Snape's forehead standing out as he berated some little Hufflepuff for spilling pudding on his robes. Yes, quite normal indeed. Well, until the reporters went to sniff out Harry in the Great Hall. The nosy prats came through the double doors much like a herd of elephants would have. Shouts of "Where is he?" "Mr. Potter? Mr. Potter? Where are you?" and "Where is Harry Potter?" filling up the air.
Harry ducked down slightly trying not to be noticed where he sat at the Gryffindor table. Ron was to Harry's right turning a right angry red in the face while Hermione was doing her best imitation of a pissed McGonagal, (not attractive mind you). Harry slide beneath the table hidden by bodies and the tablecloth cursing under his breath. He was not going to get any peace from these people.
The reporters were not deterred by Professor Flitwick, who had come to shoo them out, instead the quill wielders headed for the nearest house table. The Slytherins were all too happy to ablidge the reporters with information, Malfoy being the most prominent and pointing directly where the dark haired boy had been moments before at the Gryffindor table. The small herd of witches descended upon the Gryffindor table trying to find Harry.
Harry crawled the length of the table dragging the invisibility cloak behind him cursing all the while. Just his damn luck. He settled down at the end of the table listening to the commotion above him and praying whomever he was in front of did not kick him. Harry pulled the cloak up over himself planning to bolt when the room was suddenly hushed.
"Enough!" The command was not one to be ignored the voice rift with authority. Dumbledore stood in the doorway to the Great Hall, which now was deathly silent as wide eyes turned towards the shout; he resembled more of a thundercloud than the kind headmaster everyone knew.
"Get out of this castle. Do not enter the grounds again for any reason. This is an environment for children not nosy gossips. Clear out now!" The reprimanded witches and wizards seemed to shrink in on themselves paling considerably as Dumbledore spoke. The group seemed to fly out the doors as eager to get out, as they had been to get in earlier.
Harry sighed with relief leaning back against some unnamed person's legs feeling the muscles tense. Harry laughed silently, the situation struck him as morbidly funny he leaned his head back against that person's knees not caring how uncomfortable he was obviously making them. He shifted slightly…
'Wearing pants…must be one of the boys.' Harry just let his thoughts drift idly as he sat under the Gryffindor table in the solitude made by tablecloth between him and the rest of the world.
"Harry you may come out now." Dumbledore's voice was once more cheerful and light in its tone. Harry could just picture the amused smile on that bearded face and the twinkle everyone always commented on in those eyes. With a sigh Harry crawled out from under the table dragging his cloak behind him, both covered in a thin layer of dust. Harry forced way between two students sitting on the far side of the table. He took the moment to look up across the table to see whose personal space he had invaded earlier when he had made them his backrest. A humorless smile touched his lips.
"We can call that revenge for sitting on me earlier."
Colin just nodded quickly hoping no one asked him about the odd comment he had just received from the Harry Potter. He did not look up from his meal just quickly shoveled the food into is mouth barely tasting it so he could retreat from the table before anyone noticed the physical reaction Harry had caused. Colin excused himself as the desserts were just appearing on the golden plates giving his friends a light smile as he left the table for a safer haven; his dorm.
'Fuck I do not have a crush on Harry Potter. I do not have a crush on Harry Potter, I do not have a crush on Harry Potter…I do not Have a crush on Harry Potter…'
Colin repeated the declaration in his head; he refused to let himself believe he liked Harry. He had at one point but not now. He was above that, matured and with better taste since he was 11. Colin scrubbed a hand through his hair not caring how ruffled he left it…well until the image of Harry reaching out and carefully fixing it for him popped in his head… Just wasn't his day.