I'm so sorry for the delay! But everything goes so slowly! Writing, beta readen, correcting... and there have been some personal problems. However, I'M NOT DROPPING THE STORY! SO KEEP REVIEWING!!

chapter 4: Creating Crushes

"Hermione! What happened to Colin!?" gasped Ron at the sight of Hermione with her wand pointed out to the place where Colin had stand. Colin was now on the other side of the corridor, looking as struck by lightening but not moving. He seemed to be unconscious.

"He ... he got on my nerves!" Hermione panicked, while running over to Colin. "He's not moving!"

Harry kneeled down beside her and Colin. "Why don't you use the counter spell?" he asked, checking if Colin really was unconscious. Hermione bit her lip.

"Let me guess, you don't know how?" said Ron, crossing his arms, raising one eyebrow.

Hermione sighed. "We can't tell Dumbledore! I'll get expelled if one of the teachers find out!"

Harry frowned. "What do you think we can do about it then? We have to take him with us, before someone sees." he suggested.

Ron clapped his hand against his head and Hermione smiled gratefully.

Surprisingly, no one had noticed the three of them dragging Colin up to the Gryffindor common room. Luckily Hermione knew the password (Toad feet).

"How lucky are we that everyone is stupid enough to read every poster in the corridors first before coming up here? We need to hide him somewhere!" said Ron.

"Oh! How about Moaning Myr-" started Hermione, but Harry cut her off; "Oh no. I know what you want to suggest, but I am NOT going to see her again! Certainly NOT after that night in the prefect's bathroom!"

"What were you doing in the prefect's bathroom?! You're not a-" tried Hermione, but this time, Ron cut her off; "What happened? Did she see you, like, naked!?"

Harry turned scarlet and Hermione clapped her hand in front of her mouth "She didn't! Tell me, she didn't!"

Harry shook his head. "No, though it was a close one. Let's hurry, why don't we put him in the Room of Requirement?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"This sounded like a great idea, but what are we going to do now?" asked Harry, after they had moved Colin (under Harry's invisibility cloak) to the Room of Requirement.

"We've got to find the counter spell! There are loads of books here! I'll try this one." Said Hermione, pointing her wand at Colin.

"Well, THAT obviously didn't work. Failed again ..." said Ron, after Hermione tried for a fifth time.

"I did not fail!" said Hermione furiously, opening another book.

Ron shook his head "Of course not! You just invented 10,000 ways that didn't work!"

Hermione gritted her teeth, and before she could make a reply, Harry cut her off; "Hey, d'you guess anyone's missing us or Colin at the moment?"

Ron shrugged. "Dennis will notice soon. We've got to try and draw attention away," he suggested. Harry nodded. The two of them moved to the exit and Hermione sighed deeply.

Just as the both of them entered the Gryffindor common room, Dennis Creevey was about to exit. But he stopped and turned to them.

"Do you know where Colin is? I've been looking everywhere for him! He wanted to tell me about some pictures he had made yesterday! And the day before yesterday! And the day before the day before yesterday! And probably the days before that one too!" Dennis asked fast and excited.

"Er... " Harry started, but then, Seamus and Dean came walking up them as well.

"Hey, Harry! Ron! We saw you take off with Hermione... any idea where Colin is?" Dean asked, patting Ron on the back.

"He's probably taking pictures of Hermione again, isn't he?" added Seamus, grinning.

Harry looked at Ron, he shrugged and answered; "Yeah, the two of them went to somewhere private... didn't they Harry?"

Harry widened his eyes for a second and then slowly nodded. "Ye-yeah, yes, they did, they went somewhere private." His eyes questioning Ron.

But before Ron could say anything, Dennis jumped up and down, screaming "Colin has a girlfriend! My brother's got a girlfriend!!"

Harry clapped his hand against his head and Ron pressed his lips together. At that moment, Hermione entered the common room, followed by a fully revived Colin.

"Hello...?" said Hermione, at the sight of everyone's widened faces and Dennis' grinning one.

"You ... and what about ... I knew it!" said Seamus laughing, grabbing Dean's shoulder for support.

"What do you know?" asked Hermione, now placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him.

"About you and Colin of course!!" grinned Dennis widely.

Hermione dropped her jaw.

Sometimes, all Harry wanted to do was just run. To a place where no one could ever find him. This was one of those moments.

Hermione did not scream nor did she laugh. She just crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "WHAT do you mean?" she demanded short and briskly.

"You and Colin, about your relationship!" said Ginny, now getting into the conversation as well.

"We don't HAVE a relationship!" cried Hermione.

Ginny, Dean, Seamus and Dennis began to laugh and talk and Harry could hear Dean say "Yeah, right, denial!" and he quickly took a few steps back for Hermione walked past him and the crowd.

"So, have you two been kissing?" asked Ginny curious while taking a step to Colin.

Colin pressed his lips together and turned around "I'm going to bed!" and he went off.

The next day the rumor had spread out and when Hermione entered the common room, everyone was staring at her, some of them with wide eyes, others with grins or smiles. Hermione threw her hair over her shoulder and walked out of the common room, down the stairs and corridors and entered the Great Hall.

Harry and Ron were having a conversation about Quidditch, until Hermione joined them. She didn't talk to them and angrily opened her play book.

"Hermione, we are sorry, we didn't mean to ..." Harry started, but Hermione merely threw him a glare. "No, of course you didn't! But you DID!"

Ron mouthed "leave her be" to Harry, but Harry wasn't planning to argue about this. "No, you need to listen Hermione! We COULDN'T do anything else! You and Colin were both gone, so Dennis immediately made the link that you two were together, we just sort of ... agreed." tried Harry.

Hermione sighed. "I'm not planning to argue... we have auditions after breakfast, remember?" she focused on the book again.

The auditions took place in the Great Hall itself, after breakfast the first through fifth years moved out of it, leaving the sixth and seventh years.

Someone with golden blonde hair, with white teeth and brilliant green robes, entered the Hall and made his way to the (just appeared) stage.

Curiously, the sixth and seventh years gathered around the stage to get a better look of the person on the stage.

"No..." gasped Ron at the wizard on the stage and Harry couldn't help but do the same. "It can't be..."

"No, it isn't him." answered Hermione. "That person is not Gilderoy Lockhart, though the resemblance with him is almost perfect ..." she looked hypnotised at the wizard, who smiled, again revealing his white teeth.

"Girls! Do not faint! I am not the one known as Gilderoy Lockhart; I am merely a fan of him." The wizard looked around, surveying his crowd with pronounced interest. "Now, let me introduce myself... I am Sylvester Lovehart, you may know me from my biography 'Seeing with Syl' or my books; 'Letting go the Loser, Training the Troll and, of course, Why Lockhart still Lives'. "

"I'll bet 4 Galleons that Sylvester Lovehart isn't his real name!" whispered Ron to Harry.

"4 whole Galleons? Your parents don't even own that much money!" sneered Draco behind them. Ron just wanted to turn around, but Lovehart started again;

"Now, for the play! 'Hélas! J'ai Transfiguré mes Pieds! By Malecrit is one of the best plays ever written. I must point out to you, the second page, listing the names of the co-writers, including me, of course. Now, auditions. I'm going to read the parts out loud and they will choose you."

"What? They will choose US? We don't get to choose them?" asked Neville in a terrified voice "then, what if the main part chooses me?" he gulped.

"Cheer up Neville, I'm sure no main part will even be so stupid to choose you." said Draco out loud, followed by roars of laughter of Crabbe and Goyle.

"As I was saying, I will read out the parts. Everyone, move more forward please, so you can not only hear me read, but also see me read." Lovehart smiled.

Harry spotted Cho on the other side of the Hall. She was late and moved quickly towards them, carrying her copy of 'Hélas! J'ai Transfiguré mes Pieds'. She looked at him and Harry quickly focused on Lovehart again.

"Firstly, the part of Madelin the 'beautiful' Witch, the one who gets hats for her birthday and turns into a toad after putting three hats on her head at the same time." He flicked his wand and said; "Madelin the Witch"

An arrow of fire appeared in the air, pointing towards nobody else but Cho Chang.

Cho clapped her hand in front of her mouth and the group of girls surrounding her began to congratulate her. Hermione sniffed.

Before Lovehart could continue, the door opened again and 7 more students came walking in. Harry immediately recognized them as the Durmstrang lot, who appeared to be sorted in one of the houses just a few minutes ago. Viktor walked over to Hermione and smiled "Herm-my-ninny! I've been sorted in Gryvindor!" Hermione smiled and congratulated him.

"Well, if everyone's ready? The next part, Germond the 'great' Sorcerer and Quidditch Champion. He's the one who's the hero, going to save Madelin and all of the people..." he flicked his wand.

"Watch, I'm gonna get the part!" whispered Draco behind Harry's back. Harry just rolled his eyes.

But the large arrow of fire didn't point at Harry, nor did it point at Draco. Instead, it pointed directly at Ron.

"What the-?!?" Draco gasped, but Ron didn't seem surprised at all. Instead, he was grinning very widely, looking at Cho. Harry bit his lip. He had to feel happy for Ron right now and congratulate him. Hermione was already congratulating Ron so Harry did shortly after. He didn't feel really happy about Ron getting the part, in secret, he had hoped he would get the main part.

"What do you MEAN this git is going to get the part of the QUIDDITCH champion? The moron can't even control his broom!" sneered Draco.

Lovehart did not seem to pay attention. "Now, for the other main parts... Quizar the 'evil' Phantom. Not a very charming part, I must say." He flicked his wand. Another arrow appeared, this time; it wasn't a flaming one, but a misty, ghostly one, pointing at Draco.

"Well, if I can't be the champion, make me the crusher of the champion..." muttered Draco.

"Another big part, Aramald the Advisor, right hand of Germond." He flicked his wand, not seeming to get bored of the 'ooooh's and 'aaaaah's of the girls who seemed to have admiration for this trick.

The flaming arrow appeared... in front of Harry, pointing directly at his face. Harry felt how the news sunk in. He was right hand of Ron. He looked at Hermione, who was shaking his hand and congratulating him. He grinned stupidly. Ron patted him on his shoulder and told him he had a great part.

But Ron got to save someone. Ron got to be the hero.

Without Harry paying attention, Lovehart had flicked his wand again and an arrow appeared, pointing to Hermione.

Harry suddenly became aware of the silence surrounding them. Everyone was gaping at Hermione, who stood there, with a dropped jaw.

"What part did you get?" asked Harry eagerly.

Hermione closed her mouth and softly shook her head "No, I'm NOT going to sing!"