A/N: A typical night in the life of Percy and Oliver. Shorter than the others. slice of life moment. Percy/Oliver.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 3 - Together in the Common Room

His lips moved wordlessly as his quill moved across his parchment, filling the air around him with the sound of soft scratching. School was in full swing now, and every night, Percy could be found at one of the small desks along the edges of the Gryffindor Common Room doing his homework.

Across from the red-head sat his best friend and crush, Oliver Wood, who was intently focused on his own parchment. It was just the two of them in the room as most of the students were either still in the Great Hall finishing dinner, in the Library or headed to bed early.

"What do you think about starting Fred and George off near the goal posts to help with defense?" Oliver asked, his nose almost touching his own parchment as he scribbled his notes.

"Then they'll be too far from the Chasers and Harry, who need protection more than you do," Percy said without looking up. Though the red-head didn't play the sport much himself, he was an avid follower and a good strategist. Many of Oliver's plays over the years as team captain had been bounced of Percy during nights like this, some plays even devised by Percy himself.

Oliver nodded, his quill moving madly across his parchment, before he said, "I could split them up, keep one at my side and let the other protect the Chasers."

"No," Percy said, shaking his head. "Fred and George work best as a team. Breaking them up would make both of them worthless."

The red-head reached blindly across the table as he continued to write, and the Quidditch Keeper wordlessly dropped his own finished essay into the waiting hand, neither looking at the other.

Percy scanned the other boy's essay quickly before he said, "You only listed three advantages of using poppies over daisies, instead of four."

Oliver reached his hand out for his essay and jotted something down before he handed it back.

"How about the Chasers? Should it be a V-formation, or a staggered line?" he asked again.

Percy thought for a moment before he finally looked up from his parchment. He smiled at the smudges of ink across the other boy's face he remained blissfully unaware of, and the way his eyes danced across the parchment as his imagination ran wild. It was moments like this when Percy thought Oliver was his most handsome and beautiful. He was so attracted to the young man, by his inside and out, and Percy couldn't keep his feelings hidden any longer.

"Percy?" Oliver asked, finally looking up. "V or stagger?"

Percy shook his head and said, "V at the beginning, and then stagger. Keep things interesting."

Oliver nodded and gave the red-head a dazzling smile. "Right. Thanks, Perce," he said before he looked back down.

"Not a problem, Oliver," Percy said, resisting the urge to reach over the wipe the ink off the other boy's face, and returning to his own essay. He would get the courage to act soon, but not tonight. Tonight was just a typical night between the two Gryffindor Seventh Years.