Chapter three brings us back to Belle's POV! Hope you guys enjoy it!

I made a mistake last time, NEXT chapter will be longer! This time is a promise!

THIRD YEAR – MAYBE I DO HAVE A CRUSH

As Belle made her way from the Great Hall to the library, she kept replaying her conversation with Mary Margaret in her head. She couldn't stop thinking about what the Hufflepuff had said, but she knew she could not ask anyone's opinion on it. Specially Ruby – Belle would never hear the end of it. However, if what the other girl had said was true, it was not that difficult to notice. So Ruby might find out soon enough that she…

Belle shook her head. She was letting what her friend had said cloud her head. She did not have– but what if she did? Belle stopped all of the sudden. She was already in front of the library, but in the state of mind she was, she didn't know if she could go ahead and meet him. The Ravenclaw took a deep breath. Okay, let's think this through. What were the reasons Mary Margaret stated again?

"So," Mary Margaret said as soon as the others had left the breakfast table that Saturday morning. It was now just the two of them. "when did this crush of yours started?"

Belle was very proud of the fact that she did not spit her pumpkin juice out. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks grew hot. She took her time in swallowing to refrain from stuttering as she answered the brunet. It did not work.

"C-Crush? I – I don't.. What do you mean?"

The other girl gave her a small smile before turning towards the table to get a cookie; giving Belle the time to compose herself.

"Come on, Belle. It's just me. You know I'll tell no one." When Belle still chose to remain with a blank face (though she was sure it was not as blank as she hoped) Mary Margaret continued. "Gold? Robert Gold? The person whom you wouldn't stop stealing glances from throughout the meal?

"I wasn't – "

"And who glanced back every time you looked away."

"He looked back?" Belle asked before she could stop herself. Which she realized was a mistake the second she saw the other girl's smile widening. "I really don't…" she tried.

"Belle" Mary Margaret said; her smile still in place, amusement in her eyes, but a firmer tone. "Every time you plan on meeting him on the library to 'study' you dress up." the other girl raised her hand to stop Belle when she opened her mouth to defend herself "Yes, you do Belle. Aren't you meeting him after breakfast today?"

"Yes, but – "

"And you're going to tell me that wearing that skirt, shirt, necklace, bracelet, earrings, and scarf is a normal thing to wear when one's going to the library to study in a Saturday morning with a 'friend'? I don't remember you dressing up like this the last two years when we went studying together."

Belle couldn't find anything to say to that. She looked down at her own clothes instead. She supposed that she had picked them out instead of just choosing the clothes (that matched) that were easier to reach; she hadn't done it for Robert though. She had done it because she'd wanted to dress…nicely… on a Saturday morning… Oh Morgana.

"You give a little smile every time someone mentions his name." Apparently, Mary Margaret was not finished. "You jump to defend him whenever someone says something bad about him."

"He's my friend! I'd do it for any of you."

Mary Margaret ate the rest of her cookie and turned on the bench to look straight at her.

"And you blush when you meet him unexpectedly or if your eyes cross, like they did this morning." She finished after chewing.

Belle just sat there staring at her friend, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. She tried to think of something, anything that would contradict the Hufflepuff, but couldn't. After a while, Belle deflated and asked lamely.

"How…When did you notice these things?"

Mary Margaret's smile grew wider – if that was even possible.

"I noticed you seemed happier this year –eyes shining and all - and I kind of guessed the reason. I started paying more attention just to make sure, and I was not surprised to notice all these things!"

"I…I don't know what to say." And it was the true. She was speechless. Mind reeling over everything that had been said in the conversation. It was too much information for breakfast time.

"If I were you I'd say 'goodbye' and get going. You don't wanna be late for your da-err… meeting with 'Robert.'"

The way the older student said Gold's name had Belle blushing. That seemed to make Mary Margaret chuckle for some reason. The Ravenclaw got up and looked at her friend.

"I..Just. Thanks. You." She was making no sense. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "Thank you for… well, reminding me of the time. I'll talk to you latter!" And she turned around to leave feeling more than hearing her friend's quiet laughter as she made her hasty exit of the Great Hall. Just as she was almost out of the Hall, she heard her friend's voice right beside her. Belle didn't hurry enough apparently.

"Don't worry Belle, your secret is safe with me." She squeezed her friends arm and headed towards the castle's door. "Let me know how your 'study session' went! I promised David and Emma that I'd go watch their Quidditch practice!" And before the Ravenclaw could comment on the way the other had said 'study session', the brunet was out of sight, leaving Belle blushing and rooted on the spot.

"I…" She shook her head and started her way to the library. "We really are going to study…"

Belle's heart started beating faster as she remembered the whole conversation. Belle blushed and scoffed right after. It seemed all she was doing today was blush. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath. She squared her shoulders, and forced her breathing to calm down, preparing to enter the library. Mary Margaret was wrong. She'd probably been reading too many romantic novels, that was it. Belle too, actually. She didn't have a crush, she-

"Oh, Belle! Good! I thought I was late." Robert was suddenly by her side, a small smile in place and his bag over one shoulder. Her heart started galloping again. His cheeks were a bit red, probably from running his way here from wherever he'd been before. "I had just gotten to the library when I realized I had forgotten my potions notebook, so I rushed back to my bedroom to get it."

Belle didn't say anything. She just kept staring at his face. His brown eyes, that had intrigued her so much the first time she saw them, staring straight at her blue ones. His light brown hair was a bit dishevelled because of the way he rushed here, she supposed. And he had rushed so she wouldn't have to wait. A small (probably silly) smile made it's way to her face.

"Belle?" Robert frowned and Belle realized she had remain silent for too long. Blushing (damn it!), she hurried to say something.

"Sorry! I wasn't waiting, I just arrived myself." Yep… that was a smart answer. Way to go 'Ravenclaw'!

Robert frowned a bit more but just shrugged and turned towards the library, the small smile coming back in place. "Ready?"

"Yep, let's go!" Belle chirped happily walking in step with him to their usual table.

Maybe Mary Margaret was not wrong. In fact, she was probably right, if Belle's blush and heart rate were anything to go by. And while she discreetly observed him while they studied that morning, Belle was sure. And she felt nothing but happiness every time their eyes met over the books or when they grew close together to point something in a book. With the butterflies in her stomach, Belle could not deny it any longer. She did have a crush, a major one, on Robert Gold.