DISCLAIMER: As heartbreaking as it is to admit, this world belongs solely to JKR (WB…we won't go there). Without her, my life would be a heck of a lot more boring! (H_HrFan)
A/N from H_HrFan: This is the first joint effort between me and GreenEyeSparkle16, it's been a lot of fun to put together and I hope that you'll enjoy reading it as much as we've enjoyed writing it. We have a few other fics planned that will be multi-chaptered but we needed a place to start and this is it!
This collaboration was inspired by one of Mycha_kk's excellent challenges (for anyone who's read my stories, you know how much I love Mycha's challenges…her ideas have inspired me to write 2 stories, expand `Fairy Tale' and, of course, this challenge for GreenEyeSparkle16 and I.
For anyone who has read her stuff, you know that GreenEyeSparkle16 is a fantastic author and I plan to take away a lot of good lessons in writing from this collaboration. I'm looking forward to writing the stories we've got planned for you.
For anyone who has read (and enjoyed) my story `A Fairy Tale for His Her-my-oh-nee' then perhaps you'll be happy to know that she has agreed to co-write the sequel with me. I'm really looking forward to the time when we can begin.
She also has a lot of fantastic insights into H/Hr which we'll be sharing with you in chapter 2 of this story. Part of Mycha's challenge is the reader's point of view. That will posted soon.
Thank you all for reading and for all your great support! Drop us a note and let us know what you think. If you need ten words or more you can borrow these (just copy and paste into the remarks)….
You guys are awesome! I can't wait to read your next collaboration. I hope you don't intend to keep us waiting too long! Thanks for such a great story.
(I'm just kidding…although a quick note would be most excellent!)
GreenEyeSparkle16 - you're the best. I'm looking forward to what stories we have yet to come! Thanks for saying yes to my request to collaborate!
Take care everyone,
H_HrFan
A/N from GreenEyeSparkle16: I've never done this before...combined ideas and writing styles with another author. It's great, and it's only the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed co-writing this story with H_HrFan; it was a fun way to begin a chain of other stories that are sure to come. She's an amazing author; I`m sure you all know that. I never, ever thought I'd be co-writing stories with the person who came up with "A Fairy Tale For His Her-my-oh-nee". Not to mention that I get to help write the sequel to it! *Gets up and does a little dance*
I hope you all enjoy this story as much as we enjoyed writing it. It was definitely something new for me. Thanks Mycha_kk for the challenge!!
I'd also like to take this time to mention that my name is only slightly different from my solo account - Green_Eye_Sparkle16, as you can see, there are only lines inserted there (the name would have just been too long. I'd also like to mention that the next chapter for Secrets From the Past will be up soon. I've come into a rather lengthy amount of time that will allow me to write!
Okay, well, hope you like this story! Reviews would be great. And if you don't have anything to say...just follow H_HrFan's instructions above! LOL! J/K.
H_HrFan: No, YOU'RE THE BEST! I don't know how many times I need to tell you just how happy I am to have stumbled across your Fairy Tale! It led to this story! Being a co-author with you is awesome! I truly never thought it would happen. I'm looking forward to our future stories!
You're the best!
Enjoy the story everyone!
GreenEyeSparkle16
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The Scrapbook
From the first moment Colin Creevey saw Harry Potter he decided he wanted to give his hero a great gift. Something from the heart; something that Harry would treasure.
He thought about it for a long time, too long really, until he finally decided on what he thought would be the perfect gift. He had six years to watch Harry, six years to take pictures and document Harry's life through his eyes; the eyes of an outsider. He decided he would make him a scrapbook. He would take pictures, listen closely to what others had to say about him, interview a few people now and then, and he would document it all. He would present it to him just before the end of Harry's seventh year. It would be something that Harry would cherish forever, he was sure of it.
For more than five and a half years he'd been working on it and the time for its completion was rapidly approaching. In less than two months time Harry would be leaving Hogwarts forever.
Most of the book was complete, he'd been diligent about placing everything he'd gathered into the book as soon as he obtained it; he was never one to procrastinate. He dated the entries and when he overheard someone talking about Harry he would try to capture the speaker's expression with his camera. Most people were used to him walking around snapping pictures so no one bothered to question why he was photographing them…it had made his job so much easier.
Everyone was now at dinner and since Colin wasn't hungry, he'd decided to stay behind. He was sitting in the Gryffindor common room flipping through the pages of the scrapbook and thinking about the images he found there. There was the picture he took during Harry's second year when he was being chased by the bludger. Pictures of Harry at the Yule Ball (yes, he was there to be the photographer and a lot of his best quotes came from that night)…pictures of nearly everything Harry had done while at Hogwarts.
As he flipped through the pages he noticed that a pattern had begun to form. It was something he hadn't given much thought to in the past but looking now, it was quickly becoming blatantly obvious and he wondered how he could have missed it before…
Throughout the scrapbook there were many pictures of Harry by himself doing various things, but in the beginning there were also a lot of pictures of Harry with Ron and Hermione. In Harry's second year very few pictures had been taken because Colin had been petrified by the basilisk. In Harry's third year there were more pictures of Harry with Ron and fewer with Hermione in them because of the huge row they'd had over Harry's firebolt. But by the fourth year, things had apparently started to change. The more he looked the more he realized that not only had the pictures changed…but so had people's thoughts. More and more pictures of Harry with only Hermione appeared. There were pictures of them in all types of situations…fighting, studying, staring at each other, playing…everything. There were also pictures of Ron, but Colin was finding fewer and fewer of them with each turn of the page.
He wondered how/when it had happened because he definitely hadn't done it intentionally.
He skimmed through the book quickly the first time then decided to go back through it more slowly. He paused along the way to look at a few of his favorite moments…
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One night after Harry and Hermione left the kitchens Dobby stood in the doorway and watched them walk away. He began to speak softly to himself before he turned to question Winky. "Dobby is seeing Harry Potter and his Miss. Dobby is seeing lots more than Harry Potter, he thinks. Dobby sees Harry Potter smile different and Dobby thinks he sees Harry Potter's Miss smiling different too. Harry Potter does not see Dobby watching. But Dobby is always watching."
"Is Winky seeing Harry Potter and his Miss?" Dobby turned around and asked Winky as soon as Harry and Hermione walked around the corner and out of sight.
"Yes Dobby, Winky is seeing Harry Potter and his Miss," Winky replied.
"Is Winky seeing what Dobby is seeing?" Dobby asked hopefully.
"Yes Dobby, even Winky can see what Dobby is seeing," she confirmed in her high pitched, squeaky voice.
"Dobby wonders when Harry Potter will see," he said quietly, talking to himself once again as he stared off in the direction Harry and Hermione had walked.
The picture Colin took that night was one of his favorites. Dobby's big round, protuberant eyes were shining brightly as he watched his hero walk away laughing with his Miss. The expression on his face spoke volumes for the amount of happiness he would feel when Harry Potter and his Miss finally realize the truth.
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Draco Malfoy had been caught watching the two of them quite often for someone who had no interest in the likes of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Today was no exception. He and Harry had just had their daily row…
"What're you looking at Potter?" Malfoy said condescendingly with his trademark sneer.
"Well, if I were looking at you at I'd have to say nothing now, wouldn't I?" Harry replied, sounding as equally derisive. "As it is, I'll just have to say that it's none of your bloody business, Malfoy."
Harry looked once again just over Draco's shoulder and Draco eyed him suspiciously. He turned around to see what exactly had attracted Harry's attention and he caught sight of Hermione walking toward them. He turned his head back to face Harry and watched him silently for a second. Harry was staring intently at Hermione as she drew ever nearer, his eyes never leaving her. "Damn that filthy little Mudblood," Draco said in a quiet, contemptuous voice. In his eyes it was obvious that he was testing Harry's reaction.
Without looking at him Harry replied, "Shut your damn mouth Malfoy and mind your own business. Lucky for you I have better things to do then to listen to a worthless little git like you." His eyes were still on Hermione as he walked around Malfoy and hurried down the path to meet her. He greeted her with a huge grin on his face, looking as though he hadn't seen her in a very long time. He spoke softly to her and she looked up and smiled at him affectionately.
"Harry Potter, the stupid git," Malfoy sneered quietly from where he stood watching them. "What do I care if he can't see what's right in front of him? Not that it'd be easy to look at the filthy little Mudblood, Granger. Look at them staring at each other like that. Stupid gits, the both of them…and she's supposed to be the brightest witch at Hogwarts? No wonder the wizarding worlds in peril. No one else would have them, might as well have each other…bloody ignorant though they are."
The picture Colin took showed a wide range of emotions on Draco's face. Upon close inspection it was easy to see first and foremost the jealousy that always seemed to pervade all other emotion when it came to Harry Potter. Jealousy comes in many forms and as difficult as one would think it might be to capture it on film, he'd done remarkably well in capturing numerous forms in the set of Draco's jaw, in his stance, and in his expressive gray eyes.
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Colin flipped to another page and found a picture he'd taken at the start of Harry's seventh year, at King's Cross Station. He smiled as he recalled the conversation that day with a Muggle woman who appeared to be quite taken with Harry and Hermione…
"Excuse me, miss," Colin said respectfully. "I couldn't help but to notice that you were watching those two people standing over there by Platform 9. Do you mind my asking why?"
The young woman jumped slightly at his intrusion into her thoughts. "I'm sorry," she said obviously trying to right herself again after being startled, "is there a reason I should tell you? Do you know them?"
"Yes ma'am, I know them very well. I'm putting together a scrapbook for him with pictures and various things that I've picked up here and there. I was curious to know what it is about them that's kept you so interested, you've been staring at them for a few minutes now."
"Oh!" she exclaimed looking slightly embarrassed. "I had no idea I was being so obvious."
"Don't worry," he said in a reassuring voice, "you weren't. I've just been doing this for so long that it's become like second nature for me to find people interested in them."
"Well," she said slowly, her attention once again focused on them as she seemed to choose her words carefully, "they do make a fine couple, don't they? Quite lovely, actually."
"Would you be surprised to know that they're not a couple?"
She started once again and looked at him in surprise. "Whatever do you mean? Sure they are young but even the blind man would know that they're in love."
"Do you think so?" he asked curiously looking from Harry and Hermione then back to her again.
"Don't tell me you can't see it," she said staring at him incredulously and waving her hand in the general direction of Harry and Hermione.
Colin nodded his head and smiled. "Thank you for your time ma'am. Would you mind if I take your picture? I'd like to put it in the scrapbook along with what you've said."
The woman looked at him hesitantly and he tried once again to reassure her. "It's only a book ma'am. I won't post your name unless you want me too."
"Well all right," she finally conceded, albeit reluctantly.
Colin snapped the picture just as the woman's eyes locked on Harry and Hermione again. A soft smile was on her face and Colin could tell she was excited at the prospect of young love.
Walking away from her after what she'd said gave Colin a lot to think about as he watched Harry and Hermione laughing together before they disappeared through the barrier.
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It wasn't often that Hermione fell ill but when she did Harry was always right there by her side to keep an eye on her. One of Colin's favorite pictures was one he took of Hermione lying in a bed in the hospital wing watching Harry intently as he slept with his head resting on the mattress just below her pillow. Under it was another picture of Madam Pomfrey taken just moments later.
"Just look at them there," Madam Pomfrey was saying quietly, "never a more oblivious couple have I seen. You'd think Miss Granger was on her death bed the way Mr. Potter frets about her. Never, in all my years, have I seen a pair go to such great pains to avoid what's staring them right in the face. One day…one day, they will come to know the truth…the same truth I see right now."
The picture he had taken was not the best quality as he tried to take it while listening to Madam Pomfrey rattle on about Harry and Hermione and contain his laughter at the same time. But the subtle look on her face was enough to show that she was certain there was something happening between Mr. Harry Potter and Miss Hermione Granger.
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Flipping through the next few pages, Colin stopped on a picture of a grinning Madame Rosmerta on a page with Harry and Hermione in the Three Broomsticks. Harry was leaning in toward Hermione and whispering into her ear. Colin had been sitting at the bar, near Madam Rosmerta and he'd turned to look at her when he heard her talking quietly to herself. Like him, she'd been watching Harry and Hermione when they came through the door. He'd heard everything, but he hadn't understood then what was so obvious now.
"Dear me!" Madame Rosmerta said quietly as a crowd of students poured into her pub talking loudly. She continued to wipe the glasses clean when she caught site of Harry Potter and his friend Hermione Granger coming through the door. "Where's the red headed boy, Ron?" she said, watching them curiously. Rosmerta shrugged it off and continued to watch the pair make their way to an empty table. She watched them as Harry pulled the chair out for Hermione to sit. Rosmerta watched the smile form on Hermione's face as she sat down. Harry then bent down and said something in her ear that seemed to make her giggle. Rosmerta chuckled to herself and then walked over to ask them what they would like to order. Usually orders were placed at the counter, so Colin was surprised to see Madame Rosmerta herself waiting on them.
"What can I get for you two today?" she asked them.
"Two butterbeers please," Harry said instantly. Hermione reached for her money purse to get a few Sickles, but Harry immediately placed a hand on hers and, with his other hand, handed Rosmerta money enough for both of their drinks. She took the money from him and watched as Harry let his hand linger on Hermione's.
"Thank you." Rosmerta said to them, as she conjured up two butterbeers and set them on the table. "There you go," she said. "Have a nice day you two."
Harry's hand was still on Hermione's and his thumb was gliding back and forth across her skin. They smiled at each other then turned to Rosmerta and smiled at her. "Thank you," they both said.
Rosmerta smiled back and walked back up to the counter shaking her head and grinning. "Young love," she muttered to herself.
Colin had to laugh. Now he was beginning to understand.
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He remembered on one occasion he'd spotted Hermione running toward Harry, positively ecstatic over something.
"Harry, come on!" Hermione said as she grabbed Harry's arm and attempted to drag him down the corridor.
"What is it Hermione?" Harry said as he tried at first to resist her. Hermione tugged at him harder.
"It's snowing!" she squealed. Harry couldn't help but smile at her, and then he took her by the hand as they passed Argus Filch, the caretaker.
"Hello Mr. Filch!" they both called out to him as they ran down the stairs.
"No running!" Filch yelled to them. But they ignored him and continued to run, hands still joined together.
Colin's camera flashed away as he captured the pair running out to the snow. He also got a shot of the rather nasty expression on Filch's face as he was mumbling something to himself about "Bloody kids and their romance."
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The next picture was of Professor Snape. It had been pure luck that he'd gotten it. Toward the end of the class period Professor McGonagall had sent him to Snape's classroom with a note. The picture he had was taken at the end of class when Snape was glaring at Harry and Hermione as they walked, laughing together, out the door of the classroom. He couldn't really tell what Snape had been thinking, but he knew he needed the picture so he could post what happened into the scrapbook.
He'd learned long ago never to interrupt Snape's class so he entered the room quietly. When he walked in he caught a glimpse of Harry and Hermione playing around near their cauldrons and he looked quickly in Snape's direction to see if he'd noticed. In the next second he had his answer…
"Potter! Granger! Here. Tonight. 8 o'clock. Detention." Professor Snape spat.
"But Professor - " Harry started.
"No back talk Potter!" Snape interrupted coldly. "I won't have the two of you flirting during my class. Now, I expect you and Miss Granger to be here exactly at 8 o'clock. Should you arrive even one second late, you will remain an additional hour."
They both nodded and returned to their potions.
At that moment Snape noticed Colin standing near the doorway. "What is it Creevey?" Snape snapped.
"Professor McGonagall asked me to bring you this," Colin said nervously stepping forward with the note.
Snape snatched the note from Colin's hand and eyed him curiously. "You," he said pointing to Colin, "you know a lot about Mr. Potter do you not?"
"Yes sir, quite a lot," Colin agreed nervously. At his reply the soft echoes of laughter chased each other around the room and Harry's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Hermione placed her hand on his arm to reassure him.
"You will spend your evening with Mr. Potter and Miss Granger in my classroom tonight, promptly at 8 o'clock. You will be responsible for them," he said glaring at Harry, "perhaps next time Potter will think before he resorts to such behavior in my classroom." He looked at Colin with one raised eyebrow, "Do you understand me Mr. Creevey?"
"Yes sir," Colin replied a little more excitedly than he perhaps should have considering it was detention from Snape. Laughter echoed once more.
Everyone knew how much Snape loathed Harry so it was quite obvious that he wasn't too keen on having Harry and Hermione in detention. Not because he didn't enjoy having them in detention per se, it was more about having them in there together.
On his way to the dungeon Colin overheard Snape talking…
"Granger and Potter should be here any minute. Always flirting, those two, I swear. Even outside of school they do everything together. They're not always with Weasley you know. I can't count the number of times I caught them running out of you know where to lie on the grass at night and talk while Weasley snored upstairs," he snarled. "It's enough to make anyone sick." Colin knew that it was certainly enough to make someone like Snape sick anyway.
When Harry and Hermione finally arrived, Snape instructed them to sit on opposite ends of the room with Colin at the front of the class with his back to Snape so he could watch them. Naturally, if they were together there would be more flirting and Colin could hardly control his urge to laugh as a clear understanding of Snape's intent surfaced in his mind. Snape checked the clock that ticked on the wall nearby. "You are two minutes late," he sneered, "you've managed to earn yourselves one more hour."
The pair took their separate seats and began to write the lines that Snape had put onto the blackboard, "I will act appropriately in Professor Snape's class." -OR- "No flirting allowed in Professor Snape's class!"
Colin saw the two of them blush and he listened closely as Snape muttered, "No doubt of it now, they're both just like Potter's parents. Completely oblivious to what's happening between them." He turned around and caught sight of Snape's lip curl in his trademark sneer.
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Colin was unceremoniously jerked out of his deep thoughts when Crookshanks, Hermione's pet, jumped into his lap. "Hi Crookshanks," Colin said, scratching under him chin. "I guess I'll never really know what old Snape was thinking, will I? Although," he said looking at a picture of Harry and Hermione, "I don't suppose it's too hard to guess…"
Crookshanks placed his paw on the picture of Harry and Hermione and mewed softly before he looked up at Colin.
Colin shook his head in wonder. "So even you know, huh?" he said scratching him under the chin and behind the ears, making him purr.
Colin continued to flip through the scrapbook, looking at more pictures…
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Colin even had a picture of Harry's owl Hedwig. She was sitting on the back of a bench in the courtyard and Harry and Hermione were petting her as they talked. Colin caught them just as Hedwig looked at Hermione. He could swear, even looking in the picture now that Hedwig was thinking about how ignorant Hermione was when it came to her Harry.
Colin knew about the special relationships that form between people and their animals and it was evident that the bond between Hedwig and Harry was strong. Knowing that fact, Colin decided to take the picture of Hedwig and write his own comments as to what he thought the beautiful snowy owl might be thinking as she stared wide-eyed at Hermione. After he finally discovered the truth about Harry and Hermione, Colin wrote the following under Hedwig's picture…
"Hello? This is oblivious calling…somehow I managed to leave a few of my letters behind with your last bit of mail. All I can seem to find is my `li'. In case you're having a little trouble recognizing the letters I've left behind, let me point them out for you…O-B-V-I-O-U-S! I hope in the future you have less trouble recognizing it."
He was a bit proud of himself for that one!
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Colin looked down at Crookshanks. "Hmm...I wonder what you think of them," he said to the ginger-haired cat. "Let's keep looking through this shall we?" Colin could have sworn Crookshanks nodded in agreement.
He continued on through the book…
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Looking back now, Colin realized that he wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed right away. The pictures he took of Ron the day he must have first realized it were magnificent. Ron was studying Harry and Hermione carefully and Colin had taken a series of three pictures of him which clearly depicted his range of emotions that afternoon. The first one showed Ron looking irritable as he realized Harry and Hermione had begun to study without him. In the next his expression changed from irritable to curious as he continued to stare at them in wonder. The final picture was one of acceptance, Ron's smile was huge and he shook his head as if to say, "bloody hell."
Ron had been walking down the corridor to go outside to meet Harry and Hermione when he looked out the window and spotted them sitting on a stone wall in the courtyard.
"Look at those two. Studying without me." Ron said quietly to himself as he watched them flipping through their books. Ron watched the pair curiously from a window above. He was supposed to meet them there in a few minutes, but he seemed to notice something that made him decide to stay just a bit longer.
Harry and Hermione were both sitting on the stone wall, leaning against the pillars that rose up on either side of it. Harry was balancing a book on his legs, which were pulled up close to his chest. Hermione, opposite him, was sitting cross-legged with a book in her lap. She was twirling her hair with one of her fingers and seemed to be glancing up at Harry every so often.
Ron stood at his window for awhile to observe this more closely. What he saw, was that Harry was also glancing up at Hermione.
"Whoa," he softly as he continued to watch and he began to understand what was happening between his two best friends. He saw it again. Still twirling her hair, Hermione had looked up from her book to Harry while he hadn't been looking. Harry did the same a few moments later. (Minus the hair twirling.)
Ron watched as the looks became more frequent. Every so often, Hermione and Harry would catch glimpses of each other and simply smile and return to their books. Ron had to laugh at this. "Oh, they are so naive!" he said laughing. He shook his head and had to laugh again. "Maybe they'll get it soon enough," he muttered to himself as he walked in the direction of the Great Hall presumably to have lunch with Luna. "I ain't disturbing their `studying'. Studying each other that is," he said light-heartedly.
Besides, Colin knew Ron never really wanted to study anyway…everyone knew that. Good thing too.
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Colin was now observing a picture of perhaps the most famous troublemakers ever to grace Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Weasley twins, Fred and George, had also had a few things to say about Harry and Hermione. He'd overheard the two of them talking to their friend Lee Jordan a couple of years back. Colin could recall it quite vividly.
"Anyone can see it," Fred said.
"Yeah, it's plainly obvious to everyone around them," George agreed. "S'been happening for years."
"Definitely years!" Fred agreed.
"Hermione always beside him..."
"Harry always with her..."
"Both of them always giving each other - "
"Those looks," Fred and George said together.
"Smiling at each other all of the time," said George, grinning.
"Oh, and don't forget the hugs and kisses," Fred added.
"Hermione and Harry always find some way to casually hug each other..."
"Yeah, and Hermione seems to kiss him on the cheek a lot..."
"`Course, she claims it's only for luck before Quidditch games," George said musingly. "But we've seen otherwise!"
"Once or twice we've seen Harry kiss her hand."
"What do you make of that eh?" said George before getting up to sell some unsuspecting second years some Nosebleed Nougat.
Colin smiled and flipped the page.
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He was now looking at a series of pictures he'd taken just a week before. Harry and Hermione had been studying together on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room and over the course of an hour he'd photographed them going from simply studying -to- leaning closer together to view what the other was working on -to- Hermione shifting her body closer and laying her head on Harry's shoulder -to- her finally falling asleep with a soft smile playing at her lips. He even caught Harry smiling tenderly at her as he watched her sleep. In a matter of minutes Harry had leaned into the back of the couch and laid his head against hers where he fell asleep with a matching smile.
"They're in love. It's written right there in their expressions…and a picture never lies," Colin said quietly to himself and Crookshanks as he finally began to realize the truth. "How could I have spent all that time putting this together and never actually notice it? All those comments people made…all the remarks about how blind Harry and Hermione were…I thought it was all rubbish. I thought it was just one more thing for people to talk about with regard to Harry…one more rumor to add to the thousands already in existence. I thought it would be funny to add them in here, that Harry would get a laugh out of it. And now…finally…I see the truth! Looking back, I can see it now, but I don't understand why I hadn't before…"
Because you've been too busy putting the book together to notice, his subconscious mind interrupted. You've never looked at the book from an observer's point of view…only the point of view of the creator.
"I just can't help but wonder what Harry will think about all of this. I don't think he knows…I don't think Hermione knows either. Is it possible that there's something she doesn't know? I guess this is proof positive that not all things can be discovered in books. Well, not library books at any rate."
Then another thought struck and a bright, gleaming smile lit his face…
"Maybe this will be what makes them realize the truth. Maybe I'll have something to do with Harry finding the happiness he deserves. Giving this gift to Harry could result in my getting the greater gift…the realization that I, Colin Creevey, was responsible for bringing together the most brilliant couple the wizarding world has ever seen."
Colin picked up the scrapbook and tucked it under his arm as he walked up to the boys' dormitory. "The most brilliant couple the wizarding world has ever seen," he repeated to himself. "Someday soon." He turned around to the animal sitting on the table. " `Night Crookshanks." he said, as he decided to call it a night and turn in early.
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When Colin returned to his room he somehow got the notion that the very best `person' to talk to would be Peeves. Peeves saw everything. Colin knew that if anyone had insight into Harry and Hermione it would be their resident poltergeist.
He hid the scrapbook in a secured box at the bottom of the trunk where he always did then grabbed his cloak and headed down the stairs and out through the portrait hole. He had no idea which way to go but seeing as how it was near the end of dinner he ventured to guess that Peeves would be somewhere near the Great Hall where he could torment the greatest number of students at once. He was thankful that logic didn't fail him this time.
"Peeves," Colin called out to him. "Peeves I need to talk to you." He'd never actually known that to work for anyone but felt that it couldn't possibly hurt to try…he was wrong.
"What does the wee little camera boy want from old Peevsie?" Peeves said in his singsong voice. Somehow he'd gotten hold of something that looked like rice and he was pelting the students with it as they passed.
"I need to ask you something," Colin replied carefully, "can I have a minute of your time?"
"Peeves' got nothin' but time camera boy…" he sang, "but so sorry…none for you. Try again tomorrow." He floated away and continued throwing stuff at all the students passing by.
Colin was not about to give up so easily so he followed Peeves as he drifted down the hallway. Apparently he'd run out of rice and was now sticking his tongue out and making obnoxious noises. Everywhere students were rushing to get away from him … except one. "Peeves, it's important," Colin said in as firm a voice as he could muster. "It's about Harry Potter."
A few of the other students stopped moving and looked curiously at Colin and Peeves. He looked around and in their expressions he could tell that many of them were wondering why Colin Creevey, of all people, was asking Peeves about Harry Potter.
"Ooh! Want to talk about the Potty Wee Potter do you?" he said in that same irritating singsong voice.
"I'd like to talk to you without an audience," Colin said forcefully as he looked around at the students who were openly staring at them, "please," he added with emphasis.
"Camera boy can follow Peeves but I'll not give you a mor'n a minute…Peeves' got some business."
Colin followed Peeves until they came to a place in the castle that he'd never seen before. "Where are we?" he asked looking around at the semi-darkened corridor.
"Time's a wastin' camera boy," Peeves singsonged in return.
"You see everything," Colin said quickly, "can you tell me what you've seen between Harry and Hermione?"
"Potty Wee Potter and his bushy haired girl?" Peeves sang.
"Yeah," Colin said becoming impatient, "them. What have you seen?"
"Old Peeves has seen it all," he sang as he began to float away, "your minute's up and Peeves has things to do!"
Colin was just on the verge of yelling at him to come back when he heard Peeves' singsong voice singing…
"Potty Wee Potter and his Her-mo-nee, crackpots both too blind to see…"
Colin took out his quik quote quill and began to write. He couldn't get a picture of Peeves so he decided he'd draw him as best he could when he got back to his dorm.
When he finished he looked around the dim corridor and once again remembered that he had no idea where he was or how to get back to the Gryffindor common room. "Lesson number one, Colin," he said to himself, "never trust a poltergeist to let you off easy!"
He took a few tentative steps forward trying to remember the direction from which they'd come. Suddenly the corridor's echoed with his wailing shouts of, "PEEVES! Come back here! PEEVES!"
"Bloody hell!"
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The common room was now devoid of students, and Crookshanks, the clever half cat, half Kneazle had it all to himself.
"I wonder where she's gone to." Crookshanks thought to himself as he wandered the floor of the Gryffindor common room. He was currently looking for his owner, Hermione Granger. "She's probably with him again." By him he meant Harry Potter.
Crookshanks liked Harry from the beginning - he was nice to Hermione. Well, Harry did lose his temper with her sometimes, but he and Hermione always seemed to work it out in the end. Besides, things had been different these past two years. Crookshanks, from his perfect views of practically anywhere in the common room, could spot Harry and Hermione acting differently around each other. He would notice them laughing together all the time. They would often sit on the sofa together and play an absurd game called `Thumb War'. "Peh! Thumbs!" Crookshanks thought. "Who needs thumbs?!?" Often after the thumb war was over, he would see them tickle each other. They'd sometimes end up falling over on the floor from laughing so hard. Crookshanks liked this, they were happy. Hermione would always say to Harry that he was her best friend. "Friend? Peh!" he thought as he jumped onto the squashy sofa and curled up in the corner. Surely by the way they acted they weren't just friends.
All of the students must have gone to dinner, for the common room was empty. "Hermione must be with him," Crookshanks thought. He'd noticed that their other friend, Ron hadn't been around much lately. He suspected Ron was with the girl that Hermione and Harry were always talking about, Luna.
Later that night Crookshanks was awakened by cries of laughter. Harry and Hermione had just stumbled through the portrait hole and into the common room. They were both a mess. They were both covered in...mashed potatoes? A food fight? Crookshanks watched as Harry and Hermione wiped food off of each other's faces, smiling and laughing. Hermione ran her hands through Harry's hair to get out the traces of potatoes and Harry smiled at her and then wiped the food off of her cheeks. Crookshanks was sure they were about to kiss. But just as he was sure it would happen, Hermione had taken all of the potatoes that she'd gotten from Harry's hair and smashed them into his face. She laughed and then ran back out through the portrait hole with Harry chasing after her.
Crookshanks was left in the common room, alone again with his thoughts. He considered himself to be a smart animal, and his owner was brilliant as well, but how could she be so dumb when it came to love? Crookshanks saw it; he saw what that boy Colin had been talking about. Harry and Hermione were in love, and apparently they were the only ones who hadn't realized it.
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