A/N: This was originally written for the HP Rare Fest 2015 on LJ. This story takes place during the spring of 1994, so Oliver is about 17 and Hermione is about 14. Many thanks to kyriecolors for being my awesome beta. Hermione/Oliver has become a favorite pairing of mine, so I hope I did them justice. Enjoy! xx
Warnings: Alternate Universe, Slight Angst, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Brief Underage Kissing.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Anything Could Happen Up In the Air
Hermione took a deep breath, trying to gather up some of that famous Gryffindor courage. She had spotted Oliver Wood in the library earlier and was hoping to ask him for some help. Hermione knew that she wasn't very good on a broom, but figured that she should be just in case a situation arose in which she would need to know how to fly.
Gripping her books tightly, Hermione made her way to the table where Oliver was studying. She stood in front of him and cleared her throat, gaining his attention.
"Hermione," he greeted, smiling at her. "News about Harry?"
She flushed. "Er, no," she responded nervously. "I was hoping that you could help me out with something."
Oliver arched a brow at her. "Sure, what is it you need help with?"
"I know you're busying studying for N.E.W.T.s, but I was hoping that you'd be able to give me some flying lessons."
He smirked, leaning back in his chair. "I heard that you hate to fly."
Hermione's blush deepened. "I… I'm not very good at flying. I want to at least be somewhat comfortable on a broom, and I was hoping you could help me."
Oliver nodded, standing up. "All right, then."
"Great," Hermione responded, an excited smile on her face.
"Let's head on down to the Quidditch pitch. I know no one's there right now."
"Er, now?" Hermione asked, her heart racing nervously. "I… um, I thought we could—"
"No time like the present," Oliver said, packing up his things. He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving her a small tug. "Come on."
Hermione mourned the loss of contact when he released her hand. Her heart raced as she followed him to the Quidditch pitch, but it wasn't from her fear of flying.
Hermione eyed the broom nervously. "Are you sure it's safe?"
Oliver laughed, his head tilting back.
She was awed by the way the sunlight caught his bronze coloured hair. He seemed completely at ease on the broom in front of her.
He reached out towards her. "Come on. You can ride behind me so you can get used to it." When she hesitated, he smiled even more. "Don't you trust me, Hermione?"
"Of course." Her stomach did small flips. Hermione slowly walked towards him and mounted the broom. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his back.
"You won't see anything that way, you know," Oliver said, rather amused at her behavior.
"I know," Hermione responded. Her body trembled against him.
Oliver's eyes widened. "Hermione, there's no need to be afraid. You'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you, I swear."
"Okay," she replied softly. She tightened her grip on him. "I'm ready."
Oliver chuckled before kicking off. He slowly took them into the air.
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath as she felt them rise into the air. Her stomach turned as she tightened her grip on Oliver.
"You won't fall," he said, his voice laced with humour. "You should open your eyes."
"I'm afraid," Hermione responded. "I…" she trailed off, uncertain of what it was she wanted to say.
"Open your eyes," Oliver said gently.
Still holding onto him tightly, Hermione cracked one eye open. She held her breath as she opened the other.
"Wow," she whispered, in awe of the sight before her. They were high enough for her to see the Black Lake over the Quidditch stands.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Oliver asked, a grin on his face. "This is what I love about flying. The sight is always so wonderful."
Hermione tightened her grip on his waist. "But we're so high up. What if we fall?"
"Then we fall," Oliver responded, "But try not to worry. Like I said, I've got you. Just take a deep breath and take it all in."
She looked around. She could see Hagrid coming out of the Forbidden Forest, Fang trotting along behind him. Looking the other way, she saw some students walking along one of the paths leading to the greenhouses. "You can see everything up here."
"Right you can, lass." Oliver pressed forward slightly, the broom moving forward. "I'll take us around real slow, all right? That way you can get used to it."
Hermione nodded. "All right."
The two of them slowly flew around the Quidditch pitch. Oliver was careful not to go too fast and frighten her. Hermione slowly began to enjoy the feeling, although she was still frightened to death of the height.
Eventually, the sun began to set, and it grew too dark to continue. Oliver lowered them to the ground where they both dismounted. She smiled at him when she finally had two feet on the ground.
"How are Harry's lessons going?" Oliver asked, swinging the broom over his shoulder. "I'd hate to lose another match because of the Dementors."
"It's going well," Hermione said. "Harry's making progress with the Patronus charm."
Oliver arched his brow in surprise. "That's pretty advanced magic. Good for him."
Hermione blushed, nodding in agreement. "Harry's really talented."
"You are too," Oliver replied. "I've heard great things about you. Future Head Girl they say."
Hermione's blush deepened. "Thanks, Oliver. I've, um, got to go, but I was hoping we could continue this tomorrow?"
Oliver nodded. "Meet me here on the pitch around six o'clock tomorrow night. We can practice some more."
"Great," Hermione replied. "I look forward to it." She turned and walked away, her stomach full of butterflies.
Hermione eyed the broom with disdain. Despite flying with Oliver yesterday, she was still nervous about getting on it.
Oliver chuckled at her fearful expression. "Why are you so afraid of flying?"
"I like to be in control," Hermione replied honestly. "It's difficult for me to do that on a broom." She paused. "I'm also afraid of heights. I fell out of a tree when I was younger and broke my wrist. It was painful to heal."
"Ahhh," Oliver said, nodding. "Muggle family." He paused before shaking his head. "That must have been painful."
"It was," she said, blushing. "I think that's why I'm a bit hesitant about going so far up."
"Well, we're here to get over your fear of flying, aren't we?" Oliver held the broom out to her. "Why do you steer the broom today and I'll sit behind you."
Hermione's eyes widened fearfully and she quickly shook her head. "Oh, no, Oliver. I can't!"
"Sure you can," Oliver insisted. "There's no better way to learn than to learn quickly." He held out the broom once more. When Hermione took the broom, he grinned triumphantly.
"I'm afraid," she whispered, almost ashamed of herself. She blushed when Oliver took a step closer.
"There's no need to be afraid, lass," Oliver said quietly, his accent giving her chills. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."
"All right," she replied, her heart racing in her chest. She mounted the broom and held her breath as Oliver got on behind her. Her face grew warm as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Hermione found she didn't mind this one bit.
"Now lightly kick off," Oliver instructed her. "Be gentle."
Holding her breath, Hermione lightly kicked up. They lifted off the ground, hovering there for a few moments. "Am I doing it?" she whispered, afraid that if she spoke too loudly the broom would start to wobble.
"You're doing fine," Oliver said, chuckling. "Just stay relaxed. If you tense up, it might cause the broom to shake."
"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "This isn't so bad."
"Why don't you take us a bit higher?" Oliver suggested. "Just lean forward slightly and tilt the broom upward. Not too roughly, mind you, or else we might end up doing a loop."
"No loops," Hermione said quickly, horrified by the very idea. She bit her lower lip. "I'm nervous still."
"Hermione, I know you can do this," Oliver said confidently. "I'm right behind you, so if something starts to go wrong, I can take control quickly."
"You can?"
"Of course," he replied. "Now, let's go up a bit."
Hermione leaned forward and upwards slightly, taking them slowly into the air. The wind whipped at her face, causing her hair to fly about wildly. Probably should have tied it back, she mused to herself.
Oliver tightened his grip on her waist, causing her to momentarily lose her breath. She felt her face grow warm and knew that she was probably blushing like mad. There was something about him that made her feel so… Well, whatever it is, I like it, she thought to herself.
She stopped the broom, the two of them hovering in the air. She glanced towards the Black Lake and saw the sun was about to set.
"How are you doing?" Oliver asked, his warm breath tickling her ear.
"Fine," she replied. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be."
"I knew you could do it," Oliver replied. "Why don't you fly us towards the castle a bit?"
"All right." She tilted the broom and leant forward, the two of them moving once more. She tried not to squirm as she felt Oliver's chest against her back. Focus, Hermione.
She zoomed closer to the castle, enjoying the way the wind felt on her face. She felt free up here. All of her cares floated away as they flew through the sky.
"Stop," Oliver whispered, leaning forward.
Hermione stopped the broom, holding her breath. "Woah," she whispered, in awe once more of the sight. The sun was glittering on the castle; the day's last light causing it to look even more magical than usual.
"Beautiful, huh?" Oliver smiled. "Sometimes I forgot how magnificent the castle actually is."
"She's incredible," Hermione said. "I've never seen anything so beautiful."
"Sometimes we need to just take a moment and let go of everything else. Flying really helps with that."
"I noticed that. I can see why Harry loves to fly so much."
"He's bloody good at it as well." Oliver chuckled. "Why don't we head back to the pitch? We can do a few laps before heading inside."
Hermione flew them back to pitch, where she zoomed around. She lost track of the number of laps they did, only caring about the way she felt. She felt exhilarated, as if she was weightless. But she felt something else too.
Every time Oliver repositioned his hands and moved slightly, Hermione would lose her breath. She was definitely developing feelings for the older wizard.
"Why don't we land?" Oliver suggested when it grew too dark for them to continue. They landed on the ground and dismounted.
"Thank you, Oliver," Hermione said, smiling.
"You did wonderful," he said, giving her a smile. He cast a Lumos charm with his wand and gestured towards the castle. "Come on."
As they walked, Hermione stole little glances at him. She was sure that he caught her once or twice, but she couldn't bring herself to care. He was an attractive wizard after all.
"I can't meet tomorrow or the next night," Oliver said, breaking the silence between them. "Quidditch practice."
"Okay," she replied, nodding. She felt a bit disappointed at that, but she knew that he was a busy person.
"Saturday morning we can meet at the pitch if you'd like." He looked at her for an answer.
Hermione nodded. "I can do that."
"Great." Oliver gave her a smile.
The two of them walked the rest of the way to Gryffindor Tower in a comfortable silence. Once inside, Oliver bade her goodnight before heading up to bed.
Hermione watched him as he disappeared up the stairs. She certainly had it bad for him.
Hermione sat in the Great Hall, eating dinner with Ron and Harry. She continuously cast quick glances at Oliver, who was seated a few people down the table. She ignored the small pang of jealousy she felt at him speaking with Angelina.
"You all right, Hermione?" Harry asked, looking at her with concern. "You seem out of it."
"What? No, I'm fine," she said, shaking her head. "Just a bit distracted."
Harry arched his brow at her.
"Really, Harry, I'm fine," Hermione insisted. "There's nothing to worry about."
"So what's going on with Oliver?" Ron asked, glancing up from his food.
"Yeah, the two of you have been spending a lot of time together," Harry asked, looking at her suspiciously.
Hermione's eyes widened and she blushed. She hastily shook her head, her curls tumbling about wildly. "Nothing's going on," she said quickly. "He's just giving me flying lessons, that's all."
"And that's all?" Ron clarified, his cheeks turning red.
"Yes, that's all," she said angrily. She returned her attention to her food, stabbing at her chicken angrily.
It was the truth, after all. There was nothing going on between her and Oliver.
"You ready to fly solo?" Oliver asked, looking at her with an excited grin on his face. He held two brooms in his hands.
"Are you sure I'm ready for this?" she asked nervously. A part of her was nervous about flying, but another part of her was nervous about ending her flying lessons with him.
"Hermione, you were so confident on the broom the other night with me behind you. I'm sure you can do this, lass," Oliver said, handing her the broom.
She took it, her heart racing wildly in her chest. She took a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare herself. I can do this. I can do this.
Mounting the broom, she gripped it tightly. Oliver did the same right next to her. He gave her an encouraging nod. "I'll be right next to you the entire time," he promised.
Hermione slowly kicked off. The broom wobbled momentarily before fixing itself. Once she was steady, she looked at Oliver. "I did it." She grinned. She was hovering a few feet in the air.
"I knew you could," Oliver said proudly. "Now why don't we go up a bit and do a lap? You can go as slow as you want."
She nodded and began to take the broom higher. She flew slowly at first, still afraid of what would happen if she fell. However, as she began to fly around the pitch, she felt herself grow a bit more confident.
"You're doing great!" Oliver called to her. He was flying close to her so he could catch her if she suddenly fell.
Eventually, Hermione loosened her grip on her broom. She knew that the chances of her falling to her death were pretty unlikely at the moment, so she didn't need to hold on as if her life depended on it. As she continued to zoom around the pitch, she could feel her face glow with happiness. She had never felt as confident as she did right now.
Oliver watched on in amazement.
The wind picked up slightly and Hermione wobbled, momentarily panicking. However, she took a deep breath and quickly regained control of the broom. A sigh of relief escaped her lips.
"Great save," Oliver commented. "I was nervous for a second there."
"Me too," Hermione answered, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
"Why don't we land?" Oliver suggested. "I think you've got the hang of this."
Hermione nodded and made her way back to the ground. She dismounted her broom and without thinking, ran towards Oliver and threw her arms around his neck. She kissed him firmly on the mouth.
Oliver dropped his broom and quickly placed his hands on her waist. He kissed her back, slipping his tongue inside her mouth, deepening the kiss. However, he pulled back abruptly and took a step away.
Hermione's eyes widened when she realized what she had done. "Oliver, I…"
He shook his head, his cheeks turning red. He awkwardly reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "I… I thought I saw the signs there but I told myself I was just imagining things."
She glanced at the floor, feeling like she was about to cry. "I'm sorry, Oliver."
"Oh, no, don't be sorry!" Oliver said quickly, taking a few steps towards her. He lightly grasped her chin and tilted her face upwards. "Please, don't cry, Hermione."
"I'm sorry," she repeated, embarrassed that she let her feelings get the best of her.
"There's no reason to be sorry," Oliver insisted. "It's just… This isn't right, Hermione. You're a beautiful and talented witch, Hermione, but it just… This can't happen."
"I know," she replied softly, staring into his hazel colored eyes. "I just…"
Oliver gave her a weak smile. "No hard feelings, okay?"
Hermione nodded, feeling her heart breaking. She had known that nothing would have happened between the two of them, but she fell for him anyway. "No hard feelings," she repeated, biting her lower lip.
Oliver reached up and tucked one of her curls behind her ear. "You're a great flier, Hermione. I've never seen anyone pick up on it so quickly."
"Well, I had a great teacher," she replied, smiling at him. "You made me feel safe on the broom, so thank you."
"It was my pleasure." Oliver took a step back. "So, now that your lessons are over, I guess I'll see you around."
She nodded at him, taking a deep breath. "I'll see you around, Oliver. Thank you again."
He gave her one last smile before turning and walking away. Hermione watched him leave, feeling her heart break a little more. Once he was out of sight, she sat down on the pitch and cried.
That afternoon, Harry found Hermione cozied up in the corner of the library. "Was today your last lesson?"
"It was," she responded dryly. Looking up at Harry, she frowned at him.
He saw her puffy, red eyes and sighed, taking a seat next to her. He reached over and took her hand. "I'm sorry," he replied sincerely. "I thought I noticed it the other day."
"It wouldn't have worked out," Hermione replied, giving a small shrug. "I'll be fine. It was only a crush."
"That doesn't make it hurt any less," Harry said, giving her a knowing look. He reached over and gave her a tight hug. "I'm here if you need me."
"Thanks, Harry," she said, giving him a smile. "I'm just going to stay here and finish my Charms essay."
"All right," Harry replied. "I'll see you at dinner." He stood and walked away.
Hermione sighed, returning her attention to her work. Things wouldn't work out with Oliver now, but who knew what the future would hold. Anything could happen.