So here's the first chapter of my revised version of The Teachings of Quiddich and Love or, as I will call it from now on, TTOQAL. I know that I included the "of" and the "a" but whatever, it looks better than TTQL. I felt that it needed vowels. Anyway, back on the subject of the story, I really hope that you like it because I am determined to make it a good story and to update once a week. So read and review!
"That was totally awesome!" Ginny Weasley screamed excitedly running into Draco Malfoy's outstretched arms.
"Great job, babe. You're a natural at chasing," Draco told his girlfriend, kissing her vibrant red hair. Ginny grinned up at him.
"Ugh! Could you please, please refrain from showing any signs of affection when I'm around," Ron, Ginny's freakishly tall and awkward brother, asked with a disgusted look plastered on his face while walking up to the annoyingly happy couple with Harry and Hermione.
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Ron, everyone else had gotten used to it. Me and Draco are happy together. Why can't you just accept that?" Ginny asked with pleading eyes.
"I think you mean 'Draco and I', Ginny," Hermione Granger, Ginny's best friend, corrected her. Ginny simply rolled her eyes.
"Hermione, we need to get you a boyfriend," Ginny said, cautiously glancing at her best friend, seeing if she would get in trouble for bringing up a touchy subject.
Hermione glared at Ginny. She had been very unlucky in that department. Hermione's last try at love was with Ron. Ron was far too overprotective for Hermione; every time a boy looked in her direction, including Harry, Ron would snap at them and tell them to piss off and leave his "girl" alone. So, Hermione broke it off with Ron, breaking his heart and mending hers; she hadn't felt good about the relationship for a while. She once told Ginny that dating just wasn't her thing when Ginny started the whole "blind date" shindig. Ginny simply scoffed in amusement and went back to searching for Hermione's perfect match.
"I'm sorry Hermione. Sometimes the thoughts in my head get bored and decide to take a walk out of my mouth," Ginny said with a small voice.
"I agree with Ginny. Then you can stop bothering us and leave us alone," Draco said earning him a powerful jab in the ribs from his ridiculously strong girlfriend. "Ow! Come on babe, you know it's true."
"That's it!" Ron bellowed. "If you call my sister 'babe' one more time, I'll… I'll… I'll think of something really witty to do then do it," Ron grumbled as his face became as red as his hair
Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's lame attempt of a threat.
It was after the war. Many of the previously 7th year students came back to Hogwarts to get the knowledge that they were deprived of, forming an 8th year. It was after the first Quiddich game. Draco and Hermione anxiously watched in the stands while Ginny, Harry, and Ron played.
"Back to the game," Harry said, not caring about all of the relationship talk that was being thrown around. His mind was still focused on the game.
"Yeah, did you see that foul? That was the worst call ever," Ron said, followed by a chorus of "Yeahs". Hermione just nodded, not knowing what Ron was talking about. She was completely oblivious when it came to Quiddich.
"Wood was off his rocker tonight," Draco commented on the new referee's call. Madame Hooch had retired just the year before and Headmistress McGonagall hired the young, twenty-two year old Oliver Wood to be the new flying teacher and the official Quiddich referee at Hogwarts.
"Yeah, that shot to the Hufflepuff keeper's head was totally unintentional," Harry said while his eyes flickered nervously in Ginny's direction. During the game Ginny shot a ball right at the Hufflepuff keeper's head. Wood called it a foul and claimed that it was an intentional shot.
Ginny smiled slightly. "Thanks, but it did look kind of intentional. Even though I was the one who shot it and it was a total accident, Wood even got me believing that the shot was intentional. He may not have been right, but he sure sounded like it," Ginny looked down smiling slightly while shifting uncomfortably.
"Yeah, he is pretty persuasive," Draco admitted.
Hermione looked around, totally lost. All she knew was that during the game she stood up and cheered when her fellow Gryffindors and Draco.
"Wood's a pretty good ref," Harry mused, recollecting the days of playing alongside the talented Oliver Wood.
"Hell, yeah, I am!" Oliver Wood exclaimed while walking up to the group of 7th and 8th year students, causing Harry to jump and snap back into reality.
"Oh! Hello, Mr.—Professor Wood—Sir!" Harry said awkwardly.
"Mate, just call me Wood. Besides, I don't even teach you guys. I only ref your games," Wood said in his thick Scottish accent while reassuringly clapping Harry's shoulder.
"Okay," Harry said, silently laughing.
Hermione blushed as Wood gazed at the small group. When Hermione was younger, she had a little crush on Wood. It was nothing, really, rather just adoration from afar. All she would really do when she went to Quiddich games in her first and second year was keep her eyes glued on the Keeper guarding the hoops.
"Well, well, well," Wood continued while rubbing his hands together, "let's see if I can remember all of your names. Harry, obviously," Wood said, rolling his eyes.
"Ron," Wood stated, earning himself a nod of approval. His gaze rested on Ginny.
"Jenna?" There was a round of shaken heads.
"Gena? No!" Wood caught himself.
"Gi—Ginny!" he finished with a sigh of contentment.
"Draco Malfoy?" Wood asked, disbelieving. "Why the hell are you guys hanging out with a Slytherin?"
"Hey!" Draco bellowed, offended.
"He's my boyfriend," Ginny explained, playfully slapping Draco's arm before reaching to hold is hand. Draco's rough expression softened.
"Oh? Okay," Wood stated, surprised but not questioning further. "And… Hermione? Hmm you look…." Wood trailed off searching for the right words to say, his eyebrows smashing together and his nose scrunching up in confusion and deep thought.
"Taller?" Ginny suggested jokingly, for Hermione was a very petite girl, being on 5 feet and 3 inches.
"Less bushy haired?" Harry offered.
"Prettier?" Ron asked, causing Hermione to shoot him a look that clearly said "I've told you a million times Ronald, it's over". Ron ducked his head in sorrow.
"Uglier?" Draco said which earned him many slaps on the arm and head.
There was a long silence. Everyone was staring at Wood, awaiting his answer.
"I look…?" Hermione asked, curious at that point.
"All of the above. Not including uglier," Wood finally answered with a smile on his face.
Hermione blushed and looked down at the floor. She had to admit, Wood had become even more handsome in his few years away from Hogwarts. In his Quiddich reffing uniform with his long, shaggy brown hair, falling right above his deep, intense, yet lighthearted brown eyes, he looked rather dashing. Hermione shifted uncomfortably while glancing at the handsome flying teacher.
Wood's answer infuriated Ron, but he didn't say anything for Hermione's sake.
Suddenly the group's conversation shifted back to Quiddich. Hermione, not understanding a thing and feeling left out, dismissed herself and started to head back to the Gryffindor common room. Everyone was pretty used to Hermione doing this, but Wood curiously followed her.
"Hey, Hermione!" Wood shouted while trying to catch up with her. He paused at the sight of his employer. "I mean Miss Granger," Wood corrected himself loudly so McGonagall didn't think that he was too casual with the students at Hogwarts. She simply stopped, looked at them, nodded, and left to go congratulate her former house for their victory.
Hermione had also stopped at the sight of the headmistress. When McGonagall continued walking, so did she.
"Hello, Oliver. What do you want?" Hermione asked formally.
"I was just wondering why you suddenly left," Wood stated.
Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. She swiveled towards Wood to look him in the eye.
"I am retreating back to the Gryffindor common room to study and finish my homework. So, if you don't mind, well, even if you do mind, I'll be going now." Hermione resumed her fast pace walking.
"Hermione Granger putting off homework until Sunday night? That's unheard of. What's the real reason?" Wood asked, reaching for Hermione's hand to get her to stop walking.
Hermione's stomach lurched at the contact.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Wood raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay. Fine. I don't—I don't…" Hermione mumbled, trailing off while jumbling the words.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I don't understand it," Hermione whispered.
"Understand what exactly?" Wood carefully questioned.
"Quiddich. I don't get how it works. Is there some sort of complex way to get the big ball through the circular rings on the poles or do you just throw in hope that it goes through?" asked Hermione, not looking Wood in the eye.
Wood gasped with mock shock. "You mean that there's something in existence that you, Hermione Granger doesn't know everything there is to know about it." Wood chuckled.
"I know, I know." Hermione looked up at Wood shyly, pulling her bushy hair in her eyes to cover her shame. "Call an auror and throw me in Azkaban! I only go to the games because my three best friends play," Hermione joked. "What's wrong with me? What kind of witch doesn't know about Quiddich?" Hermione sighed.
"A smart, studious witch that doesn't give a shit about people flying around, throwing balls randomly, and sometimes falling on their asses like buffoons?" Wood said slowly.
Hermione laughed. "Yeah, something like that."
"You know," Wood said, brushing the hair out of Hermione's face while not noticing the blush creep up on Hermione's flushed face, "I can teach you some things about Quiddich if you want."
Hermione's frizzy head snapped up. "Really?"
"Sure! As Quiddich captain, I taught all of my new players the specific rules that they didn't know, and in Harry's case, I taught him everything he knows," Wood said with a smirk.
Hermione chuckled and joked, "Oh, no wonder Harry such a good Quiddich player."
Wood winked. "Yep."
Hermione sighed. "Would this be like you tutoring me? Because I'm always the tutor, and never the tutored."
"Of course you would worry about that." Wood chortled. "No, they can just be friendly lessons. How'd that be?" Wood's pure Scottish accent voiced.
"Fine, I guess. Would you like to meet every Sunday after lunch?"
"Weekly? Let me just see…" Wood examined his watch. "Sure I guess that my schedule's open." Wood smiled.
Hermione giggled in a non-Hermione way. "How are a weekly schedule and a watch relevant? It's not like your watch has a calendar."
"I know, but I made you laugh." Wood grinned.
Hermione laughed yet again. "Yes, but I was laughing at your stupidity."
"Hey! I guess you don't want a stupid teacher then. I suppose that you can just continue watching Quiddich games in confusion. Or, here's an idea, why don't you ask one of your three Quiddich-playing friends, or four if you include Malfoy?" Wood asked sarcastically.
"No! I want you to teach me. All of these years no one knew that I haven't the faintest idea what's going on during the match and I intend to keep it that way. They would just laugh in my face when they found out that I don't know, or like, Quiddich."
Wood leaned against the wall while looking at the brick ground. "Really? Hmm. Fine, I'll teach you, just don't get too annoyed with my stupidity."
Hermione grabbed Wood's hand to get his attention but quickly let go when she felt some sort of electric static between them. A figurative static, of course, but still it was something. Hermione wondered if Wood felt it too.
"I didn't mean it like that, Oliver, really."
Wood smirked. "I know. So, I 'm guessing that you would like for this to be a secret."
Hermione nodded.
"Well, I will see you later then. Good day, Milady." Wood bowed and kissed Hermione's hand.
"Oh, how cheesy, cute, and annoying." Hermione grinned.
"Damn strait. The cute part, not the cheesy or annoying part."
"Okay, then. I will see you later Oliver."
"Yes you will. You know, Hermione, you can call me Wood; everyone else does."
"No, thank you," Hermione said quietly.
Wood laughed and shook his head before walking away, leaving behind a smiling Hermione Granger who was facing the jittery butterflies for the certain Quiddich professor that she hadn't seen since she was an immature little girl.
Well? What d'ya think? Hmm? I will take comments, suggestions, critizism, anything! Feedback is like crack to me except I don't get high! Haha!
Thank you!
jtrem