Hermione was sitting under the shade of a huge poplar in the Hogwarts grounds, deeply engrossed in her copy of Intermediate Transfiguration. It was a mildly sunny Saturday and most third-years, including Harry and Ron had gone off for a walk to make the most of the oddly pleasant October weather. Hermione's enormous work-load however didn't allow her the luxury of such a holiday. The usually studious witch let out an unconscious sigh at the notion of a whole day without school-work and started to feel frustrated with Professor McGonagall for assigning them so much homework. Feeling more and more irritated over the next few minutes, Hermione finally slammed the book shut and tossed it to the ground before straightening her head from the bent position it had been in for the past hour and a half. That's when she became aware of the tall, dark form of Oliver Wood, leaning casually against an oak barely two feet away from her. Hermione felt an uncharacteristic blush creep up her cheeks at the sight of the good-looking seventh-year gazing in the opposite direction towards the Black Lake. A few moments later, Hermione involuntarily turned her eyes away from the Keeper to pick up the hastily discarded Transfiguration book. As she was leafing through the pages to resume reading about reptile transfiguration, a sudden question asked in a deep voice startled Hermione and made her look up in surprise.
"You're really bookish, aren't you?" Oliver asked, staring directly at her.
Hermione couldn't come up with a coherent reply as her usually quick mind suddenly went blank, forcing her to nod her head slowly in response.
"It's hard to find a typical third-year reading, let alone doing homework on a Saturday. I like that kind of dedication." Oliver continued, smiling a little now.
Hermione still couldn't completely grasp the fact that not only was Oliver Wood talking to her, he was actually praising her.
"Still, don't put too much pressure on yourself, or you'll crack. Sometimes I put too much strain on my players and I see what it does to them. So relax a little." Oliver said kindly.
Hermione nodded her head again, still unsure about what to say. Just then the school clock rapidly let out four chimes.
"I have to go to Quidditch practice now." Oliver said, almost to himself, before straightening up and speaking to Hermione with a friendly smile on his face: "So I guess I'll see you around."
"Yeah." Hermione replied, also smiling, as her eyes followed the departing form of the tall Quidditch Captain.