AN:

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

I relive through this story and many others recently written.

Immortalized for my own fleeting cowardly memory,

For the mind that wants to erase you.

For the mind that tells this heart to hate and to forget.-c.y.c

Chapter 14:

Hermione looked at Oliver angrily. The dinner went well enough but now Mr. Oliver goddamned Wood had to ruin it. Instead of giving his attention to her he was more worried about his keeper's gloves. She tapped her fingers as she watched him go through his bag for the third time. Looking around the restaurant she saw her T.A bubbly talking to a brunette who looked equally happy.

Lucky, Hermione thought as she watched Chris hold the woman's hand. If only Oliver wasn't so engrossed about gloves that could be replaced through owl delivery. It was alarming to Hermione to find herself wishing Oliver was Chris in that instant. Here she was, after weeks of anxiety and possibly bitterness because of Oliver, suddenly not wanting Oliver!

Looking across her she tilted her head as Oliver looked worried at his hands. "You can buy new ones right?" Hermione asked as she offered him a piece of her spider roll.

"Well yes but I finally got those broken in you know" Oliver said before picking up a piece. Hermione shook her head to her it was just gloves

"Let me put it this way Granger, if you loose a book you really enjoy-" Oliver started. Inwardly he kicked himself. He should be paying attention to her more. But maybe the little boy in was trying to break out, he wanted his gloves!

"Then I'd search all over for it, Fair enough" Hermione agreed. Maybe she was just being really picky about Oliver. He looked worried, really worried. Touching his hand with hers she got his attention. He was looking into space for a bit and she thought maybe she should help me find the gloves. "How about this, I'll help you look after dinner"

"That would be appreciated lass, what's a keeper with out his best gloves?" Oliver joked and smiled at Hermione. He'll make up for this, he really would try to!

After dinner they retraced where they've gone, clearly the gloves weren't lost en route. Oliver groaned as they stopped at the spot their apparated on. Hermione closed her coat and hugged herself trying to not think of the cold when Oliver saw her shivering.

Pulling her into a hug Oliver rubbed Hermione back and placed a kiss on her forehead before thanking her for the effort. Hermione smiled appreciatively when Oliver asked her if she wanted to have a "take 3" on the whole dinner thing. Maybe third time's charm!

"Well, you'll just have to owl one for the game, I mean even if the owl is late it can drop orders off at the pitch right?" Hermione asked thoughtfully when Oliver suddenly stopped rubbing her back.

"The pitch" Oliver said with wide eyes. Hermione looked at him in bewilderment before pulling her into a hug, disapparating her away with him.

Just as Oliver suspected the glove was exactly where his bag was. He goofily smiled as he picked up the pair of dragon hide gloves. Hermione stood by him and contentedly watched him as he happily smile like a 12 year old at the seemingly unimportant pair of gloves. Looking out she looked at Stoney Lake. The moonlight was out and she could see the university from the elevated spot she was standing on. The ground looked sparse and small but it looked inviting even when there was snow covering everything.

"You alright there Hermione?" Oliver asked as he looked out at what Hermione was looking at. She looked disappointed for some reason he touched her hand and watched her lightly flinch at his touch. She looked into his eyes and found him worried.

"I wouldn't mind sitting here for a bit, if you don't mind?" Hermione said, Oliver smiled at her warmly and kissed her hand before saying, "I have a better idea". Hermione found herself laughing while running through the stands towards what seems to be the commentator's box.

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Whitmore sat in his living room appalled at the letter in his hands. He might just loose that cherry wood table he had been fantasizing about. Madam Wellington liked to taunt him.

Come to think of it, he often wondered if that Wellington never showed up, would he be married to Athena? She was his age, late forties. They even went to school together but she married Wellington. He often fantasized that Charlotte was his daughter, though he seriously thought that the girl didn't like him much.

But of course Charlotte was a Wellington, Athena was a Wellington. He has had his share of women, but Athena was the one that slipped through his fingers. She was deathly loyal to Wellington too, and Whitmore did not imagine ever breaking those two apart.

"Cheers to my loneliness" Whitmore said as he raised a glass of brandy towards his mother's portrait that scowled and told him to find a wife before he ends the Whitmore family.

"Do shut up mother, father had enough illegitimate children to procreate this world-" Whitmore said but stopped as he heard a knock on his door. He walked over to the door and opened it to find a tall thin man. "Yes?"

The man took off his muggle hat off and smiled broadly at him. "Pat you little brat!" Whitmore exclaimed as he hugged the younger man.

"I'm bit late uncle" Pat said as he was ushered to the living room. "How is my dear sister?" Whitmore asked happily as Pat tried to make conversation with the portrait.

"Mother is fine, she sends you her regards however" Pat said. Whitmore's face lit as he conversed with his nephew. He almost reminded him of Oliver, that's probably why he was so fond of his assistant.

"I'm actually looking for someone" Pat said as he gulped down the aged brandy his uncle offered him.

"Anything for my godson!" Whitmore said, "I'll try to help you…"

"I'm looking for a keeper called Oliver Wood" Pat said.

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Taking Hermione's hand Oliver held it high over his sight. Her hand, soft and trembling from the cold, was illuminated softly by the snow near by. She thought that it was somewhat romantic of Oliver, or at lesat he's trying to get into her better sides after the almost annoying date.

"What are you doing?" Hermione whispered as she shifted to her side, cuddling closer to Oliver for warmth. He obliged and hugged her nearer placing a kiss on her forehead as she snuggled at the nook of his neck. They were lying down on the commentator's box roof as they gazed towards the somewhat clear winter sky.

"Something" Oliver muttered through his kiss. Hermione pulled her hand down but then Oliver took it into his and placed a kiss on her hand. He didn't stop there as he trailed off kissing into her palm and eventually to her wrist. With his eyes closed he placed the last of his kisses on her wrist and intuitively placed a kiss on her lips, which were not too far off from where he held her hand.

"Hmm" Hermione whispered when Oliver pulled away from the kiss. She smiled warmly at him as she wondered, where did that come from and why was it adding more butterflies in her stomach. She waited from him to open his eyes, waiting for his brown eyes to smile at her, want her with desire and when he did open his eyes she felt her heart melt. Why was he looking at her with such longing, such interest, and such passion?

Moving her hand she placed it on Oliver cheek trying to feel that he was real, that he wasn't a dream. The stubble on his jaw awakened her sense of touch. He was there, he was right beside her, hugging her warm and looking at her with yearning.

"Hermione" Oliver whispered as he drew her face in a bit more and placing a kiss on the tip of her nose as she instinctively closed her eyes on the contact. Trailing with kisses he kissed her cheek then her ear, biting the lobe softly before whispering to her, "Stay with me"

Hermione's eyes flickered open and the light bouncing off of the snowy pitch filled her sight with Oliver's hopeful face not to far from hers. She looked at him questioningly and she saw signs of panic creeping into his face. Panic that maybe she would turn him down, that she would stomp away and disapparate at that moment.

"Not here" she finally replied as Oliver smiled softly at her.

"Where to?" he asked as he dug his left hand into her hair trying to push away the strands that strayed to her face. Trying to move away the soft brown curtain from her pretty eyes, her appreciative smile, her kissed-swollen lips and rosy cheeks he imagined was due to the scruff on his jaw.

"Surprise me" Hermione whispered back as she placed her hand over his own, squeezing it as to tell him she trusted him, that she was on the same page, she wanted to stay with him as much has she wished he did that night or maybe longer.

The question in her head was would he let her? The same question ran in his mind. He couldn't see his future with her, he couldnt even fathom her form in bed all of the sudden. He was scared of wishing for something that may never come.

She wished for her fears to go away, that he would stay with her and show her that there was still hope out there. But as she looked into Oliver's eyes she felt her fears slowly fading, but everything in her body said it was all too good to be true. He was everything she wanted but would he want her as much as every muscle in her body wanted him. Pushing him on his back she leaned on him to studied him before kissing his lips trailling down to his neck, tucking her hand into the unziped portion of his coat and through his dresshirt. The warmth of his chest was alarmingly inviting that she started to timidly peel off his coat.

"Anything the lady wants" Oliver whispered into her ear as he hugged her closer and kissed her softly as they disapparated away to somewhere warmer and softer.

"Not sure where to go, everybody I know says I'm too forgiving,

...I dont want to move on I just keep reliving"

-M.Moore

AN:

That's it. I tried! I hoped you liked it.