Chapter 4 ~ Colliding with Love
"I wish I never woke up this morning…already felt like this would be a bad day
I tried to hard not to believe it…but it happened anyway
But that's when I stared you in the eye, and I felt like everything would be all right
Oh, 'cause when I'm with you, I'm in heaven…you're my angel come to life, and you bring me up to the sky…Oh, 'cause when I'm with you, I'm in heaven…and I wish I could stay, forever"
- "Heaven" by 3LW
The first few days back were horrible. Although the first day seemed like a blast, it all went downhill. The constant Potion classes irritated them, and History of Magic was just a bore. The usual homework had them working until the wee hours of the morning, so bags were forming under their eyes. The only limelight seemed to be Broomstick Practices (even though they only had one so far), and Care of Magical Creatures.
"Let's just hope that Defence Against the Dark Arts will be good," Ron hoped, as they walked down the classroom.
Professor Musetta seemed nice enough, and surprisingly, their first class was also nice. She brought in a demiguise. Everyone thought she was lying, as nothing appeared, but soon the graceful ape with large, black, doleful eyes appeared. She explained that they were found in the Far East, though only with great difficulty, as it could make itself invisible. She also told them that demiguise pelts were highly valued as the hair could be spun into Invisibility Cloaks. As she said this, her eyes flickered to where Harry was sitting, and she smiled. Harry had a feeling that she knew all about his Invisibility Cloak.
For the rest of the class she let them practice trying to jinx it and stop it from making itself invisible. Everyone did well, but none of them succeeded – as soon as they cornered the demiguise to cast a spell it disappeared and went in-between the person's legs, knocking them over. At Hermione's turn, she nearly succeeded, she cast the spell ("Clearkyta") on it, just as it was about to become invisible, so now every time it tried to be fully invisible, you could see it, but very dimly.
"Excellent, Ms. Granger!" Professor Musetta cried. "15 points to Gryffindor!"
After class, Hermione walked down the hall gleefully, almost feeling like skipping. She ran ahead of Harry and Ron, cheering and whooping.
"What's she so happy about?" Ron asked uneasily.
"It's the weekend, Ron – everybody would be happy," Harry replied, as Hermione vanished out of sight.
She cheered, whooped, hollered, and CRASH!
Hermione collapsed to the ground in a heap. She had run into someone. She peered up to look, her eyes out of focus. She blinked a few times, and a tall figure came into view, with short, brown hair.
"Hermione? Are you all right?" Oliver asked, helping her up. All of her books were knocked over, and all the students in the hall stopped to look.
"Uh…yeah," Hermione replied, standing up. "I guess I was a little overexcited." Her heart was beating fast, but she thought it was just because she was running. She was wrong.
"It's all right," Oliver replied, grinning his prize-winning grin. "Felt the same way before the weekend."
"Really? How come?" Hermione asked.
"Quidditch practices – first thing in the morning!" he laughed. "You gotta be careful though – you may never know what's around the corner – you can holler and cheer in the common room. I miss the Gryffindor common room. Is it still the same?"
"Yeah, pretty much – only the faces change…there's lots of familiar faces, of course, but I don't recognize a load of them," Hermione said, picking up her books. Oliver crouched down beside her to help.
"Yeah…what's the password?" Oliver asked, picking up her History of Magic notebook.
"I don't think I should be telling you that," Hermione answered.
"Don't worry – I won't be going in there. Just curious – the password's are always funny," Oliver promised.
"Oh, all right – it's Cauldron Cakes," Hermione replied, standing up and shoving her books in her bag.
"Cauldron Cakes," he repeated, scratching his chin. "Not at all unusual. Well, thanks Hermione. You sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, thanks for helping," Hermione said. "See you later, Oliver."
"Bye, Hermione!" Oliver called, as he turned the corner and out of her eyesight. She walked down the hall, feeling like leaping and hollering again because of her conversation with Oliver, but felt it better wise not to do so.
Harry and Ron caught up with her.
"Hermione," Ron panted, "where were you?"
"Silly! Can't you see? I was right here the whole time!" Hermione exclaimed, deciding it was better not to tell them of the collision with Oliver.
"You…run – so - fast," Harry choked, clutching his stomach.
They resumed their walk. Harry and Ron were conversing of Wizard Chess strategies, but Hermione couldn't hear a word of their conversation. She felt like she was on Cloud Number 9, and she didn't want to come down. She ran over the conversation with Oliver over and over again, remembering every word that came out of his mouth. She ate dinner, but didn't know what she was eating. There was no taste. The only feeling in her mouth, her mind, her body, her heart – was love.
"She's lost her bonkers, hasn't she?" Ron asked Harry. They were both watching Hermione suspiciously during dinner, and found it strange that she hadn't said a word about her Arithmacy lesson, or complained about the History of Magic lesson, or bragged about her ordeal with the demiguise.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Ron?" Harry replied through gritted teeth. "It's bananas."
"It can be used both ways, Harry!" Ron argued back, shoving chicken furiously into his mouth. He chewed hardly and cried, "Ow! I bit my tongue!"
"Well, I believe you," Harry agreed, knocking the argument aside. "She has gone insane. She hasn't said a word since we caught up with her in the hall. She seems really preoccupied." He wasn't eating anything, just staring amazingly at Hermione.
"Well…one things sure," Ron said, washing down the blood on his tongue with his juice. "She sure is strange."
"Ditto that," Neville Longbottom said, who was sitting on Ron's other side. He gazed uncontrollably at Hermione. "It looks like she's been petrified. Either that, or she's in love."
"How would you know anything about love?" Parvati Patil started in. "You're a little squib, you know that? How would you know anything about love when you haven't even had a girlfriend?"
Neville swallowed hard, not trying to be offended by her words. "I know one thing. The first time I ever saw a beautiful girl, which was you Lavender-" Lavender began to blush, "- I couldn't speak. I just stood still, amazed by your eyes, your face, everything." He closed his mouth, and didn't speak a word afterwards.
"He's gone bonkers too," Ron said.
After dinner, Hermione couldn't stand. She tried to move her legs, but they seemed frozen. She only got up after Harry assisted her, and after that, she wasn't sure she could move all that well either. She walked out of the Great Hall, catching a glimpse of Oliver. "How could anyone be so…so…gorgeous?" she thought, walking up the steps as Head Girl, the rest of the Gryffindors beside her. "But he'll never love me," she decided, lost in her thoughts, "because I'm just a little Head Girl with a pin on my robes, a little know-it-all." She swallowed uneasily, "No," she finished. "He'll never love me. Just get back to your studies…back to your…studies…"
She walked up to the Fat Lady portrait, said the two magic words, and headed into the Gryffindor common room, not a thought of Oliver entering into her mind. She sat down on a crimson squishy couch, but was startled when she did so. She sat on someone!
"Oh, I'm awfully sorry!" she said, blushing, ready to stand up.
"Quite all right, Hermione," the person she sat on replied. "But you're awfully right – looks exactly the same – only the faces are unfamiliar."
"Oliver!" Hermione exclaimed, twirling around. The sight of him made her head dizzy. "Why do I keep running into you?" she thought. She put a hair behind her ears and continued, "I thought you weren't going to in here. In fact, you PROMISED!"
"Well," Oliver said, smiling guiltily, "I couldn't help myself. I saw the Fat Lady portrait, and was just curious. You won't report me, will you? I can't be fired on the first week back…" He hung his head low, and for once, Hermione felt sorry for him.
"I won't report you," she answered, shaking her head. "You're a professor for bloody sake! And a good one too," she added. "Just…you shouldn't come in here anymore, you know? You're not a Gryffindor anymore. You were one for 7 years, but that period of time has ended. Time to move on with your life."
"You're right, Head Girl Hermione," he said, grinning again as he glanced down at her robes, where the Head Girl pin lay. "I always knew you'd be Head Girl. I was confident. You were always wise, intelligent, pretty, friendly…Congratulations, Hermione. Well, better head on out, eh?"
"Yeah, I suppose so," Hermione said, in a stern voice. But she couldn't help cracking a smile. "But you still like it?"
"What? You? Of course!" he said.
"No, no, no," Hermione replied, blushing. "The Gryffindor Common room!"
"Oh…oh…yeah, right, of course," he answered, standing up. "Well, must be going now. Have to rehearse for Monday's class."
"Rehearse?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Well, you know," Oliver said, standing very close to the exit. "Gotta figure what position we're going to do. Keeper, Beater, Chaser…spectator," he added, laughing.
"I think Keeper, definitely," Hermione said, moving closer. "Then, you can show us all your moves." She hit herself on her head. "Oh my god, I'm flirting! What's the matter with me?" she wondered.
Oliver laughed. "Yeah, maybe I'll try that, thanks…" He opened the portrait door. "It was nice meeting you again."
"Bye…" she waved, as he closed the portrait door.
She heard 2 laughs behind her and twirled around yet again. She found Harry and Ron laughing at each other and pointing at Hermione.
"Now, really, what's the matter with you?" Hermione asked impatiently.
"Hmm, let's see," Ron said, "'I think Keeper, definitely. Then, you can show us all your moves!'"
Harry snorted. "'You're a professor, for bloody sake!'"
"Honestly," Hermione said. "You guys are so…so…IMMATURE!" She spun on her wheel, and up to the girls' dormitories (she still stayed in the girls dormitories even though she was Head Girl, but she had her own bathroom).
"Maybe Neville's right though," Harry said, watching Hermione shoot daggers at them as she went up the stairs. "Maybe she is in love."
"Yeah, right," Ron snorted. "'I think Keeper, definitely. Then, you can show us all your moves!' She's just infatuated. She thinks Oliver is handsome, just like every other girl in the school."
"That's not true, Ron," Harry disagreed. "Let's see what Parvati and Lavender are talking about."
"Let's make a bet," Ron said, still smirking. "If they're not talking about Oliver I'll owe you…"
"Agrippa," Harry answered. "The card."
"BUT, but…I just got that. I've been searching for him forever!" Ron exclaimed.
"Yeah, I know," Harry agreed, "But since you're so sure that they're talking about Oliver, then you can risk it, right?"
"Oh, all right, Agrippa," he confirmed. "And if they are talking about Oliver you'll owe me…"
"Nothing…you just get to keep your Agrippa card!" Harry replied, laughing.
"HEY! No fair!" Ron yelled.
"Yeah, but since Agrippa is so worthy to you, you'll be happy just to have him, won't you?" Harry asked.
Ron looked at him angrily. "Oh…all right," Ron said, walking towards Parvati and Lavender. "When did you become so good at negotiating, Harry?"
"I don't know…maybe I get it from Hermione, or Draco, or something," Harry replied, bewildered.
"So, what are you lovely girls talking about?" Ron asked Parvati and Lavender, who were giggling.
"Oh, just about make-up, clothes, love potions," Parvati replied. "Girly stuff."
Harry saw Ron's jaw drop. Harry grinned.
"Oh, and Oliver! I wonder how he got into the Gryffindor Common Room!" Lavender told them, giggling more.
This time, Harry's jaw dropped. Ron smirked. "I GET TO KEEP MY AGRIPPA CARD, YES!" he yelled, making the whole common room silent. "Sorry…" He went up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, still leaping and shouting, though very silently.
"Don't you think Oliver's amazing?" Lavender asked.
"Yeah, maybe," Harry replied, wishing that he left with Ron as well.
"You know what?" Parvati asked, twirling her hair uncontrollably. "I bet…no, I know that you Harry…you're a smaller version of Wood."
"What?" Harry asked, feeling his cheeks burn with red.
"You've got everything that Wood has," Parvati continued, still twirling her hair. "You're the captain, Harry, the captain – and you've got speed, potential, you're brave, you teach us, the players everything, you've got talent…"
"…Looks," Lavender added, giggling slightly. They wound up in a fist of giggles, and Harry, turning away with face still red, decided to call on a practise.
His team marched behind him to the Quidditch stands, and went inside the locker room. He looked upon his teammates. Ron Weasley and Colin Creevey were the beaters, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and a new girl who arrived in the 5th year (and was now also in the 7th) named Selina Teeny were chasers, Dean Thomas was keeper, and Harry, himself, was seeker.
"All right, the Quidditch year has just begun…first practise," he reminded them, as he paced around the room. "We've got to get it…again. Our last year – except for you, Colin. But still, it's our last attempt together to win. We'll make Slytherin sad, Ravenclaw raving, and make sure the Hufflepuffs are howling."
"Those are very good alliterations," Ron complimented. Harry nodded and continued.
"So…let's make us, the team, proud…let's make the Gryffindors proud…the SCHOOL proud!" Harry roared.
"Careful, man, you're gonna give yourself a heart attack," Dean Thomas laughed.
Harry smiled. "You're right…" Harry said, as they walked out of the lockers in their Quidditch robes, broomsticks gripped in hands. "I'm getting too uptight. Don't want to end up like Oliver, now do I?"
"What's wrong with ending up like me?" a voice said.
The team jumped and turned around, looking at Oliver. "WHY – do you always do that?" Harry asked, ignoring Oliver's question.
"Do what?" Oliver questioned, looking puzzled. The look reminded Harry of the first time Professor McGonagull called him out of Charms class to tell him Harry had been seeker. That was such a long time ago, but it was still crisp and fresh in his mind.
"You always turn up out of the blue, asking questions, and making us all startled," Harry answered, the rest of the team nodding and whispering.
"Sorry, Harry – I've got to overlook this Quidditch practise…just to see what you're techniques are like, you know…"
But Harry knew. Oliver didn't want to "overlook" the Quidditch practise – he wanted to fly himself, remember what it was like to fly at the Hogwarts grounds.
"Yeah, sure," Harry agreed. As he said that he saw Lavender and Parvati giggling. Selina had never met Oliver before (except in Broomstick Classes) but she was also slightly shocked, smiling like she slept with a coat hanger in her mouth.
The team took off, Oliver beside Harry. Harry noticed Oliver closing his eyes as he flew up, as if truly feeling the experience. Harry grinned. "He's really obsessed with Quidditch," Harry thought. He glimpsed below and noticed Hermione walking into the grounds, the Quidditch box with all the bludgers, quaffle, and snitch contained inside it. She was smiling again; it seemed she had forgotten about the embarrassing ordeal.
"I'm gonna let the materials out," Hermione yelled.
"ALL RIGHT!" Harry yelled back as he soared through the air. Hermione unlocked the box, and the Quidditch balls flew in every direction. Harry caught a glimpse of the snitch beside Oliver, who was flying beside him, doing loops.
"Tell me, Oliver," Harry said, catching Oliver's attention.
"Hmm?" Oliver replied, stopping his Twister 300 immediately.
"You told me at the Quidditch World Cup way back then, that you were going to sign up with Puddlemere United – what happened?"
"They offered me a good home and all," Oliver answered, avoiding a bludger that swerved over his head. Ron swung the bat and flung it all the way to the other end of the pitch. "GOOD ONE RON!" Olive cleared his throat. "But, they had "better" keepers then I did, supposedly, and they…" he gulped.
"Kicked you off?" Harry answered.
"Yeah…I mean, they said 'No hard feelings' and all, but I was still hurt – it was my favourite team!" He spotted Ron, looking offended, so Oliver shouted, "BUT CHUDLEY CANNONS ARE AWESOME TOO!" He cleared his throat once more. "I found my real home at the Appleby Arrows…got accepted when you were in your 6th year, Harry. Been there ever since. I'm a supposed 'celebrity', but I don't like it to be that way. I'm just playing my favourite sport in the world. You know?"
"Yeah," Harry replied, grasping the snitch in his arm. He released it again. "But you've just left them for a year – what's going on?"
"Well," Oliver said, "we've got 2 keepers. One is a reserve – if I'm ill, injured, any sort of thing, he'll go. Everyone on the team says he's not as good as me, but he'll do for the year." He chuckled slightly. "So now-"
SMASH!
A bludger came and struck Oliver in the face, and he twirled down to the ground, in a peaceful darkness.
**************************************************************************** **
Hello! I just finished, and I hope you enjoy. I know – it's a bit of a cliffhanger – and I know what you're thinking – will Oliver be all right? (Maybe, maybe not). Stay tuned for more!
Thanks Dark-Fox – Madam Hooch will hopefully be all right, I only needed her to be out of the way so that the lovely Oliver Wood could take place.
Thanks G*Ness – it really means a lot when you review since you're stories are so fantastic. I'm glad you also like the Easter challenge…I've only started, but I think it'll turn out great.
Red-Haired Vixen – thanks for reviewing! I'll be sure to read your stories!
Draco's Girl – you've reviewed a lot! I would love to read your stories (but there's none on Fanfiction.net right now…but as soon as there is I will)! Thanks for reviewing!
"I wish I never woke up this morning…already felt like this would be a bad day
I tried to hard not to believe it…but it happened anyway
But that's when I stared you in the eye, and I felt like everything would be all right
Oh, 'cause when I'm with you, I'm in heaven…you're my angel come to life, and you bring me up to the sky…Oh, 'cause when I'm with you, I'm in heaven…and I wish I could stay, forever"
- "Heaven" by 3LW
The first few days back were horrible. Although the first day seemed like a blast, it all went downhill. The constant Potion classes irritated them, and History of Magic was just a bore. The usual homework had them working until the wee hours of the morning, so bags were forming under their eyes. The only limelight seemed to be Broomstick Practices (even though they only had one so far), and Care of Magical Creatures.
"Let's just hope that Defence Against the Dark Arts will be good," Ron hoped, as they walked down the classroom.
Professor Musetta seemed nice enough, and surprisingly, their first class was also nice. She brought in a demiguise. Everyone thought she was lying, as nothing appeared, but soon the graceful ape with large, black, doleful eyes appeared. She explained that they were found in the Far East, though only with great difficulty, as it could make itself invisible. She also told them that demiguise pelts were highly valued as the hair could be spun into Invisibility Cloaks. As she said this, her eyes flickered to where Harry was sitting, and she smiled. Harry had a feeling that she knew all about his Invisibility Cloak.
For the rest of the class she let them practice trying to jinx it and stop it from making itself invisible. Everyone did well, but none of them succeeded – as soon as they cornered the demiguise to cast a spell it disappeared and went in-between the person's legs, knocking them over. At Hermione's turn, she nearly succeeded, she cast the spell ("Clearkyta") on it, just as it was about to become invisible, so now every time it tried to be fully invisible, you could see it, but very dimly.
"Excellent, Ms. Granger!" Professor Musetta cried. "15 points to Gryffindor!"
After class, Hermione walked down the hall gleefully, almost feeling like skipping. She ran ahead of Harry and Ron, cheering and whooping.
"What's she so happy about?" Ron asked uneasily.
"It's the weekend, Ron – everybody would be happy," Harry replied, as Hermione vanished out of sight.
She cheered, whooped, hollered, and CRASH!
Hermione collapsed to the ground in a heap. She had run into someone. She peered up to look, her eyes out of focus. She blinked a few times, and a tall figure came into view, with short, brown hair.
"Hermione? Are you all right?" Oliver asked, helping her up. All of her books were knocked over, and all the students in the hall stopped to look.
"Uh…yeah," Hermione replied, standing up. "I guess I was a little overexcited." Her heart was beating fast, but she thought it was just because she was running. She was wrong.
"It's all right," Oliver replied, grinning his prize-winning grin. "Felt the same way before the weekend."
"Really? How come?" Hermione asked.
"Quidditch practices – first thing in the morning!" he laughed. "You gotta be careful though – you may never know what's around the corner – you can holler and cheer in the common room. I miss the Gryffindor common room. Is it still the same?"
"Yeah, pretty much – only the faces change…there's lots of familiar faces, of course, but I don't recognize a load of them," Hermione said, picking up her books. Oliver crouched down beside her to help.
"Yeah…what's the password?" Oliver asked, picking up her History of Magic notebook.
"I don't think I should be telling you that," Hermione answered.
"Don't worry – I won't be going in there. Just curious – the password's are always funny," Oliver promised.
"Oh, all right – it's Cauldron Cakes," Hermione replied, standing up and shoving her books in her bag.
"Cauldron Cakes," he repeated, scratching his chin. "Not at all unusual. Well, thanks Hermione. You sure you're all right?"
"Yeah, thanks for helping," Hermione said. "See you later, Oliver."
"Bye, Hermione!" Oliver called, as he turned the corner and out of her eyesight. She walked down the hall, feeling like leaping and hollering again because of her conversation with Oliver, but felt it better wise not to do so.
Harry and Ron caught up with her.
"Hermione," Ron panted, "where were you?"
"Silly! Can't you see? I was right here the whole time!" Hermione exclaimed, deciding it was better not to tell them of the collision with Oliver.
"You…run – so - fast," Harry choked, clutching his stomach.
They resumed their walk. Harry and Ron were conversing of Wizard Chess strategies, but Hermione couldn't hear a word of their conversation. She felt like she was on Cloud Number 9, and she didn't want to come down. She ran over the conversation with Oliver over and over again, remembering every word that came out of his mouth. She ate dinner, but didn't know what she was eating. There was no taste. The only feeling in her mouth, her mind, her body, her heart – was love.
"She's lost her bonkers, hasn't she?" Ron asked Harry. They were both watching Hermione suspiciously during dinner, and found it strange that she hadn't said a word about her Arithmacy lesson, or complained about the History of Magic lesson, or bragged about her ordeal with the demiguise.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Ron?" Harry replied through gritted teeth. "It's bananas."
"It can be used both ways, Harry!" Ron argued back, shoving chicken furiously into his mouth. He chewed hardly and cried, "Ow! I bit my tongue!"
"Well, I believe you," Harry agreed, knocking the argument aside. "She has gone insane. She hasn't said a word since we caught up with her in the hall. She seems really preoccupied." He wasn't eating anything, just staring amazingly at Hermione.
"Well…one things sure," Ron said, washing down the blood on his tongue with his juice. "She sure is strange."
"Ditto that," Neville Longbottom said, who was sitting on Ron's other side. He gazed uncontrollably at Hermione. "It looks like she's been petrified. Either that, or she's in love."
"How would you know anything about love?" Parvati Patil started in. "You're a little squib, you know that? How would you know anything about love when you haven't even had a girlfriend?"
Neville swallowed hard, not trying to be offended by her words. "I know one thing. The first time I ever saw a beautiful girl, which was you Lavender-" Lavender began to blush, "- I couldn't speak. I just stood still, amazed by your eyes, your face, everything." He closed his mouth, and didn't speak a word afterwards.
"He's gone bonkers too," Ron said.
After dinner, Hermione couldn't stand. She tried to move her legs, but they seemed frozen. She only got up after Harry assisted her, and after that, she wasn't sure she could move all that well either. She walked out of the Great Hall, catching a glimpse of Oliver. "How could anyone be so…so…gorgeous?" she thought, walking up the steps as Head Girl, the rest of the Gryffindors beside her. "But he'll never love me," she decided, lost in her thoughts, "because I'm just a little Head Girl with a pin on my robes, a little know-it-all." She swallowed uneasily, "No," she finished. "He'll never love me. Just get back to your studies…back to your…studies…"
She walked up to the Fat Lady portrait, said the two magic words, and headed into the Gryffindor common room, not a thought of Oliver entering into her mind. She sat down on a crimson squishy couch, but was startled when she did so. She sat on someone!
"Oh, I'm awfully sorry!" she said, blushing, ready to stand up.
"Quite all right, Hermione," the person she sat on replied. "But you're awfully right – looks exactly the same – only the faces are unfamiliar."
"Oliver!" Hermione exclaimed, twirling around. The sight of him made her head dizzy. "Why do I keep running into you?" she thought. She put a hair behind her ears and continued, "I thought you weren't going to in here. In fact, you PROMISED!"
"Well," Oliver said, smiling guiltily, "I couldn't help myself. I saw the Fat Lady portrait, and was just curious. You won't report me, will you? I can't be fired on the first week back…" He hung his head low, and for once, Hermione felt sorry for him.
"I won't report you," she answered, shaking her head. "You're a professor for bloody sake! And a good one too," she added. "Just…you shouldn't come in here anymore, you know? You're not a Gryffindor anymore. You were one for 7 years, but that period of time has ended. Time to move on with your life."
"You're right, Head Girl Hermione," he said, grinning again as he glanced down at her robes, where the Head Girl pin lay. "I always knew you'd be Head Girl. I was confident. You were always wise, intelligent, pretty, friendly…Congratulations, Hermione. Well, better head on out, eh?"
"Yeah, I suppose so," Hermione said, in a stern voice. But she couldn't help cracking a smile. "But you still like it?"
"What? You? Of course!" he said.
"No, no, no," Hermione replied, blushing. "The Gryffindor Common room!"
"Oh…oh…yeah, right, of course," he answered, standing up. "Well, must be going now. Have to rehearse for Monday's class."
"Rehearse?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Well, you know," Oliver said, standing very close to the exit. "Gotta figure what position we're going to do. Keeper, Beater, Chaser…spectator," he added, laughing.
"I think Keeper, definitely," Hermione said, moving closer. "Then, you can show us all your moves." She hit herself on her head. "Oh my god, I'm flirting! What's the matter with me?" she wondered.
Oliver laughed. "Yeah, maybe I'll try that, thanks…" He opened the portrait door. "It was nice meeting you again."
"Bye…" she waved, as he closed the portrait door.
She heard 2 laughs behind her and twirled around yet again. She found Harry and Ron laughing at each other and pointing at Hermione.
"Now, really, what's the matter with you?" Hermione asked impatiently.
"Hmm, let's see," Ron said, "'I think Keeper, definitely. Then, you can show us all your moves!'"
Harry snorted. "'You're a professor, for bloody sake!'"
"Honestly," Hermione said. "You guys are so…so…IMMATURE!" She spun on her wheel, and up to the girls' dormitories (she still stayed in the girls dormitories even though she was Head Girl, but she had her own bathroom).
"Maybe Neville's right though," Harry said, watching Hermione shoot daggers at them as she went up the stairs. "Maybe she is in love."
"Yeah, right," Ron snorted. "'I think Keeper, definitely. Then, you can show us all your moves!' She's just infatuated. She thinks Oliver is handsome, just like every other girl in the school."
"That's not true, Ron," Harry disagreed. "Let's see what Parvati and Lavender are talking about."
"Let's make a bet," Ron said, still smirking. "If they're not talking about Oliver I'll owe you…"
"Agrippa," Harry answered. "The card."
"BUT, but…I just got that. I've been searching for him forever!" Ron exclaimed.
"Yeah, I know," Harry agreed, "But since you're so sure that they're talking about Oliver, then you can risk it, right?"
"Oh, all right, Agrippa," he confirmed. "And if they are talking about Oliver you'll owe me…"
"Nothing…you just get to keep your Agrippa card!" Harry replied, laughing.
"HEY! No fair!" Ron yelled.
"Yeah, but since Agrippa is so worthy to you, you'll be happy just to have him, won't you?" Harry asked.
Ron looked at him angrily. "Oh…all right," Ron said, walking towards Parvati and Lavender. "When did you become so good at negotiating, Harry?"
"I don't know…maybe I get it from Hermione, or Draco, or something," Harry replied, bewildered.
"So, what are you lovely girls talking about?" Ron asked Parvati and Lavender, who were giggling.
"Oh, just about make-up, clothes, love potions," Parvati replied. "Girly stuff."
Harry saw Ron's jaw drop. Harry grinned.
"Oh, and Oliver! I wonder how he got into the Gryffindor Common Room!" Lavender told them, giggling more.
This time, Harry's jaw dropped. Ron smirked. "I GET TO KEEP MY AGRIPPA CARD, YES!" he yelled, making the whole common room silent. "Sorry…" He went up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, still leaping and shouting, though very silently.
"Don't you think Oliver's amazing?" Lavender asked.
"Yeah, maybe," Harry replied, wishing that he left with Ron as well.
"You know what?" Parvati asked, twirling her hair uncontrollably. "I bet…no, I know that you Harry…you're a smaller version of Wood."
"What?" Harry asked, feeling his cheeks burn with red.
"You've got everything that Wood has," Parvati continued, still twirling her hair. "You're the captain, Harry, the captain – and you've got speed, potential, you're brave, you teach us, the players everything, you've got talent…"
"…Looks," Lavender added, giggling slightly. They wound up in a fist of giggles, and Harry, turning away with face still red, decided to call on a practise.
His team marched behind him to the Quidditch stands, and went inside the locker room. He looked upon his teammates. Ron Weasley and Colin Creevey were the beaters, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and a new girl who arrived in the 5th year (and was now also in the 7th) named Selina Teeny were chasers, Dean Thomas was keeper, and Harry, himself, was seeker.
"All right, the Quidditch year has just begun…first practise," he reminded them, as he paced around the room. "We've got to get it…again. Our last year – except for you, Colin. But still, it's our last attempt together to win. We'll make Slytherin sad, Ravenclaw raving, and make sure the Hufflepuffs are howling."
"Those are very good alliterations," Ron complimented. Harry nodded and continued.
"So…let's make us, the team, proud…let's make the Gryffindors proud…the SCHOOL proud!" Harry roared.
"Careful, man, you're gonna give yourself a heart attack," Dean Thomas laughed.
Harry smiled. "You're right…" Harry said, as they walked out of the lockers in their Quidditch robes, broomsticks gripped in hands. "I'm getting too uptight. Don't want to end up like Oliver, now do I?"
"What's wrong with ending up like me?" a voice said.
The team jumped and turned around, looking at Oliver. "WHY – do you always do that?" Harry asked, ignoring Oliver's question.
"Do what?" Oliver questioned, looking puzzled. The look reminded Harry of the first time Professor McGonagull called him out of Charms class to tell him Harry had been seeker. That was such a long time ago, but it was still crisp and fresh in his mind.
"You always turn up out of the blue, asking questions, and making us all startled," Harry answered, the rest of the team nodding and whispering.
"Sorry, Harry – I've got to overlook this Quidditch practise…just to see what you're techniques are like, you know…"
But Harry knew. Oliver didn't want to "overlook" the Quidditch practise – he wanted to fly himself, remember what it was like to fly at the Hogwarts grounds.
"Yeah, sure," Harry agreed. As he said that he saw Lavender and Parvati giggling. Selina had never met Oliver before (except in Broomstick Classes) but she was also slightly shocked, smiling like she slept with a coat hanger in her mouth.
The team took off, Oliver beside Harry. Harry noticed Oliver closing his eyes as he flew up, as if truly feeling the experience. Harry grinned. "He's really obsessed with Quidditch," Harry thought. He glimpsed below and noticed Hermione walking into the grounds, the Quidditch box with all the bludgers, quaffle, and snitch contained inside it. She was smiling again; it seemed she had forgotten about the embarrassing ordeal.
"I'm gonna let the materials out," Hermione yelled.
"ALL RIGHT!" Harry yelled back as he soared through the air. Hermione unlocked the box, and the Quidditch balls flew in every direction. Harry caught a glimpse of the snitch beside Oliver, who was flying beside him, doing loops.
"Tell me, Oliver," Harry said, catching Oliver's attention.
"Hmm?" Oliver replied, stopping his Twister 300 immediately.
"You told me at the Quidditch World Cup way back then, that you were going to sign up with Puddlemere United – what happened?"
"They offered me a good home and all," Oliver answered, avoiding a bludger that swerved over his head. Ron swung the bat and flung it all the way to the other end of the pitch. "GOOD ONE RON!" Olive cleared his throat. "But, they had "better" keepers then I did, supposedly, and they…" he gulped.
"Kicked you off?" Harry answered.
"Yeah…I mean, they said 'No hard feelings' and all, but I was still hurt – it was my favourite team!" He spotted Ron, looking offended, so Oliver shouted, "BUT CHUDLEY CANNONS ARE AWESOME TOO!" He cleared his throat once more. "I found my real home at the Appleby Arrows…got accepted when you were in your 6th year, Harry. Been there ever since. I'm a supposed 'celebrity', but I don't like it to be that way. I'm just playing my favourite sport in the world. You know?"
"Yeah," Harry replied, grasping the snitch in his arm. He released it again. "But you've just left them for a year – what's going on?"
"Well," Oliver said, "we've got 2 keepers. One is a reserve – if I'm ill, injured, any sort of thing, he'll go. Everyone on the team says he's not as good as me, but he'll do for the year." He chuckled slightly. "So now-"
SMASH!
A bludger came and struck Oliver in the face, and he twirled down to the ground, in a peaceful darkness.
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Hello! I just finished, and I hope you enjoy. I know – it's a bit of a cliffhanger – and I know what you're thinking – will Oliver be all right? (Maybe, maybe not). Stay tuned for more!
Thanks Dark-Fox – Madam Hooch will hopefully be all right, I only needed her to be out of the way so that the lovely Oliver Wood could take place.
Thanks G*Ness – it really means a lot when you review since you're stories are so fantastic. I'm glad you also like the Easter challenge…I've only started, but I think it'll turn out great.
Red-Haired Vixen – thanks for reviewing! I'll be sure to read your stories!
Draco's Girl – you've reviewed a lot! I would love to read your stories (but there's none on Fanfiction.net right now…but as soon as there is I will)! Thanks for reviewing!