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"It's nice to meet you too." Rachel said accepting his hand.
"Rachel is also going to Hogwarts this year. Maybe you can tell her some useful information? Hmm?" Aunt Bernice said wrapping her arms around the two, and slightly pushing them to a cushioned bench.
"Of course," Oliver said sitting down, "It would be my pleasure."
"Well that's great!" Aunt Bernice explained pushing Rachel into sitting very close to Oliver, "But I must leave you two alone now. I have a lot of guest waiting for coffee and desert."
And with that she hurried off .
"So--"Rachel said scooting a little away from Oliver. She had been blushing from her Aunt's blatant attempt to get her and Oliver alone together.
"So--" Oliver said also slightly red from it.
And this is how the next five minutes, which seemed like hours for the two, went. Both were extremely fidgety and seemed very captivated with their hands. When one looked up at the other, they always ended up looking back down. That is until when Oliver was looking up, Rachel was looking up at the same time, and their foreheads collided. They both backed away and began to rub their injured heads.
When Rachel looked at Oliver and saw a big red spot on his forehead, of course she also had one on her own, but for some reason this was the most funny thing and she began to laugh. When it finally died down a little she noticed that Oliver had also been laughing.
"So--" Rachel said, almost falling into the monotonous scene they just had. But Oliver began to laugh again and Rachel followed suit. As they laughter of absolutely nothing rolled through her, she noticed what a wonderful laugh Oliver had. It was so deep and natural and it made her want to smile. Soon the laughter stopped.
"So--," Oliver paused to giggle for a moment, "You're going to Hogwarts. What house do you want to be in?"
"Well, I don't really know. I have no clue about anything, but I know my aunt said something about Ravenclaw. Although I'm not quite sure what that means."
"Oh no, you don't want to be in Ravenclaw. They're a bunch of sourpusses (A/N: I just had to use that word)
"Well, where else can I go? Besides my aunt seemed really settled that I should go there/"
"Gryffindor of course! That's where I'm going. While, of course you don't know for sure... not until the first day, but still... I just know. I mean, they have the best quidditch team. Charlie Weasley helped them win the Quidditch Cup six years in a row. Of course, he has graduated and they haven't won the cup since, but still they're the best." said Oliver, his face lit with excitement.
"Umm, what exactly IS quidditch? I head some of the other guest talking about it during dinner. Is it a game or something?" Rachel asked confusingly.
Oliver's face paled the moment she had asked him about quidditch, and it was beginning to frighten her. He didn't move or talk or even blink. Finally, he opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it immediately. In his next attempt to speak, he was successful.
"How can you not know what quidditch is?" Sean asked, completely
"Well, being in a non-magic home for 11 years of my life, I don't think that I would know about some wizard sport." Rachel said, sarcasm seeping in her voice.
"Muggles don't know what quidditch is?!" Oliver said stunned.
"No, muggles don't know what quidditch is." said Rachel exasperated.
"Umm... okay," Oliver said running his fingers through his hair, "See there's seven players on a team: three chasers, two beaters, a seeker, and a keeper. The chasers, well, they pass a ball called a quaffle around and try to get it into one of three hoops high in the air."
"How do they get high enough?" Rachel asked.
"Oh! I almost forgot. See everyone are on brooms-" Oliver said nonchalantly.
Rachel was astounded, "What!? Flying broomsticks really exist!"
"Yeah," Oliver was obviously confused by Rachel's excitement, "As I was saying, they fly to get the quaffle in a hoop and each basket is 10 points. But they also have to avoid two bulgers that fly around and try to hit them off the broomsticks. That's what the beaters are for: they have bats to hit the bulgers towards the other team."
Oliver paused to catch his breath, "And the keeper flies close to the hoops to guard them. Then, there's the seeker. His job is the toughest. He has to try and catch the snitch, a tiny golden ball with wings that flies around. Whose ever team gets the snitch gets 150 points and almost always wins the game. Because, once the snitch is caught, the game is over. It really is a wonderful sport."
Oliver had gradually moved closer and closer, during his explanation of quidditch, to Rachel. Neither of them noticed until he had finished speaking. She felt a tingly feeling shoot thru her when Oliver slowly, unsurely rubbed her hand. Their fingertips grazed each others and Rachel felt afraid to look up and see the expression on his face. She did anyway. He had a fiery glaze in his eyes and it made Rachel lose her breath.
She took a shaky breath and said, "So what is your favorite position?" Rachel blushed when she realized that double meaning of her question, "Quidditch! What's your favorite quidditch position?"
"Oh, well the keeper. I mean it's awesome to see Puddlemere United's keeper play. He's really wicked."
"Is Puddlebeer your favorite team?"
"It's puddlemere and yes they are. You should come and see a game with me sometime next summer."
"That sounds like fun."
"Good, then it's a date." Oliver said. Blushing immediately after saying it.
"It's a date." Rachel repeated, smiling.
"Well! It looks like you two are getting along nicely." Aunt Bernice boomed, shocking the two with a flash of her camera, "It also makes it umpleasent to tell you that Oliver's parents sent me to get him. They want you to say goodbye to everyone before you go."
"Oh, well I guess I'll see you on the train to Hogwarts." Oliver said to Rachel.
"A train? We take a train to school!" Rachel said in awe.
"Yeah, how else would we get there?"
"I don't know. Maybe a bus, or even an airplane if it's far away."
"An airplane? Is that some kind of muggle thing?"
"Yeah, it flies and everything." Rachel made a flying motion with her hands.
"Really-!"
"Um, Oliver, dear, your parents are waiting." Aunt Bernice said breaking into their converstaion.
"Oh, that's right!" Oliver said and followed Aunt Bernice into the parlor.
It seems that sometime in between their time on the bench the mean retired from the den to join the ladies for dessert. Groups were chattering excitedly together. There was a couple standing next to a black piano singing along as the piano magically played itself. A group of four were sitting by an antique table playing cards. Although it was disturbing when a card suddenly exploded without warning.
"It's called exploding snaps, dear." Aunt Bernice said to the distracted Rachel.
"Wha?" Rachel asked shaking her head to pull her attention away from the card game.
"The card game, it's called exploding snaps. I really should teach it to you, we use to play it all the time at Hogwarts. But then again, I think you know someone who would most definitely love to teach you." Aunt Bernice gestured to Oliver, who was at the time shaking hands with an older man.
Rachel blushed at the obvious meaning of her aunt. While, mentally cursing herself for blushing so much tonight.
"I don't know what you mean." Rachel said trying to look confused at what her aunt had said.
"Oh, I think you know exactly what I mean. I saw how Oliver acted toward you and you to him. It's obvious that he likes you." Aunt Bernice whispered into Rachel's ear as she steered her to Oliver and his parents, who were nearing the door.
"It was a pleasant night Bernice," said the woman, whom Rachel assumed was Oliver's mom.
"Yes we have to do it again sometime soon," Aunt Bernice replied.
"So I guess I'll see you soon." Rachel said to Oliver, the talk between her aunt and his mom continuing.
"Yes, I guess you will," Oliver smiled, his lips forming a cock-sided grin.
"Until then," he said following his parents out the door.
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Rachel sighed. The memories were still so fresh, even though they were almost three years old. She tore her glaze away from the picture of him and her that her aunt had taken, only to flip the page to find another memory awaiting for her. The picture was taken slightly after the first, and Rachel smiled as her mind drafted into finally arriving at school, at Hogwarts.
