Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter.
A/N: Remember, the only way that Harry can destroy Voldemort is by using the power of love, which is something that Voldemort doesn't understand.
I give a HUGE thanks to all of my reviewers:
Lia06: Your story, "When You See a Guy Reach For the Stars in the Sky" is absolutely lovely! Please update soon, and thanks for your support!
oliverhermione: Thanks for your review!
CrazyVoices22: Believe me, I'm never tired of hearing someone praise my work. Thank you so much for reviewing! There will be even more romantic moments between Oliver and Hermione in the future.
Chapter Seven: Late Night Chats and Dreams"Please let us go! We didn't do anything to you!" Mrs. Granger pleaded. A tall hooded stranger glared menacingly at the two cowering dentists as he aimed a wand at their throats.
"I don't need to hear any of your pathetic begging or your lies, you filthy muggles! Your daughter is the friend of Harry Potter, the only one standing in my way. I will destroy Potter if it's the last thing I do! And the only way I can accomplish this is to destroy everyone Potter cares about!" the hooded stranger (AKA Voldemort) growled as a blinding green light illuminated the room. The Grangers screamed as their lives quickly drew to a close. Suddenly, Voldemort turned to Hermione and hissed, "I will kill the one you love!"
Hermione screamed and her body jerked itself awake. (A/N: Her roommates snuck out earlier, so they weren't there when she screamed) Her eyes darted about the room frantically, searching for Voldemort. She sighed with relief when she realized he was nowhere to be found. Hermione had been having this dream ever since her parents died, and it was starting to drive her mad.
Not wanting to experience the same dream again, Hermione decided to go to the common room to clear her head. She put on her bathrobe and tiptoed out of the room, closing the door carefully behind her.
When she arrived in the common room, she spotted her favorite chair by the fireplace and sat down, trying to figure out why she was having the reoccurring dream. "Maybe, it's just my subconscious' way of telling me not to fall in love or get attached to anyone so I won't get hurt. Losing my parents has already been unbearable. Losing someone else...I can't take anymore pain," Hermione mumbled to herself.
Suddenly, Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. She peered over the chair and saw a tall boy walking down the stairs. It's Oliver! Wait, why am I so excited to see Oliver? I don't like him in that way, do I? No, that couldn't be it. I barely know him.
"Hi Hermione. I'm not disturbing you, am I? Because if I am I can just go and-"
"No, you're not bothering me," Hermione interrupted a bit too eagerly. Ever since they had that little moment in the library, everything became a bit awkward between them, and Hermione began to see him in a different light...
Oliver smiled. "All right then. I'll just sit over here and work on some Quidditch plays."
Hermione nodded and continued to be immersed in her thoughts. Oliver glanced over at her every few seconds, noticing the worried expression on her face. "Hermione, are you all right?"
Hermione looked at Oliver. "Yes. I just had a bad dream. Nothing serious."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Hermione shook her head. "Don't worry. It's nothing important. It's just a silly dream." In truth, Hermione really wanted to tell Oliver what was wrong, but she was afraid that she might get emotional and lower her defenses, which would bring them closer together. She didn't want a repeat of what happened a week ago when she had burst out crying and Oliver held her throughout the night. That already brought them closer than she ever wanted. Also, if her dream was true, she couldn't let herself get attached to Oliver or else Voldemort would kill him.
"All right, if you're sure. If you change your mind, let me know and I'll be there for you." (A/N: I know this line is cheesy but it will foreshadow something later)
"Thanks Oliver. I'll keep that in mind."
Oliver returned to his Quidditch plays, attempting to complete them, but he just couldn't take his eyes off of her. He loved how the fire from the fireplace danced in her eyes, and how the light made her skin glow. He loved how her expressive eyebrows were furrowed in thought and how her occasional smile always brightened his darkest days (A/N: the days when he has Potions with Snape). Wait, do I like Hermione Granger? Maybe I do, but that's beside the point. She's probably dating Harry, or Ron, or that Bulgarian bloke... Viktor Krum. Grr... Well, I might as well be her friend. That's better than nothing. But then again, she might be single. Oh, who are you kidding Oliver? A girl that perfect couldn't possibly be single! Only one way to find out...
"Hermione?" Oliver asked warily. Girls had literally hexed him into oblivion when he asked such a personal question, but he just had to know.
"Yes?" Hermione asked.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Oliver blurted out.
Hermione raised her eyebrow. Well that was random. "No."
"So, you're not dating Harry or Ron, or...Krum?"
A look of disgust crossed Hermione's face. "Me? Date Harry and Ron? Ugh! How can you even think of such a thing?"
Oliver blushed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me."
Hermione cleared her throat. "It's okay. I was just shocked. I mean, Harry and Ron are like brothers to me. I can't see them in any other way. As for Viktor... well I dated him back in my fourth year, but we really didn't hit it off. And now, I'm not dating anyone. I mean, who would date me?"
"Who wouldn't?" Oliver mumbled to himself. Oliver's hopes of winning Hermione's heart rose considerably, but he still had a long way to go. Besides, she seemed really distraught over something, and he didn't want to push her into a romantic relationship with him when her mind was clearly on something else. What she desperately needed now was not a boyfriend, but simply a friend. She needed to confide in someone and Oliver wanted to be that person.
"Did you say something?" Hermione asked. She swore he said, "Who wouldn't" but she wasn't sure. Probably just wishful thinking.
Oliver cleared his throat. "I, uh, wanted to ask you, um," Oliver stammered. He couldn't understand why he was so nervous all of a sudden. He had never had trouble talking to a girl before. That's because you never talked to a girl that you liked before.
Hermione noticed that Oliver was staring at her, looking very nervous which was definitely not the norm for the usually confident Quidditch Captain. "What is it, Oliver?"
Oliver blushed and ran his hand through his soft brown hair nervously. "You see, uh, I was wondering, um..."
Hermione smiled, trying to ease his nervousness. He looks so cute when he's nervous. Ugh! Did I just say "cute?" Hermione Granger, you will not become a clone of Lavender or Parvati!
"Hermione, um, would you go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend?" Oliver asked hopefully. Seeing the surprised expression of her face, Oliver added," Just as friends, of course. Strictly as friends."
Beads of sweat formed at Oliver's head as he waited in anticipation for Hermione's answer. Hermione wondered why Oliver was so nervous about asking her to go with him to Hogsmeade as friends. It seemed a bit odd, but she pushed that thought aside. One trip to Hogsmeade won't hurt, I guess.
Hermione's face quickly brightened. "Sure, Oliver. I'd love to."
Oliver's eyes suddenly lit up. "Great!" Now all Oliver had to do was get Hermione to open up to him. He had a feeling that she was hiding something serious from him, from everyone. Oliver was determined to figure out what her secret was, even if it was the last thing he ever did.
A/N: I've written twelve chapters of another story that I started writing around the same time as "Worth the Wait." It stars Oliver and Hermione and it's about them going on a series of misadventures in America as a last ditch effort to save Oliver's abysmal Muggle Studies grade. Just so you know, I'm in a really patriotic mood because of the election, so that's why I keep sending the characters to America. Ahem, this story will be fairly long (about 25-40 chapters) and will be rated PG-13 for some swearing and a bit of violence.
Right now, it contains adventures involving angry airline attendants, spy missions, fight scenes in alleys, thieves who love Karaoke, a budding romance between Oliver and Hermione, the secret life of one of Snape's relatives and many other crazy/weird adventures. Basically, this story is a result of me on a sugar high.
Oliver is in every chapter, and the story contains action, adventure, romance, poetry, humor, and some would even say, horror, at least in one particular chapter. So my question is: do you want me to post this story? Please let me know in your reviews. Note that this is NOT a sequel to "Worth the Wait." I will not be writing a sequel since I can't think of a good enough plot. I would've used the one I just described, but the plot wouldn't work that well if the characters were already in love. Thanks!
