I threw my books onto my bed and fell face-first onto my pillow, pounding the comforter. Why did it have to be so hard? I mean, this is what happened in the movies! We were angry at each other for something stupid and then one would come apologize and then we'd live happily ever after… except, this wasn't the movies… and I wasn't magically matured after we 'broke up' and the same problems would be waiting for us if we started it up again…
I wanted to cry. This wasn't the way that it was supposed to happen! I was supposed to be happy! It was supposed to work! I'd been let down so many times that I was becoming cynical and bitter… It was my fault that Oliver was angry with me.
I straightened up. Fine. If Oliver wanted a more mature, relationship-ready Hermione, he'd get one… starting now… I did want to trust him… I would have to show him that I did… but how? I think it was time to bring in an expert…
₤ ₤ ₤
"So, I figured I needed your help tonight with my, ah, Potions work…" I stared hard at Harry, willing him not to say something stupid and just believe me that we needed to talk without having to say in front of Ron that we needed to talk.
"You have top marks in Potions though, Hermione..." Ron started.
"Yes, the work was hard this week," Harry countered. "That thing that you wanted help with, right? We can do it tonight…"
"Good. Well, I'm off to the library!" I bolted before Ron asked any more questions.
Harry found me later, thumping his books down and sitting across from me. "What's going on, Hermione?"
I opened my mouth to speak but then found I didn't know where to start. Did he know about Oliver? Or my crush on Ron before that? How much should I tell him? Would it ruin our friendship if I did? I looked down at my transfiguration homework, searching for an answer.
"Listen, I know about Oliver. I was the one who pushed him to ask you out."
My eyes snapped up from the book. "Oliver never asked me out."
He waved his hands. "Well, whatever it was that he did that pushed you two to whatever you are now. Doesn't matter. He likes you Hermione. And he'll treat you better than Ron ever will… yes," he added, noticing my shocked look, "I know about Ron. What you have to decide is what you want?"
I looked over at him quickly then down at my parchment where I started copying notes. "It's so easy for you, Harry, isn't it? Everything is black and white… you know when people like you, don't you? You've dealt with it all your life. How do you know if someone likes you for you and not just the image that is put forth about you? I mean, I'm nothing but Hermione Granger, bookworm… and he's Oliver Wood, Quidditch Captain."
He shook his head. "See, that's where the problem is, Mione… you're so bent on not being the bookworm, but has it ever occurred to you that maybe he doesn't want to be 'Oliver Wood, Quidditch Captain' either? Maybe you've thought of him as that for so long that you can't see past it and that creates the problem that you're in now…"
I stopped writing. "Oh my god."
₤ ₤ ₤
I splashed across the pitch in the rain, heedless of the yells of the Weasley twins and the whizzing of the bludgers. "Oliver! Oliver! I understand now!"
He stared down at my as if I'd gone mad, shaking the water from his eyes. "Hermione, get off the pitch! You're going to get yourself hurt! This isn't the time!"
"Look out!"
A bludger zoomed towards me and I screamed but was knocked down before it made contact with my head.
It zoomed past inches above me, ruffling my quickly soaking hair.
Oliver got up from his protective position above me, pulling me to my feet, and shook me, yelling over the roar of the storm, "Are you crazy, Hermione?! You could have been killed! You could have been seriously injured! What would be so important that it couldn't wait a few hours?!"
I stared at him, standing in full Quidditch gear, his face flushed, his eyes flashing, and I just wanted to throw myself into his arms like a typical damsel. He looked so grand and cut a dashing Quidditch Captain figure. But I restrained myself. I had to think past that, had to think of him as more than what the other girls thought of him. "Because I understand it now!" I yelled back. "All this time I spent thinking of you as just a Quidditch captain and now I know that's not true! I-"
He cut me off, "Right now that's all I am and if my team is going to beat Slytherin tomorrow, we still have to practice for two hours. Can we talk about this later?!"
I almost laughed. He knew exactly what I was going to tell him, or at least the outline of it and all he could think about was Quidditch – stereotyping him right back into the position. "Fine!"
"Our place in the library at nine then?!"
"Sure!"
"Fine! Now get off the pitch!" He was still yelling but he flashed me a grin before turning back around to the team, who had gathered around behind him on their brooms. "Now you sods, get back up there! We're nowhere near being perfect! C'mon! What are you sitting around for?"
₤ ₤ ₤
I sat impatiently, glancing at the clock every few seconds. I had my homework spread out in front of me but there was no way I could concentrate on it. Five minutes to nine… four minutes forty-five seconds to nine… four minutes thirty seconds to nine… four minutes twenty seconds to nine… four-
"Hermione?"
I looked over to him standing over me, and blushed. Well, that must have looked rather desperate…
He sent me a crooked grin. "Something you wanted to talk to me about?"
Suddenly the courage that had propelled me across the pitch was gone, flying from me as quickly as a released Snitch. Oh my god, now I was starting to think of everything in terms of Quidditch. I looked at him looking expectantly at me and then glanced down at my book. "Um…"
"Don't get shy on my now, Granger…"
And so the words started to tumble out. "I understand now why you were so angry because I thought of you just as a popular boy and the Quidditch captain and didn't think you had those feelings inside you that I did… not that I thought you didn't have any feelings but I thought it was a joke or something… because I didn't think that someone like you would like someone like me and then when I talked to you about it, I kind of went crazy and then it was too late when I found out that you actually –" I took a breath "– did like me then I talked to Harry and I figured it out, well, he figured it out for me but that's not the point… the point is that I understand now. You don't want to be known as the 'Quidditch Captain' just as much as I don't want to be known as the 'bookworm' and you thought that I would understand because I've been stereotyped and then when I didn't and called you a fraud, you got angry, which I understand now but I didn't then…" I took another deep breath and looked him squarely in the eye. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I understand, Oliver," I looked at him before continuing. "And I'll understand if you don't want to be with me because I'm too young or immature or whatever…"
He sat down on the bench beside me. "It was a bit of a punch in the gut when you came out with that crazy theory… and Harry's right, I really hate being known as 'the Quidditch captain' or 'the Quidditch keeper'. I mean, I'm glad that people recognize me for what I am and what I like but it does get quite tiresome…"
I nodded. It sounded odd to have him rant about not wanting to be known as a Quidditch fanatic, which he clearly was… but I understood. He wanted to be more than just that. "So, are we alright now then?"
He smiled and nodded. "Yes. And would you like to accompany me to the next Hogsmeade visit next week?"
"You mean, as a date?" I teased. "In public? With other people seeing us together?"
He nodded again. "Yes, as a date in public with other people watching as I kiss you."
I grinned and leaned towards him. "I accept."
He also leaned forward. "Fantastic."
"You know, I'm going to have to watch my back from now on… the Oliver Wood fanclub isn't going to be too impressed with me…"
His lips were centimeters from mine. "Well, you'll just have to keep out of view. We're going to have to spend a lot of time hiding from them…"
And then I kissed him.
Note: okay, so I need some reviews as to whether or not I should continue this and if so what I should do with it… I mean, I've kind of run out of ideas… so anything would be appreciated… thanks! Ciao!
