A/N: Many great thanks to everyone, especially the following: pottersgirl91, imakeeper, vagrantben, w1cked angel, Kari-Hermione, Emi-Bum, nehimasgift, svelte, san01, CardboardCreative, shadieladie, PapayaCrazy, melodicmoonstar89, and aznqudditchchick. 166 reviews! I'm really excited. Just might make 200 before it's all over.

Read on and don't forget to pay close attention and answer the challenge at the end!


Chapter 12 – Oliver Checks Out for a Day

Hermione rolled over in her bed and stretched, her wrist brushing something tasseled and slightly bushy. She opened her eyes partly, squinting in the bright morning sun as she looked next to her and saw her daughter sleeping peacefully.

Hermione slid out of bed and shivered some as chills ran up from the cold floor, through her feet, and along her spine. She entered the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to look good for today. She smiled at herself and pulled back the shower curtain, turning on the water.

She showered quickly and then stood in the mirror playing with her hair. She couldn't decide how to fix it. 'Why does it even matter?' she wondered. Pulling her hair back into a high ponytail, she observed her face in the mirror.

"Maybe a little make-up wouldn't hurt," she said out loud to herself.

She pulled out a small bag from under the bathroom sink and applied some powder, mascara, and lip gloss.

"Now for a nice... comfortable outfit," Hermione advised herself as she left the bathroom and went to change.

She went through three pairs of pants, five shirts, and six pairs of shoes before finally deciding on what she had on. Which was a hooded sports jacket, tank top, jeans, and tennis shoes.

"Hope this impresses," Hermione mumbled.

"Impresses who?" Kirsten asked groggily from across the bedroom as she sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes.

"No one... just get up and get ready. I have a surprise for you today," Hermione grinned as she fussed over her hair for a moment more and then quickly helped Kirsten get ready.

It wasn't long before the two of them were side by side at the fireplace. Hermione reached up and grabbed the pot, but when she looked inside, she saw it was still empty.

"Apparating again," Hermione grunted while picking Kirsten up and holding her tight.

A second later, they were standing inside Miriam's office on the Janus Thickey Ward. No one was around, so Hermione grabbed a quill and some paper and scribbled a quick note after setting Kirsten down.

"What are you writing?" Kirsten questioned.

"Oh, nothing," Hermione muttered as she grabbed her daughter's hand and looked up and down the corridor outside.

They departed from Miriam's office at a brisk pace and Kirsten stared up at her mom with a furrowed brow. Something was different, but the little girl couldn't place it. Something was making Hermione happy, and she had a radiance to her even. Kirsten picked up the pace and went wide-eyed as they entered Oliver Wood's room.

"Hello, Hermione... Kirsten," Oliver greeted, sitting up a little straighter in bed. "I thought you were off today. At least, that's what Padma said."

"Why don't you go and put these one?" Hermione suggested as she got in the closet in Wood's room and pulled out a box with clothes in them.

"I-If you say s-so," Wood agreed uncertainly while taking the box from Hermione.

He entered the bathroom a little reluctantly as Kirsten waved at him enthusiastically and Hermione nodded encouragingly. Hermione had no clue what was making her so happy until she saw Kirsten grinning and thought of her day with Oliver and her daughter. They were like a family. The missing piece was finally there and it completed her, made her whole and happy.

Then something hit her. What would happen when he fully remembered and went back to being a Quidditch star? Would he stick around like he had planned to last night? She shook her head. 'No bad thoughts today... Just the good' she reprimanded.

Oliver came out of the bathroom a moment later dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and tennis shoes. Hermione smiled at him and laid the note she had wrote on his freshly made bed.

"All right," Hermione chimed, "c'mon."

"Where are w-we-," Oliver stopped after saying this as he looked from Kirsten to Hermione. "We."

"She won't tell me either, so let's just go," Kirsten spoke up while grabbing Wood's hand and heading back to Miriam's office.

"Now, Oliver, take some of this powder," Hermione advised as she pulled a drawstring bag from the drawer on Miriam's desk.

"O-okay," Wood nodded, taking a handful of it.

"Throw it in the fireplace," Hermione directed.

Wood did this and jumped back, ducking behind the desk when the emerald flames roared to life, crackling and full.

"It'll all right," Hermione assured him. "Look, stick your hand in."

Hermione put her hand in and then Oliver followed suit a little warily. Kirsten stifled and giggle before turning to her mother as the flames died.

"Here, watch Kirsten."

Hermione handed the little girl the bag and Kirsten took some, doing as Oliver did and throwing it on the fireplace floor. The flames came back once more and Kirsten stepped in as Hermione called out the destination for her.

"The Burrow!"

Kirsten was gone in a whirl, and Oliver's eyes grew large.

"Your turn," Hermione smiled as she turned and held out the bag.

"I uh- don't think I sh-should," Wood disagreed.

"C'mon, you can go with me," Hermione offered.

She didn't wait for Oliver's answer, instead, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the empty fireplace with her. She closed the bag after taking a handful and tossed it onto Miriam's desk before throwing down the handful of powder.

"The Burrow!" Hermione yelled as she grabbed Wood's hand.

Oliver watched fireplaces blur past in amazement until he and Hermione came tumbling out onto a tattered rug in a dusty room that was The Burrow's living room. Hermione looked down at Oliver as she lay on top of him, blushing as she quickly jumped up and helped him to his feet.

"Here, just brush it off like this," she instructed while dusting herself off.

Oliver did the same, looking a little unsure of what had just happened, but he knew it was all right either way. He turned to look at Hermione, but she was no longer at his side. Instead, she was standing in the living room doorway talking to a black haired man with glasses and a lightning bolt scar.

"I see you've brought a friend," he said, gesturing to Wood.

"Yeah. Oliver, this is-"

"Harry Potter," Wood finished for her while holding out his hand. "I think I remember you."

Hermione looked excitedly from Wood to Harry and back again as the two shook hands. Maybe this was a good idea, no matter how much trouble might come of it.

"Then I think you'll really like what we're about to go do," Hermione taunted as she turned to back to Harry. "Can we borrow yours and Ginny's brooms?"

"S-Sure," Harry responded as he turned away jerkily toward the hallway to get the brooms out of the closet.

Hermione led Wood to the kitchen where Ron was sitting next Luna at the table as she sat showing Kirsten some Tarot Cards.

"Are you coming, Kirsten?" Hermione questioned as she took the brooms from Harry, handing Oliver one.

He looked it over strangely and then looked to Hermione who gave a brief upturn of her mouth before turning back to Kirsten.

"No," Kirsten answered while picking up a card with a man on it. Below the man, the words 'The Fool' were written.

"Ah, that is to be laid upright... strange that it goes next to The Lovers and The Wheel of Fortune," Luna said mistily.

"What's it mean?" Kirsten asked excitedly.

"C'mon, Wood," Hermione sighed as she shook her head while Luna began explaining the meaning of the three cards.

Oliver followed Hermione outside and out back of the house toward the woods. It wasn't long before they were walking into the woods and then coming out in a small clearing with three makeshift goal posts at one end and three at the other.

"What are we doing?" Oliver asked.

"You'll see," Hermione said as she mounted her broom. "Do like I do."

'Funny I should be the one teaching him this' Hermione thought as she observed Oliver mounting his broom.

"Now, give a little kick off from the gro-," Hermione stopped here, though as Wood pushed off too hard and fell from his broom. "Maybe I should help you get steadily into the air before I get on my own, hmm?"

Wood got up and mounted the broom once more as Hermione held the front and back of the broom firmly.

"Now, try aga-"

"Sorry!" Wood gasped as he fell on top of Hermione and hurriedly got up, pulling her up with him.

"I-It's-s fi-fine," Hermione coughed as she patted her chest, hoping the air would come back quickly as her eyes watered a little. "Try again."


"All right, now that we've got that down," Hermione breathed heavily an hour later. "Just hover there while I get on my own broom, okay?"

"Um... okay," Wood nodded as he stared at the ground, which his feet were dangling a foot above.

He watched Hermione mount her broom ad gently kick off from the ground, her knuckles white on the broom handle as she sat hovering, her toes still touching ground.

"Not scared, are you?" Oliver asked with a knowing grin.

"Don't get cheeky, mister," Hermione scolded in a forced way; she was much too distracted with her own problem in flying to pay much attention to him now. "U-Um-m... n-now you just n-need to l-lean forward and you'll m-move that way."

Wood leaned forward slightly and stared to go a little upward and a little forward. He was now five feet from the ground and circling Hermione slowly.

"Show-off," she muttered as she tried herself, but shrieked and slid off the broom and back onto the ground. "I'll just watch and instruct from here, okay? Good."

Oliver wasn't listening much, though because he was leaning a little closer to the broom handle and going a tad bit faster. The smile on his face as getting broader and broader. He really seemed rather enthusiastic about this.

Hermione smiled and watched as he leaned back on his broom, pulling the handle upward and into his chest. He went higher, now doubling his height. He soared in a larger circle, now lapping half of the pitch.

"Th-This is... amazing," he called in disbelief.

"Yeah," Hermione replied dreamily as she smiled at her good deed.

A few minutes later, Wood was soaring high above her, his feet brushing the treetops. She laughed as he let go with both hands and ruffled the leaves in the trees, making some fall around her. She shook her head, yet remained smiling as he came zooming toward the ground and circled her. Her ponytail ruffled and she brushed her hand with his as he took off once more.

"C'mon!" Wood yelled down to her. "Come up here!"

"No!" she bellowed with a laugh.

"Please?" he called back.

"NO!" she repeated in the same amused tone.

He shrugged and she watched as he went flying at top speed toward the far end of the pitch, rolling through the air like a plane in an air show. He flipped and started back for her, stopping short of plowing her over as he took a deep, refreshing breath.

"This. Is. Exhilarating!" he sighed contentedly as he hovered there beside her.

She smiled and then became shocked when he leaned over and hugged her.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear.

"Your welcome," she replied in a hushed way as there was a suddenly flash of light.

Hermione pulled away and looked around at the sky. 'Lightning?' she thought curiously. It couldn't have been, though. The sun was shining with all it was worth, there wasn't a cloud in the beautiful baby blue sky even.

Hermione looked around her, expecting to see Harry or someone standing there fighting with a garden gnome. Maybe the flash of light was from their wands. Still, nothing. No one was there. The only noise and light was the sound of birds, breeze in the trees, and the light of the glorious sun.

"So," Wood said, breaking her from her examination of the surroundings. "Will you let me take you for a go around the pitch?"

"Um... no," she giggled.

"Please," Oliver begged, "I'm Keeper for Puddlemere United, I'm devilishly good at flying. You shou-"

"Oliver... what did you just say?" Hermione asked in an astounded way.

"I said I play Keeper for Puddlemere United. I've have been flying since I was three... trust me. I was Keeper for Gryffindor in Hogwarts, too," Oliver repeated.

"Oliver! You remembered!" Hermione gasped as she jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, dragging him from the broom and tumbling to the ground with him.

If Hermione had been paying attention, she would have saw that there was yet another flash. But at the moment, she was staring up at Oliver who was holding himself up above her. They both blushed and Oliver quickly stood up, pulling Hermione to her feet as she smiled and patted his shoulder.

"So, what else do you remember?" Hermione asked.

"Just that I play for Puddlemere and my Hogwarts days... but I don't know who else plays for Puddlemere or what happened with me after Hogwarts to get me to play for them," Wood admitted.

"Well, I just met them the other day, so I'm a little shaky on the names and stuff," Hermione joked, "but Ron and Harry... possibly Kirsten can help you there. And if you remember Hogwarts days, that means you can do magic again. We'll practice that tomorrow when I come back to work."

"So, I'll be out of there in no time, huh?" Oliver inquired, though he sounded a bit disappointed.

"Yeah. Out of there and back onto the pitch playing for Puddlemere," Hermione beamed.

"I don't think that I want to-"

"Momma! Oliver!" Kirsten bellowed as she went running up to them with her miniature broom. "I'm ready to fly now."

"You'll have to ask Oliver about that one," Hermione sighed while winking at Wood.

"Well, I guess I could fly around with you for a little while," Oliver beamed.

Kirsten squealed and jumped up at him. He hugged her to him and Hermione laughed, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. But she wasn't sad. No, she was rather happy to be truthful. Yet the happiness faded quickly and the tears stopped forming as another flash came.

"What in the...," Hermione mumbled to herself while looking around.

She shrugged it off after a moment when Kirsten called to her from the air. Hermione watched Kirsten fly around with Oliver before getting onto his broom and laughing hysterically as he raced at top speed with her around the pitch.

"Careful!" Hermione yelled up to them, but she couldn't fight off the smile on her face.

This what was she would dream of each night after Kirsten sneaked into her room and got in bed next to her. Hermione wiped a tear from her eye and swallowed back the joyous lump in her throat. Kirsten loved Oliver, and Oliver seemed to really love her. Things even seemed good between Hermione and Oliver.

Yet would they remain that way if Hermione released the bomb she held within her own mind. Would Kirsten stay friends with Oliver? Would Oliver still be cool with Hermione? And would Kirsten get mad at Hermione for keeping things a secret?

"Only the good today," Hermione murmured to herself as she crossed her arms and looked to the skies where Oliver was coming to land with Kirsten. "How about some lunch now?"

"Yeah, I'm really hungry!" Kirsten agreed happily as she grabbed Oliver's hand and Hermione's hand and started to run back to The Burrow.

As they went, Hermione smiled and Oliver carried the three brooms over his shoulder. As Hermione looked back over her shoulder, she saw another flash. It was a bluish white flash that radiated in a perfect circle from somewhere across the pitch in the woods. 'That's definitely not lightning' Hermione thought in slight alarm.


A/N: All right, and herein lies your challenge: What does the Tarot Cards that Kirsten had laid upon the table (The Fool, The Lovers, and The Wheel of Fortune) mean laid out in their upright positions? And just so you know, from left to right, the cards were: The Lovers, The Wheel of Fortune, and then The Fool. There's signifcance in both the upright laying and the order in which they are in... find the meaning y'all and get a special surprise! (hint: go to google and search tarot cards for a little help in searching up the meanings) The first to answer correctly gets the prize!