Summary: O/H one shot! Falling out of a window is never a pleasent experience... especially for someone who's afraid of heights.
Author's Note: not much to say here this time... Oliver is a seventh year and hermione is a third year. Minnie is jsut a made up character that has no conection to the book at all. and the secret staris are simply a means to an end. enjoy!
Disclaimer: i own nothing... people can even use Minnie if they feel so inspired!
Oliver was walking down the hall way after a late night broom ride with his broom in his hand when he recognized the voice of his fellow quidditch captain and most hated enemy, Marcus Flint, floating towards him.
"Come on mudblood. You know you want to. And even if you don't, I'm a seventh year so I'm pulling rank." As Oliver neared the boy he noticed that the obnoxious Slytherin was not by him self. In fact he could have sworn that he had seen a bit of red on the other person's robes.
"You can't order me around Flint, especially when it comes to my own body." That voice was unmistakable and the large load of books at the girl's side was also a huge tip off. Hermione Granger had been cornered by Flint and Oliver didn't like the way the conversation was going.
"A little make-out session never hurt anyone. Besides I need to exercise before I start studying for my NEWTs. I have too much extra energy." Flint was smirking. Oliver didn't even have to see the boys face to know that. To make matters worse Flint was moving closer to Hermione.
"Then go fly around the pitch like a normal quidditch player. And I refuse to go with you so get over it." Hermione sounded more that a little peeved. There was also a hint of disgust laced in her tone.
"But I don't want to fly around the pitch. Unlike most of the nutters I play quidditch with, I don't think that flying on a broom is exercise for my muscles. Besides I want to spend some quality time with you mudblood." The boy had never stopped sporting the trademark Slytherin smirk. Oliver decided that it was time to make his appearance and save the girl but he stopped when Hermione took a large step back.
"And what would your father say about this. It is a well known fact that your father is almost as bad as Lucius Malfoy when it comes to blood lines." Hermione seemed fairly confidant and it was now Flint that was on the defensive. His smirk was gone and he seemed almost cross.
"He would be proud that his son bagged the Virginal Gryffindor Princess." Flint was obviously lying and was looking slightly uncomfortable. Hermione shifted her book bag to her other shoulder and she tucked a strand of her curly brown hair behind her ear.
"I bet he wouldn't be proud. He would probably be disgusted. And I am no princess, by any definition of the word." She gave Flint a pointed look as she said this. She made a move to get passed him but the boy blocked her.
"Oh yes you are. Everyone calls you that behind your back. You've got the physical looks, determination, intelligence, and you can pack a hard punch if you need to, just like a Gryffindor should." Oliver could tell that Flint's smirk was back in full force and Hermione was now backing up again.
"I've never hit anyone, so you wouldn't know that." Her voice started to quaver as the older boy began to advance on her. Her back was now against an open window and there was no escape from the Slytherin.
"I was talking about the way you use a wand but I'm sure you are pretty good with your fists too. I can tell because your passionate and when you get angry that wild side of your comes out. Now I don't want you upset but I do want you compliant. So I suggest you start co-operating or I'm going to have to start using drastic measures." Flint tried to grab her wrists but Hermione slapped his hands away. It was obvious that Flint was serious and Oliver started towards the two.
"Get away from me!" Hermione was pushing the boy's shoulders back but Flint wasn't budging. Oliver quickened his pace.
"Flint! Leave Hermione alone." He was right behind the pair now and the defiance in Hermione's eyes was clearly visible.
"Well, well… if it isn't Wood. How's quidditch this season? Are you loosing as much as I hope you are." Flint turned towards him Oliver but he still had Hermione trapped behind him. Oliver glared at the boy.
"You know how we're doing Flint. Now let go of Hermione." Oliver was getting really pissed off and is anger was further fueled when Flint took Hermione's hand and pulled her towards him.
"Sod off Wood. Shouldn't Potter or Weasley be here rescuing her, not you?" Now that the two were facing one another, Oliver could see the smirk he hated so much etched on the other boys face.
"I don't care who plays the knight in shining armor as long as you get your slimy Slytherin hide off of Mione." Oliver moved forward towards closer to the pair. Only when he was right in front of the two did he realize how close Hermione was to that window.
"Mione is it? I didn't know she was a friend of yours Wood. You know I could make this difficult for you but since you want her so badly…" Flint smirk turned visibly evil and he shoved Hermione out of the window.
Oliver did even think as he pushed pasted the boy and dove after her. He got on his broom while still in the air. He pushed his broom as fast as it would go and he grabbed her wrist and hauled her onto his broom. The poor girl was shaking like a leaf and crying all over his shoulder.
"I've got you. Don't worry, I wont let you fall. You're safe." His Scottich accent was is full swing now and he patted Hermione on the back in a comforting way. It was a well known fact that Hermione Granger hated to fly. He realized that it would probably be best if he got her on solid ground before he tried to comfort her.
"Shhhh, it's okay. I'm gonna land and then we're gonna get you over to the kitchen for some hot chocolate." He landed gently right in front of the castle doors.
After waving his broom away he gathered the tiny girl in his arms. Almost instantly Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and started to cry on his shoulder. Oliver made his way as quietly as he could towards the kitchens praying that neither Snape nor Filtch were lurking around. He reached the portrait that opened up to the kitchens and he tickled the pear. The painting swung open but the kitchen was surprisingly quiet and there was only one house elf there. He assumed the others must have gone off to bed. This particular house elf seemed female and as soon as she noticed they were there she gave a low bow.
"Welcome to the kitchens, Sir. I am Minnie the House Elf. How my I be of… Sir! Is that Miss Hermione? Is she feeling alright, Sir?" Minnie had gotten up and brought both of her hands to her mouth.
"No Minnie she isn't. She had a run with Mr. Flint." Oliver rubbed Hermione's back as the girl continued to tremble.
"What happened, Sir?" Minnie looked truly worried and it made Oliver think that Hermione had made friends with the elf. He looked around for a place to sit. He decided on a small bench near a table.
"He pushed her out of a tower window." Said Oliver as he adjusted Hermione into a better position for sitting on his lap since she didn't seem to want to get up.
"Uh! No! That dirty, rotten, backstabbing, pigheaded demon!" Minnie said as she started to twist a small dish rag in her hands, presumably pretending that the rag was Marcus Flint's neck. Oliver knew that he liked this elf.
"Minnie!" Hermione's head shot off of Oliver's shoulder as she said this. She sounded quite shocked that the house elf would say such a thing.
"I don't serve him Miss Hermione. Only a few people have been kind to me and Miss Hermione is one of them. I can say whatever I want to day about him without having to punish myself. Miss Hermione and I met when she interviewed us the other day." Hermione nodded at Minnie and then placed her head back in the crook of Oliver's neck. Minnie looked at Hermione with a rather worried expression.
"Is she hurt, Sir?" once again the house elf look genuinely concerned.
"No, physically she is fine. I caught her before she hit the ground." Oliver began to rock Hermione back and forth as the girls tear finally started to die down.
"What a relief! Sir must be a good flyer. PerhapsSir is on the quidditch team. Can I get you anything Sir?" Minnie was suddenly very cheerful and had a large smile on her face. Oliver thought for a moment.
"Would you mind fetching us some hot chocolate and maybe some ice cream?" If it was possible, Minnie's smile got even larger at his request.
"Not at all Sir! I will get it for you straight away!" Oliver watched as the house elf scurried off into some remote part of the kitchen and started rummaging thorough random cupboards and draws.
"Thank you Minnie." he said and then turned his attention back to Hermione who had stopped crying all together.
"Are you alright?" he asked with concern. She looked down into her lap and furrowed her brow.
"I don't know. I'm mad at Flint, scared of the height I just fell, shaken from the after shock, and glad you're here and were there to save me." She was still looking down at her lap and so she missed the loving look in Oliver's eyes.
"Well, I'm glad I was there to save you too." He stroked her hair and she raised her head back to his shoulder. He rested his head on hers. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.
"You said earlier that you weren't a knight in shinning armor… but I want you to know that you are mine." He looked down at Hermione who still hadn't looked at him and he was about to say something when Minnie came back.
"Here you go, Sir! Freshly made hot chocolate and Minnie the House Elf made ice cream. Tell me how you like it next time you come back. Oh, by the way Sir, what is your name?" The house elf's head was tilted to the side and her eyes were full of curiosity.
"My name is Oliver… Oliver Wood."
"Thank you Mr. Oliver Wood for taking care of Miss Hermione." Minnie smiled at Oliver and then snapped her fingers. Before Oliver could tell her that the ice cream was delicious the house elf had disappeared in a poof of smoke.
When they had finished their midnight snack, Oliver lifted Hermione up and began the long trek back to the common room. About half way up Hermione fell into a light sleep while still resting in his arms.
When Oliver reached the common room he was presented with another problem; how would he get Hermione to her room? Luckily Nearly Headless Nick was roaming the common room and saw his predicament. The ghost motioned to a large tapestry hanging on the wall behind a sofa. Oliver went over, moved the sofa with his leg, and lifted the fabric up and uncovered a door way. After going up a very small flight of stars, Oliver found himself in the girl's dorms. From there it as fairly easy to find her room since her roommates had pinned up a picture of the lot of them on the door.
He quietly walked over to her bed and placed her on it. Just as he was about to stand up and leave Hermione's eyes fluttered open.
"Oliver… how did you get up here?" she asked in a rather sleepy voice. Oliver sat on the edge of her bed.
"Nearly Headless Nick showed me on the way up. That ghost knows just about everything. Why? Do you mind me being here?" he was slightly humored that even while the girl was half asleep she could remember that boys weren't supposed to be able to get up the stairs.
"No, not at all… thank you for everything." She smiled and tried to sit up. Oliver stopped her.
"Shhhh, go to sleep and don't worry, I'm not done with Marcus Flint yet." He watched as Hermione drifted back off to sleep. As soon as he was sure she was asleep he quietly got up and headed back to his room. When he got there he was relieved to find that Percy Weasley, one of his roommates, was still awake.
"Percy, I need to ask you a favor…"
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Oliver was hiding behind a statue when Hermione walked down the hall on her way to breakfast. Oliver grabbed her arm and pulled her behind the statue with him and pointed to a rather cheerful Percy Weasley and a tired looking Marcus Flint passing each other in the hall.
"Morning Flint!" Percy said as he happily strode to the great hall. The Slytherin looked at Percy as if the red head boy had just gone insane. Then his shocked face turned into one of disgust.
"Piss off Weasley!" Flint said in a rather annoyed tone. Percy stopped and turned around. The head boy's expression was not happy anymore. Now it was more of a satisfied smirk.
"5 points from Slytherin for foul language and 10 points for being rude to a fellow student." At the head boy's statement Flint's expression turned even fouler and he pointed a finger in the red head's face.
"One day Weasley, you'll get what's coming to you." Percy's expression wasnt just a smirk any more... the head boy was practically doing a victory dance.
"15 points for threatening a Head. Oh! And while I'm at it 50 points for assaulting a student and a full months detention with Professor McGonagall for pushing said student out of a window." Percy crossed his arms over his chest and was quite pleased at the shocked look on Marcus Flint's face.
"How did you know about that?" Flint was practically hissing as he questioned Percy. Hermione and Oliver were both grinning from behind the statue.
"Walls can quite literally talk around here Flint, if you haven't noticed. Nothing stays a secret in this castle for long." Flint began to advance on Percy but the less athletic boy did not look worried at all.
"I swear…" Flint said with his eye's burning with an obvious hatred. Percy remained calm and collected.
"Before you dig yourself deeper in this ditch I should remind you that you have just lost 80 house points and you are serving a month's detention. Now, we don't want Slytherin to lose any more points, do we?" the Slytherin turned around on his heal and angrily strode into the great hall. Percy nodded his head in Oliver's direction and also headed to the great hall but he sported a rather large grin. Hermione turned to Oliver with her hands on her hips
"Oliver, did you put Percy up to this?" she asked as she looked him over with that almost motherly reprimanding gaze. Oliver laughed and looped one of his arms through hers.
"Yeah but he was dying to do it anyway. He just needed an excuse. He's been itching to dock those points for years. But Flint has been extra careful lately so Percy couldn't inflict revenge fairly… if there is such a thing as fair revenge… never mind, if we get into that conversation you and I will never get to class let alone breakfast. So breakfast now and quidditch this afternoon?" they entered the great hall and headed to the Gryffindor table.
"Quidditch for you… but I'll be reading in the stands while you play, so no quidditch for me." She said as they sat down. Oliver sighed playfully and put some bacon on his plate.
"I'll get you in the air yet Miss Granger. One day I'm gonna bring you up there and you're going to lose this fear of yours." He put one arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. She looked up at him with a playful glint in her eyes.
"Are you willing to catch me if I fall?" although she looked like she was playing around Oliver knew she was serious and still deathly afraid of heights. But he decided now was not the time to call her bluff and he continued to play along with her.
"Of course! What kind of question is that? I'm Sir Oliver, Lady Hermione's knight in shinning armor!" he said while doing a fairly decent impression of Sir Codagon but with a Scottish twist. Hermione smiled up at him and then she turned her attention to the plate in front on her. If Oliver hadn't been intently staring at her he would have missed the small blush that stained her cheeks as she replied to him.
"Well then, I'm looking forward to being saved."
End Comments: hope you like it! thats all i have to say. adios!