A/N: I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Buckle up folks, this is a long one!
We parted ways and I went about picking up the flat before finally settling in to get ready. He said casual but that could mean just about anything. I still wanted to look nice. I settled on a burgundy, floral maxi dress with thin straps and a V-neck paired with a comfortable pair of wedges. I left my hair down in waves with a cute side part and did just a bit of makeup. Makeup was never my favorite thing, but I love what a bit of mascara and the right lipstick can do for a look.
I was just taking one last look in the mirror when there was a knock at the door. My heart rate accelerated and I found myself wondering why I was so nervous. Yes, it was our first official date, but this was Oliver! We already spend our weekends cuddled up together. How different could it be going out?
I tried to calm myself with that thought as I opened the door. He was standing there with a smirk on his face in his white V-neck shirt he seemed to love so much that did an excellent job of highlighting his muscles and jeans that fit him just right.
"Hey, Oliver." My voice came out bashful as I reached for my bag.
"You look lovely as ever. Are you ready?"
I nodded and shut the door behind me and warded it before we took off for wherever we were going.
"Do I get any clues on where we are going?" Though I had relaxed over the years, I still struggled a tiny bit when it came to letting someone else take control.
"Not even one."
Oliver smiled as we reached the apparition point. He gathered me in his arms, smiling wider, and said, "Hold on."
We landed smoothly on the Quidditch pitch.
"I know you're committed to the game, but taking me to our place of employment is hardly a first date." I joked.
"Ah, but this is just a pit stop." He summoned his broom. "Have you flown as a passenger before?"
My heart started to race at the sight of the broom. "Oliver, I'm terrified of flying."
"Darling, I do actually fly for a living. I promise I will keep you safe. We can do a few laps here to get you comfortable before we take off if that would help."
I nodded shakily.
Oliver climbed on first. I tried to follow, but was hindered by my dress. Taking out my wand I cut two very high slits on each side and tried again. This time, I was able to climb up, tucking my skirt in so it didn't catch in the wind. The only issue was now my back was flush against Oliver and a healthy portion of my exposed thighs rested against his.
I heard him suck in a deep breath.
"Is this going to hinder your concentration? If it's too distracting we can just forget this whole flying business altogether." My words came out in a rush.
He gave a throaty sound before placing a hand gently on my knee causing my breath to catch. "As tempting a sight as you are, I'll be able to focus just fine. Now, I want you to place your hands here." He put my hands on the broom, leaving space so his long arms could reach around me to steer. "I'll keep one arm firmly around your waist. There's no danger of falling with me. Ok?"
Hesitantly, I nodded.
Oliver cast a quick warming charm around us. "Ok, I'm going to take a few laps, then we'll get going."
He took my silence as confirmation and kicked off lightly. We rose slowly and he guided us with ease around the stadium.
"Breathe, darling."
I let out a breath I had been holding since take off.
"Alright, I'm going to start heading out now."
Once again, I didn't say anything. Instead, I tried to focus on the feel of Oliver's sturdy body behind me, holding me in place.
We flew for a solid half hour, Oliver pointing things out as we went.
"If you're eyes aren't open, they really should be now."
He caught me. Part of how I had been coping with the flight was to simply close my eyes and let his grip and voice soothe me. Now, I reluctantly opened my eyes. The sight that greeted me was breathtaking!
The sun was setting leaving beautiful pinks and oranges dancing in the sky where it met the water on the horizon.
"It's gorgeous."
"I was hoping you'd like it."
We began to descend to a grassy area on the top of the cliff that overlooked the water.
"I'm sorry I picked a mode of transportation that isn't your favorite, but I really wanted to show you that."
While his words registered, I was still deeply distracted by the amazing view. By the time I turned around, he had pulled out a picnic blanket and basket from somewhere and laid them out on the grass. He had sat down, legs stretched out long and leaning back on his hands.
"Care to join me?" I came to sit next to him and he began to pull out several items from the basket. "Hungry? I have all sorts of things in here. Sandwiches, veggies and dip, fruit, I even found some cupcakes."
I surveyed the spread "This looks lovely!"
"Next time, I'll take you to some fancy restaurant, but I wanted our first date to be about us."
I understood what he was saying. Since the war I had been an easy target for the media, but with Oliver being a Quidditch star, he was even more of a target. No, this was definitely a good idea. Just the two of us, getting to know each other even better, away from everything else.
"I appreciate it, Oliver." He smiled warmly and reached out to give my hand a squeeze.
We sat like that for a moment, just appreciating each other's company, before serving ourselves some food.
I nibbled on a grape. "How did you find this place?"
"I've known about it for a while. I like to come here the night before a game and just relax a little bit away from it all. If you haven't realized by now, I'm a fairly private person. So while a lot of the other team members like to get all hyped up, for me it's all about focus. When I come out here and It's just me and the stars I can recenter and relax a little before the intensity of a game. When I was at Hogwarts I used to spend hours in the Astronomy tower before a big game or if I was working through something as captain. Something about the stars just calms me."
"That's lovely, Oliver. I'm happy you're willing to share something so personal with me."
His eyes locked on mine and the intensity almost startled me. "I want to share everything with you, Hermione. I know this is very early in our relationship, but I want you to know I've never felt like this about anyone before."
I knew exactly what he was talking about. "Agreed. Ron's been my only real relationship and he should have never happened. There was no real love between us. More convenience than anything else and we all know how that turned out." Taking a breath, I tried to decide how I wanted to approach this. Because I did want Oliver to understand my past, it was important that I be open about my failed relationships.
"Yeah, I never understood that one. You were always complete opposites and he was never particularly nice to you."
"Hmmm, I see that now. Back then it was different. I had a few friends outside Harry and Ron, but they made me feel important. Mostly Harry though, if I'm being honest. He's like a brother to me and Ron was kind of a packaged deal. It just seemed natural that we would end up together even though we were all kinds of wrong. When our relationship imploded, I should have been devastated. All I felt was relief."
"You were free." Oliver smiled kindly.
"Exactly. Since then, I just haven't had much time for a relationship or to try and find someone who wanted to work around my healer schedule. I dated Terry Boot for about a month a year or two ago and had a few first dates, but that's about it."
"Terry Boot? That Ravenclaw?" I nodded. "I never got on with him. For someone who was so smart, he seemed to be quite clueless a lot of the time."
"That's ultimately why it didn't work out. He seemed a little star struck too. It was awkward. After that, I just decided that it wasn't worth my time at the moment to keep dating. It was good for me though. I feel like I've grown into myself and know more of what I want and what's healthy in a relationship. I won't let myself get taken advantage of again."
Admittedly, that last part was a little bit of a warning. I needed Oliver to know that I had been hurt in the past and I would go to great lengths to ever be put in that position again.
"My track record is about as sparse as yours."
"Really? I assumed you'd have your pick."
He shrugged. "I suppose I could, but I pick you." I felt my face heat. "I dated someone at the start of my career. The idea of a relationship, someone to come home to after a stressful practice or game, was a nice thought but, like you, my schedule was difficult. She complained I wasn't around enough and that I loved Quidditch more than her. It turned out to be what I needed to hear because she was right. And if that was the case, we had no business being in a relationship together. I may have succumbed to a tempting offer once or twice, but I quickly realized that just wasn't for me. Mainly after Rose."
"You slept with Rose?" The words came out in a surprised rush and I hurried to cover my mouth with my hands. "Sorry. That was uncalled for."
He simply laughed and lowered my hands. "It's ok. I know it's a bit of a shock. Our teams had just played and hers won. They threw a victory party and invited our team. The guys physically dragged me because I was in a bit of a slump. I don't take losing lightly and I really just wanted a pensive to review the game so I could see where it went wrong. But ultimately I was dragged along. Rose spent the entirety of the evening trying to get my attention. She was laying it on thick and just throwing herself at me. I was getting more and more frustrated as the night went on until I finally just gave in figuring we were both single and it wouldn't hurt anything to let go for a night." He pushed around the food on his plate, avoiding eye contact. "News flash, I was wrong. I felt horrible. There was no connection at all and it did nothing to distract me from my disappointment. I just felt disgusted with myself after. I'm not that kind of guy and that I had tried to be made me feel worse. Plus the fact that Rose has been after me since that night. Don't worry though, I have made it VERY clear that nothing will ever happen like that between us again."
I appreciated him being so open and honest. It did leave me thinking of Rose in a bit of a different light, though I can't say I was surprised by her behavior.
"Does that have anything to do with why she is so bitter towards me?"
His face flushed. "It's a definite possibility."
I considered that but decided to let it go. Oliver had plenty of opportunities to have chosen Rose if he wanted to, but he continued to turn her down. Instead, he was here with me.
"That's too bad. But we are in a gorgeous location and with wonderful company. While it's important we know each other's history, perhaps a change of topics is in order. What can you tell me about your parents?"
We were finished eating now and laid facing each other propped up on our elbows.
"I suppose there isn't a whole lot to tell. My grandmum was a muggleborn but married a pureblood and my mum was very much raised in the magical world. So while I have some connection to my muggle family roots, I wish it was more. By the time I came along there wasn't much of that family left. My mum is a wonderful woman. She is kind and selfless and endlessly encouraging. I know she is always there for me when I need her. My father was too."
"Was?" I didn't miss the past tense.
"Yeah. He passed when I was twelve."
"I'm so sorry Oliver, I had no idea."
He shrugged awkwardly. "Why would you? It happened before we met. He worked for a broom manufacturer, they're out of business now, and he was out testing one of the new products. It failed spectacularly and he hadn't gone out in pairs as was protocol so there was no one to catch him when he fell. He must have been too scared to take out his wand or something else happened, but whatever the case, he was gone pretty quickly."
"That's horrible. I imagine it was quite hard to deal with."
"It was for sure. I put a lot of focus into my Quidditch training after that. I had already wanted to go pro by that point, but it was something we had shared and made me feel connected to him even though he was gone. It still means a lot to me all these years later because of that. He's not here physically anymore, but I think of him anytime I take the pitch." I gave his hand a squeeze and we took a moment just sitting there. "What about your parents? I only met them briefly, but they seemed nice."
How to describe my relationship with my parents... "They are." I said hesitantly and he raised his brow. "No, they really are nice. Things were just a bit strained for a while." While I hated telling this story, I felt it was necessary to be open about it if we were going to make a solid foundation for our relationship. "During the war I knew I was a huge target. Harry, Ron and I were preparing to go on the run. I knew we were at the top of the most wanted list and that our loved ones would be targeted. Harry's family got protection from the order, Ron's family had their own ways of protecting themselves, but no one offered to help my parents. I decided the best thing to do was to take matters into my own hands and obliviated myself from their memories."
Oliver sat up then, completely shocked. "I can't imagine how difficult that must have been."
"It wasn't easy, that's for sure. They packed up and moved their practice to Australia. Obviously, it all worked out because they survived, but when I was finally able to track them down and reverse the spell a year after the war, things were tense. It took them a long time to trust me again. We still aren't 100% back to where we were, but the past has been accepted at this point."
He grabbed my hand. "We've both had rough childhoods. I think it's time we have our chance at happiness."
We sat there in the silence for a few minutes before Oliver spoke again.
"Now you know part of why I went into professional Quidditch. What made you want to be a healer? Is that what you always wanted to do?"
My eyes landed on our hands where Oliver was tracing gentle circles on my palm. "When I was at school, there wasn't much time to focus on the future. First year was focused on gathering information on the Philosopher's stone. I spent half of second year petrified." I couldn't help but cringe at that one. "Third year I had an impossible schedule to keep up with. Fourth year I was focused on practicing with Harry to keep him alive through the Triwizard Tournament and after that we knew Voldemort was back. Being one of Harry's best friends and a muggleborn to boot, I knew I was high on the list of targets. It became about survival after that. We learned a lot about what would need to be done to win the war during sixth year and, after Dumbledore's death, I knew we would be going on the run and that it would be dangerous. Harry and Ron both have their strengths, but I have a unique ability to read about spells and understand their theory quite easily and I can transfer that into practice. Despite Ron being pureblood and Harry's strong lines as well, it just came more naturally for me. It made sense that I would learn the most I could in terms of healing spells and anything else we may have needed to survive."
I took a moment as memories of what came next flooded through me. "It was a good thing too, because I needed several of the spells while we were gone, but most of the knowledge came into play after the final battle. That time is a little bit of a blur. I couldn't focus on what had been accomplished when there were so many people hurt. While I was severely malnourished and plenty bruised, I was still perfectly capable to help. Being a part of helping so many people in pain was exactly what I needed at the time. It kept my hands busy while I slowly processed everything we had been through. I decided from there that I wanted to go into healing. To be able to help someone who was hurting feel better. It's a bit hard to explain, but that instant satisfaction of being presented with a patient and being able to diagnose and treat them really felt fulfilling."
Oliver nodded along, still absentmindedly drawing on my hand. "I know you came from St. Mungos, what made you want to leave?"
"I hadn't really planned to leave and I wasn't particularly looking. Some of it was that after the chaos of taking care of war victims, gnome bites were quite boring. Even as a senior healer, it was just very repetitive. Not just in the cases, but in the patients as well. We had quite a few repeaters. People who would repeatedly harm themselves through potion accidents etc. When I saw the ad for the team position, I just decided to give it a shot. I've loved it. No two days are the same and while I'm not always treating an injury, and let's be real, I don't want to see any of you get hurt, the other side of maintaining the team health has been really satisfying. I get to treat whole people instead of just a patient. I'm looking forward to traveling once that starts back up too."
"Well, I for one am glad that St. Mungos was boring. Our team is lucky to have you, but not as lucky as I am."
His eyes drifted up to mine and his smile was shy, but genuine and I couldn't help returning the gesture. It was only a few seconds before we were slowly drifting towards each other and our mouths softly meeting.
