Takeoffs and Landings by WeasleyForMe
Hermione finds out there has been an addition to the O.W.L. exams... a mandatory flying test. The only trouble is Hermione doesn't know how to fly! George agrees to give her lessons. Will she learn how to fly, or will she fall hard for George Weasley? Hermione/George
I don't own these characters.
Chapter Two
An hour later, Hermione found herself out on the Quidditch pitch, somewhere she had never set foot before.
George smiled and handed her his Cleansweep Five broomstick as he said, "Ok, show me everything you know."
Hermione took it in her hands, but merely looked at the broom like it was Professor Umbridge with five heads. She turned her concerned gaze promptly up to George's face. He was smiling at her. How could he possibly be smiling at a time like this?
"Actually, George, this position that I'm in right now is really all I know," she told him with an irritated edge to her voice.
George was beginning to look a little concerned. "Are you serious? Surely you know how to summon the broom into your hand."
"I can't do anything related to a broom, except maybe sweep a floor," she returned with a smirk.
This was going to be much more difficult than George expected. He was definitely a natural on a broom, and he'd never dealt with someone on Hermione's skill level.
Hermione sighed. "Look, I already know how terrible I'm going to be, so if you turn me down now, I promise I won't be angry with you."
George was not one to turn down a challenge. He just shook his head, "Trust me, Hermione; I'll be able to teach you… I'm a natural," he said with a pompous air.
Hermione tried not to laugh at his comment, but he noticed the smile she was trying to hide at the corner of her lips.
"That's the spirit, Hermione! Laugh! You need to be relaxed before you start," he told her. But she wasn't laughing enough, so he did an impression of Ron trying to give a question an intelligent answer. That definitely got her to laugh.
"Ok, just lay my broom on the ground next to you," he said, and she did as she was told. "Now, stick your hand out over it. Then the last thing you need to do is command the broom to come up!"
Hermione stuck out her arm and said, "Up!"
Nothing happened. Hermione scowled.
"Now, I don't think the broom quite believed you. You really need to mean it. Be more forceful!" George told her.
"Up!" shouted Hermione.
The broom wiggled around a bit on the turf.
"George, I can't do it! The broom won't listen to me!" Hermione wailed and threw her hands in the air. "I'm going to fail all of my O.W.L.s!"
George walked over and pulled her into a soft hug. "You aren't going to fail anything, ok?" he whispered. "Try to calm down, and we'll do it again."
Hermione took a few deep breaths in George's light embrace. He felt warm and sturdy, and he smelled like soap and butterbeer, which was actually quite pleasant. Hermione found that she soon calmed down.
She pulled away from him, squared her shoulders and stuck her arm out again. George's smile compelled her to try her best.
"Up!" she commanded the broom. It immediately flew into her hand. Hermione looked completely shocked, which made George laugh. Soon her shock turned into a brilliant smile.
The, Hermione squealed with delight which made George laugh even more.
"Perfect! You will receive full marks for today's lesson, Miss Granger," lectured George in his best McGonagall impression.
Now Hermione was jumping up and down while she hugged the broom. She put it back on the ground and magically commanded it into her hand over and over.
"Wow," thought George. "I've made her so happy just by spending an hour helping her do this."
"George, are you seeing this? I can do it!" she was saying with a huge smile.
"Yes, I see! But we should really call it a night," George said as he watched the sun set. "It's getting dark, and you should get some rest before the really hard part."
"It gets harder?" Hermione asked as her smile disappeared.
"Yes, it gets harder, but I know you'll be able to do it in time," he assured her. "Don't stop smiling. You look adorable when you smile."
"Shit. Did I really just say that?" thought George. His face was beginning to turn pink from embarrassment.
"Did he just say what I think he said? Of course he did… he's a gigantic flirt," thought Hermione.
"Right, well… let's get back inside," George said lamely.
When they got back to the common room, Hermione told Harry and Ron all about how amazingly she managed to summon the broom into her hand. Unfortunately, neither of them looked very impressed.
"Hermione, you do realize that's the easiest part, right?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Yeah, the rest is going to be impossible if you thought that much was a big deal," Ron added, throwing caution to the wind.
"This is a big deal to me, Ronald," Hermione told her friend. Suddenly she wanted to cry. She immediately left them and went up to her room.
George had overheard the three of them, and for some reason he felt just as angry as Hermione now was. Why wouldn't her friends encourage her in this?
He walked over to them. "Can't the two of you at least try to be supportive?" George asked Ron and Harry.
Ron smirked, "I can't believe you of all people are even wasting your time on her. She's hopeless on a broom."
George wanted to strangle Ron. "You should have seen her today. She did a fantastic job. And by the time O.W.L.s roll around, even your jaw will drop. Try not to be so thick."
With that, George left Ron and Harry shaking their heads.
Meanwhile, Hermione was in her room trying to hide her tears from Lavender and Parvati. She didn't want the whole of Gryffindor House to know that she had been crying, which wouldn't be easy when she shared a room with two gossipy girls. While Hermione hid in her bed, she thought about Ron and Harry. She had spent an endless number of hours helping the two of them study for exams. She was their biggest cheerleader during Quidditch matches. She helped them whenever they needed help. And what did she get in return? Nothing. They wouldn't even acknowledge that she was trying something new. They should have been proud of this! As her tears dried, she felt very tired. She fell asleep with thoughts of George on her mind.
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