Finding One That Fits

Hermione Granger was in a bad mood. In fact, bad did not do the style of her mood justice. She was in an awful, terrible, dreadful, appalling, shocking, ghastly, horrific, dire sort of mood and if Hermione could think of any more synonyms for bad she would have added them to her list.

Firstly, she was cold, and Hermione hated being cold. The sun was shining brightly and had lured her into thinking that it would be the first warm day of spring outside, with this in mind she had gotten dressed and now she was freezing her bottom off in the Quidditch stands because she had underestimated how much the universe was willing to upset her.

Secondly, she was watching Quidditch when she could have been doing a History of Magic essay that was desperately in need of some attention. The reason she was watching stupid boys playing with their balls instead of doing something useful was sitting besides her screaming.

Ginny, as a product of an all-male family, could be scarily masculine at times and these times usually appeared when sports came into play. Beginning a chant that Hermione was sure would end in tears Ginny stood on her bench and gave a one-finger-salute to Malfoy as he flew past before jumping down and grinning at Hermione.

"I thought you thought he was sexy," Hermione asked with a sigh.

"Shush, Neville's wandering about somewhere," Ginny said glancing left and right, "I do, but I don't want him to know that until I break up with Neville."

"Which will be when exactly?" Hermione asked with wry smile.

"Oh...when I find the right time. I don't want to hurt him," Ginny answered, the smile on her face dissolving.

"Oh I'm freezing!" Hermione whinged.

"Your heating spells wear off?" Ginny asked with sympathy and Hermione's face lit up.

"Oh, I'm such a ditz, heating spells!" Hermione mumbled in Latin beneath her breath and the usual warmth filled her bones, "Much better."

From across the pitch Hermione saw Marcus Flint sitting in the Slytherin guest box. She shuddered as he caught her looking up at him and he smiled in what she supposed was a friendly way, it made her feel sick.

At the start of 7^th year Dumbledore had made it perfectly clear that he wanted all the houses to participate in what he called "inter-house relations." This meant that not only were common rooms now sorted by age on Tuesday and Thursdays but by House on Wednesday and weekends, by sex on Mondays and by a "random" selection on Fridays. The schedule had taken a bit of getting used to but, surprisingly, the best common room divide seemed to be by sex.

In fact Hermione had made some of her closest friends during that time spot because now the girls were not intimidated by talking to her in front of Harry and Ron. Pansy Parkinson was not, as Hermione originally thought, a spiteful cow but was very witty and sweet. Her personality change in front of the boys of her house proved to Hermione that perhaps it was the Slytherin males that were the problem, which is why, when Pansy asked, Hermione agreed to go to Hogsmeade with her and a group of her friends.

Halfway though a perfectly enjoyable afternoon in which all the Slytherin had been more than nice to her (with the exception of Draco Malfoy who was, at all times, mearly civil) a group of Slytherin leavers had joined the party.

Hermione had only recognised a few of them as previous students but she had joined in their conversation anyway. Her eyes had swayed especially towards Marcus Flint who, after being hit in the face with a bludger during a professional Quidditch trial, had straightened his teeth and had enthralled her in conversation all afternoon.

"Perhaps Hermione," he whispered into her ear, "you would like to go and grab a bite to eat with me now?"

Hermione had willingly agreed and had followed him out of the Three Broomsticks happily. He had led her away from the main square of the village but stopped shortly outside a house.

"Oh...where are we?" Hermione asked.

"This is my house, I share with a couple of others from the team but they aren't in. I don't have much but I think we have pizza if you want some," Marcus said pushing the door open and leading her inside.

The pizza had been good and Marcus had been so charming and funny that when he kissed her Hermione just smiled and blushed slightly around her ears but allowed him to do it again, and again. When she returned to Hogwarts that afternoon Ginny nearly fell off the sofa laughing at the "love-bite" Hermione had on her neck and Hermione decided that telling Ginny she was to see Marcus again the next day was not the best idea.

Hermione left school at lunchtime on the Sunday and walked into Hogsmeade with a smile on her lips. When she reached Marcus' house she barely had time to knock before he opened the door and swept her inside with a kiss.

She had imagined that her first time would be much more romantic and in a more stable situation but Marcus had been so nice to her and when he touched her all the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end in anticipation. She had once nursed a girlish fantasy of losing her virginity to Ron but that had disappeared with age and now she was adult enough to make her own decisions. She had imagined the earth moving but the very messy situation she was now in coupled with Marcus' helpful comment of "if we're going to do this again you will have to get a potion from Pomfrey," left her feeling sore and hard done by. But he kissed her forehead and wished her goodnight and Hermione smiled back at him, glad she had done what she had done.

She owled him on Monday morning just to let him know she was ok and had got home safely. When she heard nothing back she thought very little of it but by Tuesday night she was worried and was sure that Marcus was ignoring her. When his owl stopped in front of her at breakfast on Wednesday Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, at least he had not forgotten her. His note was short but asked her to meet him tonight in the Three Broomsticks and wearily she replied yes.

The Three Broomsticks was not as full as it had been the first time she had met him there but he was sitting at the same table. Hermione knew something was wrong when he did not lift his eyes to her when she sat down.

"Listen," he said, "erm you're a lovely girl and everything but I don't think this is going to work. I'm crap at relationships."

"Oh yeah," Hermione said forcing a smile, "I've been thinking that too."

"Ok so...erm...friends?" Marcus shook her hand and left quickly. Hermione didn't blame him, she wanted to get away from the whole situation as much as possible and the walk back to Hogwarts seemed much longer than the walk down.

Hermione hadn't seen him since and had only received a few owls from him over Christmas stating that he wanted to give it another go but she had been firm in turning him down and now he was sitting next to Professor Snape and was leering at her. Breaking eye contact she whispered to Ginny that she wasn't feeling to good and was heading back to her room.

Hermione left without a word from Ginny whose attention was distracted by the game or, more probably, the blonde seeker than was flying close by. Rolling her eyes and shaking her head at Ginny Hermione made her way down the stairs and walked into something solid.

"Oh God I'm sorry," she said.

"That's ok," a soft Scottish voice said to her, "Hermione? Right?"

"Erm...yeah." Hermione squinted at the boy in front of her trying to place him.

"Oliver," he said pointing to himself, "I'm Harry's friend. Here to see him fly actually but have to piss so...I really shouldn't say things like to pretty girls."

Hermione smiled as Oliver shook his head and then fixed his eyes on her again.

"I'm Oliver, hi." He thrust his hand towards her and she shook it.

"Hermione. I'm heading up to the castle, would you like to join me?" Hermione said smiling at him.

"Erm...I was just on my way to the changing rooms...would you like to join me?" Oliver turned his body to face the Gryffindor changing rooms slightly.

"Sure," Hermione said and followed him to where the door to the changing rooms was situated.

Looking nervous and blushing slightly Oliver leaned in to the door and roared. Hermione's eyebrows shot up into her hairline and she tried to suppress a giggle. Frowning slightly Oliver leaned closer into the door and roared a little louder. Hermione had turned very pink trying to keep her giggles in but as Oliver roared for the third time she began to laugh out loud.

"Oh...I have been here with Harry about a million times this year and never yet has he roared," Hermione said between giggles.

"What? Well what did he do?" Oliver said trying to act furious but joining in with her giggles.

"Erm...it was Angelina so...erm...Fred Weasley you dare!" Hermione yelled at the door and still it didn't move.

"Back to square one," Oliver said shifting his feet from side to side and grimacing.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"I really have to pee," Oliver said with a sad look on his face.

"Oh...erm ok let's think. Harry is captain this year so it'll be something to do with him....erm..." Hermione looked at the door and frowned, "..Lily?....James?"

"Ok," Oliver said, "erm...I hate Snape...potions is crap...I am the boy who lived and I demand entry!"

"Really?" Hermione asked and Oliver shrugged before returning to his jig from foot to foot, "ok...erm....Sirius...Cho...Quidditch...Stag...Marauders...erm..."

"Happy thoughts, happy thoughts," Oliver muttered to himself with a pained look on his face and Hermione beamed at him.

"Wood, you are a genius. Leaving the Dursleys!" Hermione said clearly to the door and it swung open. Oliver pushed past her and ran into the bathroom that was situated off the Captains office.

"How did you think of that?" Oliver said when he re-emerged from the bathroom and settled himself down next to Hermione.

"Happy thoughts. I figured that's his happiest." Hermione shrugged.

"Well, you are now my happy thought," Oliver said and brushed his lips against Hermione's cheek. He did not pull away at first and Hermione turned her head to look at him but caught his lips with hers and then he kissed her properly.

"Oh..erm...oh," Hermione said as she looked into Oliver's eyes but before she had time to form a coherent sentence the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team piled into the Captains office making as much noise as they possibly could.

"Hermione?" Harry asked looking shocked, "What are you doing here?"

"I erm..."

"We wanted to be first to congratulate you guys," Oliver said standing up and shaking Harry's hand, "beating Slytherin is quite a feat for a fairly new team."

"Oliver!" Ron yelled, "We creamed them."

"What was the final score?" Oliver asked, a familiar feeling creeping over him.

"250-230."

"That little Slytherin git caught the snitch though," Ron interjected and threw a sweaty arm around Hermione. The muscle in Oliver's neck began to twitch, "then he blew a kiss to somebody in the crowd and mouthed see you later. Honestly he thinks he's God's gift that one!"

"He played a good game Ron," Harry said sadly, "you can't fault him on that. He was better than me in the end, but only just."

"So party in the Gryffindor common room then?" Oliver asked beaming.

"Yes indeed, will you be attending?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Ahh...sorry mate. Gotta meet my new girlfriend in Hogsmeade, first date and all," Oliver said with a wink and Hermione stood up.

"Congratulations you guys," she said hoarsely and walked out of the room.

"What's up with Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Oh shit," Oliver mumbled as he ran out of the changing room and followed the Hermione shaped blur onto the Quidditch pitch.

"Hermione, HERMIONE!" He yelled, trying to make her stop. She stopped at the edge of the sand on the far side. Breathing heavily Oliver ran over to her.

"What?"

"How are you faster than me when I play a professional sport?" Oliver asked bending over and huffing.

"Well at the moment I'm working on pure rage so you can just piss off back to your stupid little girlfriend and go fuck yourself." Hermione glared at him.

"Oh...you are so stupid! I meant you," Oliver smiled at her, "How could you have doubted I meant you?"

"I just thought...you never asked me if I wanted to go to Hogsmeade with you, you arrogant prat!" Hermione's glare was softening but a new fear was taking over her. If Oliver took her to Hogsmeade she would probably run into Marcus and...

"Will you please be my girlfriend?" Oliver asked, interrupting her panic.

"We'll see," Hermione said with a grin, "How about you kiss me first?"

"Gladly," Oliver said taking her into his arms.

As they embraced neither of them noticed the young man sitting in the Slytherin Guest box watching them. He felt cold and sick as he watched the only girl who stuck with him kiss the man he hated most on earth. With a sneer he turned to leave them to enjoy their love whilst he mourned his.