Meetings and Letters

Four

England vs. Scotland And A Party

Hermione and Oliver continued meeting for lunches, and occasionally double-dated. But their main correspondence was letters, since Oliver was away on games for a lot of the time. But October snuck up on Hermione, and before she knew it, it was two days before she was to go to Edinburgh for Oliver's England-Scotland game.

She wasn't altogether sure what to bring, so she owled Oliver, who was in Edinburgh already, asking him.

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Dear Oliver,

In two days I'll be joining you up there. Now, since you didn't inform me what the dress code would be, if we'd be going anywhere where I'd need something posh or not, you're going to have to take time out of your schedule to write me.

Am I going to need something fancy? Casual? Dress-casual? Casual-dress? Black tie? Please owl me back. Mynos will stay until you send your reply.

Yours,

Hermione

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Dear Hermione,

You'll be glad to hear that I am taking my half-hour of personal time before the game to write you, and tell you what clothes to pack.

At the game, you'll be sitting in the Top Box, with my sister Olivia and her husband Leo. She, as I understand, will have her face painted with the English colors. So, you can wear jeans and such during the game.

One of the other reasons I invited you is that the team is going to this--hold on let me ask Katie--yes, it's a black tie party. So bring something posh, and no sequins, ok? I will be wearing some lovely black outer robes, with a white shirt and a--surprise, surprise--black tie. So, almost anything you wear will match my robes.

I've got to go, as Coach wants us to do some routines before lights out. See you soon!

Cheers,

Oliver

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Hermione Apparated into the building next to the stadium. She picked up her small suitcase, and walked out the door. Upon walking out the door, she bumped into a tall, curly- haired, lovely woman.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" said Hermione, helping the lady up. "I'm horribly clumsy today."

"Oh, that's all right," said the lady. "You must be Hermione Granger." She held out her hand. "I'm Olivia Armand, and this is my husband Leo. I'm Oliver's older sister."

Hermione grinned as she shook Olivia's hand. "It's lovely to meet you. Oliver has told me about you a few times. I am to understand that you are the secret behind his hair."

Olivia laughed, and said, "Oh, yes. When he was thirteen, and first got on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, he was so frustrated because his hair wouldn't stay out of his eyes, it was so wild. So I gave him my shampoo. And poof! No more hair-blindness!"

Hermione laughed. "And I was afraid that you'd be the absolute opposite of Oliver! It turns out that you two are quite similar!"

Olivia was speechless while her husband laughed. Hermione was quite undone. "Oh, dear," said Leo, through the laughter. "I'm afraid that my wife doesn't like being told that she and Oliver are alike. It quite unglues her." Leo patted Hermione's elbow. "Last time someone told her that she and Oliver were alike, she was speechless for a whole hour, which, I can assure you, does not happen often."

Hermione grinned at Leo, and they laughed. Olivia sniffed. "I am not at all like Oliver. For one thing, I've actually married, and am starting a family!"

Hermione's eyes popped open. "You're having a baby? Oliver didn't mention-"

Olivia smiled smugly. "That's because he doesn't know. We haven't told him yet," she said, linking her arm through her husband's.

Hermione giggled. "That's perfectly horrible!" she exclaimed. "He'll be perfectly crushed, and feel betrayed," Hermione grinned at Olivia. "But it's the perfect revenge for a month ago when he flooed into my office and dragged me off to Carlisle to help him buy groceries."

Leo, who was generally a very laid back man, was astonished. "Really?" He glanced at his wife. "It seems Oliver has become a loose cannon."

Hermione shrugged. "Well, before then, we'd gone to Florean's to eat a great deal of ice cream. Oliver is quite adventurous."

"Really?" said Olivia, in an amused way, and glanced at her husband.

"Well," said Leo, nudging Olivia to shut her up, "let's go up to the box, shall we?"

"Of course," said Hermione, following them into the stairwell.

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Hermione pulled her Omnioculars, left over from the World Cup in before her forth year, out of her shoulder bag and looked at the English team.

Oliver was by the goal posts, waiting for the game to start. Bored, he looked up to the Top Box. He saw Hermione sitting next to Olivia, looking over at him. He waved, grinning up at her. Hermione saw him and waved back, an English flag in the hand she was holding the Omnioculars.

A moment later, the game started.

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"Wow!" said Hermione, walking down to the team's changing rooms. "That was a close game, if Oliver hadn't of caught that last shot, Scotland would've won!"

She stopped in front of a door marked 'Team Dressing Room', and knocked.

"Yes?" called a voice from within the dressing room. "Who is it?"

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "It's Hermione Granger. I'm here for Oliver. He asked me to come as soon as I could..." she trailed off as the door swung open.

Standing in the doorway was a grinning Ian Alister. "So, you're Oliver's secret date, eh? Come on in. Everyone wants to meet you. And," he added as an afterthought, "Oliver's still in the shower. Katie says he's never won a game this close. Says it freaked him out. Oh," he said, sticking his hand out, "I'm so rude! I'm Ian Alister, this is my brother Eddie, this is June Weatherby, she's a Chaser; and this is Katie-" He was cut off by Katie and Hermione's squealing.

"Ah! Hermione! You look so good! How've you been?" squealed Katie.

"Just fine," said Hermione. "I hear through the grapevine that you're marrying George!" She winked at Katie. "You know, after you two broke up the summer before seventh year, he and I went out for a while. You've bagged yourself a good one."

Katie grinned. "Don't I know it. A-" she started to say something, but was cut off by Oliver's entrance, soaked, towel wrapped around his waist, and rubbing his hair with another towel.

He looked up and saw Hermione. His eyes bulged. "Hermione! Oh, I didn't know that you'd be here so soon. So, um, I'm gonna get dressed, and then we'll go, okay?" He retreated into the separate section for the actual dressing.

June giggled. "I don't think I've ever seen him so embarrassed before. This is a first." She grinned at Hermione. "See that it happens again, why don't you?"

Hermione grinned back at June. "I don't think I should do that. He'd be so angry at me, I wouldn't be able to face him."

"That'd be correct," said Oliver, leaning up against the doorway to the dressing room. He walked over to Hermione and looked her up and down.

Hermione was wearing a gorgeous ruby red silk dress. It had small puff sleeves, and an Empire waist with a square neckline. Over the silk, there was some flower patterned red lace, with silver threads running through it.

"Wow," said Oliver, eyes wide, impressed. "You look-you look," he looked embarrassed. "Gorgeous." He turned away quickly, bright red. "Well," he coughed, "you ready to go?"

"Look, Oliver, no sequins," she said, turning. She smiled, and slipped her hand through the crook of Oliver's arm. "Of course, my dear. Always." Hermione smiled at the rest of the team. "See you at the party."

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The after-party was held at a local Wizard hotel named The Grand Merlin.

Hermione and Oliver entered the ballroom, and the wizard on the mike started to say something.

"And, here's our man of the hour! Oliver Wood, the man who saved the game!" said Mike Jensen, the head coach of the team. Applause broke out all over the room. When Mike saw Oliver's date, he looked surprised. "And his lovely date, Ms. Hermione Granger, everyone!"

Hermione blushed, and turned her face away from the crowd, and into Oliver's shoulder. "Oliver," she said, going down the steps, "did he have to say that?"

Oliver patted her shoulder. "No. I'll speak to him about that, all right?" Hermione nodded. "All right. Let's go get some champagne." And he steered them towards the bar.

Only when they reached the bar did Hermione show her face. "Double whiskey, straight up," said Hermione. The bartender eyes popped open. She tapped the bottom of the glass on the counter, and downed it in two gulps. "Hit me."

Oliver was far more conservative. "Champagne, please," he said.

While he was drinking his champagne, and Hermione was in her second (and last) whiskey, Olivia and Leo came over.

"Hey there," she said, looking first at Oliver, then at Hermione, then back at Oliver. "What's with her?" She tilted her head at the glass. "Is that whiskey?"

Oliver nodded sourly. "Mike announced that she was there. Her fame kind of...gets to her sometimes. This is her second double whiskey. After this, I'm only letting her drink champagne."

Olivia sighed, envy in her eyes as she watch Leo drink some champagne. "I wish I could have some," she said, sighing some more.

Oliver offered her his glass. "Here. Have a sip of mine," he said, holding the glass right by her hand.

Olivia pushed the glass away. "I can't," she said, pushing the glass back to Oliver.

Oliver looked puzzled. "Why not? Are you pregnant or something?"

Olivia smiled, looking away shyly.

Oliver's eyes popped open. "You're pregnant? Pregnant? I'm going to be an uncle!" he grinned, and put his arms around his sister's waist, dancing her around. Stopping, he shook Leo's hand heartily. "Good job, Leo!"

Hermione, who was looking at her whiskey glass reproachfully, smiled up at Oliver. "Oh, yes. We discussed baby names this afternoon. She's having a boy!"

Oliver stopped being so happy. "You told Hermione before you told me?" he said, hurt.

Olivia smiled. "Yes, you've kept so many secrets from me over the years, and told other people before me so that I had to learn it through the grapevine, I thought you deserved to have it done to you. Plus, you really shouldn't floo to someone's office in the middle of the workday to have them help you buy groceries. It isn't at all polite," said Olivia. She looked at the bartender, who was pretending to not listen. "Bartender. I'll have a virgin strawberry daiquiri, please." She slapped a few Sickles on the counter. "I'll pay for their drinks as well."

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A half an hour later, and three virgin strawberry daiquiris for Hermione later, Oliver grabbed her hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor, saying, "C'mon, let's dance." He pulled her to him, and smiled. "I didn't come all this way and not be able to dance with you," he said, smiling.

Hermione laughed. "Thanks, Ol. I needed that. So," suddenly the music changed. "Oh, God, no!" she said, trying to squirm free. "Not this song. No, not this one!"

"Oh, no you don't," said Oliver, holding tighter. "You're staying right out here on this dance floor with me. No getting out of this."

"Oliver, I hate this song," said Hermione, glaring at him. "Even when I'm in the car with my Muggle friends, I hate it."

"What's to hate?" asked Oliver. "It's funny."

Hermione crossed her eyes irritably. "If you expect me to dance to this song, then I'm going to need another whiskey."

"How about vodka?" said Oliver amiably. "It's better than whiskey."

"Sure," said Hermione, crabbily.

Oliver grabbed a shot of vodka off of a passing waiter's tray. "Here," he said. "Down it."

Hermione tapped it against his shoulder, and downed the shot in a gulp. "Ah. Lovely."

Oliver looked at her curiously.

"What?" asked Hermione, placing the glass on another waiter's tray.

"Nothing," he said. Then, suddenly, "Why do you tap the bottom of your glass against things?"

Hermione considered this for a moment. "I don't know. I just do." She winced, hearing the lyrics of the song.

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"I wanna kiss you every minute, every hour, every day

You got me in a spin, but everything is A OK

Touching you, touching me

Touching you 'cause you're touching me

I believe in a thing called love

Just listen to the rhythm of my heart

There's a chance we can make it now

We'll be lookin' till the sun goes down

I believe in a thing called love, ooh (it's on)"

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"It's so obnoxious!" she exclaimed.

"How can you think it's obnoxious?" asked Oliver, dipping her. "It's funny!"

"Pthhhhpb!" said Hermione, or rather, her tongue, since she blew a raspberry at Oliver.

"Now," he said, pulling her to him, "that is so childish. How can you, Hermione I-am-the-most-mature-person-Oliver-Wood-knows Granger, be so immature?"

"Easy," said Hermione, repeating her previous action.

"Can I cut in?" asked Simon, standing next to Oliver.

"Not bloody likely," said Oliver.

Hermione smiled nicely at Simon. "Sorry, Simon, but only the Jaws of Life could make Oliver let go of me right now. I'm afraid I don't like dancing very much, and he had to get me halfway hammered to get me out on the floor."

"Ah," said Simon. "Well, see you then."

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Around two o'clock, Hermione cornered Oliver and told him that she was tired and to take her up to her room now.

So, he did.

Standing at her door, he smiled at her. "Thanks for coming," he said, giving her a hug.

Hermione hugged back. Turning the key in the lock, she said, "Any time. Really. Those parties are always fun." The door way halfway closed when she stuck her head out. "See you tomorrow?"

Oliver grinned. "Of course, darling, of course."