HRH Bookshop

Chapter Two: Oliver Wood

"Oliver Wood"

Hermione's vision spun and all the blood in her head raced away, leaving her feeling faint. She let out a ragged breath, quickly pulling in another gulp of oxygen that didn't seen to help any. Hermione clutched the back of one of the high backed, armchairs for support. She led herself around the chair and slumped into it. Hermione attempted to regain her breath and provide the needed oxygen to her aching lungs as she contemplated her situation.

"Oliver Wood" – Hermione muttered the name again for what must have been the fifth time. Hermione was so surprised by the sudden reappearance of the wizarding world in the form of a (very) handsome man that she couldn't quite process what had just happened. "How could I not recognize him?" Hermione admonished herself; she was mortified that it had taken until he said his name for her to recognize him. Hermione tried to reason with herself, telling herself that she hadn't seen him in seven years, the summer before her fourth year, except momentarily during the last battle. Even then at the Quidditch World Cup it had been brief and as she recalled she had only said hello before he dragged Harry away to meet his parents, and at the last battle everything was so rushed that she hadn't even said hello. During school they had only really ever interacted a few times, namely when she had charmed Harry's glasses, during one particularly miserable stormy Quidditch match.

Hermione was almost certain that Oliver hadn't recognized her, if he had would have surely said something, wouldn't he have? Hermione thought back, had she betrayed herself? She knew she hadn't mentioned anything in particular but something might have slipped without her notice. Hermione was almost certain that she hadn't said anything incriminating, in fact she was pretty sure that she hadn't even told Oliver her name. As far as recognizing her, Hermione hoped that he hadn't, it had been seven years she told her self again. She tried to remember what she had looked like at fourteen, the last time he had seen her. Not only had she matured but she looked drastically different after the war, the sorrow having an alarming effect on her complexion and general demeanor. Seven years earlier she had still been a girl, now she was a woman, her beauty was marred however by the sorrow she wore like a lead vest, weighing down on her always. In her last year in the wizarding world she had become more and more reclusive, rarely going out in public, so she figured that there weren't many, if any, recent pictures of her in that world.

Oliver's mischievous comment about magic made perfect sense now," How rude to taunt a muggle –she figured he must have thought she was one- like that…" Hermione's thoughts turned to Oliver during their school years; he was in his last year of school during her third so that would make him about 25 now she figured. She was 21 now and he was four years older. Hermione remembered how a lot of her female classmate had thought he was "cute". Not being close to Oliver at all during school she didn't know anything about his family. One other the missing piece in the puzzle she was mentally constructing was where Laura fit into it all. Hermione was sure that Laura would have been in her year or maybe a year bellow, this confused Hermione because she knew that there was no way that she had never noticed her in six years of school. The only conclusions that Hermione could think of were that either she was home school (which didn't make sense, because why then would Oliver go to school?) or she was a squib. However Hermione did not dwell on this aspect of the puzzle because the subject of Laura was far less vexing than that of Oliver.

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Over the next week Hermione tried to keep her mind on her work but her thoughts continually shifted to her current predicament. Hermione thought of a thousand different ways to rid herself of Oliver before anything came of the chance encounter. Hermione wasn't sure, but hoped that the wizarding world had given her up for dead, to join the ranks of all her departed comrades. A clean break was what Hermione considered was best.

On Friday Hermione was tense and nervous, and on edge, praying Oliver wouldn't enter the door, while a small treacherous corner of her heart hoped he would. When Oliver entered the shop that Friday afternoon Hermione was perched on the second highest rung of a ladder leaning up against a section of shelf devoted to dictionaries, holding a large stack in her arms. When she heard that gentle ring of the bell above the door Hermione sighed, her temper was not the best for dealing with customers at that moment. Deep in thought she heard a throat being cleared, this startled Hermione to such an extent that she lost her balance, reaching out her arm to steady herself on the ladder, she released the many large dictionaries in her arms, and still missed the ladder as she slipped backwards loosing all hope for saving herself. Had Oliver not been there to catch her, Hermione would have surely been very sore the next morning.

Hermione blushed crimson as she peered up through her rumpled hair in to Oliver's brown eyes. Oliver in turn looked down at her in his strong arms with a wolfish grin, and a hint of recognition in his eyes as he set her down slowly. Hermione patted down her skirt gaining courage when she felt the thin line of her wand under her hand.

"You told me to come by and um, well here I am" Oliver said breaking the silence.

Hermione's blush refused to dim (if anything it darkened) as she replied flustered. "OH…. YES" Hermione said a little to loudly continuing in a softer tone " Sorry you startled me a bit, I'll got get that book if you'd like, I got it in yesterday, but I wasn't sure you were going to come back….." For a moment Hermione completely forgot her goal to rid herself of Oliver, his smile did funny things to her pulse and mind.

"Yeah that'd be great, I'll just look 'round out here while you go get it"

At this point Hermione turned on her heal to disappear behind a curtain that separated the main shop from a back storage room where the book in question lay in wait. When Hermione returned Oliver held in his hand open and looking at the outer cover stretched out before his face like in the same manner it was laying on her favorite chair before he had picked it up. Hermione cursed herself for choosing an even remotely magical book that morning Ancient Greek and Roman Mythical Creatures and their Origins in Fact and Fiction. Hermione liked to see how muggles viewed such things.

"Some light reading" Oliver asked teasingly

"It's well… it's interesting….." Hermione stuttered, reminding herself of her resolve not to give anything away. " Oh well here's the book" Hermione continued as she handed the baking book off to Oliver.

"How much do I owe you?" Oliver questioned

"Consider it a wedding gift…. to your sister"

"Okay, well if that's all, I'll be off then, thanks aplenty" Oliver smiled again and turned to leave. Hermione was almost disappointed to see Oliver leave but she knew it was the only thing logical solution to her problem. A moment later however Oliver turned sharply again on his heal just as he had pulled open the door, holding the edge with his hand. "I was just thinking, I mean you gave me this book, and I haven't done anything in return, and I have no plans for the rest of the day so I was wondering, would you like to have a drink with me?"

Hermione gapped for a moment searching her mind for the right words, but not for the first time that day her quick wit failed Hermione. She was lost for words, "I actually have to finish up here and well, I have a lot of things to do" Hermione said lamely.

Oliver's brilliant smile dimmed for just a moment before replying " Oh I didn't think, well maybe another time"

At this his smile turned downward and he looked so disheartened that Hermione felt very bad at deceiving him about not being able to leave the shop. Before she thought better of it she spilled out "actually I am the boss, but really I do have a bit to do" she motioned at the forgotten dictionaries scattered on the floor.

Oliver's smile instantly lit up once more "well in that case, you can, please don't say no." Hermione didn't have time to come up with another excuse before Oliver grabbed her hand and started to drag her towards the door. Hermione barley had time to grab her sweater that was flung over the back of her favorite chair and turn the sign on the door to closed before being spirited out of her shop.

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Hello everyone, I am SO terribly sorry that it has been SO long since I put up the first chapter, a little more than three months in truth this chapter has been written for that entire time and it has all been a matter of motivation to type and correct it. I have avoided typing it for a very long time and so tonight I have forced myself to sit down and do it. Now even a month after I typed it (just before Valentines Day, I think) I am finally posting it. Anyway I am sorry it took so long and I promise the next chapter won't take as nearly as long. Now that it is Spring break here (and I only work half the week), I will do my best to have another chapter out by the end of the week (next Sunday). Once again if you have the time I would LOVE a review, the good the bad and the Ugly, just tell me what you thought or any suggestions on what you'd like to see happen. SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY!