Captain - An Oliver Wood Fanfiction

Chapter 10 - Well, I like you being nice

"Didn't think you would come", Oliver said as Erin joined him in apparition class.

"I know right, they should've put me in Gryffindor", Erin joked, hiding the stressful feeling she had. It wasn't that she didn't trust Oliver anymore, she just severely disliked the memory of getting splinched.

"I noticed you were following my advice", Oliver said, earning a frown from Erin. "You're getting to know your teammates."

He must be talking about Anthony, Erin thought, thinking back to that weird moment two days ago.

"You mean Anthony? Yeah, he's really nice", Erin shrugged, not sure what Oliver's look meant. He seemed ... skeptical.

"Yeah, he sure thinks you're nice too", Oliver said, sounding a little jealous, which surprised Erin greatly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. He just seems to like you a lot."

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I guess." They stared at each other for a while, trying to figure out one another, but failing miserably. Oliver could be such a mystery sometimes.

The Ministry man called everyone together, going over the rules again and not long after, it was time to practice again.

"If you get me splinched again, I will personally cut your head off, okay?" Erin joked to ease her nerves.

"I'll be on my best behavior", Oliver said, looking slightly uncomfortable as well. Erin gripped her wand tightly, clearing her head. She envisioned her designated spot in the Great Hall to apparate to and took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing", she whispered, followed by a swish of her wand. A cold, uncomfortable feeling crept all through her body and she was lifted off the ground. She felt like her body was pushed into all kind of directions and her stomach was not agreeing with it. Just a moment later, her feet touched the floor again and she opened her eyes. She was still alive and well.

"I did it!" She mumbled, looking for Oliver. He stood on the other side of the Great Hall, looking for Erin. He seemed a little uneasy, so Erin gripped her wand again and apparated back.

She appeared in front of Oliver again, who smiled relieved.

"You're okay?" he asked and Erin couldn't ignore the butterflies she felt when noticing Oliver was worried about her.

"I'm fine", she said with a smile that would probably not leave her face for quite a while.

"Good job, Miss Evans. Good to see that the accident hasn't scared you off", the Ministry man said. "We're going outside in a bit with the ones who've got it already to practice in a new environment. You two can tag along if you please." Erin nodded, weirdly excited.

"You sure? It's windy outside", Oliver said. "Something could happen."

"Aww, Captain, are you worried about me?" Erin teased, causing Oliver to blush slightly.

"No, but I'd still not like to see you die", he said awkwardly, not knowing how to behave. He didn't know why he was acting the way he did and it was confusing him, but he couldn't lie about caring for Erin.

"Well, I like you being nice, thank you", Erin smiled. Oliver looked at her. Most of the times he avoided her gaze, as her deep blue eyes often made him uneasy, but the way she said that sentence drew him towards her, wanting to have eye contact.

"Well, I like not hurting you too", he half-smiled and for a second, they had a moment that was different. Oliver couldn't place it, even if he tried. He had no idea what was going on, but the moment felt so right for some reason. Erin did know what was going on. She was falling madly in love with Oliver Wood again and there was no way to stop it.

"Come on you two, we're going out!" the Ministry man said, selecting duos here and there.

"Let's go", she said.

"But I can barely apparate here, I can't go outside yet", Oliver panicked.

"Of course you can. I'll help you out." Erin took his wrist and dragged him out, following some of the other students.

Oliver was clearly uneasy at the thought of apparating outside. Even though he wouldn't admit it, he wasn't the best at apparition because it made him nervous. The "new environment" the Ministry man was suggesting definitely didn't help.

"Wood, calm down. You got this." Erin's soft voice pulled him out of his own head, back to the Hogwarts grounds.

"Apparate within a hundred yards please! We don't want anyone to go missing!" the Ministry man yelled. "Remember the Three Ds: Destination, Determination and Deliberation!"

Oliver sighed, wiping his hands on his robes.

"Come on, close your eyes", Erin said, noticing how nervous Oliver was. She knew that he was perfectly capable of apparating, but somehow his nerves took the upper hand. She looked around, noticing that they were not far from the quidditch pitch. It might have been a little over a hundred yards, but not too much.

"Come on, close them", she laughed as he didn't do what she was saying. He looked at her skeptically for a while, before finally closing his eyes.

"Okay, now think of the quidditch pitch", Erin said. Oliver raised his brows, but soon, a smile appeared on his face.

"You are standing in the middle of the quidditch pitch, right in the center. The Hufflepuff stands are on your right, the Gryffindor ones on your left. The hoops are right in front of you." Erin slowly grabbed Oliver's hand, putting it into position.

"You got it?" She asked him. He didn't seem the least fazed by the physical contact, whilst Erin had to take a step away to not lose focus. Oliver nodded.

"Now swish your wand and get your butt over there", she said. Oliver took a deep breath and then did what she asked. And then he was gone. Erin applauded enthusiastically, as Oliver often didn't even get this far. She grabbed her wand and concentrated, apparating to the same place she had sent Oliver to.

Before she had time to recover from her short travel, she was swooped up by two strong arms.

"I did it!" Oliver said, putting her back onto the ground.

"I told you you could do it!" Erin chimed. The amount of determination she needed not to kiss him right now was out of this world, but she knew she couldn't. She had a very, very nice new friendship now and as her feelings were one-sided, she didn't want to throw that away.

"Race you back to the castle?" Oliver smirked, holding up his wand. He had clearly gained confidence from succeeding.

"You're on!"