December 15th, Oliver Wood's birthday. The past few days had been weird. Every time Erin spotted Oliver in the hallway, he either avoided her gaze or he smiled half-heartedly. Erin couldn't blame him. She had completely stood him up whilst he was trying to make amends.

She wanted to talk to him, but Beatrice suggested to wait for a couple days to see what he would do, to see if he would give up already. So Erin tried distracting herself with Anthony, but he could also see what was happening and she wasn't being fair to him. The fact is that she was leading him on and she felt guilty about it. She just didn't know what to do in general.

So just three days after the non-existent talk, on December 15th, Erin decided to reach out. She had to at least show him that she still cared. She had to talk to him.

She got some Sugar Quills from Beatrice's massive stash, the blue ones because those were his favourite, and wrapped them neatly in some yellow wrapping paper. She added a little note, which read:

Hey Captain

Happy birthday. I'm sorry I didn't show. Can we do a re-do tonight? 10 PM?

x Erin

She folded the parchment and added it to the gift before she could change her mind. She knew she wouldn't have the guts to give it to him in person, at least not with his friends around, so she went for plan B.

"Hey Benji!" she called out for her little brother when she met him before breakfast.

"Hi", he mumbled. He was clearly not a morning person.

"I need you to do something for me", she said, receiving a suspicious look.

"What's that?"

"I need you to give this to Oliver", she said, giving him the little yellow package.

"Oliver Wood, my captain? Why?"

"Because I tell you so, just do it", Erin said, pushing it in his hands.

"Why don't you just give it yourself? Or by owl at least", Benjamin complained. Erin hadn't thought of the owl post yet ...

"Just do it, please?" she said, sporting her best puppy eyes. Benjamin sighed.

"Okay."

She quickly gave him a hug before heading to breakfast.

She anxiously waited for Benjamin to enter. Oliver was already in the Great Hall, receiving birthday wishes from most Gryffindors. He seemed happy, which made Erin happy.

Benjamin walked in and he didn't seem to care the least. He walked up to Oliver, tapped his shoulder and gave him the package. He told him something, but Erin couldn't read his lips. When Oliver looked up, straight at her, she could guess what Benjamin had said, obviously. Why did she have to stare? She hid her red face behind her hair and stuffed a crumpet in her mouth.

Oliver looked at her, trying to figure her out. Benjamin hadn't told him much, just that Erin had asked him to give him this. Erin quickly looked away when he caught her looking, to which Oliver smiled. She was so awkward and he loved it.

He slowly opened the packaging, revealing a couple of blue Sugar Quills. She remembered. He had told her that these were his favourite almost two months ago and she remembered. There was a little note inside.

Hey Captain

Happy birthday. I'm sorry I didn't show. Can we do a re-do tonight? 10 PM?

x Erin

He couldn't help but smile at his little nickname. It had been so long since she'd used it. He didn't have to think long about her offer. Of course he'd go. He had wanted to reach out again ever since he left the stands three nights ago. He was not just going to give up. He'd be there.

Erin on the other hand wasn't so sure about Oliver showing up. What if he would stand her up too? That would hurt, but it's the same thing she had done basically. The hours seemed to drag by, but at half past nine, she couldn't hold in her nerves anymore.

"Beatrice, help me up?" she asked, opening the common room window. Beatrice nodded and folded her hands so Erin could step into them. Erin had told her about her offer and she was rather supportive. Beatrice just wanted her friend to be happy.

Erin snuck out very, very carefully. Imagine getting caught now and being sent back to the common room. Oliver would think she'd stood him up yet again. She couldn't have that.

Erin was ten minutes early, so she took a seat in the Hufflepuff stands and waited. Even though she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a thick sweater on top, she was still cold. Little snowflakes were falling down in her hair and on her hands, melting at contact. She loved snow. It was so beautiful and so fragile. So cold, but it brought her such a warm feeling.

"Hey." Erin gasped as she hadn't seen Oliver coming. He hadn't stood her up.

"Hi", she said, standing up.

They stood there awkwardly for a bit, until Oliver did something Erin hadn't expected. He walked up to her and pulled her into a tight hug. Erin was taken by surprise, but soon melted into his hug, taking in the scent she'd missed so much.

"Happy birthday", she whispered, tightening the hug. This was what had been missing the past one and a half months.

"I'm sorry I didn't show. I did decide to come, but way too late, so you had left already", she said in one breath.

"No, I'm the one that should be sorry", Oliver sighed, letting go. Erin hadn't seen that look in his eyes since she had told him about her father. A look of pure regret.

"And I am. I'm so sorry, Erin. I know I'm kind of an arsehole most of the time. I really didn't mean to hurt you, I just don't use my brain enough", he said, earning a chuckle. Erin hadn't even thought of that part of the conversation yet, she just wanted him to show up, but now that he did, she needed to think.

Erin nodded, not yet wanting to tell him that she forgave him. She forced herself to delay forgiving him. She was really happy that he was here, but she couldn't let her guard down yet. She needed to build some kind of defense mechanism. She had had enough heartache in her life.

"I still have to ask you something, though. Wanna sit down?" Oliver asked, to which Erin nodded. This was it, the awkward part of the conversation. Erin had been so wrapped up in the general situation that she hadn't prepared for the question of last year. This was not going to be fun.

"Shoot", she said, just wanting to get it over with.

"So, I've been really confused about something", he started. "You mentioned something about last year, about how I did something to hurt you and I've been breaking my head over it, but I just can't seem to think of a moment. But I don't want you to feel sad about it and I just want to set things straight, so ... could you maybe tell me exactly what happened?"

Erin nodded, trying to find the right words. How do you tell someone that they turned you down harshly, making it seem like a joke, and then not remember it. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"It was March last year", she said. "I uh... I kind of had a crush on you back then", Erin laughed awkwardly. It wasn't funny whatsoever, but she felt super uncomfortable.

"And then one day I asked you out. I asked if you wanted to get a drink with me during the next Hogsmeade trip. Don't you remember?" Erin desperately wanted him to remember as she didn't feel like continuing the painful story.

"Wait, I do remember. Were you serious?" Oliver asked surprised. Why wouldn't she be?

"Yeah, of course I was. Took me weeks to find the courage", Erin huffed. 

"I thought you were just saying that to get into my head. We had a quidditch match against each other the next week", Oliver said, seeming completely astonished by this information.

"We had never talked before. I thought you were just trying to distract me." Erin fiddled with her fingers. She didn't know if that was good or not. At least he didn't think she was a joke, but he didn't take her request seriously either.

"Well, it wasn't, and what you said really hurt", Erin mumbled, thinking back to that fateful day.

"What-, what did I say?" Oliver asked hesitantly. Erin took a deep breath.

"What? No, of course not. You're joking right?" she said, quoting his exact words. It was quiet for a while.

"Wow, I'm really sorry about that. I genuinely thought you were just trying to mess with me", Oliver said eventually.

"Not everything is about quidditch, you know?" Erin chuckled, to which Oliver laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, it's never really been like that in my life", he mumbled.

"Why's that?" Oliver shrugged.

"It's the only thing I'm good at. And I enjoy it. I'm a pretty competitive person and it's just been quidditch ever since I could walk. Never really cared for anything else, so I never really developed other skills", he said. "Nor proper social skills." Erin laughed at his joke. He was indeed a little socially incapable, but quidditch wasn't the only thing he was good at.

"That's not true though, you've got more skills than just quidditch. I told you that before", Erin said, but Oliver just shrugged again. It surprised her how not confident he was about himself.

"You just need to open your eyes. So much is happening around you and you don't even notice it", Erin said, very subtly hinting at her feelings for him.

"I guess. I'm glad you told me, though. I really had no idea", Oliver said. Obviously. It was quiet for another while, until Oliver made it uncomfortable again.

"You really had a crush on me?" he asked, to which Erin blushed slightly, but luckily it was too dark out to see.

"Why does that surprise you so much?"

"I don't know. Never really thought about it. Didn't think I was that kind of guy." Erin raised her eyebrows. This bloke was so oblivious.

"Please, Oliver, there are many girls who're fawning over you."

"Hmm ... why's that? I don't really talk to a lot of girls." Erin couldn't help but laugh at the innocence he portrayed.

"Well you're captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team, that helps", Erin said. "You're a seventh year and you're not exactly the worst to look at."

Oliver looked at her, eyes narrow as if he didn't believe a word he was saying.

"Thanks, I guess. No one has ever really told me such things."

"No, you're just too daft to notice, because when a girl shows interest, you turn her down", Erin joked, to which he smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Have you never had a crush then?" Erin asked, slightly nervously.

"I don't know", he shrugged again. "I never really know what I'm feeling." Erin smiled, although it wasn't exactly the answer she was hoping for.

"Poor girls who fall for you, you're totally oblivious." Oliver blushed.

"I guess I am."

They sat there in silence for a while, until Erin started shivering. The lack of movement had allowed the cold to completely cool her down.

"Are you cold?" he asked. Erin wanted to say yes, but her social awkwardness just pushed out a shivering "It's okay." Oliver surprised her, though. He pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around her. His body temperature that was still lingering in the fabric immediately warmed her up.

"Hey, now you'll be cold", she protested.

"I'm good. Don't get cold easily." Erin suspected he was lying, but it was a very kind gesture, so she slid her arms into the sleeves and enjoyed the warmth.

"I think I'd say yes now, that's improvement, right?" Oliver said, but Erin had no idea what he meant.

"Say yes to what?"

"If you'd ask me to get a Butterbeer. I think I'd say yes." Erin blushed, really happy with that little sentence. Did that mean he liked her at least a little bit, right?

"What do you say? There's a Hogsmeade trip next week." Erin wanted to say yes instantly,  but she couldn't.

"I uhm ... I'm already going with Anthony", she admitted, cursing internally. How badly she wanted to go with him, but she couldn't cancel on Anthony. Although she didn't feel the same way about him as she did about Oliver, she did really like him and really appreciated him. He had been there the past months when she was feeling down and he had never asked her for anything but that one Hogsmeade date. She couldn't cancel on him now to go with Oliver. That would not be fair.

"Oh, right, yeah. Maybe another time", Oliver said and soon it was silent again.

"It's midnight, maybe we should go back", Erin said, checking her watch for the first time that night. Oliver nodded and they left the Hufflepuff stands. They walked to the castle in a comfortable silence.

"So, we're good now?" Oliver asked when they had reached the window to the Hufflepuff common room. Erin nodded. It wouldn't be like before, as there was this new awkwardness that wasn't there before, but maybe soon that'd disappear.

"Great, good night", Oliver said with a little wink. Erin's insides went all crazy again, a feeling she had missed in the past two months.

"Good night", she said and gave Oliver a soft peck on his cheek before slipping through the window as fast as possible, not confident enough to see his reaction. Oliver didn't react badly at all, though. He was surprised, but definitely, definitely didn't dislike it. He felt really warm inside, although it was very, very cold out.

Damn, he had forgotten his cloak. Well, he did have another excuse to talk to her now.