The two just stood there for a while, looking at each other as if they hadn't seen the other in years. It definitely felt like that.
"Erin", Oliver whispered after a while. He looked almost ill, with large bags under his eyes and a pale expression. His hands were shaking slightly.
As soon as Erin laid her eyes on him, she knew it was a lost cause. She knew she was a lost cause and most of all she knew that her heart was not going to let her listen to her mind. So she took a deep breath, walked up to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso.
Oliver immediately wrapped his arms around her as well, holding her as tight as he could. His touch made Erin light-headed, as if he was some kind of drug to her. She had been seriously deprived of it lately.
They stood there for a good while before Erin finally pulled away, looking him in the eyes. His eyes were glassy, but a small smile lingered on his lips.
"I'm glad you're here", she whispered.
"Came here as soon as I got your letter." Oliver tucked a piece of Erin's hair behind her ear. His hand rested on her cheek for a while as he took in everything he had missed since August. His thumb gently caressed her skin as he looked at her with intense love in his eyes.
"Erin, I'm so, so sorry I wasn't there", he said, his voice breaking slightly. "You don't know half how much I regret it. If I could turn back time, I would, I'd-"
Erin shut him up by pressing her lips on his. She hadn't envisioned their first meeting to go like this. She had prepared a whole lecture about how she couldn't cope with the continuing heartache and how she hated him, but also loved him. She hadn't planned on letting him off the hook so easily, but when their lips moved in sync like they used to do, she forgot all about those plans. All she wanted right now was him.
His hands found her waist and pulled her impossibly closer. The familiar feeling overwhelmed her and her heart was beating out of her chest. Her hands went carelessly through his hair as she completely lost herself in the kiss. They only pulled away when they both were in huge need of air and Erin couldn't help the smile to break through.
"So, urgent family matters involving a pet?" she whispered out of breath, to which Oliver chuckled.
"Yeah, I didn't think of an explanation before coming here. I panicked." He simply admired Erin's beautiful eyes for a while, which sparkled again. He loved it when they did that.
"I missed you", he said and pulled her into a hug again. He lifted her up and sat down in one of the pretty couches that decorated McGonagall's office. He gently placed Erin on his lap and held her tightly. Erin laid her head on his chest and took in the scent she had to miss for so long.
"You really forgive me?" he asked after a while.
"I do." Oliver smiled and grabbed her hand, lacing her fingers with his.
"I really am so very sorry. I promise I'll stay as far away from Marlo as possible", he whispered, placing a kiss on her head. Erin took a deep breath. She didn't like to admit it, but Marlo was the reason she had forgiven him. That letter convinced her in a heartbeat. And she did stress that she was not out to get Oliver, she was just a bitch. Erin didn't want to be that girlfriend who forbade their boyfriend to talk to other girls. She had to trust him, even around girls like Marlo.
"No, that's not what I want", she mumbled. "I just thought she had different intentions, but if she's just your friend then I don't want you to cut her out. That's not fair."
"Really? I thought you hated her", Oliver chuckled.
"Oh, I do, I despise her, but she is the only reason we're sitting here right now." Erin looked up in Oliver's chocolate brown eyes which looked at her intensely.
"What do you mean?" he frowned.
"You don't know?"
Oliver rubbed his neck awkwardly. "We haven't really talked since it happened." So she wrote that letter completely voluntarily? Erin couldn't help but be slightly impressed.
"Well, she sent me a letter, explaining what happened and that you weren't doing very well. She convinced me to reach out to be honest", Erin mumbled, playing with a loose thread on Oliver's sweater.
"Hey, I did that too, about twenty times", he laughed nervously.
"Eighteen times, yeah. Didn't really open them until I read Marlo's", Erin confessed. She looked up, but Oliver didn't seem very surprised, he just rested his head on hers and gently squeezed her hand.
"I really thought I'd lost you", he said after a while. The smile on his face had disappeared as he looked into the distance.
"But you haven't", she whispered, placing a kiss on Oliver's jawline. He grabbed her hand again, whilst he kissed the edge of her lips, causing Erin to giggle.
"What are these from?" Oliver asked as he traced the white scars that decorated the palm of her hand. Erin blushed at the thought.
"Uh-, I got a little mad after seeing Marlo in the mirror. I- uh-, I smashed it", she said awkwardly. "And then kept breaking it until it was beyond repair", she chuckled. Somewhere in Hogsmeade, the pieces of mirror still littered the ground, covered in drops of her blood.
"Oh, explains why the reflection is blurry. Guess I'll have to get you a new one", he said, wrapping both of his arms around her tiny frame protectively. "I'm sorry", he whispered again.
Erin smiled, closing her eyes and leaning into his touch. She wrapped her hands around the necklace. Although she hadn't watched the memory in weeks, she had never taken it off. Unconsciously, she had still wanted him to be close to her.
And then her mind went into a whole other direction, one she hadn't expected. Suddenly George entered her mind, making a fool of himself just to get her to smile. He had been so incredible these past three weeks and now they'd just go back to the way it was before. Erin's heart ached at the thought.
"You're overthinking again, what's up?" Oliver asked.
"Not overthinking, just thinking." Erin fiddled with the hem of her own sweater, not quite knowing what to do. Should she get rid of these thoughts and ignore what she felt or should she address it? She had Oliver back, but did that mean she had to ignore the feelings she had acquired for George and go back to the way things were, before she really got to know him?
"I'm going to the Yule Ball with George though. I thought you should know", Erin said eventually. She didn't want to cause unnecessary problems, so she'd first see how he'd react to that. Feelings or not, she was going to the Yule Ball with him anyway and she shouldn't hide that from Oliver.
"George? Did he ask you? I thought he would be over you by now", Oliver said, surprisingly calm. He wasn't known to be relaxed when he was jealous. Last time he decked the poor guy in the face.
"No, I asked him."
"Oh", it was silent for a while. "Since when are you guys close?" Erin could hear a bit of uneasiness in his voice, but Oliver still remained calm. Erin suspected he felt like he had no right to be jealous or annoyed at this point, which was kind of true.
"I've been hanging out with the twins loads this year. I could use the distraction. Beatrice is going with Fred, so we thought it'd be fun." It sure would be a fun night and although she felt skeptical because of her possible feelings for George, she was really looking forward to it.
"So, just as friends?" Erin thought about that for a while. They were going as friends, but did it feel like that? But then again, would she ever leave Oliver for George? She could see herself with George, but not as long as Oliver was in the picture. Or at least, if he didn't mess up again.
"Yes, just as friends", she said. They were just friends.
"Well, then that's fine. I trust you." Erin buried her face in his chest so he couldn't see her conflicted expression. She loved Oliver, she really did, but she couldn't deny that a little bit of her heart had broken off three weeks ago. George had mended that, so a piece of it belonged to him now and Erin didn't quite know how to handle that. She still had two weeks to figure it out though, so if it still was a problem then, she would tell Oliver. But it was too uncertain now to make him worry already.
They sat there for a couple more minutes until Oliver really had to leave. His alibi was already rather fragile and professor McGonagall would most like not believe a two-hour talk about a dead cat. Oliver told her that that was the reason he had come, to tell Erin about her cat (which she didn't have) that had died.
"Will you be at the Platform at Christmas?" Erin asked as they made their way to the door.
"Do you still want me to come to yours for the holidays?" Oliver asked, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger.
"Of course I do."
"Then I'll gladly be there. Are you still coming to see my game the week after?" he grinned. Just the thought of quidditch made him happy. Now things with Erin were good again, he could completely focus on his practices again, so he could impress her when she was sitting in the stands.
"I'd love to."
"Well, then I'll get you and your family V.I.P. tickets", he winked. Benjamin appeared in Erin's mind. They had barely talked at all this half year and it made her feel a bit uneasy. She hung out with other Gryffindors, so why had she forgotten about her little brother?
"Well, then I'll see you in two weeks. Make sure you eat and get enough sleep, okay?" Erin said, inspecting the dark circles under his eyes.
"I will. And I'll make sure I'll be there at least an hour early."
"I'll see you then", she made a last mental picture to carry with her through the next two weeks, before pecking his lips.
"I think I'm going to need a better kiss goodbye than that", he smirked and pulled her against him, pressing his lips on hers. He grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up so he had full access to his lips. She gladly wrapped her legs around his waist and smiled as he continued kissing her.
"Save some of that for Christmas break", she whispered in his ear as he gently put her down again.
"I've got a lot more than that for Christmas break", Oliver winked and then he left the office, leaving a startled Erin, blushing furiously. He had her completely wrapped around his finger again.