Takeoffs and Landings by WeasleyForMe

Hermione finds out there has been an addition to the O.W.L. exams... a mandatory flying test. The only trouble is Hermione doesn't know how to fly! George agrees to give her lessons. Will she learn how to fly, or will she fall hard for George Weasley? Hermione/George

Here it is... the final chapter of my story! Enjoy!

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Chapter Nine

Hermione unenthusiastically woke on Saturday morning. She had hardly slept, because she was having nightmares about bludgers chasing her through an obstacle course while her broom was trying to bite her feet. She turned and looked at her clock.

"Shit! I'm going to be late!" Hermione screamed. She had scheduled herself to take the test with the first group. It was nearly eight o'clock, and her exam was to begin in a few minutes. Lavender and Parvati were already gone. She frantically grabbed some casual clothes and pulled her hair into a messy bun. Just as she magically tied her shoes, she grabbed George's Cleansweep and ran out of her dorm room.

As she sprinted toward the Quidditch pitch, she remembered the previous night. Hermione nearly tripped over her own feet as she recalled George kissing her and demanding that she save some time to snog him later today. She grinned wildly. Her goals for the day included passing her flying exam and then waking George up with a kiss. The thoughts of George immediately cheered her up, and she arrived on the pitch with a bright smile.

Her smile immediately disappeared when she saw the obstacle course. There were numerous large hoops, and spikes that looked very intimidating. She began to frown as she noticed the other students who were registered for her exam group. Draco Malfoy and his goon friends were standing on the other end of the pitch. Lavender and Parvati were wearing matching pink outfits and warming up with their brooms. Harry and Ron were standing near her and hadn't noticed her yet. She was surrounded by students who were excellent at flying. The referees and test-givers were beginning to call her classmates.

"Brown, Lavender," called an older wizard. Hermione watched as Lavender summoned her broom and began to fly gracefully through the course.

"Hey, Hermione," called Harry. "Ready for your exam?"

Hermione felt like ignoring her friends. She could barely speak, because she was so nervous but managed to say, "Yes, I suppose so."

"I hope you learned how to fly in the past few weeks, because before that, you were bloody terrible on a broom," Ron told her as he and Harry walked toward her.

Hermione glared at him as her grasp tightened on the broom. "It's so refreshing to see that you are the type of person who always supports his friends, Ronald," she hissed at him. "I'll have you know that I've been practicing during all of my free time. I will pass this exam."

"Granger, Hermione," the wizard called. Hermione smiled a sickeningly fake smile at Harry and Ron before she rolled her eyes and jogged over to the starting line.

"Good morning young lady," the wizard greeted her. "Now, when you are ready, please put your broom on the ground, summon it into your hand and begin to fly. We will time you to make sure you stay within five minutes."

Hermione took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before she set the broom on the ground. She closed her eyes briefly and tried to remember everything George had taught her. As she pictured his face in her mind, she heard his voice.

"You can do it, Hermione!" George called to her.

Hermione's eyes snapped open and she spotted George sitting at the top of the bleachers smiling and waving to her. He looked like he just woke up, and his hair was sticking up, but he was perfect to her. She finally began to smile again.

"Young lady, please begin your exam," the wizard said impatiently.

Hermione tried to suppress her happiness from seeing George and begin her test. She set the broom down and summoned it back into her outstretched hand. Then she positioned herself on the broomstick and got ready to kick off. She glanced over to George one more time. He stood up and started to do a ridiculous dance while chanting, "Go, Hermione! Go go, Hermione!"

She started to laugh as she kicked off. She was surprisingly relaxed as she started to fly through the obstacles. She pulled herself tight against the broom to make sure her legs wouldn't hit any rings. She could hear George cheering for her in the distance as she began to weave through the spikes. The obstacle course looked enormous, but she mentally tried to break it into smaller parts. She tried her best to move quickly and make precise turns. She focused on George's voice, and before she knew it, she reached the halfway point and spun around the pole three times. This made her slightly dizzy and she was moving a bit slower on the second half. Then she nicked her shoe on one of the spikes. It took all of her strength to pull the broom straight again. Hermione's heart was pounding so hard, she was wouldn't have been surprised if everyone on the pitch heard it.

"You're almost there! As fast as you can!" George called to her.

Hermione leaned almost flat against the broom as she gained speed and cut through the air. As she passed through the rings, she held her breath for the final descent. She needed to touch the ground on the other side of the line as quickly as she could. With George's voice echoing through her mind, she managed to land somewhat gracefully as she gripped the broomstick.

"Sir, did I make it in time?" she asked the referee wizard as her knees shook with anticipation.

George was in the stands holding his breath. He couldn't hear Hermione and the referee talking, so he was waiting to see Hermione's reaction.

"Miss Granger," the wizard began, "Your official time is four minutes and forty-one seconds. You pass with Exceeds Expectations."

Hermione squealed with delight as she jumped up and down, flailing George's broom through the air in her hand. The judges quickly backed away from her, fearful of her odd behavior. All of the other students had merely accepted their grades and left.

George finally let out the breath he had been holding when he saw Hermione jumping around. He quickly ran down the bleachers toward her. She turned and saw him coming down, so she headed toward him as the judges called the next student.

"I did it!" Hermione sighed breathlessly as George scooped her up into his arms. "I actually did it, George! I got Exceeds Expectations!"

George looked into her sparkling eyes, "I always knew you could. You looked fantastic up there."

"Why are you here, anyway?" Hermione asked him. "It's eight on a Saturday morning."

"I wouldn't miss this for anything," George whispered as he spun Hermione around. "You look pretty hot when you're flying my broom. Besides, you owe me another kiss."

Hermione giggled as she pressed her body against his. They managed to stop spinning around as Hermione's hands wrapped around his shoulders. George pulled her curls loose and let his fingers wander through her long hair. He leaned down and kissed her very gently as she sighed. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and his fingers splayed over her lower back. Hermione moaned lightly as his fingers made contact with her skin. After a few moments, Hermione surprised him by pulling him even closer and parting her lips. George loved the wet heat of her mouth overpowering his senses. After a few very pleasurable moments, George pulled away slightly.

"I should probably tell you… I'm crazy about you," he whispered. "Absolutely bonkers. And I can't be held responsible for anything crazy I might do unless you agree to be my girlfriend."

Hermione's only response was pulling George back down for another kiss as she whispered "Yes."

It was then that Ron charged over to them and loudly cleared his throat. Hermione let go of George and turned toward the intruder.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Hermione?!" Ron squeaked. "Don't tell me that you're so desperate for attention that you're kissing George! You have nothing in common with him… besides, you could have been with me!"

George, who was clenching his fists, was about to respond, but Hermione beat him to it. "Are you kidding me, Ronald?" Hermione snapped. "This has nothing to do with you. I happen to like George, and the feeling is mutual."

At this point Harry joined the trio and asked, "Um, Hermione? Now that you're done with this test, can you help me and Ron study for the rest of our O.W.L.s?"

"You're joking too, right?" Hermione growled. "Neither of you ever help me with anything. And besides, I currently have plans for the day. You can use my outlines which I left in the common room, but I'm not going to help either of you otherwise."

A very dejected looking Ron just shook his head. "What do you have to do that's more important?"

"Earth to Ron," George said as he swiped a hand in front of his brother's face. "She was busy snogging her boyfriend. Now run along."

Ron and Harry began to blush as they turned and walked back to the castle.

Hermione turned back to George and smiled. "Will you walk to Hogsmeade with me?"

"Of course. What do you need to get?" George asked as he relaxed and took her hand.

Hermione smiled up at him as she said, "Well, I was hoping you'd help me pick out a broom of my own. When you and Fred are gone next year, someone is going to need to take your place on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I'm pretty comfortable on a broom now, and I think I would rather enjoy hitting Malfoy with bludgers. I'll need my own broom if I'm going to try out to be a Beater."

George's jaw dropped and Hermione cracked up. "You're not kidding, are you?" he asked. "Because I happen to find cute girls who play Quidditch to be exceptionally attractive," he said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"No, I'm serious," she laughed. "Now, which broom do you like better: the Cleansweep Eleven or the Comet Two Ninety?"

They walked to Hogsmeade hand in hand while Hermione enjoyed the sound of George's voice as he explained the differences in the brooms.

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The End!!!

Hermione and George are honestly so cute, I can hardly freakin' stand it!

I hope you enjoyed Takeoffs and Landings! Please leave me a review if you did... that way I may become more motivated to finish my Valentine story! Review, Review:)