Chapter Three
He was wobbling on his feet, unsteady and she could smell the alcohol – thick in his breath. She took a deep breath of cold air. "Wood, I really need you to answer my questions." Hermione sighed exasperatedly.
He stopped walking and dropped her hand. He turned to face her, his nose slightly pink – from the cold or the alcohol, Hermione didn't know. "There's always something with you, isn't there Granger? There's always something you need that I can't provide." He scowled.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise, also remembering the morning that was fuelling his anger. "Wood..." She tried to reason tiredly.
"No, Hermione. Do you remember it?" He asked, his face suddenly very close to hers. "Do you remember how I woke up that morning, and you wouldn't let me say what I needed to say?"
"Y-yes." She stuttered, knowing what was coming.
"Well, I'm going t' say it now, alright?" He asked, quite forcefully. He pointed one calloused finger at her, his eyes holding some kind of emotion that she couldn't quite place. It was burning into her, though, and as he took a deep breath, she felt as though she knew his words already.
She swallowed. "Wood, please, I don't think –"
He cut her off. "That's what you do. You think too much!" He said loudly and THUNK!
Hermione gasped as Oliver rolled over in pain, having slipped on the icy ground and hit his head on the nearest rock. Oh, he was full of luck today. She shook her head and helped him up. "C'mon, you, better get you into St. Mungo's." She said, amused, as he tried to stand, finding that he was more unsteady than before. She fought the urge to ask him how his trip was.
"I don't –" He began, but cut himself off with a groan. "To Mungo's." Oliver said, preparing for apparation. Hermione laughed to herself and apparated them both to the hospital with a pop.
They were soon in the waiting room, the nurses having labelled him 'low-risk', and Hermione was getting impatient with the drunken, possibly concussed, Oliver Wood. "Y'know, Hermione, your hair, it stopped bein' so bushy when you left Hogwarts... I think it might be 'cause you stopped stressin' so much." He pointed out.
She put a hand up to her hair self-consciously. "Was it really that bad?" She wondered out loud, more to herself than Oliver.
"Oh, yes. It looked like someone had given yeh and electric shock!" He exclaimed loudly, giving a hearty laugh to go with it.
She scowled. Now Hermione found herself wishing that rock had done a better job and knocked him out cold.
A nurse suddenly came out with her list in hand. "Wood, Oliver." She announced, looking around the room.
"That's me!" He exclaimed, standing up, only to stumble back into a peeved Hermione, who barely caught him. "Oof," He said as she pushed him forward with force. "Sorry darlin'." He said to nurse as he brushed her shoulder.
"Of course, the pretty nurse gets an apology, but I don't." Hermione muttered angrily to herself as she followed Oliver and the nurse through the doors, where she found him a bed with curtains.
"Now, I'll just get a doctor and he'll be sorted out in a moment." She said, leaving Hermione alone with Oliver.
"But your hair isn't so bushy now." He continued as if he had never stopped. "It's nice, and caramel coloured. Almost. More like honey... matches your eyes, I think." He then peered into her eyes, just in case he was wrong. But he wasn't. She leant away from him, the burning smell of fire whiskey making her feel ill.
The doctor entered and Hermione nearly lost her breath. He was gorgeous. He dark hair and blue eyes that seemed... unnatural. He was tall and very handsome, with broad shoulders and large, gentle looking hands. She blinked when he spoke, coming back to earth.
"Now, Mr. Wood?" He asked, gaining a confirming nod from both. "I'm Doctor Hugo. Tell me what happened. How did he hit his head?" He addressed this question to Hermione, who blushed under his gaze.
"Well, he just slipped on the ice, and he hit his head on the – on the rock that was just – there." She finished lamely, feeling like a stuttering teenager again. He smiled and she had to look away.
"May I get your name, too, Miss...?" He asked, holding out his hand.
"Granger, Hermione Granger." She smiled nervously, taking his hand in hers and shaking it.
"Pleasure." He said, smiling down at her.
Oliver was beginning to get impatient. "Are we going to fix me now? Or are you gonna stand there and flirt with her? Because I don't think I need a doctor, I think I need that pretty nurse back here." He slurred.
The Doctor raised his eyebrow at Hermione who laughed almost bitterly. "He has also consumed numerous amounts of alcohol today. Which explains how easily he fell over."
"Only for you, baby." He retorted childishly.
Hermione scowled. "He doesn't really mean that. He's just drunk... and being childish." She said, watching as the doctor examined his head. "Usually he's just really moody."
"You sound like you know him well." The doctor said, insinuating that the two were very close.
Her head snapped up at that remark. "Oh, no, not at all. We dislike each other a lot, actually." She defended casually. He smiled and she found she really liked that smile.
"Open your eyes, Mr. Wood." Doctor Hugo instructed, lighting up his wand. He shone it into Oliver's eyes and nodded to himself, giving Hermione a smile.
"Eyes back on me, Doctor." Oliver said forcefully.
The doctor chuckled, pulling away from his patient. "He's going to be fine. There will be a lump there tomorrow, but other than that, he just needs sleep and a lot of non-alcoholic beverages." He said, amused.
Oliver grinned. "Now we can leave. C'mon, Granger, back to the pub with us."
"Erm, I don't think so, Wood. You're going home." She said sternly, holding him upright from behind as he took each stumbling step.
"You cann'a make me go home if you don't know where it is!" He exclaimed gleefully.
Hermione and the Doctor shared a look of exasperation. "Is there somewhere you can take him? We don't have enough beds for him to stay the night." Hugo advised.
"I'm sure Harry's place can house one more." She sighed, walking him to apparation point. "Thank you, doctor." She smiled and they were gone with a pop.
"Thank you, doctor." Oliver mocked once they were safely landed on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place. "Could you be any more obvious," He hiccupped. "Granger? You were practically drooling."
"Are you jealous, Wood?" She rolled her eyes, calling out for someone once they were inside. "Hello?" She shouted.
"Hermione? What are you doing home so –" Ron froze as he caught sight of Oliver, leaning heavily on the door way. "Whoa. What happened to Oliver?" He asked, watching as he swayed on the spot.
"Long story. Ron, can you put him to bed?" She asked, breathlessly.
"Where do you want him?" He asked, taking hold of Oliver's shoulders and steering him toward the stairs.
"Put him next to Charlie's room." She instructed, rubbing her temples as Ron took him away, his indignant shouts of "I don't need sleep, I need more whiskey" fading away into the house. She sighed. It was time for a bath. A very long bath.
It was at that time that Charlie chose to make an appearance. He walked in, closing the door behind him gently and spotted Hermione. "You're home early." He said, giving her a warm hug.
"Yes, well, Oliver needed somewhere to stay." She said, giving Charlie a look that made him feel guilty from the very soles of his feet.
"So you've been with Oliver, then?" He asked, and Hermione did not miss the mischievous glint to his blue eyes. "That's... good. How is he? I haven't seen him since –"
"Since he broke off the marriage, I know. He's in a terrible state, Charlie." She said sympathetically casting a glance toward the stairs. "There's something else, too... But I just, I just can't place it. He gets this look, as if he's remembering her... He must've really loved her." She theorised, almost jealously.
No, Hermione. He didn't love her. He loves you. Charlie thought with sadness. Too bad he'll never have the guts to tell you.
"Charlie? Are you listening to me?" He shook his head and smiled sheepishly. She sighed. "Never mind, then. What are you doing home today, anyway? I thought you weren't coming back until Monday?"
He gave her a hug. "Well, I was supposed to be working with this one dragon, and collecting samples, but there's this group of Rights Activists, and well, they kind of set him free." He said, giving a chuckle. "I think I'm in love with their leader." He said, before bouncing upstairs, leaving Hermione gaping like a fish at this new revelation.
Was the entire world on love potion?!
