All characters belong to JKR

(This chapter is written for oliverwoodgirl if for no other reason than her name, and she is one of my betas!)

Part IV: Oliver and Hermione:

"I'm sorry, lass, but if you can't come up with the money by the end of the day, then I have to sell. I told you that very thing three months ago. I don't know what else to say or do," Oliver Wood told Hermione Granger as they sat in a booth at their favourite coffee shop.

Oliver hated telling her that, and he could tell she wasn't taking it well, but he didn't know what else to do.

He could tell the cogs in her head were spinning. He owned the building where she not only lived, but also had her bookstore. He told her three months ago that he was moving to Canada, and that he was going to have to sell off most of his property for capital to finance a Quidditch training program he was starting to help underprivileged young witches and wizards. She had three months to figure out what to do, and now they were down to the wire, so he was forced to sell to someone else, because she couldn't come up with the money.

"Time's up, girl," he said sadly. "I wish I had unlimited money, and could just give you the building, or even keep it, and let you manage it, but I really need the start up capital, and I'm signing the final papers for the sale at Gringotts this afternoon."

"Oh, Oliver," she said, placing her head in her hands.

"Did you ask Potter for the money?" he asked.

"Money and friendship don't mix," she said. "He would loan me the money in a heartbeat, no, he would give me the money in a heartbeat, but I don't want to take advantage of him like that. Likewise, my parents would give me the money, but their money is all wrapped up in their practice and in their retirement fund. I don't want them to touch it."

Hermione sighed and took another drink of coffee. Then she said, "Maybe you could tell the new owners I want to stay on, and we could come to an agreement."

"I tried that, girl, but they want to tear the building down and build condos, or some such rubbish," he said. The new owners, was really just one person, and while that wasn't quite true, that was the story he was told to tell her.

He hated lying to her. He hated causing her pain. She had been like the little sister he had never had, and he wanted to shield her from the harsh realities of the world, no matter what they were, but he knew he couldn't, at least not in this case.

"Oliver, are you sure they are intent on tearing down? That building is hundreds of years old! Are you certain?"

"Ask me an easier question, Hermione. Ask me why the grass is green or the sky is blue, or why I talk with a Scottish brogue," he laughed.

"Ha, ha," she said solemnly. "Maybe if I go to the bank, one more time, and I get down on my hands and knees and beg, they might loan me the money."

"You've tried that, twice, and it's not worked," he said. "I'm sorry, Lass. I really am," he said. She could tell that he meant it. She held his hand from across the table, to try to comfort him.

That was the way she was. He marveled at that quality. Even though she was the one in distress, she was trying to comfort him. That was always the way with Hermione Granger. He remembered when she was small, and Draco Malfoy called her a Mudblood for the first time. Everyone gasped; shocked that someone would use that word. Even though she was a little girl, she didn't cry. She wanted to, everyone could tell, but she was brave and strong and held the tears at bay.

Grace and bravery…that was Hermione Granger.

And smart. He recalled that time she charmed Harry's glasses so they wouldn't fog up and they could repel the rain during a Quidditch match. Oliver was so grateful at the time that he almost kissed her!

He also recalled, with certain sadness, how small and fragile she seemed after the Battle of Hogwarts. After the battle, he found her kneeling down beside the body of Remus Lupin and Oliver Wood's heart broke for her that day. It broke for many people, but especially for her. At that time, he wasn't even aware of everything she and Harry and Ron had gone through, (Harry wouldn't tell that story until sometime later), but Oliver knew that it was hard, and she carried the burden without complaint.

Afterwards, their world wanted to bestow praise and accolades on the three, but none of them would have it. Each of them just wanted to go on with their lives. The Ministry even gave them all a sizeable cash reward. Each of them donated their money to worthy charities.

If she had taken that money, she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. A mess that wasn't of her making, a mess that he caused, a mess that she was comforting him for causing. Yes, she was compassionate.

When Oliver first mentioned to her that he was leaving the country, and that he would have to sell the building, the first thing he said was, "Too bad you didn't take that money from the Ministry five years ago." She told him that none of them defeated Voldemort for money. They did it for their fellow man.

Oliver and Hermione tried dating twice. The first time it was apparent they were better friends, but they still went on a second date, which was awkward. He remembered when he leaned in to kiss her goodnight, at the last moment he turned his face and kissed her forehead. Then they both laughed. If he had kissed her on the mouth, it would have felt like kissing his sister…wrong in so many ways. Therefore, they become friends.

He wished he could be a better friend to her now. He wished he could fix everything for her and make her life easier. Lighten her load. He knew most of her friends felt that way about her, which was odd. Everyone wanted to take care of Hermione Granger, yet he had never met a woman who needed taken care of less than she did. He really felt the need to put his arms around her, hold her, and never let her go. Never let pain touch her heart again. He smiled at that thought. He knew if a man tried to do that to Hermione Granger, she would probably curse the living daylights out of him! His smile brought her out of her deep thoughts and she said, "What?"

"Nothing, I'm just remembering things. I really do have to go to Gringotts and sign those papers, Hermione," he said, as he stood.

"I'll join you," she said. "I want one last chance to try to get that money. Will you at least wait for that?"

"Of course," he said, although he knew she would not succeed, he would wait.

It was a blustery fall day outside. When they entered the tall, wizarding bank, Hermione's hair blew forward as they walked in the large foyer, hiding her face and obstructing her view. They both laughed as Oliver smoothed her hair out of her face. Neither noticed the man standing over at the side, leaning against the wall, watching with envy the entire exchange.

This man knew Hermione and Oliver wasn't a couple, but he still felt envy and a bit of jealousy. He saw the Scottish man kiss her cheek and then she walked down the hall, away from him. He waited for the man to see him. He wondered how Oliver Wood could leave such a girl, to go to another country, even if they weren't dating. Even if they were just friends. How could he bare to leave her? Draco knew if he had her for a friend, or perhaps more, he would never leave her.

Before he could ponder these things more, Oliver Wood saw him and waved. He walked over to Draco and said, "I'll sign your papers, but I promised Hermione I would wait to see if she could borrow the money for the building first. I owe her that much, seeing that I'm rendering her unemployed and homeless."

"They won't loan her the money," Draco said. "I promise you that. Come on, let's get this over with." Draco pointed toward a room, and Oliver followed.

Oliver and Malfoy walked into a large conference room. "Honestly, Malfoy," Oliver said, "Maybe I should hold off signing the papers until I see if Hermione gets the money. I told her I would give her that chance, and you can't know for sure that they won't change their minds and give her the loan."

Draco turned toward the man, but then sat down at the table. He looked tired to Oliver. Oliver sat across from him. Draco said, "Gringotts will not loan her the money, because I told them if they did, I would withdraw every galleon I have in the place. Now will you sign?"

Oliver stood up so suddenly that his chair fell over. "What have you done, Malfoy? Forget it! The deals off! I would rather give her the building and suffer the consequences myself than have you manipulate her for some sick, twisted, plot of revenge, no matter how much I need the money."

"Oh, sit down, Wood," Draco said. "Why would I seek revenge on Hermione Granger?"

"What else could this be about, if not hate and revenge?" Oliver asked, picking up his chair and sitting down. He banged his hand on the table and said, "I don't see why you are working against Hermione. You are leaving her homeless and unemployed in one swipe."

Draco raised his eyebrows and said, "No, as you stated earlier, you are."

Oliver ignored that fact, because he already felt guilty enough, and said, "What has she done to you? You surely don't want that building, so it has to come back to her."

"You're right," Draco said, almost acting bored now. "It's not about the building. The place is a dump. But, it's a dump you've already promised to me, so if you don't mind, sign the papers, or I will get my solicitors in here and remind you that we already have a binding verbal agreement."

"So it's not about the building, but about hurting Hermione?" Oliver asked. "Why? She's a kind, sweet girl, Malfoy! She's never done anything bad to you!"

Now Draco was the indignant one. He stood and pushed his chair back so hard it banged into the wall. He walked over to Oliver, who also stood. He said, "You're right again, Wood! She's never done anything bad to me!"

"Then why?"

"My reasons are my own!"

Oliver shook his head and said, "Not a good enough answer for me, Malfoy. I don't care if you sue me. I'm not signing. You have to have a dubious objective here, and if it's just because she's a Mudblood…"

"Sit your arse down, Wood!" Draco shouted. Oliver remained standing. "I am no longer a child! I don't even use that word anymore!"

Oliver calmed down, because something changed about Malfoy's countenance, his whole demeanor changed, when Oliver said the word 'Mudblood'. He sat back down, and so did Malfoy, but in Oliver's opinion, Draco seemed defeated suddenly.

In a very calm voice, Oliver said, "I just want to understand why."

Draco put his head in his hands. He didn't look at the other man when he said, "She offered me a kindness once, when no one else did. It may sound like a little thing to you, but it changed my life. I'm going to repay her by giving her the building." He looked up suddenly. Oliver could tell that Draco never meant to reveal his true intentions. He suddenly said, "But you can't tell a soul, Wood!"

"Draco," the older man said with kindness, "she won't accept your charity, no matter the good intentions. She's proud. She was in Gryffindor, after all. She wouldn't even go to Harry for the money, and he has plenty and would give it to her in a second."

"It's not charity," Draco said, almost urgently. "It's payment in kind. Surely she would take it."

"I know she won't," Oliver said. "Listen, Malfoy, I can see your purpose is good, but if you truly want Hermione to have the building, which I can see you do, you are going to have to go about it in a totally different way. You should somehow offer her the money to buy it, as a loan or something."

"Buy my own building from myself?" Draco asked.

"Something like that, otherwise, she won't do it," Oliver said.

"But I don't want her money! No, I won't loan her money," Draco said.

"Then figure out another way, but she will never just take the building from you, Malfoy. Never. I've gotten to know her very well over the years, and she's got her pride," Oliver stated.

"Maybe I could have her repay me other ways," Draco said, thinking aloud. "Perhaps I could have her do something for me in exchange for the building."

Oliver stared at him for a moment and then said, "Hey, Malfoy, she's not a common prostitute! She won't exchange sex for the building either!"

Draco looked up suddenly and said, "Get your tartan-covered mind out of the gutter, Wood! It's not like that! Granger would never agree to something like that, anyway." Draco stood back up and walked over to the windows. He said, "I told you earlier, she was kind to me once when I needed kindness. She offered me friendship, even though I had only ever offered her seven years of pain. I have to repay that. It's a debt that weighs on me daily."

He turned to Oliver. "I know she's proud, and would never accept my gift. I know that now, so I will make it a business arrangement. Just sign the papers. I have things to do. Unlike you, I can't loiter around here all day."

Oliver thought for a moment, then reached across the table, grabbed the documents and a quill, and signed the papers.

As Draco and Oliver were leaving the room together, they saw Hermione flying past. Oliver called to her, and Draco stepped back into the room, leaving the door opened a crack so he could hear what she said.

"Hermione!" Oliver called out.

She turned back around, threw herself in Oliver's arms and in despair she said, "It's hopeless! They won't loan me the money! I don't know what else to do, Oliver. I can't go to Harry, I just can't. Everyone always go to him for money, and I for one would never do that to him. My dream is over." She put her head on his chest, her arms hanging down at her sides. She didn't cry, she just stood there, numb and defeated.

"It's too late anyway, Lass. I just signed the papers." Oliver held her tight and stroked her hair.

She pushed away from him slightly and said, "Who bought it?"

Draco stepped out of the doorway and cleared his throat. Hermione pushed away from Oliver and looked at him, and the she looked back at Oliver, for confirmation that she hoped wouldn't come. However, the confirmation came from Draco, not Oliver, when Draco said two words, "I did."

(Part five dedicated to Hiddenstarrz. She picked out who Hermione would end up with in this story, so all the Dramione fans out there should thank her!)