Chapter 21

I didn't sleep long and woke to find Oliver watching me. "I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to get you involved in anything."

"You didn't get me involved in anything," he answered. "I didn't know who I was rushing off to rescue when I first heard the screams. I wasn't going to let anyone be harmed if I could stop it."

"I'm sorry about before," I added. "I never meant that I was sorry for marrying you. I was just scared. And I've really missed you this month."

"It's forgotten, B," he promised. "And while we're at it, I'm sorry for being a stupid prat for the last month. I've missed you too."

"So, then, does this mean you still love me?" I teased.

"Like I could ever stop," he joked. "But truthfully, yes, I still love you. I always have; I always will. Now you should really try to get some sleep." He hesitated and acted like he had more to tell me.

"What aren't you saying?" I asked.

"Madame Pomfrey told me," he stammered. "She said that she couldn't save the baby. I should have spoken to you yesterday when you were in my office. This whole nightmare could have been prevented." I didn't know what to say. Oliver sat quietly with me for what seemed like eternity. I was crying silently and he tried to brush away my tears, but I could feel his tears bouncing off my head.

"Will you read to me?" I asked after several long moments. It had been our tradition since we were small. If one of us was sick, the other would read until we fell asleep. I pulled out my copy of our favorite book (Now We Are Six, by A.A. Milne) and handed it over. I drifted off, listening to Oliver's velvety voice reading the poems in that book that he knew were my favorites.

When I woke next, it was morning and Oliver was sleeping, the book still propped on his chest. I slid it out of his hand and laid it on the table. I was snuggling as close to him as I could get when the door opened and my mother burst into the hospital wing. "What have you done, Bryony Leigh Martin?" she demanded.

"I think your parents know, love," Oliver muttered, rousing from his slumber. "We got married, Mrs. Martin," he said to my mother. "We all know that you would never allow us to have the wedding we wanted, so we got married."

"And why are your parents not here?" she snarled.

"They've known since August, Mum," I answered. "We told them and begged them not to tell you. Don't be mad at Stella and Duncan. Where's Dad?"

"He'll be here in a moment," she replied. "He's with Professor Flitwick to collect your things."

"I'm not leaving school," I said. "I want to finish my N.E.W.T.s."

"You're lucky we're not looking to have your wedding annulled," she snarled. "Your father and I have agreed that we will no longer pay your tuition. You are to come home immediately, or don't come home at all."

"We'll pay her tuition," Oliver said. "She can stay if she wants; it's entirely up to her."

"Then it is as it should be," Mum said. "She's your problem now. Will you also pay for healer training?"

"I'll pay for anything that she wants," Oliver promised. "If she wants to go to healer training, she's welcome to go. If she wants to go to the Arts Academy, she's welcome to go." The last bit he said staring right into my eyes. Mum's nostrils flared and she looked like she was ready to scream when my dad arrived, followed by Professor Flitwick.

"Pumpkin, you're coming home with us," he ordered.

"No, I'm not," I replied. "I'm staying in school and finishing my education. Mum told me you're not going to pay and that's fine. I have another family that will take care of me."

"Why did you elope?" Dad asked, sitting on the edge of my bed. Oliver had vacated his seat to glare at my mother just before Dad came in.

"Because, Dad, everyone in here knows that there was no way that Oliver and I would have been permitted to have the wedding we wanted with Mum running the show. This way, we got some control over everything. You lot can't be mad that we're married. You arranged it when we were babies. Now, live with the consequences of your actions."

"Leona, Bryony can stay in school and we'll keep paying for it," Dad said finally. "And they'll have the wedding they want this summer at our house." I nodded, agreeing to that single condition. Mum seethed, but relented. "You can go dress shopping over Christmas, and congratulations, princess."

"Thanks, Dad," I answered, confused. My Dad had never called me princess, and rarely used pet names for me. My parents left and I looked at Oliver. "What just happened?"

"I wish I knew," he laughed. "I think your father stood up to your mother, though I never thought I'd see the day."

"Did you say something to him over the summer?" I asked.

Oliver blushed and nodded. "The day after your birthday party while you were unpacking and taking a nap, I went over to see your Dad. I told him that he was being an arse and should wake up and be happy with the child he has, not the one that doesn't exist." I leapt at him and kissed him fully. "So, I guess you're not mad about it then."

"Shut up. Could you see if I can leave?" I asked Oliver. He got up and went to fetch Madam Pomfrey to confirm whether I could leave. She came back and released me, especially since it was a Sunday, which meant no classes.

After leaving the Hospital Wing, I took Oliver to Ravenclaw tower. "I don't want you wandering the castle alone," he begged on the way. "The Slytherins might be looking for payback since Jeffries is getting expelled."

"Alright," I answered. "I don't really fancy going through that again." I had fully expected this from him, so I had resigned not to fight about it and, honestly, I was glad to have him back as a fixture at my side.

After stopping by my dormitory, Oliver led us towards the Great Hall. "Do you think everyone knows what happened?" I asked, nervously. I was slightly embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know what Jeffries had tried to do.

"I certainly haven't told anyone," he promised. "I'm sure people know that Jeffries was tossed on his sorry arse, but I don't know if they know why. You did nothing wrong and have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Thanks," I said. "Can I sit with you?"

"I would prefer it if you did," he answered, with a smile. "And if you want, after we eat, we can spend some time together, before I have quidditch training."

"I'd love to," I replied.

We arrived at the Great Hall and I was immediately jeered at by the Slytherin table. I tried to hide my face behind Oliver, but they were taunting him too. Somehow, they blamed us for Jeffries being expelled. Oliver continued to remind me that it was his fault, not mine, that he got kicked out of school. We sat at the Gryffindor table so that Oliver's friends could help protect me from any unwanted glares or gestures. When we finished eating, I asked Oliver to see me back to Ravenclaw tower so that I could shower and change.

"I'll wait in the common room," he promised when we arrived. He took a seat on one of the sofas while I went up to the girls' dormitories.

Nearly as soon as I opened the door, Jemma and Christie set upon me. "Where have you been?" they demanded.

"Hospital wing," I answered. "And before you ask, I really don't want to talk about it. I had a horrible experience yesterday. The good news is that Oliver and I are now fine." I scurried into the shower to avoid their pestering questions. They followed and shouted questions through the shower stalls, which I ignored.

When I emerged from the shower, I went back to the common room to fetch Oliver. He was waiting, as he promised, on the sofa in front of the fire. "Your housemates are really distrustful of Gryffindors," he teased.

"We all think you're here to steal our homework," I joked. "Little do they know that you don't have to steal our homework."

"Shall we go, then?" he asked. I nodded and took his hand.

We walked in silence through the castle, barely speaking until we got outside. The few people we passed were either Gryffindors or Ravenclaws and were not angry with us for any reason. Some of them were actually happy that Jeffries was gone and patted me on the back. "Do you think they know?" I asked.

"Love," Oliver started, "they know that Jeffries is out of school because of something that happened with you, but I'm sure they don't know the details. And unless you told someone else about the other thing, no one knows about that. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I answered. "I want to forget it ever happened. I want to not feel like I need at least 6 more showers to get his stench off of me."

"Let's sit down," he suggested. I was starting to become hysterical. He led us to a secluded spot by the lake and sat next to me. "Take a deep breath and tell me what to do."

"I was so scared," I cried. Since I first woke up, I had not really dealt with what had happened; I had been too busy trying to keep Oliver from getting in trouble and fighting with my parents, and trying to sleep. Oliver put his arm around me and let me cry into his chest. "I really thought he was going to do something horrible. If you hadn't shown up…" I trailed off.

"Shh," he whispered. "It'll be alright. I did show up, and he didn't get to do something really horrible. And now, he's gone. He can't hurt you right now."

"What about his mates?" I asked. "They're going to want retribution."

"I'll be with you as much as I can be," he promised. "Come to the pitch today while I have training. There are always a few Gryffindors in the stands watching. You can stay with them." I nodded. "We have to go to the pitch now. Can you walk or should I carry you?"

"Carry me, please," I answered. He got up and picked me up, carrying me all the way to the pitch. I waited in his office while he changed. Fred and George Weasley popped in and offered to hex any Slytherin that came near me. I thanked them for the offer, but declined, for now.

I sat in the stands with a few Gryffindors, including the twins' younger brother, Ron, and his friend, Hermione. "You and Oliver are together?" Hermione asked.

"We're married," I answered, without thinking. It hadn't occurred to me that the entire school was not yet aware that we were married.

"Really?" she asked. "Are you sure that's allowed?"

"There aren't any rules against it," I answered. "And Professor Dumbledore is aware." I had stopped paying much attention to the younger ones while I watched Oliver's practice. It seemed to take hours before they landed and he came to fetch me.

When Oliver did return, I, again, followed him into his office in the locker rooms. "I've got a team meeting for a bit and then I'm going to have a shower before we head back. Do you want to stay here?" he said. I nodded and waited on the sofa. I started to get cold, so I borrowed a sweatshirt from his locker and curled up on the sofa. I must have dozed off, because the next thing I remember was Oliver shaking my shoulders to wake me up as I was screaming.

"B, wake up," he said. "It's alright. Nobody is going to hurt you now." He stroked my back and held me very tight. "Guys, practice is over." The team had followed him into his office. They, silently, left.

"I'm sorry," I sniffed. I didn't realize I had been crying too.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he promised. "You'll get through this. I promise and then, we'll start planning what we'll do after graduation."

"We have to survive this year, though," I replied. "Hit the showers."

"You'll be alright here?" he asked. I nodded and assured him that I would be fine while he got showered and changed. When he returned, we slowly walked back to the Great Hall for dinner.

We ate at the Ravenclaw table. Christie acted annoyed with me. "Have I done something?" I asked.

"You lied to us about getting married," she snapped. "And I can't believe that Jemma is not angry with you right now." Then, she ignored me for the rest of the meal. Oliver tried to take the blame, telling her that it was his idea not to tell anyone. "That's bollocks, Oliver!" she shouted. "I know that if Bryony had wanted to tell us, she would have." I quickly became uncomfortable sitting with my own house, so I finished eating and got up to leave.

When dinner was over, Oliver insisted on seeing me back to Ravenclaw tower, even though my friends promised to get me back safely. We stood outside the doorway for a few moments. "Will you be alright tonight?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," I promised, stroking his face. "Don't worry your pretty face about me."

"I wish I could be with you for the night, just to be sure," he said. "I'll see you in the morning." He kissed my forehead and let me go back to my dorm.

I showered, again, and crawled into bed. I woke up a few hours after I went to bed, in a cold sweat. Jemma asked if I was alright, and I answered, to the dark, "I'm fine. Just a nightmare." I lay back down, but was unable to get back to sleep.

Oliver noticed that I looked tired the next morning at breakfast. I explained that I just had a nightmare and he suggested getting a dreamless sleep draught from Madame Pomfrey. I didn't want to take it if I didn't have to, so I declined for the moment. I also agreed that if I didn't start sleeping better soon, I would go to her.

By the end of the week, I had barely slept. It was so bad that on Friday, I fell asleep leaning on Oliver in Transfiguration. "Mr. Wood, Miss Martin," Professor McGonagall called at the end of class. "Would you care to explain why you were sleeping in my class, Miss Martin?"

"I'm sorry Professor," I replied. "I've been having a little trouble sleeping and I don't want to need a dreamless sleep draught to sleep."

"Have you been aware of this, Mr. Wood?" she asked, her lips forming a straight line.

"I have," he answered. "It might help if we're allowed to share sleeping quarters, Professor. Bryony won't feel like she's alone and I can help calm her down if she has a nightmare."

"You both have a free period after lunch," Professor McGonagall said. "Meet me here." We agreed and left for our next class.

After lunch, we returned to Professor McGonagall's classroom. She told us to follow her, so we did. "I have spoken with Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick," she said. "You will now have quarters here." She led us to a painting and opened the door behind it. We were being granted our own quarters, which we would share.

"Thank you, Professor," I said. "If I may ask, why did you agree to this?"

"Because, Miss Martin, you didn't use your marriage to try to get to share quarters," she answered. "You've shown a lot of maturity."

"It's Mrs. Wood, Professor," I said, smiling when she left us alone.