After probably the longest hiatus I've taken writing this, here's a longish chapter for you to enjoy!
Singing Songs of Love
"When I look into your eyes,
Your love is there for me…"
-It's All Too Much, The Beatles
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Hermione was in the Common Room, absentmindedly playing a game of chess with Ron, who was obviously winning, when Harry burst in.
"Hermione," he said softly, his eyes shining with concern for his friend, "It's for you, probably from Oliver."
It had been a week and three days since he'd left, and Hermione hadn't heard a thing from him. She'd taken off the ring, for she was often distracted from her schoolwork when she wore it.
Dear Miss Granger,
We greatly regret to inform you that Mr. Oliver Wood was found, injured, in Diagon Alley. He is currently in the Weasley Home for Healing in Diagon Alley, where, according to Dr. Penelope Weasley, he is unconscious, but improving. He asks for you in his state; we thought it best to inform you of his condition. Enclosed is a Portkey for 9:00 PM tonight; you have Professor Dumbledore's permission to leave.
Thank you,
Dr. Percy Weasley
Hermione ran out of the room, clutching the necklace that had fallen from the envelope, and up the stairs to her dormitory.
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Parvati was sitting on her bed, writing a love letter to Draco Malfoy, when Hermione entered, her face pale.
"Hermione, what in the world is wrong?" she asked, as the girl ran to the adjoining bathroom, where she began to vomit. Finally, she collapsed to the floor, a necklace still clutched tightly in her hands.
"What is it?" Parvati demanded still, catching her just before her head hit the cold marble floor.
After a quarter of an hour, her eyes finally opened, their chocolate brown startlingly dark in her ghostly pale face, and she struggled from Parvati's now-limp hold on her.
"Hermione, what is the matter? First you get a letter, then you run off, then you get sick and collapse, and now you're running off! Tell me what's going on, or I'll take you straight to Madame Pomfrey!" Parvati led the girl to a chair in the dormitory as she said this, fighting Hermione's protests to be let go of immediately.
"Parvati, shut up and tell me what time it is! I am not your child; I am the Head Girl, for crying out loud! This letter has shocked me, that's all. Will you let me go now, and please tell me the time?" Hermione said, managing to hide the necklace in her pocket.
"It's 6:30; you've been out cold for fifteen minutes! Hermione, you look horrible; do you want to pass your N.E.W.T.s? Come on, let me take you to Madame Pomfrey; I'm sure Harry and Ron will want to know where you are, at the very least."
But Hermione's face was buried in her hands, and sobs were now racking her body. "Parvati, why should they care? Do you know how little they've talked to me; how they only talk to the other boys in our year? Have you noticed how much I've talked to Oliver this year, and how much I've begun to speak to you? But do they care? No, I'm just Hermione-in-the-corner, always comforting and motherly after they've broken up with some ditzy Hufflepuff 5th year, always there! I'm sick of being the goody-two-shoes!" And then, dissolving into sobs, she couldn't see Parvati's look of shock at her outburst.
"Hermione, you need to see Madame Pomfrey. Now. Or I'll drag you there myself, honestly! You'll do much better in your studies if you feel well," she answered, quickly hugging Hermione and then proceeding to drag her to the Common Room, where Ron and Harry ran to her, looks of concern on their faces. They opened their arms to her, and, with a look of utter joy on her face, she ran to them and embraced them, her face shining with radiated joy.
"Hermione," Harry whispered as he hugged her, "Oliver will be all right; Percy's taking care of him, Great Wizards! Tell him I say hello, and Hermione? You know that Ron and I will be here, don't you?"
Of course, what with Ron being Ron, he said, "Oh, dammit, Hermione! Harry and I, well, we've been sort of preoccupied… Isn't it horrible? Us being more preoccupied than the super-student Hermione Granger! Give Oliver a hi for me, and tell him that we'll all go out to ice cream when this dratted fight is over."
Hermione never saw hide nor hair of Madame Pomfrey that night. But Parvati, laughing as she and Harry were singed in a game of Exploding Snap, knew that something was still horribly amiss.
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She is at Oliver's bedside, clutching his hand, tears streaming from her eyes. Percy has told her that she can stay for two days, that her schoolwork will be sent to her; he keeps babbling until he leads her into the quiet room where Oliver is, but she cannot hear him. She can only see her pale young man, his veins shocking blue against the pale white of his skin.
Later, after Percy has left, his bumbling words gone with him, a feeling of peace settles over her, sitting here, stroking her love's hand. But he does not see her, and tears begin to fall from her eyes onto his hands. Then, remembering her mother's arms around her as a little girl, she begins to sing-
"Oh yea, I'll tell you something, I hope you understand… When I say that something, I wanna hold your hand…" Her voice is only slightly out of tune, but she doesn't care, nor does the man who she now kisses on the forehead. "And when I touch you I feel happy, inside. It's such a feeling that my love, I can't hide…"
Her mother used to sing it to her, when the neighborhood girls rang her doorbell, and then loudly insulted her. She would hug Hermione, offer her a cookie, and then sing a Beatles song. Unlike Hermione, her mother's voice seemed to be perfect, but she felt content, kissing her lover and singing him a song that never failed to make her smile.
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Later that night, when she had fallen asleep, she heard a voice calling her softly, and woke up, looking into brown eyes clouded with sadness.
"Oliver, dear, are you all right?" she asks, her voice sickeningly cheery as she embraces him, his head on her stomach.
"Hermione, you came!" he says, and, as he raises his arm to her, she can see the scars left there, barely healed, still pink and tender.
"Oh, Oliver, of course I'd come! I love you, dear. Mind you, though I can stay a while, I'll have to study…" She kisses his cheek, noticing with dismay how cold it is, and sits him back down on the soft bed.
"How was your week and a half?" He asks, a hand twining through her hair as he kisses her nose, her cheeks, her forehead.
"Oliver-less, to say the least… Parvati was threatening to take me to Madame Pomfrey, but it's probably either too much sugar or PMS. But how are you so well, so suddenly? You were out cold about an hour ago!" she says, tucking the quilts up to his shoulders. As if remembering his pain, his face grows paler, and he does not respond for a few minutes. Finally, he whispers to her, the words barely reaching her ears.
"Would you sing to me again?"
And she does, of yellow submarines and bands with lonely hearts, of Lucy with her diamonds, and of songs that seem wrong. Most importantly, though, she sings of love.
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The three days go by all too quickly for Hermione, but yet, she finds it almost unbearable to see her love suffering as he is. For she knows, though he puts on a grin when she's there to see him, he betrays himself in sleep. Finally, she makes him lie still as she whispers to him, comforts him, kisses him.
Percy gives her a Portkey for Saturday afternoon and Sunday, and begs her to keep up with her schoolwork. She smiles sadly, but thanks him. Then, after a kiss for Oliver, she is speeding back to Hogwarts.
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Author's Note: Did you like all the Beatles references? They're the band I'm currently obsessed with; I love their music so much! Especially the Yellow Submarine CD, which I think everyone should go out and buy as soon as possible… Yes, I will try to get chapters out sooner; I promise. I've been rather busy with school, music, vacation, and creating a language. So, to thank my dear, darling reviewers:
G*Ness- Thank you! Sorry about not reviewing so many of your chapters; I've been rather busy writing stuff… It's funny, Sophie's World is supposedly an international bestseller, but I'd never heard of it until my friends started reading it. ;)
michee- I'm forever grateful to you for reminding me that I had to write about Ron and Harry! Well, this chapter has 'em both, and the next chapters should have them more and more, as well. And thanks for telling me I'm not stupid; however, you may now think so, considering how long it took me to get this chapter out… An O/H child fan, eh? I may be with you on this…
Moony- And now you're going to throttle me for making you wait, aren't you? :) Joking, but I agree, LOTR isn't to everyone's taste (everyone in my family 'cept for me doesn't really like it). Hope you enjoy this chapter!
cinder- Thank you! My plots can be dull; I like to think that the characters make up for this…
BabyStar- Danke! The new chapter is up, and I'm working on the next one as soon as this is posted!
Kneazle- Yes, a very popular pairing; I like to think that it's gaining on Hermione/Snape… I hope you liked this longer chapter, and thank you for the constructive crit! Another of my stories, Ophiuchus Ascending, has longer chapters, and chapter 2 was posted recently; you might wanna check that out. Again, merci, thank you!
LOTR&HPLver- Thank you! May I suggest reading any of G*Ness's stories? Or type in "Oliver Hermione" under the summary search?
Again, the new chapter should be up in about a week, but please don't clobber me if it takes longer… Thanks for reading; please remember to review!
Rosie Sinistra