Chapter 5 – Injuries Happen

Oliver had seen the article, but he wasn't as angry as Hermione had been. Having been in the public eye for five years it wasn't the first time his life had been splashed over the pages of the magazines. Especially the time he had had a stalker who hadn't left him alone for a good six months. The press had hounded him for a long time afterwards. But now the girl had been slapped with a restraining order so he didn't have to worry about that one any more. He knew that these stories eventually get boring and people loose interest. The best you can do is sit it out and wait, which was exactly what he intended to do.

Although he may have been used to it he was still bothered by the fact that people were reading about what was going on in his life. It was an odd feeling knowing that people he had never even met knew about his personal life. But, he reminded himself; he had been warned about this when he took the job.

He had wanted to owl Hermione to see how she was taking all of it, he remembered back to the first time he had been in a gossip magazine he had felt completely violated. But, he realised this wasn't the first time Hermione had been written about there was that horrible woman Rita Skeeter.

He had still felt he should have written to her, he really did, but he didn't have the time. This sounded like a lame excuse even to him but it was true. He was twenty three now meaning he probably had about seven years at the most before he was replaced by a younger more able person. He would be classed as old. He would be asked to retire as keeper and he would have nothing to do.

So he had started training even more stay fit and keeping healthy, doing anything he could to keep on top of his game. Stay the best. But to do this he cut so many other things out of his life. His social life, family and friends, he poured all that he could into Quidditch.

Hermione however was still overly pissed off with the reporter so that afternoon she marched into the Witches Weekly main office and demanded to talk to the person who had written the article. The receptionist smiled at her falsely and instructed her to wait on one of the chairs while she went to see if the reporter was in.

Luckily for Hermione she was. After being directed to where the office was Hermione quickly walked down the hall to find this person and give them a piece of her mind.

"Ah Miss Granger how lovely to see you!" The reporter, Helen Crystal, greeted as Hermione walked in.

"I wish I could say the same." Hermione snapped in reply.

"Now what ever can I do for you?" Helen asked with annoying levels of happiness in her voice.

"You can write a retraction to the bloody article you wrote about me and Oliver!" Hermione yelled, slamming the palm of her hand on the desk.

"But you and Mr Wood were out on a date were you not?" Helen asked

"Well yes but that's not the point we're not a couple." Hermione replied through gritted teeth.

"Oh so you've broken up! Can I get a statement from you? This will make a great story!" She grabbed her quill and looked at Hermione expectantly.

"NO! OLIVER AND I HAVE NOT BLOODY BROKEN UP BECAUSE WE WEREN'T DATING IN THE FIRST PLACE." Hermione screeched the last of her patience lost.

"But you went on a date so technically you were dating." Helen pointed out.

"Look do you remember Rita Skeeter?" Hermione asked leaning forward across the desk threateningly, Helen nodded mutely, "Well I'm the reason she doesn't work anymore so if you don't want to go the same way I suggest that you don't so much as think of a new story about Oliver and I and make sure all your colleagues do the same. Do I make myself clear?"

After another nod from Helen, Hermione stormed from the office feeling very pleased with herself.

Oliver was out on the Quidditch pitch, as usual, alone. He had charmed Quaffles to shoot themselves at the goal. Each one he saved. No matter how fast it was going, no matter what direction, he would get there first and send it back out onto the pitch.

As he carried on he began to tire but he didn't stop. He knew he should, if he went on for too long he could strain himself. But he pushed these thought to the back of his mind, the more he practised the better he would get.

As he got worn out his motions slowed and he couldn't think so clearly, he didn't see a second Quaffle shooting towards him and he knocked back another. It clipped his shoulder and drew his attention so that he missed the next. As he went to try to grab it a third whizzed towards him and smacked him straight in the centre of his chest.

Having both hands off the broom his balance was off and the Quaffle took him by surprise. After a moment off blind panic and a futile attempt of making a grab at the broom Oliver found himself slipping backwards.

The air whizzed past his body. He scrabbled blindly at the nothingness hoping that he would find something to stop him falling. The ground came closer and closer. His panic grew. A cried of help came from him lips as he made contact with the ground.

A thud sounded as his body slammed against the hard dried out floor. A crack of bones echoed around the empty pitch.

His body wasn't found until early the next morning by one of his team mates, who had come in for an early training session. As soon as they saw Oliver's crumpled form by the goal posts they called for help.

St Mungo's workers were on the scene quickly and they levitated him away on a stretcher. He was rushed to the hospital as a head trauma as he was now in a coma. He was examined and although he had yet to wake up his levels were stable.

The story released to the press was that he had fallen from his broom and suffered a blow to the head; he also had a comminuted fracture to the leg. He would remain in hospital until his was awake and then he would take time off until the shattered bone in his leg was fully healed.

Hermione was sat at home with her laptop rested on her lap. She was on a roll with the beginning of her third book. She had said to herself that she wouldn't start the book until the second one had been released and she had taken a little break from work. But inspiration had hit and she had to get started before she lost the line of thought.

That was where she was sat when Ginny came racing in.

"Have you heard? It's so terrible!" Ginny said, panting slightly as though she had been running for a while.

"Heard what? What's wrong?" Hermione asked moving the laptop and getting up.

"Oliver. He's in a coma, fell off his broom last night and hit his head, shattered the bone in his leg."

"Oh that's terrible!" Hermione said with her hand to her mouth.

"I think we should go and visit, to see if he's ok." Ginny said.

"We can't go now, they'll only let family in." Hermione reminded her.

"Oliver fell out with his family, they hate him now, don't you remember it was in the papers a few years ago."

"Well you should believe everything you read Ginny." Hermione reminded her hotly.

"But what if he's there all alone and wakes up? How would you feel if you knew no one was there?" Ginny said trying to appeal to Hermione's emotions.

"I'm working we'll go tomorrow."

"Fine." Ginny tutted and walked away.

The next afternoon Ginny dragged Hermione to St Mungo's straight to the information desk.

"Hi there we're here to see Oliver Wood." She said to the woman sat behind the table, with a smile.

"It's family or close relations only I'm afraid." Came the snooty reply.

"Well he's dating Hermione so she's close relation." Ginny answered quickly and thumped Hermione when she started to protest.

"Very well then." The woman sighed. "Fifth floor room 212."

Ginny gave one last grin before heading to the lift Hermione being dragged in toe.

"We are not dating!" Hermione wailed as soon as the lift doors closed.

"Yeh I know that but that snob didn't, look it got us in so that's all that matters. Oh look we're here." Ginny brightly said as the lift opened with a ping.

They walked slowly along the hall looking at the numbers on the doors until they came to the door marked 212. Hermione pushed it open and they stepped inside. To their surprise Oliver was sat up with his eyes open.

"Visitors! Finally! I am so bored you would not believe it." He said with a smile.

"I thought you were in a coma." Ginny said in an accusing voice.

"I am so very sorry," Oliver deadpanned, "there's a pole over there you could make it happen if you really wanted."

Hermione laughed and pulled a chair over to the bed where Oliver was lay. "So how are you feeling?"

"Like I fell fifty feet and my left leg has a comminuted fracture, whatever that is." Oliver joked.

"Good at least you're not hallucinating." Hermione shot back with a small smile. "And a comminuted fracture is where the bone is shattered."

"Is there anything you don't know?" Oliver asked admiringly.

"I'll tell you if I come across anything." She joked, "So when did you wake up?"

"This morning. The team came this afternoon and brought a load of chocolate which them then went on to eat for themselves."

The two girls spent the rest of the afternoon with Oliver before Hermione had to leave to get ready for an interview she had that evening. Her book was being released the next day so she made no promise of returning in the near future.

"So what's the plan for you now?" Ginny asked as she looked around Oliver's small hospital room.

"I don't know I'm usually travelling with the team this time of the year so I've rented my flat out, it's not like I can just tell them to bugger off though is it? I guess I'll just stay at the Leaky Cauldron until my leg heels." Oliver replied.

"How long will that take?"

"Up to twelve weeks with it in a cast then a further four weeks to make sure it's mended before I can even think about mounting a broomstick." Oliver sighed and leaned back against his pillows. This was his worst nightmare.

"How come you can just take a potion like everyone else?"

"I've done that too many times, it's weakening my bones by doing so, so the hospital staff say I will benefit from taking the time off for my bones to heal naturally. And the coach agrees, he says I should take some time out and do some things besides Quidditch." He pulled a face of disbelief and sighed.

"Well he could be right. I mean you don't really do much else, now do you?" Ginny accused.

Oliver gave a mock gasp of pain before laughing. "Hey! I went out with you guys didn't I?" he pointed out.

"And all you did was talk about Quidditch!" She sighed. "Well I have to go now."

She got up and walked to the door. "See you soon Oliver, I'll try and get Hermione to come down and see you when I visit next, if her schedule permits it."

Oliver lay back on the stiff sheets, the material crinkling under his body. He stared at the off-white walls blankly, not taking in anything.

He hated this, Quidditch was his life. And it really was, when most people said that they were just being overly dramatic but Oliver really couldn't think of anything he wanted to do other than Quidditch.

The next morning Hermione had no work lined up and, as it was the day her book was coming out, she was slightly nervous. She decided it would be good to take her mind off things by going to the hospital to see Oliver again. Ginny happily came along, saying that hopefully Oliver's team-mates may be there as apparently some were very nice to look at.

When they got there, much to Ginny's disappointment, Oliver was sat in the room alone. They quickly made themselves at home and started a conversation with him.

"So when are getting out of here?" Hermione asked him.

"Tomorrow I think, if I'm lucky." Oliver said looking very happy at the prospect.

"Yeh and tell her where lucky you get to be staying." Ginny commanded, sounding very much like her mother.

"Oh I'm going to check into the Leaky Cauldron." Oliver answered happily.

"I mean how can you expect him to live like that? With an injured leg and all! It's stupid!" Ginny shrilled.

"Well haven't you got friends that you could stay with?" Hermione asked.

"Nope not really, I don't have much time for friends." Oliver shrugged.

"Stay with us!" Ginny blurted out excitedly.

"What?" Oliver and Hermione said at the same time.

"Stay with us! I mean it's not trouble is it Hermione? We have the room and we're both around most of the time to help you." Ginny grinned across at Hermione.

Hermione smiled back, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She couldn't really say no now, if would sound mean and like she had a problem with Oliver staying there. But it was her house; it should be here offering the room not Ginny, a friend who was currently staying with her.

"Sure," She said with false brightness "It'll be fun!"

A/N – A big virtual hug goes to everyone that reviewed –

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