Getting Over It
A huge thank you to –
queenofdiamonds1,
RandomSmirf13,
Morena-Forever,
Flavagurl,
yellowrosesinateacup,
illyria-light,
cope
Chapter 8
Push
The next Sunday, however, Natalie was visiting her parents so Oliver was free to go to the Burrow to see his friends. He arrived early to lend a helping hand and found that the only other person in the house was Hermione.
"Where is everyone?" He asked when he realised this.
"Ginny's with Seamus today so she'll be late, Fred and George are working, Ron should be along later and I don't know about Harry I haven't spoken to him yet today."
"But you live with him, how is that possible?"
"Oh, not anymore I bought a house last week near to Diagon Alley, it's quite big the kids have their own room and I have a spare one, I've been decorating all day I want it finished by the time Millie gets home from school next week." Hermione told him with a grin.
"That's great! So where's Sam?"
"Arthur and Mollie took him for a walk, they should be back soon."
He walked over to the counter and began to help Hermione with the vegetables she was peeling, as they worked the asked each other various questions to get to know each other better, they found they had quite a lot in common.
--
When Molly returned with Hermione's son she found the two adults laughing and joking while they prepared the meal. She smiled at the scene and felt pleased that Hermione had found a new friend to help her through everything that was happening to her.
"Mummy!" Sam squealed and ran forward to hug Hermione's legs.
Oliver watched as Hermione bent down to kiss her child on the cheek and nodded as he told her all about what had happened on the walk. He took in how her long brown hair fell gracefully down her back and how her big brown eyes glowed with love and adoration for he son. He found himself wishing that she would look at him that way too. He remembered how stunning she looked on the double date she had gone on with him and Natalie.
Natalie. His mind snapped, your girlfriend Natalie she's the one you should be thinking about not you friend Hermione.
"So, have you spoken to John again?" He asked trying to move the subject on so his mind would stop thinking about how great her body looked in what she was wearing.
"No. He seemed really nice and I had a good time but I didn't really feel a connection, I need to be able to talk to the guy and the conversation seemed a little forced at the restaurant. Thank you for doing it though, it was very kind of you."
"Well that's what friends do right? Help each other out." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Hermione smiled at the word friends, she hadn't really thought about it before then but she decided that Oliver had moved from the 'acquaintances' category and into the 'friends' one.
--
When all had been eaten and conversation began to dwindle as all that had happened since he last time they had all met had already been shared Oliver returned home.
He called out to Natalie as he walked through the front door and flicked on the light to the front room. It was empty, as was the kitchen and the bathroom.
She must have already gone to bed, he thought so he began to move round his home quieter than before. He threw his coat over the back of the armchair and opened the bedroom door.
Natalie was there, lay on the bed asleep but she was not alone; there was a man with her. Oliver took in the sight before slamming the door shut making them both wake up.
"Oliver!" Natalie gasped as she saw her boyfriend.
"Get out." He snarled to the man sat in the bed looking around very confused.
--
When the man had left and Natalie had pulled on some clothes she joined Oliver where he was sat in the living room.
"How could you?" was all he said as she sat down.
"I know, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to it just happened, he delivered the pizza and we got to talking and well one thing led to another." She babbled, as though it would make it all better.
"He was the delivery guy? You only just met him?" Oliver asked incredulously.
"He really nice and funny! I couldn't help it!" She pleaded.
"Of course you bloody could, you just like being the centre of attention at all times so of course you'd sleep with him! Get out right now! I never want to see you again!" He yelled and yanked open the front door.
She meekly walked through it and turned to say something to him but Oliver couldn't care a less what she had to tell him so he slammed the door in her face. She knocked for a few minutes but when he ignored it she got the point and left.
"What the hell does this always happen to me?" He fumed as he stomped around the house slamming doors and draws as he did so.
--
Hermione had finished decorating the bedrooms and had put in the furniture that had been taken out of storage. They could now sleep in real bedrooms instead of the mattresses that she and Sam had put in the living room when they first moved in.
She was finally happy with the house and had the furniture where she wanted it to be. For the first night in a very long time she felt like she could actually get through this and get on with her life. There were still moments she found extremely difficult, such as when, earlier that day, Sam had asked her when daddy would be coming home and she had to find the words to tell him never in a way a seven year old would understand.
She had many interviews lined up for the next couple of days and had arranged for Sam to be picked up from school by Mrs Weasley who would look after him until Hermione came to collect him.
--
The playground was filled with children running around between parents and friends but finally Molly spotted Sam and called him over. Just as they were turning to leave she saw Oliver and walked over to say hello. She invited him back for dinner that night and he accepted, not wanting to spend another night alone.
He sat at the kitchen table and watched Molly as she worked preparing the meal, he had offered to help but she batted away his attempts to do something saying that he'd had a long day and should sit down and rest for a while. While she was working Molly asked him many questions and he was soon spilling out what had happened between him and Natalie and how he felt about it.
"Oh you poor child!" Molly gushed when he was finished speaking and rushed over to envelope him in a tight hug.
Later that evening Hermione arrived at The Burrow and was also invited to dinner. While eating Molly recounted the edited, as Sam was there, version of events that had happened to Oliver so Hermione could offer her sympathy too.
--
Later that evening Oliver returned home with his spirits lifted a little, or they were at least until he opened his front door and was greeted with a room covered in water. One of the pipes in the wall had burst coating all his floors with inches of water, running the flat and his possessions. He quickly rushed to tell the landlord who was able to turn off the water at the mains and stop any further damage but unfortunately Oliver's home was far beyond salvaging.
It was eleven thirty when Fred was woken by loud frantic knocking at the door. Groaning, he climbed out of his warm bed and went to shout at whoever it was. Oliver was stood on his doorstep, shivering and his trousers up to his knees were soaking wet. With a huge sigh he moved out of the way of the door and let Oliver step inside.
"My flat's flooded, I need a place to stay until it's repaired and dried out." Oliver told him.
"Well we haven't got a spare room, you can kip on the sofa. Now if you excuse me I'm knackered I'm going back to bed." Fred yawned and walked back into his room.
--
Oliver stayed with Fred and George for the next couple of nights, until it was time for dinner at The Burrow again. Once there, everyone sat around the table, Oliver told them of what had happened to him now and they all agreed that it wasn't fair he was getting such a run of bad luck.
"Oliver you can't possible stay with my two boys, especially if you haven't got a bed to sleep on!" Molly exclaimed, out raged at the thought.
"Well there isn't much else I ca do Molly, except check into a hotel but I want to save my money for whatever the repairs will be." He told her glumly, agreeing that he shouldn't have to sleep on a hard, lumpy old sofa every night.
"Well I have the perfect solution!" She exclaimed loudly so everyone stopped their private conversations and listened to her.
"Go on mum dazzle us!" George laughed as they waited for her to continue talking.
"Oliver why don't you go and stay with Hermione? She has a spare room and could do with the company, plus you'll be able to take Sam to school with you and baby-sit if Hermione has a job interview!" She said like it was the best plan in the world.
"Well I suppose so." Oliver stuttered feeling nervous as Hermione and Molly were both carefully watching his reaction, "that is if Hermione doesn't mind."
Of course I mind! I hardly know him and now I have to live with him!
"Of course not Oliver it would be lovely to have you stay." She said and smiled widely, hoping she didn't look too fake.
She wished Molly had run the idea past her before shouting it out, as she would have had time to prepare herself instead of being left completely shock by it.
"Well that settles it then! Oliver you'll stay with Hermione until your flat is fixed." Molly said in a very final tone.
She could have easily offered him a place to stay in her own home; there were now all the empty bedrooms had belonged to her children before they had grown up and moved out. But that would have been no good, what use was he around the house? None. She had seen how well they had gotten on when they were cooking the week before, they would be perfect together, Molly decided, they just needed a little push to make it happen. And if she didn't do it who would?