Getting Over It

Chapter 13
Confrontations

Oliver sat in his bedroom atop the bed fuming. He knew he was being over the top, but anytime he thought of Hermione, an image of her and Mark flashed into his head and another surge of anger would ripple through him.

It was even worse in school. He would see her in the corridors knowing that she wanted to talk to him, but he stayed away in case what she was telling him was that it was over and that she was getting back with Mark. It wouldn't surprise him ¾ it had happened enough times for him to not get his hopes up and think that a girl would favour him.

Unfortunately his constant bad mood was beginning to take its toll on his work and even the children in his classes could tell something was wrong. So, that would mean that, of course, the staff noticed it and probably the head teacher – which would be in no way good.

--

Just mere miles away, Hermione sat in the same position on her bed, but she was not fuming, far from it – she was wallowing. She sat, a bowl full of chocolate chip ice cream and her magically fuelled TV playing an old chick flick that she must have seen a million times before, in her oldest, baggiest clothes – a dark purple t-shirt that was many sizes too big and a pair or drawstring black jogging bottoms – feeling sorry for herself.

Sam was in bed and she could finally let down the mask she had to wear all day: to be strong and happy so that he wouldn't worry or be sad; it would kill her to know that she was the cause of her son's pain. But having to act at all times when she really just wanted to sit and cry was completely exhausting.

When she woke, for once before Sam came in and burrowed into the bed with her for a cuddle, Hermione was extremely glad it was Saturday, as she wouldn't have to see Oliver's cold expression until Monday morning. There was a letter on the coffee table when she walked into the living room. It was from her parents offering to look after Sam that day as they thought she 'could do with a rest'. Usually, she would be offended by the comment but today she accepted it and replied to tell them she would drop off their grandson a little later. She then wrote a note to Ginny to invite her around for dinner. She decided that seeing her friend would be a good way for her to work through some of her emotions.

--

Hermione was still in the shower when Ginny rang the doorbell, so she hastily rinsed out the suds from her hair and pulled her pink fluffy dressing gown with a daisy on the pocket around her to open the door for her friend.

"Merlin, you look awful!" were the first words from Ginny's mouth.

Even thought it was true – her makeup was running down her face, her nose was red, her eyes puffy from crying and her hair plastered to her face – Hermione still felt indignant.

"I've changed my mind. I don't want you here anymore," Hermione joked as they walked into the living room.

"I'm sorry. You'll only hear compliments coming from my mouth from now on," Ginny grinned.

"Good, that's the way it should be," she managed to smile back. "Make yourself at home I'll just go and sort myself out."

Ginny was standing at the stove stirring a saucepan with her wand when Hermione returned downstairs twenty minutes later.

"What are you doing?" She asked, "I meant to cook for you."

"You cook for people every day. This is your night off," Ginny told her firmly. "I've sent an owl to your parents and they said they'll keep Sam tonight; you can go and pick him up tomorrow afternoon. Now pour us both a glass of wine and sit down."

Hermione quickly complied with her orders, glad that for once she didn't have to be in charge and that there was someone looking after her.

"Now we're going to have this out," Ginny said sternly as she sat down, leaving whatever was in the pot to simmer. "Have you spoken to him?"

"No, anytime I go near him at school he just walks away, if I send him a letter it's returned unopened. I've tried but he doesn't want to hear it."

"Have you tried talking to him out of school?"

"When? Out of school Sam is with me, I can't just drag him along with me so he can witness another argument."

"Can't Mark have him?"

"I haven't spoken to him since that night." Hermione admitted, "And I'm not about to contact him – I'm furious at him."

For a while neither woman said anything, both being wrapped up in her own thoughts. Finally, Hermione spoke, ending the sad silence.

"I didn't feel like this when Mark and I split up. Should that be right? I didn't feel anything like this level of sadness; he was my husband and the father of my children. I only dated Oliver for a few months but compared to how I feel at the moment I couldn't care a less about my divorce."

"That's because you and Mark were never right for each other." Ginny told her.

"What do you mean?"

"You and Mark were never in love in the way that you and Oliver are."

"I don't love Oliver!" Hermione chuckled, "How can I? I was only with him for a little while, not long enough to fall in love."

"You don't need a time before you can fall in love; if it's going to happen it will. It's just that sometimes it takes a while to realise that it's love you're feeling."

"Yeah right!" Hermione snorted.

"No, really. It can happen. I fell in love with Harry in those few seconds that I saw him on King's Cross Station when you started school."

"But you two aren't together are you?"

"Sometimes the timings wrong. I still love him, though. I just got over the fact that I was in love with him."

Hermione nodded, trying to understand what her friend was telling her. "So, I'm in love with Oliver? I just don't know it yet?"

"Yes, and he's in love with you; it's so obvious!" Ginny exclaimed. "Think about it; you said you never felt this way when you broke up with Mark and you loved him so you must love Oliver more if you feel worse, and it's quite clear that you do feel worse."

Hermione thought about it for a while, thinking of Oliver and realising that when she did her heart felt warm and she couldn't help but smile when she pictured his face; it was true – she was in love with Oliver Wood.

"So what do I do? He hates me," she asked sadly.

"No, he doesn't Hermione, he's just scared that he's going to lose you. He thinks that you'd rather be with Mark. You need to set him straight before he gives up on you because once he does you'll never be able to get what you had back."

Ginny pointed her wand to the pot and it emptied the soup she had made into two bowls, which zoomed over to the table along with a plate of sliced bread.

"Now you will eat it this, then you will go to bed and when you get up in the morning you will go see Oliver, ok?"

Hermione nodded and started to eat.

--

It was past eleven when Ginny actually left and Hermione did get to bed, but as she lay under the cold covers she tossed and turned, but could not sleep. Throwing back the blanket she leapt out of bed and pulled open the wardrobe, pulling a pair of jeans on under her nightie. She jammed her feet into a pair of shoes and buttoned and belted up her black coat before disappearing.

She appeared outside Oliver's door and started knocking frantically. It was a few minutes before he opened it.

"Hermio-" He began but before he could even finish saying her name she had interrupted.

"No. You're not going to talk this time; you're just going to listen. I love you ok? I love you more than I've loved any other man. I am not going to cheat on you, especially not with my ex-husband. That is why he is an ex, because I don't want to be with him anymore. You need to get over this belief that all relationships you are going to have will end in heartbreak because if you think that then it's going to happen. This isn't a joke to me. I have my children to think about too, and I'm not going to introduce a new man into their lives just so I can dump him again in a few weeks. I thought we had a good thing. But you obviously don't trust me at all. So you need to think Oliver. You need to decide whether or not you can take the leap of faith and trust me. Because without that, we can't be together and that would really kill me. I'm not the other girls you've been with; I'm not going to go off with the first bloke I meet so stop blaming me for their mistakes. I'll be waiting, Oliver, if you decide you can put what happened to you in the past in the past. Come and find me – there won't be anybody else."

With this long speech she quickly turned and walked away, leaving Oliver open mouthed on the doorstep with a hell of a lot to think about.