Chapter Five
"…Yeah, just throw it in the garbage. I'll get new bed sheets." Percy, Harry and Ginny were helping Oliver clean up his house – which was humongous for someone that was living by his self. "I'm moving rooms, too," Oliver added as he levitated his mattress out of the room.
"Why?" Ginny asked as she banished a rotten sandwich.
"Too many memories in this one," Oliver replied with a small grin on his face.
"Oh, gross… how many rooms do you have here anyway?"
"Bedrooms? I dunno, like… five?"
"…And you couldn't just get an apartment?"
"Well, I did get an apartment before, but then I got kicked out because my parties were too loud and went on 'til about four in the morning, so, I decided to get my own place." There was a loud thud. "Shit, Hermione!"
"Sorry!" Ginny and Percy peeked into the hallway in time to see Hermione help Oliver off the floor.
"Everything all right, there?" Harry called from one of the many rooms.
"Yeah," Oliver replied. "Welcome to my crib." He continued levitating the mattress and followed it up a staircase.
"…Crib?" Hermione inquired. Ginny and Percy shrugged.
"He's taken to using American Slang. I blame Mark. He's American," Percy said and ducked back into Oliver's old bedroom.
"Hey, Oliver? What's thi – AHHH!" When Oliver got to the top of the staircase, he saw Harry running out of his storage room.
"What, the Boy Who Lived is scared of my puppy?"
"It's dead!"
"No, and he is a MALE dog, not an 'it'. He's playing dead. Keeper, comm'ere." Barking filled the air as a beagle scampered out of the storage room and into Oliver's outstretched arms.
"Aww, you have a dog?" Hermione ran up the stairs to pet it, then slapped Oliver upside the head. "You have a ruddy dog and you've been away from him for nearly a month!" Oliver rolled his eyes.
"Hey, Willie?" There was a loud crack and a house elf appeared before the two of them.
"Sir is back! Willie is most contented!" Willie jumped up and down happily.
"You have a house elf?" Hermione hissed. Oliver glanced at her while handing Willie Keeper.
"Could you feed him for me? And next time someone is over at my house without me here, I would appreciate it if you reported to me, okay?"
"Yes, sir," Willie replied as she stared shamefully at the ground.
"It's okay, Willie. Just do that next time, okay?"
"Yes, sir," Willie said with a smile and disapparated.
"Willie's not my house elf. I don't own her, notice how she calls me 'sir' and not 'master'? She's here by her own free will. She has her own room, you know, and I don't mistreat her. She's been feeding and taking care of Keeper. Don't give me a lecture about spew, please."
"It's S.P.E.W!"
"S.P.E.W, the club consisting of three members, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter. Of course. Are you still running that thing?"
As Hermione glowered at him, Oliver smiled and went into the room the mattress was in. There was another loud crack. Oliver turned around to see who it was.
"…Um… hi…" Blaise waved at Oliver. "…What're you doing here?"
"Well… Ginny cancelled because she said she wanted to help clean your house. Decided I would, too."
"Hey, Oliver?" Harry came into the room and saw the two of them. "…Zabini!"
"Yes?" Hermione came in as well.
"…Zabini!"
"Yes?"
"Blaise…" Oliver felt awkward saying his name, "is helping."
"Him?" Harry and Hermione shrieked.
"Yes, me," Blaise said with a smile and walked out of the new bedroom. "This is one fucking big hou – OW!"
"KEEPER!" Oliver snapped. Keeper detached himself from Blaise's butt and crawled to Oliver, who picked him up. "Don't bite people, it's not nice. …Well, of course it tasted bad, it was an ass. Go to Willie." Blaise, Harry and Hermione stared at Oliver. "…What?"
"…Is it normal for people around here to talk to their dogs?" Blaise asked.
"My dog can talk!" Oliver said defensively. "Shut up and clean. Keeper's like an animagus, but not an animagus. It's weird. I got him for free, though, because at the animal shelter, the people were scared to go near him, or something. Kept hearing death threats in their heads if they went near him." Oliver shrugged as if it was an everyday thing and ran down the stairs to move more of his belongings.
"Can I move in with you, Oliver?" Ginny called from his old bedroom.
"What for?" Oliver asked as he stepped in. Ginny mouthed 'Zabini' at him and pointed at Percy, then did a curly motion with her finger to the side of her head. "…He's upstairs, by the way." Ginny squealed and started up the stairs when Oliver caught her by the collar. "So's Harry and Hermione."
"Damn." Percy looked at the two of them with a raised eyebrow before announcing he had to go back home.
"See you," Oliver said as he apparated away. "What exactly will your parents think if you moved in with me?"
"Well, they'll think you and I are together and – oh, that's not good, is it?"
"Well… seeing as Bill's controlled his werewolf thing and is sort of an animagus, since he can change into a werewolf whenever he wants, and he's reeeally protective of you, Gin, no. It's not good."
"But… but…" At that moment, Hermione decided to come down the stairs. "Hermione can move in, too!" She looked at Oliver and Ginny, startled.
"What?"
"Ginny wants to move in with me so that she and Blaise can have their passionate – ouch – quality time together without her family freaking out," Oliver explained, rubbing his arm.
"…And why do I have to move in?"
"So her brothers don't wallop him. They might get the wrong idea and think we're together," Ginny said.
"What exactly do I get out of this?"
"The chance to live with an extremely hot guy."
"Ginny!" Hermione laughed. Oliver blushed and glared at Ginny.
"I, uh, had a little sister before. I have baby knowledge, so I can help with the baby," Oliver said, still a bit pink from Ginny's comment. "Ginny, you know I'm too old for you," he added with a smile. "Nice try, though. Props."
"Shut up, you prat."
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? THAT GOES THERE!"
"SHUT UP, POTTER, I KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Hermione, Oliver and Ginny went up the stairs to see Harry and Blaise fighting over the couch, each pulling on one end. Blaise smiled when he looked up. "Hey, Firefly." He let go of the couch, causing Harry to topple over.
"Piece of shit," he muttered as he brushed himself off. Blaise discreetly kicked him as he made his way to Oliver.
"…Got any food?"
"Willie!" Willie popped up in front of them.
"Yes, sir?"
"Do we have anything to eat?"
"Willie will come up with something, sir!" Willie piped happily and disappeared.
"I'll probably spend a couple more nights in the Burrow," Oliver said as they all started down the stairs. "Then me, you and probably you can move in here." He pointed at Ginny and Hermione.
"Have you made your decision yet, Hermione?" Ginny inquired with a hopeful look in her eyes. Hermione sighed.
"I guess…"
"Why are you guys moving?" Blaise asked, looking at anyone but Harry.
"We're keeping Oliver company until he can live on his own again. The whole Katie thing hit him hard, you know," Ginny replied.
"And the 'whole Katie thing' is still hitting him hard," Oliver ground out through clenched teeth while glaring at Ginny.
"Uh huh." Ginny looked at her fingernails. "Hermione, Oliver likes you."
"What!" the two of them exclaimed at the same time.
"Yeah… Oliver, Hermione likes you, too."
"What!" the two of them repeated.
"I don't like him!"
"I don't like her!"
"Honestly, Ginny!"
"Seriously, Ginny!"
"WE DO NOT LIKE EACH OTHER!"
"WE DO NOT LIKE EACH OTHER!"
"…Willie hates to interrupt, sir, but sir's food is ready." Willie stood there with a platter of sandwiches, staring at Oliver with big beady brown eyes. Oliver and Hermione locked eyes for a couple seconds and looked away. Ginny and Harry smirked. Blaise dove for the sandwich platter.
"You should bring Keeper to the Burrow. I think the kids will enjoy playing with him," Hermione suggested.
"Sure, but will Keeper enjoy playing with the kids? He's never been around so many before. There's Alexis, Daniel, Violet, Ross, Mica, Jeffery and Trevor, right? It might be overwhelming."
Overwhelming? I've had to deal with your drunken friends, buddy.
"Yeah, shut up, Keeper." Ginny, Blaise, Harry and Hermione looked around the house and saw Keeper shake his paw at Oliver in a threatening manner. Blaise chuckled nervously.
"Wow. He can talk." Oliver threw his hands up.
"What'd I tell you? But no, you guys think the worst and assumed I was just loony, talking to my dog."
Puppy.
"Whatever. You're three years old."
Twenty-one in dog years.
"Oh, bite me."
Fine.
Oliver stood up in alarm as Keeper began to trot towards him.
"It's a figure of speech. Sit."
No.
"Why do you always misbehave when I have company?" Keeper scanned the room.
…Sorry, I thought that ugly lady was here. What's her name? Katie, I think…
Everyone looked round the room at Blaise and Harry, who fell onto the ground laughing. You have a bunch of crackhead friends, Wood…
"At least my friends don't smell other people's arses to say hello."
You're talking to an animal, crackhead.
"You can talk, abnormal gothic canine-creature from hell." Keeper growled at Oliver and walked out of the room.
"…That was… interesting," Hermione said as she picked up a sandwich.
At least I'm not fat!
"…I'm fat?" Hermione asked, looking to the boys and Ginny. "I'm fat?"
"He was talking to me. Don't worry, you're fine. At least I don't pee hunched over!" Oliver yelled to the kitchen.
At least I don't take a shit sitting on some bowl-thing!
"I give up, he'll never be tame," Oliver muttered and began eating. Blaise and Harry were now fighting because they bumped into each other while rolling around with laughter. "Keeper!" Keeper came back. "Can you shut those two up?" Keeper grinned wickedly and attacked the two quarreling boys. Hermione and Ginny giggled. Oliver smirked, picked up Keeper and began to pet him. He looked up and saw Hermione looking at him. He smiled. Hermione felt a flipping feeling in her stomach and looked away.
Where's Katie? Keeper asked Oliver privately.
"We're over," Oliver murmured quietly.
She was over the whole time you were gone.
"With another man, right?"
At first I figured it was you, but then I remembered the whole tour thing.
"Smart dog." He stroked Keeper's back appreciatively. "You do anything to them recently?"
Scratched the guy up when I realized he wasn't you.
"Nice. Stomach." Keeper rolled onto his stomach as Oliver continued to pet him.
There's a vibe I get off that girl.
"Which one?"
The brown-haired one. She looks like a nice person, too.
"What are you getting at?"
Is she single?
"Yeah…"
Does she like dogs? Katie didn't like dogs… dogs didn't like her, either… Keeper made a snickering noise. Ah, funny.
"Well, she pets you, doesn't she? So she must like dogs."
You like her.
"Oh, be quiet."
You liiiiiiiiiiike her… admit it, Wood!
"I'm attracted to her. There's a difference."
"Attracted to whom?" Oliver turned around and saw an amused Hermione. He had a feeling that Keeper had let her in on the conversation.
"No one you know," Oliver murmured.
Yeah, right.
"Shut it, kreeper."
Yes, Olive dearest.
"Off," Oliver muttered and pushed Keeper away from his lap.
Keeper grinned inside his mind. I never liked Katie, Oliver.
"I know."
I like her... Hermione...
"You're not getting her."
I'm not talking about me, idiot.
"Get out of here."
"Hey, Oliver, where's Zabini and Ginny?" Harry's voice cut through Oliver's and Keeper's conversation. Oliver and Hermione looked to each other, and then ran around the house in search of them. "Hey – where are you guys going? Wait!"
A/N:
Oliver has a dog that can talk! Isn't that cute? Aaaaanyway… I decided to put in that little thing about Bill's wolf problem, since it's mentioned in book six... sorry if you haven't read up to that part, yet…
Thank ya…
FredWeasleyLover1126
Charlie K. (The book was so sad… -sniff-)
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