Too Long In The Rain

Chapter 4

Over the next few weeks Mr. Wood had talked to Hermione twice, the first time was when he smashed into her and the second was at dinner when she stood up and he had said goodbye. "She's got one hard outer shell, and it's gonna be hard to crack it."

He had finally remembered what Dumbledore said about her going down into the Great Hall at night and finally went down to try and intercept her. After two days of missing her he finally caught her walking down, but he wasn't the only one watching her. Before he even came out from his spot where he had been (he wasn't seen by anyone) someone else got to Hermione first and grabbed her wand and book she had been reading. As Hermione whirled on her attacker a fire in her eyes could be seen.

"You again?" She asked obviously knowing this person.

"You know it mudblood." Said the man, and as we all realize, it was Draco Malfoy.

"Listen we're not in school anymore so there's no one here for you to try and act brave and tough in from of so just give it a rest." She said in her 'know-it-all' voice.

"Ouch, that hurt." He said walking up to her but she took a step back raising her eyes to meet the taller man's eyes.

"Now, now, now Mr. Malfoy, we don't want to do something we would regret at a later time, am I correct?" She asked, well not exactly asked…

"For once you are not Granger, I would never regret this." He lunged at her but she dropped to the ground putting her leg out and sending Malfoy into a wall. She then turned on him and shouted," Petrificus Totalus!" And a spark was sent out of her fingers and hit Malfoy dead between the eyes making him as stiff as a board, and making Oliver's eyes widen. Hermione took a breath and then said still fierce but not as much as before," Accio wand." Her wand flew from Malfoy's hand and into her own. She walked over to him and pointed her wand at his heart while she went into his pocket and took out his pocket watch, standing up with her wand still pointed at him and opened the watch looking at it and said," Bloody hell." She closed the watch and looked back at the man and muttered the counter-spell. Before Malfoy could stand Hermione showed him her wand pointed at him and he stopped nodding to her.

"It seems as though you won this round." He smirked but Hermione was in no mood.

"Goodbye Mister Malfoy." She said and turned on her heel and went to walk away then she turned back around and threw his pocket watch at him hitting him in the gut, she was smirking right back at him as she picked up her book and continued on her way back to her room. Finally, after the shocking scene that he had just witnessed, Oliver stood up and walked over to Malfoy who had just wiped some blood off of the corner of his mouth. Oliver grabbed Malfoy by the lapels and pulled him up and into the wall.

"Nice to see you too Wood." Said Malfoy after a well-earned groan on his part.

"Listen here Malfoy, I don't like you now or ever, you're a slime, a Slytherin and just an all around wanker. That sounds like good reasons to hate you right? Now besides that I just saw you try and attack Hermione, and hear me, if I ever catch you near Hermione again, I will accio your family jewels far, far away, do you understand me?" After Wood said this Malfoy nodded he wasn't smirking but there was still a defiant look on his face. Oliver set him down and watched as Malfoy walked away, in the opposite direction of Hermione. Oliver took a deep breath and then remembered that Hermione never actually got her food. He walked into the Great Hall intending to try and get on Hermione's good side after seeing what she could do when she was angry.

Hermione walked into her room, well stumbled into her room, the effect of casting two spells without a wand finally catching up with her. She got changed into her silk nightgown and laid on her bed then remembered that she had essays to grade and stood back up walking over to her desk and sat down on her very uncomfortable chair. A few minutes later she heard a knock on her door and set her quill down and grabbed her silk robe covering her bare shoulders as she answered her door expecting it to be Dumbledore…it wasn't. She gasped surprised a bit when she saw Oliver standing there and closed her robe tying it; she then looked back up at the Quidditch fanatic before her.

"What are you doing here at," She looked at his watch," 2:00 in the morning Professor?"

"Oliver, and I thought you might like some food." He said holding out some food he had grabbed from the Great Hall.

"I've-" She started but Oliver caught her lie.

"No you haven't, you weren't at dinner and you were…busy when you went to get dinner earlier." He smiled when he saw that she was a bit dumbstruck.

She looked at her portrait, Fidelis, and he smiled a bit at her before leaving the frame, Hermione sighed and opened her door more and said," Come on in."

He smiled and walked in setting her food down on her desk, moving some of her papers, she gestured towards the seat she had previously sat on while grading papers and he sat down in it and grimaced and she remembered how uncomfortable her chair was and apologized.

"I'm so sorry, that chair is really uncomfortable." She said blushing a bit.

"Why don't you just cast the cushioning charm on it?" He asked getting up and taking the food and walking over to her sitting on the bed and sat next to her, making her move over some.

"I want it to be uncomfortable." She explained vaguely.

He laughed a bit," Care to explain?"

"Well if I'm grading papers late at night, like tonight for instance, I don't want to fall asleep and if I'm sitting in that chair I'm probably not gonna fall asleep." She fully explained seeming a bit silly.

"Probably?" He quoted," Have you ever fallen asleep in that chair?"

"Twice, but those were very long and eventful days." She replied looking at the now very interesting floor. "So, uh, you saw what happened with Malfoy?" She asked looking over at him and couldn't help but realize how tired she was.

"Yeah, quite a lesson you taught him." He commented but she shook her head slightly.

"Nope, he'll just confront me again, and we'll go through the same dance steps as tonight, it's how he is." She said flatly.

"I dunno, maybe this time he'll get the hint." He smiled and wrapped and arm around her shoulder in a friendish way.

"Maybe." She said half asleep, not having fully realized what Oliver had done, and not fully realizing that at that moment she had laid her head against his shoulder.

She slowly closed her eyes and was soon out like a light. He looked at her and sighed moving slightly so he could lay her down. As he did he slipped off her robe and looked at her bare shoulders and was stunned, not having seen her in anything besides her teachers' robes. He shook his head and put her under the covers and gently tucked her in. He looked over at her before walking over to the door and whispered a spell that extinguished the lights in the room before he walked out for the night.