A/N: First off, an apology for the lateness of this chapter. Friday and Saturday I was at some basketball games scoping out the player (#32) that I'm completely head-over-heels for. Not to mention spending time with my friend, Kara, because her boyfriend was being an... a very jerky person and made her feel just awful. So she was in need of my immensely great sense of humor and knack for having all kinds of fun. Then last night, I wasn't home because I went to her house for the night after having her over both days. Now on to thankings for reviewing.

Thanks to all of the following for helping make it to 90 reviews on only my 6th chapter: pottersgirl91, vagrantben, shadieladie, kar6528, his-lil-shortie, LillyFan78, imakeeper, Kuoumo, san01, nehimasgift, tofuubeaver, Kari-Hermione, aznqudditchchick, Emi-Bum, PapayaCrazy, CareBearErin, KayKay2007, and CardboardCreative.

Now on with the long awaited chapter and don't forget to check out the surprise songfic I posted as part of my apology!


Chapter 7 – Bedtime Story

"I had been on summer vacation when he fell into my pre-pre-," Kirsten sounded out.

"Presence," Oliver corrected.

"When he fell into my presence that July night and was obvi-obvious-ly... obviously in need of some saving grace. It was only luck that it had been my help which con-config-configured that very grace," Kirsten continued to read.

"Quite a good bit of big words for such a little girl," Oliver whispered as he hugged her close to him. "You certainly are brilliant."

"Sh!" she ordered. "You're spoiling the story. Just listen."

"Okay," Oliver laughed.

"Anyways. He was trying to es-cape from a group of his craz-crazed fans and I helped him to find san-san-," Kirsten struggled. "What is that word?" she grumbled.

"Sanction," Oliver answered.

"And I helped him to find sanction in doing so by directing him to a hiding place in an alley until his fans were long gone. After-ward, he joined me at the table outside in the crisp night air and we chatted about the days at Hogwarts," Kirstin interpreted.

"Hogwarts?" Oliver interrupted.

"Yeah. It's the best wizarding school around. My mom said she went there and that she knew these two people in this story," Kirsten replied. "She said that I get to go there when I turn eleven. I can't wait! I have only six more years to go."

"I-I think I went there before," Oliver muttered.

"Did you?" Kirsten asked. "Did you know my mom?"

"I think I might have," Oliver mumbled. "But I'm not real sure. In fact, I think I've heard this story before. I faintly remember it." He paused for a second in thought before shrugging and saying, "Anyways... continue."

"Okay. We chatted about the days at Hogwarts over cup of steaming coffee and tea. He had been so plea-pleas-," Kirsten stared hard at the page and paused for a moment. "Pleasant. He had been so pleasant, nothing at all like I had thought him to be. As a Quidditch player, and not to mention remembering how he had been in Hogwarts, I had thought conver-sa-tion," she sounded out, "with him to turn out quiet-"

"That's quite," Oliver pointed out.

"Oh, yeah. I had thought conversation with him to turn out quite shal-low and one-sided, but he proved me quite wrong."

"This story starts out good," Oliver said as Kirsten paused for a breath.

"Like I said, it's one of my favorites," Kirsten beamed. "You should hear my mom read it, though." Here Oliver nodded and Kirsten sighed before picking back up on her reading. "He had been charming and am-am-amazi-ng... amazing, funny and smart. I found myself in-ward-ly... inwardly sighing by the end of the night and alarm-ingly happy when he asked what I was doing-"

"Kirsten!" Hermione's shrill voice sounded from the doorway of Oliver's room and the little girl jumped, dropping the book in her lap as Oliver's head whipped away from the book to look at Hermione. "Get over here... now."

"Yes, mum," Kirsten muttered as she grabbed the book and slid down off the bed, giving Oliver an apologetic look.

"Go wait outside," Hermione ordered to the little girl as she walked up to her mother.

Kirsten followed Hermione's pointed finger and stood outside the room as she listened to her mother inside.

"You stay away from my daughter," Hermione ordered in a stern voice. "I don't want her coming within five feet of you."

"Hermione-"

"That's Miss Granger to you," Hermione corrected. "And another thing. If I catch you so much as putting a toe out of this bed, I'm going to hex your legs off."

She paused, letting the threat sink in. This normally wasn't like her, but Hermione had just found out that she had a week's suspension starting tomorrow because of all this trouble that Kirsten and Oliver had caused her. She knew, though, that it wasn't all their fault. Maybe if she hadn't left Kirsten here yesterday and went off feeling sorry for herself, Padma wouldn't have forgot her. Now that Hermione thought about it, it was Padma's fault, not hers.

This, of course, was a crazy thought and only so because Hermione felt completely stressed at the moment. Without a week of work, her paycheck would be cut drastically. How would she afford her bills?

She shook her head. She didn't want to think about that now. She had to go put Kirsten in one of the empty rooms on the ward and then get to work before she got into more trouble. Leaving Oliver gaping in bed, she stalked to the door, and out into the corridor where Kirsten waited with her eyes brimming with tears.

Oliver sat there in bed feeling stunned, but most of all, hurt. He wasn't allowed to see the only friend he had. It made him feel so alone. And what was more, having Hermione yell at him like that made his chest ache with an emptiness and he almost wanted to go deaf so he couldn't hear her be angry with him.

Oliver laid down in bed, his back to the door of the room as he pulled the blanket up over him. He frowned and stared at the window where lightning flashed in the distance. His heart was heavy and so were his eyelids. He was soon asleep without even taking his potions.

Meanwhile, Hermione put Kirsten in a room that was just down the ward and around the corner from Oliver's.

"Stay here and read those books, okay?" Hermione said as she walked to the door.

"Are you coming back for lunch?" Kirsten asked meekly with her head hung.

"Yes," Hermione said dully.

"Momma... do you... are you mad at me?" Kirsten inquired sadly.

"Kirsten, I'm angry with what you've done and the blatant disregard for the rules I set for when I bring you here. I told you that you aren't to be around the patients; it could be dangerous," Hermione scolded, though deep down she softened her anger while looking at the sadden child before her.

"You hate me right now, don't you?" Kirsten sniffled.

"I don't hate you... nor will I ever," Hermione sighed as she crossed back across the room to her daughter. "It's just that you need to learn to listen and think before you go running around on instinct and such."

"But Oliver's my friend. My best friend. I just want to see him get better and go back to playing Quidditch," Kirsten mumbled.

"I know, and he will, but how do you expect him to if I'm in trouble and can't tend to him?" Hermione pointed out.

"I helped him," Kirsten muttered. "I got him to do magic an-"

"You what?" Hermione gasped.

"Yeah. He made the book of my favorite story normal size again," Kirsten explained.

"Kirsten! He's under our care and while he is, he's not supposed to do magic!" Hermione panicked.

"But if he remembers how to do it, doesn't that mean that he's getting better?" Kirsten questioned.

"Yes, but- but... um. He's just not supposed to!" Hermione fretted.

"I'm sorry, Momma," Kirsten whispered.

"Oh... I haven't got time, I've got to get down to his room and check on him," Hermione sighed.

She hurriedly left the room, magically locking the door behind her so Kirsten wouldn't wander the ward before rushing off down the corridor to Oliver's room. Just as she entered, there was a girl with long blond hair pulled up into a high ponytail and she had on a Puddlemere T-shirt with the name 'Ashford' across the back. She turned to Hermione as she entered the room, a bouquet of daisies in her hands.

Hermione looked at the girl, her chocolate eyes locking with Ashford's dark blue ones. She smiled and laid the flowers down on Oliver's bed table before holding her hand out to Hermione.

"I'm Amy Ashford... Puddlemere's Seeker. I'm a team-"

"Mate of Oliver's," Hermione finished for her as she felt her heart sink at the sight of Amy.

"I hope I'm not breaking any rules by being here. The lady down at the reception desk said that it was okay because visiting hours were still going," Amy explained.

"No, it's fine," Hermione said while shaking her head slightly. "I was wondering why he wasn't getting any visitors. He'll be glad to see- see his girlfriend, I'm sure. I'll leave so that-"

"His girlfriend?" Amy laughed. "You've been reading those awful tabloids, haven't you?"

"Huh?"

"Oliver and I are just friends. Like brother and sister really," Amy beamed.

Hermione felt relief rush through her tense limbs as she recalled her own mishap like that when Rita Skeeter wrote that Hermione and Harry were dating while Hermione was with Krum.

"I've actually come to tell him about my engagement to another teammate and friend of ours, Brian Byington. But sh!" Amy whispered. "It's not out yet and Brian said that we should wait until the end of the season like he had originally planned. He asked me early because I was bummed about Oliver being gone."

"Well, congratulations!" Hermione said happily. For some reason, she felt like dancing about the room from the newest wave of relief that hit her.

"Thanks," Amy giggled. "Well, I can't stay long, but can you make sure Oliver gets those flowers and tell him the team will be by tomorrow to give him our best? We all would have been in earlier, but it's a busy life being a Quidditch player."

"Don't I know it," Hermione said while shaking Amy's hand once more and nodding to her as a memory flooded over her.

--Flashback--

"I'm sorry. It's-," Oliver's words were slightly incoherent, but she knew what he was trying to say to her. "It's just that I won't be a very good-"

"Just stop. I should have known. Quidditch always was your number one priority," Hermione struggled as tears ran from her eyes.

She wiped them away and held her head high. She wouldn't let him know that he hurt her. She was determined to show that she was strong and unaffected, but it seemed that the more they stood and talked about it, the weaker she got.

She couldn't and wouldn't last much longer if she didn't leave then. She stepped back away from him as his hand twitched and she thought he was going to reach out for her. She wouldn't be able to bare having her touch him. She thought that they had something special, but she had apparently been a fool and he was now leaving her.

She turned and walked away, bowing her head a little bit more with each step as her tears came faster and faster as though they were triggered with each faster step that she took. She needed to get far away from him as she thought she heard his footsteps over her cries, so she ran. Out of the park and down the street, Apparating back to her home.

She ran up the stairs of her home and slammed the door to her bedroom, throwing herself on her bed and sobbing until she fell asleep. She remained there for four days without food, without water, and without contact with anyone. Soon she realized, thanks to Ron, that someone did love her. And she was thankful to him to this day; he had pulled her out of her depressed state and even saved her from starving to death, thus saving even her daughter.

--End Flashback--

Hermione watched Amy leave the room before grabbing a glass and putting some water in it from the bathroom. She placed the flowers in it and pulled the drapes shut on the raining picture outside. She turned back to see Oliver's unemotional eyes upon her, and she jumped, a little startled by it.

"Oh, Mr. Wood," Hermione breathed as she forced a smile at him. "Your teammate, Amy Ashford was here."

Oliver just laid there, staring at her, blinking only every so often, but never making any other movement.

"She said that the rest of the team will be in to see you tomorrow. Isn't that exciting?" Hermione asked, trying to be cheerful.

"Don't fake being nice... it only makes it worse," Oliver mumbled. "Can you leave, please?"

"But, I'm supposed to-"

"Leave. Just... leave," Oliver muttered, his eyes moving from her to a spot on the nearby wall.

Hermione stood there, her mouth moving slowly like a fish out of water as Wood laid there, not speaking to her, not looking at her. She suddenly felt slightly hurt.

"Let me just get your food and some new books for y-"

"Forget the food and leave the books on the table," Oliver ordered boredly and half halfheartedly.

"Fine," Hermione sighed sadly before leaving the room, coming back a few minutes later with some books for Oliver and a tray of food.

"Shut the door, please," Oliver said in a barely audible voice.

She left the room, shutting the door behind her as he ordered. She somehow felt gloomy as she left, like she had been around a Dementor or something.


"Kirsten," Hermione whispered as she entered the room.

It was after nine o'clock that night, and Hermione had been working all day. She even missed lunch and dinner, only just sending Kirsten trays of food with Padma as she did the rounds to hand out food to the patients.

Hermione looked around the room and Kirsten was laying on the bed, her back to the door. As Hermione stared at her back, she had flashes of Oliver in her mind. He had been like that all day long, laying with his back to the door and silence thick in the room with the only tiny noise being the ticking of a clock on the wall and the hum of the lights in the room as well as the other noises outside of the room.

"Kirsten," Hermione said again.

"Is it time to go home?" Kirsten asked without turning over, her voice slightly drowsy as she continued to lay there with her back to her mother.

"Not just yet. I don't get done until midnight, but I'm on break for a half hour. Want me to read to you?" Hermione asked as she walked over and sat down on the bottom of the bed.

"I don't care," Kirsten muttered as she sighed and rolled over to listen.

Hermione smiled weakly and picked up the book laying beside Kirsten.

"Can you start off on the part where he asked her what she was doing the next night... the second night that is?" Kirsten questioned.

"Sure," Hermione replied as she opened the book and began reading. "We made plans and met yet again at that same café, eyes alight with relief to see that the other had followed through and actually shown up. We chatted once more for a bit about his career and where I planned to take up my job at, but conversation fell through quickly and we were soon sitting in silence."

Meanwhile, down in Oliver's room, he had gotten bored and picked up his wand. He was trying to do more magic, and he had just managed to levitate a chair. He was so happy about this that he ran down the hall to find Hermione or Padma. He rounded the corner and heard Hermione's voice. He slowed and stood outside the cracked door of a room.

"Much to my embarrassment, the café had violin players hanging around outside and they made their way through the half filled little patio, past the first two couples who were, shall we say, deep into their own doings," Hermione's voice spoke.

"Does that mean they were kissing?" came Kirsten's voice.

"Yes," Hermione laughed. "Now sh! The players came over to the two of us and began their sweetly intoxicating lullaby on strings which made me quite nervous. He, on the other hand, was all too shameless as he stood and took my hand, pulling me from my seat. I had danced with a Quidditch player before, so therefore I was no stranger to that, but there was something different about him that made him stand out away from Viktor Krum."

"Didn't you date Krum, Momma?" Kirsten asked.

"Yes, Kirsten, I did. In my fourth year at Hogwarts," Hermione replied.

Oliver stood listening as Hermione cleared her throat and continued to read.

"Maybe it was in the way that he held me loosely, gently or possibly it was in the way that his eyes locked on mine as I tried to stare anywhere but at him. He was like a fairytale night from some childhood story, and I was the maiden who was to run away at the stroke of midnight," Hermione read. "Or so I had thought that at the time. When midnight struck, we were halfway through our fourth dance and both laughing and smiling as we danced a little closer."

Oliver suddenly had an image in his head. He shook his head, trying to make it go away, but it overpowered him and he fell into reverie.

--Flashback--

He and Hermione were dancing together outside a small café that had been in his thoughts a lot lately. They danced on a cobblestone street while violin players created the music for them. Oliver smiled somewhat as Hermione's head laid upon his shoulder and he felt her soft breath on his shoulder through his shirt. Within seconds, it all stopped and they parted, both slightly blushing, her more than him, and smiling.

"Merci," Oliver thanked them as he tipped them with some French bills before taking Hermione's hand and walking away.

"I really should be getting back to my hotel," Hermione said softly.

"I'll walk you there," Oliver offered in a tone that wasn't to be argued with, not that he thought she would anyways.

"This is the long way, Wood," Hermione pointed out as he took a left down a Paris street instead of a right.

"I know," he chuckled while unlocking their fingers and putting his arm around her lower back.

Oliver and Hermione walked down the streets, passing a gigantic glass pyramid before wandering down some more deserted and dim streets. She had shivered as they walked along, so he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders with a smile. She returned the smile and pulled the jacket tighter around her, taking a deep breath while closing her eyes dreamily. He knew she was taking in the smell of his cologne off of the garment.

Finally, the hotel came into view and Oliver felt slightly put off by it as she slipped the jacket off her shoulders and handed it back.

"I had a wonderful night... again," Hermione half laughed.

"Me, too," Wood replied. "Would you happen to be free again tomorrow?" he asked after a couple seconds silence.

"Are you wanting me to go out again?" Hermione asked, half laughing still while a new astonishment broke out on her face.

"Please?" Wood begged.

He saw her shiver a little after he said this, and then she nodded with a small smirk gracing her pink lips. Wood grinned and watched her turn slowly away from him, entering the hotel lobby before he too turned and headed down the street for an alley where he could Apparate back to his own hotel.

--End Flashback--

"I finally concluded that night as I lay there ready to fall into a peaceful sleep, that I had found love in him. My only worry: Would he return my love or simply want to be friends, if anything?"

The sound of Hermione's voice reading to Kirsten came flooding back to his ears from a far off place as reality dawned on him. He leaned closer to the door, looking in on the sight of Hermione sitting on the bed and Kirsten slowly nodding off.

"I convinced myself that he worst thing he could say was no and I rested happily on the thought that two nights in a row, he had asked for my company once more," Hermione read.

She stopped and stood, Kirsten's eyes closed as Hermione pulled the covers up over the little girl and turned to the door. Oliver backed quietly away from the door and rushed off down the corridor to his own room. Hermione was just about to shut the door as she gave on last look at Kirsten who rolled over and yawned before opening her eyes.

"Momma," Kirsten called quietly.

"Hmm?" Hermione answered.

"Will you give that book to Oliver, please? He said he liked it while I was reading it to him and he said he remembered it faintly remembered the story," Kirsten muttered sleepily. "It might help his memory."

"O-Okay," Hermione nodded as she pulled the door shut and locked it with her wand before turning and walking down the corridor, her destination Oliver's room.