CHAPTER EIGHT
Summary: Hermione suffers a terrible attack and who should find her but one of Wizarding Britain's most eligible bachelors. The relationship that builds between them is one no one saw coming, but no one predicted the danger that would surely follow. Post-War. Rated M for a reason.
Disclaimer: I do not own canon events or characters, they belong to J.K Rowling. I am not making a profit from this fanfic, everything is purely for entertainment purposes.
Q&A
mrs. haloona– no, no girlfriends this time around, just the team.
SereniteRose – no, Hermione hasn't had a falling out with The Weasleys or Harry, they're lack of presence so far will be explained in the next couple of chapters.
Page count: 9
Granger Flat - Wednesday 24th November 1998
Hermione's protective and battle instincts kicked in. She couldn't recall knowing or hearing of the spell, but it didn't take a genius to figure out it would likely do some damage.
She pushed Oliver out of the way. Due to his surprise and him not expecting it, Hermione's actions sent him falling to the ground, and cutting his hands on the glass in the process.
"Protego Totalum!" she called, casting the most powerful shield she could think of and the spell slammed into the shield. Hermione was sent flying backwards, crashing into the large mirror that sat above her fireplace.
Merlin was barking madly and he lunged at the figure, snarling viciously. The figure looked at Hermione before turning on the spot and apparating with a crack.
Oliver pushed himself up from the floor and looked at his hands, glass was embedded and blood was dripping down his fingers and onto the floor.
"Hermione, are ye alright?" he asked her, but she didn't answer. "Hermione?" he turned to see her crumpled form on the floor, she was on her back and blood was beginning to pool around her.
"Hermione!" he yelled, getting up and running to her, dropping beside her on his knees. He ran his hands under her head and felt the warm liquid as panic over took him.
"Bobby!" he yelled.
"Master..." Bobby gasped when he saw the scene.
"Get help now!" he ordered, Bobby was gone before he had even finished his order.
He sat beside her, holding her hand and waiting for help to arrive. Merlin moved over to him and Oliver noticed that he had blood on his paws, likely having cut them on the glass shards covering the ground.
"Merlin!" a voice whispered.
Oliver looked up in shock to see three figures standing in the room, looking around at the mess and then looking at Hermione. Kingsley, Jolkins and Thomas, he relaxed recognising them, but he didn't remember hearing them arrive.
Thomas rushed forward and dropped beside Hermione, not caring for the shards of glass and mirror.
"What happened?" Kingsley rushed out, whilst Thomas was busy casting spells over Hermione's unconscious form.
"She sent mae a letter at the stadium informin' mae tha' Thomas had cleared her tae leave. She waited fer mae tae get home since she had naw way af leaving withoot mae due tae the security measures on me estate; a accompanied her through the floo, when we stepped oot we saw the flat was like this," he gestured to the mess before continuing. "We heard a noise an' someone stepped oot af her bedroom an' he was carryin' a bag. They noticed us an' threw a spell at us, before a could block it, she pushed mae oot af the way an' cast a shield. She was thrown back intae the mirror an' Merlin attacked the intruder before they apparated oot. When a spoke tae her an' she didnae answer, a called fer Bobby tae bring ye here," he rushed out, desperate to tell them everything quickly so they understood.
"You did the right thing, Oliver," Thomas' voice soothed his frantic state. "She's lost a lot of blood, and broken her leg again, the same one in fact, though the bone looks to be shattered, so Skele-Gro will have to be used. She has glass embedded in her back, thankfully it isn't near here spine and luckily she has none in her head, it's just a cut that I can mend quickly, she should be fine in a few days."
Oliver looked relieved. "She saved mae," he spoke quietly.
"What spell was used?" Jolkins asked him, a note book in hand, obviously taking down the details of the attack.
"A dunno, a've never heard it befere," Oliver replied.
"Oliver, help me, I need you to hold her for me so I can remove the glass from her back and seal the cuts," Thomas spoke.
Thomas carefully lifted her torso so she was sat up and Oliver held her as she flopped forward, leaning against his chest. Thomas made quick work of the glass and sealing the cuts.
"That's done, I'll heal her head wound and administer the potions and hopefully she should come around pretty quickly."
He did as he said he was going to do and then took her from Oliver, laying her back down, this time with a pillow cushioning her head. He poured a Blood Replenishing Potion down her throat, along with a Pain Potion for her leg, which he would have to heal later since he didn't have the right potion with him.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, seeing the blood on him. Oliver looked down and remembered his hands.
He held them out for Thomas and he quickly removed the glass and healed them.
"Merlin's hurt as well," Oliver informed him,
Thomas moved over to Merlin and lifted his paw seeing the blood and cuts, he checked all four paws and healed them, before pulling back and noticing that he had something in his mouth.
"What have you got there?" Thomas asked, taking hold of the black fabric in Merlin's mouth, he let go of it and Thomas handed it to Kingsley.
"It looks to be a piece of clothing, that's good, it could contain DNA evidence, we may be able to connect this person to the man responsible for the attack."
Their attention was drawn to Hermione when she gave a groan and her hands clenched. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she blinked a few times, before noticing the four pairs of eyes on her, she slowly sat up with Oliver helping her.
"What happened?" she asked, sounding disorientated.
"We were hoping you could tell us," Kingsley said gently. She looked up at him and frowned.
"Oliver brought me home because Thomas cleared me, when we stepped out of the floo I noticed the state my flat was in. I heard a noise and I pulled my wand, someone stepped out of my bedroom, he saw Oliver and I together and he didn't seem pleased to see Oliver so close to me. He cast a spell, one I've never heard before and I didn't like the look of it. I pushed Oliver out of the way and cast a shield and I was thrown into the mirror, that's all I remember."
"What was the spell, the colour?" Jolkins asked her.
"Bright orange in colour, I think it was something like Orginis Hiranus," she frowned.
"Organa Hirniosus?" Kingsley asked.
"Yes, that's it," she nodded. The auror, the ex-auror and the healer shared a look she didn't like.
"What is it?" she asked frowning.
"That's a dark curse, if you are hit with it, it will rupture every organ in your body and you will die a very painful death."
She looked horrified before her eyes darted to Oliver and he paled; he knew that curse had been meant for him. If she hadn't of pushed him out of the way, he would've died.
"The figure, what did he look like?" Jolkins changed the subject.
"It was definitely a man, I could tell when he spoke the curse," Hermione answered, "he was wearing all black clothing, along with a black cloak and his hood was up so I couldn't see his face."
"What about his hands, did you see any marks or anything that will help us identify him?"
"No, he was wearing black gloves, so I didn't see his skin tone either, if I had to guess though, I would say he was about five-foot-ten, maybe eleven."
"Well, it's not much but it's more than we had before," Jolkins said kindly.
"You realise that you can't stay here, Hermione?"
She sighed, "Kingsley, this is the third flat I've moved into since the end of the war, I'm sick and tired of moving."
"I know you are, but it's no longer safe for you here, you have to move again."
She sighed in defeat knowing they were right and they wouldn't let her stay there.
"Fine, I'll pack everything up and stay at The Leaky Cauldron until I can find a new flat."
"Naw," Oliver spoke suddenly, shocking everyone in the room. "Ye can stay with mae."
"Oliver, I've imposed on you enough as it is."
"Naw, ye havnae, ye can stay with mae, ye will be safe on me estate, there are only a handful af people tha' know where a live. Thomas, the members af me team an' me parents, tha's it."
Thomas gave Oliver a knowing look, which he missed, but Kingsley and Jolkins didn't.
"Oliver..."
"Hermione, he's right, you'll be safe with him, no one will be able to find you," Thomas spoke.
"The wards only allow access fer apparition fer meself, the floo – me parents, meself an' Thomas, tha's it," he looked at her pleadingly. "Please, Granger, stop bein' a stubborn hippogriff an' jus' stay with mae, it's the best option right now."
"Fine," she scowled and relief that he couldn't explain filled him. "But only until I find a new flat." He didn't comment. "What are my injuries?" she turned her attention to Thomas.
"You had a head wound which I have healed, glass embedded in your back, thankfully it didn't do any internal or spinal damage and I was able to remove the glass and heal the cuts. The most problematic injury is your leg, you've broken it again," he explained and she sighed. "Only this time it seems some of it has been shattered, I'll have to remove the shards of bone and give you some Skele-Gro, this will take longer to heal than before. You won't be able to walk for a week, maybe longer."
"Fantastic," she grouched. "I suppose I better pack everything up, you want me out as soon as possible?"
"An hour," Kingsley confirmed. "We'll have to comb the flat for any evidence, before we do, you said he had a bag?"
"Yes."
"Did it have anything in it?"
"You thing he took some of my belongings?"
"I do, you know as well as I do that this guy's a twisted fuck."
Oliver looked confused at the conversation, he would make sure he got answers to the many questions he had from Hermione later.
"We'll check your bedroom first whilst we search for evidence, we'll move onto your bathroom, then the kitchen and finally the living room, once we're done you can pack everything up and we'll alert the landlord that this is a crime scene and must not be entered until we give our permission."
"Alright," she agreed.
Before she could even attempt to stand up Oliver had her in his arms as he stood up, holding her close to him.
She scowled. "We're starting this again?" she huffed.
"Ye cannae walk."
"I can crawl."
"There's glass covering the ground an' a don' think ye should be crawling with a shattered bone in ye leg, it could make it worse."
"Who's the healer here?"
"I am," Thomas spoke, drawing their attention. "You know he's right."
"Shut up," she mumbled, but she put her arms around his neck, being mindful of his bruise between his shoulder blades.
"Bedroom first?" Oliver asked, Kingsley and Jolkins nodded and Oliver headed in the direction of the bedroom.
Like the other rooms, it had been trashed, items littered the floor, the chest of drawers were opened, as was the wardrobe, the mattress off the double bed was on the floor with the covers and pillows, clothes littered the floor and photo frames had once more been smashed.
"Is anything missing?" Jolkins asked.
She looked around. "Oliver, chest of drawers," she said, he walked her over to the chest of drawers. "Put me down please."
"Ye cannae walk."
"I don't care, unless you want to look in my knicker drawer?"
He quickly put her down, once he was sure she had a steady grip on the drawers to keep herself up right, he moved back as she rummaged through each drawer.
"Oh come on!" she spoke exasperated.
"What is it?" Kingsley asked.
"They creepy bastard has my knickers!" she exclaimed.
"What?" Oliver choked in shock.
"He stole my knickers!" she repeated.
"Are you certain?" Jolkins asked.
She turned her head and glared at him. "Yes, I am sure, I am unsure of how many pairs I own, but I can sure as hell tell you that it wasn't six, that's all he's left me, six pairs of fucking knickers, this drawer was full. I'm going to have to go shopping now," she growled, slamming the drawer shut and looking in the next one. "Oh, for fuck sake, he's taken some of my bras too, ten, he's left me ten!" she slammed that draw shut, even more enraged and she looked in the final drawer. "Oh, how thoughtful, the thieving arsehole left me my socks!"
Oliver was both concerned and slightly amused, not with the situation, but with her enraged reactions. In fact, the whole situation worried him, why would a man steal her underwear?
"Hermione, maybe we should move on," Thomas offered softly.
"Fine!" She looked inside the open jewellery box, noticing that most of the expensive stuff was still there, except for one thing. "My Grandmother's ring is missing; I've had it since she died when I was ten."
Oliver picked her up and moved her over to her wardrobe which was open, he noticed that it was bigger on the inside. He set her down and she steadied herself on the door, peering inside and using her free hand to move the hangers to see each item of clothing.
She sighed. "I can't be sure what I'm missing exactly, but I have..." she counted, "fourteen empty hangers, they were all used when I left here on Saturday, they're dresses and shirts, I also appear to be missing..." she counted again, "two pairs of pajamas, three pairs of jeans, two sets of robes and two pairs of shoes. The tosspot is going to cost me a fortune in replacing my clothing," she said in annoyance.
Oliver picked her up and they left the room, moving to the bathroom, whilst Jolkins checked the room for any evidence.
The bathroom was small and without colour, there was a toilet, a shower, a mirror, a sink, and a small cupboard, it was practical and simple. Hermione looked around.
"My hair brush is missing," she spoke, "so are some of my wash products, my soap, my shower gel and my shampoo and conditioner, Oliver, cupboard please."
He moved them over to the cupboard and she opened it to reveal two shelves with bedding, sheets and towels stacked.
She appeared to be counting.
"I'm missing a white towel and two bedding sets and sheets, I think that's everything in this room."
Kingsley stayed behind to check for evidence and Jolkins finished in her bedroom and met them in the kitchen, Hermione quickly checked the drawers and cupboards.
"The only thing missing is my favourite mug."
"The bowl?" Thomas said amused.
"It's not a bowl, it's just a big mug," she defended.
He snorted. "Kiddo, it's a bowl with a handle."
She scowled at him and they moved into the living room, Kingsley joining them after finishing in the bathroom. She looked around at the photo frames on the floor, they were all facing upwards and she counted them, seeing that she was missing one, she quickly scanned them.
"I'm missing a photo frame."
"What was in it?" Kingsley asked.
"Myself in Australia, I was on the beach with my parents in my bikini." Kingsley gave her a knowing look.
"Anything else?"
"Books," she told Oliver and he begrudgingly put her down on the floor, she sat down and scanned through the titles, that alone took her twenty minutes, judging by the amount she had.
"Out of the three hundred and twenty-nine books on my bookshelf, thirty-one are missing."
Oliver snorted. "Ye cannae tell what clothes were taken, but ye know hoo many books ye own an' hoo many were taken?"
"Yes, I also know the titles of those thirty-one books," she glared at him and he shook his head at her. "I'm missing, Hogwarts a History, the latest two editions, I'm missing the unofficial biography of Harry Potter, I'm missing my copy of Moste Potente Potions, Advanced Potions Making..."
"Hermione, how about you write us a list?" Kingsley chuckled and she scowled but nodded.
"We'll check the living room over, in the meantime you can start packing the rooms we've already checked."
"That's fine," she agreed. Oliver picked her up and took her into her bedroom.
With her wand she conjured cardboard boxes -which she had kept from her last move- and with a flick of her wand, all of her clothing flew into the correctly marked boxes. As did her jewellery, shoes, underwear, photographs and the duvet and pillows from the bed.
She smiled when she saw the old teddy bear on the floor and she summoned it towards her, looking at it lovingly before she levitated it into a box and sealed them shut. She shrunk them down and then summoned her trusty beaded bag, placing the boxes inside. Oliver looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Undetectable Extension Charm," she shrugged. "I used it during our time on the run, it still has all the supplies inside that allow you to survive in the wild, I can't bring myself to empty it."
They moved into the bathroom and Hermione conjured another box to put her linens and towels into, along with the few wash products the intruder had left her.
They moved to the kitchen and Hermione conjured boxes to pack away the crockery and cutlery, doing the same for the kitchen utensils, dog food and food.
He raised an eyebrow. "If I'm staying with you, I'll be eating your food, this way I can put the food I have into your stores and it won't go to waste," she explained.
When Kingsley and Jolkins announced they were done in the living room, Hermione conjured more boxes and started packing up the books, which alone took up seven boxes, she shrunk down the charmed bookcases and she packed up Merlin's things and the photo frames, she levitated one over to her and looked at it with a sigh.
It was a photo of her, Harry and Ron. It was taken after the war at The Burrow, they were stood by the lake and smiling as the sun shone on them. Hermione was stood in the middle with Ron and Harry on either side of her, their arms around her shoulders whilst hers were around their waists, except Harry and Ron's faces had been scratched out, leaving only her.
"He's done it again, hasn't he?" Kingsley asked her softly.
"Yes, he has," she said sadly, before putting the photo frame in the box and shrinking them down to put into her beaded bag with the rest of her belongings.
"Done," she informed them.
"Aren't ye goin' tae pack up the furniture?" Oliver asked her.
"No, the bed, chest of drawers, wardrobe, kitchen table and chairs, the couch, arm chair and coffee table came with the flat," she shrugged.
"We'll speak to your landlord before heading to The Ministry," Kingsley said.
"I'll head back to Oliver's, when I've tended to Hermione's leg I'll come by your office," Thomas spoke and they nodded to him.
Oliver wasted no time in heading to the floo, determined to finally get answers from Hermione once they returned. He stepped into the fireplace with Hermione in his arms, he shifted her so that he could drop the floo powder and call out the address, and disappeared into the flames with Merlin and Thomas following behind them.