CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
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.
AN
I've literally only just finished writing this chapter ten minutes ago and rather than waiting a few days to post it, I couldn't wait to share it with you all now.
Q&A
Riversgirl75 – don't worry, we're going to start with the flirting/catching feelings/smut very soon, and I can't wait...
KimFinLan – I'm not going to lie, I laughed a little when reading your review. It's something I'd do. And don't worry, I always enjoy writing a good chapter or two filled with lemons, I can't help myself.
Wizards N Dragons Realm – I'm sorry to hear that, the story of Hermione's Grandmother was actually based on my own Grandmother and it was a true event when I was younger, and my Granddad's been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer recently. I like to take inspiration from things that are happening in my own life or that are happening around me and using them in my work. It's makes them a lot easier for me to deal with and process.
Page count: 11
Wood Manor – Friday 18th December 1998
Hermione stepped into the living room of the manor and yawned loudly, before shrugging off her robes and slinging them over the back of the corner suite as she collapsed into the cushions. She caught sight of the clock above the fireplace and realised that it wasn't as late as she'd thought it would be. She's gone to Malloy's apartment a little after six o'clock, and now it was only half-eleven.
She groaned and pushed her face into one of the cushions and she turned her head slightly, opening one eye to see Oliver walking into the room, dressed in a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms and a white t-shirt, as he plopped himself down beside her.
"Ev'rything alright?" He asked.
She sighed and lifted herself up until she leaned back into the cushions and she turned her head towards him. He frowned when he noticed her tear stained face in the flicking light of the floating candles.
"What happened?" He asked, looking worried and Hermione gave him a small smile at his concern for her.
"Let's just say, my hard work's paid off."
"Meaning?"
"I've finally gotten through to my patient and they've accepted they need help. That's the most difficult part of my job."
"Malloy's asked fer yer help?" He asked surprised.
"I can't tell you the name of my patient, but if I were you, I wouldn't be surprised if you're a team mate down tomorrow."
"Alright, thanks fer the heads up. It's nothin' serious, right?"
"No," she shook her head. "They're not hurt, I just need to spend the day with them tomorrow, I have a plan and I'm hoping it'll help." She brought her hands up to her neck and rubbed over them, before bending her neck this way then that way. "So, has Doctor Clay taken care of your Mum?"
A smile pulled at his mouth and he nodded. "Aye, he has. He's confirmed tha' the diagnosis is correct, me Ma's agreed tae try the treatment. Her first round af chemotherapy is Tuesday."
"That was quick, even if he did owe me a favour," she said surprised.
"A'm takin' the mornin' aff from training, her appointment's scheduled fer ten o'clock. Me Da's gunna be oot af the country, so he cannae make it."
She eyed him carefully. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"A was thinkin' af asking ye, but a don' wanna put ye in any danger."
She rolled her eyes. "Oliver, you're my friend, if you want me to come with to help ease your worries, as well as your Mum's, then I will. We'll be in The Muggle World," she reminded him.
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank ye."
"You don't have to thank me," she smiled.
Her head dropped back, her eyes catching the ceiling decorations the house-elves had put up with Christmas being only a week away. She'd have to venture out at some point and finish her Christmas shopping. Thankfully, she'd had the thought to start shopping in October, so she was almost finished. She just had to get something for her parents and Oliver.
"What are you doing for Christmas?" She asked him. They hadn't yet discussed their plans for the holidays, so she thought it about time to bring the subject up.
"A'm spending a few days with me parents at their house. They're expecting mae Christmas mornin'. What are ye doin?"
"The same, I'm going to visit my parents on Christmas morning, and some point during the day, I'll have to floo over to The Burrow for a few hours. I'm not looking forward to it, but thanks to you, I should be able to get through it. I'm visiting the rest of my family with my parents on Boxing Day, we're all getting together as a sort of family reunion," she grimaced.
"Not looking ferward tae it?" He asked amused.
She groaned. "No, they're awful." He looked at her questioningly.
She sighed before kicking off her shoes and pulling her feet up, turning her body and resting her head against her hand, which she had propped up on the back of the corner suite. He shuffled his body to better face her and rested an arm over the back of the corner suite, his hand almost touching her arm.
"Seriously, Oliver, they're awful, the lot of them. My Mum has two sisters, Claire and Karen, and my Dad has a sister and a brother, Lindsay and Graham. Uncle Graham isn't so bad, but my Aunts are terrible human beings, and my cousins are even worse. I'm the youngest of seven in my family. Aunt Clair has two daughters, Rachel and Jessica, Aunt Karen has a daughter, Jasmine, Aunt Lindsay has a son, Nathan, and Uncle Graham has a son and daughter, Adam and Marie. Adam and Nathan aren't that bad actually; they just tease me seeing as I'm the youngest, they're both in their thirties, but the girls..." She shook her head. "They're truly awful, like Pansy Parkinson, awful."
He winced in sympathy, he didn't remember much about the girl, but what he did remember wasn't pleasant.
"Exactly, they've hated me from a young age. My Grandma Anne, I was always her favourite before she died, and when she did die, she left me quite a bit of money, more than them, and they've never gotten over it. On top of that, they've hated me even more ever since I was accepted into Hogwarts. All they knew was that I had been accepted into a highly prestigious and secret boarding school for those with exceptional talents."
"They're jealous," he stated.
"I suppose so," she nodded. "They've hated me for years, and my Aunts haven't been kind either. They always used to make fun of me, for my appearance, my lack of friends, my lack of a boyfriend," she rolled her eyes. "I haven't seen them in a few years, so this is going to be fun. Thankfully it's only for the day and we won't see each other again for at least another year."
"A wish ye luck," he chuckled.
"I'm going to need it, if I end up in muggle prison for murder, don't be surprised." He snorted at her. He raised his eyebrow when he saw her looking at him and biting her lip nervously.
"What?"
"What are you doing Christmas Eve?" She asked him.
"As far as a'm aware, nothin', we train half day an' we don' return tae the stadium until the day after New Year's. Why?"
"Do you want to be my plus one to The Malfoy's Christmas Ball? Narcissa's sort of emotionally black mailed into going as she bought me a dress, so I have to go or I'll feel awful. There's going to be a lot of people there, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable if I knew you were there too."
"Ye were worried aboot us being seen tagether by the wrong people," he reminded.
"That's not a problem, it's a masquerade ball; no one will know our identities."
He nodded slowly in thought. "Alright, a'll go tae this ball with ye."
"Yeah?" She asked, looking relieved.
"Aye," he nodded.
"Oh thank God," she sighed. "At least it'll be bearable now."
"Ye know, a don' think a've ever seen ye dressed up fer a ball befere," he mused.
"Don't get used to it, as I said, I'm only going because Narcissa used emotional blackmail."
Malloy's Apartment - Saturday 19th December 1998
"Right, Ben, grab your coat, we've got somewhere to be."
"And where is that?" He asked, but he summoned a warm cloak from his bedroom and fastened it around himself, hiding his jumper and jeans from view.
"We're going to make a visitation or two," she replied, before heading out of the apartment, into the elevator and stepping out onto the street.
She held her hand out for him and he eyed it carefully.
"I don't bite, Ben," she rolled her eyes.
He grumbled a reply which she didn't hear, before slipping his hand into hers and feeling the familiar sensation of being squeezed through a tube.
His eyes looked around his surroundings, not recognising where he was but seeing nothing but trees and the ground covered in snow.
"Where are we?"
She didn't reply, but she tugged him forward until they came to a gate which swung open with a touch of her wand. She pulled him through the gate and it soon became clear where they were, when he saw rows upon rows and snow covered head stones.
He eyed her from the corner of his eye as she pulled him through the cemetery until she suddenly stopped and he almost slipped in the snow.
"You've got a lot of anger and sadness in you, you've got a lot you need to get off your chest, and now that you've said it to me, you need to say it to someone else." She pointed towards a headstone that was three across from him and he frowned. "You may not understand why I've brought you here, but trust me, you need to do this and you'll feel better afterwards."
She squeezed his hand before letting go and walking back the way she came to give him some privacy. She stood waiting for him outside the gate, shuffling on her feet and her hands stuffed in the pockets of her pea coat. She didn't want to bring him here, but he really did need to get everything off his chest. Telling her how he felt had been the first step, the next step was telling his Father.
She waited for close to twenty minutes before she heard a 'bang' and before she could rush to see what happened, Ben appeared in her line of sight. His face red, whether that was from the cold or anger was anyone's guess, he slipped his wand under his cloak and he stopped before her.
There was a lot of anger and hatred on his face, before he shut his eyes and took a clam, steadying breath. When he opened his eyes, a look of acceptance and calmness appeared.
"I get it," was all he said to her. "I didn't think I would, but I feel lighter, less burdened." She nodded with a soft smile on her face. "How did you find him?"
"I checked the records at The Ministry before I arrived at your apartment," she answered. "One more to go," she told him, and he took her hand when she offered it.
"My Mother?" He questioned knowingly, as he stood before a gate that lead to a mausoleum.
"Yes, you feel a lot of guilt for what happened to her, but it's not your fault, and visiting her will help you to see that."
He nodded, before taking a deep breath and making his way towards the small building and he disappeared behind the door. Hermione sat on the bench and waited for him to return. He spent almost an hour in there, but she didn't complain.
"How are you feeling?" She asked when he sat down beside her.
"Like I need a drink," he replied. She glared at him and he chuckled. "Relax, Hermione, I meant a cup of tea, even with Warming Charms its bloody cold."
Malloy's Apartment
Hermione sat at the kitchen across from Malloy as she sipped at her tea and she watched him quietly, waiting for him to speak. She was already on her third cup of tea and Malloy hadn't spoken since they returned to his apartment nearly two hours prior.
He surprised her when he stood from the table and walked over to the warded cupboard where all of his confiscated alcohol was held. Hermione had lost count of how many bottles were in there, but it couldn't be far off from sixty or so.
"Will you open it?" He asked her. "I need to get rid of all temptation and even though I know it's warded to prevent me from opening it, there's still temptation because I know what's behind that door."
She put her mug on the table before walking over to him and with a wave of her wand, the warded cupboard recognised her magical signature and it swung open, revealing bottles of different, sizes, shapes and filled with differently coloured liquids. Malloy reached for a bottle, elf wine she noted, and he opened it and made to pour it down the drain.
"Wait," she said softly. He stopped and turned his head to look at her, the bottle still held over the sink. "I have a better idea."
He watched her carefully as she conjured up a large container, and with a flick of her wand all the bottles emptied from the cupboard and filled the box to the brim. He still tipped the bottle down the drain, needing to convince himself that he could do it, that he would get through it with Hermione's help.
"Let's for a walk," she said, shrinking down the box and slipping it into her pocket.
Diagon Alley
They were on the very outskirts of Diagon Alley, and despite worrying that she'd had a panic attack, she focused her attention on Malloy and that kept her from remembering her own problems.
They came to a stop in front of a large house that had seen better days, the windows could do with a good clean, the wood work needed repainting and the steps leading up to the house needed a little repair work.
"Where are we?" He asked her.
"I do my best to visit at least once a week, but sometimes work gets on top of me. The children love meeting new people," she spoke, as she approached the house.
"Children?" He questioned with a frown, his eyes scanning the old house in front of him. "Wait, is this..."
"The Orphanage, yes, it is."
"Why are we bringing alcohol to an orphanage?"
"They're low on funds and are struggling to provide for the children, since they have a budget given to them by The Ministry every month and it's just not enough to care for all the children. We're having a fund raiser event in a few months; they can use the alcohol as raffle prizes. There must be hundreds of galleons worth of alcohol in the box."
Hermione knocked on the door and after hearing running footsteps, it opened with a little girl stood behind it. She couldn't have been older than eight, her blonde hair was tied in pig tails, her blue dress looked a little dirty and ragged and her green eyes lit up when she saw Hermione.
"Hermione!" She shrieked, before throwing herself forward and wrapping her arms around Hermione's waist in a hug.
Hermione chuckled. "I say you're happy to see me, Hannah."
"We've missed you," the little girl grinned as she pulled back from Hermione.
"I've missed you all too."
"Who's that?" She asked, pointing to Malloy who stood beside her and looking up at him shyly.
"This is my friend, Ben. Ben, this little ray of sunshine, is Hannah."
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Hannah," Ben spoke, giving her a smile that was sure to send his fans into a fit of screams and sighs.
Hannah giggled and ducked her head.
"Is he your boyfriend?" She asked Hermione.
Malloy raised an eyebrow and looked at Hermione amused.
"No, Hannah, he's just my friend," she replied.
"You need a boyfriend," the little girl stated and Hermione scowled at Malloy when he snorted.
"You sound exactly like my Aunts," Hermione spoke. "Are you through with your interrogation?"
"For now," Hannah said, making Malloy chuckle as Hannah grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her into the house and he followed behind her.
He blinked when a stampede of children came from out of nowhere, all surrounding Hermione and tackling her in a hug. They tried to speak over each other and she laughed at them.
"Alright," she called and the children quieted down but their grins remained on their faces. "I must first visit with Ms. Nancy, but I will meet you all in the living room soon."
They grinned before running off and leaving the hall they stood in quiet. Malloy blinked and she snorted at him.
"How many children live here?" He questioned.
He followed behind her and his eyes scanned the faded paint on the wood work and the peeling wallpaper, its pattern no longer recognisable due to its obvious age and wear and tear.
"As far as I know, there's seventy-nine children living here, and ten staff that work on rotation. The house is no longer suitable for them to live comfortably and realistically, they could do with being moved to a larger property, but they don't have the funds to do so. They barely have enough to continue feeding and clothing the children. This is why we're having a fund raiser."
She stopped before a door and before she could knock, it opened and a woman stood before them. She was certainly old enough to be his Grandmother, he would guess she was in her late sixties. Her grey hair was tied back in a bun and her blue eyes were surrounded with wrinkles. She had a kind smile on her face as she addressed them.
"Hermione, it's wonderful to see you."
"How'd you know I was here?" Hermione replied amused.
"The children, I thought a herd of hippogriffs were loose at first," she chuckled. "They do so love when you visit."
"And I adore each and every one of them," Hermione smiled. "I would like to introduce you to my friend, Ben Malloy."
They shook hands.
"That name sounds familiar," the old woman mused.
"Professional Quidditch player," Hermione explained.
The woman nodded. "Is he your boyfriend?"
"No, he's not," Hermione threw her hands up in the air and Malloy couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of him. "We've brought some items than can be used for the fund raiser raffle." Hermione explained, before digging into her pocket and pulling out the shrunken box and handing it over.
"Thank you, Dear."
"It's not me you have to thank," Hermione replied, nodding to Malloy and he received a smile. "Now, before I visit the children, are there any injuries or illnesses that need my attention?"
"Not unless one of the children have harmed themselves in the last hour."
Hermione nodded and with a quick fair well, Malloy followed her through the house until they came to a room that was filled with more children than he'd seen in a long time. They were all squashed in, but they didn't seem to mind that they could barely move without standing on each other.
"Do they accept donations?" Malloy muttered, leaning down slightly so she could hear him over the chatter in the room.
Hermione smiled at him knowingly. "Yes, they do, both Harry and myself donate monthly, but it's still not enough to move the children to a more suitable property. There's a limit on what Gringott's allows to leave a vault monthly, especially with donations."
"Since when?" He frowned.
"Since we broke in, destroyed the place and stole their blind dragon. They hate us," she shrugged. He stared at her dumbly as she stepped forward.
"Right children, I've brought a guest, do any of you know, Ben Malloy of Puddlemere United?"
He couldn't help the smile that pulled at his mouth as almost every hand shot up in the air and murmurs of excitement filled his ears.
Wood Manor
Hermione flopped down into the cushions and she groaned when Merlin bounded into the room and jumped on her, licking her face and yipping happily. She'd only been back five minutes when the floo roared to life and Oliver stepped out. She noted that he didn't seem as stressed.
"How was training?" She asked, groaning when Merlin bounded off her and over to greet Oliver.
"Not bad," he replied, placing his broom on the bar and moving to sit beside her, scratching Merlin behind the ears when he jumped up beside him and sprawled himself across his lap. "We've all seen a big difference in Wilks since ye sent him tae St. Mungo's. Now tha' he's got his glasses, it's like he's a completely different player."
"I'm glad to hear that," Hermione smiled. "And the others?"
"They still need a kick up the arse," he replied. "But they're a lot better than they were befere."
"And there brooms?"
"Working on it," he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Any injuries?"
"Naw, not this time."
"And you?"
He shrugged. "Hurt me hand a wee bit, but it's fine."
She raised an eyebrow and held her hand out expectantly. He didn't bother protesting and he put his hand in hers. His eyes were glued to her face as a concentrated frown appeared, she turned his hand this way and that, scanning it for injuries before tracing her fingers over his skin. She dug her thumbs into his hand and he winced.
"You've probably pulled a muscle," she mused. "I've got a Muscle Relaxant Cream that should help."
She dropped his hand and pulled her wand, summoning the tub of cream, before taking his hand once again and applying the cream and massaging it into his hand. He sighed and his head flopped back as she dug her thumbs into his palms and he could feel the pull on his muscles lessen. She finished not long later and he offered her his other hand, she snorted but didn't say anything as she set to massaging the cream into his hand.
"Hoo was yer day?" He asked.
She looked up at him; he had his eyes closed and his head titled back against the cushions.
"Not bad, I spent half of the day with my patient, I went into Muggle London to finish off my Christmas shopping, and I visited the orphanage."
"Orphanage?" He questioned, one eye opening to look at her.
"Yes, the children love it when they get visitors; they were besides themselves when I turned up with my patient, dropping off some items for the fund raiser."
"What fund raiser?"
"The orphanage is holding a fund raiser in a few months time, the budget they get from The Ministry isn't enough to feed and clothe the children, and the house itself is no longer suitable for the amount of children and staff that are housed there. Even with donations, they're still struggling and they need more money to continue caring for the children. I've already spoken to Kingsley and he's doing his best to sort out an increase in their budget, but the Financial Department is being a pain in the arse. It's full of stuck up prats that have never had to worry about where there next meal may come from, they'd rather give the money to the MLE Department, and I have respect for what they do, trust me, but they have the highest budget out of all of the departments as it is and they certainly don't need any more money."
She finished with his hand and saw him rolling his shoulders, before she rolled her eyes and pointed to the ground. A smile pulled at his mouth before he shuffled Merlin off him and he slid on to the floor in front of her. She didn't ask him to remove his Quidditch jumper, but he did so anyway, leaving the top half of his body bare to her gaze and touch. She placed her hands on his shoulders and massaged the stress and tension out of his body, hearing him sigh and his head flopped forward.
"A take it ye already donate," he commented.
"Yes, and so does Harry, but with the goblins hatred towards us, Gringotts has placed a cap on out vaults as punishment. We're limited to the amount of money we can donate monthly, even if we wanted to donate more, and believe me, we both would, we can't."
"Tha's ridiculous."
"They don't care, goblins have always been selfish beings. Their punishment means that these children have to suffer and they still don't care. I've half a mind to remove everything I own from Gringotts, but I don't have any other options available," she sighed. "The children have asked if I'd visit them before Christmas, before I do that, I need to get their gifts."
"Gifts?"
"Hmmm," she hummed, before dragging her thumbs down the back of his neck and he took a shuddering breath and groaned and she chuckled at him. "The children aren't going to receive a lot this Christmas, as I said; the orphanage can barely afford food and clothing. Harry and I have been transferring some of our funds to a muggle bank for the last few months and the goblins can't do anything about it since they don't have jurisdiction in the Muggle World. We've placed the funds into a joint account that we can both access, and anything in there now will be used to buy the children new clothing, a toy each for Christmas morning and we're going to purchase food so the children and staff can have the Christmas feast they deserve. I'm planning on heading into the Muggle Word on Monday so I can get everything."
"Do ye want mae tae come with ye?" he asked her, a groan slipping from him when she dragged her thumbs down the length of his spine.
"You've got training," she reminded. "I know how much you love your job and I wouldn't dream of asking you to take a day off so you could help me."
"It wouldn't jus' be fer ye, but fer these kids tae. There's a reason they're in an orphanage an' they've been through a lot. They at least deserve tae have a good Christmas an' a want tae help ye give them tha'."
She blinked at him in surprise and her hands stilled. He looked over his shoulder at her.
"Why would you do that?" She questioned with a frown.
"These kids obviously mean a lot tae ye an' a want tae help ye, ye cannae possibly get ev'rything ye need by yerself. If a have tae take a day aff from training, then so be it."
She blinked again and he felt as though she were staring into his very soul. A smile pulled at her mouth and a soft look entered her eyes; it had him entranced and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her even if he tried.
"Thank you, I don't know how I could possibly repay you for that," she spoke.
"Ye don' have tae, a want tae do this fer ye."
Her smile widened, showing her perfectly white teeth.
"Thank you," she said again. "But I still don't want you to take time away from your training schedule, we can go tomorrow instead."
"Tha' fine with mae," he agreed.
"I hope you like kids," she mused.
"Why?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"When they see you, they're going to be ecstatic and nothing is going to be able to calm them down. There's seventy-nine children and the majority of them favour Puddlemere, and even those that don't would love to meet you. They're not going to leave you alone," she chuckled, and he turned back around as she returned to her previous task of massaging him.