CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
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
Alright, this a massive chapter compared to usual, being almost double the size.
Page count: 14
Granger Residence – Saturday 26th December 1998
"Hermione, Dear, breakfast's ready!"
Hermione gave a sleepy grumble as her mother's voice carried up the stairs and into her bedroom, waking her from her slumber.
"Hermione!"
Her father's voice followed not long after, amusement laced into his tone knowing that whilst she was a morning person, she hated being woken up by others, and the only days she actually enjoyed a sleep in were her birthday, Christmas day and Boxing day. They only came three times a year, so why couldn't they let her sleep?
"We'll be late if you don't get out of bed, do you really want your God awful Aunt Karen complaining about our tardiness!"
"Richard!"
A smiled pulled at Hermione's mouth at her mother's scolding and she sniggered at the words that soon followed.
"How dare you? We both know Claire's the worst of the bunch. Come on, Hermione, your sausages are getting cold!"
At the mention of sausages Merlin seemed to spring awake and he bounded off the end of her bed, pushed the door open further and darted downstairs, her mother's laughter mixing with Merlin's barks.
"Of course I have some for you, too," her mother's voice carried.
Sighing, Hermione knew that she had to get up. As much as she wished it, she couldn't stay home all day and snuggle with her dog as she read a book. It was the day she'd been dreading for months, The Granger annual family reunion, and she was most certainly not looking forward to it.
Rolling onto her back, she stretched out her body with her hands above her head before throwing the thick duvet off herself, standing from the bed and making her way over to her bedroom window. Throwing open the plum coloured curtains, she was met with the sight of a greying sky, snowflakes slowly falling from the sky and the ground being covered in snow.
The day before it had snowed heavily and normally Hermione wasn't particularly fond of the cold weather, but it being Christmas day had made it seem all the more magical. The previous morning she'd left Wood Manor before Oliver had even woken, and after making herself some breakfast and leaving a plate behind for Oliver under a Stasis Charm, she'd left the manor and floo'd to her parents' house, after Hermione had arranged for them to have their fireplace connected to the Floo Network a few months ago. Naturally, she was the only one to have access so she never had to worry about someone possibly targeting her parents.
After spending the morning and most of the afternoon with her parents, she'd floo'd over to The Burrow, leaving Merlin behind lest he attack Ron. Things had been tense and awkward between Hermione and Ron and while the others had certainly noticed, no one had mentioned it, them all believing they'd only had a fight which was usual for them, but what they didn't realise was that Hermione had no intention of ever repairing her relationship with Ron. She couldn't bring herself to do it.
Harry had been the most concerned, knowing both her and Ron so well, but he'd learned to not get involved and to let them sort out their own problems without his meddling, it was safer that way.
After presents had been exchanged, Hermione had been careful to keep herself to herself as much as possible, flinching every time someone hugged her and touched her unexpectedly. If anyone noticed, they didn't mention it, as it was the only ones exempt were Harry and Mrs. Weasley.
After dinner had been eaten, they'd all stepped outside to watch some of the twins' fireworks and they sat around the fire chatting and having a few drinks before Hermione left home to sit in the living room with her parents, watching old Christmas re-runs and eating some of her mother's famous Christmas pudding, before heading to bed for the night.
Shaking her head, she moved away from the window and picked up her discarded clothing that was left on the floor from the night before, and she deposited them in her hamper. After quickly making her bed and returning the stack of her favourite childhood children's books to the shelf on the wall, she made for the door.
As he walked past the window she came to a sudden stop, a frown pulling at her face and she took several steps backwards, her eyes searching the street and not seeing anything. She shook her head, she could've sworn she'd seen someone stood watching the house.
Brushing her hair back from her face, she exited her room and made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen, rolling her eyes when she saw her mother sat at the table eating her breakfast and her father sat opposite her, the morning paper being spread out on the table in front of him while he 'sneakily' stole a piece of bacon from the side plate and fed Merlin it beneath the table.
"Seriously, Dad!" Hermione sighed. He shrugged his shoulders and turned the page in his newspaper.
"Eat your breakfast, Dear, we're to meet the others in less than an hour and a half," Hermione's mother spoke.
Taking a seat at the table, Hermione soon tucked into her sausages, bacon and toast and she drank down her tea. As she excused herself to ready for the coming day her mother stopped her.
"Oh, I forgot, an owl dropped by this morning, there's a letter for you on the counter," she said.
Frowning slightly, Hermione retrieved the letter and made her way to her room, shutting the door behind her and placing the envelope on her bedside table. She pulled her wand from beneath her pillow and ran a series of diagnostic checks and upon seeing it was clean, she put her wand down and opened the letter.
Her heart rate picked up, her head went fuzzy and her face drained of colour.
Hermione, My Love,
I do hope you've had a wonderful Christmas with your parents, and I am terribly sorry that I was unable to celebrate this holiday with you. My life right now is not something I wish to expose you to, I wish to protect you from the dangers of the world and hopefully, next Christmas we will finally be together.
I am only hopeful that my gift to you makes up for the lack of my presence this year...
Until we meet,
Be safe and continue to be the light in my darkness.
P.s. I must say, Little Dove, I do so love to see you so comfortable in front of me, I've always loved you in red, and those shorts are sure to feature in my dreams.
Hermione felt her hands shaking as the letter fell from her hands and landed on the ground of her wooden floorboards. She looked down at herself, seeing herself sporting a pair of red cotton shorts and a red silk button down shirt. Realisation crashed down on her.
Reaching for her wand and gripping it tightly in her hand, she closed her eyes tightly and took a large gulp of oxygen in hopes of centring herself and she moved over to her window, her eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary. Not seeing anything, she reached for the curtains and pulled them closed before her arms folded around herself protectively.
She struggled to breathe, her chest heaving and little gasps leaving her as panic began to set in. Hearing Merlin bark from the floor below, Hermione took a breath and unfolded her arms before she retrieved the letter from the ground and her beaded bag, and then she darted down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Hermione, Dear, what's wrong?" Her mother asked worriedly, immediately seeing her pale and sickly complexion and her slightly shaking form.
"I'm afraid I've been called away, the letter was a request for my help. There's been an explosion at a potions lab and St. Mungo's need my assistance as they're short staffed." Her mother opened her mouth to speak. "I'm sorry, but I have to go, I'll visit as soon as I can," she said, turning on her feel and quickly moving to the fireplace with Merlin not far behind her.
She'd already floo'd away before her parents had even reached the living room.
~000~000~000~
Wood Manor
Stepping out into the living room of Wood Manor, she dropped her beaded bag to the ground and darted from the room to her bedroom, finding her way into the walk in wardrobe and positioning herself in the corner of the room and beneath the clothes that hung from hangers. Curling herself into as small a ball as possible, the letter fell from her grasp and she buried her face against her knees, the damn finally breaking.
Wood Manor was the only place she felt safe and protected, it was the only place she knew he couldn't find her.
Tears fell from her eyes forcefully, her entire body shook uncontrollably and she gasped and hiccupped, struggling to catch her breath as images suddenly flashed through her mind.
~000~000~000~
Wood Residence
"Mornin', Oliver,"
"Mornin', Ma, hoo are ye feelin'?" He asked his mother, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he walked past her and to his own chair, giving his father a smile of greeting as he flicked through that morning's Daily Prophet.
"Better than a have in a long time," she answered with a warm smile, before turning to thank Penny the house-elf as she fixed her morning cup of tea to her liking.
"Thank ye, Kipper," Oliver said to the older house-elf as he put Oliver's morning cup of tea in front of him.
"Kipper lives to serve the Masters and Mistress," the house-elf replied, bowing with his ears flopping forward and he disappeared from view.
Oliver picked up his tea and took a swig, being reminded of the fact that that was the first morning cup of tea he'd had in weeks that hadn't been made by Hermione. The day before he'd been woken by the sound of the floo and after exiting his bedroom, he'd made his way to the kitchen to find a cup of tea and a plate of chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and eggs waiting for him, along with a rather large and perfectly wrapped present.
He hadn't expected Hermione to get him anything for Christmas, so her doing so had meant more to him that he'd realised, and he only hope the gesture was mutual, seeing as he'd gotten her a gift, too, but he'd hidden his with the rest of the presents beneath the Christmas tree, knowing Hermione would take them all as they were for her family and friends.
It was strange to him, sitting at the table with his parents and eating breakfast rather than with Hermione, conversing with her as Merlin laid himself at their feet beneath the kitchen table. He couldn't believe how much he actually missed it, missed her, it had only been a day!
He shook his head and his eyes moved to look out of the large floor to ceiling windows of the dining room of his parent's home, the place he'd grown up. It was a strange building, being something of a combination between a traditional and modern ranch house that was surrounded by plentiful fields and meadows and space to fly and play Quidditch. He knew his parent's choice of housing would be seen as a little odd, giving they were fairly wealthy within the Pureblood community and most chose to live in manor houses and the like, but his parents had never cared what others thought of them and instead bought the property and it's land not long after they married twenty-five years ago.
As he watched the snow lightly fall to the already snow covered ground, he caught sight of his father reaching over for his mother's hand which he brought to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it, before going back to reading the newspaper and his mother went back to sipping at her tea.
A smile pulled at his mouth at the display. His parents had never been shy about showcasing their love for one another and certainly not in front of him, which made him luckier than most. He'd heard horror stories about other Pureblood families and their loveless marriages, of the things the children of those families had to witness and he was thankful he'd been spared that, but his experiences could've very well been different if it weren't for his parents.
He knew the story of their pasts, they'd told him plenty enough times that it was engraved in his brain. Both his parents being Pureblood and arranged marriages being common within the community, they'd both been set to marry from the ages of eleven. But when they'd started Hogwarts, his father had been a Gryffindor and his mother a Hufflepuff, which certainly explained her kindness and optimistic outlook on life.
They'd met in the library a few days after the start of term and struck up a quick friendship, his father being very protective of his mother when she was bullied by Slytherins. They'd always been close, but when his father asked his mother to the Halloween Ball their fifth year, that was the kick start of their relationship. They fell in love and once they graduated three years later, they'd gotten engaged and married not even a month later. Luckily they had enough money between them to buy a property and start a life together. Neither of their parents had been happy about them shaming their families by breaking their marriage contracts and they'd been disowned. During the time of the first war, his grandparents had died and with his parents having no siblings, Gringotts had no option but to award the wealth of Houses Wood and Taylorson to them. They'd sold all the properties wanting no reminder of their parents and lived their lives with happiness, love and peace.
Turning his attention to his plate of sausages, eggs and black pudding, he saw his mother smiling loving at her father for no other reason than she could do so. Knowing what he did about his parents and having grown up witnessing their marriage, he only wished that he could have the same. If his marriage was filled with even half the amount of the love and happiness his parents was, then he knew he'd be one of the luckiest wizards alive. Watching as his father absentmindedly ran his thumb over his mother's knuckles and she watched him lovingly, an image of Hermione flashed through his mind.
He shook his head and frowned slightly. No, that didn't happen, he had a handle on the situation. He definitely did!
He quickly moved to make a start on eating his breakfast and finished not long later, rolling his eyes when more sausages and black pudding made an appearance on his plate. His mother chuckled at him.
"Ye know hoo much Jax loves tae feed ye,"
"A've been gone fer years now, Ma," Oliver replied.
"Exactly, so he's only gunna make up fer it when yer here," she said.
His father let out an amused snort, pulling their attention. "So, Oliver, are ye ready fer the upcomin' match?" He asked.
"Tae be honest, a don' think we would be even if we had more time tae prepare an' train, but a have tae admit, we're gettin' a lot better now tha' the team's starting tae pull tagether."
"An' a hear yer've got a new healer at the stadium, a Miss. Hermione Granger."
Oliver narrowed his eyes at the way his parents shared a slight smile. He knew his mother would've told his father about Hermione, they didn't keep secrets from each other, which only meant he now had to deal with them both.
"Aye, what af it?" Oliver spoke.
"A hear she's one af the best," his father shrugged his shoulders.
"She is, anno the team's health is in good hands. She's already proven herself with catchin' the problem with Wilk's eyesight an' we're all safer fer it," Oliver agreed, and thankfully his father changed the subject.
As he reached over to fill his mug up with more tea, he startled slightly when Bobby appeared beside him.
"Master Oliver, Master Oliver! Hurries!" Bobby cried, looking distraught with tears welling in his eyes, shuffling on his feet and his hands tugging at his pillowcase.
"Bobby?" Oliver questioned, being completely surprised by Bobby's appearance and current behaviour. He'd never seen the little elf so out of sorts.
"Master Oliver, come quick, it's the Miss!"
Something inside of Oliver snapped and not caring for his parents' reactions or confusion, he stood from his chair so fast it toppled over to the ground.
"Take mae tae her," Oliver ordered, and Bobby's hand wrapped around his wrist without hesitation.
~000~000~000~
Wood Manor
Oliver landed in the living room of the manor and he didn't have to ask where Hermione was for Bobby soon turned and hurried down the corridor. Oliver was quick on his heels and Bobby came to a stop outside of Hermione's bedroom door.
"The Miss be's in there," Bobby said, sounding as though he were trying to keep himself from crying and he reached up to tug his ears flat against his head when Oliver pushed the door open and Hermione's cries filled his ears.
Knowing where she was hidden, he headed straight for her walk in wardrobe and sure enough he found her as he had before, curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, making herself as small as possible. Merlin was laid in front of her, whimpers leaving him and he looked up to Oliver when he entered, a whine falling from the large dog.
"Damsel," Oliver spoke softly, not wanting to frighten her and he slowly approached her, crouching down beside her. "Damsel, what happened?"
Slowly she lifted her buried head from her knees and her eyes were unfocused, dazed. His heart broke at the sight of her, her eyes red and swollen as tears trailed down her cheeks and her face had reddened. She sounded as though she were struggling to breathe and he could visibly see her shaking.
Reaching up, he gently took her face in his hands and at his touch she seemed to recognise him, the dazed look leaving her eyes as she blinked several times and her eyes roved his face, locking onto his gaze.
"Oliver?" She choked out, her voice sounding raspy and sore.
"A'm here, Damsel," he said softly.
Her sobs grew louder as she unfolded her body and threw her arms around his neck, hugging herself to him tightly as she cried into his t-shirt. Oliver's arms came up to wrap around her and he held her to him gently, shifting so he sat on the ground and his back was propped up against the wall.
"What happened?" He asked.
She shook her head, being unable to answer him and not helping to ease him in the slightest. His eyes caught the slightly crumpled letter on the ground and he was able to reach out and pick it up.
Anger and worry and fear shot through him, understanding instantly hitting him as he read over the words on the parchment. Upon spotting the gift she'd been sent, he felt his stomach twist and turn, making him feel sick. They really were sick bastards!
Spelled to stick against the parchment until it was pulled off, was a ring. And it wasn't just any ring; the white gold band was accompanied by a rather large diamond and cushioned by two slightly smaller emeralds. The intention of the ring was clear, an engagement ring.
"Bobby!" Oliver called, barely containing his own emotions but he had to remain calm for Hermione; the last thing she needed was to see him lose his temper and he didn't wish to frighten her anymore than she already was. "Get Kingsley Shacklebolt now, a don' care what he's doin', jus' get him."
Crunching the letter in his hand, he rubbed his other hand over Hermione's back comfortingly, whispering into her ear softly.
"Yer safe here, a won't let them hurt ye,"
It was only a few moments later when Kingsley Shacklebolt and Head Auror Jolkins made an appearance, neither of them dressed in their regular robes and looking as though they hadn't been awake long themselves.
"What happened?" The Minister spoke instantly, his eyes flittering to Hermione and then up to him.
Oliver gritted his teeth and held out the letter, The Minister moving closer to take it from him. His eyes hardened and he gripped the letter tightly before handing it to Jolkins, his reaction being similar.
"A'm not sure what happened. Bobby came tae me parents tae get mae, a found her like this," Oliver said. Bobby appeared in the room and handed Oliver the Calming Draught that he'd requested. "Damsel, we need tae know what happened, can ye drink this fer mae?" He asked softly.
It took a few moments to coax her head from being buried against his chest and she drank down the potion, her breathing and sobs calming, but tears still fell.
"He...He was at my house... He knew what I was wearing. I thought I saw someone out my window watching me," she said quietly.
"How long ago, Hermione?" Kingsley asked gently, his tone soft and calming and watching the way she buried her face back against Oliver's chest.
"Less than an hour," she whispered.
"Go now!" Kingsley ordered, but Jolkins had already left the room, all but running to the apparition point.
"Yer safe here, a won' let anyone hurt ye," Oliver muttered softly, absentmindedly pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"I remember something," her voice broke and she started hyperventilating. He pulled back from her and took her face in his hands.
"Damsel, breathe with mae," he instructed and he deliberately slowed his own breathing, a smile appearing when she mimicked his breathing and it helped to calm her. "Ye know yer safe here, can ye tell mae what ye remember?" He asked.
Her eyes closed tightly and Oliver wiped away her falling tears with his thumbs.
"Not really, it's just flashes of images, nothing seems to fit together. But, I think one had copper coloured hair and the other two were blonde, one a shade darker than the other."
Oliver looked over to Kingsley, only just remembering that he was still there and he had a notebook in his hand and was writing down everything she said. Kingsley looked to Oliver and gestured to Hermione with a tilt of his head. They knew from the last time that she'd only respond to Oliver, so it was down to him to get what he could out of her.
"Alright, yer doin' really well, is there anything else?"
"I... I remember one of them had an accent, Yorkshire I think, and one of them, his nose... I think it's been broken before, at least twice. I recognise the damage to the bone structure."
"Anything else?"
She shook her head. "They just kept touching me and wouldn't stop," she cried, bringing her hands up to grip at her hair. Oliver did his best to get her to release her grip lest she hurt herself, but she wouldn't let go and he worried she'd pull clumps of hair out if she wasn't careful.
"They kept touching me and wouldn't stop... I tried to stop them... I tried to fight... but I didn't have the chance to get to my wand..."
He instantly recognised the way her body shook, her face suddenly went pale and she brought her hands up to clamp over her mouth and quicker than he had in his life, he pulled his wand and was able to conjure a bucket, just in time as Hermione doubled over and threw up.
He was quick to pull her hair back from her face and rub comforting circles on her back as he made shushing sounds. A few minutes later after she'd emptied the contents of her stomach, she leaned back against Oliver and he held her to him gently.
Looking up he caught the gaze of Kingsley, seeing the sad look on his face and their attention was pulled when Jolkins entered the room, slightly out of breath and a red tint to his cheeks.
"There was definitely someone there, but they'd been gone at least half an hour," he spoke. "But I was able to pick up on an apparition signature, it may take a few days, but we should be able to find him."
Kingsley looked both angry and hopeful and he nodded to Jolkins, before turning to Hermione.
"Give us a few days, Hermione, and hopefully we'll have at least one of the bastards and they might lead us to the others. In the meantime, don't leave the manor. You're safe here." He didn't wait for a response as both he and Jolkins left the room with the intention of starting the tracking process.
"Ye did so well, a'm proud af ye," Oliver muttered softly, placing yet another kiss to her forehead.
Hermione seemed to relax at the gesture, melting against him and turning her head to bury her face against his chest.
"They wouldn't stop..." She whispered. "They wouldn't leave me alone...They wouldn't stop touching me, grabbing at me..."
Seeing her hands coming up to her mouth, he gathered her hair back from her face just before she leaned over and threw up in the bucket once more. Seeing as she no longer had any food left in her stomach, it was all water and acid until she was dry heaving. Once she'd finished he vanished the bucket with a flick of his wand and received a grateful look when he cast a Cleansing Charm over her.
"For a few moments I could feel them touching me, until unconsciousness took me over. I don't remember anything after that."
"They'll get them, they made the mistake we were hopin' they would. They left a trace behind, an' now we have a better description af their appearances, tae."
"I was so scared, so helpless. I don't know why they did this to me. Why did they have to hurt me like this?"
"A honestly don' know, Damsel, but what a do know is tha' now yer safe from them. A made a promise tae protect ye an' a intend tae keep tha' promise. A will protect ye,"
"I know," she whispered in reply, snuggling into him further.
Oliver caught sight of Merlin lifting his head from his paws and looking towards the door with what he could only describe as a cautious narrowing of the eyes. He allowed his own eyes to follow and seeing what he did had his eyes widening, his mouth dropping open and his breath hitching slightly, before he shook his head and narrowed his eyes.
Looking down to Hermione, she was still snuggled up against him and looking as though she were going to fall asleep. Removing his arms from around her, he made to pull back.
"Don't leave me, please don't leave me," she pleaded, gripping onto his shirt and a slight tone of hysteric entered her voice.
"A'm not gunna leave ye," he said gently. "A'm jus' gunna use the bathroom an' then get ye a glass af water, a'll be back in a few minutes, okay? If ye need mae ye jus' have tae give mae a shout an' a'll come straight back."
She lifted her head from his chest, her chocolate brown eyes wide and fearful. "You promise?"
"A promise," he nodded, giving her a gentle smile.
Taking a deep breath she released her grip on his t-shirt and pulled away from him, wrapping her arms around her knees and making herself small once more. Looking at her sadly, he stood and quickly left out the walk in wardrobe, beckoning for the intruders to follow after him and to be quiet in doing so.
They remained silent until they reached the kitchen and Oliver spun around so fast he made himself dizzy.
"What are ye doin' here?" He demanded, an angry look crossing his face.
Both his mother and father startled at the sight, having never seen him so angry before, especially with them. He'd always been respectful.
"We jus' wanted tae..."
"What? Stick yer nose where it doesn't belong," Oliver snarked and his father narrowed his eyes in warning, but Oliver refused to back down. "Ye had naw right tae come here, naw right tae intrude on mae privacy, naw right tae see what ye did."
"Oliver," his mother said softly, not taking offence to his harsh tone of voice or his words.
She'd understood from the moment she'd seen him with Hermione Granger that he cared for her, and so him being protective of her was only natural. What she'd heard and witnessed, while it wasn't enough to know what was happening, it was enough to understand that it was something awful, something traumatising and dangerous, and Oliver was protecting Hermione Granger. Whatever was happening, it had brought them together and created a bond between them, a very strong bond.
"Hoo much did ye see, hear?" He questioned.
"We arrived as The Minster was leaving," his mother answered softly. "What's happening?"
"Tha's none af yer business, Ma," he replied, moving over to the sink and grabbing a glass from the cupboard, filling it with water. "A told ye befere, a made a promise tae her an' a'm gunna keep it."
"So we heard," his father spoke, his eyes slightly narrowed still. "An' jus' what are ye protecting her from?"
"Tha's none af yer business," Oliver repeated.
"Oliver, a remember, when we met at the hospital she said ye saved her, saved her from what?" His mother asked.
"A cannae tell ye," he answered, shutting off the tap and going over to the cupboard to retrieve one of Hermione's favourite muggle chocolate bars.
"Why is she here?" His father asked.
Oliver took a deep, calming breath. "She lives here with mae," he answered, seeing their eyes widening and their mouth dropping open. He knew that news would receive that reaction. "She had tae move oot af her flat an' givin' the space an' security, a asked her tae stay here. This is the only place she feels safe which is why she's here an' not with her parents, after the incident tha's jus' happened, it was her instinct to return here. Don' mention tae anyone she's here, only meself, The Minister and the Head Auror know she's here. An' in the future, a'd appreciate it if ye were tae let mae know yer comin' over."
"Oliver!" Hermione's voice carried through the manor and into the kitchen, her voice sounding timid and frightened.
"Be right there, Damsel!" He raised his voice so she would hear and seeing his parents raising eyebrows at his name for her. "A better get back tae her befere she has another panic attack," he said, stepping around his parents to leave the kitchen.
"Ye care aboot her, don' ye?" His father spoke.
Oliver stopped in his steps and turned to look over his shoulder at his parents, seeing his mother rolling her eyes at his father.
"A care aboot her," Oliver admitted aloud, his mother looking surprised and a small smile pulled at her mouth.
"Yer finally admitting it?" She questioned.
Oliver sighed. "A admit a care aboot her, more than a probably should. A've never been in love so a don' know the feeling, but a do know she's important tae mae an' a would do anything tae keep her safe."
"What did ye come tae this realisation?"
"Christmas Eve," he shrugged his shoulders. "An' it's all thanks tae Magical Mistletoe," he spoke with a slight smile pulling at his mouth.
"Oliver!" Hermione called, her voice a little more hysterical than the last time.
"Coming, Damsel," he called, turning and leaving his gaping parents to find their own way to the floo.
As he stepped into Hermione's room and into the walk in wardrobe, he found her in the exact position he left her. A look of relief crossed her face when she saw him and he moved to sit beside her, handing her the glass of water and the chocolate bar.
"Thank you," she said quietly. They fell silent for several minutes, before she spoke up again. "I want to take a bath," she said softly, bringing her hands up to rub over her arms. "I feel dirty, disgusting."
Oliver nodded and stood from the ground, holding his hand out to her and helping her to her feet. She gripped his hand tightly and followed him into the bathroom, moving to stand beside the sink as he busied himself with filling the bath tub with water and bubble bath, and retrieving a towel, placing it on the ground beside the bath tub.
"If ye need anything, jus' give mae a shout," Oliver said, giving her a comforting smile and leaving for the door.
Hermione's hand shot out and gripped at his hand, and he turned to look at her questioningly.
"Will you stay?" She asked quietly, not looking at him but the floor. His eyebrows rose high. "Please, I don't want to be alone?"
He took a deep breath. "Okay," he agreed, stepping out of the bathroom and shutting the door behind him, and not long later he heard her call for him.
Stepping back into the bathroom he saw her in the bath tub, the water and bubbles covering her entire body up to her chin and he moved to perch himself on the counter top, placing his wand beside him and scrubbing his hands against the legs of his jeans while keeping his gaze as far away from Hermione as possible, not wanting her to think he was being a pervert.
For several long minutes the only noise in the room was that of their breathing and the water rippling and sloshing each time Hermione moved. His eyes moved to the bath tub and he held his breath as Hermione disappeared under the water, he waited for her to come back up for air, and he waited, and waited, until he started to worry.
He was just about to make a grab for her when she re-emerged, water sloshing everywhere and she gasped for breath while pushing her hair out of her face. She leaned back against the tub and looked up at the ceiling.
"Did you like your gift?" Hermione asked him softly, her voice being loud in the silent room.
"Aye, a loved it, a'll be sure tae put them tae use," he spoke, a smile pulling at his mouth as he thought about her gift to him, which was still at his parent's house.
Where the team had given him Quidditch related items and his parents clothing and the like, Hermione had gotten him something only she would think of. She'd not only gotten him several muggle cook books, allowing him to widen his knowledge of muggle foods and try new recipes, but she'd also bought him muggle kitchen appliances in the form of a toaster and a microwave. When they'd been shopping for the children at the orphanage, he'd remarked that he found muggle appliances and technology fascinating, and just to prove that she knew him so well and listened to everything he'd said, she'd bought him two. He wasn't sure how they would work given the manor and the magic that surrounded it, but he was sure that since Hermione had bought them herself, she must've known a way around it.
She turned her head and gave him her first smile of the day, granted, it looked more like a grimace but he'd take it given the morning she'd had.
"Ye know ye dinnae have tae get mae a'thing?"
"I know, I wanted to, I wanted to say thank you and show my appreciation for everything you've done for me. I know I'm a pain in the arse..."
"Yer not a pain in the arse," he cut her off, his voice soft and filled with honesty. "A mean, yer bossy an' terrifyin'..." She scowled at him and he chuckled. "Did ye like yer gift?"
An actual smile pulled at her mouth. "Yes, they were wonderful, thank you," she answered honestly, thinking of her opening her gifts the previous morning and finding one from Oliver. He'd gotten her a new knitted cardigan seeing as he knew she loved them so much and she hated being cold, a few textbooks on magical illnesses that she didn't actually already have, and her favourite, Quidditch 101 for Dummies. It had definitely pulled a smile from her, so much so that her parents had eyed her curiously.
"Ye know, Damsel," Oliver spoke, and she turned to look at him. "Ye dinnae have tae go tae all this trouble jus' tae get oot af yer family reunion."
Hermione blinked at his word before she felt a bubble of amusement fill her and laughter soon peeled from her. Oliver smiled to himself, feeling quite proud that he'd been able to cheer her up after the morning she'd had.
"But Oliver, you don't understand! They're awful, I had to do something and this is the only escape plan I could come up with," she said, playing along.
"It's terrible, hoo'd ye win the war again?"
She stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled. Seeing her reaching over the bath tub for her towel, he closed his eyes knowing she was about to get out and he didn't open them until she spoke.
Looking at her, he saw she'd already dried her hair and she'd dressed in an oversize t-shirt and a pair of leggings. She left the bathroom and he followed after her, watching as she climbed onto the bed and pulled a pillow over to her stomach, wrapping herself around it, and Merlin made a noise at being jostled in sleep at the end of the bed. Hermione looked to him and he didn't need her to voice her wish, he already knew. Moving over to the bed, he climbed on behind Hermione and she reached out, gripped his hand and tugged at him, making it so he was spooning her.
They didn't speak; they didn't move from their positions or from the bed for several hours, they just laid in silence until they fell asleep, and this time, Oliver was fully aware he was wrapped around her as the land of dreams called to him.