Chapter 12:

He met her next, three days later, on Wednesday around mid-morning when she dropped in unexpectedly at the stadium. Since their engagement had made top news after the ministry ball, she was sent straight to the family box where she requested the coach to spare Oliver for a few minutes for a quick word.

On the coach's signal Oliver flew down and was surprised to find he was happy to see her there instead of being annoyed about the intrusion to his practice. Smiling, he made a beeline for her but halted in his steps on seeing the torment in her eyes. She usually was never tormented, he realized. Angry, happy, flustered, naughty but not tormented, she was most sure of her ways so the doubts never came. He felt a little fear creep into his heart – was their relationship the reason for the doubts clouding her eyes. He fervently hoped not!

Hermione saw him walking towards her and braced herself for the showdown ahead.

"Hermione," he greeted. "What a pleasant surprise."

She gave a small smile. "I'm sorry to pull you away from your practice like this but I felt I'd best say this to you in person than in a letter. Oliver, I have to leave. It's… it's a longer mission this time but it's a very sensitive one, no scope for mistakes. In fact they've even pulled Harry and Ron out of their training for this one too. I really tried to turn it down but…. but I'm needed there. I hope you understand…"

"So what are you saying?" he asked, way too many unpleasant thoughts crowding his mind right now.

"Ginny, Mrs. Weasley and your mum will look at our wedding preparations. I'm not really needed here for those. But I'm needed there Oliver. It's a question of innumerable innocent lives. I… I'll be leaving from here…."

"So it's just you there for saving the world again?" he didn't know why he was biting her head off, he had to be supportive, he knew, what she was doing was definitely more important than planning a mere day. But it wasn't a mere day, was it? It was their wedding, and she was running off to Merlin knew where instead of being here. He fisted his hands around his broom.

Hermione saw that and sighed. "Oliver… I promise I'll be back on time. I won't humiliate everyone by missing it. I…. I'm really very sorry about this Oliver, but I have to go. I'll owl you the minute I'm back, I promise. Just… please take care and try to not hate me too much okay?" she said, giving him a quick hug and a peck on his cheek before running off.

He saw her leave and hated himself for not holding her into him, for not asking her to be careful, for not even telling her to be back soon for he'll be waiting for her…..

!

To correct his mistake, Oliver met with the ladies every single day for all the days of Hermione's absence, helping them plan the wedding. He wanted the day to be perfect for Hermione since they would be starting their lives together and because he felt he owed her at least that much after being a prat of the first waters on their last meet.

It was three days before the wedding that he found himself with Ginny sipping tea in the den at the Burrow, while their mothers spoke at length about something or the other in the kitchen, when Ginny gave him small smile and asked after his absence on the previous Sunday. He looked up from his cup and shrugged. She smiled.

"You like her, don't you?" she asked tentatively.

"She's difficult to not like," he answered after thinking about that for a minute, smiling.

"I'm worried about them you know, those three. This mission was a little dangerous. Harry wouldn't give me any details, they aren't allowed to speak of it and yet his parting kiss… it broke my heart Oliver. I can't speak about this with anyone else but I hope you and I will have each other's backs cause I can really see this happening a lot in the near future," she sighed.

He considered it all and gave her a small smile, squeezing her hand for comfort. "We'll keep each other company."

Just then the fire at the floo turned green and Ron fell into the room, barely managing to roll over, followed by Harry who fell on the floor flat on his face and then came Hermione who crashed on Harry's back and rolled on the floor with a thud beside him. A letter flew at the table and Ginny stretched one long arm and caught it, ripping it open.

"It's their status letter. Comes after every visit to inform of any special care they may need for the next 48 hours," she explained to Oliver.

He heard her but his eyes were glued to the three youngsters lying on the floor and he finally understood the amount the three still suffered. They are still fighting the war, he realized and felt like a heel all over again for his misbehavior with Hermione the previous week.

"They're all okay…thank Merlin! Just on heavy healing potions. Will be knocked out for the next two days though," Ginny informed him and looked up in time to see Oliver's odd expressions. Before she could form a thought about that he was kneeling next to Hermione, with the tender-most look on his face. She saw him stretching his hand out to touch her and then pull it back. Ginny winced internally. The other two members of Golden Trio sure had it going hard she thought, walking beside Oliver, placing her hand on his shoulder, "Why don't you take her to her room. It's on the second floor, bang opposite the stairs. Hers is the bed just beside the door. Lay her down. I'll come check on her once I get the other two settled."

"I'll help you," he said with a tight smile.

She just shook her head. "You go ahead with her. I've got Harry and Mum will take care of Ron. Don't worry," she said and walked to the kitchen to get her mother.

Oliver was still bent on the sleeping witch watching her intently, when the other three witches reached them. He heard them but did not turn around. His mother walked up behind him and rubbed his shoulders soothingly. "It's not over for them yet," he whispered softly, but everyone heard him in the quiet of the night, "they're still fighting the war," he said again. The tender way in which he was looking at Hermione, the tone of his pained voice brought tears to every woman's eyes. "Take her to her room Ollie, she'll be more comfortable there. She needs the rest," his mother spoke to him in a soft soothing voice. He nodded once and picked Hermione up in his arms protectively, as if wanting to shield her, shelter her, as if not wanting to let her out of his arms ever again. But he waited till Ginny and her mother had levitated Harry and Ron and taken them to their room. "Ollie I'll floo home soon. I will see you later love," his mother kissed him on his cheek and he made his way up the stairs, head still bent down, looking at Hermione.

His mother bid her goodbyes to Molly and Ginny and left. As soon as she reached the Wood Manor she sought his father out, going straight into his arms "Ollie's got it so bad," she cried. "It broke my heart to see him so miserable today," she kept sniffling while her husband rubbed her back and told her to be happy for their son who had found such a special witch for himself.

!

Oliver gingerly laid Hermione down on her bed and sat at its edge beside her, cradling her right hand in both of his. He was trying to hold her fingers in his when he felt something in her fist. Opening her fisted hand, he pulled out a torn piece of parchment. The words were scribbled in a very shaky hand, as if she didn't have much control over her fingers or the quill but it didn't take him long to decipher the three words she had tried to write on it and he broke down, fisting his hands tightly around hers, touching it to his forehead, letting his silent tears of repentance fall freely. He then kissed the same hand over and over again. I am sorry. I am so sorry. I'll never behave like that again. I promise. He repeated in his heart and his mind, scrunching the paper in his hands, wetting it with a few stray tears of his. She'd scribbled it for him – 'Oli I'm back' it said.

!

Ginny came to check on Hermione an hour later and found Oliver softly caressing her inner right forearm and she flinched, sheer hate and anger filling her in once again. Hermione always covered it up with muggle make up or long sleeved dresses, Ginny knew, so this was probably the first time Oliver was seeing it, she reasoned before saying, "They were captured by snatchers during their year on the run. She was tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange at the Malfoy Manor. She… She carved it in her arms with an enchanted dagger. It can't be taken away."

Oliver stiffened in his anger. That dastardly woman had dared to hurt his Hermione like this! Scarring her flesh with such a vile word! His gentle rubbing on the scarred word stopped as he sat frozen rigid. Ginny again placed her small hand on his shoulder, "She is dead now. My mum killed her when she tried to murder me at the Battle of Hogwarts." And then because she could not resist, she added, "Just….. Just take care of our Hermione for us Oliver. She's… she's amazing," Ginny finished lamely, unable to find the perfect word to describe her best girlfriend. He nodded, his eyes never leaving Hermione. "I know. I will. I promise," he whispered and gently stroked Hermione's hand again, the one he'd found the letter in, the one he'd not yet let go.

"Oliver, sleep here tonight. I'll be with Harry three rooms down on the right. You can leave from here for work in the morning," Ginny finished by adding a spare duvet, fresh sheets and pillow on her old bed, on the other side of the room and quietly stepped out, silently pleading to the two inside to come to their senses soon enough to understand the special bond they shared with each other, while walking back to George's old room where she'd put Harry for the night.

Oliver spent the night sitting beside Hermione, caressing her hand. The other bed laid there remained untouched. At 6 in the morning he kissed her hand again, gave her a long look and went down to speak to Mrs. Weasley and then he flooed back home to freshen up and change before leaving for the stadium.