Chapter 15:

On Monday morning, Oliver was whistling to himself as he made his way down the stands, thinking of his weekend with his new bride. He smiled at that. She had come to him as pure as the snow and yet lit him on fire with her shy touches. He'd been scared at first after his horrid behavior on their first night, but she'd pulled him out of that state easily enough and he had used up the entire weekend to make it up to her. After they'd finally managed to get out of bed on Saturday morning, he'd shown her around the house, naughtily pointing out all the different places he planned on having her soon. She had flushed scarlet by the end of their tour and he'd laughed.

Unfortunately his house elf had come in with their breakfast summons just then and she'd fumed about him having an elf! That's when he'd gotten his first lecture post-marriage and during the rant he had understood what S.P.E.W. was! He had cursed himself for not asking about it after their first flight but nonetheless, he'd let himself be talked into paying the elf – it didn't much bother him one way or another as long as she did not hurt their feelings. He had just made sure that he warned her about her dealings with them as they tended to be emotional in nature and suicidal by tendency, then she had smiled and kissed him for being so caring. He'd been thoroughly confused for a good 30 seconds, and then a completely different emotion had overcome him and he'd run into the bath, lest he pull her in along with him and end up hurting her again.

But that hadn't been too big a miss. She had recovered quickly after the first night and their morning after and then over the weekend they had talked and made love and then talked some more and then kissed and then done it some more. She had even talked him into practicing a little when they had walked around the estate and he'd shown her the pitch he'd installed there a couple of years back. She had enchanted quaffles in quick succession and thrown them at him from the ground below, challenging his skills and helping him to time his act better. He'd taken her flying after that, on his favorite broom for the first time, to show her the aerial view of their estate and she'd sat on his lap, straddling him, both their fronts touching each other while on the broom, hugged him close and buried her head in his chest all through the ride.

He knew since their first date that she was easy to talk to, now he knew she was a quick study too and a wiz at strategizing. She did not play much quidditch herself but she could strategize the play better than most on his team. And not just that too, she had soon enough learned a few of his favorite moves in bed and surprised him, albeit shyly, in the shower just that morning saying she knew he had wanted to do that on Saturday. He'd kissed her senseless after that and taken her hard against the bathroom door. She had slumped on his shoulder after that and welcomed him back. He had cocked his brow in question and she'd told him that she'd felt him holding back after their first night and now he was back – "My Oliver from our first night," she'd called him and he'd been a goner since, picking her up flush against him and taking her yet again in a span of 20 minutes in the shower, lasting forever this time. And now that he was just running down the stairs towards the pitch, he was already counting the hours before he'd be back home with his wife that night.

He was too preoccupied thinking of his lovely wife to realize what a big change that was in him.

!

When he flooed home that evening, Hermione peeped out from the library to check who it was and her smile on seeing him had lit the room. "You're back! I was wondering when you'd be home," she said and ran to greet him. She stood two paces away from him, looking him up and down. "How was your practice today?"

It had been so long since someone had asked him about his day that Oliver just stood there stunned for a few minutes before gathering his thoughts and then smilingly answering all her questions. She urged him to freshen up and had a nice hot cup of tea for him at the table by the time he was back. When he asked her about her fix she just shrugged her shoulders saying she rarely bothered. No wonder she doesn't know how bad that tastes he thought smiling internally. He sat by the table taking in the same tepid color of the tea, braced himself and downed its contents like a vile potion, not letting his discomfort show on his face.

He asked about her day and was not really surprised to find that she had spent it in the library, checking it out and then studying for her NEWTs. She was taking twelve of them after all! She'd need all the study time she could get, thought Oliver.

!

The next two weeks passed similarly. Oliver played through the day and Hermione studied. She had taken two weeks long leave of absence from the favors she was doing the minister so she was home. Every evening she would greet Oliver by the fireplace when he got home. He would then freshen up while she brewed him tea. They would speak about their day while he gulped the tea down. Then they would talk some more or Oliver would lie down on her lap while she read some book or another while stroking his hair. That was followed by dinner, thankfully provided by Mini, who was now paid 10 galleons a week much to her grief but put up with it because she did not want to be set free by them. Mini and Hermione had worked that out for themselves and Oliver was not going to interfere between them. At all!

Dinner was always followed by long hours of love making where Oliver would introduce a world of new sensations to Hermione and she would surprise him every other day with some new moves that she had read or heard about. Oliver was happy to realize that he liked Hermione very much and if things continued just such he would soon fall head first for her. He smiled at that. She was so different from every other witch he had been with or even known. She was so different from him! And yet he was going crazy about her!

Wanting to do something special for her, Oliver had asked her out on a date as soon as he had stepped out of the fireplace, on their first Thursday. He still smiled at her reaction. "Why?" she had squeaked.

"What do you mean 'why'? Would you not like to go out to a nice fancy place. All dressed up and pretty. Have people fawn all over you?"

"Uhm.. No." He had furrowed his brows at that, fixing her with a stare that said 'get talking and explain now' and she had. "Do you agree that people go out for dates to get some privacy and talk?"

"Of course!" he had scoffed.

"So tell me Oliver, what place is more private than our home? We are comfortable here, we can talk all we want and it assures privacy, something that we will never have outside, unless of course we go to the muggle side or across the hemisphere. So why bother? I like it here. Don't you?" she had questioned with a little doubt turning her eyes taupe.

Oliver had thought about that and just like that his notions of date nights had changed. He had never met any witch who had turned down the option of fine dining ever, especially with him, knowing that being seen with him was enough to get all the press they wanted. Yet she had, that little girl in front of him! He had stepped towards her, bending down to pull her in for a kiss, "Looks like we'll be starting the other side of date night early then," and he'd picked her up in his arms, walking towards their bedroom, his quidditch bag still perched on his right shoulder, happily noting that she had wrapped her arms around his neck.

That night when he'd walked back to the kitchen after freshening up, he was surprised yet again to see she had charmed candles to hover near the table, taking care to set them high up - a good foot above his stretched arms, and she had set the table for two, complete with a black and white checkered tablecloth and a red rose in a tiny white vase at its center. "You're just incredible, you know that. Every time I feel I'm close to figuring you out, you just…" he trailed off when she walked up to him and pecked him on the lips.

"Do you like it?"

"You realize I should be the one doing all this for you? Not the other way around."

"Well… My parents raised me to be gender neutral" she shrugged with her eyes going all caramel. Mood for mischief Oliver smiled.

"I like it. Thank you. Though from now on, I do hope you'll open all my doors, pull out my chair and kiss me at the door," he said with a straight face and she threw her head back and laughed. And on that delicious sound their evening started…..

On the previous Saturday morning when he'd woken to a naked Hermione spooned beside him, the effect had been immediate. He had started peppering her with kisses and got her to moan in her sleep. Out of curiosity, to see if he could get her to come while asleep, he had fingered her deep and her sighs had set him on fire. He had increased the pace and massaged her breast while nibbling at the other one and just when he felt her walls closing in around his fingers, she had snapped awake and looked straight at him, her eyes a molten pool of hazel and dark gold – a little sleepy, a little raunchy and a lot aroused, hair spread all over the pillow beneath her head, hands tugging at his hair and digging in his shoulders. It was then that he'd known there was no going back. It would always be her for him, no one else, never again.

Hermione had been sure she was having an exceptionally delicious dream about her husband when she'd felt a dam burst inside her, snapping her awake, only to see him bent over her. Feeling her eyes on him he'd looked up and his crinkled smile had tugged at something deep in her heart and she felt herself spiraling out of control in the depths of his dark chocolate eyes. She was never gonna come out of this unharmed, she realized and shut her eyes, giving in to sensations.

"Look at me lass. I love this particular shade of your eyes. Tells me exactly how much you like this and pushes me over the edge," he whispered seductively, encouraging her to look at him. When she did, he kissed her on the lips and fondled with her breasts and nipples, rousing her to fever pitch. When they finally came up for air, he asked, "Do you trust me lass? To not hurt you any further?" She still saw the pain darkening his eyes every time he thought of their first night and wondered when, if at all, he would pardon himself for that. "Yes," she managed in a barely audible whisper. He smiled and began kissing her again, turning her into a ball of coiled excitement under him. His kisses went lower and lower still, all the way till her ankles and then he caught them with one hand and pulled her legs off the edge of their bed, kneeling on the floor as he threw her legs on both his sides, placing himself firmly between them. His body separated her legs and he laid an arm on her stomach, arresting both her wrists in his hand, ensuring she could move neither her legs nor her hands, knowing she would instinctively try to shut herself off when he did what he intended to do.

When Hermione saw him bending down near her center, she croaked, "Oliver, what are you doing?"

He looked up and saw the nerves written all across her face. She's afraid. She's never done this before, he reasoned with himself seeing the green bordering her eyes and gave her a soft smile, saying instead, "You'll like it. I promise. Just lie down and enjoy it. And if you don't, then tell me and I'll stop it. Okay?" he saw the green of her panic leave her eyes and then she nodded and hit her head on the bed again. Wondering since when he got so patient with anyone, Oliver bent his head on her navel and nibbled on it, eliciting moans from his wife and getting her to relax, as he reached his hand between them and rubbed at her nub with the thumb of his free hand. He trailed his kisses lower and alternated between butterfly kisses and soft licks between her folds. Just when she gave a particularly strangled moan, he smiled, I have her where I want her, he thought and got down to business.

He had been wanting to do this since their first night but that night he had been too consumed with himself, he thought yet again with regret and anger on himself; and then the nights after he had spent to get her to be more comfortable around him, with him. Finally, last night she had been uninhibited enough to sleep naked with him through the night so he'd figured he'd try this today. Though he had wanted to save it for later, the look in her eyes and his reaction to that look had urged him on and at long last, he was tasting her. He licked her folds and her clit, getting her used to the new feel and when he felt her shiver under his arm, he dipped his tongue inside her and she growled. Interesting he mused. He did it again and again, slowly building the pace and she was groaning and slithering on the bed. He loved all those sounds she made, happy in the knowledge that he'd alone gotten close enough to her to get her to leave all her inhibitions behind and do just that. Slowly he added a finger in with his tongue and then one more and increased the pace, her frantic cry of his name accompanied her crash and she went still once again. Oliver lapped up all her juices before coming back to join her on the bed, waiting for her to catch her breath while resting his head on his hand, lying sideways beside her and idly playing with the nipple closest to him, getting her ready to go once more.

She took her time, so he took his and before she'd even caught her breath, he was nibbling at her nipples and areoles, lying on her, massaging her breasts. Slowly, he made his way to her collar and bit her lightly, she moaned. His eyes widened and he bit the same spot again earning the same reaction from her, changing the color of that spot of her skin to a pinkish-purplish hue. "Ah lass you're gonna kill me someday," he growled after her moan and threw her left leg around his waist and right on his shoulder and placing himself between them, he pushed in. The new angle was playing havoc with Hermione's insides and she opened her eyes to look at him. Almost black, lust he growled again and pushed in harder, deeper, faster while biting down her breasts. She pulled at his hair and scratched his back turning his fair skin pink, panting his name loudly and just like that they both tumbled down together. "You're a hell cat in bed sometimes," he smiled panting before falling down on her, spent. She blushed and looked away at those words, trying to catch her breath.

They spent the whole of Saturday like that and Oliver did fulfil a few more of his fantasies, those he had described to her during their house tour. He had her sprawled in the most pleasurable of ways over the breakfast bar in the evening rolling one of her nipples with his one hand, firmly crooking two fingers inside her with his other and nibbling at the curved bone of her pelvis with his blunt teeth as he whispered softly to her, "Spend tomorrow with me lass. Just me. We can go to the Burrow next Sunday onwards, but just one more day with just us?"

Hermione didn't have to open her eyes to understand his plea, she heard it in his voice, try as he might to keep it away and gave a small smile at that. My proud scot she thought lovingly. Even his pleas are more of commands. "I think I can be convinced to do that. But just for tomorrow."

He growled his approval, pushing her left leg up, he bit her inner thigh very close to her center "Aye! I'll make sure you don't regret your generosity Mrs. Wood."

She laughed at that and asked, "Has anyone ever told you that you are a sex addict Mr. Wood?"

He laughed at her play of their last name and took her amusement as a challenge, "Really now, Mrs. Wood? Do you think that?"

She nodded, "Yes, very much so."

He looked at her, mischief on his mind, "Can you please spell 'sex addiction' for me now then?" he asked and before she could go beyond 'S', he replaced his fingers with himself, pinching and rubbing her nub as he did that and increased his pace, setting a new urgent rhythm.

He saw her eyes almost roll into her head and said, smugly crinkling his lips, "You should never tell an addict that he has an addiction, it's like tickling a sleeping dragon. It'll only burn you in its wake," he laughed and brought his head down to kiss his wife, way too happy to have one more day to spend with her, without having to share her company. He had come to realize he really liked it way too much for a mere month and a half of acquaintance after all!

And that's how a week after that, on the next Sunday, Oliver and Hermione found themselves getting dressed for the Weasley Sunday fiesta, the first one she'd be attending as Mrs. Hermione Wood. Almost all the other couples were married already – Ginny being the first one to marry, right after the letter named her as Harry's ministry match, the same evening in a small ceremony at the Burrow she'd heard Ginny describe it to her dreamily, followed by Percy and then George. Ron would be tying the knot the coming Friday. Hermione had missed all of the previous weddings though because she was always away on some assignment or another so she didn't know what she was in for today after making her appearance at the Burrow. She smiled at that. Everyone was definitely going to take the mickey out of them for their absence last week. But she wouldn't change it. Not for anything in the world, she blushed.

Oliver walked in just then and groaned inwards at seeing her delicious blush and the red knee length summer dress she was wearing that seemed to be held in place with just two knots tied on both her shoulders. He groaned inwards at her choice of dress, thinking he had a long wait till tonight, and he cursed yet again. Somehow she had even managed to talk him into sending an affirmative to his mother's dinner invite for tonight. So it was Weasley Sunday lunch and Wood family dinner. Ahh he thought wanting to pull at his hair.

They were both dressed and ready, walking to the floo to make their way to the Burrow, but before they stepped in, Oliver caught her by the waist and gave her a scorching kiss, "Just so you know what I'll be thinking about all day long," he threw at her before stepping into the fire and disappearing. She smiled, touched her lips with the tips of her fingers and followed him to the Burrow.

She was greeted by a chorus of "Mrs. Wood" and a lot of wolf-whistling and smiled indulgingly at the discord unfurling in front of her. She was pulled out to the backyard by the other girls and had just enough opportunity to summon a book from a shelf in the den before stepping out. Oliver was already there, talking with the other boys who all teased and winked at her yet again, getting her blush to ride higher, making Oliver want to hit his head in a rhythmic precision on a nearby tree.

"Now that almost all of us are married here, let's talk kids!" Ginny said and Hermione immediately planted her nose in the book. The girls spoke for a bit before Harry came to sit beside Ginny for a drink of water, lying his broom beside him. Ron followed, broom in hand and sat with Alicia, other Weasley boys and Oliver came forth but hung a little back.

"What are you guys talking about for so long? No quidditch today?" Ron asked.

Hermione absolutely did not move a muscle after that, wanting to blend in with the surroundings at the mention of the 'q' word.

"Of course there'll be quidditch! But once we're done talking of babies first" Ginny said. Harry choked, coughing out the water he was trying to chug in thirstily just a second ago. Hermione bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at his reaction. She did not need to be the focus that conversation at all! Everyone laughed at Harry's reaction. All but one. Ginny. "What? We're having three kids. We'll need to start soon so that I'm young enough to handle them as they grow. Have you not seen the pranks my family pulls? We both will need to be up and running at least for the first 20 years of their lives, you know."

Harry for his part probably zoned out of the conversation after 'three'. "Three? Do we really need three?" he chocked, still coughing. "I know we'd want more, but I think three should be fine. Plus, there'll always be Teddy, so I'm okay with three." His eyes just bulged out at that. I'm probably gonna make my cheek bleed Hermione thought laughing inside, still bent on her book.

"Oh good! Three seems okay, Ginny," Ron nodded as if giving her his permission to do just that. "How many would you like Alicia?" Ron turned to ask, making Alicia go red in the face, a shade most Weasleys were proud she could achieve. "I think one should be enough, if at all," she croaked, as if her throat was suddenly dry.

"What? One? We Weasleys are a fertile lot you know, I don't think we can stop at one," Ron replied as if wanting Alicia to think this through. Hermione so wanted to roll all over the floor at that answer! That is just so typically Ron! Clueless and pig-headed! She bit in harder, cringing at the pain but knowing if she didn't do that, she'd be pulled in this conversation. While Oliver and she had spoken a lot, they had as of yet avoided the bigger topics of discussion, unless they happened upon them by chance and Hermione did not feel that two weeks into a marriage was enough to speak about babies.

"What!" Alicia squeaked like a mouse. "I … I … I …. Don't… We.." and everyone laughed.

"What?" Ron tried again, blunt as a spoon as usual.

"Moving on, to let Alicia breathe and gather her thoughts," Ginny said, "how about you Fleur?"

"I'll think about that once I pop this one out" she said patting her ever-growing tummy lovingly, as Bill smuggled behind her to do the same while kissing her cheek as she used her other arm to play with his hair.

"Fair enough. What about you Angelina, Audrey?" Ginny continued, eyeing the two women sitting right beside her.

"I'd like a house full of kids" Angelina joked with a straight face and George went red and rigid. All the girls hollered with laughter. Hermione included her lip in the bite she continued on her cheek.

If she bites herself any harder, she's gonna be drawing out blood soon mused Oliver, watching Hermione try really hard to control her laugh and blend in with the house in the background. He wondered where she stood on the topic of number of kids but he didn't worry much about it. Since the past 10 centuries, Woods had only ever had one single male child, and that was that, though he knew he'd keep trying with her till the end of their days if she wanted more. Hell! He'd happily adopt a brood if she felt like it, his parents wouldn't mind, he knew. And he had enough money to raise and provide well for more than two quidditch teams full of kids, his family treasury not counting. He smiled at the thought of having those many kids running all around the estate and driving their mother crazy with worry as they flew high on their brooms and played quidditch at the estate's pitch.

"I'd like about six but I think I'd settle for four if Percy doesn't want those many," Audrey replied, looking at Percy. "Four? Isn't that a little too many?" he asked tentatively. "Hey! You come from a big family, now it's my turn to have one!" she glared at him and he shut up, pursing his lips at the discomforting thought.

All the while Ron was still trying to wrap his head around 'one' while staring at a very red Alicia. "OH come on! One is not even an option! Even the most sensible one of you all wants two!" he tried to reason. Hermione blushed and promptly charmed the broom in his hand to hit his head. "Aww.. What was that for?" he asked rubbing at his head and looking straight at Hermione with narrowed eyes, adding, "You know it was you, so don't deny it. I know all your signature moves."

"That was for opening your mouth when it needed to remain shut!" Hermione threw at him angrily.

"Oh come on! Why are you even trying to hide it? You guys were speaking of babies before I came to sit and you've had their names picked out since you were 12! So why the embarrassment now?" Ron asked flustered.

Hermione flushed red and threw a canary hex his way just as he ducked and Harry deflected it.

"What?! Rose and Hugo are nice names. I'm sure everyone will like them. I do!" he tried again and Hermione was sure she would kill him when she looked up and saw Oliver's eyebrows disappearing in his hair. "RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY, YOU ARE SO DEAD," she screamed and ran after him, chasing him all around the burrow. Harry disarmed her to stop the hexes hissing past Ron when Oliver finally decided to intervene.

He reached her in a few swift strides and held her wrist. "I'M GONNA KILL HIM," she was screaming, her temper lighting a fire in her usually serene eyes. "It's okay lass, let it go. Let him live for today. It's your first day back at the Burrow after our wedding and we wouldn't want anyone to say that I've rubbed off so much on you within two short weeks, now would we?" She glared at him at that and suddenly, probably realizing how close we're standing he mused, she flushed, hiding her eyes.

He smiled at her reaction. "And just for the records," Oliver said, pulling at a stray curl and tucking it behind her ear, "I like Rose and Hugo," he smiled. She flushed scarlet at that, staring holes through the ground. "I must warn you though, Woods usually just have one male child, well at least we've had for the last 10 centuries. But I'd be happy to try for more with you" he added way too huskily for Hermione's comfort. Oliver saw her blushing more furiously than before, eyes darkening with desire as she chanced a glance his way. "Hold that thought for me till tonight and I'll see what we can do about it, okay?" he asked, smile a little strained with the effort he had to put to keep his hands off her, but he still bent down to kiss her, uncaring about the large party he was sure was watching them from somewhere or another.

!

After a long tedious day full of way too many family lunches and dinners for Oliver's liking, they finally got to their place. He held out his hand for her when she stepped out of the floo and promptly picked her up in his arms and carried her to the library, the one place he was yet to have her. He wasn't sure if she'd let him but he wanted to see if he could convince her to let him. With an absolute naughty intent, he put her down close to a bookshelf of the library, facing her away from him. He opened her hair and watched as it fell freely down her shoulders, mesmerized by their natural beauty and bounce.

Pushing her lovely mane towards her right, he nibbled at the sensitive skin between her neck and her left shoulder and asked in a very husky voice, "Do you know what happens to new brides who put their aching husbands through hell all day long, torturing them with way too much company when all they crave is a little solitude with their brides?"

She shook her head. But Oliver saw the small smile playing at her lips. She planned this! The witch! he mused, way too happy with his wife's surprise. "This," he said, tugging at the knots holding her dress. It pooled at her feet and he sucked in a breath. She was now clad only in pearls around her neck and in her ears, two scraps of racy red underthings and high red heels, yet he could've sworn the heels were not high at all when they'd left that morning. Keeping her accessories on, he devested all of his and the remainder of her clothes, not quite patient to do things slowly right now. He perched her hands on the book shelf, getting her to bend forward at just the right angle he needed and in one swift motion he pushed himself in her wet folds. She groaned and sucked in a breath, and he waited for her to familiarize herself to the new feel, while lightly massaging her shoulders and back. After a few moments, he felt her tension slip, so he continued, "And this," and he drove in her, agonizingly slowly at first but picking up pace when he saw her signs of restlessness. He smirked and drove in her at full throttle, loving the sound of their crashing bodies and the feel of her pert breasts swinging in his hands. He held the pose after they crashed, waiting for her to normalize her breathing before turning her around and pecking her on her lips.

"Thank you. I loved the surprise," he muttered against her lips and she flushed.

"How did you….?"

He just kissed her again, picked her up and carried her back to their bed, while she was still wearing her pearls and her heels. Oh, falling for her is way too easy he mused, throwing a crinkling smile her way as he set her down on their bed for the night. He went down on one knee to slip her heels off and then crawled over her to remove her pearls.

"Good night sweetheart," he wished and hugged her close, as they both tangled themselves into a mass of limbs for the night.