CHAPTER SEVEN
Summary: With the War finally won and a rapid decline in the wizarding population, drastic measures are taken in a bid to save Wizarding Britain with the introduction of a new Marriage Law. Under the law, Hermione is forced to marry at eighteen or face being exiled from the Wizarding World. She must learn to deal with her past and look forward to her future with rising Quidditch Star, Oliver Wood. Rated M for a reason.
Disclaimer: All original characters and canon events belong to J.K. Rowling. Non-canon events and characters are my own. I am not making any profit from posting this fanfic. Characters are likely to be OOC.
Updated: 05/02/19
Page count: 22
The Burrow – Sunday 28th June, 1998
Hermione and Oliver floo'd to The Burrow and they carefully stepped out into the living room with the large and heavy tank in their arms. The water was sloshing about inside and Hermione was afraid she was going to drop the tank.
"Fred, George, a little help please!" She called, and moments later they stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room. They looked at them strangely as walked over to them.
"What's going on here?" Fred asked, as he and George took over from Hermione and they helped Oliver carry the tank as they walked into the kitchen slowly.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Charlie, Bill, Fleur and Percy were sat down and just about to eat and the conversation stopped as they looked at them confused. The twins and Oliver put the fish tank at the other end of the large kitchen table, which was half occupied. Mr. Weasley was sat at the head of the table with his wife to his right, followed by Bill, Fleur and then Percy. Charlie was sat on his left, followed by Fred and then George. Hermione sat next to George and Oliver sat himself next to Percy. Greetings were given and they began passing the food around.
"What's that?" Fred finally asked.
"Oliver's new fish tank," Hermione replied rolling her eyes. "He won a gold fish and when we went to the muggle pet shop to get him everything he needed to keep it alive, he decided he wanted to buy two more. Then the manager talked him into buying that thing..." She gestured to the huge tank. "Honestly," Hermione huffed and they chuckled at her. "There's no need for a tank that big for those tiny fish."
"A told ye, they can grow up tae twelve inches in size an' a can add tae the collection," Oliver spoke as he watched the fish swimming about in the tank.
"He's obsessed with them and carrying that thing over here wasn't fun."
"Why didn't you just levitate it or use a Feather-Light Charm?" Charlie asked amused.
Hermione's face went blank and then she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Because I didn't think of that," she groaned and they chuckled at her. "But I'm not sure how the magic would affect the fish, so it's safer to just carry the tank."
"Did you buy those decorations in the shop?" Bill asked.
"Yes, but I transfigured them. The castle was smaller and I decided to make it look more like Hogwarts and the Quidditch hoops were small towers. I haven't finished with the setting yet,"
"Ye havnae?" Oliver asked surprised.
"No, it's nowhere near done. I'm going to put a small Quidditch pitch of sorts in there for you. Maybe a few players if I can figure out the transfiguration charms, hell, I may even put the Puddlemere logo in the gravel for you."
"So, what are the fish called?" George asked. They were all watching the fish swimming around in the tank happily.
"The orange one is Puddle, the orange an' silver is Woody an' the one with black speckles is Captain," Oliver said proudly and they were amused at his child-like happiness.
"Very creative," the twins rolled their eyes.
"Actually, Granger named them," Oliver replied.
"As we were saying, brilliant, -"
"- Genius name choices."
"So, where did you take Oliver?" Percy asked Hermione.
"Flamingo Land,"
"You went without us!" Fred, George, Bill and Charlie whined childishly and Hermione laughed at them, particularly of the fact they'd managed to somehow coordinate their response.
"Yes, I took you all last month and I promise we'll go again in the future. In fact, I'll take you to a different theme park, Thorpepark, Pleasure Island, Pleasure Beach, Alton Towers, Fantasy Island, Lightwater Valley, you pick which ever," she shrugged. "Anyway, I bought everyone presents," she said and they looked placated at the news.
They continued with dinner in high spirits and everyone chatted in the comfortable atmosphere and they laughed at the twins' usual antics. That was until the interrogation began.
"So, Oliver?" Mr. Weasley said, levelling him with a look that made him feel uncomfortable. "You are going to treat our Hermione well, aren't you?"
He shifted in his seat at the look on Mr. Weasley's face, a look that no one had seen before, including his wife, and it more than surprised them. Hermione blushed, groaned and buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.
"Aye, a was raised tae treat women with respect. A would never hurt her an' a'm sure she would hex mae if a even thought aboot it." He said and they chuckled at the truth in his statement.
"How are you going to provide for her?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"I can provide for myself, thank you very much, Papa," Hermione huffed with her head still buried in her hands so he voice came out muffled.
"Mae family has wealth behind us, but a'm the starting keeper fer Puddlemere United an' a've recently been made Captain. Yer daughter will want fer nothing; tha' a can an' will promise ye," Oliver said. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley smiled brightly at Oliver calling Hermione their 'daughter'.
"And if she refuses to do something?" Mr. Weasley said with a narrowed gaze. They all knew what to what he was referring to and Hermione made a small squeaking sound in protest.
"Then she refuses. A cannae an' a won't force her tae do anything she doesn't wish tae do," he replied, once more shifting in his seat slightly.
"And will you stop her from working?" Mr. Weasley asked.
"Naw, a havnae yer daughter fer long, but even a know it would be stupid tae keep her from working. She isnae the type af person tae just sit at home, she needs tae be productive," he answered. Hermione's smile was hidden by her hands; she was glad to know he wasn't opposed to her working.
They interrogated him some more until they were sure they could trust Oliver with Hermione's well being. When dinner was over, they were going to sit in the living room and Hermione would give them their presents and they stood to leave.
"Maji?" Hermione said.
The day after Hermione moved into the flat with the twins, Hermione had had a long talk with Mrs. Weasley. She hadn't told her anything but the older woman knew Hermione was keeping something from them and she knew that she needed a mother. Mrs. Weasley had thought of Hermione as one of her children since she was eleven years old, and she had been insisting Hermione call her 'Molly' or 'Mum' since. Hermione had finally conceded; she needed a mother and Mrs. Weasley had been a mother figure in her life since she was a child.
"Yes, Dear?"
"We received a letter from The Ministry, we have to inform them of our wedding date by tomorrow evening or we break the stipulations of the law."
"Oh dear, that's not good. Well then, we better get to work," she frowned, summoning some parchment and a self inking quill.
"And that's our cue to leave," Fred said and they all headed to the door.
Hermione noticed that Oliver tried to sneak out with the others and she levelled him with a scowl. "I don't think so, Skippy, sit," she said, pointing to his chair. "You need to help with the wedding date."
Oliver looked pleadingly at the others, but they just laughed and walked out of the room leaving him to fend for himself. He sighed and sat down.
"So, we have just shy of three months," Mrs. Weasley spoke. "Percy and Audrey's wedding is set for Tuesday 17th August, so that date is taken. I need at least two week's notice," she said. Hermione looked at Oliver and they both shrugged and Mrs. Weasley huffed. "Now that's no help at all," she scowled at them.
"A don' mind when we do it?" Oliver shrugged, leaning back into his chair.
"The Ministry wants us to marry as soon as possible; they won't leave us alone until we do. But Quidditch season is about to start," Hermione said thoughtfully. "When do you have the most matches?" She asked Oliver, turning her eyes to him.
"We have a few in July, but triple the amount in August," he answered.
"So, maybe sometime in July?" She suggested. He shrugged his shoulders and she rolled her eyes at him. With a wave of her wand, she quickly summoned her own personal calendar so she could see the dates available to her. "Let's see, if we do it on a Thursday, you're legally required to take a day off from training, so you'll be off Friday and they'll likely give you Saturday off as well, and you're already off on Sundays. That gives you a three day break and you can rest from training...Don't look at me like that," Hermione said, noticing his frown at her mentioning him taking time off from training. "You'll need the break to let your body recover from the intensive training you're doing and the matches."
"Fine," he grumbled and crossed his arms childishly.
"You need at least two weeks to get everything set up, so we'll give you a month. How about Thursday 30th July? Do you have a match that day?" She asked Oliver.
"Naw, we have one three days befere. Tha' date's fine with mae," he shrugged and Mrs. Weasley beamed at finally having a wedding date.
"Now, the details," the older woman said.
Hermione saw Oliver's pale face and she sighed, deciding spare him from the horror that was wedding planning. "You don't have to stay for this part, but it needs to be done."
"Oh thank, Merlin," he sighed in relief and he stood to leave, before looking down at her. "Remember, your choice. Whatever ye want," he said.
She nodded and he left the room. Hermione looked at Mrs. Weasley and she was smiling at her with a twinkle in her eyes as though she knew something Hermione didn't.
"Oliver's mother will likely want to help plan the wedding," Hermione told Mrs. Weasley.
"She does, we attended Hogwarts around the same time and we've stayed in touch. I'll continue to correspond with her once we get the basics out of the way. Let's get started. Venue?"
"Can we have the wedding here by the lake and then the reception at Wood Manor?"
Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Of course, Dear, Beth would love that." She made a note of it on her parchment. "Catering?"
"That's easy, you. No one's cooking is as wonderful as yours."
Again she beamed and wrote it down. "Colour scheme?" She asked.
"I don't know. Something neutral, maybe blue and white," Hermione said.
She nodded and wrote it down. "Flowers?"
"Peonies and hydrangeas,"
They continued for almost an hour before they had the basics all set and then they walked into the living room and found everyone talking animatedly. Hermione slumped down onto the couch in-between Fred and George and they chuckled at her frazzled look. She rested her head on George's shoulder and pulled her legs up and placed them on Fred's lap.
Oliver frowned when he saw the position they were in and how comfortable they were with each other. Fred noticed and he smirked and lifted an eyebrow at him and Oliver gave him the middle finger and George and Fred laughed at him; the whole exchange went unnoticed by Hermione.
"So, how did it go?" George asked, putting his arm around her shoulders and she shifted slightly so she was leaning against his chest.
"Awful, I never want to do that again. Why do people put themselves through that?" She said groaning and they chuckled at her.
"Did ye get a'thing done?" Oliver asked from his place opposite them on the other couch.
"More or less," she sighed. "The ceremony will be at sun down, the venue is here at the lake and the reception at your parent's manor. Maji assured me that your mother would be delighted to host the reception, apparently they attended Hogwarts together and they owl regularly," she said, rubbing at her temples and trying to ward off the headache.
George batted her hands away and took over for her, massaging her temples. She sighed happily, closing her eyes and Oliver once again frowned. The twins shared smirks when they noticed.
"The colour scheme is blue and white, the flowers are peonies and hydrangeas and Maji is doing the catering. I'm having a muggle dress instead of robes, and you need to pick your wedding party and make a list of guests. I've already done mine and once Maji gets yours, she and your mother will get the invitations done and dusted and sent off. She wants it by Tuesday."
He nodded surprised. They'd basically gotten the whole thing planned. "A'll get it tae later," he said.
She nodded. "Now, presents," she said.
Fred and George sat up straight and the movement sent Hermione flying off the couch and she landed on the floor with a yelp and a thud. They laughed at her and she grumbled and grouched, before she removed everyone's gifts from her bag and some of the sweets they'd bought. They chatted and laughed happily before everyone started heading home. Hermione removed all of Oliver's things from her bag and he banished them back to his apartment.
"A'll owl ye later," he said and Hermione nodded.
They stared at each other awkwardly and the tension in the room was building. Oliver quickly titled his head down and leaned forward and he kissed her lightly on the mouth before walking over to the fish tank. Hermione blushed red and Oliver hid his chuckle.
Fred and George entered the room and helped him to carry the fish tank to the fire place and they floo'd to his apartment.
~000~000~000~
Wood Apartment
They stepped out of the floo and Oliver led them over to a large empty table that was against a wall and they put the tank down onto it and straightened it out before stepping back and Oliver beamed; he knew he had the perfect place for it.
"So, how did it go?" Fred asked. The twins were easier to tell apart now that George had lost his ear.
"Good," he said with a ridiculous smile and the twins snorted at him.
"You were jealous when she was sat with us," George stated.
"You like her," Fred spoke confidently. Oliver's eyes widened and the twins smirked. "There's no point in denying it. We can tell. Hell, everyone can tell; it's obvious. Well maybe not to Hermione, but everyone else can see it."
"You get jealous and you didn't take your eyes off her during dinner or when we were in the living room. You didn't stop smiling when she gave you her attention and we caught you staring at her when she was wasn't looking," George said amused and Oliver frowned.
"How long?" Fred asked curiously.
"First date," he admitted.
"That's good, she likes you too," George informed him.
"She does?" He asked hopefully.
"Of course she does," George scoffed. "Any time your name's brought up she blushes," he said. A grin spread across Oliver's face.
"So, have you kissed her yet?" Fred teased.
"A thought she was yer sister," Oliver raised an eyebrow.
"She is; we're fine talking about this. But we're never talking about sex, ever."
"Yeah, don't even go there!" George warned with a glare to at Oliver. "We don't want to think about that. Ever! In our minds, Hermione's not interested in boys, she thinks they have cooties and she plays with little dollies and has tea parties."
Oliver chuckled and shook his head at them. "Noted,"
"So?" Fred prompted and Oliver sighed.
"Aye, a have. She got all flustered 'coz a caught her aff guard. Some lasses got a little tae close fer comfort an' said some things tae her, not tha' she kept quiet 'coz she dinnae," he said chuckling.
"You got a glimpse of her temper, then?"
"Naw, a wouldn't say so, she looked calm actually. She rolled her eyes a few times an' made a few insults an' sarcastic comments."
"Well I'm sure you've heard of the famous Granger temper," George said.
"Who hasnae?" Oliver said amused.
"Well, imagine Hermione Granger furious; hair sparking, things shattering and chairs rattling furious. Now triple it," he said amused.
Oliver shivered at the imagery.
"Now you're getting it," they both said grinning.
"So when's the big date?" Fred asked.
"30th July," Oliver answered.
George whistled. "A month away? Really?"
"You ready to get married?" Fred asked.
"Not really, but a think there's a chance we can make it work."
~000~000~000~
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes - Thursday 2nd July, 1998
Hermione had just closed up the shop and she put up the security wards -that she had strengthened after the war- and she removed her robes and headed upstairs to the flat to start dinner. The twins had left early because they had an errand to run, though what it was she didn't know.
Hermione entered the flat and she stopped when she saw the twins stood in the middle of the living room, grinning at her.
"Why do you look like Charlie agreed to give you a pet dragon?"
"Because we got you a gift," Fred beamed and he and George stepped side wards to reveal a large box wrapped in red paper and tied off with a gold bow.
"Boys," she said sighing. "I don't need anything. Whatever it is I can't accept it."
"We've had this gift on the back burner for the past four weeks. We just had to wait until it was ready and now it is," George said.
"Boys, seriously, that was really sweet of you, but I can't accept it."
"Yeah, you can, and you're going to."
She went to protest again but the box suddenly moved and she jumped in surprise.
"What's in there?" She asked, eyeing the box worriedly.
"Take a look," they both said, grinning.
Hermione looked at them and the curiosity got the better of her and she walked over to the box and lifted the lid off.
"Awe," She said quietly and her eyes softened as she dropped to her knees on the ground.
Inside the box was a Japanese Akita puppy. His stomach, tail and feet were white and there was a small patch of white around his nose. There rest of him was an orange-brown colour and his legs were white underneath and orange-brown on the top. He was the fluffiest thing Hermione had ever seen; he looked like a teddy bear.
She ran her hands through the dog's fur and it was incredibly soft and the dog barked happily and tried to jump out of the box, but he failed. Hermione picked him up and snuggled him in her arms, smiling widely when the puppy barked and licked her face. She giggled and nuzzled her cheek against his head.
"How old is he?" She asked.
"Eight weeks," the twins replied, beaming a smile. They'd never seen her so happy.
"What's his name?"
"That's for you to decide," George smiled.
Hermione put the dog down on the ground and he looked at her, his back bowed, bum in the air, his tail wagging playfully and he was looking at her with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.
"Marcus? Teddy? Bobby? Prince? We can't call you Merlin or Godric. How abotut Frankie? No, Snitch? Quaffle?" The puppy barked. "Quaffle?" He barked again. "Quaffle it is," she smiled and the puppy barked once more and launched himself at her. She fell backwards and she laughed loudly as he licked her face and the twins looked at each other proudly.
"You do realise how big this breed of dog gets, right?" She questioned.
"Yeah, you should've seen the father," George grinned and she giggled at him.
"Well, when he's at the height of your hip, don't come complaining to me," she said.
"Oliver's going to love him," Fred said and Hermione's grin dropped.
"What is it?" George asked with a frown.
"I'm marrying him and I have to live with him. What if Oliver doesn't like him? What if he's allergic? What if there isn't enough space for him. He'll have to stay here."
"Believe me, Mia," Fred spoke, kneeling down next to her and George did the same on her other side. "There's plenty of space for you both where Oliver lives."
"And he'll love him. He's called Quaffle for Merlin's Sake," George said chuckling. "Plus, he's a guard dog; he'll keep the fan girls away."
Hermione groaned. "Great, you're a total witch magnet, you know that?" She said looking at Quaffle and he licked her face and she scratched his head. "He won't keep them at bay, he'll attract them. Just what I need; more competition and ways to make me feel worse about myself," she muttered.
Fred and George frowned and then they sat down with their legs crossed and Quaffle laid down with his head in Hermione's lap. She scratched his head and Fred and George his back.
"We got you Quaffle because we know you miss Crookshanks, and we know that he can't be replaced, but Quaffle's a dog so we thought we'd give it a try. And according to the Muggleborn we got him from, 'dogs are man's best friend'. We wanted you to have someone that would remain loyal to you, that would love you unconditionally and that wouldn't hurt you. The answer we came up with was a dog," George spoke.
"Quaffle's different from other dogs. Don't ask us how because we have no idea, but he has some abilities that regular dogs don't have. He's more in tune with a person's emotions, he can sense danger and he has a great understanding of who and what matters to you. He was bred in the Wizarding World as were his parents. We think being around magic has affected them in some way. His fur is also fluffier than a regular Japanese Akita, which according to the breeder usually has fine, coarse fur. He has a higher life expectancy, too. Regular muggle dogs live between ten and fifteen years. But Quaffle will live between eighty and ninety years. He'll just age slowly, very slowly," Fred said.
"And you don't have to worry about competing with other women," George said softly. "We spoke with Oliver and we've seen the way he looks at you. He likes you." She blushed and the twins smirked. "And we know that you like him, too, so don't even bother trying to deny it," he said, noticing that she was about to protest.
"We know you're scared of letting anyone close to you after your parents dying and Harry and Ron abandoning you, but Oliver won't do that. Mainly because if he does, he'll be thrown in Azkaban," Fred joked and she hit him in his arm with a small smile. "Oliver's a good guy."
"I know that,"
"You can tell him about anything you wish to, he won't judge you."
"He keeps asking me to tell him, but I'm not ready yet. It's only been a week. I told him I'd tell him when I'm ready but..."
"He just wants to get to know you. If he knows your past, he can help you in the future," George said. "He can get to know you like we do, better even. If you want us to be there when you tell him we will be, but you are going to have to tell him eventually. It's not fair to either of you if you don't."
"I love you two, you know that right?" She said quietly as she rested her head against Fred's shoulder.
"We love you, too, Mia," they said together.
"You know I've only told five people that I love them? My parents and they died. Harry and he left me and you two. I'm just waiting for something to come along and ruin it. The people I love always seem to leave me," she said sadly.
"We promise we won't leave you," Fred said softly and George wiped away the tear that slid down her cheek. "Unfortunately for you, you're stuck with us."
"I'm not though, I'm getting married in twenty-seven days and I'm moving out."
"You'll still see us every day at the shop," George spoke.
"I'll have to cut my hours back soon so I can study for my NEWTs. And what if Oliver doesn't approve of me working at the shop? What if he wants me to quit? And who's going to make you breakfast and wake you up in the mornings? Who's going to cook you dinner? And teach you muggle board games and take you to the Muggle World? Who's going to take you shopping?"
"Oliver will just want you to be happy, he won't care where you work," George assured her.
"You don't you worry about us," Fred said, wiping away another tear that fell down her cheek. "We managed just fine before you moved in with us." Hermione looked at them incredulously. "I see your point," he chuckled. "But we're still alive, aren't we? We'll manage, and I'm sure that Oliver won't expect you to just cut us out of your life. We'll be eating dinner at your new place at least four times a week; you can't get rid of us that easily."
She smiled slightly. "I'm not ready to leave."
"You don't have a choice" George muttered angrily.
"I've never had a choice. I've never had a say in what I do with my life. I was born a witch, sent to Hogwarts, I didn't get a normal childhood, I stood by Harry, I fought a war for seven years, I sacrificed and I suffered. And when everything's supposed to be fine, and I finally get the chance to decide what I want to do with my life for the first time in as long as I can remember, I'm being forced to marry and breed like a bloody brood mare."
"Everything will work out, Mia," Fred said softly.
"That's easy for you to say. You get to do it the right way. You get to meet someone, fall in love and marry them naturally. You don't get that choice taken away from you. I'm too young for this. I have to have a child before my one year anniversary and if I don't, I face being incarcerated. I may not even be able to have children. How am I supposed to tell Oliver that?"
"What do you mean?" They asked looking at her strangely; that was the first time she'd mentioned it to them.
She wiped her tears away and Quaffle whimpered. She looked down at him and scratched his head, maybe he was in tune with Hermione's emotions.
"When I was tortured," she started and they both flinched. "A lot of the spells were aimed at my stomach; it was the area that had the most damage done to it. And I don't want to fall for Oliver, knowing that he'll be given a new partner in a year's time because I can't give him a child. It'll break me, I can't lose anyone else."
"Oliver won't leave you if you can't have children," George assured her kindly.
"You don't know that. He's the heir to a wealthy and respected Pureblood family; I know that he requires an heir. I won't be, I can't be the reason that his bloodline ends with him."
"Oliver won't see it that way," Fred spoke. "I suspect it won't be long before he's falling head over heels for you," his mouth pulled into a smirk. "He's terribly jealous, particularly with the way you are around us."
Hermione scoffed. "Why would anyone choose to be with me? If I was him, I would be petitioning for another partner."
"Well he's not because he likes you, told us so himself, he did." George said with a wink. "Trust us, he thinks you're a mystery and let me tell you, you are. We're still trying to figure you out."
"Now, let's stop these water works and get up off the floor and you need to go and get ready for your date with Oliver tonight, he'll be here in less than two hours."
"It's not a date, I'm meeting his parents," she muttered. The twins looked at her amused.
"We'll watch Quaffle and make dinner," George said.
"I don't think that's a good idea," she replied.
"Why not?" George said in mock hurt.
"Name one time something went wrong when we were cooking," Fred demanded with his arms crossed over his chest.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. And she began listing each point off on her fingers. "Three weeks ago when you set the living room couch on fire; I still have no idea how you managed that. Two weeks ago when you set the curtains on fire...Last week when you set the table on fire...Saturday when you burned the chicken until it was black and crispy and it fell to pieces...Monday when you tried to slip Canary Creams in my dinner and instead you ate them...Tuesday when you..."
"Alright, alright!" Fred said laughing.
"We said name one," George laughed.
"I could write a book on your cooking failures," she snorted.
"You'd be good at that," Fred said thoughtfully. "Writing a book, I mean. Not about our cooking failures, but maybe something else. You know, share your knowledge with the world."
Hermione shrugged and then they got up off the floor and she went to get ready.
~000~000~000~
Oliver floo'd over to the twins flat to find it empty. He turned when he saw a door open and his eyes widened when Hermione stepped out of her bedroom.
She was wearing a white lace summer dress that fell just above the knees and it had a rounded and modest neckline, with a small pale pink belt around the waist. She wore a pale pink cropped cardigan and he noted that the sleeves covered her arms and she had on a pair of white ballet pumps. She left her hair down in soft and shiny ringlets and it fell to the middle of her back.
Hermione looked at him nervously and tucked some of hair behind her ear. "Do I look okay for meeting your parents?" She asked. He didn't answer her, instead he just stared dumbly with his eyes wide and mouth partially open. "I can go and change," she said, taking his reaction badly and her hand reached for her bedroom door handle.
"Naw, don'," Oliver said quickly and she looked up at him shyly. "Ye look...Well ye look..." He tried to speak but words escaped him.
"Thank you," she said with a blush and ducking her head down. "You don't look so bad yourself."
He looked down at himself and smiled. He was wearing dark blue jeans, white trainers, a white shirt and a black v-neck jumper, which he had rolled up to his elbows.
"You sure I look presentable for...Well for..."
"Meeting me parents?" He said amused and she nodded.
"Ye look perfect. Are ye ready tae go?"
"Almost, I want you to meet someone first. Are you sure you're not allergic to anything because he'll be living with us?" She asked. He raised a curious eyebrow and nodded. "Okay, brace yourself," Hermione warned. She turned around, got down onro her knees and leaned against her feet and whistled loudly.
Oliver's eyes widened as the fluffiest dog he had ever seen bounded out of Fred's room and barked loudly and excitedly. He made a bee-line for Hermione and she giggled as he jumped up at her and licked her face. Oliver had never heard her giggle before and he felt a smile pull at his mouth at the sound. She lifted the puppy up in her arms and stood up and walked over to Oliver as the dog snuggled against her, licking where he could and she continued to laugh and giggle.
"This is my new friend," Hermione said as she stopped in front of him.
"A dinnae know ye had a dog."
"The twins bought him for me a month ago but they had to wait until he was old enough to be separated from his mother. They gave him to me after I closed up the shop." She said, nuzzling her cheek against the dog's head and he barked happily at the attention he was getting from his new owner. "If you don't like him or want him in your house, he can stay here with the twins, I don't understand," she said, but he noticed the sadness in her tone, the hope that she wouldn't have to give him up and leave him behind.
Oliver shook his head. "Naw, it's fine. Ye can bring him, a imagine a'll become rather fond af him," he said as he lifted his hand to the dog's nose. Quaffle sniffed him before he licked his hand and nibbled at him playfully. Oliver chuckled and Hermione beamed at him and Quaffle's interaction.
"What's his name?"
"You have to guess," she replied.
He looked down at the dog and then back to Hermione. "Please tell mae ye dinnae name him something ridiculous like Fluffy or Mr. Cuddles. The team will never let mae live it down."
Hermione chuckled. "No, he chose his own name and he likes it." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Seriously, watch this." Hermione put him down and he sat down in front of her with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth and they laughed at him. "Frankie? Marcus? Teddy? Quaffle?" He barked happily at the sound of his name and he jumped up at Hermione. She picked him up and cuddled him against her chest.
"Quaffle?" Oliver said with a cocked eyebrow and the dog barked and looked to him. He chuckled and scratched his head and Quaffle licked his hand.
"I like it and so does he. We've got to keep up with tradition," she said grinning.
"Hoo old is he?"
"Eight weeks," she replied.
"He seems big fer tha' age," he commented.
"He's a Japanese Akita. They're a large breed of dog. When he's fully grown he can easily reach the height of your hip," she explained. Oliver's eyes widened in shock and he looked at the puppy trying to imagine his size when fully grown and Hermione laughed at him. "Japanese Akitas are a muggle breed of dog, it's why you likely haven't seen or heard of one, but the breeder was a Muggleborn and Quaffle was born around magic along with the rest of his ancestry. According to the breeder, he has the ability to sense emotions, understand who and what's important to me and he can sense danger, and he has a life expectancy of five times what a muggle dog does. Fred and George said that he's my new guard dog; they're worried that someone may act on some of the death threats in the future, but I think he's adorable," she said, rubbing her cheek against Quaffle's head and he barked happily. "This breed of dog is really affectionate, loving and protective, and they bought him for his size, they couldn't believe the size of his father" she said amused. "He's already toilet trained and has basic training, so we don't have to worry about that."
Oliver had never seen Hermione so happy and he was more than glad to have the dog in his home, especially since she seemed to love it so much.
"Why don' ye bring him with us tae meet mae parents?" He suggested.
"I don't know, won't your parents think it's rude for me to bring a dog into their home?"
Oliver snorted. "Naw, they always wanted a pet when a was growing up, but they never got around tae gettin' one. They'll love him," he shrugged.
"Alright then," Hermione beamed. "Just let me write a note to Fred and George and then we can leave."
She put Quaffle down on the ground and wrote a quick message in the note book that was on the coffee table, whilst Oliver crouched down and played with Quaffle, who was on his back with his legs in the air and Oliver laughed as he scratched his stomach. Hermione smiled softly at the sight.
"Where are the Trouble Twosome?" Oliver asked.
"They went out to get some dinner. They said they'd cook tonight so I could get ready. They set the kitchen counter on fire," she said and Oliver laughed.
"Okay, I'm ready," Hermione said.
Oliver stood up and Quaffle rolled over and ran to Hermione. She picked him up and then they floo'd to Wood Manor with Hermione covering Quaffle eyes.
~000~000~000~
Wood Manor
They stepped out of the floo and anxiety set in for Hermione. Quaffle looked up at her, sensing her uneasiness and he licked her cheek offering comfort. She looked down at him and scratched his head.
"Ye ready?" Oliver asked.
"Yes...No...I don't know," she sighed.
"Ye don' need tae be nervous," he said amused.
"I can't help it, I'm meeting my future in-laws and all they know about me is what they've read in the newspapers. Who knows what their opinions of me will be?"
Oliver's eyes darted away from and he put his hands in his pockets, but Hermione was too busy cuddling Quaffle to notice. Her statement wasn't exactly true; he'd been telling his parents about Hermione when they asked and they were glad to know that he seemed to genuinely like her.
"They won't judge ye," he said honestly.
"Do I have to curtsey or something? What do I call them?"
He snorted. "Ye don' have tae curtsey an' jus' call them what ye feel comfortable with. We may be wealthy, but we're not stuck up prats. Tha's why the dress code isnae formal robes an' the blood af an innocent," he said amused and she shook her head at him.
She took a deep breath and nodded and Oliver walked down a hall way and into a small and comfortable living room and Hermione walked behind him, slightly obscured by his larger frame. It was decorated in soft blues and creams. It had two large couches in the middle of the room facing each other, a light wooden coffee table in-between them and light wooden flooring and a large fireplace with a plush cream rug in front of it. There were large windows that showed a beautiful view of the grounds and Hermione smiled at how comfortable the room was.
"Ma, Da," Oliver said greeting his parents.
His parents stopped their hushed conversation and stood from the couch, walking towards him. He hugged his mother and kissed her cheek and he gave his father a quick hug before he stepped aside and his parents looked at Hermione appraisingly, smiles pulling at their faces.
"Ye must be Miss. Granger; it's a pleasure tae meet you. A'm Henry an' this is me wife, Beth," Mr. Wood said with a smile.
Henry Wood had dark brown short hair, dark brown eyes and was smaller than his son, around five-foot-eleven. He like, Oliver, was wearing dark jeans, white trainers, a white shirt and a dark blue v-neck jumper. She could see where Oliver got his looks from.
Beth Wood had blonde shoulder length hair, blue eyes and she was wearing a black knee length skirt, a white silk shirt and three inch black peep toe heels. Given the heels Hermione estimated her height to be five-foot-five. Like her husband, she had kind and soft features and was incredibly beautiful. She understood why Oliver was as handsome as he was.
"Yes, I am. It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Wood," she said politely, smiling. She was surprised when Mrs. Wood pulled her into a hug even more so when Mr. Wood did the same. Oliver chuckled at her expression.
"An' who is this handsome wee guy?" Mrs. Wood asked, cooing at Quaffle, who barked excitedly at meeting new people.
"Oh, I'm sorry, this is Quaffle. He was given to me as a gift," Hermione said, smiling down at the dog in her arms. "I hope you don't think me rude bringing him with me unannounced. I just didn't want to leave him alone since my roommates were out and Oliver suggested we bring him along."
"Oh, don' be silly, Dear," Mrs. Wood said smiling and scratching Quaffle's head. "He's adorable, an' he just like ye, is always welcome in our home," she said kindly.
Hermione smiled and sighed in relief. 'So far so good,' she thought.
"What's his name?" Mr. Wood asked.
"Quaffle," she answered. They laughed as the dog barked happily at hearing his name.
"Ye can put him doon, ye know," Mr. Wood said amused.
"Sorry, I just wasn't sure. With him being a puppy and in a new environment, I don't want him to chew anything."
"Oh, don' worry aboot it, Dear," Mrs Wood said, cooing at Quaffle. "May a?" She gestured to him.
"Oh, of course," Hermione said, before handing Quaffle over to Mrs. Wood. He barked and licked her face and she laughed lightly.
Oliver smiled at seeing his family getting along with Hermione. They walked over to the couches and Hermione sat next to Oliver on one and Mr. and Mrs. Wood sat on the other one opposite them. Mrs. Wood put Quaffle down on the couch and he jumped onto Mr. Wood's lap and barked at him.
"Quaffle!" Hermione scolded.
"Don' worry aboot it; he can do whatever he wants in this house," Mr. Wood chuckled, rubbing the dog's stomach when he rolled over onto his back, clearly displaying what he wanted.
"So, Miss. Granger..."
"Please, call me Hermione," she interrupted with a smile.
"Hermione," Mrs. Wood smiled. "Tell us aboot yerself. We have, of course, read aboot ye in the papers and Oliver has told us a lot aboot ye," she said. Oliver looked everywhere but at Hermione. "But we would like tae know more aboot ye, giving the track record af the press, nothin' written in the papers can be trusted."
"There isn't a lot to know but I will try," Hermione replied and Oliver rolled his eyes at her. His parents caught his reaction and he shrugged at them when they raised their eyebrows. "I'm eighteen years old, I live with Fred and George Weasley and I work in their joke shop."
"Ye live an' work with The Weasley Twins? What does tha' entail?" Mr. Wood asked curiously.
"Between three us, we run the shop. I help the customers, work at the counter, restock the shelves and do inventory, and I work in the back making products with the twins and I've created a few products myself. The twins were over the moon when they'd discovered I was able to produce their products. They had tried to hire new staff to work in production but no one seemed to be able to follow their instructions and recipes, claiming that they were too difficult."
"But ye could?" Mr. Wood said sounding impressed.
"Yes, Sir, I could. The twins recipes aren't all that complicated, it's the way in which they've documented their instructions that people find difficult to understand. But I know the twins better than anyone, I understand them. There's a method to their madness and that's what people find difficult to comprehend, but I understand it perfectly. I've even found a way to improve a few of their recipes to decrease production time and increase their results. We can now make products in half the time we could before, meaning we can make twice the merchandise in a single day." They looked at her bewildered and Oliver's mouth twitched in amusement.
"An' ye mentioned designing products af yer own?"
"Yes, they're in the final testing stages but the results have been promising. Once the testing is over we'll promote them and hopefully have them on sale before the students return to Hogwarts."
"Can ye give us an example?"
"I probably shouldn't but the twins are always spilling secrets," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I've designed and created a product named Godric's Glue."
"An' what does tha' do?" He asked intrigued and he leaned forward, still scratching Quaffle's stomach.
"To put it simply, it's an edible Sticking Charm and once eaten, you'll stick to the person closest to you. Depending on the amount eaten, the amount of people involved varies. However, this product won't work on anyone who is or was sorted into Gryffindor house. They're immune and would just be eating a regular hard boiled sweet," she explained. They looked at her amazed.
"Hoo did ye manage tae get it tae differentiate between houses?" Mrs. Wood asked in wonder.
"Through a series of complex arithmancy equations, potions and charms," Hermione answered.
"But ye cannae put charms on potions. It'll either spoil the potion or be ineffective," Mr. Wood said confused.
"That's correct," she nodded. "That's why we charm the ingredients first and then brew the potion."
"Tha's brilliant," he muttered and Hermione blushed under his praise.
"Do ye see yerself working at the shop in the future?" Mrs. Wood asked.
"I'm honestly not sure. I'll be cutting back my hours soon."
"Why?" Mr. Wood said with a frown. He hoped to Merlin that she didn't have plans of being a galleon digger and expect that Oliver would provide for her with his well earned fortune.
"Well, I'm not returning to Hogwarts, the reason being why I'm eligible for the law. I couldn't and can't face going back there, not after what happened. It wouldn't be the same." They nodded in understanding. "So, Professor McGonagall and Minister Shacklebolt have made arrangements for me to take my NEWTs at The Ministry in January. I'll be cutting back my hours so I have more free time to study and prepare for my examinations. Fred and George have assured me that I could take my NEWTs now and pass, but I'm not taking any chances." She smiled at them with an understanding look.
Mr. Wood felt guilty for assuming the worst about her, it had been a knee-jerk reaction when he'd heard her plans. "A'm sorry fer me assumptions," he said apologetically. Oliver looked at the two of them confused.
"What assumptions?" he asked, but they ignored him.
"It's perfectly fine, Mr. Wood; I understand you're looking out for your son's best interests, but you have nothing to worry about. I originate from a well off family and I've gained my inheritance from my Grandfather. I also have the money that was awarded to me along with my Order of Merlin: First Class, and my wages from working at the shop. I have my own wealth, I have no use for Oliver's."
Their eyes widened and Oliver looked at her surprised. He wasn't aware that she was wealthy or that she'd been given the biggest award available in the Wizarding World.
"We were not aware," Mr. Wood spoke, his eyes alight with respect and pride.
"I don't make my financial standing public knowledge. The only people that know are The Weasleys and now you. Fred and George were the only people that knew about the Order of Merlin: First Class; I received a letter a week before the marriage law was instigated from Minister Shacklebolt. I will be officially awarded with the title during the celebration ball in September," she said blushing furiously.
"When were ye gunna tell mae?" Oliver asked her.
"I wasn't, at least not yet, not now," she sighed. "It was war, not some competition or contest. I didn't do what I did for to win a pretty medal; I did it because it was the right thing to do. I did it to protect the future of our world, to preserve everything that is good and beautiful about magic. I did it so others wouldn't have to live in fear, and so children wouldn't be subjected to the childhood I had," she explained, looking down at the ground and fiddling with her fingers in her lap. "I don't want to attend the celebration ball and have everyone staring at me. I don't want to be surrounded by the press and have a panic attack like the last time I was in public and ambushed. I'm only going because I owe Minister Shacklebolt a favour and then my debt will be cleared," she tapered off, the room falling into silence as they all watched her with sad eyes.
"So, Hermione?" Mrs. Wood spoke, clearing her throat and changing the subject. "Why do ye live with Fred an' George?"
She looked up to them, a grateful look on her face for the chance in conversation. "I know that the war is over, but a lot of landlords are still a little funny with Muggleborns and therefore they won't lease a flat to us. I moved out of The Burrow as I didn't want to take advantage of their kindness, no matter how much they assured me they were more than happy to have me. But I did so the press wouldn't know where to find me. They wouldn't stop breaking through the wards so they could get onto the property and to me. The twins asked me to move in with them and after a day of arguments, I finally gave in, but regardless, I didn't have a choice; they stole my belongings and locked me in and wouldn't let me leave until I unpacked," she said, a smile pulling at her mouth and they chuckled at her. "It's a struggle to leave the shop and go out in public, the press is always waiting for me so I have to glamour myself or have one of the twins with me."
"A'm sorry tae hear tha'," Mrs. Wood spoke, looking at her future daughter-in-law concerned.
"Oh, don't be, it isn't your fault. But I imagine it's only going to get worse when my engagement to Oliver is leaked. I'm surprised it's been kept a secret this long."
"A can imagine it won't be easy," Mrs. Wood nodded in agreement.
"Well I'm glad to have Oliver as a match," she said honestly. Three heads snapped to her, one more surprised than the others.
"Ye are?" The three asked in perfect unrehearsed unison.
"Yes, I am. The Weasleys worried that I would be paired with a former Death Eater or Pureblood supremacist." Mr. and Mrs. Wood look at her in horror, only just realising that it could've been a possibility. "The twins seemed happy with the match since they knew Oliver from school. They knew he wouldn't hurt me."
"It's mae they should be worried aboot," Oliver scoffed and his parents looked at him in confusion.
"Why's tha', Dear?" His mother asked.
"She hexed mae on our first date," he replied. Their eyes widened and they looked at Hermione in disbelief as she nodded unapologetically.
"I did, but to be fair, he asked me to demonstrate my specialty hex for him and I did."
His parents burst out laughing and Oliver looked at them in surprise.
"Well then, if he asked fer it..." His father said chuckling and Oliver blinked, unsure whether he should be offended or not that his father found so much amusement in his soon to be wife hexing him.
Quaffle sensing Oliver's confusion and surprise jumped down from the couch and waddled over to him. He licked his hand and Oliver looked down at the large puppy. He chuckled and picked him up and sat him on his knee as he scratched him behind his ears.
"Are there any other reasons ye are glad tae be matched with Oliver?" Mrs. Wood asked.
Oliver turned his eyes to Hermione, being curious about her answer himself and he was amused to see her pink cheeks.
"Well," she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "You've raised a wonderful son," she said and his parents smiled at the compliment. "I know he won't hurt me and that he'll respect me. He has assured both my family and I that he won't stop me from working, and I know he can handle the media, as well as the pressure that we'll both be under. I've barely known Oliver fortnight and already I know that he's kind and selfless. He's a gentleman and he's determined and willing to try anything. I took him to the Muggle World, completely out of his comfort zone, and he took everything in stride," she said proudly and Oliver's chest puffed out and his parents smirked and shared a knowing look. She hadn't once made mention of his looks or his wealth.
"Tell us aboot yer parents, Hermione. What do they do? Hoo do they feel aboot yer upcoming nuptials tae Oliver, a'm sure it must be a surprise fer them." Mr. Wood spoke. Hermione flinched and a look of heart break flittered across her face for a small moment before it disappeared.
"They aren't around anymore," she said.
"Why?" He questioned.
"They jus' aren't," Oliver said, sending his father a glare and it stopped him from pressing the subject.
"So, Hermione, hoo are the wedding plans coming along?" Mrs. Wood asked.
"They're coming along well, I assume Mrs. Weasley has owled you?"
"Aye, she has, we're meeting up for lunch tae go over the to do list. There's much tae do an' such little time tae do it," she spoke smiling.
"I know; the wedding just seems to be approaching quicker each day," Hermione said, her face paling slightly at the thought of her up and coming nuptials.