CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
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.
Page count: 16
Wood Apartment - Monday 17th August 1998
"I'm exhausted," Hermione sighed as she stepped out of the floo, opened the balcony for Quaffle and made her way to their bedroom.
They'd just returned from the Burrow where Percy and Audrey had just gotten married. It had been a simple ceremony with the traditional wedding vows. Bill had been Percy's best man and Audrey's best friend had been her bridesmaid. Audrey made a beautiful bride with her ivory lace mermaid tail gown, her minimal makeup and her hair styled in waves. The reception was held at the Burrow and there were fewer guests than there had been at Hermione and Oliver's wedding, given that they'd invited the entire team and their partners, and they'd been expected to invite reporters to cover the event as they were the 'poster children' for the Marriage Law. Several hours after the reception had started, Percy and Audrey left for their honeymoon and the guests left, with Hermione, the Woods and the Weasleys staying behind to help clean up.
"It's been a long day," Oliver agreed, tiredly falling onto the bed.
Not only had he attended training, but he'd had to quickly dress and floo over to the Burrow, arriving just before the ceremony began. He wasn't entirely certain of the time, just that it was past midnight and he and Hermione were expected at the stadium within a few hours. They'd both have to ingest Invigoration Draughts if they wished to remain awake.
Hermione kicked off her heels before doing the same, falling beside him. "At least you don't have to walk around in heels; I don't even know why I bother with Cushioning Charms. The only one that seems to work is the Balancing Charm and for that I'm grateful, I'd rather spend my night on aching feet than with my face on the floor."
He laughed at her. "Twa more weeks an' then the season's over an' we get a well deserved twa months aff."
Hermione turned and looked at him. "You're actually happy to have a break from Quidditch?" She arched a disbelieving eyebrow.
"Aye, twa months af late mornings in bed an' sex in ev'ry room," he grinned/
She rolled her eyes. "Well, for the first week of September I'll be spending my days at the Ministry taking my NEWTs," she reminded. "Not to mention, Thompson's still living with us until November."
He scowled at the reminder before saying, "What NEWTs are ye goin' fer again?"
"Arithmancy, potions, transfiguration, ancient runes, care of magical creatures, muggle studies, astronomy, history of magic, charms, herbology and defence against the dark arts." he turned to face her and stared.
"Bloody hell," he muttered, "Naw wonder yer always studying... But anno ye'll get top marks, ye don' need tae study."
"I hope you're right," she sighed.
"Do ye know where Thompson is?" Oliver asked, knowing he wasn't in the apartment. Not only hadn't he seen him, but Quaffle hadn't moved to greet him no matter the time or what room he might be in.
"He's on his first date with Katie, given the time, it must be going well," Hermione said and Oliver nodded. "I hope things work out for him," she sighed, "He deserves to be happy."
"Am sure things will. Yer the best thing tha's happened tae the team. Not only are ye kicking our arses intae shape but yer helping them in their personal lives, tae, an' despite hoo hard we try tae keep our personal an' professional lives separate, one always bleeds intae the other. If we're unhappy in our personal lives, it affects the way we play," he said, reaching out to push her hair back from her face and behind her ear.
She smiled at him. "Rule sixteen, if you have the ability and facilities to help someone, you should," she reminded. "By the way, I know the final match for the cup isn't until the 31st of August, but I've been following the other teams as all good Coaches should..." He chuckled at her, completely unsurprised by the revelation. "At the moment, we're first in the league, the favourite to win. The Appleby Arrows are in second, the Montrose Magpies in third, the Caerphilly Catapults in fourth and the Falmouth Falcons are in fifth. However, there's only one point between us and the Arrows," she warned and Oliver blinked slowly.
When had that happened?
"So far, we've played the Ballycastle Bats, Falmouth Falcons, Montrose Magpies, Wimbourne Wasps, Holyhead Harpies, Kenmare Kestrels, Chudley Cannons, Barnton and Yorkshire," she listed easily. He blinked again. "Our next match is against the Tutshill Tornadoes, followed by Wigtown Wanders, Banchory Bangers and Lancashire. After those matches, the scores will be tallied and the two teams with the highest scores go through to the Final."
"What're the scores so far?"
"Well, as I said, we're in first place since we've won all nine matches. The Arrows have played more matches than we have, but we've won more matches than they have which puts us in the lead. We just have to either hold onto first place or fall to second to get to the Final."
Oliver grinned. "Easy," he said confidently and she chuckled. "Now, a wanna ravish me beautiful wife."
"Oh really?" She questioned amusedly.
He nodded. "Aye, jus' not here; a've somewhere else in mind."
Standing from the bed, he dragged Hermione into the living area, penned a quick note to Thompson telling him they'd be back by breakfast, called Quaffle and put him in the floo and sent him off beforehand. Hermione made to get her shoes but Oliver shook his head, stopping her.
"We're apparating, tha's why a sent Quaffle ahead."
Before Hermione could reply, he pulled his wand and apparated them out of the apartment.
~000~000~000~
Wood Manor
They landed in a hallway and Hermione looked around in confusion.
"We're at Wood Manor; me parents have gone away fer a few days."
"Why did you bring me here? How did we apparate? Where's Quaffle?"
"He's around the manor somewhere; he'll find us when he's done exploring, at the very least, the elves will keep an eye on him," he shrugged. "A apparated us 'coz a can now. Now tha' yer a Wood, the manor's wards will allow ye access an' ye can apparate instead af using the floo. It's a lot quicker as we can apparate tae any room we wish, rather than having tae floo over an' walk through the manor. An' a brought ye here 'coz a wanted tae give ye something."
Before she could speak, he set his hands on her waist and gently encouraged her to turn around, coming face to face with a dark wooden door.
"Open it," he whispered in her ear in encouragement, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck before nudging her forward.
Reaching out, she twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, stepping inside. Her eyes darting about her surroundings, she saw it was a bedroom. The walls were Puddlemere blue and flooring with a light wood effect lay beneath her feet. On the back wall, sat a king-sized bed with blue and white bedding, a white bedside table sat to the right and there was a white rectangular rug before it. A white cotton couch sat in the middle of the room with a dark coffee table before it, on the left wall, were two bay windows with yellow cushions and a bookshelf in between the windows, filled with school and Quidditch books. On the right wall, there was a white desk and chair and a door that led to the bathroom and another led to the walk-in wardrobe. There were Quidditch posters covering the walls and a framed and signed Quidditch jersey from the Keeper of Puddlemere a few decades ago.
Hermione smiled and a laugh left her.
"Now, this is Oliver Wood's bedroom," she commented and he chuckled at her. "But I still understand why we're here."
Oliver crossed to her and put his arms around her waist, pulling her to him and he backed them up until Hermione's legs hit the bed and she fell backwards with a laugh. They made their way up the bed until Hermione's head hit the pillows and he was leaning over her on his elbows.
"A wanted tae give ye something, something tha' only ye will get."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, ye gave mae something tha' a will always remember." Seeing her confused stare, he smiled. "Ye gave mae yer virginity." She didn't blush, just continued to stare at him. "An' 'coz a couldn't give ye mine, a thought a would give ye something else instead." She cocked her eyebrow. "Yer the first girl in this room, well, besides me ma, af course."
She laughed at him.
"And what exactly do you plan to do here tonight?" She asked and the answering grin he gave made her laugh and he leaned down and kissed her neck, effectively stopping her laughter and he smirked as she hummed, her hands threading through his hair.
~000~000~000~
Hermione and Oliver were cuddled under the blanket, she had her head on his chest and her fingers were tracing the sparrow tattoo over his heart whilst his hand was resting on her stomach, his fingers tracing her phoenix tattoo.
"First crush?" Oliver asked.
"I was nine, his name was Peter Johns. He had blonde curly hair and bright green eyes. He went to my muggle school but he was a bully so I quickly got over it. You?"
"A was twelve an' it was the mother af one af me friends from Hogwarts." She snorted. "Tell mae something funny ye did as a child."
She took a moment to think before answering with, "When I was seven, I was in the park reading a book and I heard some of the other kids playing truth or dare. One boy walked over to me and he sat down next to me and he leaned over to kiss me. I panicked and punched him in the nose and ran off."
Oliver burst into laughter.
"Tha' is the best thing a've ev'r heard!" He exclaimed and Hermione pushed away from him, sitting up and holding the blanket in place.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault," she protested. "When you're seven-years-old, boys have cooties and when one tries to kiss you, it's the end of the world!" He laughed louder and soon her mouth was twitching and she laughed, too. "It's your turn."
"Hogwarts, me first year, we were in our flying lesson. Af course, a could already fly very well befere a started Hogwarts, an' a was flying around when a got distracted by something, a hippogriff had gotten loose an' it flew over me head. A moved oot af the way but a lost me balance an' fell aff me broom. Luckily, a landed in the Black Lake."
Hermione stared at him. "How is that funny?"
"It was hilarious," he assured her, waving off her concerned expression. "Madam Hooch worked herself intae a right tizzy an' she flew over tae mae, losing her balance an' she fell aff her broom an' landed in the Black Lake, as well. But, the Giant Squid had already rescued mae. He picked mae up an' took mae towards the shoreline. By the time Madam Hooch fell in the water, a was already on land," he grinned, Hermione finally seeing the humour in the situation, laughed.
"I knew the Giant Squid was kind," Hermione commented.
"How?"
"Whenever I was upset at something that Harry or Ron did, I wouldn't go to the library like they thought I did, I would go to the Black Lake. The Giant Squid would be playing and splashing about and it always made me laugh. It would come closer to the shoreline and I would find a stick or transfigure one and throw it into the lake. He would find it and bring it back to me."
"The Giant Squid plays fetch?" He spluttered.
Hermione nodded. "Loves it, once we played for four hours. He was so happy and I felt bad, so I guilt-tripped myself into staying and playing with him."
"A think it's time ye followed through on a promise ye made mae," Oliver said.
"Hmmm?"
"Ye promised ye would let mae teach ye tae fly." Hermione stiffened beside him. "What are ye afraid aff?"
"Falling," she answered without needing to think.
"Do ye honestly believe a would let ye fall?"
"No," she admitted. "No, I don't."
Grinning, he climbed from the bed and pulled on his underwear, trousers and shirt before slipping on his socks and shoes. Hermione climbed out of bed, slipped on her underwear and her dress and then Oliver removed something from his trouser pocket, took Hermione's hand and apparated them out of the manor and to the lake.
He removed the Shrinking Charm and held his broom in his hand before releasing it, it hovered in the air as he stepped over it. He held his hand out to Hermione and his heart clenched at her expression of fear, terror. A look he had never seen before.
"A won't let ye fall," he promised softly.
Hermione closed her eyes; she knew he was telling her the truth, and so, she pushed her fear down and placed her hand in his. She stepped over the broom and it hovered higher so they were both sat on it. Her breathing sped up. Oliver pulled her closer to him so her back was against his chest, he kept one arm firmly lodged around her stomach, holding her to him, and then he leaned forward and held the broom handle with his free hand.
"Take a deep breath," he said against her ear before he kissed her neck and then kicked off the ground. Hermione's breathing became erratic and he held her tighter, halting to a stop when he reached fifty feet above ground. "Calm doon, Sparrow, yer not gonna fall... Even if ye did, ye'd land in the lake or a'd catch ye first." He placed butterfly kisses on her neck and her breathing began to slow under his touch. "Yer not scared af heights, so open yer eyes," he encouraged. "Yer missing the view af what's ours."
"What do you mean?" She whispered, her eyes closed tightly and her hands tightly holding onto his arm that was slotted around her stomach.
"Wood Manor belongs tae us, jus' as it belongs tae me parents. When they pass, it will be left tae us an' our family. We can move in now or anytime we want. We can even live in the apartment fer the rest af our lives but Wood Manor will always be ours," he said softly. "Open yer eyes an' see what is ours."
Taking a steady breath, she slowly peeled her eyes open, a gasp of awe falling from her lips. The grounds were huge, bigger than she thought, than she'd realised. From their vantage point, she could see woods, the lake, the meadow, a small Quidditch pitch, what looked to be stables and large grassy areas surrounding the beautiful white manor that sat in the middle of it all.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
"An' it's ours," he said and she could feel him smiling as he kissed her neck. "An' we're just in time"
"For what?"
"Sunrise," he muttered, lifting his arm and pointing into the distance.
Hermione leaned into him and he wrapped his other arm around her and silence fell around them as they watched the sunrise.
"I love you," Hermione muttered.
Oliver's heart swelled. "A love ye," he replied. Hermione smiled. "This is another first a can give ye."
"Hmmm?"
"Yer the first girl a've ev'r taken flying."
"Why don't I believe that?" She snorted.
He chuckled. "Yer not the first girl a've taught tae fly, but ye are the first a've taken flying. Yer the first relationship a've had. Yer the first person a've told a love besides me parents. Yer the first an' only girl a'll ev'r be in love with. Yer the first girl a've brought tae the manor. Yer the first girl tae meet me parents. Yer the first girl tae see me apartment an' tae move in with mae. Yer the first tae have seen me bedroom an' yer the first a've made love tae."
"Not sex?" Her eyebrow rose.
"It's not sex with ye, yer different. A love ye, so a make love tae ye." Hermione leaned back into him further and smiled. "Yer've gotten a lot af me firsts, whether ye realise it or not," he admitted.
"You've had a lot of mine, too. You're the first person I have told everything to, and I mean everything. I've told you more than I have the twins. You're the first and only man I will be in love with."
"Ron?"
She shook her head. "No, that was just a crush in third and fourth year, I never loved him that way," she answered. "You're the first man I've allowed to touch me so intimately and that I've allowed to break down my defences. You're the first man to fill me with confidence and make me feel beautiful and loved. You're the first man to take me on a date, I gave you my virginity and you're the first man to get me on a broom, a feat I never thought possible."
"Ye feeling okay, being up here?" He checked.
"Hmm, it's not as bad as I thought it would be, but I think that's because of you. If I was up here with anyone else I'd be screeching like a banshee."
He chuckled at her. "Do ye wanna have a fly around the grounds?"
"I trust you," she nodded and he beamed a smile.
He put his left hand back on the broom handle and raised them to one hundred feet before leaning forward slightly and putting on a burst of speed and they flew forward. Hermione yelped before a laugh of delight left her, carrying in the wind.
They flew around the grounds for what felt like hours and before Oliver flew them over to the meadow where there was a large wooden treehouse. They dismounted the broom and Oliver let Hermione climb the ladder first, something she knew he'd done s0 he might sneak a peek up her dress.
When she pushed the hatch open and climbed in, her eyes scanned her surroundings. She'd seen the treehouse before and she knew that Oliver and his father built it together, but this was the first time she had been inside it. The wood hadn't been painted but left the same dark-grey colour. There was a queen-sized bed on the back wall with blue bedding and a blue rug sat beneath the wooden bed frame. A blue cotton couch, a dark wooden coffee table and two armchairs were position on the other side of the treehouse, with a bookshelf that sat wizarding games and magazines.
"So, this is where you'd escape to?"
"Aye, when me friends visited fer the summer when a was younger, we would get sleeping bags an' sleep on the floor an' stay oot here all day an' all night." She laughed at him. "An' do ye know what?" He asked, backing her up towards the bed.
"What?"
"Yer the first girl in here, not even me ma was allowed in. It was the golden rule. No girls allowed." She laughed at his grin and fell backwards on the bed and he followed after her. "So, ye know what tha' means?"
"Hmmm?"
"Twa more firsts fer ye," he whispered against her lips before kissing her soundly.
~000~000~000~
Wood Apartment - Tuesday 18th August 1998
Hermione, Oliver and Quaffle floo'd into the apartment and Hermione immediately set to work making breakfast. Just as she was about to place the plates on the table, Thompson walked into the kitchen, scratched Quaffle on the head and then took a seat.
"Morning, Woods," he greeted and Hermione chuckled.
"Morning, Thompson" Oliver and Hermione chimed and Quaffle barked.
"Where did you disappear to yesterday?" Thompson asked as Hermione took a seat at the table and sipped at her tea.
"Wood Manor, me parents are away," Oliver shrugged.
Thompson raised an eyebrow. "Fulfilling some weird sexual fantasy, eh?" He said amused.
Hermione watched Oliver's expression, seeing that it remained passive.
"Oh, Merlin, he's right, isn't he?" She questioned, mortified.
Oliver's face broke into a grin. "Aye," he confirmed, both he and Thompson sharing a laugh at her expression of disbelief.
"What was it? Your bedroom? Your bathroom? Your treehouse?"
Thompson whistled. "Bloody hell, Woods, you've been a busy witch and wizard." Hermione picked up a piece of bacon and threw it at him. It bounced off his head and in response, he picked it up and took a bite. "Thanks, I wanted more bacon," he winked, Hermione scowled and Oliver laughed.
"All af the above," Oliver answered in amusement with Thompson barking out a laugh and clapping him on the back.
"Thompson, how was your date with Katie?" Hermione questioned, turning the topic of conversation away from them. He was unable to keep the grin from his face and so she knew it had gone well. "You like her," she stated knowingly.
He nodded and grinned like an idiot.
"You were right, she's nothing like Jenny. She's really nice and we talked for hours. I've learned a lot about her. Did you know she was offered a place on the Holyhead Harpies but turned them down because she wanted to make changes to the league rather than play for it?"
Oliver and Hermione shared a knowing, amused glance, biting their lips to keep from laughing at him.
"And her birthday's in November, her favourite colour's crimson-red, she's scared of slugs, she doesn't like the smell of lavender and her favourite sweet's acid pops. And to top it off, she knew what position I play on the team."
The dam broke and Oliver and Hermione burst into sniggers as Thompson grew more excited, his voice rose in pitch.
"I told you it would work out for you, you just have to have faith," said Hermione and Thompson beamed at her.
"So far, so good," he nodded.
"Ye'll have at least one Quidditch wife tha' likes ye," Oliver snorted.
"Hmmm, maybe I should rescue her before she meets them. We can start our own anti-wives and girlfriends club since we both like Quidditch and we both know the difference between a Beater's bat and the Keeper's hoops," she mused.
"Hoo long until ye bring her tae meet the team?" Oliver asked Thompson.
"I'm not sure; I don't want to scare her off yet," his brow furrowed in concern.
"She used to play, she can handle it," Hermione assured him. "Besides, she's quite feisty," she commented and Oliver nodded in agreement. "I haven't seen her since the week before I moved out of the twins' flat. She used to come to the shop all the time, she and her brother are always trying to outdo each other with pranks and she always asked for my advice."
"Yours and not the twins?" Thompson arched an eyebrow.
"Hmmm," she hummed.
Thompson looked at her appraisingly and she smiled innocently which Oliver snorted at, knowing how misleading a smile it was.
~000~000~000~
Puddlemere United Stadium - Wednesday 19th August 1998
"THOMPSON, THAT WAS RUBBISH!" Hermione yelled. "MY GRANDMA HAS BETTER REFLEXES THAN THAT AND SHE'S BEEN DEAD AND BURIED FOR TEN YEARS!" The team burst into laughter from their places on the pitch. "MALLOY, ATTEMPT TO FOUL ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL BENCH YOU FOR THE REST OF THE DAY AND THAT MEANS YOU'RE NOT PLAYING IN THE MATCH THIS AFTERNOON!" She warned. The team laughed at his expression of disbelief. "WILKS, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HIT THE BLUDGER, NOT YOURSELF!" The team laughed louder and harder. "OLIVER, GET THE TEAM UNDER CONTROL!" Hermione instructed, frustrated.
"ALRIGHT, GET BACK TAE WORK OR YER DOIN' FIVE HUNDRED LAPS! IN THE AIR AN' ON FOOT!" Oliver bellowed, his voice carrying in the wind and the team were quick to calm down from their fit of laughter and return to their training and drills for the morning.
Hermione rubbed her temples and stared at the clipboard that hovered before her. She was frustrated.
She was on her own that day; Quaffle was at the shop with the twins and Coach Burton had a family emergency. He'd left her to deal with the team by herself and on the day of the Tutshill Tornadoes match, too! The team was purposely annoying her and Hermione found a new form of respect for Coach Burton for dealing with the team for years on his own. She didn't know how he did it. It had barely been a couple of hours and she wanted to strangle each and every one of them, her husband included.
Particularly Malloy and his endless taunts and innuendoes since Thompson had told the team about their conversation regarding Oliver's sexual fantasies that morning and she pledged to prank him for revenge.
She was going over plays, trying to find the perfect use for them for the upcoming match but knowing that her plan would likely change during the match itself. Resting her arms on the railing as she leaned forward, her attention was on the clipboard before her, when she heard the sound of a bludger whizzing through the wind and it was heading her way. Instinctively, she drew her wand and lifted her gaze, flicking her wrist, preventing the bludger from colliding with her face with millimetres between them. That was too close for comfort.
"SORRY, HERMIONE!" Kings called.
She sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose and then rolled her eyes. The team were all in shock at how close it had been to colliding with her and they quietly waited for her response, unsure of her reaction. It could go one of two ways. One good and the other, very, very bad.
"IT'S OKAY, KINGS!" Hermione yelled.
It wasn't the team's fault that she was so frustrated, even if they were winding her up and she realised that she shouldn't be taking it out on them. It was game day, they were always a little bit more annoying than usual, Hermione having learned it was their way of dealing with the nerves and pressure.
"JUST BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TIME AND FOCUS. REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU, IMAGINE THE BLUDGER'S SOMEONE YOU HATE AND DON'T HOLD BACK!"
She flicked her wrist and the bludger zoomed back onto the pitch and towards Kings.
She saw him swing his bat and it collided with the bludger, sending it straight towards Thompson. He ducked just before it hit him.
"GREAT HIT, KINGS!" She called encouragingly. "THOMPSON, IMAGINE THE BLUDGERS ARE YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN AND YOU HAVE TO DODGE HER 'CAUSE SHE'S MORE LOONEY THAN THE LOONEY TUNES!" She heard the team laughing. "IMAGINE IT'S MARY, OLIVER'S GIRLFRIEND, BECAUSE THAT WOMAN'S CRAZY ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF YOU! HELL, SHE'S CRAZY ENOUGH FOR THE WHOLE TEAM. CHANGE OF PLANS! EVERYONE, IMAGINE THAT THE BLUDGERS ARE MARY!"
The team roared with laughter, throwing teasing comments towards Oliver whilst Hermione smiled to herself and turned her attention back to her clipboard. Once ten minutes had passed and she'd allowed them a small reprieve from their drills, she ordered them to calm down and refocus.
They trained for another forty-five minutes before Hermione called them down from the air, so she might explain to them the game plan for the match later that day. When done, she allowed them a fifteen minute break so she could head to her office to use the bathroom and retrieve her research on the Tornadoes' players.
As she entered the building, she ran into the girlfriends.
"What did you do to Jenny?" Hannah snarled.
"Nothing, why?"
"Because we haven't seen her..."
"What?" Hermione interrupted. "Since I turned her hair into snakes? You should have left it that way, it was an improvement," Hermione said sweetly. "She's probably embarrassed. Thompson broke off the engagement. He realised that he could do better and now he's been matched by the Ministry. His new fiancé is very beautiful, kind and she has a job. She pays for her own belongings," Hermione smiled before walking away, intending to continue towards her office.
"Diffindo," she heard someone say and she moved out of the way and the spell whizzed over her shoulder. Hermione stopped and whirled around with her wand in hand.
She whispered a spell and a green beam of light shot out of the tip and hit Hannah in the chest. Before everyone's eyes, Hannah's skin turned green and she screamed before sound escaped her and she disappeared. Hermione looked down and she saw that the spell had worked. She had turned Hannah into a snake.
Hermione remembered that Professor McGonagall always used to say human transfiguration shouldn't be used as a punishment, but in this case, she felt it justified. Satisfied, she left the corridor and quickly headed to her office, using the bathroom and then retrieving the file containing the compiled information she's collected on the Tornadoes.
As she returned to the coach's box, she sniggered when she came across the girlfriends shrieking and jumping from foot to foot as the snake slithered around the floor.
"Hannah, you're banned from the stadium. When the spell wears off, collect your belongings and remove yourself, otherwise, I will have to call security to escort you off the premises," said Hermione, barely sparing her a glance as she passed them.
When she reached the team, they were all watching her cautiously and Oliver recognised that smile. She'd done something.
"What did ye do?" He asked her carefully, knowingly.
She smiled innocently. "It was self-defence," she promised. He cocked a questioning eyebrow at her statement. "Hannah was pissed that Thompson isn't marrying Jenny and she didn't like that I helped him. She tried to hex me when my back was turned, so, I turned her into a snake."
"A SNAKE?!" The team chorused.
Hermione nodded. "I don't like sneaks."
"What's tha' got tae do with snakes?" Oliver asked, amused.
"Slytherins. Surely you remember they're sneaky bastards whose emblem happens to be a serpent." He snorted. "If you listen carefully, you can hear their screams."
They strained their hearing but they could faintly hear squeals and screams and they snorted, shaking their heads.
"She's also banned from the stadium," she added with a smile. "Merlin, they're dropping like flies... Anyway, I've done my research on the Tornadoes. Keepers, their Chasers are sneaky; they tend to do the opposite of what you assume they're going to do. Trust me on this; if they aim left, they're going right." Oliver nodded with a proud smile "Chasers, their Beaters have very good swings but their aim's rubbish, kind of like our Beaters before I whipped you into shape." They mock glared at her and the others laughed when she smiled sweetly. "Beaters, their Chasers are quick but they're rubbish at dodging bludgers and at sharp turns. Seekers, their Seeker's clumsy when flying but he's fast. That's the main points but I'll fill you in on the rest later. Right now you need to continue with your drills; we have a match in less than five hours"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'VE DONE THIS TO ME!" All eyes lifted, being surprised to see Jenny storming down the stands and towards them, her features pinched and unhappy. "YOU'RE GOING TO WRITE TO THE MINISTRY AND TELL THEM THAT YOU MADE A MISTAKE AND WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!"
Hermione snorted.
"Still as delusional as ever, I see," she remarked.
"MARCUS FLINT! THAT'S MY MATCH!" She screeched.
Hermione and Oliver looked to each other before they both burst into laughter, the team looking to them in both confusion and amusement.
"What's so funny?" Thompson asked confused, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Marcus Flint," they both gasped out through their laughter, Hermione reaching up to wipe the tears that fell from her eyes.
Taking a breath and smoothing her hands over her stomach, she calmed before saying, "Karma always comes around. A hideous human being for a hideous witch and I don't mean that in the magical sense. Now, leave, you are not permitted to be on these premises."
In response, Jenny released a shriek of outrage and drew her wand but Hermione rolled her eyes and cast a Stunner, hitting the outraged witch in the chest. Security was called and after being reprimanded for allowing the witch entrance, Jenny was escorted out of the building by the chastised wizards, the team sniggering at their downcast eyes refusing to look at Hermione and their pink cheeks.
"Right, back to work," she clapped her hands together as if nothing had just happened.
They nodded, grabbed their brooms and took flight, gathering in a circle.
"She's doing well as Coach for the day," Pallie commented and Oliver smiled proudly.
"After a few more days by herself, she'll be a pro at bein' Coach," he replied.
"Who said she was going to be Coach?" Malloy arched an eyebrow.
"Coach did," Oliver shrugged. "He mentioned it when he hired her, said she would be promoted tae Assistant Coach if she proved herself. An' when he retires, if he thinks she could handle it, she'd take over as Head Coach."
~000~000~000~
Thirty minutes later, Hermione was observing each member of the team carefully, her eyes flittering about and landing on Thompson, seeing that he'd barely avoided a bludger.
"THOMPSON, FORGET WHAT I SAID ABOUT MARY. SHE'S OBVIOUSLY NOT AFFECTING YOUR FIGHT OR FLIGHT REFLEX. IMAGINE THE BLUDGER'S JENNY!" She instructed, a laugh falling from her when he soon dodged a second bludger, faster than he'd done so far. "NICE DODGE!" She complimented. "WILKS, YOU'RE GETTING BETTER AT YOUR AIM, TRY TO FIND A BALANCE ON YOUR BROOM SO YOU CAN HIT THE BLUDGER WITH THE FORCE YOU NEED WITHOUT FALLING!"
"THANKS, HERMIONE!" Thompson and Wilks called back as one.
"OLIVER, YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN! REMEMBER YOUR SURROUNDINGS!" She warned.
"ON IT, SPARROW!" He replied.
"THOMPSON?!" She called.
"WHAT?!"
"COME HERE!" She instructed, patiently waiting until he was floating by the railing of the coach's box. She rolled her eyes and snorted when he leaned forward, put his arms across the railing and bent his head to rest his chin against his arms, making him eye level with her.
"Yes, my wonderful roommate," he grinned.
"I want you to practice the Wronski Feint. Not only is it a good defensive tactic but Coach and I have been in contact with the board of members that run the league. During the training season, teams from all around the world will be having charity and practice matches. Which means we will be playing not only teams from the United Kingdom, but from around the world, too," she explained. His eyes lit up. "And I'm sure the board will instigate a match between us and the Vratsa Vultures."
"Why would they pit us against the Bulgarian National Team?" His brow furrowed in confusion.
"Viktor," she shrugged.
A look of understanding lit his face.
"The Wronski Feint 's Krum's speciality," he pointed out.
"I know and I want you to master it. Teach Viktor that someone can be a better Seeker than him. He's got a huge ego and he needs taking down a peg or two."
"It's the National Team. They're going to be better than us."
"They didn't win the World Cup," she deadpanned and he snorted at her.
"What did he do to you? I know you dated."
"He just wasn't very respectful of my wishes. He kept pressuring me and wouldn't back off."
"He didn't hurt you, did he?" He questioned, eyeing her carefully.
Knowing exactly what he meant by that question, she said, "Not in that way, no," she shook her head. "But I honestly wouldn't put it past him. The few times I thought he was going to we were luckily always interrupted."
"Does Wood know? That he wasn't above..."
"No, and don't tell him. If we do go up against his team, something I believe is highly likely given our history, I don't want him flying off his broom handle and doing something stupid."
Thompson nodded and cleared his throat. "So, I learn to master the Wronski Feint and kick Krum's arse?"
Hermione laughed. "Essentially, yes. I have faith in you; you're a much better Seeker than you think you are. You're up there with the best of them," she complimented and he beamed. "First, though," she summoned a golf ball from her office and held it in front of his face, "Fancy a game of catch the levitated golf ball?"
His mouth twitched into a smile. "What do I get if I win?"
A thoughtful expression appeared before she said, "If you win, you can eat my digestive biscuits"
Anyone else would've laughed and scoffed at such a prize but Thompson wasn't an idiot. He lived with Hermione, he'd learned the rules and he knew not to touch her digestive biscuits unless he fancied himself a trip to St. Mungo's. She was terrifying protective of the biscuits, of all things, and the opportunity was too good to pass up.
"Deal," he agreed, shaking on it.
"You have a time limit of fifteen minutes, my arm will fall off, otherwise."
"One levitated golf ball coming up," he said confidently.
Returning to the pitch, Hermione cast a timer in the air that showed Thompson he had fifteen minutes, and seeing this, the team all halted in their tasks, knowing what was about to happen as Hermione and Thompson played this game often. Thompson, however, had yet to win.
Hermione levitated the golf ball onto the pitch and the moment the timer began, she controlled its movements. She made it fly higher before dropping towards the ground, before bringing back up and going left, circling back around and then going right. She had it float around Thompson's head teasingly and the team laughed and cheered on Thompson. She had it float in-between each team member, forcing Thompson to swerve and dive in-between them.
He reached his hand out to catch it but before his hand closed around the golf ball, Hermione suddenly dropped it, forcing Thompson into a dive. The team groaned and booed in disappointed before cheering Thompson on once more.
Hermione brought the golf ball back up before dropping it again, repeating the action over and over again until it made a waving motion, forcing Thompson to follow the path of quick, sharp movements.
The fifteen minutes were almost up.
"TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE..." The team counted down in chorus. "FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE!"
Thompson threw his arm out, snapping his fingers closed and halting his broom to a sharp stop, so sharp, he nearly toppled headfirst. And as the timer rang out, signalling the end, the team burst into an uproar of cheers and applause. Thompson opened his closed fist to see the golf ball in his hand, staring down at it in disbelief before a startled fell from his lips, it being drowned out by the loud cheers of his teammates as they crowded him, clapping him on the back.
In the time since Hermione had been the Junior Coach, she and Thompson had played that game fourteen times. In that moment, Thompson had claimed his first win. It was the first time he'd beaten her.
Flying down to the coach's box, he cleared his throat and smugly handed Hermione the golf ball.
"For you, Junior Coach."
She allowed him calling her that to slip given his current victory, and she snorted before reaching into her beaded bag and drawing back with two large packets of digestive biscuits in her grasp, holding them out to him.
"I told you I had faith in you," she smiled.
He stared at her shocked that she actually had them with her.
Giving his head a shake, he grinned. "Thanks," he took them from her. "One Wronski Feint coming up," he promised, flying off and to the gathered team, Hermione laughing at their cheers upon seeing his prize for his victory.
If she'd know they'd get so excited over biscuits, she'd bribe them every day.
After the biscuits had been shared out and eaten, they'd returned to their drills without argument.
"PALLIE, YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN. TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM THE LEFT HOOP!" Called Hermione.
"SORRY, I'LL WORK ON IT!" He yelled in reply.
"OLIVER, DON'T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE AND SLAP YOU!" She threatened with the team laughing. "YOU HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND YOU! IF YOU GET HIT BY A BLUDGER, I'LL BAT BOGEY YOU!"
"AM WORKING ON IT!"
"WELL WORK HARDER!" She fired back. Sighing, her attention was brought to Bishop. "BISHOP, WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT FOULING?!"
"YOU WERE TALKING TO MALLOY!" He sang.
"DON'T BE A SMART ARSE, IT APPLIES TO EVERYONE! YOU'LL BE BENCHED FROM TODAY'S GAME IF YOU CARRY ON. DON'T TEMPT ME!" She heard them laughing and rolled her eyes. "KINGS?!"
"WHAT?!"
"DO ME A FAVOUR AND FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON BISHOP!"
"MY PLEASURE!"
The laughter grew louder and she saw Bishop quickly duck as a bludger whizzed over his head.
Tipping her head backwards, "Merlin, give me the strength to get through today without killing them," she begged.
Someone stepped up behind her.
Two hands gripped onto the railing either side of her, muscled arms caging her in and a broad chest pressed up against her back. Her body froze still and her breathing halted. She didn't need to look behind her to see who it was; she already knew.