Chapter 71
"And there they are," Hickory said as Oliver and Hermione came in.
"Are we late?" Hermione asked.
"Nope," Hickory replied. "Although she was about to send Cherry out to look for you."
"Oh, I wasnot!" Juniper called from the kitchen. "Hickory, stop teasing the poor girl!"
Hermione laughed as Hickory looked at her with a faux grimace, his eyes wide and his expression caught between a grin and a scowl. It was like someone who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar and not only expected it, but thoroughly enjoyed it.
"I better skedaddle before I get in too much trouble," he said with a grin and winked at her.
"Oh, dad," Oliver said, causing his dad to slide to a halt and backpedal in his escape. "Thanks for taking care of the other horses, Hermione's really good with maths and said it could have taken us five hours otherwise, and that was just with the grooming."
"Ah, don't worry about it," Hickory said and patted Oliver on the shoulder before he turned and hurried off with a wave when he heard Juniper heading their way, and Hermione giggled as she saw him duck into the library.
"You have plenty of time before dinner," Juniper said, coming around the corner. "To get in another shower, or a bath if you prefer," she finished, looking at Hermione.
"Thank you," Hermione said and headed down to her room to get a change of clothes and headed back to the Hickory and Juniper's bathroom because she figured Oliver's mum would send him back to the shared bathroom.
Hermione couldn't get over the size of the bathroom . The bathtub, which she only half filled, still felt like a swimming pool with a deep end. She stayed in and languished in the warm water and massaging jets for a good twenty minutes, allowing them to ease the building tension in her muscles from cleaning out the three stalls and carrying a heavy bucket of water back and forth earlier in the day.
"Hermione?"
Hermione jumped, causing a splash in the water.
"Are you all right, dear?" Juniper called, and knocked on the door.
"Um," Hermione said, her mind racing to catch up, realizing that she may have fallen asleep as the water had cooled considerably since she gotten in the tub. "Yeah," she called, and turned the jets off. "I - I'm just getting out."
"Oh, all right, dear," Juniper called, and Hermione sighed in relief when she heard the woman's footsteps retreat.
She was still for a moment, her eyes closed as she tried to calm her racing heart from the scare Juniper had given her, and trying to determine how much time she'd really been there. She lifted her hands from the water and ran them up over her face, and through her wet hair before opening her eyes. She didn't know how much time she lost, there was really no way of telling other than the cooling of the water, and it wasn't exactlycold, just cooling, but it wasn't really warm any more either.
Sighing and shaking her head, Hermione got out and began to towel off and get dressed. She drained the tub then headed back to her room and knocked on the door to the bathroom, but after receiving no reply, opened it and went in to use the mirror, grabbing her brush on the way and brushed out her hair before heading upstairs to dinner.
"There you are," Oliver said when she came around into the kitchen. "We were wondering."
Hermione looked at him in confusion before looking to Juniper and then Hickory who was already sitting at the table with the food already to serve.
"H-how long was I gone?" Hermione asked.
"About forty minutes," Oliver said. "Mum went to check on you because she thought you might have fallen asleep in there, and she wanted to make sure everything was okay."
"Oh," Hermione said and blushed. "Y-yeah, I guess I did... I must have been pretty tired, I only remember being in there twenty minutes. I don't even remember falling asleep. It's been a pretty long day."
"Well," Juniper said. "I'm glad I went to check on you, then, dear. We wouldn't want anything bad happening to you when you're in our care."
"Thank you," Hermione said gratefully.
"Come on now," Juniper said and nodded to the table. "Come on and eat."
Dinner was delicious, and Hermione was reminded of some of the meals at Hogwarts.
"So, I take it from how long you two were out after lunch you met everyone?" Juniper asked.
"Oh," Hermione said. "Not everyone, though I did get to meet Cherry and the horses."
"Willow was looking after Ash," Oliver informed his parents. "Cherry said he's still in pain."
"Damned bloody healers," Hickory said, and Hermione saw him grip his glass tightly as he took a drink of an amber liquid.
"Is there nothing we can do?" Juniper asked.
"Cherry said that she's been unable to get all the healing herbs they need," Oliver said. "She asked me to get some healing salve or a potion for them from Diagon Alley."
"But we might not be going for a few days," Juniper exclaimed.
"If my letter from Hogwarts comes tomorrow, we'd have a reason to go," Hermione said. "Or Oliver and I could just go anyway. There aren't many books that I don't already have, maybe I could be lucky and not really need any new supplies except for my potions stock replenished."
"You - would do that?" Hickory asked, surprised.
"Dad," Oliver said. "I told you what Hermione thought of the way house-elves are treated. Of course she'd help them."
"I know," Hickory said. "But still, its a surprise to find someone of the magical community so willing to help a house-elf, be they pure blood, or muggle born."
"And even if my letter doesn't come," Hermione said. "Oliver and I could make the trip and be back in no time. I can always go and get my supplies another day."
"Is there anything else you'd like to do while you're with us?" Juniper asked.
"Well, um," Hermione said and looked at Oliver and then to Hickory and Juniper. "I - I'd like to take Oliver - well, and you two as well if you'd like, to an amusement park."
"An amusement park?" Hickory and Juniper asked in confusion.
Hermione nodded.
"It's something Oliver and I have talked about, and since he's never been, my parents thought that this would be the perfect time to go."
"Well, that could be fun," Juniper said.
"What exactlyisan amusement park?" Hickory asked.
"Oh, well..." Hermione said and looked to Oliver.
"It's a Muggle thing, dear," Juniper said.
"Hermione's cousin send me a lot of research on them," Oliver said. "It sounds like it could be really fun."
"The only problem is," Hermione said. "I don't know of one around here. The only one I know of is outside of London, so the only time we could really go would be after I get my school supplies, but I don't want to keep Cherry waiting on the salve or potion to help Ash."
"Well, I'm sure we can figure out something," Juniper said.
"If not," Oliver said. "Don't worry about it. There are always other times."
"Oh, yeah," Hermione said, feeling disappointed and trying not to let it show. "Of course."
Dinner finished and Hermione excused herself, yawning and thanked Juniper for the lovely meal, and then headed to her room, exhausted from the day's activities after saying good night. She was dragging as she changed into her pajamas and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
"Oliver," Hermione murmured in her sleep and moved restlessly. Her brow wrinkled and she tensed, caught in the dream. "Oliver," she murmured again, her body drawing up into a ball in the tangle of sheets.
Oliver heard his name called while he was getting ready to call it a day himself and stopped, staring at the door to Hermione's room. "Yeah, I'm here," Oliver called back as he put his toothbrush back, having just finished brushing his teeth and turned the water off. His brow wrinkled and he looked at the door to Hermione's room when he didn't receive the expected reply, but heard his name again.
He heard it again, and realized that it was a soft call. Curiosity piqued, Oliver moved to the door to her room and listened again, and blinked in surprise when he heard his name called again. Turning out the light, he unlocked and opened the door leading to Hermione's room and was greeted by darkness save for the false moonlight entering the room through the magical window.
"Oliver," Hermione murmured in the darkness and Oliver saw her turn in her sleep. He couldn't tell if it was a dream or nightmare that she was having though. Her calls didn't seem to be as though she was scared or having a nightmare, but his uncertainty led him to go up to her bed when he heard her breathing increase and saw her body tense.
"Lass," he called, softly and reached out, touching her shoulder and shaking it gently.
Hermione woke with a gasp. "Oliver," she exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and confusion. "What? What are you doing here?"
"Are you all right?" Oliver asked. "I was just about ready to go to sleep when I heard you call out."
Hermione swallowed but nodded. "Yeah," she answered. "I - I'm all right."
"Bad dream?" Oliver asked bending down and brushing his hand over her hair to offer comfort.
"Um, I - I don't remember actually," Hermione said, and shivered slightly as a chill went down her spine.
"Well, that's a good thing, then, isn't it?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah, I - I guess so," Hermione said.
"All right," Oliver said. "If you're sure that you're okay, then I'll wish you good night."
"Wait," Hermione said and reached out as he turned to go, gently grasping his hand.
Oliver stopped, looking down to her hand on his, and then up to her, inquiringly.
"Stay," Hermione murmured. "Please. It - it's just... I was so scared after the attack at the match and then not hearing from you for so long. I just... I was scared. Afraid that I never would, I suppose. I - I still am..."
"Oh, lass," Oliver murmured on a sigh and turned back, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I thought... spending so much time with you today, you knew that we were all right. That everything was fine."
"I did," Hermione murmured. "I mean, I do... its just... I - I can't shake this feeling and - and I'm still in school, and you're..."
"I'm not," Oliver said and Hermione nodded.
"You're not," Hermione agreed. "Please," she asked again. "Stay."
Oliver sighed and lowered his head a moment before looking at her again. "Okay," he replied. "But only until you fall asleep again, deal?"
Hermione swallowed but nodded.
"You better scoot over then," Oliver said. "I don't plan on waiting out of bed."
Hermione nodded and threw her blankets back as she slid over, making room for him, but Oliver returned the sheet back and slid into the bed, laying on top of the sheet that she was beneath, and pulling the blanket over him.
Hermione turned toward him and he put his arm around her as she lay against him, her lips curving up in a smile and she laughed softly.
"What?" Oliver asked, puzzled.
Hermione shook her head. "Nothing," she replied. "It's just... ever the gentleman," she murmured and tugged at the sheet underneath him. "Last time we were like this with sleeping bags in the Great Hall."
"I could go, you know," Oliver said, arching brow at her.
"No, please," Hermione said. "I'm sorry, I wasn't making fun, honest."
"That's good to know, because I was," Oliver said, and gave her a quick squeeze. "I'm not going anywhere, at least until you fall asleep. I shouldprobablybe in my own bed at leastpartof the night, you know?"
Hermione nodded. "So what did you mean earlier?" she asked. "Did you really consider leaving the Wizarding world?"
"Well, yes," Oliver said, leaning up against the headboard, his arm still around Hermione. "I have."
"But," Hermione asked, confused. "Why? When?"
"It was after your first year, actually," Oliver said. "After your detention in the Forbidden Forest, when you said that Harry was confronted by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I couldn't fathom that he was able to get that close to the castle, and then again at the end of your first year after you and Professor Dumbledore told us what happened down in the dungeons."
"Then... why did you stay?" Hermione asked.
Oliver exhaled a heavy breath. "You," he replied. "I - just couldn't stand the thought of not being there if something went wrong; if you needed me."
Hermione swallowed. "And now you're leaving."
"Well," Oliver said. "Technically, I already left, but I'll be just an owl away if you need me, like I always have been, and I'm staying in the Wizarding world."
Hermione sighed and closed her eyes, her arms wrapped around Oliver so she could feel him breathing, her head resting on his chest, just below his shoulder where she could hear his heart beating, pushing the blood through his veins.
They continued to talk quietly about other things, but nothing so important as that first conversation, and it wasn't long before Hermione fell asleep. Oliver sighed and held her tightly when she tightened her arms around him when he tried to leave for his own room. He must have dozed for a while because the next thing he knew, the sky in the magical window was beginning to lighten. It was only then that he managed to loosen her grip on him, and get her to settle comfortably into sleep while he was able to get up and return to his own bed.
"Good morning," Juniper greeted Hermione the next morning at breakfast. "How did you sleep?"
"Well, thank you," Hermione replied, looking around and only seeing Hickory and Juniper. "Where's Oliver?"
"Oh, he must have had a rough night," Juniper said.
"He's still asleep," Hickory clarified when Hermione looked at him questioningly.
"He's usually up by now," Juniper said. "So I checked on him and he told me you had kind of a rough night, too?"
"Oh, um," Hermione said, blinking in surprise, wondering how much Oliver had told them. "Yeah, I - I had a nightmare, and Oliver stayed up with me for a while."
"Sorry to hear that, lassie," Hickory said.
"What was it about?"Juniper asked in concern.
"Sorry," Hermione said. "I - I don't rightly know. I told Oliver that last night, and he stayed with me anyway, until I fell asleep. He's such a gentleman."
"Aye," Juniper said with a smile. "That he is."
"He should be up soon," Hickory said as he sat down as the table for breakfast with a cup of coffee.
"No," Oliver said coming into the kitchen. "He's already up," he said looking to his father, and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the lie-in, mum."
"You're welcome, sweetheart," Juniper said, returning the kiss to her cheek with one of her own.
"Mail's here," Hickory said as a barn owl fluttered down to roost on the railing outside.
"I'll get it," Oliver said and headed out to greet the owl, picking up some owl treats from a dish on the small table near the door as he exited. He gave the owl the treats as it dropped the mail when he approached, and it flew off as he picked up the stack of letters and headed back in.
"Looks like we aren't going to Diagon Alley just for the medicines Cherry asked us for," Oliver said, holding out a letter to Hermione. "Your Hogwarts letter came."
Hermione smiled and accepted the letter from Oliver and opened it, scanning the new supply list before turning the page over and looking at it curiously, and flipping it back over again in confusion.
"What is it, dear?" Juniper asked.
"I - I'm just surprised, that's all," Hermione answered. "It's just so short..." she said and looked to Oliver in question. "And I need dress robes?"
"Those are robes for formal occasions," Oliver explained.
"What else do you need?" Hickory asked.
"Just a book," Hermione said. "The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection. I already have all ofThe Standard Book of Spellsset. More than one, actually."
"Seriously?" Hickory asked.
Oliver laughed. "Yes, Hermione is a voracious reader."
"Well," Juniper said thoughtfully. "If that's all you need, Oliver still has his books, and if you want, we could check my closet for something."
"Oh," Hermione said, slightly embarrassed. "You - you don't have to do that."
"It's no problem, dear," Juniper said. "Besides, we look to be about the same size, and that would give you and Oliver more time to get the medicines for Ash that Cherry asked for, and you'll get back in no time to give it to her."
Hermione looked at Oliver for help, but he looked at her uneasily and shrugged.
"She's got a point," Oliver said.
Hermione exhaled with a whimper, causing Oliver to laugh.