Chapter Twenty One: The Boy Who Plotted
Now I was just a once a fool it's true
I played the game by all the rules
But now my world's a deeper blue
I'm sadder but I'm wiser too
I swore I'd never love again
I swore my heart would never mend
Said love wasn't worth the pain
But then I hear it call my name
The trouble with love is
It can tear you up inside
Make your heart believe a lie
Gets stronger then your pride
The trouble with love is
It doesn't care how fast you fall
And you can't refuse the call
See you've got no say at all
(The Trouble With Love Is-Kelly Clarkson)
Harry and Hermione fell asleep in each other's arms only to be awoken by the sounds of the Weasley grandchildren's squeals of delight early Christmas morning. Hermione heard Harry groan of complaint behind her and she nudged him gently.
"It's too early," Harry mumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow he buried his head under.
Hermione laughed. "If I can recall correctly, you and Ron would get up as soon as the sun rose over the horizon. Maybe even earlier. In fact, I think Christmas morning was the only time I saw you two up before me."
Harry reached over and turned Hermione onto her back, settling himself on top of her. "Well, if I'm going to wake up next to you, I guess it's not so bad after all."
Hermione relaxed under him, letting him pleasure her with his touches and caresses and kissing each other softly. She sighed a sigh of satisfaction as Harry entered her, filling her completely in every way. While last night's love making was frantic, a rush to be reunited, this was gentle and slow. They reveled in their togetherness.
Harry wanted to burn every moment of this into his memory. To him, this lovemaking was bittersweet. He was so conflicted. His conscience told him that this was wrong, that she wasn't his, that she still belonged to another. But every fiber in his being screamed that this was right, that he was whole and complete. Her walls tightened, signaling the height of her pleasure and sending Harry to his own. He put all his emotions he was feeling at the moment into the strangled whisper of her name.
Hermione held him as he rested his head on her chest, listening to her heart beat. She hadn't felt this sort of peace in her life in a long time. Not even with Oliver. It was a peace that only Harry could bring her.
A knock at the door yanked them out of their thoughts.
"Hermione," a grumpy voice yawned, "time to get up. The little buggers want to open their gifts." Ginny yawned. "I need coffee."
Hermione and Harry let out a small laugh. Harry lifted his head and looked at her. "Happy Christmas, Hermione."
"Happy Christmas to you, Harry."
They never left each other's sides that morning, laughing and enjoying themselves watching the children's faces light up with delight. Sirius and Victoria dropped in for breakfast announcing themselves engaged. Squeals of delight from the women and handshakes from the men followed. Remus and the Weasley men immediately went into the tales of the wonders of wedded bliss, a topic that Harry felt very left out on. Sirius couldn't help but catch the flash of longing and sadness on Harry's face.
After breakfast, Harry dreaded that Hermione had to leave the Burrow to spend Christmas with her parents but she assured everyone that she would be back in the late evening. He watched her as she gave him a smile and a wave, wishing that he could join her or at least give her a kiss goodbye. He sighed and sat down next to Ginny on the comfy sofa.
"Sleep well?" she asked him slyly.
"Huh? Uh…yes, quiet well. Thank you," Harry answered awkwardly.
"Good. It was about time, too."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry said, his face turning a little pink.
"Hermione's got that Just-Got-My-Brains-Shagged-Out-By-Harry-Potter glow about her. I recognized it immediately," Ginny said triumphantly. Harry went into a fit of coughing and Ginny patted him on the back.
"It was…one time thing…Hermione…not a bad person," he said in between coughs.
Ginny straightened him up and looked at him squarely in the face. "Are you that daft, Harry?" she asked.
Harry's face gave nothing away but cluelessness. Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes. "She's not wearing her wedding ring anymore Harry. She hasn't been for the past few days and I would bet a hundred galleons that that means she signed those divorce papers." Harry stared at her. "Men," she huffed and got up off the sofa.
Harry couldn't wait for Hermione to come back.
~*~
When Hermione pulled up to the front of her parent's house there was an unexpected visitor outside the gate.
"Oh, My. God," Hermione said, turning off the ignition.
Oliver stood there and gave her a little wave. Hermione grabbed her purse and shoved the door open.
"I felt a little awkward going in to see your parents," he said to an approaching Hermione, who did not look very happy to see him at all.
"You useless…little…sack of shit!!" Hermione attacked him with her handbag, hitting him repeatedly with it. "Why did you do it? Why?!"
"Hermione, stop it!! What are you talking about?" Oliver tried to defend himself against her attack.
"You didn't give me the letter!! You didn't give me a choice!!! You took that from me…from US!!" Tears fell down her face and she turned and stomped towards her parent's house.
"Hermione, wait! Listen," he ran up to her and turned her around.
She pushed him away. "Don't you DARE touch me!! You make me sick! I hate you…you…vile wretched thing!!"
The front door opened and her parent's rushed out. Hermione felt her father embrace her and turn her away from Oliver, pushing her toward the house. Hermione struggled and turned to face Oliver again. "I signed the divorce papers but I'm ripping them up!" she screamed. "I want an ANULLMENT!! I want to forget I was EVER married to a putrid scum like you!!!"
Her father succeeded in getting Hermione into the house and handing her over to her mother. He turned around and faced Oliver.
"I think it's best if you left. You're not welcome here," he said sternly.
Edward walked back into the house to help his wife console their sobbing daughter.
~*~
Hermione did not return to the burrow that evening like she said she would. Harry was out of his mind with worry and took off after Christmas dinner. He knocked on the door to her parent's house and Jane answered.
He sat down with her parents and sipped tea while they told him what had happened earlier. Harry was fuming at Oliver's nerve but out of respect of her parent's did not voice his thoughts.
"Did you want to see her?" Edward asked. "She's upstairs asleep but I can wake her."
"No. She needs to rest and think things through a bit," Harry answered. Jane smiled with approval at Harry's decision.
~*~
"Luna!! Luna, wake up!! LUNA!!"
Luna Weasley groaned and stirred in bed. Ron grumbled and asked a question his voice muffled by the pillow.
"No, it's my dad. I'll see what he wants," Luna yawned.
Ron heard his wife leave the room and turned toward the bed table. He blearily looked at the clock. It read: 4:00. Way too early, Get back to bed.
"WHAT?!!" he heard his wife scream in a rage from the other room. Ron shot out of bed and ran to her.
The Boy-Who-Plotted
By Rita Skeeter
Dearest Readers, it is times like these where the job of informing the wizarding world is much too large a burden to bear. But bear it I must, for it is my job to enlighten you dear readers, no matter how painful a subject. Harry Potter, known as the saviour of the wizarding world, made infamous by the defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and loved by all of the community. It is because of this, that I found it most difficult to write this article, and I thought about if for some time. But like I said earlier my duty is to inform the public, no matter how difficult it may be. We are all familiar with the very public separation of Oliver and Hermione Wood, and in an exclusive interview with Mr. Wood, he brings a darker and more shocking aspect to the separation.
Harry Potter, the darling of our world, due to petty spite and jealousy, purposely and willfully orchestrated the demise of this marriage.
Mr. Wood's and Mr. Potter's friendship went as far back as their days at Hogwarts, where they were both in the same house and Mr. Potter astonishingly made Seeker his first year.
"Nobody had any confidence in him," said Oliver Wood, "I mean, who would, he was just a first year. He never even heard of the sport. But as team Captain, I took it upon myself to teach him everything I knew."
And under his tutelage, he turned out to be a spectacular player. Many of you can recall the many offers he had received from various teams to play for him upon his graduation from Hogwarts. Mr. Potter, of course, turned them all down in order to become an Auror. But his friendship with Mr. Wood remained strong, even after Mr. Wood left Hogwarts.
"I invited him to our clubhouse after one game, he and the group of friends he was with."
It was on the fateful encounter that Oliver met the love of his life, the pretty muggleborn Hermione Granger. As we all know, Hermione is notorious for attracting Quidditch players and has been romantically linked to the famous Viktor Krum, as well as the Gryffindor seeker at the time, Harry Potter.
"The moment we met, ah, it was like being hit with a ton of bricks. I was madly in love with her and she was instantly attracted to me," Oliver fondly recalled.
Mr. Potter of course was not very happy about this.
"I remember him interrupting our conversation a lot, that day. His reception was very cold toward me."
Oliver and Hermione kept correspondence the rest of the summer and well into her last year at Hogwarts.
"Our relationship was growing, it had a lot of potential."
Blossoming into what could've been a whirlwind romance had a certain party not stepped in to intervene. Using his fame, Harry Potter convinced Hermione Granger to leave Oliver.
"Draco and I would run into them all over Hogwarts. For being Head Boy and Girl, they sure did bend a lot of rules, if you know what I mean," Pansy Parkinson, a school friend of the couple, said. Draco Malfoy could not be reached for a comment.
"I can't blame her really," Oliver says with a heavy heart. "I mean, who could compete with him? He's the Boy-Who-Lived."
And so, Hermione Granger was coerced out of a potentially wonderful relationship with Oliver Wood, into the tumultuous one with Harry Potter. This reporter has written many, many accounts of their rocky relationship. See pages four through six for some highlights. Since I knew them so well, I knew it would not last and it didn't, leading to their very public breakup. Although the particulars surrounding this event are very guarded, some people are now stepping forward.
"I heard he tired of her," a witch who remains to be anonymous said.
It was inevitable, of course. We all know Mr. Potter's notorious reputation with the ladies, for a recap of some of the stories, read my article on pages seven and eight. Poor Ms. Granger was devastated with a broken heart. A broken heart that only Oliver Wood could mend.
They met up again a few years ago, a chance meeting in the street.
"It was still there, that spark that we had," Oliver fondly recalled.
Hermione found some peace and happiness in her life with Oliver and they were married a year later.
But even then, dark clouds were on the horizon, clouds in the form of Harry Potter.
"Harry was insane with jealousy that Hermione chose me over him. He never got over the fact that she loved me, not him. That I was better than him," Oliver said.
"On the night before our wedding, he wrote a letter to my fiancé, asking her not to marry me and to wait for him. He was actually flying over to the States to stop the wedding!!"
Oliver and Hermione were furious and moved up the wedding to avoid any unpleasantness. And it worked! The happy couple wed on New Years Eve, for pictures of this event see page nine.
But, the nuptial bliss was once again interrupted by the jealous Harry Potter. In a stunning turn of events, Rachel McKinnon, the witch that allegedly broke up the happy couple, has stepped forward with her side of the story. And what she has to say is shocking.
"I was approached some time ago by Harry Potter," she recalls. "He offered me an undisclosed amount of money to seduce and start an affair with Oliver Wood. How could I not resist? It was a large some of money and for crying out loud…he's Harry Potter! It's something I'm not proud of and I sincerely regret. I feel so used by him."
She says that he set up the whole thing, told her what to do and where to go with him. He set it up so Mrs. Hermione Wood would catch him in the act at a certain hotel. He did it all so she would leave her husband and go back to him.
Unfortunately, Hermione did fall for this awful plot. She did leave her husband and return to London, where she recently has been seen in the company of Mr. Potter. But Oliver returned to London as well.
"I'm not going to give up," he told me. "I love my wife, very much. We're both reconciling our marriage. She and I are tired of this manipulation by Mr. Potter."
It is important to note that it is reported that, coincidentally, Mr. Potter has taken up with the stunning Ms. Cho Chang, the Wood's lawyer. But Oliver has high hopes.
"We'll make it through this. We love each other very much."
~*~
Luna and Ron read the article, stunned with mouths open, gaping like fish. Arthur ran to get Molly some tea to settle her down after reading it. Sirius and Victoria ran into Harry's room.
"Harry! Harry wake up!" Sirius shook his godson.
"What? What's the matter?" Harry quickly sat up, grabbing his glasses on the nightstand.
"Read it! Read it!" Sirius thrust the paper at Harry.
Harry read the article, his rage and anger growing at every sentence. He tossed the paper aside and got out of bed.
"Harry, you're not going to see Oliver are you?" Victoria asked with worry and concern over her face.
"No, I've got to see Hermione," he answered, pulling on a pair of jeans.
"Harry, do you think that's wise?" Sirius asked.
"I have to see her," Harry looked up at him, determination on his face.
~*~
Harry didn't know what to expect when he got to the Granger's house. They didn't get the Daily Prophet, but Hermione did. He knocked hesitantly on the door, his heart pounding. The reception he received was not at all what he expected.
"Oh, good morning, Harry!" Hermione's mother said brightly when she opened the door.
Smiling she let him into the house. The smell of eggs, bacon and toast hit his nostrils, warming him.
"Morning, Harry!" Hermione's father sat at the table with a muggle newspaper, he rose to greet Harry, shaking his hand. "I knew you'd be here this morning, but not this early."
Harry was stunned momentarily but recovered quickly.
"Uh, good morning. Is…Hermione up?" he asked timidly.
"No, she hasn't come down, yet. Did you want to go and get her?" Jane motioned upstairs. "Tell her that breakfast is ready."
Heart pounding, Harry climbed the stairs and to Hermione's old bedroom. He cautiously opened the bedroom door.
Hermione was awake, standing by her bedroom window reading the Daily Prophet. She looked up at Harry as he walked into the room, closing the door behind him. The anger in her face was clearly visible.
"Before you say anything," Harry said quickly, hoping to cut off Hermione, "that article is a load of rubbish. Please believe me, I…"
But he was cut off when Hermione quickly approached him, silencing him with a deep kiss. Harry was speechless.
"Do you really think I'd believe that wretched beetle and my adulterous ex-husband over the man I love?" she asked when she broke the kiss. Harry sighed with relief. "Oooh, but she has gone too far. Too far!! I'm going to get her for this." Hermione's anger was back and she paced back and forth muttering curses under her breath.
"Is it true?" Harry asked.
Hermione stopped her pacing and looked up at him. "Huh?"
"Did you divorce him?" he asked her, slowly approaching her.
"Well…yes," she answered, "but I changed my mind." Harry's happiness evaporated. "I want an annulment. I want to forget I was ever married to that selfish, cheating, low life…" It was her turn to be cut off by Harry's passionate kiss. Hermione groaned with disapproval when his lips left hers.
"Hermione…uh," Harry was distracted by her lips on his neck, "breakfast...Your parents sent me up here…for breakfast, no! To tell you that breakfast was ready."
Hermione's lips were back on his and she was teasing him through his clothes. "Breakfast can wait," she said coyly, leading him back to her bed.
"Hermione! You're parents!" he whispered as he settled over her, lightly kissing her neck, his hands caressing her.
"We can be quick," she whispered, reaching for her wand and casting a silencing spell over the room.
~*~
Rita and Oliver expected they would get lots and lots of owls over this article. What they didn't expect was instead of letters, they got Howlers. Apparently, there were a lot of Harry and Hermione romantics out there.
"HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO THEM!!!"
"I DON'T BELIEVE ONE WORD OF THIS RUBBISH!!"
"WHY CAN'T YOU LET THEM BE? THEY BELONG TOGETHER!!"
Sirius didn't see a lot of his godson over the next week. Harry stopped by once in awhile to pick up some clothes, drop off the dirty ones and pick up his mail. Sirius didn't really mind, he had a good idea of where Harry was spending his nights.
Harry and Hermione didn't go out that much, spending most evenings at her flat, making dinner and watching movies. And of course, doing a lot of catching up in the bedroom. Harry and Hermione were the happiest they'd ever been in a long time.
One afternoon, Hermione went to Headquarters to surprise Harry for lunch.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked when she walked into this office, a huge smile on his face.
"Have you had lunch yet?" she asked. Harry wrapped her in a hug.
"What kind of lunch are we talking about?" he asked, a smirk on his face.
Whatever romantic interlude was diverted when Harry's door burst open, and his co-workers, led by Neville entered his office. Chinese fireworks went of with loud bangs and miniature Chinese dragons flew through the air.
"Congratulations Harry!!"
"We've just found out!!"
"Head of the Auror department in Hong Kong! Wow!"
Hermione moved away from Harry and looked at him. "You're moving to Hong Kong?" Harry had a guilty look on his face. "When where you going to tell me?" her voice rose. She stormed out of his office, Harry followed her.
"Hermione, I can explain," Harry pleaded as she reached the lifts, walking into one of them.
"Don't bother!" she called out, closing the door in his face.
~*~
She was sitting in a park bench when a familiar person sat next to her.
"He hasn't taken it yet, just thought you should know."
"Why?" she asked.
"I don't know. He's probably waiting," Neville answered.
"Waiting for what?"
"I'm not really sure but I can guess," he said pointedly at her.
Hermione sighed and looked away.
"You annihilated him, Hermione," Neville said quietly. "I've never known two people who loved each other so intensely as you two. I've also never known two people who could wound each other so much."
"I love him, Neville. I really do," Hermione whispered.
"I believe you. I know you loved him all along. But I really think you two need to step back and make sure this is really going to work, to see if this is really what you want. I don't want to see you destroy each other again. You're not the only one who needs a second chance."
Hermione sighed. "He's worked so hard for something like this."
"Yeah, I know."
"Am I really holding him back?" she asked.
"He told Kingsley he wouldn't give him an answer until he finished the DeMarco case."
They chatted a little more until Neville left her to her thoughts. She sat there for nearly two hours, thinking back on her life. The mistakes she made, the decisions, her life with Harry and Oliver. In the end she decided that she had had enough of being selfish. She would help her best friend, the man she loved, make the best decision for himself.
~*~
"Is Antonio in?" she asked his receptionist when she arrived at the casino.
"No, he's not expected until later today."
"Oh, well, I he told me I could pick up my coat that I had left here. It's in his office, I'll only be a moment." Hermione walked into the office before she could protest.
Hermione leaned against the closed doors, taking a deep breath to calm herself before she set about to do her task.
"Sneaking in are we Granger? Tsk, tsk," a silky voice spoke out. Hermione wasn't alone in the room.
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