CHAPTER ONE

Summary: Hermione suffers a terrible attack and who should find her but one of Wizarding Britain's most eligible bachelors. The relationship that builds between them is one no one saw coming, but no one predicted the danger that would surely follow. Post-War. Rated M for a reason.

Disclaimer: I do not own canon events or characters, they belong to J.K Rowling. I am not making a profit from this fanfic, everything it purely for entertainment purposes.

AN:

I know what you're all thinking, 'why the hell is she posting another story when she's already working on five?' But I couldn't resist. We're nearing the end for some of the other five, and I needed to take a break away from those five stories, to work on a few others so I could hopefully get the muse going again, since she's being difficult lately.

I've been working on this fanfic for nearly two years, and I only have a few chapters written and I wanted to come back to it after being away from it for so long. I've notice then when I start posting, it pushes me to write a lot faster since I have a goal of set completing the fanfic.

So, this one will be updated sporadically, and there is no update schedule. This does not mean I've abandoned the others, I'm just trying to get the muse to cooperate by working on some new ideas.

Oliver Wood is Scottish, but as you will see in future chapters, I'm terrible at writing accents, so I'm sorry about that, but I'm working on it and I've done a lot of research on Scottish slang. Seriously, my head's fried from it all.

A guide to Oliver's speech. Refer to this if something doesn't make sense:

· A – I.

· A'm/ Ah am – I'm/ I am.

· Nae/ Naw – No.

· Aye – Yes.

· Af/ Aff - Of/ Off.

· Mae – Me.

· Me – My.

· Hoo – How.

· Doon – Down.

· Fer – For.

· Ferget – Forgot.

· Befere – Before.

· Tae - To/ Too.

· Twa – Two.

· Oot – Out.

· Ma/Da – Mum/ Dad.

· Feck – Fuck.

· Ye – You.

· Yer - Your/ You're.

· Onybody – Anybody.

· Wee – Small.

· Havnae – Haven't.

· Wisnae – Wasn't.

· Int it - Isn't it.

· Intae – Into.

· Dinnae – Didn't.

· Dunno – Don't know.

· Cauld – Cold.

· Auld – Old.

· Anno – I know.

· A'thing – Everything.

· Abo'dy – Everybody/ everyone.

· Aboot – About.

· Cannae – Can't

· Pritty – Pretty.

· Mibbie/Mibay – Maybe.

· Lassie/Laddie – Girl/ boy.

· Windae – Window.

· Efternuin – Afternoon.

Page count: 8

London - Saturday 21st November 1998

Hermione was a war heroine. The war was over and they had won. There had been many casualties, but the world was healing. Six months later and things were almost back to normal. People were getting on with their lives.

The Ministry was undergoing changes overseen by Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister. Hogwarts had been rebuilt and was back underway and educating young witches and wizards once more, businesses re-opened and were booming, children were running in the streets and laughing freely now that the threat of danger was eliminated. But there were still scars, scars that would always remain, and that would always be remembered.

Harry and Ron both went into the auror training programme and in six months time, they would be junior aurors, but still, they would be fully qualified aurors. Ginny returned to school under her mother's orders. Percy and Mr. Weasley returned to The Ministry, Bill went back to Gringotts, Charlie went back to the dragon reserve in Romania, Fred and George returned to their joke shop, once Fred had woken from his coma and he was fully healed after being crushed by the wall, it was a miracle he had survived. And Hermione, she was now a healer.

Despite her age and only being a licensed healer for five months, she was considered one of the best in Britain. She didn't work for St. Mungo's, she was a private healer. The hours were more flexible leaving her time to read and research, the money was better -not that she cared- and she could choose her patients. She was highly coveted for her fame and her seemingly natural talent of healing.

Clients of hers included The Weasleys -who she didn't charge for obvious reasons- several famous Quidditch players since Quidditch was now underway once more, Kingsley Shacklebolt and surprisingly The Malfoys. Every once in a while St. Mungo's would send Hermione patients who had been affected by dark magic, since she had seen plenty of it during her seven years of fighting the war.

After the war Hermione and Ron spent two months dating, but Hermione broke it off when she realised they were better off as friends. Ron was sour for a month afterwards, but he soon came to his senses and they remained best friends.

Her life wasn't perfect, no one's life was perfect, but she was content. Considering she was only nineteen, she liked her life; it was safe.

It was Saturday night, Hermione was in a newly opened bar that was half owned by Lee Jordan. Hermione had helped him set the business up, despite him being a Half-blood, he was raised in the Wizarding World, and he wished to combine muggle alcohol and wizarding alcohol to give people more choice of drink.

So Hermione did plenty of research and passed it along to Lee. Together they opened the bar, she was a silent partner, she owned half of the business and she was more than happy to invest some of the reward money she had been given for her services in the war, along with an Order of Merlin: First Class. They had named the bar 'The Crimson Lion' in homage to their Gryffindor past.

She was supposed to be meeting Ron at the bar, but he was two hours late! She was getting tired of waiting and people watching. That night she wore a black pleated skirt that fell to mid-thigh, with black heeled ankle boots and a tight fitting white shirt with flowing sleeves and the shoulders cut out and the shirt tucked into the waist band of her skirt. She wore a thick, black cloak over the top with the hood up, so people wouldn't recognise her, and anyone that walked by new she didn't want to be bothered.

She was currently sat at the bar sipping at her cocktail, she was glad she was able to introduce muggle alcohol to the Wizarding World; there was only so much elf wine, fire whiskey and butter beer she could take.

She sighed after putting her drink back down on the bar. The bar was crowded, of which she was pleased, but it still irked her to some extent. She decided to leave when something caught her attention, the man sat next to her.

He had his back to her but she could tell that he was annoyed from his stiff posture, the tight grip he had on his drink and the false politeness to his voice. The reason for his annoyance was evident. There was a blonde draping herself over him and it was clear to anyone with eyes that she was drunk, or at least on her way to being drunk. Hermione strained her hearing and was able to catch part of their conversation.

"So, you want to come back to mine? I could make it worth your while," she spoke, she attempted to whisper into the man's ear, but did a very bad job and almost fell over from losing her balance.

"A'm sure ye could, Miss, but a'm afraid a cannae do tha', it wouldn't be very gentlemanly tae take advantage af ye in yer inebriated state," he spoke with a thick Scottish accent.

The woman pouted. "I assure you, I could please you in ways you have never felt." She gripped the soft cashmere of his grey jumper.

The man sighed and Hermione decided to step in and help him out. After all, he was being polite and respectful, and the dozy witch didn't seem to understand that he wasn't interested.

"I think he's made it quite clear that he isn't interested," Hermione spoke up.

Both the man and the blonde turned to face her. The man looked at her curiously, though she was hidden under the hood and he couldn't see anything.

Hermione looked at him in surprise; she recognised him. It was Oliver Wood, Quidditch Star, newly promoted Captain of Puddlemere United and Starting Keeper. The newspapers had featured him quite a lot recently, and even if she hadn't of seen the articles, Harry and Ron has spoken about it often enough, of how their past Quidditch Captain was now a Professional Quidditch Player.

As her eyes scanned him, she could easily see why he was considered one of Wizarding Britain's most eligible bachelors. He was a wealthy, talented Pureblood, who came from a respected and kind family. At six-foot-two, he stood taller than most in the room, with his handsome features, his tanned skin and well muscled physique, his brown puppy dog eyes and his light brown hair that fell into his eyes slightly. To put it mildly, he was sex on a stick.

Hermione tore her eyes away from him when the blonde spoke up, distracting her. She may not have been the type to get distracted by handsome men, but she was still a woman and it happen on occasion.

"You're just jealous, you slag," she slurred with a glare. "You're so ugly you have to hide yourself."

Hermione sighed and stood up facing them, she reached up and untied her cloak, pulling it away from her body and setting it on the bar.

The blonde's eyes widened, it seems even in her drunken state she recognised the war heroine. Oliver's eyes widened too and he stared at her in surprise.

"You're..."

"Hermione Granger? That's me," Hermione said annoyed. "Once again, it is obvious that he has made it clear he doesn't wish to entertain you and quite honestly, it's annoying. Leave the poor man alone and go home and wait for the hangover to hit. I would hate to have to resort to other measures to convince you to leave." Hermione gestured to her wand that sat tucked into the waist band of her skirt.

The woman glared at Hermione but she turned and stormed off. Hermione sighed, grabbed her cloak and refastened it around herself. She picked up her drink and drank the last of it.

"You heading home, Love?" Lee asked, coming over to her as he stood behind the bar. Oliver watched her curiously.

"Yes, I was supposed to be meeting Ron, but he's two hours late. Do me a favour and if you see him, tell him I left and he's an arsehole."

Lee laughed at her. "Will do."

"Also, tell him that if he ever asks me to meet him again, and he doesn't turn up on time, that I'll give him a reason to need a healer." He laughed once more. "Oh, and tell Terry that if he wishes for me to teach him how to make spaghetti bolognaise, I'm free on Friday."

"It's about time," Lee said relieved. "I love the man, but he can't cook to save his life."

"Neither can you, you gave me food poisoning," Hermione retorted.

"Did you die? No, you did not. Anyway, I said I was sorry."

"How about you stay away from the kitchen?"

"Deal!"

"Well, I better get going. See you later, Lee, give my love to Terry," she said with a smile, leaning over the bar and kissing his cheek.

"See you later, Love," Lee said smiling.

Hermione turned around to face Oliver.

"Well, it was a pleasure to rescue you from the unwanted advances of a drunken woman," Hermione said with a smile. She then turned and left, heading towards the staff room. She grabbed her bag and greeted the St. Bernard that met her.

"Hi, Merlin," she said, and she kneeled down as the dog bounded over to her and licked her face happily as she scratched behind his ears.

Merlin was her dog. She had bought him four months ago, for many reasons, but most importantly for companionship. She stood up, grabbed his lead and attached it to the collar and they both headed out of the back of the building so they could walk to Hermione's flat.

Hermione lived in Wizarding London. She was glad to find that most wizarding landlords allowed pets since there were spells that could protect furniture and what not from getting damaged. It was only a twenty minute walk to her flat and she and Merlin headed down the street making their way home, but Hermione didn't know that she would not make it home that night.

Oliver Wood was tired and annoyed. He'd had a long day at training and he just wanted to have a quiet drink; he should've known that wasn't going to happen. Training had started up at the end of October now that the war was over and the Quidditch League was back underway, and that meant a lot of training and a lot of hard work. Particularly with a two year break due to the war, the team needed a lot of work and as a result, practices were a pain in the arse. And after every practice he needed a drink, a Calming Draught or a shag. That night he went for the drink. He'd heard from his teammates about a new bar that had opened and was apparently the new hotspot in Wizarding London and he decided to check it out.

His night hadn't been too bad, observing the crowds of people coming and going, having fun, dancing and getting drunk. He had to admit, he rather did like the new bar. He had been there for nearly two hours before he noticed the figure sat next to him at the bar, wearing a black cloak, and it was obvious to him that they didn't want to be bothered. He turned his attention back to the crowd and he spotted a blonde stumbling her way over to him. He rolled his eyes and sighed, well, he supposed his peace and quiet couldn't last long.

He prepared himself for what was about to happen.

"You're Oliver Wood," she purred and stumbled into side of the bar, before righting herself up. "I'm Louisa," she batted her eyelashes and he had the urge to ask her if there was something in her eye, but his mother raised him to be respectful, so held it in along with his annoyance.

She continued to prattle on and he did his best to keep a polite smile on his face. That was until the point when she practically draped herself on his lap.

"So, you want to come back to mine? I could make it worth your while," she slurred.

"A'm sure ye could, Miss, but a'm afraid a cannae do tha', it wouldn't be very gentlemanly tae take advantage af ye in yer inebriated state," he spoke with a charming smile.

She pouted at him and he sighed realising it was going to be difficult to get rid of her.

"I assure you, I could please you in ways you have never felt," she slurred once more and she gripped his jumper tightly in her hands.

"I think he's made it quite clear that he isn't interested," someone spoke up from behind him.

He turned to see the figure in the black cloak and he looked at it curiously, he could tell it was a woman from the voice, but the cloak hid everything for his sight, including her face.

"You're just jealous you slag," the blonde slurred with a glare. "You're so ugly you have to hide yourself."

Oliver felt himself stiffen at the insult.

He heard the figure sigh before they stood up from the stool, and reached up to untie the string around her neck. The cloak was pulled away from the figure and she placed it on the bar, leaving in its wake, Hermione Granger, war heroine. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. She looked at him in recognition and sent him a soft smile and then she turned her attention back to the woman clinging to him like a leech.

He was surprised to see her there, from what he remembered from school –and admittedly it wasn't much- she was a scholar, a book worm, she wouldn't be seen dead having fun, let alone be seen at a bar. He couldn't stop his eyes from raking over her.

Her shiny mahogany curls fell to the middle of her back, her fair skin seemed to shine in the coloured lights flickering in the bar, her small, pink mouth was set in a straight line, her small button nose had one single freckle and it intrigued him. and her large, doe like chocolate brown eyes shined with emotion, mostly annoyance directed at the blonde.

The clothing she wore showed off the right amount of skin without being trashy and she still looked good. He had to admit she was very pretty, beautiful in fact, certainly not what he remembered from school, though the last time he had seen her he had been seventeen, he was now twenty-two.

"You're..." the woman said

"Hermione Granger? That's me," Hermione said annoyed. Oliver could guess she received a lot of attention, he understood why she wore the cloak. "Once again, it is obvious that he has made it clear he doesn't wish to entertain you and quite honestly, it's annoying. Leave the poor man alone and go home and wait for the hangover to hit. I would hate to have to resort to other measures to convince you to leave." She gestured to her wand that sat tucked into the waist band of her skirt. Oliver had to stop himself from laughing.

The woman glared at Hermione but she turned and stormed off, leaving him alone and he breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could talk to her, Hermione sighed, grabbed her cloak and refastened it around herself. She picked up her drink and drank the last of it.

"You heading home, Love?" Lee Jordan asked, as he stood behind the bar in front of her.

Oliver watched the two interact curiously. 'Love?' he thought. 'Were they dating?'

"Yes, I was supposed to be meeting Ron, but he's two hours late. Do me a favour and if you see him, tell him I left and he's an arsehole." Oliver raised an eyebrow at her language, feeling amusement bubble up within him.

Lee laughed at her. "Will do."

"Also, tell him that if he ever asks me to meet him again, and he doesn't turn up on time, that I'll give him a reason to need a healer." Lee laughed once more. "Oh, and tell Terry that if he wishes for me to teach him how to make spaghetti bolognaise, I'm free on Friday."

"It's about time," Lee said relieved. "I love the man, but he can't cook to save his life."

"Neither can you, you gave me food poisoning," Hermione retorted.

"Did you die? No, you did not. Anyway, I said I was sorry."

"How about you stay away from the kitchen?"

"Deal!"

"Well I better get going. See you later, Lee, give my love to Terry." She leaned over the bar and kissed Lee's cheek.

"See you later, Love," Lee said smiling. Hermione turned around to face him.

"Well, it was a pleasure to rescue you from the unwanted advances of a drunken woman," Hermione said with a smile and then before he could respond, she turned around and walked away in the opposite direction to the exit.

He turned to see Lee looking at him with amusement.

"She rescued you from the unwanted advances of a drunken woman?" Lee asked.

"Aye, she did," he admitted and Lee laughed.

"Did she threaten her? She's quite scary when she wants to be."

"Mildly."

"That's my girl," he said proudly.

"What's goin' on between ye twa? From what a remember ye dinnae exactly run in the same social circles."

Lee raised an eyebrow at the question but answered anyway. "She helped me open this place up. With her being a Muggleborn it was easier for her to research different muggle alcohols that I could use here. She put me in touch with a Squib who could get me the alcohol and with a Muggleborn barman that used to work in the Muggle World. He's the one that makes all the cocktails, I've never seen anything like it, it's like making a potion without the cauldron." Oliver chuckled at him. "Hermione's been good to me. She was there when I came out to Fred and George," he shrugged. Oliver was surprised at the news. "Terry was nervous as hell, but he was in Hermione's year at school, a Ravenclaw. She's a good friend, a good sister even."

"Why did she walk in the opposite direction tae the exit?"

"She's gone to the staff room to collect Merlin, and then she'll go out the back so she isn't spotted by anyone, she hardly gets any privacy these days," he shrugged.

"Who's Merlin?"

"Her dog," he said simply. "Right, I better get back to work. I'll ban that woman for you."

"Ye dinnae have tae ban customers fer mae, especially 'coz af me status," Oliver frowned.

"I'm not, it's because she's a pain in the arse, she's hit on both Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, not to mention a few of your team mates, and you're a Gryffindor, we've got to respect that." He then winked and walked off. Oliver shook his head.

He stayed at the bar for another hour before he decided to call it a night and leave. On his way out of the bar he was stopped and asked for autographs, he complied and then left out the exit and walked towards the apparition point.

He had been walking for ten minutes in the cold November chill and when he heard a noise he stopped in his tracks. He strained his hearing and he heard it again, it sounded like a whimper, a wounded animal. He pulled his wand and looked around, he was alone. He gripped his wand and then headed towards the sound which lead him down an alley way.

"Hello," he called, the whimpering grew louder and Oliver moved further into the alley. "Is anyone there?"

He continued walking until he could see what was making the noise and his eyes widened. There was a figure lying on the floor, unmoving, and a large dog sat protectively next to the figure. He had never seen a dog that big before.

He moved closer and it caught the attention of the dog. The dog weakly lifted its head and gave a warning growl to Oliver. He stopped, before continuing to move forward slowly. He softened his voice and spoke to the dog.

"A'm not gunna hurt either af ye, a jus' want tae help."

Surprisingly the dog stopped growling and just stared at him as he slowly approached them.

When Oliver was close enough he dropped to his knees beside the figure and his eyes discovered it to be a woman. There were cuts on her knees and thighs, he could see blood smudged on her inner thighs, her shirt had been ripped open and she had bruises on her wrists and neck. His eyes finally reached her face and they widened even further when he saw who it was.

Hermione Granger.