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“I’ve got a spare room if you ever need it. You’ve always got a place with me, luv.”
Her heart beat with thundering booms as her feet echoed noisily on the gravel path leading to his cottage. Coffee brown eyes zoomed around the terrain as if dementors, or possibly enraged ex-boyfriends, would pop out of the picturesque mountainscape as she ran.
Hermione slowed to a walk as a stitch in her side got the best of her and she cursed the Wizarding World’s propensity to ignore physical fitness. Damn it! As soon as she recovered from this ill-conceived pseudo-escape, she would take up an exercise routine.
It was nearly a quarter of an hour later, after many odd looks as she made her way through the tightly knit community, that she found herself in front of the door she’d been running too. Her heartbeat picked up again, booming in her chest once more, as she raised her hand to knock.
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
Charlie bustled around his kitchen as he cast another glance at the frazzled witch sitting on his lumpy sofa with the tatty afghan his Mum had knitted wrapped around her shoulders. She’d been sitting there almost an hour, without saying more than a quick hello.
Sighing as the kettle whistled, he busied himself making yet another cup of tea.
“Here you are. Now,” he settled himself on the squashy armchair across from her as he handed her another, her fourth, piping hot cup of Earl Grey. “What had you about ready to bang down my door on this lovely evening?”
Hermione stared into the swirls of steam as they rose from the mug. She couldn’t help the small pull at the corner of her lips when she noticed the chipped ‘When in doubt, go to the Library’ mug in her hands. “I was wondering where this had wandered off to.”
The unapologetic kleptomaniacal redhead chuckled. “I needed something to remind me of you, so I nicked it the last time I crashed at your place.”
“Ah, I see. That would explain it.” The slight upturn of her lips evened out as she sighed. A moment of silence erupted between the two before she spoke again. “I’m sorry for just barging in like this. I don’t want to cause problems between you and your fam-”
Charlie held up a hand and made a sharp noise in the back of his throat that startled Hermione into silence. “First of all, I once offered you a place to stay if you ever needed it. Secondly, my family and I...well, you know that’s always been a bit of a complicated situation at best. So don’t worry your bushy little head about it.”
As he’d intended, the girl across from him let out an indignant squeak of protest and launched a biscuit from the plate he’d set out at his head. “Like you can talk Mr. Mophead over there. Sheesh, Char! When was the last time you washed that mane of nonsense on your head?!”
The two bantered back and forth as the night wore on and Charlie was glad to see that by the time Hermione had fallen asleep sprawled gracelessly across his sofa, the gentle smile he’d come to know in the past was back on her face.
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
“Oh, that makes sense. He always was the biggest git of us all. Must be the extra height.”
Hermione awoke to muffled voices and a crick in her neck. She sat up blearily and blinked the sleep from her eyes as she struggled to focus.
“Thanks, Charlie. I’ll get some of her things together and bring them over tonight. Keep her safe.”
“It’s a dragon reserve, Potter! Safe is relative.”
A green flare flashed and died from the kitchen as Hermione shuffled toward the voices. “What did-” She stifled a yawn, badly, with her hand. “-Harry want?”
Charlie nearly knocked himself out at the first sound of her voice and then burst into laughter as he caught sight of her over the scarred wood of his small kitchen table. “You-your...oh Merlin! Your hair! Ah hah hah!”
His head smacked into the hard stone of the hearth as he rolled backward holding his stomach, but he continued laughing as tears rolled down his ruddy freckled cheeks. It took a few moments for him to calm down, though when he did it was to find his unexpected houseguest seated at his table, daintily munching on jam smeared toast.
“I have jam?!”
Hermione rolled her eyes as Charlie scrambled for the toasted bread she’d left for him.
“So.” The redheaded toast destroyer leaned back in his chair as Hermione stared in slightly disgusted amazement. At least he chewed with his mouth closed, unlike R…
Charlie cleared his throat. “I know what happened. Harry filled me in.” He watched as Hermione seemed to almost wilt in on herself. He leaned over and gently plucked one of her hands from where she’d folded them together in her lap, holding it tightly in his own calloused one. “Look at me, Hermione.”
She slowly raised her head, her whiskey brown eyes reluctantly meeting his cool icy grey ones. The intensity shining there set her heart beating rapidly in her chest once again.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
“None of this is your fault. Do you understand me? None. Of. This.”
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Hermione nodded her head. The fingers still clenched together in her lap relaxed, though it took several moments. Charlie waited, giving her the support she’d been denied for long enough that the fire he’d always admired about her had nearly been extinguished.
But just like the most dangerous fires, the embers still burned within her and he grinned as he saw the spark flare to life in her eyes.
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
“You’ve been with us a couple of months now, eh?” Hermione looked up as Henrik spoke, his biceps bulging as he leaned on the pitchfork he’d been using to move dragon dung. “How’er ya likin’ it here?”
The diminutive brunette grinned as she tossed the pallet from her shoulder. Her first week she hadn’t even been able to lift the lightest pallet’s containing the glass ampules of specially formulated potions. Now though, she could tote all but the heaviest without breaking too much of a sweat.
“I love it! I couldn’t have asked for a better change of life direction!” She swept her newly shoulder length hair up into a ponytail, showing off a badly concealed love bite near her collarbone. She cocked her hip to the side and winked as she caught sight of Charlie striding toward her. “Running away from that cheating arsehole was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me!”
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
“Mum! We’re here!”
The Burrow rang out with cries of greeting as Hermione and Charlie stepped from the Floo.
“Oh Merlin, Hermione! You look wonderful!” Ginny grabbed her hand and towed her away, the two women giggling like schoolgirls as the menfolk shook hands and made small talk.
It wasn’t long after that Molly called them all to the backyard for Harry’s 25th birthday dinner.
“-and because it’s my birthday, I just want to give myself a little something. Or at least I’m hoping Ginny will help with that. Will you marry me, Gin?”
The cries and gasps of celebration echoed through the Burrow’s yard and Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes as she watched two of her best friends celebrate one of the happiest moments of their lives.
She felt an arm go around her waist and leaned back into the warm solid body, but froze up moments later. “Ronald, get your filthy hands off of me before I hex them off of you.”
Her voice was low so as not to draw attention and ruin the moment for Harry and Ginny, but she’d be damned if she let Ronald Weasley ruin her again.
“Oh come on, Herms. You know you missed me. Say, why have you got those stupid Muggle shoes on? You know I hate them.”
Very carefully, Hermione grabbed Ron’s wrist and towed him a few feet away from the gathering. She caught Charlie’s eye and he quickly excused himself from his conversation with Bill, slipping inside the hastily erected privacy bubble before all hell broke loose.
“My shoes , Ronald?!? My SHOES?!?! You’re seriously asking about my Merlin forsaken shoes ?!? I’ve been gone for almost a year, a year in which I’ve definitely gotten over you-not that there was much to get over. My Muggle VIBRATOR was a better lover than you, by the way!” Charlie snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve gotten a job that I love with people who value me; People who take the time to get to know me just because they like me; Not for what I can do for them or what they can get by being seen with me or whatever other nonsense you craved by being with me. Hell, I have no idea what you wanted me for! You probably just wanted me so no one else could have me!”
Ron’s face was rapidly turning puce and his nails, much longer and dirtier than they’d ever been when they’d been together, were digging crescent-shaped marks into his palms. He opened his mouth to form some sort of rebuttal.
“Oh no, I am not finished.” Hermione’s wand shot into her hand. With a few quick flicks, Ron was deftly silenced, petrified and propped up against an invisible barrier. His eyes promised swift retribution, but Hermione just sneered at him. Charlie tried, unsuccessfully, to surreptitiously adjust his trousers. “Listen to me, Ronald Weasley. The next time I see you, you better not even think of acknowledging me. If you talk to me, I’ll hex your tongue to the roof of your mouth. If you even think about touching me, no one will be able to transfigure your hands back from what I’ll change them into. And don’t even ask what that is because I haven’t decided yet. Do you understand?”
Ron simply glared hatefully at his brother and the girl he’d stolen.
“Blink if you understand. Or I’ll do something really unpleasant.” Ron stubbornly kept his eyes wide and Hermione raised an eyebrow as she flicked her wand once again. A high pitched whine erupted from her ex-boyfriend's throat as he blinked rapidly. “Good. We understand each other.”
She turned to go, pausing momentarily and glancing back over her shoulder once she’d reached Charlie. “Oh and Ronald? I love my Converse. Talk badly about them again and I’ll curse a pair of pink flowery ones to your feet.”
She waved her wand to dispel the privacy bubble and pulled up short as she saw the entire party staring their way. “Uh...sorry?”
Harry burst out laughing and crossed the short distance to pull her away from Charlie and into a tight hug. “When I told you to bring our girl back to us Charlie, I didn’t think you’d do such a bang up job! Did she curse his bollocks?”
Charlie’s slight cringe and nod made Harry and the twins roar with laughter, even through their twinges of sympathy. “She also said that if he mocked her Converse anymore, she curse a pair of pink flowery ones onto his feet.”
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
Ron stared across the crowded ballroom. The Ministry’s annual Christmas gala was in full swing and everyone he knew was in attendance, though most of them were fawning over her .
“The Lollywats are particularly attracted to you tonight. Are you quite alright, Ronald?” The dreamy voice of Luna Lovegood floated from somewhere to his left and he stifled a sigh.
It wouldn't do to alienate the one person who would deign to talk to him at this Merlin forsaken event.
“I’m not even close to alright, Luna. Hermione is here.” He motioned toward the front of the room where his ex-girlfriend stood with his traitor brother and traitor sister and traitor ex-best-friend…
“Yes, she’s quite beautiful tonight, isn’t she? And her new tattoo looks lovel-
“ Tattoo?!?”
Across the ballroom, Harry heaved a sigh as Ginny squeezed the bridge of her nose.
Hermione giggled as Charlie wrapped a muscular arm around her bare back, tickling the sleeping Ironbelly curled around her hip. “And that would be Ronald, finding out about my tattoo.”
“I’m sorry, Hermione.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow. “Why are you apologizing, Potter? You helped as much as you could back then and since Mia moved, you have done everything possible to make the transition smooth.”
Hermione stepped out of Charlie’s arms and pulled Harry away from Ginny. Her body was much more fit, her arms were much stronger and her hair was much shorter and sleeker-but she was still the same Hermione and Harry sunk into her embrace.
“None of this is your fault, Harry. Ron made his bed and now he has to lie in it. And that will not ever have anything to do with me, thank Merlin!” She grasped his shoulders and whiskey eyes met emerald. “I love you, Little brother of my heart. He couldn’t stop me. That pain only made me stronger. It was like pouring petrol on a fire and now I burn with passion-passion for my work, passion for Charlie...passion for living. In all honesty, I should probably be thanking Ron.”
The two friends shared a conspiratorial glance. “But I won’t.
.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.
“Do you ever regret the last few years?”
The quiet whisper in the darkness of their small, shared cottage startled Hermione. She could have feigned sleep. Charlie had definitely done his part in wearing her out, the sweat long since dried on their naked bodies. But she propped herself up on her elbow and let her eyes roam over the man she’d come to love so deeply.
He burned like her, the fiery passion for the dragons he helped rescue and care for evident in every facet of his life, right down to the coppery color of his hair.
“Why would I regret it?”
Charlie traced a raised patch of skin from a healed burn. “This job isn’t without its dangers, luv. And you’ve had to uproot your entire life to be here.”
Hermione raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. “Are you saying that you find my scars unattractive, Charles Weasley?”
Her startled beau gaped silently before he started to sputter nonsensically, trying desperately to backtrack.
She flopped down onto his chest and giggled hysterically as he sputtered into silence before letting his hand fall sharply onto her shapely bottom. “That was cruel, witch!”
“I’m sorry, Char, but it was truly a ridiculous question. What're a few scars when I live my life on my terms? What’s uprooting myself to move to a glorious country and find the man of my dreams? Especially when travel is so damn easy for us?”
Hermione smiled and propped her chin on her hands, her lips tilted upward as her eyes followed all the rugged contours of his face.
“Well, then. I have a question for you, Mia.” Charlie pushed her up gently and the threadbare sheet pooled around their waists.
Hermione’s heart picked up speed as he leaned over to his bedside table, flashing her a glimpse of his backside.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Dragon taming surely did sculpt delectable backsides.
He leaned back up and wiggled saucily before he turned fully back around, Hermione’s heart picked up speed once more, though this time it was because of the tiny black box nestled in his large hand.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
“Mia. I can’t tell you how lucky I am that you had the strength to walk away from a devastating situation. I can’t tell you how lucky I am that you had the courage to seek my help and the fortitude to mend your heart. I can’t tell you how lucky I am that you let that fiery passion inside you burn brighter and hotter than any dragon’s fire I’ve ever seen or felt. And I’m so damn lucky that you let me bask in that fire. So, Mia, will you let me bask in your fire forever? Will you marry me?”