Chapter 1

Romania was very hot, there was no denying that. It's a good thing I got rid of all that hair. When Hermione Granger had moved to Romania, the complete opposite of Britain, she had had the foresight to change her appearance so she could acclimate to her new home easier. With her hair in a pixie cut at least, it was straight and was only messed up after sleeping on it.

Her smooth skin was tanned over instead of the creamy white it had been growing up, her muscles toned from the work she did. It was almost as if she was an entirely different person. Except of course, that she wasn't.

The war still had its effects on her, she had put on a brave face through the whole ordeal but running around the world at seventeen and being the one the boys relied on for information was taxing. Harry and Ron had spent most of their Hogwarts days asking her questions, wanting help with essays, and help studying. When they left school in search of the horcruxes they still asked her questions, only they were much more difficult than before. Where to find and how to destroy artefacts of dark magic created by the most evil wizard of their time was something she hadn't just read in some book. She had to figure out where to get the information and with the two of them constantly badgering her about it taking the time to find it wasn't easy.

Then, there was the actual fighting. First in the coffee shop, that was easy. She had stunned many people in Dumbledore's Army. Then in the forest with the snatchers, which was mainly just running and trying to think of a clever way to disguise Harry. Rubbing her forearm, Hermione thought of what came next. Bellatrix Lestrange torturing her for information, the word mudblood forever etched into her skin. No one had asked about it after, but Molly had made sure to keep an eye on it so it healed nicely.

Bellatrix had chosen the wrong person to interrogate. Not that Ron would have given up anything either, but Hermione was much less willing to give up information under duress. Instead she had let the crazy witch carve up her arm like a Christmas ham, insulting her and putting her in her place all at the same time. The knife had been pressed up against her neck, the artery pulsating against the cold steel threatening the skin to break. But when the boys, her boys had saved her that was when the real war started. The Battle of Hogwarts ended it all, the deaths were finally over, but the destruction was only getting started.

Hermione had been getting nightmares ever since Harry had killed Voldemort, about the torture, her friends being tortured, people she knew dying, Fred… Maybe moving away and changing everything about herself was a way to try and change the outcome, maybe that was her way of trying to get rid of the nightmares.

She hadn't told anyone about them, it would only make them worry and it wasn't worth the hassle.

"Hermione, you awake?" Charlie Weasley had opted to be her mentor on the dragon reserve when she arrived; he knew her and what would drive her to be the best dragon tamer she could be. "I thought you said you wanted to run this morning?"

"I'm coming, just getting dressed." When they started running around the reserve every morning, Hermione had started by wearing a tee shirt, then a tank top, and eventually resigning to run in shorts and sports bra. The Romanian sun was brutal even in the morning, and Hermione had gotten to comfortable being there that showing off her toned stomach meant more to her than hiding it.

Jogging down the steps Hermione met Charlie in the doorway strapping his wand holster to his forearm. Hermione took the matching holster off her coat hook and did the same.

"You alright this morning Mem?" Charlie had decided that with the new look and life, Hermione decided a new nickname as well.

"Didn't sleep well last night," It wasn't a lie, the nightmare shad kept her awake for most of the night, but she didn't feel like telling him that just yet. "But I reckon I'll still be in better shape than you when we're done this run."

With a chuckle the pair left the house and started running the five kilometre's around the housing part of the reserve. Waving good morning to a few of the other tamers, healers, and hatchers that were on their way to assignments Charlie and Hermione continued their run with only a few comments between them. It wasn't that they didn't talk, but for them the run was the only time they felt like talking didn't actually matter.

Just like every other day, at the final stretch of the run Charlie tried sprinting out ahead of Hermione so he could "win" by reaching their block of houses first. It had only been the past two months that she was able to pace with him and eventually beat him causing a victory lap around the redhead pumping her arms. The loser cooked breakfast.

"Alright, alright Mem, shower and I'll meet you at my place for breakfast."

Running into her house, which was right next to Charlie's, Hermione jumped in the shower and washed the sweat and grime off of her skin not bothering the give herself a proper wash because she would just need to have another shower before bed. Using magic to dry her skin and hair, she put on her jeans, work shirt, and boots before walking to Charlie's and sitting on his couch.

"What do you want today?"

"Eggs sounds delicious."

"Omelet's it is." Charlie started cooking as Hermione searched through his bookshelves, something she did every time she entered his home.

The pair ate their breakfast and joked around a bit more until finally it was time to do some work. Today was the day the reserve welcomed it's new Chinese Fireball from the Himalayas which meant that Hermione was more excited to start the day than ever.

"I somehow always forget Fireball's are your favorite dragon."

"Which is interesting considering how much I talk about them."

She had been at the reserve for two years and already she had been given every book about Chinese Fireball's that had been written and several pieces of jewelry depicting them as gifts. Whenever Ginny found something she would send it to her friend with a lovely note about how much she was missed.

"Well then Miss Smartypants, what's my favorite dragon?"

"Swedish Shortsnout, because green is your favorite color."

Having finally reached the assignments building, the pair met up with the rest of the welcoming committee and went over the details of bringing the Fireball into his new enclosure. As soon as they were in position the dragon could be seen coming over the mountains in the distance.

The tamers flying alongside the dragon had their wands extended toward it, shimmering ropes connecting around the small dragons body to keep it from flying away. It had also been inhibited enough to keep from being aggressive but still able to fly. The Romania crew jumped on their brooms and flew in formations towards their newest member, they led the group towards the enclosure and took over for the tamers so they could go rest.

It was customary that when a group delivered a dragon they were given whatever they needed to recuperate from the flight. Romania was only a few hour fly away, but with a dragon it might seem like days. The healers met them at a tent put up right outside the new enclosure with drinks, food, and shade. Then they were shown to their lodgings and showers.

"What do you think Mem?" Charlie roared over the wind around them. The only response she was able to give was a wide smile and tentative movement towards the new dragon. Charlie, being her mentor and partner in the mission followed behind the broom watching as the Fireball walked around a few of the trees in its enclosure until finding the rocky cave. Hermione kept smiling as she watched it jump up and climb the rocks until it went into the cave, when it returned he stuck his snout out of the entrance and laid down to sleep after a long journey.

"Probably time to go," the sad mumble was almost heartbreaking to Charlie but he had to agree to let sleeping dragons lie. "Does he have a name yet?"

"Not that I know of just yet, I'm sure you can find one that suits him though."

Over the following week Hermione would call out random names to what seemed like no one in particular but Charlie always answered her with his opinion on them. The best she had come up with was Sparky, the worst was Beauregard.

"We could call him Beau!" She argued after it was promptly nixed. The look that she received from her partner was enough to make her drop it, Beauregard was a dumb name for a dragon.

One day, while Charlie was out in the nearby wizarding village that almost resembled Diagon Alley, he spotted a beautiful necklace. It was of a Fireball, of course, the wings were outstretched to meet the chain and the body glowed with the reds, oranges, and yellows that were so distinct on the dragon. Knowing that it would make a great gift Charlie snatched it up and went on his way. When he got back to his house on the reserve he set the box on his chest of drawers and left to meet Hermione and the rest of the tamers for dinner.

They were going out on a special celebratory dinner for the Antipedian Opaleye's mating and laying what seemed to be a perfectly healthy egg. So everyone was meeting at the local pub for chips and pints.

"Hermione, you ready to go?" It wasn't unheard of for the two of them to just let themselves into the others home, it did mean that they had been caught in varying stages of undress and in awkward but funny situation, but what Charlie had walked into was something he had never expected. "Wow, you're drinking in your knickers."

"Shut it Char, you've seen in my sports bra every day for the past year."

"But I've never seen your bum, looking good by the way."

Hermione rolled her eyes and ran up the stairs to get dressed leaving Charlie to watch her go and wonder why he was feeling happy about it.

Up in her room, Hermione sighed. She had had a crush on her partner for a few months now, liked him as a person for years. She had hoped that standing in her kitchen almost entirely naked would have stirred something up inside Charlie to make a move, but maybe she had been wrong. Slipping into her shorts and a thin long sleeved shirt she returned to the sitting room and let Charlie know she was ready to go.

The pub was close, but since they were wizards the pair apparated to the alley outside and met their colleagues inside.

"There you two are!" Sarah, one of the lead tamers greeted. "We all thought you had gotten into something." With a wink she turned back to her husband. Charlie's ears burned red, the curse of the Weasley's and their embarrassment which caused Hermione to snicker and order two pints for them.

"What happened that you're turning into a tomato?" Jeremy was Charlie's best friend on the reserve, if he could tell anyone what had happened.

"So you just walked in and she was standing there in the nude?"

"Yup, and I'm not sure what to make of it."

Hermione brought over the pints and said hello to Jeremy.

"How're you liking the new Chinese Fireball?"

"I love it! He's gorgeous and I really can't wait to see what he does while he's here."

"Hermione come here!"

Waving at the boys she walked towards the rest of the girls

"Alright Char, I'm pretty sure I know what she's going at." Shrugging over his beer, Jeremy continued. "She's hot for you."

"What? No, there's no way. She's a friend of the family; she wouldn't feel that way about me."

"Look across the bar over at her right now. Where is she looking?"

"Back at me."

The realization smacked Charlie in the face.

"Oh shit."

A/N: Another CharMione story! I'm really excited about this one and I hope you all like it too!