Title: Not For You

Author: Autumn

Email: PG-13

Pairing: Hermione/Charlie

Disclaimer: The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, the lyrics to the Eagles.

Summary: Molly ruminates on the nature of her children's relationships.

Author's Notes:

This is an answer to two different challenges. Inell's lyrics challenge, and the Books and Freckles A-Z challenge. The word was 'Envy.'

This takes place the summer between 6th and 7th year.

Now it seems to me some fine things

Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get

The dying sun cast shadows along the grounds of the Weasley's home. But none were as dark as the ones upon Molly's face as she viewed the scene before her. Her youngest son had always been the most volatile. Anger, which she'd seen spiral into rage if he was denied something that he'd set his heart upon. Fierce loyalty which was occasionally misplaced, but on the whole loving of all things good in this world. Molly knew that he felt hurt deeper than his elder brothers, he had since he'd been a small child. The flipside of that was that he could be crueler, and more malicious than the others. He had a knack for knowing exactly what it was that would cut someone to the quick most effectively.

The evidence that backed up her assessment sat in the half light. Hermione, who had become like a second daughter to the Weasley family was sitting, hunched over her own lap on a picnic table. She had fled to the spot after the latest bout with Ron.

"Come on Hermione, the sun's out today. You can do your homework later, Harry and I are gonna go down to the pond and try to catch that purple toad if we can."

"I'm a girl Ron."

"No you're not."

"What?"

"You don't act like a real Hermione."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"How's a bloke supposed to take you seriously for being a girl when you don't even try to act like one. You don't even wear make up or nice clothes or anything."

"You're such an insufferable areshole Ronald!"

"Whatever, snotty, bushy bitchface."

"And you actually wonder why I wouldn't go out with you?"

Ron leaned in, his eyes alight and narrow. "Dean and Seamus put me up to that as a lark. Like I would ever fancy an ugly bird. Don't kid yourself you silly bint."

Harry of course had taken him to task for his words. Molly smiled at the way the dark haired boy had forced her taller son to cower. It wasn't that she enjoyed seeing her children in pain, she just appreciated it when one of them was taught a valuable lesson. Ron had apologized profusely to the girl he'd wounded. And she had accepted, but something had changed between the two of them forever.

Molly wasn't the only one to notice this. Ginny had ceased her matchmaking attempts between her older brother and her friend. Harry seemed relieved. Perhaps because he, like Molly knew that a romance between the pair would never work out. She was not for him.

(Flashback)

Charlie knew that Ron wasn't right for Hermione. He'd suspected it when he met her at the Quidditch World Cup. She had adored Ron, and he could have had her, but Charlie's little brother was not for her. Even at 15, she'd been light years ahead of Ron in what she was looking for in a relationship. Ron, to be blunt was shallow and didn't want what she had to offer. Or couldn't cope with it at any rate. Charlie saw that she had come to the same realization as soon as Ron had seen the vellas.

The second Weasley child found Hermione in the abandoned stadium. There were no tears, just a look of defeat in her normally proud, defiant eyes. Charlie would have preferred tears, it was easier to comfort someone who still had a flutter of hope left. "He's not always going to be a blind git Hermione."

"He's not blind Charlie, he's just not looking at me."

"His loss."

"Don't patronize me, okay?"

"I'm not When you're a little older, and blokes see you for what you are, you're gonna have to beat them off with a broomstick."

She snorted. "When, when I'm 30 and they're tired of shagging half-wits?"

Charlie cupped her face and turned her eyes towards his."No. In a few years, when you're out of school, and legal."

She just stared at him, completely thrown by the utter seriousness in his eyes. "I'll be first in line."

"I should um, be getting back to the others."

He stroked her face. "Yeah, for now you should."

Envy. It was nothing more than attempt to clean up jealousy, to make it seem like it wasn't really that bad. But envy didn't convey the feelings that he had when he watched his older brother lace his fingers with Hermione's. It didn't do justice to the familiar burn he felt when somebody had something that he didn't. Envy wasn't enough to explain the tightness in his chest when she laughed for him, when Charlie played with her hair. When he kissed her lips for the first time. Ron knew it was their first kiss. His mother had told him.

"Sit down Ronald."

"Why are you letting Charlie do that mum?"

"Do what dear?"

"Talk to Hermione the way he does. Prances around like a bloody house elf around her."

"Language Ronald!"

"Mum-"

"She's not for you Ron. You wouldn't treat Hermione the way you do if she was. Let your brother have a chance."

"What do you mean? I bet they've been shagging in secret-"

She slapped him hard across the face. "You listen to me Ronald, don't you ever accuse your brother of something like that! I don't want to hear you talk about your friend in that tone. It's nobody's fault but your own that she's not with you. Charlie however has waited for her, for her to be ready. She's not for you Ron. Not anymore, and you're going to have to accept that. Or so help me, I will give you a strapping that would make You-Know-Who cringe!"

Out in the garden, Hermione sighed. "That was nice."

"And you expected less? I'm crushed."

"Oh shut it Charlie. I was just flirting with understatement."

"I suppose that's more acceptable than if you were exaggerating."

"You're awful."

"So, why'd you kiss me then?"

"You kissed me!"

"I didn't hear any complaints."

"Well, I don't really have enough objective evidence yet. I haven't decided if there is something to complain about or not."

"Admit it, you just want to snog me again don't you?"

"Maybe."
"Well, I'll take that as a yes."

He pulled her lightly onto his lap and leisurely kissed her. True to her word, she took a scientific approach and explored his mouth from every angle. "Nothing to complain about" she said, when she'd come up for air.

"Gotta have some way to keep my place at the front of the line."

"So your prediction was only half true then. I'm still in school you pervert."

"You're legal, I'm good to go here."

"How morally ambiguous of you."

"Shush, less talking, more kissing."

"I can live with that" she said as she dipper her head to take his lips.

In the doorway, Molly smiled at the new couple. She was defiantly for Charlie.