A/N: I'm Beater 2 for the Wimbourne Wasps and I am to write about S.S. Pyro Studies which is a Hermione/Charlie pairing. My prompts are listed below:
Prompts:
#6: (setting) Hogwarts Express
#15: (word) scarf
Tinted Pyromania
Beads of sweat formed on Hermione's head as she chased her favorite scarf through the platform. Red and gold wove its way through the maze of people in an attempt to rid Hermione of its trail. She had her wand held high, ready to stop the scarf the moment she could keep her eyes on it for more than two seconds at a time. She kept tripping over her own feet while she pushed past several of her classmates that were eager to get on the train. She heard several "Watch where you're going!" shouts and an "Oi, Granger!" every now and then.
She had lost sight of her scarf in the sea of people, and she made an attempt to stand on top of a pile of luggage to see if it had landed near the ground, but they must not have been packed together quite as tightly as she expected. One by one, the suitcases started to shift and she became closer to the tracks until she felt a firm hand pull her back by her forearm. The thrill of almost falling over the side was still hovering over her senses so much that she didn't quite register who had pulled her back. Although, when she looked up, she wasn't disappointed.
"O-oh," she stammered.
His shoulder-length red hair was pulled back, his overcoat was lightly dusted with snow, and his eyes searched her face with concern. She had never met him before, but he looked very familiar to her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, moving his hands from her forearms to her shoulders.
"U-um," Hermione couldn't grasp onto the words that were circling in her head.
She had never been this speechless before, and she still hadn't figured out if it was from the sudden fall or the surprisingly handsome redhead that was holding her up. Still, she couldn't figure out why he had looked so familiar.
"Hermione, snap out of it!" Ron, who had appeared right then, was waving his hand in front of Hermione's face.
That was when she noticed it. They looked almost identical, with the red hair and crystal blue eyes, but she could have sworn that she had never met this Weasley before.
"S-sorry! I'm fine," Hermione reassured, shaking her head to rid herself of her own thoughts.
"That could have been quite the tumble," the man said, still concerned with her state.
"Yes, well," Hermione answered, shrugging her shoulders.
"What do you mean? Charlie, did she fall?" Ron questioned, trying to figure out the situation.
"She was about to, but I managed to catch her before all of the suitcases fell out from under her," he informed, his gaze softening on Hermione as he gave her a light smile.
Something about that smile managed to make her heart melt, and the way that he was looking at her made her knees feel like jelly. She had already managed to escape one fall due to her knees, and she didn't need another one. Even though she appeared to know everything, she had no idea that this was Charles Weasley. She had heard about him, but she had only seen one picture of him. He looked nothing like he had in that picture.
"Merlin's beard, Hermione! You need to be more careful!" Ron scolded.
She had never been on this side of the scolding before. and she couldn't say that she enjoyed it as much as she did when she was dishing it out. Fortunately, she didn't have to be on this end for very long.
"I was trying to catch my favorite scarf," Hermione told them.
"What did this scarf look like?" Charlie wondered.
"It was red and gold. Your mother made it for me last Christmas," she told him with her best smile.
She felt idiotic after she gave him that smile. She knew that she must have looked like a complete fool to Charlie. After all, she had been running through the train station, looking for a scarf that wasn't really that important. It was just something she loved to have because it reminded her of a loving time with a wizarding family.
"You mean this scarf?" Charlie asked, pulling out Hermione's scarf from the inside of his top coat.
The look on her face made his smile widen as she took the scarf into her hands. She laced it around her neck, making sure that her hair didn't get caught within the folds.
"Thank you," she whispered, giving him a more genuine smile.
"You're very welcome, Miss Granger," he said, nodding at her.
Ron looked from Hermione to Charlie and became utterly disgusted with the couple. He turned and hopped on the train so that he could find a decent seat.
"I don't know how I could ever thank you enough," she said, fingering the soft material of her scarf.
"Just make sure you pay attention during my seminar," he said with a wink.
"Your seminar?" Hermione questioned.
"I'll be teaching a couple lessons during your Care For Magical Creatures class. I'm going to be informing you all about dragons," Charlie said, straightening his top coat and turning his head up proudly.
"I'll be sure to pay attention, but there must be something else I can do," Hermione wondered thoughtfully.
He just shook his head in response, but she undid her scarf and wrapped it around his neck instead. Charlie was positively floored at the gesture, but he made no move to give it back.
"There. Now, you have a reminder of the help you've given me. I'll see you at school," she smiled, turning to hop onto the train.
"See you at school…Hermione," he whispered, turning to get onto the front end of the train.
Hermione's neck was cold now that the scarf was no longer attached to it, but she didn't mind it that much. She still couldn't believe she had done that. She felt so bold and so in control of herself. She only wondered what could happen in school and if she had done the right thing.