Hey everyone. This story was brought to you by Hogwarts Eastern Winter Funfair's Yule Log Burning, Hogwarts Southern Winter Funfair's Mistletoe Madness, and Hogwarts Northern Winter Funfair's Decorating the Christmas Tree on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For Yule Log Burning my prompt was Space!AU. For Mistletoe Madness my pairing was Charlie Weasley/Hermione Granger. For Decorating the Christmas Tree my prompt was 20. Silver Star Ornament (action) stargazing (1 ticket). I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of Lost in Wizard Space.
The shaking of the space ship that Charlie Weasley found himself on shouldn't have been the thing to awaken him. He shouldn't be awake right now at all. Looking around him he found that the rest of his family was still safely left in their cryogenic sleep which lead him wonder if he was the only one of the party that had awoken early.
"Hello," Charlie called out praying that he got an answer. "Is anyone else awake?"
He knew he probably wouldn't get an answer. Whatever failure had happened to his pod couldn't have happened to anyone else's. Right? They'd all awaken to find him aged beyond their recognition. A single tear rolled down his cheek at the thought of his own family not being able to recognize him.
"Hello," a female voice called from behind him.
Part of Charlie was relieved that he wouldn't have to go through this by himself. But another part felt sorry for the brown haired woman walked towards him now. He had only met her once but he knew that she was one of Ron's friends.
"Hermione," he said a relief he shouldn't be feeling filling his voice, "is anyone else awake? Or is it just us?"
Looking over at Charlie's still sleeping family he saw Hermione's face fall. "I think it's just us," she whispered sadly. Tears welled in her eyes as she observed not just Ron but Harry also. "Do you think they'll understand what happened?"
"I don't know. I don't even think I understand what's going on here."
Lapsing into a tense silence Charlie lead Hermione to the front of the ship which was well away from the sleeping quarters of those they should among. He watched as she tried to come to terms with something he didn't even know how to come to terms with. But then again from what Ron had told him Hermione had always been much braver than anyone else her age.
"Are we still on course to Omega Terminus?" she asked Charlie.
"I don't know," he told her. "I wanted to make sure that no one else had woke up early."
She sighed as they neared the front of the ship. Seeing the dark expanse of space outside the window to their ship made Hermione feel so small. But she shouldn't be seeing this. Or anything. She should be in cryogenic sleep like everyone else.
"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" Charlie asked in a near whisper as he took in the sight of the star outside. "To think we could have missed out on this like the others."
"Yeah."
Hermione turned to look up at Charlie. Having never met the older man in front of her she didn't know what to talk to him about. The stars were good to talk about now but that would eventually grow old. What did one talk about on their way to a new world?
"It's kind of weird? Isn't it?"
Hermione felt herself startled out her thoughts. "What is?" she asked quirking an eyebrow as she looked up at Charlie.
"Being the only ones awake. Not having any of the other's here as buffer to keep the conversation going." A blush crept up on his cheeks because he was about to do something he'd never done before. "I don't really know what to talk to you about."
Hermione giggled. "I was thinking the same thing," she reassured him. "I mean I don't think talking about dragons is going to help because we left them back on Earth. And talking about stars will only be entertaining for so long."
"Well," Charlie sighed, "let's just cross that bridge when we get to it." He walked over to one of the windows in the ship. "See that right there is a new constellation. Let's think of a name of for it."
"The fire breathing dragon," Hermione smirked.
"Draco the fire breathing dragon."
The two burst into laughter. Which was something neither one of them felt they'd ever be able to do again. Lean down towards Hermione Charlie pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
"I'm sorry you have to go through this," he told her.
"I'm sorry you have to go through this too," she told him back. Surprising even herself Hermione leaned up and captured Charlie's lips in a gentle but firm kiss. Pulling back she pointed towards another constellation. "What will we call that one?"
So caught up in their silly star gazing game and naming their new constellations neither Charlie or Hermione heard the sound of fading footsteps. Neither one of them saw the jealous red-haired man storming away from them. But Ron vowed to himself that they'd be made aware of their mistake and soon.
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Lost in Wizard Space.