Fist fic that I have had the balls to upload.
I don't own anything and all that.
M rated.
Three years after the war, Hermione finally finds out what Charlie has been wanting to tell her.
Charlie/Hermione
Three years ago the war had ended, with the Light side prevailing spectacularly over Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Since then there had been no end to the celebrations; of life, death and of souls lost during the final battle. Each of the fallen had funerals to equal that of a royal funeral. Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Snape and countless others from the Order, Muggle and Wizarding Britain and further afield had the respect of those still alive.
The most important Trio of modern wizarding history had fought through with their allies but now had split. The Boy Who Lived, The King and the Smartest Witch of Her Age had broken apart a year after the fall of Voldemort. The endless funerals, weddings, and parties had taken their toll. They were constantly in the spotlight. They even received a reward for Services to the School in memory of those killed within the castle. Ron Weasley enjoyed a party. He revelled in the company of those having a good time. The year had been one of heavy drinking, drug misuse and mindless sex with anyone with a pulse. It was inevitable that nothing good would come of it. The first Harry and Hermione knew of his catastrophic fall from grace was a photograph in the Daily Prophet of Ron, sat with a Muggle prostitute snorting the Muggle drug cocaine. Harry and Hermione, having grown up with none magic folk knew exactly what would happen to Ron if he carried on, so Apperated directly to St Mungo's. Upon arrival they saw Molly and Arthur with the three eldest Weasley children; Bill, Charlie and Percy. The silent tears that fell down all five faces told Harry and Hermione what they needed to know. A Mediwitch led the newcomers into the room, but it was too late. As well as a vicious cocaine addiction, the year of alcohol abuse and sexual extravagance caused an innumerable amount of disease and infections to call Ron's immune system home. The overdose was the final straw. His still frame and sallow complexion was an image that would keep Hermione awake at night weeks, months and even years later. A funeral was held at the Burrow a week after his death where Ron was buried next to his brother, Fred and only sister, Ginny.
Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. He, on the whole, managed to stay out of trouble after the war. He attended the mandatory award ceremonies, funerals and weddings, but rarely ventured out during his own time. He much preferred to stay in Grimmauld Place with a book and a roaring fire (a habit that Hermione was greatly proud of passing onto her friend). He still flew in a charity Quidditch team as Seeker, but as it was now November, the season was over and the cold nights were drawing in fast. He had few lasting relationships with men and women alike, but most found his static private life boring and tried to urge him to venture out more. Harry's only excuse was that he'd "had enough action for now". Sure, the physical side of the relationships was a definite plus, but wasn't the be all and end all of his life. He had even postponed his career as an Auror in favour of his relaxed lifestyle.
Hermione Granger had, on the outside, stayed much unchanged after the war. She accepted her rewards with understated elegance. She displayed them along the top shelf of her many bookcases, but staying true to her younger self they were soon relegated to an upstairs cupboard in favour of more books. She took a job at the Ministry Of Magic two years after the war had ended in the Department Of Magical Law Enforcement as a promise to herself to make sure those who died in battle didn't die in vain. On the inside, she had hardened up. She was relentless and harsh in her punishment. In the year she had been there, she had planned and performed a raid on a Death Eater stronghold and authorized that the Death Eaters who are currently residing in Azkaban cells were to feel a Dementor's Kiss. She personally interrogated Rowell, Dolohov, the Carrow's and Yaxley in the most unpleasant way that she could think of. She saw it was repayment for killing and torturing people of the Order. No one at the Ministry knew what was happening behind closed interrogation room doors, and by the way Hermione walked out of the room, with a steady gait and a neutral facial expression, no one even suspected. With thanks to her involvement in the war, no one questioned her motives and she was able to be promoted to a senior position within nine months.
While at the Ministry, Hermione stayed at the Burrow with the remaining Weasleys to help rebuild their house, and their lives. The loss of Fred meant that George was without his partner in crime, so stayed in the place they worked for together: Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The only place he felt comfortable thanks to Hermione. She has commissioned a portrait of Fred out of her personal wealth to stand at the front of the shop so he was still there, if not in body but in spirit. The other Weasley children were distant and had their own families, so were only at the Burrow at weekends or holidays. Bill had Fleur and Percy had Penelope. Charlie, on the other hand didn't have a partner to go home to every night. He took a Port Key back to Romania almost immediately after the war, but soon returned with a letter from his reserve's boss, allowing him to take compassionate leave for as long as he needed. With the loss of siblings and friends on a scale such as this, he wasn't expected back for a long time. After eighteen months he became restless and requested a transfer from the Romanian dragon reserve to the Dragon Haven in Wales. Permission was granted and Charlie had been there working on a Welsh Green breeding program since. With living together and frequent trips to the Ministry's Department For Regulation And Control Of Magical Creatures, Charlie and Hermione has become close. It all changed from an innocent friendship to unadulterated lust when Charlie started his new job.
"Hermi-o-nee. How can you be so cheerful on a day this miserable?" Charlie asked while gesturing to the window. The blustery November weather was troubling the window panes, causing them to rattle within their frames.
"Must you call me that? You know I hate it" Hermione sighed without looking up from her paperwork. She was so used to people coming in and out of her office, she left the door open for them to come and go and they please. "And if you must know, I've just interrogated Goyle Senior and now I have a romantic date with a large book and an even larger glass of wine". She looked up and smiled as Charlie gave a dramatic shiver. The trust that had been built between them was insurance enough that she could tell Charlie what happened during interrogations without him telling other Ministry officials. He often told her he was sadistically jealous of her and wanted to make sure the Death Eaters suffered how his family suffered.
"There's no need for that, he still has the correct number of limbs and testes when I left" she said with a smirk. At that Charlie physically recoiled at the memory of what had happened to Lucius Malfoy, which caused a hearty laugh from Hermione.
"Now then Charles, have you just come here to get under my feet?"
"Actually no" Charlie moved some leaves of parchment from her desk to a chair and perched in their place. "I came to ask what you're doing tonight but it sounds as though you have a better offer. I mean, who wouldn't want to do the same thing you do every night?" He smiled into her glaring eyes as he picked up an unidentifiable object from her desk.
"You know if you touch that for long enough, you will start to lose your hair" Hermione teased. Charlie promptly put the object down and tugged at his long red ponytail, just in case. This caused another round of laughter from the woman in the room. "But, as I've just finished for this week, and I have an easy week next week, I suppose I can break the habit. Just for one night"
"And I thought you were going to say 'just for me' then" Charlie said in mock outrage, theatrically clutching a hand to his chest. He then casually walked to the door, picked Hermione's raincoat from the stand near and ran down towards the Atrium. Hermione couldn't help but smile. He was the only one to make her laugh until she couldn't breathe since Ron had died. She dutifully ran after him laughing.
"You're a child, do you know that?" Hermione panted at him once she had reached the Atrium. Charlie casually stood holding her coat out for her as though nothing had happened and silently thanked his work with dragons for his fitness level.
"Italian or French?" Charlie asked.
"What?"
"Food. Italian or French?"
"Italian. Why?"
"You're supposed to be the Smartest Witch Of Her Age, Hermione. Grab a hold and just go with it" Charlie said and held out his arm. Hermione playfully squeezed his muscles and teased that he was getting fat. In reality, his muscles were like steel and she was enjoying it too much. She shook her head and prepared for a Side Along Apperation. They arrived in a small alley way in between two large recycling bins.
"Give me a minute" Charlie grumbled while looking in the pocket of his ripped jeans. He then pulled out a clean white shirt and dark jeans and stuffed them in Hermione's arms. He then pulled out a dark green fitted dress for Hermione.
"What the hell Charlie?"
"Undetectable extension charm. I stole your idea. Now get changed, you can't go in there wearing jeans"
"In where?" Hermione was getting more and more confused, but she used a spell to seamlessly swap the dress in her hand with the clothes she was wearing nonetheless.
"Why do girls take so bloody long to get ready when that spell exists?" asked Charlie while buttoning up his shirt. Hermione would never admit that he looked stunning in a slim white shirt and brand new black trousers slung around his narrow hips with a dragon-leather belt. Hermione replaced her trench coat and Charlie his leather biker jacket. They were allowed in without anyone questioning their clothing.
They sat near the front of the restaurant and ate, drank and talked without any discomfort or awkward pauses. Once their dessert had been cleared away by the waiter, Bill excused himself to the toilet which left Hermione to watch him walk away. He wasn't the tallest Weasley, that title was reserved for George, but his frame was filled out with muscle in all of the right places and his clothing certainly showed it. His sleeves were rolled to the elbow which exposed arms covered in freckles and burns, and all Hermione wanted to do was kiss them until they disappeared. With a glance around the restaurant, Hermione saw that a group of Muggle women were watching Charlie, and as soon as he was out of view, they turned around and caught Hermione's gaze. She smiled politely and caught the attention of a passing waitress and ordered a hot chocolate for herself.
'Pull yourself together, for fucks sake' Charlie was screaming in his head. He splashed cold water in his face and tried to calm his thoughts. After drying his hands and face with a much-too-fluffy towel he turned and nearly crashed into another man coming into the bathroom. He apologized politely and re-entered the main restaurant and made a beeline to his table with Hermione. He saw her looking out of the large window watching the rain pour down. He smiled inwardly to himself.
"Hey sexy, any chance of a drink with a smoking hot, ginger who looks like he'll be a demon in the sack?" One of the drunken women who Hermione spotted earlier grabbed Charlie's hand as he went back. Caught off guard, Charlie grabbed the wrist and pulled it away from his own, squeezing it slightly. Upon sighting the woman's grimace and her friends shocked eyes, Charlie bent down to her level, and whispered in her ear while still holding her wrist.
"Listen. I'm not what you're looking for, and it would do well for you not to grab the wrists of strangers. We're still recovering from terrorist attacks and I could have been anyone" Charlie used the biggest cover lie that the British Government has ever told. Kingsley told the Muggle Prime Minister to use this story to compensate for the massive loss of Muggle life during the war. Charlie carried on.
"Now, see that girl over there? The one in the green dress? I've just bought her that dress, and if all goes to plan, I'm going to fuck her until she can't breathe anymore when I take her home" Charlie's husky whisper was hot in the woman's ear. "Now get back to your hen party and forget everything that just happened" Charlie then stood up, smiled at the woman's friends and signalled to the bar tender to bring a round of drinks to their table. He walked back to Hermione without a care in the world.
"What was all that about?" Hermione asked, motioning towards the table of women who were just receiving their drinks Charlie ordered for them. Hermione had drunk half a cup of hot chocolate that she had ordered for herself.
"Oh nothing, just some drunken girls trying for a piece of my arse, I can't blame them" Charlie replied with a smile. "Sadly, my allegiance lies elsewhere so I had to let them down gently"
"Oh yeah? Where's that then?" Hermione asked boldly.
"Some girl I know, she probably doesn't give a damn though" Charlie sighed for dramatic effect and saw Hermione smiling. "Hermi-o-nee, come with me".
Charlie threw some Muggle money on the table; enough to cover their meal, drinks and leave a healthy tip and stood up with his hand out for Hermione to hold. While he helped her back into her coat, he looked over to the table of women who had spoken to him before and smiled. When they realised he was looking, they quickly went back to their own conversation, silently cursing an oblivious Hermione for having such an attractive friend.
"What's with the special treatment?" Hermione asked as Charlie even held the door open for her.
"It's been three years since I've seen you look this relaxed. Just enjoy it Hermione."
"I was relaxed at the Ministry Christmas Ball last year!" Hermione exclaimed.
"No you weren't, you looked like you had a stick down the back of your dress you were that tense" Charlie was going to use 'up your arse' instead, but it was a phrase Ron was fond of, and he didn't want to bring back memories of him right now. Hermione still laughed anyway.
"Fair point, Charles. Where are you taking us by the way? The Apparition point is back there"
"Just go with it, Hermione. You'll see soon enough"
Charlie promptly stopped them outside a large front door in a part of Muggle suburban London that Hermione didn't recognise. Charlie reached into his coat pocket and found a small brass key and handed it to Hermione.
"What am I meant to do with this?"
"Do I really need to explain that one too you? Keys open things and this door seems to be locked" Charlie was still smiling despite Hermione's over-logical brain. Hermione caught on to what he was saying and put the key in the lock and turned.
"What is this, Charlie?" She asked looking confused.
"It appears to me to be a house, Granger. Go inside, I'm getting soaked here" Charlie answered while gesturing to the rain that was getting worse. Hermione stepped further into the house and saw a tastefully decorated open plan living area. Even though she loved the homey feel of the Burrow, this was her idea of heaven.
"Charlie, why have you brought me here?" Hermione was serious now. She took her coat off and sat on the low cream coloured sofa. Charlie saw her serious side and sat down next to her and took her hands in his. In her head Hermione has just explode with feelings that had been repressed ever since the war.
"It's a safe place, Hermione. Or a quiet place. Or a place to fill with books that no longer fit in the Burrow. It really doesn't matter what it is, but it's yours."
"But Charlie I-"
"Let me finish, please. I need to say this. When the war ended, you were the happiest girl I've ever seen. Seeing you at those award ceremonies made me feel so proud just too even know your name. You grew up, Hermione, from that brave young Gryffindor into a woman who can hold her head up high with the most class and poise I've ever seen in a single person. I don't know how you've done it. You suffered losses the same as I did. You were as much of a sister to Fred and Ginny as I was a brother and you just get on with it. When Ron died, seeing you in the hospital nearly killed me. I couldn't stand seeing you so upset and angry with him for being so fucking stupid." Charlie looked to the floor to hide his tears. "When I came home from Romania, I got to know you. And it's been the best two years of my life, I wouldn't change it for all the things in the world. To you I must be like an older brother, like the others, but you're more than that to me Hermione. You're my best friend, my confidante. When I realised, I got this place. I couldn't stay around the Burrow anymore as I didn't want to ruin our friendship over some stupid mistake I was bound to make. I said I got a job at the Haven in Wales, and I did, but I don't work there as much as I say I do. I come here whenever I think I'm about to say something I'll regret to hide from it all for a few hours. I hate to see you hurting, and I know you do. You loved him and he killed himself with his own stupidity. I'm no good with emotions, Hermione. I hide beneath dragons and joking around when the going gets tough. I've had enough though, it's been three years and I can't hide anymore. I need to tell you how I truly feel. I can't stand this life, ever since Ron died I tried looking for things worth living for. Then I got it. I realised I was living for you. If you weren't Ron's friend, I would never have met you at the Quidditch World Cup, and I would never have thought about you constantly until I saw you again at Bill's wedding. When I saw you there, with Ron, my heart broke. I was jealous that he had a bond with you that was so strong you were willing to die for each other and it broke my heart to see him waste his life away while you fight for him, even now. I love you, Hermione, and it breaks my heart to know that you loved Ron more than you could ever love me."
"Charlie... I don't... I don't know what to say"
"Please say something. Do something. Just don't make me sit in silence." Hermione brought his hands up to her mouth and kissed his knuckles.
"You're right, you know. I did love Ron. He was the brother that my own parents never gave me. But that was different, Charlie. He was like a brother. I don't see you like a brother at all. To me, you're a handsome, independent, Knight in shining armour. After he died, do you remember when I cried for him? I broke down in front of you and you were the only one that let me cry. I needed you Charlie, like I've never needed anyone before. Not even Harry could have helped me then. I grew stronger and more determined. With you around at the Burrow I felt less alone. Sure, I still had Harry, but he's in number twelve now, and hardly ever comes out. You were the rock that I needed to get back on track. With you there as a constant in my life, I knew I could get a job with the Ministry and if it all went wrong, you would be there as my shoulder to cry on. Seeing you go back to work was the push that I needed. Before you started coming to the Ministry with your work, I was a pencil pusher. I didn't interrogate anyone, or question anything, but you helped me. You were my reminder of Ron, and Fred, and Tonks and everyone else who died that I wasn't the only one suffering. I had to do it, not only for Ron, but for Harry, and you, and your parents. We all lost somebody that night and I had the opportunity to make it right, but I wasn't doing anything. Charlie, I love you. I'm just sorry it's taken me so damn long to realise it." This was the first time that Hermione had truly opened up to someone. Not even when she was hunting horcruxes and she spent nearly a year in a tent with Ron and Harry did she open up like this. Hermione felt relieved to have shared her burden with someone else. She felt responsible for so many deaths, and now Charlie knew, she didn't feel like the world would swallow her whole.
Charlie was the one who instigated the kiss. He leaned forward and pressed his dry and cracked lips into Hermione's soft rosy ones. He held the kiss before breaking it to lean against Hermione's forehead with his own. He looked into her eyes, swimming with tears. They spoke volumes that neither of them could articulate.
"That's what I've been afraid of doing these past few years. Please forgive me" Charlie whispered to Hermione. She responded by kissing him back with all the fiery passion that she could muster. Her hands found the back of his head where she ran her hands through his long red hair. She pulled the leather strap that held it in a low ponytail and let it fall to the floor.
"Hermione" Charlie panted between kisses. "I don't want you to... start something you'll... regret"
"I've wanted this since you came back" was the only answer she gave before she leaned back in to kiss him and forced him onto his back on the low cream sofa. Charlie pulled Hermione close to him, deepening the kiss. He ran his tongue along the crease between her lips and she granted him access to her mouth. As they fought for dominance, primal desire washed over Hermione as she grasped and fumbled for the buttons on Charlie's shirt. As the last of the buttons fell to the floor in Hermione's haste, Charlie wrapped a strong, dragon toughened arm around her and swapped their positions. Hermione moaned into the kiss as they moved.
"Am I going to have to tie your hands, Granger?" Charlie growled into Hermione's neck and kisses turned into bites. He moved skilfully down her neck and was moving his head down between the mounds of her breasts, lapping up the taste of her skin. His hands brushed over the material of the green dress he had bought her and cursed its existence before he vanished it with a flick of his wand.
Hermione's hands made their way under Charlie's shirt to touch as much skin as she could. As he held himself up, Hermione felt the muscles of his back and shoulders tensing with the self restraint it took for him to not have his way with her right now. Her hands moved to push the shirt back off his shoulders to expose his scarred torso and threw the offending item of clothing to the floor. Her hands swiftly moved towards the button on the trousers which she undid quickly. Her hand went straight to his cock and with swift strokes down the shaft, Charlie was becoming feral with his responses.
"Fuck... that feels... aah" he moaned as he took her breast into his mouth, biting her hard nipple through the material of her bra. She threw her head back at the feeling of his teeth.
"I need you, Charlie... I want you, inside me" was all Hermione could say. Charlie used his knee to push her legs apart and his hand stopped on the outside of her cotton underwear. He placed his hand tentatively over her most intimate area. She encouraged him by placing her hand over his and started to move his fingers in circles.
"The- there Charlie... Just... Ahh" Hermione's guttural moans and knowing what she wants made Charlie more eager to make her scream. He could feel the dampness of her and he couldn't tease any longer. He needed to touch her. He pulled her underwear down from her hips and to her ankles and then kissed, bit and licked his way up the inside of her thighs until he reached the place he wanted the most. He cautiously flicked at her moist folds with an experience tongue and she hissed through her teeth "Fuck... So good". With this encouragement he increased his actions by inserting two long fingers into her deep wetness while licking her swollen clitoris. The movement of his fingers caused Hermione's back to arch off the sofa and grab fistfuls of Charlie's hair so stop her from losing herself completely.
"Get in me... Charlie... Need you" and with no more encouragement needed, he pulled his fingers from within her heat and broke the contact between them. While he removed his trousers and boxers she watched and brought her own hand to stimulate herself, a sight that almost made Charlie come before he even got near her.
"If you keep doing that, I'll come before I get near you" Charlie hissed when he grabbed Hermione's hand and sucked her now wet fingers into his mouth. He tasted something uniquely Hermione and he devoured it. When he had licked and sucked the taste from her hand, he pulled her hips towards the edge of the low cream sofa and lined the tip of his painfully hard shaft with her wet opening.
"Say my name when you come" Hermione breathed into his neck and he plunged deep into her. The feel of Charlie filling her nearly pushed her over the edge, so she bit hard onto the place where his neck joined to shoulder. Charlie started his deep, hungry thrusts into Hermione, with a groan from him and a whimper from her to match each one. The tightening of Hermione's wet walls caused Charlie to shoot streams of hot cum into her.
"Hermione... Fuck Hermione" Charlie grunted into her hair as he thrust through his own orgasm. The feeling of cum filling her caused Hermione to lose her inhibitions and ride her orgasm through for what felt like days, all the while biting hard into Charlie's collarbone to stop her screaming at the top of her lungs. Once she had come down from her euphoric bliss, she dismounted his spent cock and lay with her face towards him, placing loving, open mouthed kisses over the angry bite marks and bruises on his shoulder.
"Does this change things, Hermione?" Charlie tentatively asked, now unsure of his relationship with the woman. Was this pity sex, reckless shagging or full on love making?
"We can be true to ourselves. We don't need to pretend we didn't want this to happen" Was Hermione's reply.
Within a year, Charlie and Hermione made the suburban London house their home. They lived with her book collection that Charlie thought was growing exponentially and a new Border Collie puppy they named Red. It was playful like Fred and had Ron's large trusting eyes. They sat on the same low cream sofa where they had first made love to each other planning their wedding.
"How can this be so damn difficult?" Hermione was stressed. Was it pink or red flowers she wanted? Roses or forget-me-nots? Charlie calmly lifted the florist's brochure out of her hand and threw it across the room.
"A wise old woman told me once that you have to be true to yourself" Charlie mused to himself. Hermione turned and smiled at him, thoroughly surprised that he'd remembered what she told him nearly a year ago to the day.
"Hey, less of the old!" She said with a playful hit on the arm. She reached up and kissed him and ran her hands through his long red hair. She broke the kiss and asked "Just go with it, right?"
Fin.