Back on the top of the rock face, Hermione was screaming for Charlie. She was sprinting along the track the river took while keeping her eyes on the waters surface. She used her wand to ferociously cut down branches and trees that were in her way, not caring about who saw or heard her. She wanted desperately to apperate to him but she couldn't or she'd end up in the same rapids Charlie was in.
She came to the first set of rapids where the walls of the river became narrower and more dangerous. She climbed down in the hope if getting as close as she could to the waters edge.
"Charlie? Charlie can you hear me?" she screamed, eyes scanning the rocks as she went. Fifteen precious minutes of searching gave her no results so she caught her breath and climbed back up to the trail she was following.
Running as fast as her legs would allow she made her way along the river all the while searching for Charlie. She stopped at every series of rapids to look, relief washing over her when she realised that he wasn't there. After nearly an hour running following the path of the water she had to slow down. Hermione's legs were burning and breathing became painful and forced. She was scared for her friend, all she wanted to know was if Charlie was alive or if she'd be going back to Molly with bad news. With the slower pace, Hermione took the time to take in her surroundings; noticing the markings in the rock that Charlie had used to judge his speed and distance. Were they muggle or magical?
She paused, wasting seconds she could be using to find Charlie to catch her breath and work out her position. After running along the river for nearly an hour she had moved nearly three miles inland and the surroundings had changed. There were more trees and hanging vines and the waterway was more obviously man made. She wouldn't allow herself to muse over these new findings until she found Charlie. Picking up the pace once more she saw a smaller set of rapids, where the water was still as fierce but didn't wash downstream as far. At the bottom the river had widened into a lagoon, where tranquillity was at the top of the agenda. Surrounding the pleasant pool were trees, standing on their roots around the shoreline and vines lazily falling from the branches.
"If there was a place for Charlie to get out of the water, it would be here" Hermione reasoned to herself. She had run for the last ten minutes, pushing herself as fast as her body would let her. With her hand in her knees, she leaned over and panted in great lungfuls of air to satisfy the oxygen debt that was slowly building in her muscles. With her head now raised, Hermione scanned the opposite shore looking for the flash of red hair or the fleshy pinkness of Charlie's body contrasting against the green and browns of the shore.
Nothing.
She moved to the left and paced, stopping every few feet to look again. She tried everything: squinting, shielding her eyes from the sun, standing on her toes, ducking down to water level but nothing worked.
"CHARLIE!" she called. She brought her hands up to block out the sun as she looked again. "Charlie Weasley?"
"Nope, I'm not seeing anything out there" a rough voice to her right said. Nearly jumping out of her skin, Hermione spun around in disbelief. She couldn't work out what she was seeing.
"Charlie! I'm going to- Just what do you think-" she started as she pulled Charlie into a hug. She held him tight, not wanting him to be so foolish ever again. This was Charlie Weasley of course, so of course he was going to be foolish again. "Oh Merlin, your arm!" she stammered.
"Aah, it's only a flesh wound" he brushed it off as nothing. His ego was severely damaged and needed something to repair it with and sympathy from Hermione was at the top of the list. "If you want to play doctors and nurses I'll be happy to comply" he added with a smile and a wink.
"Charlie, you know I can see right through you so sit down so I can clean you up" she said, semi-sternly. "You look terrible" she added with a smirk.
"You women are all the same... Always trying to get me out of my clothes" he muttered as climbing shoes and wet suit trousers were carefully rolled away from bruised and battered skin. Hermione noticed a limp in Charlie's right leg and that he was cradling his right arm to his body; the side on which his shoulder was gouged open and was still bleeding heavily.
After transfiguring a dead branch into a blanket and ordering Charlie to sit down, Hermione started with the shoulder and began healing. She cast an augmenti charm to wash away blood and dirt before she traced the cut with her wand to close the wound. Charlie hissed as the cut closed, knitting together under Hermione's watchful eye. He was still cradling his arm and so Hermione took it softly within her hands and ran her fingers over bones and muscles. His wrist was dislocated.
"Charlie" Hermione started softly. "This is going to hurt, even if I use magic"
She placed the back of her palm on the top on Charlie's wrist and softly counted to three and jarred Charlie's wrist back into place.
"Fuck me sideways" Charlie cursed. His eyes were shut tight, his lashes fluttering from the pain. He didn't let any tears escape them, but every muscle in his face tensed as his bones popped back in line.
"I'm so sorry Charlie, I had to do it" Hermione felt awful for putting Charlie in pain like that. She knew she had no other choice.
"Don't worry about it" he said, brushing it off as nothing. "It had to be done"
"I'll just close up that big cut on your leg and I'll stop" she said, looking anywhere but at Charlie's naked lower half. Neither of them was shy or awkward around each other, but seeing each other naked and vulnerable was a different issue altogether. In Hermione's eyes, Charlie was all man with his wide shoulders, long ragged hair and a body of an Adonis that was scarred from years of dragons and quiddich. He was also very confident and proud which made Hermione respect him even more; even when naked.
Charlie was ordered to turn onto his side so Hermione could run her wand over the cut on the side of his thigh. It was long, but not too deep so the pain only lasted a few seconds.
"There you go" Hermione said triumphantly. "You'll have a scar, but you can just add them to the ones you have already" she said with a smile. Pointing her wand at the ruined wetsuit, Hermione transfigurered them into a pair of khaki shorts. She also cast similar spells on rocks and twigs for boots and a shirt. "We can rest up here for a while and then I'll apperate us back. Did you lose anything when you fell?"
"Only my wand, and my dignity" he said with a small smile as he pulled on the shorts. He was deeply saddened at losing his wand. It was one of the first things he got when he was eleven that hadn't belonged to Bill at some stage.
"Don't worry about it, we can get you a new one when we get back home" Hermione said encouragingly. She lay back on the blanket and closed her eyes; today was one of those days.
Charlie was still sat with his arms resting on his knees. He turned to look at Hermione who was resting next to him. He couldn't believe she was so frantic when he'd fallen. He didn't know what possessed him, but he leaned down to her slightly open mouth and kissed her. It wasn't a groundbreaking or earth moving kiss, just a kiss.
Under him, Hermione jumped and her eyes flew open and her hands nestled in Charlie's hair. She was kissing him back. The kiss broke and they looked at each other, lips glistening and slightly swollen.
"You have no idea how much I've wanted to do that" Charlie said with a smile.
"Are you sure you didn't hit your head when you fell?" she said while brushing his hair back. It was still damp and the water ran off her fingers.
"I don't know, maybe." he admitted. "If I hadn't I wouldn't have had the balls to do it" Hermione looked up into his eyes and smiled.
"Kiss me again"
Their mouths met again, more sure and passionate this time. Hermione pulled Charlie down onto the blanket, her hands twisting in his hair as she pulled him on top of her.
The kiss became passionate, their hands moving fast as they ghosted over each others bodies. Charlie swapped their positions so his injured wrist wasn't supporting his weight. His hands moved to Hermione's back where they followed the zip of her wetsuit up her spine until he reached her neck. He tentatively played with it waiting for reassurance
"Please Charlie" Hermione breathed as her kisses moved to Charlie's jaw. "Unzip me"
That was all the reassuring he needed. Hooking the fabric tab around his forefinger he pulled, the tearing sound of the zip amplified in the quiet surroundings. He pulled the zip right to the end of its line where it stopped just above Hermione's rear and then softly trailed his fingers up her now naked spine. She felt scars and imperfections but he didn't care, he softly played with her until she could bear it no longer. Without warning, Hermione lifted herself from Charlie's body to straddle him as she rolled the material from her arms.
"Jesus Hermione" Charlie said in awe. He looked up from his position on the ground and saw the girl he once thought of as a bookish friend of his siblings as a tantalising specimen of a woman. Try as he might, Charlie couldn't keep his hands from her any longer and he pulled her back down to kiss and devourer her mouth.
Between kisses and frantic hair pulling Hermione broke away to grab her wand and wordlessly cast a contraceptive charm. As she placed it back on the ground next to them, Charlie reached for it.
"Exuere devestivi" he muttered as he touched the tip of it to both of their bodies. Within an instant, the rest of their clothing had been removed and Hermione was smiling.
"Latin? Really?" she smiled.
"I hear girls love it when men know a different language" Charlie retorted to a loud laugh from the woman currently pinning him down. As she threw her head back and slightly pressed her hips into Charlie's groin, he brought his fingers to her most intimate part, softly stroking her outer folds.
There was a sharp intake of breath from Hermione, surprised by the sudden feelings of hands on her. She was wet and Charlie took full advantage of it, using it to slide his fingers deep inside.
"Shit Charlie" Hermione said through gritted teeth. She was still straddling him, her head thrown back in pleasure as her arms gripped his legs behind her. Charlie smirked, watching her face as he toyed with her. He watched as her breasts moved as her breathing became faster and more ragged.
Charlie was hard now, there was no denying it. He needed Hermione and with regret he removed his hand from Hermione's wet centre and brought his fingers up to his mouth. He sucked the taste from them, allowing her flavour to wash over his tongue.
"You taste fucking amazing" Charlie said as his voice became deeper. Hermione lifted herself slightly and Charlie took his penis into his own hand as she lowered herself onto him. He slid in slowly; careful not to hurt her.
After letting out breaths their neither realised they were holding they smiled.
"I never thought I'd be doing this with you" Charlie mused. "You were always so untouchable back home"
"Well I'm not out here" she replied with a coy smile. "Touch me, Charlie"
With that, Hermione started to slowly and tentatively to move up and down on Charlie's penis, feeling his hard shaft moving within her. Beneath her, Charlie's breathing became frenzied, small growls betraying his lips as he placed his hands on Hermione's waist and moved with her rolling hips.
As they moved the tension built between them. Hermione and Charlie moved as one, twisting hands in each others hair and dragging nails down skin, a sheen of sweat clinging to it.
They made love on the blanket until their breath hitched and they grasped each other as they climaxed together. As they came down from their high they lay together smiling and content. Charlie pulled Hermione close and placed his arm around her shoulders.
"Hey Hermione?" Charlie asked while stroking her shoulder.
"Yes Charlie?"
"Are things going to get weird between us?"
For now...
