Chapter Three: The Vial That Crashes.


Charlie moaned in pain as he felt something poking consistently into his side. Merlin, he couldn't that poking stop! Mumbling softly he tried to swat away the offending object. But instead his hand came into stinging contact with flesh.

"OW!" he heard a female voice yell.

Charlie sat up roughly at the unfamiliar voice, but the throbbing pressure from his head caused him to lie back down just as quickly.

"Merlin!" he growled as he pressed his fingering into the temples.

"Did you have to hit me?" the voice asked in return.

"You were poking me, and who the hell are you!" Charlie demanded without opening his eyes.

"Open your eyes." The voice replied, ignoring everything he had said.

Charlie hesitantly cracked his eyes opened, and was relieved when he found the room wad dimly lit.

"I turned off a few of the lights because I had a feeling that it might hurt your eyes." That voice explained.

Charlie looked around through squinted eyes, where the hell was that voice coming from?

Suddenly a young woman loomed over him with a halo of curls adorning her face.

"Hello." She said as she knelt beside him.

Charlie looked at her carefully, and then shut his eyes in horror.

This was Hermione Granger.

After Harry, Fred and George had come charging into the room to stop this plan; the ladies had stupefied them and then promptly dragged him over to the floo to haul him to Hermione's apartment.

"Just get her to show up at the New Year's party. One way or another." His mother had demanded before his little, baby sister had pointed her wand at him and knocked him out.

Now as he looked up at the young woman hovering next him he saw just what a mess he got himself into.

Her hair was wild, going in every which way. He wouldn't be surprised if it constantly got stuck in doors. How could anyone manage that much hair!

Her face was still round and heart shaped though he could see the maturity in it. Hermione's eyes were the same brown color that he had seen when he was younger, and he found that he couldn't be bothered to register the rest of her features.

His eyes went to slide to see the rest of her when Hermione's snapped her fingers in front of his face causing him to jerk back.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Taking in the exasperation in her tone, he had a feeling that that wasn't the first time that she asked.

"Uhh, yeah. Yeah. I'm alright… I guess." Charlie stuttered.

He watched as she waved her wand over him in a manner that he was quite sure he could never pull off.

Yup, definitely a book worm.

"Right." Hermione said as she took support of the couch to stand on her feet.

"You do know how you ended up here?" she asked as she helped him to sit up on the couch.

Charlie was surprised to feel the sharp tug in his abdomen.

"Ow." He muttered.

He listened as Hermione burst out laughing.

"That's all you can say? Ow? You went through a lot , most people would still be crying because of the pain."

Charlie looked down and saw what she meant; he was covered in white plasters and strips of cloth. He should be in a lot more pain with the amount of bruises on his body.

"You heal very well." He couldn't help but admit. If she worked at the reserve then the time spent in the infirmary would probably be cut by half or even more.

"Thank you." She replied as she handed him a tray of food.

Charlie gingerly leaned forward to take the spoon and began to munch on the food not aware of Hermione's calculating eyes.

Hermione wasn't stupid. Far from that, she was called the brightest witch of her age wasn't she? When the entire Weasley clan came just to drop of their brother Hermione felt that tiny tug of suspicion. When they left without a hint of struggle on Hermione's part, that suspicion grew. To top it off they didn't even push her to come to the party. Then to confirm all suspicions she saw the hexes that had been flung on Charlie. She could always identify Ginny's bat bogey hex, and lavender's Furunculous Curse which Hermione had personally taught her. It was clear Charlie was part of some elaborate plan to get her to the New Year's party.

She knew they wouldn't just give up, but what did Charlie have to do with it? It was during his healing process that it had clicked. They were going to make Charlie charm her, and then during his stay here he would probably ask her out. Thus, she wouldn't be alone at the party, and they would expect her to come.

The Weasley ladies were cunning, she had to admit that. Had it been anyone but her their plan wouldn't have been this obvious? But she was Hermione- know-it-all- Granger and nothing got past her.

Now as she sat there staring at Ginny's older brother she could just feel the vibes of uncertainty and uncomfort rolling off of him.

She knew exactly what was going on, Charlie clearly wasn't an innocent bystander in this.

Hermione decided to cut to the chase.

"So when are you planning to seduce me into coming with you to the New Year's party? You know, just so I can look really pretty when I say no."

Charlie, who had been carefully sipping the onion soup she made for him, sprayed the contents of his mouth across the room and directly on her.

Hermione's lip immediately curled in disgust as she used her sleeve to wipe off some of the offending soup.

"How in Merlin's name did you know that!" he yelled, not bothering to apologize.

Hermione opened her mouth to reply when Charlie cut her off.

"Oh! You all planned this didn't you? You just wanted to play a fun game of Threaten-Charlie-Then-Beat-Him-Up! Oooo when I get my hands on mum, and Ginny, and Fleur, and Lavender ----"

"You are such an idiot, how did your mum even think I would fall for you? She must have been really desperate." Hermione finally said, not interested in having Charlie continued with his list of the Weasley women.

"What!" Charlie said in indignation.

"Look, Charlie. I'm not stupid okay? I guessed that that was the case, and I'm assuming that I'm right?" Hermione said rudely. She was so angry at those Weasleys right now, but she decided to bury her emotions.

Charlie nodded, "Yeah but I was forced into it okay? I just walked into the dining room and they pounded on me. I wouldn't voluntarily date you."

Charlie realized the blow in his words when Hermione winced softly, but as he went to amend his statement she just waved her hand vaguely and said,

"I know we are definitely not each other's types." Hermione replied in a tight voice void of all the anger she felt. What type of idiots did they think she was into? Did they honestly expect their stupid offending brother was her type?

An awkward silence followed as Charlie chose to pick at his food. Finally Hermione decided to break the ice.

"So were you actually planning on seducing me, because I would love to see you try."

She honestly would have liked that. She would've have probably smacked him down like a fly.

Charlie had to admit that he liked her challenging aura.

Charlie laughed softly,

"Believe me babe I would've succeeded. Besides I wasn't planning to, I intended to tell you everything then have you find a way to get me out of it with my ball—I mean full body intact you know?"

Babe?

"You had that much fate in me?" Hermione called, amused at the way he amended his words for her.

Oh such a gentleman, she thought sarcastically as she leaned back in her chair.

"Hey! I heard you were the smartest witch around here, and clearly you are if you guessed this entire plan before I even mentioned anything."

Hermione nodded and went to say something when her little stopwatch bleeped loudly.

"Right." She said as she jumped up and grabbed a potion's bottle.

"We'll deal with later, just take this potion now."

Charlie curled his lip in distaste as she looked away his appetizing food and replaced it with the offending vial.

"Drink this." She commanded.

Charlie went to whine when he realized how childish that would seem. So with a quick prayer up to Merlin, Charlie dunked the vial down.

Surprisingly there was no taste to the potion, and he went to mention that when his world went black.

Once Charlie was knocked out but the sleep and healing potion, Hermione lost that hold on her emotions.

Before she could stop herself she flung the vial across the room and was surprised at how satisfied she was at the impact of the glass against the wall.

Hermione then stalked to her floo and called out Harry's office address before stepping into the fire place.

Harry always worked half day on Sundays because he took Saturdays off.

She stepped out and immediately stalked over to his desk.

Harry who was writing a letter to someone immediately stopped writing at her entrance.

When he saw the furious look on her face he instantly knew what happened. She had found out about the hook up just as he had warned Ginny. And bloody hell did she look furious. Harry and Ron had once done that, they had told her to come for dinner with them but actually when she showed up it was a blind date with one of Ron's fellow quidditch players who had begged him to get him a date with Hermione.

Harry and Ron hadn't been able to walk straight for a week after that fiasco, and not once did ever try that again.

"Oh Merlin. Hermione I tried to stop them." He begged in fear as he hand flew to point to the bruise on his cheek that he had gotten from them.

"How could they try to set me up like that!" she yelled.

Harry ran over to her and gathered her in a hug. He understood her perfectly, not only was she aware that she couldn't find her true love, but she did not need Ron's mother setting her up on blind dates in pity.

"I-gods I just want to strangle them all!"

Harry chuckled as he stroked her hair, "Love I hardly think that is what they mean by spreading Christmas cheer."

"Oh," she mumbled, "I would be extremely cheerful."

Harry laughed again, and hugged her tighter.

"I they didn't even get it right!" she cried out as tugged him closer, "He-Charlie is horrible! How could they even think that I would like someone like him?"

"Mione, they weren't thinking at all remember?" harry soothed.

Hermione nodded softly and then finally pulled away.

"I'm going to ditch work and call Ron, we need to make a revenge plan." Harry stated as he went to grab his coat.

"Revenge?" Hermione sniffled.

"No one gets away with making you sad, not even my wife and mother-in-law." Harry explained.

"Isn't me not showing up enough revenge?"

"No, of course not ! And I think Charlie should be a part of this. He may be an idiot but he was abused in this just like the rest of us."

"I don't like him." She stated.

"Why?" harry asked. He got along just fine with Charlie.

"I just don't." Hermione replied. She wasn't about to tell harry that she was hurt that a handsome man like Charlie wouldn't even bother to give her a second look. That stung- a lot.

"You don't have to like him to conspire a plan with him." Harry stated as he grabbed her hand and led them to the floo.


A/N: I am sooooooooooo sorry. I should've updated sooner, but I'm sorry I didn't. Please forgive me? Oh, and I need a beta please send me a review, or pm me if you are interested.

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Poll Time:

What should the revenge plan be?

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I have a vague idea but I want to hear what you guys have to say.

Read and Review.