A/N: I'm so sorry, I've been having a rough time right now. Just bear with me. JKR owns Harry Potter. R&R
Forgiveness
He hadn't been home in a while, and he couldn't bring himself to just walk inside just yet. He had his bag slung over his shoulder, and was looking up at the building that was standing tall over him, he knew that it was the home he had grown up in, but he was nervous that everything was going to be different. He let out a sigh, this would be the first time that he would see his family since the funeral.
Charlie had taken the death of his younger brother very hard. He blamed himself a lot, he blamed himself for not being able to be at the castle when he was needed. It had taken Hermione saying something to him a few weeks ago to realize that he didn't need to blame himself. He still hadn't spoken with his mother though, and he was honestly scared to. He knew that she was understanding, and she understood the position he had been put in, but he also knew how emotional she was.
He set his shoulders and took a deep breath, hiking his bag up further onto his shoulder. He walked to the front door, and reached up to knock. He paused and shook his head, he shouldn't knock. He let his hand fall onto the handle and he slowly opened the door. He made sure to open the door slowly so that he didn't make any noise, he didn't want to wake them up if anyone was asleep. He stepped inside and set his bag down on the bench next to the door. He shut the door quietly as he stepped inside, and made his way further into the house. He peeked into the living room and saw his mother and father sitting side by side on the couch, a fire dying down in the fireplace in front of them. He smiled and stepped into the living room, his boots clicking as he stepped off of the carpet. His mother looked up, and as soon as she saw him, she jumped up.
"Charlie? Is that really you?" She said, and he laughed.
"Hey mum, got a week of leave, you mind if I stay here for a bit?" He said, laughing a little as she quickly made her way over to him.
"Oh, don't be silly young man." She said, pulling him into a hug. He smiled, and hugged her tightly back. He was by far the shortest of all the men in his large family, measuring only a head higher than his mother. He randomly thought about this fact while they hugged until he realized that Hermione was just a few inches shorter than him. He shook the thought away, and looked at his mother.
"Hey mum, I am kinda hungry, is there any food?" He asked, and she patted his arm.
"Of course, let me just whip something up." She said, and he bent down and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"Thank you, I think I'll stay in here, catch up with Dad." He said, and his mum nodded.
"Okay, be back in a jiff." She said, disappearing into the kitchen. Charlie looked over at his dad, who was staring at him in silence. They stayed like that for a moment before Charlie broke the silence.
"I'm so sorry Dad." He choked out. "I couldn't be there to help you… I'm so sorry." He said, and a couple tears escaped his eyes as his father enveloped him into a hug.
"It's not your fault son, and it's all over now. We're safe now." His dad said, and Charlie nodded, taking a deep breath. It calmed him to hear his dad tell him that it was okay. He took a deep breath and he and his dad looked at each other for a moment before clearing their throats at the same time.
"So, son how has work been?" He asked Charlie, and they sat down together on the couch.
"Well, these last couple months have been interesting." Charlie said, and his dad looked over at him.
"Why's that?" He asked.
"Well…" He paused for a moment, he had figured that Hermione would have sent them letters telling them everything. "I just finished training Hermione. She just passed her test, she's a Dragon Keeper now." He said proudly, he knew that she would be an amazing dragon keeper.
"Hermione? She.. she did what?" He heard his mum say from the doorway leading to the kitchen. "Charlie? How did she do that?"
"Wait, I thought she told you guys?" He said, confused. He looked over at his dad, who had a guilty look on his face.
"Molly, I must have forgotten to tell you, I found out at work." He said, and Charlie looked back and forth between them.
"Well… It's her choice, just not something I could see a sweet girl like her going into that profession." She said, and she brought him a large sandwich with crisps on a plate. "Here you are dear." She said, handing it to him.
"Thanks mum." He said, taking the plate and thinking about how much his mum was wrong about Hermione, she was strong, and fierce. He knew that dragon keeper was what she was meant to be, but he could see why people wouldn't be able to see her that way. Some people would probably only be able to see her as part of the Golden Trio.
He finished his sandwich before he could even realize it, he had been thinking about Hermione the whole time. His mother and father had continued to speak about what they had just found out while he ate his food. He tuned back into the conversation, they were now talking about Hermione and Ron and what had happened. His dad was trying to convince his mother that Hermione had moved on, that she and Ron wouldn't be getting back together anytime soon. His mum was trying to say that she was sure that they would be getting back together anytime now.
"Um.. Mum?" Charlie interrupted. His mum looked over to him, her eyebrows raised.
"Yes dear?" She asked him.
"Mum, Hermione has changed so much, I don't think that they are going to get back together. She is a different person now." Charlie said softly, trying to be gentle with his mother.
"No dear, I'm sure of it. She's going to be a part of this family." His mother said, and he shook his head.
"Mum, she already is part of this family. She doesn't have to marry into it too." Charlie said, waving his wand and his plate disappeared, he had sent it to the kitchen. "I'm really tired, I think I'm going to go to bed." He said, and he stood up. "Mum… Hermione is special. Don't try to get her to do anything that she doesn't want to do." He said, turning and going up the stairs to his room.