Just before noon on Saturday Hermione gave Charlie a tearful goodbye and stepped up to the portkey that would take her back to England. She felt like her heart was breaking when she looked over at Charlie. Just as she seriously considered walking away from the portkey she felt the pull in her
navel and in a short while was landing with a thump at the Ministry of Magic portkey office.
Molly and Arthur were both there waiting for her. Molly quickly pulled her into a big hug and Arthur gave her a quick hug. "Now Hermione tell us all about your trip. How is Charlie, did you like the reserve, is he eating well, did you like the dragons?"
Hermione laughed at Molly, "Molly please one question at a time. Charlie is fine he eats three meals a day in the dining hall. He has lots of friends and the reserve is amazing. I would love to live there. Oh and I have to make sure to tell Hagrid that Norbert is Noreen and she misses him and hopes he comes for a visit."
Arthur got a kick out of that and laughed. "Well let's get you home and you can tell all of us about your trip. Ginny was pouting when we left because she wanted to come meet you. She's missed you."
The three of them went up to Arthur's office and flooed into the house. There were only three floos open to the Burrow now, it used to be you could floo in and out but after a crazy flooed into the house it was stopped; the floo in Arthur's office, the floo in Minerva's office and the floo at 12 Grimmauld Place were all that were attached. Since Arthur had become Minister of Magic a lot had changed at the Burrow.
It had been expanded and didn't look as ramshackle; it also had very strong wards around it. Even stronger then during the war, only the immediate family could apperate into the outer wards and no one except for Arthur could apperate directly to the front porch.
Molly went through the floo first then Hermione and finally Arthur who had stopped at his desk to gather some work to do at home. As soon as Hermione stepped out the floo she was pounced on by Ginny. "I've missed you so much, do you know how hard it is to have a good conversation with this lot."
Hermione gave Ginny a hug and then stepped back, "I'm sure it's not easy, I've missed you to but I loved every minute of the trip. The reserve is fabulous and I've got a ton of pictures. OH and Ginny the baby dragons are so adorable I loved feeding them and playing with them."
Ron and Harry finally interrupted the two girls and gave Hermione a hug. Welcome home 'Mione they both said while hugging her. Hermione missed the boys but she was already missing Charlie desperately.
Molly scurried around and got lunch on the table and then had Hermione tell them all about the trip. As they ate Hermione told them all about Norbert and the babies. About how huge the reserve was and also about being able to mind talk with the dragons. They all looked impressed with that.
As Molly brought out desert Hermione pulled some packages out of her pockets and wandlessly unshrunk them. Ginny knew that Hermione had been working really hard on the wandless magic but no one else did. So not only did the wandless magic catch their attention but the gifts put them all
over the top.
Hermione had gotten Ron and Harry, both a wizard chess set that was made up of different types of dragon's as the chess pieces. Ginny had a new bracelet, Molly new perfume and Arthur had a new attaché case to carry his paper work in. Hermione had also picked up gifts for Teddy, Victoria and
the twins.
Molly told Hermione that everyone would be at the Burrow for lunch tomorrow so she could give them their presents. Just as Hermione was helping Ginny and Molly pick up the table and start the dishes to washing the wards went off.
Hermione looked out the window to see Fred and George and the Patil twins walking up the walk. The boys waved at Hermione and came sweeping in the kitchen the two of them sandwiched her into a big hug. "So how is our big brother doing" Fred exclaimed and George finished the sentence, "and
did you bring us anything back?"
Hermione laughed and tried to take a deep breath as they squeezed her a little tighter. "You aren't getting anything if you don't let go of me." Hermione looked over at the Patil twins and noticed they didn't seem too happy to have their boyfriends hugging her. When the boys finally stepped back she smiled at the girls, "Welcome to the family, Molly owled Charlie and I the night you guys got engaged." The girls faces relaxed a little and Hermione took the next step.
"Now if these lugs you are engaged to will behave I have something for all four of you. And an engagement present for each couple from Charlie. Let me run up to my room and get everything, I'll be right back."
When Hermione came back down Ron, Harry, Ginny and the two couples were sitting at the table talking and sipping on cups of tea. "Here we go, the larger present is from Charlie for your engagements and the smaller are from me."
The Patil twins opened their packages and found beautiful necklaces and the boys opened theirs to find special and hard to find ingredients to use for experimenting on new products.
Fred and George were impressed; Hermione had brought them dragon blood, scales and other hard to find and rare ingredients. Of course this started another round of hug sandwiches for her.
When she finally got lose she encouraged them to open the gift from Charlie. He had sent both couples protective charms for their houses; these were very rare and Romania was one of the few places that you could find them.
Both couples went Wow together. Hermione was pretty impressed also, she hadn't seen what Charlie had gotten them he said it was a surprise.
"Wow I knew that he had put Pete out hunting for something but he wouldn't tell me what. That's quiet an engagement present."
The whole group nodded and Fred spoke up, "Charlie is really a great guy, I'm glad the two of you have each other. We had to make sure you became a Weasley."
Hermione scowled at Fred, "Who's to say I will become a Weasley I may just keep my own name. Especially since I will be a Potion Mistress."
The boys all looked shocked and Ginny and the Patil twins just rolled laughing at the look on Fred, George, Ron and Harry's faces. Ginny finally was able to take a breath, "I wish you guys could see your own faces. Really Hermione has been known as Granger for her entire life she is also someday going to
be extremely famous I just know it. She's already set to apprentice with Snape and he's at the present time the best Potion Master in Europe. Knowing how smart Hermione is I can see why she would want to keep her name or maybe even hyphenate it. Now me when Harry and I marry I'm taking Potter
no hyphenation or anything."
The group continued to visit for rest of the afternoon, Hermione took a few minutes to write Charlie a note and send it off with her owl. As dinner approached Molly ran them all out of the kitchen, so they moved to the back garden to continue their conversations. The boys took turns playing Chess
with their new boards and the girls talked.
Hermione saw the Patil twins relax as the afternoon wore on and she finally asked about their wedding plans. The two girls went into great detail, they said that their mother wanted them to get married in India but that they had both put their feet down and said no.
They went on to describe their dresses and Hermione started to tune them out. She nodded where appropriate but turned her thoughts to Charlie and what he would be doing right now. It helped being at the reserve because now when he told her about his day she knew what it looked like.
Ginny noticing Hermione's glazed look took up the conversation with the twins so that Hermione could continue to space. When Molly called them to dinner, Ginny walked in with Hermione.
"So where did you go while the twins were going off on their wedding plans?"
Hermione was startled, "Was it that obvious?"
"No, but I've been friends with you since my first year, and I've shared the same room with you for many years."
Sorry I was thinking about Charlie and what he would be doing right now. I know sad isn't it? But, Ginny I truly love the reserve and now I know he won't be happy teaching. I hate knowing that he will be miserable for a year just to be close to me."
"Let him come for the year he can go back he just has a leave of absence and who knows he may actually like it. He's never done anything but take care of dragons; this is his chance to spread his wings. And besides that we have the twins wedding in the spring so he will be home for that."
"I guess but I know how sad I am to be away from the reserve and I was only there for one week. I can't imagine how he's going to feel."
The girls sat down and continued to chat through dinner, after dinner the twins took their fiancée's home and the rest of the family settled in for the evening.
Hermione started reading her new textbooks that had came while she was gone. Ginny watched Harry and Ron play yet another game of Chess and Arthur and Molly talked; just a typical evening at home.
***************
Meanwhile at the reserve Charlie was working with a new dragon they got in; helping to get him settled and getting to know him. But, at the same time his mind was miles and miles away with Hermione. He couldn't believe how lonely he was without her at the reserve.
Everywhere he went he thought of her, and the tent felt absolutely empty without her. He could still smell her apples and vanilla sent on the pillows. He took the jersey that she had slept in while at the reserve under his pillow because it smelled like her.
He honestly didn't know how he was going to be able to stand it till Christmas without her close.
Pete noticed that Charlie was lost in his own thoughts. He was sure he knew what was wrong but didn't know what to do to help him.
"You miss that little thing of yours don't you Charlie?"
Charlie looked over at Pete, "That little thing has a name, Hermione. And yes I miss her something terrible. It feels like a piece of me is missing."
"You've got it bad; I know you are taking the year leave of absence to be closer. Do you think you are going to be ok till Christmas?"
"Well I have to be, I know I'm going to be miserable away from the reserve but, I'm miserable here right now."
Pete just shook his head and followed Charlie to the dining hall.
