Chapter 10: Alive
As Charlie and Hermione walked back to Gryffindor Tower, both of them were stunned by Professor Roberts' story.
"How terrible to accidentally turn your wife into a dragon for the rest of her life on top of losing a son at such a young age," whispered Hermione. Charlie looked over and saw tears start to pool in her eyes.
Professor Roberts' story unnerved Charlie greatly. He felt sick as their professor recounted his tale and all of a sudden stopped and peered out of the window. Hermione noticed Charlie wasn't walking along beside her anymore and peered around to see Charlie's eyes glazed over with a far-away look across his face.
"Charlie?" Hermione called out his name cautiously, worrying if he was okay. Charlie looked around at Hermione as a sudden idea popped into his head.
"Hermione, I want to go and visit Professor Roberts' wife," Charlie announced.
An incredulous look crossed Hermione's face as she said, "Charlie, the last time we went near her she spewed fire out of her mouth at us. Plus, even if we do go there, I doubt she'll care for two students who know who she really is. Don't forget, even though she is Professor Roberts' wife, she is a still a dragon."
"I simply don't believe that," Charlie muttered. He boldly took Hermione's hands in his own and said, "She's tethered to the ground, Hermione. With no one to talk to except for when Professor Roberts visits the forest. I doubt he does this frequently as it would look too obvious. We should go talk to her; I think it's the least we can do after he told us his secret."
Hermione peered into Charlie's eyes and suddenly realized the warmth coming from his hands. She nodded and said, "Let's go get out coats from Gryffindor Tower."
With that, the pair headed off to their dormitories, put on their heavy winter coats, and made their way back into the Entrance Hall. They pushed open the great front doors and stepped out into the winter air.
Snow was still falling as Charlie and Hermione trudged towards the Forbidden Forest. Both of the tips of their noses were bright red from the sting of the cold as they reached the edge of the trees.
With one final glance back at Hermione, Charlie continued onward with Hermione following in his wake. The pair pushed past entanglements and frozen shrubs, with their tips of their wands alight, hiking deeper and deeper into the forest.
"Charlie?" Hermione called out. Charlie whipped around with worry but only saw Hermione standing there looking at him.
"What? What's happened?" Charlie asked her.
Hermione looked behind her and held her wand higher. "I think someone is following us, Charlie. I keep hearing snapping and crunching sounds behind me." Hermione's face was flushed with worry.
Charlie's heart skipped a few beats. The pair of them was quite alone in the forest; they were so deep inside that the overcast sky was now covered by the thick foliage of the trees.
"Okay, let's change positions. I'll walk behind you," Charlie said as Hermione nodded and started forward again. Every couple of moments, Charlie could hear the same thing Hermione had described but every time he turned around, his wand aloft, he saw no one or nothing.
Charlie assumed the noise was them that because the forest was so grand, it was an echo of the sounds they were making. Deep in his thoughts, Charlie collided with Hermione which knocked her down onto the ground.
Flushed with worry, Charlie quickly bent over and picked Hermione up and steadied her on her feet. She mumbled an embarrassed "thank you" and pointed ahead of her.
In front of the two students, the great dragon was lying on the ground in a deep slumber. Charlie wondered if it was futile to come here in the first place and had every means of asking Hermione if she wanted to go back when suddenly, the nostrils of the dragon sniffed, taking in a new scent.
The dragon's eyes then opened and peered directly at Charlie and Hermione. Charlie heard Hermione whimper as he stepped in front, guarding her from the dragon's vicious gaze.
Charlie held his hands up in surrender and called out, "We're not here to hurt you. We just wanted to spend some time with you." The dragon's head lifted up slightly as if it were sizing up the two students.
"We know who you are, Ailsa." By calling her name, the dragon stood up suddenly and towered over the now quivering students. The dragon opened its mouth and uttered a mighty roar the shook the nearby trees.
Charlie threw back his arms and nestled Hermione directly behind his back. Now scared, he was prepared to tell Hermione to run. But something in the dragon's eyes held him back. He looked at her and saw what he thought was understanding.
The dragon lowered itself onto the ground and stared directly at the pair but this time, there was no trace of malice alight within her eyes. In fact, to Charlie, she looked quite forlorn and sad.
Charlie took a cautious step towards the dragon, his hands in the air, showing her he meant no harm.
"Charlie!" Hermione whispered furiously. He ignored her and continued to slowly walk towards the dragon, his gaze never once leaving her eyes. Although she looked over at him wearily, she didn't move.
In a few moments, Charlie found himself directly next the head of the dragon, the two staring directly at each other. Charlie felt a powerful wave of emotion sweep through him: a feeling of longing. Here was this dragon, who was once a beautiful wife to Professor Roberts, yet through unforeseen and complicated circumstances, here she was, now a dragon, tied to the ground, unfit for escape.
He reached out a hand and touched the thick scales of the dragon. It was chilly under his touch and he found himself wondering if the dragon was cold, sitting in the middle of the forest of the winter air.
Charlie saw Hermione peer around the trunk of a tree and he said, "Hermione, it's okay. I think it understands us. Come here." Hermione went white as a ghost. Nonetheless, her feet carried her over to Charlie but she did not touch the dragon.
"This is amazing, Hermione. This beautiful creature, once a woman; it feels enlightening. So magical and so majestic. How could dark magic create something so innocent?"
Charlie noticed Hermione's hands were still at her sides. He glanced down at her and grabbed one of her hands in his. He moved her hand over the violet scales of the dragon; Charlie felt Hermione tense up at the first touch, but she slowly eased her tension as she continued to touch the smooth scales.
Charlie and Hermione gazed into each other's eyes, smiling at one another. Then, behind Hermione, Charlie saw a movement of lights. A dozen or so fairies then flew silently from out of a tree. The dark setting was suddenly alight with red, pink, yellow, green, blue, and purple lights, as the fairies flew around Charlie and Hermione.
Charlie saw the fairy lights reflect magnificently off of the dragon's scales. Charlie let out a low laugh as he found himself moving closer and closer to Hermione. She gazed up at him in wonder as he caught her look of longing.
Everything in this exact moment felt right and alive. A small mist started stretching its way between the thick trees as the dragon's eyes drooped slightly. Charlie thought this must be a dream as surely this scene he was currently standing in only happened in fantasies and not reality.
As he and Hermione grew closer and closer together, Charlie broke the silence and started, "Hermione, there has been something I've been meaning to tell you."
Hermione started directly into Charlie's bright blue eyes. His short red hair was flattened against his head and his cheeks were rosy from the cold air. He noticed that no less than six fairies had situated themselves on Hermione's shoulders.
"Hermione -," began Charlie again, but was interrupted when Ailsa suddenly lifted her head. There was a sudden silence that punctured the air. The fragile moment Charlie and Hermione had just shared shattered. Hermione moved closer to Charlie and he put his arms protectively around her shoulders.
It was clear Ailsa sensed something moving about but Charlie did not know what. The fairies flew off, plunging the area in darkness. The mist slowly circled around the pair's feet as their breathing quickened.
A sudden SNAP of a nearby twig sent Hermione's hand to Charlie's where she crushed it with surprising force. Ailsa raised her head slowly and determinedly as she shot out a short line of fire. The fire flew in between two trees but nothing else moved.
Charlie didn't know if there was an animal lurking nearby or a person. Hermione was trembling furiously as Charlie tightened his grip on her. "Maybe we should head back now," Charlie said, surprising himself as he heard his voice come out steady and confident.
He felt Hermione nod her head against his shoulders and he looked back at Ailsa one more time. She looked at him with an intense gaze as he smiled and said, "Don't worry, we'll be back to keep you company." Charlie lightly patted Ailsa one final time and he and Hermione walked away.
Walking back through the forest, the clearing overhead thinned as Charlie and Hermione could make out the overcast sky that still hung overhead. The tension Charlie had felt for Hermione still hung heavy in his heart but instead of acting upon them, the pair headed back up to the castle, not noticing a third pair of footprints in the snow leading into the forest.
Throughout the rest of winter break, Charlie spent all of his time in Hermione's company. Over the break, the two became inseparable. The final day of the break, the two took to a classroom to practice their Patronus charms.
Charlie had to think of a different memory than being made Gryffindor Prefect over the summer as that memory was not strong enough to trigger a Patronus. Hermione was still able to produce wisps of blue, transparent vapor yet nothing of full form.
After two hours of practicing, the pair decided to head back to Gryffindor Tower and head to bead.
The next morning, Bill found Charlie sitting in the common room, waiting for Hermione to come down from her dormitory.
"So, how was your break with Hermione?" Bill asked, looking over at Charlie.
Charlie shrugged his shoulders, deciding not to let too much on when he replied, "It was fine."
"That's it? You spent two weeks alone with Hermione and all you have tell me was that it was just 'fine'?" Bill looked over at Charlie hopelessly.
"Well, what do you want me to say, Bill?" Charlie questioned. "How are mum and dad?"
"Oh, they are fine." Bill replied. Charlie looked over haughtily at his brother who just grinned back at him. "Did Hermione like her gift?"
A smile crept along Charlie's face as he nodded his head. Bill noticed his brother's sudden smile and shook his head in laughter. "As much as you won't admit it, I know you want more than friendship with Hermione. The problem you're having now is telling her the truth."
"What truth are you talking about, Bill?" Charlie had one of his eyebrows raised.
"The truth of your feelings. Remember Charlie that your time at Hogwarts won't last forever. There's comes a time when you have to take a stand and tell a gal, in this case Hermione, how you really feel."
Charlie shook his head in disbelief while he said, "I just need the right time to do it. I'll know when that time is but I just haven't had the opportune moment. I'm finding it more and more difficult to reveal myself to her."
"Why," asked Bill.
"Because as time goes on, I find my feelings for Hermione grow deeper and deeper. The only thing that I fear right now is that she doesn't have the same feelings for me as I do for her. Thinking about it drives me insane. I lose so much sleep just thinking about what if Hermione likes me or doesn't."
"If it drives you that insane, then you have to tell her how you really feel. I heard Dumbledore once tell dad that 'time makes fools of men.' Be reasonable to yourself and be fair to Hermione and tell her how you really feel." With those words, Bill took off through the portrait hole and out of Gryffindor Tower.
The rest of the day, Charlie could not focus. Every time Charlie tried to concentrate, he found his mind always idling back to Hermione. When he shut his eyes to regain focus, he replayed the memory of him and Hermione back in the forest, next to Ailsa, and how close the two of them were.
That Christmas day, there was no doubt Charlie felt something. A strong current had ridden through his body that moment, and never before had he wanted to kiss anyone that badly. His heart ached to feel that closeness again with Hermione.
In the Great Hall that evening, Charlie didn't see Hermione. Although he told himself once before that he'd settle his feelings for Hermione once and for all, this time he was actually going to tell her his true feelings. He felt as if he was one part of the puzzle and Hermione was his other half.
Finishing dinner and telling Adam and Josh he'll see them later, Charlie left the Great Hall. He found himself wondering what Professor Roberts had told the pair of them on Christmas day, about how he and Hermione reminded him of him and Alisa. Apparently, the four of them mirrored each other in more ways than Charlie had ever thought was possible.
Walking about a corner, Charlie ran into someone and both of them were knocked to the ground. Charlie looked over to see Hermione; his heart jumped with joy and he quickly got up and helped Hermione to her feet.
His joy was quickly dispelled once he saw she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy as he immediately asked, "Hermione, what happened?"
"The Ministry found out about Professor Roberts and Alisa." Hermione looked straight at Charlie, as he felt her eyes burn a hole right through him.
"Well, what's going to happen now?"
"Professor Roberts has been arrested. And the Ministry is going to take Ailsa away. Professor Roberts told me before they locked him up that they'll kill Ailsa if need be."
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Well, here is the latest installment to "And Gryffindor Roars!" I sincerely hope all who are reading enjoys my story. If you so wish, please express your thoughts and opinions in a review and don't forget to share with your friends! Chapter 11 is a work-in-progress will be coming soon!