Author Notes: Wow, guys, I'm so happy that you all are enjoying the story. It will lead to so much more! I hope you all are as consumed with their evolution as well as the world around them now that they have returned.

So many things happened at once when they arrived at the trailer. Hermione was nearly shoved into the bathroom with Ginny as she helped the woman clean up and mend the surface cuts. Ginny didn't even let her take a shower alone as she sat in there, worried and nervous.

Hermione relished the feeling of the hot water, but there was a minor anxiety that she tried to suppress. Was Charlie alright? Now that it was over, there was this nervousness that he was away from her. The woman breathed deeply in the enclosed space and felt the water trail down her body.

The steam filled the room even when the water was turned off, and Hermione reached for her towel.

"What happened down there?" Ginny finally questioned.

Hermione was thankful the curtain hid her embarrassment. "We fell, I had to perform CPR on Charlie, and we spent, what Harry says was four days, clawing our way toward that tunnel."

"It was four days. It was four long days, and I was so scared you had died in the fall, but the guys sent a camera down there and saw nothing."

The curly-haired woman pinched her expression and exhaled. "Well, it wasn't easy. Charlie was injured so we took it slow. We found a caved-in cavern with a lake and spent the night there before I found the way out."

"Harry said you were nearly naked," Ginny said carefully.

"I was more so in that cave," Hermione admitted as she dried her sore body. "Our clothes were too damp, and he needed a sling for his arm."

Silence.

Hermione continued to rid herself of the water while she knew her friend was dancing around the ideas. "Did something," Ginny paused with a breath. "Happen?"

Silence.

What was she to say? 'Yes, I fucked your brother because it sounded like a good idea.' Or better yet, 'Your brother said everything I needed to hear at that moment to seal the deal.' Neither of which sounded like a great confession. Hermione was at a loss. Truthfully, she didn't want to talk about it. It was something innate and built into the moment with him. She hadn't sorted her feeling about it out.

"So, it did. Did he force you to do anything? Was he nice about it? Hermione, please tell me something. I'm worried that you felt like you had no choice," Ginny implored.

"He was gentle and extraordinarily kind. He didn't push me into anything, Gin. I know that you're worried I lost my mind, but I was aware of what happened."

Hermione stepped out with the towel wrapped around her body. "Please tell me those scrapes were not because of him," Ginny murmured, hands over her face.

The curly-haired woman sunk down to her friend's eye level. "Gin, he would have rather died if it meant I could have lived. He trusted me more so with his life than anyone else on this planet ever has. That man looked me in the eye and told me I deserved all the respect he could give because I saved him."

The redhead gazed at her with wide eyes, her hands dropping from her face. "He did? My god, I don't know anything about my brother," she whispered.

Hermione bit her bottom lip before speaking again. "Gin, he made me feel safe. He made my broken pieces feel less," she stopped and breathed with a sad smile. "Less broken. In that cave it didn't matter what I was or who I was, it mattered what I did for him, and he honored that."

Ginny touched her friend's cheek and as her bright eyes brimmed with tears. "I thought I lost you. I thought I was going to have to go home and tell my mother that my bestest friend in the entire world and my lovely sister died with my brother. I wouldn't have recovered, ever," Ginny whimpered as her bottom lip quivered.

Hermione covered her hand and rocked her head. "I'm alive. I'm alive because I knew I had no choice but to come home and bring Charlie with me. He kept me sane down there. He let me be strong so that we could get through it together. I don't know if he did so on purpose, but he heeded to my need to be the leader so that I had a job. Without him, I don't know if I would have been able to do it."

"I was worried you were going to have an attack down there in the dark," Ginny whispered. "Worse, I was worried that you had one and couldn't climb from the darkness enough to pull it together. It kept me up at night knowing that you were in that dark place and I couldn't save you."

"I didn't even touch on it because I knew if I didn't stay together and take care of your injured brother, we wouldn't make it. He is the reason I'm alive, Gin. He is injured because he stopped me from falling when the boulders were falling into the water. It was the only way either of us were going to live. I believe that to my core."

There was a knock at the door, and it cracked open. "Gin, the doctor wants to check Hermione. Think you can give them a moment?" Harry asked.

Ginny kissed Hermione's forehead and let the woman put on some fresh knickers before leaving the room. The doctor on staff and Harry stood in the hallway. Ginny turned to see Hermione wave her off and the doctor entered, shutting the door behind him.

The Potters waited patiently in the small area, hoping that being alone with the male doctor didn't cause her any issues. It was pleasant murmuring heard through the door, and Hermione even laughed at something the man had said.

All in all the examination took a brief amount of time, and the man reappeared with a nod. "She's fine. A bit banged up, a little dehydrated and in need of a good meal, but she is perfectly fine. No severe injuries. She has to take it easy for the next two days to heal the blisters on her feet and the bruising on her torso, but all of that is wear an tear from surviving. Quite the little soldier," the older man said with a nod.

Ginny pursed her lips and exhaled. "Good, how about my brother?"

The older man scowled deeply and chewed the inside of his cheek. "I'm concerned about his fractured ankle. The injury to his shoulder is too inflamed to assume a tear, but he was damaged by the fall. Whatever angel he has, he should thank his stars that she was there with him. He wouldn't have made it without her."

"Are you going to come check on him later?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Yes, tomorrow. I gave his brother instructions about his medication. No activity for the next two days. The most to get out of bed for the restroom. He needs to keep his arm wrapped and his leg elevated."

"Thank you, Doctor," Ginny murmured.

The man excused himself, and Ginny walked into the bedroom to see Charlie throwing books at Bill. "I fucking told you I didn't do it!" Charlie hissed.

"I find it hard to believe that you didn't, Charlie," Bill retorted, dodging another book.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

Charlie glared at the Potters and waved at them. "Ginny, go check on her, would ya?" he asked with a wince.

The redheaded woman just nodded and left, shutting the door. "I am just saying; she was watching you like a damn hawk. Did you tell her that you loved her to get into her knickers or not?" Bill growled with an intense glare.

"Jesus on a cross, why the hell would I lie to her?" Charlie huffed rubbing his face with his good hand. "She isn't some daft tart. She saved my bloody life without knowing me before now. I would never be so cruel."

Harry blinked and fixed his glasses on his nose. "Did you shag her?"

"He did," Bill answered for him.

Harry exhaled with a wince. "What happened? How?"

Charlie pouted as he scratched under his chin roughly. "The typical way, Harry. It wasn't like I just said, 'Hey girl, let's shag since we have time,' but shit happens when you're alone and living after it all."

The door swung open and Hermione walked into the room. "Out, the whole lot of you," Hermione ordered.

"Wait, Hermione, what's going on?" Bill questioned with desperation on his face.

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "I understand you're trying to protect me, but I don't need it right now, William. Right now, your brother needs you to fix us food, and you all need to let us decompress and leave us alone. The last thing we should be doing is explaining anything to anyone."

Harry blinked, and his eyebrows rose above his glasses. "Hermione, are you alright?"

"No, Harry. I'm not alright. I'm tired and sore and frankly just want some silence. Now please, I'm starving and need some food. The last thing either of us needs is to pick apart what happened." She motioned to climb on the bed, and Bill scowled, causing her to glare. "William, go. We have so much time to dissect what happened down there later. For now, let it be, please?"

Bill nodded before moving toward Harry. They both gave each other a helpless expression before leaving the room and shutting the door behind them. Charlie was still pinching the bridge of his nose and clearly upset at the accusations his older brother were making. "Don't worry about him, Charles. He's just panicked. It was a big deal that I was trapped in a cave for all of them. They were looking for an answer to things they don't understand."

Charlie glanced over at her and huffed. "He was all but calling me a monster."

She tucked in next to him and shook her head. "You're not. This hit closer to home than you know," Hermione murmured running a hand over his clothed chest. "When I was tortured it wasn't just a single affair that lasted a short while. I was trapped in a dark room with them for what the report says for twelve hours. If Harry didn't get taken with me and got a message out for help, I would have died."

Charlie gazed down at her, and his face was pale from shock. "Hermione, why didn't you tell me down there. Fuck, no wonder they, god," he stumbled, nearly jerking away from her.

Her lips pinched together and her eyebrows skewed in pain. "Because of that right there. You didn't look at me as a victim in there. You treated me as a heroine," she sighed.

He touched her cheek and exhaled. "You are my savior, little book girl. The doc told me I was lucky to be alive. I have to agree with him."

"Promise me, whatever happens next you won't ever feel different? I know we live in different orbits, but that was a life-altering experience, Charlie. I wouldn't have been able to cope without you," Hermione whispered, letting a single tear trail down from her closed eyes.

He made soothing sounds as his fingers ran into her wet hair. "Come on, lay down with me. We'll have some food when it's ready, and I will sneak you one of my painkillers so you can relax with me. We don't have to jump right into the chaos."

She curled up against him and ran a hand under his shirt, touching his chest. It tugged at his heartstrings to see her miss feeling his skin. How he knew that's why she did it, he wasn't positive, but he did know that was the reason. His uninjured arm tugged her closer as his fingers skated against her shirt. It was so confusing and overwhelming to be back in his bed, but she made it feel real.

"Charles," Hermione murmured.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Would you mind if we turned on that film again?"

He reached over with difficulty to his nightstand, grabbing the remote. Flicking on the movie, he stroked her hair and watched the opening credits. It eased them both as she listened to the sounds of the telly announcing the start of the tale. She watched the screen from down her nose and felt the heaviness of sleep. It was lovely to hear him breathing and calmed her enough to doze off into a snooze while listening to her companion's heartbeat.