A/N
Here's a warning - this chapter is VERY long. I hope it doesn't bore you too much. I tried a new strategy of planning out specific plot/scene points in an outline. This is much longer than my other chapters so I hope you don't fall asleep. :)
UNTIL I FIND A BETTER PART OF ME
Chapter Thirty Five
Charlie stood as he waited for Hermione to pass through the open door he was holding into the kitchen. So this is it, he thought, chewing his bottom lip. He could tell Hermione was just as nervous as well from the way she couldn't quite meet his eyes. There was a slight tremor in her hands. Oh, how she was fidgeting! A smirk tugged at his mouth then as he leaned against the counter while the house elves insisted on making something for them.
"Anything that wouldn't be too much trouble," she told them. "For the four of us, please."
He nodded his head when some of the house elves looked up at him in reassurance. "We'll eat ours here. Will that okay?"
The house elves' heads bobbed in unison. "Yes, yes, of course!"
Soon they were scurrying about, getting things ready for them. He watched Hermione look after them in dismay. He had overhead Ron complain about Hermione's need to stand up for the rights of house elves. He actually agreed with all the points Hermione had brought up conveyed to by Ron in a not-so-nice tone. He assumed it had been one of those times when they were arguing… or as Hermione put it 'discussing'. His eyes widened when a small round table appeared out of thin air and the chairs popped up after causing him to jump back slightly.
Two plates soon appeared before them and house elves were quickly ushering them to sit down. Hermione all the while thanking them profusely for their generosity. Soon they were sitting across from each other. He slowly buttered his toast as Hermione tore apart chunks from muffin. The silence between them was eating at him.
You know that we need to talk about this, he whispered into her mind.
He watched her sigh. Her shoulders lifted in tension then released with her breath. When she nodded, he waited until those beautiful brown eyes of hers lifted to his.
"I don't know where to start."
Her voice was soft, but he had heard her clearly. He held her eyes for a moment before his hand slid across the table to hold her hand. A slight smile turned up the corners of her mouth as he concentrated on a vision of him holding her.
Do you see that? he questioned. His thumb caressed her skin, envisioning his warmth surrounding her.
She sucked in a breath then nodded. He then thought of taking her into his arms and gently lifting her face so he could draw her mouth to his. He coaxed her to open to him when he began placing gentle kisses upon her mouth until she began kissing him back. Those small kisses turned into deeper and longer ones. He thought of Romania – kissing her back on the steep grassy slope that overlooked basecamp. He imagined the feel of the heat of Romania. It was always hot, because of dragon fire. Then it was gone when Hermione pulled her hand away from his. The vision disappeared into the present reality with him looking at his wide-eyed fiancée.
"I'm-I'm sorry," she squeaked. She was blushing now.
He was about to respond when the door to the kitchen flung open, revealing the couple of Luna and Neville talking excitedly with one another. Neville was the first to realize that they were in there and stopped in midsentence. Luna finally looked back and forth between all of them then shrugged her shoulders.
"It's a lovely thing to daydream," she murmured, smiling at them serenely. "Father always warned me to be careful about your daydreams. You never know when the bilandower will come for them."
He raised an eyebrow at that and his eyes slid to Hermione, who wore an equally inquisitive look on her face. She saw about to question her when Neville coughed, drawing both their attention.
"Ginny said you'd be here," he confessed. "She and Harry requested that breakfast be sent to the DADA office… if that's alright?" He looked from Charlie to Hermione. "I hope we weren't interrupting something-"
"Of course we were interrupting something," Luna sang out.
"I know we were interrupting something," he said to Luna. "But I was trying to be-"
"If you knew then why would you-"
Charlie chuckled at their exchange, putting up his hands. "No need to worry about it." He glanced over at Hermione. "We were… done, right?" She nodded her head. "It's best to reflect on it more anyway."
"I agree," Luna perked up. "Better to reflect carefully. You never know what reflection will look back at you." Before any of them could question her, she clapped her hands. "I think we should take this conversation and breakfast to go. Ginny and Harry are waiting."
Hermione nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, you're quite right. We'll grab the food."
Luna beamed and waltzed out of the kitchen. Neville gave them an apologetic look before following his quirky wife out. Charlie looked over at Hermione, who had a hand over her mouth. Her shoulders were shaking as if she was… she was laughing quietly to herself. Her eyes met his and they both let out a good laugh.
"Off her bloody rocker a bit."
She grinned. "Just a bit," she chuckled. "You'll get used to it though. She speaks in riddles. It's when those riddles start making sense that you realize she's a bloody genius."
"I do have all school year."
"Quite so," she said with a smirk. The sparkle in her eyes faded and slight fear began to overwhelm them. "You're not mad that…" Charlie shook his head at her unasked questioned. "It-It just felt so real. It's like magic, but it truly felt like we were back at Romania."
"Ah, so you did-"
"Come on you two!" Luna gasped, popping her head back in. "You know how Ginny gets when she hasn't eaten. She breathes fire like a dragon. All that smoke can't be good for her."
With that, she left again, leaving them in an awkward silence. Charlie chewed his bottom lip, looking at the spot the strange blond had been in. He opened his mouth to say something, but it never came out. He looked over at Hermione and she chuckled at his expression. Now armed with a huge basket, Hermione walked over to him and patted his shoulder.
"There is no point in questioning the enigma known as Luna," she told him with a smile. "She's an acquired taste."
"Apparently."
She winked at him as she walked passed him. He quickly followed her, looking over his shoulder to thank the house elves. They had all but vanished. He shrugged and shut the door. He then took the heavy basket she was carrying and they walked together to the DADA classroom. When they arrived, they could hear the echoes of light conversation. Charlie knew then that it was going to be a very long day and they hadn't even talked about what was happening between them. There was certainly no time now to discuss it either as they walked through the classroom, up the stairs to the office, and down the steps to the chambers.
Charlie had heard Ron's description of Luna – or rather Looney Lovegood as Ron referred to her in his school days. He never encountered her firsthand until now and she was rather… eccentric. His eyes drank in the quirkiness that was Luna Longbottom. She was whimsical, always talking in riddles or circles, and beating around the bush until she bluntly thrusts a dose of practical reality. That was, of course, until she followed it up with a reference to some odd creature her father told her about. He glanced over at Hermione, wondering how exactly she was absorbing this complete opposite personality. He watched the telltale smirk cross her face and the slight shake of her head at Luna's antics.
"Be careful," Luna called out abruptly. "Dragon's blood is often laced with Fornaturda. If not ingested well, you could meet an unpleasant end." She sniffed the air as her eyes slid back and forth between them. "Seems like you have pure dragon's blood. Good blood. Pure heart. You won't die from dragon pox."
Hermione's mouth slightly dropped open. Charlie tried not react, but he couldn't help it. How in the bloody hell did she know that they ingested dragon's blood? Luna prattled on about the symptoms of dragon pox. He watched Hermione touch at the dragon vial necklace before her eyes met his. They shared a look before she shrugged.
Told you she was an enigma.
He rolled his eyes at that. You weren't joking.
She seems like a crazy featherbrain than she knocks you over with stuff like that.
He chuckled at her assessment. He made a quick scan over the other faces in the room who wore similar expression, but they didn't seem surprise at all by Luna's words. None of them suspected them or even looked at them then again none of them would anyway. They hadn't told anyone outside of Romania about drinking dragon's blood… and they also needed to discuss privately how to handle that situation as well.
Before he could linger on the other situation that they needed to discuss, an owl crashed into the closed window of Ginny and Harry's chambers. All of them jumped and turned to witness the commotion of feathers paired with startled squawks. Was that Errol? Hermione quickly took the initiative to open the window and the mess of feathers swooped inside, perching itself on the armrest of a long bench underneath the window.
Yes, that was indeed Errol. He had more than once been on the receiving end of the clumsiness of his family's owl. There was an envelope in the funny creature's beak, waiting expectantly for someone to retrieve it. Hermione reached out and plucked it gently from Errol's beak. He preened happily, hooting in pride. Charlie shook his head with a smile on his face. Too many times had that owl provided a nice round of laughter when he arrived in Romania.
"Is that from Mum and Dad?" Ginny asked from the comfy recliner chair that she was in.
Poppy had told Ginny that she could ease herself into walking but to still take it easy. She encouraged Ginny to attempt to walk around a bit more and Ginny couldn't wait to oblige. Poppy also recommended a wheelchair. Although Ginny bemoaned the idea, Hermione had chimed in that at least she could go about Hogwarts instead of being confined to one room. Ginny wholeheartedly agreed with that.
Hermione nodded her head, looking over the envelope. "It's addressed to you, Harry, Charlie, and myself."
"Open it," Charlie spoke up.
Ginny nodded her head in agreement so Hermione did just that. Her eyes quickly scanned over the message and her eyes widened in surprise. She walked over to Ginny and handed it over to her. She looked up, glancing back and forth between Charlie and Harry before speaking.
"Molly and Arthur wants all four us to come to the Burrow tonight for dinner," she told them, just as Ginny handed off the note to Harry.
"Mum stresses that it's very important," Ginny said, with a shrug. "It has to be. She already knew that I'm allowed to walk. She said that if I get too winded that Harry and I can stay the night and then head back to Hogwarts in the morning."
Harry frowned. "It's a full family dinner. Bill, Fleur, Percy, Penelope, George, and Ron will all be coming as well."
"I don't think this is just an impromptu family dinner. She mentioned something about a huge announcement as well." Everyone looked to Hermione as her voiced thoughts hung in the air. "We should write back. We're going, right?"
Hermione looked at those invited in silent question. They all gave their nodded approval. When she glanced over at Charlie, he just gave her a smile and she returned it. It was Hermione that nodded and quickly searched out a quill and parchment to write back. Harry helped her find some while Charlie's eyes met Ginny's questioning ones. Charlie just shrugged and walked over to his baby sister.
"I wonder what this is all about?" she said, looking up at him.
Before Charlie could respond, Luna beat him to it. "The elephant in the room. Of course, it's about the elephant in the room."
Luna's statement caused Hermione to pause with quill raised up over the parchment. Harry even wore an incredulous look on his face. It was Neville that managed to ask what they were all thinking,
"Sweet pea, elephant? What elephant?"
She just smiled mysteriously, looking at all of them. "Everyone has giant elephant in the room. Each one of you do," she told them with a sigh. "I believe there will be a lot of elephants coming to this family gathering tonight."
"Elephants?" Hermione repeated.
"Yes, plenty."
"I don't believe a lot elephants can fit into the Burrow, Luna," Ginny told her honestly.
"Well, I mean, unless you shrink them down to like mini-elephants." That was definitely Harry's response. It took bloody everything in Charlie's willpower not to laugh aloud at how both Ginny and Hermione gave him an incredulous look. "What? It's not like you can't shrink things down. You never know. You can probably put a whole bloody parade of mini-elephants romping through the Burrow. They just have to be the right size."
Ginny shook her head. "The Burrow is not a circus."
"Well, I wouldn't say that," Charlie said cheekily.
"There will be elephants in the room… everywhere," Luna told them emphatically. "Mark my words, dear ones, a lot of elephants will be in the room tonight. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't sitting right on top of you. In fact, most of the time, they are. Just don't get flattened by the weight of them. Worst thing is to become pancakes to your elephants."
Nobody could top that. Not one person could carry on the conversation after that. They all just stared at Luna, who was looking knowingly around at everyone. A small serene smile graced her face as she turned to Neville, who wore an amused look on his face.
"I named ours Dolly," she told him simply.
He nodded his head then kissed her forehead. "Of course you did."
Hermione didn't know what to expect when Charlie and her arrived at the Burrow. Harry and Ginny had already left, having decided to take up Molly and Arthur on sleeping over. They had requested if they could stay a few days. From what Ginny relayed before leaving was that Molly was ecstatic over the prospect of spending time with her and Harry.
The moment that the door open to reveal Bill. The expression on his face said it all. Hermione peered to the side of him and there were people everywhere. Percy and Penelope had brought their children, who were chasing each other around and following George. Fleur was talking with Penelope on the sofa. Percy was shouting out George for not being a good example for his children to look up to. George only burst out laughing at that. Just then, a lady that Hermione hadn't seen since attending Hogwarts came into view – Katie Bell. She had walked into the living room from the kitchen with Molly behind her. They were chatting happily with one another.
"I wonder if we just turn around if anybody would notice," Charlie mused.
Hermione swallowed. "If we back away slowly… I think we can make a dash for it."
Bill chuckled at that and was about to protest when Hermione felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. She glanced up and over her shoulder in surprise to find Ron there. He had wrapped his arms around both herself and Charlie.
"But you two just got here," he said, smirking. "In fact, Bill… How about you announce the new arrivals?"
Bill grinned devilishly. "Mum, guess who made it?"
"Bloody wankers," Charlie muttered, shaking his head at their antics.
Molly turned abruptly and she gasped, rushing over to them. She pulled them all into a huge hug. She quickly tried to usher them inside and Hermione had made it inside when Ron cleared his throat. Molly turned back to Ron and was about to question him when he stood aside a moment revealing a shy lady behind him.
"Mum, this Olivia Shelley," he introduced. "We've been seeing each other for a little while. This is supposed to be going on her seventh date tonight. Figured this would be as a good as any to introduce her to the family."
Then there was more chaos and Molly pulled Ron's Olivia into her arms. Molly cried out to Arthur to come meet Ron's date. Soon, Hermione was being pushed in and out of the way. Being passed along from person to person to embrace to embrace before she found herself standing near by the fireplace, watching the family meet Ron's new girl. A slight flare of jealousy ripped through her as he proudly showed her off to his family. Even Charlie drew her in for a huge welcoming embrace lifting her off the ground, Hermione just sank back into the background.
She didn't understand these anxieties being stirred up. She was absolutely in love with Charlie – always had been and always would be. Seeing this admittedly attractive lady holding everyone's attention favorably, she watched Ron preen in pride. Had ever once looked like that when it came to her? They had always been best friends. He never once looked at her adoringly like that. If he had, there was a possibility that she would've stayed with him. That was the problem though – he loved her deeply, but he loved her like a sister. Although he would never compare her to that, Hermione knew that deep down inside that even though he had grown tired of Lavender that he had enjoyed the attention – the kisses, the heated gazes, and the secret smiles of a promise for a late night get together.
When Ron's eyes fell upon her, his smile faded considerably before he forced a fake one back up. Hermione wouldn't join in the endless parade of 'welcome to the family' expressions. Instead, she gave Ron a dark glare before she turned to go through the kitchen door. She needed air – lots of air. How could she be bloody jealous of that new lady in his life? Charlie was right inside – the man and wizard of her dreams. How could be steaming over this stupid girl?
She heard a door open and she was certain it was Charlie coming to check on her. She turned to greet him and she came face to face with Ron.
"Was it too early?" he asked softly.
Her eyes widened at that. "What?"
"I should've probably wrote to you about her," he admitted with a sigh. "It's just you were away in Romania. I had only had a few dates with her before Ginny's wedding date. I would've brought her to the wedding, but she had other arrangements she couldn't just bow out of. So I just waited… then she and I were going out another date when Mum owled me. I couldn't just bloody bail on her like that." Hermione watched Ron look away. "I was going to tell you before springing her on you like this. I-I really like her, Hermione. I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend."
Hermione swallowed. Out of all the times she had known Ron, he had never looked as happy as this moment. A deep part of her hurt – that adolescent girl that pined after Ron to only be pushed aside like nothing when Lavender Brown came around. It may be a little selfish – okay, more than a lot selfish – but she had hoped she was long married and in Romania when she found out Ron was dating again. He was even dating anymore… he was going to ask this bloody girl to be his girlfriend.
"Well, congratulations," she said tightly.
She was about to push passed him when he grabbed her arm.
"Are you really mad at me?" Ron gasped in exasperation.
She scowled. "Does it matter?"
"Bloody hell Hermione, I thought you'd be happy," he told her, shaking his head. "I didn't expect this. You're acting like…" he trailed off for a moment before absolute shock appeared on his face. "Like you're bloody jealous. Like the time I went out with Lavender and you-"
"Oh, don't hold your breath, Ron," she snapped, shoving him away to make for the back door into the kitchen.
"Hermione," he gasped, once again grabbing her and forcing her to face him. "This doesn't make any bloody sense. You are madly head over heels in love with Charlie. Why are you mad that I'm seeing someone else?"
"Because you never bloody once looked at me the way you bloody look at her!" she cried out. She tore her arm away from him. Frustrated tears pooled in her eyes as she gazed up at her childhood best friend. "All the times that we were together, I would've given any for you to just look at me the way you look at her… even at how you bloody looked at Lavender. Once!" She shook her head as these emotions swirled within her. "If you had bloody once – just once – looked at me as you looked at either of them, I would've stayed!"
Ron's eyes widened at that. His mouth dropped open at her confession. Even she was surprised that she had blurted that out, she flushed, turning away from him in shock. Her eyes shifted to the door and her heart dropped when Charlie stood in the opened backdoor with both George and Harry. Her heart sank when she felt a flare of heated anger wrap around her then coldness. When she attempted to speak his name and step forward, Charlie just put his hand up and shook his head.
"Charlie, please," she gasped.
He shook his head. No.
With that, he walked back into the kitchen. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm herself down, but the panic was beginning to overtake her. She looked at Harry and George who was looking from her to Ron. Both equally shocked at what they had heard. Both fumbled over exit excuses until the door closed and her heart raced in her chest. What had she just done?
She was about to head back inside and go chase after Charlie when she felt a hand upon her arm again. She looked up knowing it was Ron. There was no anger and no longer shock – just sadness. It hurt her heart as she took in the depth of sorrow and regret.
"I would've given anything for you to look at me as you look at him," he confessed gently. He sighed, looking up at the Burrow. "You and I – We've been through a lot, Hermione. I always thought of you as my Hermione… and you are. You always will be. You are Harry and my Hermione, but you are Charlie's everything and he's yours." He chewed his bottom lip. "I love you, Hermione. I will always love you, but I understand now what you've been saying all along." He reached up, cupping her cheek. His fingers caressed her skin. "Don't ever think I didn't want you or love you or need you. It just never was quite right. We never quite fit. No matter how hard we tried to fit the pieces together. It's time to stop crying over spilled milk, don't you think?"
Ron leaned down and kissed her cheek. She bit her lip, looking down. She felt his soft skin on hers before he walked away and back inside. She stood there staring at the closed door. She had thought that she was over this… over him… over what they had. Tears that she hadn't realized she had been holding in finally fell. Too emotional to even think about going inside, she decided to stay outside. She knew she should've went after Charlie, but what could she possibly say to rectify that situation? It's not like she could lie – yes, it hurts to see Ron with another woman. It always had.
She was so tangled up in her thoughts that she had even realized that Katie just stormed outside. Wide-eyed, she knew that expression well that she was sporting then George came rushing out after her. She couldn't quite hear their entire conversation, but she heard the most important thing before she stormed off a distance apparated away: If you love her so bloody much, go be with her. She flushed when George looked around and spotted her.
"I'm-I'm sorry," she gasped. "I-I didn't know that-"
"It's fine," he said with a sad smile. "I should be apologizing for the same thing for earlier."
"It seems like we are both in sticky situations."
George chuckled at that as he approached her. "Seems it," he said, sitting down next to her. They pressed their backs against the tree. "Charlie will come around. We all know you're crazy about him and he knows that."
"To be fair though, I wouldn't hold it against him if he didn't."
"Hermione, you two belong together," he told her. Hermione glanced over at him and he shrugged. "We all knew even Ron. The only oblivious two were you two."
She sighed, nodding her head in agreement. "Care to share what happened with Katie? I'm a good listener. I swear."
George laughed for a moment. Silence fell upon them before he sighed then nodded his head. Hermione watched him sit up, playing with his fingers. She had never known the twins to be nervous about anything. They were always the perfect specimen of brave and courageous. They were daredevils, but this side of George was interesting – endearing. It was strange to admit that she never really personally got to know either of the twins. She had always been Harry and Ron's best friend. She had never went out of her way to have a personal conversation until now.
He glanced over at her, giving her half smile. "Angelina loved Fred and Fred loved her. They were planning on getting married after the war." Hermione's eyes widened at that. "And I… I loved Angelina. I watched them from afar. It broke my heart, but those two meant everything to me so I refused to get in their way. I confided only in person – Katie. Other than those two, I always considered her best friend." He started ripping up grass and tossing the pieces around them. "I thought she was head over heels in love with Oliver. They had dated too before he left Hogwarts. It was secret thing when Oliver left Hogwarts, because Oliver became a celebrity and she wasn't keen on the idea of publicizing their personal relationship. Years later, I caught up with Oliver and he told me the reason why they never worked out was because of me."
"Ah," Hermione nodded. "Classic tale of love triangles gone bad."
"Exactly," he said. "Oliver was bloody drunk, because I'm certain he wouldn't have confessed all that he had. He told me that she had always loved me since back in the day. I guess when I first started confessing to her she had run to the pitch. He had found her knocking down bludgers and she broke down when he asked if she was alright. He had always encouraged her to tell me how she felt, but she never indulged in it. After we won the House Cup, she had drunkenly asked if there was anything wrong with her and Oliver had tried to placate her. They ended up having sex, I guess, and the rest is history."
She opened her mouth to say something or ask something, but nothing came out. Finally, she forced the words out. "What happened after that? Did you confront her?"
"Yes, in my own way, I asked her on a date," he paused. He chuckled as if he was remembering it. "She owns this quirky collectibles shop down the street in Diagon Alley. I never questioned why she always seemed so close by. We were really close even after Fred and the War. I lost contact with a lot of people even Angelina, but Katie… No, I just couldn't. I never questioned it either. I figured it was because she was my true best friend. She knew secrets even Fred didn't know about."
"How'd it go?"
"The date?" he questioned and she nodded her head. "Amazing actually. We didn't do anything special. She came over as usually would have at the flat. Ron was out with Olivia that night. I cooked us dinner, lit some candles, had the fireplace going, put on some music, and we just talked. It was nice – real nice. Comfortable and natural." He racked a hand through his locks. "Usually, I'm not into first date sex, contrary to belief. I know I seem like I'm the type of jump in without consequence, but I've known Katie for a long, long time. After that, we just fell into a rhythm and soon she was spending more time at Ron and my flat than hers. Ron didn't mind, because her cooking can rival Mum's."
Hermione smiled at that, knowing exactly what he meant. Charlie and her had fallen into a natural rhythm when everything was out on the table. Bloody hell, they had gotten engaged after only two days of supposed 'dating' each other.
"So how does Angelina come into the picture?"
"Angelina, Angelina," he sang, shaking his head. "She came waltzing back into my life when she popped into the shop. Katie was obviously there. She just had to be, but she was on break. I-I should've known by the uneasy look on her face that something wasn't quite right." He frowned then, pausing for a moment. "I invited Angelina upstairs when I closed up. I had thought that she knew I was dating Katie. Both of them are actually best of friends – owl each other all the time. So when she started telling me about how she always had a soft spot for me even when she was dating Fred and that she had been thinking about me a lot lately. It all just surprised me."
Her eyes widened in realization. "Katie never told her that you two were dating."
"No, not at all," he said with a sigh. "She walked in on Angelina kissing me. I didn't have a chance to pull away and right the situation." He chuckled bitterly. "What was strange is how she played it off when it happened. She didn't even yell at me. There was just this sadness and disappointment in her eyes, but she never confronted me. When Angelina left, I had asked Katie to stay and she did, but she didn't question or even accuse me of anything. She stayed the night like she always did and made breakfast in the morning. She got a letter from Angelina in the morning gushing about how she was so happy to see me and that she wanted to have a chitchat about it over tea and stuff." He roughly started pulling out chunks of grass. "She didn't even tell me anything. I had to snoop in the trash to find the letter when she left."
Her eyes traveled the length of George's body. She observed his facial expressions as he talked – the way his mood switched to and fro with the words he spoke. She had always thought of the twins as the jokesters and that was it. George had more depth than she ever cared to realize and that realization came too late as she thought of Fred. She bit her lip, wondering how she could've not seen the softness or gentleness in his nature.
Questions were on her mind that begged to surface so she finally let them out. "Do you still love Angelina or do you love Katie?"
George glanced over at her. He held her gaze for a moment and Hermione knew the answer, but the answer was always complicated. He obviously loved Katie, because he looked bloody torn up and conflicted. However, he must've still held a torch for Angelina Johnson. How do you choose? The girl from your past – your dream girl…. Or your best friend who has been with you thick or thin? The dream or the real thing? With Charlie, he had become one of her best friends and was obviously the man of her dreams. He was everything wrapped into one. However, if he felt about Angelina how she felt about Charlie and Katie was in comparison to Ron then he had very hard road.
However, George, Angelina, and Katie were not her, Charlie, and Ron. Their situations were different so how could she suggest anything to him? She only knew her personal experience.
"It's different than you, Charlie, and Ron," he told her, winking at her when she looked him in the eye. "I have strong feelings for Katie. I'm not quite certain what it is yet, but it's something special. Angelina was that girl on the pedestal." He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I just don't know what to do."
Her thoughts whirled around in her mind until only one question remained. Her heard popped up and she looked right at George. "Who can't you live without?"
"What?" he croaked.
"Who can't you live without?" she repeated. "Who is the one person that you can't imagine your life without? If tomorrow happened and one of them walked out of your life, which one could you not handle ever talking to, ever seeing, and ever touching again?"
"Katie." His eyes widened at his quick confession. A look of complete shock washed over him as he looked straight into Hermione's eyes. "Blimey, no wonder why they say you're the brightest witch of your age!" His eyes sparkled as he grabbed Hermione up in his arms and twirled her around excitedly. "Tell Mum and Dad that I'll be right back."
She grinned as he kissed her forehead and rushed off a bit from the Burrow to apparate after Katie. She stared at the spot that George had been for a moment before making a move towards the Burrow. She froze when her eyes met Charlie's. She watched the corner of his mouth kick up as he shut the door behind him. She swallowed, willing herself to stay put as he approached her.
That was very kind of you, he whispered in her mind.
She could feel her cheeks heating up. She then averted her eyes, bowing her head in shame. I'm sorry for earlier.
"There's nothing to be sorry about," he spoke aloud, sweeping her curls out of her face. She lifted her gaze in confusion. "You two have history. You know I have history with Tonks. I know you've seen my memories. I can't pretend that you two didn't have strong feelings for one another just as I had with Tonks."
"It just took me back to when we were younger. The feeling of never being what he wanted and always falling short. It made me feel like I had back then when I saw Lavender and him kiss for the first time. Everything that I hoped for crashed down. I-I looked at Lavender and myself… and I bloody hated her. I hated her, because she and I weren't alike at all."
He sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "You don't need to be anybody but yourself, Sweetness."
"I-I know," she stammered. She leaned back to look at him. "I know that now thanks to you."
She watched him smile warmly at her. The chill started to leave her. The heat curled around her like a soft blanket. She loved the feel of his presence around her. He cupped her face, keeping her still as he leaned down. She closed her eyes and waited for the moment his lips touched hers. When it happened, she sighed, smiling into the kiss. This felt right.
"Come along," he told her. "Mum and Dad are calling everyone in for dinner. I'll tell them that George had some pressing matters, but he'll be back soon with Katie."
"Thanks."
With that, they walked back inside. Hermione watched him as he walked over to his parents about George. Molly seemed a bit put out until Charlie whispered something and huge smile crossed both their faces. Katie Bell would soon be part of the family, she mused, sitting down next to Harry. He gave her a questioning look asking her silently if she was alright. She gave him a smile and Harry smirked when Charlie walked over and sat down next to her, placing a hand on her knee.
"Seems as if all is right in the world," Harry murmured, earning a poke from Ginny.
"Leave the two lovebirds alone."
She watched as everyone filed into the kitchen and began taking their seats around the table. She spotted Ron and Olivia chatting off to the side. Time to be the bigger person, she thought to herself, knowing that Charlie would hear her internal dialogue. He raised an eyebrow, but she just winked at him before she stood up and walked over to the new couple.
Warily, Ron had watched her approach, but the tension in his body eased when Hermione faced Olivia and smiled.
"I'm sorry," she told her, putting out her hand. "I don't think we've been introduced yet. I'm Hermione Granger, Ron's best friend and his older brother's fiancée."
Olivia chewed her bottom lip through her greeting until the end when a slow smile broke out. She quickly took her hand and shook it. "I'm Olivia. I've-I've heard a lot about you."
Hermione raised her eyebrows, shooting Ron a look. "Hopefully not harsh things-"
"No, no! Not at all!" she gasped. "I mean sure he said that you two were engaged at one point, but-but it didn't work out. All he's talked about is how amazing you are and how you may be able to help me with some healing techniques. I'm studying to be a healer as well – just started. I'm trying to keep my job at the ministry, but go for something more life fulfilling."
"Mm, a girl after my own heart," she joked. "Sure, I'd love to help. Right now, Charlie and I are residing in Hogwarts for the school year. Feel free to owl me and we can set up some time for us to get together. You have to meet Poppy. I apprentice for her and she will be looking for another apprentice after I leave Hogwarts."
Olivia's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yes. If you're frightened about food and a roof over your head, the position would meet all your needs. Hogsmeade is right around the corner so you'll be able to apparate to Ron and George's flat. That way you wouldn't have to juggle so many jobs at once and you can focus more on your studies. This position is a paid apprenticeship too. It's not high end, but it's enough."
"No, that's sound bloody perfect," she murmured. "You'd really help me with meeting her and all that?"
"You're my best friend's girl. I'd go above and beyond."
Hermione was a bit surprised when Olivia launched herself at her, wrapping her into a fierce embrace. Her eyes met Ron's happy ones. He mouthed 'thank you' and she mouthed back 'you're welcome'. When she walked back over to her seat, both Charlie and Harry greeted her with proud smiles. Charlie kissed her cheek and whispered in her mind: I love you. She beamed at him. Tonight started out badly, but it was coming around to something wonderful. Bill and Fleur sat across from them and all them got drawn up into talking about how Fleur would be giving birth fairly soon. Both Ginny and Hermione volunteered to go to Diagon Alley to pick out some nice baby clothes. Hermione even nominated Olivia to come along as well and Penny. Both seemed elated to be asked.
Everything was going well… even George came bursting in holding hands with Katie. All was right in the world. It then all came crashing down.
"I'm glad everyone could make it tonight," Molly spoke up abruptly, causing all the conversation to fade off. She stood up slowly and coaxed Arthur to stand as well. They stood hand in hand. "As you are all aware, the Burrow is now an empty nest." She gazed around at everyone. "I-I think it's time that Arthur and I move on to the next stage in our lives…" she trailed off, looking to her husband then. It was as if she was trying to find strength within her husband's support. "We will be selling the Burrow and moving out next summer after Hermione and Charlie's wedding."
Silverware and mouths dropped. Soon the entire kitchen was a buzzing with protests. All out chaos was erupting. Although, Charlie and herself would be leaving for Romania next year, she couldn't imagine not coming back the Burrow. Charlie seemed oddly quietly as he looked around at everyone and Hermione wondered what he could be thinking. She placed a hand on his arm and let it slip until her hand was in his. He held hers tightly.
"Mum, you can't be serious?" Ginny gasped.
Molly sighed. "I know all of you are disappointed, but Arthur and I have been thinking of getting a nice cottage by the sea like what Bill and Fleur have. Something fit for just the two of us."
"What about holidays?" Ron piped in.
"I'm certain we can all make due in a smaller dwelling," Molly responded. "Or have it at somebody else's."
Questions, comments, and answers flew about the kitchen. Hermione remained silent. She didn't even know what to think. Had Molly just truly said they were moving out of the Burrow and selling it? She had many childhood memories here as did everyone else. Charlie and Bill shared concerned looks as they also remained quiet. Then Fleur abruptly cried out, surging to her feet. Her drink spilled and one of her hands were in a dish of food. She cupped her belly as her eyes wildly flew about the table.
"My water!" she gasped. "My water just broke!"
A/N
How was it? Are you guys still with me? ;)
Do you like this new way of doing things?
I wanted to put a bit more planning and oomph into the chapter.