In this chapter, there is a bit about Hermione's religion. It won't be specifically gone into. It just needed to be explained a bit as to why a certain action was being done. I struggled with this chapter and I still don't have it as exact as I would like it.

~Promise~

Charlie watched through the glass as the doors to the elevator slid closed cutting off his view of his daughter, then turned to face his parents.

"Did you know?" He looked between the two of them. Then it dawned on him that everyone but him was already there when he arrived. "Did all of you know about my daughter?" he asked looking around the room at his siblings.

Arthur could see that his son was struggling to figure out his feelings and knew that the anger would probably come first. He was hoping to be well away from this place and back on magical soil before it happened. "No."

But he wouldn't lie to him either. Glancing at his wife and added, "Only your mother and Harry knew before early this morning." When he saw Charlie immediately tense up, he went on "Come on son. Let's go. We need to get back to the burrow." He stopped himself short of saying 'for Harry and Charlie Beth.'

Charlie stared at his mum. "Why?"

She took a step toward him and said "Please Charlie. I promise will explain." He could see the pain in her eye's but it didn't lessen the anger beginning to build in him.

"Well?" It came out harsh, clipped. He could feel himself starting to vibrate. His magic was beginning to pulse deep in his core.

Before either of them could say anything else he felt a hand on his shoulder. Glancing back, he thought he would see Bill standing there but was surprised to see Percy instead.

"Charlie. Do you…. I mean would you like to see her?"

The question struck him dumb and all the anger was gone, instantly.

"The nurse said when you came that if you wanted to see Hermione you could."

Somewhere in the back of his mind it registered that Percy seemed to be the only one of his siblings still able to function. No one else in the room was moving. "If you want" Percy continued, "I'll come with you."

He didn't know how he felt about going to see her dead body, but he knew that he had to. He had to see for himself that she was gone. Maybe it would help with trying to sort out some of his feelings. Especially the anger.

"Yeah..." He said as he turned to follow Percy out the door.

Bill watched his younger brother lead Charlie out of the room and made the decision to follow them. As he passed his parents and Ron he paused and said, "Whether the choices of Hermione and Charlie were right or wrong, that baby girl's still Charlie's. He deserved to know." He didn't wait for them to say anything back, just picked up his step to catch up to his brothers.

When Ron jumped up and left the room behind Bill, Arthur quickly followed him out, worried that he was going to confront his brother. He slowed down when he saw Ron go through a door that was marked as the exit stairs at the end of the hallway.

Arthur rubbed a hand over his face. He felt so tired right then. It was as if the world had upended on him and he was just trying to keep everything from falling and breaking into pieces.

Looking up he said, "Help us out here." Turning, he could see his wife and the rest of his children looking more lost than he'd seen them since the war. "Please." He added.

Arthur knew Hermione had a strong belief in her Christian upbringing. After several long conversations about it, she had gifted him with a muggle bible. She believed that her Lord made everything on earth and that included the magical world. It had taken him the better part of a year to get through the book, and that was with the help that Hermione could give. Even though he didn't understand a lot of things in it, he found that he took comfort in the peace that the book tried to convey. Especially during and after the war. It helped to think that all his friends and family were in a peaceful, beautiful place together, full of light and love. Waiting and watching out for the ones that were still here on earth. No, he didn't convert to Christianity. He still held his magical rites and beliefs close to his heart as he always had but he did form a genuine respect for the muggle religion and Hermione's solid faith in it. So out of respect for her beliefs, he spoke to her through her religion. Or at least he hoped that he did.

He sighed heavily as he made his way back to collect the remaining family members and head back to the burrow. He knew that his three eldest would be coming back there. The only one that he was worried about not coming back any time soon was Ron. And to be perfectly honest, he couldn't blame his son if he didn't for a while.

Charlie looked down at the thin grayish face of Hermione. He didn't know what he expected to feel or happen. Maybe, somehow, she would let loose some of the answers that he needed. His anger towards her for not telling him about getting pregnant and having his daughter were lessened but not taken away.

Charlie was a peace lover. Most of the time he chose to laugh even at the hard things because he believed that anger would only eat you alive. Making a person a ball of bitter sadness that didn't live but just existed. He'd seen it happen and that's not how he wanted to live. Yet, here he stood, somehow expecting Hermione to tell him the words that he needed to hear to make it all ok so that he didn't become that. Though, in truth, he had no idea what those words would have been.

A teardrop fell on the sheet that was coving her body. He hadn't even known he was crying.
He reached up and roughly pushed the tears away from his face. "Why?" he whispered to her. "I would've helped…been there for you and her. I would've done anything you asked….needed."

He reached and brushed the back of his finger across her cheek. It was cold, so different from the last time he'd touched her. He bent and placed a kiss on her forehead, then with his lips still touching her, said "Please rest easy Hermione…I don't know how…" sucking in a wet breath he continued "but I promise on my magic that I'll try for the rest of my life to be the best dad for our daughter that I can."

Charlie quickly turned from the gurney, walked out the door and began jogging down the hallway. He didn't stop to talk to either of his brothers. He needed away. He needed air.

As he ran through the exit door, down the stairwell and out the sliding doors of the emergency room, he decided muggle hospitals were some of the most horrible places on earth. Every time he went to one, they made him sick to his stomach and left his heart hurting.