A/N: Just in time for Christmas (if you celebrate it!). Many thanks to brownlark42 for beta'ing this story!

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Thanks to everyone who has left a review! It means so much to me. And thank you for reading! This was such a fun story to write and post.

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Chapter 9

July 2007

Hermione stretched her arms over her head, inordinately thankful to be back in her own body once more. She still couldn't believe so much time had passed while she had been a dragon. She had missed nearly a decade of her life! Was it even her life anymore?

She was insanely curious about what Harry and Ron were up to but had tried not to bombard Charlie with those sorts of questions. Charlie, she sighed. She had always found him positively dreamy, but in the last few weeks, he'd been a rock. Her rock.

He had helped her relearn her body, helping her to walk again, and within a few days, she was even able to start a daily jogging routine with him around the reserve. He was also helping her through something of a mental transition. Occasionally, she still had echoes of very dragon-like thoughts and feelings. Charlie's insights into dragon psychology, along with his empathy for her, Hermione-as-human, was helping her more than he would probably ever know.

And then there was Thorfinn. She was a little afraid of how strongly she felt toward the larger wizard. She was sure much of it centered on how he treated her as a dragon. She had been so lonely for so damned long that when he'd showed up, she hadn't chased him from her cave. Most wizards who have never been around a dragon would be frightened, or would at least treat it like any other 'dumb beast' they didn't understand. But Thorfinn was brave and curious, and he had approached her with kindness, despite knowing nothing about dragons. And she had gotten the feeling that he was just as lonely and in need of companionship as she was.

She was wary at first, given their past as enemies. She had quickly realized that if he didn't know who she was, he had no reason to be mean to her.

After a time, she had started to wonder if this caring version of Thorfinn was closer to who he really was; this was the Thorfinn that had finally escaped the dark wizards he'd been around since birth. And he had been so kind, talking to her, reading to her, and figuring out how to hunt her favorite things to eat. The bears were something she was a little troubled to think about now. She didn't think she could ever eat meat again with her steady diet of it over the last eight years.

And then Charlie had come along. She had been downright ecstatic to see him. He was the reason she decided she needed to stop hiding as a dragon. At first, fear kept her where she was. Then it was a habit, then the cave became home. Especially once Thorfinn showed up and the cave became his home, too. But Charlie reminded her that there was more to life than being a dragon. Seeing him made her long to be human again. Even if it meant losing her easy camaraderie with Thorfinn. She knew she would miss it, but Charlie made her want to go back to living her life, instead of just existing.

It came as a surprise to her then that Charlie was the one who was oblivious to her attempts to communicate with him. It shouldn't have been so surprising. He knew dragons inside and out, and he would know they couldn't read. But she had expected him to take her cues better than he did. When Charlie failed her, she turned to Thorfinn. He had an intuitive understanding of her that wasn't biased by any previous knowledge of dragons. At first, she was worried he would brush her off as well, but he seemed to get it right away. He might look like a big, brutish Viking, but he had paid attention to her, and was definitely clever enough to figure out that she was really a human.

She also couldn't help but be grateful that Charlie got her to fly again. He had helped her work through her fears and be more confident in her dragon-body's abilities. There had definitely been times she felt like a pretty useless dragon because she couldn't fly. And now that she was able to change at will, with a little help from McGonagall, she couldn't keep herself out of the skies. Flying as a dragon was nothing like flying on a broom. It was her body, not some branch of wood, and she was in full control as she glided over the landscape. Hermione was coming to truly love it.

It was as she mulled all of this over that she realized what she felt for both Charlie and Thorfinn wasn't fully platonic. Both were absolutely gorgeous wizards, with hard, well-muscled bodies and handsome faces.

They were different, for sure. Charlie was broad-shouldered and toned, with high cheekbones, a shadow of red scruff on his face, and auburn hair that had started to get wavy as it grew out. Thorfinn was absolutely massive in every way, all muscle. He had long, tumbling sandy hair and a square jaw that was softened only slightly by his cropped beard and easy smile. Both had clear blue eyes that Hermione had to admit, made her weak at knees in a way that had nothing to do with recovering from being a dragon.

Being a dragon had killed any sort of libido she had, but now that she was human again? She was aroused all of the time. Especially since she found herself sharing living quarters with them both.

Charlie had taken them both back to the reserve as he and McGonagall began talks with the British Ministry. With nowhere else to put them, they stayed in his small cabin. There was exactly one bed, which Charlie had enlarged and the three of them sharing. Almost every morning she had woken up pressed against one of them. It was almost getting to be too much for her. She wanted to keep things platonic since it seemed that's what they both wanted as well, but she was going crazy sleeping between them each night.

She was so focused on attempting to keep her feelings for both men friendly that when Charlie asked her out on a date, she didn't quite believe him.

"Just, uh, you and me?" Hermione squeaked.

Charlie's eyes twinkled. "Yes, let's leave that big galoot here and you and I will have a night out on the town."

Hermione twisted her lips in thought. She really didn't want to ruin the camaraderie with Thorfinn and if he wanted things platonic, then he wouldn't be upset if she went out with Charlie, right?

"Alright," she said finally. "Let's go out."

Charlie's grin was infectious as he swept Hermione up in a hug and twirled her around. They went out that night and it was one of the best nights of Hermione's life. Charlie was incredibly easy to talk to and they discussed seemingly every topic under the sun.

On the way back to the reserve, he asked her what she wanted to do now that she was no longer a dragon. She shook her head.

"Honestly? I have no idea. I'm sure there is a mess waiting for me back in Britain to clean up and then…" she trailed off with a laugh. "Who is going to hire someone who spent eight years as a dragon? I have no experience doing anything!"

Charlie laughed. "I'd say you are quite experienced with dragons," he grinned at her, "maybe you could stay here and work at the reserve? You'd know better than anyone what types of things they might experience out in the wild."

"Is that an invitation?" Hermione asked, her heart in her throat.

"You have to know I'm crazy about you," he murmured, pulling her close.

"I feel the same," Hermione said a little breathlessly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Charlie's grin melted into a softer smile, just before he pressed his lips to hers. In her very limited experience, it was the best kiss of her life. Fire seemed to lick along her nerves as he delved his tongue inside her mouth, exploring every bit of her he could reach.

He swallowed her moan and she couldn't stop herself from wrapping a leg around his hip, trying desperately to get closer to him. Charlie groaned and slid his hands down her body, lifting her by the back of the thighs so she could wrap both legs around him.

After a long moment, they broke apart and Hermione slid down to her feet again. "See, life here wouldn't be so bad," Charlie said, tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

She smiled up at him and then rested her head on his chest, holding him close for a long moment before they made their way back to the cabin.

The next day, Thorfinn seemed upset. Hermione's stomach clenched with anxiety as he went about slamming doors on the kitchen cabinets. The cabin was small, but the bedroom was separate from the rest of the space. She scrambled out of bed and into the rest of the living area to see Thorfinn slumped against the counter, sipping sullenly from a cup of tea.

"Morning," she said neutrally, testing the waters. She couldn't be sure that he was mad at her about her date with Charlie, but she couldn't imagine what else he had to be upset about.

He grunted, not even bothering to look at her. Hermione frowned and bit her lip. She knew she needed to confront him, but she wasn't sure how. She decided to ignore his bad mood for now and see what happened. She passed him in the kitchen and poured herself a tea from the pot he had made. Without a word, he simply walked out of the kitchen, and then left the cabin entirely, letting the door fall closed behind him. She hurried after him to see he had settled on one of the chairs on the front porch.

She sighed and stood in the kitchen, savoring the steaming tea. What was she going to do about Thorfinn? If he was upset that she went out with Charlie, did that mean he also had feelings for her? The idea that he too felt something for her kicked up the butterflies in her stomach. The feeling was followed by a worry that he might leave the reserve, and then he would be completely lost to her. She had already stopped him from leaving once, just after she had changed back. After her tea, she returned to the bedroom to dress for the day. Maybe once she was clothed, she would feel more comfortable confronting Thorfinn.

By the time she was dressed and ready, Thorfinn was gone. She slumped down on the sofa when she realized he wasn't anywhere near the cabin. Charlie was working a double-shift today, so he wouldn't be home until late. She would just have to wait Thorfinn out.

It was almost dinnertime when Thorfinn finally returned to the cabin. He looked worn out and Hermione wondered what he had been off doing. He didn't acknowledge her as he went straight into the bathroom. Hermione heard the shower turn on and turned back to the dinner she was preparing for them. She'd never liked to cook before, but years of reading cookbooks had somehow turned cooking into an orderly process that she found calming.

Finally, Thorfinn was out of the shower and made a beeline for the bedroom. When he hadn't left the bedroom after twenty minutes, Hermione squared her shoulders and went in after him. He was sitting on the bed, shoulders slumped, staring at his hands.

"Thorfinn?" She approached him slowly, not wanting to startle him. She wasn't quite sure how berserkers and their rages worked—which had been irritating her to the point that she'd asked McGonagall to bring her several books next time they met—but she didn't want to accidentally startle him into a rage.

He looked up at her and the look on his face was so morose it broke Hermione's heart.

"Oh, Thorfinn," she rushed to him and stepped between his thighs, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He pressed his face against her chest and drew her close, his own arms around her waist. They stayed there for a few minutes, just breathing the other in, when Hermione pulled back and cupped his face, forcing him to look up at her.

"Will you tell me what's bothering you?" she whispered, staring into his dark blue eyes.

"I'm in love with you," he stated plainly and Hermione gasped in her shock. "And I think I have been since I first saw you in that cave. But Weasley is a much better man than I am."

Hermione frowned at him. "So you're going to make the decision for me?"

He shrugged and started to look away from her.

She still had his face cupped in her hands, so she leaned down and kissed him. "I think I might be in love with you too," she admitted, pulling away from the kiss.

He crushed her to him then and quickly flipped their positions, so he was lying on top of her on the bed. His lips never ceasing to move as he devoured her mouth. Hermione kissed him back for all that she could. Where Charlie's kiss was like fire, a slow burn, Thorfinn's kiss was like a firework, an explosion. A thrill ran through her and she felt like she couldn't get enough of him.

They probably would have continued and done something positively indecent in Charlie's bed, had Charlie not walked in on them.

He cleared his throat and Hermione pushed against Thorfinn's chest as a feeling of horror overwhelmed her. Thorfinn stood and pulled her up by her hand. He was looking mulishly at Charlie, who was lounging in the doorway with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"Dinner's ready," he grunted and then left the room. Hermione shared a look with Thorfinn and then followed him out to the main part of the small cabin. She was mortified. What kind of woman kissed two different men in as many days? What kind of woman wanted two different men? She couldn't parse through her own feelings and felt absolutely at odds.

The rest of the evening passed in tense silence.

Later, as they were lying in bed, Hermione couldn't sleep as her mind spun over the problem. She wanted them both. She didn't want to give either of them up. It would be an unconventional situation, for sure, but she'd just spent the last eight years as a dragon. She didn't want convention. She wanted Charlie and Thorfinn. Thorfinn and Charlie.

She huffed and tried to turn over, but came face to face with Charlie's back. It was too hot to sleep with too many clothes on and she let her eyes trace the freckles that sprayed across his skin. But the tension wouldn't leave her. Huffing again, she turned to her other side to see Thorfinn's back. His skin was smooth and she longed to reach out and touch it, but didn't.

After a long moment, she turned back to her back and sat up. This was ridiculous. She dug the wand McGonagall had brought her out from under her pillow and flicked it, sending lights to the sconces in the room.

"There a problem?" Charlie asked, not rolling over. She knew he wasn't asleep. And she didn't think Thorfinn was either.

"Yeah, there is," Hermione said forcefully. "We need to talk."

"Go to bed," Charlie replied, but Thorfinn turned over and sat up, his back against the headboard. She offered him a small smile and poked Charlie in the bum.

"Get up," she said.

He growled and he too sat up, leaning against the headboard, glaring at her.

"I can't help the way I feel," she said, looking between them both. They tensed, and Thorfinn crossed his arms over her chest. Charlie's glare hardened.

"I want you both," she said, now unable to look at either of them. "I know it's not normal, but I can't help it. You both saved me. You both helped me for no reason at all, when I was a dragon and through all this time after.

"Thorfinn," she finally looked up at him, "you found me and gave me companionship when I had lost all hope. I thought I was going to live out the rest of my days as a dragon and when you showed up, I thought that it would at least be enjoyable to live them out with you.

"And Charlie," she turned to look at him, "you gave me the hope that maybe I didn't need to live the rest of my life as a dragon. You couldn't take a hint for the life of you," she chuckled and was pleased when the corner of his mouth tilted up, "but you were patient and persistent, and without you, I'd still be in that cave as a flightless dragon."

She took a deep breath and moved forward on her knees, placing a hand on each of them. "I want you both."

"I live in Romania," Charlie said, breaking the long silence that had gathered among them. "Unless you're planning to move here, we're not going to make sense. No matter how much I love you or want to be with you."

Hermione felt tears gather in her eyes. That sounded like it might be a no from Charlie and her heart felt like it was about to break.

"I'm a fugitive from the law," Thorfinn said, clearing his throat. "But I don't mind sharing if that's the only way I can have you." His eyes shined brightly at her and Hermione sent him a small smile. She was still taking in Charlie's easy dismissal, but Thorfinn's acceptance helped.

"Really?" Charlie asked, peering hard at Thorfinn. "Just like that?"

Thorfinn shrugged. "Why not? Hermione is…" he trailed off and the look he gave Hermione had her blushing to her roots. She bit her lip and smoldered back at him. "Amazing," he finally said. "She's bloody amazing and if she wants me, well, I'll take that in any form I can get it."

"And you won't be jealous?" Charlie asked. "You won't go breaking out into a berserker rage because you see me kiss her?"

Thorfinn frowned for a moment, thinking over the words and Hermione held her breath. Everything seemed to balance on a point and it could go either way. She just wasn't sure which way it would go.

He shrugged. "I can't guarantee it, but I don't think so. Hermione calms me in a way that I can't describe," he paused, considering, "and you actually help a little, too. What were you thinking when you caught us?" Charlie and Thorfinn shared a look that Hermione couldn't quite interpret.

"Kind of like I wanted to join you," Charlie said quietly.

Thorfinn smirked. Hermione smiled. "Really?" she asked Charlie.

He lifted one shoulder. "You're both good to look at and I've not been picky in the past. I am worried about the living situation though. Aren't you both eventually going back to Britain?"

"I'm still a fugitive," Thorfinn reminded them both.

"And I've lived in Romania the last eight years," Hermione said. "I'm comfortable here and planning on working at the reserve for a while. I won't be leaving anytime soon, because I can't travel easily until we can get my living status sorted out, and Thorfinn will need to stay here until he gets his berserker registration. And maybe after that, when we both need to go back to establish our identities again, we can get a Portkey."

"I could get behind that," Charlie said with a grin. He raked his eyes over her and she felt her cheeks redden again.

"And maybe we should work on establishing a dragon reserve closer to home. Thorfinn, you like dragons, right?" Hermione asked. It had been an idea she had been mulling over for the last few days. Nothing against Romania, but it wasn't Britain and she did long to go home.

"I love them," he said, reaching for Hermione's hand. He yanked her to him and pressed a kiss to her lips once she was settled between them again.

"Now that's something I could definitely get behind," Charlie murmured. He turned Hermione's face toward him and pressed his lips to hers.

Hermione sighed into the kiss. She couldn't quite believe they had agreed so easily. She finally had something for herself. Not just the Animagus she had set out to be. Now she had this wonderful life with two people meant to be her soulmates.

It seemed like she might be getting everything she ever wanted.

~Fin~