Chapter 8
July 21, 1999- September 19, 1999
Charlie surprised Hermione on Wednesday by coming to the Burrow and taking her back to his cabin for their first official date.
He made her mici for dinner and afterwards, they soaked in the hot tub and Charlie asked Hermione to sing another song for him. At first, she was nervous and didn't know what to sing. But once she closed her eyes, playing the melody in her head, she relaxed and began singing.
"I find myself in a strange situation
And I don't know how
What seemed to be an infatuation
Is so different now
I can't get by if we're not together
Oh, can't you see
Girl, I want you now and forever
Close to me
I'm longing for the time
I'm longing for the day
Hoping that you will promise to be mine
And never go away
I don't want to live without you
I don't want to live without you
I could never live without you
Live without your love
I ask myself but there's no explanation
For the way I feel
I know I've reached the right destination
And I know it's real
I'm longing for the time
I'm longing for the day
When I'll be giving you this heart of mine
Believe me when I say
I don't want to live without you
I don't want to live without you
I could never live without you
Live without your love
Now I don't want to live without you
I don't want to live without you
I could never be without you
Be without your love
I don't want to live without you
Live without your love
Live without your love
You see I'm lost without your love"
When Hermione finished singing, she opened her eyes to find Charlie staring at her intently. By the time she blinked he was in front of her, his lips on hers.
Thus, began their Wednesday night tradition. They never did anything more than kiss, and Charlie never pushed it further than Hermione wanted to go. He coveted her, afraid to lose the only pure relationship he'd ever had.
Every Sunday, after dinner, he and Hermione would go out to the garden where they'd sit on the swing, and he would again ask her to sing to him. It was only ever one song, but it was his favorite thing to do with her. She was so passionate when she sang, and it always touched him. He wrote down the name and singer of every song she sang to him, determined to learn them since they were so important to her. He asked for Harry's help to get the songs downloaded onto a small oval muggle device with strings attached. Harry showed him how to work it and soon Charlie was listening to the songs every day.
Two months later, Hermione sat by the floo, waiting for Charlie to arrive. She was anxious to see him as he hadn't been able to make it to Sunday dinner and he ended up having to cancel their date. The reserve was busy tracking a dragon, so Hermione hadn't even been able to write to him. It had now been nearly two weeks since they spoke, and she missed him. They kept twisting their rings to let each other know they were thinking of them, especially as Hermione's birthday passed.
Every time the floo activated and it wasn't him, her mood soured even more. Finally, she gave up waiting and went to use the loo. When she came out, a hand pulled her into the shadows and pinned her against the wall.
"I've been missing you and your lips for two whole weeks." Charlie told her, his arms on either side of her, trapping her in place.
"Well, we're all right here in front of you." She pointed out, breathless with anticipation.
"That you are." He agreed, leaning close. "Happy late birthday, baby." He said, before capturing her lips. His body pressed against her, and she felt the flames licking at her stomach. She ran her hands underneath his shirt and up his chest while sliding her tongue against his lips. He almost growled as he kissed her back with ferve. When she began sliding his shirt up, he knew he had to stop before they shagged in the middle of the hallway. He used all his self-control to pull away from the kiss before resting his forehead against hers. They stayed like that breathing heavy until his hard-on disappeared.
"We should go back before someone comes looking." She reasoned. He nodded, kissing her once more before he grasped her hand and led her down the stairs.
All through dinner they kept catching each other's eyes and it was all Bill could do to ignore the pheromones radiating off of them. After dinner, Bill was the first one to leave, wanting to avoid an argument with Charlie. Fleur apologized then followed after him. Bill had been avoiding Charlie since he caught them snogging. No one understood it, not even Bill. He just had a very strong feeling that Hermione was in danger, even though she was often near him, and perfectly safe.
She stood in the garden, leaning over the wall, waiting for Charlie. It was a warm night, but the breeze made it tolerable. She was just about to sit down when a pair of arms came around her waist from behind.
"Finally, alone." Charlie said as he trailed kisses down her neck. She let out a soft moan as he caught a sensitive spot between his teeth. After it became almost too much for her, she pulled away and walked out of the garden.
"We don't have to do anything, 'Mione." He told her, assuming she was upset.
"What if I want to?" She called back, walking away from him and quickly towards the orchard. He easily caught up to her.
"If you want to, then why are you walking away from me?" He asked, turning to walk backwards in front of her as he had done the first time, he brought her there.
She smirked at him before answering. "Maybe I want to go somewhere we won't be interrupted." She told him. He stopped as she continued walking past him giggling.
When the shock wore off, he turned around and jogged up to her. She squealed when he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder continuing to the apparition point.
"Charlie! Put me down. I can walk, you know!" She informed him, laughing the whole time.
"My legs are longer; I can cover more ground faster." He told her matter-of-factly.
She laughed again and he felt his stomach tighten. No, wait. It wasn't his stomach, he realized. It was further south. He quickened his strides and finally set her down as they got close. He bent down covering her lips with his again, as they stumbled backwards towards the apparition point. When they felt the ripple of magic indicating that they had passed outside the wards, Charlie immediately apparated them away.