Chapter Three
Disclaimer: All of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling, except for Leila, Anna, Caitlin, Alex, John, Tony, and Bob who are products of my imagination.
A/N: OK, I really wasn't planning to work on this yet because of school and all . . . but I loved the reviews, what can I say?
Hermione slowly slipped off of the cot that was in Ginny's room and went down the stairs. Charlie was sitting next to Mrs. Weasley, watching the stairs with interest. He grinned as Hermione bounced down and sat next to him. She helped herself to some food, then looked at Charlie.
"We should tell them," she mouthed. Charlie nodded, looking at his mother, then back at Hermione.
"When?" he mouthed. She shrugged, looking outside and then back at him. He nodded.
"Mum, Hermione and I are going for a walk," Charlie said when they both finished breakfast. Mrs. Weasley didn't even look at them, as she started making more breakfast (all of the other Weasleys were waking up). Hermione and Charlie stood quickly and walked outside, walking in amiable silence.
"When are we going to tell them, Charlie? I mean, I am just going with you to Romania, but you know some of them will read into it," Hermione told him. Charlie looked down at her in disbelief.
"Some of them?" he asked in amazement. "More like all of them. Even Percy will read into it," he said with a grin. Hermione looked up at him and then grabbed his hand and stopped him. She slowly sat down and pulled him with her.
"Yeah, I know. So, I think we should go in there and tell them, then we need to pack. When are we leaving?" Hermione asked.
"Two days from today. So, we'll tell them when we go in and then we'll pack," Charlie said. "But, I need you to take the Apparation test before then. Can you try it tomorrow?" Charlie asked. Hermione nodded, and they returned to the Burrow.
"Morning you two," Harry said, sending a suspicious glance their way. Hermione rolled her eyes and sat next to him, looking at Ron who was tossing tons of eggs onto his plate and ignoring everyone.
"Good morning Harry. Mrs. Weasley, I need to speak with you," Hermione said, looking at Mrs. Weasley bustling around the kitchen. She frowned, glancing at the food cooking on the stove, but sitting down nonetheless.
"Of course, dear," Mrs. Weasley said.
"I'm going to Romania with Charlie, to study dragons," Hermione said. "If I get my Apparation license tomorrow, we're leaving the day after," Hermione said.
"And you say that you two don't go out," Ron snorted, taking a bit of his food. Hermione glared at him, before fixing a glass of water and calmly taking a sip.
"We don't, Ron. I thought you should know. Now, I'm going to go pack and practice for the Apparation test," Hermione said. Everyone nodded, and Hermione hurried up to Ginny's room and started packing a small trunk. Ginny looked up at her as she was stuffing clothing and a few books into her trunk.
"Off to Romania already?" Ginny asked, smirking slightly.
"Soon. I have to pass the Apparation test first. Better than Flooing or going by broom," Hermione told her. Ginny smiled at her, looking at the doors, wondering if Charlie was going to come in. "Charlie won't come. He has to pack, and then I told him that I had to study." Hermione answered her unasked question.
"Oh. You know, Apparation is supposed to be really, really hard. What happens if you don't pass the test?" Ginny asked.
"Charlie either waits for me to pass, or leaves," Hermione said, picking up a book about the art of Appartaion. She looked through it quickly, then sighed. "I hate being nervous," she mused aloud.
"Why bother with being nervous. If Fred and George can manage it, you surely can," Ginny told her from her bed. Hermione nodded, grinning at her. Somehow, that thought was reassuring. She carefully practiced the wand movements, and murmuring the spell to Apparate.
"Oh, I just hope I can do it," she said, stretching on the cot. She spent the day studying quietly in Ginny's room, not noticing anyone leaving or entering the room. That night she fell into a troubled sleep, completely nervous.
The next day, she took the Apparation test, and easily passed. The day after, she and Charlie left for Romania, saying goodbye to the Weasley family with large grins.
The rush of Appatating to Romania caused Hermione to almost fall from the dizzy spell when she arrived. Charlie was already there, and reached for her, holding her tight.
"Are you okay, Hermione?" he asked quietly. She nodded, holding onto him tightly and resting her head on his shoulder. She took deep breaths of air and clutched him tightly, nuzzling into his chest. "The first long Apparation is always the worst." Hermione nodded, apparently already noting that.
"Okay," she said a few minutes later, pulling away from him slowly. "Let's go." She hefted her trunk and followed him down a slight path that led to the camps. They passed several fenced in dragons on the way. Reaching the camp, Hermione saw about five tents. A group of people was seated around a fire.
"Charlie!" the voices called. Charlie grinned, running over to them. Hermione followed more slowly. There were about seven people there, three women and four men.
"Hey! How have you been?" he asked, shaking the men's hands and hugging the women. Hermione hung back at the edge, and he turned and grinned at her. "This is my friend, Hermione Granger. Hermione, that's Leila Garret, Anna Smith, Caitlin Brown, Alex Brown, Tony Powell, John Morton, and Bob Norris," he introduced. Hermione quickly shook hands with them all, then sat and silently appraised the people across from them.
They were all dressed similarly--black pants, white shirts, and dragonhide boots. Leila had dark brown hair that was pulled into a ponytail, violet eyes, and pale skin. She looked very nice. Anna was next to her. Anna was a tall, large woman with curly blond hair sticking out every which way. Caitlin, obviously married to Alex, had soft blond hair that hung to her shoulders, and looked far too delicate to be studying dragons. Alex was opposite of Caitlin, and fit the tall, dark, and handsome profile perfectly. He had dark hair with even darker brown eyes, and appeared to have the complexion to always be tan. Tony, next to him, reminded Hermione strongly of Draco Malfoy. He had light blond hair and a sharp, angular face. However, he looked much nicer and more open than Hermione could ever imagine Draco looking. John was a curly-headed, brown-haired man with broad hours and bright blue eyes. And next to him was Bob Norris. Hermione felt a sense of foreboding just by looking at him, but didn't say anything. He was rather short and chubby, with light brown hair and dark green eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Hermione," Caitlin said, scooting closer to Alex to allow her to sit between her and Anna. Hermione gratefully sat down and noticed Charlie sitting between Tony and John.
"So, Charlie, you coming back to work with the dragons?" Alex asked with a grin. Charlie shrugged.
"I don't know. I love dragons and all, but I don't know what I'm going to do now. Things have changed so much since I last worked here, and all I can think about is what happened," Charlie muttered. He caught Hermione's glance and knew that she knew what he meant.
"What about you, Hermione? What are your plans?" Leila asked, looking over at her. Hermione shrugged delicately.
"I haven't a clue. That's why Charlie invited me here, so I can find out what I like. It's not like I was doing anything else, really. Just imposing on the Weasleys," she said with a grin. Charlie laughed at that.
"Right, 'Mione. Mum absolutely hated having you there. Ron and Harry were actually kind of angry that you were coming here. They said it would be the first summer you didn't spend together," he said.
"Oh, Harry and Ron need to grow up," she smirked. "They know I'll be back. Besides, I doubt Harry will miss anyone with his precious Ginny in the house." Charlie looked strangely sober at that.
"Hey, that's my little sister you're talking about," he told her with a grin. Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled her knees to her chest, watching the group with interest.
"How long have you two known one another?" Bob asked with interest. Hermione cocked her head and looked at Charlie. Charlie shrugged.
"Since fourth year . . . Four years, I suppose?" she questioned. Charlie bit his lip, then nodded and smiled at her.
"Table fight with Bill at the cookout, before the World Quidditch match." Hermione rolled her eyes at the mention of Quidditch, but the mere mention of it brought a heated discussion between the men, but the women shared an annoyed glance.
"We'll show Hermione to her quarters," Anna said, standing up rather abruptly. The men barely acknowledged them. The four quickly made their way to the tents.
"You have your choice. You can stay with Anna or me, or we can share and you and Charlie can stay together, whichever," Leila offered. Hermione looked between Anna and Leila, trying to decide whom to stay with.
"I think I'll stay with you, Leila," she said.
"All right. That tent in the middle belongs to Caitlin and Alex. We're next to it and Anna is on the other side of us. Next to Caitlin and Alex is Tony, and Charlie will probably stay there. Then John and Bob are last," Leila explained. Hermione nodded and took her trunk into Leila's tent.
The first room was the living room with a large couch and several chairs. Several tables were scattered around and she could see two bedrooms and a kitchen branch off. They four women sat around the living room, and began to get to know one another.
"So . . . Hermione, you and Charlie. What's going on there?" Leila asked curiously. Hermione shrugged and cautiously wrapped a strand of her curly hair around her finger.
"I don't know. I like him, but I'm rather confused. Charlie and I are just friends, I guess," she said.
"Wait, do you like him?" Anna interrupted her. Hermione shrugged.
"I don't know. Right now, he's just Charlie. I'll definitely think about it. Anyway, what about you two?" she asked, looking pointedly at Leila and Anna. Leila turned faintly red.
"Well . . . Tony and I have dated a little," she admitted.
"I don't date," Anna said. Hermione nodded quietly.
"Hey, are you all Charlie's age?" she suddenly asked, glancing around.
"Um . . .Charlie is how old again?" Leila mused. "He's 24 now, almost 25. I'm 22, Anna's 28, Caitlin is 23, Alex 25, Tony is my age, John is 26, and Bob is 32. He's a bit creepy," she mused. They all laughed, then jumped at the sound of someone entering the room.
"Hermione, I'm rooming with Tony, okay?" Charlie asked, stepping into the room. Hermione looked up at him and nodded slightly.
"All right, Charlie."
"Now, come on. I get to check on dragons, and you're coming," he told her. Hermione shook her head, grinning at him smugly.
"I'm having a pleasant conversation, thank you Charlie. I'll stay here and chat, thank you," she told him. Charlie looked down at her, frowning slightly, then pulled her up and led her out of the room.
"Come on," he said, pouting softly. "Please, 'Mione? I didn't bring you all the way to Romania for you just to sit around and not even look at dragons," he said. Hermione sighed and slowly stood up to walk with Charlie out to the dragon fences.
"We'll look at the Common Welsh Green, since it's not all that aggressive. Don't want 'Mione to be hurt," he said with a grin. Hermione turned to glare at him, but followed him to the dragon. It was rather small and a bright green shade. Hermione watched as Charlie went in the fence and started gently checking the dragon out.
It was surprisingly gentle with Charlie, and he urged Hermione to enter the fence. She was slightly afraid, but gave in to his pleading and slipped next to him.
"Hermione, stick your hand out. He's going to sniff it," Charlie said. "It'll make him trust you. This is the most gentle dragon we've had, and we've had him for about four years now." Hermione bit her lip, looking over at him quickly, but holding her hand out nervously. The dragon slowly sniffed it, then rubbed its head against Hermione.
"He likes you," Charlie said, grinning. "I knew he would."
"I'm glad you were certain. At least he doesn't eat humans," she muttered, rubbing it slightly. Charlie grinned over at her, and they stayed out there for a while, before heading back to camp slowly.
"The guys were asking about you, wanting to know if you dated and all," Charlie mentioned conversationally. "Bob was especially interested." Hermione stopped and grabbed his hand to stop him.
"Bob was interested? He scares me," she said quietly. Charlie frowned.
"Why? All right, I may understand why, I just don't think that you should worry," he said.
"Look, if he keeps asking about me, let me know. I don't like the idea of him liking me. In fact, I would like him to think I was dating someone," she said.
"Well, there are four free guys here: Tony, Bob, John, and me. So, which would you choose?"
"Tony is with Leila. Besides, Charlie, I don't know anyone but you here. You know I would choose you," she said, frowning. She suddenly smiled. "What about it Charlie? We could date. I mean, I really care about you, and it would get rid of unwanted male attention." Charlie looked down at her, wonder clearly present in his eyes.
"You care about me, 'Mione, but is it the way I care about you?"
"I don't know, Charlie. But, don't you think we should at least try to make this work?" she asked. Charlie frowned.
"Just to get rid of Bob, eh?"
"Not necessarily. I had to ask myself why I opened up to you so quickly, and I said it was because you were simply there for me. Is that the truth, though? I doubt it. I care about you Charlie. And, I want to explore these feelings. So, want to be my boyfriend?" she asked with a grin.
"Why not?" he asked, looking up at the sky above them, then back to the girl who was still holding his hand. She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
"So, we're dating? Leila will have a fit," Hermione predicted.
"I knew you'd fit in with the girls. Well, I knew you'd fit in with Leila and Caitlin. I worry about Anna, though. She's not at all like you, and I hardly thought you'd get along," he told her. Hermione nodded.
"I love Leila already. She always seems so welcoming and all. So, what are the plans for tonight?" Hermione asked. He shrugged.
"Dinner, a walk, and bed, I guess. Come on, it's Alex's night to cook. He's the best chef," Charlie said, and he and Hermione had a race to back to the camp.
September: I updated! Hope you like it, and now you don't have to kill me.
Panda ME!!: Thanks :)
Tracy: I hope that the mere mention of dragons in this is okay, and the beginning of Charlie and Hermione's relationship is satisfactory? I got this out a lot faster than I expected, but the nice reviews helped. Anyway, I live in Kentucky and we have year round school (we go 9 weeks, get 2 weeks off) and I am already back. Anyway, thanks for the nice review.