A/N: Charlie and Hermione are having sort of inner struggles, so if it seems like they're talking to themselves, just remember that they're thinking, not actually saying the stuff. Thanks to Gryffindor for being the first person to review. YOU RULE!
~!*!~
August 29, 2006
"All off! Last stop! Let's go son, time to get off."
"What?" Charlie opened his eyes and groaned inwardly. He had fallen asleep on the train ride home, and had been having a very pleasant dream about Hermione.
Oh well, he thought, at least I'll get to see her in person now...though I doubt she'll do what she did in my dream. He smiled, thinking about it.
"Ow!" He had been so busy thinking about Hermione, he missed a step and fell flat on his face.
"Charlie!" He looked up. Oh great, it would be her who spots me right after I take a nose dive off the train.
"Her-Hermione!" He stood up and looked for his trunk. It had opened somehow, and spilt most of his belongings alongside the train.
"Oh no!" Hermione had appeared alongside him suddenly. Charlie thought he was imagining it, but she seemed to be standing a tad closer than she usually did. "You guys, come help. His trunk broke open."
She bent and began to pick up things. Charlie couldn't help but admire his view of her for a few seconds.
Ok, I said to cut it out, you are never going to get with her, Ron would kill you, Harry would, Ginny would, mum and dad, her mum and dad, probably everybody would kill you if you did.
You know what? Charlie thought angrily. Shut up.
He knelt beside her and reached for the same sock. He laid his hand on top of hers. She looked up at him, and he smiled.
"Thank's for helping." He said.
She blushed. "No problem."
"Oy, Chuck! You blockhead!" Fred and George said at the same time. Charlie looked at Hermione for an explanation.
"I'm sorry, I brought them a book of Peanuts comic strips." Hermione explained.
Charlie laughed. "I always thought Percy sounded more like Lucy, but pulling the football away does sound like something they'd do."
"You read Peanuts?" She asked, surprised. "I didn't think I'd ever find anyone who wasn't a Muggle who'd heard of them."
"Well, I've been all over, you know, dragons and stuff, and well, I picked up a copy of the Oakland Tribune when I was out in California. You know, in the states. You wouldn't believe how many different kinds of comics there are. Well, I became addicted to Peanuts. The comic strip, you know, not like, actual peanuts." Hey Charlie, he thought. You know, you sound like such a big nerd right now, right?
Hermione realized her hand was still under his. She pulled it away quickly and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Here's your sock."
"Thanks." He smiled and raised his eyebrows. He looks so cute when he does that, Hermione thought to herself. Then she mentally slapped herself. Stop it! Seven years, remember that? He thinks of you like a sister, if he even thinks of you at all. He probably doesn't even remember that one kiss at the World Cup three years ago.
Still, she kept thinking about how he had sounded like he was sort of stammering as he told her about his obsession with Peanuts. She had never heard him, or anyone for that matter, use the phrase "you know" that much before.
You're trying to rationalize this silly little crush, you know that, don't you?
Hermione sighed. I really don't think hearing voices in my head is a good thing right now.
Much too soon, the rest of the Weasly's, except for Mr. Weasly, and Harry swarmed around them, picking up everything.
"So, are you going to tell us why you're hear now?" Mrs. Weasly asked.
"And why Bill and I had to take time off work." Percy sniveled slightly.
"Hey, me and George had to take time off work too." Fred asserted, slightly defensive.
"I would hardly call inventing pranks 'work'" Percy definitely sniveled that time.
"Work is defined as an amount of force applied over a period of time." She found herself saying automatically. "So if you're moving something over any distance for any amount of time, you're doing work."
As usual, everyone stared at her after her mini-speech. And as usual, everyone started normal conversations after a few seconds. Except Charlie.
Even as the rest of his family were bombarding him with questions, he was still looking at her, smiling. She felt a blush rising in her cheeks and immediately turned towards Ginny.
"Yeah, why are you here again?" Bill asked.
"Huh?" Charlie said.
"Why. Are. You. Here?" Bill pronounced every word as a single sentence. Charlie swung good-naturedly at him. Bill ducked and grabbed him around the waist, lifting him a few inches off the ground.
"Listen you big bad dragon dude, you may be a big shot now, but you're still my little brother." He laughed as Charlie turned pink around the ears.
"Charlie was quoted in Dragon Wings."
"What?" Hermione asked. She had been distracted, watching Charlie and Bill tickle each other right on the platform. As she was an only child, she had no idea what it would have been like having someone to be that close to, and she was thinking about it would have been like.
"Dragon Wings ." Ron repeated. "Not the book about the Chinese imigrant who wanted to build a plane or something, but the book about dragons. He was quoted five times, and they had an interview with him in the chapter 'Dragon Breeding: Not Your Normal Eggs.'" Ron grimaced. "Somehow they managed to turn a pretty interesting guy talking about pretty interesting animals into someone who sounds like Prof. Binns lecturing us on Goblin Rebellions."
Hermione turned to ask Charlie about it, but now he and Bill were flat-out wrestling on the platform. They were starting to attract a crowd when Mrs. Weasly stepped in.
"All right, enough is enough." She pulled Bill and Charlie up by their shirt collars and started dragging them towards the exit. Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Percy, and Ginny were trying to carry Charlie's trunk.
Why is this so heavy if he can only stay for two or three days before the term starts again? Hermione wondered silently.
~!*!~
August 29, 2006
"All off! Last stop! Let's go son, time to get off."
"What?" Charlie opened his eyes and groaned inwardly. He had fallen asleep on the train ride home, and had been having a very pleasant dream about Hermione.
Oh well, he thought, at least I'll get to see her in person now...though I doubt she'll do what she did in my dream. He smiled, thinking about it.
"Ow!" He had been so busy thinking about Hermione, he missed a step and fell flat on his face.
"Charlie!" He looked up. Oh great, it would be her who spots me right after I take a nose dive off the train.
"Her-Hermione!" He stood up and looked for his trunk. It had opened somehow, and spilt most of his belongings alongside the train.
"Oh no!" Hermione had appeared alongside him suddenly. Charlie thought he was imagining it, but she seemed to be standing a tad closer than she usually did. "You guys, come help. His trunk broke open."
She bent and began to pick up things. Charlie couldn't help but admire his view of her for a few seconds.
Ok, I said to cut it out, you are never going to get with her, Ron would kill you, Harry would, Ginny would, mum and dad, her mum and dad, probably everybody would kill you if you did.
You know what? Charlie thought angrily. Shut up.
He knelt beside her and reached for the same sock. He laid his hand on top of hers. She looked up at him, and he smiled.
"Thank's for helping." He said.
She blushed. "No problem."
"Oy, Chuck! You blockhead!" Fred and George said at the same time. Charlie looked at Hermione for an explanation.
"I'm sorry, I brought them a book of Peanuts comic strips." Hermione explained.
Charlie laughed. "I always thought Percy sounded more like Lucy, but pulling the football away does sound like something they'd do."
"You read Peanuts?" She asked, surprised. "I didn't think I'd ever find anyone who wasn't a Muggle who'd heard of them."
"Well, I've been all over, you know, dragons and stuff, and well, I picked up a copy of the Oakland Tribune when I was out in California. You know, in the states. You wouldn't believe how many different kinds of comics there are. Well, I became addicted to Peanuts. The comic strip, you know, not like, actual peanuts." Hey Charlie, he thought. You know, you sound like such a big nerd right now, right?
Hermione realized her hand was still under his. She pulled it away quickly and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Here's your sock."
"Thanks." He smiled and raised his eyebrows. He looks so cute when he does that, Hermione thought to herself. Then she mentally slapped herself. Stop it! Seven years, remember that? He thinks of you like a sister, if he even thinks of you at all. He probably doesn't even remember that one kiss at the World Cup three years ago.
Still, she kept thinking about how he had sounded like he was sort of stammering as he told her about his obsession with Peanuts. She had never heard him, or anyone for that matter, use the phrase "you know" that much before.
You're trying to rationalize this silly little crush, you know that, don't you?
Hermione sighed. I really don't think hearing voices in my head is a good thing right now.
Much too soon, the rest of the Weasly's, except for Mr. Weasly, and Harry swarmed around them, picking up everything.
"So, are you going to tell us why you're hear now?" Mrs. Weasly asked.
"And why Bill and I had to take time off work." Percy sniveled slightly.
"Hey, me and George had to take time off work too." Fred asserted, slightly defensive.
"I would hardly call inventing pranks 'work'" Percy definitely sniveled that time.
"Work is defined as an amount of force applied over a period of time." She found herself saying automatically. "So if you're moving something over any distance for any amount of time, you're doing work."
As usual, everyone stared at her after her mini-speech. And as usual, everyone started normal conversations after a few seconds. Except Charlie.
Even as the rest of his family were bombarding him with questions, he was still looking at her, smiling. She felt a blush rising in her cheeks and immediately turned towards Ginny.
"Yeah, why are you here again?" Bill asked.
"Huh?" Charlie said.
"Why. Are. You. Here?" Bill pronounced every word as a single sentence. Charlie swung good-naturedly at him. Bill ducked and grabbed him around the waist, lifting him a few inches off the ground.
"Listen you big bad dragon dude, you may be a big shot now, but you're still my little brother." He laughed as Charlie turned pink around the ears.
"Charlie was quoted in Dragon Wings."
"What?" Hermione asked. She had been distracted, watching Charlie and Bill tickle each other right on the platform. As she was an only child, she had no idea what it would have been like having someone to be that close to, and she was thinking about it would have been like.
"Dragon Wings ." Ron repeated. "Not the book about the Chinese imigrant who wanted to build a plane or something, but the book about dragons. He was quoted five times, and they had an interview with him in the chapter 'Dragon Breeding: Not Your Normal Eggs.'" Ron grimaced. "Somehow they managed to turn a pretty interesting guy talking about pretty interesting animals into someone who sounds like Prof. Binns lecturing us on Goblin Rebellions."
Hermione turned to ask Charlie about it, but now he and Bill were flat-out wrestling on the platform. They were starting to attract a crowd when Mrs. Weasly stepped in.
"All right, enough is enough." She pulled Bill and Charlie up by their shirt collars and started dragging them towards the exit. Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Percy, and Ginny were trying to carry Charlie's trunk.
Why is this so heavy if he can only stay for two or three days before the term starts again? Hermione wondered silently.