A/N: to make it up to Birdie (I was feeling rather guilty for a minute or two) I decided to post this
chapter now instead of waiting a few more days. I doubt I could have waited more than a few
minutes. BTW, I'm hoping to maintain my PG-13 rating for a while, so no *ahem* funny stuff will
be going on between them. Yet. Love, Dragonessa Smith
The other chair at the table scooted out ever so slightly.
"Hi, Hermione."
In response, he felt a kiss on his cheek. Blushing slightly, he got his cloak and walked to
his room at the Three Broomsticks, where he was staying, since Ron and Harry had gone to the
Burrow for Christmas break. Hermione had told them she was going home too, but she had
asked to borrow Harry's invisibility cloak over the break.
"Why?" Harry had asked suspiciously.
"Well, my parents think I'm overworking myself, so they've been making me go to bed at
10:00 each night. With the cloak, I could slip out and finish my schoolwork-"
"Enough, enough, wait here and I'll go get it."
Charlie smiled.
I can't believe he fell for that.
So you're finally on my side?
Hey, she likes you, ok? Quit while you're ahead.
When they reached his room, he turned the doorknob and opened the door. He stood
holding the door open for a few seconds, then walked in and locked the door behind him.
"Aromohola." He said, tapping the lock. The lock clicked.
"Hermione?" He whispered, looking around. "Hermione?"
"Boo!" A voice in his ear made him jump. He spun around. Hermione was laughing,
holding the invisibility cloak folded under her arm.
"Why you little...you'll pay for that." He grabbed her sides and started tickling her.
"Ah-hahaha!" Hermione laughed. "Stop, stop it! Hahahahaha!" She reached behind her and
started tickling him.
"Bwa-ha-ha!" Charlie laughed, collapsing to the ground, Hermione laying on top of him.
She rolled over and kissed him.
"I love you." Hermione said.
"I love you too." Charlie said.
"How much do you love me?"
"I love you more than Hagrid loves dragons."
"Yeah? Well, I love you more than Harry loves Quidditch."
"I love you more than Snape hates Harry."
"I love you more than Ron loves chess."
Giggling, they kissed again.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Charlie sat up suddenly, causing Hermione to
bang her head on his shoulder.
"Charlie? Cleaning staff, c'mon, I haven't cleaned up in there for ages. It's got to be a
pigsty by now."
The voice sounded oddly familiar to Hermione, but before she could attach it to anyone,
Charlie was pulling her up.
"Shhh!" He put a finger to his lips and grabbed the invisibility cloak. "Hide in a corner,
somewhere close to the door. When I open the door to leave, follow me, okay, but be quiet!"
Utterly confused, she went and stood by the door.
Charlie glanced at her to make sure she was completely hidden, and opened the door.
"Narcissa, I told you, I don't want my room cleaned until I check out."
"Come on Charlie, it will be a disaster zone by then. I'd rather clean up every other day
now, than for a week straight later."
The lady bustled into the room, carrying mops, pails, sponges, and various other cleaning
items.
Hermione recognized with a start that the woman, was in fact, Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's
mom.
For one, agonizing second, she wavered on the brink of bursting out laughing. If only
Draco could see this scene! For ages, he had been making rude remarks about the Weasly's home
being unclean. Now, his own mother!
She lowered the clock only enough so that Charlie could see her face while Narcissa's
back was turned.
"What is she doing here?" She mouthed at him, jerking her head towards Narcissa's
backside.
"I'll explain later." Charlie mouthed back. "Now get the cloak back on."
Narcissa turned back to Charlie, her gaze piercing through him.
"Someone else is here." She said mysteriously. Charlie was reminded of Prof.
Trewlawney.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Charlie tried to look relaxed, but it was like someone had
switched off his brain. He couldn't figure out what to do with his hands. He stuck them in his
pockets, ran them through his hair, scratched the back of his neck, anything to keep them busy.
"Oh, I can tell when there's someone else in a room. Some sort of potion or charm or
something Lucius did." She went on. "I can sense their presence. Ghosts, poltergeists, people
using the Polyjuice potion, a girl hiding under an invisibility cloak by the door waiting for you to
leave so she can too." She smiled sweetly at him. "One of the only useful things my idiot husband
did for me."
Charlie swore softly under his breath, ending with a word that sounded suspiciously like
"Lucius."
"Ok, Charlie? I'm gonna turn around and start getting ready to clean your room, okay?
I'm not gonna be able to see anything but my bucket full of soap and sponges, all right? Well,
gee, I hope whoever it is under the invisibility cloak doesn't think to get out the door now, while
I'm not looking..." She turned and started cleaning.
Charlie was still standing stunned. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about-"
She looked up sharply. "Charlie, don't play dumb with me; I'm better at it than you. Just
take your girlfriend and go out for a while. Have fun. Don't stay cooped up in here with her all
day." She looked closer at him. "Are you two...you know...in here? Because I can tell she's a
young one."
"We are not!" Charlie swelled indignantly, doing an almost perfect impression of Percy
whenever anyone called him Weatherby, except his face was much redder.
"Good. You're a good boy, Charlie." She patted his cheek in a motherly fashion, then
went back to cleaning. "Now leave."
"Alright, alright, you win. We're going." Charlie said. Hermione couldn't believe they
were going to get off this easily. Still, she tried to make it look like Charlie was the only one who
had exited, in case she hadn't been telling the truth.
Once they were outside, Hermione stole down a deserted alley, took off the cloak,
refolded it to fit in her robe's pocket, and emerged. She acted as though she had just seen Charlie
for the first time, waving and calling his name.
They walked along, pretending to talk for a while, until they came to the end of the road,
where they were the only ones left around them.
"What is Narcissa Malfoy doing cleaning your room?" Hermione asked, barely waiting for
Charlie to finish his last sentence.
"Well, it's sort of a long story..."
"I like long stories. Tell me."
chapter now instead of waiting a few more days. I doubt I could have waited more than a few
minutes. BTW, I'm hoping to maintain my PG-13 rating for a while, so no *ahem* funny stuff will
be going on between them. Yet. Love, Dragonessa Smith
The other chair at the table scooted out ever so slightly.
"Hi, Hermione."
In response, he felt a kiss on his cheek. Blushing slightly, he got his cloak and walked to
his room at the Three Broomsticks, where he was staying, since Ron and Harry had gone to the
Burrow for Christmas break. Hermione had told them she was going home too, but she had
asked to borrow Harry's invisibility cloak over the break.
"Why?" Harry had asked suspiciously.
"Well, my parents think I'm overworking myself, so they've been making me go to bed at
10:00 each night. With the cloak, I could slip out and finish my schoolwork-"
"Enough, enough, wait here and I'll go get it."
Charlie smiled.
I can't believe he fell for that.
So you're finally on my side?
Hey, she likes you, ok? Quit while you're ahead.
When they reached his room, he turned the doorknob and opened the door. He stood
holding the door open for a few seconds, then walked in and locked the door behind him.
"Aromohola." He said, tapping the lock. The lock clicked.
"Hermione?" He whispered, looking around. "Hermione?"
"Boo!" A voice in his ear made him jump. He spun around. Hermione was laughing,
holding the invisibility cloak folded under her arm.
"Why you little...you'll pay for that." He grabbed her sides and started tickling her.
"Ah-hahaha!" Hermione laughed. "Stop, stop it! Hahahahaha!" She reached behind her and
started tickling him.
"Bwa-ha-ha!" Charlie laughed, collapsing to the ground, Hermione laying on top of him.
She rolled over and kissed him.
"I love you." Hermione said.
"I love you too." Charlie said.
"How much do you love me?"
"I love you more than Hagrid loves dragons."
"Yeah? Well, I love you more than Harry loves Quidditch."
"I love you more than Snape hates Harry."
"I love you more than Ron loves chess."
Giggling, they kissed again.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Charlie sat up suddenly, causing Hermione to
bang her head on his shoulder.
"Charlie? Cleaning staff, c'mon, I haven't cleaned up in there for ages. It's got to be a
pigsty by now."
The voice sounded oddly familiar to Hermione, but before she could attach it to anyone,
Charlie was pulling her up.
"Shhh!" He put a finger to his lips and grabbed the invisibility cloak. "Hide in a corner,
somewhere close to the door. When I open the door to leave, follow me, okay, but be quiet!"
Utterly confused, she went and stood by the door.
Charlie glanced at her to make sure she was completely hidden, and opened the door.
"Narcissa, I told you, I don't want my room cleaned until I check out."
"Come on Charlie, it will be a disaster zone by then. I'd rather clean up every other day
now, than for a week straight later."
The lady bustled into the room, carrying mops, pails, sponges, and various other cleaning
items.
Hermione recognized with a start that the woman, was in fact, Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's
mom.
For one, agonizing second, she wavered on the brink of bursting out laughing. If only
Draco could see this scene! For ages, he had been making rude remarks about the Weasly's home
being unclean. Now, his own mother!
She lowered the clock only enough so that Charlie could see her face while Narcissa's
back was turned.
"What is she doing here?" She mouthed at him, jerking her head towards Narcissa's
backside.
"I'll explain later." Charlie mouthed back. "Now get the cloak back on."
Narcissa turned back to Charlie, her gaze piercing through him.
"Someone else is here." She said mysteriously. Charlie was reminded of Prof.
Trewlawney.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Charlie tried to look relaxed, but it was like someone had
switched off his brain. He couldn't figure out what to do with his hands. He stuck them in his
pockets, ran them through his hair, scratched the back of his neck, anything to keep them busy.
"Oh, I can tell when there's someone else in a room. Some sort of potion or charm or
something Lucius did." She went on. "I can sense their presence. Ghosts, poltergeists, people
using the Polyjuice potion, a girl hiding under an invisibility cloak by the door waiting for you to
leave so she can too." She smiled sweetly at him. "One of the only useful things my idiot husband
did for me."
Charlie swore softly under his breath, ending with a word that sounded suspiciously like
"Lucius."
"Ok, Charlie? I'm gonna turn around and start getting ready to clean your room, okay?
I'm not gonna be able to see anything but my bucket full of soap and sponges, all right? Well,
gee, I hope whoever it is under the invisibility cloak doesn't think to get out the door now, while
I'm not looking..." She turned and started cleaning.
Charlie was still standing stunned. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about-"
She looked up sharply. "Charlie, don't play dumb with me; I'm better at it than you. Just
take your girlfriend and go out for a while. Have fun. Don't stay cooped up in here with her all
day." She looked closer at him. "Are you two...you know...in here? Because I can tell she's a
young one."
"We are not!" Charlie swelled indignantly, doing an almost perfect impression of Percy
whenever anyone called him Weatherby, except his face was much redder.
"Good. You're a good boy, Charlie." She patted his cheek in a motherly fashion, then
went back to cleaning. "Now leave."
"Alright, alright, you win. We're going." Charlie said. Hermione couldn't believe they
were going to get off this easily. Still, she tried to make it look like Charlie was the only one who
had exited, in case she hadn't been telling the truth.
Once they were outside, Hermione stole down a deserted alley, took off the cloak,
refolded it to fit in her robe's pocket, and emerged. She acted as though she had just seen Charlie
for the first time, waving and calling his name.
They walked along, pretending to talk for a while, until they came to the end of the road,
where they were the only ones left around them.
"What is Narcissa Malfoy doing cleaning your room?" Hermione asked, barely waiting for
Charlie to finish his last sentence.
"Well, it's sort of a long story..."
"I like long stories. Tell me."