Charlie Meet's A Stranger Part 3

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own the characters I am writing about.

Charlie woke up to the early dawn coming through his window. Today was the big day. He was the first to awaken, and grabbed the shower while there was still time. He was sure that there would be a huge line up for it later on.

It felt good to be back home. He had missed the old place. He only had a flat in London. It had one main room, a cramped bathroom, one medium sized bedroom and a smallish guest bedroom. It served his purposes. He was seldom ever there. His job kept him moving all over the place. His last assignment had been in Germany.

Charlie stepped out of the shower and quickly dressed. He looked in the mirror at the stubble on his face and grimaced. Taking his razor out of his overnighter, he scraped the offending stubble off. He brushed his teeth and hair and exited the bathroom.

Hermione was up already and anxious to get in. He held the door for her as she rushed in. He could hear her retching in the toilet. Wedding nerves. He remembered not so long ago when Ginny had done the exact same thing.

Charlie loped down the stairs and greeted his mum. She had prepared what had to be one of the most elaborate breakfasts he had ever seen. Mr. And Mrs. Granger had arrived already, and was sitting at the table enjoying breakfast. Mrs. Granger sipped at her coffee and smiled at Charlie. "Good morning everyone!" Charlie said enthusiastically. For some reason he felt more alive than he usual did, and that was saying a lot. Charlie had always been a happy sort of person.

Molly Weasely watched her son. He was definitely in love. She recognised the expression from when Ginny had fallen in love. It was also the same expression she saw on Arthur's face when they awoke each morning. Molly sighed. At least this girl seemed to be a nice girl, even if she was a muggle. Molly shuddered when she thought of some of the women Charlie had had affairs with. After loading p Charlie's plate and giving him a mug of coffee, Molly stuck her head around the hallway to the landing of the stairs and yelled, "Breakfast is ready!"

Almost immediately a stampede of feet was heard. Ron, Harry, Fred, and George came running down. Arthur, Ginny, Hermione, and Valerie came down in a more civilized manner. Every one else was dressed except Hermione. She would put on her dress robes just before the ceremony. It was tradition even among the wizarding world. After a light breakfast, Hermione left the table and went up to change.

Charlie looked at Ron. He looked a bit green about the gills. He'd heard that Fred and George had taken him to the Leaky Cauldron the night before. He smiled and remembered when they had done the same too Harry. Only this time it seemed funnier. Charlie had elected to stay home and chatted with Valerie until the wee hours. They had done this after his parents had gone to bed. He had wanted to talk to her in private. Charlie knew he felt something special for Valerie. He just wasn't sure what it was yet. He didn't want to lose track of her. That was for sure.

While lying in bed he had done a lot of thinking. If Valerie left to go back to Canada, they would lose track of each other for sure. After the wedding, he was going to ask her if she would consider moving in with him. It was a big step. He only hoped she felt the same way and would be willing to consider doing it. He would offer her the spare room, and would promises to let her set the pace and direction of any relationship. He would even offer her a job. He had so much work these day's he could easily do with an assistant to write down notes and stuff like that. It's not like having her around would break any wizarding code. She was related to a witch after all.

Charlie picked at his food distracted by his thoughts. Molly frowned. Valerie left the table to help Hermione get ready. There was only one more hour till the wedding was due to take place. Charlie helped his mother with the dishes.

Molly looked at her son. He was definitely distracted. She turned to him. " Are your feeling's serious over this girl?" Charlie looked at his mother and knew she was referring to Valerie. He sighed. " I never felt like this before." was all he said. It was all that they needed to say. It was all that Molly needed to hear.