Hermione was sitting at the kitchen table reading the daily prophet when she heard two pops from behind signaling someone had apparated in. Ginny and Ron rushed to grab seats at the table.

"Good morning Ronald, Good morning Ginny" Hermione greeted them unenthusiastically, not looking up from her paper.

"Good morning" they chorused.

"What can I do for you?" Hermione asked.

"What happened between you and Charlie?" Ginny asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" hermione teased them.

"Hermione" Ron urged, "Come on. Don't leave us hanging"

Hermione laughed and put her paper down. "Nothing" she told them. "We came back here, had a couple of drinks and he left. The most I will get out of this is a good friendship, that is all"

"You came back here?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"We only had a couple of drinks and talked" hermione repeated.

Ginny laughed, "So that's what you kids are calling it these days" Ginny asked, teasing her friend.

"I did not have sex with Charlie" hermione shouted at them, causing the youngest Weasley's to burst into hysterical laughter.

"But you wish you had" Ginny replied poking Hermione on the side.

Charlie walked into the Leaky Cauldron and searched for his brother. Bill was on the other side of the bar waiting for him. Charlie quickly made his way to the back and sat down across from him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting" Charlie mumbled as he ordered a drink.

"That's ok" Bill replied." How are you little brother?"

"I am good, and you, how are you old man?" Charlie replied. Bill laughed and shook his head.

"Not as good as I once was" bill mumbled. Charlie shook his head and rolled his eyes." How was your little date"?

"It wasn't a date," Charlie told him. "I went to shut Ginny up"

"Did you at least have fun?" Bill asked.

"Actually yes" Charlie told him. " We ended up giving Ron and Ginny a little payback by leaving the bar together and not telling them where we were going. "

Bill bent his head back and laughed. "I bet that drove those two nuts," he said. "What did you do after you left?"

"Went back to Hermione's" Charlie informed him, he caught site of the look on Bill's face, "Oh come on, and you are as bad as Ron and Ginny, nothing happened. We had some drinks and talked" Bill cleared his throat and nodded his head. Charlie sighed, feeling a big brother talk coming. "Go ahead, say whatever is on your mind"

"You just got out of a very serious" Bill warned, "and Hermione is, well, she's young. I don't want to see you make a mistake."

"Were just friends" Charlie assured his older brother.

"Whatever" Bill mumbled, "I can see it your eyes. This is really building that ego up. A cute twenty something, drooling all over you, really makes you feel like a man"

"Sod off" Charlie mumbled picking up a menu and looking through.

Bill laughed and shook his head, "That was mature, did you pick that little quip from Ron?"

Charlie gave his brother a hand gesture and instructed him what to do with his sarcasm. The two brothers teased each other good-naturedly until Bill had to return to work.

Hermione and Charlie met later that evening and grabbed fast food. They sat in the park and talked. Hermione told Charlie about her ministry job and he entertained her with stories about dragons. Soon Hermione got down to the heart of the conversation.

'You said you needed a friend right now, what's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"I just ended a five year long relationship two weeks ago" Charlie confessed.

Hermione gasped and put her hand on his, "Oh no, I am sorry, what happened?" she asked.

"Kaelyn" he started, "That was my girlfriend, she cheated on me with one of my co workers."

"I am so sorry" hermione told him. "What was Ginny thinking trying to set you up with me, you obviously need time to heal"

"Her heart was in the right place" Charlie said, "She meant well"

"Yeah" Hermione said." Look if you need to talk, I am here, whenever ok?"

Charlie nodded, "I appreciate that" Charlie told her, "Your pretty amazing Hermione"

Hermione blushed but didn't say anything at all. Charlie felt butterflies in his stomach. Merlin she is beautiful, Charlie told himself, but beautiful in an unbroken way, she's a little too good for me. But he hoped she would become a confidant, Charlie had so few people he could trust in his life. But he felt like he could put his trust in hermione and she would never let him down.