AN: Okay readers we've come to the first date and finding her parents. I honestly struggled with the particular chapter for two reasons. One was that I had in my mind a PERFECT date for two people who love Magical creatures and animals of all kinds, however all of that meant a shit ton of research trying to get an accurate census of what kind of animal was in residence in 1998. I was not able to come up with a 100% count but a general idea as the place had a growth explosion based in part on the success of the tv show, which you will understand after this chapter. The second struggle was how to handle Hermione and her parents. Killed, fallen out of favor, happy in their reunion, angry with her, etc. I wanted to find a new approach but I'm fairly certain there isn't one, so I settled on this because even though it's been done before it fits with where I want this story. I will quit blathering on now and let you read. Thank you for all the support and reviews, I love them!
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In her excitement of their trip and first date and her nervousness about whether Charlie would enjoy her plans Hermione had trouble sleeping the night before they were to leave.
When she woke for the third time at half four in the morning she decided to just get up and ready. She spent extra time in the shower letting the steamy water beat down on her tense muscles trying to relax. She used her jasmine and vanilla bath foam and in shower lotion before rinsing and stepping out of the shower to towel off.
She rubbed her body lotion into her skin and enjoyed the scent of her favorite jasmine and vanilla combination. She had some skin allergies and it took a long time for her and her mother to find the right shampoo,soap and lotion products she could safely use.
She made a mental note to explain this to Charlie so that he knew not to wear aftershave or cologne if they progressed beyond hand holding. Uncomfortable with the thought of that conversation she changed her mind and decided to ask Billy to talk to him in her stead this one time. He already knew about her hives from a time at Shell Cottage when Luna was with them and wearing whatever odd scent she had on and had hugged Hermione. Within ten minutes she was covered in the huge, red, itchy welts and no magical charm or potion worked. Harry and Bill had to go to London to buy Muggle medicine for her to take for relief.
After dressing in jean shorts and a red tank top she slipped her feet into her favorite white sandals and left the bathroom. She stopped by the laundry basket in a cupboard in the hall where Molly gathered everyone's clothes and then headed downstairs.
She was surprised when she got to the kitchen to see Bill sitting at the table seemingly waiting for her when she saw him relax when he saw it was her coming in. He stood to hug her and she got a good look at him and she knew something was wrong.
Reaching forward she rubbed the frown lines between his eyebrows with her finger. "What's wrong Billy, didn't you sleep at all?"
"Sorry Mina, nightmare about Dad and I couldn't get back to sleep after. I also wanted to talk to you about your trip with Charlie." Bill told her quietly not wanting to wake anyone else in the house.
"Sounds like coffee and danish conversation, right?" She asked with a smile. It had become a tradition of sorts between the two of them and had eventually led them to the relationship they now shared. Whenever they needed to talk about something important they made coffee and had cheese and cherry danish.
"Already ahead of you." He laughed and pointed to the table to show what she hadn't seen when she came in due to her concern for him.
Hermione laughed and took the seat to his immediate right and they dug in while talking.
"Before you tell me what is bothering you can I ask a favor really quick?" She asked him hopefully and at his nod, his mouth was full, she continued.
"Could you talk to Charlie about something I'm just not even ready to talk to him about in any way, shape, or form." She paused to take a sip of her coffee. "He needs to know that beyond hand holding he can't touch me if he wears cologne and such. If you can just tell him what soaps and products are safe, I would really appreciate it."
He nodded, "Sure thing Mina Bean. I can see how that would make you uncomfortable when you scarcely know him. Which brings the conversation conveniently to the subject I needed to talk to you about in regards to my brother."
"Okay, shoot." She said with a relieved smile.
"I know I have no right, or say in what you planned…"
"Of course you have a say! You're our brother and a best friend to both of us. Your opinion means more to me than I think you realize." She argued sternly.
Bill smiled softly and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Love you too sis," he said watching her smile grow again.
"Anyway, I'm concerned about you being so far from all of us when so much of his condition is unknown to us yet. I want you to promise me, pinky promise," he paused while she laughed at the memory of explaining a pinky promise to him. She had said it so seriously and gravely at the time that he got the impression it was the Muggle form of an Unbreakable Vow. It took 30 seconds for her to break down and giggle, telling him it's just a big promise.
Rolling his eyes at her he held out his pinky and linked it with hers, "Promise that you will always have your wand in quick reach so you can stun him or such if he loses his control or temper. He's going to be like he was at first with you around all of us only probably to a much bigger degree. He knows we're all family so not much of a threat, but put him around other males that he doesn't know, and they admire your beauty, well, we just don't know how far that will go."
She blushed at his comment of her beauty, the men of the family seem to have decided that she, Ginny, and Molly all needed to learn how pretty they were and build better self image. The women thought it very sweet if not only a bit ridiculous, they just decided to enjoy it.
"I promise, Bill. Honestly I had already planned on it but not because of Charlie, there are just too many Death Eaters still in hiding that it would be unwise of any of 'The Golden Trio'," she paused to snort at the stupid name, "to be without our wands."
"Thanks Mina. It relieves my mind and if you do need help just get word to me and I will grab Harry and Ron and we will be there as fast as possible." He finished and smiled at her as Charlie came bounding into the room thoroughly excited.
"You're bouncing around like Fred and George after they gave that cousin of Harry's that trick candy and were waiting for him to tell them if he ate it or not." Bill laughed at his brother. It was nice to see a family member full of excitement and joy after all the stress and grief everyone had been experiencing.
When he had finished his breakfast Bill asked him to come with him for a walk about the property to check wards and such. Hermione knew it was mostly to talk to him about Hermione's request and his own worries as he checked the wards nightly. She smiled and went to wash their dishes so Molly wouldn't have to.
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Four hours later and a second shower for Charlie after he and Bill went for a walk, Charlie and Hermione were gathered in the garden finishing saying goodbye to the family. She pulled out a portkey and as it just started to glow Charlie reached out quickly and grabbed hold and they disappeared.
Upon landing Charlie looked and saw they were in a beige and very boring room with cork flooring.
"I think I will make a mental note to speak with Kingsley when we return. This flooring for the portkey landing room is a great idea, such a softer landing!" Hermione pointed out interestedly.
Charlie just smiled and grabbed her hand as they left the room and signed the visiting registry at the front desk.
Hermione asked to speak with the contact Kingsley had given her and found out he was the head of the Australian Ministry's Auror Department. They followed the directions which took them up two floors and they again signed in at a desk and took a seat in the waiting area.
They had only been there chatting quietly as they waited for about ten minutes when a man approached them. He looked to be in his mid forties with dark brown hair sprinkled with gray here and there.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley I can't tell you how excited we are to welcome you to Australia. I'm Peter Hoffer but feel free to call me Pete." He introduced himself while shaking their hands in greeting.
"We all wanted to thank you for what you did during the war but Minister Shacklebolt stressed to us that it would make you uncomfortable. So as our way to thank you whilst not embarrassing you, I convey our thanks and nobody will follow you, approach you for autographs, not one magical person in Australia will approach you for anything. It was announced in the paper and also letters were sent out." He explained with a smile.
"We wish for you to enjoy your time here enough that you will want to return, also please inform Mr. Potter and Mr. Ron Weasley that this included them. It is a permanent declaration so you won't ever be hounded here and it can become a place of peace and quiet. We have a lot of famous witches and wizards visit for this reason although it's for different reasons they achieved fame, like authors, quidditch, etc."
"Also, while we do exercise freedom of the press and they aren't required to respect the no approach policy, they have worked out a system with the others who come. You are in no way required to agree but if you choose to give an interview to a trustworthy reporter, they will also leave you alone. I can promise you that even our press is a respectful lot, they won't print speculation or innuendo like that Skeeter woman of yours does." He said with a small sneer.
"I think that would probably be for the best since we are going to be here for at least five days. Can you set an interview up for dinner? One reporter, no photographer, we can meet at a restaurant and share dinner then Charlie and I can relax about privacy. Please feel free also to call us Hermione and Charlie as we will probably see you again." Hermione smiled at him.
"I can set that up for you without a problem. I will have my secretary make reservations at Posto di Luca's for six o'clock this evening if that time is convenient?" He suggested.
Charlie and Hermione agreed and then followed Pete down a short hallway to his office and he closed the door as the other two sat down. He took his own seat behind his desk before bringing the conversation around to the private part of this meeting.
"Well Hermione,your Minister contacted me and asked me to help you in your search for wherever your parents had settled." She nodded her understanding of what she already knew.
"However; Australia is a big place and there are a lot of people both Muggle and Magical. So with that in mind I decided to begin the search on my end before you came so that I would maybe have some leads for you." Pete explained.
This time it was Hermione that reached for Charlie's hand for comfort as her excitement began to grow.
She smiled at the man. "Any leads or help you can give me would mean the world to me. I miss my family so much."
"Normally I would have an auror begin an inquiry but as I said before you are an honored guest in our country. For your privacy and our thanks I began the case myself. Not only did I get leads, I found them for you." He declared.
Hermione squealed in delight and ran around the desk without thinking in her excitement. She hugged the man to near suffocation before being ripped away as a snarl filled the office.
"Oops, sorry Charlie I didn't think. It's okay I promise he's not a danger or competitor."
She resumed her seat and refused to explain when Pete raised his brow in confusion. "Please, continue Pete."
"So where was I? Oh, yes, I found your parents but we are having some trouble lifting the charm. We have tried countless ways but none of the known treatments has worked. I promise our top healers are working on them now and won't give up until we fix it." He promised.
Hermione smiled softly, "I can't tell you in words how much it means to me the work you have done. Your healers won't be able to lift that charm though, I created it and as such I'm the only one who can."
"Explain please." He directed politely.
"Well the purpose of the memory charm was to keep them safe from Death Eaters or even Voldemort himself as they would have been considered priority targets. So I created a charm that would erase their memories it will last unless all three of us use the 'passwords' we decided on."
"I also wanted them to be free from grief if I did not make it. They don't know that part of the charm though. We sat down as a family and I told them what I was going to do. They took a lot of convincing but I told them that as soon as they said the words we agreed on it would feel like no time had passed except they would've had a wonderful vacation."
The two men listening to her tell the entire story for the first time made for a rapt audience to her brilliance.
"We actually had a bit of a laugh as we started tossing out words and they got sillier and sillier as the time passed. None of the words felt safe enough whether they were Muggle or Wizard all someone had to do was accidentally say the right thing and they were free from the charm and in danger once more."
"So I fiddled a bit with the charm and we decided the words didn't have to be a big deal but they had to be spoken by all three in the same room. This way I had control of their safety to a bigger degree because no torture on this planet would force my hand. I would literally choose torture and death than to betray or harm someone I love, but especially family." She started to tear up at this part.
"Sadly, I passed that test during the war when I spent time in Death Eater headquarters. They got nothing from me and trust me they tried very hard."
Shaking her head free of the painful memory she smiled again and squeezed Charlie's hand.
"So since we have the dinner and interview tonight and I have some private plans that can't be rescheduled for tomorrow, can we meet in two days with my parents somewhere safe so I can lift the charm? Charlie can cast a compulsion charm on them at the same time because they won't know what they need to say. I can trust him with my life so I can let him know the safety words." She finished.
They quickly set a time and then she and Charlie left to check into their hotel and do a bit of sightseeing before their dinner with the reporter that evening.
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Hermione walked slowly around Charlie making sure he could pass for a Muggle for their date.
"I think you will be okay except we need to glamour that tat of yours, Muggle tattoos of dragons don't have swishing tails, you see." She laughed.
"This is what a Muggle tat does," she said as she raised her shirt just a touch and lowered her the top of her shorts enough for him to see tattoo she had of a peace sign with an otter leaning on it on her left side just next to her hip.
"That is bloody, fucking hot Mia!" Charlie said appreciatively.
"That's not my only tat but it is the only Muggle one. The others you might see one day if you're lucky. They are under glamour charms now for the Muggle world and whenever I'm around Molly." She said with a wink and giggle.
"Why do you hide them from mum? Even I don't do that." Charlie asked as he cast a glamour charm.
"Are you taking the piss? I was there when Molly discovered that tattoo, no way am I letting her see mine. She was scary!" Hermione clearly conveyed her shock he would need to ask.
"Aw, mum came around eventually. Now she likes Puff, thinks he's charming." Charlie said with a smile.
"You named you tattoo Puff?" Hermione doubled over with giggles.
When she got her giggles under control Hermione asked if he was ready and then disapparated to the coordinates she had been given.
Once they landed she made sure he didn't turn around yet and grabbed his hands.
"Before you turn around and see where we are I wanted you to know that if anything here upsets Rover in there just tell me and we're outta here." She said pointing to his chest and head when she said Rover.
He cocked his head to the side and then looked at her. "I think the only thing so far that upsets him is you calling him Rover. He says that is the name of a common house dog, he's the big bad wolf."
"Hmmm, Wolfie?" She teased.
"You are trouble with a capital T!" He teased her. "Can I see where we are already?"
She smiled brightly and turned him around, "Welcome to Australia Zoo! Home of the Crocodile Hunter."
Charlie looked at her in confusion. "What is a crocodile hunter, the crocs don't get hurt do they?"
"Remind me when we get to the hotel, I will show you the program on the telly" She promised, "Now let's go see some animals! Plus we have a time scheduled where we get to hold the Koala Bears!" Hermione was most excited about this part.
"I got to do that when I came here the first time with my parents, but the zoo had a different name then."
With that said she grabbed his hand and took off, dragging him to the ticket booth.
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They spent the next six hours walking around the zoo looking at the different animals and they did get to hold the Koala bears.
Charlie loved everything and she smiled as she watched him trying to interact with all the different animals they saw. He was like a kid in a candy store and she thought it was the most charming thing she'd ever seen with him.
They didn't have any deep conversation, mostly just chatting about what they were seeing and where to go next. They got some truly fun pictures of each other and some goofy ones but Hermione liked the one where they were together holding the young Koala's.
By the time they left Hermione's feet were killing her and Charlie chivalrously piggy backed her to the exit and back to their apparition point.
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The two of them had decided to grab some food for dinner and take it to the beach so they could relax and talk freely as they got to know each other better.
Hermione closed her eyes and sighed in contentment, "I absolutely adore hamburgers. This is so good!"
Charlie just shook his head and chuckled.
"Charlie, tell me about the dragon reserve and what you do there." Hermione was genuinely curious about his work there and how it had drawn him away from his family.
"Well first it isn't just a dragon reserve, it's a rehabilitation center for all magical creatures who've been injured and need help. We take care of them, we raise orphaned babies of all species but we end up with a lot of those because obviously there are dragons and if other creatures get in exhibits, well you can imagine."
"What made you decide to go to Romania and work so far from home" She asked as she finished her burger and turned to give him her full attention.
"Well except for Bill what I'm about to tell you is a secret. I was offered a starting seeker position, and two reserve seeker positions on 3 professional Quidditch teams. My siblings are all Quidditch crazy if you haven't noticed and I felt they wouldn't understand why I chose the way I did."
He was watching the sun set over the water from the beach as they talked.
"I wanted to do something that mattered Mia, and as much as I love it, the game didn't matter, but saving animals and creatures does make a difference in lives. I can say I've saved people from dragons and saved dragons from people. That's why I chose it mainly, there was also the fact that being there means I get some privacy from mum." Charlie finished explaining unaware he created more questions in her than he'd answered.
Hermione was going to ask him about that last part about being away from Molly but thought better of it. After all, you don't get to learn all of someone's secrets in one day. She could be patient because the one thing she had learned about Charlie today beyond having fun with him is that she honestly liked him. He was a good man, had a good family, was interested in her opinions, her desires in life. She could certainly do worse than Charlie Weasley.
Once the sun had sunk and it was dark they went back to the hotel and Charlie left her at her room with a kiss on her forehead and good wishes for a night of rest.
She took a shower and got into her bed. She laid there going over the day with a smile on her face. It was a good day and tomorrow she would get her parents back.
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AN2: I know this is a monstrously long chapter and originally I intended to include her parents but that just goes on and on, so the meeting with her parent's is next chapter. Please tell me what you think, and for those that actually took the time to read this whole note, I'm taking suggestions for Charlie's wolf's name. She will tease him with names for a bit, but if you have a good wolfie name, or a good teaser name let me know and if I like it I will use it in the story.