She lasted a whole week before her plan of ignoring her neighbor went to shite. She knew his schedule just as well as he knew hers, so Hermione made sure to plan her trips to the reservation when she knew Charlie would already be gone for the day.

Seven days.

Seven days of no contact with the man she loved. Hermione stayed strong and didn't call him, even though she was anxious to hear his voice again. She missed him. But she meant it when she told Charlie that he needed to figure out what he wanted.

Because Hermione had gotten used to leaving well after she knew Charlie had left for work, she was momentarily stunned when she looked up from her keyring to see him leaning against her car.

"You've been avoiding me, Baby Girl," he sighed.

She drank in the sight of him. Merlin, had it only been a week? Hermione felt like she was parched, and Charlie was a tall glass of water. She stood there, face blank, but with her eyes roaming his body. It took her a second to realize Charlie had stepped toward her. "Baby Girl?" She could tell he wanted to reach a hand out to her, but something kept him from moving his hand into her personal space.

"I believe it's quite the opposite, actually." She tried to push her way past him, but whatever had been holding him in check was now gone. He grabbed her hand before she could push him out of the way.

"Now wait a minute," Charlie pleaded. He swept his thumb across the back of her hand and Hermione couldn't help but shiver at his touch. "Can we talk about this? Please?"

This is what she wanted; Hermione reminded herself. She was waiting for him to make the first move, and was she really going to be so petty that she wouldn't hear him out? No, she wasn't that person. Sighing and letting her shoulders drop from her ears, Hermione turned toward that man she loved. "Ok."

"Ok?" The relief on his face was obvious. Whatever he saw in her face must have convinced him because he nodded once. "Ok."

"I was on my way out, but it can wait. Would you like to come inside?" Hermione knew she was being overly polite, but she felt like she couldn't find that easiness between them that she was so used to. Charlie seemed to not have that problem though as his large hand easily found the small of her back as he followed her into her house.

A second shiver zipped through her body at the contact. She had to stay strong for this conversation. She had to protect her heart, and most importantly, she couldn't let herself give into him unless there was a real compromise on his part.

Hermione led them to her small kitchen table, each of them taking their normal spot, before she felt she was ready to have this discussion. "What do you want from me, Charlie?" she sighed. "It's been a week since I last spoke with you."

Charlie reached across the table to grab Hermione's hand again. She resisted the urge to pull away. "I just want to start by saying how sorry I am, baby girl." She felt the rough callouses move across the back of her hand as he traced small circles. "I handled that night terribly and it's taken me this long to muster up the courage to face you again."

She was slightly shocked by his admission. Of course, she thought he handled that night poorly, but Hermione knew she was still dealing with her own hurt feelings.

"In my defense, before you, there had never been another woman in my life besides Renee. I screwed that relationship up too," he said with a self-deprecating laugh and shrugged his shoulders.

Hermione couldn't help interrupting him. "Charlie, what happened between you and Renee wasn't just your fault. Quite honestly, I think she's the one to blame, and I've told you that before."

"So you've said, but, Hermione, my point still remains the same. Everything was going perfect with us, and the first bump in the road, I messed us up. I think I forgot that I'm the adult in this situation and Bella is the child. Renee doesn't have the best track record with discipline, and I've never seen Bella enough to be the strict parent. I guess I always just tried to enjoy whatever time they would let me have and not try to push Bella away."

She could understand where he was coming from. In her opinion, both Renee and to an extent, Bella, had treated Charlie terribly. The man had so much love to give and he'd spent the last several years alone. It was heartbreaking. Hermione felt the ice walls she had tried to build up around her heart slowly start to melt.

Merlin, she was a sap.

"But the point is, that I should have put my foot down that night. I love you. And you're my future, Hermione. I love my daughter, I do, but she doesn't get a say in this, not yet anyway."

Hermione was trying her hardest to not let the tears fall from her eyelids. She slowly turned her hand over to interlock their fingers together. Here was the man she loved, telling her that he chose her and their love. Maybe it was selfish of her to be happy at the words he said, but at that moment she didn't care.

His daughter didn't know her, refused to meet her, because Charlie was no long sitting at home pining for the girl's mother. In her heart, Hermione knew she wanted to be petty toward the girl, to let some of her worst traits color how she interacted with his daughter, but she pushed those thoughts down. Bella was a child and Hermione was no longer the sixteen-year-old girl that spelled a nasty curse into a bit of parchment. She would give her a chance, give them both a chance to get to know each other and move past the negative first impressions.

"I love you too, Charlie. I've missed you. I've missed us."

"Oh, baby girl, I've miss you too. I don't know how I survived before you came into my life. I don't think I was actually living before I met you. I was just existing. And I don't want that anymore. I want to live. I want to live with you."

"I want that too, Charlie. But what if things between your daughter and I don't get better?"

"I have to believe they will." He got up off the chair and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I can't lose you," he whispered.

She knew she couldn't lose him either, which meant she needed to be the bigger person no matter what. Hermione believed everyone had a little bit of each of the Hogwarts houses in them and she knew she could channel her inner Hufflepuff if needed. She would shower the girl with kindness and if that didn't work, well everyone know badgers, as well as lions, had claws.