Charlie moved back towards the house a few minutes after Hermione had left him. Getting closer to the door, he could hear a much louder presence than had previously been there when he first arrived. Opening the door, the noise increased, and Charlie took in the sight of a full living room. Ron and Harry had just arrived from whatever they had been doing. Their windblown hair, ruddy cheeks, and dirt-streaked foreheads were a tale-tell sign that they had been playing Quidditch. Ginny was standing next to Harry, tucked into his arm. She had a similar look to her, her hair tied back into what looked like it had been a tight ponytail, but was now hanging around the nape of her neck, wisps of hair framing her face. Fred and George were regaling some tale concerning their newest product and what had happened when Lee had "accidentally" had some slipped into his morning pumpkin juice. Apparently, the outcome hadn't been as expected and Lee had spent the next several hours with a less than comfortable set of boils covering his neck until Fred could come up with the counter potion.
At some point during his survey of the room, Ron had moved towards where Hermione was in the living room. Hermione had tucked herself into the couch, feet drawn under her body and a blanket strewn across her legs. Ron had taken a seat next to her, his body turned towards her and his hand rested on her thigh, drawing soothing circles with his thumb into the fabric of the blanket. Ron leaned over and whispered something in her ear and then slightly jabbed his finger into her side, tickling her. Her cheeks were already red from the cold, but they changed to an even more alarming color once Ron finished whatever he was saying. A frustrated look clouded her face, and she tried to slap Ron's hand away before she descended into a fit of giggles. Ron sat back, a smile playing across his face as Hermione continued to laugh. Charlie felt rage build up inside him but quickly squashed it. He knew he didn't have any reason to feel jealous of anyone in Hermione's life. He gave up that right long ago, even before he left England, but he couldn't help to wish that it was him on the couch with Hermione instead of Ron. He thought back to all their secretive nights together. Staying up late by the fire at the Burrow, long talks over family meals, catching each other's eyes across crowded parties-
"Charlie?!" His thoughts were interrupted by Ginny's screech. "You're back? When did you get back?" Ginny questioned, running over to where he was standing and throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him.
"Hey, Gin," he smiled, returning her hug. "I just got back a couple of hours ago…I heard about dad and I just had to come back. I'll be back for a while too. The reserve kept telling me to take breaks and I never did. They were really excited to get rid of me. I reckon I'll be kicked off the property if I try to go back any time soon." He stepped out of Ginny's grip and looked towards the rest of his family, giving them a slight shake of his wrist, "Hey all."
Fred was the first of the family to step forward, "'Hey all' is all you got for us, mate?" Fred joked, grasping Charlie's hand and pulling him into a one-armed hug, "I was beginning to forget what your freckled mug looked like. Still as ugly as ever, I see. It's good to know that I'm still the best looking member of the family. I mean, someone has to be, anyway." After the war, it was touch and go whether or not Fred would make it. He had been in a coma for over two weeks before he started to come to, and even then it was still an uphill climb. He had to relearn how to walk and had to reteach himself some basic spells. But he was resilient and stubborn. Within six months, he was basically back to his old self, and it seemed that he had only gotten better and better since Charlie had left.
"Oi, you git. Everyone knows I'm the most attractive one, oh twin of mine. Your devilish good looks can't hold a candle to my roguishly handsome ones. Don't you worry though Char; you're definitely at least four on the list of attractive Weasley children," George winked at him and walked up to Charlie, pulling him into a hug, "I've missed you though, Char, don't you go running off to those dragons without so much as a goodbye again, all right?"
As Charlie made his hellos, he couldn't help but notice that Ron hadn't moved from his position on the couch with Hermione. Instead, he seemed to be moving closer to her, whispering something to her that had their faces placed very close to one another's. As if sensing his gaze, Hermione turned and met his eyes, keeping the stare for a few seconds before turning back her attention to listen to whatever Ron was saying. Ron looked at her with questioning eyes for a moment, before turning to see that she had been looking at Charlie. When he turned back, Ron seemed to ask Hermione a question, and Charlie saw as she shook her head slightly, giving him a sad-looking smile. She leaned over and gave Ron a small hug and whispered something in his ear that made him grin widely before getting up off of the couch and moving towards the steps. Once Hermione had ascended all the way up the steps, Ron came over and joined the rest of his family welcoming Charlie home.
"Well, well. If it isn't the prodigal son," Ron laughed, "What has made you decide to grace us with your presence?" Ron pulled Charlie into a hug.
"Well, if you were over here before, you would've heard that I came as soon as I heard about dad. I would've been here sooner but news doesn't move as fast in Romania as it does in England. It only reached the reserve yesterday. I tried to get a portkey immediately but you know how the international travel department is. Always so picky about regulations and how quickly you can get travel. Doesn't really leave much room for emergencies," Charlie explained again, patting Ron on the back quickly.
"Well, it's nice to see you, Char. Really did miss your mug of a face. Those dragons have had too much time with you," Ron said, stepping out of Charlie's embrace.
"That has been a common thought, I see. And as much as I love you guys, I think I'm going to go upstairs and have a little bit of a laydown. You know how tiring portkey travel is," Charlie replied, rubbing his eyes.
Following a chorus of goodbyes and sleep wells, Charlie grabbed his bag that had been dropped by the front door and walked up the stairs and away from the noise downstairs. As he climbed the steps, he noticed that the door to the twin's door was open and the lights had been left on. Curious, he moved towards the door, only to see Hermione sitting on one of the beds, back against the headboard, with a giant book resting against her legs, which was covering her face. Charlie sidled up to the door, leaning against the frame.
"That book has some really nice legs," Charlie interrupted the silence, causing Hermione to jump at the sudden sound. "Shame though, that they're not attached to some other equally as gorgeous frame."
Hermione closed the book and lowered it onto her lap, "Oh what do you know? The book's legs actually do belong to a beautiful lass," Charlie smirked and walked further into the room, and sat on the bed next to Hermione.
"What are you doing here, Charlie?" Hermione sighed and placed the book on the bedside table.
"Seeing dad. Honestly, Hermione, I thought you had a better memory than that," Charlie joked and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I remember how good your memory once was." He placed a small kiss in the spot behind Hermione's ear. Hermione closed her eyes and hummed in pleasure. Charlie lingered for a bit, and then slightly licked the area where his lips once were.
Suddenly, Hermione's eyes widened and she brought her arms up Charlie's chest and pushed him away. "No, Charlie. You can't do this to me. Not again. Please," she pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes, "Please just go away," Hermione turned away from Charlie. She heard Charlie sigh deeply and felt the bed shift before she heard the door close. Hermione turned her head at the stand and took a deep breath to try and will the tears not to fall. After a vain attempt, a single tear fell down her cheek.
"Get yourself together, Hermione," she whispered to herself, "He doesn't deserve your tears anymore."