Chapter 12: Together
Hermione fiddled with a strand of her hair as she stood in front of her fireplace, waiting for Charlie so they could Floo to the Burrow together. He had stayed at her flat for the last two days and she had enjoyed every minute of it. It was going to be hard to separate again but at least this time it came with the promise of living together for the rest of their lives.
Charlie came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms as she chewed on her bottom lip. He cupped her cheek and pulled the abused lip free from between her teeth.
"Unless you want me to keep that mouth of yours occupied, I suggest you stop that." He grinned as her face flushed at his words and gave her a gentle kiss. "I'm nervous too but don't worry, love. Everyone is going to be so happy for us."
Hermione nodded, "I know, I know. It's just... Moving to Romania is going to be a shock for Harry and Ron. And my parents! Muggles don't have soulmates and they're going to think I'm completely nutters for wanting to live with a man I've only been dating for a month, not to mention moving to a completely new country. I should have written to them and told them but I just didn't know how to explain it in a letter! Merlin they're going to be so upset-"
"Hermione."
She had started pacing as she rambled and Charlie was watching her with an amused expression. She stopped to stand in front of him and he smoothed back her curls, resting his hands on either side of her face to look into her eyes.
"Your parents will understand and if they don't, I'll show them how much I care about you. Harry and Ron can visit anytime they like. I've been building us a new cabin and I set up a Floo network inside of it. We'll make it work - together."
Hermione took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing mind, "Together."
Charlie grinned and gave her another quick kiss before stepping away to grab the Floo powder bag at her mantle. "Ready?"
Hermione steeled herself and reached inside to grab a handful of the powder. "Ready as I'll ever be."
A few minutes later they stepped through the green flames of the Burrow's Floo and into the warm living room. They surprised Harry and Ginny, who were sitting cuddled together on a plush couch in the corner. As Charlie stepped through the Floo, Ginny rushed forward to hug him.
"Charlie! You sly fox. You and Hermione, I can't believe it!"
Charlie gave her a grin but held a finger to his lips, "Keep it to yourself just yet, Gin. I believe the Twins owe you 100 galleons and I can't wait to wipe the smirks off their faces."
Ginny's face broke out in a similar grin and she nodded as Harry joined them. "Hermione, your parents are in the kitchen with Molly. They just got here about ten minutes ago. Everyone else is outside."
Hermione took a shuddering breath, her nerves going haywire at the mention of her parents. "Thank you, Harry."
Charlie placed a hand at the small of her back and rubbed his thumb in reassuring circles. Hermione gave him a small smile and leaned into his touch, hoping it would give her some confidence.
Harry shook his head in disbelief at the display, "Merlin, I'm happy for you guys, really but it's still so odd to see."
Charlie clapped a hand to Harry's shoulder with a glint in his eye, "I suppose it can't be any weirder than watching some bloke make puppy eyes at my sister for years."
Harry's cheeks coloured and the group laughed as he mumbled swears under his breath.
"Hermione?" She heard her mother call out to her from the kitchen. She turned to look at Charlie, who gestured his head towards the kitchen and they both walked towards it.
They had decided they'd wait until everyone was seated at dinner to tell them but her heart still hammered in her chest as they passed the kitchen threshold. Both of Hermione's parents were seated at the large kitchen table with Arthur, while Molly bustled around the stove cooking dinner.
"Oh Charlie! I didn't know you were coming!" Molly said as they entered as she rushed forward to pull him into a tight bear hug. She turned to Hermione and did the same.
"Wanted to surprise you." Charlie said as he gave his Dad a hug as well. Hermione walked forward to press a kiss to each of her parent's cheeks from where they sat at the table.
Molly furrowed her brow at her second eldest, "But you came by Floo? Normally you come by broom."
He flickered his gaze to Hermione for a brief moment before grinning at his mum. "Got a Floo set up in my cabin now, so I'll get to visit much more often."
Molly gave a quick nod as she headed back to the stove. "Good. I know you love Romania, but I want to see you more than once or twice a year."
"Hermione, how are you?" Arthur asked as he retook his seat at the table.
"Great, Arthur, thank you. Did you have any trouble bringing my parents?" Hermione stood between them with her arm wrapped around her mother's shoulders.
She could admit she had become somewhat clingy when she was with her parents, something that she was sure stemmed from having their memories being erased. She had only restored them two years ago and had taken nearly three months off of work to live with them as they moved back to England.
Her mother patted her arm, "Hermione, we have travelled by Floo many times with Arthur over the years. You don't need to worry."
Arthur smiled at her in reassurance but turned to the door as the rest of the Weasley clan clamoured inside. Fred and George were first, followed by Ron and a very pregnant Luna. Fred's three-year-old twin girls, Poppy and Willow, tottered in next with his wife, Katie Bell. He and Katie had married shortly after the War once he had recovered from being crushed during the final battle by a fallen wall, and their twin girls were born only a few months after that.
Hermione looked out for Percy and Bill but the door shut behind Katie with a click. Arthur noticed her searching eyes and told her that Bill and Fleur were visiting her family in France and Percy was working overtime at the Ministry.
"No need to worry, Hermione," Fred said, slinging an arm over her shoulder. "Your favourite Weasley is here, at least."
"Yeah sorry I haven't visited in a few months but I'm here now." Charlie winked at her and she felt her face heat. She hoped no one noticed.
"Charlie, why d'you always ruin my jokes?" Fred replied with a frown, walking over to his daughters and lifting each one to place on his hip. They squealed and giggled as he pressed kisses to their cheeks and everyone couldn't help but smile at their happiness.
"I'm your favourite Weasley, right girls?" Fred asked once his daughters had quieted.
Hermione had always been good at telling twins apart. Even though they were wearing the same outfit, she instantly knew it was Poppy who hid behind her hands and giggled as she said Uncle Ron was her favourite.
Willow, on the other hand, was in love with Charlie and she reached her hands out for him to hold her. Charlie all too quickly complied, scooping his niece into his arms as Fred set Poppy back to the ground.
"I can't believe this. Betrayed by my own spawn." Fred fake cried and Katie walked up to reassuringly pat his back.
"There, there darling. If it makes you feel any better, you're not even my favorite Weasley and I'm married to you." She said with a grin and the whole room burst out in laughter at the devastated look Fred gave her.
"Alright, supper's ready. Let's settle in now." Molly chimed in from the edge of the stove and everyone eagerly filled the seats. Charlie quickly claimed a chair to her right, while her father sat on her left. She tried to squash the nerves she felt at them sitting so close to each other. They had met Charlie, only once, but still - he was part of the Weasley family. They loved every single one of the clan, so they'd have to love Charlie too.
Nodding to herself while she ate, she gave Charlie a smile when she noticed he looked at her oddly.
Once the food was gone and the plates cleaned up, everyone settled at the table to talk. Charlie cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and Hermione's stomach twisted into nervous knots. Ginny gave her a reassuring smile from across the table and Hermione tried to take a deep breath to settle herself as Charlie spoke.
"So… Not really sure how the best way to go about this is so I'm just going to say it. Hermione and I are together."
George sputtered into his cup of tea and began to violently cough. Katie and Fred were both slack-jawed. Ginny and Harry were both grinning and Ron sat back with his arms crossed wearing a scowl. Luna simply sipped her tea as if she was only told it was raining while Molly, Arthur, and her parents stared at them with wide, disbelieving eyes.
The air was thick with tension and Hermione wished someone would just say something. All too soon, she got her wish. It was as if a dam had broken loose as questions were hurled at them from all directions.
"Together?!"
"When did this happen?!"
"How long?!"
"Why didn't you tell us sooner-"
Charlie stood, abruptly silencing the room. Hermione slouched down into her chair with a bright blush as her parents looked at her with mild shock.
"We're more than just together." Charlie reached his hand out to Hermione and she looked up at him with a smile and took it. The feel of their hands entwined gave her the courage she needed and she stood up next to him.
"We're soulmates." Hermione finished his thought and Molly gasped into her hand.
"Good Godric, soulmates?!" Molly sat back in her chair stunned for a moment before she leapt out of it and ran to Charlie, wrapping him in a tight embrace. She began to blubber as she reached for Hermione.
"Oh, Hermione. I never thought - after Ron - oh dear, I never thought you'd become a Weasley. Not to say you're not family, dear but a true Weasley in name-"
"I think she gets it, Mum." George called from his seat. He and Fred were shaking their heads at Molly's hysterics.
"Merlin, another pair of soulmates in the family. How will we ever compete with them, George?" Fred asked his twin.
George sighed, "At least we're the most handsome of the lot."
Hermione laughed, thankful everyone seemed to be accepting of her and Charlie. She looked to her parents who sat with confused expressions.
"Mum, Dad? Are you okay?"
Her mother furrowed her brow further, "Soulmates are… Real?"
Arthur interrupted before Hermione could give her the textbook explanation. "In the wizarding world, yes. But it's very rare. Our eldest, Bill and Fleur are soulmates as are Ron and Luna." He turned and beamed at the standing couple. "And now Charlie and Hermione."
Hermione's father cleared his throat, "And how, exactly, do you know who's your soulmate?"
Arthur gave them both a quick explanation of how it worked, the connection and the matching birthmarks. At this, her parents whipped their heads to her with narrowed eyes. They knew the only birthmark marking her body was the large dragon-shaped one on her buttocks. Hermione blushed every shade of red imaginable as she looked to the floor in embarrassment.
"So is this why you wrote to me while you were in Romania, asking about our soulmate connection?" Luna piped up from next to Ron in her dreamy voice. "Because you saw Charlie's birthmark?"
Hermione wanted to crawl under a rock as the smirking faces of the twins rounded on her.
"Where is it, Hermione?" George asked with a grin.
"How did you manage to see it?" Fred asked, matching his twin's grin.
"Oh hush you two." Ginny interrupted. "You aren't allowed to ask any questions until you pay up." She held out her hand and made a 'gimme' motion.
"Pay up?" George looked at her confused.
Ginny's face broke out into a broad grin, "I recall a bet we made a few years ago. Something about Charlie being single forever…"
The twin's grins instantly fell from their faces at her words and Hermione let out a laugh, thankful for Ginny's diversion.
Charlie wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side and looked down at her as he spoke, "Do you want to tell them the next part?"
Hermione took a deep breath and looked to her parents, "I'm quitting the Ministry and taking a job in the Research Department at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. I'll be moving to Romania next month…"
Hermione's stomach flipped as her parents exchanged an unknown look between them. Her mother turned back to her and gave her a gentle smile.
"It's about time, darling."
Hermione blinked for a moment as she processed her mother's words. "Y-You're not upset?"
She shook her head, "Of course not. We've been wanting you to… gain some independence from us for a long time Hermione." Her mother stood and walked around the table to grab her hand. "We know that what happened with our memories upset you greatly and caused you to cling a little when you were finally able to undo it. For goodness sake, your flat is only a ten-minute walk from our house. But if this is what you want, your father and I support you completely."
Hermione's eyes watered at her mother's words and a few tears leaked free as her father stood to shake Charlie's hand.
"We don't really understand this whole soulmate business," Her father said as he stood next to his wife. "But if it means Hermione will be happy then we're happy."
He gave a stern look to Charlie. "And we may only be Muggles, but I'll still kick your arse if you hurt her."
Charlie let out a light-hearted chuckle and scratched the back of his head. He looked down at Hermione and her heart swelled at the love she found gracing his face.
"Now," Molly said, pulling everyone's attention to her. "When is the wedding?"
A few hours later, having finally silenced Molly on any wedding planning and dodging all the awkward questions the twins asked them, Charlie and Hermione stumbled through her Floo.
Hermione flopped on the couch with an exhausted sigh and Charlie followed right after her. He pulled her feet into his lap and took off her shoes to massage her feet as he kicked his own off.
"Did you have a good time?" He asked as his thumbs kneaded her heels.
She let out a small sigh, "I was honestly surprised it went so well. I thought my parents were going to be angry, or at the very least, hesitant."
Charlie worked her feet into putty and she let out small groans at the feeling. He laughed lightly at her reactions before dropping her feet back to the floor and pulling her onto his lap. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips when she settled, straddling his hips.
Hermione hummed and pulled his hair free from the leather thong to let it drop to his shoulders. She ran her fingers through the fiery locks and pulled his face closer to deepen the kiss. Sparks jolted down her spine as Charlie pressed his hands at the small of her back to push her closer to his body.
He pulled away to catch his breath and set his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes.
"Is it too soon to tell you that I love you?"
Hermione's heart pounded in her chest at those three words and she closed her eyes with a smile.
"No... because I love you too."
Charlie cupped her face and gave her an earth-shattering kiss that had her toes curling and her core heating. He pulled her from his lap and stood, reaching out to take her hand to lead her to the bedroom.
Once the door had closed behind them, Charlie pressed her up against it and hurriedly trailed kisses up and down her neck. Her soft moans filled the room and he quickly divested her of her shirt and bra, reaching up to cup her breasts and gently squeeze.
Charlie trailed his lips back up to hers and Hermione tugged on the bottom of his shirt. He pulled away with a small smile and rid himself of his tight white shirt, flexing slightly against the coolness of the room. Hermione reached up and trailed her hands over his broad shoulders, through the small patch of ginger chest hair and straight down to his belt. She quickly unfastened it and tossed it to the floor, coming back to unbutton his trousers.
Hermione glanced up at Charlie's face to find him watching her with a lust-filled gaze and his dilated pupils sent a rush of heat to her centre. He placed his hands on either side of her face as she tugged down his trousers and pants and gripped his length firmly. Charlie let out a breathy groan as she began to stroke him and he kissed her hungrily.
His hands slid down her body, stopping momentarily to fondle her breasts before continuing their path and nearly ripping off her trousers and panties. She broke their kiss to step out of them but kept a firm hold of his erection, which was now extremely hard in her hand. Charlie sucked in a breath as she moved her hand gently over the head and he bucked his hips slightly.
"Should we move to the bed?" Hermione asked in a breathy whisper.
"No. I'm going to fuck you against this door, Hermione," Charlie answered, his voice thick with want and it sent a shiver down her spine. She rubbed her legs together with a whimper, hoping to ease some of the want she was feeling.
Charlie noticed immediately what she was doing and he trailed a hand down her centre, plunging them quickly into her wetness.
The loud moan Hermione let out at the sensation of being filled by his large fingers echoed against her walls. He moved quickly, his need evident by the pulsing of his length in her hand as she moved.
He rubbed a thumb roughly against her clit and nibbled gently on her neck, causing her to see stars. He kept the pace steadily and after a few moments, she came against his hand - moaning his name into his shoulder.
Charlie pulled his fingers free and gripped her wrist to stop her pumping on his member. He wrapped both of his arms around her bottom and lifted her as easily as if she were nothing more than a bag of flour.
He pressed his body against hers and her back dug into the wood of the door. It would have been painful, had she not been so focused on the feeling of his thick shaft stretching her soaked core.
They both let out loud moans into the chilled air and Charlie hooked his arms under her knees to hold her up. It allowed him to plunge even deeper inside her, making Hermione cry out as he filled her fully. His hands gripped her thighs and her skin tingled where his fingers dug into them.
Charlie started a slow pace as they adjusted to the tight fit but eventually, his need for release had him pounding into her fervently. Fire spread throughout every fibre of Hermione's body, as it did every time they made love. Again, she could feel the soulmate bond stretched between them and she let out breathy moans as it tugged on her soul.
Charlie ground into her, rubbing against her clit and after a few more deep pumps they both shouted out their climaxes. He stayed inside of her for a few moments as he caught his breath and slowly pulled out, helping her come down safely to the floor. Her knees wobbled a bit and Charlie let out a laugh as she gripped his arms for support.
She shot him a half-hearted glare and stumbled to her bed, collapsing on it in a naked heap. Charlie followed and laid down next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back to his chest.
"It's so odd to think I won't live in England soon," said Hermione as she snuggled in closer and gently ran her fingers over his arm causing goosebumps to grace his skin.
Charlie kissed the back of her neck softly. "Are you happy?"
Hermione smiled and turned to face him, "As long as we're together, I'm happy."
Charlie matched her smile and cupped her cheek to press a sweet kiss to her swollen lips. "Forever."
She turned back and closed her eyes as he pulled her more firmly against his body. His steady breathing and warm body had her quickly drifting to sleep, excited to start their forever.