Friday slipped by and the next thing everyone knew it was time to turn in early in preparation for another big weekend at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Hermione slept in her own bed but was pleased to wake early enough to have tea in the kitchen, alone with Charlie. When Hermione got to the bottom of her cup she jumped up, quite suddenly, and ran to her room. When she came back, a moment later, she was flipping through a few pages of a book while Charlie looked on, smiling from behind his cup.

"An anchor is a lucky symbol. Success in business, stable love. If blurred or indistinct just the reverse." Hermione read off to him. "So that's what you were getting at, not just good luck but also success in love." She couldn't keep the smile off her face, even if she didn't hold much stock in divination. "Yours is a dragon," Hermione laughed, "that's fitting for you." Scanning her finger down a few pages she found it. "Large and sudden changes."

"I'd say that's pretty fitting, it's been nothing but change in the last year," Charlie rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling at Hermione.

They started on breakfast, a new weekend morning routine, and soon had everything ready as they were joined by the rest of the family. After breakfast was over, they all apparated to the shop and got to work. The weekend was flying by in a blur and Hermione was happy to be in the shop. George was finally looking happier than he had since Fred had passed away. On Sunday afternoon a small girl came in by herself and looked around. When Hermione asked if she could help her she told her that he was looking for someone in particular.

"Who would that be?" She tried to grasp what the girl needed.

"Mr. Weasley, of course." The little girl responded.

"Well, there are actually six Mr. Weasley's here, today. I'm assuming you probably mean George, the owner, though," Hermione said.

"Yes, it's pertinent that I talk to him." The small girl was looking around while trying to still be polite. She twisted her fingers in her hands, nervously, and shifted from one foot to the other.

"Well, dear, if you'll excuse me I can go get him but can you tell me who I should say has come calling?"

"Lucy, Lucy Macmillan."

"Do you have an older brother?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Lucy stated simply but didn't elaborate further.

Hermione went off to find George and was able to return with him quickly. Lucy had begun to look at a few products while she waited and jumped when George greeted her.

"Hello, Lucy."

"Hello," She spun around and suddenly her eyes were welling with tears.

"What can I help you out with today?" George asked her quietly.

"I just wanted to thank you," Lucy told him with a catch in her throat. "You saved my brother, he said you didn't realize it but you did. You were fighting and Rowle had Ernie cornered in an alcove, but you stunned him while you were running by. You didn't see my brother, but he said that Rowle was threatening to kill him slowly. You saved him from that. He married his girlfriend in June and now they're pregnant. If it wasn't for you, they wouldn't be having my nephews." Lucy told him in a rush.

"I'm glad to hear that." George told the girl "So you're getting nephews, how many?"

"Two, they're due at the end of April, the Doctor said that twins usually come early, though."

"That's true, my brother and I were two weeks early." George was having a hard time talking.

"I'm sorry," Lucy told him. "I really hope they grow up to be something like you. My brother has told me stories about you and Fred and he hopes that his sons will look up to you." Lucy threw her arms around George. "I know I do, you're a hero." She whispered as her tears spilled over.

Hermione caught herself having to wipe her eyes at the exchange. She looked up to see that all of the Weasley's had gathered around. Arthur was holding Molly, who was also crying, Bill was holding Fleurs hand, looking solemn. Ron and Percy stood quietly looking like they were proud of their brother. And Charlie was looking at Hermione silently asking if she was okay. She managed a watery smile and wiped her eyes again. She loved George and knew that as much as he had been hurting that this would be a huge step to helping him heal. Ernie walked in and immediately saw what was going on.

"I'm sorry, I was trying to wait for a better time to come talk to you," Ernie said quietly. "You saved my life and because of that I got to marry my best friend, Megan Jones, she was in our year." Ernie gestured at Hermione, Ron, and Harry. "We're having twins, I feel like it's a bit of fate. Like destiny is trying to make sure I never forget how lucky I am. I want to say thank you. If there is ever anything I can do for you I want you to let me know." He let his sister grab his hand.

"Thank you, I'm glad you told me." George smiled

Lucy and Ernie went on to shop and everyone got back to work. Megan came in and shopped with them and after they paid all of the Weasley's bid them goodbye.

"Oi, Ernie," George said. "I know something you can do."

"What's that?" Ernie said, turning around.

"Make sure they get into pranking early," George told him seriously.

"Already ahead of you," Ernie held up his bag, "this stuff is to get them started," he smiled at George.

"Good, come back and get them more, soon," George grinned.

The day moved on with everyone's hearts thoroughly warmed. Charlie and Hermione decided to give George and Verity a week off and spent the days working together in the store. They kept busy but found a few minutes here and there to talk to each other or to steal a few kisses. In the evenings they restocked the store and drug their feet as long as they could, before going home. Hermione would go for her run and shower then they would eat together before going to bed. Some nights Hermione would sneak into Charlie's room and the nights that she didn't he snuck into hers. By the middle of the week, they had a perfect routine down. By Saturday they were kind of sad to see their days together come to an end but were also glad to know that they had managed to give George and Verity a much-needed break. They sat drinking their tea when Mrs. Weasley came into the kitchen to join them earlier than usual.

"You two should be having a lie in," Molly scolded them.

"I can't sleep in very often," Hermione admitted. "Besides, it really wasn't too bad at the shop, it has been kind of relaxing to be working.

"I agree, it's nice to get out and do something productive. Don't get me wrong, I love being home and playing quidditch but I'm glad to do something." Charlie agreed.

"I understand that," Mrs. Weasley said as she whipped up breakfast.

The whole family came down for breakfast and once again they all made their way to the shop to get started. Business was still up but the family could tell that it had slowed down and that most families had already finished their school shopping. The weekend slipped by as the last few had. The last full week of break was pretty calm, the boys and Ginny played quidditch every day and Hermione laid out sunbathing and reading either her school books or her novels disguised as textbooks. She caught Charlie staring on several occasions and couldn't help the smile she would wear afterward. They spent the warmer afternoons playing in the pond or laying out in the shade of the apple orchard. Charlie started joining Hermione on her nightly run and they soon found they were both very competitive. They would see who could run the fastest or the longest, the rest of the family soon got used to seeing them coming in only to collapse on the kitchen floor after getting a glass of water.

The weekend came upon them and on Sunday morning Hermione came down to see that Charlie wasn't down, yet. She got their tea ready and waited a few minutes before starting breakfast. By the time Mrs. Weasley joined her and they finished Charlie still wasn't down. Hermione went to check on him when he was the only one missing. When she opened his door, he was nowhere to be seen and the bathroom was empty. Hermione started to panic a bit and raced back downstairs.

"Has anyone seen Charlie, not in his room or the bathroom," Hermione asked.

"I'm sure he's around somewhere," George said in a suspicious manner.

"George Weasley, is there something we should know?" Hermione interrogated him.

"No, not yet." He smiled and went back to his breakfast.

When everyone had finished eating without another word, except Hermione who hadn't touched her food, everyone started to leave. Charlie walked in the door as his parents were walking out.

"Where have you been?" Hermione was a bit scared.

"I had a couple errands," Charlie told her.

"We're going to be late to the shop if we don't hurry," Hermione was a bit upset but not at Charlie. She was upset about how worried she was about him being gone. It hit her that this year was going to be harder than she thought, being away from Charlie shot her nerves.

"We're not working today. Eat and then we have a couple things to do." Charlie instructed.

Hermione wanted to skip breakfast, but she knew Charlie would never let her get away with that. When she got up Charlie handed her a bag and told her to go get dressed. Hermione opened the bag in her room and found a complete outfit for the day, shredded skinnies, black boots, a red V-neck t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Hermione had no idea what they were doing but threw some makeup on and went down to the kitchen to find it empty. She turned when she heard Charlie coming down the stairs and forgot to breathe for a moment. He was wearing some faded, fraying jeans that were slung low on his hips over black boots and a white shirt with a black leather jacket. He looked like a model walking down a catwalk. Hermione could see how defined his chest was, through the shirt, and really just wanted to jump him then and there; she settled for a chaste kiss and asked what they were doing.

"You'll find out soon enough," Charlie took her hand and lead her outside to apparate after he grabbed a small backpack.

Hermione had no idea where they were when they landed but a quick look around told her they were in Paris. Charlie took her hand and they spent the day going through shops and museums, looking at sites and eating local cuisines. Hermione got a head start on some Christmas shopping between the muggle stores and the wizard shops they hit up, after lunch. Thanks to her beaded bag, her hands were kept free and Charlie's bag had been placed in there, also. They ate as supper and then took a walk around. Charlie checked his watch and seemed to pick up his pace, but Hermione wasn't sure what his plan was. When they neared the Seine Hermione looked up in awe of the Eiffel tower. It was just after eight thirty and they had about fifteen more minutes until sunset, so it wasn't lit up, yet, but it was an amazing sight to behold.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Charlie asked her.

"Yes," Hermione was honest. "I've never been this close before."

"Well, it's a good thing you're with me, tonight," Charlie smiled looking into her eyes. "We're having our first official date, tonight."

"What do you mean?" Hermione looked around to see what they could possibly be doing.

There was no one around, at the moment. Charlie took her hand and twirled her around, suddenly Hermione was in a new strappy red dress and black heels, with a garter and silky thigh highs. When she stopped spinning she was able to see the Charlie was now wearing Black slacks and an ocean blue button-up with a black tie. He had set up a table for the two of them to have supper by the river and be able to look right up at the Eiffel Tower while they ate. There were string lights hanging above the table, the kind with kind of large bulbs, and there were stand up mirrors off to the right side of the table shaped in a curve a like a 'c.' When Hermione saw the table there was a vase with red and white roses, the gesture was very sweet and left Hermione touched. Charlie took her hand and pulled her in close to kiss her before turning her around to watch the sunset, the Eiffel Tower behind them as they watched. At a quarter to nine, it was dusk and Charlie lead Hermione over to the table before pulling her chair for her. When she was settled Charlie walked around and sat across from her. Out of nowhere, a waiter walked out and poured them both some wine and handed Hermione a menu. There were only a few choices, but Hermione handed the menu back and told him to pick his favorite for herself.

"I'll take Whatever you recommend as well," Charlie told the Waiter.

"Very well, my name is Martin, if you need anything at all I will be right here to get it. I hope we have a wonderful evening."

He walked away and after just a few steps he had disappeared, he didn't disapparate he was just gone.

"It's a fancy wizard restaurant thing. Basically, they serve people at many locations around the world and there is a lot of magic that goes with it," Charlie told her.

He reached across the table and took her hand while they looked up at the tower.

"I really am glad that you let me steal a chance with you, Hermione."

"I, honestly, was hoping for you to even like me; I never really thought that I would have a chance." Hermione turned to look into his eyes. "I thought I was just your little brothers best friend."

"You have always been more than that. I remember when Bill and I were battling with the tables just before the Quidditch World Cup. You looked so appalled and so amused and I did everything I could to learn about you without being too obvious. Especially once you started asking me about Romania and the dragons. I figured out you were brilliant during our first conversation. Then, I found out how funny you are, even though you're not trying to be. You are a mom even though you aren't, it's clear that you've always taken care of Ron and Harry and your year on the run proved that even further. You are passionate, you always have been, I remember Ron writing me about S.P.E.W. complaining but it's right genius and shows that you wear your heart on your sleeve. Hermione, you are not just my little brothers best friend, you are amazing. If anything, Ron is just my Girlfriends best friend," Charlie winked at her.

"I can't believe that we both were too chicken to say anything," Hermione told him.

"What do you mean, love?" Charlie asked.

"I mean, I liked you from the moment I saw you. You never once treated me like some baby or some brown nosing, know-it-all, goody-two-shoes. You explained things to me, you never got annoyed at all of my questions and you never tried to avoid me. I don't know why I never sucked it up and said something. We could have been talking or together ages ago." Hermione elaborated.

"I think it's a good thing that things happened the way they have, so far," Charlie countered. "I mean, the war was awful, and it really took a number on a lot of couples. Harry broke up with Ginny to try to protect her, who's to say that we wouldn't have done something like that. Or what if I tried to keep you from going on the run or I tried to go with you and it had changed everything? I'm glad to be where we are, I feel like I am getting to cherish it so much more, now." Charlie elaborated.

"I can see that, I think you're right. I wouldn't have stayed, and I would have been really worried about you if you had come with us. Plus, there were a lot of things that you accomplished for the order while at Grimmauld Place." Hermione admitted.

The food arrived, and they enjoyed sharing the two plates while playing the game truth. Charlie's favourite color was Green, Hermione's depended on what it was; red dresses were her favourite but she loved purple and yellow for almost everything else. Charlie's first kiss was a girl a year older than him, he had been caught under some mistletoe. Charlie nearly choked when Hermione admitted Charlie was her first kiss. Charlie's favourite animal was a lemur and Hermione's was her cat. Hermione nor Charlie knew what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives. Hermione had never been skinny dipping, but Charlie had.

When they had finished their meals, and had a second glass of wine, Martin cleared the table. Charlie helped Hermione out of her seat and the table disappeared. Charlie pulled her in close, before kissing her, and started to dance in front of the mirrors when soft music started playing. He twirled her in circles and proved he was quite adept at dancing, never once stepping on her toes. After several different songs, Charlie pulled her in and asked if she was close to ready turn in for the night.

"Not really, but we better head home, soon, before your mum starts to worry."

"How about one more dance, then?" Charlie kissed her before twirling her in circles.

"Yes," Hermione squealed in delight.

They danced for a few minutes and as the song came to an end Charlie spun her in a few more circles before letting her go and kneeling down on one knee and holding a small black box open. Hermione came to a stop with her head thrown back and her hands swinging back to her sides. She looked down and turned around to find Charlie and gasped when she saw him. She wasn't ready for this, Hermione hadn't meant to lead Charlie to believe that she was ready to be married.

"Hermione, I know that you are something very special and I know that you're not ready to make a huge life decision, yet. I also know that I am completely infatuated with you and I want to promise you that I will stick with you as long as you will have me. I want to give you a promise to cherish you, love you, and stay faithful to you as long as you want me. Will you let me give you this promise ring?"

Hermione's eyes welled up as she listened to what Charlie had to say. He always seemed to know exactly what Hermione was thinking of needing. Hermione nodded her head because she couldn't even say a word as simple as 'yes,' at the moment. She gave Charlie her left hand and watched as he slipped the ring on her finger. Charlie stood up and Gave her a kiss full of passion, promise, and meaning. He held her tightly and she stood with her ear against his chest listening to it beat rather quickly.

"Charlie Weasley, were you nervous?" Hermione teased.

"No, I was just asking the most bloody brilliant, beautiful, kindest girl I know to promise that she would be mine alone as long as she will let me have her. Nothing to be nervous over at all," Charlie joked to her. "I suppose we should get a move on."

Charlie took her hand and lead her away. Less than an eighth of a mile away he pulled her into an abandoned building except, with the wizarding world, nothing is ever as it seems. Charlie didn't even go to the front desk, he just lead her to a lift. They went straight to the top floor and were let into a suite. There were flower petals all over the place but they made an actual path that she followed with Charlie. The bathroom was ginormous and had warming charms placed on it. The tub was made for two and Charlie wasted no time in getting Hermione undressed and into the bath. When she was safely in he took his turn, slowly undressing himself, wear that Hermione was watching him as if he were something delicious. By the time he pulled his shirt off, he could feel his excitement starting to show. After his pants were off it was clear that She could see his arousal. Charlie looked Hermione in the eyes as he slid his boxer briefs off and stepped into the tub facing her. When Charlie settled in he laid his head back and relaxed, closing his eyes. Hermione smirked at him before moving from her side of the tub to his, to straddle his lap. Charlie jerked his eyes open, looking straight into Hermione's eyes. She ran her hands up his chest and pulled him in to kiss her. Charlie reached up and held her to him, pulling her down to grind against him before he froze. Hermione pulled back to look into his face with a worried look.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"We need your wand, the spell," Charlie was trying to keep himself under control.

Hermione looked around and remembered hers was in her bag, but she spotted his and grabbed it to try it out. When her belly felt the familiar warmth, she knew it had worked and smiled at the accomplishment.

"Done," Hermione put his wand back down.

"Good, because I'm not." Charlie growled at her.

He pulled her back to him and continued kissing her and grinding against her before turning them to pin Hermione against the tub. He held her up, off the bottom of the tub, and used the other end of the tub to push against. Charlie inserted himself and heard Hermione sigh in pleasure. He attacked her mouth with fevered kisses and nips while sliding in and out of her. The closer she got the more she moaned out Charlie's name and the more she moaned his name the closer Charlie got. Soon water was splashing from one side of the tub to the other, but they were both so close to falling over the edge that they didn't notice. Hermione stopped breathing and suddenly screamed Charlie's name, that was all it took for Charlie, he pushed into her a few more times while coming and then held her close to him while she caught her breath.

"We should probably get out before we drown," Hermione joked.

"Yeah," Charlie was still catching his breath.

He stood up and stepped out before offering his hand to Hermione. When she stepped out he started to look around for a towel before he realized that all of the water was magically running off of him and he was completely dry.

"That's neat," Hermione had also noticed. "There's not even water on the floor from us splashing," she laughed with mirth.

"I guess we'll have to try again in the morning, then, see if we can actually make a puddle on the floor." Charlie told her suggestively.

"Sounds like a plan." Hermione winked at him.

It wasn't long and Charlie was slipping one of the negligees, that he had picked out for her, over her head and down her body. She kneeled down and helped him into a pair of boxer briefs. When she stood up he placed a soft lingering kiss on her lips and pulled the blanket back to help her into bed. When she was settled in he walked around the other side and crawled in. He slid over to the middle before pulling her against his chest.

"Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight, Charlie."

The girls will be saying their goodbyes and heading back to Hogwarts in the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed and will review.

Thank you all for being patient, I really appreciate it! I finished my semester with a 4.0 and my Govt teacher told me that I have the highest grade that she has ever given to a student before! the class was worth 650 points and I got 702 because she gives bonus for certain things depending on how above and beyond you go with your short answers on tests and how well you take notes over videos and such. Since I'm in a great mood I stayed up till 2 just to write you 4,124 words!