Late morning, Hermione awoke to the fall of light warming her arms. She turned over, stretching, and met the blue-green eyes of Charlie, gazing directly at hers.

"Morning," he said, grinning.

"Good morning." She threw her head back and stretched some more, grunting when her back cracked.

Charlie's hand instantly found its way to her breast. "I like it when you moan like that," he said, lazily running his thumb over her nipple.

She grabbed his hand and tossed it his way. "We can't, Charlie," she said. "I'm so sore."

He frowned, letting his fingers graze her shoulder. "Last night, when I got a little carried away. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No; not at all. My body just needs a break from shagging like pygmy puffs. Just for a day. I should be good tomorrow."

"Ah," he said, kissing her hand.

"Sorry to ruin your morning."

He chuckled. "That's a joke, right?" He pulled her to his chest, wrapping his warm arms around her tight. "Do you know how long I've wanted this? You, waking up in my bed, your hair wild like a Hibredian Black's."

"Mmm," Hermione said as he rubbed small circles into her shoulders. "Since we first shagged?"

"Not quite," he said, his voice quiet.

"Before that?" She pushed up, facing him.

He gave a little nod, but before she could question him anymore, he rolled out of bed. "Care for a bath? For all those sore… muscles?" He gave her that wild, wicked grin of his and she couldn't help but smile back.

"That sounds amazing, actually."

"I've got all the bath potions for aches and pains. For work recovery. Let me draw it. We'll take one together."

"Mm," she responded as she watched the hard muscles of his arse as he walked toward the bathroom.

"You like it hot?" he called.

"Not too hot. But I do like it steamy."

She listened as he drew the water and tossed bottles about. "Ready," he called after a few minutes.

Hermione tiptoed in, smiling wide at the sight of Charlie up to his chest in bubbles. Fuck, if he didn't look like the sexiest, tastiest hunk of a dragon tamer she'd ever seen. She climbed in the tub and lowered her body, groaning all the while. "Gods, that feels so good." She let her head rest against side of the tub.

She felt something telling brush her legs as she spread them over his. "Charles Weasley," she said, her eyes still closed in bliss. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Hey," he said lifting his hands. "You're the one moaning like that."

He blew a bubble her way, and she caught it in her hands. "Moaning like what?"

"Naked."

She laughed. "How else am I supposed to take a bath?"

He leaned his head back and smiled with half-lidded eyes. "How many children do you want, Hermione?"

Oh! Well, that seemed to come out of nowhere. "Uh—" she took a breath. "You know, when I first met your family, I decided I really wanted a whole school of babies. But then Ginny started having them, and I got to babysit James and Albus for extended periods of time." She laughed. "I realized, hmm, maybe two." She smiled. "More than one, though, for sure, since I hated being an only child."

He held his hand to his chin, looking at her, once more, as though she were revealing some great secret of the universe. He nodded after a few moments. "Two is a good number."

"That's how many you want? Two?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. Haven't really had much reason to think of it until late."

She blinked in response. Then she blinked again, this time more slowly. He winked, stretched his arms and asked, "What do you want to do today, love? Since fucking is off the menu."

She took a breath. "Well, we have that dinner tonight, still, with your co-workers, right? Maybe we can visit downtown. I was researching and there's this really old bookstore—"

"The Moor Mountain Book Nook?"

"Yeah! It sounds really lovely."

He laughed. "Why am I not surprised that Hermione Granger's first shopping request is the only bookstore in town." Before she could offer a rebuttal, he continued. "I'll take you there, show you some of the stores on that strip. Most of them sell cheap tourist rubbish, but there's a decent shop here and there."

"Okay, Tour guide Weasley," she smiled, poking his abs with her toes. "It's a date."

XXX

"Bloody hell, woman," Charlie said as she piled another five books in his arms. "You're trying to kill me, aren't you?"

"Oh, please. Says the man who wrestles dragons for a living." Hermione stuck out her tongue and turned to examine a pile of ancient books that reached the ceiling. She ran her fingers over the spines, reading the gold and bronze and copper-script of their titles.

"You know, I do a lot more than wrestle them," he said, leaning against a bookshelf that curled in on itself like a spiral.

"I know," she smiled. "You're taking me to see them, right? When?"

"Tomorrow," he said. "There's a special gal I want you to meet."

"It wouldn't be Rama, would it?"

He chuckled. "Lucky guess."

"It's my only guess, Charlie. I don't know any other names of your dragons."

"Well, I'm in charge of Rama, Henry, Beetle, Athena and Boo. And a few others, but those are my main kin."

"Weird," she said, picking up a book. "This one's on the art of cooking dragon meat."

"What?" Charlie snapped. "Give it here." He tossed it on the book pile on the crook of his arm. "We're going to buy and burn that piece of shite."

Hermione stifled a giggle at his passion (gods, he was sexy when he lost his temper), and continued to comb her way through the store. He followed her like a puppy, carrying her books without complaint until they reached his holding limit of twenty-five. By the time she finished and paid for the books, the evening shadows were long.

"We spent so much bloody time in that bookstore, almost all the shops are closing up for the evening," Charlie said, slinging the load of jute shopping bags over his shoulder. He winked when she narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, hush it," Hermione said. "Look, that one's still open." She grabbed his hand and pulled him into Ye Olde Dragon Hoarde.

Charlie dropped off the book bags at the counter so he could walk with her free-handed. "About broke my back," he joked with the shopkeeper. Hermione rolled her eyes and wandered about, right into a stunning jewelry display.

"Oh gods," she said, bending to inspect the jewels more closely. "What is that, agate? Tourmaline?"

Charlie joined her side, hand on the small of her back. "It's a stone exclusive to the Moor mountain range." He pointed out the window at the snowcaps. "Named dragonite. For obvious reasons." He chuckled.

"It is so beautiful." Hermione noted the luminous sparkle in the teal gemstone. Some of them were nearly as bright as Charlie's ocean eyes. "Ooh, those ones are really cool." She pointed at the chunks of raw stone set in green gold.

"The ones that aren't cut and polished, they actually glow in dim lighting. They look like dragon eyes at dusk. Really something else."

"That one's my favorite," Hermione said, pointing at a pendant made of carved leaves that held up a raw dragonite chunk.

"Want to handle it?" the shopkeeper asked, approaching.

"Oh, no, I couldn't," Hermione said, having already noted the rather obscene prices.

"Go on." The shopkeeper opened the case with his wand and levitated the amulet to her hand.

She folded her fingers over it. "It's so pretty," she said.

"Take it to the window," the shopkeeper said. "Hold it up in the light."

She did so, gasping when the stone caught glow, like something lit a green-blue candle inside it. "That is the most gorgeous piece of jewelry I've ever seen in my life." Remembering the cost, she quickly handed it back to the shopkeeper. "Really lovely," she said, in a tone indicating she would not be purchasing the piece.

"You ready to go, love?" Charlie asked after they wandered around the store some more.

"Yeah," she smiled. "We have to be at your friends' soon, right?"

"Another twenty or so. We can take a little walk beforehand."

He held the door for her and wrapped his hand in hers. "It's so beautiful here," Hermione noted. The windows in the apartments above the shops had all turned gold with interior light, and wisps of wind kept blowing through the trees, causing red and orange leaves to rain upon them.

He said nothing, just kept looking and smiling at her goofily.

"So what should I expect at a dinner hosting by a dragon keeper?" Hermione asked, swinging his arm.

"Here's the thing about dragon keeper gatherings," Charlie said. "They're always too much food, too much drink. And lately, there's been too much dancing."

"Dancing? Like, what kind?"

"Salsa, bachata, merengue." He shrugged.

She stopped. "Salsa? Did I hear that right?" Before he could respond, she took a look at his hands. "Charlie," she said. "Where are my books?"

His eyebrows dropped along with his jaw, and he promptly turned and took off. Hermione chuckled, jogging after him. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she called. "Couldn't handle carrying a few books a moment longer, eh?"

"So bloody cheeky," he called back. He soon left her in the dust and she slowed to a walk. He appeared about five minutes later, lugging the bags over his shoulders, hunched over and groaning as though he were in a great deal of pain. Hermione laughed, took out her wand and performed a spell of weightlessness on the load.

They stopped by his house to drop off the books, then he turned to her. "Ready for the time of your life?"

"I'm ready to see you salsa dance," she responded. He grinned, grabbed her hand and they apparated with a loud clap.

Apologies for the late and shorter chapter! I'm loving all of your responses and reviews; you guys are just lovely. I didn't realize Charlie danced until I wrote it out, so I'm super interested to see how that goes! What do you guys think: would Charlie be good at it or no?

Thanks so much for reading.