AN: Thank you to all the reviewers. Glad you like the story. Here's chapter 3.
The wedding reception was long over, but Charlie and Hermione hadn't moved from their spot by the lake. Once Hermione had finished crying, the two of them had spent hours talking, about anything and everything they could think of.
Charlie had told her all about working with dragons in Romania, and it was clear to anybody who heard him just how much he loved his job. The last few months, he said, had been spent caring for an orphaned baby dragon – no-one had thought it would survive, but it had, and was now doing well.
Hermione had been fascinated by his stories, and had asked after Norbert – the dragon that Hagrid had acquired in her first year at Hogwarts. Norbert, it seemed, was flourishing in Romania, and had grown to be much larger than any other dragon in the reserve.
Hermione laughed.
"I remember Norbert growing to be as long as Hagrid's hut in a couple of weeks. I'm not surprised. Has he still got the teddy bear?"
It turned out, sadly, that the bear had been destroyed during his escape from Hogwarts.
In return, she told Charlie all about her work as a Healer at St Mungo's. She mainly worked with the war victims – most recently, those who had suffered the Cruciatus curse and its after-effects, such as Neville Longbottom's parents. She'd made some progress – they now recognised her and several other staff members, though not, unfortunately, Neville himself.
Charlie listened, intrigued. He'd known she was brilliant, of course, "the cleverest witch of her age", as she'd been called so frequently. Or, Ron's personal favourite, "the know-it-all". Charlie thought her intelligence was an asset, not an annoyance, as Ron did, however.
As if he had heard Charlie's thoughts, Ron Weasley ambled out of the main entrance and straight towards the couple. He didn't appear to have noticed them, which was entirely typical of Ron. He could be heard singing, loudly and out of tune. As he drew nearer, they could make out the words.
"Weasley is our king!
WEASLEY IS OUR KING!"
A short pause followed, as he struggled to remember the words. Before he could begin again, though, he finally spotted Charlie and Hermione sitting together on the grass.
"Charlie! What are you and Hermione doing out here all alone?"
"Ron. Please leave." Charlie asked through gritted teeth.
"But Charlieeeee! I want to stay here. Did you ask her out yet?" Ron nudged Charlie, before winking at him.
Hermione watched this little exchange in silence and amazement. Why would someone like Charlie want to ask her out? Ron must have put him up to it. After all, she'd kept her little crush on him secret. She couldn't say anything, especially since it had only begun after the mistletoe incident at Christmas. It seemed so childish, but she couldn't help it.
Ron's loud voice cut into her thoughts, bringing her back to reality.
"Hermione Granger! Are you listening to me?"
"Sorry Ron, didn't hear you."
"I said, since my brother is too scared to ask you, I'll do it for him. Will you accompany him to dinner on Saturday night?"
Ron has no tact whatsoever, she thought to herself. Risking a glance at Charlie, she can see he's turned the famous Weasley red, even though it's dark. He's glaring at Ron. Ron, on the other hand, is looking expectantly at her, waiting for an answer.
AN: You know what to do. Please review.