Changing Charlie Weasley

Chapter Two

"So he just left?" Ginny asked. Hermione had come home from her meeting with Charlie almost in tears, and when Ginny had asked her what happened, she began blubbering incoherently. After two cups of tea and some chocolate bars, Ginny was able to decipher the story from her recently impregnated best friend.

Hermione nodded. "I don't know what his problem is. I mean.." her voice trailed off.

Ginny sighed. "Charlie's a womanizer, Hermione. It'll take him some time to get used to the notion of being a father."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm not sure, Gin, he seemed really mad when he left."

Ginny grabbed her purse from the table and stalked over to the fireplace. "That's it, I'm going to go talk to him." She took a handful of Floo powder, climbed into the fireplace and yelled, "The Burrow!"

She could hear the voices as she shook out her hair and stepped into her former home. It sounded like Mrs. Weasley was cooking something and Charlie was trying to help. A conversation about his going to Romania for the off-season was going on between the two.

Ginny stormed into the kitchen and grabbed Charlie by the bicep. Before he could protest, the tiny but strong witch had dragged him upstairs and into an empty bedroom.

"Ginny? What's wrong?" he asked. Ginny's face grew red.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Do you really need to ask, Charlie Weasley?"

"Well, yeah."

"You are such a pig!" Ginny yelled, her face growing hot. "How could you do that to poor Hermione? She's scared out of her wits already, and you storming out like that made her even more upset!"

Charlie glared down at his little sister. "She told you?"

"Of course she told me, you git! Why wouldn't she tell me? She's my best bloody mate! And you knocked her up! Tell me Charlie, do you even care at all?"

"Truthfully?"

"Yes."

Charlie crossed his arm over his well-defined chest. "No Ginerva. I don't care."

Ginny's hand flew up and across his cheek. The hard slap made a sound like a shot ring out. Charlie clutched the growing red mark on his cheek. "What the bloody hell was that for?!"

"You really need to ask?" Ginny screamed. "Hermione is pregnant! You're the father! You need to grow up and realize that she's scared and lonely and that she and the baby need you!"

"Why would she need me?" Charlie yelled.

Ginny screamed in frustration. "Gods, Charlie! We're broke! You have money and the means to support a baby! We don't! Now if you don't march your idiot ass over to our flat right now and apologize, I will hex you six ways to Sunday and not give a damn!"

Charlie laughed. "I get it. This all makes sense now. You and Hermione did this on purpose didn't you? Just to get my money!" He laughed again. "Well, it's not going to happen, Ginerva!"

"You're impossible, Charlie Weasley!" Ginny stormed out of the room, nearly running over her mother.

"What's all the commotion about, dears?" Molly asked. Ginny pointed to Charlie.

"Ask him." With that, she ran down the stairs and back to the fireplace.

Molly turned to Charlie. "Charlie? What's wrong?"

"Hermione's pregnant."

Molly put a hand to her forehead. "Oh, my. The poor dear. Well, I'll send her some flowers."

Charlie shook his head. "That's not the worst part. You don't know who the father is."

Molly paled. "Not Ron?"

"No, mum."

"Harry?"

"No."

"Fred? George?"

Charlie shook his head. Molly covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh no. Not Bill!"

Charlie sighed. "Mum, I'm the father."

Molly's face went from ghost-white to beet red. "Charles Adam Weasley! How could you?"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not the one having the bloody thing."

"You are just as responsible!" Molly's voice rose with each word. "I thought I raised you better! I hope to Merlin that you are planning on helping the poor dear out with the babe!"

Charlie shook his head again. "It's her own fault. She got herself into this mess, she can get herself out."

Molly drew in her breath. "Charles. That is not true. You need to help her out. She, Ginny and Lavender are completely broke. We all know you have the means to support her and a baby."

Charlie sighed. "Yes, I know. I'm just….well, I'm scared out of my bloody wits."

Molly patted him on the arm. "I know, dearie. But you know what you have to do." Charlie nodded and his mother gave him a small smile. "That's my boy. Now, go over to her flat and work something out. I'll have a batch of fresh brownies when you get back."

Charlie sighed and bounded down the stairs to the fireplace. A handful of Floo powder in his hand, he stepped into the hearth and yelled, "Ginny's flat!" As he stepped out, he could hear a woman crying very loudly in one of the rooms. With a gulp, he braced himself for the impact and walked down the hall to Hermione's room, knocked on her door and walked in.

Hermione was sitting on her bed, her face buried in her hands. Her hair, usually just a mild mess, was an absolute disaster, and she had on a pair of plain black pajama pants and a white tank top. Her head snapped up at the sound of the recent intrusion, and her eyes narrowed at the sight of Charlie.

"What do you want?" she spat, mascara running down her cheeks. Charlie cringed. She could be quite the devil when she wanted to be.

Charlie ran a hand through his red hair. "I, uh…..I wanted to apologize."

"For what? You didn't do anything. As I recall, this was my fault."

If looks could kill, Charlie thought, I'd be dead right now. "Can we talk?"

She sniffled. "Sure."

He moved uncertainly over to her bed and sat down next to her. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I really am. You just have to understand, this was a shock to me. I hadn't imagined being a father for quite a long time."

"Charlie, you're almost thirty."

"I know. Now let me finish."

"Sorry."

"Like I said, fatherhood isn't something I've been contemplating, and is something I had hoped to think about a few years from now, when I'm married and settled down. I'm at the prime of my life right now. I can have any girl I want like that," he snapped his fingers. "I drink on a regular basis and I party all the time on the off-season of Quidditch. I'm a womanizer; there hasn't been a time when I haven't gotten laid when I wanted to."

"So that's all I was to you. A well-timed shag."

"I hate to say it, but yes. Not that I don't think you're great. I think you're marvelous. And I would really hate to see you suffer like you are now. And I know that Ginny and Mum will have my head if I don't help you out."

"So what exactly are you saying, Charlie?"

Charlie sighed. "I want to help raise this baby."

"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?"

"I have money, Hermione. I can buy the necessities and help you pay for the doctor's bills."

It was Hermione's turn to sigh. "So you're going to be one of those fathers."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the type of father that just sends the mother and the child money without a second thought. The kind that rarely come around except for an occasional birthday and Christmas feast. Sure, mother and the child would never starve, but the child would never know their real father. So if that's the kind of father you intend to be, then you can leave right now."

"I want to be a part of the kid's life Hermione."

Hermione gave him a hard stare. "Then you're going to have to give up some stuff."

Charlie gulped. "Like what?"

"No more heavy drinking. You can have one beer a night, or a glass of wine or two. I don't want our child to be around alcohol 24/7. And you can't bring home a different girl every night. It's fine if you have a steady girlfriend, but other than that, go to her place. And I want you to go to the pregnancy check-ups with me, and half of the baby's appointments."

Charlie groaned. "Anything else?"

"I'm going to need you to watch the baby while I'm at Healer school. I should only be gone five or six hours a day, and I get home around 1 in the afternoon, so you should be fine."

"And what about when Quidditch starts up again?"

"I'll hire a nanny."

Charlie sighed, and slowly nodded his head. "Okay."

A/N: Yay for reformed Charlie! (Applause from the readers.) Sorry about the long-overdue update, I just got Microsoft Word installed in my computer. I should be putting up a new chapter of "Clumsy: Kim's Story" shortly. If you review, it'll make my day.

Oh, and sorry about the chapter-shortness, they'll get longer, don't worry. ")