Well, omfg, i am finally back with a new chapter! and i bet you all thought i died. nopeee just extremely unmotivated for posting stuff, and being busy - excuses, excuses - well i have given you guys a new chapter. and i just reread the old chapter and i am terribly sorry about the formatting of it,thereally close words were driving me INSANE. thank you for sticking with me and not being brutally bitchy about it. anyway without further ado: CHAPTER 19!!

After running out of Michael's apartment, Hermione apparated to the ministry courtroom where Charlie's trial was being held, outside stood Harry, Ron, and Molly, worried expressions on their faces as they watched the doors. The court was on recess.

"How's it going in there?" She asked pausing to catch her breath.

"Oh Hermione! It's good that you're here, Charlie's been charged with releasing the dragons in Romania."

" What? When?"

"Just last night."

"No, when did he supposedly release these dragons?"

"That's the strange part, they're saying that he released him the night of his party." Ron interrupted.

"That's not possible." Hermione's voice held an edge of outrage.

"Actually, it is." Harry replied. "There was a good 2 hours unaccounted for."

"When?"

"Just before Midnight." Harry blushed.

"No, that's not possible, Charlie was with…"

"With who?" Molly said, curious.

"Me." Hermione blushed furiously and turned away.

"What do you mean dear?"

"Charlie and I were in his room for those two hours, he couldn't possibly have released anything."

"The whole two hours?"

"Yes, we were…. Having…. Romantic relations."

"You slept with him?" Molly said bluntly, inwardly smiling.

"Uh, yes."

Molly resisted the urge to laugh and jump for joy, her son had found his love after all this time, and she just smiled contently at Hermione and hugged her.

"Charlie's confessing." Ron said finally. "He can't come up with any evidence or suspects."

"He can't confess! He didn't do it!"

"I know, but there's no evidence that he didn't."

A tense silence filled the hallway; no one spoke for a long time. Hermione thoughts were still running and a wave of adrenaline after breaking up with Michael, she easily formulated a plan in her head to save Charlie. She wondered after he sanity, her plan could easily fall through and ruin her chances with Charlie; it wasn't until now that she realized she was completely and utterly in love with. The answer to the state of her sanity would have to be a big fat no, if love was a form of insanity that she would happily admit she was crazy.

"I can't let him take the fall." She said suddenly, pushing the large doors of the courtroom open, her courage faltered for a moment as everyone turned to look at her. "Charlie Weasley is Innocent!" she yelled.

Hermione searched the room for Charlie and found that he was staring at her with a mix of confusion, anger, and amusement.

"And how exactly can you prove this, Miss…."

"Granger. Hermione Granger."

"Miss Granger."

"The night in question Charlie wasn't in Romania at all, he was with me."

"In what context, Ms. Granger?"

"We were having sex."

A collective gasp rose in the room, people whispered back and forth, pointing at her, Charlie's face had gone a delightful shade of crimson and was currently stammering and gaping at the woman who stood in the middle of room. If it hadn't been such a loaded situation Hermione would have chuckled at Charlie's expression.

"Silence!" The man said, still looking at Hermione. "Ms. Granger, do correct me if I'm wrong, but at the time of the crime you and… Mr. Weasley... Were having romantic…. Uh…"

"Yes, we were having sex."

"Do you have any proof?"

Hermione hadn't thought of that. So she improvised: "Actually, yes."

"May we see it?"

"Actually that would be a bit of an impossibility, you'll see it just fine in 9 months." She said, a grin splitting her face.

"Excuse me? What do you mean by that?" A male voice said. A voice Hermione recognized as Cornelius Fudge, former Minister of Magic.

"Good lord, Fudge, she's pregnant, you doof." Caroline Reichs, the new Minister of Magic smirked.

"I'm pregnant." She declared, though she really wasn't.

More whispers. "Charlie?" she began. "Can you forgive me for going back to Michael? I was weak and stupid and I didn't see the real him."

"Hermione, can we talk about…" Charlie started, but Hermione couldn't be derailed from her speech…

"All I saw was the Michael I had known from childhood, I didn't realize how paranoid he was until after today."

"Seriously, Hermione, we should talk about this la…" he tried again.

"The truth of the matter is that, I love you Charlie Weasley! I love you more than anything! I would give everything up just to be with you."

"Well, you don't have to give everything up…"

"Ms. Granger! I will inform you that if you continue this conversation here and now I will be…."

"Can you forgive me, Charlie?"

"Yes, anything, I love you."

"Ms. Granger, please have this conversation later. If you haven't noticed this is a criminal court and you are interrupting. As to this whole predicament I am holding you in contempt until further notice."

Two wizards carried Hermione out of the court and closed the doors but all she could think of was that Charlie loved her! She didn't care the she was being carried down to the jail cells, or that she was being stuffed in a tiny cell for who knows how long, she could care less about all of that, all she could think about was Charlie.

Four hours later, Charlie was released, (declared not guilty) of the detail that he had a very good alibi and then he was being escorted down to where Hermione lay, dreamy eyed and smiling, she barely noticed that Charlie had showed up. The rest of their small group that had accompanied Charlie to Hermione, left. They didn't want to interrupt what was sure to be a private moment, (but they didn't go far - they could still hear the conversation between the lovers) Charlie came close to the bars and watched her for long moments.

"Are you really pregnant?"

"What?" Hermione sat up and looked at him. "Charlie!"

"Are you really pregnant?" he asks again, this time more forcefully.

"No, They asked me for proof and I froze, so I improvised."

"Oh."

"Do you still love me, Charlie?"

"Of course not. I just wanted you to get out of the courtroom." He joked.

Hermione's face fell. "It was joke, Hermione. Yes, I love you."

"What are we going to do?"

"I've always wanted a summer bride, peach colored dress."

"What?"

"Or maybe in the fall, outside, it would gorgeous, all the leaves falling around us as we say our vows and kiss."

"Charlie, what are you saying?"

"Maybe a wedding at Midnight, with a full moon behind us, that would be cool."

"Charlie, are you asking me to marry you?"

"Yes."

Hermione laughed and took Charlie's hand through the bar, pulling him closer until they were nose to nose.

"I can tell you the exact moment I fell in love with you."

"When?" he asked jokingly.

"When I saw you the first time, at the party, your mother yelled at you for some reason and then… you were just there." She bows her head for a moment. "And then you looked at me, such intense eyes, haunted in some way but also open…. I think that's when my heart fell…. Right at your feet." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Hermione." He whispered the brought her eyes back to his by lifting her chin.

His lips were so close, Hermione raised her head a little and pressed her lips to his, a searching kiss filled with naïve passion. It was Charlie who deepened the kiss, slanting his lips over hers and pushing his tongue between her lips, the kiss was tender and slow, not hot and demanding like that night at the party, but soft and reminiscent.

"I'm not finished with you." Charlie said as he pulled away.

"I would hope not." She replied, dazed.

"I'm going to get you out of here, soon, then we'll plan our wedding."

Hermione didn't say anything, she couldn't believe it. The whole day was unbelievable. She had left one engagement and launched herself straight into another.

"A Wedding!" Molly exclaimed, who had been eavesdropping, couldn't help bursting out.

Charlie sighed. "Yes, mum."

"Oh thank god. I was wondering when you'd get around to it." Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. Charlie laughed.

"I'll be back." Charlie whispered to Hermione as he was dragged away by his mother.

Well August 2nd 2008 - 2 1/2 (ish) months since an update, i've been VERY bad about updating stuff. but see this thing happens when i write stuff out longhand, it becomes very tedious to type it into a computer. also i've been experimenting with some disney channel fics -hides- (:)
anyway, be brutally honest and the conclusion to this story will actually be published pretty soon (im thinking a week or two, or maybe tomorrow - you never know with me really - i never know either to be perfectly honest.) haha. anyway please review :D

10/13/08 - 8:03pm EST