Charlie led Mira around to the back of the house, through a screen door and out to an indoor courtyard. Plants of various sizes and types overwhelmed the yard, the cobblestone path covered in knot grasses of dark green. There was an enchanted light coming from the roof, and Mira looked up to see that it was sheer glass, and allowed the starlight and moonlight to filter in.

Charlie took her to a wooden bench next to an empty fountain that was being overrun with roses and daisies. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, then Charlie turned to her, running his finger gently along her arm. "Why do you do it?" He asked.

Mira looked up at him. "Do what?" She asked, though she knew exactly what the red-head boy was talking about. She realized he was tracing on her arm the thin white lines. "How do you know?" She asked, not wanting to pull her arm away; Charlie's touch felt amazing on her skin.

"I found you, on the road. I'm the one who brought you back here...I'm the one who cleaned you up. This one," He said, turning Mira's arm around to reveal a knotted scar over the vein in her wrist, "Gave me the most trouble. It was still bleeding."

Mira looked away from Charlie's eyes. She had never been ashamed of her cuts before, had in fact anticipated the look on Draco's face when he noticed a new one, but she found herself wishing she had a chance at concealing them from Charlie.

"Is it because of your parents?" Charlie asked, brushing his hand gently down her arm.

Mira shook her head sadly. "No….no, it's for a reason much stupider than that." Mira stood from the bench, not wanting to remember or think about Draco. Here she was, in a romantic, moon-lit courtyard with a caring, handsome man, and again Draco had to pop into her already fragile mind.

"It's okay, Mira. Do you understand that? It's okay to be angry, to cry and even to hurt yourself. Being human isn't the easieast thing, you know." Charlie followed her, and noticed silent tears streaming down Mira's face. He pulled her quickly into his arms. This girl had been without love and affection for too long.

He only hoped he could change that before she did something drastic, for as Dumbledore had told him, drastic to Mira was disastrous to everybody else.

---

Mira spent exactly two hours and thirty-seven minutes in Charlie's arms. She remembered every word he said to her, every soft touch. Charlie was the man she had never known, but had always wished for. Even Draco, was out shadowed, at least for now, by Charlie's compassion, his twinkling eyes, and his obvious attraction for her.

They walked back to the house, Charlie lacing their hands together. "Mira, has anybody told you how beautiful you are?" Charlie suddenly asked her, stopping and staring at her profile.

Even in the semi-darkness, Mira's eyes glowed a vibrant green. Her midnight black hair was like silk to touch, hanging down past her chin and lightly brushing her prominent collar bone. She had a small spray of freckles across her nose, and her body, feminine in its own right, fit perfectly into that tight-fitting tank top and the blue track pants she wore hung off her hips, revealing her smooth, pale skin. As Charlie continued to look at her, she blushed. His eyes took her in in appreciation, not in ownership, like Draco's did.

"Charlie, stop! You're making me self-conscious." Mira said, laughing.

Charlie smiled at her. "Can't help it. Beautiful girl," he gestured to Mira, "beautiful night," he gestured to the sky above them, the glass roof so clear it looked as if it weren't there. Charlie grinned at her, and Mira's heart melted.

Mira felt herself being pulled to him with a tenderness she had never felt before, by any human being. Charlie was looking at her like she was some sacred being, so beautiful and precious that her dared not blink so as not to miss nothing. He gently pushed her hair behind her ears, never breaking his stare with her beautiful jade eyes. Cupping her cheek softly, Charlie brought his mouth, warm and lusting, to Mira's appetizing, full lips.

It was unlike anything Mira had ever felt. Charlie kissed her with such warmth, with power and tenor, that she knew she would never be kissed the same way again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing them closer. She desperately parted her lips, slipping her tongue through, blissfully demanding entrance into this man's mouth.

Charlie's hands found their way to the small of her back, and up her tank top. Mira held her breath in anticipation. She never knew that kissing somebody that wasn't Draco could be so, well, wonderful. Charlie stroked her back, brushing his long fingers up Mira's spine, and tickling them across her shoulders, causing her to shiver with pleasure and electricity.

She moved her lips from Charlie's to his neck, nibbling and suckling ever so lightly down his neck, to the top of his collar bone. Stiffening her tongue, she caressed her wet tongue back across his Adam's apple, Charlie's squeezing against her in convulsions of desire. Smiling to herself, she pulled away from him, and looked up into his eyes.

"You are amazing." He said gruffly, kissing her forehead.

Mira smiled widely, looking up with fascination into his blue eyes. "That was amazing." Mira said fervently, hugging herself to him, laying her head against Charlie's toned chest. She could feel him nod in vigorous agreement, and for the first time she could remember, Mira pictured herself with another man.

I just think that Mira deserves to have somebody treat her right for a change, don't you?