Stuck in Place

by KemAjiana


A/n: Short chapter is short, but I hope you enjoy anyway. Much love to my reviewers; you guys rock my world. Have a pantless Charlie.


Chapter Seven

Fred and George didn't open the shop that morning, more concerned with what information Charlie might have for them. Hermione sat off to the side, well away from the Pygmy Puffs that were chattering away in their cage. George had calmed through the night, even managing a small smile when she had stumbled out of Fred's room, and she took great care not to draw attention to herself.

George tapped the mirror above the fireplace with his wand. "Speculum Coget," he annunciated clearly, and the glass shone a bright blue before a figure shimmered to life.

"I swear to Merlin, you two need to give me a heads up before you call me!"

Wotcher, Charlie!"

"We catch you with your pants down?"

"I think we did, Fred."

There was a crash, followed by a string of curses, and Hermione stared in mortified silence, mouth open, when she was greeted with an eye full of Charlie's bare arse as he struggled into a pair of brown cargo pants. There was the sound of shuffling, and a flash of brilliant blonde hair, and a girlish giggle, and Charlie was suddenly facing them again, a frown on his face.

"Now what in Merlin's name would have you two calling me at," he glanced above the mirror, "well, time be damned. You shouldn't just pop in like that, you gits."

Fred smirked. "Having fun, were we, Charlie?"

A small smirk lifted the corner of Charlie's mouth; he had a similar lopsided grin as the Twins did. "When do I not?"

The twins guffawed (loudly) for a minute, swearing they wouldn't say anything to Molly, and teasing him about 'getting his practice in' before he has to settle down with one of the girls their mother was bound to throw his way.

"Then it's a damn good thing Tonks is married to Remus, otherwise I might not have a leg to stand on." He grimaced slightly. "But what has you calling me, anyway? Ruined a right good morning..."

George shook his head. "You know the thing with Granger, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, we've hit a snag," he paused for a brief second. "She went barmy last night. Got her teeth in our Pygmy Puffs; we're lucky we've got any left. Took a good ten minutes to bring her back to herself."

Charlie rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pulling a chair from out of sight and sitting down with his arms crossed on the headrest. Hermione became fixated on the strangely moving Horntail tattoo on his shoulder as it curled around his left bicep. "Sounds like she's reverting."

"Reverting?" Fred asked, brows pushing together thoughtfully.

"I've heard instances where folk stuck around in their animagus form too long, and couldn't decipher between animal instinct and human consciousness," Charlie explained thoughtfully. "Of course, it doesn't happen often, and it's almost always a predatory animal - like a fox - but, your best bet is to talk to Bill."

George was nodding along now, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "What could Bill -"

"For Merlin's sake, George," Charlie interrupted. "He's a curse breaker. If anyone can break...whatever it is that's got Hermione stuck like this, I'd place my bets on him." He glanced over his shoulder, as if someone had called his name. "One last bit of advice: don't overstimulate her senses. Don't drive her to be defensive or trigger her hunting response. It's just a hunch, but my guess is that, the more she slips back, the harder it will be to pull her back."

A blonde woman moved into view briefly. "Charlie?"

The red haired dragon wrestler was standing then, and gave a curt nod to the twins. "Now, if you'll excuse me, brothers, I have some business to attend to."

Fred was grinning now. "Well, then,big brother, we'll leave you to your extracurricular activities."

"Try not to sow too many Weasley seeds; last thing the world needs is a bunch of short -"

"- overly muscular -"

"- thick headed -"

"- Charlie spawn running amok in Romania," Fred laughed.

"Next time, give a man a bit of warning, you prats." With a waggle of his eyebrows, and a wave of his hand, the connection cut out, and the mirror returned to normal.

The Twins shared a look, and Fred flopped onto the couch, jostling Hermione as the cushion lurched. He grabbed her gently, lifting her into his lap and stroking her fur back. "Don't you worry, 'Mione. We'll get you sorted."

She glared at him as he continued to absentmindedly stroke back her fur, but soon found she did not mind it as much as she thought she should.

"Freddie, we need to open the shop," George called. "We're late enough, as it is."

With a heavy sigh, Fred stood. "Alright, then." He bent and ruffled Hermione's fur playfully. "You're still welcome to come down and help with the potions, if you want."

Hermione thought only for a moment, before jumping down and following Fred out the door.