Chapter Two
"Ginny tells me you've decided to moce to London," Hermione trailed off, eyeing her beef stew intently.
"Umm… yeah." Charlie responded after a moment, realizeing she was adressing him, not her spoon. "I'll be working with the Magical Creatures Department to help raise awarness about the proper and equal treatment of magical creatures."
"That's great! We need more people like y ou advocating for others." She burst out enthusiatically, forgetting to be shy. The remiaing Weasley family exchanged grins over the twin blushes that adorned their cheeks.
"So what's this we hear about Lavender getting it on in the sink?" Fred asked her with a devilishly mischeivious grin.
"No in the sink next to it. On the cutting board. Where I make my salade! And she broke the sink with her fake spazzaming! Hermione's rant was cut short when Harry clasped his hand over her mouth, hissing about the presence of children in the room. Hermione glared daggers at him and gestured threateningly at his lap with her spoon.
"What makes you so sure she was faking?" George teased with an even more devish grin hoping to get a rise out of the typically pridish bookworm.
"Nothing short of an unforgivable curse could make anyone scream and flail around like that." Hermion answered dryly after successfully removing Harry's hand with a rather sharp bite to the tender flesh near the base of his thumb. She bent and consitnued to munch on her stew oblivious to Harry's painful sufferings, or the incrudlous stares being sent her way as the family silently wondered how it was possible for someone to e so naЇve.
"Do did you really mean it when you said you were gonna move out," Ron asked finally, his arm drapped lightly over the back of Luna's chair.
"Absolutly! I was actually going to ask to use the couch here or something until I manage to find a place of my own." Hermione turned to Mrs. Weasley hopefully.
Of course dear. I;m sure we can conjure up a cot somewhere." The matriarch was quick to reply, happy to have her house bursting at the seams with her loved ones.
"But it'll be so crowded with everyone staying here." Charlie blinked surprised that the responding voice was his own. The around the table, eyes turned to him surprised to hear the usually quite man speak up so suddenly. He mentally beat his head against the wall and order his mouth to remain closed an silent. "I have an empty guest room at my new place. You're more than welcome to it if you want. You'll have more space and can stay as long as you want, rent-free." An image of stuffing a sock in his mouth and casting a sticking spell to shut his lips crossed Charlie's mind as he silently cursed them for betraying him.
"Could I really?" Hermione asked softly after a moment of tense silence filled the air. Her face was a cloud of hesitation and surprise. Charlie could see a spark of hope in her eyes that sealed the deal for him.
"Of course."
"Then I accept. But I will help pay for utilities and food and do my part with the house chores." Hermione laid down her terms firmly. Charlie nodded in acent with a mild grin, not surprised her determination to play an equal part in their new status as roommates.
"Great. Tomorrow when you have time we'll pop by and pick up you stuff and get you settled in.
"We all will," Ginny broke into their conversation, bringin them crashing back to earth. "I'm dying to see what Charlie's new place looks like!" She burst out excitedly accompanied by nodds and murmurs of agreement.
"Wouldn't mind having a chat with this man-slut date of yours either." Ron mutter darkly, adopting a look of innocence when Hermione shot him a warning glare. Silently, Harry and the rest of the Weasley men agreed with Ron, while Ginny planned out the best way to deliever to mother-load of Bat-Boogey Hexes of Lavender.
The rest of the evening past by in a typical manner with converstations about Victorie's latest antics, Percy and Audrey's extended Honeymoon to the Congo, and Mrs. Weasley's not so subtle hints the Frend and George needed to find nice girls to settle down, how much she loved family wedddings *coughHarryandGinnycough…coughRonandLunacough* ("someone out to send mum to the medics about that cough of hers"), and how lonely Victorie must be at family gatherings without proper playmates (mother's code for give me more grandbabies stat!).
I'm so glad so many people have liked the story so far! Please feel free to review with questions, concerns, comments or suggestions! They make me smile like an idiot when I see you guys took to time to write to me!