Sorry this took so long.
I have exams in the next two weeks, so there will only be one upload during that time, but after that I'm free for summer so the updates will become more frequent.
Thank you everyone who has followed this so far. I know it's taken a long time to get through.
There were only a few days left until Charlie gave Hermione her first taste of Romanian life. The team had been training hard for the two weeks, between organizing their equipment. There wasn't much to take with them, only food and tents that would shrink down into rucksacks and the clothes they would wear. Hermione had tried to justify taking half a library with her, but Charlie and Gus had both pointed out she needn't bother. She knew everything she may every need to know.
Caleb, Andrei, Seb and Kurt had rethought their entry into Romania, bypassing all of the towns they were going to use as base camps just to be on the safe side. Charlie had filled everyone in on his theories about Marco following them and they were all taking extra precautions. The name of this research mission was to collect evidence and name and shame the hunters, then giving this evidence to the ministries of England and Romania so they can arrest and prosecute them accordingly.
Before they could leave however, Molly was insisting she gave her son and his team a proper Weasley send off. Gus, Seb, Caleb, Andrei and Kurt had come to call the Burrow home in the last two weeks. It was their center of operations, and their supplies were currently waiting for them in the barn. They got on well with the Weasleys and Harry, joining the family as easily as Hermione had so many years before. They shared drinks and stories at the end of the day, laughing and smiling as they got to know each other more. Hermione was finding her new job exciting but completely knackering at the same time. Charlie had them working from when the sun rose to when it set over the horizon. His punishing work ethic paid off though, they had fully re-planned their route and bought all the supplies they would need with three days to spare.
It was during these three days that Charlie gave up trying to stop Molly fussing and gave in to her insistence that they have a proper send off. She had banished everyone from the kitchen as she prepared a feast of epic proportions. Feeding the Weasleys alone was hard work, but with five hungry dragon tamers to add to the mix, it was a wonder there was enough food in the world. The team took the morning slowly, enjoying their breakfast in the garden with Harry and Ron. They would be going to Yorkshire soon, on a planned search of an old Death Eater's mansion so Molly was losing more of her pick-and-mix flock of offspring. Hermione took the time to speak with them in private, knowing it could be weeks before she saw them again.
"Just tell me you'll be safe," Ron insisted as they tore at croissants and crumpets. "You know I don't want you out there but don't get yourself caught."
"Honestly Ronald," Hermione said with another exasperated sigh. "I'll keep myself out of danger if you do." He knew it was impossible; he was an Auror and faced danger every day he went to work.
"But I'm trained, Hermione, Charlie has gone and thrown you in the bloody deep end with this!" Ron and Hermione had had this conversation almost every other day since she had become part of the team but neither was willing to back down. Ron's innate sense of responsibility to protect Hermione ran deep within him and he wasn't ready for her to go out alone, despite being with six perfectly capable men.
"This is why we would never have worked, Ron," Hermione said hotly. She really did love Ron, but his lead on her was too tight. "You know I need to do my own thing, and maybe with Charlie I can."
"So this is about Charlie?" Ron asked, anger and jealousy making his voice waver. "Are you doing this to get a decent lay? Merlin knows your last man was boring as shit!"
"Ron!" Harry was shocked at Ron's outburst. They had argued before of course, the rift that Lavender Brown caused between them was stuff of Weasley legend. Harry saw this as something more than just Ron being protective. He and Hermione had tried being lovers after the battle but they weren't suited to it and Ron had never really got over it. They did love each other, but the bickering easily outweighed any kind comments they had for each other so Hermione had left him. They worked as friends. Being friends was good but they still clashed occasionally.
"Face it Harry," Ron said in defence. "You said yourself that you didn't like the last bloke. You called him weedy!"
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. The last man was nearly six months ago, and despite being easy on the eyes he was as thick as two short planks. The sex was good, but the stimulating conversation wasn't at all stimulating and Hermione broke it off with him at the end of the previous January.
"Sorry Hermione, but Ron's right," Harry's face was flushed with embarrassment at being ousted by Ron. "He wasn't right for you. But that's not the point! I'm not going to try and stop you going with Charlie and Gus and the others, but I have asked him to keep an eye out for you. I don't want you coming back in a box." Harry's words were strong enough to cause the bickering pair to think.
Harry knew that the countryside of Eastern Europe was dangerous, but he had to put faith in the men she was going with. Charlie had worked there since he was seventeen, Gus, Seb and Kurt from not long after that and Andrei and Caleb had grown up in rural Belarus. They all knew their way around and what to expect so Harry was going out on a limb. He didn't trust people easily, but Charlie was a Weasley and wouldn't put someone in harms way on purpose.
"You two need to learn to give me some slack, you know," Hermione said, trying hard to put on a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You go off all the time and I don't know if you're going to come home. I can't help but think there is a double standard you aren't realizing."
"But we're trained to do our job!" Ron started again but was cut off almost instantly.
"And they're trained to do theirs!" Hermione snapped, waving an arm at the group of men lounging on blankets behind them. "I'm not as trained as they are, but you know I've been working with them, dueling until I can barely walk anymore. I know you both care, but I have to do this for me, if not for anyone else.
Hermione took another crumpet off their shared plate and walked back over to where the team were, and dropping heaving next to Gus and Seb. She loved Harry and Ron, she really did, but they needed to realize she didn't need a keeper. As she sat, Charlie caught her eye but the almost unnoticeable shake of her head told Charlie he wasn't to ask questions. She instead fell into the conversation they were already having.
"Hermione," Seb started. "Tell Charlie we need a day to ourselves before we go."
"We need a day to ourselves before we go," she said flatly. The crumpet she had brought with her was not fairing well in the pile of crumbs at her feet was anything to go by.
"You ok, Girl?" Gus asked, placing his hand on hers to spare any life left in the crumpet. To her horror, her hands were shaking. Gus' voice was soft, calming her indefinitely. Hermione had grown to like Gus, and was convinced that if he had ever been sorted, he'd be in Gryffindor right next to Charlie. He noticed when she was stressed or unhappy and made a point of talking her through it. Allowing a weak smile to her friend, Hermione tried to convince him she was fine.
"Come on, Boss!" Kurt tried this time. "We always have our own day before we go on any big trips. You started that fucking tradition back then."
"Fine, fine," Charlie told the team. He knew he would probably regret it but peer pressure was a bitch. "Fuck off, but be back here in time for dinner or I'll get de-bollocked by my own mother, and rest assured she'd come after you too."
Kurt and Seb had already gone before Charlie had got to the end of his threat, and Caleb and Andrei were clearing away their breakfast. Across the void created by their leaving teammates Charlie spied Gus' hand on Hermione's and the weak smile she gave him.
Charlie was never one for jealousy, but he felt a responsibility to Harry, Ron and the rest of his family to keep her safe. He knew better than almost anyone that she could look after herself. She could move her wand faster than any pureblood that was brought up on magic, and throw curses twice as fast. She was what Molly called a 'smart cookie'; as clever as a textbook, but still with a beating heart that cared for anything other than herself. Charlie smiled as Molly had called him a smart cookie more than once as a child.
He couldn't shake off the uneasiness of seeing Hermione and Gus so close though.
"Hermione? Can I have a word?" Charlie asked. Gus gave her hand a final squeeze and took Charlie's question as his dismissal.
"You're going to ask what Ron and Harry said to put me in a foul mood." This wasn't a question.
"Lets walk," Charlie suggested. Together and in silence, they walked over to the long armed willow tree they had dueled under for the past few weeks. "Out with it," Charlie said as Hermione settled into sitting on one of the low boughs.
"You know those men," she said with a sigh. "They don't want me to go, don't think I'm trained up enough, think I'm going to get killed by someone who's picking up someone else's hurt from the past. The usual."
"Do they know they sound like a broken record?" Charlie mused, trying to hide a small smile. Hermione looked to him and let out a small laugh.
"Probably not," Hermione agreed. Over their dueling practice and having their heads together over maps and invoices, Hermione had come to appreciate Charlie's sense of humour. Gus was right when he had said all those days ago that Charlie didn't take himself too seriously. "Gus reckons they're just in older brother mode. They've always been like that, though they are getting worse as they get older. You'd be the same if it was Ginny."
"If anyone goes into older brother mode over Gin, it's the twins," Charlie pointed out. "Harry couldn't walk for a week when he had asked Dad to marry her. Fred and George called it a test but I'm sure it was more torture."
"I remember," Hermione was smiling for real now. Charlie had this knack for making her smile when she didn't feel like it. Gus was a talker, but Charlie was different.
"Do you think the kids are right?" Charlie asked, serious now as he perched next to Hermione on the branch. Charlie had called Harry and Ron 'the kids' ever since Ron started school, despite not even knowing Harry.
"Yes. No. I don't know," Hermione said quietly after a moments thought. "They do make an annoying point. I haven't exactly had the training to handle a dragon."
"True," Charlie agreed, nodding his head slightly. "But you've got bottle, and that's ninety percent of the job right there. I've taught you the tracking spells we use, and the curse breakers too; any halfwit can cast those. It doesn't mean shit if you don't have the dog's proverbials to carry it through, and you have more proverbials than me. So to speak."
The now blushing Hermione laughed at the truly ridiculous mental image that Charlie conjured in her mind. There he was again, making her laugh when she should be sulking.
"Now then, Missus," Charlie said as he stood up and held his hand for Hermione to take. She did and jumped from the tree "It's your day off. Go do something."
"You can't usually shoo me away that easy, Mister," she countered. "But I need read through the figures again."
"No. You're not allowed," Charlie said plainly. "You don't need to. Go out and have fun."
"Damn you, Charlie," Hermione said with a smile.
She made her way back to the house, intent on finding a place to sit, relax and read. Charlie watched her walk away. She was quickly becoming a recurring theme of Charlie's thoughts.
Charlie found the woman fascinating as she pushed herself to be the best she could be. She quickly proved she could duel, think, strategize and laugh with team. Charlie wasn't for a second worried that she would lag behind, but watching her prove it made his pride for her bubble up inside. He laughed with her, talked with her and on occasion shared a butterbeer after any particularly long days. Charlie didn't know how his friendship with the woman might proceed in the next few days, but he was eager to find out. Harry and Ron had her best interests at heart, of course, but Charlie often wondered if she would be different without their ever-present watchful eyes.
Only time would tell.
For now…
Thank you for reading and leave a review with your thoughts.
Next part in a few days. X