I can't believe this is part 10 already!
Thank you for reading. I'm going to speed up updates from here on out as I'm proud of this and I want to share it sooner.
That night, the team all met up at the Burrow with ample time to prepare for Molly's feast. Caleb and Andrei had spent the day relaxing in Diagon Alley, drinking coffee and talking of home. They didn't miss it as such, but it was nice to talk about it now and again. Seb and Kurt spent no time in getting to the muggle part of London and quickly found hotel rooms to take their respective conquests. Gus had spent the day helping Molly with the food, and flirting outrageously as they shared kitchen space. They got on well together, and every alternate phrase from Gus' lips was praise on Molly's part.
Hermione has spent the day alone, a large tomb on her lap as she read in the garden. No one bothered her and she felt like she was in heaven. Charlie took the time to watch her from the house as he too did his bit to help with the food. He watched as she bit her lip and looked into the distance when she was trying to remember something, or played with a lock of hair when she was captivated by the story she was reading.
It was late in the afternoon and Charlie stood by the sink, carefully peeling potatoes with his wand. Of course he cared about her, but when had he cared like this? There had been women in the past, a couple of them were serious but even then he didn't notice when they flicked their hair or bit their lip. If he was watching as an outsider, he would be shouting and screaming that they were dangerously close to the precipice, threatening to fall into something neither party would be able to control. As it was, he was one of those people on the edge and he was blind.
It was logical that the more someone got to know another person, the more they would care, Charlie kept telling himself.
"Boss?" Gus' quiet voice said from the space to his left.
"Huh?" Charlie asked, bringing himself back to the present.
"You're going to cut your damn finger off, man," Gus said, lowering his eyes to the sink where Charlie's wand was a mere millimeter from slicing flesh. Charlie followed the darker man's eyes and dropped the potato with a dull thud.
"Just thinking," he offered as his reason.
"No you're not," Gus counted softly. "You're looking at the girl like you looked at Sal."
Sal was one of the women he had met, and actually gave a damn about. When he was young, Charlie was foolish, with bravado he had borrowed from Bill when he left home. Sal had met him when he was in Romania, while Charlie was sulking after having his research being ticked off by a sour faced reserve manager. He was in the mess hall, taking his anger out on a beef casserole when a firewhiskey, with a slice of ginger came his way. Attached to this firewhiskey was a beautiful woman, with dark hair and pale blue eyes that saw right through his annoyance. Sal sat herself down, stole a slice of bread from Charlie's plate and demand he tell her what was getting him down.
It was then that Sal and Charlie began their whirlwind romance. It was year where both of them were happy but it ended sourly when Sal had sought the love of another. Charlie was hurt, and threw himself into his research even more until Gus had talked him into taking a break. It took some time, but Charlie eventually became his old self again.
"I'm trying not to," Charlie admitted in a small voice. There was no point in lying to the man who new him better than anyone.
"That girl doesn't seem the type to do what Sal did," Gus argued while subtly nodding in Hermione's direction. Crookshanks had just come to find some attention and Hermione willingly put her book down to scratch the cat's ears. "Why is it such a bad thing?"
"Valdez wants to hurt her. If he succeeds it'll hurt a fuck of a lot more than what Sal did," Charlie said through gritted teeth. Sal had fallen out of love with Charlie but he had got over that, but if someone hurt Hermione he would always blame himself.
"But he's won't, Charlie," Gus placed a comforting hand on the taller mans arm. "None of us would let him, especially not you. She might look innocent over there, but we both know she's a powerful woman. She don't need no man looking over her."
"But its what this family has done since she was eleven," Charlie sighed as he turned his back to the window. "First Ron and Harry, my parents, she stayed with Bill and Fleur for a while. The twins even; after the war. Now it's my turn and I've got a lot to live up to and if I fail I may as well kiss goodbye to the lot of them."
"Give her room to breathe, Boss," Gus said after a moment of looking in Charlie's eyes. Many people loved Hermione, and the pressure to keep her in one piece was mounting. Of course, Molly and Arthur would be worrying about everyone, but with Charlie's siblings there was the brotherly love that nothing could match. "She'll come with us, we've worked too hard to give up now. She'll work herself to death before she lets you down so stop worrying and go get changed. Your delightful mother says dinner will be ready at sundown."
With that, Charlie took his leave and spent half an hour under a steaming shower head, just letting the hot water flatten his hair to his skin and roll across his shoulders. Charlie had made most of life's big decisions while standing in the shower so he thought through their plan once more. He knew it like the back of his own hand, the entire team did but Charlie couldn't help himself.
As Charlie scrubbed a days worth of dirt from his body his thoughts turned to what Gus had said. Hermione wasn't a dainty woman like the Patil girl Ron did-and-didn't-see, nor was she distant and unique like Luna Lovegood. She was sharp, and strong and so clever he could barely believe it sometimes. Ron and Harry had her wrapped in cotton wool when what she needed was a platform to stand on where she could throw herself around a bit. Charlie felt sick thinking about the things she had gone through during the war, but Hermione had always come out on top. She'd broken bread of sorts with Bellatrix Lestrange and had the scars to prove it. Charlie didn't know of any other person who was as strong as Hermione Granger.
After rinsing the soap from his body and inspecting another graze on his side from dueling with the woman who was currently on his mind, he stepped out of the bathroom to dress for dinner.
Everyone was waiting in the living room for Charlie to materialize from the bathroom. Through the windows the sun could be seen, setting over the rolling hills surrounding his family home.
"There you are, Charlie!" Molly called from the kitchen. She and Hermione were placing huge bowls of food down the center of the long table. "You took your time."
"Sorry Mum," he said distractedly. Hermione must have used the other bathroom to get ready as her hair was still damp and fell in waves around her face. She smiled as she saw Charlie at the foot of the stairs. She was dressed in a dark blue summer dress that reached her knees with pale coloured sandals on her feet. As was her way, she wore no makeup but the long hours spent outside gave her a glow that only nature could.
"Right everyone, grab a place and tuck in," Molly called. The twins and Ron ran headlong into the wall as the scuffled against each other to get to the food first while everyone else took a more relaxed pace. Arthur was in his place at the head of the table, with Molly directly to his right while everyone chose a seat.
"Molly, this all looks wonderful," Harry praised. He always made a point of complimenting the food, she had taken him in all those years ago and it was the least he could do.
"Thank you Harry dear, but it wasn't all me," she said smiling. "Gus helped too."
"After everything you've done for us, Molly, it's the least I could do," Gus replied with a smile. Gus stood and raised his glass and raised a toast. "To Molly and Arthur. The best Weasleys out there." The table laughed at Gus' toast, but all raised their glass
"Molly and Arthur," the table called. Molly was beaming down the table at her rabble of family ad friends. She was enormously proud of every one of her children, and the people they had become and they friends they kept.
As the meal progressed, the twins and Kurt and Seb started off the daily Quidditch debate that nearly always ended with them disagreeing over who the best team was.
Harry and Bill were talking about Bill's work at Gringotts and Ron took this opportunity to observe. As his Auror training progressed, Ron became a good observer and more often found himself taking a step back to watch. Of course, Ron's eyes fell to where Hermione was sat, next to Harry and Gus while Charlie was opposite her. They were talking not about the dragon research mission, but now Harry and Ron's Auror work that was taking them to Yorkshire the next day.
"Just take care, Harry," Hermione pleaded.
"I will if you will," he joked back.
"Don't you worry yourself, Harry," Gus said before placing a forkful of baked potato into his mouth before pulling up the side of his shirt. He exposed a large graze that ripped across the side of his ribcage. Fleur looked over and raised her eyebrows before Bill leaned over a whispered something, predictably inappropriate, in her ear making her cheeks flush. "She did this to me the other day and we're friends."
"Gus! You said it was nothing!" Hermione said, wide-eyed at what she saw. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"Just my ego. It's a scratch, girl, don't you worry yourself over me." Gus just smiled and waved off her concern.
Charlie watched the exchange, seeing how Hermione once again as fretting over someone else. He also felt someone else's eyes on him, and looked over to see Ron with his brow furrowed in his direction. Charlie couldn't read his expression, or what was on his mind but he was going to find out.
The meal finished an hour later with treacle tart and coffee. Ron hadn't said much during it, but he had watched Charlie and Hermione while they spoke together, and to the rest of their team and family.
Charlie was laughing at her jokes, and Harry's constant fussing while relaxing in the company of the people he cared most about. Charlie didn't let Ron's spying on him unsettle him as he excused himself to get more coffee and wine.
"I'll help," Ron said as Charlie was rising from his seat. Charlie looked at him for a second and nodded. Whatever was going to happen, it probably wouldn't end well for the older sibling.
"What's your game, Charlie?" Ron asked outright. Charlie had been expecting him to ask, but not in quite a direct way.
"There is no game," Charlie replied. "She's too smart to play games with, you know that."
Ron narrowed his eyes dangerously, but Charlie didn't flinch. They were the same size, equally fast with a wand and there wasn't much difference in their way of throwing insults.
"Why did you want her working with you? Was it to try and get in her bed?" Ron retorted.
"Have I stepped on your toes, Ron? I thought that ship had sailed years ago?" Charlie knew he was below the belt, but he wasn't going to be made a fool of by his youngest brother.
"You know damned well it did," he nearly shouted. Charlie cast a quick silencing charm on the door so no one would suspect ill play in the family home.
"I'm sorry Ron, but what the fuck do you want me to do? I asked her to work with me, and she chose to do it herself. I didn't demand it of her!"
"She isn't trained, Charlie," Ron raised his voice at Charlie, trying to find fault. "She hasn't even seen a dragon since the war, let alone worked with them. You've been forcing dueling practice on her every other fucking day since you got her to leave the Ministry!"
"Do you honestly think she's the sort of person who can be forced into anything? She left the Ministry, she wanted to work with us and she wanted to do more dueling practice. Hermione asked to do more work so she could prove to me she can handle it, and she has ten times over. I trust her with what we're doing as much as I trust Gus and the others."
"Don't tell me about my own best friend! I've known her a hell of a lot longer than you have." Ron was shouting now and Charlie was hoping his hastily cast charm would hold. "You just came swanning in here and talked her into putting herself in danger! Did you not think she's had enough of that?"
"If you know her so well, you'd know she doesn't need covering in cotton wool like you and Harry think she does! I've promised him I'd keep her safe, so I fucking will even if I end up dead." Charlie argued back. He hadn't really thought about it, but he knew he would do anything for Hermione's safety. "I care about her just as much as everyone out there does."
This admission made Ron think. He knew he and Harry would take an 'avada' for her, but he hadn't realized that Charlie would too.
"If she get hurts," Ron threatened in a low voice. "I'll kill you myself."
With that, Ron grabbed the coffee and wine and stored back towards the dining tale in the other room while Charlie let out a low growl and landed his fist in the kitchen wall.
For now…
So what do you think? Charlie is getting deeper and deeper into this! I think Ron may have got the message now, but then again…
Until next time. X