Back with the next part!
I've finished University for this year now, so I can actually finish the writing of this. Updates will still be at the same pace they're at now as I am only 2 chapters ahead but I'll get it done!
Charlie and Hermione landed in a wooded area with a small clearing that was taken up by a small wooden hut. Under the low eaves were piles of logs, waiting to be thrown on a burning fire. Gus opened the door and smiled at his two friends.
"Felt the wards shift," he reasoned. "Just making sure, Boss."
"You do right, Gus," Charlie agreed. "Still as horrible as ever in there?"
"You know it," Gus said with a laugh. "Don't know who's been in here, but there are more stains on the carpet and the bed is in bits." Hermione and Charlie walked into the Shack and Hermione took her time to look around. It was cozy enough; a fire was lit in the center of the floor and a large steel funnel acted as the chimney. In one corner was a rickety old bed with a broken leg which Caleb and Kurt were stripping of it's bedding. Opposite the entrance was another door, probably to a bathroom or small storeroom. Charlie was right when calling the carpet a carpet was being kind. Someone had hastily sewn hessian sacks together with rough twine and spread it out around the fire. Andrei and Seb were starting to unpack their sleeping mats and were laying them in line next to Gus'.
"Home sweet home," Charlie muttered dryly. They had cleared it with Ola, the owner of the hut, to keep it for two weeks, but they only really needed it for one. Any longer than that and who knew what they'd pick up off the floor.
"Hermione?" Kurt called. "Do you want to use the bedding?"
"I'm ok, thanks Kurt," she replied. She had noticed the men asking her things that should make her life easier, but she never indulged them. She was one of them. "I'm ok with my mat."
"That's just as well, I don't even think an industrial strength cleaning charm could salvage that."
There wasn't much to do that evening, and it was still only early by the time they had all settled. After agreeing that they were going to stay inside as soon as they arrived (to keep Valdez in the dark if he was watching them), putting that plan into action was more of an annoyance than anything. They were secluded and in a beautiful location. The evening was warm and the sun was throwing pink hues across the sky, literally begging for people to go for long strolls among the trees. Hermione made the most of it by invisibly expanding the window, so they could see the panoramic view of the sunset but anything on top of that would be too obvious.
Hours later, after unpacking all they needed to and claiming a spot on the floor to sleep, the team warmed up the chicken casserole Molly insisted they take with them and sat around the dwindling embers.
"It's not fair, Boss," Gus complied with a laugh. "You get food this good on tap and you're not the size of a whale. I'm sure someone hates me, I swear it." Hermione laughed with the group as Gus attacked his share of the food with added vigor.
"Only reason I didn't get fat this month was all that fucking training you had us do," Kurt agreed. Like Gus and Charlie, Kurt was physically strong, not an ounce of fat on him.
"I wasn't going to risk it," Charlie said, holding his hands up in defense. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to wind down. Sadly, this is probably the comfiest bed we're going to have for the next few nights."
Kurt had worked a way of getting to the place where the poachers killed the dragons, but they couldn't risk apperating, as they had no idea of the protective enchantments that were there or if they'd land in a group of dragons. When Charlie had first noticed them, there was only a simple muggle repelling charm set up, but with the publicity from their London protests and the Diagon Alley street party, they didn't know if the news had reached them. It was a certainty that there would be anti-apperition wards, silencing spells and protective enchantments and anything darker was not ruled out. The only way to get there safely would be to walk for two days and start their observations on the third, so that is what the team did.
The walk was a punishing one. Over hills and through overgrown woodlands Hermione was sure no human had ever been through before. They encountered no one on their way, but relentlessly scanned the scenery when they stopped for short breaks.
The night had found the team sleeping in a small grassy clearing. Everyone was exhausted, and said little when they fell into a restless slumber, too exhausted to pull out their tents. Hermione and Charlie woke early to watch over the last few hours of calm from where they slept near each other under a wizened tree neither could name; their hands close on the bed of grass.
"Morning you," Hermione smiled as she stretched her arms high above her head.
"Sleep well?" Charlie asked, brushing blades off his jeans. He tried not to stare at the strip of skin Hermione showed under her t-shirt, or the way her eyes closed as she enjoyed her stretch but couldn't. He looked, and he enjoyed it. Behind their camp, the sun was trying to break through a misty sky.
"Yeah, just not long enough," Hermione admitted. "It's not as far today, is it?"
"No, about half of what we did yesterday," Charlie grinned as Hermione face split with a smile. Hermione had asked a lot of questions about the country and its people as they walked yesterday. Even now she was finding ways of learning something new and Charlie couldn't help but indulge her. He saw a lot of himself in her from when he was a few years younger and he liked that about her. Charlie wasn't being egotistical when he thought about it; he just loved how someone was as passionate about knowledge as he was.
Over a handful of crackers and slices of cold ham, Charlie and Hermione sat on the grass to watch the sun come up. She leaned on his shoulder, sighing at the tranquility of it all.
"It's easy to love it out here," Charlie said softly, placing his arm over Hermione's shoulders. She shuffled slightly closer, enjoying the casual contact between them.
"Someone once told me that to love something, you give that thing the power to destroy you and trust that it doesn't," Hermione said softly. "This place hasn't destroyed you."
"It nearly did once, a long time ago. The people change but the place stays the same," Charlie breathed, his mouth almost touching Hermione's ear as he did. "Who told you that?"
"My mum. Before the war I told her about Ron and it's the advice she gave me. I was thinking about it last night."
"Why? Did Ron ever abuse that power?" Charlie asked curiously. He knew she and Ron had had something, but he didn't know a lot about it. More than that, he was repulsed at the idea of someone putting Hermione through pain like that. Charlie knew what it was like and he didn't wish it on anyone.
"Not exactly," Hermione admitted. "He and I wanted different things from me. I wanted to help people, but he didn't want me to put myself in danger. It's partly the reason why I was in the Ministry, and not out in the field with the Aurors after the work at Hogwarts was completed."
"So what's the real reason you came out here, Hermione?" Charlie asked quietly. His voice was low and rough with sleep in Hermione's ear. "We both know he wasn't happy about it."
"I needed to prove that he doesn't own me. He's always been protective of me but I've let him go. It's about time he let me go too."
"I can see his point though, all the brothers are like that with Ginny and you," Charlie said, softly dragging his fingers up and down Hermione's arm. "He just doesn't want to see you hurt."
"But why did you let me come, Charlie?" Hermione leaned up and looked into Charlie's face. He hadn't washed and hadn't shaved for a couple of days and his ginger stubble was lightly covering his jaw and chin. She took in the look on his face; he was fiercely determined when he wanted to be.
"Because I can see you as a person who wants to do something she thinks is worth a damn, and not some china doll that needs wrapping up." Charlie said with a degree of finality. He didn't know how Hermione would take what he had said, and he was nervous to find out. Charlie didn't find out as Gus softly calling from camp interrupted their intimate moment.
On the second day there was less distance to cover, a fact that everyone was glad of when they stretched their aching legs. There was more trekking up hills than before, but Hermione took it in her stride and she kept up well despite her smaller size. The second night followed the same pattern as before, with Gus, Kurt and Seb taking the first watches, Andrei and Caleb taking over for the graveyard shift and Hermione and Charlie woke to watch the sunrise together from their perch on a large rock.
"Did you mean what you said yesterday?" Hermione asked timidly. It was only a matter of time until they carried on their quiet conversation from the morning before. Charlie had replayed it over and over in his mind, extracting a different meaning from it each time, and each time exacerbated his frustration at being interrupted.
"Every word of it," he replied sincerely. "You deserve better than what Ron gave you, or what anyone else gave you."
"What do I deserve, Charlie?" she asked, eyes fluttering between looking in his eyes and at his parted lips.
"Everything," Charlie whispered.
Without having to look, he pressed forward until his lips met Hermione's. He closed his eyes, silently promising that he would give Hermione the light from the sun if she asked for it. Hermione was worth it to him, and she had proven time and again she was worth more than what Charlie had to give.
Hermione was taken aback by Charlie's kiss. He was pressing and hesitant at the same time; shy yet more confident than anyone. She felt his stubble on his chin, his rough lips on her softer ones. She believed for the first time she was worth a damn when Charlie kissed her and it made her blood pumped faster through her veins.
Seconds later, Charlie broke the kiss and rested his forehead to Hermione's. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallower than before, but a smile played on his lips. After a moment, he opened them to look at Hermione's bright brown eyes.
"When we get back," Hermione promised. She didn't know what she was promising, but it was honest and she fully intended to stick to her word.
"When we get back," Charlie agreed. He placed a kiss on Hermione's forehead and returned to camp to wake the others. His mind was a scramble of static as it tired to focus on the job he had to do.
After yet more endless hours walking, the rag-tag team of researchers reached the place they were expecting the hunters to be and the sight that greeted them was truly nauseating.
In a clearing not unlink the one where they spent the first night of their trek, a large tree was stripped of it's braches so all that remained was a large aged wooden post in the center and around this clearing where dense trees with scrubby dried out brush covering the forest floor.
The stripped tree was what churned their stomachs though, as tied to it by its neck was an old bull Horntail, seemingly beaten and tortured to the edge of consciousness. Lesions ran across its thick skin in all directions, almost deep enough to expose bone in places. One of its gargantuan hind legs was twisted underneath it at an unnatural angle and its pitiful cries shocked the team to silence. The most appalling aspect about the tableau in their vision was the dragon's wings. Puncture marks, great tears and sore areas where scales had been ripped from them were everywhere. Try as he might, the bull couldn't move without a pained screech echoing around the clearing.
They stood, at the edge of the clearing; dumbstruck that someone could do that to such an animal. Hermione felt sick looking at it and tears burnt her eyes while Gus swore under his breath. Kurt and Andrei were carefully casting charms on the great beast, to determine it's health while Seb and Andrei were documenting the evidence. Charlie said nothing. His face was unreadable in the bright afternoon sun.
This had never happened before; in all the time Charlie had been watching the area. Usually, the hunters killed the animals outright and took what they wanted to use. They had never tortured an animal into submission and the kills had been quick and as pain free as possible. It was almost like someone was playing games with them. With him.
"Valdez," Charlie hissed. "That cunt Valdez."
Hermione cast a 'homenum revelio' that showed they were alone in the clearing. If Valdez was responsible, he hadn't stayed behind to finish the job.
"He'll be back, Boss," Gus said as he stood in his place at Charlie's right hand.
"I fucking know that," Charlie growled. "Kurt! What's the score with him?"
"Not great, Charlie," Kurt called morosely from his place on the other side of the dragon. Hidden behind the hurting mass of scales and muscle, Kurt's voice was unclear, but it's meaning wasn't. Both Kurt and Andrei cast the diagnostic spells and both were correlating without fault.
"Yeah man," Andrei sadly agreed. "It's pretty bad on the outside but it's worse on the inside. Bleeding, bruising, curse damage. I've not seen one this bad before. They've done him over."
"FUCKING HELL!" Charlie shouted as he kicked wildly at the brambles and long grass around him. He was livid, that much was clear and Hermione stepped aside to allow Charlie to dispel his anger. She watched and through the layers of rage, was obvious hurt and betrayal. The hard work he had put in since the age of fifteen were the petals of a dying rose, falling into nothing. He had promised to protect these dragons, but here and now, his promise was crumbling to an endless pit of disappointment.
"Ok guys, make him comfortable and start healing but don't sedate him," Gus called. Immediately, everyone went to work on the dragon. As a team, they had only ever lost one dragon, but one was one too many. Sedation and dragons as damaged as this never went together well; the chance of it waking up was too slim to risk it. Hermione was least familiar with healing spells, so left it to the experts while she tried to determine anything she could about the protective enchantment around the clearing.
Layer upon layer of spells had been cast, some conventional but many were more rare and harder to break down. Charlie had joined the rest of the team with their desperate healing attempts and Hermione got her head into recalling every detection and breaking spell she knew.
"Protego reducto," Hermione breathed. The wards shimmered slightly, but didn't break. This telltale sign did show her how extensive the enchantments were and her stomach dropped at the realization. They were around the trees and domed over them, arching through the sky. She discovered that anything could get through, but after firing a swift and powerful impedimentia at the boundary, it was clear nothing would be getting out. A stronger impedimentia showed more rippling of the wards' surface but still it didn't break.
"Fuck…" Hermione hissed. She turned tail and moved back towards where the dragon and the team were. They all worked together, casting spells to comfort the bull while Hermione turned her attention on the sky above. With protective enchantments, there were always weak spots where layers met and she aimed her wand and cast the shield reduction spell again. The shimmy of the spell rippled towards a spot right above the bare tree holding the dragon still. Hermione carefully examined the tree and tried to deduce what was the matter. Valdez was a smart man; there was no denying it, so surely the odd tree wasn't so innocent. Why was it bare from root to tip?
"I need to get near the tree!" she called to the team. Gus looked at her quizzically and took in her expression. This was no time for jokes, and Hermione's stern look confirmed her seriousness.
"Ok girl," Gus conceded. "Come round the left had side, and for fucks sake be careful."
Gus distracted the dragon by turning his examination and healing on the great beasts head and neck. Who ever had abused it had ripped one of the long horns from it's forehead and taken a sizable chunk of flesh with it. It was enough for Hermione to skate around and get a good look at the tree.
She ran her hands over it, feeling bark and moss that was hot from the dragon's body. Some areas were charred from its feeble attempts of defense, and the ashy black dust smeared over her hands. After carving very crude hand and foot holds in the side of the tree trunk, Hermione raised herself up a few meters to where the first large bough should have been. Resting on the remains of the stump was something that made Hermione's breathing halt and her eyes widen. Frozen to the spot in disbelief, she stared at the offending object.
"Fuck, fuck fuck," she whispered. Below, Gus was watching her carefully from the corner of his eye.
"Hermione! You ok girl?" he called. He had seen out of the corner of her eye when she had climbed and turned fully to her when she stopped suddenly.
"Stop moving," Hermione shouted briskly to every person on the ground. "Don't move a bloody muscle."
For now…
So, what do we think Hermione has spotted? I know it took a while but there is a tentative first kiss! Don't worry though, this is still M rated on the sexiness front.
Please review and let me know your thoughts. X