Disclaimer: JK owns HP: Always.

1989

Chapter 18

It was well past dinner now. They were on the third floor of the castle; behind a large drapery panel half way down the charms corridor. Currently their arms were wrapped around each other in a close embrace, their lips locked in a heated kiss, as was the new normal for the new couple.

They had been together for almost two weeks now, and just as Hermione had feared she had become completely consumed by him. When they weren't in class, and when Charlie wasn't at quidditch practice, which were now farther and fewer between, they were practically attached at the hip. She had tried to stay focused on her task of researching how to win the war, but she kept getting distracted by the handsome redhead and his talented lips. A distraction she was more than eager to succumb to. A distraction that currently had her pressed against a tapestry in the abandoned third floor corridor.

"Maybe we should go to bed." Hermione sighed breathily. It was clear they were both getting overheated.

She could feel him smirk against her lips. "It's funny." He whispered as he kissed down her jaw to her neck. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Hermione scoffed; knowing exactly where his mind really was. "No, I mean we should actually go to bed." She said, regaining her senses enough to push him away slightly. "In our own dorms...Separately."

Charlie chuckled. "Yeah. I had something a bit different in mind." He grinned as he brought her in for another slow kiss. "Not what I was thinking at all, actually."

"I'm sure it wasn't." She snorted as she felt one of his hands slide over her backside. She knew he was eager to take the next step in their relationship, but she still wasn't quite sure. Unlike him, she hadn't really given sex or anything even close to it much thought before now. She had always figured that she would be long done with her schooling before that particular subject came up, and knew for her own sake she needed to tread lightly moving forward.

Hermione was suddenly shocked out of those thoughts as he gave her a firm squeeze. "Charlie!" She scolded him, before the back of her left hand connected with his chest.

"What?" He feigned innocence with another smirk before placing her arms back around his neck.

Hermione squealed as he suddenly hoisted her up, her legs wrapping themselves around his waist out of reflex in an attempt to keep her balance. They both laughed as he twirled her around in circles, his nose nuzzling the flesh of her neck. Things always felt natural and carefree when it was just the two of them.

"Charlie, stop!" She yelled through laughter. "You're making me dizzy."

He laughed and spun her around once more before setting her back down on the floor.

"Better?" He asked, now that they were stationary again.

"Much." She replied as she took a step back from him.

"I'm not expecting you to jump into bed with me." He backtracked, noticing how uncomfortable she now seemed. "I mean I love you and of course I think about it." He was now rambling. "Quite a lot actually... but I want you to know I'm completely happy just kissing you. okay?"

Hermione nodded again, still clearly apprehensive. As much as she had always liked Ron, she had never really felt a physical desire for him. Not the way she currently felt for the man in front of her. But she also wasn't ready to loose herself that much just yet, no matter how attracted to him she clearly was.

"I know you aren't trying to pressure me Charlie. It's just that I'm still..." Hermione sighed. It seemed she was still having trouble finding her voice. "I mean, I've never gone beyond snogging."

He gripped both of her hands with his. It seemed he understood what she was trying to say. "So you and Ron never..." He shook his head slightly, not wanting to say the words outloud.

"No." She claimed, looking mortified. "Ron and I only ever kissed once. The night I arrived here."

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. He still didn't like the idea of her having had a history with his younger brother, but knowing that their physical contact had been extremely limited set his mind at ease. "Good. And there wasn't anyone before?"

"Not really, no." She shook her head. "I mean Viktor Krum kissed me fourth year of course, but-"

"Viktor who?" He said with narrowed eyes; obviously feeling threatened by someone from her past. "Is he someone I need to watch out for?"

Hermione covered her mouth with one hand as she shook her head with laughter. She had forgotten that Viktor wouldn't be famous for playing for the Bulgarian national team for a few more years and that Charlie would have no idea who she was talking about. For a moment she considered telling him about the celebrity status of her former fling, but thought it might be more entertaining to let him find out on his own later.

"No, you will have nothing to worry about with Viktor Krum. He lives and works in Bulgaria."

Still obviously confused, but picking up on her usual strange way of hinting future events he raised one eyebrow at her.

"Is he someone I know later or something?" He asked.

Hermione decided to play coy and grinned a very Mona Lisa-like smile at him. "Something like that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Looks like somebody has been out up until curfew again." Sarah said in a sing-song voice. She was talking to Laura, but her words were directed at Hermione.

She had just entered the seventh year girls dorm after a long and steamy kiss goodnight in front of the portrait hole. It hadn't been until the fat lady had coughed at them in a very Umbridge like manner that Charlie had finally let her go. He had whispered the new password and sent her through first so he could cool down.

With her cheeks still flushed, Hermione sat down at the foot of Sarah's bed, where the two girls had obviously just been gossiping away.

"Mhm." Laura agreed with a grin. "What is that, every day for the past week?"

"Hey!" Hermione exclaimed looking slightly offended. "No. Last Thursday I was in bed by nine."

"Oh that's right." Sarah giggled. "The only night the Gryffindor quidditch team practiced."

Hermione crossed her arms and pouted, not responding to their accusations.

"We are just messing with you Jean." Laura tried to stifle her laughter. "Ignore our quips that stem from jealousy of not having someone of our own to snog silly every night."

She seemed to perk up slightly at that and the corners of her lips twitched upwards slightly. "I feel like I'm in a little over my head to be honest."

"So it's getting serious already?" Laura asked, trying not to sound too excited.

Hermione nodded her head. She could feel butterflies in her chest at the thought of how enamored she already was with Charlie. Especially considering she had only known him for not even three months yet.

"Well I, for one, am glad." The more serious of the two girls said. "Merlin knows you deserve some happiness to come out of having to transfer schools for your last year."

"Thanks Laura." Hermione smiled at her new friend.

"And speaking of happiness." Sarah grinned mischievously. "Have you two…" She made a rather rude gesture with both hands. "Yet?"

Both Hermione and Laura's eyes widened from shock.

"Sarah!" Laura exclaimed, while all three of them laughed; two of them out of mortification.

"What?" She asked innocently. "His birthday is in a few weeks, so I was just asking in case she needed suggestions for what to get him."

Laura pinched the other girl's arm, which caused a small argument to erupt between the two long time friends.

And while the other two girls bickered about what was and was not appropriate, Hermione's face paled. She had, of course, not realized that his birthday was so soon. She had never been around him or his family when they celebrated it; but now that it had been mentioned she briefly remembered the twins sending out a birthday card attached to a Hogwarts toilet seat during her fourth year.

And if her memory served her as well as it normally did, they had sent it out just a few weeks before Christmas; to be delivered on December the twelfth. And if she had remembered correctly, that meant she had less than three weeks to find the perfect gift.

Charlie had planned a wonderful evening for her birthday with less than twelve hours notice. An evening so wonderful in fact, that it was part of what made her fall for him in the first place. If he could pull that off in a mere few hours, surely she could pull off something just as special with a few weeks to prepare.