Disclaimer: JK owns HP
1989
Chapter 31
Before they knew it, another week had gone by. Their days had been filled with intense classes as the seventh years began preparing for their N.E.W.T. exams, which were set to begin in May. Though she would be long gone before they took place, Hermione dove into the homework anyway in order to keep up appearances. She still hoped deep down that she'd be able to take them with her old classmates once she returned to the future.
And while Charlie and Hermione's days were the same as every other seventh year Gryffindor, their nights however were very different. After receiving word from Dumbledore that he had successfully managed to cut the tail off of a younger centaur while disillusioned, they had begun to prepare for their own trip into the forbidden forest. A journey set to take place on Valentine's weekend, when everyone else would be perusing Hogsmeade. It was likely the only chance they'd have where their absence wouldn't be noticed.
They were currently spending the evening alone together in Charlie's favorite spot on the grounds. Hermione was sitting cross legged on the bench while Charlie was busy re-stoking the fire. From a distance it would seem that he was the one doing all the work, but it was actually Hermione who was in the middle of the important task. She was focused intently as she flicked and twisted her wand around at his slightly worn rucksack; several incantations spilling easily from her lips.
During their recent preparations they had argued over where to keep the amulet ingredients and Harry's cloak hidden once Charlie left Hogwarts. He would need a secure place where none of his coworkers or roommates could come across them. After some careful deliberation, Hermione finally figured that what Charlie really needed was an undetectable extension charm of his own. From her experience, there was no better place to hide such items of importance when secrecy was of the essence.
"Done." She finally said after another minute; holding the freshly mended bag up at arms length to look it over from the outside. It looked practically brand new after all of the charms and spells she cast on it.
Charlie ended up adding one more log to the fire before joining her on the bench to inspect her work. He'd had this bag since fourth year, and although he'd planned on buying a newer, better one once he was out on his own, he knew now that it held too much meaning to ever be replaced.
When Hermione handed it to him, he reached his arm into the main pocket to test out the result of her extension charm. His fingertips brushed the bottom of the canvas bag almost immediately, and he tilted his head at her in confusion.
She laughed at the look on his face, causing the ball on the top of her warm woolen hat to bounce back and forth. "The inside zipper pocket." She explained. "I didn't want anyone else who might attempt to get something out of your bag to accidentally discover our secrets, or see something they aren't supposed to. I figured a hidden pocket would be much safer."
"That's a good idea." He nodded in agreement.
The thick fabric of his gloves made it a little difficult to grab hold of the small metal zipper, but eventually he was able to grip it between two of his fingers and pull. This time, when he reached inside the secondary storage space, his arm went all the way to his elbow without resistance; though the pocket should have stopped at his wrist.
"Yeah, that's better." He grinned from ear to ear now that he had the right pocket. It was a relief to know they officially had a place to store all of their things. "You did a good job." He added as he pulled his arm out of the sack to set it beside him instead.
"Thanks." She responded with a gratuitous smile.
Though there was a fire blazing nearby, and she was bundled up in her warmest hat and cloak, Hermione couldn't help but lean into the warmth his muscular frame offered. She tucked herself toward him in order to use him as a shield against the biting cold. He ended up chuckling as he threw his arm around her shoulder to bring her closer to him.
"So I've been thinking." He stated, changing the subject without adding anything else.
It was Hermione's turn to look confused as he dragged it out. "About?"
"Quidditch." He replied simply.
"Oh, of course." She commented in a teasing tone. "What a rare occasion indeed."
He pinched her side in retribution; causing her to wiggle against him out of reflex along with a single squeak.
"I meant about my tryout." He clarified; still seeming amused.
"What about it?" She asked curiously.
"Is there really any point to it anymore?" He wondered out loud; amusement now gone. "I mean I'd be gone most of next weekend for it, only to turn them down in favor of the RDS for dragonology. It just seems like a rather large waste of some of our little time left together before you leave is all."
Hermione hummed under her breath as she considered his explanation. On one hand she didn't like the idea of him being away from her again so soon, but on the other it was a very big event in his life. This tryout had always been a source of pride for his family members when they talked about him over the years. Though she knew Molly missed and worried about him constantly, it was no secret that her eyes would light up every time she talked about how her second eldest son had given up a coveted professional quidditch career in favor of the humble life of dragon keeping.
Hermione bit her lip as she came to her conclusion; only releasing it once she had thought out a proper response. "I get where you are coming from Charlie, but remember when I told you that you'd need to do things the same way you did in the original timeline?"
Charlie grunted in response.
"Well this is one of those times." She continued. "This is no small thing you are trying to stray away from. You passing on an invitation to play quidditch for England and running off to Romania instead, is one of the very first things I ever learned about you. It is an incredible accomplishment that makes your family prouder than you can ever imagine of you. Not to mention a great source of excitement and influence for your younger siblings."
"Wow." He nodded in contemplation. "I mean I knew this was a big deal when I got the news, but once you said I was going to get to play with dragons at the RDS instead I guess it didn't seem like as much of one."
A flicker of guilt bubbled up in Hermione chest. Given her lack of excitement over the sport, she had possibly caused him to dismiss the idea of going altogether. Now that she had a moment to think about it, this was something that he should be extremely excited about; not something he should be thinking about skipping altogether.
"I'm sorry if my lack of enthusiasm caused you to second guess it." She apologized; "It really is a great accomplishment though; despite my lack of adoration for quidditch. Just think of how exciting and unforgettable this experience is going to be."
His lips finally twitched into a crooked smile. "It is a big moment, isn't it?"
Hermione grinned in return; his smile contagious as usual. "Yes it is. I mean, Mason Flint sure didn't get invited did he?" She teased; knowing that their rivalry was almost as bad as Oliver Wood's would become with the former mentioned's younger brother.
Charlie let out a booming laugh and squeezed her a little tighter to him. "No. No that slimy git sure did not."
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"Will you be sneaking into my bed again tonight by any chance?" Charlie whispered seductively in her ear as he held her close a few evenings later.
They were outside the doors to the Library, where Charlie was dropping her off before heading to his weekly prefect meeting and patrol duties. She wanted to get some extra study time in, even though she wouldn't actually be taking her N.E.W.T.S with everyone else. In true Hermione fashion, she wanted to be prepared in case she ended up stuck here long enough to take them after all.
Hermione laughed at his insatiability under her breath. "As much as I'd like to, we probably shouldn't make a habit of it." She claimed in response; though she was already planning on sneaking to his dorm as soon as her roommates fell asleep.
He groaned in disappointment before placing a final kiss to her lips for the night. "You're probably right." He agreed haughtily. "I guess I will see you in the morning then?"
"Bright and early." She smiled at him; knowing full well he'd see her long before then when she woke him up with another surprise midnight shag. "Now scoot." She shooed him down the hall so he wouldn't be late.
He kept his eyes locked on her with his usual grin the entire way, and she stood in place to watch him. When he was long out of sight she snorted and shook her head; silently chastising herself for being so smitten with him. She had never felt so entirely giddy in all of her serious life until she'd met him.
Still a bit distracted, she turned to open the door to the Library; not realizing that it was already being pushed her way from the other side. It crashed into her shoulder, causing the door to ricochet off and bounce back into whomever was trying to make their exit.
She heard a thud, followed a thump, and then a rather meek sounding 'ow' coming from the floor. Quickly, she opened the door the rest of the way with a grimace on her face. It hadn't felt good to her either, but at least she was still standing.
When Hermione finally turned her direction to the ground, she noticed that it was a rather small boy dawning a Hufflepuff scarf. His hair was brown, and one of his shoe laces was undone, but luckily he'd been quick enough to brace himself with his hands instead of getting knocked flat onto his back. She crouched down to his level to check on him.
"I'm sorry." She grimaced, as she began to help him gather his things that had obviously been knocked out of his hands. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." The boy said, shaking his head and shoulders in quick succession as if to shake off the impact of being knocked to the floor by a seventh year. "Yeah I'm alright." He added as he pulled himself to his feet. "What about you?" He asked politely.
"The door hit me in the shoulder, but there's no lasting damage." She replied as she scooted one of his fallen textbooks toward her. "I really should have been paying more attention, so again, I'm really sorry."
Though he did reply to her second apology, Hermione did not hear it. Just as she had gone to close the book in her hand, she noticed the messy scrawl marked in ink on the inside cover.
The name Cedric Diggory stared up at her, causing her throat to drop into her stomach.
The realization of who she had just knocked to the ground crashed into her so hard she almost wanted to vomit. As if on cue she could hear both Harry and The Diggory's cries of anguish from the night of the third task in her ear.
As Cedric took his book back from her, which had still been clutched tightly in her hands, Hermione suddenly got an idea. She knew it was against the rules; knew that it was a bad idea, but somehow she just couldn't stop herself. In that moment, let the consequences be damned, she just couldn't bear to let that young boy die all over again. Not when she had the potential to stop it.
Just as he finished tucking the book back into his bag, she reached for his hand; holding it firmly with his palm facing up. Channeling the best impression of Trelawny as she could stomach, the pointer finger of her right hand began to trace the lines of his palm.
"What-" He started to ask, looking extremely dumbfounded.
"Don't touch the cup, Cedric." She whispered solemnly as she looked him in the eyes. "Just walk away." She shook her head at him slowly as she dropped his hand. "Don't touch it."
Before the confused second year could ask her to explain further, she stepped the rest of the way into the library; leaving him alone in the doorway.
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A/N: That last part with Cedric was another scene I'd been saving since I was originally plotting out this story. I know this one was a bit more depressing than the others, but dropping hints and bits of characters' pasts in is one of my favorite things about writing this little fic.