CHAPTER SEVEN:
Third Person P.O.V.:
"Hermione."
That was all that Charlie could say.
His surprised eyes had searched to meet hers instantly, and he saw Hermione with the widest smile ever plastered on her face. Charlie had frozen on the spot after hearing the words leave her lips. It felt like everything was rising up inside of him; he was drowning in a overwhelming amount of joy.
But he didn't say it back.
He couldn't - at least, not out loud and definitely not now. Admitting that he was in love with Hermione as much as she was in love with him, would be like admitting his kryptonite. Even though their moment was private, Charlie couldn't say the words out of fear of not being able to hide his true feelings from the world.
Saying those three words out loud would make him want to proclaim his love from the rooftops as a side effect of immense happiness. which is exactly why he couldn't do that, not after the ones he loved had their lives threatened by a monster. His father could never know what Hermione truly meant to him because, quite frankly, she was the one person that he couldn't live without.
But to his surprise, Hermione didn't seem bothered that the words had yet to leave her boyfriend's lips. She was enraptured, staring at him with so much love and admiration without the slightest falter in her smile.
Charlie had instantly forgotten about the stinging sensation coming from his hand. His thoughts slipped into a serendipitous confusion at the thought of how this breathtakingly beautiful girl standing in front of him, was so willing to give her heart away to someone that was undeniably traumatized and broken -
"I love you," Hermione whispered, resting her forehead against his; interrupting his thoughts as though she knew he was belittling himself. "I'm totally and completely in love with you, Charlie."
His mouth had fell agape at the reaffirmation. For a second there, he wondered if he had imagined the words coming from her lips. But she said it again, as though confessing once didn't convey her message as firmly as her heart had wanted it to, nor would an infinite amount of love proclamations; her heart belonged entirely to him.
"And I don't care if you don't say it back," she continued, mumbling against his lips, "because I'm giving my heart to you anyways."
Charlie smiled knowingly, yet obliviously; the temptation of letting the words come from his own mouth were too strong to fight.
"Darling, I -"
"You don't have to say it if you're not ready," Hermione interrupted, silencing him with a hush "All you have to do is say my name. When you love someone, you say their name different, don't you? As if their name is safest in your mouth."
"Hermione," Charlie whispered at once, failing to hesitate as his hot breath hit her lips, sending chills down her spine.
And with the single whisper of her name, Hermione was overwhelmingly overjoyed and satisfied. Her eyes were now aglow with the moonlight peering in from the windows of the dorm room, and something else.
"Charlie."
The word fell from her lips with such a tone of firm and faithful confession that her boyfriend had turned a bright shade of pink; still incredibly grateful that her heart had chosen him. The two of them stared at one another, heads resting against each other's, building anticipation in the deafening silence they had succumbed themselves in; they were so entrapped in their own little world that they had drowned out the party raging from the common room.
"I love you," Hermione squealed, unable to control her excitement, letting the words slip out once again. "I love you, I love you, I love yo-"
Charlie laughed lightly at her cuteness before kissing her passionately. Hermione's hands had instantly snaked around his neck, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. Her boyfriend closed his eyes, letting his lips say everything he couldn't -
'I love you too.'
His arms wrapped around her waist, and it wasn't long after before he pulled her into him, leaving no space between them whatsoever. The silent room was now ringing with the sound of their lips moulding together mixed with the heavy breaths that they exhaled when they pulled away, moving their heads to get better access before diving right back in.
(A/N: slightly mature make out session incoming... if you're not comfortable, I'd skip to the next A/N which will be bolded <3)
Charlie sucked gently on her bottom lip, pulling it back slightly to tease her. Hermione groaned softly, enjoying the feeling for a moment before sliding her tongue into his mouth. They were kissing as though their lives depended on it, melting into one another without a care in the world. His tongue found its way into her mouth and soon enough, they were battling for dominance.
In a sharp movement, Charlie placed a hand behind her head, and lowered her onto his bed. Thinking that he had gone a little too far, Charlie came to an abrupt halt before leaning back down to connect their lips again; he didn't want to do anything she was uncomfortable with. Hermione didn't seem to mind this change in position, however, as she was quick to reassure him by pulling him down on top of her; the weight of his body pressed up against her, and it was a new feeling that she enjoyed immensely.
The brown eyed boy left a trail of kisses down the side of her face to the nape of her neck, nibbling and sucking down on the skin whenever he felt like, causing Hermione to groan softly once again. His fingertips ran down her thigh as he positioned himself between her legs; his girlfriend relishing in her pleasure while inhaling his scent, which she believed to be the most delicious smell she could imagine.
After several moments of letting Charlie roam her body with his mouth, Hermione took charge, pushing him over onto his back before straddling him. She smirked at his reaction to the change in position before leaning down to kiss down his neck, just like he had teased her with before. However, instead of stopping at his neck, she moved her hands down to the hem of his shirt, lifting it ever so slightly, signalling for him to take it off.
He hesitated for a moment, unaware of how far their snogging session was going to go. Charlie grabbed her hands near the bottom of his shirt, causing Hermione to stop her attack of kisses on his neck. Charlie didn't want to be the guy to pressure his girlfriend into anything, and so he was being extremely cautious whenever it came to them getting hot and heavy; he sat up and his arms wrapped around her waist to hold her steady, Hermione pulling back as he did so, gazing into his eyes bashfully.
"Before we go any further," he breathed out slowly; Hermione's hands playing with the hair on the back of his neck, "are you sure you want this?"
"I want you,"!Hermione whispered lowly, her eyes darker than Charlie had ever seen them, leaving him in immense anticipation, "eventually, of course." She exhaled slowly, before adding, "Right now, however, I just want to make your head spin."
"What does that mea-"
Charlie didn't even have time to get the words out before Hermione had attacked his lips with her own, pulling him back into a passionate kiss that left him completely dazed. Still straddling his lap, Hermione reached for the hem of his shirt again, their lips still attached, and helped him pull it off; this time, he didn't protest.
Letting his shirt fall to the side of his bed, Charlie turned back to his girlfriend only to feel a hard push on his chest, forcing him to lay back down. Charlie closed his eyes once again, relishing in pleasure, as Hermione continued her assault of kisses from his face all the way down his body, running her hands slowly down his toned abs as she did so.
Hermione let her mouth roam around her boyfriend's torso, her lips kissing every sliver of skin as though she was repeating her proclamation of love through her actions. Despite all of his flaws and his trauma, she loved him with every atom of her being, and although he didn't say the words back to her, she knew he felt the same.
Charlie's breathing was growing heavier, and every time Hermione's lips brushed against a new patch of skin, he shivered. He was pretty sure all the blood in his body had risen to his face as his hands found her waist once again, slipping underneath her shirt and drawing small circles on her lower back; her skin was amazingly soft.
Then suddenly, Charlie groaned loudly, "Fuck..."
Hermione had to stifle a giggle against his chest before reaching up to slap a hand over his mouth, muffling the sounds he was making. She knew of the effect she had on him, and so his reaction came as no surprise when she began rolling her hips against his; making him moan, making him want to do something they both weren't ready for just yet.
Hermione leaned back up slightly, her head hovering just above his, her hand still placed over his mouth.
"You've got to be quiet," she teased in a low, sensual whisper. "Someone will come interrupt us if you don't, and you don't want that, do you?"
Charlie instantly shook his head, causing his girlfriend to let out a low, breathy laugh as she removed her hand from his mouth, her hips occasionally bucking forward just to prove his eagerness. His eyes raked her; adoring, devouring, loving, and her body felt as if burning liquid were surging through her veins underneath everywhere his gaze touched.
"Bloody hell..." Charlie panted lowly, a hot devouring hunger in his eyes as she rolled her hips in a slow and excruciatingly pleasurable pace.
Having enough of the teasing, Charlie flipped her back onto her back. Hermione allowed him to do so, of course, and gave all of her trust to him. In fact, she squealed as she was pressed into mattress; she was secretly loving how much more intimate their relationship had gotten.
Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist, tightening her grip on him, and with a growl he took her mouth again, hot and demanding, sucking her lower lip into his mouth, his tongue sliding against hers, exploring before he moved down her throat. She grabbed at him, running her hands all over his body, wildly free in the knowledge that she could touch him, as much as she liked, however she liked. She felt as if she were drawing him, her hands mapping his shape; the slope of his back, flat stomach, the indentations above his hips, the muscles in his arms... as if, like a painting, he were coming to life under her hands.
When Charlie's hands slipped underneath her shirt once again, she gasped at the sensation, then quickly nodded in reassurance at him when he came to an abrupt halt; his eyes concerned as he looked up in a fright, thinking that he crossed a line.
'Go on, it's okay - I love you, I trust you...'
Nodding slowly in understanding, Charlie lifted the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head and letting it fall to the floor, and for a moment he froze, staring at her as if she shone like a star in the sky. It was the most intimate image of his girlfriend he had yet to see, and he smiled proudly at the fact that he was trusted enough to be able to see her in such a vulnerable position; laying beneath him, her torso completely exposed except for the bra covering her breasts.
"You're beautiful." He whispered against her lips with a tone of awe, focusing his gaze on her blushing face. "So beautiful, baby."
Then he bent his head down again, placing the softest, yet most sensual kisses along her body. He kissed her shoulders, the navel between her breasts, her stomach, her hips; he kissed her everywhere while she gasped and buried her hands in his hair. Hermione felt his muscles flex against her skin as he ran his hands down her body, gripping tightly when he reached her thighs.
"God, Charlie," she rasped out, sucking in a breath. "I love it when you touch me like this."
"I love touching you like this," he mumbled at once against her stomach, which made goosebumps rise all over her body.
"Kiss me," she pleaded, and he did, without having being told twice. "Don't stop. Please, don't stop."
Charlie placed hot languorous slow kisses that sped up as his heartbeat did, as the movement of their bodies quickened against each other. Each kiss was different: quick, soft kisses that told her he loved her; long, slow, worshipful kisses that said that he trusted her; playful, light kisses that said that he was proud to be hers; adoring kisses that said he cared about her more than anyone else.
Hermione abandoned herself to the kisses, the language of them, the wordless speech that passed between them. His hands were shaking, but they were quick and skilled on her body, light touches making her want more and more until she pushed and pulled at him, forgetting that she had told him that they were going to wait.
(A/N: okay, you can come back now lol)
But right as she was going to give him the go-ahead, there was a loud pounding on the dorm room door.
"Oi! Charlie! Open up!"
Both Charlie and Hermione came to an abrupt halt. Charlie raised his head up from kissing her hipbone and snapped it the door, while Hermione raised her head off of the pillow, her eyes opening in an angry confusion.
The banging on the door grew louder, as though the person on the other side thought that they weren't heard the first time.
Panicking, Hermione pushed Charlie off of her before scrambling to the floor to find her shirt. Her boyfriend, who didn't seem nearly as bothered by the interruption as she did, laughed slightly at her flustered state before raising a finger to his lips.
"It's okay, relax," he soothed in a whisper, but Hermione was already trying to hide herself underneath the covers on his bed. "I'll get rid of them."
Looking back at his girlfriend once more, who had completely submerged her head underneath his Gryffindor blanket, Charlie laughed lightly before making his way to the door, unlocking it, and opening it slightly, just a sliver so that he could peak through.
Standing in the doorway was none other than Harry Potter, appearing way more sloshed than Charlie had previously seen him earlier in the evening.
Gulping slightly, Charlie said, "What's up?"
God, please don't be wanting to go to sleep just yet... stay in the common room for a couple more minutes.
"Have you seen Ginny?" Harry slurred, swaying on the spot, and seemingly way too focused on finding the youngest Weasley to notice that Charlie stood on the opposite side of the door with swollen lips, messy hair, and no shirt on.
"Of course I haven't," Charlie said at once, his eyebrows furrowed; he was slightly annoyed that he and Hermione were interrupted for such a stupid question. "I've been up here all night, haven't I?"
"Ah, right," Harry chuckled for no apparent reason, a happy smile curling on his lips.
"Jesus Christ," Charlie said, an amused smile forming on his lips as he held the door still, blocking Harry's vision from the rest of the room. "How much have you had to drink?"
"Dunno," Harry said happily. "But after the shitshow that was the last couple of months, I deserved to have fun, didn't I?"
"You sure did," Charlie said truthfully before hearing a small, discrete cough come from Hermione as a reminder that she was still there. Charlie swiftly continued, "Well, you should probably keep looking for Ginny, I reckon."
"Ginny... right, yeah." Harry beamed at the mention of the younger Weasley's name before sauntering off towards the stairs.
Charlie hastily closed the door, sighing in relief before turning back to where his girlfriend was. His mouth fell open, however, at the sight of Hermione. She was propped up on her forearms, wearing his shirt which was way too big for her small body, her hair messy, as she smirked up at him.
(A/N: shoutout to wolfiegranger because she reminded me of this gif <3)
"I'm stealing this," Hermione said coyly, cuddling into the large shirt draped over her body as Charlie made his way back over to the bed. "It's cozy."
Charlie made his way to the edge of the bed and placed his arms on the either side of her body, leaning in to whisper against her lips, "Hell, you can steal my entire closet if you're planning on looking that good in my clothes..."
"Is that right?" Hermione giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're going to regret those words, baby."
Her boyfriend shook his head with a slight laugh, "I regret nothing when it comes to you."
Hermione looked into his eyes at this comment, and for the first time, she understood how someone's eyes could tell so much about them. His eyes, light brown with golden specks, were sparkling as they always did, but they were almost radiating an endless amount of love for the girl sitting before him.
"Hermione," he whispered.
It took her all of two seconds to realize what he had said; saying her name was now going to forever have a different, deeper meaning, but she would never complain, especially if the deeper meaning was a more cautious way of conveying the truth that was hidden within his heart.
"Charlie," she whispered back, so lowly that it made him feel some type of way. She held his gaze for a moment before adding, "Hold me, just for a little while longer."
He nodded instantly, and pulled back the covers to join her under them. Charlie laid back against his pillows, sighing contently as Hermione nuzzled into his bare torso, his arms wrapping tightly around her as she did so. With her left ear pressed against up against his chest, she could hear his racing heartbeat, causing her to smile against his skin.
Hermione lifted her right hand and began to trace the marks she left on his body with her fingertips; she smiled proudly at her work, knowing that she was the only one he belonged to.
Humming contently, Charlie closed his eyes at the sensation of her cool fingertips trailing his body. For the first time, he found someone that he couldn't get enough of; someone who accepts him for him and didn't need him to change; someone who he had fallen madly in love with.
"I love you, Charlie," she whispered against his skin, sending shivers down his spine.
And Charlie took her hand in his, playing with it gently, before leaning down to place a soft, lingering peck on her lips. They laid there, cuddled into one another, for another hour or so as the party raged on in the common room.
Then, as the noise in the common room began to die down, they reluctantly released themselves from one another, and Charlie guided Hermione to the door to bid her a bittersweet farewell until the following morning.
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Charlie was first to wake up in his dormitory the next day. He lay for a moment watching dust swirl in the ray of sunlight coming through the gap in his four-poster's hangings, and savoured the thought that it was Saturday. After such a horrendous first week of term, his moment last night with Hermione had made everything worth it.
He pulled open the curtains around his bed, got up and started to dress. The only sound apart from the distant twittering of birds was the slow, deep breathing of his fellow Gryffindors. He opened his schoolbag carefully, pulled out parchment and quill and headed out of the dormitory for the common room.
Heading straight for his favourite old armchair beside the now extinct fire, Charlie settled himself down comfortably and unrolled his parchment while looking around the room. The expected aftermath of last nights festivities was gone, which one could only expect, was the work of the various house elves that cleaned the castle. Charlie uncorked his ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, and wrote his daily letter to his father; he mentioned nothing of his detention with Umbridge, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. Instead, he sprawled the same boring message that he always did to ease the Minister and his paranoia.
Sealing the parchment carefully, he climbed through the portrait hole and headed off for the Owlery. His spirits rose as he walked past window after window showing brilliantly blue sky; he had training later, he would be back on the Quidditch pitch at last.
When Charlie entered the Owlery, the glassless windows dazzled his eyes; thick silvery beams of sunlight crisscrossed the circular room in which hundreds of owls nestled on rafters, a little restless in the early-morning light, some clearly just returned from hunting. He tied his letter to one of the school owls that he had been using for years, Fozy, and sent her off into the blindingly bright sky.
(A/N: we protect Fozy at ALL costs)
He watched her until she became a tiny black speck and vanished, then switched his gaze to Hagrid's hut, clearly visible from this window, and just as clearly uninhabited, the chimney smokeless, the curtains drawn.
The treetops of the Forbidden Forest swayed in a light breeze. Charlie watched them, savouring the fresh air on his face, thinking about Quidditch later... then he saw it. A great, reptilian winged horse, just like the ones pulling the Hogwarts carriages, with leahery black wings spread wide like a pterodactyl's, rose up out of the trees like a grotesque, giant bird. It soared in a great circle, then plunged back into the trees. The whole thing had happened so quickly, Charlie could hardly believe what he had seen, except that his heart was hammering madly.
The Owlery door opened behind him. He leapt in shock and, turning quickly, saw Elaina Dumont holding a letter and a parcel in his hands, ready for the day in her Slytherin robes.
"Hey," said Charlie automatically.
"Oh... hi, Charlie!" she said breathlessly before gesturing to the parcel as she continued. "I didn't think anyone would be up here this early... I only remembered five minutes ago, it's my mum's birthday."
"Right," smiled Charlie, moving out of the way so she could look for a suitable owl. He eyed her Slytherin robes, "So, how do you feel being the first Hogwarts transfer? Is it everything you expected?"
Elaina had selected one of the school barn owls. She coaxed it down on to her arm where it held out an obliging leg so that she could attach the parcel.
"It definitely took some getting used to," she laughed, still looking down at the owl. "I love it here, don't get me wrong, but I don't think green is really my colour."
"Yeah, you're right," Charlie teased, earning a slap on the arm. "Ow! I'm kidding!" he laughed before adding, "if it makes you feel any better, you're the only Slytherin that I'd be willing to talk to."
"They're not all bad," Elaina sighed, "I've hit it off with Daphne Greengrass, and unlike Pansy Parkinson and her band of misfits, she is actually very pleasant to be around."
Charlie nodded in understanding, "Well, I'm glad you've made a friend."
Elaina looked up at him with a raised brow, the parcel only half-attached to the owl's legs.
"I was under the impression that we were friends," Elaina joked, "but since I've transferred, I haven't seen you at all!" she wiggled her eyebrows in his direction before adding, "Too busy with that Granger girl, I expect."
Charlie laughed bashfully, his face going red in embarrassment.
"It's not just that," he defended, "I've also been in detention all week."
"Yeah, I heard." Elaina said sadly, watching Charlie's smile falter slightly. "That Umbridge woman is foul. Putting you in detention just because you spoke your own truth... it's horrendous." Trying to lighten the mood, she added, "Like the French say, ce n'est pas juste."
Charlie chuckled before repeating in a dramatic French accent, "Ce n'est pas juste."
"Alright, that wasn't bad," Elaina praised, talking about his accent. "We'll have to work on it a little though."
"Well, it's a good thing you're here for good then, isn't it?" Charlie said playfully, wiggling his eyebrows in a friendly manner.
"Of course," Elaina said happily as she carried the owl to the window. "I'll have you speaking French fluently by the end of the term."
They left the Owlery together. At the entrance of a corridor that led towards the west wing of the castle, Elaina said, "I'm going this way.Well, I'll see you around, Charlie."
"Yeah, see you."
She smiled at him, waved and then departed. Charlie walked on, feeling quietly elated; he could foresee Elaina and himself becoming great friends.
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After breakfast in the Great Hall that morning, Charlie set off for the library to catch up on his homework while Ron and Harry spent the time preparing for the first Quidditch practice of the season.
As bummed as he should've been for missing out on the experience with his friends, Charlie was actually incredibly overjoyed to spend the afternoon in the library simply because Hermione had accompanied him. She helped him work through all of the homework that he had fallen behind with, just like she had promised.
Studying with Hermione was something Charlie grew to love, because every time he got an answer right or finished a paragraph of an essay, Hermione would discretely kiss him as a reward; not only did this motivate him, but also allowed him to find enjoyment in the task.
This went on for hours, until it was time for Charlie to head down to the Quidditch pitch. With all of his homework completed, he gave Hermione a quick peck on the cheek as a thank you before the two of them left the library together. They departed once they reached the Entrance Hall; Hermione headed back towards the common room, while Charlie made his way out onto the school grounds.
As he walked toward the bright sunlight to the field, he could hear the storm of catcalls and jeers from the Slytherin Quidditch team and assorted others, who were grouped halfway up the empty stands and whose voices echoed loudly around the stadium. Charlie shrugged it off, joining his team on the grass with a smile.
The entire team mounted their brooms and kicked off from the ground. Charlie soared freely before slowing to a hover to engage in passing drills. Angelina raised the Quaffle with one hand and threw it hard to Fred, who passed to George, who passed to Harry, who passed it to Alicia, who passed it to Charlie, who passed to Ron, who dropped it.
The Slytherins, led by Malfoy, roared and screamed with laughter. Ron, who had pelted towards the ground to catch the Quaffle before it landed, pulled out of the dive untidily, so that he slipped sideways on his broom, and returned to playing height, blushing. Harry and Charlie exchanged a look, but didn't say anything out of fear of upsetting their friend.
Instead, they carried on without drawing too much attention to it. George passed to Angelina; she reverse-passed to Charlie, who had not been expecting it, but caught it in the very tips of his fingers and passed it quickly to Ron, who lunged for it and missed by inches.
"Come on now, Ron," said Angelina crossly, as he dived for the ground again, chasing the Quaffle. "Pay attention."
It would have been hard to say whether Ron's face or the Quaffle was a deeper scarlet when he again returned to playing height. Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team were howling with laughter.
On his third attempt, Ron caught the Quaffle; perhaps out of relief he passed it on so enthusiastically that it soared straight though Katie's outstretched hands and hit her hard in the face.
"Sorry!" Ron groaned, zooming forwards to see whether he had done any damage.
"Get back in position, she's fine!" barked Angelina. "But as you're passing to a teammate, do try not to knock her off her broom, won't you? We've got Bludgers for that!"
Katie's nose was bleeding. Down below, the Slytherins were stamping their feet and jeering. Fred and George converged on their bleeding teammate.
"Here, take this," Fred told her, handing her something small anc purple from out of his pocket, "it'll clear it up in no time."
"Alright," called Angelina, "Fred, George, go and get your bats and a Bludger. Ron, get up to the goalposts. Harry, release the Snitch when I say so. Charlie, you're with me - we're going to aim for Ron's goal, obviously."
When Harry returned with the Snitch moments later, Charlie flew over to him and both of them looked at one another, subconsciously agreeing on the same thing.
"What's up with him?" muttered Charlie, looking over a nervous Ron in the goalposts.
"No idea," Harry shrugged, "he was fine when I was practising with him this morning."
Fred, who had returned with his bat, had eavesdropped on the conversation and spoke gloomily, "Yeah, well, I hope he hasn't peaked too soon."
They returned to their positions upon Angelina's command. Charlie accelerated, rolling and swerving to preform tricks with the other Chasers, the warm autumn air whipping his face, and the distant yells of the Slytherins so much meaningless roaring in his ears... but too soon, the whistle brought him to a halt again.
"Stop - stop - STOP!" screamed Angelina. "Ron - you're not covering your middle post!"
Charlie sighed; this was going to be a long practice.
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After a dreadful half an hour or so, Charlie got changed and followed Ron and Harry back to the common room, the Slytherins continued to chant as a taunting tactic until they were out of sight.
"How was practice?" Hermione beamed from her spot by the fire at the sight of her boyfriend and two friends climbing through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room.
Harry gulped, "Uh, it was -"
"Completely lousy," said Ron in a hollow voice, sinking into a chair beside Hermione. She looked to a distressed Ron, then to Charlie and Harry, who were both looking uneasy.
"Well, it was only your first one," she said consolingly to Ron, "it's bound to take time to -"
"Who said it was me who made it lousy?" snapped Ron, his brows instantly furrowed in anger.
"No one," said Hermione, looking taken aback, "I just thought -"
"You thought I was bound to be rubbish, did you?"
"No, of course I didn't! Look, you said it was lousy so I just -"
"Assumed it was me!"
Charlie breathed slowly, trying to remain calm but still not appreciating the tone that the ginger used towards his girlfriend.
"It was you, mate," he said gently, Ron's harsh glare shifted upon him. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you. You could've played better, but like Hermione said, it's the first training session, so don't be getting worked up over it."
"Yeah, and you were clearly nervous," Harry added. "Plus, the Slytherins were being a pain in the -"
"Wait, look!"
Hermione was pointing to the nearest window. Charlie, Harry and Ron both looked over, instantly forgetting about their little quarrel. A handsome screech owl was standing on the windowsill, gazing into the room at Ron.
"Isn't that Hermes?" said Hermione, sounding amazed.
"Blimey, it is." said Ron quietly, his expression softening as he rose to his feet. "What's Percy writing to me for?"
He crossed to the window and opened it; Hermes flew inside, landed on the coffee table in front of the fire and held out a leg to which a letter was attached. Ron took the letter off and opened it, unrolling the parchment and beginning to read:
"Dear Ron,
As your older brother, I wanted to write to you to offer up some advice, which is why I am sending this at night rather than by the usual morning post. Hopefully, you will be able to read this away from prying eyes and avoid awkward questions.
From something that the Minister has let slip, I gather you are still seeing a lot of Harry Potter and Charlie Hawthorne. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you into more danger than a continued fraternisation with those two boys. Although I'm sure they're deemed perfect by Dumbledore - given his evident favouritism - I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge at Hogwarts much longer and the people who will take over, will have a significantly different opinion on those two troubled friends of yours.
Again, Dumbledore's regime at Hogwarts may soon be over. Your loyalty, Ron, should be not to him, but to the school and the Ministry. So, for the sake of your own reputation, I suggest severing ties with the unbalanced and, for all I know, violent, Harry Potter, as well as the clearly foolish and impulsive, Charlie Hawthorne. It is in your best interest to abide by the rules by Dolores Umbridge, a truly delightful woman who I know will be only too happy to advise you.
I shall say no more here, but if you look at the Daily Prophet tomorrow you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing - and see if you can spot yours truly!
Please think over what I've said carefully, brother. I count myself very lucky to have escaped the stigma of association with the crowd around Dumbledore - the Minister really could not be more gracious to me - and I do hope, Ron, that you will not allow family ties to blind you to the misguided nature of our parents' beliefs and actions, either.
I sincerely hope that, in time, they will realise how mistaken they were and I shall, of course, be ready to accept a full apology when that day comes. Until then, I propose that you put your best interests above those of blinded others.
Your brother,
Percy."
Harry instantly looked down at Ron on the couch.
"Well," he said, trying to sound as though he found the whole thing a joke, "if you want to, uh, what is it?" - he checked Percy's letter - "Oh yeah, 'sever ties' with me, I swear I won't get violent."
Charlie scoffed in annoyance, picking up the letter and rereading to make sure he heard correctly, causing Hermione to look up at him with a consoling and empathetic gaze.
"Clearly foolish and impulsive..." he spat angrily in a low growl, holding the letter shakily in his hands. "And the part about my grandfather's regime soon ending, what the bloody hell is he on about?"
"Give it back," said Ron, holding out his hand for the letter. "He is -" Ron said jerkily, tearing Percy's letter in half, "the world's -" he tore it into quarters, "biggest -" he tore it into eighths, "git."
Then, Ron threw the pieces into the fire.
"Watch it!"
The core four jumped at the sound of the deep voice, all of them whipping around and staring down at the fireplace. There in the middle of the dancing flames sat Sirius's head, long dark hair failing around his grinning face.
"Sirius?" Harry whispered, aghast, kneeling down in front of the fireplace as his friends followed suit.
"Right you are," Sirius beamed, looking between the four of them. "I wanted to check-in." He paused for a moment, before adding, "Heard you lot got a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher..."
"She's foul," Hermione said instantly, harshness evident in her tone. "Completely evil."
Ron laughed with a slight eye roll, "She's only saying that because Umbridge's not letting us use magic in our OWL year -"
"No," Hermione snapped, her brows furrowed, "I'm saying that because she's torturing Charlie!"
The room went silent, and Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth once she realized she said too much. The curious gazes of Ron, Harry and Sirius fell upon Charlie, and he sighed, lifting up his right hand, pulling back the cuff of his shirt so that they could see what Umbridge had done.
"Bloody hell, mate..." Ron trailed off, completely stunned.
"You said she was just making your write lines!" Harry shouted, seizing Charlie's hand for a closer look. "How are we just finding out about this now?"
"Not exactly something I wanted to show off," Charlie shrugged, yanking his hand out of Harry's grasp before turning back to Sirius's concerned gaze in the fireplace. "What do you know about Umbridge?"
"She's a nasty piece of work," Sirius snarled, clearly disgusted by the use of the blood quill. "However, I know her by reputation and I'm sure she's no Death Eater -"
"She's foul enough to be one," said Charlie darkly, and Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Yes, but the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters," said Sirius with a wry smile. "I know she's horrendous, though."
Trying to change the subject, Charlie asked, "So have you heard any news about Hagrid?"
"Ah..." said Sirius, "well, he was supposed to be back by now, no one's sure what's happened to him." Then, seeing their stricken faces, he added quickly, "But Dumbledore's not worried, so don't you four get yourselves in a state; I'm sure Hagrid's fine."
"But if he was supposed to be back by now..." said Hermione in a small, anxious voice.
"There's nothing to suggest he's not perfectly okay."
Unconvinced, Charlie, Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks.
"Listen, don't go asking too many questions about Hagrid," said Sirius hastily, "it'll just draw even more attention to the fact that he's not back and I know Dumbledore doesn't want that. Hagrid's tough, he'll be okay, don't worry." And when they did not appear cheered by this, Sirius added, "Well, I'd better get going, I can hear Kreacher coming down the stairs..."
Charlie wasn't convinced at the this comment, however, and wanted to request one more thing before Sirius left them once again.
"Sirius," he called, and the head in the flames turned towards him, "any chance we could, uh, keep this," - he gestured to his hand - "between us? I just... I don't want my grandfather to worry..."
Sirius contemplated for a moment, engulfing the room in a uncomfortable silence, leaving Charlie in immense anticipation.
"You've got it, Char," Sirius reluctantly agreed. "Just be careful in the meantime, will you?" When Charlie nodded, he added, "I'll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I?"
There was a tiny pop, and the place where Sirius's head had been was flickering flame once more.
"Right, well," Ron sighed as they all rose to their feet. "I'm off to bed. Today's been nothing but a nightmare."
And with that, he sauntered up the stairs to the dormitories, Harry following closely behind him, leaving Charlie and Hermione in the common room alone.
Listening to the footsteps disappear overhead, Hermione snapped her head towards her boyfriend with an apologetic gaze.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean for it to slip out. I was just so easily tempered at the mere mention of her name that I completely forg-"
Charlie silenced her by pressing his lips to hers, cupping her face gently, only to pull away moments later with a small smile on his face as he held her still to stop her from babbling.
"It's okay," he whispered with a slight laugh, and Hermione nuzzled into his hands that rested on the sides of her face. "Ron and Harry were going to find out eventually."
"But you should've been the one tha-"
He kissed her again, silencing her in an instant. Hermione's hands found their way around his neck and pulled him closer, snogging him for a moment before detaching herself from his lips to hug him tightly. Charlie reciprocated the hug, and held her securely in his arms in the fire-lit common room.
"You saved me the trouble of having to tell them myself," Charlie whispered, trying to joke around. "If anything, I should be thanking you. You did all the work for me."
Hermione pulled back, hands still interlaced behind his neck as she gazed into his eyes, a teasing expression forming on her face.
"Oh yeah?" she raised a playful brow. "And as I recall, I was the one doing all the work last night too... there seems to be a pattern here."
Charlie's mouth fell open at his girlfriend's bluntness, but before he could say anything in retaliation, Hermione giggled into his mouth before connecting their lips again.
"I'm joking, of course," Hermione mumbled against his lips as she pulled away, a playful smile curling onto her mouth. "You definitely did your part last night..."
And again, without giving Charlie a chance to respond, Hermione placed another quick peck on his lips before untangling himself from his grasp and setting off for the stairs to the dormitories.
Coming out of the daze he now found himself in, Charlie whipped his head towards the staircase after his fleeting girlfriend.
"Hermione," he whispered softly, and she instantly came to a halt halfway up the stairs.
His girlfriend cocked her head back; a wide and excited smile evident on her face as she whispered in a tone that held such a firmness, "I love you too."
---------------
They had expected to be forced to comb the Daily Prophet carefully next morning to find the article Percy had mentioned in his letter. However, the departing delivery owl had barely cleared the top of the milk jug when Hermione let out a huge gasp and flattened the newspaper to reveal a large photograph of Dolores Umbridge, smiling widely and blinking slowly at them from beneath the headline.
MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM:
DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED
FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR
"High Inquisitor?" said Harry darkly, his half-eaten piece of toast slipping from his fingers. "What does that mean?"
Hermione read aloud:
"In a surprise move last night, the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
'The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,' said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. 'He is now responding to concerns, voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve of.'
It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalised with the passing of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three, which creates the new position of Hogwarts High Inquisitor.
'This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the falling standards at Hogwarts,' said Weasley. 'The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post and we are delighted to say that she has accepted.'
The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from those who are happy to see a first step towards ensuring that Hogwarts has a Headmaster in whom we can all repose our confidence."
Hermione finished reading and looked across the table at the other three, her breathing fast and her eyes very bright, "I can't believe this. It's outrageous!"
"Yeah," muttered Charlie; he looked down at his right hand, clenched on the table-top, and saw the faint white outline of the words Umbridge had forced him to cut into his skin.
Harry and Hermione watched him with a curious, empathetic gaze, but a grin was unfurling on Ron's face.
"What?" said Harry and Hermione together, staring at him; slightly nerved that their friend wasn't displaying the same sympathy that they had been.
"Oh, I can't wait to see McGonagall inspected," said Ron happily. "Umbridge won't know what's hit her."
"Well, come on," said Hermione, jumping up, "we'd better get going, if she's inspecting Binns's class we don't want to be late."
But Professor Umbridge was not inspecting their History of Magic lesson, which was just as dull as the previous Monday, nor was she in Snape's dungeon when they arrived for Double Potions, where Charlie's moonstone essay was handed back to him with a large, spiky black 'D' scrawled in an upper corner.
"I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your OWL," said Snape with a smirk, as he swept among them, passing back their homework. "This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in the examination."
Charlie realized that Hermione was looking sideways to see what grade he had received; he slid his essay in her line of vision, and she furrowed her brows of confusion up at him once she saw the grade in the corner. Her boyfriend, however, simply shrugged; his grade was as expected.
Determined not to give Snape an excuse to reprimand him this lesson, Charlie read and reread every line of instruction on the blackboard at least three times before acting on them. By the end of class, his Strengthening Solution, although not as perfect as Hermione's, was still better than what Snape had expected.
After lunch in the Great Hall, Charlie and Hermione headed for Arithmancy as Harry and Ron left for Divination. There was no inspection in Professor Vector's class that day, just like all of Charlie's other classes. However, when it came to his homework, the grade from Professor Vector was a significant improvement from what he had received from Snape; there was a big, red 'O' sprawled in the corner, causing a proud smile to form on the boy's face as Hermione squeezed his hand under the table in excitement.
"How was Divination?" Charlie asked Harry and Ron as he and Hermione met up with them on their way to Defence Against the Dark Arts. "Did you guys get an inspection?"
"Yeah," grumbled Ron, who opened the door to the classroom for his friends.
"What was it like?" inquired Hermione curiously, as she sat down at her desk with Charlie, and turned to Harry and Ron who sat behind them.
"Umbridge just lurked in the corner making notes on a clipboard." Harry explained with a shrug. "Trelawney told her that something peril was coming her way; something that would put her in grave danger."
"Well," Charlie laughed, "let's hope the old nutter actually made a prophecy that'll come true..."
Harry and Ron sniggered, and Hermione, although trying to conceal her amused smile, giggled to herself. The core four took out their copies of Defensive Magical Theory, just as Professor Umbridge had called them all to order and silence fell.
"Wands away," she instructed them all with a smile, and those people who had been hopeful enough to take them out, sadly returned them to their bags. "As we finished Chapter One last lesson, I would like you all to turn to page nineteen today and commence, 'Chapter Two, Common Defensive Theories and their Derivation'. There will be no need to talk."
"There will be no need to think is more like it," Hermione corrected, muttering under her breath with an immense harshness; Charlie had to contain a laugh by burying his head into his arm.
Still smiling her wide, self-satisfied smile, Umbridge sat down at her desk. The class gave an audible sigh as it turned, as one, to page nineteen. Charlie wondered dully whether there were enough chapters in the book to keep them reading through all this years lessons and was on the point of checking the contents page when he noticed that Hermione had her hand in the air.
Professor Umbridge had noticed, too, and what was more, she seemed to have worked out a strategy for such an eventuality. Instead of trying to pretend she had not noticed Hermione, she got to her feet and walked around the front row of desks until they were face to face, then she bent down and whispered, so that the rest of the class could not hear, "What is it this time, Miss Granger?"
"I've already read Chapter Two," said Hermione at once; Charlie looked up in disbelief.
"Well then, proceed to Chapter Three."
"I've read that too. I've read the whole book."
Professor Umbridge blinked but recovered her poise almost instantly as she saw Hermione smirk.
That's my girl, Charlie thought proudly.
"Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counter-jinxes in Chapter Fifteen."
"He says that counter-jinxes are improperly named," said Hermione promptly. "He says that 'counter-jinx' is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable."
Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows and Charlie knew she was impressed, against her will.
"But I disagree," Hermione continued.
Professor Umbridge's eyebrows rose a little higher and her gaze became distinctly colder.
"You disagree?" she repeated, taken aback.
"Yes, I do," affirmed Hermione, who, unlike Umbridge, was not whispering, but speaking in a clear, carrying voice that had attracted the attention of the rest of the class. "Mr. Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively."
"Oh, you do, do you?" said Professor Umbridge, forgetting to whisper and straightening up. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr. Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger."
Hermione began, "But -"
"That is enough," snapped Professor Umbridge. She walked back to the front of the class and stood before them, all the jauntiness she had shown at the beginning of the lesson gone. "Miss Granger, I am going to take five points from Gryffindor house."
There was an outbreak of muttering at this.
"What for?" spat Charlie angrily; he had tried to bite his tongue throughout the entirety of his girlfriend's conversation with the old hag, but he couldn't stop himself any longer.
"Charlie, please," Hermione whispered urgently to him, pleading with her eyes. "Don't get involved."
"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions, Mr. Hawthorne," said Professor Umbridge smoothly, whipping her head to Charlie with the wickedest smile on her face. "I am here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more licence, but as none of them - with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects - would have passed a Ministry inspection -"
"Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher," scoffed Charlie loudly, "there was just that minor drawback of him having You-Know-Who sticking out of the back of his head."
This announcement was followed by one of the loudest silences Charlie had ever heard, yet he could feel the proud gaze of Harry and Ron on the back of head. Hermione, on the other hand, had tried to nudge her boyfriend under the table to get him to stop before it was too late.
"I think another week's detentions would do you some good, Mr. Hawthorne," said Umbridge sleekly.
"No!" Hermione said at once, panicking slightly. "You can't do that! I was the one who interrupted the lesson, I should be the one tha-"
"Yes, but Mr. Hawthorne was so inclined to put his two senses in, isn't that right?" Umbridge looked between Charlie and Hermione curiously before leaning back down on their desk, this time, however, moving face to face with Charlie. "I wonder why that is... hmmm..."
Umbridge looked from between the two one last time, as though telling Charlie that she knew something was going on between them. The boy gulped, sinking in to his chair as a newfound fear flushed over him. Hermione looked at him curiously, but he simply shrugged it off.
Dolores Umbridge was one step closer to finding out Charlie Hawthorne's weakness.
--------------
The cut on the back of Charlie's hand had barely healed and, by the following morning, it was bleeding again. He did not complain during the evening's detention; he was determined not to give Umbridge the satisfaction; over and over again he wrote the same five sentences and not a sound escaped his lips, though the cut deepened with every letter.
His second week of detentions would seemingly go on like that; he would say nothing, but just continue to write until the time was up and he was excused to go back to Gryffindor Tower. Throughout the week, Umbridge visited both Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class and Professor Grubbly-Plank's Care of Magical Creatures class. And both times, Umbridge did the same thing; she wrote down every word that left the Professor's mouth as fast as possible:
How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?
Scribble.
Do you feel you receive enough support from the school management?
More scribbling.
What do you think of Albus Dumbledore as a Headmaster?
Pages of notes on each of the Professor's statements.
You will be receiving the results of your inspection within ten days.
End of inspection -
Friday night, Charlie left Umbridge's office at around midnight, his hand now bleeding so severely that it was staining the scarf he had wrapped around it. He expected the common room to be empty when he returned, but Harry, Ron and Hermione had sat up waiting for him.
"Come here," Hermione beckoned him to the couch anxiously, putting a small bowl of yellow liquid on the table as he sat down. She moved beside him and took her hand in his, "This should help, it's a solution of strained and pickled Murtlap tentacles."
Charlie watched as Hermione took some of the liquid into her fingertips before rubbing it gently into the back of his hand. Instantly, his bleeding, aching hand experienced a wonderful feeling of relief; he didn't know, however, if it was because of his girlfriend's touch or the Murtlap essence. Crookshanks curled around his legs, purring loudly, then leapt into his lap and settled down.
"Thanks," he said gratefully, scratching behind Crookshanks's ears with his left hand. Hermione peered up at him through her eyelashes, smiled happily and then nodded, still caressing his skin.
"I don't understand why you're not complaining about this," grumbled Ron in a low voice as he watched Charlie and Hermione's interaction with a slight glare, which no one seemed to notice.
Harry huffed, "He doesn't want to give her the satisfaction, Ron, we've been over this."
"Still, McGonagall would go nuts if she kn-"
"Yeah, she probably would," said Charlie dully, looking up in annoyance. "And how long do you reckon it'd take Umbridge to pass another decree saying anyone who complains about the High Inquisitor gets sacked immediately?"
Ron opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out and, after a moment, he closed it again, defeated.
"She's an awful woman," said Hermione in a small voice, and Charlie turned back to her. "Awful.You know, I was just saying to Harry and Ron when you came in... we've got to do something about her."
"I suggested poison," said Harry grimly, and Charlie sniggered.
"No... I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're not going to learn any defence from her at all," corrected Hermione.
"Well, what can we do about that?" said Ron, yawning. "It's too late, isn't it? She's got the job, she's here to stay. The Minister'll make sure of that."
Charlie's face faltered slightly at the mention of his father.
"Well," said Hermione tentatively. "You know, I was thinking today..." she shot a slightly nervous look at Harry and then plunged on, "I was thinking that - maybe the time's come when we should j-just do it ourselves."
"Do what ourselves?" inquired Charlie suspiciously, still enjoying the feeling of his girlfriend rubbing the essence of Murtlap tentacles against his skin.
"Well, learn Defence Against the Dark Arts ourselves, of course," suggested Hermione gently.
"Come off it," groaned Ron. "You want us to do extra work? I'm already behind as it is!"
Hermione sighed, "But this is much more important than homework!"
Charlie, Harry and Ron goggled at her before sharing a confused glance with one another.
Ron was aghast, "I didn't think there was anything in the universe more important than homework!"
"Don't be silly, of course there is," scolded Hermione, her face was suddenly alight with the kind of fervour Charlie loved to see burn in her eyes. "We need to prepare ourselves. We need to make sure we really can defend ourselves. If we don't learn anything for a whole year -"
"We can't do much by ourselves," said Ron in a defeated voice. "I mean, all right, we can go and look jinxes up in the library and try and practice them, I suppose -"
"No, we've gone past the stage where we can just learn things out of books," said Hermione, causing the boys to goggle at her once again. "We need a teacher, a proper one, who can show us how to use the spells and correct us if we're going wrong."
"Yeah, but who?" said Harry, frowning at her.
Hermione heaved a very deep sigh.
"Isn't it obvious?" she said, looking up at him from the couch. "I'm talking about you, Harry."
There was a moment of silence. A light night breeze rattled the windowpanes behind Ron, and the fire guttered.
Harry's eyes widened, "Wait, what?"
"I think you should teach us Defence Against the Dark Arts."
Harry stared at her in disbelief. Then he turned to look between Charlie and Ron, ready to exchange the exasperated looks they sometimes shared when Hermione elaborated on far-fetched schemes. To Harry's consternation, however, neither Charlie or Ron looked exasperated.
Charlie thought for a moment, "Well, there's an idea."
"What's an idea?" said Harry, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"You," answered Ron, knowing exactly what Charlie was thinking. "Teaching us to do it."
Hermione beamed in excitement that Charlie and Ron were on-board with her plan.
"Think about it Harry," she squealed. "I mean, you are the best in our year at Defence Against the Dark Arts after all."
Charlie, Hermione and Ron all grinned at one another; falling in love with the mere idea of escaping Umbridge's teaching habits, but Harry frowned.
"You guys are mental," he exclaimed. "I couldn't possibly..."
"Couldn't possibly what?" shrugged Charlie; a smirk appearing on his face when Harry was left speechless.
"You said it yourself, Harry," urged Hermione with a reassuring smile. "He really is out there... and if Umbridge refuses to teach us how to defend ourselves, we need someone who will."
The core four shared a look, subconsciously agreeing what the right thing to do was; they had to fight back.
---------------
Author's Note:
*this chapter was not proof read*
Hello, hello! How are you guys? I figured since it's been a couple days, I'd treat you guys to a longer chapter; so there's a bit of everything in this one <3
DA is coming next and I'm excited!
Also, what do we think about Char and Hermione becoming a little more... intimate...? The beginning of this chapter was honestly a trial to see if you guys want me to write chapters that are little more risky lmfaooo 👀
Let me know what you guys think, spam with comments! Also, if you enjoyed, be sure to like and share! I'd really appreciate it <3
Until next time!
xo, Selena