Merciless Flirt

A/N: Sorry for the terrible delay in updates. I do hope this helps. Please leave a review letting me know what you think. Criticism, concerns, questions, etc.





“How long do you really expect to keep this a secret?”



“My intention wasn’t to keep it a secret,” said Hermione. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood with her back against the kitchen counter. The afternoon picnic had ended hours ago; Molly had left with Ginny and the kids to join them at the Potter house for dinner. But any moment she was expecting the matriarch and Arthur to return.



“Then what was all that nonsense in the kitchen about?” he asked.



“Nonsense? You were the one that went along with it!”



“Well, obviously you didn’t feel comfortable putting it out there.”



“Yes, Charlie, I didn’t feel comfortable putting it out there because your mother was standing right there. She would have put two and two together especially with you coming downstairs…”



Charlie scoffed. “You don’t think my mother knows what people do behind closed doors? I do have six siblings you know.”



“That’s not the point!” Hermione cried. Her face was flushed.



“Are we having our first fight?” he asked.



Hermione paused for a moment, drew in a breath to speak but then sighed. “No.” she said quietly. “It just— I don’t much fancy the idea of sharing my intimate life with your mum. She’s practically my mum for Merlin’s sake— not the sort of conversation a girl has with her mother at any age, especially not when the boy she’s having relations with is her actual son.”



“Right.” Charlie nodded and slowly crossed the kitchen toward her. “Sorry.” He muttered.



“It’s alright, I got flustered. Mostly embarrassed,” she admitted with a blush in her cheeks. She tilted her head up and gazed into his eyes. They shone, warm and inviting, and she smiled. “Sorry I was so fussed.”



He lowered his lips and pressed them to hers as her arms wrapped around him. They embraced and shared a slow kiss against the kitchen counter for a moment before she pulled back. “I just don’t know what we’ll do.”



“Well, I don’t suppose keeping it a secret will be an option for very long.” He said.



“I know that, but just how are we going to tell Molly?”



“Ahem.” The sound startled them both and Charlie jumped back from Hermione. “Just thought you ought to know your mother and I are home.” Arthur said. He turned his eyes from Hermione to Charlie and then back to Hermione, neither of whom could stall the blush that crept over their cheeks and flooded down their faces.



“She’ll be having leftovers for a week, but I suppose she gets that from me, always over cooking, but at least I had nine mouths to feed…” Molly trailed off as she appeared in the kitchen. “Charlie. I thought you’d left hours ago. What are you still doing here?”



Charlie’s eyes went wide. He gazed at his father, who simply shook his head, rolled his eyes and walked out of the kitchen. “Well, mum…”



“I was bored. So I asked him to help me with the washing up. From earlier.” Hermione added with haste.



A silence hung between the three of them for a moment.



“Actually, mum. I never left.” He said. Charlie grasped Hermione’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “There’s something I want to tell you.” He said. “The girl that I’m seeing? It’s Hermione.” He said.



Hermione’s face was brighter than a ripe apple. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth and tried to avoid Molly’s gaze.



“I stayed over with Hermione last night, and I don’t want you poking about or asking questions. We’re just taking it one step at a time.” He said.



Molly’s face remained stoic for a moment, but it in that same moment her lips burst into a smile. “Oh this is wonderful! You’ve finally got someone! You’ve each finally got someone! Each other, even!” she cried. “Arthur! Arthur!” she cried.



“I know, Molly, I saw them snogging in the kitchen before you came in.”



Again Hermione flushed scarlet.



“Forget him,” Molly muttered and rushed to close the space between her and her son. “Charlie!” she squealed with delight and pulled him into a tight embrace. She released him and then pulled Hermione into the same tight embrace. “Oh! I’m so happy I could—”



“No, it’s alright, mum.” Charlie said. “I don’t think we need any cake.”



“Yes, well, then I must be off to owl Ginny—”



“No!” Hermione cried. “Sorry, but, er— best let me owl her, she’s already furious that you knew I had someone stay over before she did.” Hermione tried to smile. It was awkward talking about it with Molly, but if Molly felt the same, she didn’t make light of it.



“Oh, finally. Now all of my sons have someone.” She beamed and then rushed into the living room.



“That wasn’t so bad,” Charlie said with a breath of relief.



“I suppose not.” Hermione shrugged. “Think we could head to your flat tonight?”



It was Charlie’s turn to shrug. “I don’t see why not. Though its tiny. And really messy.”



She smiled. “I don’t mind.”



~*~



For weeks they carried on in that manner. And Hermione had sent word to Ginny, who was thrilled. Big family summer dinners were wonderful. Sometimes they’d stay at the Burrow with Percy and Thom. Other nights they’d head back to his flat, which Hermione took to cleaning every time she was there.



But it didn’t take long for the summer to wind down. And the last family dinner had fallen on a Friday. The kids were still playing by the pool with the fireflies and their grandparents, Harry and Ginny were in the kitchen with the dishes. Hermione laid in Charlie’s lap on the back porch swing.



“I can’t believe summer is over…” she muttered. It was a topic she had long been dreading to discuss, but it needed to be brought to light.



“I know…” he said. His arms were wrapped around her, eyes gazing out over the backyard. It was the perfect peaceful summer evening, even if it was a little warmer than usual.



“Hogwarts will be back soon…” she said.



“I know…”



“And The Headmaster won’t allow visitors…” she said. Despite her prestige and personal relationship with Albus Dumbledore, no amount of pleading or asking favours was going to change the fact that visitors of a personal nature to the Hogwarts Teaching Staff were forbidden. It was considered a disruption, less so of a danger now that the Dark Lord had fallen, and despite all the bylaws, she could not find a way around it.



“I know…” he said. The swing rocked gently in the evening breeze. He nuzzled his nose against her neck.



“I won’t be able to see you until Christmas…” she muttered. Hermione had been teaching Transfiguration for nearly four years. She took first through third years, relieving some of the pressure from Minerva\'s timetables. “If I don’t get stuck with Holiday patrol…” she added as a bitter after though. It wasn’t something that was likely to occur two years in a row, being the unlucky staff member who had to stay behind with the students who weren’t going home, all depending upon the number of students staying. The previous year had warranted 30 more students than expected and Albus had thought it good to have an extra body on board.



“We’ll figure something out, Hermione. Let’s just enjoy the night. You don’t have to go back until Sunday. We’ll spend the whole day together tomorrow.”



“Alright.” She smiled.



She hadn’t really noticed that she’d fallen asleep in his arms on the swing, nor when he’d carried her from the swing up to her room in the Burrow. But she did notice when warm beams of sunlight danced across her eyelids. Hermione stretched her arms up over her head and was surprised to feel her headboard against her fingers. Morning light flitted through the windows in her room and danced across her face.



How had she gotten up to her room? And why was she alone? Twisting her neck and limbs about, Hermione stretched until she shook the slumber from her body. In the process she knocked a brown envelope from the vacant pillow beside her. The parchment caught her eye as it drifted to the floor.



Crinkled paper with messy handwriting had Hermione trembling before she’d even finished reading it.





Dear Hermione:

Please forgive me. I’ve been called away on urgent business. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise I’ll see you off tomorrow at the platform.

Much Love,

Charlie





She wasn’t sure whether to feel angry or hurt or sad. Or perhaps some fourth feeling that had yet to surface on her emotional radar. Surely he meant well, but what could be so important that he had to leave her all day? And why wouldn’t he back that night? Didn’t he realize that it would be three months before she saw him again? Perhaps he was growing cold feet and they had just been a steady summer fling.



She lay on her bed for what felt like hours, debating over what to do. And as the clock approached noon, she dressed herself and decided she was going to go find Charlie Weasley. Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been more important than spending their last day together, or so she hoped.



“I’m off to Diagon Ally,” she shouted as she walked through the house and out the front door. She wasn’t even sure if Molly was home, or anywhere within earshot but at the moment she didn’t care. Closing her eyes, she concentrated hard and with a quick pop she apparated to Diagon Alley.



It didn’t take her long to meander through the shops to the one with the giant dragon overhanging the doorway. Purple scales glistened from the creature today, a bright violet. The colours changed daily, which was no surprise to Hermione, but what did come as a shock was the sign in the window.



She pushed open the door and saw a very frazzled Lisa standing behind the counter. The shop was practically empty. Cages of every shape and size were vacant, and most of the merchandise was gone. “What on earth is going on here?”



“Going out of business, can’t you read the sign— oh, it’s you. Hello.” She said.



“What do you mean, going out of business?” Hermione asked. Her eyes were wide as saucers. She didn’t need the girl to repeat herself, the mostly empty shop was evidence enough of exactly what the sign in the window said.



“Just what I said. Boss man’s been liquidatin’ all week. Just up and outta nowhere threw it all out just like that. Well, sold most of it, actually, but he wants the shop completely empty by tonight so the new renter can move in tomorrow.”



“Where’s Charlie?” she asked.



Lisa shrugged. “That’s what I’d like to know. These bloody Fanged Tricklebogs need their last set of shots today and he’s the only one that can manage it without losin’ ‘alf a finger.” The silver haired half elf moved out from behind the counter and grabbed the last terrarium on the shelf near the door. It held a dozen or so twinkle crabs. “They’re not going to sell. You want them?” she pushed the case in Hermione’s direction.



“No thank you.” She said. “What I would like is Charlie, however.”



“You and me both.” Lisa rolled her eyes. “He didn’t even say where he was going. Popped by the shop long enough to pick up his stuff and then just disappeared.”



“His stuff?”



“Yeah. He packed up his flat last night, brought it all here. Told me I could have the place, rent free. Even offered me the shop, but I told him I couldn’t manage it on me own.”



Hermione stood there dumbfounded.



“You wanna gimme a ‘and with these Tricklebogs?”



It took her a moment to even register that she had been asked a question. “No.” Hermione shook her head. She turned slowly and walked back out of the shop. What on earth had just happened. In a matter of hours her entire world had been turned upside down. She didn’t understand it. What had happened to change his mind so severely that he needed to pack up and move away without telling anyone where he was going? She nearly burst into tears right on the street.



But she reigned in her waterfall of emotion until she’d apparated back to the Burrow and was locked safely in her room. It was going to be a very long train ride back to Hogwarts in the morning.







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