Merciless Flirt

Dinner had been wonderful. The weather was warm but not too hot, no mosquitoes but plenty of fireflies. Arthur and Molly had all of their grandchildren playing games down by the swimming pool, a more recent addition to the Weasley property. Harry and Charlie were in the kitchen doing dishes while most of the others were sitting around the pool, sipping lemonade and dragging their toes in the water. Hermione sat alone on the back porch swing.



“So you mind telling me what all that was?” Ginny asked. She stepped onto the porch and then sat beside Hermione on the swing. “Brought you some lemonade.” She handed her a glass.



“Thank you.” Hermione took a sip from the glass. Molly Weasley still made the best lemonade she had ever tasted. For years the matriarch had told her that the secret ingredient was love. Love turned out to be a special juice made from lemon tree leaves, but either way it tasted incredible. “And what was all what?” she asked.



Despite her supposed ignorance, Hermione knew exactly what Ginny was referring too. Though she hardly wanted to admit it to herself let alone Ginny. Admitting it meant that she was having feelings and she was in no position to have any sort of feelings for Charlie. He was practically her brother and deserved much better than an accidental sister for a mate in life. But she could hardly deny that the tension was there. Every time they were in a room together, which during the past few months had been increasingly often, sparks would fly. It would start off as some sort of verbal banter, just as it had before they’d ended on the ground in a one-sided tickle fight. And it would progress, usually ending in some awkward yet intimate contact, but never gaining further ground, due to interruptions mostly.



“Hello?” Ginny waved her hand in front of Hermione’s eyes. “I’m not thick, talk to me.” She said.



Hermione sighed. “Oh, Gin, I don’t know. He’s just— he’s— he’s just Charlie.” She stated.



“Well, I could have told you that.” Ginny snorted. “But you were all over him, well he was all over you really, but you seemed to be enjoying it.”



“I was not!” she shouted.



“Defensive much? Goodness…”



“He was tickling me, Gin. You’ve rolled around on the ground dozens of times like that with Charlie. There’s nothing between you two.” Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. It sounded equally stupid aloud as it had in her head.



“Well of course there’s nothing between me and Charlie we’re brother and sister.”



“Well, he’s like a brother.” Hermione brooded.



“Right.” Ginny rolled her eyes.



The girls sat in silence on the swing, slowly rocking back and forth. Ginny gazed at Hermione while Hermione gazed out over the backyard. Arthur was being tackled to the ground by three of his grandchildren but it was hardly light enough for her to tell which three. Crickets chirped to fill the silence between them.

“It’s nothing,” Hermione said.



“Nothing my arse,” Ginny muttered and stood from the swing. “I’m going in to help Harry with the dishes. If I don’t, he’ll be there all night.” She said. Ginny stood from the swing and went back into the house. The screen door banged against the frame behind her as the hinges creaked shut. They needed to be oiled.



Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. It was just nothing indeed. Ginny was right, but admitting it made Hermione’s heart race. So intense were their interactions, but they never seemed to go anywhere. It was agonizing. The screen door creaked open.



“Urgh,” Hermione groaned. “Gin, I told you there’s nothing going on between me and Charlie, now let a dead horse lie, won’t you?”



“Nothing going on between you and Charlie, eh?” Charlie said. He stepped out onto the porch and let the door bang shut behind him. “Sounds like some interesting gossip.” He smirked and took a seat beside her on the swing.



Hermione’s face turned redder than any Weasley’s hair she had ever seen. “Bollocks,” she muttered under her breath and then closed her eyes.



“So,” he edged closer to her, his leg pressed against the side of hers. Charlie waved a hand and puffed his chest up as Percy had done so many times after coming out. “Spill, girlfriend.”



It wasn’t happening. Hermione silently prayed that if she kept her eyes closed long enough he would just go away. But his boyish imitation of Percy cracked her concentration. “It’s nothing,” she gushed. Her words were rushed. She inhaled deeply. “Ginny just seemed to think that because you and I were at odds over a stupid sword fight that there was something going on between us.”



“And is there?” Charlie asked. His voice had returned to normal. There was no more Percy imitation.



Hermione swallowed hard and opened her eyes. He was gazing straight at her. The soft brown eyes, his little pointed nose, the full face, his long red hair, it was all too much. She looked away, gazing out over the backyard once more. “No.” she said.



“Well then that’s even juicier gossip!” he squealed, once again imitating Percy. “Think of the scandal! We’ll have to tell all our friends!” he jabbed her playfully in the ribs.



Hermione rolled her eyes. “Yes, the great Charlie Hermione scandal.” She returned the jab with a punch to his stomach. “Though you’ll need to lose some weight. I won’t be scandalized by a flabby belly.”



Charlie scoffed. “Yes, well, you’ll need to tame your hair,” he said tugging at a handful of her locks. “I shan’t be scandalized by such a frizzy mane.”



Charlie’s abdomen was anything but flabby. Smooth muscles and tan skin were modest descriptors. Hermione’s hair was sleek, nearly straight most days, and silky to the touch. She raised her eyebrow and then on an impulse flicked the tip of his nose. “I’m calling off this scandal. Your nose is too big.”



Charlie’s eyes grew wide. “You can’t call off this scandal.”



“Oh? And why’s that?”



“Because I’m calling off this scandal.” He reached forward and tugged on her right ear. “Your ears are too big.”



Hermione swatted his hand away. “Are not.”



“Are too.” Again he tugged on her ear.



“Are not!” This time she slapped his hand. And then she grabbed his nose. “Not as big as your nose, anyhow.”



“At least my nose fits in pictures,” he grabbed both of her ears and gave them a tug.



“Stop that!” she slapped the tops of both of his hands.



Charlie laughed and began to slap at her hands. Hermione slapped back with rapid succession. In a moment they had begun slapping at each other, each trying to slap the other harder, until Hermione’s hand slapped across the top of his leg and Charlie’s hand slapped across the top of her forearm. They were leaned in close, still slapping one another, Charlie laughing and Hermione growling. As her face neared his, her hands slowed. Charlie leaned in closer and slowed his slapping motions.



Her left hand fell atop his right and his right atop her left in a pile of hands resting between their laps. Hermione blinked, her eyelids falling slowly closed and lingering against each other before gazing into his eyes. His face was only separated from hers by a few inches of warm summer evening air. He closed his eyes for a moment. “Some scandal,” he muttered.



“Yeah…” her throat was dry. She could feel her heart leaping up in her chest. If she spoke she was afraid it would spring from her throat straight out of her mouth. Her hand trembled and she could feel her palm sweating. Hermione tilted her head slightly to the side, and felt his breath against her ear.



“Hermione,” he said.



“Yes?" her voice was a quivering whisper.



A loud squeal tore through the air. Hermione tore back from him at the same time he stood up. The swing swung violently backward and she almost toppled off it. She coughed, clearing her throat and stood up, moving as far across the porch from his as possible.



Percy came racing out the backdoor, missing them both on the porch and ran straight toward the group gathered near the pool. “He proposed!” he squealed. “He proposed!”



Hermione looked at Charlie and then looked away before he could catch her looking. A moment later Thomas stepped onto the porch. “I think he said yes, right? Squealing with joy and running from the room across the backyard screaming at your family ‘he proposed’ is a yes, right?” his voice wavered as a bead of sweat dripped down his brow.



“Yes,” Hermione and Charlie said in unison. She couldn’t help but flush.



“Congratulations,” Charlie smiled. “Come here!” he grabbed Thomas around the middle and picked him up into a big bear hug. “Welcome to the family,” he growled in delight and slapped Thomas hard on the back.



“Oh my God I forgot to answer him! Yes!” cried Percy from the pool. The redhead began running back toward the porch. “Yes! My answer is yes, Thomas! Yes I’ll marry you! Yes!”



Hermione smiled and stepped down off the porch. Charlie let go of Thomas so that his younger brother could embrace his fiancée. Without looking back, Hermione headed over toward the pool, eager to be anywhere but near Charlie.

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