An Unusual Profession

A/N: Much thanks to magalena for betaing this for me! Original prompt - Ron might have loved her for years, but that didn't stop Charlie watching the little witch. She was always reading but all he wanted to do was throw her book at the wall and carry her off to bed. But he couldn't. Shouldn't.


The second she left Hogwarts for the final time, she knew exactly what she wanted to pursue as her career. It was unheard of, looked down upon even. That had never stopped her before. Certainly S.P.E.W. wasn't a rousing success. It did, however, prove a point and made people consider the notion of the ethical treatment of magical creatures. She was excited to have a profession which was considered out of the ordinary, something no one had attempted with any degree of enthusiasm or success.

Her love of healing played an important part in her career choice. During the war, she studied the fine art of magical healing under the tutelage of Madam Pomfrey. She healed countless wounds her comrades sustained during the final battle. Hermione felt that she made a difference, regardless of her not actively participating in the battle.

Due in large part to her Healer training, she was able to save Professor Snape from a horrible fate. She was on the grounds taking care of casualties as needed, when she heard Harry and Ron talking about the professor and his memories they recovered from the Shrieking Shack. Taking her medical bag, she rushed in through the secret tunnel and worked diligently to save his life. Because of her deeds, Professor Snape had a life debt to repay. He did so through providing Hermione with an extended Potions apprenticeship.

For two years, Hermione was nothing more than Snape's willing slave. He did his best to break her, to prove that she was an unfit Potions apprentice. He was relentless in his pursuit of crushing her spirit: making her scrub the lab top to bottom with only a bucket and small brush, ordering her to rewash every cauldron if one was found to be less than pristine, and keeping her practically chained to the store room every weekend while she reorganized the ingredient shelves. She never wavered from her goal. She wanted to be the best and prove to him that she deserved to be his apprentice.

For twenty-four agonizing months, Snape made Hermione's life a living hell. At the age of twenty, twenty-one taking her Time-Turner year into consideration, she was the youngest female to ever sit the Potions Mastery exam. The exam was rigorous and time consuming. For three days, Hermione brewed and wrote essay upon essay to show the examiners her Potions skills. Three weeks after she submitted her final potion, she was granted the title “Potions Mistress.”

Snape seemed significantly disappointed when Hermione told him that she wouldn't be using her mastery degree to teach or operate an apothecary shop.

“What?” he shouted.

“Becoming a Potions Mistress wasn't my main objective,” Hermione repeated, exasperated that he was so angry about her decision.

“Why? What could you possibly do that wouldn't amount to the last two years being a complete waste of my time?” He sneered. He was livid that she was pissing away a perfect opportunity at a lucrative career.

“My mastery degree will make me a more effective Healer.”

He snorted, “A Healer? You must be joking! If you're going to be a Healer, you have no need for the license to brew restoratives.”

“I'll be a magical creature Healer, you arse!” she shouted at her former master.

He was shocked. He knew that she always deviated from the norm, but this was unheard of. “What made you decide to pursue that line of work?”

“Charlie Weasley mentioned...”

“I should have known a Weasley would make such an asinine suggestion,” he sniped.

Hermione was practically seeing red at his flippant remark. “If I may finish,” she said through clenched teeth. “As I was saying, Charlie mentioned the problems the reserve was having with injuries the dragons have inflicted on each other whilst protecting their nests or offspring. During the summer months when you actually allowed me a brief respite, I studied Advanced Care of Magical Creatures under Rolf Scamander. Now I'm ready for practicum work, which will be at the Dragon Reserve in Romania.”

“You seem to have given this significant thought. I'm pleased that you're not going into this half-cocked and actually have a formulated plan. I'm glad to know that your mastery won't be going to waste.”

Hermione basked in his momentary praise, relishing in the fact that after nine years of hard, diligent work, she had finally earned some positive remarks from him. Still, she was stunned. “Th... thank you,” she stammered, trying to regain her composure after his unexpected remarks.

“When do you leave for Romania?” he asked.

“I'll catch my Portkey at three today.”

“Excellent. I'm certain you'll need the hours to finish setting your affairs in order. Best of luck in your endeavors, Mistress Granger.” With a curt nod, he turned on his heel and quickly left the room.

Hermione did have countless thing to do before she departed: last minute packing, farewells to the staff. It felt like she was leaving home with no hope of ever returning. She shook off that unsettling feeling of nostalgia and got to work on finalizing the last minute details for her trip.

*Meanwhile... in Romania*

Charlie could hardly contain his excitement. He had been thrilled when he saw the approval parchments for Hermione to work at the reserve. The summer before she began her apprenticeship with Snape, they had spent countless hours together discussing Hermione's career path. He was shocked, like most people, when she outlined her venture into the uncharted field of magical creature healing. He was also honored that she chose to share her aspirations with him and not Harry or Ron. He overcame his surprise when she told him the boys were less that supportive of her chosen profession and she ended her relationship with Ron because of it.

“They just don't understand why. 'Why would you pursue something as stupid as that?' is what Ron had the audacity to ask me,” Hermione told Charlie angrily.

“Did you punch him like you did Malfoy in your third year?” Charlie asked, chuckling at the thought of Hermione slugging his youngest brother.

“In hindsight, I think I should have. He actually had the nerve to suggest I would be better suited to an office job with predictable hours, so I'd have plenty of time to devote to my husband and children.” She snorted at the notion before speaking again, “I never, ever led him to believe I even wanted children, nor do I want a husband I will have to cater to his every whim. No one is going to rule my life but me,” Hermione said emphatically.

“Good for you for asserting yourself and not allowing Ron to run roughshod over you. He can be overbearing at the best of times, so you're well rid of his dominating personality. Now, back to this fascinating idea for magical creature healing.” Charlie deliberately veered the conversation towards the Dragon Reserve and the injuries the dragons usually sustained in the mating season during the critical time after the eggs are laid.

Hermione was over the moon that Charlie was willing to present her with the opportunity to pursue her dream. It was then that Hermione began to see Charlie in an entirely different light. He ceased being a friend and started being something more.

Breaking out of his reverie, Charlie stepped into the shower. Hermione would be arriving soon and he didn't want to meet her smelling like dragon dung.

He quickly completed his bathing, and partially dressed so he could rid himself of his several days beard growth. He wanted to be clean shaven for her. If his reacquainting with Hermione went as well as he hoped it would, he didn't want his facial hair to chafe her. He had been waiting a very long time for this moment and he didn't want to do anything which might screw it up.

He had wanted her since the summer of the ill-fated Quidditch World Cup over six years ago. Just the summer before that, when his family had visited Egypt, he had heard nothing but complaints about her from Ron. Her swotty know-it-all tendencies were Ron's chief complaints. But even then, Charlie was fascinated by her. Once he actually met her, he was lost.

It was unnatural, unhealthy, immoral even, the way he desired her. At the height of the war, when the Order was organizing at Grimmauld Place and Hermione was busy researching Dark curse healing methods amongst the Black family's tomes, he wanted her. Seeing her hunched over a dusty text did nothing to quell his desire for her. He wanted to rip the book from her hands, and take her against the shelves of the Black family library. He couldn't risk it. At the time she was still with his brother, so he just watched. Watched and waited for Ron to do something to mess the relationship up. Charlie had bided his time because he knew one day Hermione would be his.

Charlie was quite accustomed to waiting. In his line of work, one needed to exercise great patience. The height of the dragons' mating season provided the greatest lesson in it. A person's unintentional intrusion into the delicate process that is the mating ritual could cause the dragons to not procreate at all. One had to be mindful of the females' reactions to know when was the best time to approach. If anyone could read the fairer sex's signals, it was Charlie Weasley. If he read Hermione correctly, she was ready for a new relationship. Now all he needed to do was wait for her to make a move. He excelled at the waiting game.

*Back at Hogwarts*

Hermione had made the rounds to all of her mentors during her tenure at Hogwarts. She even briefly visited Trelawney in the North Tower just to say she called upon everyone. Some goodbyes were a bit more solemn than others. McGonagall and Hagrid shedding the most tears at her departure. Other staff members were more reserved in their well wishes. Professor Flitwick gave her a quick twenty minute lesson on his newly created shielding charm, which proved to be much stronger than the simple Protego. All in all, Hermione was more than ready when her Portkey activated at precisely three p.m.

The moment she ceased moving through the swirling vortex of magical travel, she collapsed against her suitcase, throwing her head between her knees and breathing deeply to try to regain her equilibrium. She didn't know exactly where she was, but it was obvious that she wasn't at her appointed location - the administrator's office.

The air felt uncomfortably heavy and strangely humid as Hermione took in her surroundings. She was in a ghastly tiled room which had several smaller areas partitioned off to the right. She looked to her left and had the unsettling realization that there had been a serious error with her Portkey destination.

She noticed a row of sinks with one continuous mirror hanging above them. At the sink furthest away, a half-naked man stood, diligently shaving after his shower. She could tell his jeans were unbuttoned as they clung all along his body except at the waist, where it gaped slightly. The excess moisture from his shaggy red hair dripped off, running down his burn-scarred back, seeming to travel towards paradise as it disappeared under the waist band of his jeans. She let out a small whimper as she imagined being that water droplet.

The noise startled the man, causing him to turn towards her, revealing his tattoo: a dragon slowly swishing its tail and undulating its body along his bicep.

He looked at her curiously, his eyes taking in her shapely form before he dared to speak. “Hermione?” he asked, as if he were unsure the woman before him was real.

“Charlie?” she replied, as she felt her face flush slightly. He slowly nodded and smirked at her colored face. She couldn't believe she had been ogling her friend Ginny's brother, the man she was here to learn from. “It's so good to see you. Though I wish my Portkey hadn't dropped me here of all places. I can't imagine what went wrong.” Hermione seemed a bit out of sorts, as she tended to ramble in uncomfortable situations.

“I imagine it was due to the wards we had to reinforce this morning. No real harm done though. You've made it all in one piece with your luggage intact. All in all, it makes for a positive outcome to rather unpredictable magic. If you'll give me a few moments to finish up, I can show you your quarters and give you a quick tour of the reserve.” He gestured towards the door farthest from him and spoke again, “Through that door is the ladies' loo. From what I've heard, there are much nicer amenities over there. So you can freshen up if you'd like.”

“Th... thank you, Charlie,” she managed to stammer out. “Meet you outside in ten minutes?”

“Good enough,” he said before he returned to completing his ablutions. After she left, Charlie rushed to finish his shave, so he could squeeze one out to rid himself of his erection. He wasn't expecting her to look to stunning and her presence in the bathroom caught him completely off guard.

Hermione needed every second of those ten minutes to pull herself together. She was cursing the Ministry six ways from Sunday for giving her a wonky Portkey. She couldn't get over how hot Charlie looked, fresh from the shower, dripping wet. It sent her imagination into overdrive.

Shaking her head to clear her wayward thoughts, she withdrew her shrunken cosmetics case, resized it, and got to work on repairing her travel-mussed look.

Ten minutes later, Hermione and Charlie were on their way to the communal living quarters.

“We're rather big on the shared living concept. We live in such a remote and dangerous place that it's nice to have people to come home to, even if they are only 'flat-mates.' We each have our own bedroom, but we share a kitchen and common area,” Charlie explained.

“How many other people live here?” she asked.

“Aside from the administrator who maintains separate, private quarters for himself and his wife, we have six dragon keepers, two grounds keepers, and a certified Healer who is rotated out every six months. You are the first magical creature Healer we have ever had.”

“I'm not one yet. I'm still learning.”

“Regardless, you are the first person to be here to specifically heal the dragons. There is so much I want to teach you,” Charlie said, enthusiastically.

'I'm sure there's plenty you could teach me,' Hermione thought to herself as she caught another glimpse of his perfectly-sculpted body.

Charlie had spoken again while Hermione allowed herself to be distracted by his arse. Shaking her head to clear her naughty thoughts, she said, “I'm sorry. What did you say?”

Charlie had seen her glazed look as her eyes took in his muscled form. He knew now would be an excellent time to approach her. “Is everything all right, Hermione? You seemed to be somewhere else.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled. She quickly recovered by saying, “I was thinking about the scars on your back. Do they give you any discomfort? Why weren't they properly healed?” She recalled the flesh of his back, how it was significantly discolored and the skin was thickened in some areas, tautly stretched across his back and up over his shoulders.

“It happened during the time we were between Healers. I was approaching a newly hatched Chinese Fireball for its vitals, the mother felt threatened and she blasted through my shielding charm, melting part of my protective suit to my back. It's difficult to heal a burn long after the fact, so I must deal with my mobility limitations as best as I can.”

Hermione gazed into his brilliantly blue eyes as she asked an all important question. “What if I told you I could heal you?” She spoke softly before she waited for his reaction.

Charlie snorted and shook his head. “I'd say you were dreaming. After more than a few hours, dragon inflicted burns are impossible to heal. Our new Healer arrived the next day and his spells did nothing.”

“But he wasn't a Potions Master, was he? The potion and thesis I submitted during my mastery exam focused on the healing of magical burns. My work completely healed Draco Malfoy's Fiendfyre burns over two years after he received them.”

Charlie stood in awe of the incredible witch before him. He could barely manage to ask, “It restored skin marred by Fiendfyre?

Hermione nodded. “Will you let me heal you?”

“Yes,” Charlie said in an emotion clogged voice.

“Let me retrieve the necessary balm and I'll meet you in your room where we can have some privacy.”

A few moments later, they were in Charlie's large bedroom, with him stripped down to his boxers, lying face down on the bed with silencing charms in place, as the restoration process was painful.

“Charlie,” she whispered as she removed her shoes and prepared to straddle his arse for the best position in which to apply the healing salve. “The balm itself should cause you no discomfort. The incantation I must recite to activate the balm has the potential to inflict pain depending on how deep the scars are. You must try to remain as still as possible so I don't miss any areas with the salve. Are you all right with this?” she asked, needing to know before she could begin healing him.

“Yes,” Charlie said in a voice muffled by his pillow. “Do the best you can and I'll quell my urge to thrash about through the pain.”

Hermione rubbed her palms together, coating her hands with the salve, warming it slightly. She laid her hands on his back, starting at his shoulders where his burns were the thickest. Working her hands in an intricate swirl pattern, she began chanting the spell to activate the balm.

With every application of extra salve, she chanted again, focusing on the deepest burns, putting her all into making Charlie whole. He drew in hissing breaths whenever he felt the melted flesh tighten slightly then relax as it became smooth and scar free.

After almost an hour of chanting and smoothing the balm over his skin, Hermione gently rolled off Charlie's arse and fell to the bed beside him. She was finished and the intricate magic had taken its toll on her, leaving her weak.

He turned his head to look at her as she fell into a shallow sleep to try and recover from the draining healing magic she just performed. He twisted his body and rolled to his side, a move he had been unable to do without pain since he had been burned. He was overwhelmed that she cared so much about his well being that she would exhaust herself to heal him. “Thank you,” was all he managed to say without his voice breaking.

“Hmmm?” she said as she roused from her brief slumber.

“Thank you for healing me,” he repeated before he leaned over her body to kiss her.

The kiss was unexpected, but most certainly not unwelcome. Hermione opened her lips to his questing tongue, allowing his sensual exploration. He drew his body closer to hers, pressing her lithe form deeper into the mattress. Hermione moaned as she drew her arms around him, her hands sliding up his newly mended back to bury themselves in his hair, pulling his head closer to hers.

He pulled back from her embrace and asked, “Is this what you want, Hermione?”

“Oh yes, Charlie. Don't you know that I have wanted you for quite sometime? I honestly didn't think you would ever notice that I was a female and not just a brainy bookworm.”

“When you're engrossed in your studies, you really don't pay much attention to the people around you, do you Hermione?” She looked at him questioningly as he continued. “I've desired you ever since it was unconscionable for me to do so. The summer of the World Cup, I couldn't take my eyes off you. All that ever came out of Ron's mouth was how brainy you were, how focused to the point of being overbearing, swotty even. His comments didn't put me off, they fascinated me. I wanted to know more about you, but at the time I was way too old for you. Now, it doesn't matter if our age difference was simply eight years. I want to be with you, Hermione, in every way. But only if you're certain that you desire the same.”

“I want that more than I could ever tell you. Let me show you just how much,” she said sultrily, right before she pulled him down for another kiss.

Charlie's hands roamed her body as they continued to kiss, sliding under her shirt, lightly grazing her stomach until he reached the soft, lacy fabric of her bra. Hermione arched off the bed, urging him on as his fingers sought her bra's clasp.

She eased her hands out of his hair and grabbed the hem of her shirt, impatiently tugging at it. They broke the kiss momentarily to facilitate its removal. Once the garment was discarded, Charlie unhooked her bra and let it join her shirt on the floor. He raised up slightly, slowly taking in the spectacular sight before him. Her breasts were perfect. Soft, smooth, firm globes of flesh which seemed to be made for Charlie as they fitted in his hands perfectly. “Lovely. I've always known you'd be beautiful,” he murmured as he lowered his mouth to her nipples.

Hermione moaned and sighed as Charlie's mouth worked her aureoles into firmer peaks, sending shock waves of sensation coursing through her body. She writhed beneath him as he nipped and suckled her. His hands left her breasts, causing Hermione to moan her displeasure until she realized where his hands were headed. He grazed them down her sides, stopped momentarily by the waist band of her light summer trousers. He worked his fingers underneath, easing them round the front to tend to the button and zip holding the garment closed against his attentions. Fumbling only for a moment, he managed to open her trousers and hooked his fingers beneath the elastic of her knickers to remove them as he took off her trousers. In one quick motion, Hermione found herself bared to him, with nothing between the two of them except the scant boxers Charlie still unfortunately wore.

Hermione became rather shy during his blatant perusal of her body, as she clamped her thighs together, closing herself off to his view. “Don't,” he whispered. “I want to see you. All of you,” he said as he slid his hands between her thighs at the apex, caressing her softly, urging her to open up to him.

“We aren't exactly on a level playing field, are we? I'm completely naked and you still have your boxers on.”

He laughed softly at her impatience. “Which is where they shall remain for the time being. Once they come off, there is no going back and I want to make certain you are ready for me in every way.” He emphasized his point by rubbing his fingers along her cleft, letting them slip between her plump folds, sliding in the wetness found there. “Are you ready for me?”

“Ohh!” she moaned as his questing fingers breached her, dipping into her moist heat then sliding back out to encircle her engorged clitoris. “No, but if you keep that up I will be sooner than you might think,” she responded once she caught her breath enough to speak.

Charlie's mouth latched on to her breast as his fingers worked a primitive magic all their own on her. She could feel the knot of pleasure build slowly in her lower belly, tightening and radiating outwards, curling her toes and fingers at the sensations being wrought within her. “Ahhh!” she cried as she felt the fluttering of her vaginal walls, squeezing the two fingers Charlie was working in and out of her. “Gods! I'm coming,” she moaned as tiny bursts of white light exploded behind her eyes, making her feel broken apart and only Charlie would be able to put her to rights again.

As she rode out her orgasm, Charlie removed his boxers and grabbed his wand from the bedside table. He quickly cast the contraceptive charm then tossed his wand back on the table. “I want to fuck you, Hermione. Are you ready for that, ready for me?” he whispered to her harshly.

Spurned on by his base language, Hermione rubbed her wetness against him and replied, “I think I am more than ready for you.” She reached her mouth up to him, pressing her lips against his and said, “Fuck me, Charlie.”

He needed no further reassurance that she wanted this, wanted him. He rubbed the head of his cock against her clitoris, sliding up and down her lips, lubricating himself with her arousal. He eased his cock slowly into her tight sheath, gasping at the feel of her heat surrounding him. “Oh, good gods!” he groaned, pushing languidly into her, until his thighs nudged her arse and he was buried deep within her.

Hermione felt the head of his cock bump her cervix and she moaned in delightful pleasure, “Oh yes, Charlie. That's where I need you to be.” He raised her hips as he pushed up on his knees, sliding them under her, pushing his cock in deeper still. “Ahhh!” she shrieked as her walls tightened around him in response to the changing position.

Gathering her upper body in his arms, he raised her up off the bed, drawing her body closer to his. She wrapped her arms around his back, holding him tightly to her as he whispered against her throat, “Ride me, witch. Fuck me and show me how much you need this.”

Slowly rotating her hips, Hermione quickly established a pleasing rhythm, working him ever deeper into her as she undulated on his lap. “Oh, yes,” she moaned. “Please!” she begged, not knowing exactly what she was asking for, but comforted in the knowledge that he would provide what she needed.

He held her hips, urging her to quicken the pace as he felt his balls draw up against his body. “Oh, I'm going to come, Hermione,” he moaned against her chest, unintentionally tightening his grip as he thrust against her rocking hips.

With every stroke, his cock brushed against her g-spot, stealing her breath and sending little bursts of pleasure coursing through her body. She could feel her nirvana edging closer. One final thrust sent her over while she cried out her release to the heavens. “Ahhh! Yes, Charlie. YES!” she screamed, feeling tears slip out from beneath her tightly closed eyes as she was overwhelmed by the pleasure she felt.

Charlie couldn't hold back any longer as her walls clamped down on his cock. He let out a guttural,indistinguishable sound as he came, spilling his seed inside her as she continued to ride him through their orgasms.

Hermione relaxed against him, seemingly purring through her pleasure, rolling her hips slowly against his as her orgasm waned. “Damn! If this is the sort of thanks I can expect, perhaps I should just be your personal Healer instead,” Hermione said, once she had regained the use of her voice.

Charlie smirked at her remarks and replied, “If you can heal the dragons even half as well as you healed me, I'll be certain to thank you every night.”