Four Weddings and a Dragon - Charlie Weasley

Part 2 - Chapter 10

AN: Here we are with Part 2! I'm just continuing instead of publishing it as a sequel. Hope there are still some fans of this story out there. Like always, I guarantee you HEA.

Hermione Granger Weasley had wondered if going back to her office in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures would be a relief after months of field research in the Carpathian mountains. It was convenient to have somewhere dry to sit and write. And while she did not miss the smell of brimstone wafting up from the dragon paddocks, her Ministry office was definitely lacking something. She knew exactly what it was: Charlie.

They had worked together every day for most of the year, all through their odd but oddly perfect marriage and courtship in Romania. Back in Britain, he was out of her sight, at her parents' old house across town, putting the final touches on the Pensieve he was crafting out of raw stone, enjoying what was left of his leave from the dragon sanctuary.

Only, since Hermione had gone back to the office, he wasn't enjoying his days alone in London at all. As she passed her first coffee break of the day, a cup of weak herbal tea in her hands, staring morosely at a wall, no windows to look out of in a Ministry housed completely underground, the door of her office opened. It was Charlie himself. He entered a little sheepishly, grinning but with his head hanging down, as if slightly embarrassed to have come running after her so soon.

Not embarrassed at all, Hermione jumped to her feet. "Charlie!"

But she wobbled as she rose, nearly falling, and he dashed toward her, catching her sloshing teacup before she spilled it all over herself, like the world class seeker he could have been. He set it down on her desk as quickly as he'd caught it.

He had her in his arms, steadying her, warning her. "Darling, pregnant people can't get up so quickly," he said as she focused her eyes on his face. "The baby affects your blood pressure and you can easily faint."

"Is that what it is?" she said, nestling into him as he held her.

"Yes," Charlie said. "On its own, a little low blood pressure is nothing dangerous. But if it makes you scald yourself with hot tea or fall and hit your head it could be a disaster."

She hummed and rocked in his arms. "My tea had already gone cold. And you've been reading that book Percy sent over, haven't you. That Wizards' What to Expect."

"Yeah, that's it," Charlie said, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "I thought you were reading up on everything to do with pregnancy too. You've got that huge stack of books in the bedroom."

"Oh, I am. But so far my interest has been mostly academic," she said. "I mean to get to the practical parts but all the biological and chemical details are so fascinating. Not to mention the magical ones. I'm a veritable potions lab of hormones right now. Can you tell?"

He gave a low laugh as he pressed his forehead to hers. "Actually? Yes."

"What else does Percy's pregnancy guide say?" she said, smiling archly at him, nose to nose. "Does it tell you my back will be sore if I sit for too long and you'll need to come to my office to massage it for me at least twice a day?"

Charlie clucked his tongue. "It might say something like that. It did teach me some massage techniques, at any rate." His hands began to knead and smooth the muscles around her lower spine.

She hadn't realized how truly stiff she was until she started to melt into his hands. Her eyes drifted shut. "That is lovely. Stars bless Percy, conscientious husband, father, and brother-in-law that he is."

"You're in a good mood now, aren't you? Feeling strong?" Charlie asked. "I hope so, because the truth is I've come with some disappointing news."

Hermione's eyes flung themselves open. "What? Is it Ela? Or her hatchling? Or Harry -- is it Harry?"