The Boy Who Fought: OC X Hermione

Summer Before 6th Year

This summer was an alright summer for Carson. He had stayed at the burrow with his mothers approval and encouraged him to go. Mary didn't want him there when she cleaned out Steven's things. She had been coping just fine during the day, but Carson could hear the soft sobs coming from his mother at night from his room when he was home.

Hermione had written to him as often as possible, making sure he was okay. She had arrived at the burrow shortly after the first month of summer, but she had still checked up on her boyfriend as much as she could before she arrived. She knew he would most likely be having nightmares.

Hermione wasn't wrong in that topic. Carson was plagued by nightmares almost every night. The nightmares would vary, some of them where he couldn't protect Neville from the cruciatus curse and let him die, others where Hermione had died when she was cursed, and a few where Steven and Mary expressed their disappointment that Carson didn't go and save his father from the veil. Each one would result in Carson startling awake and the sweat dripping down his forehead.

He wished Hermione were there when he would get them before she arrived and luckily she had come early, but she had her own family to be with, one she rarely saw at all.

Hermione rarely saw her parents, she would stay at the Burrow or at school during the breaks, and then go to the burrow in the summers. She wasn't even supposed to be coming to the burrow this summer at all, but she knew she would be safest there, and she had told her parents it was a family thing she needed to attend again, to be there for her boyfriend.

That part she didn't lie about. And, her father was not happy to hear she had a boyfriend. Hermione's mother however, loved that her daughter had a boyfriend. And she was even happier that it was Carson.

Hermione's father knew about Carson of course, but every time he was mentioned as her boyfriend, Hermione told Carson he would complain about his only daughter having a boyfriend and how he wasn't deserving of her. He knew Carson was a nice boy, just he thought nobody was good enough for his little girl.

Hermione did attend a family thing like she told her parents, just not her own. She had attended Steven's funeral, to be there for Carson, she knew he would need someone, and it would be best if it was his girlfriend. Even though they didn't have the body, Mary wanted closure, and the funeral would provide her that closure she so desperately craved. After the funeral, Carson went straight to the burrow, where he mostly sat in his room the whole time.

He didn't play quidditch with anyone, he didn't make jokes with the Weasley twins or gossip with Ginny, or have family meals with Ron. His day consisted of sitting in his room writing to Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley having to bring him his meals or else he wouldn't eat.

Ginny had written to Hermione about this, and she told her parents she would be going to the burrow earlier than she was supposed to. They weren't happy, but after she explained what happened to Carson's father (she made up a story and didn't mention he was murdered by dark wizards who were after Harry) they had agreed she needed to be there for her boyfriend. Carson didn't know Hermione was coming earlier, and she had surprised him.

While he was happy in that moment, the happiness didn't last for long and his depression took over once again. Hermione started making him get up and go for a walk with her everyday, and soon he started feeling better and becoming himself again. He wasn't fully recovered, but it was a start.

Carson would be okay, he had his friends, the Weasley's, the order, and Hermione. He had a good support system and he would soon be back on his feet. Hermione Jean Granger was his rock, Carson didn't know what he would do without her.