Charmione: Through the Years

Comforting

Taking place the summer after 5th year (they are still at the burrow)

Charlie had been staying with his parents home for the past week. It was him, Ron, Ginny, the twins, and of course his parents.

He had just woken up from a deep sleep to his sister screaming and running down the stairs. He immediately shot out of bed in only his boxers and ran down stairs to see what was going on.

"Ginny what wrong? Why are you screaming? Is every one ok?" He asked as soon as he got down stairs not even absorbing that a brown haired person was added to their midst.

" CHARLIE!!! Where are you clothes. We have a guest." Screamed his mother after seeing him dressing in only his boxers. At this hermione turned around to face him and started blushing profusely at seeing him half naked.

"Like what you see hermione?" Charlie tease her.

"CHARLES WEASLEY" his mother bellows.

"fine fine I was only teasing I will be back down in a sec." He replies as he runs up the stairs.

***

After throwing on a t shirt and jeans Charlie heads back down so see Ginny mrs and mr Weasley and hermione sitting at the table drinking tea and discussing the up coming school year.

"We will be going to Diagon alley at the end of the month after you get your letters does that sound ok with you dear." Mrs. Weasley asks Hermione.

"Yes, thank you Mrs. Weasley." She replied as the rest of the people at the table got up to go back to bed hermione said she was going to stay and finish her cup. Charlie stayed with her and sat down beside her. He finally got a good look at the girl.

She was taller then when he had last seen her and her hair in shiny ringlets instead of the previous bush which Charlie thought was adorable but could definitely see the upgrade. As he was looking her over she took a sip of tea and that is when he saw her hand.

Going right down her hand starting at her wrist ending at the knuckle of her middle finger was a red and purple scar which almost looked like writing. He felt a hot anger at whoever had done this to her. As she set down her cup Charlie grabbed her hand rubbing his thumb over the scar almost lovingly.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" She Hermione asked looking over at him. He looked over at her and saw her sad expression.

"Who did this to you" he asked with a protective tilt to his voice. And she explained what umbridge had done and every thing that had happened that year. Charlie held her hand the entire time and put an arm around her as she cried when she got to the part of Sirius dying.

Half way through the story they had moved into the lounge. And after she finished talking she was still crying slightly so Charlie just let her cry on his shoulder knowing that she had most likely been the pillar of support for harry and needed to let it out. Soon her bear thing evened out and Charlie realized she had fallen asleep. Scared of waking her Charlie made him self comfortable and slowly fell asleep as well his arms around her if he was the only thing protecting her from the world around her.

***

Hermione awoke to the sound of Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen and tried to stretch her arms but found she couldn't move very much. She opened her eyes to see a large chest under her she looked up to see a very handsome older brother of Ron.

"Morning Bookworm." She heard his deep voice murmur making his muscled chest vibrate.

"Morning Dragon tamer." She responded back sitting up. "I'm going to go get ready see you at breakfast"

"See you" Charlie responded.

"Oh and Charlie, thank you for last night."

"No problem" Charlie responded as he watched her walk up the stairs.

"Charlie can you come in here and help me out?" Charlie's mom called from the kitchen.

"Sure mom." He walked in to the kitchen and helped make breakfast and when it was ready he got changed and went downstairs for breakfast.

The buzz of chatter floated around the room as Charlie sat next to hermione across from harry and a blushing Ginny. Ginny then asked hermione;

"Hermione, where were you last night you never came back up to the room?" Fred hearing this piped up;

"Charlie you never went to your room either... what happened to you two?" However before either of them could give the answer Ginny interjected.

"Were you SNOGGING" to which both Ron and Charlie spat their pumpkin juice across the table at each other and hermione turned beet red. 

"No...we-never ugh" hermione choked out before Charlie said.

"we were just talking and then fell asleep in the lounge." Hermione gave him a great full look and Charlie returned it with a nod.

"Well now that that is over with I think all the children should go outside while your father and I have some alone time." Mrs Weasley said and every one ran out of the house before she could rope them into helping clean up but she caught Ron before he made it out because he had tried to stuff another piece of toast into his mouth before he left.

***

They spent the rest of the week lounging out side and swimming in the pond. Until one night.

Charlie had had a hard time sleeping so he gave up and decided to go down stair and grab a drink. He was in the kitchen when he heard a small sniff and a sob. He walked into the lounge where he saw hermione sitting on the couch crying her eyes out. He had noticed hermione become more touchy during the week and jumped when ever someone touched her. Also when ever Ron came into the room she almost shrunk away from him.

"Hermione?" She jumped and looked up at him "are you ok?" Charlie asked. She almost seemed unsure of what to say until she shook her head slowly. "What wrong?" Charlie asked as he sat down next to her.

She was quiet for a second until she responded.

"It's Ron. After you helped me the other night he came up to me and asked me if there was anything between us. I said no but he didn't seem to believe me. The next thing I know he had pushed me up against the side of the house because we were outside at the time and he kissed me. I tried to push him off and when I did he hit me. Not hard but hard enough and screamed at me. I couldn't tell you what he said because I was so scared I just didn't know what to do. But then he just walked away as if nothing had happened.

"I was ok after that happened but then tonight he did it again only this time he started pulling. At me pj shirt so I shoved him off of me and ran down here as fast as I could. I got down here just before you did." At this point she was shaking so instead of responding Charlie simply picked her up placed her on his lap and hugged as if it was the last thing he was ever going to do. She finally stopped shaking and while Charlie wanted to cave in his brother skull he knew she needed someone one to comfort her and that's just what he did.

After ten minutes of hugging Charlie finally spoke.

"Do you want to back up or stay down here?"

"I want to go back to sleep but I don't want to be alone." Charlie just looked at the girl who was usually so strong sit there absolutely terrified.

"How about I stay in your room on the floor. I don't mind and this way if Ron comes back I can protect you. Ok?" She looked at him a slowly nodded.

And so that is what he did. He continued this for the rest of the trip and was always near hermione never leaving her alone with Ron and making sure she was always safe. He never understood the urge to protect he had to the girl which he had even before Ron but he didn't mind. She was smart, funny, one of the bravest people he has ever met and vowed that night to never let anything happen to her. Ever.