Snogging at the Burrow

Chapter 27

"Has Ron gone to bed?" Ginny asked, finding Harry sitting on the stairs as she arrived at the landing.

"Not yet, no." He replied, standing up to face her.

"Shoelace." She said, and bent down to fix his shoe.

She stood back to her  full height. "Merry Christmas Harry"

"Merry Christmas" He replied.

Just then there was the sound of the door, and they both glanced toward the sound of footsteps below.  Hermione rounded the corner stopping as her eyes found the pair. "Oh!" She spoke with wide eyes. "You're still up?"

Harry nodded. "Wait a moment?" He questioned. "Where have you been?"

"I'll explain in the morning. Goodnight." She whispered, before hurrying up the stairs. 

"Probably just snogging Charlie." Ginny commented to Harry, and they both laughed at the statement.

The following morning everyone was up early, the sound of doors opening and slamming as everyone made it down to Christmas breakfast.  The twins were sending one of their skating penguins across the table until Mrs. Weasley had stopped it before it had completely knocked over a plate of truffles. 

"Did Remus and Tonks leave already?" Ron piped up, and his father answered him, explaining the moon was out again. 

Nearly everyone was seated.  Bill and Charlie had entered sitting next to Mr. Weasley per usual. 

"Ahh yes, shall we feast?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking hungrily around the table at all the plates stacked high.

"Wait a moment, where is Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

All the attention seemed to draw to Charlie, and he opened his mouth as to answer.

"I'm here." Called a faint voice. "Sorry Mrs. Weasley, overslept." she called in her usual apologetic tone before slipping into the seat beside Harry.  She had avoided glancing down the table.  But everyone seemed to ignore the small detail. 

As the day went on, Hermione had done a lot of avoidance. Everyone was rather merry, and she would not be the one to ruin it.  She opened her gifts as usual, smiling and thanking everyone as if nothing were the matter.  Though any feelings she had been suppressing drew back in an instant as she watched as Charlie had moved to hold a present she had gotten him.  He took the neatly wrapped package and slipped it under the sofa he was sitting.  She was thankful at least, and did the same as she had encountered one addressed to her. 

Within the next few days, everything had went on smoothly.  Despite the awkwardness one would encounter when running into someone who one had been with, Hermione and Charlie had solved such awkwardness by simply not encountering each other.   They sat on opposite sides of the table, they spent their time in different rooms, and they even went to the loo at different times during the night as to not pass in the hall.  Hermione had grown very good at recognizing Charlie's footsteps, and never being at the other end of where they had ended up. 

It was childish, but in a way it had worked.  And she was okay with it.  At least she thought she was. 

"Something is wrong with Granger." Fred had spoke to George one evening as they had their last dinner of the holiday out in the Garden. 

"Oh, I'm well aware, dear brother." He answered.

"Charlie" they whispered in unison as they craned to look down the table towards their brother.

"You suspect they broke it off?" George questioned.

"Most definitely, the only question is which one did so."