Author's Note/Disclaimer: Here's the last chapter in this story! I appreciate all those who have followed this story and I just want to let you know that it might be a little bit before my next story comes out. I plan to partake in the whole TwitterFiction idea in March where authors are going to post stories through Twitter. I'm not an official participant but I still thought it would be fun. I will be doing a whole Harry Potter/Hunger Games crossover where I'll tweet as Hermione stuck in Panem right before the 74th Hunger Games and then consolidate the tweets into a fully fleshed out story right here on ! You can find more information in my author profile!

"I feel bad about doing this on the same day you had a big announcement of your own Ginny but I just can't handle mum trying to set us up on blind dates anymore," Charlie said as he reached out and wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist. "Hermione and I are a couple and we have been for quite some time now."

Hermione blushed even more as people gasped, gaped or cheered at the announcement. Mrs. Weasley looked especially affronted. "How long is 'quite some time?'" she asked.

"Well you might remember that at this time last year I was preparing to go to Romania to learn how their Vampire Rights Activists had achieved everything that they have over the years," Hermione explained. "Ginny had suggested I meet up with Charlie there, going so far as to Owl him with instructions to find my rented flat and drag me to dinner. I couldn't exactly refuse when he really did show up."

Sure enough Charlie had shown up at the flat the Ministry had rented for her. And when she'd tried to get out of it (how awkward would it be to dine with a man she'd crushed on for ages when she was younger?) he'd invited himself inside and announced he'd make her dinner. A few glasses of wine later she'd told him about her little crush and he'd kissed her. But, that night at least, it hadn't gone any farther because Charlie wanted to only pursue her if she were still up for it without the influence of alcohol.

Then everything changed just a few days later when Hermione had agreed to meet Charlie at the dragon reserve so he could show her how her old friend Norberta was getting on.

Hermione checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time and sighed. Charlie was supposed to have met her at the guest entrance to the nature preserve, a little diner specializing in pastrami sandwiches, nearly an hour ago. He had clearly changed his mind.

She was just about to leave when she heard a muffled "oh shite" behind her. She spun around in surprise. It had been days since she'd heard anyone but Charlie speak without a Romanian accent.

The sandy haired man rushed towards her. "Are you Charlie Weasley's girl?" he asked.

Hermione blushed, unsure of what to question first. Was Charlie really calling her his girl? And if so how did this stranger know she was the girl in question? "Um. I suppose I am. Why do you ask?"

The young man kept wringing his hands as he stared at her. "I'm sorry I didn't make it out easier but there was an accident. The preserve was told we would be receiving a new Chinese Fireball and her egg today but when we opened the crate the egg had already hatched and the situation got a bit hairy."

"Where's Charlie now? How is he?" she asked once her ability to speak had caught up with her brain. She hadn't caught anything the man had said after the word 'accident.'

"He got pretty badly burned but the Healers got him fixed up right quick. They sent him back to his flat to rest though."

Hermione didn't wait to hear more, rushing out of the restaurant so quickly that she forgot to thank her informant. She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached an Apparition point and was able to send herself to the wizarding entry point of Charlie's apartment complex.

Once she landed on her feet she furiously pushed the button that would alert Charlie to her presence, breathing a sigh of relief when she was buzzed in. It meant Charlie was at least well enough to push the corresponding button that would let her in the hall outside his flat.

Hermione raced up the stairs and down the hall to Charlie's second floor rooms, not even bothering to knock. She knew his wards after having visited his flat for afternoon tea (just tea, nothing more) every day since her drunken admission of love. Their meetings had been nice and flirty and had ended with goodbye kisses but they'd agreed to take it slow. It wouldn't do to have a one off when Hermione was so close to the entire family.

She had barely even shut the door when he appeared in front of her, a pair of gray sweatpants slung low about his hips. She wanted to rush forward and take him in her arms but refrained when the light he'd just flipped on showcased the bright red skin on the left side of his face and body.

"Oh Merlin Charlie! Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

Charlie chuckled and looked down at his left shoulder. "It looks loads better than it did earlier." He stopped laughing and slid up beside her when she cast him a horrified look. "I'm a wizard who works with dragons on a near daily basis. I can handle a few burns."

He slid an arm around her waist and guided her to his small living room. "I know there are magical lotions to heal burns, I saw them during the Triwizard Tournament, but it looks like they didn't use nearly enough on you." Hermione gently ran her hand over his bicep. "Your arm is so hot!"

"I can't say I'm not liking the attention," Charlie smiled. "It's not every day that a gorgeous witch lets herself into my flat and calls me hot while she's got her hands all over my body."

Hermione quickly pulled away, so fast a bystander might have thought she'd gotten burned herself. "Sorry, I was just so worried when your friend told me you'd gotten hurt. I can keep my hands to myself."

Charlie's voice was deep when he finally responded. "Maybe I want your hands on my body."

Hermione froze and her heart pounded wildly, wondering if they'd finally take things to a more physical level.

But then Charlie picked his wand up from the coffee table. "Accio burn ointment," he called out. "I'm assuming you won't mind helping me out, right? It'll be easier for you to apply it than it would be for me to use magic to do it. And in exchange for your help I'll order in food once you're done."

"You've got a deal," Hermione smiled as Charlie handed her the jar of ointment and turned so she could apply it to his back while he liberally smeared the oily cream across his face. She was just starting to wonder whether he'd changed his mind about a possible relationship (he hadn't even tried to kiss her even after she'd rushed over to check on him) when he moaned out loud as her hands drifted near his hips.

"Would you think any less of me if I told you dinner was the last thing on my mind right now?"

Hermione took a deep breath, insanely aroused by what she was hoping was a confession. "Then what exactly were you thinking about?"

"Forgetting dinner and taking you to bed to ravish you instead," Charlie said as he spun around and pulled her into his arms in one fluid motion. "Tell me now if you want me to stop or slow down or"

She cut him off with a deep kiss, allowing her tongue to slide in to tease his. When she finally pulled away she didn't move far. "If you don't whisk me to your room I'd be more than happy to Vanish the rest of our clothes right here," she whispered into his ear.

Charlie wasted no time in Apparating them both to his bedroom.

Ginny's shrill voice knocked Hermione from her reverie. "You've been together for a year and you never told us?"

Hermione and Charlie shared a slightly ashamed smile. "First we wanted to keep it a secret so we could figure out whether a relationship would really work. No sense in upsetting the family if it fizzled out right away," Charlie explained.

"But how has your relationship worked?" Luna asked. "Hermione travels so much and I thought you still lived in Romania Charlie."

"That's actually made it even easier for us to hide this," Hermione admitted. "You guys are so used to my being out of town for work that you never questioned me when I say I'm going out of town. So sometimes I was really in Romania when you thought I was elsewhere and other times Charlie would rearrange his schedule so he could visit me in whatever country I had traveled to."

Mrs. Weasley finally found her voice though it was tinged with disapproval. "And why exactly did you suddenly decide to tell us this news?"

Hermione frowned. "Actually I'm not sure. It was Charlie's idea and it made sense so I agreed to go with it." She couldn't help but turn to him. "Why now?"

"You just had to spoil the surprise didn't you, mum?" Charlie sighed before smiling down at his girlfriend. "I have some big news and I think, I hope, it will help with the decision you have to make about the Ministry position."

Hermione's heart pounded loudly in her ears but she nodded anyways. Just the week before Kingsley had spoken to her about transferring to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement which was tempting because it would give her a chance to strive for Muggle-born equality but she'd been hesitant. The new position would pay more but it required far less foreign travel and when she travelled was really the only chance she got to see Charlie. She couldn't help but wonder if he were about to ask her a certain life changing question.

Then Charlie reached out to clasp her hand in his. "While I was at work a few weeks ago I got wind of a new job opportunity and I looked into it farther. The Great Britain Dragon Preserve is opening up a new branch in Scotland and I interviewed for a position there. I start as one of their Head Trainers in two weeks."

So not a proposal but definitely fantastic news Hermione thought as she pulled Charlie into a tight hug, uncertain as to how their friends and family would react to a kiss.

"I like the idea of living closer to our friends and family. Why didn't you tell me this was a possibility?"

Charlie shrugged. "I didn't want to raise your hopes and have it not work out," he said as he gently pulled away from her. "And I was hoping I would be announcing all this in a more private and romantic manner."

"'Announcing all this?'" Hermione repeated. "You make it sound like you have even more big news."

"Maybe that's because I do." Charlie took a deep breath and then dropped to one knee. "I would love to list all the reasons why I love you Hermione Granger but then we'd be here for hours. So all I'm going to say for now is that I love you so much and I would love to hear you say you'll be my wife." Then, with a poof of magic, a ring box appeared in his hand. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes. Yes of course I will!" Hermione cried. The second after Charlie had slid the ring onto her finger she pulled him up off the floor. "I love you so much," she whispered before pulling him into a passionate kiss.

Suddenly she wasn't really worried about how their friends would react to any physical displays of affection.