Nocturnal
by Red Garden Gnome

Summary: Taking a position in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Hermione Granger grows closer to Charlie Weasley, who's back home from Romania. As their relationship deepens, a spin of corruption and malice is revealed, threatening to tear apart the wizarding community in Great Britain.

The beginning of the story takes place in August of 1998.

Charlie Weasley, born December 12, 1972 (age 25)
Hermione Granger, born September 19, 1979 (age 19)

Chapter 2 will be posted Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 1: The Spark between Birds

Hermione stepped outside of the Burrow, letting the screen door close quietly behind her, as the voices from inside the towering home became muted. She crossed her arms over her chest as a cool, summer breeze stole over her, blowing around her frizzy hair while her light blue blouse rippled with the wind. The night was cloudless, as the moon hung off in the distance across the black canopy of the sky, joined by the stars, which glowed about in a dazzling display, appearing like diamonds lost at sea.

The war was over, as the Battle of Hogwarts had taken place nearly four months before, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There had been causalities, fifty by means of the Daily Prophet, and now, the wizarding community in Great Britain was on the mend. There were some close calls, like that of Fred Weasley, who had nearly been killed in an explosion, however, he had lived (though he spent the next month at St. Mungo's recuperating). It would be a slow burn, trying to live on, knowing what had just happened by that of Lord Voldemort and his wild band of Death Eaters that had nearly cast the entire populace of witches and wizards into total chaos, having anarchy rule. But he had been defeated and he was no more.

However, the effects of the war still lingered; Hermione felt them, especially at night within her nightmares, and she was sure that Harry and Ron had felt it was well. After all, nearly a year on the run had lasting implications for anybody, no matter the witch, wizard, or Muggle.

Hermione thought over the pieces she had to pick up and put back together to give her life more meaning that what it had at the moment. The war had shattered a plan she had set for herself after she finished school and now, she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to do.

On one hand, Ron had made some of his advances quite apparent as it was clear his mind was still drifting over the memory of the kiss they had shared during the final battle. There was also the idea of Hermione returning to Hogwarts to finish her education, just like she had initially intended. With the new term beginning on the first of next month, Hermione had things to sort out, a life to plan, and feelings to harbor.

Just then, the voices inside the Burrow became louder once again, as its screen door creaked open; when it clanged shut, the sound was once more drowned down to a low dull.

Hermione turned her head and saw Charlie walking towards her, donned in a black t-shirt and jeans, his hands in his pockets.

"What're you doing out here, Hermione," Charlie said as a way of greeting, looking slightly baffled seeing her outside.

"Just thinking is all," she responded lightly, looking over at Charlie before she returned her gaze upwards towards the night sky.

"Well, do you fancy a short walk? I like to clear my head after dinner," he offered with a small shrug of his shoulders, "it's always so noisy in there."

"I thought you liked it," Hermione questioned, as the pair started to stroll down the lane, side-by-side with the grass crunching underneath their feet, "a big family and all?"

"I do, you're right about that, but sometimes, my family can be a bit overbearing, don't you think?"

"Maybe, or could it be that you're just not used to it, living in Romania and all," Hermione replied.

"That could be the reason," Charlie said in contemplation with a grin slowly crawling over his face, "I mean, back at the reserve, I do live by myself. It's typically quiet there save for the occasional dragon."

Hermione laughed at this as she looked over at Charlie, who stared ahead of him. She noticed that even though she was shorter than him, Charlie was the smallest Weasley son; Bill, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron all towered over him like the skyscrapers of London, though Charlie packed a lot more muscle than that of his brothers, as his black t-shirt stretched over his bulging biceps. Hermione surmised that working with dragons all day built up one's body and stamina. She also noted that Charlie had the shortest hair of the Weasley clan, as his clean-cut, fiery red hair was waved off to the side.

"So Hermione," Charlie started slowly in a serious manner, snapping Hermione's mind back to reality, "Do you plan on returning to Hogwarts? I overheard Ron and Harry tell mum that they're not going back."

"Well, I'm not exactly sure if I want to go back either, part of me does, but part of me doesn't. I guess you could say that it's all up in the air right now," Hermione sighed, as they strolled by a small orchard that seemed to be infested with fairies, as multi-colored lights danced over her and Charlie's faces. "I think going back is too difficult. I don't know if I could sit in a classroom and sleep in a tower where just a few months ago, a major battle took place, and so many people lost their lives."

"But if you didn't go back to Hogwarts, then what would you do," Charlie asked, his face innocent.

"I think I would like to go and get my parents," she answered solemnly, her arms still folded over her chest.

"Your parents," Charlie asked, stopping mid-step to turn to look at her, making Hermione stop as well. "What's happened to them?"

"Before Bill and Fleur's wedding, I modified their memories so that they would forget they had a daughter…that they would forget about me. With Voldemort and the war, I couldn't risk anything happening to them while I was away from home. I had them move to Australia and take fake identities just in case."

After a hushed quiet, Charlie said, "Wow," as if that was all he could think of to say. "You must really miss them then."

"I miss them a lot, but it was a necessary thing to do," Hermione responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Why haven't you gone to get them back before," Charlie inquired, "the war has been over for several months now," he said, quirking up one eyebrow.

"I've been an emotional wreck," Hermione replied, laughing without any humor, "I didn't want my parents to see how I was after the war. It would've called for too much of an explanation on a matter I still don't even feel like talking about."

"You looked fine to me," Charlie replied, cocking his head to one side, as if he was accessing his own memories to see if Hermione seemed at all troubled since she had stayed at the Burrow days after the final battle took place. "I mean, you still do."

"I've gotten better at hiding my feelings," she whispered quietly, her voice enfolding in the darkness that surrounded the pair.

"You know, I'm not good with feelings and all, but I don't think it's healthy if you held onto all of these emotions you have regarding the war," Charlie started, as he moved one of his hands to clasp the back of his neck, rubbing it, "it wouldn't be good for anyone really."

"You're right, but I think that this is just a little different. For me, it was all so personal, seeing the Ministry of Magic infiltrated and targeting Muggle-Borns, watching Hogwarts getting destroyed, people I know being murdered. I know that everyone has suffered a lot, but I think that we all have our own ways of adjusting to our world post-Voldemort," Hermione stated, seeing a shudder run through Charlie at the mention of Voldemort's name, a name that continued to instill fear in the hearts and minds of the wizarding community.

"So when do you plan on going to get your parents," Charlie asked after a quiet moment.

"I'm not sure, but it'll be soon. I have to plan first, and then I can go."

"Whereabouts in Australia are they?"

"I sent them to Sydney," she said, "I thought it would be better for them to go to a major city where there's a lot of people so they wouldn't be easily noticed if it happened that someone came looking for them."

Charlie nodded his head in understanding just as two fairies, one red and the other blue, flew over and encircled the pair, before they decided to sit atop Charlie's right shoulder.

"Looks like we got company," Charlie said warmly, a smile forming onto his face, as he stole a quick glance at Hermione, who grinned in return.

"Have you given any thoughts about what you would like to do after Hogwarts, no matter if you go back or not," Charlie asked.

"For a time, I was thinking about Magical Law, but I'm not sure if that's for me. Recently, I've been particularly interested in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"Really," Charlie said, lifting both of his eyebrows in surprise at her answer.

"Yes, why?"

"You never really struck me as the kind of witch who would be interested in magical creatures is all," Charlie replied.

"Oh, I definitely am. I'm actually thinking about carrying on S.P.E.W."

At this, Charlie's brows furrowed together as he repeated, "S.P.E.W.…you mean like Spew?"

"No, not 'Spew', S.P.E.W. It stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare," Hermione stated.

"Elfish welfare," Charlie repeated again, now folding his own arms over his wide chest, "what does that mean?"

"Well, it's clear that elves are grossly mistreated by witches and wizards and this society stands up and fights for their working rights they ought to have, like paid vacations and holidays!"

"Hermione, don't you think that the elves like to work," Charlie countered.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that they have to be treated like anything less an intelligible creature," she shot back. "Besides, house elves are too afraid to stand up for themselves, but I'm positive that if they were given fairer treatment, their work would be a lot more pleasurable!"

At this, Charlie held his hands up as if in surrender, seeing how determined Hermione was in advocating for the rights of house-elves.

"Hey, I think it's a great campaign," Charlie started, "it's just that I'm not sure how many other witches and wizards would see their treatment the same way you do."

"That's one of the main problems," Hermione said, nodding her head off to one side in annoyance, "if people refuse to see that there is no trouble, then it doesn't exist, does it? It's just a little fantasy some people have thought up of in their own minds."

"But the treatment of elves has been ingrained in the minds of witches and wizards for ages," Charlie commented, "it doesn't mean it's right," he added quickly, seeing that Hermione had opened her mouth to protest, "it's just hard to change a way of thinking when so many people see it as a diminutive political viewpoint."

Hermione sighed audibly, seeing the sense in Charlie's words as another cool breeze blew over the pair, a chorus of noises from nocturnal animals pounding within their ears.

"If you took a job in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, you'd probably be seeing a lot of me around," Charlie told Hermione, staring intently into her warm, brown eyes.

"Really? Why is that," she asked.

"Well, the Ministry of Magic wants to open a new dragon reserve in Wales and my director asked me to oversee its operations. The dragon reserve in Romania is getting way too large and now, with the war over in Great Britain, it's the perfect spot for a new encampment. Apparently, a new dragon species was discovered in northwestern Canada, near Victoria Island, and they're going to send over two eggs so that we can study it in Europe as well."

"That's incredible! Congratulations, Charlie; that seems so exciting!"

"It definitely is…I'm looking forward to it."

"Why haven't you told your family yet?"

"I'm just waiting for the right time, I guess. Everything's set in place and all. I just have to go back to Romania for one week and then, I'll relocate back to England," Charlie said.

"So you'll apparate to work then," Hermione questioned.

"Most likely. There's only a small wizarding community in Wales after all, and being away from home for so long, I feel like I need to be around my family more. With this war, I guess I realized how important everyone means to me, not that I didn't notice before," Charlie added with haste, "it's just that there were so many times that any one of the Weasley's could've, you know, passed on."

"So do you plan on getting your own place," Hermione inquired, surprised to find out that she was genuinely interested in knowing.

At her question, Charlie barked out a laugh as he then replied, "Hermione, I'm twenty-five years old. I think I'm a bit too aged to still be living with my folks."

"I'm sure many people still do," she smirked.

"Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with it, but I like my own space with my own privacy…it's something that I'm missing right now being back here," Charlie said, nodding his head back in the direction of the Burrow, as its yellow lights were peeking from behind drawn curtains of the many windows of the home.

"I know what you mean," Hermione continued on, "I had to share a tent with both Harry and Ron for nearly a year."

"Was that when the three of you were on the run?"

Hermione nodded her head wordlessly.

"Speaking of my baby brother, what is there going on between you two," Charlie questioned, as he then saw that three yellow-colored fairies were now pointing and picking at one of Hermione's wild stray hairs, yet she didn't seem to notice.

Hermione scoffed lightly as she said, "There is certainly nothing going on between Ron and I."

"Really," Charlie responded, feigning surprise, "because it seemed as if Ron couldn't keep his eyes off of you all throughout dinner tonight."

"All we did was share a kiss during the final battle at Hogwarts," Hermione huffed.

Charlie nodded his head in understanding before he replied, "Well, that certainly sounds like something."

"It was just the heat of the moment," Hermione explained, feeling her cheeks flush pink, "Ron had made a comment about the house-elves at Hogwarts and I kissed him. But since then, nothing has happened, at least not in my mind."

"I'm sure something's happened in Ron's mind though," Charlie commented. "I know how a bloke thinks, Hermione."

"Maybe, or maybe you just know how your brother thinks," Hermione counteracted.

Charlie laughed at this as he responded, "That's possible, though I know that Ron can be a right prat sometimes, a prat that doesn't think with his head."

"There was a time that I did fancy him, mainly back in sixth year, but when I kissed him during the Battle of Hogwarts, I didn't feel anything; there was no spark and no emotion. Of course, that's just me, I'm not sure what Ron felt when we kissed."

"Haven't you asked him about it," Charlie offered. "I mean, it's been now, what, four months, hasn't it?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, not really having much of a clear answer to give Charlie. "I guess I've been more focused on healing instead; I assume that's why Harry hasn't gotten back together with Ginny yet, either. With everything that has happened during the war, there was no way things would return back to normal quickly. I mean, Ron and I haven't even argued all that much."

"You two used to fight," Charlie questioned, his eyebrows raised again.

"Yes, every single day in fact. I sometimes wondered whether Ron argued with me just so that I would notice him. Of course I did notice him, he would be silly to think otherwise, as he's made me feel a wide range of emotions ever since I first met him. It's unfortunate the quite a bit of those emotions were negative but I think that Ron doesn't really know what he wants – he just thinks that he and I are supposed to be together and that's it."

"Well, I think you should clear the air with him about this then. Holding this conversation off will only make it worse for when you actually do have it, don't you think," Charlie responded after a long moment, staring over at Hermione with a warm gaze.

"It's not a conversation that I look forward to having," Hermione said in a rather depressed tone. "Ron's a good friend, but nothing more."

By now, Charlie was leaning against one of the trees of the orchard they were by, his hands resting behind him, as half of his face was whirling about in bright colors from the nearby fairies, while the other half of his face was reflected by the paleness of the moon above. Hermione thought to herself that he looked so at ease and so comfortable, as if he didn't really have a care in the world at all at that precise moment.

"How about you, Charlie," Hermione suddenly stated, "Do you have anyone you fancy in your life?"

At this, a tight smile overcame Charlie as he said, "Believe it or not, working on a dragon reserve doesn't call for much romance. I haven't had a steady girlfriend for a couple of years now."

"Haven't you been with anyone since?"

"Oh yeah, of course. A few witches have caught my eye back in Brasov, that's the closest city the dragon reserve is located by, and there's also a wizarding community inside it. I had a few flings but nothing serious," Charlie answered.

Hermione nodded as another cool breeze swept by her, making her shudder, before she asked, "So have you ever thought about settling down and having a family of your own?"

"Yep, although before, I didn't care for one, a family, I mean," he added, seeing a look of puzzlement cross over Hermione's features. "The dragons were more than enough for me, but with this war, things have changed. Of course, mum has since been playing the role of a matchmaker, trying to fix me up with some witch. I suppose it's because Bill's already married with a daughter and I'm the unfortunate one to be the next in line."

His comment made Hermione smile as silent laughter shook her chest.

"Think it's funny, do you," Charlie questioned with mock anger.

"It's just the way you said it – you sounded like it was some chore," Hermione clarified.

Charlie shook his head from side to side good-naturedly as he continued on, "Ever since I came back home, mum has introduced me to five or six different witches…it's honestly been a nightmare."

"I assume that none of the witches caught your attention, then," Hermione inferred.

"The thing is, is that when you've been around dragons for years, it takes a lot to impress me. Mum, however, is adamant on finding me the right bird. It's making me wonder whether I made the right decision to not return to Romania sooner."

"Well, you said before that you're only going to return for one week. Then you'll be back here and your mum will continue searching for someone for you," Hermione said.

"Ah, but remember that I said I was going to get my own place," Charlie shot back with humor, pointing his index finger into the air as if he was making an important point that would affect the entire wizarding population.

Charlie gave a loud sigh before he said, "I just want someone that I can connect with on a serious level. Most of the girls mum has fixed me up with have been incredibly beautiful, but nothing more. It's like you said before, there's no spark. I remember back when I was a student at Hogwarts, all I cared about was looks; I could care less about any spark. But now, I have different standards in what I look for in a girl. I don't know if I'm making sense of not-,"

Hermione, however, cut him off, as she remarked, "It's the same with girls, you know. Obviously every girl is different but I would be lying if I said that girls only look for what's on the inside. Physical attractiveness is natural, though; as human beings, we see with eyes our first. On the other hand, looks can be deceiving."

"You should be careful, Hermione. Knowing mum, she'll likely start trying to pair you off too considering how close you are to our family. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if mum thought of you as some surrogate daughter."

Hermione smirked at this as she replied, "You're probably right. I think your mum can see that Ron and I just aren't for each other. With all the fighting that we used to do, if we ever did get married, you mum would probably recommend for us to go marriage counseling."

Charlie bent over as he laughed loudly, his deep voice floating over like a calm sensor to her ears. Hermione smiled at how boyish Charlie looked when his face broke up into amusement.

As Charlie reigned back in his hilarity, he pushed away from the tree he had been leaning on and took a step closer to Hermione, his hands lingering at his sides.

"Don't worry, Hermione, you have a whole brood of Weasleys who would pounce on Ron if he did anything to hurt you."

"Thanks for that, but I'm positive Ron and I will be just fine as friends," Hermione returned, another smile coating her face.

For a moment, Charlie and Hermione stood there, looking at one another. Her warm, brown eyes met his deep, sea blue ones, as the thought of how attractive Charlie was crossed Hermione's mind, which greatly confused her. She had never noticed it before as she hadn't spent much time alone with Charlie, but he was rather dashing. In fact, Hermione felt quite at ease with Charlie; there was something about him that made her feel comfortable. It was hard to explain or make sense of the matter, but she liked the feeling of it. Never before had she paid much attention to Charlie, considering their age gap, but she rather enjoyed talking with him.

"Well, um, I think we should head back, don't you think," Hermione stated, suddenly becoming rather uncomfortable with her wayward thoughts. "It's getting late."

Charlie nodded his head, his face a mask of unreadable proportions, as the two fairies that had been sitting upon his shoulder flew off, as did those that had been toying with Hermione's hair, unbeknownst to her.

Together, Charlie and Hermione walked away from the small orchard and back toward the towering structure of the Burrow, as the moon lit their path. The sounds of the grass crunching underneath their shoes was the only sound between them, though at odd moments, Hermione would take a quick peek over at Charlie, who had a look of contentment upon his face.

Some minutes later, Charlie held open the kitchen door for Hermione to enter through first, before they climbed the rickety staircase of the Burrow, finding the floor level absent of any attendance.

On the second landing, Hermione walked over to Ginny's partially opened bedroom door, before she turned and said, "Goodnight, Charlie. It was great talking to you."

Charlie turned to face her, however, he seemed to hesitate for a moment as he looked down at Hermione. She saw that his eyes then flitted over to the door of Ginny's room before he said, "'Night, I'll see you in the morning." With a small wave and another smile, Charlie departed away from her, continuing his trek up the stairs, as it creaked under his every other footstep.

Hermione watched him go with inquisitiveness before he disappeared from sight as she entered Ginny's room, shutting it softly behind her. Her eyes then fell upon Ginny, who was running a comb through her long, damp red hair before a mirror.

Seeing Hermione, Ginny turned and asked, "Where have you been? I was looking all over for you after dinner."

"Oh, I was with Charlie," Hermione exchanged, noticing through Ginny's mirror that a small blush had since colored the base of her neck.

"Charlie," Ginny repeated in curiosity with raised eyebrows.

Hermione nodded as she clarified, "I stepped outside for some fresh air after we ate and Charlie joined me, that's all."

As Hermione went over to her bed to change, Ginny questioned, "What did you two talk about?"

"A lot of things, actually, like going back to Hogwarts and relationships."

"You talked with Charlie about relationships," Ginny said in surprise.

"Yes…why?"

Ginny shook her head lightly from side to side as she proclaimed, "Bill's the only one Charlie talk's relationships with!"

"Honestly, it wasn't like we had a deep meaningful discussion about it," Hermione rephrased, feeling her cheeks flush, "we just exchanged a few words here and there."

"Oh, a few words, was it," Ginny said, stressing the word 'few'.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Hermione responded, as she started to change into her pajamas.

Ginny laughed before she questioned, "So have you made up your mind about Hogwarts, yet? Are you going to come back with me?"

"I haven't made a decision, but I'm kind of leaning towards not returning," Hermione answered.

This took Ginny by surprise as her jaw fell open. "Seriously? I thought out of you, Harry, and Ron, you would definitely return! You wouldn't let me return all by myself, would you," she teased with a small pout.

"Ginny, you still have plenty of friends there, like Luna, for instance," Hermione said, sensing her friend's humor.

"I know, I know. I suppose it's a bit scary with this being my final year and all," she remarked, suddenly turning serious.

Hermione sat down on her bed as she looked over at Ginny who made to lie down, resting the side of her head against her pillow.

"Aren't you excited, though? This is your last year and then you're finished!"

"Of course I'm excited," Ginny conceded, "but now, we have to decide what we're going to do with the rest of our lives."

Hermione nodded her head in understanding, as she said, "I'm thinking about that right now."

"Hermione, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Didn't you say that Kingsley offered you just about any job within the Ministry?"

"He did but I just want to make sure that it's the right one," she said, as she lay down upon her mattress, fitting her head comfortably on her pillow.

"You shouldn't worry so much, Hermione. I know that you'll pick the right one," Ginny stated with a comforting smile. "Anyway, we should get some sleep…good night."

"Good night, Ginny," Hermione stated after a second, flicking her wand at a nearby candle, extinguishing it, and casting the room into darkness.

Sleep, however, did not come for Hermione right away, as she lay awake in her bed, staring up at the darkness hovering above her. Her mind kept replaying Charlie's brief hesitation upon the stairs just before they bid each other 'goodnight'. It seemed as if Charlie wanted to say something to her, but for some reason, he had held back.

'Perhaps it was nothing of importance,' Hermione said to herself, shrugging off his inaction. 'Maybe I'm looking into something that's not even there.'

Hermione then yawned behind her hand, as she turned over onto her side, and closed her eyes. White beams from the bright moon flashed into the room between the window's curtains, settling upon Hermione's form as she lay partially tucked under the cover of the bed she was in. After what seemed like no time at all, she fell asleep.