August 7, 1999

Hermione fidgeted with her Harpies scarf—Harry had made good on his promise to buy them—as she climbed the many flights of stairs leading to the private box suite that her friend had reserved for Ginny's match. She had been mentally preparing herself to see everyone again all morning, but now that she was quite literally only steps away, she was nervous. He had told her who all he had invited when he had arrived at her apartment to accompany her to the Welsh stadium and thankfully, the group was quite small. Just the Weasleys and a few of their closest friends from Hogwarts.

She could handle that.

She hoped.

As she reached the landing, Harry turned and offered her a sympathetic smile, briefly assessing the outward appearance of her mental state. Hermione must have looked calmer than she felt because Harry gave her a small nod.

"Ready?"

She took in a slow, deep breath—one final moment to herself—before she met her friend's concerned gaze.

"Ready."

Harry turned to walk into the private box first and take the brunt of the initial reaction—good or bad.

For a moment, everything was silent and Hermione briefly wondered if they had arrived too early and no one was there yet, but the thought was quickly quelled.

"Hermione!" Molly Weasley exclaimed as she rushed to the door.

The Weasley matriarch had to slow her pace to side-step Harry and Hermione shot her friend a grateful look for being the one to walk in first when she was enveloped in a hug that wasn't as bone-crushing as it could have been.

Harry just gave her another silent nod in response.

"I am so glad you were able to make it, dear." Molly said as she loosened her grip once the initial wave of surprise was over.

Hermione closed her eyes as she leaned into the hug, wrapping her arms around Molly now that she was able to move them.

She couldn't remember the last time she had been hugged like this—in the comforting (if overly enthusiastic) arms of a mother.

"Of course." Hermione replied, resting her chin on Molly's shoulder, "I wouldn't miss Ginny's first match for the world."

With one final squeeze, Molly released her, resting her hands on Hermione's shoulders as she beamed, barely able to contain the tears welling in her eyes.

Hermione felt tears threatening to form in her own.

As if sensing the fragility of the moment, Molly switched into full mothering mode.

"Oh, come in, come in!" Molly said, waving Hermione forward, "Are you thirsty, dear?"

Before Hermione could answer, Molly turned to her husband who had been hovering nearby, "Arthur! Be a dear and get Hermione something to drink."

Arthur gave Hermione a warm smile before turning to his wife, "I'll be back with that straightaway."

George sauntered over to the group, leaning in with a conspiratorial grin once he got close enough to Hermione, "Welcome back to the fray, Granger."

"George!" Hermione exclaimed as she gave him a quick hug. She never thought she would be so happy to see his patented look of mischief—for once not caring that it almost always meant that a prank was underfoot.

"How are you? How's the shop?" she asked.

"Doing well." George replied, "Thinking about opening up a second location in Hogsmeade, actually."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, "I'm sure Professor McGonagall will love that."

"Someone's got to keep the ol' girl on her toes." George grinned, "Things have been far too normal these days."

"This is normal?" Hermione asked, gesturing at their opulent surroundings. Rows of plush looking green-and-gilt chairs were ordered neatly on the balcony at the front of the suite and a small but equally posh lounge space was set up towards the for those who needed refreshments or to simply step away from the action on the pitch.

"I didn't say all things." George replied, giving her an appraising look, "Speaking of normal…you look happy."

Hermione smiled, "I am."

George gave her a gentle nudge, "Good."

Arthur walked up back up to the group, a large glass in his hand.

"Here we are Hermione." He said, handing the beverage over, "There's also plenty of other refreshments if lemonade's not your fancy."

"Lemonade is just fine, Mr. Weasley." Hermione reassured, "Thank you."

Arthur beamed, "Please, call me Arthur."

She began chatting with Arthur about the latest news regarding the Ministry in its post-war efforts. It was nothing she hadn't already learned from Harry, but she listened with rapt attention, simply enjoying the feel of being back in the world she had left behind all those months ago. With every important bit of news from Arthur, reassuring squeeze from Molly, and all-too-knowing smirk from George, Hermione felt herself becoming more and more at ease.

She still fit in this world.

As the time before the game quickly passed, more and more people entered the suite. Luna—who was very glad to see significantly fewer maestitia sprites surrounding Hermione—said a quick hello, promising to save Hermione a seat near the balcony so they could catch up during the match. Neville had given an equally brief but ardent greeting, moving to follow Luna, the two having arrived together. Hermione was overjoyed to see that their budding romance at Hogwarts had survived the war.

"Hermione!"

She turned to face the entrance just as Fleur and Bill walked in.

"It is so good to see you again!" the blonde continued as she pulled Hermione into a half hug, a tiny bundle cradled in her other arm.

Hermione peered at the peacefully sleeping three month old, "Oh, Fleur! Is this…?

"Victoire." Fleur grinned, slowly readjusting her daughter in her arms so that Hermione could get a better look.

"She's perfect." Hermione said, thinking that the name was quite fitting for a child who had been born on the one year anniversary of the war.

"I wholeheartedly agree, but then again, I'm a little biased." Bill stated as he bent down to give his daughter a quick kiss on the forehead before giving Hermione a firm hug, "Good to have you back, Hermione."

"Thank you, Bill." She replied before turning her attentions back to the little bundle in Fleur's arms who had just begun to open her eyes as if she had suddenly realized she was somewhere new. Hermione gave a small wave, hunching down to be closer to Victoire who had become immediately fascinated with the curls of Hermione's hair in her still groggy state.

"Charlie, stop skulking in the doorway and come say hello!" Molly scolded from somewhere behind, causing Hermione to jump a little as she looked up to see that Charlie had come in behind Bill and Fleur, but had yet to make his presence known to the group.

He gave her the tiniest of smiles before fixing his mother with a look of annoyance, "I was just waiting until the she had room to breathe." He gestured at the cluster of people standing in the doorway to illustrate his point.

He turned back to Hermione.

"Hello, Hermione." He greeted formally as though the last time she had seen him hadn't been that morning while he was wearing nothing but his boxers and the Harpies scarf that was currently around her neck. At the time, it had done the intended trick of taking her mind off of the stress of the day's looming events, but now proved to be problematic.

"Hello, Charlie." Hermione replied, her cheeks only flushing slightly at the morning's memories.

Charlie's eyebrow quirked slightly and Hermione knew that he had taken a guess where her mind had wandered.

"I like your scarf." He remarked, nodding at the bright gold and dark green striped scarf around her neck with an annoyingly neutral look on his face.

It took all of her strength not to outright glare at him.

"Thank you." She replied instead, plastering a sickly sweet smile on her face, "Have to support the team, you know."

"I'll say, Charlie! Is that a Muggle mobile device?" Arthur exclaimed, as he bent down to give the phone that was currently sitting in its holster on Charlie's belt—a fashion choice that Hermione routinely teased him about—a closer look.

Charlie looked down at his phone, his expression once again carefully neutral, "It is."

"What on Earth are you doing with one of those?" his father asked, amused to be in the proximity of such a devise.

"Requirement of the job." Charlie shrugged, "The support staff outside of the sanctuary are Squib, so it's the easiest means of contact. Would you like to see it?"

Hermione watched as Charlie handed the phone over for Arthur's inspection, slowly releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Rationally, she knew that no one would connect her to the mobile device. Charlie had given a very convincing excuse that wasn't entirely incorrect as to why he had the phone, but that didn't stop her heart from pounding in her ears.

"No-key-ah." Arthur said reading the text at the top of the phone with fascination, "Is that the mobile's name?"

Charlie chuckled as he threw an arm around his father's shoulders, "Here let me show you how it works."

Hermione let out another relieved sigh and caught Harry's gaze, the two of them sharing a look. Arthur's wonder at Muggle inventions had been a source of mutual amusement between the two of them for years.

The group slowly dispersed after that, Bill and Fleur moving to get Victoire settled into a magicked mobile crib off in the corner, Molly rushing to join them, ever enamored with her first grandchild.

Harry and George fell into an animated discussion about the latest product development for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes—an updated version of the Skiving Snackboxes—and Hermione smiled at the sheer normalness of it all. She looked around at the various clusters of the friends that she had grown to consider family and couldn't help but feel peace in the fact that her near year-long absence hadn't completely severed ties as she had feared it did.

Charlie and Harry had both—separately—insisted that while everyone had been upset with her initial disappearance, it was out of concern for her safety and well-being—never at her personally. That while they were sad she had left, they understood why she did. Hermione had wanted to believe them, but being told something is true and experiencing it for yourself were two completely different things.

She had never been more relieved to be incorrect about something in her life.

She focused back on Harry and George's conversation, unable to resist rolling her eyes as they discussed something as absurd as the concept of Tonsillitis Taffies with as much seriousness as one would discuss performing minor surgery.

"I feel like I have to point out that someone could really only use tonsillitis once as an excuse to get out of class." Hermione interjected with an amused smirk as both of them realized that she was right, "A sinusitis sour candy would be much more practical."

George threw his arms around Hermione, giving her an over-exaggerated kiss on her forehead, "Oh, it is so good to have that brilliant mind of yours back, Granger!"

Hermione chuckled as she rolled her eyes, trying to extract herself from his embrace.

She had just about pulled away when she felt George tense, the mirth from moments ago gone. She craned her neck to see what had caused the sudden shift in countenance, finding her answer almost immediately.

Ron had arrived.

Hermione had to admit that Ron looked better than when she had seen him last, but then again, who didn't look better than they did in the war's immediate aftermath? He certainly looked better standing there in jeans and a Harpies jersey than he did yelling at her in his pajamas all those months ago.

She had made the decision awhile back that when she and Ron finally saw one another for the first time, she would not be the first to speak. She may have been unsure about how everything else was going to go that day, but she was quite certain in this aspect of it. Hermione had said everything she had wanted to that night in the Burrow's kitchen.

She wasn't the one who owed the other an apology.

Ron took a cautious step forward, clearing his throat as he shoved his hands into his pockets—a trick Hermione recognized that kept him from fidgeting when he was feeling particularly uncomfortable.

"Hermione."

She offered him the tiniest of smiles, "Hello, Ron."

He paused, opening his mouth as though he was about to say something else, but appeared as though to have decided against it and walked over to the balcony, suddenly very interested in finding a seat as far away from Hermione as possible.

All things considered, Hermione thought the exchange went fairly well.

"He'll eventually come around." Harry said apologetically, glancing over to where Ron had gone, "He just doesn't know how to act around you yet—what to say after all this time."

"'Hello' would have done the trick." Hermione muttered under her breath.

Harry looked as though he was more than slightly irritated, "I don't disagree with you."

She gave him a gentle nudge, "Go. I'll be fine."

"I'll keep an eye on this one." George said, giving Hermione a mischievous grin.

With one last look to confirm that it was okay, Harry moved to join Ron on the balcony.

"You know, all things considered, I think that went rather well." George commented thoughtfully.

Hermione snorted.

"Now…" he continued, fixing Hermione with a look that was all business, "Tell me more about your sinusitis sour candies. How difficult do you think it would be to maintain the potion's integrity while getting the molten syrup to a hard-crack stage? That's the trickiest bit about making novelty lollipops or toffees—it's why I tend to prefer working with chocolate based confections. Less temperamental, but I think you're on to something with these sours…"

And just like that, any residual tension left from her exchange with Ron dissipated.

Smiling, Hermione turned to give her answer.

Charlie knew that it was going to be difficult acting as though he and Hermione were no more than acquaintances, but what he was not prepared for was how hard it would be to physically distance himself from her when they were in the same room. He found himself naturally searching her out, always noting when she changed locations, his gaze finding hers simply out of habit.

They had made a deal that morning that they wouldn't outright lie about whether or not they were seeing someone. While Charlie maintained that his family had all but given up on his romantic prospects, Hermione argued that when their relationship did eventually come out, them lying about not seeing anyone at all would go over worse than if they had said they were dating someone and just not saying who it was. He thought that she was splitting hairs with her argument, but found that it was hard to disagree with her when she was wearing nothing but his t-shirt.

They had also agreed that they would not pretend that the other didn't exist. It would be far too conspicuous if they pointedly avoided one another—especially in such a small suite—but there was no reason for them not to be somewhat familiar with one another considering how close Hermione was with the rest of his family. The best course of action would be to simply gravitate towards the company of others, but if they found themselves in each other's presence, they would act as they usually did…just without the casual kisses and hand holding.

They were both adults. They could manage that.

He hoped.

And so Charlie found himself bouncing from conversation to conversation, first with his father and then with George once he had concluded his impromptu product development meeting with Hermione—of course Hermione would solve what his brother referred to rather dramatically as the 'sugar concentration conundrum' when it came to incorporating mock illness potions into his candies. And at a Quidditch game, no less. Charlie had even spent several minutes chatting with Percy who had arrived shortly after Ron, learning about his work at the Ministry and how he was working with their father to restore order to Britain's wizarding institutions.

He hadn't set out to avoid Ron, but his youngest brother hadn't moved from his seat in the farthest corner of the balcony since he arrived. Harry—who Charlie decided must have the patience of a saint—had stayed by his brother's side, but to the wizard's credit, didn't seem as though he was letting Ron off the hook for his rather lackluster greeting to Hermione if Harry's stern expression was anything to go on.

Charlie found himself quietly seething at his brother. After all this time—after how he had left things with Hermione—he hadn't even bothered to say 'hello' to her.

"Wonderful mood Ronald's in this afternoon." Bill commented as Charlie moved to stand next to his elder brother in the back of the suite.

"The best." Charlie muttered as he took a sip of his iced tea.

They stood there in silence for a moment, watching the match on the magicked screens that had been placed in the along the suite's walls. Charlie wasn't certain what combinations of charms and spells were at work to make the match appear on the small canvas "screens" or really how any of it was physically possible without some sort of projection mechanism. Leave it to wizards to over-complicate the invention of something that was essentially a Muggle television.

"It's good to have Hermione back." Bill commented after awhile, nodding over to were Hermione was sitting, catching up with her friends from Hogwarts.

"I can't say that I wasn't surprised to hear about her leaving," Bill continued, "but wherever it is that she went—whatever she needed to find to heal—I'm glad that she seems to have found it." His older brother turned and gave him an appraising look, "You look good too. That promotion of yours really suits you."

Charlie looked at his drink, guilt pulling at his heart. He had been so concerned about hiding the truth from Ron, his parents, and Harry until Hermione was ready to go public with their relationship that he hadn't even factored in how it would feel to be unable to share one of the most important aspects of his life with his older brother.

His older bother who he was incredibly close with and greatly admired, but was also a cursebreaker and extremely adept at detecting deceit.

"Thanks, Bill." Charlie replied, trying to think of something to say that wasn't a lie.

Regardless of the no-lying pact he held with Hermione, Bill always had an uncanny ability to read people—Charlie especially, "These past few months have been some of the best of my life."

Charlie knew that he needed to tread carefully on this topic, but he couldn't help but glance over at Hermione as he spoke, an entirely different emotion pulling on his heart. Almost as if sensing his gaze, she turned away from the Quidditch pitch and gave him a soft, affectionate smile. It was the smile that she would always give him during the small, quiet moments they shared—when she would catch him looking at her as she scribbled her potion making notes in the lab or when he would look up from making dinner in her apartment to find her staring at him affectionately for no reason from where she was prepping her portion of the meal.

It was a quiet moment shared between two people in love.

A moment that did not go unnoticed by Bill.

Charlie was so caught up in thought that when Bill asked where it was Hermione had been all this time, he didn't even think before he responded.

"Cardiff."

His eyes widened as he realized what he'd said and turned to explain, but Bill raised a hand.

"For someone who works with Quintuple X creatures for a living, I can't believe you'd consider doing something so dangerous."

Shit.

"Bill…" Charlie began, only to be waved off once again by his older brother as he wordlessly cast a privacy charm.

"How long?" Bill asked, his voice giving away no emotion.

"Since March," Charlie watched as his brothers eyes widened slightly in shock, "but I ran into her on accident in January before I started at the sanctuary. We got dinner that night and kept in contact until…well…"

There was really no good way to finish that sentence.

The two stood there there in silence for a moment, Charlie trying not to squirm under his brother's scrutiny. If anyone would understand, it was Bill, but his brother had always held little patience for the trouble that Charlie always seemed to find himself when they were in school together.

Bill began to chuckle, "You must really love her."

Charlie gave his brother a quizzical look, not certain if the sudden reaction was good or not.

"You may be reckless at times, Charlie, but you're not malicious." Bill softly chided, "You would never do anything that would hurt this family—that would hurt Ron—intentionally.

"You've also never been one to enter into serious long term relationships," His expression softened, "so for you to be in a six month relationship is already quite the feat, but for it to be with Hermione Granger…" he sighed, "I know it wasn't a decision you made lightly. Either of you.

"So tell me," Bill said looking over at Hermione once more, "how exactly did she convince my dear brother to give up his philandering ways?"

Charlie found himself telling his brother everything, his body nearly flooding with relief that he was finally able to share the full truth of these past few months with someone. How he had honestly just been looking for some new books before he began his research at the Welsh sanctuary when he ran into Hermione who had been all but terrified that he was there to take her back to the Burrow. How he had invited her to dinner on a whim because he knew that everyone in the family would have been upset with him if he hadn't—but now they were likely to be upset with him because of what had happened because of it. The letters. The weekend visits.

The disastrous hours when he had thought he had ruined their friendship because he had kissed her outside of that quaint little coffee shop. The blissful months they had since shared after their friendship became something more.

"Bill…" Charlie said as he finished his story, debating on whether or not he wanted to share with his brother what he'd been suspecting to be true for the past few weeks.

He'd shared this much, why stop now?

"Bill, I think she's the one."

Bill's eyebrows shot up.

"I'm happy for you, truly." He began keeping his voice level, but unable to hide the look of concern from his face, "But you are going to have a lot of shit to go through before you even consider walking down that aisle."

Charlie scrubbed a hand over his face, "I know."

"You need to tell Ron." Bill continued, "Soon."

"I promised Hermione that we would start telling people once she was ready."

At that, Bill simply shot Charlie a look.

"Ron might hate me and Mom will definitely have some choice words, but…" Charlie sighed, "They're family."

He looked over at Percy, "No matter what, we always find our way back to one another—to forgiveness." Charlie looked back at Bill, his expression grave, "Ron was one of her best friends. Harry and Ginny…they've all been through so much together. She has to be the one to tell them and it has to be on her terms."

Bill waited patiently as Charlie paused to collect his thoughts, "I…don't want her to lose them because of…I can't…" Charlie let out a deep breath as he vocalized the fear that had been ever present since their relationship started, "What if I've ruined her life?"

"From what I've seen, you've done the exact opposite." Bill glanced over at Hermione, looking as though he was debating with himself.

"That horrible day when they came to Shell Cottage…" he paused, "I imagine that you know all of what transpired at Malfoy Manor."

Charlie felt the blood drain from his face. He would never forget the day she had told him—when she had shown him the horrible slur than had been permanently carved into her arm. He could never thank his brother and sister-in-law enough for how they had helped her after her escape.

"I had never seen anyone so broken." Bill continued, lowering his voice even though the privacy charm was still in place, "They never told us what exactly had happened, but it's not hard to guess. The Death Eaters were nothing if not predictable in their interrogation methods.

"Which was why I was not all that surprised when she left. Hermione had built a rather impressive emotional wall around herself to stay functioning after experiencing what she did. To keep doing what needed to be done to end the war…it was only a matter of time before it would break. And now she's here smiling…laughing." He turned to address Charlie, "She's healthy. Everyone here has seen the change in her—the change you've clearly had a part in. They'll all come around to it. Even Ron.

"As for dealing with Mom…" Bill trailed off, a grin slowly spreading across his face, "Well, she already likes Hermione, so you're already off to a better start."

The brothers chuckled as they remembered their mother's initial reaction to learning about Bill's relationship with Fleur.

"Just know that both of us have your back." Bill said, "Fleur could give Hermione pointers on how to handle our mother should she…react less favorably than either of you would like." His face lit up, "I can't wait to tell Fleur. She's been telling me we need to make more 'couples friends' for awhile now and it would be nice to hang out with other adults for a change."

Charlie watched his brother stare fondly at his wife and young child, knowing full well that Bill was perfectly contented with his life as is. Charlie couldn't help but feel slightly envious.

"I am sure Hermione would love that." He replied, smiling, "There aren't a lot of couples in either of our friend groups—none that know the full extent of our history anyway. It'd be nice to be around family and not have to hide it."

Bill gave him a sly look, "About that. I would maybe try a little bit harder to not moon over each other as much if you're intending to keep your relationship a secret past the end of the match."

Charlie gave his brother an unamused look.

"You work with dragons for a living." Bill smirked as he cancelled the privacy charm, "You're not exactly subtle."

With one final teasing shove, the two headed over to the balcony to take their seats and watch the match live.

Hermione moved to grab another lemonade about two hours into the match.

She'd sat next to Neville and Luna for nearly the entire time, learning about Luna's work in researching lesser known magical creatures and Neville's Auror training. He and Harry were often paired together and just like with Harry, Auror training really suited him.

She was thinking about asking Luna and Neville if they wanted to come out to Cardiff for a weekend when she sensed someone was approaching her.

It didn't take long for her to realize that it was Ron.

"Hey." He greeted, his hands once again shoved into his pockets.

'It only took two hours, but I finally got my hello.' Hermione thought before reminding herself to be cordial.

"Hi." She replied.

"Great game." Ron said as he reached to grab a glass of his own.

"Yes. Ginny's playing really well." Hermione commented, keeping her voice neutral as she poured the lemonade into her glass.

She set the pitcher down and watched as Ron reached over to pick it up, annoyingly nonchalant. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't meeting her eyes that made her resolve snap. Or perhaps it was the fact that after months of imagining what their first encounter would be like, the reality of it being a half-hearted conversation about sports that did it.

Either way, Hermione couldn't stop the exasperated huff that escaped her lips.

"Are we really talking about Quidditch?"

"Seems like it." He replied automatically before realizing that it was the wrong thing to say.

He set the lemonade pitcher down with a sigh, "Look, 'Mione…I'm…I'm sorry about how everything ended. I wasn't being very fair to you that night. I was short with you and you were hurting." His voice dropped to a whisper, "I didn't know how much you were hurting."

Hermione's expression softened, "That's because you never asked, Ron."

Ron clenched jaw—a classic tell that he was going to get defensive.

"I just wanted to help, 'Mione."

"I know, but…Ron, listen to what you just said." Hermione stated, keeping her tone even. If they were going to argue, she wanted to at least try to stop it from becoming a screaming match, "You're sorry, but only for how things ended. You just wanted to help, but never asked what I needed."

Ron turned to fix her with a glare, "And what you needed was space. Got that message loud and clear."

It felt as though she had been punched in the gut. Of all the people to talk about needing space.

"Look, I don't want to fight. Not here." Ron sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face, "I'm…I'm glad you're better."

Without any further preamble, Ron turned to head back to his seat.

Within an instant, Harry walked over to where she stood, shellshocked from the tense exchange. He gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.

"We'll never be okay." Hermione whispered, unable to deny the possibility that maybe their friendship had truly fractured beyond repair.

"He needs time." Harry reasoned, looking over at their friend.

Hermione gave him a skeptical look.

"And a good talking to." He added, "He'll come around, Hermione. You know he will."

Hermione gave a sad nod, thinking about how even if they were able stop fighting long enough to repair their friendship, the revelation of her relationship with Charlie would destroy any semblance of good will they would have built.

"I'm going to step out and get some air." Hermione said, setting her drink down on the table. Upon seeing Harry's concerned look, she added, "I promise I'm fine, I just…need a moment."

He gave her arm one last squeeze before she turned away and headed to the stairwell that was immediately outside the suite. She walked down two flights before she took a seat, already lost in a swirl of ugly thoughts.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there alone, but knew immediately when Charlie had walked down to join her.

"He hates me." She stated numbly as he took a seat next to her.

Charlie immediately set up privacy charms.

"I don't think that's true." He replied as he tucked his wand away, "I think he hates himself more than anything."

Hermione scoffed.

"This may come as a shock to you," Charlie continued, "but my youngest brother has always been quite prideful and more than a little stubborn. He just doesn't want to admit that his actions hurt you—that he had contributed to the pain you were in." he paused, "He may not have even admitted it to himself yet."

Hermione sighed with relief when she felt Charlie wrap his arm around her. She hadn't anticipated how hard it would be to be near him without getting physically close like this.

"It doesn't excuse his behavior, but it helps to understand where he's coming from."

"That's just it." Hermione insisted as she rested her head on his shoulder, "He hasn't even bothered to try to understand where I'm coming from. In all this time, he still doesn't get it."

"He will. Eventually."

"That's what Harry said." Hermione muttered.

"Well, there you go!" Charlie replied with false mirth that she knew was only for her benefit, "It might not be the answer you want, but knowing how thickheaded my brother can get about things…"

Hermione sighed, nuzzling deeper into his shoulder, inhaling the intoxicating scent of his leather jacket that always seemed to put her at ease. They sat like that for a while, before Hermione gave him a gentle nudge.

"I should head back in before anyone comes looking for me and sees…"

Charlie nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head.

"About that…" He began, his voice oddly tight, "Bill knows."

Hermione turned to face him, pulling out of his hold in shock, "What?"

He shrugged, "Bill sort of…picked up on a few things. Apparently, I'm not exactly subtle."

While Hermione's heart was racing, she couldn't help but feel slightly relieved.

Someone knew and all hell hadn't broken loose.

"What'd he—"

"I'll tell you more about it when we get home," Charlie interrupted, "but just know that he's an ally. Fleur too."

She numbly nodded in response.

"Right." She stated, standing up, "Well…let's just be extra cautious for the remainder of the match."

Charlie stood, nudging her forward, "Go. I'll wait a few minutes before I head back in."

Hermione took in a deep breath as she walked back up the stairs, wondering what she would even say to Bill the next time she saw him, nearly running into George who had been peering over the stair-rail.

"I came out to see if you were okay, but it seems as though my brother beat me to it."

Hermione froze.

"What, pray tell, was so enthralling that you needed to cast a privacy charm when talking to said dearest brother, Charles?"

Her mind flew into a panic.

Bill and Fluer knowing was one thing—Bill had always been closer to Charlie than the other Weasley siblings, so she wasn't terribly shocked that he would take their side, but George…

He and Fred had both been relatively close with the trio during their time in and out of Hogwarts. His good opinion was less certain.

"I don't know—"

George cut her off, clearing his throat, "I've heard that he's been enjoying his research in Wales quite a lot. Where was it that Ginny said you lived again?"

Hermione remained silent, this time decidedly not liking the mischievous glint in his eyes.

George looked back at the door to the suite.

"What you said earlier…you're happy? Truly?"

He turned back to meet her gaze, his impertinence replaced with sincere concern.

Hermione was so taken aback by the sudden change of emotion that it was all she could manage to say, "Yes."

George smiled, "Your secret's safe with me, Granger."

Hermione sighed in relief.

"Though, when you inevitably get bored with Charlie's annoyingly rugged good looks, don't bother coming to me. You're not my type. You'd have a much better shot at Percy."

And just like that, the impudence was back.

"Prat." Hermione grumbled, giving him a swat on the arm.

It was at that moment that Charlie rounded the final landing of the stairwell surprised to see Hermione standing there with George who chose in that moment to flash his older brother a rather cheeky thumbs up.

Hermione gave his arm another whack for good measure.

Turning to face Charlie, Hermione gave a helpless shrug, "So, George knows."

"I figured as much." Charlie stated as he took a few cautious steps forward, still trying to assess the situation.

George threw an arm around Hermione, adopting a comically serious demeanor, "Be good to our girl, here, yeah?"

At this, Charlie seemed to relax slightly, "I don't plan on being anything else."

"Good, because I would hate to have to send you another Confettive."

Charlie groaned which caused Hermione to laugh. She was certain that she had spotted a little sprinkling of glitter underneath the side table next to his sofa the other day.

"Now come on." George ushered, "In we go. Much less suspicious as a group of three. Speaking of which, the art of nuance was never Charlie's strength, but I expected better espionage from you, Granger."

Hermione laughed as Charlie simply rolled his eyes, the three of them walking back into the suite to continue watching the match.

The rest of the game went without incident.

The Harpies won 230-140 and by the time Hermione made it back to her apartment, she was worn out from the day's events. She had stayed well past the game's end to wait for Ginny to come up to the box after she had finished with her official team duties.

"Hermione! You made it!" she had exclaimed, rushing up to Hermione.

"Of course!" Hermione said, throwing her arms around her friend, "You were brilliant! Utterly brilliant!"

"Thank you." Ginny gushed, her face flushing from the praise, "I am so glad you came!"

Lowering her voice she asked, "Was my brother on his best behavior?"

It had taken Hermione longer than it should have to realize she meant Ron.

"Not exactly." She admitted.

"What a git." Ginny had huffed.

"I'm sure Harry will fill you in on most of what happened, but for the most part, peace was kept." Hermione clarified.

At that moment, Molly had called Ginny to come over to say goodbye to Bill and Fleur before they left so she could see her niece and Hermione had gestured for Ginny to go.

"Lunch soon?" Ginny asked, "Our pre-season intensive training is finally over, so I actually have my weekends back."

"Lunch soon." She agreed.

Now, having been home for all of five minutes, Hermione found herself half asleep on her sofa, not even bothering to remove her shoes or scarf when she heard the telltale sign of the Floo network activating in her fireplace. She opened an eye to watch Charlie walk through the green flames, quickly syphoning off the excess ash and dirt with his wand. Upon seeing her in her sorry state, he smiled.

"As comfortable as your sofa is, I think we can do better."

Before she could ask what he meant, she felt him scoop her into his arms and carry her off to the bedroom. If Hermione hadn't been so emotionally drained, she would have found the whole scenario highly romantic. After gingerly placing her on her side of the bed, he hopped in next to her after taking a moment to take both of their shoes off before settling in the bed, apparently equally as keen for a late afternoon nap. Hermione found herself relaxing against him as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"So Bill, Fleur, and George know about us." He said after a moment.

Hermione shifted, rolling over to face him.

"I'm actually a little relieved." She admitted, becoming very focused on the feel of his leather jacket underneath her hand.

He hadn't taken it off.

"It…doesn't seem as scary telling everyone else any more. I mean…" she paused, collecting her thoughts, "I'm still concerned with how Ginny and Harry will react, but…it's nice to know we already have people in our corner, you know?"

Charlie nodded, leaning in to give Hermione a quick kiss on the forehead before pulling her closer towards him, his eyes closing.

"I can't believe you're going to sleep in your jacket." Hermione yawned.

"It's actually pretty comfortable." He chuckled sleepily.

Hermione gave an affirmative hum and within minutes, the two were fast asleep.

Author's Note: I am not quite sure what it was about this chapter that made it so difficult to write. I've had this whole story outlined from the start, but as I write each chapter, things change and I found myself constantly writing and rewriting and editing and re-editing trying to make sure that everything was just right until I looked up suddenly it's now the end of September?!

As always, thank you so much for reading and for putting up with my sporadic posting schedule. Every notification I get in my inbox from your follows, faves, and thoughtful reviews make my day. You guys are simply the best! Next chapter...Ginny becomes the next Weasley to find out.