Chapter Eight:

"Charlie, you promised you'd take me to Zonko's last night," said Ron seriously.

"Must you sound like a child?" Charlie snapped pensively.

Ron glared. "Charlie, you promised!"

"Fine, I'm coming. Is Harry coming with us too?"

Charlie as usual lately, was quite grumpy and walked silently with Ron, Harry, Fred, and George. Fred and George kept popping up with jokes, great grins on their faces, but Charlie didn't even smile.

"Charlie, I wish you wouldn't brood over Hermione like this," Ron snapped finally, exasperated.

Charlie looked at him in surprise.

"If she doesn't want you, you shouldn't follow her like a puppy dog!" Ron added defensively to his first statement. "Besides, maybe she had to learn the hard way about Sinds. Obviously, she's not taking our advice. We've tried."

Harry nodded quickly in agreement. "Many times. She's not listening, Charlie."

"But if Sinds is hurting her, maybe we should at least keep an eye on her, to make sure nothing happens," insisted Fred.

"Don't be ridiculous," argued Ron. "That'll just get us yelled at by her, and I hate it when she yells. She's scary."

George and Fred laughed at him. Fred asked, "Doesn't she always yell at you?"

George added, "And isn't she always right?"

"In this case, she isn't," Harry replied. "And neither is Ginny."

"You're just jealous because Ginny's boyfriend isn't you," Fred said, looking at him seriously.

Harry flushed. "That is not true."

Charlie bit the side of his mouth to stop a grin. "Harry? You've never told us you were interested in Ginny. Oh, I've heard all about her infatuation for you, but not yours for her."

Harry threw his arms up. "Oh, really! Honestly! Ginny and I - we've never, I mean..."

"I can see what Hermione means when she talks of your wonderful articulation," Fred said, grinning.

Charlie gazed thoughtfully at the town of Hogsmeade as they walked in, and suddenly, a tall Slytherin was running up to them, his eyes wide with worry.

"Professor Weasley!" he shouted, running to him.

Fred and George immediately brandished their wands. Pointing their wands to his neck, he stopped, holding his empty hands in the air. "What do you want, Zabini?" growled Fred.

"Lower your wands," admonished Charlie. "What is it, Blaise?"

Blaise glared at Fred and George, and then looked to Charlie. "Professor Weasley - Hermione - she..."

"What?" Charlie was worried.

"You must come back to the castle," Blaise said, stuttering with his effort to get all the words out. "She 'fell' down a hill and into the frozen lake, and you know how the ice is too thin and she broke right through. If it weren't for Ginny and I - "

"What were Ginny and you doing together?"

"Arguing. Again."

"Why?"

Blaise blushed. "My girlfriend is her best friend, Luna, from Ravenclaw. We were just arguing. We saw Hermione in the lake and she must've been freezing. We pulled her out and got her inside. Hermione is in the Hospital Wing, and she's asking for you, Charlie."

Charlie turned and started running with Blaise in the direction of Hogwarts. Harry and Ron immediately started following.

"Do you think this is where it all turns around?" Fred asked, grinning at his twin.

"Yeah. Do you think it was Maverick's fault?"

"Definitely. Let's go!"

They sprinted after the group, dodging other students, shivering the cold wintery air. Charlie sprinted through the castle and up into the Hospital Wing, gasping and panting, and stumbled to Hermione's bedside.

"Charlie," she murmured, sounding tired and weak.

"Hermione, what happened?" he demanded, worried.

"What always happens," she said bitterly, although her face was still soft and gentle. She reached up to hold his hand. "I 'fell'."

Charlie sighed softly, holding her cold hands. "It's going to be okay, Hermione."

"I know. I'm sorry for pushing you away," she whispered. "Especially because you were right - and so is Harry and Ron. I should've listened."

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

Hermione smiled at him weakly. "Well, Harry, I don't know. I haven't decided yet. But I think so. And Harry? Thank you. And Ron. And Charlie, and Fred and George."

Charlie leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Get better, Hermione. You had us so worried."

"Thank Blaise for me, will you?" she whispered.

"I will."

"And kiss my forehead more often."

He chuckled, and kissed her forehead once more as she fell asleep.

"She'll be fine," Madam Pomphrey said, watching them quietly. "You should know, though, that people say strange things in their semi conscious. She might not remember talking to you guys when she wakes."