Rose Among the Thorns

Chapter 21

"Is this everything?" Charlie asked, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"I think so," Hermione replied, entering their new kitchen.

"For living in a flat as small as yours you really do have a lot of stuff," he said, wiping the sweat from his face.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "And you don't?" she said, picking up a stuffed dragon from atop one of the boxes.

"For your information," Charlie said, snatching the dragon away from his wife, "Rupert has been in my possession since I was a wee lad of three and he's not going anywhere anytime soon." He looked at the tiny toy. "Isn't that right, Rupe?" The little dragon let out a weak puff of smoke. "And what about that ragged little baby blankie you keep tucked under your pillow?"

Hermione laughed. "I guess we're even, then." She put her hands on her hips and looked around. "It's finally ours," she said with a smile.

Charlie wrapped his arms around her waist and gently leaned his chin on top of her head. "I like that," he said.

"What?"

"Ours."

Hermione smiled as he kissed her neck. So much had changed in two month's time. She and Charlie had gotten much closer...in many ways. She was surprised to find that they were so alike. Both were early risers, both were neat, thrifty, and practical. And both had a secret weakness for dark chocolate and peanut butter sundaes from Fortescues. It was the silly things, like the ice cream and the toy dragon, that Hermione enjoyed the best about Charlie.

Hermione drew her wand and began unpacking. "Thank Merlin for magic," she said. "Otherwise this would take weeks."

Charlie took his cue from his wife and started to unpack as well. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can 'christen' every room in the house," he said impishly.

He watched as it took her a few moments to realize what he meant. He grinned as the back of her sweat-dampened neck grew pink.

"Is that why your family's so big?" she countered, looking back over her shoulder at him. "Every room in the house?"

Charlie gave a deep laugh. Always on her toes.

*****

The next afternoon all of the boxes were unpacked and the little house was in order. A very sweaty Charlie rolled over on the bed and reached for his vest and jumper.

"That's one room down," an equally flushed and sweaty Hermione said as she lay beside him.

He grinned. "Once more for good measure?"

She laughed as she ran her small hand down his lean torso, touching the pale, thin scars crisscrossing his sides. "Only once?" she murmured, pulling him down to meet her.

"Well, two or three more times wouldn't hurt," he whispered into her kiss.

"Charlie?" a voice called from downstairs.

"Ignore it," Charlie said, running his hand up his wife's leg.

"Charlie?" the voice called again.

"What if it's important?" Hermione asked as she brushed her lips across his shoulder.

"It's not," he replied.

"Charlie, it's really important," the voice rang out.

Charlie growled against Hermione's stomach, causing her to giggle. He rolled off the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a clean shirt and padded barefoot down the stairs.

"Been busy, have ya?" the bearded man asked.

"Something like that," Charlie grumbled.

"Sorry, Charlie, but Rhys has called off and Agatha's egg is about to crack," the stranger said, peering out of the green flames in the fireplace.

"It's alright, Connor," Charlie said, sitting down and pulling on a pair of boots. "I'll be over in a minute."

"Sorry if I interrupted anything," Connor said with a cheeky grin.

Charlie looked over his shoulder. Hermione was peeking around the corner, dressed only in one of his old Montrose Magpies shirts.

Charlie grinned back. " You owe me at least one weekend shift."

Connor laughed. "I do indeed, Charlie, I do indeed," he said, disappearing from the flames.

"You've got to go in to the Reserve, then?" Hermione asked, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"It's Agatha's first birth," he explained, standing. "We usually need a little extra help for the firsts."

"Go on then," Hermione said, playfully swatting him on the behind. "But don't forget what you're missing."

Charlie caught her up in a deep kiss. "Wait up for me and I'll make it worth it."

Hermione crooked one eyebrow. "It better be." She turned and sauntered back up the stairs, careful to flash a little of her own behind on the first step.

Charlie moaned and leaned against the doorpost. If someone had told him a two months ago that his wife was such a minx, he would have told them they'd been sniffing too much pixie dust. He groaned as he Apparated. Agatha's egg better crack bloody soon...

*****

Hermione awoke with a start. Vaguely she noticed that Charlie hadn't returned, as she was sleeping alone, squarely in the middle of the bed. She rolled over and glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was six in the morning. She yawned and stretched, the cool air causing her to dive back under the covers. After a few minutes she decided to brave the cold and make breakfast for her husband. She pulled the covers up her arm, leaving only her fingers bare as she reached for her wand on the bedside table. After lighting a fire in the fireplace and casting a Warming Charm over the room, she finally tumbled from the bed. Five minutes later, a robe covered, kneazle slippered Hermione stood at the stove cracking eggs into a skillet already containing several sausages and a thick slice of ham.

"Morning, Crookshanks," she said to her cat, dropping a couple of kippers into his bowl. She turned back to the counter and began slicing a tomato.

An hour later, after consuming a large helping of eggs, sausage, porridge, kippers, and tomatoes, Hermione sat at the kitchen table, munching on a slice of buttered toast drinking a cup of coffee, and filling in the Prophet crossword. She knew, from firsthand experience during her first year at Hogwarts, that dragon eggs often took a long time to crack. She drained the cup and went upstairs to dress for work. Half of an hour later she laid a rather saucy lipstick covered note on the counter and Apparated to the Ministry.

*****

"No, O'Donovan, I won't sanction your proposal to allow for the crossbreeding of fire slugs and Graphorns." Hermione told the blonde wizard standing in front of her desk. "Not only is owning a Graphorn illegal, but the idea is just plain disgusting."

She sighed and rubbed her temples. She had only been at work two hours and already she felt like she needed a Migraine Potion. It was going to be a very long day.

Suddenly, the doors of the office burst open. Hermione looked up over the top of her cubicle to see Connor, the man Charlie had talked to by Floo the evening before.

"Hermione Granger?" he called out, looking around the room. "Is Hermione Granger here?"

She waved one arm in the air. "Over here." Her mouth went dry as she noted the look of urgency on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked him as he approached. "What's happened?"

"There's been an accident," he replied.

Hermione snatched up her coat and followed him out the door.

*****

*sigh* I love cliffhangers... at least when I'm not reading them :-P What's happened? Will Hermione get there in time? Will Lassie be able to get Timmy out of the well? -cue 1930s dramatic radio show music. Tune in next time for 'the Dramatic Lives of Hermione Granger and Charlie Weasley.' Sadly, I'm lame and find dumb things funny.