Snogging at the Burrow

Chapter 14

Hermione laughed, looking into his blue eyes. "You're kidding me right."

"Unfortunately not. come on Granger, just a quick peck."

Her stomach grew nervous. But then the door flew open.

Her head turned, and standing in the door way was Charlie Weasley, eyes locked on too hers, some snow stuck to his hair and coat.

"Well this is awkward." Fred said, a smirk growing on his face.

"Charlie, what are you doing back?" Ron asked, annoyed with his brother back.

"Just came back for some of my things. Turns out you can't handle dragons without fire mits."

Hermione laughed at this, but then bit her lip. She was mostly shocked he was back at all, and the growing feeling of butterflies in her stomach proved she still liked him, in fact very much so.

Harry looked between everyone, quite afraid of what would happen next. You had Hermione under the mistletoe with Fred, which already had flustered the girl enough. Then you had Ron who was growing jealous from the moment his brother had performed such a stunt, but with Charlie, he defiantly was out competed. Ginny looked concerned, Lavender was completely joyful and also drooling over Ron from across the front room, and Cormac looked like he was watching some sort of Quidditch match, leaning on the banister.

"You don't have to kiss him Hermione." Harry commented quickly before things grew awful.

"Really?" She looked hopeful at this.

Now everyone was looking at him. He shrugged. "Well yeah, you just need to kiss something, it can't really tell the difference."

"What is going on?" Charlie asked.

"Mistletoe stupid." Ginny whispered to shut him up.

"Oh screw it." Hermione said, and she quickly leaned up and pecked him on the lips. Her cheeks were bright red. "What are you all looking at, go on."

Under her deadly glare, most of them snickered and scattered away.

"Jolly Granger, can I get one too?" George said, and she smacked him in the chest.

Everyone moved into the sitting room eventually, and Hermione lingered as Charlie was there as well. He hadn't removed his eyes off of her, in which she found when she finally looked towards him.

"Can we talk?"

She nodded, swallowing nervously.

She followed him up the stairs until they reached his room. He started to pack some things, and Hermione just watched him anxiuously.

"You should stay."

"Here?"

"Yes. Do you have to go back?"

"Well I thought it would be best."

"I'd like you to stay Charlie." she said, moving over towards him. He inhaled as she stood right in front of him, reaching out slowly to touch his chest.

He took her hand in his, and she looked up in question as he placed a box into her hand.

"What is it?" She asked softly.

"It's a gift." He said. "For my friend."

"Friend?" She questioned sadly.

"Friends Granger, don't you think it's best."

"I don't really know what to think anymore. You know I like you."

"I know." he said, hiding his admiration behind his eyes, but she could tell he felt the same. Sad about the truth behind their relationship. The truth that it would never work. "Will you open it?"

"But Charlie it's not Christmas yet."

"Don't worry, there are more gifts for you under the tree." He said rubbing her cheek with his thumb. But then he removed it quickly, realizing friends wouldn't do such things.

She smiled slightly and pulled on the paper. She tried to not let the tears fall. She was rather bitter that he wanted to only be friends, but perhaps she was foolish all this time. She should have never started liking him in the first place. Her eyes were defiantly stingy, although she tried to ignore the pain rising in her chest from the moment he uttered the word friends. But some things she couldn't control.

She lifted the lid of the box to find a pair of socks. Fuzzy socks with dragons on them. "I love them Charlie!" She said, pulling them on exasperated. She smiled wide up at him. "Well, I'm going to go now. The others should be expecting me! Thanks!" She said, the quiver barely noticeable, ad she slipped from the room.

Little did he know she had stopped just out side the door, leaned against the wall, and clenched her eyes as she started to cry.

He stared at the doorway for a bit longer, before looking back to his room sighing. She took that better than he thought. For some reason, he wished she hadn't. Wished she would wrap her arms around his neck, with that cute smile of hers, laugh embarrassed and then place her lips on his.

He scanned his room, when something caught his eye, it was something sticking under his pillow. He walked over and lifted the feathered item tossing it aside. There was a note on the wrapped box, similar to the one he gave her.

Dear Charlie,

I put this under your pillow, and you are not to open it to Christmas! I'm serious It is barley noticeable so I doubt you would find it earlier. You see I put this charm on it so that on Christmas morning it plays a muggle tune, that way you will be sure to find it. Did you like it? It's one of my favorite. Anyways, I'm trying not to cringe at what I'm about to say. But here it is Charlie. I like you, a lot. And it's for the first time in a while I've been this happy. You see I tend to just get so busy with school work, and what Harry and Ron are doing, and I mean they are great to hang out around an all, but you're so much more intelligent. You're also super cute and handsome. And funny. I love your eyes, which sounds stupid, but it's true. You may not know this about me, but I've never actually kissed anyone. Well by the time you read this, you will probably have been my first. The last few days it's all I've been thinking about....that I want to kiss you. Please don't laugh at my pathetically depressing love life. Actually you probably will rub it in my face, making some joke about it, but then you'll kiss me some how, and I wouldn't mind at all. I've only truly known you for a short time, but It feels like I've known you forever. It's scary really, to fall so dependent on one person in an instant. By the way, when you blush whenever I call you Char, I find it extremely attractive, so if you find me making googly eyes at you after I call you Char, now you know why. Okay okay, enough of my rambling. I hope you like the present.

-yours truly, Hermione

P.S. The necklace inside is made of one of those cool ropes, cause I heard it's all the rage among the cool male population. Bill said all the Dragon tamers had them. And the stone that holds the tooth in place is supposed to glow when I'm thinking about you.

He opened the box, to find a necklace with a Dragon tooth on it. The gemstone was glowing with a blue iridescent light, that felt cool to the touch. There was also a little tag, engraved on the back was Charlie Weasley + Hermione Granger.

He let out a sigh as a numb feeling swept his body. He read over the letter what must have been three times, and he couldn't fight the feeling any longer. He set down the box, pocketing the note and left his room, bloody nervous for what he was about to do.