Dragoste

Charlie

Charlie Weasley had been born without a soul mark. If you were in the know, this wasn't particularly unusual. It simply meant that his soulmate hadn't been born yet. As the years went by, however, his family began to worry, eased only slightly by the knowledge that Bill hadn't gotten his soul mark until he was six. To their relief, a few months before Charlie's seventh birthday, a black-brown splodge appeared on his left forearm. He had a soulmate, and one almost seven years younger at that. Charlie decided not to dwell on it; he very well might not even meet them until they had both reached 21 when the soul marks would be fully matured. He tried not to think about how he would be very almost 28 when that would happen... Anyways, there were other things to focus on in life than soulmates; who needed a girlfriend?

The first time Charlie met Hermione Granger was not until the Quidditch World Cup. He had heard of her, of course. There had been the incident with Norberta but his baby brother had also talked about her and Harry Potter non-stop in his letters and that hadn't stopped when he'd come home at the beginning of the summer. When she had first arrived at the Burrow, they had exchanged brief introductions and would occasionally exchange greetings. He wanted to start a conversation, intrigued by Ron's tales of her intellect, wondering if they would be able to engage in a stimulating discussion; he loved Romania and his colleagues at the reserve but not many of them could discuss magical creatures in depth (beyond dragons) and those that could did not often entertain for too long.

He finally found the opportunity when they were in the tent. He had been helping his parents around the tent when he felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned and met the young witch's gaze before she spun on her heel and headed over to chair with a book in a relatively quiet area of the tent. He took the opening and headed over to strike up a conversation, "What you reading?"

Charlie was slightly surprised at his luck to see the cover 'Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them' in her hands but took it in stride, "Not what I was expecting Granger, I won't lie to you. You have an interest in magical creatures?"

He hadn't anticipated the sharp reply, though perhaps he should have (given the stories Ron had told). She had a fiery nature that reminded him of his baby sister and he couldn't help but tease her. However, he quickly backed off before she could bite back. He was not one to willingly submit himself to a verbal lashing.

Admittedly, he probably hadn't given the best first impression but they had the rest of the Quidditch World Cup for him to pick her brain about her thoughts on magical creatures.

Things had been hectic after the whole situation with the Death Eaters and Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup. This meant that Charlie and Hermione had not had much more of a chance to interact properly before she went back to Hogwarts and he returned to Romania. He was disappointed, to say the least, that they had not had the chance to talk properly... A thought came to him, though he wasn't sure where from: perhaps, he could write her a letter. The thought had come from nowhere but, as he contemplated it, he decided that it was not a bad idea.

He wasn't sure what to write, however; after all, he was merely the older brother of one of her friends... he needed something to start the conversation. He headed over to the bookcase in his cabin at the reserve, browsing over his selection of books on magical creatures until one caught his eye: 'Hoax and Dreams' written by Laura Thorn. It was one of his personal favourites because of its drastically different point of view compared to books written by wizards; unfortunately, not many people he knew had read the book, let alone knew about it. He wondered what insight Hermione might provide... he hoped she would like it. Taking the book from the shelf - he could get a replacement later - he wrapped it up, scribbling a quick note and a return address and sent it off with an owl.

He didn't have to wait long for a reply, receiving a letter only a few days later:

Dear Mr Busybody,

I never actually said I wasn't interested in magical creatures. I merely stated that magical creatures weren't the ONLY things I'm interested in. Regardless, I am very grateful for the book. I've been wanting to read it for a while so you've saved me the effort of having to look for it. If you don't mind me asking, why do you want me to be interested in magical creatures anyways?

I heard from Ron that you headed back to Romania. I do hope the dragons are treating you well.

From Miss Bookworm

He chuckled at the pennames Hermione had assigned them; he supposed he could see how he might come off as a busybody. What really excited him, though, was that she had already known about the book and had been wanting to read it. He looked forward to being able to talk with her about its contents. He collected some parchment, ink and his quill to write a response.

Dear Miss Bookworm, 

The dragons are treating me as well as ever, which is to say they're mostly aggressive in their own lovable way.

I'm happy to know that you aren't completely uninterested in magical creatures. Ronnie's told me all about how smart you are and I was hoping to kindle your interest in magical creatures so we could have a discussion that I actually find engaging. Unfortunately, most people I've spoken to are either completely uninterested, get bored rather quickly or only want to talk about dragons which, most times, translates to work talk.

I apologise for my selfish motives but I do hope you'll entertain me and let me know once you've finished reading so we can discuss our thoughts. That book is actually one of my favourites so I do hope you'll enjoy it.

From Mr Busybody

He wondered if she would be offended that he had struck up conversation over what he had to admit were pretty selfish reasons. He shrugged and sent off the letter, deciding that he should just be honest and if she didn't want to talk to him then that was her prerogative.

Contrary to his expectations, he received another quick reply:

Dear Mr Busybody,

I completely understand wishing for someone to share in intellectual conversations with; I, myself, don't have anyone willing to be party to academic debates with me so, perhaps, we could consider this a mutually beneficial entertainment of analytical minds. Though, I should warn you that I may be inclined to engage in alternative topics of debate, additional to that of magical creatures.

I have almost finished reading the book, though not quite yet. I must admit, I was surprised to find that it's one of your favourites as I have found that there are not many people who are even aware of the book's existence; it's a pity in light of its unique point of view regarding magical creatures. I should be finished reading by your next letter and would very much like to hear some of your thoughts on the work.

From Miss Bookworm

Charlie couldn't help but feel relieved that she was still willing to exchange letters with him. He briskly set to writing his reply, careful to not overwhelm her with too many pages.

After that first week, Hermione and Charlie had been exchanging letters several times a week for several weeks. He had sent her several more books that they discussed, their letters rapidly growing from several lines to paragraphs to pages of writing. Soon, they were talking about more than just the books he sent her; they exchanged details about their lives, venting, telling stories and rambling about the most recent thing that had caught their interest. He was surprised by how easily the conversation flowed, barely noticing the seven-year age-gap as they spoke as equals. He was happy to call Hermione Granger his friend.

He was delighted when he was given the chance to see her (now that they were actually friends), though slightly concerned at the circumstances under which that visit would have to take place. He had known that the Triwizard tournament was happening that year but knowing that dragons were the first task after having spent several years working with them... yeah, he was worried. Particularly because Harry was going to be taking part (which he definitely should not be). However, there was nothing he could do about that and chose to look at the positives and so set to penning a quick letter before he began to pack for the trip. He made sure to let her know that the visit was completely optional on her part but he did hope she would choose to see him.

She had come to see him.

He was just finishing up a conversation with a fellow dragon keeper when he felt a poke to his arm. He had been extremely confused, looking around at his empty surroundings, until Hermione appeared from thin air, pulling a cloak off of herself.

To put it simply, he was shocked. He had put the offer to her, hoping that she would take it, but he had not actually expected her to break the rules and break curfew to come see him. Of course, he was ecstatic that she had. After all, it wasn't like they would have an abundance of opportunities to physically see each other with him living in an entirely different country and her still in school. So, of course, he was happy that she had chosen to come see him.

However, like the idiot he was, he managed to make her feel uncomfortable while he was still trying to process her being there. He quickly rushed to reassure her when he saw her about to leave and couldn't stop himself from hugging her when she seemed to relax a bit. Then, as easy as breathing, they fell into the familiar banter from their letter exchanges. 

He showed her the dragons he had brought for the tournament, telling her stories about them and answering her questions. They talked for hours, simply enjoying the conversation and the company of the other. Time slipped by and Charlie couldn't deny the disappointment he felt when Hermione had to leave.

"I'll write to you when I'm back in Romania," Charlie gave her a tight hug as they bid their farewells. He watched her disappear as she threw her cloak back over herself.

He headed over to his tent to catch a few hours of sleep before sunrise and absentmindedly hoped he might be able to see her again after the first task was over, though he knew it was unlikely.

He hadn't been able to see her after the first task, having to quickly get the dragons under control and escort them back to Romania, but he did manage to congratulate Harry on a job well done; he had done brilliantly.

He returned to Romania and he continued to exchange letters with Hermione. He did note that they seemed to come less often than before, but he summed it up to her becoming busy as the year's lessons went on. He heard about the Yule Ball and the second task (that one had almost made his heart stop) and then the third task... He heard about it from Hermione first, though Dumbledore soon contacted him: he wanted Charlie to start sowing seeds about the idea of using dragons during the war the headmaster was sure was coming.

With Charlie focusing on Order business and Hermione's year with Umbridge, they slowly fell out of contact. He still heard about her in passing; he saw her at Bill's wedding before Ron went on the run with her and Harry; he saw her at the Battle of Hogwarts fighting as fiercely as he would have expected.

That's how he remembered her: his little brother's genius best friend who he had exchanged letters with for a time.

That was until a few years later, after the Final Battle, when he saw her in the med bay of the Romanian dragon sanctuary, "H-Hermione? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Charlie. It's good to see you."