I must be begging for some drama. Well, this is different for me. I've been suffering since I had to put my doggy down 2 weeks ago. I promise I'll find inspiration to touch on my many WIP but for now, this is something I wanted to introduce to you. I hope you enjoy the snippets that are going to build this story. This won't be months spanning this story, this is going to be years. I hope you enjoy!

Summary: A broken relationship and a mistletoe led to some pretty extraordinary things. For one, it's easy to mistake a child's father, when they're both redheaded Weasleys. Two, she made a promise never to talk about how it happened in the first place. When the shaky foundation cracks, what's left of the build for family?

Hermione honestly didn't remember that night. She was so snookered by the spirits and her own sorrows. The witch was blank. However, the small plastic object in her hand reminded her of the morning after.

Charlie was climbing out of the sheets when she groaned and blinked her sore eyes. "You're awake, I was trying to make a getaway," he admitted while reaching for his abandoned clothes.

Her body felt heavy against the mattress as she rolled with a wince. "What happened, Charles?"

His freckled back stretched and maneuvered while he shifted on his pants. "I, well, we continued to drink."

"Did we?" Hermione glanced around her new flat's bedroom.

Silence. Charlie was always good for an awkward silence.

"Did I drink a potion?"

Again, silence.

Hermione looked over at the nightstand to see a vial, uncorked. She groaned as she reached for it and noted the empty glass.

"I'm sorry," he huffed.

"Are you going to look at me?" She murmured.

The awareness that he was utterly embarrassed by what they did had struck her. It made the act seem seedier than what it was. Hermione bunched the blankets up to her chest as she sat up. Her head was pounding, but at that moment, it was lesser of two evils.

Charlie turned to face her with a pinched expression. Even his facial hair seemed to cover up his lips as they thinned with his grimace. "It wasn't a plan. I didn't expect that escorting you home would lead to this. Can you not tell my brothers? I don't want them to hate me for taking advantage."

"Were you drunk as well?"

His large hand scrubbed his face. "Yes, very. You have to understand. I don't usually do this."

Hermione's curly hair fell around her as she pressed her chin to her knees. "You don't have drunken dalliances or," she paused as he shook his head.

"I don't sleep with witches. It isn't something I chase after. The women I'm surrounded by don't, they're not fond of mixing work with pleasure."

His eyes didn't meet hers as she examined him. Charlie was clearly uncomfortable as he stood with his shirt still in his free hand. There was so much to understand by the whole of the circumstances, but he was disabled by it.

"As long as we were consenting adults about it, it's fine," she settled on saying.

"Please, Hermione, don't tell my family? My mother will string me up by my toes," he grumbled as his deep blue eyes found the white walls to focus on.

"Charlie it's," she stopped when he waved at her.

"No, it's rather the circumstance than anything. I don't want to be called out for preying on you. It would seem like that. No one would understand," Charlie huffed.

Hermione stretched her legs out and pursed her lips. "But you didn't, correct? I must have done something horrible to provoke you so," she sighed.

Charlie maneuvered to the bed and took her delicate hand in his coarse one. "No, no, Hermione. You were lovely. More than lovely, you were generous. I was not in the right head after we finished that bottle you had in the cabinet. It was just a kiss, but I, it, don't you understand?" He struggled.

"I promise, this will remain between us, Charlie," Hermione said with a bob of her head.

Charlie exhaled and bent to her, kissing her cheek. "You're beautiful and far too smart for a Dragon Keeper. Thank you," he whispered.

"Can you answer me one thing?" Hermione asked.

Charlie didn't leave her proximity as he smiled and turned his gaze to her face. "What?"

"Was I at least decent? I don't remember much," She confessed with a scowl.

He belted out laughter that rocked the bed. "You were masterful, Hermione. Now, I'm going to head back to the Burrow. I will see you for breakfast."

"Happy Christmas, Charles," Hermione grumbled as he pulled from her.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione," Charlie responded and left her bedroom.

The product of said test was already a challenge for her as she groaned and flexed at her desk. Options were viable and evident at this point. Hermione could choose to rid herself of the problem, and no one would need to know. The witch thought that was discounting everything she went through with Ron and bashed it with a grimace.

She couldn't confess to the situation. That would only create pandemonium in her life and those involved. Poor Charlie would be subjected to a third-degree, unlike any other. Even dragons seemed tame in comparison to the uproar it would cause.

There was also the issue of keeping it a secret. A baby does indeed change her lifestyle and much of the long nights she had planned for her career. It was all so intensely… anticlimactic.

"Hermione, you seem distracted," Percy's voice brought her from the dizzy thoughts.

Hermione blinked and tapped her dripping quill. "Sorry, I was in a daze. What can I do for you, Percy?"

"The minister sent me over to get those bills you had finished. They are done, correct?" He asked in a polite tone, but his eyes still scrutinized her.

The witch reached over after setting down her quill and handed him a stack of parchment. "Everything I have."

He took the stack and shifted his glasses. "You alright? You look ill."

"You and the minister would be the first to know if I was," Hermione said.

She shuffled some paperwork as he lingered.

"Have you spoken to my brother lately?" Percy asked.

Her eyes shot to his face as her eyebrows skewed together. "Your - little brother?"

"Yes, Ron."

"No, not since Christmas. My parents have been quite busy with their new house in the country, so I spend time there when I'm not helping Andromeda," Hermione murmured as she straightened up her desktop.

"He misses you, Hermione," Percy tutted.

"And that is none of your business, Mr. Weasley. Now, I believe I'm going to take my lunch before my meeting with our minister."

Percy just nodded before leaving her office. It was going to be hard - no near impossible. If anyone did the math as well as she did, the new growth in her abdomen was not Ronald's. In fact, it was most resoundingly, not even close. Give two months to be on the tight side, and you'd end up with a very overdue child. No, she wouldn't even be able to claim such. In reality, they hadn't shagged before their end for a good six weeks. That left several months between said actions. She was utterly fucked.

"I could wish for curly brown hair," she sighed, rubbing her stomach.

The truth was, she'd only met one Weasley with different color hair, and that was due to her veela heritage.

Her stomach growled, and she climbed from her chair. For now, this problem would have to wait. She needed to feed the baby.

Charlie Weasley was seldom disappointed with life. He enjoyed his freedom, and it came to him in bursts of open-air on a broom and rushing waters in the lake. Today was a day of rest, and the lake was his favorite spot. He floated in the water listlessly and gazed up at the clouds in the sky. The air was warming, and the earth sang to him as spring brought life. However, there was something in the texture of the day that made his mind wheel.

Water splashed over his face, and he righted himself to see one of his companions. "Char, you're gonna prune," the man snickered.

"The laws of the land," Charlie laughed and pulled his stringy hair from his neck. "Do you think we'll have clutches soon, Sylis?"

"Soon, but the females are boorish this year. We may have less," Sylis grumbled as the tanned Dragon Keeper yanked back his black hair.

"What brings you out here? I thought you were off to Hungry."

Sylis groaned and shifted his weight onto the bottom of the shallows. "I was hopin' I could convince you to come."

Charlie grunted and climbed from the water, stretching out on the grass. "No, I don't think so. The witches will need some muscles while you and Jay are gone."

Sylis crawled on the grass next to him and snickered. "You always did like dragons more than witches."

"Yes, I do," Charlie grumbled and tucked an arm under his head.

"What happened with that English cookie?"

"Nothing, she's gone with the winds. Like a dragoness," Charlie huffed and shifted his bare form on the greenery.

Sylis groaned and exhaled. "The ways of the land. If she's not here, she's gone."

Charlie's grimace didn't go unnoticed. "Ways of the land."

"Was it worth the longing?" Sylis asked.

"It was worth the scales," Charlie grumbled and reached for his things. "I'm going for a walk."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Ginny was near a screeching tone.

Hermione pulled her hair from the redhead as she sat away from the toilet. "What did you want me to say? I'm pregnant and scared?"

"Scared?" Ginny puffed with full cheeks.

The witch climbed from the floor and groaned as she splashed water into her mouth. "Give me a moment," she grumbled.

The women were in the Potter's sitting room, and Hermione finally lost her secretive behavior. Well, after Ginny was almost throwing wine down her throat. It was this calamity of shock, awe, and disgust as nausea breached her relaxed demeanor, which is why the loo was her destination and reveal. Hermione hadn't planned on going over the variations of how she needed to tell this story.

They walked into the sitting room, and Hermione collapsed in the armchair. "Alright, we can chat."

"Why, scared?" Ginny groaned as she sat on the loveseat.

"Of course, I'm scared. I'm going to be a mother," Hermione grumbled as she rubbed the small distended bump.

"When are you going to tell Ron? You're so small for being so far along," Ginny sighed with a shake of her head.

"That's because it's not Ron's," Hermione said while rolling her eyes.

Ginny gasped and launched herself from her chair. "Whose is it? Please tell me it's someone rich and foreign? Ron will have a load of blasted end skewers come out his arsehole."

Hermione waved her off. "It doesn't matter whose it is. What matters is that I need to figure out how to get passed your mother for two more months before it all goes to shite. If I can avoid her before I leave for Spain, I can come back with a child."

"Wait, you're going to have your baby in Spain? Hermione, no!" Ginny growled while shaking her finger at the witch.

"What do you want me to do? Hold off on life because I'm pregnant with someone's child?" Hermione groaned.

"Yes! I mean, what did you expect? Were you going to travel the world while you had an infant? Not even close if Harry finds out."

Speaking of the person in question - Harry walked into the sitting room with a pinched expression. "Why was James climbing on the bookshelves, Gin?"

Ginny groaned and tossed her hand. "He thinks he's that odd man spider hero person. I placed a descension spell on the carpet so he wouldn't hurt himself."

"Spiderman," Hermione corrected.

Harry sat down and fixed his glasses. "So, what's this business of the bathroom?"

"Nothing," Hermione mumbled.

Ginny turned to him and twitched her lips. "Are the boys asleep?"

Harry nodded. "Yes."

"Well, I have three weeks until I will be off to Paris for a week. A wonderful diplomatic summit that Kingsley will be escorting me to," Hermione declared as she reached for her water glass.

"You mean after you get checked by a healer and not a muggle doctor," Ginny growled with a glare.

"A doctor?" Harry questioned.

Hermione shook her head as she sipped her glass. "Don't worry about it, Harry."

"She's pregnant," Ginny hissed.

Harry sat up, straighter, and blinked with wide eyes. "Pregnant? But I thought you and Ron haven't, ya know… in a long while."

Hermione set the cup down roughly and groaned. "It's not his."

"What do you mean it's not his? You haven't been seeing anyone," Harry said with a deep scowl.

"I had an evening with a wizard around New Years," Hermione sighed.

"New Years, but you came here," Ginny pressed.

"Around it, I went out for drinks after work one evening," Hermione lied while tossing her hair from her shoulder.

"And you aren't going to tell him," Ginny said with a flat tone.

Hermione smiled and shook her head. "No, he wasn't interested in children from the start."

"Well, bugger," Harry said.

"Bugger," Ginny agreed.

Hermione just sat there and held back her relief. It will have to do for the web of lies she'd be weaving. It was going to be a long six months.