Loose Buttons

"Stop it boys!" Hermione shrieked as Fred and George tugged playfully at her robes.

"C'mon, love," Fred probed. "Just a peek."

"What are you hiding under there?" asked George in a childlike tone.

"I mean it," she warned, standing up straight and looking very serious. "Or else… Or else I'll get—Charlie!"

"Charlie?" Fred asked, stepping back and giving her an odd look. "What do you mean by—"

"Charlie," Hermione said again, rolling her eyes and pointing past both of the twins.

George looked, as did Fred, to see their brother standing just inside the door of their shop. "Charles!" George smiled as he left the back room where the three had been fooling around. "What brings you here?"

"Don't call me that, George." Charlie gave him a quick brotherly hug. "Am I—interrupting?" he asked with a cautious glance at Hermione.

"Oh no, of course not. You're welcome to join in," offered Fred, now nearing Charlie as well. He shot back a look at Hermione and waggled his eyebrows at her. She scowled in return.

"If you'd like, that is," added George.

Hermione followed Fred out and glared at him. "Leave it," she ordered. "There's nothing to join in on," she said with a glance to Charlie.

"Even if I had thought there was I wouldn't accept," he said kindly—seemingly unsure of her relationship with his brothers. "Brothers!" He pulled Fred and George away to the side. "I need your services. Bill and I are throwing Mum and Dad an anniversary party. Can you create something for the tables? Perhaps some sort of a humorous centerpiece?"

"Oh that'll be easy enough," Fred accepted.

"No water," Charlie amended. "Or stains. Actually, nothing that can cause harm or fright."

George frowned. "Well that makes this more difficult."

"But we'll come up with something," Fred promised with a smirk. "Is that all you needed?" he asked as he watched Hermione leaving the store. "Because if it is…"

"We have something to settle with the witch who is cleverly trying to leave," finished George.

"Yes, that's all I'll need you two for. Let me know when you make any progress, will you?" he requested. He went to the door and passed by Hermione who had stopped when the twins had noticed her escape. "Good day, Hermione," he said with a soft smile. He went into the street of Diagon Alley and then disappeared among the crowd.

Hermione was frowning when she turned to the twins.

"What's wrong?" asked a very concerned Fred.

"Nothing," she sighed. "I have to get back to the apothecary before Malfoy realizes that I've left."

Fred nodded and kissed her on the cheek. "Come back and visit soon," he reminded her. He guided her out the door with George following behind.

"Wait… we never discovered what were under those robes," Fred said with a suggestive glance along her body.

Hermione smirked as she pulled out a small, sealed vial. "I was hiding this," she said simply as they looked at the contents. A silvery-blue substance that seemed to be the consistency of smoke was inside the glass.

"Hermione, is that…"

"What Malfoy and I have been working on, yes," she revealed to George. "We've just to test it before we can market it."

"You don't think we could…"

"No, Fred. You cannot have a sample. Not until it's been tested."

Fred interrupted her. "We could test it ourselves and then compare results," he tried to convince her.

"Absolutely not. Besides," she shrugged her shoulders. "This is the only vial I have of the stuff. I need to do my own tests before I can let you guys put it in some joke merchandise," she reasoned.

Fred and George did their best imitations of puppy dogs, but Hermione simply shook her head and turned around. "Good bye, boys!" she called as she left their store and headed for her own.

She manoeuvred through the busy streets quite well since she had already worked there for nearly a year and knew by now all the shortcuts. In less than two minutes, she had pushed her way to her own store that she co-owned with another Potion mogul. Draco Malfoy.

"Thank you for returning, Granger," Draco said in a severely sarcastic tone.

Hermione smiled as she stepped into the store. "Absolutely no problem," she parried. "Any time."

Draco rolled his eyes but continued to concentrate on slicing the leeches in front of him. "Do you mind watching the counter while I finish up with a potion in the back?" he asked. Hermione agreed considering their tentative friendship that had developed because of their business venture together.

"Of course I'll stay up front." She gave him a slight smile. She watched him as he started to leave. He turned around suddenly and gave her a warning glare. "I promise not to leave," she said, crossing her heart.

He had made it halfway before he turned again. "Don't worry about it," she said as he gave her a final glance. "I'll call if I need help."

Draco left the entrance of the store with his sliced leeches and headed to the back rooms where the two had workspace. She wasn't sure what potions he was working on now that theirs was complete, but she knew that he wouldn't be wasting his time. Draco was like her—he needed to stay occupied.

Hermione went to the shelf that contained an assortment of ingredients having to do with snakes and began to organize them. She was alone in the store for only three minutes when someone came in. She heard the bell that hung above the door ring and greeted the customer without turning around.

"Do you need any help today?" she asked as she stood on her tiptoes to place a small container of Ashwinder eggs high above her with the other Ashwinder elements. Just as the jar tipped to the side and Hermione lost her balance a large hand wrapped around the glass and held it steady. Hermione though, wasn't so lucky to get a steadying hand and she fell to the floor in a heap.

"These can be costly," Draco reminded her as he set the jar on top of the shelf easily. Hermione scowled at his back as he walked back inside the other room. "I'd heard the door open, but I suppose you can help him. Can't you?"

Hermione ignored him and looked to the customer. "Charlie!" she said as she blushed. She got to her feet and tried to clean off her robes that were now sporting a layer of grey dust from the old wood floor. "What—um, what can I get for you?" She turned away from him to hide the flush that she wanted more than anything to go away. She removed her robes and set them aside so that she could clean them later.

"Not much," he confessed. "I just was looking for some dragon skin."

Hermione felt comfortable enough to turn around and face him again. "Dragon skin?" she asked with a small grin. "What do you need that for? Wouldn't you have your own supply, being the dragon tamer that you are?"

Charlie frowned and shifted his eyes. "Can you give it to me, or not?" he asked sourly.

"Don't be bitter," she scolded him. She moved past him—lightly brushing her bare arm against his—and bent over to retrieve a few jars. "What kind of dragon?" she asked him. When he didn't answer she stood up and faced him. "Charlie?" she said trying to get his attention.

Charlie's gaze snapped to her face and he nodded vigorously. "No."

Hermione's face twitched for a moment as she tried to conceal her laughter. She hurried back around and dug into the case with the jars. "What type of dragon did you say?" she asked again, hoping now for an answer.

"Uh—Chinese Fireball, I think."

"You think?" she said with a smirk as she unearthed a container from the near bottom. She stood up, blew some loose dust from the top, and met his eyes as she did this. She noticed his gaze wavering over her and she shivered slightly. Inappropriate…she reminded herself. Inappropriate on so many levels.

"Yeah," he finally muttered when she moved out of his gaze. He turned around and ran his hand through his hair. "Um… Can you just package about three ounces of that? I'll come back in a few minutes to pick it up…"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "No problem," she started to say, but he was out of the shop before she could finish.

"Hermione!" came the singsong voice of one of the rambunctious twins she had grown to love. "Was that my dear brother Charlie leaving?"

"Fred, if you must disturb me while I'm working, please be quiet about it," Hermione exhaled tiredly and without looking at him.

"But love, you were bothering me and George and we didn't even think to reprimand you!"

Hermione glanced up from where she was flattening a particularly curled piece of Fireball skin. "But you don't have a Malfoy that you have to deal with once I leave," she reminded him with pinched lips.

Fred nodded and put a finger to his lips. "Quiet. Right." He glanced around Hermione and she saw his eyes catch on the glass vial behind her that she was desperate to keep away from him.

"Don't even think about it," she glowered at him. She didn't need to look to know what he was looking at. "You're not getting near that."

"But love," he whined. "Don't you see what an opportunity this is?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said firmly. She pressed a roller down on the curl of the skin.

Fred sighed and leaned back on the counter. "Fine," he acquiesced.

Hermione glanced up at him nervously. "What?"

"You win," he said. "I'll wait to take a bit of it." He gave her a flirtatious smile and danced around the corner of the counter. He wrapped an arm around her and picked her up off her feet, carrying her with him to the front of the store. "Care for a dance?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Fred, stop it," she laughed as he spun her around anyway. "I mean it!" Her laughs quickly became shrieks of amusement that only ended when Charlie entered the store. She ordered Fred to put her down but he kept her in his arms until he had dropped her off behind the counter.

She hurried to finish his order. "I am so sorry, Charlie," she apologized. She heard Fred and Charlie talking about making plans at the Leaky Cauldron later on but she tuned out the conversation as she worked vigorously. When she looked back up, she noticed that Fred had skipped out on her punishment by leaving without her even noticing. Oh, I'll get him later, she vowed.

Charlie was shifting around uncomfortably and had his hands deep in his pockets as she tied the bag that the flat pieces were laying in.

"Charlie, it's done," she said with a slight smile, the flush still in her cheeks. "It's—uh—one galleon and four sickles. And I threw in an extra ounce for free because of the—er—delay," she put in. She picked up a bottle of her lotion that she kept on hand. Her hands dried out sometimes when she handled ingredients.

Charlie paid and then nodded. "Thanks for this," he said, lifting the bag.

"What do you need it for?" Hermione asked casually before he left. She squeezed a bit of the cocoa butter onto her hands and began to rub it in.

"Oh—" Charlie faltered and it made Hermione nervous. She noticed how his eyes seemed to be intent on watching her hands and the lotion rather than making eye contact with her. "I just like to keep it for some of the antidotes on the reserve. They work better if made with the type of dragon that did the damage," he finished quickly as if he were saying the answer from memory.

Hermione nodded and watched as he curtly left. She sighed, put the lotion away, and resumed her work on organizing the various ingredients. She helped the random customer that wandered in the store. It wasn't until their store was closed for the evening when Draco came back to the store front.

"Granger, did I see you dancing earlier?" he asked with a sneering voice. He was wiping his hands on a towel when Hermione turned around and frowned at him.

"I think you need your eyes checked, Malfoy," she defended herself.

"No need to get touchy, Granger." He held up his hands in mock defeat. "I'd thought you had more sense than say—a Weasley—but whatever." He feigned interest as he leaned on a portion of the counter. "How is that, by the way?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't you have something better to be doing?" she asked.

"Actually, yes I do. Where is the vial I gave you? I have to test it on Potter and Parkinson. I think it'll work—magically. What do you think?"

Hermione took a rag and began wiping down the counter Draco was leaning on. She pushed his arm off the edge and ran the damp cloth where it had been. "I think you should grow up," Hermione stated.

"That hurts," he said with a pout. "But seriously—the vial."

"It's over there." Hermione pointed across the room to the back counter where she had kept it through her shift.

"Where?"

"Over there, Malfoy."

"Granger, there's nothing here," he said rudely. Hermione groaned and turned around. She marched over to him and looked down at the exact spot she had put it.

"Where did it go?" she asked.

Draco didn't seem to care that this came as a surprise to her. "You lost it?" he shrieked. He grabbed at his hair with his hands and glared daggers at her.

"I don't know where it could have gone…" she muttered. "It was right here!"

"Find it. By tomorrow," he demanded. He took a breath and continued, "Or you'll be sorry." Without another word, he marched out of the store and slammed the door behind him.

Hermione couldn't even think of arguing with him. He was right—she would be sorry. Not from him, of course. She could handle anything he threw at her. But it had been nearly three months in the making. Losing it now would be losing nearly everything.

"Fred," she growled.

Hermione grabbed her cloak and shrugged it on her small shoulders. Forgetting to lock up the store, she stormed out and headed towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. When she got there she didn't waste a second.

"Fred Weasley!" she cried as she slammed her fists on the door. The "Sorry, we're closed," sign was waving back and forth inside from the pounding. "FRED!"

Luckily, the street was empty due to the late hour, so no one saw her ranting. She kept at it for a good fifteen minutes before she remembered the bit of conversation she had picked up between Charlie and Fred. The Leaky Cauldron! she exclaimed silently to herself.

Hermione apparated immediately to the entrance of Diagon Alley. She went through the wall and came out in the Leaky Cauldron. She saw Fred leaning back in a chair talking with Charlie. She steeled herself before going in and confronting him. It took a minute, but when she felt that she was sure enough to do it, she forced herself to the table.

"Fred," she growled as she pulled up a seat to their table. He smirked but didn't say anything. "Give it to me," she demanded in a low voice.

"Hermione!" slurred Charlie from his seat. She saw a partially drank flask of Firewhiskey and a half finished bottle of butterbeer adorning his place at the table.

"Charlie," she greeted warily. She had never seen him drunk before. The sight enthralled her against her will.

"Hermione… I have to confess… something… to you…" he said slowly as if he was trying to keep control over his words.

Hermione turned to Fred. "You let him get this drunk? What kind of a brother are you?"

"We had a lot to talk about. He needed liquor to get himself to loosen up."

"Fred!" Hermione scolded.

"Herms…"

"Don't call me that. Give me the potion," she demanded.

"Herms. I like that," Charlie said with a smile. "May I call you that… Herms?"

Hermione blushed a deep crimson and shook her head. "Charlie, you need to sober up." She pushed the butterbeer in his direction. "Finish this," she demanded. At least it had less alcohol than the Firewhiskey he had been downing earlier. "Fred, please," she said begging him.

Fred smiled broadly as Charlie finished the butterbeer in one long drink. Hermione's eyes widened. "You didn't… Please tell me you didn't." She looked over at Charlie and shivered when their eyes locked again.

"Hermione, why don't you escort Charlie back home?" He faked a yawn and Hermione glared at him. "I'm dead tired."

"Fred! Fred!" she called after him as he walked out the main entrance. She heard him pop home and knew that he was gone.

Hermione sighed and held her head in her hands. "C'mon, Charlie. Let's get going," she muttered at the table. She stood up and pulled one heavy arm over her shoulders.

"Where to?" he asked innocently as he tried to help her get him up out of his chair.

The question was a good one. He was in no condition to apparate and she couldn't do it for him—he was much to big. "I suppose we can wait it out back at my store," she sighed. "Can you walk?"

"I can try," he said with a loopy grin. "But seriously, Herms… I need to talk to you."

"No you don't, Charlie," she whispered. She helped him limp as they started on the decent length walk to her store. "You're not thinking straight right now."

"But I am!" he protested. He tried to shove off her when she just shook her head in response, but that only resulted in him falling down, dragging her with him. She landed with a soft moan on his chest, their heads level with each other. "Hermione," he started as his hands found her arms.

Hermione couldn't think of anything to say while in that position so she just stayed there, on top of him, on the ground, breathing slightly faster than was normal. Charlie's grip tightened and he pulled her closer to him. Hermione parted her lips slightly and her eyes caught on his bottom lip. It was so full—desperate to be kissed, licked, bit. Suddenly she pulled away. "No," she reprimanded herself. "Not like this," she said softly, the beginning of tears in her eyes. She wasn't even sure if he had heard her.

By the time she had pulled him back to his feet most of the awkwardness has passed and they continued on in silence. She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. She didn't know what she would find there—what emotion might be shining through now that she would otherwise never see again. Whether it was embarrassment, lust, or even feelings that he might have for her—she could not bring herself to look.

"We're here," she muttered in relief as she helped him to lean against the doorframe. "Shit!" she cried as the door swung open and he fell into the shop. "Oh Merlin, Charlie, I'm so sorry! I must have forgotten to lock the doors! Are you okay?" she kneeled down besides him and ran her fingers over his arms. They trailed around to check his head. Nothing seemed to be wrong except that he wasn't answering her. He was just laying there with his eyes closed.

"Charlie?" she asked fearfully. She lowered her head to make sure he was at least breathing and he was. "Please answer me," she begged. She stopped moving her hands about him.

"Don't stop." The words were faint, but she heard him. "Please, don't stop," he said again. This time his eyes fluttered open and everything Hermione had not wanted to see earlier came into clear view. The embarrassment at being on the floor nearly knocked out was there; the feelings that he had never shown shone through above that. But the most clear emotion that she could read was lust. It made his brown eyes shine and she nearly lost herself.

Hermione tried to catch her breath. Without thinking, she slowly brought her fingers back up the sides of his body. They went immediately to his face and tentatively traced the edges of his cheeks to his forehead. She brought the tips of her fingers over the bridge of his nose, memorizing every detail because she knew this was her last chance to be this close. Her pinkie fingers traced over his closed eyelids and they fluttered under her administrations. She paused at his lips and bit her own.

Charlie's eyes flickered open again and he brought his own hand to meet hers. He helped her to finish outlining his features. When he was satisfied, he took one of her fingers gently into his mouth. When her nail was between his lips, he left the finger in the chill of the air with a soft sucking kiss.

Charlie used his elbows to push himself into a sitting position. He waited a moment, looking down at his lap, before turning back to Hermione and taking her head into one of his hands. In a quick motion that she had little time to react to, he had brought her own lips to his. The kiss escalated from soft and tender to crazy and passionate in less than three seconds.

Hermione pushed away from him when her senses recovered themselves. "Charlie," she pleaded, breathing heavily. "You're not thinking…"

"Then I don't care," he argued. He didn't drop eye contact. "Hermione I'm old enough to know what I want. Don't let my sobriety—or lack thereof—get in the way."

She closed her eyes and a large tear made its way through her closed lids. "I can't let you hurt me," she whimpered as though just saying the words caused her pain.

"I won't," he promised. He dipped his head down and kissed her cheek where the tear had stalled. When she opened her eyes, she saw him lick the salty moisture from his lips. "I would never hurt you," he swore. "Never."

Hermione wanted to believe him, but she couldn't. She knew he was not in control of his mind now, and when he came around he was sure to realize what a mistake this had been. She shook her head, stood up, and quickly ran from the room. When she looked back she saw that Charlie had tried to follow after her, but he hadn't even taken two steps when he fell to the floor—hard. He hadn't moaned in pain. Instead, he'd just let go of his control over his muscles. He laid there, on his back, waiting for her to come back.

I can't leave him there forever, she thought to herself nearly two and a half hours later. Charlie hadn't moved and she thought maybe he had passed out from his alcohol level. Gripping herself, she went back into the front room and padded softly over to him. She knew she couldn't move him if he was out, but she could at least make him comfortable if he was. First thing was to find out if he was still awake.

When she first came around she nearly gasped when she saw that his eyes were wide open and staring straight up. He reminded her of someone who had died suddenly with his eyes still gaping wide. Fear shrouded her for a second. Then he blinked. She saw his eyes come into focus and a small smile appear on his lips. "You're back," he whispered.

"And you're still awake," she mentioned as she dropped to his side. "I'll help you to a bed," she assured him. She took one of his hands in hers and pulled. To her surprise, he came up easily.

"I'm sober, Hermione," he explained, watching her carefully. Suddenly he straightened up and seemed more rigid than before. "I don't need to impose on you any longer."

She shook her head and tried to smile even though she felt remarkably empty inside. "It was no problem," she muttered. She walked him to the door and then held it open for him. "I'll see you later then," she smiled. He left without another word and Hermione locked the door behind him. She slumped back against the cool glass and tried to stop herself from crying out. Before she could cry, she felt a knock against the door. When she turned around, she saw Charlie standing there again.

She unlocked the door and let him in. "I'd thought you'd be sick of this place," she tried to laugh as he came fully into the store.

"I forgot something," he clarified his return.

"Oh?" she hadn't noticed that he'd brought anything with him. "What did you forget?"

Charlie turned back to face her and grabbed her roughly before she could resist. He pressed his body into hers and pulled her lips to his own. Hermione didn't even think to struggle against him. She nearly melted as she relied on him to steady her. The kiss was passionate and frenzied as if he was afraid to let go. As if they both were afraid.

"That," he muttered. "I forgot to do that."

Hermione nodded and tried to back up, but he held her in place. "Hermione… Herms…" She shot him a terrified glance as she realized he remembered everything that had happened the night before just as clearly as she did. "I'm sober now. But I still want the same things. My talk with Fred last night—"

Hermione groaned as she heard his name. She would kill him. He was the reason she was in this situation. He was the reason that the man she dreamed about had his arms around her so tightly. He was the reason that that man had her potion running wildly through his systems and he was the reason Charlie was not thinking clearly.

"Please, Hermione," he was begging. "Don't make me wait for you any longer."

Hermione tried to resist him but as the deeper the breaths she took to calm her body down, the deeper the smells of Charlie Weasley embedded themselves into her brain. Dragon skin, she sighed as she recognized the scent of her favourite ingredient. Even if it hadn't been her favourite before, it was now. Fire smoke, she realized as she took another breath. Hermione didn't even notice when she sighed. It was almost imperceptible, but Charlie caught the noise and took it to mean she wanted him just the same.

He captured her mouth with his and swirled his tongue into hers. They collided and intertwined with each other until the two had to pull away to rest. While his tongue rested, Charlie made use of his other assets. He brought his rough and calloused hands to her shirt and gingerly tried to remove it without tearing any buttons. When one popped on accident, he muttered a curse under his breath and gave up with his gentle work. He tore the shirt and grinned at the brunette as the small buttons clicked all along the old woodwork.

Hermione moaned when he decorated her collarbone with little kisses leaving spots of wetness that dried as he blew cool air onto them. He snapped open her bra from the front clasp and quickly took a nipple into his mouth. When he finished he went to her other and took the first into his hand. He ran his finger over the hardened peak and Hermione threw back her head. "Gods, Charlie," she cried, biting her lip.

He smiled and kissed her silently on the lips. She reached her hands into his hair and tangled them in the red mass. Her nails scratched his scalp as she wove her fingers for a better hold as he lifted her up. She had her legs around his waist as he carried her to the counter that she had wiped down at the end of the day. She looked down at Charlie and noticed that he needed to be stripped of his own clothing.

Hermione tried to tear his shirt off as he had torn hers, but to no avail. Charlie lifted it from the bottom and slid it off, revealing his freckled chest. Hermione smiled and bent down. She brought her lips to a ring of freckles on his shoulder that had caught her attention. They formed a perfect circle about the size of a muggle quarter. She left a few of her kisses there, but drew her mouth away when she felt Charlie trying to pull off her skirt. She lifted her hips and whimpered as the cool air touched places that it had not been able to reach all day.

"Merlin, Herms," Charlie whined as he ran his hands up her thighs. "No knickers?"

Hermione gave him a saucy smile. "What's the point?" Charlie put a hand between her legs and was shocked to find her not slightly wet but soaking. "I've had nearly three hours of just staring at you. Thinking of all the things I wanted to do with you but didn't think I could," she explained even though he hadn't asked.

Charlie smirked and lowered himself to his knees. He gave her one last look before diving between her legs with his tongue. She let out a gasp as she realized what he was doing. This hadn't been one of the things she had thought about—at least she hadn't dwelled too long on the idea. She never even considered the possibility that he would do what he was doing at that moment.

Charlie's tongue dipped into her opening drinking up the juices that he had caused to flow. He took his finger and slowly rubbed her clit while continuing to probe into her with his tongue. Charlie was only at work for a minute when Hermione came violently, her fingers pulling harshly at his hair, and a soft cry on her lips. Before she could make a coherent statement to express herself, Charlie had stood up again and pulled her to the edge of the counter. He moved her hair behind her ear and whispered softly a question.

"Are you sure about this?"

Hermione moved back her head and slowly shook it. "I'm not sure about anything, Charlie. But I know that I want this now, no matter what happens tomorrow."

"Good enough for me," he said with a small smile. He undid his pants and pushed them to the floor along with his boxers. Hermione's gaze flickered below for a second before her hand followed and carefully gripped him.

"Fuck me, Charlie," she said hoarsely. "I need you."

That was all the encouragement Charlie needed. He closed his eyes and threw his head back right as he entered her. Charlie let out a guttural moan. He stopped moving as he just let the sensations fill him. Hermione brought his face back to level with her as she wrapped her legs around him. Their eyes locked and Charlie moved slightly inside her. Hermione let out a feral growl and scratched her nails along his back.

"Merlin," she moaned. "Fucking Gods!"

Hermione dropped her hands and found his hands gripping the countertop. She put her hands over his and held onto him as she bucked her hips, meeting his stroke halfway. Charlie's movements became faster and more haphazard as he neared his own climax. He moved a hand down to where they met and twisted Hermione's clit roughly. She let out a scream and he released his seed as her walls clenched ruthlessly against him.

He leaned into her, panting, for a few moments before he regained enough strength to stand on his own. "That was…" he started. He stalled while he looked for the words.

"Indescribable," Hermione sighed. "What would you say to sleeping with me for a while?" she asked softly, not sure what he would say.

"I'd love to," he answered as he picked her up from the counter. "Lead the way."

Hermione started to the room she had set up earlier but stopped suddenly and turned around. "What?" Charlie asked as he followed her gaze. "What's wrong."

"We just had sex on the countertop," she stated dumbly. Charlie chuckled. "Malfoy is going to kill me," she finished.

"How would he find out?" Charlie asked softly. He took her hand and brought her to the room that she had started out towards. "Lay with me?" he asked politely. He moved some blankets away and offered her the spot in front of him. She took it and pulled a blanket up to under her chin.

"You know how distracting you can be?" Charlie asked as they settled in.

"Hmm?"

"You're a bloody vixen," he grumbled. "Especially when you're not even trying to be."

"Any examples?" she asked him with a yawn. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

"Bending over in that skirt," he mentioned, running a hand down her side. "And with no knickers on!" He kissed the back of her head softly before continuing. "Also, that lotion you were using. I couldn't help but imagine me rubbing you down with it."

"It's cocoa butter," she explained. "I use it to keep my hands smooth. I didn't mean for it to turn you on."

"It turned me on enough so that I lost my train of thought," he reminded her. "I had to say the textbook definition of why I needed that skin."

"Why did you need it then?" she asked him, snuggling closer as she spoke.

"I didn't," he said shyly. When she muttered a 'Why?' he continued. "I wanted to see you again." His voice was almost inaudible as he confessed this and she sighed.

"Goodnight, Charlie."

"Goodnight."

"Thank you," she whispered softly a moment later. Before she heard him answer, Hermione let the sleepiness take over her and she fell deep into a dreamless sleep.

When she did awake, it was to a blinding light coming in through the small window in the room. She blinked a few times before turning over into Charlie's chest and snuggling closer to him.

Charlie!

Hermione scrambled out of the small bed and started shouting orders at him. "Get up!" she shrieked. "Get up! You need to get dressed and get out of here! Shit! Work's going to start in…" She looked behind her at a clock on the wall. "Ten minutes!" She rushed to Charlie and shook him violently. "Charlie," she pleaded. "Wake up!"

Finally he seemed to have some sense of time knocked into him and he went with her into the main room to hurry into their clothes. "I have time to apparate back to my house and change," she said aloud to herself. "Then I can tell Malfoy that I overslept or something."

Charlie finished dressing before her and he hurried out of the door with Hermione ushering him all the way. When he was finally out, she went back to collecting her clothes. She had just gotten her skirt on when Charlie was back at the door, knocking to come in.

"What?" she asked quickly as he poked his head in. He kissed her for just a second, but it was a deep, loving kiss.

"Have a good day at work, love," he smiled. "I'll see you later." He winked and then left again. Hermione almost forgot the rush she was in through the euphoric feeling Charlie had left her with. She snapped back to herself though, when she saw a bit of blonde hair approaching. He was far enough away that he had not seen her yet, but she only had about ten seconds to leave before he did.

Hermione grabbed her shirt and cloak, threw her robe on, and apparated to her flat. She nearly cried in relief as she realized that she had made it back safely and undiscovered. Gods, am I going to kill Fred, she thought venomously to herself as she discarded her ruined blouse and went to her bedroom to change her clothes.

By the time she had returned to the apothecary, she was nearly forty-five minutes late. Draco didn't greet her warmly as she normally greeted him, but instead he was quite hostile as he asked her where she had been.

"I overslept," she said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Good thing you decided to show up on time for once, though, isn't it?"

Other than their immediate interaction, the day went by smoothly. Neither Charlie nor Fred nor even George confronted Hermione for the duration of the day. For once, she stayed in the shop for the entire shift and traded off with Draco at lunch so that she could work in the back room. It wasn't until and hour before close that she remembered the vial. As did Draco. He ran into the back room so quickly that he slipped on the sudden change from old dry wood to waxy linoleum flooring.

"I'm getting it!" she cried as she nearly jumped over him in her attempt to leave before he got up and followed her. She ran straight to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. "Fred!" she cried as she entered the room. "Fred, I need that vial. Now!"

"What vial?" asked a smooth voice from behind her. She felt a strong arm wrap around her and she knew that she was blushing deeply.

"Oi, Hermione," George said as he came into view from behind a rack of products. "Why is my brother holding you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Why do you think, you dunderhead?" Fred barked back at him. "They confessed their feelings for each other last night, obviously."

"They had feelings for each other?" George asked blindly. "Since when?"

Hermione shook her head and pulled herself out of Charlie's arms. "Charlie, I need to talk to you."

"Eh, Herms… I don't like that tone of voice…"

"Fred! Shut it! This is all your fault to begin with!"

Fred stood back, looking amused. "My fault? How so? By telling him that he should go for it with you? Well, I'm sorry Miss Granger if I took you out of your comfort zone for a while, but I'd say that the effects were quite pleasant and perhaps even—beneficial?"

"For the potion you git!" Hermione cried. "You didn't just tell him to go for it! You gave him a taste of the potion that I created. No wonder he had to drink so much! You were drugging him so that he would think he was in love with me!"

Charlie reached out to Hermione. "Love, that's not true…" he said trying to calm her down.

"Yes it is! Ask him!" she pointed an angry finger at Fred. "I thought you cared about me. I thought that my secret was safe with you. I never expected you to do this," she sobbed. "I don't want him to think that he loves me," she moaned, covering her face with her hands. "I want him to love me…"

Fred and Charlie were both silent for a while as they stared at each other. Charlie bent down finally and picked Hermione up, holding her close to him. "Herms… Hermione. I don't think that I love you," he said softly which caused her to sob even harder. "Wait, wait, wait. I know it. Hermione, I'm not drugged."

"You wouldn't know," she cried. "That's the problem. Last night… It was so easy for me to pretend that you were doing everything of your own will. That you weren't under the influence of a very powerful love potion. And I… I used you… I did. I'm so sorry!" she cried into his shoulder. "Once I give you the antidote, you're bound to hate me for this."

"I don't think I can hate you," Charlie said softly, running his hands through her wild and untamed hair. "Fred, can you help us clarify this?" Charlie asked his brother. "Fred?"

Charlie looked up and noticed that Fred was no longer in the same spot that he had been.

"Fred!" George called. He had been observing Hermione and Charlie and hadn't noticed that his twin had slipped off. Then both George and Charlie saw him as he came out from another row of shelves.

"Hermione, here," Fred said finally as he came closer. He was holding a small vial that was completely full and still sealed. "It's sealed," he said as she turned it over in her hands. "I never used it."

"But then why did you steal it?" she asked quietly, afraid to let another tear fall.

"I borrowed it to get you to meet us at the bar," he confessed. "I didn't know that it would cause this sort of a breakdown with you. Hermione, I love you. You know I wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt you. Don't you?" he asked with fear laced in his voice.

Hermione sniffed a few times and drew her sleeve up against her cheek, drying her face. "I know, Fred." She held out her arms and he came closer so that she could hug his tightly.

He kissed her cheek gently and smiled. "I'm sorry, for upsetting you," he apologized. "But did it work?"

Hermione turned around and looked at Charlie. "Did it?" she asked him softly. She was afraid to smile.

Charlie grinned and picked her up, spinning her in circles. "I hope so. Otherwise, I'm going to have to go get another few bottles of Firewhiskey."

Hermione laughed as he spun her. When she was on her own two feet, she said a quick farewell to the boys. "Malfoy's going to croak it I don't get this to him as soon as possible."

"Fred, hurry! Detain her as long as possible!" George shouted.

"George!" Hermione scolded. "Malfoy's really shaped up lately. Try to be decent?" she asked as she waved and then slipped out of the store.

When she got back to her own shop, she was breathless from the run. "Malfoy?" she called into the room. "I have the vial! It's still sealed!" She went into the back room and found him struggling to get a broom from the closet. He was grateful for the distraction and carefully took the sample from her.

"Thanks, Granger," he said politely. "I appreciate you finding it. Next time though, lets keep it on us at all times, okay?" He sat the sample into a tray where it would remain until all the tests were completed on it.

Hermione reached into the closet and pulled out a broom and a dustpan. "Here, Malfoy," she said with a grin as she stuffed the broom into his hands. "Your turn to clean up."

Hermione sat on the counter counting their receipts for the day when she heard a small noise from where Draco was sweeping. She turned in time to see Draco pick up the object. "Hmm…" he muttered. "Granger, did you notice that one of your buttons fell of your shirt last night?" he asked. "I recognize it from your blouse."

Hermione laughed to cover up her mortification. "Are you gay, Malfoy?" she asked. "Even I don't notice what the buttons look like on my shirt."

"I am not gay," he growled, but he dropped the subject nonetheless. Hermione had only counted four more receipts up when she heard another clicking sound. She looked over and saw that Draco had swept up at least three more buttons from under a shelf. "Granger…" he started to pick up another button. "What the bloody hell happened to that shirt?" he asked with a smirk.

Hermione blanched as she tried to come up with an excuse for the myriad buttons. "I—uh—I have to go," she said suddenly as she saw Charlie coming up to the door of the shop. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Granger!" Draco called as she left without another word. He saw her run up to Charlie and embrace him eagerly. When everything clicked, Draco felt sick to his stomach to think of what had gone on in his store the night before. He hadn't yet gotten over it when Hermione came back in and leaned over the counter to grab something.

"Sorry," she muttered as she left again, into Charlie's waiting arms. "I had to grab my cocoa butter."

Requirements:

1: Hermione, Fred, George (doesn't have to be a relationship) must be characters. Two must be main parts of the story.

2: Weasley's Wizard Wheezes

3: Love or Lust Potion

4: ONE bottle of butterbeer. NO MORE

5: Charlie must at least make an appearance

6: Cocoa Butter

This was for a friend of mine. She first asked me for a Fred/Hermione/George story, but when she gave me all the requirements she added that it didn't have to be a romance between them. So I settled on doing her favourite ship—Hermione/Charlie—as well as starting it off with the idea that Fred, Hermione, and George are all in a relationship. They're not—they're just friends, but is that what you thought at the beginning of the story?

So, what do you think? It took me a while to write it, but when I finally sat down and forced myself to, I wrote fourteen pages in one night. So, now, at 4 45 am, I take my leave. Please let me know what you thought.