Penny's mouth hung open after his first four words. She could only stare in disbelief at him as he related the story. For some reason, a flood of relief spread throughout her body. He'd kissed a man. A man. Charlie didn't even like men. It was comforting, really; he wouldn't have any lingering feelings. "Well. Uh. You could have done worse than Oliver Wood, right?" she asked hesitantly.
She was absentmindedly stroking his hair now, trying to imagine the scene. As soon as the image came into her mind, however, she pushed it away. Penelope could think about it after this was all over; it wasn't an altogether unpleasant idea. "Darling, shhhh. You want the whole hospital to know you kissed a bloke? I don't think so." She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "At least you stopped yourself, yeah? Granted, you probably shouldn't have tried to scour your ear..but you controlled yourself." Penny sat down on the edge of his bed.