Chapter 11
January 1st, 2004
Bill breathed a sigh of relief when he apparated back into his flat and found Hermione still in his bed, although she had clearly woken up at some point in the last few minutes. She had slipped on one of his button-down shirts and wore nothing else. Desire flooded through him, a sweet sort of burn, when she gave him a slow, lazy smile, spreading her legs ever so slightly in invitation. Bill nearly fell to his knees at the sight of her, already wet and waiting for him. But he knew if it were him in Hermione's position, unaware of the fact that they had been exposed to the entire wizarding world, he would be furious if she opted for sex over immediately coming clean. There would be plenty of time later for him to explore the expanse of bare skin she offered him, now a creamy white since she had returned to England. So instead of listening to his rising erection and wildly thumping heart, Bill simply shook his head.
"You need to see this," he said, trying to simultaneously warn her and reassure her all at once. A crease formed between her brows at his tone, and much to his body's disappointment, Hermione sat up, closing her legs and reaching for her wand that lay beside her on the nightstand.
"What is it?" Hesitation filled her voice as Bill watched her run through a series of charms, summoning her jeans and underthings and taming her hair, wild and bushy after their night. He was far too pleased when she opted to simply button up his shirt instead of changing back into her own, but then she was in front of him, sticking her wand through the knot she had created atop her head, and he snapped back to the moment.
"It's... well. It's Skeeter." Was all he said, but instantly Hermione's face hardened in a way he'd never seen before.
"An article?" she asked quietly.
"And a photograph." Bill confirmed with a nod, and then she was all but shoving past him to the kitchen table, where he'd tossed the newspaper he'd dropped when getting Ron back to the Burrow. Knowing that she would need a few minutes to read and process, Bill set about making coffee for himself and tea for her, summoning some bread and a few other things for breakfast. He had a sudden flashback to standing in his kitchen at Shell Cottage, fixing Fleur's coffee for her and making pancakes and scrambled eggs. The domesticity of the whole thing, so unfamiliar after being single for years, made him both sad and excited. Sad, at the thoughts of what should have been, and excitement, at what could come with the witch sat a few feet behind him.
Stirring some sugar into her tea and setting down a plate of toast and preserves, Bill finally settled into the seat across from her, sipping from his own mug, watching her. She glanced up when he sat, simply murmured a quiet "thank you" and offered him a small smile without touching anything. Instead, Hermione buried her head in her hands and let out a muffled scream. Instantly Bill was on his feet and at her side.
"What is it? What's wrong?" He could hear the tinge of panic in his voice, but he was too worried to care. He watched as she scrubbed her hands down her face, took in one deep breath, then a second and a third, before she spoke.
"It's just Rita being Rita. I don't even know why I'm bothered by it at this point, with all the other nasty things she's written about me." Hermione shrugged, but the look on her face was still murderous.
"What do you want to do about it?" Bill asked quietly.
"What is there to do? It's already published, and she's even got pictures, for Merlin's sake." She shook her head in exasperation and defeat.
"I know that. I meant about my family." He hesitated, sucking in a quick breath before adding: "Ron was here this morning." Hermione's eyes went wide.
"Is that what all that noise was?"
"Yes. He was demanding to see you, I think he wants an explanation. And I know my mother won't be far behind." Bill admitted sheepishly. Hermione just nodded, her expression dropping into one of thoughtful contemplation.
"I suppose we can't really tell them anything until we have a conversation ourselves," she laughed nervously, a sudden tension filling the room at the reminder of the talk they needed to have. An awkward silence descended for a moment, then:
"I-"
"Do you-"
"Sorry, you go first-"
"No, no it's alright, honestly, if you want to-"
Silence reigned again, but then their eyes met and suddenly they both burst out laughing.
"Look at us," Bill wheezed. "Two grown adults who have been married already, and we can't even get the words out." Hermione clutched her stomach, nodding, and Bill could see her trying not to let another chuckle escape. This was, after all, a rather serious discussion they needed to have, but he found he didn't mind the laughter. This conversation with Fleur had been intense, and afterwards Bill had sworn he had never sweat so much in his life. Instead of the more serious expression he had assumed then, he allowed the smile to linger on his face as he slowly began to lay out his thoughts and feelings for her.
"Hermione, I want something serious. With you. You amaze me with your wit, your beauty, and your strength. Those weeks we spent together in Egypt were some of the best of my life, and I'd like to continue that. Seeing each other every day, I mean. And whe- if," he caught himself and started again, choosing his words carefully. "If we were to ever, possibly, get married, we could even go back out into the field together." Hermione's eyes were wide, but there was a brightness in them that gave him the courage to keep going. "I probably shouldn't say this yet, or even in the next six months, but I love you, Hermione. And I want you to stick around for a long, long time. Would that be alright?" Bill held his breath, feeling a surge of fear when Hermione looked down and began to slowly shake her head. But then she looked back up, a huge smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks. There was awe in her eyes as she responded to his declaration with one of her own.
"That was way too romantic, you bastard!" She swiped at her face, shaking her head and laughing. "I think I ought to just say 'ditto', because I feel exactly the same." The laughter died, and in its place a sweet, tender smile graced her lips when she said: "I love you, William Arthur Weasley. And it's certainly too soon by most people's standards, but I really couldn't give a rat's arse about other people. I love you, and I want everything from you. For a very, very long time. I've never had a better partner."
"Is that what we are then? Partners?" Bill murmured, taking her delicate chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head up to him.
"Partners." Hermione said breathily, with a single nod.
And then Bill was kissing her, and kissing her, and kissing her. Reveling in the taste of her lips, the feel of her body pressing into his. The way she let out a sharp, sweet gasp when he dropped his lips to her neck and bit down gently. His hands dropped to the hem of her shirt, pushing it up just enough that he could press his thumbs into her skin, then began to slowly, methodically undo the buttons one by one, never stopping his attacks on her neck. By the time he had reached the last button, she was a gasping, whimpering mess in his arms, head thrown back to offer him complete access. Gently he parted the thin fabric, baring her chest to him, and he let out a throaty groan at the realization that she had skipped putting on a bra. Pushing the shirt completely off her shoulders, Bill skated his thumbs lightly over her nipples, and Hermione let out a quiet "please" that had him fumbling for the button of her jeans. The denim was halfway to the floor when suddenly a squeak, high-pitched and horribly familiar, echoed through the room.
Bill had only heard that sound once before, when he was home from Egypt one Christmas and had brought a witch back to the Burrow. In his haste to get them to his bedroom so he could avoid his mother, he had forgotten to lock the door behind them. Ginny, never one to remember basic niceties like knocking, had barged in on them, and then let out exactly the same high-pitched noise he had just heard, coming from somewhere near his front door. A part of him was tempted to just continue on; after all, Ginny entered his flat without permission, knowing full well that there was a new couple inside, who more than likely were engaging in new couple activities. But Hermione was already shimmying up her pants and reaching for her shirt, her face as red as a tomato, so with a sigh he turned away from the door, adjusted himself in his pants, and turned back to deal with his unwelcome guest.
Ginny had the good grace to look embarrassed, one hand clapped over her mouth, but there was far too much glee on her face for Bill's liking. She watched unabashed as they righted themselves, simply crossing her arms and tossing her fiery red ponytail over her shoulder impatiently when Hermione's trembling fingers slipped on the last few buttons. Once his partner's front was covered, Ginny just started talking as if she had simply walked in on them snogging, instead of finding them halfway to shagging.
"Right, so. A few people have asked me to pass messages along, so here goes," His little sister cleared her throat like she was the town crier, then plunged into her little speech. "Harry says congratulations and sends his love, the twins asked me to tell Bill that he's a cradle-snatching bastard, their wives also send congratulations," Ginny finally paused for breath, ticking off each item on her fingers, before dropping the bomb that he had been waiting for. "And Mum is absolutely furious with the both of you."
"Because of what happened with Ron?" Bill asked, though he didn't know why he did when he already knew the answer.
"Sort of." She huffed out a breath, her face turning serious in a way that Bill had almost never seen on her. "She's mad about that too, but she's mostly upset because Rita brought up his drinking again in the papers. She says it's 'beyond humiliating for the family' and 'that bitch's fault'" Ginny made air quotes around her words, then gestured to Hermione, just in case they weren't all clear about who "that bitch" was. "She says neither of you are welcome back at the Burrow until you fix this." Hermione sputtered indignantly.
"What- how... how exactly do we "fix this"?" She imitated Ginny's air quotes. "We've done nothing wrong, and if Ron's really recovered then bringing up his drinking shouldn't be a big deal!" Bill's stomach tightened at the distress on Hermione's face, and he tugged her into his arms and held her tight before she could start pacing. Ginny's face looked like a thundercloud.
"I don't know, honestly." She began twisting her ponytail around her finger, an anxious childhood habit that Bill remembered from when Ginny was small and would run into his room after the twins told her ghost stories at night. "I didn't want to sugarcoat things because frankly, Mum doesn't deserve it, and I figured the two of you ought to know what you're up against."
"It's alright, love. Everything's going to be alright" Bill murmured to Hermione, stroking her back and trying to soothe her as tears began pouring down her face for the second time that morning. It took everything in him not to apparate straight to the Burrow that second and give his mother the tongue-lashing she deserved. He looked up and met his sister's eyes with a tired smile and a quiet: "Thanks, Gin. I appreciate it."
Ginny just offered a curt nod. "For what it's worth, I'm also really happy for you both. Basically everyone is except for Mum and Ron. Even Lavender looked happy, though I think it's just because she's tired of living in your shadow, 'Mione." She sniggered at that, and in his arms Hermione let out a weak laugh and shook her head.
"I guess that's one good thing, she can finally stop thinking I'm chasing her man." She made a gagging motion, and Bill couldn't stop the snort that slipped out.
"The thought that anyone would chase Ron after everything he put you through..." He trailed off, rolling his eyes. "It's a miracle he found somebody who puts up with his shit. Which, by the way," Bill added as an afterthought. "He is drinking again. I don't know how recent of a development it is, but he'd definitely had a few when he showed up this morning." Hermione frowned, a crease forming between her brows, and since Ginny was still here he decided it wasn't an appropriate moment to smooth it away with gentle kisses and whispered promises, though he longed to do just that. Ginny also seemed surprised by this news, and Bill could practically see the gears turning in her head.
"Alright. I think I need to go discuss a few things with Mum," she said thoughtfully. "In the meantime," Ginny's face brightened considerably, an impish smile forming on her face as she spoke. "You two should get back to... things." Her eyes whipped back and forth between them suggestively, and Bill had to fight the urge to put his sister into a headlock like he did when they were kids. Thankfully, Hermione did not share the instinct to attack and just shook her head, laughing and blushing.
"Thanks Gin," She walked up to the other girl and embraced her. Ginny nodded.
"Of course. I'll keep you updated." She promised, then turned on the spot and disappeared with a loud crack!
"So... things?" Bill asked, and Hermione turned to him with a giggle.
"Things." She nodded.
"Excellent." A quick wave of his wand had the front door locked, another reinstated the wards he'd forgotten to put up this morning, and the third had Hermione's clothes vanishing into the ether.