AN: All the thanks for this story is due to loukritia! Thank you so much for granting me the petting rights to your plot bunny! I do hope you enjoy this!
Disc: Still don't own HP Universe! NOT even one teeny-tiny bit of it!
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Psst, Hermione…" Arthur Weasley slyly called the young girl who was sitting two seats away from him at the dining table that his wife had insisted they lay outside to accommodate all of their family and friends for the Halloween dinner.
Harry, their 'as good as another' son, who incidentally was also their soon-to-be son-in-law was always a little low on this particular day, so Arthur's wife, his sweet lovely wife, Molly, always went out of her way to do something grand for him on that day to keep his mind off the depressing thoughts.
She was always so sweet, so caring, so nurturing – his Molly, Arthur Weasley sighed like a love-sick teenager, even though his youngest was well out of her teens too! Molly had given him everything – a beautiful home, a loving brood and the best of all, herself.
So, now, he was adamant about giving her something he should have given close to thirty years back!
An engagement ring!
He hadn't the money then, and later their family had grown and their finances had been stretched to their very limits. But not anymore! Now that all their responsibilities were discharged and he had received a hefty pay rise along with a promotion at his job, he really wanted to get his Molly-coddle a nice big engagement ring.
And that's where the problem started! His sons were useless in the shopping department! Why, George had recently taken Molly out to help him pick a ring for his fiancée instead of buying one himself because he hadn't been sure he'd be able to do it all by himself at all! And the lovely ring that Angelina now sported on her finger was a brilliant choice too.
And Arthur so wanted to give that to his Molly! But he needed help! Yet, not only his sons but even Ginny was out of the question, more so than her brothers, actually. She could never keep a secret as big as that, especially from her mother and Arthur just knew his daughter would ruin the surprise before they even made it to the jewelry store!
So, he thought of what he could do and there turned up Hermione Granger, knocking at the door in all her dark blue denim, full-sleeved t-shirt and converses glory! She was the answer he was looking for over a week! She had a good choice, she knew Molly as well as Ginny and what's more she could take him to a muggle shop to buy the ring!
He couldn't have asked for better!
So, he slyly called the other girl who was as good as a daughter to him after so many years of being a part of his family, she was after all friends with his youngest four and had spent almost all her vacations while in school with them! What's more, even now, after her parents had come back into her life, she continued to attend all Sunday family dinners and the dinners were that much of a joy for her presence.
"Yes, Mr. Weasley," Hermione smiled kindly at the father-figure.
"I was wondering if you could take me shopping tomorrow? To muggle London? But in secret," Arthur whispered over his eldest's head to the witch sitting beside him.
Bill chocked on the water he was drinking when he heard his father asking Hermione to take him out in secret. What the hell was all that about?
"Uhm… of course, I could Mr. Weasley. Is there any place, in particular, you would like to go to?"
"Yes," Arthur eyed Bill doubtfully but shook his head. He could trust his own son, he decided. He was still single, despite being the eldest of the lot, and so, on principle, avoided Molly so she wouldn't talk him into going on yet more blind dates with daughters of her friends, acquaintances or sometimes downright strangers, all her attempts at matchmaking only trying to get him to settle down with a nice girl after the whole Fleur fiasco. Plus the long hair and dragon tooth earring he sported did not particularly aid his case.
Sensing his secret was safe with Bill, Arthur continued, "To a jewelry shop, my dear. I want to buy Molly a ring."
Hermione's hand flew to her chest as if to stop her fluttering heart and she cooed her happiness. "I'd be honored to," she whispered back to Arthur and he beamed at her, while Bill looked at the young witch beside him skeptically.
"Did you just coo at my dad?"
"Oh, shut up, Bill!" Hermione slapped his chest with the back of her hand, a thrill suddenly shooting through her hand and spreading all over her body as her hand came in contact with the hard muscles Bill always hid beneath his loose shirts.
Schooling down her blush, she looked him in the eye and put on her most chastising expression, the one that always had Ron quaking in his boots. Bill, on the other hand, did not even bat an eye.
"That's romance, you nit-wit," Hermione scolded, as softly as she could, for she did not want to let Mr. Weasley's cat out of the bag, so to speak.
Bill answered in the most eloquent way he could. He snorted. "Merlin, but you girls are so predictable! Flowers, chocolates and jewelry! That's like your mantra, isn't it?"
"Why should I tell you?" Hermione snapped, "There's something you need to learn of romance yourself."
Bill smirked, his wicked smile hitching Hermione's breath. And the way his eyes gleamed in response, Hermione was sure he just knew the effect he was having on her! Bollocks!
"Some of us don't need to romance witches, to get what we want," he spoke in a rare show of his confidence.
Hermione was so used to the quiet Bill, who always let his siblings speak of their passions, opting to listen to them instead of speaking anything himself, who encouraged them to follow their dreams… the typical, textbook 'eldest of a large brood', that his poise came as a shock to her. A shock, that astonishingly enough went straight to her core.
Hermione bit her lower lip and gulped dryly. Bill took in a shallow whiff and suddenly sat up straighter in his chair, tension settling on his staunch shoulders rigidly. Oblivious to it all, Arthur continued to chat Hermione up, deciding a time and place for their meeting the next day.
…o0o0o0o0o…
Hermione harrumphed at the silvery weasel and opened her mouth in an o to expel a harsh breath. Mr. Weasley was running late because some naughty wizard had sold jinxed merchandise to a few muggles and now there were teenagers in a tiny part of London, those were sporting t-shirts that changed colors according to their moods! And not just that too, but he had even asked her to go to Gringotts and change the required amount for him so they could make a move towards the shop that much quicker. "Take Bill's help," Mr. Weasley's voice had spoken through the patronus.
Hermione rubbed her face furiously and looked down at her dress and groaned. Loudly. She was wearing a sensible business suit for her work with the Magical Law Department – a dark blue skirt that stopped just above her knees, a plain white shirt and a marginally stylish white jacket, her only allowance for the relaxed Friday casual dressing. She didn't even want to think of her hair right then!
Just my luck she winced as her fingers caught in the bush on her head.
Gah! Seeing nothing that she could do right then about her predicament because let's face it, if she went home to change and doll herself up, not just Gringotts but probably even the shops in Muggle London would close down!
So, she spelled her hair to be as docile as it possibly could get without magical serums and whatnot and apparated to Gringotts, asking a very stern looking goblin for directions to William Weasley, Head Curse Breaker's office.
And in the most officious tones, she received the response, looks like someone's still not over the whole bank robbery thing, she sighed. Following the directions as curtly as they were given, Hermione walked towards Bill's office fairly quickly.
"People usually knock before they come in," said an amused voice from beyond the desk.
Bill was bent over a collection of some old, gold jewelry that his team had recently retrieved from Peru. It once belonged to the Aztec Kings and Queens, or so they had hypothesized. They were now working out the curses on them so that they could salvage would they could, and the goblins could auction it all for raising money to continue the repairs that three teenagers had caused not four years back.
One of which was now stood right in front of him.
"Yeah, sorry. The goblins still hate me! Had to dash away from them real quick."
"Hmm," Bill smirked, "can't imagine why."
"Hilarious much?" Hermione asked snippily.
"So, to what do I owe the honor of the elusive golden girl dropping in unannounced at my office?" Bill asked, stretching his legs and arching his back on the soft reclining chair he used all through the day at his office.
"Oh, don't stand up. There's no formality needed, we're all friends here," Hermione scowled at his relaxed form. Here she was, feeling totally out of her depth, worrying about her appearance being good enough to see him and there he was, lounging and stretching on his chair like he had no care in the world, adding fodder to her already graphic and extremely vivid imagination about the oldest Weasley boy!
"So, why are you here, since it's definitely not for our hospitality?"
"For Mr. Weasley. I need to withdraw some cash from his account and have it changed to muggle pounds."
Bill quirked a brow but relented. "For the ring, I'm guessing?" Hermione nodded. "Fine. I'll get that done, sit here. And try to stay put this time around," he snickered and left his office leaving the ever-curious witch alone in his somewhat spacious office.
Damn! Even my office doesn't have a window, Hermione thought, looking out wistfully through a large window that was posted just perfectly behind Bill's desk. It looked just ideal for long tiring afternoons – imagine being able to gaze out at the streets when things in office got just that bit extra stifling. With a sigh, she stood up and walked towards the window, smiling as she looked out of it happily. But then, she turned away from her office fantasy, her gaze immediately being trapped by the jewels left open on Bill's side of the table – all sparkling and glittery on a soft, deep red velvet cloth.
As always, curiosity got the better of Hermione Granger and she found herself moving towards the side of the table, unable to peel her eyes away from the intricately carved antique jewelry.
They were all cursed, she could feel that deep in her bones. The air closer to the jewelry hummed with suppressed energy. One piece of accessory though caught her undivided attention.
It was nothing too special. Just a plain gold ring with a large, deep-colored stone. But her hazy gaze could not identify the color. It kept switching from amber to molten red and all the shades in between them.
Just one thing was clear though. It had caught her unwavering eyes and she wasn't able to look away. She felt a need in her to hold the ring, to cherish it, to kiss it, to keep till it would have her. She just knew that the ring was going to change her life forever. Unable to resist it's call any further, Hermione extended her hand and caressed the ring, lightly picking it up, kissing it unthinkingly and then, she slid it on her finger.
An electric hum passed through her, eliciting a loud moan and a very distinct shiver, her eyes left glassy and mouth slightly parted as she stared at her own hand that now housed the accursed ring.
And that was how Bill found her. the fading lights of the weak January sun highlighting the reds of her otherwise chestnut hair, her eyes gleaming and mouth parted as she stared wide-eyed at her own hand.
He stood rooted at the spot by his door, the card he had gotten made that joined his father's vault and converted the money in it to its muggle counterpart, sitting forgotten in the palm of his hand.
What the fuck!
"I've been away for not more than five minutes," he gulped, "but there's something different about you," he growled, his eyes flashing amber before turning his natural blue again.
Something was not quite right. But he couldn't put his finger on it, though. He only knew one thing – she was suddenly different, the same Hermione Granger he'd known since forever, but she felt different.
Coming out of his musings, though, he shook his head, hard, and stepped into his office, holding out the card, explaining its procedure and giving her the secret numerical key code. Yet, she did not bring her hand forward to take it, keeping them firmly clasped behind her back. After what seemed like hours to Bill, she huffed and held out her left hand where Bill placed the small golden plastic card.
Merlin's saggy balls! Hermione cried in her mind. The ring's not coming off! She fidgeted with her finger behind her back but it still refused to budge, staying firmly in place on the ring finger of her right hand, so she finally relented and held out her left one for Bill to place the card in.
When his fingertips brushed her palm, she could swear she felt an electric jolt run up her spine, his wolfish amber eyes flashing for a tiny second, seconded her opinion. Something was suddenly not quite the same between them.
Sure, she'd found him handsome, had even been aroused by his raw masculine sex appeal, a girl would have to be blind to not notice that, but she'd never gone ahead or acted on it, nor had she ever planned to do that… but now…
He's freaking irresistible she wanted to cry at the need she felt building within her to throw herself at him and beg him to take her right there, uncaring of anyone and anything around them.
Well, fuck! Bill swore. If Hermione kept looking at him in that wanton way for a minute longer, he'd throw her against the wall and just satisfy his curiosity and taste her mouth for once and for all. And he'd make it hard.
"You've got what you came for, now leave," he growled at the petite brunette who was victoriously stealing his good sense.
"You're mean," Hermione pouted and Bill found his eyes zoning on the lightly painted pouting pink lips. He growled. Out loud. "Hermione, I mean this in the sweetest way possible, but get the fuck out before I do something that we'll both repent within minutes from now."
Well, all the tender feelings for him are doused enough, for now, Hermione scowled and pushed past him to walk out the door.
Bill felt a jolt of lightning pass through his entire body, setting him ablaze, when Hermione touched his chest to push him, quite unnecessarily might he add, out of the way. And when she was not ten paces away from him, he felt a tug pulling him straight towards her. Though he realized that the tug was more of a physical pull than a mere emotional feeling a little late and as luck would have it, he couldn't control his own legs and crashed right on top of Hermione, the actual physical pull having caught him completely unawares.
Bill fell atop Hermione and for a good few seconds lost all coherent thoughts, his mind and his senses filled with Hermione – the sight of her under him, her parchment, ink and honeysuckle fragrance surrounding him, her soft skin knitting under his inquisitive fingers that ran ashamedly over her arm, her quick breathing beside his ear as her breath ghosted warmly over his own skin.
And for a spilt-second an image of Hermione dressed in white and smiling lovingly at him flashed through his mind. Bill immediately shook his head hard, yet again, and pushed up on his elbows. Brother's ex-crush and sister's best friend – off limits… off limits… sodding off fucking limits!
"What just happened?" Hermione asked, running her tongue across her suddenly dry lips, making Bill groan. "Why are you still on top of me? Get up!"
"I felt a pull towards you…" Bill admitted as Hermione blushed alluringly. "I couldn't control my own legs and fell on you."
That burst her bubble. "You're saying you actually felt a pull? A real physical pull towards me?"
Bill nodded, pushing his body off hers but not getting up enough for her to follow suit. He simply lifted his weight off her, but kept her pinned under him, something about the stance had him humming happily in his mind.
"Oh, Gods! How strongly are the goblins guarding their gold these days?"
"What?"
"I didn't mean to… I really didn't … but it felt like it was calling to me.. curiosity got the better of me and next thing I knew I was slipping it on my finger."
"Witch! What are you on about?"
Hermione held her hand up, waiting for his reprimand but Bill looked at the ring on her finger and froze.
"Do you have a death wish? To simply pick out pieces from my desk – a curse breaker's desk? Is my designation not enough of a giveaway about what sort of stuff I deal with for a living…?" Bill started off, giving Hermione the complete rant she knew she'd hear when she'd realized the ring was stuck on her finger.
…o0o0o0o0o0o…
Bill just could not believe what had happened in the past hour!
First, Hermione had come over to his office, in a building she'd robbed with her friends. Some guts the ex Gryffindor witch had!
Second, she'd tried out a piece of cursed jewelry because, get this, it had called to her… what did that even mean? Did the ring actually speak to her? Tsking to get her attention in the few minutes Bill had stepped out for?
Third, not only were they unable to the damn ring off, even between the two brilliant minds that they were, and you had to love this part… Bill had finally given up and helped Hermione Granger, war veteran and all that shebang, to nick yet another piece of jewelry from the bank! Oh, the doom! He'd be absolutely slaughtered before the goblins sued him blind and sacked his ass off!
Fourth, the ring did have some sort magical power though, for not only was it making Bill see Hermione as a very desirable young woman but was also arousing those sappy romantic feelings of love and forever and children and meadows and sunsets from somewhere where the general populace had their hearts located at.
Fifth, and this was the ultimate cherry on the large dragon dung cake that was turning out to be his well-earned Friday evening, he wasn't able to stay more than five steps away from her! Literally! Meaning, he'd had to follow her to the jewelry store and watch as his father made googly eyes at all the muggle things around them from the Leaky to the Cartier store! And now he was obliged to keep close while his… NO! Not-his Hermione helped his father pick a ring for his mother as they discussed cute ways for his father to propose to his mother.
It was all just SO WRONG!
Bill swore fervently in his mind and suffered through the hour the duo took to buy one f*ing ring! Honestly how difficult could it be? Rings apparently just called out to the golden girl, now didn't they?!
It was an hour later that the trio finally left the shop, but not before Hermione had discreetly spelled the ring to resize to the wearer's finger magically. Bill smirked. She thought of littlest things, his Hermione.
"AH!" Not my Hermione!
…o0o0o0o0o0o…
"You're still in touch with her?"
"Any particular reason why I shouldn't be?"
"Really? After everything she did to you…"
"And what exactly did she do to me?" Bill asked with a slight arch in his eyebrow, waiting a couple of feet away from the entrance of the bar that he had dragged Hermione to just so he wouldn't have to spend his Friday evening at home, alone with her. He'd whipped out his patronus, a rather large wolf and sent it to Fleur asking her to meet him at their regular bar.
Hermione pursed her lips in a thin, straight line, compressing her mouth to show her displeasure with the topic at hand.
Bill sighed in resignation. "She didn't do anything, in fact, she's always been the good friend she was to me. The timings, just, were unfortunate."
"What do you mean? How can you even say that?" This time Hermione quirked her brow.
Bill rubbed at his face with his large hands, "You know she's part Veela, right?" Hermione nodded. "She found her mate – a French guy who also transferred to the London Gringotts to help the Light during the war. One look at him and Fleur knew she could never be with anyone else. She came and told me everything before she even began speaking to that guy. The next day I was attacked by Fenrir and she was painted as the vamp who dumped a guy because of his scars."
"But truth be told, she doesn't give a shit about how I or anyone else looks for that matter, as long as we stay good on the inside, she insists. Only thing is, her timing sucked and despite all my attempts to clear her name, no one listened to me. Well, none except Charlie, but he believes everything I say, so," Bill smiled, shrugging his broad shoulders as he thought of his closets sibling, his light dimple catching the light and making him look years younger. Hermione stood beside him mesmerized.
"So, Miss Ganger, I'd like to go have a few drinks with my friend and her fiancé, you coming along, or do I need to throw you over my shoulder and carry you inside the bar?"
"I'll walk," Hermione narrowed her eyes warningly at Bill as she sauntered into the posh bar, the spring in her steps showing that she was a little extra light-hearted than she'd been the past few minutes ago.
Bill followed closely behind her.
…o0o0o0o0o0o0o…
"I'm not sharing a bed with you."
"Fine, sleep on the floor. See if I care," Bill shrugged carelessly and moved towards his wardrobe.
"I won't sleep on the floor!" Hermione folded her arms in indignation.
"Seeing as we can't go more than ten feet away from each other, I think those are your only two choices, witch. Sleep with me on the bed or take the floor, cause I for one, am definitely not sleeping on the floor."
"Whatsoever happened to chivalry?"
"Went down the drains right alongside the turn of the new century and all the feminist ideas it brought on."
Hermione wet her dry lips and then bit the lower one. No one gave to her as she good as they got! Malfoy had come close, but sadly, he came along with his ferret-y personality so she'd never really felt attracted to him that way. But Bill… she whistled in her mind, now him she was definitely lusting after.
Hmm.. maybe sleeping together wasn't that bad an idea…
"Oh come on Granger! Grow up, will you?" Bill sighed in exasperation. "We're both adults here. I'll keep my hands to myself and you can sleep unmolested. The bed's big enough for the two of us!"
Hermione groaned silently thinking he really must not think of her as a woman if he could sleep beside her without even touching her at least a teeny tiny bit.
Her silent groan came out loud though and Bill snapped his head in her direction and frowned seeing her pouting face but then smirked. "Unless of course, you'd like to use the opportunity presented. In which case, I'm all game and sharing a bed kinda becomes mandatory!" he winked.
"I swear to Merlin, Bill, sometimes you're just too much to take!" Hermione gesticulated with her hands and stomped her feet all the way to the large bed, unintentionally tugging a half-dressed Bill behind her.
Scattering to the far end of the bed, she pulled the blanket on and pointedly looked the other way, giving the best dramatic performance of her life as she feigned sleep.
Silently summoning his own bedclothes, Bill quickly dressed for the night, before Hermione could turn around, and joint her on the bed.
When the mattress dipped with Bill's weight, despite her promise to herself to not show him that she was still awake, listening quite intently to the sounds of the clothes he had been sliding up and down and his body, Hermione, in her most lady-like gesture ever, giggled.
Bill groaned when Hermione could not hold back her nervous giggles for a good few minutes. "What now?" Bill asked from under the cushion. Does she plan to sleep or let me sleep?
"Oh, am sorry, m really… but…. This… Oh, it's just... it's funny... I'm in bed with you... Bill Weasley!"
"And what so funny about that?" he asked flippantly, pulling his head from under the pillow and turning to glare at the witch sharing his bed.
"You're the oldest brother of not one, but two of my best friends!"
"And I'm sharing a bed with you, Hermione Granger, the buck-toothed girl I've known since she was 12, who is best friends with not one but two of my youngest siblings. What's so funny about that?"
Hermione pouted. "It's not so funny like haha.. just funny like…" she trailed off not knowing how to describe her feelings. Imagine that I, Hermione Jean Granger have no words! Who would've thought a man could have her tongue tied while not even looking at her the wrong way?
"Hermione… am I making you nervous? Or this whole situation? If you aren't quite comfortable, I'll take the floor," Bill offered. He did not need the witch beside him to go hysterical on him! He didn't know when the spell sticking them together would wear off and till then they'd have to be in each other's company and he definitely did not need to parade around a deranged war veteran to draw even more attention to their odd situation. The press was gonna have a field day if the news ever broke out anyway. Imagine little Miss Perfect doing things without a fore-thought!
"Oh, don't flatter yourself, Bill," Hermione snorted through her giggles.
"In that case, just sodding sleep Granger!" Bill harrumphed, digging his head under the pillow again.
…o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o…
When the morning sun illuminated the room though, it was to bathe the couple entangled on the bed in its golden light.
Hermione was the first one to stir but Bill was the first to crack open an eye to see what was making the most comfortable pillow he'd ever used to move and moan like that. And then the pillow went, "Oh Bill!" and that was enough to rouse him completely.
"Hermione," he shook her slightly to wake her up too. Because trust him, if she kept moaning and rubbing herself to him in that way any longer he was pretty sure he'd make whatever she was dreaming of her very reality right then and there. "Baby, wake up.."
Hermione woke up with a sleepy smile and heavy-lidded eyes, "William," she sighed happily and kissed him on the lips and went ahead to bury her head back under his chin, wrapping him with her arms and legs just that bit tighter.
Bill lay there frozen, wrapped in her embrace as he was, just staring at the curly hair that cascaded all around them, when he felt the tension seep into Hermione's relaxed body.
"Oh, sweet Merlin… did I just…" he heard her whisper and felt the movement of her lips on his chest.
Something in them both stirred, hoping they'd come to their senses and realize what was in front of them.
"Hermione," Bill repeated himself, pushing her chin up with his fingers, turning her face to look at him. For once Hermione felt all shy and bold at the exact same time, anxious anticipation stirring in the pit of her stomach… her skin prickly all over as the touch of Bill's warmth seeped into her own body.
Looking right into her deep brown orbs, Bill dipped his head, bringing his lips closer to her and Hermione found herself tilting her head further back as she went on to meet him half-way. The slant of their lips on each other's was the last thing either remembered as they both lost themselves to the moment.
…o0o0o0o0o0o0o…
"I found the ring on the bed after you'd stepped into the washroom. Did it come off on its own?" Bill asked with a raised brow. He was perched on a high chair near the breakfast bar, his legs locked at his ankles and stretched out in front of him.
Hermione gave him a confused look before her misdeed of the previous evening flashed through her mind and she quickly brought her hand up to look for the cursed ring. It wasn't there. "Yes," she said, looking back at Bill. "I have no idea when it came off, though."
"I do, have an idea that is," Bill said, mentally bracing himself.
"Hmm.." Hermione was back to being confused.
"I was working on its curses while you were freshening up. It's a soulmate ring, helps the wearer identify his or her soul mate and comes off only once the two find each other."
"So true love's first kiss and all that..?" Hermione asked doubtfully.
"Something like that," Bill nodded. Then with a crooking finger beckoned Hermione to him.
Amused, she obliged. "So, Miss Granger," he said after arresting her between his legs as his arms snaked around her small form to push her to him, "Think you'll give me a date now that I've even passed that test?"
"Uh, well, Mr. Weasley, you know I'd love to, but there's still one last hurdle to cross…" Bill quirked his brow. "You still have to get an all-clear from my friends and family. They mean a lot me and I would never do anything to upset them," Hermione winked at him.
And as if on cue, Erol brought in his mother's summons for dinner that same evening, making Bill scowl and groan out loud while Hermione chuckled and swayed her way back to his bedroom.