This story was written for the Seventh Round of the Fourth Season of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. I'm writing as Beater 1 for The Wimbourne Wasps.

Name of round: Pairing Palooza - All aboard the S.S Ship for the pairing round!

A list of 60 nautical ships were given, each representing a pairing that we were to write, romantically, as friendship or as a familiar relationship. I ended up with H.M.S Egyptian Wotcher, and on board were Bill Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks. I'd say that my story mostly friendship, with a hint of romance.

And these are the prompts I'm using to block our opponents, the Hollyhead Harpies:

7(word) tremble

9(dialogue) "You're crazy!" / "Were you ever under the impression that I was normal?"

14(dialogue) "This isn't safe… or legal for that matter."

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the world J.K. Rowling has created; it's all hers, from Diagon Alley to Hogwarts to all the people living there.

PS. Word-count provided by MS Word

A big thank you to Ellen and Sophie, my lovely teammates, for helping me edit the story. Buzz, buzz!

The Basano Vase
Words: 2 407

It felt both strange and completely right to be at the Burrow. After spending the last few years away from everything, Bill felt a bit detached from the house he had grown up in. At the same time, everything was as he remembered it, and falling back into the pattern of his childhood was far too easy. Something that would never be easy, however, was dealing with his mother's opinion on what he should do with his life.

"Nymphadora is a nice girl," his mother said. "You have a lot in common. You both went to Hogwarts. You're nearly the same age. You both-"

Bill held in a groan. "Yes, she is English, and Fleur is not; I know that, Mum, and I know that you don't like Fleur-"

"Now, dear, I wouldn't go that far." Even as she said it, she could not hide a grimace. "Fleur is a perfectly lovely young woman. I only think that you're rushing too fast into this. You've not been home long, after all. You should see what you left behind here, and you shouldn't go chasing after more foreign treasures."

"So, that is what you think I've been doing?"

"Well, you can't deny that you secured a lot of wealth for the goblins in Egypt, but you are home now; surely, you can see that there are good things to be had here too."

"I didn't come home because I'd grown bored," said Bill. "I came because I was needed."

"Yes, of course, and that is exactly the reason why I think you might be moving too fast! The last time... I love your father as much as I did then, and we were not one of the couples who married quickly because of the war, but I saw it happening around us. Not all of those marriages worked out well once things settled down. I don't want the same thing to happen to you."

"Mum, Fleur and I have only gone on a couple of dates; there has been no talk of marriage. Don't worry too much about it."

"Then, will you think about giving Nymphadora a chance?" His mother looked at him, eyes full of hope.

"If you're telling me to take it slow, why are you insisting on that I should date someone at all?"

He had his mother there. She stopped and stayed silent. Bill smiled and stood up from the kitchen table, kissing his mother on the cheek as he moved past. "I need to go now."

His mother unfroze. "Where are you going?"

"Tonks and I have an idea of how we might help the Order; we're meeting to see what we can do about it."

Bill ignored his mother's pleased expression.

.oöÖöo.

"You're crazy!" Bill shook his head.

He rose from his crouched position and looked out the window. He could barely glimpse Knockturn Alley outside; dirt and grime frosted the glass. People were passing outside: people with their hoods up, hurrying to do things that they did not wish to be known.

"Were you ever under the impression that I was normal?" Tonks smirked when Bill looked back at her. "I'd have thought that someone of your calibre would be a bit more insightful."

"Oh, I had an inkling," he said. "I had hoped that I was wrong, though."

"Ah, good thing that we've cleared that up. Now, we're on the same page.

"I don't like this plan. This isn't safe... or legal, for that matter."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Tonks grinned. "You're the Curse Breaker who steals ancient stuff in Pyramids. I'm an Auror; I'm supposed to uphold the law, and look at me!"

He looked at her with raised eyebrows and a wry tilt to his mouth, but she continued to grin, unperturbed.

"You were the one who told me to follow this rumour. We don't want the Vase to end up in some Death Eater's hands, do we?"

"No," said Bill. The Basano Vase in the hands of Lucius Malfoy or one of his peers was not something Bill wanted to see. The Basano Vase had allegedly been lost a decade earlier when a Muggle family handed it to the police after causing many, many deaths, killing one owner after the other. They didn't seem to realize that the Vase would turn any water it came into contact with into poison, water vapour included. It could be placed anywhere and everyone in the vicinity would die. With the vase the Death Eaters could easily take over the Ministry, Saint Mungo's or Hogwarts. It must not fall into their hands.

"Fine. Let's do this."

Tonks morphed. Her brightly-coloured, spiky hair turned a lustrous brown and fell in rich locks past her shoulders. Her dark eyes remained the same dark shade, although they grew larger and the eyelashes longer.

Soon, Tonks looked quite different than the style she usually preferred. She was a lot more classically beautiful, compared to the hip exterior she often chose to match her quirky and outgoing personality. Bill thought that she could probably give Fleur Delacour a run for her money in this shape, which was exactly the point. However, he hadn't counted on the flutter it would stir in his stomach. He had to tell himself that she was Tonks, not some anonymous witch in a wizard's magazine.

"Are you comfortable, objectifying yourself like this?" he asked her.

Tonks snorted, proving that she was still very much herself, even though she spoke in a lower timbre than she had a moment before. "Don't worry about it. I've done it all before. It's what makes me a good Auror; the ability to be both inconspicuous and very conspicuous. Invisibility cloak on." She pushed the folded cloak into his hands and he pulled it on.

They walked into the grubby and dark alley. Bill was hidden, but he suspected that no one would have looked at him if he had been visible, not when he was next to the dark beauty Tonks had transformed into.

They walked down the street to Borgin and Burkes. Tonks lingered in the doorway, so that Bill could sneak inside, and the plan was in motion. Tonks walked up to the counter, ready to distract Mr Borgin while Bill acquired the Vase.

She pinged the silver bell that sat on the counter. The sound seemed to die quickly in the dusty space. Heavy footsteps came from the back and then, Mr Borgin was behind the counter. It only took a glance for him to be suitably distracted. He peered at Tonks with a lecherous expression in his dark eyes. Bill swallowed some disgust as he saw the man's eyes wander down from Tonks' face to her chest.

"Welcome to Borgin and Burkes," he said, voice smarmy. "What can I do for you today, Miss?"

Tonks must have noticed the question mark there, the inquiry for her last name, but she ignored it. "I have several things I'd like to discuss," she said. "Firstly, I had heard that-"

Bill didn't stay to listen to anymore of the conversation. He knew Tonks could handle herself, but the quicker he moved, the less time she'd have to spend in Mr Borgin's company. He walked back, careful of where he put his feet all the time. He knew how to do this. It wasn't an ancient tomb, but it might as well be for all the curses he detected once he started casting magic. There were wards on each and every item that was hidden in the storage space that seemed to also serve as Mr Borgin's office.

It was easy to get distracted. There were items here that the goblins would be delighted to get their long-fingered hands on, though Bill knew that the prices would not be as much to their liking. He spotted cases with silverware, brass candelabras with etched roses, crates with dusty wine bottles, and small boxes for jewellery. Then there it was, the Basano Vase. It didn't look particularly spectacular inside its glass case. It was rounded, organic in its design, as if it were a large silver pumpkin with some of the stalk left at the top.

Bill strained his hearing. He would have to remove the cloak for the next step, and he couldn't do that if there was any risk of Mr Borgin coming out back.

"I have peculiar taste," Tonks said. "I do hope that you can acquire some of these items for me."

"Peculiar? I wouldn't say that. I think you have very refined taste; not everyone has the good sense to appreciate dark arts." Mr. Borgin was still being ingratiating.

Tonks let out a small laugh. "How right you are! Now, continue looking at the list-"

Bill decided that it would be safe for now, and he drew away the hood of the cloak and let it drape across his back so that his hands were free. Then, he began. The wards on the case were complex and layered.

Bill's hands trembled as he began to dismantle them. It was difficult doing it silently. When he worked for Gringotts, there was seldom any need for discretion, unlike now. Sound travelled from the front of the store, and he tried not to be distracted by the conversation between Mr Borgin and Tonks. It was difficult. It felt wrong that Tonks was using her sexuality as a distraction. There were other ways they could have done it; there were other ways to distract a man.

The wards came undone, a couple of nasty curses along with them. There was one hindrance left. The case had a lock, and all of the spells Bill tried to open it failed.

"Key," he muttered.

With their luck, Mr Borgin would probably have it on himself. Tonks might be able to charm the man—she might even be able to confound him into giving them the key—but that had not been part of the plan, and for that matter, Bill didn't have any way of asking her to find out.

There was nothing more to it; he'd have to break the case. The normal Silencing Charm was difficult enough, but it only stopped vocal chords from working. Making an object silent was far more difficult. Bill, however, was a sorcerer of calibre, as Tonks had pointed out, and he believed that he could do it.

He cast the spell, then tapped the glass to see if there would be any sound. He felt his nail against the glass, yet heard nothing. Looking around, he saw an old cloak hanging on a peg and placed it on the floor to stop the shattering glass from rattling against the floorboards. A Bubble-Head Charm later, and he cast an Exploding Charm to break the case.

Glass shards flew everywhere, and a lot of them inevitably made noise.

Bill heard Tonks cough and sent her a silent thanks. With dragonhide gloves on, Bill took the vase and put it in the case he had with him, then set to restoring the room. A duplication charm created a harmless copy of the vase. If examined, it would be detected as fake, but at a quick glance would be safe. A Reparo sent the glass back into place, and activating a few of the wards were easy.

It was done.

He went back to the front room, once more hidden by the invisibility cloak. It had all worked out better than he could have hoped for. Yet, he felt his hands tremble again as he saw Mr Borgin look at Tonks. He didn't seem to make the difference between a living human being and a witch in a wizard's magazine. Bill's hands trembled with the want to curse the wizard, but that would make all the effort of staying hidden pointless.

Bill touched Tonks shoulder, letting her know that it was done.

"I will be back in two weeks, Mr Borgin," she said. "If you have the items I want by then, I'll pay extra."

"Of course. Pleasure doing business with you. Are you sure that you do not want to purchase anything I have in stock currently? You seemed very interested in the opal necklace. It is very beautiful, is it not? With the right curse breaker to handle it, I assure you that it would be perfectly safe to wear."

Tonks smiled, all repainted lips and white teeth. "I shall think about it. Goodbye, Mr Borgin."

"Goodbye, Miss."

They were outside again; they returned to the abandoned little shop where they had discussed the details of their plan for a final time. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Tonks morphed to assume her normal looks once more. Bill was surprised to find that the butterflies in his stomach made a return. It was one thing for him to react when he saw a witch that was too beautiful to be real, but it was another to react to normal Tonks.

"Do you have it?" Tonks asked, pulling the hood of the invisibility cloak off his head after a bit of fumbling to find it.

"Of course," he said.

"What now?"

"Gringotts."

"You sure that's smart? The goblins might use it in their next rebellion if we give it to them."

"As long as it's in a wizard's vault, they won't touch it. When they rebel, they do it for good reason, and they never break contracts when they do it."

"Don't tell me you were awake during History of Magic?"

"No. I don't even think Percy stayed awake. I've studied goblin history after leaving Hogwarts."

"Alright! Well, good work today. Old Borgin will be very disappointed when little Miss Pretty doesn't show up to buy all the things she ordered; though, if he can get them, maybe we should steal them too."

"We do make a good team," said Bill.

Tonks smiled. It was a bit softer than the usual grin. "We do."

"And we make good friends, but even if we're just friends, I'd like to try this."

"What?"

He kissed her.

It was nice. The butterflies in his stomach flapped their wings, but nothing more happened.

He pulled away.

"What was that, Bill?" asked Tonks.

"We're good together. I thought I owed us to at least find out if we could be more than friends."

"And?"

"Just friends."

She gave a large grin again. "Just friends."

The End

A/N 10thJuly 2016

The Basano Vase is a real item. Look it up if you're interested. I hope you liked the story, let me know what you thought!