Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.
A/N – This story is non-HBP or DH compliant and can therefore be considered AU. For the purpose of this story, Bill is neither engaged to Fleur nor is he part werewolf. He might have been dating the blonde for a short time, but won't be getting a mention.
Beta'd by the lovely and most wonderful WriterMerrin. Many hugs and thanks to you!
The sunlight filtered through the glass of the window, spiraling around the room in different directions.
Hermione sat at her desk in the office that she shared with six others, watching the dust particles dance in the beams of light. She sighed, resting her elbows on the table before her and dropping her chin into her hands. It had been a long day at work. The night before, she had gotten caught up in Rune translations and hadn't really slept all that much before she had gone into work for the day. Tilting her head slightly to look down at the pages in front of her, she winced. Those pages of translations would be needed by the end of the week, and she was starting to feel the pressure.
She had been working for Gringotts for six months after resigning from her job at the Ministry early in the year. It had been a job that had paid well, but after five years, she had lost her passion for it. Her department had been in charge of organizing Victory week annually to commemorate the defeat of the You-Know-Who and remember those that were lost in the heat of the final battle. At first, it had been a good job – one that she enjoyed and took pride in. But after so long in the position, she didn't feel that she was learning anything new or gaining any more experience or knowledge.
She happily replaced herself with the former Lavender Brown, now married to one of her closest friends, Ron Weasley.
Now, sitting at her desk that was cluttered from all of the parchment on it, Hermione was beginning to wonder whether she had been wise taking on her current project. It was the first time she had been back in London since she had begun working for Gringotts. She had originally been contracted to do field research, but because Harry and Ginny's wedding was only two weeks away, she had decided not to go back overseas until after her two friends were happily married and her duties as the Maid of Honor were complete. After that, she had made plans to travel to China to do a preliminary dig at a recently discovered burial of whom was believed to be a Ming Dynasty emperor.
Her eyes flitted down to look at the parchment right in front of her when a sharp knock on the corner of her desk beside her startled her out of her musings. She lifted her eyes to see her boss, Bill Weasley, standing right beside her with a charming smile on his handsome face. Shortly before she took the job at Gringotts, Hermione had been informed that Bill had been promoted to the Head of Research for the bank and no longer worked in Egypt as he once used to. So essentially, she was employed to fill the place that Bill had left on his promotion.
Ordinarily Hermione didn't see Bill all that often with her travels and would send him weekly reports on her progress, but with her being home again, seeing him in the office was practically unavoidable. Which really was a shame, as being around the man was terribly distracting. Of all the Weasley boys, Hermione was all too ready to admit that she found Bill to be the most attractive, with his long hair, the stud in his ear and his overall attitude that simply screamed bad boy.
'Hi there, Hermione,' he greeted, flashing a big grin at her.
'Hello, Mr. Weasley,' she said, putting an emphasis on his surname. While Hermione had learned long ago to try and keep her work and social life separate, Bill continually ignored her subtle reminders. 'How may I be of assistance?'
'I just got an owl from Mum reminding me to ask you over to the Burrow for dinner tonight,' Bill replied, handing her the letter.
'Bill,' she said in a hushed tone, sweeping her eyes over the office to see that the other co-workers were sneaking glances at the two of them. 'Look, thanks for the reminder, but you need to stop coming over here to talk to me about things that aren't related to work. People are starting to get funny impressions about it.'
'Whatever do you mean, Hermione?' he said, sitting on the corner of her desk and folding his arms across his chest casually.
Hermione's mouth went dry as she took him in. Why did he always have to look so sexy? It had been a constant form of annoyance to her, having to come into work every day that week and to see Bill wandering around the office in dark jeans and a shirt that was unbuttoned at the neck and rolled to his elbows. Taking a breath to steady herself, she opened her mouth to try and make her point.
'Everyone already thinks that I got this job because of my affiliation with Harry and your family. I don't need them to speculate any further,' she hissed, looking back at her work pointedly. 'I don't want everyone else to feel like you are playing favourites just because we are friends.'
'Hermione, it is hardly anyone else's business whether we are friends or not. Everyone knows that the Goblins handle all of the Human Resources on their own, and they are never influenced to hire based on whether or not you have clout in the Wizarding world,' Bill reasoned, but Hermione refused to look at him. 'You got here on your own merit. In fact, you're more qualified than anyone else in the department for this job. They're just being jealous.'
Sighing, Hermione knew that she would get nowhere with her argument. Bill had been reluctant to listen the first three times she had warned him that week, and it seemed he was still being stubborn. So she would put up with the gossiping behind her back for the next two or three weeks until she would be back in the field and wouldn't have to deal with it or Bill any longer.
'Please let your mother know I'll be at the Burrow at seven,' she said dismissively, keeping her eyes on her notes and picking up a quill to begin her translations again.
She didn't look up to see Bill nod with a slight frown on his face as he stood up from her desk and walked away.
It was a mere week away from the Potter-Weasley wedding, and things were getting hectic both at the Burrow and at Grimmauld Place.
After having submitted her runic translations only just on time, Hermione had then taken some unpaid leave from work to help Ginny with the final preparations for the wedding. As Maid of Honor, naturally it was her duty to do as much as she could in order to keep the wedding party calm and under control when things started to appear as though they mightn't run smoothly.
Molly, bless her heart, had been under the impression that Hermione was not capable of fulfilling her duties and had spent the better part of the month before her return planning things. Now Hermione loved the Weasley matriarch very much, but that still didn't stop her from giving Molly a piece of her mind when she had finally irritated her to the point of no return. Instead of doing her planning in the Burrow, Hermione had moved camp to the Library in Grimmauld Place, drawing a number of the other Weasleys along with her.
As she readied herself for a day out shopping for shoes, lingerie and confirming the bridal party dress-robes, Hermione smiled. Luckily for her, Bill had not been included as a part of the bridal party and was at work much of the time, and she did not need to be around him. During the day she was free to concentrate on that task at hand instead of getting distracted by thoughts of her attractive and sweet boss.
Checking her watch, she grabbed up her wand and slipped into a deep purple set of casual robes before Apparating out of her house and over to the Burrow.
When she arrived, everyone was already up and busy at it. Letting herself in through the back door, she waved to the Arthur and Charlie, who were seated at the kitchen table, and hurried up the stairs to Ginny's room. While Ginny had been living in a flat in London, she had given it up and moved temporarily back to the Burrow before the wedding so that afterwards, she would move right into the new house that Harry had built in Godric's Hollow for the two of them.
'Ginny, are you ready to go shopping yet?' Hermione hollered as she knocked on the door to the room.
It was flung open in a matter of seconds, and the pretty red-head dashed out into the hallway followed by Luna Lovegood-Malfoy.
'Sorry, I was having trouble with my hair this morning,' Ginny stated as they began the descent down the stairs. 'Luna had to use some charms to get it to behave at the back.'
'It was rather tangled,' Luna offered with a slightly dreamy smile.
Shaking her head, Hermione followed the two younger witches down the stairs silently, ushering them out through the front door for them to Apparate. Soon the three of them were in Diagon Alley and set off to Madam Malkin's to check on the status of their wedding attire. Once inside, Ginny was promptly pushed towards the dressing room with the box containing her robes. Moments later she returned, dressed in the ivory silk robes that they had pre-ordered two months before. They fit her perfectly, and only a few minor alterations were made to the embroidery along the front edges of the outer robe.
Hermione and Luna both tried on their robes too, and once everyone was happy, they paid and had them sent to Hermione's house for keeping. After that, the three headed to the shoe shop and purchased matching shoes and took those with them to 'The Naughty Witch' lingerie shop down the very end of the Alley.
'I'm so excited! But I hardly even know what Harry will like,' Ginny exclaimed as they walked through the front door.
Hermione rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut. Harry, like any other man, was hardly going to care what Ginny was wearing on their wedding night. The sooner he got her out of the flimsy thing she bought, the better. The younger woman was probably better off going without undergarments. Smiling, she figured that while they were there she might as well get something nice for herself. Nobody was going to see it but her, but at least she would be feeling sexy.
Their trip concluded after they had lunch at The Leaky Cauldron and stopped by Hermione's house to drop off all of their purchases. They were much safer there than anywhere else, and far from the prying eyes of the boys and most especially Molly, who had yet to see Ginny's wedding robes. After Ginny and Luna had Flooed back to the Burrow, Hermione let out a sigh of relief.
Much as she liked the two women, she really hated shopping.
The alarm clock went off with loud, consecutive bleeping noises directly into her ear. With a moan of annoyance, Hermione lifted an arm sleepily, and after three attempts, managed to hit the switch on her clock that turned it off. Rolling awkwardly onto her back, she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand and rubbed her eyes. Peeking through one eye, she looked at the time and saw that it was five minutes past seven, and already regretted setting it earlier than she needed to. Blinking both eyes, she forced herself to the edge of the bed and swung her legs over to stand.
She walked like a zombie through all of her morning ablutions until she was finally under the spray of the shower.
When she was fully awake, she removed herself from the shower and pulled on some jeans a light sweater, pocketing her wand before mentally preparing herself for the day. At three o'clock that afternoon, Harry and Ginny would be exchanging their vows, and there was still so much to do before then. Gathering together all of the robes, shoes and other things that the bridal party would need that she was in charge of, she Apparated to the Burrow. She went straight to the back door and walked inside, greeting the twins as she passed them. All of the Weasley boys as she passed them were in various states of undress. She snorted, remembering that the men had waited to throw Harry a bachelor party right up until the night before. Hermione, meanwhile, had organized the Hen's party for four days before the wedding so that Ginny and the rest of the ladies weren't waking up with hangovers on the day.
As she approached the stairs, she looked up to see Bill descending them, looking as handsome and energetic as ever. Clearly he had been somewhat more sensible the night before, or he simply had a greater tolerance than the rest. A lazy smile spread over his lips, and he reached out to tuck a curly tendril of her hair behind her ear.
'Morning, Hermione,' he greeted cheerfully.
'You're awfully chipper this morning,' she commented as she passed him and began to struggle up the stairs with the bags.
Unsurprisingly, Bill took half of the bags from her and helped her carry them up the stairs to Ginny's room. When she knocked on the door, she received no answer and assumed that Ginny was probably still asleep. Propping the bags against the wall, she opened the door and peaked in to see that she was correct. Unwilling to disturb the bride just yet, she left the bags just inside the room and followed Bill downstairs and back to the kitchen where Molly was now cooking up a storm for the boys.
'Are you hungry, dear?' Molly asked, waving her wand at the frying pans that all started emptying their cooked contents onto various platters.
'I ate before I left home,' Hermione lied. She hated breakfast, and much more than a cup of tea in the morning made her feel ill.
'Here,' Bill said, pressing a mug into her hands and ushering her over to the table. 'At least have some coffee. You've got a big day ahead of you, Maid of Honor.'
Hermione laughed dryly at that comment. 'Tell me about it.'
She sipped at the hot liquid and felt it beginning to warm her stomach. She was about to drift into a day dream when the chair beside her made a scraping noise as it was pulled out, and she turned to see Bill drop into the chair beside her. He had a plate full of sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs and fried tomatoes. He chuckled at the face she pulled on seeing it.
'If I didn't know better, I would think you didn't like breakfast,' he commented idly as he stabbed a cherry tomato with a fork.
'Sometimes I forget that you weren't around all that often while I was holidaying here over the summer when Harry, Ron and I were at Hogwarts,' she said, gulping a mouthful of the coffee. 'You wouldn't know my eating habits like they do.'
'I know how you take your coffee,' he said with a grin and a shrug.
'That's only because you insisted on hanging about at work all week and making it look like you were playing favourites by getting me coffee and talking to me,' she said with a huff of annoyance.
'I told you, Hermione. It isn't even a big deal. It's not as though I am even the one in control of whether you get promoted or get a raise or anything,' he explained. 'The goblins like to keep control of what is theirs.'
'When you say it like that, you make it sounds a whole lot less appealing,' she said with a small smile before finishing off the last of her coffee. 'Well, I had better go and wake up the bride, or she won't be ready in time for her wedding.'
Bill nodded. 'I will see you later then,' he said. 'Promise you'll save me a dance at the reception?'
Hermione sighed. 'Certainly,' she replied before depositing her mug in the sink and leaving for upstairs.
The wedding went off without a hitch.
Which was unsurprising considering Hermione was involved. The flowers for the ceremony had arrived at Hogwarts on time, and the entire outdoor set-up beside the lake had been as perfect as Ginny or Harry could have ever imagined. After Hermione had woken Ginny and forced some breakfast into her despite her pre-wedding jitters, she had ensured that all of the Weasley boys and Harry had received hangover potions if they needed them, and even checked in at the Tailor to ensure that the suits for the groom's party had gone to Grimmauld Place.
The rings for the exchange in the ceremony had been safely entrusted to Ron, who for once, seemed to have everything he needed to under control. Ginny, Luna and Hermione had all been dressed, made-up and had their hair styled on time and had arrived at the gates to the school grounds even a little early. Even the photographer was there on time and was taking lots of photos.
And now, sitting in the Great Hall at the Wedding party's table, Hermione admired her handiwork as she gazed around at the tastefully decorated hall.
Harry and Ginny were slow dancing to the music in the middle of the floor along with various other couples, and everything was as it should have been. That was, of course, until Bill swept across to where she was sitting and pulled up the chair beside her. Hermione stifled her groan. Did the man have no idea what his presence did to her? Over the past few weeks, she had been fighting her attraction to him, reasoning that it was wrong to have feelings for ones boss. But he was always there, and he was always calling upon her and imposing his charming presence on her.
'You owe me a dance, Miss Granger,' he said with a very serious expression on his face. It didn't last for long, for when she raised an eyebrow at him, he broke into a wide smile and grasped her hand in his. 'Come on, let's go dance together.'
Unable to say no, she allowed him to draw her out of her chair and across to the dance floor, immediately placing a hand on her waist and grasping the other hand. He slowly swayed them around in the same fashion as everyone else who was dancing, and she slowly relaxed into his touch. Just as the song drew to a close, she made an attempt to escape his arms, but he held her firmly and coaxed her into another slow dance. Hermione was screaming on the inside, asking Merlin what she had done to deserve this torment.
About halfway through the song, she felt Bill begin to stroke up and down her back with the hand that had been at her waist. She looked up at his face with a question in her eyes, but he just smiled and let his hand drift back so her waist where it continued to rub her gently. Hermione frowned at that, trying to pry her hand from his so that she could leave the dance floor.
'Bill, please let me go,' she said, desperate now to get away from him. Her body was on fire beneath his touch, and it was driving her mad. She needed to get away – fast.
'Hermione, surely you can see that I am attracted to you,' he murmured, refusing to release her. 'And it seems to me that you are attracted to me too.'
'It's inappropriate,' she said a little more sharply than she had intended. 'We work with each other.'
'I don't care,' he said, rubbing his hand up her waist so that his thumb could brush the underside of her breast over her robes.
Hermione yanked her hand from his then and crossed her arms over her chest. 'I never gave you leave to touch me like that,' she hissed before turning away from him and walking off the dance floor.
She rushed to the nearest bathroom, and once inside a cubicle, she leaned her back against the door and let out a shaky breath. Her pulse was racing and her stomach was in knots. She was very aroused and all from a simple touch like that. What was Bill playing at, making a pass at her like that? Feeling very confused, she quickly relieved her bladder and washed her hands, leaving the girls bathroom and heading back to the Great Hall. It didn't matter that Bill had touched her – it was Ginny and Harry's day, and she wasn't going to let her arousal and confusion get in the way.
To be continued.