"Oh, no, don't eat those, they're very hot," she cautioned, as he speared a tiny red pepper with his fork.

They sat in Hermione's favorite Thai restaurant in Muggle London, having ordered a sampling of menu items and proceeding to stuff themselves silly. Traffic whizzed by the large window next to them, streetlights clicking on as dusk fell. The inside of the restaurant was dim, with warm, spicy scents in the air and quiet music playing over speakers. Other diners' silver clinked against their plates and Hermione refilled her wine glass, watching him cautiously. It was Wednesday night and, as promised, Hermione's lunch hours had all been free, thus far, and this evening was, indeed, going brilliantly.

"Excellent, then," he replied, popping the pepper in his mouth and she watched, seeming sure he would start to choke or his eyes would water. Nothing. "This is fantastic," he proclaimed.

"You're mad," she said, shaking her head. "I like some spice to my food, but gods!" She cocked her head a little then, and seemed to study him. "Have you always had a taste for hot foods or is it more...recent?"

"Can't get a thing past you," he replied, taking a pepper off her plate, but avoiding her gaze, also aware of the muggle diners all around them. "The answer is both. I've always liked spicy food, but it does seem to be more pronounced than, say, four years ago."

"That makes sense."

"That's it?" He looked back to her, waiting to see a worried expression, or concern, or more questions about what else might be different than before, but she had already turned back to her dinner. "Nothing about how I'm going to scorch off my tastebuds or anything?"

"Your mother?"

He nodded and grinned. "So what happened with Harry?"

Hermione sighed and took a sip of wine. "I know he's not always as obtuse as Ron can be, but he certainly surprised me this time."

Harry and Hermione stepped through the fireplace of Harry and Ginny's cottage and she sent her shrunken trunk off to the guest room. The house was quiet and dark and she bit her lip, wondering if she should ask what she was dying to ask.

"Ginny must have gone to sleep, too," Harry said and she watched him walk down the hall and peek inside the master bedroom. He stepped back out into the hall and shut the door behind him. "Yep, dead to the world and even snoring a little. I never would have guessed her and Ron's sleep habits were so similar."

Hermione grinned. "I've shared a room with her. I could have told you that."

"I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some?"

It was a pointed question and even in the dimly lit hallway, she recognized the look on the face of her friend of eleven years. "Do I have a choice?" she teased.

He walked back towards her and, slinging his arm around her shoulders, pulled her with him in the direction of the kitchen. "Not really."

"I didn't think so."

Hermione took a seat at the table and studied her fingernails as Harry silently prepared a pot of tea. He took the seat opposite hers and her gaze moved from her fingernails to the tea he poured into her cup. She drummed her fingers against the side of the cup nervously.

"Is there something between you and Bill?"

He always got straight to the point. She stilled her hands and glanced up, trying to gauge his expression, but it was completely passive. "There might be," she finally answered.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Might be? So I was intruding on a date the other night when I brought Teddy round?"

She shook her head quickly. "No, I was being honest. He was still at work when I was leaving and he'd skipped lunch, so I thought he might be hungry. It was...nice. He's good around Teddy. He got him to eat twelve peas!"

Harry laughed quietly. "A feat of epic proportions!"

She smiled, bringing the cup to her lips for a sip of tea. "I know! And then, today, we went to Muggle London to the British Museum and stopped for coffee, had a good chat. It was really lovely."

"But?"

"But, Molly and Ron and...he took Fleur's leaving harder than anyone knew."

Harry knitted his brow and watched her carefully from across the table. "I think you're good for one another."

She looked up from her tea to Harry, honestly surprised, but at the same time knowing she really shouldn't be. Harry always seemed to understand her in a way Ron and Ginny never had. "Truly?"

Harry nodded, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. "Yeah, truly. I've always liked Bill a lot and he's smart enough himself not to be intimidated by your brains. I think...well, really I'm surprised I never thought of it before, I guess, with him being gone but...it seems to work."

She squeezed his hand back. "Thank you. It's only that things seem...delicate now."

"I won't say a word, until you want me to. Not even to Gin."

"I can't ask that of you."

"You're not, I'm offering. I want you to be happy, Hermione. When I saw you walk in the Burrow today before dinner, you looked happier than I've seen you in a long time. I saw you looking at Bill when Molly was trying to set you up with Andromeda's cousin and he looked trapped and suddenly it clicked. You ought to have the space to figure this out without the rest of the Weasleys trying to get involved."

"I was that obvious?" She blushed, wondering what the others might have thought. But Harry shook his head.

"No, I just know you that well."

"Thank you," she whispered again. "I knew I kept you around for some reason."

Harry grinned and took his cup, standing and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Cheeky witch. You love me."

"I do."

"Archimedes is in the study," he said, referencing the owl he'd got after Hedwig. "I believe Molly wanted to watch Teddy Wednesday night, so Gin and I could go to dinner and a film before she heads back to the team next week."

"Hm, I suppose I'll have to find something to do with my time Wednesday evening, then."

Harry only lifted an eyebrow and moved towards the door. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

She winked at him. "Off to bed before Ginny realises you're missing," she said. "I believe I'll stay up a while and read. I might think of a post to send, too."

"And then I sent you that note," Hermione finished, blushing a little and hoping Bill didn't mind that she had told Harry so much.

"This means I'm going to owe Harry a hell of a birthday present, doesn't it?"

She laughed, relieved, and took a final bite of her coconut curry, then pushed the bowl away. "I suppose so. Oh, goodness, I can't possibly have another bite!"

"That's what happens when we order half the menu."

"At least there is still half left for you to try next time."

He swirled some noodles around his fork for one last bite himself. "I can't believe I've never had Thai food before."

"Well, I've never had Egyptian food before. We'll have to find an Egyptian restaurant next time."

Bill grinned. "Or, I can make you an Egyptian meal."

"You cook?"

"Occasionally, never mind that the state of my kitchen says otherwise. Mum makes better traditional English fare, but I think if I asked her to make stuffed grape leaves or the like, she might have me committed."

"She might."

"If I want food like I had in Cairo and Alexandria, I have to make it myself. I haven't done that since I've been home and I think I miss it."

"Well, it's settled then, the next international dinner is on you and then after that we'll have to think of a different country's cuisine to try."

The joke was out of his mouth before he could think twice. "Anything but French."

She threw back her head and laughed.

oOoOo

Bill was lounging under a tree on the Burrow's lawn, reading the Daily Prophet and waiting for the call to dinner when he noticed movement around the corner of the house. Twenty-five years with the twins had made him suspicious of sneaky redheads and if he wasn't mistaken it was Gred and Forge themselves and...was that Charlie with them? He stood, abandoning the paper and ambling towards them, pleased when he managed to sneak up behind them unnoticed.

"Oi, what are you lot up to?"

They all jumped before turning and glaring. He grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets, raising an eyebrow.

"Fucking hell, Bill, don't do that!" George exclaimed, keeping his voice low and glaring at his older brother.

Charlie laughed, but also kept his tone quiet. "They're unleashing the muggle tricks tonight," he explained. "Modified a bit, of course."

"Well, there's always room for magical improvement," Fred interjected, then held up his wand, a gleam in his eye. "Muggles have these things called water balloons that they throw at each other as a game, but you have to spend loads of time filling the balloons with water. No fun in that. So we figured out a spell that makes them come out of your wand. Similar to Aguamenti, but you only have to say the balloon incantation once, then again when you want to stop."

"That's rather impressive," Bill said and Fred and George both puffed up a little.

"Don't be impressed with them," Charlie said, "it was Hermione's idea."

He couldn't hide his surprise. "Hermione? Thought up a prank? For the two of you?"

George shrugged. "She's helped us with the muggle collection, and some of the modifications. I think as long as we're not skulking around Hogwarts, pranking first-years, she doesn't mind."

If Bill thought he couldn't possibly be more enamoured with Hermione than he had been a few moments before, he was sadly mistaken.

"So who is your target tonight? Since I saw you before you saw me, I'm guessing I wasn't it?"

"No, our target this evening would be the inventress herself," Fred replied, looking downright devilish now. "She hasn't seen it in action yet, only in test runs. Thought she should have the honour of seeing its official debut."

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled," Bill replied, dryly.

"Are you in?"

He had been in a rather cheerful mood, ever since his first date with Hermione the week before, and their lunches and one dinner since-the snogging hadn't hurt, either-and found he was rather looking forward to having some fun with his family and friends. He hadn't done anything like this in years and felt like a teenager again. Fred and George certainly hadn't been the first Weasleys to enjoy a prank and a good time. He nodded and his brothers all grinned, then whispered the incantation to him. He crept with them around the side of the house, seeing Hermione with Angelina, Katie, and Luna, lounging on a blanket they had dragged out onto the Burrow's lawn, and talking. Ron was snoring on his back nearby. Bill snorted back a laugh as he realised they weren't going to be warning their baby brother of the impending attack, either.

With a cry, Fred went first, leaping from behind the house and turning his wand on the unsuspecting girls. As promised, Hermione was the first to take a water balloon to the shoulder, soaking her shirt and some of her hair. She scrambled to her feet with a yelp, followed quickly by the other girls, all of them reaching for their wands.

"Fred Weasley!" Hermione shouted, and actually stomped her foot a little, which Bill found utterly adorable. He barked a laugh and she noticed him and his other brothers then, her eyes narrowing. "You know this means war!"

"Thought you should see the spell in all its debut-day glory!" Fred replied, gleefully.

There wasn't time to say anything more, before Bill, Charlie, and George began firing water balloons at the girls and Ron, their brother waking from his nap when he took a balloon to the head, courtesy of Charlie. Hermione and the girls turned their wands on the boys and the Burrow lawn quickly devolved into a chaos of splashing, yells, laughs, and squeals.

"Oi, Angie, what a brilliant day to wear a white shirt!" George called out to his twin's girlfriend and she flicked her wand in his direction, narrowly missing him as he ducked to the side.

"Perv!" She quickly changed her shirt's color to blue.

George was then caught with a throw from his own girlfriend's wand before she leapt onto his back and splashed a balloon directly on his head. Charlie was chasing Luna around a tree and Ron lunged at Hermione, catching her foot with a balloon as she tried to sprint away, throwing a balloon at him over her shoulder. Ron stumbled a little and Bill took advantage, going after his brother and seeing Hermione dash around the side of his father's workshed from the corner of his eye. Fred joined him, ganging up on Ron. Ron finally took off towards his girlfriend, who was holding her own rather well against Charlie. Fred followed, but Bill turned and went the other direction, toward the shed. As he rounded the corner, he took a direct hit to the face.

"Oh, Bill!" Hermione gasped. "I didn't know it was you!"

She dissolved into giggles, though, and he leaned back against the shed, breathless from laughter and exertion. He flicked his wand once, and she gasped again, as the balloon caught her in the chest, soaking the front of her shirt. He laughed at the glare she tried to give him, though she was still giggling, so he wasn't very threatened. Her hair hung down in limp, wet ringlets and her clothes were as soaking wet as his. Her face was flushed, and she was trying to catch her breath, as unused to running around like a nutter as he was, apparently. She pushed her wet hair away from her face and for the first time, he appreciated where he had directed his last water balloon, taking in the sight of her light cotton shirt that was now clinging very attractively to her curves.

Caught up in the moment, he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him, kissing her in the middle of a laugh, the sound disappearing into a small moan as she fisted his shirt in her hands and pulled herself against him. He spun around, pinning her against the shed, sliding his tongue against hers and letting one hand wander under her shirt, his fingers trailing across her ribcage. She was warm against him, even through the cold of her wet clothes and she wrapped her arms around him, one hand tangling in his hair while the other made its own exploration under his shirt.

The shouts of his brothers and their girlfriends faded away into a distant white noise as he let their snogging move quickly past all previously-drawn lines. He hitched her leg up around his hip and she grabbed his bum, pulling him towards her. He bit her lip gently, then trailed kisses along her jaw and down her throat. She let her head fall back against the shed with a quiet thud, gasping for a different reason now, as his hand found a satin-covered breast under her shirt.

"Hermione," he groaned, pressing against her.

"Oh, Bill, gods!" she whispered, rolling her head to the side to give him better access to her neck. "Please!"

Then running footsteps broke through the haze and Bill jerked back as he realised they were approaching the shed. Hermione dropped her leg and met his gaze with slightly unfocused eyes. They righted their clothing and as Fred rounded the shed, Hermione caught him with a balloon the same way she had caught Bill. Bill joined her in sending a barrage at Fred, as though the only reason they had been hiding was to plan an ambush. Fred sputtered and threw a balloon at his brother, then grabbed Hermione around her knees before she could run away, tossing her over his shoulder and taking off around the shed.

"Fred, set me down!" Hermione cried, kicking at him.

"Hush, or you'll end up on your head!" he replied, running as best he could back towards the rest of the action.

Bill laughed and followed, as many of his water balloons hitting Hermione as Fred. Once they were back on the lawn with the others, Fred dumped Hermione rather unceremoniously on her bum as he was attacked by Angelina and Katie. Hermione hit Bill with a balloon from her seat on the lawn.

"Thanks so much for your help!" she said, glaring in mock outrage and he shrugged, still laughing. Before he knew what was happening, he was tackled by Charlie, his breath knocked from him as he landed on the lawn and got another water balloon to the face. He heard Hermione laughing hysterically beside him as he groaned and rolled onto his back, hoping nothing was broken.

It seemed they had all run out of steam and all ended up sprawled across the lawn, snorts of laughter and gasps for air being the only noises heard. Knowing no one was looking, Bill glanced over to find Hermione looking at him. He smiled a little, and she smiled back. His hand snuck across the short span of grass to find hers, and give it a brief squeeze before pulling back.

"Do I even want to know?"

They all sat up, turning towards the voice. Harry and Ginny stood at the corner of the house with Teddy, surveying the scene of their family and friends, looking like drowned rats, collapsed on the ground that was littered with colorful balloon remnants.

"It was Hermione's idea," Fred piped up. Hermione sat up to give him a shove.

"You ambushed me with my own invention!" she retorted.

"I'm sorry we missed the fun," Harry said, through poorly concealed laughter.

"Dinner is in ten minutes and I expect you all dry and presentable!" came Molly's call from the back door of the Burrow.

"When have we ever been presentable?" George grumbled, but they all got to their feet, Bill offering Hermione a hand up, pretending not to see Ron's sudden look of suspicion. Once she was on her feet, he dropped her hand and ran his hands through his hair, trying to squeeze out some of the water. Ron was really beginning to get on his nerves. He had been gone most of the week after the funeral for games, but had returned the day before, and had kept Hermione busy with invitations to lunch and dinner with him and Luna and Bill hadn't even been able to see her until they both arrived at the Burrow. He got the distinct impression it had been intentional on his brother's part, since he couldn't very well keep Hermione away from Gringotts during the week. He managed to avoid being caught with only Ron, as he was sure he wouldn't hesitate to demand to know if anything was going on. He wasn't sure he'd be able to lie. He helped Charlie to his feet, too, hoping that would satisfy Ron's nosiness and they all squished their way to the house.

Molly met them with drying spells as they came through the door, but Hermione kept the older woman from performing one on her hair.

"Spells only make it frizz," she insisted. "I'll find a towel."

She disappeared upstairs and they all took their usual seats. Charlie, however, moved at the last minute, taking Hermione's seat beside Ron, leaving his seat beside Bill the only one open. Bill shot him a look when Ron wasn't looking and Charlie winked. A quick glance around the table reassured Bill that no one had seen the exchange, as they were already piling food onto their plates. Ron did give Charlie an odd look as Hermione returned to the kitchen and only hesitated a moment before she took the empty seat next to Bill. Her hair was no longer dripping, but still damp as she let her curls air dry. Bill was careful not to pay any more attention to her than necessary, but was more than a little unnerved at her close proximity and the looks Ron was giving him across the table.

oOoOo

Bill glanced up from his glass of firewhiskey as Harry plopped down on the sofa beside him. He noticed Hermione was across the room talking to Ron and Luna. The others were scattered around the living room and kitchen, involved in their own conversations.

"Ginny took Teddy upstairs with your mum for a bath. He's getting a bit sleepy, but refuses to let us take him home yet, so best if he's at least in his pyjamas before he crashes."

Bill nodded, feeling a little uneasy. Before today, he hadn't seen Harry since the week before, when he had saved his arse at the dinnertable. "I'm sure you didn't sit down here to tell me about Teddy's bedtime routine."

Harry grinned and sipped at his own drink. He leaned back into the sofa and crossed his ankles, seeming the picture of relaxation, but he kept his voice low as he spoke again. "I'm not going to pull out some big brother speech on you, don't worry."

"You're not?" Bill was surprised.

Harry shook his head. "No, I don't do that with Hermione. She may be like my sister, but it's not my place to go around threatening any wizard who breathes in her direction. It's not Ron's place, either, though I can't seem to get that through his head. It would be laughable for me to give you the tired line about how I'll kick your arse if you hurt her. She doesn't need me to protect her; if anything, our relationship has always worked the other way around. If you hurt her, you'll find out exactly how talented a witch she is, and I won't need to lift a finger. She's smarter than I'll ever be and I would trust her judgment above mine any day of the week. So...yeah, I'm not going to give you that speech."

"Well...thanks, I suppose." He was surprised, but relaxed back into the sofa a bit, too.

Harry shrugged, watching Hermione laugh as Luna swatted at her boyfriend's head. "I think you and Hermione fit rather well, besides," he said. "Did you know Molly once tried to pair her up with Percy?"

Bill snorted. "I heard," he said, smiling into his drink.

Harry laughed, too. "Yeah, that would have been interesting. A disaster, but interesting. But your mum's intentions were good, I suppose. She recognised that Hermione needed someone on her intellectual level; it was the insufferable prat part that would have been the issue. The only good thing about Ron and Hermione's relationship, to me, was that Ron got her out of her head a little, you know? Got her to have a little more fun. But everything else about that match was awful. It was a weight off my shoulders when they split up. I didn't have to be put in the middle any longer."

"She does work a lot, but I suppose I'm not one to talk," Bill said. "But she seems to have found a good balance, if she's helping the twins with pranks and tricks and she's terrific with Teddy."

"She has found a balance, on her own. She's not one to go pubs and clubs on weekends to begin with, but she's realised that there's more to life than work and rules. I suppose after everything we've been through, she's decided it's best to enjoy life as it comes and she deserves to. So do you."

Bill was quiet for a moment. "I believe I'm beginning to figure that out," he finally said.

Harry clapped him on the shoulder as he stood, then headed toward the stairs, tugging on one of Hermione's curls as he passed her. She turned to smile at him, then caught Bill's gaze and smiled just a bit brighter. He gave her a nod and a smile before leaving her to her conversation with Ron and Luna while he went to find one of his brothers or his father.