Nine
Aurealia felt fingers run through her hair softly, sending a tingle through her scalp. His lips pressed against hers once more and she felt like she faint. Her fingers grasped the collar of his jacket bringing him closer. His grip around her waist tightened. She melted into him.
Their lips parted and she felt breathless. She felt his fingers brushing against her cheek.
"I love you Aurealia, I think I always have," he murmured, looking into her eyes.
"I love you," She told him. Her hands rested against chest, she looked down at her fingers sadly. He cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him again.
"What's wrong?"
"We've wasted so much time, Bill. I've wanted to tell you how I've felt for so long and-" he cut off her with a kiss. She lost her train of thought.
"It doesn't matter now" he told her, kissing her again briefly. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear affectionately.
"Come on," he took her hand.
"Where are we going?"
"Headquarters."
She grasped his hand tightly as they apparated together. She felt her feet come in contact with the hard ground. She opened her eyes. They were standing in an empty street in London, a block of apartments in front of them. She turned to Bill to ask him where they were but he stopped her, handing a small piece of parchment over.
The headquarters of The Order of the Phoenix can be found at number 12, Grimmauld Place, London.
Just as the finished reading the sentence the ground began to inched closer to him, still holding his hand. He took the note from her, setting it on fire with the tip of his wand.
The buildings began to shift, stopping when a battered door appeared. Bill led her up the front steps, opening the door with his wand. They stepped inside into a long narrow hallway. It was dim inside, the gas lamps not providing much light. The wallpaper was peeling, the old framed pictures covered with a thick layer of dust. She could hear muffled voices, some of which she recognized. She followed Bill down the hallway and into an elaborate dining room. A dark chandelier hung over the mahogany table, covered in cobwebs.
"Oh, Aurelia! Hello dear!" Mrs Weasley greeted her. She looked down at her and Bill's entwined fingers, her smile widening. She couldn't help but blush, smiling to herself. "Hello," she replied.
"Aurelia, this is Lupin," Bill introduced her to tall man with light brown hair. She noticed a few cuts on his face, but looked away politely. She let go of Bill's hand to shake Lupin's hand. "Hello."
"Tonks," he gestured to the girl sitting next to Lupin, her hair a shade of bubblegum pink. "Wotcher," she greeted her, waving.
"And this is Kingsley, Mundugs, Mad-Eye and Sirius. He owns this place." Bill introduced her to the other members. She couldn't help the surprise as he mentioned Sirius. Bill had explained to her the true story and how he wasn't a murder like the rest of the wizarding world believed, yet it still felt strange to her to meeting him. "Hello, nice to meet you," she greeted them rather nervously.
Dumbledore walked into the room suddenly, he stopped as he came to where her and Bill stood. "Ah, Miss Lemaire. It's been a long time. Wonderful to see you."
"You too, sir, um.. Dumbledore," she stumbled over her words a bit, making him laugh. It was an odd thing for her to not call him Professor after so many years spent at Hogwarts.
"I'm glad to see that you've decided to join The Order. We could use your intelligence," he complimented her. She thanked him gracefully.
"Well, I must get back to Hogwarts. Goodnight," he nodded at her, bidding the others farewell.
"Looks like we missed the meeting. Nevermind, mum and dad can catch us up," she felt Bill's fingers entwine with hers again.
"Are you coming back to The Burrow, dear?" Molly asked her, still beaming.
"I'd love to," she looked to Bill.
"Wonderful. Well you two go on I'll see you there," she shooed them off. They walked back down the dark hallway, leaving the old house and stepping out onto the street.
"I'd say your mother is positively thrilled that we're together," she chuckled to herself.
"Well at least now she'll stop pestering me to ask you out," he admitted, making her laugh.
They apparated back to The Burrow together, finding Fred, George, Ginny and Ron sitting around in the living room when they walked inside. There was eruption of chatter as they spotted Bill and Aurealia holding hands.
"Finally!" Fred and George yelled in unison.
"Took you long enough!" Ginny looked as pleased as her mother.
She smiled widely, feeling happier than she had been in years.
