I know it's been forever, but I feel like I always come back and update and complete things eventually. Just not at all in a timely manner. Sorry! Please enjoy and review! The Plan is for two more chapters. And then I can really focus on some of my other stories again when this one is done.
Living at the Shell Cottage with Bill isn't quite what I expected. Mostly it's been a lot more work than I was expecting, but it's also been very special. That first day, after we killed off the nest of acromaculas living in the chimney, we went outside where the sun was shining, and the waves were washing on the beach below, and I decided that this was the perfect home for us. Or at least that I would make it the perfect home for us. Okay, so right now the only thing that's perfect is the location.
Having grown up on the coast, hearing the ocean at night feels so homey. I adore the salty sea air, and the warm breeze through our kitchen in the evenings. We've been busy spelling down the dated wallpaper, likely from the previous century, and cleaning out the attic, which was infested with bats. We had to hire a professional chimney sweep to clean out the chimney which was completely full of webs. I'm surprised the floo even worked to be completely honest.
The house gets its name from the whitewashed shells that make up the exterior, and I feel a bit like a mermaid princess who lives in a castle made of shells, except for the whole living underwater part. But, it's rather lovely. The downstairs is open and airy, with the large fireplace made of limestone brick and high ceilings covered in wooden planking that gives the feel of the inside of a ship.
Without the floral wallpaper, it feels very modern. I'm working on convincing Bill to let me paint it blue, but he seems to think white is the perfect paint colour for the entire house. I'm going to get my way, he just doesn't know it yet.
The kitchen is practically primitive with a wood burning stove that smokes and a sink that I'm pretty sure spouts sea water. It's quite brown. Thank Merlin for Augmenti.
The upstairs is not only dirty, but infested. The doxies are worse than the gnomes in the garden at the Burrow. I'm honestly worried we will never clear them out of the fourth bedroom. I've cleaned out every last nook and cranny in that room and sprayed it with doxy repellent, but I can't seem to keep them out. I probably need to have Bill investigate for some sort of entry point. However, after the last time a doxy got in his hair and practically pulled out his entire pony tail, he's been fairly reluctant to even go near the room. He honestly had me check for a bald spot that evening before bedtime.
Soon enough, we've managed to achieve a livable coziness that I quite like. I finally convinced Bill to let me pick out some actual colours, and we've painted the living room a soft blue, and the kitchen a sunny yellow. I selected a beautiful seafoam for our room that looks especially lovely with the deep aqua bedspread my mother sent us as a housewarming.
We've been here almost two months before we have our first visitors. And it's exactly who you'd expect. Fred and George.
I've seen Mr. Weasley a few times around the ministry, and I've passed Fred and George's new shop a few times on visits to Diagon Alley, but I haven't exactly stopped by to say hello. Which is why I'm a little surprised when they stop by on a Sunday afternoon while Bill's out at an Order meeting, which Dumbledore didn't feel I needed to be privy to. Also Molly was going to be there so I didn't protest too loudly when Bill told me I wasn't invited.
I'm just cooking dinner for Bill, one of his favorite French dishes, when I hear the floo activate. Lofting my wand, I peer around the corner to see one of the twins stepping out of the fireplace, followed almost immediately by a second twin.
"Hold it right there," I demand, leveling my wand at the two. My voice is surprisingly steady, but I'm nervous. What if these aren't Bill's brothers? Bill's drilled into my brain that we can't be too careful with the increasing frequency of attacks on muggles and our close association with the Order.
"Ohh, hello Fleur," says the first twin. "Love what you've done with the place!"
"Yes, quite cozy!" proclaims the second twin, settling onto the sofa, which is incredibly comfortable despite being I suspect much older than Bill and me put together.
"Hands in the air!" I demand, waving my wand between the two. I'm desperately trying to think of a way to determine that these are indeed Bill's brothers.
"Bill's never mentioned how dead terrifying you can be," says one of them, but both do as I say.
"What did Bill always blame on you two as children when you went to your Aunt Muriel's house?" I demand. The two look at each other and grin.
"Putting gum under her dining table!" they answer together, causing me to sigh and drop my wand to my side. Turning my back to them, I wonder how long they plan on staying, after all, I'll need to cut some more potatoes if they are having dinner with us.
"What about your question, don't we need to make sure you're really Fleur?" one of them points out, following me into the kitchen while the other heads to our bookshelves and begins picking through the titles.
"Are you planning to stay for dinner?" I inquire casually.
"Aw, we have to be back to the shop to look in on one of our potions in a bit. Just thought we would stop by," says the one who followed me into the kitchen.
"Okay, so what did you need?" I ask, wondering what their ulterior motive is for visiting like this.
"Oh, just wanted to see what the two of you had done with the place. You are our favorite future sister in law after all," he says tweaking my pony tail.
"You haven't even met Audrey," I protest.
"Well, we haven't met her officially. So she doesn't really count, naturally." laughs the twin.
He sits down at the table after not so inconspicuously snatching a couple of cookies from the jar on the counter. They're Bill's favorite pumpkin snickerdoodles. I try my best to make small talk, asking about the shop but the twin, I really think it's George, seems fairly vague.
"I really like what you've done with your bedroom," says the other twin suddenly appearing. I honestly didn't even see him go upstairs. "The whole place is rather cozy." I'm internally panicking about what sort of prank awaits me upstairs. I should have kept a better eye on these two. Surely we're in for some sort of awful incident in the next two days. I'm opening my mouth to question them when I am interrupted.
Suddenly the fireplace roars to life, announcing Bill's arrival.
"Oh, look at the time," says the twin who just arrived in the kitchen.
"We had really better return to the shop," continues the other.
"Sorry to have missed Bill," they say together before apparating out of the house with a singular pop. I'm still dumbfounded about my surprise visitors' abrupt departure when Bill stalks into the kitchen with his wand aloft.
"Who was here?" he demands, looking around although I'm sure he just heard his brothers apparate out, just like I'm sure they had to have heard him return in the floo. I am more than a little curious that they were deliberately avoiding Bill.
"Your brothers, Fred and George," I inform him with a shake of my head. "You are responsible for investigating our bedroom for pranks tonight. Somehow, one of them managed to get up there while the other one had me distracted in the kitchen. Merlin knows what they have planned, but I'm not going to work with green hair again!"
Bill frowns for a moment before his face turns positively red. "Those thieving little sneaks!" he exclaims, taking the stairs two at a time, heading into our room. I'm a little frightened now, wondering what Bill had that the twins would have taken without asking. "I told them NO!" he says, appearing again on the landing. "I told them absolutely not, and so they show up here and steal it!"
"Steal what?" I'm alarmed now, wondering what nefarious plot of the twins' that we've been sucked into.
"Your hair! They've been asking for weeks for samples of your hair! I told them no!"
"My hair," I exclaim, wrapping the length of my pony tail around my hand protectively. "What could they want with that?"
"Some sort of bloody potions experiment shite!" explains Bill, pacing around the room, holding my hairbrush in this hand. I can't help but notice there's not a single blond hair stuck in the bristles. "They could probably frame you for murder now!"
"I wish they would have just asked me," I sigh. I would have given them a few strands without even the slightest protest.
"You can't be serious! You wouldn't actually give them your hair willingly! They could polyjuice you Fleur!" exclaims Bill.
"Posh, it's your brothers, they probably want to make some sort of love potion to give Ron," I laugh, although it comes out a little more falsely than I had hoped now that I'm thinking of all the nefarious things they could do while polyjuiced as myself. "Besides, they are your brothers, they aren't exactly members of You-Know-Who's inner circle."
"You have no idea who you are dealing with love," groans Bill with a shake of his head as he wraps his arms around me. "I'll talk to them tomorrow. And if they come back here sniffing around again, hex them."
As fall turns colder, the wind whips around our little cottage, howling along the coast, stirring up waves in the sea below, making the beach much too cold to walk in the evenings and our home all the cozier. We keep a fire burning in our fireplaces round the clock, the crackle of the fire contrasting with the wind rattling the house and the all too frequent icy rain that pings on the windowpanes.
It's peaceful, just Bill and I. Once in a great while Arthur or Kinglsey will stop by, but never Molly. We sit and read in the evenings, chatting by the fire. I try not to let Bill focus too much on the papers, but it's nerve wracking all this dark news.
Bill is spending his evenings in Hogsmead more and more frequently, sometimes twice a week, making things lonely for me. He's doing some sort of work for Dumbledore and that's all I really know. I have some work from Dumbledore as well, but it's not nearly as important.
Once every few weeks, I'll get an interdepartmental memo from Percy Weasley, identifying a family who has come to the Ministry asking for protection from You-Know-Who. The ministry is turning a blind eye to these muggleborn and halfblood families, telling them that the official stance of the ministry is that there is nothing to be worried about. These families are the ones that I move out of the country. Apparently, I had been working in a nonofficial capacity for the order since April when I started moving the new agents and their families out of the country. Yes, there was a reason most of them were muggleborns and half bloods. But now, I know what I'm doing and why. It's much easier this way. I obtain passports, many of them American recently, and find them homes, set up with magical protection spells ahead of time by local contacts I've been making, mostly other muggleborns that I've previously relocated.
I've been focusing on a few areas, one in France, somewhat close to where I grew up as I'm very familiar with the area. Another area in Sicily, where I spent many a vacation. And a third area in the Midwest American region, where one of my first official Order assignment families requested. They've been very willing to help other families relocate to the same area and we've practically founded a new wizarding village in the states. Luckily the American government has been very cooperative. One of my contacts there, a Mr. Scamander, is a very prompt correspondent.
With the approaching holidays, we're soon packing our bags for the Burrow again. It promises to be even more packed than this summer as everyone will be cooped up inside due to the dreadful English weather.
I'm not exactly trying to buy my way into the family, but I've decided that it might endear me a bit to the family if I get them all something especially nice for Christmas. I've managed to find a muggle 'vacuum' for Arthur, although I'm not really sure what it is, or what it's supposed to do exactly. I ordered a set of rare potion ingredients from France for Fred, and I found an antique book on "Magical Practical Jokes" written in 1532 for George. Most of them are so outdated as to be practically new ideas. Okay, so I confess, Audrey found it in the outdated and non-returnable stockroom at Flourish and Bolts. Apparently it was under about four hundred years of outdated inventory that her parents have had her sorting through lately.
I found a wonderful fox fur lined cape for Ginny to wear at Hogwarts, it's so cold up there, and the fox fur will look magnificent with her coloring. For Ron, I ordered him a Cannons Jersey with his favorite player's name on the back. Bill helped me a bit with that one. And for Charlie, I might have borrowed a very expensive, very old bottle of Firewiskey from my parent's cellar. Honestly, they're never going to miss it.
The hardest person to shop for was Molly. She still isn't speaking to me. Somewhat of a feat considering the fact we've had dinner at the Burrow or Grimmauld Place at least five times since our falling out, and we've been in several of the same Order meetings. I almost purchased a Celestina Warbeck record, considering that Fred and George may have not so accidentally broken one of hers a few months back. Not that I blame them… But I don't really want to listen to that singing sorceress more than I already have to, which is too frequently. I also considered some type of clothing, but I feel like that's always a bad idea, especially when I don't know her size.
It isn't until I'm digging through an antique shop in late November that I find the perfect gift. It's a series of connected paintings of a redhaired Victorian lady and her horse. The first of the paintings appears in a green field, the woman leading her tan mare through a field of heather and wildflowers. The second painting is a coastal scene, the woman and her horse can ride along the beach, while the third painting is a dense forest, the woman and her horse mostly hidden in the dense trees. However, the woman, who can ride through the different paintings at will, can also speak to a person. My mother always loved being able to contact her sister this way, and I know with the war, it will be wonderful to be able to communicate with the Burrow through the lovely painting. Additionally, this type of communication cannot be traced by the ministry. I fork over altogether too much money for the paintings but hope Mrs. Weasley will enjoy the gift. Also, I plan to give the third painting to Percy and Audrey, who will be able to know a little more about what is going on at home without Mrs. Weasley knowing and a way to contact us in an emergency.
Bill thinks the gift is a great idea, but casts a charm on the painting so that the woman will be unable to speak with people outside those he designates as able to communicate with the painting. Just in case the painting were to fall into the wrong hands.
I end up finding some French chocolates for Harry, who is spending the holiday with us, and some hair potion for Hermione that lasts a lot longer than SleekEazy's.
We arrive at the Burrow only hours before the children. Remus is staying with us as well, leading things to be rather crowded. I'm stuck sharing with Ginny, and Bill is sharing with Fred and George. From the moment Ginny arrives, I can tell this won't be a very pleasant stay. The glare she shoots me doesn't exactly bode well. I will try to ignore the frostiness.
As the holidays continue, I find myself staying longer at the office than usual. Not heading home until as close to dinner time as possible, once or twice working through dinner. It's not hard, considering all the memos I've been getting from Percy lately. Bill seems to have caught on as well, and I'm more than thankful for the privacy of his office lately, what with being completely separated and constantly surrounded at the Burrow.
Christmas finally arrives, and the chaos of opening presents in the morning is actually more relaxing than I expected. With their attention on their gift exchange, I find myself mostly ignored and not subjected to the usual glares. My gifts even go over surprisingly well.
Arthur is over the top about his vacuum and Ginny even gives me a grudging thank you as she tries on the new cloak. Mrs. Weasley gives me a tight thank you as she hands me the dark blue socks she knitted for me. I pretend not to notice that everyone else has a sweater with the first letter of their name on it. Besides, my socks match Bill's sweater, and I tend to wear his sweater more than he does anyways. Not that she needs to know how often I curl up in nothing but his sweater and a pair of fuzzy socks in front of the fire at shell cottage.
The necklace woven with protection spells from Bill is lovely and practical, essentially the perfect gift. He seems to appreciate the cuff links that I've given him. He doesn't even have to know about the protection spells against dark magic that I've laced them with for the past several months.
I'm surprised to receive a potion collection from Fred and George, it has their shop's label on it, and the bottle is quite risqué.
"It's our new and improved Patented Daydream Charm," explains Fred, identifiable by the large F on his sweater although that remains rather suspect as well. "Veela hair was just the ingredient to perfect our formula. So thank you for the supply you've been sending us. We've decided you should receive ten percent of the profits when it hits shelves next week."
I'm not sure what to say to this. I'm both shocked and flattered. And quite relieved that the mysterious use of my hair was fairly innocuous after all. "Well thank you," I finally say. I'm also quite curious how this potion works. I heard Hermione compliment the twins on the piece of magic over the summer, but they insisted it still wasn't quite ready yet. I wonder if my hair really made a difference.
By the time Percy shows up with the minister, everyone is thoroughly enjoying themselves, having had a bit of eggnog myself, the Celestina Warbeck record Molly is playing doesn't even grate on my nerves any longer. Percy's visit puts a damper on the evening though. Afterwards, Molly goes to her room and cries while the rest of us cower uncomfortably in front of the fire and pretend to be interested in the wizarding chess game that Bill and Ron are playing and ignore the sexual tension between Harry and Ginny.
As I look over at the newly hung painting in the corner, I catch sight of the redheaded lady sitting on her horse at the edge of the meadow. I wonder if she'll tell Percy and Audrey how awkward things became after he left this afternoon.
January allows Bill and I to return to the Shell Cottage. It also brings me closer with Audrey as we prepare for her wedding. We go shopping and find some dresses for me and Perpetua who is going to be her bridesmaid. The dresses are a pretty purple colour that will look well with Percy and Audrey's bright red hair. I like the long flowy sleeves that cinch at the wrists which should keep us warmer during a winter wedding despite the fact that the dresses are backless. Unfortunately, I know Perpetua will find some sort of flaw with the style, so I'm glad we went just Audrey and me. We put in orders for purple waistcoats and ties for the gentlemen, and attire is set, as Audrey, Perpetua, and Mrs. Flourish went wedding dress shopping in November.
I also luck out when it comes to the food. Percy is run down at work, and so Audrey and I go test the menu and pick out the cake. Merlin is cake testing fun. I would do it every week if I could, although that would probably add a few extra pounds around my middle that might make fitting into my clothes more difficult. Honestly, as delicious as all that cake was, it might just be worth it.
Mrs. Flourish goes with Audrey to pick out the flowers, red and purple hydrangeas mixed with red and white roses. The red flowers to be carried by Audrey, while the white and purple for her bridal party and the men's corsages, except of course Percy. Mrs. Flourish is very up on the meaning of flowers and did most of the selections, so they are sure to be lovely.
Before we know it, it's Valentine's day. I'm only a little disappointed about not being able to spend the day with Bill, but Audrey and Percy really wanted to celebrate their vows today. It's the perfect winter day for a wedding, a white blanket of snow covering the small grove of pine trees where Audrey and Percy have decided to marry. I'm not sure how much is aided by magic, but the fact that it's not raining and the skies are clear with winter sunshine helps things. The air is magically warmed without melting the snow.
We get ready in a small tent just outside the clearing, Audrey looking angelic in white, her red hair half up and half down with the large curls cascading down her back in romantic swirls. Her white dress risked washing her out, but it's impossible today with the way she is absolutely glowing with happiness. I help her adjust the veil as she takes Mr. Flourish's arm.
Hurrying into place in front of her, I paste a smile on my face as the flower girl leads the parade outside of the tent. I follow Perpetua down the flower strewn path between the guests. I try not to notice how bare the groom's side is. There are plenty of ministry officials and coworkers in attendance, but not a single redhead among the crowd. This makes me sad, but Percy, Audrey, and I have discussed the political strategy behind their wedding. In addition to the obvious reasons, their wedding will also demonstrate a continued loyalty to Pureblooded ideology by Percy. The ministry will see his marriage to a Pureblood family as falling in line with the values upheld by The Sacred 28. They will look less closely at Percy, and perhaps make things a little easier for him in his deceptions. When I brought this up with Bill, he scoffed a bit, laughing and saying that Percy just doesn't want to appear too sentimental about anything. I however agree with Percy on this.
Audrey's side of the aisle is packed with bluebloods. I spot the Malfoy family, in addition to several of Perpetua's ex boyfriends. She's taking an awful long time marching down the aisle, and I can't help but think she's trying show herself off to her best advantage. I can practically feel Marcus Flint's slimy eyes oogling me, and I suppress a small shudder. Of all the men she's dated, he's been the most repulsive.
Determinedly, I keep my eyes focused directly in front of me, looking to Percy and his two groomsmen. Percy looks so handsome in his black robes, the black pants and purple waistcoat beneath looking especially sharp. I have a momentary vision of walking down the aisle toward another redhead and have a bit of a breathy moment just thinking about it. Percy's Best Man is someone I don't know. He's tall and blond, very handsome in a polished aristocratic way similar to the Malfoy men. Next to him is the rugged Oliver Wood, with his dark hair ever so slightly rumpled as if he's just alighted from his broom.
My eyes are once again drawn to best man. He cocks an eyebrow at me with a smirk before winking. What?! I nearly miss a step. The audacity. I'm a taken woman, and he's at his friend's wedding. I loft my chin a little higher and take my place across the aisle. The nerve of these Englishmen.
The vows take less time than I expected, and suddenly I'm taking the best man's hand and marching back down the aisle toward the reception area, a large greenhouse filled with lovely plants along the edges with a marvelous dance floor in the center. The glass domed ceiling will be full of stars once the sun sets, promising a lovely night dancing under the midnight sky. Audrey and Percy were enchanted with the venue and the Flourish's had to fork over quite a bit of money to book it.
I try to ignore the tingling in my arm as the best man leads me along the path through the forest. He smells like cedar and pinewood, crisp and clean. "So Miss Delacour, I don't believe we've been introduced," he murmurs in a raspy voice, his breath warm against my ear. "I'm Gideon Croaker, Perce and I work together at the ministry. Well, obviously not the same department. I'm over in the department of Mysteries," he informs me. Audrey hadn't mentioned much about Percy's groomsmen, and I note she's never so much as breathed a word about this Gideon Croaker. I hope he's not another political move to get close to some death eater. "Every male Croaker since 1831 has worked in the department in some capacity. My grandfather was department head of course, but I'm enjoying being an unspeakable for now, no sense in getting into all that bureaucracy when we have types like Perce around to take care of it. Am I right Miss Delacour?"
"Please call me Fleur," I say, trying to pull slightly away, he's pressed quite closely now that he's started speaking to me. "And I suppose administrative duties are not for everyone."
"Right so, right so," he says nodding, finally leading me into the warmth of the ballroom. It's done up with twinkling lights and full of flowers matching the wedding colours. It's stunning.
We take our places in the receiving line and greet each of the guests as they come in wishing Percy and Audrey every happiness. Soon enough we are giving our toasts, drinking a bit much champagne and eating the delicious food and most importantly cake.
As the night progresses, I can't help but feel Gideon Croaker's dark eyes on me several times. He's made it unabashedly clear that he's very interested in me. He leered down my dress the entire time we were forced to dance as a wedding party, and he held me just a little too close. He whispered in my ear during dinner, waxing on and on about how delectable the food was, and just how lovely the creamy frosting on the cake was. He kept placing his hand on the small of my bare back as he leaned over and muttered the most unimportant nonsense in my ear. I keep fiddling with my engagement ring, making sure the large diamond on my left hand is highly noticeable, but he hasn't seemed to take the hint. I'm feeling hot and bothered, and more than a little irate by the end of the night.
"Isn't this romantic?" He asks suddenly popping up out of nowhere. I had retreated to the edge of the dance floor, somewhat hiding myself behind a large potted tree surrounded by festoons of poinsettias. "Valentine's day, a wedding under the stars, soft music, the smell of flowers in the air, you and me?"
"I'm sorry," I say turning and pretending I didn't hear him. "I was lost in thought. I really ought to be leaving. Audrey and Percy are about to portkey to their wedding trip, and I've already said my goodbyes. I'm just going to floo home." Heading away, I try not to look back. I must remember that I have a devilishly handsome redhead at home. I have no idea why this moron is getting me so hot and bothered, but maybe it's just the combination he just mentioned.
At the back of the great glass room are several rooms including one with a fireplace to floo home. I wind past the loos and am just reaching for the floo powder when a hand grabs mind. Spinning, I find it's Gideon again. He's looking at me intently with those dark eyes and for a moment I'm almost fearful, but something about his presence is also very calming.
I open my mouth to tell him I'm leaving and goodbye, but his mouth closes over mine before a single word can be forced out. Somehow, the shock of it, I kiss him back, my lips lingering over his, taking in the crisp citrusy taste of him, the warm feeling of his hands running through my hair, just the way I love, his hand trailing down to my bum. Pulling back with a start, I look into his eyes in shock. What is wrong with me? My hand slaps across his cheek before he can recover. I push him away and whirl toward the fireplace, flooing away before I can betray Bill again.
I am horrified. Absolutely horrified by what I have done when I get back to the house. It's cold and dark, a clear indication that Bill isn't home. I wonder if he's been called away to an order meeting or if he simply went to his parents house. Tears are streaming down my face as I stumble to our bedroom. I hastily pull off my bridesmaid dress, tearing down my hair and hurrying to the shower. I had so wished Bill could have seen me dressed up, I looked rather lovely today, but now I can't stand to be in the same skin as I was twenty minutes ago. I'm just stepping out of the shower when Bill gets home a while later. I quickly change into the first thing I see, which happens to be my favorite of Bill's old Christmas sweaters.
"Everything okay, Fleur? How was the wedding?" he asks walking into our bedroom wearing jeans, one of his quidditch t-shirts, and his brown leather jacket. He cocks an eyebrow at my wet hair and red eyes, clearly noticing something is wrong.
"Oh Bill," I say rushing toward him, stopping a foot away. "The wedding was lovely except for the best man. He… he kept flirting with me! And I promise I did not flirt back! But then he kissed me… and just… I kissed him back… it was less than a minute, but I betrayed our love." I'm sobbing my confession, and have collapsed on the floor next to the bed in my misery. I am the worst fianceé in the history of the world. I have ruined my relationship with my one true love. I have done the unthinkable.
Bill has sat down and pulled me into his arms, but I try to push him away. "Don't touch me. I'm dirty. I still have to brush my teeth!" I exclaim.
"I'm not worried about it, Fleur," he laughs. I feel so guilty but his laughter makes me uncertain. Why isn't Bill more upset?
"I kissed him back!" I exclaim.
"I know," says Bill again. "You stiffened for a second and then kissed back with everything you've got. I liked it." He whispers this in my ear, his voice changing subtly until I can hear Gideon Croaker's raspy voice. My eyes widen, I look over to my fiancé and my eyes narrow into slits as I realize that I've been had.
"It was interesting to see how you resisted your attraction to me," he says after a laugh.
"This is not funny Bill!" I exclaim my French accent coming on stronger than usual. "You deliberately lied to me! You are such a… a… Horse's Ass!"
"I couldn't miss seeing you on Valentine's day or my brother's wedding! You looked beautiful by the by." he tells me. "Besides, I find it interesting that you still find me attractive even when I'm not me… when I'm say… Al Pacino… or Gideon Croaker."
"I felt so guilty!" I exclaim. "I don't even notice other men, and then suddenly there's this idiot and he's not even… Uggh!" I storm into the bathroom and lock Bill out while I fix my hair and get ready for bed. I'll let him sit a while and then reappear in maybe an hour and let him grovel a bit before I forgive him. This sounds like a lovely Valentine's day treat for myself. And I'm going to make Bill suffer a bit… especially after that awful prank. He must be related to Fred and George after all. With a start, I realize that Percy must be as well.
Hope you enjoyed it! It was quite long as well. I almost split up the wedding scenes, but I feel like my readers deserved a nice long chapter. Please review and let me know what you thought. It's definitely motivating for me to have reviews, although I tend to work at a schedule not even science can understand.
EA