A/N: This chapter will close off Bill and Josie's story for the time being, but worry not, they (and other Cajamarca OCs) will be back!
Iyssabun: Thanks, they are really fun to write! And writing Fred and George is probably my second favorite thing to do. First place is obviously taken by Ricardo, this shouldn't surprise you ;)
hella-sirius: I had to write a Weasley family dinner at some point! Also the thought of Ricardo being Josie's maid of honor hadn't even crossed my mind but I love you for suggesting this! Bill will not be happy with this which is another reason why I love your idea lol. I'll definitely remember this for the future. And the CPHPCU? So flattering haha ;D
IAmTheRedMaskHeWears: Thanks! Once they finally got together I definitely had fun writing those scenes out :)
Guest: Glad you're looking forward to that story! I can't tell you when it will happen (too many things to write atm!) but eventually I'll continue writing it again
joanne: I'm really glad you've enjoyed the story :) I honestly wasn't sure if anyone would bother reading it when I first started writing it!
PoppyRosaLawston: Thanks! And no worries really, this site messes with reviews on my stories all the time! I've been rereading the books lately which is the only reason I remembered Percy's arc too. Not sure if he'll be around in future stories yet but he might have some mentions. I'm going to miss Bill and Josie too but they might have a few scenes in the Charlie story too (though I'm not entirely sure yet), so you may see/hear of them sooner than you think :)
remifoster1313: I'm really excited to write Harry and Vivian too! And I'm sad to end this story too, but there will be more of Bill and Josie to come. It's really fun writing all of these stories and connecting them together. Like I said above, you might see Bill and Josie in the next story too. They'll definitely be in the last chapter at the very least. Anyway though thanks for all of your reviews, they always make me smile, without fail!
There's another short Author's note below and a sneak peak into Charlie's story as well, for those interested in reading the next VCU side-story, the first chapter of which should be up by the end of the summer.
Epilogue
About a week before the start of term for Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny, the Weasleys head to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies. Ginny will be going into her fifth year at Hogwarts, and the others into their sixth. Ron and Harry have grown so much over the summer that they need to buy new school robes, so Hagrid and Josie accompany them to Madam Malkin's while Bill, Arthur, and Molly go to Flourish and Blotts for the school books. Bill and Josie hadn't originally planned on coming along with them, but that was before Josie heard that they were all heading over to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to see Fred and George's joke shop. Josie had wanted to come along, having not seen the joke shop yet either. It's clear that, only several months after opening, the twins are doing very well for themselves.
"Wonder Witch love potions and beauty charms," one of the twins crows, resting an elbow on Josie's shoulder as he leans forward to see what she's looking at. He plucks a small vial of pink potion from the shelf and waggles his eyebrows at her. "Just one sip and you'll have your crush fawning all over you for a full 24 hours. Not that you need it, of course," he says with a smirk.
The other twin (Josie isn't even going to try to identify them) appears on her other side and adds, "Yeah, we've never seen our brother so pathetic, even when he fancied himself in love with Fleur."
Josie laughs at this and glances over her shoulder to see where Bill has gotten off to. Molly and Arthur are nearby with Ginny, and Ron's got his arms loaded up with items. She doesn't see Bill at first, but then catches sight of his long haired ponytail on the upper level with Harry and Hermione.
"And what's this?" Josie asks, turning her attention back to the shelf in front of her. She finds herself rather amused at the Wonder Witch line. Curious, too, though she wouldn't ever admit it to the twins. Having never been a very girly type of person, she's never bothered with this sort of thing before, so it all goes over her head a bit.
Fred (she thinks) says, "That, my dear Josie, happens to be some of our best sellers."
George (she assumes) nods, "Beauty potions that will zap the zits right off of you."
"Fade warts."
"Make you look altogether glamorous."
"And all the other necessities that young witches require to get through their school years – "
"Or so we're told, anyway," they both finish, shrugging nonchalantly.
Fred swings an arm over her shoulders and leads her away from the Wonder Witch products. As he does, he says, "But you require something else."
On her other side, George adds, "Something that will give you a proper laugh."
They pause at a shelf by the stairwell and the twins exchange smirks over her head.
"Something you can pull on Bill whenever he's annoying you," Fred says, and thrusts a box into her hands.
Josie raises an eyebrow at it and reads, 'Cussing Teacups'. She turns her raised eyebrow to Fred and George, who are gauging her reaction with expectant eyes.
"Well?" one of them demands.
The other asks, "What do you think?"
"It's a play on the legendary Biting Teacups, but with our signature spin."
"Very useful when you're angry at someone but you don't want to be too obvious about it."
"Just invite them over for a cup of tea and the teacup will do the rest."
Josie sarcastically snorts, "Yeah, because a cursing teacup isn't obvious at all."
Fred (is it Fred, though?) grins, "Ah, but that's the beauty of it."
George (or is it?) grins too, "It's so obvious that it doesn't seem obvious."
This logic naturally makes no sense, but then again, the twins very rarely do.
Fred nods, "Plus, these little things are very inventive with their insults."
George adds, "Yeah, just listen to this."
Then, withdrawing his wand from the pocket of his magenta robes, George waves it at the demo teacup that is sitting innocently on the shelf besides the boxes. It appears exactly like a normal teacup, until of course it begins to screech, "KNOB-HEADED NINNY! DIMWITTED ARSE-UGLY MAGGOT! YOU LOOK LIKE A FLOBBERWORM!"
Fred prods the teacup with a smirk. "It gets better though, Josie, because you can program it to insult specific people – "
The rest of his words are drowned out when the teacup hollers, "WILLIAM ARTHUR WEASLEY, YOU LONG-HAIRED PILLOCK!"
Josie bursts out into laughter just as a familiar head of red hair leans over the railing above them and dryly inputs, "That insult again?"
Josie, though, just casts a glance at Bill and bursts out into laughter all over again. He shakes his head at her, even as an amused smile edges over his mouth. The twins, meanwhile, have turned their attention to the crowd that has gathered around the shelf upon hearing the screeching, and are expertly selling the teacups with wild gesticulations.
"The insults can be adjusted to suit more tender ears!"
"Change the levels of the insults by using several simple spells, all found in the accompanying handbook!"
"Choose between 'Boring Piece of Dung', 'Intermediate Slander', and 'Insult King'!"
"Only five galleons for a single teacup – "
" – And nine for a set of two – "
" – So that you can insult each other simultaneously over a cup of tea – "
As they continue raving about their Cussing Teacups and begin handing boxes out to interested customers, Josie makes her way to the upper landing where Bill is leaning against the railing. He sends her a look which Josie grins at, but ultimately brushes off being called a 'long-haired pillock' for the second time in his life. Instead, he takes her hand and pulls her over to a curtained area off to the side.
"Look at this, Jos," he says, drawing the curtain back and striding into a small room. "I thought it'd interest you. Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder."
Her interest indeed sparked, Josie leans forward to eye the black powder that is being sold in small cloth pouches. The sign above the display says, 'Death Eaters on your tail? Need to make a quick escape? Just throw down a pinch of Instant Darkness Powder and waltz out of danger.' Underneath this, it says 'Imported from Peru'.
Josie hums, "That's fascinating…looks like the twins have been branching out a bit." She glances around the small curtained room, seeing Shield Hats, Cloaks, and Gloves, small objects called Decoy Detonators, and a great many other things that seem to be more centered around self-defense. Of course, they wouldn't be invented by Fred and George if they didn't also have some sort of amusing anecdote surrounding their purpose, but it does seem as though they have had quite a few new ideas of late.
Bill crosses his arms and glances around the room, too. "They were telling me how the Ministry's ordered about five hundred of those Shield Hats. They're doing really good business, considering."
Josie nods, "I'm really happy for them. This is an amazing shop…did you see the 'Dung Eater' display on the ground floor?" She laughs at the look on Bill's face and explains, "It's really hilarious. Come on, I'll show you."
They head back downstairs towards the display, only for Molly to come bustling towards them to worriedly ask, "Have you seen Ron, Harry, and Hermione? They've disappeared somewhere…"
Bill and Josie frown and glance at each other. Before they can respond though, Molly worries, "Those three! Always running off with that cloak…I keep telling them how dangerous it is but do they listen?" Then, pausing briefly, she turns to Bill and Josie and says, "You know, dears, perhaps you should move into the Burrow for a while…I don't like the thought of you both in Diagon Alley…it's bad enough that the twins live here now…and besides, you'd be easier to contact should the Order need you…"
"Mum, there they are," Bill interrupts, pointing to Ron. Him, Harry, and Hermione are talking to Arthur, who is looking at them with a skeptical expression on his face, no doubt listening to whatever excuse they had come up with to explain their absence. The sight of them distracts Molly and she bustles off, leaving Bill and Josie alone. They glance at each other.
"…She does have a point, I s'pose," Bill shrugs.
Josie does, too. "Well, if it gets really bad around here, we can always think about it."
Living at the Burrow doesn't sound awful, but she's definitely gotten used to the peace and quiet of living on her own, and she knows full well that even without the rest of the Weasley siblings at home, it will still be difficult to be alone with Bill in any capacity. If it really does get worse in Diagon Alley though, at least they've got somewhere else to go.
About ten minutes later, Ginny has managed to convince her mum to purchase one of the fluffy Pygmy Puffs, which she has named 'Arnold' and already seems very fond of the little lavender puffskein. Meanwhile, Ron is still sulking after Fred and George refuse to give him a discount, and is grouped together with Harry and Hermione as he complains about it. Molly is keeping a close eye on them, casting glances outside to where Hagrid is waiting beyond the shop's threshold.
When Bill and Josie approach them, Arthur sends them a slightly harried smile and says, "We'll be returning to the Burrow in a few minutes, I expect. It's starting to get dark already. You two should head home too."
And so, after several goodbyes, Arthur and Molly drags their younger children outside and disappear with Hagrid. Bill and Josie soon take their leave as well, though the twins make one last attempt to sell Josie a Cussing Teacup on their way out.
"Are you sure you don't want one?"
"It'd be a great way to wake dear William up."
To this, Josie had only smirked and responded, "I've got loads of ways to wake dear William up, George, but thanks anyhow."
Bill had promptly blushed, Fred had pretended to vomit, and George had shaken his head at her as if disappointed. "Honestly, no imagination," he had sighed as they left, but hadn't argued the point, evidently not interested in hearing what Josie's approach to waking their brother up actually is.
Upon arriving back at the flat, Josie goes off to take a shower and Bill checks to see what they've got for dinner. Their choices are a bit dismal. Grocery shopping has been a bit of a challenge of late, what with people buying up so many things so as to stockpile items for the future. No one wants to leave their homes with the Death Eaters at large. Still, by the time Josie returns to the kitchen some twenty minutes later, he's whipping something up from the leftovers they'd had the night before and it doesn't look half-bad.
Josie curls her arms around his waist and sighs, "That was a fun day. It's been a while since we spent so much time out of the flat."
Bill hums in agreement. "I just hope Fred and George are being careful. Did you see my mum's face when she saw the poster for their 'You-No-Poo' product?"
Josie snorts a bit. "Yeah, I did. They're very inventive, I'll give them that."
"Fred and George have never been the sort to back down from a joke, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to come up with those sorts of products…"
She shrugs, "I suppose, but it's not as if the Death Eaters frequent joke shops. Besides, the twins are old enough to make their own decisions."
Bill glances at her. She reaches over to push some of his hair behind his ear and quietly adds, "There's nothing you can do about it anyway, Bill. If you tried to tell them to take some of those products off the market, they'd never listen."
He grunts, "Yeah, you're right. It is funny, mind, but I just don't want them to get the wrong sort of attention."
She hums and says, "I know," and is about to say more when she catches sight of evening edition of The Daily Prophet laying open beside the stove. Bill must have been reading it. The headline is most likely as dour as it always is, these days, but he's turned the newspaper to the middle and is reading an article that has very little to do with the growing darkness of You-Know-Who's regime. Instead, the title of the article is centered around the latest Quidditch scandal, which Josie has admittedly not been keeping up with in lieu of everything else going on.
She casts it a quick glance before turning back to Bill and smiling. When he sees the smile, he raises an eyebrow at her and wonders, "What is it?"
But Josie only shrugs and murmurs, "Nothing…I'm just happy, I guess."
Bill's mouth quirks up into a smile too. The next moment, he's slipping an arm around her waist and dragging her into him with a chuckled, "Are you?"
Josie laughs and pulls him closer. Her only response is a quiet hum pressed against his shoulder.
Bill, smiling against her hair, murmurs, "…I'm happy too."
And it's true, despite the fact that You-Know-Who is only just beginning to gain power; despite the future that will not be easy, and certainly won't always be happy. But perhaps that is the way of the elusive creature we call happiness. Perhaps it exists in the fleeting moments, never here to stay but always lingering on the outskirts of the periphery, waiting for you to reach out and grasp it. They take their dinner into the living room, walking past the newspaper, to do just that.
The End…for now
Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. Also, a special and most appreciative thanks to Anne J Black, who translated all of the Spanish in this story. It's been incredibly fun to write Bill and Josie's story and I hope you all enjoyed it as well. The next installment of the Vivicendium side-stories will be coming soon, full of Quidditch anecdotes, dragons, and celebrity press. To those wondering if you will see more of Bill and Josie in the future, they will be in Vivicendium S3 and will possibly be getting their own sequel as well, though everything is still up in the air for now. To those wondering if Ricardo will return, yes, sooner than you may think. To those wondering if Charlie will have sexy flying dragon tattoos in the next story…TBD. Speaking of the next story, sneak peak below.
Thank you all again for reading,
CrashingPetals
Donahue Disgraced, Quidditch Injury Uncovers the Truth
After sustaining serious injuries several months ago at the now-infamous Wasps vs. Cannons match, National Quidditch Star Samantha Donahue of the Wimbourne Wasps has vanished from the public eye on a self-imposed pursuit of obscurity, writes Rosalind Travers, Junior Correspondent. Despite constant questions fielded to Donahue's manager, Anton Salavestru, very little information has come to light regarding the full extent of injuries sustained. Donahue's refusal to comment and subsequent disappearance showcases a proclivity toward egotism that has doubtlessly contributed to her fall from grace. Over the course of her career, her notorious arrogance has vaulted her high into the public view, and not always for the better. Last seen at a pub in central London, Donahue's already besmirched name has been dragged further through the dirt after she was seen instigating a brawl last Saturday. Is this the end of her career? Head of Department of Magical Games and Sports, recently appointed Avenel Barrows, says 'undoubtedly', and adds that the Quidditch League is much better off without Donahue's hopeless vanity. "I've met her a few times," he said, "and the rumors of her arrogance hardly scratch the surface of her character, let me tell you."
Only weeks after her accident, the Wasps' head manager has signed on Donahue's ex, Liam Harrington (previously of the Chudley Cannons). Harrington has agreed upon a two-year contract with the Wasps and has recently been in the news because of his messy breakup with Donahue. "She seems great, on the surface," he admitted, "but in reality, she's completely mental. Good for the Wasps, I say. I'm happy to step up and help them finish the season. Sammy's removal from the team will only ensure that it moves in a more promising direction."
Harrington's views seem to align with the rest of the team. The manager of the Wasps has declined to comment, but several of the teammates have voiced opinions similar to Harrington's. A once-talented Seeker, Donahue's disappearance has stirred controversy in the Quidditch world and has left many fans outraged. Where has she gone? Perhaps Donahue has finally realized that she is not cut out to play with the professionals after all. The Wimbourne Wasps' new Star Seeker certainly seems to think so.
Samantha Donahue's full story coming soon