A/N: This was for Hermione Havens 2018 Roll A Prompt for the pairing Hermione/Bill and the trope potions accident. Betas by Krystle. It won Best relationship development in the voting. It's 2784 words.
Hermione was sitting at her desk re-reading the brief that the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement had given her that morning. He wanted her to develop a potion which made it seem as if a person was intoxicated when they weren't. Roberts had said that it would be used by Aurors and law enforcement officers when undercover so they could stay alert whilst maintaining their cover.
It was a surprise that the Ministry would even consider her for this project as she had only gained her mastery in Potions six months ago and wasn't as experienced as her peers. She had been told that not only she had been highly recommended, but Minister Shacklebolt had assured them that she would be able to keep the project a secret.
Over the next few weeks, research filled Hermione's time, and her only reprieve was the Sunday family dinners at The Burrow. She looked forward to catching up with everyone, especially Bill.
She'd had a crush on the oldest Weasley ever since the summer of the Quidditch World Cup, but as she had got to know him over the past few years, her feelings had grown. She had never said anything to him though as there was no indication that he returned the sentiment, and she didn't want to spoil the friendship she had with him.
Hermione looked at her watch and realised it was almost time for her monthly briefing with Roberts. He had insisted on being kept up to date with her progress, and she only hoped he would be pleased with how far she had come in such a short amount of time.
The walk from the floo to the Department of Law Enforcement took longer than Hermione wanted due to several people stopping her to talk. She wanted desperately to tell them that she was running late for a meeting and needed to go, but didn't want to seem rude. Luckily the last person she ran into was Neville, and he didn't seem to mind when she asked if they could catch up sometime next week over lunch.
When she finally arrived at Roberts' office, Hermione knocked on the door and waited before being called in. To her surprise, Harry was already seated in one of the chairs.
Not many people were aware of what she was working on, but as the Deputy Head of the Auror Department, Harry was privy to the information.
"Please take a seat," Roberts said pointing to the only free chair left.
When they were seated comfortably, Roberts asked, "How is the potion going, Miss Granger?"
"It's going quite well. I'm just finishing up my research and have developed several recipes based on what I have found. I will work through each of them, discarding, or adjusting them until I feel that we have found the right one," she explained.
"I knew it wouldn't take you long to figure out," Harry said.
"Don't be so sure," she warned him. "It's extremely complicated to get a potion to do two things at once. I might have to develop two potions to get the effects that you want."
"How long do you think the process will take?" Harry questioned.
"I'm not sure, to be honest. I will need to brew and test each recipe to see which seems the most promising, and after that, I will need to refine it. Like I said before, there is always a possibility that I will need to develop two different potions instead of just the one," Hermione answered.
She could see that Roberts wasn't pleased by her answer, but there was nothing she could do about it. There was no way that Hermione would put someone in danger by rushing through the process.
"Is there anything else to report?" Roberts asked.
"I will start brewing next week once I have all the ingredients I need, but that's it for now."
"I think that's it for today. Please book an appointment in a month's time with my secretary, but if there is anything else you need in the meantime then owl me," he said, before turning to Harry. "You may as well report back to Johnson now."
The both of them rose from their chairs and left the office.
"Are you coming this Sunday?" Harry asked as they walked toward the department entrance.
"Of course I am. It's the only time I get to relax," Hermione replied.
"You work yourself too hard, Hermione. You need to make sure you relax more than just one day a week."
"I'm better than I was at school, Harry. I make sure that I stop doing work by seven on weekdays and midday on Saturday. That way I can enjoy some of my time by going to see my parents, shopping, or reading," she told him.
"Okay," he said holding his hands up in surrender. "I just know what you can be like with a project and wanted to make sure you were doing okay."
"Well, thank you for checking on me," Hermione said gratefully.
The two of them discussed the latest news as they walked further towards the entrance when they arrived, they hugged and said goodbye.
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Two days later, Hermione walked into The Burrow for the weekly family dinner and greeted everyone before she took the only remaining free seat next to Bill.
"Hi, Hermione. You alright?" he asked.
"I'm good. Very busy at the moment with something and it's definitely going well. What about you?"
"Not too good. There's this vault we're working on, and there's magic on some of the items that I'm not familiar with. We can't seem to remove any of it without a counter curse," he explained.
"Have you had a look at Lost Ancient Charms and Spells by Albert Smith?" Hermione asked.
"No, the Goblins don't have a copy, and I don't know who else to ask."
"You can borrow mine if you want," Hermione said.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I am. I'm not using it at the moment so I don't see why you shouldn't. Come over and pick it up when you want," she replied.
"How about I pick it up after dinner and drop it back around later in the week?" Bill suggested.
"That sounds good, but keep the book for as long as you need it. There's no rush to bring it back," Hermione told him.
The rest of dinner was pretty uneventful until Fred and George snuck some Flamingo Fancies amongst the desserts which earned them a scolding from Molly and laughter from everyone else. Bill and Hermione left not long after that to retrieve the book they'd been discussing earlier.
"I'm sorry about the mess, Bill. I've been working non-stop lately and have just neglected the housework," Hermione apologised as they were confronted with a messy lounge.
"It's okay, Hermione. Sometimes I'm the same. I get so engrossed with what I'm doing that I forget to tidy up after myself. The only thing I do religiously is the dishes," Bill confessed.
"I'm glad I'm not alone. The book is in the library if you want to come. I think there may be a couple of others that would be good to read as they have a few different spells in," she explained.
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It had only been five days since dinner at The Burrow, but to Hermione, it felt like it had been a lifetime ago. Somehow she had managed to brew most of the recipes, and as she looked at the next step on the eighth one, Hermione hoped that this time it would be successful.
During the first few tries there wasn't enough Wolfsbane to counteract the Dragonhorn, and because of that the potion had made her feel like she was drunk, but now that she had worked out the ratio between the two ingredients, it was easier to make progress.
"Hermione-" someone called startling her.
She jumped and watched in slow motion as the whole jar of powdered Dragonhorn fell into the bubbling liquid below.
After a few seconds, the cauldron exploded, and the potion went everywhere.
Hermione groaned as she pried her eyes open. The light was so bright that she shut them again.
The room felt it was spinning and she felt like she was going to throw up.
"Hermione, can you hear me?" a familiar voice said.
"Yes," she slurred.
"Are you okay?" Bill asked.
"No, I feel like I've been out drinking with Ginny," Hermione mumbled.
"I need you to tell me what you put in the potion so the healer can help you, love," he said.
"I love you, you know?" she said randomly.
"I know, Hermione. We're family," Bill replied.
"I didn't mean like that. I meant that I really love you," Hermione said opening her eyes to look into his eyes.
"I think you hit your head too hard," he said thickly.
There was some kind of emotion in his voice that Hermione couldn't place in the state she was in, but she was going to try and work it out when she felt better.
"Miss Granger, can you hear me?" a healer asked.
"Yes."
"I need you to stay awake, so I can transport you to St Mungo's as it will be safer than keeping you at home. I will also need you to hold onto me tightly so I can Apparate us there," the healer informed her.
Hermione didn't remember much of the next few hours as she dropped in and out of consciousness. The conversation around her was hushed, and at times tense, but all she wanted to do was rest.
Once she came around the last time though, a female healer was already in the room checking over her.
"You're finally awake. We have been quite worried about you, Miss Granger," the healer said.
"How long have I been here?" she asked.
"Almost five hours. Mr Weasley stayed with you until Mr Potter arrived, but he went home once we told him that nothing could be done until you had woken up."
"Do you have any pain relief? My head feels like it's about to explode," Hermione asked.
"I'm afraid we only gave you some pain relief two hours ago. What in the world possessed you to brew a potion whilst under the influence of alcohol, Miss Granger? As a potions mistress, you should know how dangerous it is," the healer said admonishing the younger witch.
Hermione shook her head but stopped because it hurt.
"Everything I tell you is confidential, isn't it?" Hermione asked.
"Of course."
Hermione went on to explain about the potion she was developing for the Ministry, and once the healer understood what had happened, she began questioning Hermione thoroughly about what she had put in the cauldron before it exploded. Eventually, she was given a Pepperup potion to try and stop her from seeming drunk.
After a few hours, the healer gave her another check over and deemed her fit to return home.
Not long after Harry poked his head through the door.
"I've come to take you home. I've also brought some spare clothes for you as your others were ruined by the potion," Harry said, as he handed her the bag.
"Thank you, Harry."
Her friend turned around and let her dress in private.
When she exited the room, Harry asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've got a hangover from hell. I think I'm going to go straight to bed when I get in and not bother to set my alarm," Hermione replied.
"You'll be staying in the spare room at mine and Ginny's. The healer doesn't want you to be alone tonight even though she's given you the all clear," Harry told her.
A couple of weeks passed, and Hermione still had not seen Bill since the accident. She was beginning to think that he was avoiding her. Hermione couldn't blame him though, she had dropped a bombshell confession on him.
"I think I screwed up, Ginny," Hermione said, as they sat curled up on her sofa.
"Don't worry about screwing up the potion, Hermione. Everyone knows that it takes time to develop them properly," her friend said.
"I didn't mean about the potion. I meant with Bill."
"Why would you have screwed up with Bill?" Ginny asked curiously.
"I told him I loved him," Hermione said sighing.
"Well, you do, so what's the problem?"
"How do you-? Nevermind," Hermione said.
"You light up when he's in the room, and you throw longing glances at him when you think no one's looking. You only truly smile when he's around. The thing is, Bill's the same with you," Ginny explained.
"What do you mean he's the same?"
Ginny sighed as she put her cup of tea down.
"For two people who are so smart, you're missing what's right in front of you. You like him, and he likes you. At the moment, Bill probably only thinks that you told him you love him because you were drunk. You need to talk to him and convince him that's not true."
"How do I do that?" Hermione asked frowning.
"Talk to him, Hermione. Tell him how you feel and how long you've felt that way."
They sat in silence as she mulled over Ginny's words. It was common sense that she talked to him, but what would she say?
Hermione had never been in a real relationship before. The few dates she and Ron had gone on didn't really count. Both of them had realised they would be better off as friends before abandoning the idea of a relationship between them.
Bill, however, had been in a few serious relationships. The last was Fleur Delacour, but things didn't work out as she had left shortly after the press announced the Voldemort was back. Hermione knew that he had loved Fleur, and was devastated when she had gone back to France.
The only thing she could do was take a chance and find out for herself if he really did feel the same way, and the only way to do that was to talk to him.
The next few Sundays Bill wasn't at the weekly dinner and Hermione was now sure that he was avoiding her. It seemed the only way for her to tell him how she felt would be to turn up at his door unexpectedly.
So that's what she did.
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Hermione knocked on his front door and waited for him to answer.
She knew that she had to tell Bill that what she had said after the accident was true. She may have been in a slight state of concussion, but that didn't mean she lied to him.
Once the door opened, Hermione could tell that she had interrupted him working out. He was shirtless with sweat running down his chest and dripping from his hair.
"Hermione, I wasn't expecting you."
"I know, but I thought we needed to talk, and since you haven't been at The Burrow the past few Sundays I figured I would come and see you," she explained.
"You better come in then," he said opening the door wide enough for Hermione to slip through.
His flat was spacious but sparsely decorated. The lounge area sported a few bits of gym equipment he had obviously been using before she arrived.
Turning around, Hermione nervously bit her lip before using her Gryffindor courage, "Bill, what I said before-"
"It's okay, Hermione. I know you don't mean it," he said shrugging it off.
Anyone who didn't know Bill would think that he wasn't bothered, but she could tell by the way he tensed his shoulders that he was and he was trying to hide it.
"It wasn't a lie though, Bill. I've always had a crush on you, but once I got to know you, it became something more. I never told you as I never thought you'd feel the same way," Hermione confessed.
Although she was afraid about what he would say, Hermione was glad that she was able to tell Bill how she felt. The accident had finally given her the courage that she needed.
He looked at her intently for a few moments as if trying to work out if she was telling the truth or not.
"I love you too, Hermione. I also thought that you wouldn't feel the same way either," Bill revealed.
"You do?"
"Yes," he said smiling at her.
Hermione moved forward, stood on her tip toes, and kissed him square on the mouth.
The feeling of his lips moving against hers was like nothing she had ever felt before, and Hermione knew that this was where she belonged.