They descended down the hiking trail with only the illumination of the stars. Her hand was pressed firmly into his and she watched the back of his head as he led her. She couldn't believe it, he was hers. Bill Weasley was going to be with her forever, she was sure of it.

She had never imagined such a thing happening, and she was sure that her father would cast her out and she wondered for a moment what impact this would have on her little sister. But she couldn't consider any of that. She loved him, body and soul and spirit and any other form he might take.

Bill squeezed her hand, he had never anticipated meeting a witch. He was a solo kind of guy and no matter how his mother would beg over the years, he had never seen it necessary to have a partner. But now, now that she was here, he couldn't imagine being away from her, being parted from her. I never wanted to be parted from you. Her words had been exactly what he needed to hear. She was his anchor, bringing him into the dock with which he would spend his life. Before, he had sneered at building a home and a family. But now, he wondered how he could have ever been so blind.

They made it back to the portkey and he looked over at her.
"Are you ready?" He asked and she nodded, and a moment later, they were back in the small shop, met with a very surprised old man.

They walked along together, down Diagon Alley.
"Did you mean what you said?" He asked and she looked up at him with curious eyes.
"About what?" She asked and he blushed a deep shade of beetroot.
"About never parting again…" His speech dwindled off and he smiled as he watched her nose become a little red.
"Yes." She answered very simply and he smiled down at his hands.
"Well then, let's go and get your things." He decided and she was in no position to deny him.

The girls cried out as the man entered the house. It was their one rule, but Fleur explained he was helping her pack her things and suddenly, the gossip seemed worth breaking the rule for.

Bill looked at her little shoebox of a room and sighed.
"I know, it's not much. But my parents didn't really want me here, so it's the best I could do." He shook his head. He was not judging her, Merlin knew he had stayed in far worse. But she deserved better, she should have all the things she wanted and desired.

They backed her things into the single trunk she brought with her. Bill picked it up from the bed and felt its weight with furrowed brows.
"This is all you brought?" He asked and she sent him an innocent nod. He thought he would have to take her shopping at some point, so that she would have some clothes in their home.

The girls whispered as he guided Fleur down the stairs. He was so tall, but dirty and not well groomed in their eyes. Others scolded that his hair was too long and that his clothes were peculiar. Fleur waved a small, tentative hand to the few of the girls she had bonded with in her time and then turned her back on that house, hoping she would never have to return to it.

The night was dark and cold as they arrived at the house. Sirius smirked as he watched them walk in and take off their shoes.
"Back again, I see." He called and Fleur felt her ears burn a deep shade of red.
"I told you…" Bill jested with him and he wagged a finger at him with a knowing expression on his face.

Fleur shuddered a little as they made their way to the bedroom. Bill froze for a moment.
"We can change rooms, if you want?" He asked her, his hand rested on the doorknob. She looked up at him with a confused gaze.
"Why would we do that?" She asked and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I dunno, in case you wanted something nicer." He began to mumble and she slapped him delicately on the arm.
"You saw where I was living before. I think your room is lovely." She assured him and he sent her a bashful grin.

The candles came alight as they entered and Fleur blushed as she looked at the double bed, pushed against the wall. Before she could start to overthink, she moved her attention over to the old wardrobe that was standing in another corner of the room. It had double doors and was carved with an elegant kind of design. She opened both doors and chuckled lightly. The wardrobe was almost bare, save for a few linen shirts and a purple velvet jacket, to contrast with the green he was wearing.
"At least we don't have to argue for space." He told her, coming up behind her. She lifted her head, to find him there and sent him a small smile.
"Let's do it tomorrow. I'm tired." She told him. The hike had been enough to make her muscles ache and she was emotionally spent.

Bill sat on the edge of his bed, staring down at his socks as she went to shower. She was here, he couldn't wrap his head around it. She was real and she was with him and she wanted him, just as he was. It seemed like an impossibility. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled down at the shag carpet, wondering how something so marvelous had happened to him.

His train of thought was jolted when he looked up and found her at the door, in her pyjamas, drying her hair with a towel. He was floored by her, in her little stripy shorts and shirt. She was perfection, so much so, he had to gather himself and send himself off to the bathroom, to be away from her in fear of making her uncomfortable with his staring.

She chuckled as he sashayed around her. His entire face had turned the shade of a fresh French rose. She liked that she had that effect on him. She had hated it when boys had ogled her before. But, to know that the sight of her fresh from the shower had such an impact on him made her feel the desire to do a little giddy dance.

Instead, she glanced around his room, with more intent than last time. She pulled some books from his bookshelf and looked down when a photograph fell onto the desk. It was clearly in Egypt and that made sense to her, as he had said he had been working there. She recognized the two twins, the tall ones who had always been the talk of the castle at Hogwarts. There was a man and a woman, who must have been his parents and then another man, along with a boy who she recognised to be Ron Weasley, the poor boy who had been trapped underwater alongside her sister. They were all laughing and smiling and she found herself smiling down at them, as if they could see her.

She jumped when she heard Bill come back. He was wrapped in a towel, with his chest bare and his hair damp. He walked in, seemingly forgetting that she was there and then froze, when he noticed her staring.
"I, I-" He didn't know what to say. She chuckled to herself as he picked up some underwear and rushed from the room.

Bill had completely forgotten that he was naked. He cussed himself out as he stomped along the hallway towards the bathroom. Then, he cussed himself some more when he looked down and realised he had only brought a pair of flannel boxers with him.
"Well that's not much use, is it you plonker!" He hissed at himself and sighed, pulling them over his legs. It was better than nude and that was all he could wish for. He was not the pyjamas wearing kind of guy. He was lucky if he had remembered his boxers under his lace up trousers some days. He supposed that would have to change.

He tiptoed back into the room, hoping that Fleur would already be asleep. He scrunched his nose when he found her, sat cross legged on the bed, reading a French novel. He sighed and stood up more straight.
"I'm sorry, I don't really wear pyjamas." He explained, feeling the blood rush into his cheeks.
"That's alright, just however you're comfortable." She told him and he could hear the truth in her voice.

She thought it was rather convenient that her book covered her face. Because she was blushing more than ever before. She wanted to stare at the hair on his chest and the definition in his arms. But she couldn't, she had never been allowed to look at a man like that and still, she felt a little nervous to open up that side of herself.

She closed her book and extinguished most of the candles with a small whisper, leaving two for an ambient glow. She climbed under the thick covers, which smelt like sandalwood and mint and then opened the corner, inviting him to join her.

The last time they had ended up asleep next to one another, it had been an unconscious occurrence. They had been saved the awkwardness of laying beside one another for the first time. But now, they were there. She rolled over and faced the wall, squeezing her eyes shut, hoping that nature would take its course.

Bill took a deep breath. She was so warm, with her heat radiating back to him. He thought of her words, the way she had looked up at him when they had spun in this slow, intoxicating circles. He shunned any anxiety he felt and pulled her close to him, curving around her, flush against her. He waited for her to push him away, but instead, she took his his in hers and soon, he heard the soft cooing breaths of her slumber.