A/N: Right. This WILL have to do with Curse Breakers, hence the title. I'm just not there yet. Oh, and I
THINK I have a plot figured out. Let us all hope so. Also, with Bill and the girlfriend/marriage stuff,
HE doesn't necessarily want to. His mother wants him to, and she's AWFULLY convincing, as I'm sure you
can imagine. In the wizarding community, you're done with school (as far as I know) at the age of 17, so
you're basically an adult after that...So marriage would come early, I think. Bill's been graduated for
eight years and nothing's happened yet--no girlfriend or anything. That's why he's kinda sorta unhappy.

Disclaimer: I own Sarah. That's it.

Curse Breakers
Chapter Two: Girls

"Soooo booored..."

Bill looked up from The Daily Prophet to see Ron slumped sideways in his chair looking more bored than
even Bill felt. He smiled. "Who dares invade the privacy of the eldest brothers' cave?"

"Bill, cut the crap. I'm bored stupid."

"I won't respond to that. Well, where're Harry and Hermione?"

"Harry's gone off with Sirius. Hermione is reading, as usual. She doesn't want to do anything right
now." Bill snorted at that. Ron sighed, shaking his head. "You have a sick mind, Bill."

"It comes from having all of you trying to fix me up with airheads."

"Hey, be careful. One of the girls we tried to fix you up with ended up with Charlie."

"Like I said, you tried to fix me up with airheads. All Catherine can do is giggle at Charlie's jokes.
And bake cookies." He thought for a moment. "Although, I do admit that they're GOOD cookies."

Ron suppressed a snort of laughter. "You're going to get into trouble one of these days, you know."

Bill shrugged and returned to his newspaper. "Well, I've not yet." He put the paper down after a moment
when Ron didn't leave. "Say, Ron, if you're that bored, Three Broomsticks is having a live band tonight.
I'm going to check it out. D'you want to come with me?"

Ron brightened. "Sure. Harry and Sirius are having a night on the town--London, to be specific. Ginny
and Hermione'll have Sirius' hide if Harry comes back stoned or something. Anyway, can I invite Hermione
along?"

That made him laugh. The image of wonderful Harry Potter, savior of the magical world and the most
chivalrous person Bill knew, stoned...*Yeah, right...* "Sure," Bill said, grinning. "Now, get out of my
room."

***

At about seven-thirty that evening, Bill led Ron and Hermione down the hill to The Three Broomsticks.
The music was blasting, and the entire pub was packed with freshly graduated Hogwarts students, all
dancing and laughing and just being downright obnoxious in general.

Ron looked thrilled, but Hermione looked slightly apprehensive. Ron gave her an encouraging grin and
she shook her head, resigned. He took her wrist and pulled her inside, Bill following at a more adult,
mature, and slightly bored pace.

They seated themselves at a booth next to the band, which seemed to be predominantly made up of punky-
looking men and women about Bill's age. They all wore ripped and torn robes of black velvet and had wild
masses of hair that were multi-colored and with an unwashed appearance. It seemed that the guitarist and
the lead singer were having a bit of an argument over something.

"You mean you've had two weeks to get down those chords, and you STILL can't figure them out? How stupid
ARE you?" Green hair flying, she stomped angrily around the stage. "You were supposed to have it
MEMORIZED by now!"

"'S'not my fault!" the guitarist yelled back. "You're the idiot who signed us up to play so soon!"

"Well, play what you've got, then."

The guitarist, looking sour, strummed out the beginnings of a tune, but faltered just as it was getting
good, in Bill's opinion. "'At's where I lose it."

"Try A Minor!" a voice Bill recognized shouted from the other side of the restaurant. "A Minor, then C
Major, then D Major; I think. Try it!"

Bill swiveled in his seat and saw Liv and Sarah sitting in a far booth. Sarah had her hands cupped
around her mouth to yell the advice. The guitarist in the band strummed out the chords--presumably the
suggested ones--and grinned. "Thanks, Miss!"

The singer snorted. "We ought to hire HER. Honestly!"

The guitarist said something under his breath and the singer grinned evilly, massaging her knuckles.
"Right, then. After the performance. Kiss your sorry" --Hermione gasped at the language the woman used--
"goodbye, Johnson."

Ron held back laugher at this, but Hermione was still staring disapprovingly at the singer "Honestly!
That was uncalled for!"

Ron snorted. "Ah, get over it. Let's dance!"

"No, Ron-" Hermione's objections were ignored as Ron pulled her out on the floor. Bill laughed loudly.
Ron reflected every single brother in their family. Poor kid.

Bill started as someone sat down across from him. He looked up and saw Sarah staring at him, smiling in
her lopsided way. He'd nearly forgotten she was there--though he wasn't sure how that was possible. He
grinned. "Hello again."

"Yeah, hi. I was hoping you wouldn't mind me joining you, but you're the only one I know, save my
sister, and she's gone off and found that boyfriend of hers." She rolled her eyes.

"I don't mind at all." He shrugged. "I let my brother and his girlfriend come. He's dragged her off to
dance. I pity the girl."

Sarah laughed. Bill suddenly felt triumphant. *Ha! Made her laugh!* "Well, that was impressive, with the
guitar stuff."

Was that blush? "Yeah, well. I'm a musical person. My sister is pretty good, too. I just couldn't help
it--I know that song."

Bill grinned. "Well, I learned bass guitar, but that's about it." He shrugged. "And I'm not fabulous at
that, anyway."

Sarah nodded. "I never could play bass. My fingers." She held them up, showing faint calluses. "They go
through murder on traditional and twelve-strings, as is."

He smiled slightly. "Yeah, I still have calluses. I play occasionally, when I'm alone. It's, uh..."

"Therapeutic?"

"Yeah. But, that's about it. I'm not very musical. No one in my family really is." He twirled his wand
absently in his fingers. "My sister Ginny who, for the record, you did NOT meet yet, is a dancer, and
Fred and George both attempted the Tuba, but Mum took it away. Percy likes to think he can sing, but we
had Dad put a sound barrier on the bathroom so when he sings in the shower the dogs don't go crazy. Ron
mostly goofs around on my guitar, but he doesn't really know it that well. I tried teaching him, but
he's too impatient. Charlie's too busy chasing dragons to sing. I've not heard him, but he's got to be
better than Percy, anyhow."

Sarah nodded, grinning. "Yeah. Liv can sing okay, but she's more of a percussionist. She tried guitar,
and piano, and clarinet, and flute, and...well, you get the idea. She's better at keeping a beat than
the stuff I do. So we work together."

Bill nodded. "So...I don't think I ever saw you at Hogwarts..."

SHe shook her head, sending little whisps of brown hair into her face. "No, I went to the Salem Witches
Academy. Liv would have, too, but when she got the chance to come to England for school, she jumped at
it. So, I came with her, to keep her in line. I'm not too sure what happens now that she's graduated. I
suppose we'll share a flat or something until she kicks me out." She half-smiled again. "Knowing her, it
won't be long."

Bill smirked at this. The idea of sharing a flat with, oh, Ron, for example, was positively nightmarish.
The music was overpowering. It was very fast and furious and absolutely perfect for dancing. Bill
looked around the dance floor and laughed.

Ron had Hermione's wrists in his hands, and they were going in a spinning circle, Ron whooping and
Hermione torn between laughter and shrieking. Bill turned as Sarah laughed, watching them. She smiled.
"They're cute." She paused for a moment, then: "D'you know how to dance?"

"Uh...sort of...but not really. Like I said, bass guitar is my big claim to fame."

She laughed. "C'mon. I dunno how, either, but we're bound to do better than your little brother."

Grinning at this, he offered her a hand and pulled her up next to him. She grinned--for the first time
in a true, un-lopsided way--and grabbed his wrists, swinging him out onto the dance floor. They spun and
twirled, occasionally pausing to watch Ron and Hermione. Finally, after what seemed an awfully short
time to Bill, they collapsed back in their seats, exhausted and laughing. Sarah grinned at him. "That
was fun!"

Bill laughed. "I agree!" He looked down at his watch. "Oh, sh-sorry. Oh darn. There." *What am I on
about?* "It's nearly eleven o'clock! Ron!"

Ron and Hermione twirled over and Bill stood up. "Guys, it's, like, eleven fifty-five! Mum said be back
by ten-thirty!"

Ron gulped and Hermione looked, unbelieving, at her watch. Ron looked at Bill. "Oops."

"Yeah, 'oops'. Go on and get your butts back up to the hotel; I'll only be a sec'."

"Right." Ron pulled Hermione out of the pub.

Bill turned to Sarah, who was smiling in the old, lopsided way. "Well, I'll see you later, then, Sarah."

"Yeah." She grinned. "Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime."

"Yeah. Uhm...Maybe we can run into each other sometime on purpose. If you'd like, I mean. You know..."
*Aah! It's that bizzarre music, I swear! Now she's going to say no, and--*

"Definitely."

"What?" Bill looked up, not sure he'd heard her correctly.

"I said, 'definitely.' Does that work for you?"

"Yeah!" Bill cringed inwardly at how thrilled he sounded. He dropped it. "Yeah, that'd be great." He
paused, staring at the floor. Then he looked up quickly. "Well, bye, then."

"Right. See you later. Send me an owl."

"Sure." He waved and left the pub, starting up the hill. When he was sure no one was listening, he
pumped a fist in the air. "YES!"

***

"...and you didn't bring them back until midnight, Bill!"

"Aw, Mum, they were having a blast dancing! They were doing really well, and it's not like they got
stoned or anything. They didn't have anything to eat or drink at all--they just fluttered around the
dance floor, giggling." Bill made flowery motions in the air with his hands to illustrate his point.

His mother sighed. "But, Bill..."

"Hey." He raised his hands up defensively. "Ron's my little brother-I won't let anything happen to
him. We were a half-hour late, I know. It was irresponsible and I should have told you we'd be late. But
they were having a wonderful time and I wanted to let them continue."

She crossed her arms defiantly. He sighed. Okay, time for the heavy weaponry: "I met this girl..."

His mother's eyebrows snapped up. "Really?"

"Yes. I met her at the graduation feast. She's really nice and we got into a conversation. We even
danced. We were all having such a good time that I lost track of how late it was. I'm sorry."

She sighed. "Well...All right, Bill. You're off the hook this time."

He grinned and bent to kiss her cheek. "Thanks, Mum. G'night."

She sighed again. "Good night, Bill."

A/N: Yep. The end. No cliffhangers. Yes, this is going somewhere. Specifically, Egypt. Be patient with
me, please. It took a lot of work to get THIS part done and posted...

R&R, por favor...

~ Veralidaine