Spiritus aduro
Part III
"Beat back those Bludgers, Boys
And chuck that Quaffle here
While we're a playing, boys
We'll hope the Snitch appears!'
Bill regarded Ria thoughtfully, as she sang Puddlemere United's anthem to herself, softly. Somehow, she hadn't struck him as a Quidditch type. Especially not a Puddlemere United Quidditch type.
"You support Puddlemere?" he asked, curiously.
"No, Bill, I support the Holyhead Harpies. I'm just singing the Puddlemere anthem because I like it! What do you think?" Ria's sarcasm was hard to miss.
"Easy tiger! I was only asking!" Bill raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm taking it you play Quidditch, then?"
"You're really sharp today," Ria smirked at him. "Yes, I do play Quidditch. When I have time, that is."
"What position?"
"Seeker, actually. It's a never-ending source of mystery that the only two Seekers on the reserve live in the same house. Charlie's better than me, though - but don't let him know I said that. I'm not so very much worse than him that I can't give him a run for his money."
"Do you have tournaments, then?"
"Sometimes - it depends what's going on in the reserve as much as anything else. In the middle of mating season, we're lucky if we have time to eat and sleep, let alone play Quidditch. You're lucky, actually, the Swedish Short-Snouts mate at the end of the season, and the last of those was in... I'd say marital bliss, but Short-Snouts aren't renowned for their ability to stick around - still, you know what I mean."
"I can guess," Bill said, dryly. He looked at the girl in front of him - her dark hair framed her face, and her eyes danced happily. She's actually very pretty, he thought to himself. Whoa! Where did that come from? "So, you play when you have time to, then."
"Pretty much, yes. Generally we have a mini tournament after the last mating - there's just about enough time for us to get a few games in before the dragons start laying, and once they've laid their eggs, we have to be on constant watch until the eggs hatch."
"Why?" Bill was genuinely curious. In itself, this surprised him. Charlie had been in Romania for five years, and Bill had never been particularly interested in his work, perhaps because he rarely came across dragons in the deserts of Egypt. But Ria's obvious passion for her work was infectious.
"Why do we have to keep an eye on them once they've laid their eggs?" Bill nodded. "Well, the dragons aren't the only magical creatures in the reserve, and Nogtails seem to like dragon's eggs if they can't suckle on pigs. They're lucky that they're so fast though, or the dragon would have roast Nogtail for tea."
"Nogtails are a problem then?" Bill found this rather hard to believe - even he knew that Nogtails lived off of sows on farms.
"Yes, Nogtails are a problem," came Charlie's voice. "Most of Romania is farmland, and most wizarding Romanians keep white dogs in an effort to keep the Nogtail population on the farms minimal - Romania isn't particularly rich, and the farms are most Romanians source of income. It's the responsibility of Romanian wizards to ensure that Muggle farmers aren't affected by Nogtails. The problem is, that leaves the wilder parts of Romania - like here - overrun with them. And they do have a thing for dragon's eggs."
"Yeah, Ria said," Bill replied.
"Oooh - Ria said, did she?" Charlie smirked. "What's going on here then?"
"Shut up, Weasley," Ria told him, good-naturedly.
"I would, your holiness, but I came to tell you that we're having a Quidditch match this afternoon. Your lot can play mine, and yes, I know that Jordan is hospitalised, but Bill can fill in for him, if that's okay with you?"
"If Bill's happy with it, then so am I," Ria replied. "I'm taking it that this isn't part of the tournament though – Jordan won't be impressed if we start without him."
"He shouldn't get himself eaten then, should he?" Charlie smirked. "You're in luck, this is just a preamble. We can't start the tournament until you, me, Liam and Jack get together to discuss times etceteras."
"Well, I'm up for a game, assuming my lovely team can get their act together for long enough to make it to the pitch. When did you say you want to play?"
"I said this afternoon. About five-ish."
"That's this evening," Ria replied. "I suppose we can manage that. Unless I tell you otherwise, the match is at five thirty this evening."
"Yes, ma'am!" Charlie saluted, cheekily. "I'd better dash, actually. Kellie said I could go and help her with the Hippogriffs, as Nigel says that only one of us needs to be on dragon duty today. If I'm lucky, I might get a ride."
"I pity Kellie," Ria smiled. "Have fun, and do try not to get your eyes poked out! See you later!"
"See you!" Charlie left them to it. Once he had left, Ria turned to Bill, smiling apologetically.
"I'm going to have to love you and leave you too," she told him. "I need to catch up with my team, and I have absolutely no idea about where to find most of them. Is that okay?"
"That's fine," Bill smiled. "I'll take the opportunity to write to various family members. I owe Mum her weekly low-down, and then Ron and Ginny both owled me recently, so I suppose I should write to them too."
"I feel really bad about leaving you," Ria said, "you're a guest after all; it's really not on to abandon you. Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Ria, what could possibly happen to me? I break curses for a living, I think I'm fully equipped when it comes to protecting myself. Go and rally your Quidditch team!"
"Our Quidditch team," Ria corrected him, smiling.
"Okay, our Quidditch team. Now, off you go, and leave me to write in peace!" Bill grinned at her.
"Yes, Dad. I should be back by four at the latest. Bye!"
On his arrival in Romania, Bill had been offered a choice of Ria's bedroom, or Charlie's. Ria's room was tidier, and generally more pleasant, even if it wasn't terribly masculine. However, Bill knew that if he slept in her room then she would sleep on the sofa. So he chose to sleep in the same room as his brother, in spite of the chaotic mess that Charlie seemed to view as perfectly normal. Charlie would have let his brother have the room to himself - Bill knew that. But, for fifteen years the two of them had shared a bedroom. One weekend was scarcely going to kill them.
Bill looked at his surroundings. Charlie had never tried to suggest that he was a tidy person; in fact, he was quite the opposite. The floor was covered with robes that had been worn and not placed in the laundry bin, and the desk was littered with half written reports. The only reason the bed was made was because Bill had slept in it. Bill was reminded of the state of Charlie's side of their shared room when they had both lived at the Burrow. Bill had always been relatively tidy, and his brother's mess had driven him mad. It was the only bone of contention between the two of them.
Bill rummaged through the things that he had brought with him, and found some parchment, a quill, and the letter from his mother.
'Dear Bill,
If you are visiting Charlie, do you think you could remind him to write to me more frequently? In the past month I have received the grand total of two letters, and neither of those tell me much about his situation. I have never objected to the two of you living so far away from home, although, of course, I'd be happier if both of you were in Britain. However, for my peace of mind, I do like to hear from you frequently. Please be careful when you travel, I don't want to receive any owls about you getting splinched because you forgot that you can't Apparate through borders. Make sure you take frequent rests, as well. Your father informs me that Apparating long distances is very tiring, and I don't want you to be ill. Be sure to eat well and frequently, but don't overdo it – travelling with a full stomach can make you very ill, according to the leaflet from St Mungo's.
Now, Bill, dear. I don't want to seem pushy, but isn't it about time you got yourself a girlfriend? By the time I was your age, I was married and had a child. Obviously, I don't want you to go out and get a child, but you could make an effort. Maybe Charlie knows of someone you could see? Although he's as bad as you – never a word about romance! He never tells me about much, other than his dragons, of course.
Have fun in Romania, dear, and be sure to write soon. I know you're busy, but I'm still not totally happy about you being so far away from home.
All my love
Mum
P.S. Be sure to reply to Ginny's letter – she needs your help with some schoolwork. It's not due in for a while, though.'
Bill smiled as he read his mother's letter, a mixture of advice, concern and affection. She'd never tire of trying to marry him off, he realised that. According to Charlie, she tried to chivvy him on as well. But she never forced them to do anything. All in all, as far as mothers went, Molly Weasley was excellent. The best, in Bill's opinion. He dipped his quill in ink, and began to work on an answer. Once he finished writing to his mother, he looked at the letter from Ginny. It was typical of his sister, full of questions and chattily informative about her life. She needed to know about the types of curses on Egyptian pyramids for her History homework, she said, and did he know that the Pyramids had all sorts of symbolic importance? Ginny attended the West Counties School of Primary Wizarding Education, the same school that her brother's had attended prior to their Hogwarts education. The primary school taught almost no practical magic, and there was a lot of emphasis on so-called 'Muggle' lessons such as Arithmatic and English, but the curriculum was tailored so that it was significant to wizards rather than Muggles.
Eventually, after a couple of hours of solid writing, he had replied to all of his correspondence, and had gained a case of writer's cramp. Still, it was one less thing for him to do when he went back to Egypt, and with the size of his workload, that was something to be thankful for.
"Honey, I'm home!" It was just gone four o'clock when Ria returned, laughingly impersonating the type of wife that was typical of radio plays on the WWN.
"Did you get everything sorted?" Bill asked.
"Did I ever?" Ria smiled. "Yes, everyone's up for a game. I also visited Jordan in hospital, and he looked ready to kill me when I told him we were playing without him. I promised that we'd gatecrash the hospital this evening, and give him a full rundown of what went on, and that just about satisfied him. I'm not sure what Stella Woodhouse will say about everything though," she smiled, then caught Bill's puzzled look. "Jordan is one of my Beaters – the one that you're playing for. Stella is a nurse at the hospital; she's about the same age as you, actually. We're friends, but I don't know that she'll be overly impressed when Charlie and I, and our teams party in Jordan's wing!" Ria laughed, and Bill smiled.
"So, is the hospital here large then?" he asked, suddenly concerned. The very fact that they had a hospital rather than a hospital wing should be quite worrying, now he came to think of it.
"Not on the same scale as St Mungo's, no, but it is quite large. But then, so's the reserve. A few thousand acres is no hamlet. You've only seen the British part of the reserve – there are a few hundred other settlements around, and the hospital caters to all of them. Of course, we do work with the other people – Eloise is on my Quidditch team and she's French – but as a general rule, we work in national groups. Of course, overall, we're all working together. The great high ups from each country have a committee where they decide what the likes of Charlie and I will do, but we rarely come into contact with the other people. Anyway, the hospital is pretty big. There are about forty doctors and one hundred nurses there."
"So, how many people work on the reserve then?"
"Let me think. Twenty to thirty from each country, I believe. There are thirty-one Brits here, but I think we're one of the larger groups. Anyway, there are probably a hundred nations represented around here, so all in all, lets say about three thousand, give or take. When you look at it that way, the hospital is actually very small."
"The reserve's bigger than I thought," Bill admitted. "And Romania isn't exactly huge."
"That's true. But then, three thousand as a community isn't really all that big. I can tell you that the hospital always has about ten inmates. Working with dragons isn't exactly the safest of jobs, I'd be the first to admit that."
"How many times have you been there?"
"In the three years I've been here, about five. But twice was because I was bitten by a Norwegian Ridgeback, and I'm very allergic to their venom. Of course, everyone should take some type of antidote if they get bitten, because the venom is supposed to kill you. Unfortunately, I need a little more than the antidote to keep me alive," Ria smiled, ruefully. "Listen to me! Here I am, rabbiting on about something that you probably couldn't care less about!"
"I don't know," Bill mused, "its actually quite interesting. I'll admit that I've never really thought of the reserve as being a community before, but I suppose it must be."
"Of course. There are loads of canteens around, and a couple of restaurants for people like me who can't cook, and unfortunately, don't have conveniently situated Charlies to help them out. The Americans even have a hotel where people visiting their people can stay. Of course, it's actually practical for them, they have a presence of about two hundred people, which is almost twice average, and they need the hotel. Most countries just have hostels, and if you have visitors, well, that's your problem."
"I didn't realise this was a hostel!" Bill looked surprised.
"It isn't. Charlie and I don't actually live in the reserve; we're a couple of kilometres away from the boundary here. We live in a village. This flat is actually the bottom storey of a house. The top storey is a flat exactly like ours – Esterina and Juan live there with their family. Charlie and I are lucky. Not only do we live somewhere that is ours, but we also live in a wizarding community. The only problem is, they are all Romanian Catholics, and they think Charlie and I are living in sin. Consequently, we're the outcasts of society," Ria chuckled. "Ester's the only local that actually talks to us. She's a lovely lady."
"And are you?" Bill asked, wickedly.
"Am I what?" Ria asked, confused.
"Are you living in sin with my brother?" Ria looked at him, scathingly.
"Of course I am. I'm six months pregnant with our first child, didn't he tell you?" Ria's eyes were wide with feigned disbelief. "What do you think?!"
"Only asking," Bill replied.
"Asking what?" Charlie asked.
"If you and Ri are living in sin, of course," Bill told him, smirking. Charlie rolled his eyes. "Ria says she's six months pregnant with your first kid. You'd better hurry up and marry her, or Mum will go ape!"
"Of course. The wedding's set for next Thursday. Your holiness, we're calling it Felix or Jayne, okay?"
"No. We're calling it Rose after my mum, or Arthur, after your dad."
"No child of mine is being called Arthur," Charlie replied.
"Get used to it, chummy. I carry the child for nine months, I have the pain of labour, I get to choose the name."
"Hey, I had a hand in this too, you know!"
"Charlie, I'm not marrying you if you don't agree to calling her Rose. Or him Arthur. She can be Rose Kathryn Jayne, if you like, and he can be Arthur Felix. But no son of mine is being called Felix straight off, so lump it."
"No I will not!" Charlie shouted. "It's my child, I think I deserve a say!"
"Um, is this a good time to mention that this child is completely fictional?" Bill asked.
"NO!!!" Ria and Charlie shouted in unison.
"What's wrong with Felix?" Charlie demanded.
"Nothing. But it doesn't honour your father," Ria replied.
"Ri, you upper class prat, that's Bill's privilege as eldest son," Charlie told her. "If we're getting on to the subject of families, why not call it Alex, after your dad. Or Molly, after my mum."
"Because you honour the father's father and the mother's mother," Ria replied, calmly. "How do you think I ended up with a name like Ariande Olivia?"
"Surely by the time they got to you your parents had used up all the family names," Charlie retorted.
"No. Ariadne is after my great-great-grandmother, and Olivia is the last of my mother's many middle names."
"Well fine, working on that basis, if it's a girl, you should call her Olivia. And if it's a boy, we'll call it John."
"The logic behind this is…?"
"Would the two of you stop arguing about a non-existent baby!!!!" Bill demanded.
"Well, there's no need to shout!" Ria replied.
"Right," Bill chose to ignore Ria. "Charlie, what did you come here for?"
"I came here because I live here," Charlie replied.
"No, you don't say," Ria inserted, dryly.
"And to get ready for the Quidditch match. Which I am assuming is on, as her holiness hasn't told me anything to the contrary."
"Yes, the Quidditch match is on, and we'd better get a move on, as it starts in half an hour," Bill replied.
"Is that all?" Ria shrieked. "But I need to trim up my broomstick!"
It had been a long time since Bill had played Quidditch - conditions in Egypt leant towards other sports - but when he sat on his broom it was like he'd played only yesterday. Quidditch had always been a favourite sport for the Weasleys, as soon as Ron was old enough to sit on a broom they would play three against three, with Ginny umpiring. Then, there came the day that Ginny objected to her position as family referee, and demanded that they allow her to play. Through a combination of charm and her mother's ferociousness, Ginny cajoled Bill into swapping. Nowadays, family Quidditch matches were few and far between - he and Charlie rarely went home at the same time - but even so, the love of the sport was still prevalent.
"Okay, everyone, listen up!" Ria yelled towards their team. There was silence almost immediately, and Bill marvelled at the commanding presence of the woman beside him. "As you know, today isn't a tournament match - they start on Monday. Today's match was organised by myself and Charlie Weasley," she paused as the wolf whistles broke out, "primarily as a way for us to get all warmed up and used to playing together, and also so that we could do something interesting with Weasley's brother. You may or may not know that Jordan is currently residing in the Hospital with an Opaleye bite. He assures me that he'll be back in play by Monday, but that leaves us a Beater opening, and Bill here has agreed to fill the void." She turned to Bill. "Bill, meet our Chasers, Sam Kingston, my boss, if you like, Fiona Shaw, she works in the Nursery, Joshua Hintown, he works with Charlie, but apparently he's more taken by my stunning good looks than Charlie's. Harrison Payne is our Keeper, and a darn good one too - Harrison works with Sam and I most of the time. Your fellow Beater is Penny George, and I'm the Seeker and Captain."
The team greeted Bill raucously, and Ria ran through a few last minute tips before the game began.
"...And Rachel Peat is commentating, so I'd advise you not to listen if you don't want to end up in hysterics. I think that's it. Good luck, chaps." They took their places.
"And they're off. Charlie Weasley's team may have the edge in terms of skill, but Ri's going to give him a run for his money, aren't you Ri? Kimberly Christon in possession - she's aiming for the goal and...saved! Saved by Keeper Harrison Payne. And Kingston has possession - she passes to Josh Hintown, and Ria's Chasers move into Hawkshead Attacking Formation. They head for the goal - Hintown shoots.... and he scores - ten-nil to Ri's team!" And so it went on. And on and on and on. And on. Eventually, after three hours of playing, Charlie caught the Snitch, leaving the score at five hundred and eighty to Charlie's team, and five hundred and forty to Ria's.
The two teams were clearly nowhere near as antagonistic towards each other as the Hogwarts house teams were. Bill said as much to Kevin Sitol, one of Charlie's Chasers.
"There's no point in getting all het up," Kevin explained. "Sure, we play to win - who doesn't? But its a bit pointless in getting all vicious towards Ri and co when she and Charlie are about as chummy as you can get - without ending up in bed together, that is." Bill raised his eyebrows at the tall American.
"I don't think either Charlie or Ri would be all to happy with that comment," he pointed out. "They maintain it's purely platonic." It was one thing for him to cast insinuations, quite another for other people.
"They've been maintaining that it's purely platonic for two years now," Kevin informed him, "and as far as I know, they're telling the truth. What they don't mention is that secretly they're hopelessly in love with each other."
"Something that both of them deny vehemently, might I add," Bill smiled. "Still, you never know - perhaps they're telling the truth. Charlie's right - it is possible to be 'just friends', and Ria certainly doesn't seem keen on romance."
"Tried your cards, have you?" Kevin grinned.
"According to Charlie boy, yes. But no, I haven't."
"Do you want to?" Kevin demanded.
"Well, yeah - I mean, who wouldn't - the girl's a miracle - she's pretty, smart, funny, and great to be with.... the perfect combination."
"Perfect... Well, if nothing else, she'll be flattered," Kevin told him. "Good luck, mate. You seem like a nice enough guy, and its about time that Ria got hooked up with someone - she's been single for far too long."
"Yes, but Charlie..."
"Maintains that they're just friends. Which means you can do what you like. Besides which, all's fair in love and war. But ask him, if you feel that strongly."
"Ask who what?" Charlie joined them at that point.
"Bill wants to know if you're planning on making a move on Ria any time soon?" Kevin asked, smirking at Bill.
"Not that I know of - why, are you planning on getting all romantic, brother dear?" Charlie smirked too.
"Maybe," Bill wasn't going to tell Charlie anything - if he knew of Bill's intentions then he'd tease him mercilessly. "Are you sure you're not interested, Charlie?"
"Of course," Charlie smiled at his brother, but then his eyebrows drew together in a frown. "Just be careful, okay."
"Careful of what?"
"Ria," It was clear from his tone that Charlie was serious. "I don't know the particulars, but somewhere along the line, she's been hurt. Promise me you won't treat her like a toy. It's not fair on her and it's not fair on you."
"Hey!" Bill exclaimed. "I resent that!"
"You forget, William, that I know you almost as well as I know myself. And I know for a fact that you're someone who plays the field. So tread carefully where Ri's concerned. Please."
"You sound like the poor girl's father!" Bill smiled at his brother.
"It's the overprotective big brother genes working. I care about Ria - she's my family - in a weird non-related, non-romantic kind of way. You can't talk, anyway - you're just as bad! Look at the way you used to look out for Gin!"
"Deed zumvun zay gin?" Eloise Therese joined them. "I vould like ze large vun avec tonic, s'il vous plait." Bill looked at her, as Charlie laughed.
"Not gin as in alcohol gin," he explained. "Gin short for Ginny - our little sister, El!"
"Ta soeur, oui, je comprends ça. Mais je veux l'alcohol!"
"El, stick to the Butterbeer!" Ria smiled at the petite French woman. "Just because you won, it doesn't mean you can get completely plastered. Remember you have to work tomorrow."
"You eees no fun, Ri. You lost, mon ami. C'est la vie. But ve mus' zelebrate!"
"You do realise that Bill now thinks that you're a drunk, don't you El?" Kevin smirked at his teammate. "Come on, let's go and see what we can find. You're right - first match of the season, and we won. We should celebrate!"
"They're not going to let that drop, are they?" Ria laughed at their retreating backs. "Is it a good time to mention that we would have thrashed you, if you hadn't caught the Snitch."
"Ah, but I did catch the Snitch, your holiness, and unfortunately, you didn't." Charlie smirked at Ria. "We won fair and square, so stop complaining."
"Come on Chas, it's got to hurt, knowing that we were beating you soundly."
"But, Ria hon, we won. So the point is irrelevant."
"Or not. But we won't go into that now – these people are far too settled here, and I promised Jordan that we'd visit him in hospital. I think everyone's made it here now."
"Just about. What is it with your team and getting hurt just before matches? Last year they had to play without a Seeker and Captain thanks to your Ridgeback episode."
"How was I supposed to know that I was going to get bitten?" Ria demanded. "Not that it really matters. I'd better get the hordes moving, or Jordan really will kill me."
It was the early hours of morning when Bill, Charlie and Ria returned home, all the merrier for a couple of drinks.
"Home sweet home," Ria sighed happily, as she sunk into a chair. "Why is everything so much nicer at this time of night?"
"This time of morning, actually," Charlie corrected her, lazily.
"Whatever. And you should be in bed, anyway," Ria replied.
"Yes, Mum," Charlie smiled at her. "Night, your holiness. Sweet dreams. Coming Bill?"
"In a minute," Bill replied. Charlie winked at him.
"Okay then. Well, don't be surprised if I'm dead to the world when you come in, and do try not to walk all over my face!" Charlie was sleeping on the floor so that Bill could use the bed.
"As if I would," Bill responded. When Charlie had gone, he turned to Ria. "Night Ri. Thanks for this evening."
"No problem," Ria stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek in the same way she did Charlie every night, but Bill turned round to face her, and their lips met. Bill could feel Ria tense up against him, but as the kiss wore on, she began to relax. Finally they broke apart, and she looked up at him.
"What," she demanded, "was that?"
"Goodnight kiss?" he suggested, grinning in spite of himself.
"A goodnight kiss?!" Ria looked at him incredulously. "I'd really hate to be your sister, if that was a goodnight kiss! And don't you think, if I wanted a 'goodnight kiss', I would have asked for one?"
"You did," Bill pointed out. "You were going to kiss me, anyway."
"Yes, but not like that," Ria pointed out.
"If you didn't like it that much, then why did you kiss me back?" Bill demanded. He had a valid point too.
"I didn't say I didn't like it," Ria replied, grinning mischievously. "I just wasn't expecting it."
"You're a tease, Ariadne Rutherford," Bill returned her grin. "So, does this mean you like me too?"
"What do you mean 'too'?" Ria demanded, and Bill realised that behind the act, there was fear in her eyes.
"Dearie, I'm not it the habit of kissing everyone like that," Bill explained.
"I like you, all right," Ria told him, turning her back to him. "But I don't want to get involved romantically with anyone. Not you, not Charlie, not anyone."
"Why?" Bill asked. "Why are you so scared of letting go?"
"Letting go of what?"
"Ria, I'm not stupid. No one kisses like that if there isn't attraction."
"Look, I don't want to discuss this," Ria said, shortly. "It's late, and I'm tired. Can I go to bed now, please?"
"No," Bill replied, calmly.
"What?!" Ria was incredulous.
"You heard me. I want to know what it is that you're scared of."
"Is that any of your business?"
"I'm making it my business."
"What part of 'no' don't you understand?" Ria demanded, desperately.
"All of it," Bill replied. "It's not a word in my vocabulary. Now, tell me what your problem is."
"What my problem is? Um, hello, I'm not the one who has a problem here!"
"Yes you are. And keep it down, you'll wake Charlie up."
"No I won't. He sleeps like the dead."
"No he doesn't."
"Yes he does. I'm telling you, you could have a full out party in here at midnight, and Charlie would sleep through it. Believe me, I've done it."
"He's a light sleeper though," Bill was confused.
"Yes, but there's a Silencing Charm on our Living Room," Ria explained, smirking. "Its actually very complicated – outside sound can get in, but inside sound can't get out."
"Fascinating though this is, you still haven't told me why you have a problem committing to a relationship."
"Lets just say that I have issues, and leave it at that, shall we? Can I go to bed now?"
"Why don't you talk about it? I'm a pretty good listener – part of the big brother thing."
"Why should I talk to you? I've known Charlie for what seems like forever, and he doesn't know. I've known you for two days, and not only do you make a move on me, but you calmly demand that I tell you my whole life!"
"This really is a sore point for you, isn't it?" Ria nodded. "Listen, I'm no psychiatrist, but I do know that talking is always a good way to go. As my mother used to say, a problem shared is a problem halved. And I'm not letting you go to bed until you tell me what your problem is."
"Fine," Ria gave in, to Bill's delight. He had a reputation as being ladies' man, but in fact, people he cared about, he cared about deeply. He might only have known Ria for a couple of days, but it was obvious to him that she was a special person, and it pained him to think that her past was so bad that it haunted her still.
Ria's story was a long one, and tragic. Bill listened patiently to what she had to say, and reflected that life could be very cruel sometimes. He was offering his support to Ria when he realised that she could hear none of it. She was fast asleep, her head on his shoulder. He decided that he couldn't really move. If he did so, then he'd wake her, something that he wasn't very keen on. Sighing, he resigned himself to the inevitable.
"RIA?!? BILL?!?" Charlie's incredulous shout was enough to wake the dead, and it woke Bill. Ria however, slept on.
"Charlie?" Bill answered, mildly.
"What are you doing?" Charlie demanded, looking rather shocked.
"What?"
"Bloody hell!" Charlie said. "Look at yourself. You've only known her for two days, and your sleeping with her already."
"What?"
"Look at yourself, man!" Bill did as he was bidden, and realised that somehow, he and Ria had ended up in a rather compromising position. He sighed. This was going to take some explaining away.
Bet you didn't see that coming! *smirks* Yes, I'm strange, what can I say? It's a combination of all-Anglican (new phrase that I've coined – the English equivalent of All-American) madness and hayfever. I'm telling you, pollen does weird things to your brain.
Now, happy thank you note (my brother cut the grass, I'm on a pollen high, what can I say?)
Andy/Sirius: Ria is not like me. I am not sarcastic. And (unfortunately) I didn't spend a night in the arms of a fictional redhead. Obviously, I'd go for Ron, personally, Bill's too old for me. Having said that, Charlie is growing on me. You should be proud of me – I wrote romance (albeit not much of it. More to come though.) Thanks for looking at *coughmassacreingcough* this for me, dearie. And no, you may not write the lovey-dovey scenes. Once I get over the writers block, they're the most fun! Thanks, chummie.
Arabella: As always, thank you! Everyone, read After the End, a post-Hogwarts novel by Arabella and Zsenya (here their pseudonym is Sugar Quill). Its marvellent (a combination of marvellous and excellent). You should like this one – lots of nice Weasley men. No leather loincloths though – what a shame!
And the rest of you:
Anne: Thanks for reviewing again! I love the Beatles, I love Shakespeare, I love Charlie. I thought I may as well put the whole lot together. As for Bill - well, I'd love to know what you think of this bit.
Thing1: LoL It would seem that there are lots of closet Beatles fans out there. Charlie and Ron are my favourite Weasleys. And Ria - I don't want her to be Mary-Sueish, but she's amazingly fun to write. All her own person.
Adrea/Mara/Alyssi: Thanks for all the compliments. LoL. I'm glad you had fun in France.
Silver lightning: Thanks for reviewing. I do have a tendency to ramble on, yes.
Gumdrop: Bill is very prominent in this, so that should have dealt with it.
Solveig Felton: Timeline marking. That's something I'm trying to work out - I don't really want to use dates, per se, and I'm not sure about *'s. With regard to Sir - it works both ways. He could be Sir Adam, by the same token, he could be Sir Rutherford. Although, I think it tends to be Sir Adam and Lady whatever. Descriptions of where they live - I've got up to Chapter 4 written, but I will try to add more scenery in Ch 5 onwards. Thanks for taking the time to review.
Puzzler: Thanks for reviewing, and here's your next installment.
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