This is a challenge set down for me by searching4romeo to write a fic about Bill Weasley.

Title: Celebration

Summary: Bill talks to a thirteen-year-old about one-year-old Harry Potter, who tells him a few things he'd never considered.

Disclaimer: I own Bethan Harper and her father.

Author's Notes: This took me longer to write than I thought because I didn't think I was doing it right.

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Ever since he was a child Bilius Arthur Weasley had been interested in curses. Once he was old enough to go to Diagon Alley, he would spend hours in Florish and Blotts, reading anything he could find on the subject. His interest did not diminish when he entered Hogwarts, in fact, if anything, it increased.

His mentor Albus Dumbledore only encouraged his fascination, and it came as no surprise to anyone but Bill when he got the highest OWL score in over a decade, and then went on to get even better NEWT scores. These things alone were enough to make the Goblins Guild want to hire him.

So Billy was hired by the Goblins to work as a Curse Breaker for Gringotts Bank. This was all very well and good, and the Weasleys were all ecstatic, but it meant Bill had to move away to Egypt.

November 1st 1981 was a day just like any other in the Wizarding World, but for one thing. Everyone was partying. The reason for this was that one-year-old Harry Potter had saved the world from Voldemort when he and his family had been attacked.

Bill was probably the only member of the Curse Breaking team not completely pissed, and that was because he was remembering Lily and James Potter had died, not just Voldemort.

He hadn't known Lily or James very well, they'd been Head Boy and Girl in his second year, and prefects the year before that, and he'd spent all his time with kids his own age. In fact, the only memory he had of them was the day Severus Snape had been teasing him because of the state of his robes. Lily and James had happened along, and Lily almost lost her Head Girl badge because she put such a strong levitating hex on Snape that he nearly went through the ceiling. It had taken Professor Dumbledore to get the Slytherin down, and it was only the portraits around testifying that Snape had been teasing Bill and had called Lily a mudblood which stopped her from losing her badge. As it was, she got detention and points were taken from Gryffindor.

Bill sighed, looking into his teacup. He knew he should be celebrating, but he found it hard to be happy knowing that there was yet another child in the world who would grow up without parents. Knowing the boy was his brother Ron's age, and that his parents were two of the kindest people Bill had ever met didn't help.

"You ok? You seem kind of down. This is supposed to be the happiest day of our lives."

Bill looked towards the voice. It was thirteen-year-old Bethan Harper, the daughter of one of the other Curse Breakers. She was part Egyptian and had inherited their black hair, golden skin, and almond eyes. "I knew James and Lily. I can't help but feel sorry they're dead. It doesn't feel right to celebrate the fact that a little boy's going to grow up as an orphan."

Bethan nodded. "I agree with you, actually, but Father," she shot a disgusted look in her drunken father's direction, "seems to have no qualms. I feel so sorry for poor Harry. Famous before he can even talk. For something he'll never remember doing. It's a terrible stigma."

"I would have thought you'd be envious." Bill said, surprised. He didn't know Bethan very well, but he'd always figured her to be just like other girls her age.

"No, I'm not envious. I still have my parents, and I can walk down the street without worrying everone will want to talk to me. Plus, now he's going to attract a whole bunch of wackos. And where's he going to live?"

"I heard he had relatives in the muggle world."

Bethan snorted. "Great, so he'll grow up being labelled a freak like I did, simply because I was different." She shook her head. "I'm not in the mood for celebration. Wanna go look at the ruins?"

Bill chuckled. "Why not."

End Ficlet

So, yeah, I hope you like it, babe.