Author's Note: This takes place during Order of the Phoenix.

London Rain

It was raining. Of course. It always rained in England. Bill pulled out an umbrella and started walking to his flat.

He was walking through Muggle London, and he watched Muggles rushing to get to the Underground, rushing into stores to avoid the downpour, and he smiled to himself. Admittedly, Bill himself would've been rushing as well, had it not been that he could quickly dry himself off by using a Drying Charm as soon as he got to the flat.

There were times he just Apparated into the lobby of his flat building, but lately he'd been feeling more of a compulsion to just walk. It was good exercise, and who cared about a little bit of rain?

Just then, a car drove by, splashing a puddle all over Bill. He sputtered and coughed a little. "What the hell?"

A Muggle lady looked at him sympathetically. "Are you far from here?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, no. I'll just run home now, I guess." He smiled genially. "I had been planning on ambling home, but this is really wet."

She laughed kindly, and then went on her way.

Bill turned and began to jog, and as soon as he turned the corner, he ducked into a little alleyway and Apparated.

Bill ignored the stares of his landlord and performed a Drying Charm. "Shut it, Jim," he said, as Jim the Landlord opened his mouth to make a snide comment.

"Why didn't ye just Apparate here, ya nutter? 'Stead o' walkin' through the rain."

"I did Apparate. Just... after I got splashed by a car." Bill grinned. "Later, all right? I need to get changed out of these clothes and get a shower."

"Oh, your lady friend is waiting for ye," Jim smirked.

Bill rolled his eyes and walked up the stairs to his flat. As he walked inside, he saw Fleur stretched on his couch. "'Ello."

"Hey," he replied. "What are you doing here? I thought you had to work late."

"I did. It is six o'clock. Where 'ave you been?"

"I went into Muggle London. I had today off," he added unnecessarily. He stuck his hand in his jeans pocket and clasped the small box tightly. "Listen, I need to get a shower, then we'll get to work, okay?"

"Eet ees always work with you! Work, work, work. No time for chatting or asking how a person is," Fleur rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Bill's face broke out into a grin. "I'll just be a few minutes."

He was true to his word. Less than ten minutes later, Bill walked back into his living room in sweats and a thin white T-shirt.

He settled onto his couch and Fleur turned to face him. They sat like that for a minute, just looking at each other from the opposite ends of his couch. Bill shook his head quickly and laughed. "I guess we're both tired."

Fleur nodded. "Yes. I 'ad-had to deal with all sorts of idiotic Englishmen today. And their stupid wives."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Well, well."

"What did you do today?"

"Shopping, mostly."

"I didn't see you carry in any bags."

Bill smiled mysteriously. "Good, good."

Fleur smacked him lightly on the arm. "What did you buy?"

"Oh, just stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Fleur, I think we better get back to our English lessons."

"Thees ees an English lesson, I theenk. We are practicing everyday conversation." Fleur looked at him suspiciously.

Bill laughed again. "You mispronounced some words. Say that first sentence again."

Fleur rolled her eyes elaborately. "This is an English lesson, I think."

"Much better. As a reward, I will tell you about my shopping excursion. I bought new jeans and a couple other miscellaneous items that wouldn't interest you, and I shrunk them down to pocket size and held them in my pocket."

"Oh," Fleur sighed, disappointed. "That was not much of a reward."

"Sorry," Bill shrugged. He opened his mouth to continue the lesson, but stopped. "Listen, Fleur, d'you want to just cancel lessons for today? I think we're both too tired."

Fleur suddenly became very intent on unraveling his throw blanket.

"Fleur?"

"I..." Fleur began hesitantly. Bill watched her wrinkle her nose and get a very frustrated look on her face. "I do not mind if we cancel our lesson." She sighed.

Bill wrinkled his forehead. "Do... do you have something on your mind, Fleur?"

"Yes!" she burst out. "I do not want to do lessons anymore."

"What? Why?" Bill said, shocked.

"Because I just... Never mind, I do not know what I was saying. I do like our lessons."

"No, I won't never mind. What's going on, Fleur?" Bill asked in a softer tone.

"I don't want to do lessons, Bill. I want to talk to you."

Bill leaned back. "Oh."

Fleur ducked her head down and continued to pick at the blanket. Suddenly she threw it aside and stood up. "I will leave."

"No, no! Don't leave, Fleur." Bill grabbed her wrist. "I don't mind if we just... talk."

"Really?" Fleur asked, not quite hiding the hopeful look behind her eyes.

"Really." Bill smiled, and the thought occurred to him that the word 'talk' had suddenly gained an entirely different meaning. "How was your day, again?"

After the initial awkwardness of realizing they weren't doing any kind of planned lesson or planned conversation, Bill and Fleur soon found themselves at eleven o'clock at night, still talking. When they hit a lull in the conversation, Bill glanced at his clock and saw the time. "Oh, man. It's late, I guess you better go."

Fleur smiled. "Walk me to ze lobby?"

Bill agreed, and they walked down the stairs, their hands occasionally brushing against each other. Fleur stood at the Apparating Point, and glanced back at him and smiled. "Tomorrow is Saturday, yes?"

"Yes."

"Shall I come back tomorrow afternoon for our lesson?"

"Um... yeah. I've got lunch at... The Burrow first, though. Come 'round about four, and I'll also cook you a magnificent dinner," Bill replied. He'd nearly said 'Grimmauld Place,' and he just barely stopped himself in time.

"I will be here." Fleur turned back to the Apparition Point, but stopped herself. "Bill," she said, turning back around.

"Yeah?"

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Fleur came toward him suddenly, and he touched her face and almost before he knew it, their lips met and he deepened the kiss. Then, just as suddenly as before, Fleur pulled away and smiled one last time, and then she Disapparated with a quiet pop.

Bill stood stupidly for a minute, and then heard Jim's chuckles. "Shut it, Jim."

Lunch the next day was hectic and busy and loud and just like normal. Bill laughed at Fred and George's antics, watched amusedly as Ron and Hermione flirted without realizing it, tugged Ginny's ponytail absently, only to realize that it was actually Tonks, who glared at him playfully, and who then turned back to Remus, and then he listened to Ginny tell him all about her and Hermione's trip to Diagon Alley. "Mum says next week she'll let us go into Muggle London if Ron goes with us," she chattered happily. "Of course, I don't want Ron to come along, but Hermione didn't mind," Ginny rolled her eyes. "At any rate, I've never been into Muggle London without Mum and Dad around, and I'm pretty sure we could do a better job of blending in than Dad."

"Not that he ever needs to be told that," Bill laughed.

"It'd break his heart, I expect," Ginny agreed, giggling.

"So Bill," Fred said, clambering around the table to sit next to his eldest brother.

"How are things?" George continued, sitting across from him.

"Fine," Bill replied slowly.

"How are Fleur's... Eeeeeenglish lessons going?" Ginny asked mischievously.

"Fine," Bill replied.

George looked at him seriously. "You snogged her yet?"

Fred and Ginny burst into laughter, and even Remus and Tonks tried to hide smiles.

Bill's ears turned bright red.

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