March came with an invitation to Ron's birthday at the Burrow. Him being unattached to Hermione, now left it up to the rest of the Weasleys to celebrate him. Bill thought Ron enjoyed it, he was surrounded by the old gang. Bill liked seeing everyone too, not having to wait until May the 2nd every year to catch up with everyone.
Harry and Ginny were there already when Bill and Fleur arrived, they were hanging rigged decorations to prank Ron when he got there. They were made to set off like firecrackers but looked like harmless paper decorations. They hoped he wouldn't recognise it from the shop right away.
Fleur disappeared into the kitchen to keep Molly company as she busied herself with the feast that came with Ron's birthday demands. Bill sat laughing as Ginny threatened to jinx Harry when Harry wouldn't stop tickling her.
A loud crack and Ron and Hermione arrived together, linked at the elbows. Bill grinned at Ron, roared Happy Birthday before giving him a bear hug. He greeted Hermione with a half hug.
Hermione disappeared into the kitchen, Bill felt his stomach tighten when he saw her bushy hair disappear into the kitchen. Ginny eyed Ron carefully when she pulled out of hugging him.
"You and her getting along then?" she asked.
"We're getting along. Just friends, you know?" Ron said, glancing at the kitchen and smiling.
"That's good." Harry said laughing. He remembered Ron and Hermione's fight when they were 13, which was much worse than this felt now.
Bill saw Ron glancing at the alcohol cabinet and saw him fidget nervously.
"You ok Ron?" he asked him. "You haven't been off the wagon?"
"No no," Ron said quickly. "I mean I did, but I went to this healing place."
"Healing place?" Bill asked. "Like St Mongo's again?"
"No, um," Ron said, struggling to make a sentence. "A place that deletes your memories? So I fell off the wagon, don't remember it haha. But I didn't want to remember it, so I wouldn't want the alcohol, you know?"
"Did it work then?" Bill asked.
"Yea." Ron said looking at Bill and smiling. "I mean, I don't remember being hammered and what that night was like, so I don't crave it you know. But it's still distracting, I guess. Seeing the stuff around."
Bill pointed his wand at the alcohol bottles and they disappeared.
"Thanks, mate." he said with a lopsided grin and relieved smile. "Hermione's been a great friend to me too."
Bill felt his stomach do a weak summersault at the sound of Hermione's name. He felt his face twist in confusion.
"Oh, yea? How?" Bill asked.
"She took me, you know?" Ron said smiling. "Helped me with the procedure and getting me home and everything."
"Oh! That was good of her." Bill found his mind drifting back to the bushy hair that disappeared into the kitchen. "I'll go check if the girls need any muscle."
He walked into the kitchen to hear Molly laughing and Hermione and Fleur covered in flour. Bill felt the urge to brush the flour off Hermione's cheek before he turned to Fleur and kissed her powdery nose.
He spent the rest of the day confused about why the smell of ink and parchment made him fill with a homey warmth whenever Hermione walked past him.
Ron's birthday confusion disappeared pretty quickly from his mind. It only resurfaced again when the 6th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts came around.
Bill had his arm wrapped around Fleur. Percy sat with his quiet new girlfriend, she was beaming at being included. Harry and Ginny were snorting into their Butterbeer. Ron had just waved his wand and it turned into a rubber chicken with a comical pop.
Charlie was yet to arrive, George and Angelina were snuggled by the fireplace warming up for a second and whispering in each other's ears. Luna and Neville would be here soon, Luna being Luna and Neville being Neville, they were late for their own reasons.
The tinkle at the door made Bill look up and he saw Hermione sliding her coat off and hanging it on the rack. Her hair was shiny from the rain outside and her white blouse was soaked through a little. His stomach tightened again and flipped completely when she looked at him and smiled.
She sat across from him and he couldn't take his eyes off her. She stared unabashedly back. She looked away to greet everyone and call Rosmerta over for a butterbeer. Rosmerta stared at Bill for a second too long, but Bill hadn't noticed. He smelled the rain on Hermione's skin, it was a little floral.
No one else noticed the dance Bill and Hermione did that night. The eye contact they kept felt all too familiar to Bill, and he shifted in his seat nervously. He wanted to reach out and touch her.
Hermione looked intrigued. After her third butterbeer, she got up to leave for the night, explaining that she had work the next morning. Bill stiffened. He turned to Fleur who had been quiet for a while.
"Washroom." he said briefly and walked to the restrooms. He went out the back way of the kitchens instead and circled to the front of the building, seeing Hermione come out the front door just in time to yell "Hermione!" before she got time to disapparate.
She turned to see him half-hidden in the dark and lit by the moonlight.
"Bill?" she asked.
"Come here for a second." he said. He didn't know what he was doing. She did a quick kind of skip toward him.
"What is it?" she asked. He walked toward her and kissed her. She kissed him back. Pushing her up to the damp wall, he worked his tongue in to meet hers, tasting the butterbeer. She moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
Bill's chest was on fire with happiness. Hermione's legs were weak and he pressed himself onto her, eliciting a deep moan from her throat. He reached down her pants and pressed onto her clit before sliding his finger into her.
"Fuck." He said as he kissed her. She had put her hand into his pants and tugged at his shaft in one fluid motion.
"Bill!" and they pulled away from each other in shock. Fleur was staring at them, aghast.
"Shit, Fleur! I'm sorry!" Bill said. He adjusted himself and walked toward her.
"No, you're not." Fleur said, her eyes swelling with tears.
"Yes! I am, I don't know why I'm doing this." Bill said. He held his head in confusion.
"I do." Fleur said softly.
"What?" Bill asked. Hermione was still sunken against the wall in the darkness, trying to disappear by melting into the wall.
"You had the procedure at Forget About It. You did it to forget her. They sent an owl to ask about your follow-up, to see if you'd even remember them." Fleur said, her pain warped her face.
"I did the stupid thing too, but undid it after Ron's birthday. I saw how you were looking at her. So I went back and had them undo the procedure." Fleur explained when they both remained silent. "You've been together for months! You've been fucking her for months." She trailed off in a sob.
"What?" Bill said stupidly. He looked at Hermione, whose face was filled with understanding.
"Oh! That's what I went to them for. They told me I did it for some post-war memory thing." Hermione said, then immediately looked horrified. "I've been with him for months?"
"And I fucked Ron and got him off the wagon." Fleur said, throwing her hands into the air. "I guess we're all even."
"Ron-" Bill said looking between them.
"Yes, Bill. You're free. Go be with her." Fleur said, and she spun on her heel and disapparated.
Hermione stared at Bill. She was now soaked through. Bill was standing with his mouth open.