Disclaimer: I don't own these characters I just play with them for fun. Especially the boys! Loads of fun! LOL!

Bill wiped the sweat from his brow. This was difficult work, curse-breaking. Luckily, his assistant was arriving soon. He knew nothing of her, only that she had recently graduated from Hogwarts. He wasn't exactly anxious, but he had never had to work in the close proximity of another person, except on the rare occasions he was sent to help on a major project.

Since he knew nothing of what his new assistant would be like—no information was provided,—he was wondering what she would be like. Bill hoped it would be someone who he could get along with, and had similar working habits that he did. As soon as he thought this, he received the message that his new partner/assistant had arrived, and that he was expected to meet her at camp. He sighed, then apparated towards camp.

As he arrived in camp, he looked around to see if he could get an idea of were his new partner would be waiting. He looked to his left and saw a group of his fellow workers fawning over a stunning young woman, with waving locks of chestnut hair. She was talking to one of the many men surrounding her. Lucky bastard, Bill thought.

While Bill stood there looking at the newest member of the team, she turned and caught sight of him. She gasped and a look of recognition flashed on her face.

"BILL!" she cried.

The next thing Bill realized was that the strange woman was running toward him, arms outstretched. Before he could say one word of inquiring interest, the young woman was in his arms. His arms automatically captured her in his embrace. He couldn't help but notice how right and familiar she felt in his arms. He drew her closer to his body, not caring that he didn't even know her name. After what seemed like hours, but were merely seconds, she pulled away to look him straight in the eyes.

"How are you Bill? I haven't seen you in ages," she said with a look of genuine bliss.

"Hermione?" said Bill, incredulously. He couldn't believe that this was the same girl that came to stay with his parents a week every summer. She had grown up considerably since he last saw her three summers ago.

She looked him up and down and then smiled approvingly. She smiled to herself, and thought that in the last three years Bill had become quite the striking man, that she had always seen him as. The eldest Weasley son had captured her fascination in her fifth year at Hogwarts with his easy-going charm and entrancing smile. He was as different from Ron as night and day.

He felt his ears going increasingly red from her slow, long perusal of his person. How could this be the little bookworm Ron was so in love with? Though now that he had seen her, he understood what caused his youngest brother's fascination. He knew that Hermione and Ron had had a somewhat rocky personal relationship, and that it had ended badly some months previously. This was the physical contact she had had with a male, since the break up.

They had realized that, after being in each others arms for quite some time, that they were being watched by the fan club that Hermione's arrival had caused. With their cheeks, in Bill's case ears, burning from both embarrassment and their closeness, they disentangled their arms from one another.

"Hermione, I think it's time I showed you around, so you can get familiar with where we will be working," Bill said calmly ignoring the gathered crowd.

They turned to walk towards the newly discovered pyramid that would be their workspace. As he looked at her from under his lashes, suddenly she stumbled.

"Are you alright?" Bill asked

"Yes, I'm fine," answered Hermione

Nevertheless, he put his hand at her elbow, just in case she faltered again. He tried not to notice how soft her hair was under his fingertips. Several other thoughts entered his mind, but he struggled to restrain them as this was his younger brother's ex and his new partner.

She fought the butterflies that entered her stomach at Bill's feather light touch. She was hoping that he would not just see her as his partner or his brother's ex, but as a woman that was interested in not only his mind but his body.

They were working late one night, a week after being partnered,having discovered a new artifact that could be the key to unlocking the mystery of the pyramid. They have been becoming increasingly aware of each others presence, but both had been reluctant to act on it.

"Bill! Come over here and look at this!" Hermione called excitedly.

Bill turned from what he was doing and rushed to her side, wondering what she had found. By the sound in her voice Hermione must have found something big, because as everyone knows she doesn't get excited over just anything. When he reached her side he looked and saw that, despite all the work he had been doing she had broke the code on the artifact!

"Bill, look at it! This tells a story of the pharaoh that discovered the first dragon nest! He was even buried with the egg of a Romanian Ridgetail to prove it! This even gives the map to his crypt!" Hermione yelled breathlessly.

"Hermione, you did it! You cracked the code and unlocked the history of the pyramid!" Bill exclaimed, leaning down to kiss her cheek for a job well done.

Before either one knew what was happening, Bill's lips meet hers in an innocent kiss. Within half a second the once innocent kiss turned into a passionate, fiery kiss that had both participants breathless when they broke away. Neither one knew what to say or do. The attraction between them had become intense in just a few moments, and that scared them a little bit.

"Sorry, 'bout that 'Mione. I really shouldn't have done that," Bill said as he looked at her like he had done something terribly wrong.

"If I didn't want you to do that I would have resisted. I see no reason to be sorry about what just happened," she said defensively. "And if the reason you feel bad is because of what happened between Ron and me, that happened months ago and it doesn't matter now."

"Hermione, you're my little brother's ex-girlfriend, I don't think that if we get together it would go over well with my family," Bill said not wanting to hurt Hermione or his chances with her.

"You're not anywhere near your family now. We're not even in England. Bill, what happens between us is none of anyone else's concern." She paused momentarily and looked into his eyes. "If I had never dated Ron would you be kissing me again, right now?" she asked, nervous of his answer.

"Yes I would but you did date my brother. Hermione, don't look at me with those puppy dog eyes," Bill pleaded as she moved closer to him.

Hermione had decided to take things into her own hands. If he wasn't going to make that first move then she was. She placed her hands on Bill's arms and took another step towards him, which Bill returned with a step backwards. They continued their odd dance until Bill was obstructed by his own desk. Traitor was his only thought, aside from the ones beckoning Hermione to be in his arms and bed tonight.

A small smile crept onto her face as she kept moving towards him. Slowly, Bill's look of terror melted away and he smiled at the look in Hermione's eyes. He wanted her just as much as she wanted him. Just as Hermione got within a few inches of Bill's face, she pushed him down into a sitting position on top of his desk.

She put her hands on his knees and slowly pushed them apart. He gasped, thinking about the options of what she could do from that position. She slowly stepped forward between his legs and kissed him. The warmth of their kiss consumed them with lightning fast speed. Hermione wrapped her arms around Bill's neck to grab the hair at the back of his neck, while Bill placed one hand at her waist the other one working its way through her hair.

Bill slowly broke off the kiss, as conscious thought returned to him. "We can't," he said "You're like a sister to me, one of the family."

"Does it feel like you're kissing one of the family?" Hermione retorted angrily. Slowly her anger turned to sadness. "I know you want me, just as much as I want you. Why do you fight it?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"Because….I don't know…..Hermione I won't say that I don't want you. If I did all you'd have to do is look at me and know I am lying. I really don't know why I fight it….it's just so easy to want you but, I still feel like I'm betraying Ron," Bill said confusedly.

"Bill, if anybody should feel like they're betraying anyone, it should be Ron," Hermione said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Bill asked more confused than ever.

"The reason me and Ron broke up is because I caught him cheating on me with Luna Lovegood. Ron was supposed to meet me at the Leaky Cauldron for our anniversary dinner, when he was two hours late I went looking for him. When I got to the Burrow there they were, Ron with Luna sitting on his lap, his mouth practically sewn onto her breast. Before, either Ron or Luna knew what was happening I stormed into the room and nailed Luna in the face. When Ron stood up to protect her I told him that if he ever, ever looked me in the face again, I would relieve him of his manhood, inch by inch. That is why me and Ron split, needless to say we weren't on the best of terms," Hermione said viscously.

Bill stared at Hermione in shock; he couldn't seem to understand why Ron would cheat on her. Bill's expression turned from shock to a fierce anger. Hermione took a step father away from him fearing the worst.

"He did what? That little wanker! If he wasn't my brother I would skin him alive with a rusty knife! Why would any man in his right mind cheat on you! You're beautiful, intelligent, funny, and….and…. I just don't understand why he would do that!" Bill practically screamed.

Hermionestared at Bill watching the calmer more rational side of him fighting to suppress the angered half of him. She waited a few moments then approached him cautiously, waiting for him to go for a second round of raving about Ron's treatment of her, but none came. When she was within arms reach of him, Bill's arms came and wrapped them selves around her waist, bringing her into a hug that silently promised a security that she hadn't felt in a while. She pressed her face into his strong shoulder, and inhaled his completely male scent.

"Hermione, why didn't you tell me in the first place that he cheated on you? I wouldn't have resisted the way I did had I known that had happened." Bill whispered, as he made his way toward the door. "You must have known that I care for you, I have never even pictured you as a sister."

With that said, Bill slowly slipped out of the office to share the good news of Hermione's discovery with the rest of the team.

SEVERAL WEEKS LATER

"Hermione, someone's here to see you!" yelled the dig leader, Anton.

Hermione slowly looked up from her latest job, to see a redhead coming towards her through the tents and crowd. She studied the head moving towards her with interest. The hair color marked them as one of the Weasley clan. She began trying to figure out which one it was, was it Arthur, Percy, or Ginny?

As she sat and waited, Bill came up behind her and embraced her. She then squealed and turned to recognize her attacker.

"Oh, hey Bill," she stated as she returned the embrace.

"How about we take a break and grab some food?" he asked calmly.

"Sure," she replied," but Anton said that someone is here to see me."

Before she could utter another syllable the unidentified Weasley broke into the conversation.

"Mione, Bill, how are you two?" Ron said merrily.

"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" screamed Hermione.

"I'm here to talk to you. Can we please discuss this privately?" Ron asked quietly.

"Whatever you have to say to her, you can say in front of me," Bill stated protectively.

"This is none of your business, Bill. This is between Mione and me. Just stay out of it," Ron stated angrily.

"Anything that involves Hermione, IS my business," Bill retorted, as Hermione shot him an appreciative glance over her shoulder.

"SINCE WHEN?" Ron yelled.

"Since you broke her heart, Ronald! Since I realized how much of an asshole you have been to her!" Bill exclaimed. "You might not care about her, but I do."

Hermione, at hearing Bill's confession, whipped her head around, her mouth open and eyes wide.

"What did you just say, Bill?" she asked quietly.

Ron's head followed the conversation, until he couldn't stay quiet any longer. "You, Bill, are just saying that to gain her trust, to get into her pants!" he shouted anxiously.

Without another word Bill dove across the space separating them, grabbed Ron by the throat, and drove his clenched fist into his youngest brother's nose. Ron was shocked by his brother's sudden violent actions, for he was always known as the peacemaker of the Clan.

Ron, finally coming out of his stupor, swung at Bill, hitting him with a fierce uppercut. Bill stumbled back a step with a shake of his head. Before either Weasley could begin to swing, Hermione stepped between them, tears in her eyes.

"STOP IT!" she yelled hysterically, "Ronald, you need to stop this. You had your chance with my heart, and you betrayed me. Bill is everything I have ever looked for in a man, and I love him."

The Weasley men froze in their tracks, staring at the crying woman in front of them. Hermione, realizing what she had just admitted, fled from the tent, into the desert.

Startled, Ron made a move as to go after her, but was stopped by Bill.

"Let her go, she needs this time to be alone, to think," Bill stated.

"You're just saying that because you don't want me to comfort her while you sit here on your arse and do nothing to make her feel better," Ron stated angrily.

"I care more about her feelings then you ever have! I would NEVER think of hurting her the way---. "Bill stopped mid-sentence as the tent flap was opened to reveal the entire Weasley clan.

"Bill, who are you and your brother arguing about?" demanded the one and only, Molly Weasley.

"Mum, we aren't arguing, we are having a discussion," Bill said calmly.

"About who?" Fred and George asked simultaneously.

"Hermione. Bill here thinks that he loves her," Ron said jerkily.

"WHAT?" shouted Molly. "She broke up with your younger brother and here you are wanting her! Bill, she could do the same thing to you!"

"Mother, who told you that she broke up with Ron?" Bill asked sarcastically.

"Ron, he said that she dumped him out of the blue. Do you really want to go through that with her, too?" Molly asked with a mothering tone of voice.

"SHE DUMPED YOU OUT OF THE BLUE! SHE dumped YOU because she caught you with Luna, on the day of your anniversary! Isn't that right, Ronnie?" Bill practically yelled at Ron.

"Is this true, Ron? Did she catch you cheating?" Ginny asked.

"Why would he cheat with Luna Lovegood? Why would he choose Loony over Hermione?" George asked aloud to himself.

"Don't know George, but Hermione is a smart girl for dumping Ron," Fred said calmly, and just loud enough for Molly to hear.

"That will be quite enough out of you two for now!" Molly growled at them. "Is it true Ron? Did you cheat on Hermione with that Lovegood girl?"

"Where did he disappear too?" Ginny asked as she did a slow 360 degree turn as the whole Weasley family turned looking for Ron.

By the time that the rest of his family realized that Ron had disappeared, he already had a good head start on them. He was off and running in the direction that Hermione went, following her footprints. He had to get to her before his family realized where they had gone.

"She runs so fast, faster than she did a year ago. Now, where did she go….Of course the oasis. Hermione, sweet, you were always the romantic."

Hermione was sitting inside the cluster of trees. While she sat on a large rock over hanging the tiny pool, which was nestled in the middle of the trees, she had her toes in the crystal, clear water. While her eyes were focus on an invisible spot in the pool, tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Ron watched her, wishing she was still his, but Bill had polluted her mind against him. Ron walked up to her as quiet as possible, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Hermione ran to her favorite spot to think…Athena's Oasis as she had come to call it. The water was peaceful, the breeze that blew through occasionally made the whole thing perfect.

"Why did I say that? Now Bill is going to think that I'm a lovesick puppy. Why didn't I tell him when I had the chance, because I was too afraid he would reject me…but look at me now, sitting here crying over him finding out," Hermione mentally abused herself.

While she abused herself, little did she know that Ron was right behind her, until she felt the hand rest gently on her shoulder. Her first thought was that it was Bill, but this hand was smaller than Bill's, colder than Bill's, and awakened a part of her that she hated…her envious/resentful side. She was resentful/jealous of the way that that hand had been one moment rubbing her into oblivion and the next was attached to Loony's breast.

"What do you want, Ronald? I thought I had made myself perfectly clear; I don't want you anywhere near me. Ever! No go AWAY!" Hermione yelled, through her tears.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing for me to do, I never meant to hurt you," Ron said calmly.

"You never meant for me too find out, that's what you mean. How long were you sleeping with her before that? A week? A month? A year? Which was it Ronald?" Hermione screamed in his face.

Ron just looked down at the ground, not answering. He finally looked up, staring straight into Hermione's eyes, the same way he used to, before she found out about Luna. As he stared into her eyes, he watched her bitterness disappear. He slowly began to move closer to her, until their lips were mere inches apart, and then he closed the distance between them causing Hermione to come out of her temporary stupor.

Before Ron came too accustomed to the kiss, Hermione started to fight him. He just used his strength to over power her, and she fought harder. But it was too late; he had her maneuvered into a position that was to his benefit. Ron had Hermione pinned to the rock, which so recently was a comfort zone, which now held her fast.

"Ron! Let me go. Why are you doing this!" She asked, barely able to keep her hysteria under control. "Leave me alone!"

"Why should I Hermione? All you'll do is run to my brother, the one that has made you hate me. You are going to be mine again, just like it used to be," Ron said threateningly.

"Bill hasn't made me hate you, you made me hate you. If you wouldn't have been with Loony, I would probably still be with you!" Hermione yelled into his face.

Ron turned beet red and began cursing at her, calling her all the names that Malfoy had ever called her. Hermione began to struggle, Ron then grabbed his wand from his pocket and began to mumble the incantation for the Impervious Curse.

Hermione then let out one last scream before Ron was thrown off of her. She turned to see Bill, running towards her. She then gave into the fatigue, of the recent events and slipped into darkness.

A/N: My first fanfic! Hope it'sto your liking! It all came about when we get together! Me and my beta! Go us... I love you all, especially my beta RavenRose! Read and Review!

GryffinGoddess