Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own anything except the plot and Cooper MacCarren.

Author's Note: Yes, I know the last chapter wasn't that great, it really was just something to inform you of how things went after Charlie disappeared. And I kind of had writer's block for a few days. Enjoy the rest of the story though.

Chapter Seven- Bill Weasley

The next morning, Hermione was the first one awake despite the late hour it had been when she went to sleep. She made herself a cup of tea and then began to fix breakfast. Hermione knew it would take a while to cook enough food for the entire Weasley Family just like she knew that Mrs. Weasley would be unhappy that she had done it, but she needed something to occupy herself and she felt the need to apologize for all the disturbance she had caused.

Ron was walking down the stairs when she finished and the sight of a table covered in homemade pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, hash, strawberries, and cereal, although she didn't make the cereal or strawberries, greeted him.

He asked, "Hermione, are you all right?"

Hermione forced a smile and nodded. "I'm fine, Ron."

"Hermione, we all heard you last night. Well, we heard the yelling, but not any of the words."

His friend snorted. "Well, let me sum it up for you. Charlie yelled at me for going through his things, I yelled at him for being a stalker, we both yelled at each other about love, and then the wedding was called off."

"Really? You two looked so in love, it was actually starting to make me sick."

"Thank you, Ron," Hermione commented.

Apparently he didn't pick up on the sarcasm in her voice for he replied, "You're welcome. Where's Charlie now?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, he just got angry and left. He could be at one of your neighbours or he could be in Romania by now."

Carefully, Ron replied, "He'll be back, I know he will."

Hermione attempted a smile and thought, Wow, from now on I will not question Luna and Ron's relationship. I think her presence is actually turning him into a real-life human being. To Ron, she said, "Tuck in, Ronald. I'll go wake up the rest of your family."

Ron practically ran to the table to begin eating while Hermione took the stairs up to everyone's rooms. The first ones she woke were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who avidly told her she shouldn't have made breakfast when she had mentioned it. Next were the twins, which were difficult, she practically had to sit on their chest to get any kind of recognition of her presence, though they moved quickly enough at the mention of hot food. Finally, there was Bill and Fleur, Hermione didn't both with Ginny, she could starve for all the young witch cared. Fleur woke easily enough, though it took some convincing from his wife to get Bill up.

Once they were all sitting around the table eating, Ron said, "This is real good, Hermione, even better than Mum's."

"Watch it, Ronald, or you'll be ordering take away for every meal," Mrs. Weasley warned. Then turning to Hermione, she asked, "How are you doing, dear?"

Hermione put on her best face and answered, "I'm perfectly fine, Mrs. Weasley."

"Are you sure, dear? I notice that Charlie isn't here and we all heard last night's yelling."

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm all right, really. This morning I just thought I would thank you all for your kindness."

Mrs. Weasley smoothed the hair on the seventeen year-old's head and replied, "You're family dear. And don't worry, Charlie will come back, he's not the fool of this family."

"Yeah, that position is shared by Percy and Ron," one of the twins quipped.

"Now, Fred, be nice to your brother," Mr. Weasley advised.

The entire comment was missed by Ron, who just sat there, stuffing his mouth with all the food he could. Fred shook his head. "Why is it that the one time I decide to tell the truth, I get in trouble?"

Hermione chose this time to say, "Actually, I was hoping to talk with you later, Bill."

The eldest Weasley child nodded and answered, "Okay, whenever's fine. I got the entire week off."

The rest of breakfast consisted of everyone, or more appropriately, Mr. Weasley and his wife, along with Bill and Fleur, making small talk with Hermione while the other three boys kept cramming food in their mouths. Hermione was amazed that they were able to stay so thin when they ate so much.

Ginny didn't wake until all the food was gone and all the dishes were cleared. She immediately demanded to know why no one had thought to wake her for the meal to which everyone replied that they thought it better to just let her sleep. She wasn't happy but ate the eggs her mother made her while everyone went to get ready for the day.

After breakfast, a game of Quidditch was started which meant that Bill wasn't able to talk to Hermione until the afternoon. He found her sitting underneath the tree by the pond and joined her in the shade.

"So what did you want to talk about, sis?" he asked.

Hermione let out a somewhat bitter laugh and replied, "I'm not your sister, Bill. And I'm not going to be either, the wedding was called off."

Bill laughed and grinned, "Mione, Charlie didn't mean anything he said last night, he was just angry, and don't worry, he hardly ever gets really mad. He's actually the most sweet tempered of all of us. Besides, even if Charlie didn't marry you, you're still family. We could walk down the street and people would completely take us for sibling."

"I don't think so, Bill. First, Ginny's the only girl Weasley born, in what, a hundred years? Second, I don't look anything like you."

Bill took out his wand and tapped Hermione's head, then he retorted, "Now you look exactly like me."

Hermione looked at a section of her hair to discover that it was now the standard Weasley red. She smiled in spite of herself. "I am now an honourary member of the Weasley family."

"Of course, but now what did you want to talk about?"

"I think you can guess that I want to talk about Charlie."

"Hermione, there's no need to worry. I'm sure Charlie and you have had worse fights than this in the time you've been together."

Hermione shook her head. "Bill, there's something I need to tell you. Charlie and I have never fought, and the reason for that is because we never dated."

Bill smiled and nodded in understand. "I had thought as much. It was because of the marriage law, wasn't it?"

"Yes, your mum was the one to suggest it, I had no one else, and Charlie just seemed so willing that we decided to get married. It was too embarrassing to say that I had to have Charlie marry me because of the law though, so Charlie and I made up all the stories of us dating."

"You two seemed so in love, and Charlie kept on acting as though you hung the moon though."

Hermione smiled. "I know, and in the beginning that worried me. I mean Charlie is nearly perfect, good at Quidditch, handsome, and good at school. Why would he every willingly marry his little brother's know-it-all friend? Originally, he told me it was because he was lonely and jealous of his mate who just got married, but then he began to act like he loved me and I began to wonder if that was his true reason. So Ginny suggested that we go through his things."

"I think I can see where this is going," Bill commented.

Hermione didn't respond, she only continued on with her story. "That was when we found a box under our bed, and it was filled with pictures of me, some from my first year. Charlie didn't even know who I was in first year. Anyway, Charlie came in when we were there, and Ginny left while I hung back to tell him that I loved him."

"Did you mean it, Hermione?" Bill suddenly questioned.

"Of course I did, I love Charlie. But now I didn't hear anything from him until dinner when Charlie suddenly announced that he wanted to move the wedding date up. I was so happy, that is until Ginny told me that Charlie was taking a desk position at his work for me."

Bill shook his head. "Wait a minute, you're telling me that you had a row with my little brother because he loved you more than his job?"

"Well, it sounds stupid when you say it like that. I just didn't want him giving up his life for me, Bill. And it made me feel horrible because he was giving up his life for me. Mrs. Weasley always asked him to go into a safer profession, but he refused. Now he's giving it up without me so much as asking."

"And you confronted him about this?"

"Yes, and then I accidentally let it slip that I had gone thought his things and found that box. He said that I was a liar and left. Now I'm here talking to you."

Bill didn't say anything for a moment but then commented, "Charlie's usually an open book, but then when he hides something it's for a very good reason."

"Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"I think I might. But let me talk to him alone first. See what the situation's like. I'll be back before sundown and if anyone asks tell them I'm going to buy something very important," Bill answered and then with a loud pop, he was gone.

Hermione sat staring at the water for another few minutes before apparating herself. She couldn't just sit there and wait, she needed to do something, so she would go to Diagon Alley and check out the bookstore. Or at least she thought she would.

Cooper MacCarren was straightening up his living room when Bill apparated in. Though Cooper was a Muggle, he was a close mate of the Weasleys and therefore knew all about magic. Without any trace of shock, Cooper said, "Was wonderin' when I'd be seenin' ye, Bill. If yer lookin' fer Charl, the lad's in the kitchen."

"How's he doing, Cooper?"

"The lad's doin' bloody awful, Bill. Looks like 'e's mum's been shot."

Bill shook his head. "Let me talk to him. Maybe I can fix this."

"Bill, only thin' that's gonna fix this is Charl usin' that brain o'his. But try yer best, the lad's startin' to drive me insane wit all 'is talk o'that lass o'his."

Bill nodded and headed towards the kitchen of his mate's house. His younger brother smiled as he sat at the counter. "What? Mum send you to come fetch me before I did something really stupid?"

"Actually, your wife sent me."

"Why would Hermione send you to fetch me?"

"Because she's worried."

"Really? Last night she assured me that she could find another pureblood and that I wasn't needed."

"Charlie, she didn't mean that. She loves you, brother, and you can't just through that away because she went through your things. So stop acting like a four year-old and come home."

"How can I be sure, Bill? How can I know if she really love me?"

"Charlie, you can ever be sure with love. You just have to take your chances and hope it turned out well."

"How do I know she won't go through my things again then?"

"Charlie, everyone makes mistakes. Hermione just allowed Ginny to lead her into something she shouldn't have. Now you're just going to have to trust Hermione along with her heart and brain. Besides, she only went through your things, it's not as though she stole anything of yours."

"Ginerva Molly Weasley, I don't ever want to see that little girl again."

"Charlie, she's your little sister."

"How can we be sure of that? Mum might have just found her sixteen years ago at the side of the road, after all, a girl hasn't been born into the Weasley line for a long time. Besides, it's not as though she's acting like she's my sister."

"Charlie, how old are you? Because right now you're acting two."

Charlie laughed and retorted, "I'm twenty-four and I'm marrying a seventeen year-old fresh out of school."

"There's only a few years difference."

"Yes, but I've been in love with her since she was fifteen when Mum and Ron wrote me all those bloody letters about her. Fifteen, when I was twenty-two. I'm a bloody stalker and a pervert."

"Charlie, did you do anything about your love?"

"No."

"Then I wouldn't call you a pervert."

"Really, Bill? What if I told you that I had dreams about her?"

Bill winced. "How bad were they?"

Charlie grinned, "Really bad, brother dear."

"I do have to call you a bit of pervert then, Charlie. She's not fifteen anymore though, she's a beautiful, intelligent seventeen year-old."

"Which makes you wonder why she's marrying me."

Bill smiled and teased, "Because she loves you, Charlie, Merlin only knows why, but she loves you. Now, are you coming with me to the Burrow?"

"Are you going to shut up?" Charlie questioned.

His elder brother shook his head causing Charlie to sigh and replied, "Then, yes. I'm coming."

"Wonderful. Hermione's going to be happy to see you."

"It's only been one night, Bill."

"Don't you miss her, Charlie?" his brother didn't respond, so Bill continued, "I think I've just proven my point."

"Well, let's go before I change my mind," Charlie answered. Then for Cooper to hear, he yelled, "Coop, I'm leaving. I've got to get back to my wife, thanks for everything, mate."

"Come back an'time, Charl, I'd love to meet this lass o'yers," Cooper replied as he appeared in the doorway.

"I'll talk to Mione about it. Goodbye, Coop."

Bill and Charlie apparated together back to their childhood home, but as soon as they arrived in the living room, they were greeted by the sight of George who let out a breath and said, "Charlie, thank Merlin you're here."

"Why? What's wrong?"

George's usually smiling face was filled with panic and worry. He answered, "Hermione's been attacked, Charlie, she's in Saint Mungo's."