10th March 1998

The pub was muggle. It was familiar to both Percy and Audrey, and quiet enough on a Tuesday night they didn't run the risk of bumping into anyone they might know. Percy and Audrey were already there seated at a corner table when Bill walked in followed by Fleur.

Bill noticed them and came over. Audrey and Percy stood to meet them.

"Hi Percy," Bill said pulling Percy in for a quick hug. "Audrey," Bill said turning to her. "We've not been introduced, I'm Bill, Percy's eldest brother. This is my wife, Fleur."

"It's very nice to meet you both. Sit down, please. What are you drinking?"

Bill's eyes flickered to Percy.

"Beer?" Percy offered.

"Yes," Bill said looking a little relieved.

Audrey turned to Fleur. "I'm on gin and tonics, the wine here isn't up to much, unless you prefer beer as well?"

"No thank you, I will try what it is you are drinking."

"Two G and T's Percy. Here, it's my round." Audrey pulled out some cash from her purse.

Percy waved her off. "It's fine. You can get the next one."

"If you're sure?" Audrey said putting the cash into her pocket.

Bill glanced at Fleur before following Percy to the bar.

"Well," Audrey said looking over at Fleur. "That was subtle."

"Oui, yes." Fleur settled into the chair next to Audrey looking around the pub in interest. "I have never been to a place like this before."

"Oh well, it's nice enough," Audrey said leaning back giving the pub an assessing glance. "It's halfway between where I work and where some of my friends do so we come here a bit. Or the Queens Head which is just around the corner. It's noisier there, they have quite a lot of live music, and it can be a bit much."

Audrey watched Bill and Percy at the bar. Percy was holding himself stiffly while Bill was leaning on the bar looking a little uneasy. "Does Bill not come into the muggle world much either?"

"Non, we do not. It is only recently he has found out that the twins and Percy do so. For all that his father is interested in muggles, they have not spent any time in the muggle world."

"Percy's Dad is interested in muggles?" Audrey asked in surprise.

"Oh yes, he has a shed full of muggle things. Molly does not approve so it is kept there out of the way."

Percy and Bill came back to the table placing the drinks down in front of their respective partners and taking their seats.

"What are we interrupting?" Bill asked with a smile.

"Your Dad has a shed of muggle things," Audrey asked an eyebrow arching at Percy.

Percy nodded. "He's been collecting it for years."

"What kind of things?"

"Batteries, small electronics. Dad has a car, but it's got that much magic running through it, it resembles nothing much like a car."

"A car, really?"

"Yes, it flies."

Audrey sipped her drink processing that. "Well, I suppose, you wouldn't get stuck in rush hour."

Fleur tried her drink cautiously making Audrey hide her smile. Did wizards not have gin?

Fleur obviously liked her drink as her next sip was more confident. "I do not think I remember you from when I visited at Hogwarts. Were you in the same year as Percy?"

Audrey exchanged a glance with Percy. "This is going to come up a lot, isn't it?"

"Yes," Percy said.

"I'm not sure if I should find it amusing or irritating."

"I would suggest you find it amusing for as long as you can because it will become irritating," Percy advised.

"What?" Bill asked.

"I didn't go to Hogwarts," Audrey said.

"Oh? I did not know that there were other magical schools in Britain," Fleur said with interest. "What was it like."

"No, you misunderstand," Audrey said. "Although I don't know if there are any other magical schools in Britain either. I didn't go to Hogwarts. I didn't go to a magical school. I'm a muggle."

The puzzled looks on Bill and Fleur's faces as they tried to understand what Audrey was saying morphed into surprise as she announced she was a muggle.

Fleur put her drink down. "Really? You have no magic at all?"

"No," Audrey said with a small smile. "Not a lick."

"You're not a squib?" Bill asked squinting at her.

"A child with little to no magic born to magical parents," Percy clarified. "And yes, irritating."

Audrey looked back at Fleur. "I assure you I am as muggle as Helen and John Granger."

Bill rounded on Percy. "And you let her come to the Burrow? She's a muggle! She could have been hurt, if not by a stray spell then by any of the enchantments on the house!"

"Percy didn't let me do anything," Audrey snapped back, her eyes narrowing at Bill. "I am an adult, and I decide what I do. I was escorted by a house elf, and John, Fred and George were with me at any given point. Don't you dare accuse Percy of putting me in danger, it wasn't Percy using mind reading spells on me. It wasn't my mother accusing him and his fiancée of being Death Eaters."

"Death Eaters?"

"Fiancée?"

Audrey blinked at the two responses glancing at Percy looking for clues as to who to answer first.

Percy shook his head at her with a small smile of amusement. "Now look, love, you've thrown them both. Yes, Audrey is my fiancée. I asked her at the beginning of February. And yes, our Mother thought that my refusal to give up my position in the Ministry was directly related to my choosing the 'dark' over the 'light'. Hence the split and the reason we have not been speaking. Upon meeting Audrey for the first time at the Burrow, well, you both witnessed how that went."

"Percy," Bill said. "Audrey, she's a muggle."

"Yes," Percy replied with a smirk. "I did know that."

"She's also right bloody here!" Audrey said pointedly.

"The Statute of Secrecy! Percy, the law! Merlin's balls, do you know what you've done?" Bill exclaimed aghast.

"Yes," Percy agreed. "I happen to be fully aware. Why do you ask?"

"How are you so blasé about it? It is punishable by life in Azkaban! Merlin."

Percy shrugged. "I'm not sorry, and I'd do it again."

"As far as I can see," Audrey said reasonably. "The only reason your Oblivitiators need to worry is if I go spouting off. Since I'm not going to do that, there's no problem is there? And once we have a family I'll be told anyway, so I don't see what the fuss is all about."

Bill frowned at her. "Have you considered what life imprisonment for Percy might mean?"

Audrey shrugged. "Who is going to care? Your society has bigger problems than one clued in muggle running around, when in fact I'm not running around shouting the odds. I'm marrying Percy. We're going to have a family, and if you have a problem with that, I suggest you either get over it immediately or accept that you will not be spending time with Percy in the future."

Fleur took Audrey's hand in hers, her eyes shining with delight. "I would very much like to get to know you better. If Bill has a problem with it, he can join his mother. She does not like me although she has never called me a Death Eater. She would not have me as I am part Veela. She will not have you either as you are a muggle."

"What's a Veela?" Audrey asked. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm still learning."

"We are considered creatures," Fleur said with a sniff of contempt.

"I can get you a book," Percy said quietly.

Audrey nodded. "Which part of France are you from?"

"The south."

"Really? Where? I've spent a bit of time in France. Percy and I are due to go again in a few months."

Fleur looked at Percy in surprise. "The village is in the hills towards the border with Switzerland."

Audrey nodded. "We travel through that area. Remember Percy? The valley we went through before we reached Arles?"

"Yes," Percy nodded. "I had not realised your family lived there."

"Non," Fleur said. "We are small and closely knit."

Bill shook his head lifting his beer. Percy, the brother least likely to break the rules had broken the biggest of them and was blasé about it.

"I have not travelled much," Fleur was saying. "It is not the same for us. Port keys and floo and apparition."

"I've not done port keys," Audrey said. "But I'm not much of a fan of the other two. Although Helen and John took me out on their flying carpet and that was very exciting."

"Where else have you been?" Fleur asked.

"Well, we went to Prague recently. Percy needed a break from work, so we went for a weekend."

"How did you travel?" Fleur asked.

"Oh, we flew."

"On a broom?" Fleur said aghast.

"No," Audrey laughed. "On a plane."

Bill spat out his mouthful of beer, muttering apologies he surreptitiously cleaned up the mess before turning to his brother. "You've been on a flying muggle plane?"

"Yes," Percy said. "It was before Audrey found out I was a wizard, so I didn't have a lot of choices."

"That's a point, now I understand better, how did you get a passport?" Audrey asked curiously.

"It's fake," Percy deadpanned.

"What!?"

"It's fake," he repeated.

"But security, they said nothing, not when we went through the tunnel either."

"It's a very good fake," Percy said. "Magic, remember? There's a department at the Ministry that provides muggle documentation when you need it. There's enough of a paper trail in the Muggle world now that if they did a check on me, my address is correct, my bank account and so on. I do exist there now."

"You know it's totally illegal to travel on a fake passport."

Percy shrugged. "What can I say? It's totally illegal to tell you about magic. It appears I'm more like my brothers than I knew."

"Oh yeah," Audrey said drolly with a roll of her eyes and a wide smile. "You're a total badass."

"Pretty much," Percy joked.

Bill looked between them. "I'm flabbergasted," he admitted.

"Why?" Audrey asked. "Because I'm a muggle or because you didn't know Percy was a rule breaker?"

"No," Bill said. "Percy just made a joke. I feel I should write it down or something or at least let Fred and George know."

Audrey's eyebrows climbed her forehead, her tone came out cold and her words sharp. "I'll have you know that Percy is funny. He's also kind, loyal, brave, and fantastic in bed. Just because you don't know these things doesn't make them less true."

Fleur shot Bill an annoyed look. "Could you please not offend everyone at the table. I would like to get to know these people and you are acting as if you are intent on never seeing them again."

Bill held his hands up placatingly. "I'm sorry I didn't mean it."

"It is not me to whom you should apologise," Fleur replied tartly before muttering insults in French under her breath. Bill nodded at Fleur then turned to Percy and Audrey. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend."

Audrey checked that Percy was unconcerned before she shrugged at Bill and picked up her drink. Before she took a sip, she said quietly "Avoir les deux pieds dans le même sabot."

Fleur choked back a laugh. "You speak Français?"

Audrey tipped her head in an affirmative. "Necessary for work since we travel through France. It wouldn't do to not understand what the traders are saying."

Fleur smiled broadly then shot Bill a hard look. "You will be polite. I wish to have Audrey as a friend, we have much in common."

Bill nodded raising his hand placatingly again. He looked at Percy. "You don't speak French as well do you?"

"No, I cheat and use translation charms. I plan on learning enough to get by while I'm with Audrey though."

"Ha!" Fleur said having heard Percy's response. "See, Percy will make an effort. You must. It is no good for you to rely on the charms to speak to my family."

Bill hunched down a little under his wife's insistent look. "I know, you've said so before."

Percy smirked at Bill. "Something for the to-do list?"

Bill grunted tipping the last of his drink into his mouth using it as a reason not to respond. "I'll get the next round, shall I? Same again?"

A chorus of yes sent him to the bar with Percy to help with the money leaving Audrey with Fleur once again.

"I would like to be friends," Fleur said. "It is not easy with Bill's family, it would be nice to have someone that doesn't judge me."

"I'd like that. Fred and George are great, they've been nothing but kind. I've not met Ron or Ginny yet. What are they like?"

Fleur frowned a little. "Ron, he was fourteen or fifteen when we first met. My magic, it is an allure, it would not affect you unless you prefer women. Ron, he was affected most severely. Perhaps it was just that time of his life, the hormones no?" Fleur shrugged elegantly. "I spent very little time around him. It is hard to know that you affect people and cannot stop it, it is uncomfortable to be stared at. You learn to block it out, but it makes it no less terrible. I am a quarter Veela, for me, it is not as bad as if I was half or full. That is why we live in small close villages."

"That sounds difficult. To be stared at and approached with unwanted attention."

"Yes," Fleur said. "Ginny, she was younger still and Molly, she did not like me and encouraged Ginny in this. She called me 'Phlegm' and pretended I could not hear."

"And I'm a muggle," Audrey said pulling a face. "I suppose she won't like me either."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Fleur replied. "She was very much infatuated with Harry then, and Harry was as affected by me as Ron. Hermione was not pleased either although she remained polite. I understand. No one wants to see their chosen partner looking at another woman."

"Percy seems unbothered," Audrey said. "Not to say you aren't beautiful, you are. He told me you were beautiful and clever when I first asked about you. But he isn't acting any different than he does with my other girlfriends."

Fleur shrugged. "For some, it is not the same. Percy has you, he is in love, what need of me has he?"

"So, your allure doesn't work on those in love?" Audrey asked slightly sceptically. "I mean no offence, but it seems a bit of a reach. How would you know if they were in love or I don't know, just infatuated?"

"It is magic," Fleur replied simply.

Audrey groaned. "Magic. Bah humbug."

Fleur blinked. Audrey was saved from having to explain by the return of Bill and Percy. They handed out the drinks and retook their seats.

"Is work keeping you busy? Dad said he hasn't seen much of you at the Ministry and you didn't go to Sunday lunch last week. Mum said she'd invited you. She wanted us all back I think, well except Ginny and Ron." Bill commented as he settled back into his chair.

"If you're about to start campaigning for our Mother, then I would prefer you not to," Percy replied stiffly.

"Campaigning?"

Percy looked at Bill carefully, trying to determine how much he knew. "The owl I received extended an invitation to Sunday lunch for myself alone. It made no mention of Audrey or her being welcome. It also hinted at the opportunity to discuss my future and the wishes of those in the Order. Regardless of the fact I want nothing to do with Albus Dumbledore and his Order if Audrey isn't welcome I am not stepping foot over the threshold. The invitation did not contain an apology for insinuating Audrey was a Death Eater, nor an apology for accusing me of being one. The owl I returned to her made it quite clear that until both apologies were sincerely given in person, I would not be attending any meals at the Burrow. As far as I am concerned nothing has changed, I am estranged from my family."

"Well, not from Fred or George, and seeing as we're both sat here not us either, and did you really fall out with Charlie? I mean he's barely been back to England three times in the last few years."

"Yes, well, if you wish to be pedantic I am estranged from some of my family."

"Are you going to give them a chance to straighten it out?" Bill asked leaning back in his chair his pint glass in hand.

"That sounds an awful lot like campaigning for us to become one big happy family again."

Bill shrugged. "I'm the eldest, born mediator. It's basically my burden to carry to make you lot sort yourselves out. But you can't complain you haven't had the apology you're due if you never give them a chance to give it."

"Could we change the subject?" Percy asked pointedly.

"Sure," Bill agreed. "So you can change the wards at the Ministry. Odd that, because I had a chat with a mate of mine who happens to know a thing or two. He says that the Ministry wards are some of the most complex and powerful anyone could get to play with should they be given the opportunity. He also said that if someone were to try and break them, it would take the biggest team of overqualified curse breakers you could find. Which would be impossible because they would all laugh and say it couldn't be done. But you, little brother, waltzed into the Ministry and set up my ward matrix on the ward network itself after watching me do it once, and my ward set only sat on the surface."

Percy nodded. "I'm sorry if there was a question in that I think I missed it."

Bill shook his head. "No question. Just letting you know that I know."

Percy lifted an eyebrow at his brother. "I am unclear if the beer is affecting you more than you think since I'm quite sure you don't know what you think you do."

Bill grinned at Percy. "Oh really? So you weren't sharing a house with Fred and George? And that house didn't happen to belong to a Professor of Transfiguration?"

Percy shrugged. "I concede you might know one or two things."

Bill laughed. "Percy, you got careless. If you're going to have meetings with the Minister for Magic, the Order's former spy, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and a muggle that no one is quite sure what to make of, then ward the door."

Percy blinked then groaned as he realised what Bill was driving at. "Damnit."

Bill smirked. "Yep. You got played brother mine. Though you have to hand it to them, you wouldn't have known if I hadn't told you."

"Well that's not entirely true," Audrey piped up.

"Pardon?" Percy asked Audrey.

"Well as I understand it, Kingsley asked for Minerva and Severus' wand oaths not to reveal certain information relating to your Ministry work. John Granger does not have a wand and Kingsley in a show of seemingly typical wizarding behaviour, forgot to ask John to keep it quiet. He told everyone else what was discussed the next morning. Although he did say, he hadn't told us the parts Kingsley hadn't wanted to be shared. He saw it as a gentleman's agreement since there was no way he could have made a wand oath even if Kingsley had asked."

"You know? You've never said."

"I've had no need to, although it's likely you would have found out when I knew more than you had told me. You would have told me if I needed to know and I know you take your job seriously," Audrey explained. "Between us all, we pieced a bit of a timeline together. I remember how you seemed to get more stressed out in November, then Christmas and New Year were a write-off. I feel bad you know, I wasn't exactly thrilled you were spending so much time at work. I'm sorry I added to your stress."

"No," Percy said. "Don't apologise. You didn't know, you couldn't know. You acted exactly as you should have."

"It's true then?" Bill said taken back. "I thought the twins were playing it up."

"I don't know what they've told you."

"You were running the Ministry. You were spying for the Order undermining Thickeness and killing the legislation You-Know-Who was trying to put through."

Percy shrugged.

Fleur leaned over covering Percy's hand with her own. "Thank you," she said sincerely pausing for a moment before taking her hand back. "The legislation to those considered not fully human that was coming was, well, I think I would have been more comfortable moving back to France."

Percy nodded accepting her thanks.

Audrey smiled at him as well then turned to Fleur. "So what do magical folk do when they go out for the evening? It's still early so we could catch a film if you fancied it?"

"Film?"

Audrey threw a rueful look over at Percy shrugging, she would let him decide if it was something they could do together.

Percy nodded. "Come on, we can either catch a taxi, or I can side-along you both then come back for Audrey."

Bill and Fleur exchanged a look. Audrey caught it and offered. "Fred and George have seen one, and they enjoyed it."

"I would like to see a film," Fleur said. "I have not travelled in a taxi either. We took the knight bus here, and it was not pleasant. They are not similar, are they?"

"No," Percy reassured the witch. "Muggle cars are quite comfortable."

"Then yes, I think we should go," Fleur said finishing her drink and looking expectantly at Bill.

Bill downed the dregs of his pint and nodded at Percy. "Let's go."

A/N: Questions have been asked, so I shall tell you that this story still has chapters to go. I've got eight or so roughed out so far. Don't take that as gospel however because I am terrible at estimating how long stories will be. This was meant to be seven to ten total…