Bill looked over the table at his brothers, who were both slumped against the bench across from him with empty mugs in their hands. As they sat silently, George finally took out a large silver case and offered it to Ron, who took it with a nod. Wondering if it was his own heavy usage of sand needle that had encouraged Ron to start, Bill sighed deeply. "Not that I'm a good role model, Ron, but you shouldn't."

Ron looked up in surprise. George spoke acerbically, "No, you aren't one to talk, Bill. Don't tell me you aren't up to three packets a week, because I know better. I buy mine at the same apothecary you do and Snodgrass told me."

Ron's hand seemed to waver as he held a small pinch of sand needle in his fingers. Bill continued with what he had been trying to say. "It is very hard to quit, Ron. It isn't physically addicting like muggle tobacco, but you get very used to the effects. Trust me, don't."

Ron dropped the pinch back into the box and said gruffly, "Harry uses more than you do, Bill."

"I know. We have discussed it."

"At your Andromeda meetings no doubt, right."

George took the unused case back from Ron and quickly put a sizeable quantity of the contents to use whilst glaring at his elder brother.

Bill gestured to the serving witch before replying, "I told you that I would sponsor you, Ron. You have more than enough raw power."

Ron looked away from Bill and shook his head. "Promised Hermione I wouldn't."

George choked slightly as he placed the empty mug back on the table, having tried to drain it of its last drops. He looked meaningfully at Bill.

Bill asked Ron seriously, "How is training going? Anders told me that you are extremely promising at strategy."

Ron looked slightly gratified, but then added sourly, "Auror Anders has given me a lot of attention, actually. If I don't do a spell perfectly on first try he makes me practise until I can do it nonverbal."

Bill nodded, "Not surprised. I told him that if he got you killed I would rip him to shreds with my hands."

George snorted, "Same thing I told Kenneth. But he's been giving me pretty decent reports about our Ron here."

Bill laughed. "Anders told me that Trowler came in looking like he'd been bullied within an inch. I think you must have threatened worse than I did."

"Not exactly, but let's say it had its effect. Don't want ickle Ronniekins here getting hurt now would we?"

Ron's face was flushed a brilliant red and both Bill and George laughed as he muttered something about 'overprotective gits'.

After the serving witch had placed a new bottle of black aquavit next to Bill and full mugs of beer in front of George and Ron, Ron changed the subject by saying, "Harry told me that Ginny went to see her yesterday."

Bill's eyes darted to his brother's face briefly and then returned to focussing on the bottle he was unscrewing. "Yes. I think Mum had something to do with that."

George grunted. "No doubt."

Ron shook his head. "No, it was Harry. She wouldn't listen to anyone else."

Bill nodded and admitted, "Probably true. Time was Ginny would have listened to me, but I barely rate a kiss on the cheek these days."

George took another long drink from his dark brown beer. "You know things would be different, Bill, if Ginny thought that Gwen really…"

"Don't say it." Bill had spoken the words with an angry challenge glittering in his eyes.

George shrugged, but he didn't look away from Bill's gaze as he took another sip of beer.

"Ginny, you, or anyone else can learn to deal with my marriage no matter what your opinions are. But not a word about her, George, not now or ever."

George did not respond, so Bill looked away to Ron. Ron said calmly, "I wouldn't say anything, Bill."


Bill glanced at the almost empty bottle of Feldon'sthat Anders was tipping towards a just emptied glass. If he came home drunk again it would not go well with Gwen. She had frozen him out for an entire day the last time he had returned home obviously worse for the wear.

However once Anders finished pouring his own and tipped the bottle towards Bill, there was no hesitation as Bill lifted his glass and nodded.

"Not going well with the trial, of course. Seems that my boss isn't content with me having got the Tavoillot brothers. No, it is now my responsibility to get the manky sods convicted."

Bill shook his head. "And not much help from Kent now that he fulfilled his end of the bargain."

"Nope, not a toss. Kent got Dalgliesh safely to the Isle of Man, where he can't be touched. Wouldn't be any use threatening Kent's sister again either, since if I do I'm likely to wake up somewhat less of a man, which Angela wouldn't like."

Bill grimaced. "He'd do it, too. I remember too well what he got up to at school."

"As do I. Nasty bastard, not afraid to do whatever he must to get what he wants."

"No, although to be fair he does have morals. Violently opposed to harming anyone who hasn't done anything to him or his family."

Anders grunted. "I keep forgetting you know him so well."

Bill set down his glass with a bang. "Watch it, Gricius."

Anders slumped back against his chair. "Don't know how you can deal with the Andromeda crowd. Sometimes makes me wonder a little, Bill."

Bill spoke very slowly and succinctly, his eyes boring into Anders' own. "If you have something to say then now is the time, Gricius."

Anders looked away from Bill's intense gaze and allowed his shoulders to droop. "Never mind. I'm drunk."

"Say what you are thinking. I'm waiting."

Anders let out a loud puff of air as he leaned forward and put his head in his hands. "Nothing to say. Just starting to feel a little bloody minded about anything that has to do with this case. That and I'm regally pissed. You are nothing like Kent or Shipley."

The fire in Bill's eyes extinguished itself as he also looked away and picked up his glass. "If you ever have any misgivings about me Anders, I want you to address them to me personally. I don't need there to be any doubts. Not between us, mate."

"God, no. We are almost all that's left of the old crowd, Bill, the core group at least. Six of us knocked down to just two."

Bill shot back the remainder of his drink. "That is what I am saying. It doesn't matter what happens, Anders."


As he opened the door to the kitchen quietly and slipped inside, Bill listened carefully, hoping that he would not hear any sounds coming from the rest of the house. Feeling hopeful, since everything seemed remarkably quiet, Bill began to take off his cloak and wonder what had made him order the second bottle. Even with the four of them sharing it, Bill had imbibed far too much. He was dead drunk and he had to be at the bank early in the morning. Without a doubt it would be another day that started with some Pepper-up potion.

Tossing his cloak onto the chair just inside the sitting room, Bill practically fell onto his favourite chair by the smouldering fire. He had been married to Gwen now for four days longer than his entire marriage to Fleur. By contrast that short, beautiful time with Fleur seemed incredibly far away and was shrinking into the distance more with each passing day.

Bill pulled a cushion out from behind his back and tossed it onto the floor with a grunt. Gwen had been remarkably restrained about getting rid of the things he had purchased with Fleur, but he had begun to wonder whether he wanted them any longer himself. His marriage to Gwen was more often painful than good and nothing that belonged to his life with Fleur seemed to fit him anymore.

He slunk deeper into the chair and considered whether it would be better to build up the fire or just sit there as the room got progressively colder. His head was spinning slightly and he was not too steady on his feet. The chair seemed as good a place to sleep as any other, since he would not be welcome in bed with Gwen anyway. His inner dialogue continued as he stared into the glowing coals.

Bill considered what Hurgwig had said to him that afternoon and growled. It still made him furious that Hurgwig had not wanted him to return to the field yet. He had been ready to return to Egypt, where he knew that Willkie and Davis were beginning work on a new passage with some very promising looking markings. Bill kicked his foot against the ottoman as he muttered to himself that he didn't want to be trapped inside the bank where he still had to see Hurgwig's hairy ears every day. It didn't matter that the project that he was working on had been assigned to him because none of the other curse breakers had the requisite skill with concealment charms. Nothing in his life was going right.

Without having heard any sound, Bill was suddenly aware that she had come into the room and was standing behind him. He could smell her perfume plainly and, not being able to help himself, Bill turned in the chair to look at her.

"Are you going to stay here in this chair all night, Bill?"

"Probably." Bill saw the look on her face and closed his eyes and amended his statement. "I drank more than I meant to, Gwen. I didn't think that you would want me to come in with you."

Gwen pulled her dressing gown closer round her and said in a very quiet voice, "You always drink more than you mean to, Bill."

Bill wiped his hands over his face, trying to wake up his groggy mind. "I know and I am sorry that it upsets you."

Gwen seemed to teeter in place for a moment as she watched him and then with an expression in her eyes that told Bill that she was afraid of what she was saying, she spoke gently, "I don't want you to be this unhappy, Bill."

Bill pushed himself up out of the chair. "I'm acting like a berk, aren't I?"

"No, I wasn't saying that."

Bill raked his hands through his messy red hair. "Yes, I am. I have been spending too much time away from you, out with my friends or my brothers."

Gwen looked down at her slippers as she said almost inaudibly, "They are important to you."

Bill cleared his throat and rubbed the hair on his chin. "We both know that isn't what is going on."

Gwen looked alarmed and spoke quickly, "We don't have to talk about it, Bill. It is alright."

Bill shook his head and said tonelessly, "Fine. We won't talk."

Gwen seemed relieved. "Why don't you come sleep?"

Bill nodded and stumbled slightly as he followed her from the room.

When Bill stepped inside the bedroom, he could see that she had not been asleep when he arrived home. There was a book laid across the duvet and two candles were burning on the mantelpiece. Bill sat down on the edge of the bed to pull off his dragon hide boots and wondered what Gwen had been so afraid that he was going to say.

"Bill?"

Bill dropped his left boot on the floor and responded, "Mm?"

"May I tell you about something?"

Bill turned his head at the unusual note of fragility in his wife's voice. "Yes, of course. What is it?"

"Well, I mean that I got an owl from Elisabeth. I don't have anyone else with whom to talk."

Bill left off unfastening the buttons on his shirt and said gravely, "You can talk to me about anything, Gwen. I wish you would understand that."

"Well, it is…you know that she has been so stuck on her old boyfriend and she told Thomas Dowdie that she didn't know if she could marry him."

Bill forced himself not to show any annoyance. He was tired of Elisabeth MacLeod. He didn't like witches who played two wizards against each other, which was what he felt that she was doing. "Yes, I remember."

"Well Aurelius asked her to marry him. She told him that even if he rode across the stadium on an ancient Comet 67 wearing an old Gryffindor robe and waving a big banner announcing that he was giving up his bad ways that she wouldn't consider his proposal."

Bill could not keep himself from sighing. He quickly undid the rest of his buttons and tugged off his shirt as he replied, "So of course he did it."

"Yes. He's been banned from quidditch for two matches and the Arrows have assessedhim a fine for being out of uniform."

Cursing his lethargic body and wishing that he had a sobering potion, Bill pulled off his belt and asked, "And she is surprised?"

Gwen nodded. "Yes."

Bill stood up and let his trousers drop to the floor before inelegantly kicking them away. "She incited him to do it, Gwen. She was implying to him that he has to prove his love to her in some grand gesture. Of course he is young enough and immature enough and was probably drunk enough that something that stupid seemed like a good plan."

Gwen wrapped her arms round her knees that were tucked tightly under her chin. "Do you think he loves her?"

Bill rested his shoulders against the bed post to steady himself. "Of course he does. It is easy to see when an eighteen year old wizard is in love because they are so prone to doing asinine things to prove it. The question is really whether she will make a decision soon or not. She will be miserable living with him, of course, because he is an idiot who will never grow up and will spend every knut as soon as he gets it. But if she wants to live that sort of life then she might as well put the poor sod out of his misery and marry him.

Gwen hid her face in her arms as she said, "She says she that if he asked her to she'd run away to Dar es Salaam and live in a tent."

"So when he asks her again will she actually agree to marry him?"

"I think so."

Bill got up from the bed and walked across to the ancient oak chest of drawers where he opened a drawer and pulled out a clean white vest. "At last - a decision."

Gwen saw the dark red scar that stretched across his back as Bill pulled the thin cotton vest over his head and pushed his long arms through the arm holes. She nearly whispered, "Okay. I just wanted to see what you thought, I guess."

Bill turned so that Gwen was now able to see through the vest all of the dark green and black Saxon runes that marked his chest. Bill held on to the bed post again as he asked in a slightly slurred voice, "Are you disappointed?"

"Not as much as I should be. I am so tired of it all that I would almost be glad if she married a muggle if only she would make her decision."

Bill sloppily gestured with his wand towards the candles on the mantelpiece and the room plunged into darkness. "Yes, exactly."