Written for:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Wand Lore
Task 1 - Write about something or someone old-fashioned.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: 365 prompts - Prompt - branch
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Ultimate Battle Competition - Price: 300 words, siblings
Old-Fashioned
AU where Voldemort never existed
Bill heard a branch snap behind him. He didn't jump. He didn't look. He knew who it was. Only one person would dare bother him when he made it perfectly clear that he wanted to be left alone.
"What has you acting so sour, Billy Boy?"
Bill growled quietly as he looked at the ground; he stubbornly refused to meet Charlie's gaze. He knew his younger brother was probably laughing at him. After all, he had no problem rebelling against their mother's old-fashioned ideals. Bill was the one struggling with the idea of it, and he was paying the price with his girlfriend's anger.
Charlie slapped Bill on the back. "What's your problem? And why did Fleur look like she wanted to kill you all through lunch?"
Bill sighed. He finally looked at Charlie. Frankly, out of all of his siblings, Charlie was the only one he could talk to about this since they were so close in age. "Okay, well, Fleur wants to move in together."
"And I'm guessing, by her attitude and with the way she stabbed her chicken with her fork, that you didn't agree with the idea."
"Well, no. I mean, I would love to live with her. When we're not together, she's all I think about."
"But?" Charlie prodded.
"But Fleur has been pushing lately to deepen the relationship."
"Deepen?" Charlie asked.
"Yes, to get more intense," Bill hedged, not wanting to come out and say it. The very thought made him blush.
"Oh," Charlie said, his eyes lighting up in understanding. "You mean to have sex."
Bill glared at his younger brother. "Yes, and we haven't yet, and I think moving in together before that just doesn't make sense."
"And why haven't you had sex?" Charlie asked. "I mean, you and Fleur have been together for about a year and a half."
Bill averted his gaze.
"It's Mum, isn't it?" Charlie asked knowingly.
Bill didn't bother to disagree. "The way Mum raised us; she'd be furious if I was intimate with Fleur or moved in with her before a wedding."
"I know, but just because Mum is old-fashioned, it doesn't mean you have to be. She was raised in a different time period. It's no longer considered improper to be withsomeone that you're not married to." Charlie put emphasis on the word 'be,' so he didn't say the word 'sex,' and that was something Bill was grateful for.
"I know, but I hate the idea of Mum being disappointed in me."
"It's your life," Charlie said. He clapped a hand on Bill's shoulder. "Now if you don't want to do more with Fleur because that's your decision, that's fine. But don't base your decision on what Mum thinks is proper. That's not fair to you, and it's not fair to Fleur either."
Bill nodded. He knew Charlie was right, and he had a lot to think about. He looked over his shoulder at Charlie. "How did you get so smart?"
Charlie grinned. "I just am."
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(word count: 502)