MOVING ON
It was four years since the war had ended. Hermione had spent a year in the States with her parents before beginning her apprenticeship in Alexandria, and it had been over a year since Bill had returned to Egypt. The couple had not yet informed the Weasleys of their relationship, although Hermione's parents had met Bill and approved. Bill was intelligent enough to keep up with their daughter and absolutely adored her.
After three years, Hermione had completed her apprenticeship and had been offered a position by the Library of Congress, while Bill was being transferred by Gringotts to the United States, to excavate and ward the pyramids in the Florida swamps¹. These were magical pyramids in the Everglades whose wards were failing and so muggles were occasionally able to catch glimpses of them. The wards needed to be renewed and the pyramids themselves explored. It would have been possible for Bill to remain based in Egypt and to return there after completing this project, but he knew that exploring and excavating these pyramids would most likely take a number of years to complete and with Hermione wanting to be nearer her parents, he felt that the time was right for him to relocate permanently.
Bill and Hermione had considered looking for a home midway between Washington DC and Florida to make it easier to apparate, but it soon became obvious that Bill, as the curse breaker in charge of this project, would need to be closer to hand so that he could supervise properly, and so the couple had purchased a home in Cape Coral in Florida—Bill was looking forward to living near the sea again, although the Gulf of Mexico was very different to the south coast of Britain where Shell Cottage, his home with Fleur, had been.
Hermione would have much more regular hours and would not need to be on call at all times, and so she was happy to be the one to travel to work. With magical travel, it would not be much of a journey in any case, although the distance was such that it would probably be safer for her to take a portkey than to apparate each day, as she did not want to risk splinching herself; she would not be the only member of staff in the magical section of the Library of Congress to live at a distance. The Director of the Magical Division of the Library of Congress had been very understanding upon hearing that Hermione's partner was required to live in Florida and a reusable, two-way portkey had been promised to Hermione as part of her employment package.
Bill was particularly excited by this move as Charlie and Aidan had also recently relocated to the States, where, coincidentally, they were also working in the Everglades, albeit with Florida swamp dragons² rather than pyramids. Charlie and Aidan were living in a small, wizarding village in the middle of the Everglades, which had been built for the use of the dragon reserve. Most of Bill's team would also be living there but he and Hermione had chosen to live in a Muggle location so that Hermione's parents would be able to visit them.
Charlie had tired of his mother's nagging to settle down with a good witch and when this opportunity came up, had jumped at it, welcoming the chance to put a bit more distance between himself and his family. It was not that Charlie did not love the rest of his family, just that he wanted to be able to live his own life and not the life his mother was trying to dictate. Molly could be overbearing at the best of times, but since the death of Fred at the end of the war, she was finding it particularly hard to let go of her children.
Before their move to the States, however, Hermione was due to attend Neville Longbottom's wedding to another former classmate, Hannah Abbott. There was no question in Hermione's mind that she would attend this wedding, however, she was very nervous about it, since she knew that Harry, Ginny, Ron and Lavender would all be there and she was not sure how they would react to her presence. Bill was equally nervous, as he had decided that this would be a good opportunity for him to inform his family of his relationship with Hermione. Bill wanted to propose to her and felt that his family really should be aware that an engagement was imminent.
The day before Neville's wedding, Bill appeared at the Burrow.
"Bill!" Molly cried, bustling over to hug him. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"
"I'm only here for a few days," said Bill.
"Well, come in. Have you eaten? You're looking very thin," Molly tutted, causing laughter throughout the Burrow. It just so happened that the entire family, minus Charlie, was present and everyone knew about Molly's penchant for feeding people.
Bill greeted his father and then sat down to chat with his siblings and his father. Molly, in the meantime, had disappeared much to Bill's surprise. It was not like her not to fuss over him when he arrived home. As he continued talking, Bill kept an eye out for Molly's return, waiting for her to ask about his personal life.
It was only a few minutes before Molly came down the stairs and into the living room, where everyone was gathered. "I've made up your bed for you, Bill," she said with a smile.
Bill looked embarrassed. "Um, I won't be staying here, Mum," he said. He could see an eruption approaching from his mother, so he hastened to explain. "I've decided it's time to move on and stop wallowing in the past. I'm going to sell Shell Cottage. Fleur agrees it's time."
Silence fell over those assembled and Bill raised an eyebrow, not sure why this appeared to be such a shock to his family. Surely they realised he would not want to live at Shell Cottage again? "Anyway, I'm going to stay there while I sort through everything," he finished.
"Well, that's nonsense. You can stay here and I'll floo over with you every day to help," Molly bristled.
"Mum," said Bill gently. "I appreciate the offer. I really do. But I need to do it myself. I need closure and this is the best way to get it."
"But…" Molly began, only to be interrupted by her husband.
"I'm sure Bill knows what's best for him, Molly. You will see us again while you're here?" he asked his oldest son.
"Of course, Dad," exclaimed Bill, shocked that his father would think otherwise.
"Where will you live when you come back home again?" asked Ginny, trying to change the subject.
"I have no idea when I'll move back to Britain. It won't be for some years yet, so it's silly to keep the house any longer. Of course, I'll still come for holidays to see everyone, but I'm heading up a new, long-term project in Florida. I'll be able to see Charlie more often, so that'll be good," he said encouragingly as he noted the black expression on his mother's face.
"So… met any nice witches in Egypt?" George asked, laughing as his oldest brother glared at him.
Bill noticed his mother perk up at that question and smothered a sigh. 'Here goes,' he thought in resignation.
"Yes, I have. I've been dating someone for about a year now. It's serious."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Molly huffed in disapproval.
"Yes, why didn't you tell us, Bill? Something wrong with her? Is she ugly?" Ron laughed raucously at his own joke, oblivious to Bill's displeasure.
Bill's inner wolf was itching to punish Ron for insulting his mate. Bill clamped down tight on those feelings. "No, Ron. There is nothing wrong with her, nor is she ugly," he growled through gritted teeth, making his family sit up in shock.
'Why is Bill so angry?' the Weasleys all wondered.
Only Lavender, who had also been attacked by Fenrir Greyback and likewise had wolfish traits seemed to realise that Bill's inner wolf was coming to the fore. "Leave it, Ron," she whispered, tugging on his arm to get his attention. Ron, however, shook her off.
"Did you just growl?" Ron asked incredulously. "What was that all about? You sounded like… you sounded like…"
"A wolf," said Lavender quietly and Ron paled.
"But I thought you didn't transform, Bill?" asked Harry in confusion.
"No, neither of us transforms," replied Lavender, deeming it better to keep the attention on herself until Bill calmed down. "But we both have many wolfish traits. It would be wise not to disrespect your brother's… mate? She is your mate, isn't she?" Lavender's eyes flew to Bill.
"Yes, she's my mate. And Lavender is quite correct, it would indeed be wise not to insult her," Bill warned his younger siblings, paying special attention to the two youngest, Ron and Ginny.
The family all gasped in surprise. Although Bill had explained about mates to them when he announced that he and Fleur were divorcing, they had not really taken it seriously, other than Lavender for whom this might one day be relevant, although she hoped not because she genuinely loved Ron.
"Well, she must be quite an extraordinary witch if she can cope with being the mate of a half werewolf," said George with a twinkle in his eye.
Bill softened. "She is most extraordinary. I'm very blessed," he said simply.
"So, tell us about her. Do we know her?" asked Ginny curiously.
Bill stiffened. Over the time they had been dating, Hermione had gradually confided in him more about her erstwhile friendship with Harry and Ron and about the events after the Final Battle, and he was fairly certain it was Ginny and Lavender's doing that Hermione had been forgotten by his family. Lavender he understood; she was feeling uncertain about Ron, knowing that he was not her mate. However, it was quite rare that spontaneous mating bonds formed and so Lavender should not allow the fact that Ron was not her mate to worry her. As for Ginny, he presumed she was just plain jealous of Hermione.
'And well she should be,' thought Bill. 'Harry's not very impressive without Hermione's support.' Bill recalled hearing the late Severus Snape criticise Harry as being average in the extreme at meetings of the Order of the Phoenix. Snape had claimed that Harry would have been completely lost—and, very likely, dead at an early age—without Hermione's brains behind him. At the time Bill had bristled in Harry's defence but now, having seen Harry fade into mediocrity since the end of the war, he could only agree with the dour Potions Master.
"She's Hermione," Bill said brusquely.
"Hermione Granger?" asked Angelina Johnson. Of course, as George's fiancée she knew full well who the woman in Bill's life, but she thought it advisable to make it absolutely clear so that Bill's family could not willfully misunderstand.
'Here we go,' thought Bill in resignation as he watched Molly, Ron and Ginny all redden in anger. 'Three, two, one…' The resultant explosion was enough to make Bill's sensitive ears hurt.
"What?" Ron roared. "You traitor!"
"That cow!" Ginny fumed. "Can't she just leave us alone?"
"That girl will never be welcome in this family!" screeched Molly.
"Silence!" Bill yelled, firing bangs from his wand to get his family's attention. When the noise had died down, Bill turned first to his mother, taking a deep breath. "That girl is my mate. If Hermione's not welcome here in this family then neither am I. As for you two," he continued, turning to Ron and Ginny before Molly had a chance to say anything further. "What exactly is your problem with Hermione? I thought she was supposed to be your friend, Ron."
"Some friend! She ran away after the war and hasn't bothered about us since," Ron grouched.
"Oh, the friend that you literally turned your back on at the end of the war? The friend that Harry and Ginny told to go away and leave them alone, without even checking if she had somewhere safe to be after the Final Battle? The friend who wrote to you every other week from the end of the war until she found out in the newspapers that you had got married and hadn't bothered even telling her about it, let alone inviting her? That friend?" asked Bill in a dangerous voice.
"If Hermione told you she wrote to us, then she's a liar," said Ron, ignoring the rest of Bill's justified and accurate rant.
"You dare call my mate a liar?" Bill growled, making Ron pale. Bill's inner wolf was very much to the fore with regard to protecting his mate, and this was quite frightening to his family.
"The Hermione we knew wouldn't have lied to us, but I've not received any letters from her," Harry explained reasonably.
George snorted loudly. "Hermione sends a packet of letters every two weeks. It goes to Luna and Neville first, and then it comes to me. We each take our letters out and send it onwards. All three of us can testify to having seen letters for you and Ron in those packets, Harry."
"Then why haven't we received them?"
Bill was looking at a red-faced Ginny. "Why don't you ask your wife that?" he snapped, making Ginny start in guilt.
"Ginny?" asked Harry in shock. "Did you take Hermione's letters?"
"I had to! She had too much influence over you. I had to keep her away from you," Ginny cried.
"By too much influence, I presume you mean that without Hermione's brains Harry would never have managed to achieve all that he did during his school years and the war?" asked George drily, looking at his sister in disgust.
"I only did it because I love you, Harry," said Ginny winsomely.
"And what about Ron's letters?" demanded Angelina, not fooled by Ginny's falsely sweet manner.
"That was for Lavender," said Ginny persuasively to Ron's wife. "You know she would only have interfered in your relationship with Ron. She hated it when you two dated back in your sixth year."
Lavender sighed. "It's true Hermione and I didn't get on well in school, and it's also true that neither of us handled it well when I was dating Ron back then. But that was a long time ago, Ginny. We've both grown up since. Hermione and Padma Patil are good friends, and Padma and Parvati have managed to make peace between Hermione and myself. The war taught us to value our friends, and I count Hermione as a friend now. Hermione even writes to me occasionally—when Padma writes to Parvati, Hermione sometimes includes a letter for Parvati to give to me. I didn't realise she had been writing to you and that you weren't getting the letters, Ron," she said, looking at her husband sincerely.
Ron just shrugged indifferently, Bill noted, while Harry appeared to be clamping down hard on his anger.
"Enough," said Arther wearily, observing Harry's displeasure at his wife's actions. "Harry, Ron, Ginny, this is between you three and you should talk it through on your own, without the entire family present. Bill, you and Hermione will always be welcome in this family."
"Thank you, Dad," said Bill warmly, ignoring his mother who was sputtering with indignation. "One last thing before we change the subject," he added, looking sternly at Ginny and Ron. "Hermione and I will be at Neville's wedding tomorrow. Do not spoil his wedding. If you can't be civil to Hermione, then stay away from her." Bill figured that any trouble would more likely come from his hot-headed siblings than from their spouses. Although Harry had had quite a temper when he was younger, he was much more even natured since the removal of the Horcrux from his scar, and it did not seem that Lavender would cause problems.
"That girl is turning you against your family!" huffed Molly.
"In what way?" Bill demanded. "All I'm saying is Ron and Ginny shouldn't allow their own petty issues to spoil the wedding of someone who they supposedly regard as a good friend. Neville invited Hermione to his wedding, and it's not for them to approve or disapprove of her presence there. After the Final Battle, it was made clear to Hermione that she wasn't welcome at the Burrow and she had nowhere to go, so Madam Longbottom and Neville took her in and gave her somewhere safe to stay. Madam Longbottom helped Hermione in numerous ways—she even took Hermione to see her own Healer because Hermione was still suffering from the after-effects of having been tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, something that would never have happened if Harry had refrained from saying Voldemort's name in a temper when he knew there was a taboo in place. Hermione is very fond of Augusta Longbottom, and she wants to be there to help Neville and Hannah celebrate their wedding. Hermione certainly has no intention of causing a scene at Neville's wedding; she'd never be so disrespectful after all that he and his grandmother did for her. I'm merely suggesting that Ron, Ginny and Harry adopt the same attitude."
With that, Bill firmly changed the subject and began talking to Percy and his wife, who until that time had been silent. Audrey had never met Hermione and Percy was not particularly interested in her.
The wedding went off without any trouble. Ron and Ginny both sniffed with offence when Hermione was welcomed as family by Neville and his grandmother, while Augusta treated them with impersonal civility. However, Harry and Lavender kept their spouses on a tight rein and with Bill hovering protectively over Hermione like her own, personal bodyguard, and glaring at them every time they came close, neither of the youngest two Weasley siblings dared approach Hermione. Harry flashed Hermione an apologetic smile and she smiled back encouragingly, but he did not come over to speak to her. Lavender rolled her eyes at Harry and promptly joined Parvati, Hermione and the other two girls who had been in their dorm in Hogwarts for a catch-up session.
All-in-all, the day had gone well, Hermione decided when she and Bill returned to Shell Cottage after the wedding. She regretted that Harry had not felt able to approach her but supposed that too much water had passed under the bridge. 'And he probably doesn't want any trouble with Ginny, either,' Hermione thought to herself snidely.
With the use of magic, it did not take Bill and Hermione long to clear out Shell Cottage. Some items were shrunk and packed to take with them to the States, some were sent to Fleur, and the rest was sold. Shell Cottage was so remote that Bill had not been sure how easy it would be to sell the property, but it was snapped up by one of Britain's top quidditch players, who was looking for a retreat away from his fans and the wizarding public.
Hermione did make one visit to the Burrow with Bill before they returned to Egypt, but it was not a success. Fortunately, George and Angelina were the only siblings there at the time, and they were very supportive of Hermione and Bill. Arthur had been welcoming but Molly had been extremely frosty. Hermione had treated Molly with polite diffidence, not feeling a need to butter up the Weasley matriarch.
"I'm happy to be polite to your mother. I'll even treat her with the respect due to my mate's mother. But I'm not going to grovel before her," Hermione declared, and Bill could only agree.
.o.O.o.
¹ miaminewtimes dot com / news / two-long-lost-maps-spark-a-quest-to-find-forgotten-pyramids-in-the-florida-swamps-6524337
² The concept of swamp dragons comes from Alta by Mercedes Lackey, which is the second book in her Dragon Jousters series.