A/N: *rubs hands in glee* This is one of my favorite chapters, but I have to say I took copious liberties with the facts. My Egypt tour books informed me that a man's best chance of being allowed into a Cairo club was to come with a woman and that groups of men were routinely denied entry. This just wouldn't do with six wizards to entertain, so I blatantly ignored their advice. I also have to say, I do NOT advise taking anyone under-age to a bar, whether drinking or not, but since this is not only fiction, but fanfiction, I ignored my own advice too. The info about the dancers is real (or at least, unchanged from my sources).

My Missing Moments Lottery Challenge is up! Remove the spaces to link: http:/ forum. fanfiction. net/ topic/ 44309/ 55920858/ 1/

Read, enjoy, and please review!

Chapter 3

Bill charmed the knives to chop vegetables and leaned back against the worktop. He glanced at his mother, who was stirring a sauce with her wand and humming to herself. Now looked to be as good a time as any.

"Do you and Dad have any plans for tonight?"

"Hmm? No, not really. Just an ordinary evening."

"I was thinking about taking some of the kids over to my place." And then going out from there, but Mum didn't need to know that. "Maybe spend the weekend."

"Just some?"

"Well, everyone except Ron and Ginny."

"Bill, you know they're going to want to go. I can see you leaving Ginny behind, since she's a girl, but you can't take all your brothers except for Ron."

She didn't understand— he couldn't take Ron. Fred and George were pushing it. "Ron is too young, Mum. Unless you think I should leave Fred and George behind too."

She scowled, pointing her wand at him instead of the sauce. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"What's going on?"

Charlie and Ron, who had been playing chess, came into the kitchen. From the looks on their faces, Charlie had been beaten again. Bill winked at his youngest brother, who grinned back and swiped a carrot.

Mum pursed her lips and turned back to her sauce.

"What, Mum wants to cut your hair again?" Charlie said.

"No, I want him to play fair."

"Bill's not playing fair? Do tell." Fred and George had a knack for showing up exactly when they were not wanted.

"He wants to have all of you over except for Ron and Ginny."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." George reached for the biscuit tin and got his hand smacked.

"Over when?" Ron said.

"To do what?" Charlie said, silently Summoning the biscuit tin as Mum turned to put the spices away. He passed it to George, and the twins and Ron left the room.

Bill shrugged as he and Charlie followed. "Tonight, if you like. I dunno, I thought we could go out for drinks, maybe listen to some music. Nothing big." He caught Charlie's eye. Help me.

"So, let's make it a wizards' night— all six brothers, and we'll leave just Ginny at home."

Bill crossed his arms and gave Charlie a pointed look. Not that kind of help, you idiot. He dropped onto the sofa and accepted the tin from Ron. "Ron is a bit young, still. For that matter, so are you," he added to the twins.

"I'm thirteen!"

"Too young for a concert?" Fred said. "Wait a minute. What are you really planning?"

Bill glared at his closest brother— this was all Charlie's fault— then through the open doorway into the kitchen, where Mum was clearly visible. He waved his wand at the wireless, and the local news blared into the room.

"I have a friend who is a bouncer at a club uptown. I helped him out of a spot of trouble with his wife and he owes me. I think I can get Fred and George in, but Ron is too young."

"Wicked."

He had known the twins would approve, and Ron was practically vibrating with excitement.

Charlie looked Ron up and down. "He's a bit scrawny, but he's taller than Fred and George. If we put Ron in the middle and insist it's all or nothing, they'll let us in."

Bill considered this. Ron was perched on the edge of his seat, half- eaten biscuit forgotten in his hand. He was smart enough to know begging wouldn't improve his chances, but his eyes were pleading. Bill's conscience twinged. A thirteen- year- old boy had no business at a belly- dancing club in the wee hours of the morning. But Ron would owe him for life, and that was too good to resist.

"All right. But no drinking— all three of you."

As Ron, Fred, and George exchanged high- fives, the wireless shut off.

"What are you lot up to?"

Ginny nicked the biscuit tin from between Fred and George and sat down on Bill's lap. Well, that was convenient. He helped himself.

"Bill's taking us into the city tonight— "

"And you're not coming."

Ginny scowled at the twins and Bill braced himself. Unlike Ron, Ginny often begged because— well, because her begging got results. There she went, lower lip sliding out in a pout.

"Not this time, Gin- Gin." The lip trembled slightly and her eyes widened. She was doing it on purpose. He knew she was doing it on purpose. . . .

"Not tonight, Ginny." Charlie, who couldn't see her face, was firm.

Ginny dropped the mask and stood up. "Like I want to go anywhere with a bunch of stupid, smelly boys, anyway," she said, and stalked into the kitchen, taking the biscuits with her.

"That's the spirit," Charlie said, and Bill couldn't help but agree. Somehow, though, he didn't think she would consider boys unworthy of her time for long.

"Mum, I found this in the sitting room."

"Boys! Get in here and help me with dinner right now. You know you are not allowed to have biscuits before we eat!"

Ginny leaned against the kitchen doorway, her catty smile unfazed by the five glowering brothers who passed her on their way to work.

()()()()

"All right, boys, that's the last of it." Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Ron had got stuck with the washing up too, while Ginny read in the sitting room and Percy was upstairs writing to his girlfriend again. "Pack a bag and meet me down here in ten minutes. And tell Percy. We'll have to Floo."

"A bag? What for?" Ron said as the other three left the kitchen.

Bill turned to him, surprised. " 'Cause you're spending the night. We'll have a lie- in in the morning."

Ron looked crestfallen. "I— I didn't know you wanted us to stay. I thought we would be coming back here."

Bill shook his head. "No time, Ron. We're going to my flat now so Mum doesn't get suspicious, but we won't actually leave for the club until nearly midnight."

Ron looked into the sitting room, up at the ceiling, and back down at the floor. What the hell? Bill flipped through the events of the last several days in his head. Had he offended Ron without realizing it? Why didn't his kid brother want to hang out with him?

"Ron? Is something wrong?"

"It's just . . . Ginny."

Bill sighed. Ron and Ginny had always been inseparable. Bill had thought that might change once Ron went to Hogwarts, but apparently not. "We're not taking her, Ron. No way."

Ron still looked anxious. "It's not that, it's just . . . promise not to tell?"

Bill straightened, giving Ron his full attention. Maybe he could shed some light on what was going on with Ginny. "I promise."

"Ginny has been having nightmares, and sometimes she comes in to sleep with me. Maybe— maybe I shouldn't go, in case she has a bad night."

Bill hesitated. He didn't want to cause Ginny distress, but he did want Ron to come with them. "It's up to you, Ron. Mum is here. You know she will take care of Ginny if she has a bad dream." What exactly was Ginny dreaming about, and why was she going to Ron instead of Mum in the first place? "We can't have a wizards' night without you; we would be missing a brother. I'd really like for you to come." Bill was surprised by how much he meant it. Ron was a good kid, and besides, as much as he was looking forward to the dancing himself, he was really looking forward to watching his brothers' reactions.

Ron wavered, chewing on his lip for a moment before deciding. "All right. But let me tell her I'll be gone all night, okay?"

Bill reached— out and tussled his hair. Ron was taller than the twins. When the hell had that happened? Bill was just getting used to looking Percy in the eye.

"Okay. And Ron?"

He turned in the doorway. "Yeah?"

"Bring your chess set."

Ron grinned.

()()()()

Bill edged forward a couple of inches and tamped down his nerves. As six pale ginger males in a city of dark- skinned, dark- haired Arabs and Africans, they were drawing a lot of attention. What if he couldn't get them in? He hadn't told Anhur they were coming because he had reckoned it was harder to say no to six people than to one person, but maybe that was a mistake. Maybe he should have mentioned something about bringing his brothers, and really, what had possessed him to agree to bring Ron? He was thirteen, for Merlin's sake! And Fred and George, were there two more immature fifteen- year- olds in all of Britain? And even Percy. So he had a girlfriend, that didn't mean he had seen a real live naked woman. And even if they were shagging, Bill knew Percy had never seen anything like this. Oh, hell, they were almost to the door.

"Weasley!" Anhur boomed. He ignored Bill's outstretched hand, grabbed his shoulders, and kissed him on both cheeks. Bill felt his ears grow hot. Almost four years in Egypt and he still couldn't get used to that.

"Salam, Anhur. How are you? I would like for you to meet my brothers." Bill waved his hand over the group.

Anhur sobered. "You are a young man, Bill. You cannot have so many brothers who are grown."

"Some of them are twins." He let Anhur consider this for a moment, then played his trump card. "How is Sasha?"

Anhur's face split into a wide grin. "She is beautiful and very happy. We are having a baby."

"That's great news, man! Congratulations!" Bill slapped him on the back. "Let us drink a toast to the health and prosperity of your family."

Anhur gave him a look that said he was not fooled, but he stepped aside. "The young ones, you keep them in line, or you are all out the door."

"No trouble, I promise." Bill stopped just inside the door and gave Fred, George, and Ron his best older brother death glare. "Remember, this is a Muggle club. Keep your mouths shut and your hands to yourself. And I'm serious about the alcohol." He waited for each boy to give his word, then scanned the crowd. "All right, let's try to find a table."

()()()()

Bill took another drink and pretended not to see Charlie passing his scotch to George under the table; but if any of them choked, the game was up. They'd had good timing. The club was full now, standing room only, but there had still been two open tables near the stage when they had arrived. Getting served hadn't been a problem, either. They did stand out, and all of his brothers could be charming when they wanted to be, even Percy. And no less than three waitresses had stopped by their table to coo over his baby brother. It looked like the challenge would be in keeping their hands off Ron.

Speaking of whom, the glass had reached Ron now, and Bill watched out of the corner of his eye as Ron took a drink. He swallowed, grimaced, passed the liquor back to Fred, and drank deeply from his bottle of Coke. Bill leaned back in his chair. Maybe this would turn out okay, after all.

The band was wrapping up, and Charlie leaned across the table to shout at him. "Think we should tell them?"

"Tell us what?" Percy said.

Bill and Charlie grinned at each other. He had brought Charlie the last time he was down, so he knew what was coming.

"Nah, it's more fun to be surprised," Bill said.

"Tell us what?" Fred demanded.

"You'll see," Charlie said. He smiled over Bill's shoulder, and a waitress materialized with a bottle of Scotch.

Bill asked for one too, and she was back almost immediately, setting down a glass and pouring him a generous serving. She went out of her way to walk past Ron, trailing her hand over his shoulders. Ron twitched, and Bill knew her touch had given him chills. Ron saw him watching and made a show of clasping his hands together and putting them in his lap properly. Bill raised his brows and smirked, unsure if his youngest brother would catch his implication. But judging from the redness of his face, glowing even in the low lighting of the club, he did.

"Lucky," Bill mouthed, and Ron relaxed, grinning back at him.

Then the lights dimmed even further and a heavy drumbeat started.

"Bloody hell," Percy said.

Bill turned. A dancer was standing in the spotlight in a red and gold costume, arms outstretched, satin- slippered feet posed, moving nothing but her hips. It was illegal in Egypt for the dancers to bare their midriffs, but the women got around this with sleek, one- piece dresses that hugged every curve and had sheer fabric in strategic locations. This one was a halter dress, with a single red strap running behind her neck and a gold- beaded top that followed the curve of her breasts, dipping deeply between them. Gold embroidered flowers trailed from her right breast to her left hip, but the rest of her torso, all the way down to her hipbones, was exposed by gold mesh. The red fabric of her skirt made a graceful curve in front, covering the center of her lower pelvis but exposing the sides of her hips and upper thighs under sheer gold. Her skirt was skin tight to mid- thigh and then flared out in sections, exposing long, golden legs as she turned. He heard someone— he thought it was Percy again— gasp as she turned fully for the first time. Straight glossy hair fell halfway to her waist, but below that her entire back was exposed. There couldn't have been a thumb's width of fabric between the cleft of her buttocks and the top of her skirt, and then she was turning again, dancing in earnest.

She looked like Amy, all golden tanned skin, long dark hair, and slim, graceful limbs. Bill swallowed.

He felt a sharp pain in his shin and looked up. Charlie jerked his head towards their younger brothers, seated round the table between them. Fred and George were gaping— all but drooling— in wide- eyed fascination, while a red- faced Ron was staring at the table and sneaking glances from under his fringe. Bill felt a wave of sympathy. He wouldn't be thirteen again for all the treasure in Egypt. Percy was watching her intently too, but at least he had remembered Bill's instructions to keep his mouth shut.

"How does she do that?"

Bill turned back to the dancer, who was moving her hips and torso in fluid, undulating waves. "I have no idea."

Charlie kicked him again, mouthed "watch this," and reached his hand out to close George's gaping mouth. Much to their amusement, Fred's closed too before he opened it to speak.

"Are you sure she's not a witch?"

Bill had been right; watching his brothers' reactions was nearly as good as the dance. "Does it matter?"

Fred and George shook their heads wordlessly, never tearing their eyes from the graceful female.

Bill spared a final glance for Ron, who was getting braver and letting his eyes linger for a bit, before turning back to enjoy the show.

()()()()

Bill shepherded his brothers out the door (where they each thanked Anhur profusely and sincerely) and onto the pavement. It was very late— or early, depending on your perspective— but the boys were too wired to be sleepy. And he had stopped counting how many bottles of Coke Ron had after the fourth one.

"Did you see the blue one, that thing she did with her chest— "

"Don't be stupid, Ron, she wasn't blue." That was Percy, always proper. He even ogled properly.

"The girl in the blue dress then. Did you see her?"

"She was hard to miss. But I still say the second dancer was my favorite." Charlie was a sucker for blonds, even fake ones. "What about you, Bill, which dancer did you like best?"

Charlie's voice was a little too innocent- sounding to be real, and Bill didn't take the bait.

"The first one," Fred said.

"Definitely," George agreed. "Who was your favorite, Ron?"

"He liked the waitress best," Percy teased. "The one who kept flashing us every time she refilled drinks. Damn, I'm glad I sat beside you, Ron. What was her name? Amira? Amyra?"

"Amitra," Ron muttered. "She was nice."

All five brothers laughed.

"She was," Ron said defensively. "One time she asked if I wanted Coke or something else, and when I asked her what else she had— "

Charlie sniggered.

"She brought me all the other fizzy drinks. So, now I can tell Hermione I've had Coca- Cola, and Diet Coke, and Sprite, and a cherry- flavored one." He sounded pleased with himself.

"Hey, Ron," Fred said suddenly. "Hermione is Muggle- born. You think she knows how to dance like that?"

Ron shoved Fred hard enough to cause him to stumble significantly, almost landing in the street.

"Watch it," Bill said, grabbing the back of Fred's shirt. "Egyptians consider driving to be a full- contact sport."

"What does that mean?" Percy said.

Bill had no idea. It was something Amy said all the time. "It means stay out of the street."

"Here's an idea, Fred." Ron's voice was sharp. "When you see Hermione, why don't you ask her?"

"I like all my parts right where they are, thank you."

"So, your witch is good with a wand, is she?" Bill said. They turned the corner.

"She's not my witch."

He smiled at Ron's automatic denial.

"But, yeah, she's brilliant. Top of our class in everything," Ron said proudly.

"Isn't Amy Muggle- born?" Charlie said. An appreciative groan sounded from the group at the idea of a belly- dancing Amy. "She would look hot in one of those costumes."

"Amy looks hot in anything," Bill said without thinking and his brothers laughed. "All right, that's enough. She's a friend of mine. We are not going to talk about her behind her back."

"What did you do to piss her off?" Percy said as they waited for a break in traffic, then crossed the street.

"What makes you think I pissed her off?"

"She snubbed you all through dinner last week, and she obviously didn't want you to see her home. Even witches who don't like you will let you walk them to their common room."

"Cheers, Perce."

"I'm just saying, you two were flirting all day, and then. . . ."

Charlie smirked. "All of us were flirting with her all day. Maybe that was the problem."

"We're just friends." If Bill had a sickle for every time he had said that since he met Amy Green, well, he could afford to take all his brothers out again. And maybe again.

"You don't like her?″ Ron said. ″I thought she was really nice, and fun. Charlie likes her, don't you, Charlie?"

"I do, very much." Charlie was struggling to hold in his laughter.

"Well, then, what's the problem?" George said. "We've already determined you think she's hot."

How the hell had Bill ended up in a conversation with his little brothers about his ex- girlfriend? "Unfortunately, Casanova, there is more to a relationship with a woman than thinking she's hot."

"Like what?" They had stopped at another red light, and Ron looked up at Bill.

"Like wanting the same things, for starters." He tried to shake Ron off when the light turned green, but his little brother's legs weren't that short anymore.

"What kinds of things?"

Bill sighed. Ron, Fred, George, and even Percy were watching him closely. Sometimes it sucked being the oldest. It really did.

"Like how serious you want your relationship to be, what you're going to tell other people about the two of you, and still liking each other when the sex is over."

"You didn't like her when the sex was over?" Percy sounded puzzled.

"For Merlin's sake! It is none of your damn business, and if any of you say anything to Amy to make her uncomfortable," he shot an extra glare at Charlie, "I'll make sure you can't have sex with anyone, got it? Open the door, George, we're here."