A/N: I love the reviews and especially your loyalty to all the different stories. It gives me the warm and fuzzies. So onto 5th year, this one is a little more off the rails, but we're moving.
Grimmauld Place, Summer before 5th year
"Hey, Hermione. Can I steal you away?" Bill asked, poking his head into the room she Ron and Ginny were supposed to be cleaning. She nodded and got up and went out to the hallway, heart giving that familiar flick when talked to him. Fervently wishing she hadn't been doxy spraying because it always made her look a fright.
"What's up?" She asked, Bill looked hassled and slightly stressed.
"I need you to come with me on a mission. Someone hid information in a muggle video game and I have no idea what that is. So I don't know what I'm looking for." He told her, retying his ponytail.
Excitement bubbled in her, she was getting to go on a mission and skip cleaning. Oh, everyone else was going to be so jealous! "Sure thing, I play them with my cousins on holidays."
"Brilliant." They went down the stairs and he poked his head into the kitchen, "Mum, I'm taking Hermione."
"Bill, I still think-" She started to fret.
"Bye, Mum." He cut off and dragged her down the hallway at a rapid pace, "Have you ever gone side-along apparition?"
She shook her head and he opened the door ushering her onto the step, "Just hang onto me, you'll feel like you're getting squeezed. If you're going to be sick, don't aim my way."
He winked at the last part and wrapped an arm around her waist and she wound one back around his, feeling her stomach flip at the contact. Then her stomach was being squeezed and she was going through a tunnel. They landed and she started to stumble, getting pulled directly into his chest as he steadied her. She took a few deep breaths, waiting for her stomach to settle as he asked if she was ok, one of his hands stroking her back. He smelled like fresh parchment, ink, and his own warm and spicy scent. When she realized she had stayed in his arms for rather longer than needed, she pulled back out of the embrace with a blush. "Sorry."
"It's a bit disconcerting. Charlie used to pass out every time." He reassured her and glanced around at the neighborhood. "We're looking for number 7 on this street."
She helped him look and admired his body as he glanced around, before bending down to insert a knife into the lock like he'd been breaking and entering for years. She was supposed to be making sure nobody was watching him, but was too busy staring. "Why aren't you using using the charms?"
He glanced up at her and grinned as the lock undid, "Don't want to set off any wards."
Inside appeared to be a regular muggle house and Bill looked around in interest, while she went directly to the living room to see if there was a set up there. No, she frowned. "Bill, we need to check the bedrooms. We're looking for a tv." She pointed at it.
"I know what a tv is, Hermione. I'm not totally ignorant of the muggle world just their children's games." He told her with a little more sass than necessary and she rolled her eyes to herself.
It was in the second bedroom, a child's with a dinosaur bedspread. Bill seemed very amused by the decor. "Bill, when you said the information is in the game, what did you mean?"
"That's all we caught." He said with a shrug, picking stuff up at random, "It was a gift to a squib's kid from some Japenese wizards. We think he's being threatened by the Death Eaters." He glanced at the paper in his hand and held it up for her to see, "This kid is a terrible speller."
"Stop touching things!" He ignored her and just kept rifling the papers before grabbing a pencil and started making corrections.
She headed for the system and saw there was a mess of cartridges, "Name of the game? Bill, stop that."
"Legend of Zelda. Pet, clearly nobody is teaching this kid anything and I don't want him to end up stupid." Bill told her and kept correcting the essay.
"It could be a girl." She grabbed the game and peered up the air vent and tapped her chin in thought, "I think we might have to plug it in and see what's there."
He looked completely blank, but when she went to pop it in the machine he grabbed her wrist. "Let me check it for curses first. The intel wasn't perfect and I'm not taking any chances with your life."
Sheepishly, she passed it over, feeling a warm glow at the seriousness there and told herself she was ridiculous. She watched him throw a ward around it and swipe his wand back and forth for several minutes over it, murmuring softly. He looked incredibly competent as he did so, strong and not at all phased by the fact he could be dealing with something dangerous. Don't swoon, Hermione, it's unbecoming. He broke the ward and passed it to her, "All clear, there's not a spell I can find on it at all." He frowned at that, "I'm not sure how the information is in there."
"Probably just coded in the program itself. This doesn't look like the regular label." She set it up and started trying to navigate it, eventually just starting a new game, while Bill peppered her with questions and watched in rapt fascination.
"No, I'm the little man in the hat. See how the controller works and I can make him move around. Also, move farther back from the tv. It's bad for your eyes." She told him, wondering if this was how she'd looked on that first trip to Diagon Alley.
He looked overwhelmingly delighted with the video game and grabbed the controller from her. "I should do it, it's safer. We still don't know it's not cursed."
"You just want to play." She scolded, amused by his antics and sheer excitement as he made his little Link run in circles. It made him look younger and took away a little bit of the veneer of the man from last year who'd been so together during the crisis situations.
"You're not in the Order and technically can't take missions." He gave her his best Head Boy look with a wink and she settled in to watch and write down what he found as they talked to various villagers.
"Bill, we've got the information now. We should go back." Hermione told him in exasperation, she'd let him have his fun for what seemed like forever, but she was hungry.
"No, did you just see how I killed that guy? This is awesome, they even have potions and fairies." Bill said determinedly, smashing the little buttons on the control he was holding, sitting cross-legged on the dinosaur bedspread.
"Bill, that's a game for muggle children." She tried to appeal, he had yet to lose his exuberance at discovering just what a video game was and rambled on and on about how he was getting them for his place and for Charlie's reserve.
"What if there's more information hidden in the program?" Bill shot back, still staring at the screen where his little Link was running around a village.
"It specifically said 'End of Message'." She started to reach for the controller and he blocked her.
He paused to look directly in her eyes, a small smile playing at his lips. "You don't know we got it all. Could be a trick and the real information is behind it." She frowned and he gave her an exaggerated pout that reminded her of the twins. "Hermione, please, I thought you had compassion. Do you really want it on your conscience forever that we didn't rescue Zelda?"
She laughed at his pleading, wondering if he was who Fred learned that special tone from that always broke her. "Fine, but Bill, at least let me have a turn. You're hogging it." She harassed him again, nudging him from where she was sitting next to him. He felt like a heater under his muscled shoulder.
He looked sheepish for a moment, then gave her that wink that made her stomach flitter and flutter. "No, pet. You got a muggle childhood, I didn't. This can be mine, because this is the best mission ever. Will you go get me another cola?"
"You are not seven, Bill, and I am not your mother." She told him, but got up anyway, finding him rather adorable in his childish actions and couldn't stop herself from ruffling his hair. It was as soft and silky as it looked, why couldn't she have gotten hair like that? She blushed at the fact she'd just touched him without asking. "Do you want me to make you a sandwich too? I'm starving."
"No, let's just order pizzas. This boss is hard." Bill stood, still smashing away, "Just grab my wallet, right back pocket."
Ummm, well that was awfully familiar, but if he didn't care she didn't either, or that's what she told herself. She did it very tentatively, pulling the wallet only to find it was on a chain attached to his belt loop and she had to stand extremely close to him as she rifled through the different sections of both magical and muggle money in multiple currencies. They would spend another several hours in the bedroom and Hermione would peer at Bill's corrections and privately agree with his assessment. She would pull down the proper encyclopedias and mark the pages for their little unknowing host, somehow thinking it was the least they could do for hanging out in his bedroom and drinking his colas.
She would eventually just lay on her stomach and alternate between trying to stare at Bill's ever changing facial expressions without getting noticed, or watch the game and eventually fell asleep. She woke up sometime later outside and would be horrified to find he was carrying her and was wearing the child's backpack filled with the gaming system and all of the games. "Bill, you don't have a tv or electricity. You're stealing from a child."
"I think I'll need to check them all for information." He responded, not letting her near his bounty after he set her down. He was completely unrepentant as the light caught his fang earring, "I beat the game so I won them. That's how stealing treasure works."
"That's not treasure." Oh why was he not listening to her? She was using the extra firm tone that always got Harry and Ron to do what she wanted. It did not seem to have any sort of sway with him. She was already at her bossiest level without adding in childish stomping or hexing.
"To me it's treasure." He was completely genuine, before getting excited. "I'm going to make it run on magic, Dad'll help I'm sure."
Her resolve wavered at his sincerity and her next attempt to do what was right was a mess. "Go give it back to the child, I'll take you to the store and you can pick out your own unit."
He shook his head, "That kid needs to spend more time studying, I'm doing him a favor." He winked, "Don't fret, my pet, I'll send his dad a check. These are sentimental, they're my first ones."
Somehow the mischievous and daring side that drove her nuts in the twins was attractive and non malicious in Bill, just innocent. It briefly crossed her mind that Ron had contemplated whether he or Bill had the worst end of being poor, the one who only had his uncle's second hand belongings transitionally and constantly had to give them up or the one who got them when they were even more battered. He'd said when Bill moved out of the Burrow all he had was books people had given him and a rucksack of clothes. She sighed at him, relenting at the face he was making. "You can keep it."
"Thanks for your permission." He grinned and swung it off his shoulder for a minute, "Don't worry I got something for you too."
He shoved the little dinosaur from the desk she'd been playing with at her. She took it and blushed, he'd just stolen it, but still he was giving her a present. He was completely pleased with himself, "Since you did his homework, figure you earned a reward."
"Thank you." She told him, rolling her eyes at him, but putting it in her pocket and trying not to smile to widely at him. It broke and she did smile while shaking her head, stomach fluttering.
"C'mon, my reluctant accomplice, that made me hungry. Let's go celebrate. Want Italian?"
If she pretended it was a date in her head, nobody would ever know except Ginny, who would be woken up by Bill shoving her back in their room, muttering. "Don't tell Mum I let you have wine. Go to bed, Hermione."
She would go to Ginny's bed and start to ramble at her about how Bill had ordered her food for her in Italian. Ginny would blink sleepily at her and say, "If you don't shut up and go to bed, I'll throw your precious Bill under the bus."
"-But Ginny, he forgot I was young so-" Hermione started again, then just gave a happy giggle.
"I'll tell everyone, especially Bill, about your crush. Shut up and go to sleep." Ginny threatened kicking her slightly to get her off the bed.
Hermione shut up and went to her own bed, mortified at the thought, not knowing almost even knew, including Bill. Bill who had stood in the hallway completely amused at hearing her giggling. He found her random bursts of embarrassment endearing and awfully adorable and if he sometimes did things on purpose just to see them, nobody would know. Except Sirius and Remus who wagered on how many times Bill would wink at her each meal or catch her eye and smile, just to fluster her. As the flirt, Sirius was unnervingly accurate in his predictions, much to Remus' dismay.
Grimmauld Place, Christmas 5th year
"Professor Vec' said you're a whiz at Arithmancy, wrote to see if Gringotts was still doing our summer internship program." It was said conversationally as he refilled his firewhiskey and she poured water for herself.
"I really love it, it's my favorite class so far." Part of that was the little shy glances she shared with Terry. She was more comfortable around Bill now, just still had a constant fear she would say something stupid.
"It was one of mine too." He leaned against the counter, glancing back to the living room where everyone was crammed in making what appeared to be the maximum amount of noise possible by talking over each other. He seemed to be taking a moment.
"Bill, how did you manage to get all of those OWLs?" It slipped out.
"It took a lot of time, I can tell you that." He winked and she understood, he had been like her, given a time turner.
She dropped her voice, "I had one too. How could you keep it up? I started going mad with exhaustion, took it out on poor Ron and Harry."
He shrugged, "It was brutal. I worried Charlie bad enough he wrote home to Mum and pestered McGonagall to try and get her to tell me to drop classes. She helped make some arrangements with the other professors to lighten my homework load 5th year in the subjects I'd showed proficiency in."
"That's cheating!" She protested in a squeak.
He shrugged, blue eyes twinkling at her outrage. "Nah, not like everyone else was actually writing a whole foot of parchment when told anyway. Guess which professor refused to cut me any slack?"
"Snape?" She said immediately.
"Bingo. I swear he made the homework load bigger just to spite me. Of course it could have been something I said too, I never did know when to cut my losses and shut up." He winked. "I'll send you a pamphlet on the Gringotts thing, might be worth a look for next summer. My London team is a wreck, I have to spend more time keeping my trainees alive than mapping treasure locations. Godric knows we can always use bright minds like yours."
"I'd like that." She smiled as he took a sip, heart fluttering at the compliment. She knew she was smart, but it was nice when it was appreciated and not used to tease her. "How exactly do you steal treasure?"
"Well-" He started and was cut off.
"What are you two doing in here?" Ron asked, not looking particularly thrilled as he looked back and forth between them. "Hermione, go play gobstones with Ginny, she's looking for someone to play."
"You go play gobstones, Ron. I'm learning about treasure hunting." She told him, exasperated, "Stop ordering me about."
Bill made a shooing motion at his brother who grumbled and left. Bill shook his head, "Hermione, a word of advice? All of the boys are going to be prats for the next few years of school."
"That's nothing new." She told him and he laughed.
"Oh, that's right, Miss 'I dated an International Quidditch Star'."
She blushed lightly, "We weren't-"
"Tell that to Viktor." He winked, "He wrote Fleur who wrote Harry to ask if you were seeing anyone new since your letters have been shorter."
"Fleur?" She blinked, "Fleur Delacour?"
He nodded, "Yeah she's at Gringotts, we see a lot of each other."
Hermione felt something in her chest tighten at that news, knowing first hand just how Fleur affected Weasley men and just what the tones in his voice meant. They were involved. She managed a smile. "Viktor always spoke fondly of her. He felt terrible for what happened in the maze."
"Oh she knows he was Imperiused. She does like to refer to the tournament as a giant waste of her time." She opted to refill her water and heard him leave. She took a deep breath only to look up and find Sirius had wandered into the kitchen and was eyeing her carefully. "You alright there, Hermione?"
"Just a little tired is all." She told him, still feeling that clenching sensation in her chest.
"Come with me to feed Buckbeak." He asked and she nodded, watching him grab the bottle of firewhiskey.
Once they were in the room he fed the hippogriff and casually passed her the firewhiskey, indicating her to take a sip. Hesitantly she did and felt the burn. She sighed, "Is it that obvious?"
He shrugged, "If you're used to looking. I don't think Harry, Ron or the twins have picked up on it, so you're safe from teasing at least."
"Well that's a small relief." She sighed again.
He took the bottle back and took his own swig, "Look, Bill's quite a bit older and you're still underage. I won't insult you by calling you a kid or silly little girl or whatever you're calling yourself in your head." He smiled and she cut her inside voice off, "I'm not going to tell you to get your hopes up, but I'm also telling you to not give up hope. He's clearly fond of your company and discussions, made me shift at dinner to sit next to you tonight."
"That was just to get away from the twins. They keep joking they're going to slip him new product to test." Hermione shook her head, lamenting.
Sirius shook his head, "They already did. Bill didn't make and bring Ginny or I tea when he wanted a break, just drug you off. You two have different interests than the rest of us."
"You're just calling us boring. Thanks for the cheer, Sirius." She told him genuinely meaning it, "It sounds like you've been there?"
"Me, never, but Remus and I had to give variations of that speech to James almost every day for years about Lily. Sixth year was the worst, she had a steady boyfriend that was the exact opposite of everything James was." He looked wistful for a moment. "So get out there and do your own thing." Then got a mischievous look, "Hell, date one of his brothers to make him jealous. It'll definitely work on Ron at least."
"Sirius!" She scolded him.
"Go for one of the twins. They're the most popular. Just be careful what you eat around them." He advised.
Bill Weasley's Flat, Christmas
"Harry, Hermione? Will you floo Bill that Arthur is getting released? We're heading to St. Mungo's now to collect him." Mrs. Weasley bustled off, children in tow.
She shared a glance with Harry who asked hesitantly. "Do you mind doing it? I wouldn't mind some time alone with Sirius."
"Go on, Harry. I'll just pop my head into his office at Gringotts, then get back to studying." She shooed at him, she was worried about how much time Sirius spent in Buckbeak's room.
She tried to floo Bill's office and found it locked despite it being early afternoon, slightly unsure what to do next she called 'Bill Weasley's flat' and very tentatively peeked in, calling, "Bill? Bill are you there?"
She got a pained 'Yes' in response and immediately climbed through in concern. He was laying on the couch with his arm over his eyes. "Fleur, it's fine, go back to work. It's a magical migraine and no the pain potions don't work."
Her insides twisted at the mistake and she said softly, "It's Hermione, your dad is getting released today."
"I'll be over later." He murmured and shifted uncomfortably and she realized he was shirtless, but still in his shoes. There was a shirt hanging out of what appeared to be a hamper right by the fireplace and a pile of sick next to it. She sighed, he must have barely made it to the couch when it hit. Feeling a compulsion she slipped her shoes off and moved further into the room in compassion. She might not be who he wanted, but she couldn't stand seeing him like this. She went to his kitchen and opened the icebox and poured two glasses of white wine and made a cold compress and went back over to the couch handing it to him.
"Bill, sit up and drink this." She whispered it and set about cleaning up where he'd lost his stomach after he flooed.
He did, eyeing her, "What are you doing?"
"My mum gets them too." She told him softly and perched down at the far end of the couch where his head had been, taking his wine glass away and guiding his head gently down to her lap, rather surprised at her own daring. If this were Harry and Ron, she wouldn't think twice, but this was Bill. Bill who was dating a fiercely beautiful Triwizard champion and somehow that had taken away the nervousness. He wasn't hers, he wasn't going to be, but he was in need and she gave a great scalp massage.
"Hermione-" He started, but she was already starting to slowly scrape his scalp with gentle pressure, pressing the cold compress against his forehead and his protest died away after her name. He turned to give her more access, pressing the compress into her thighs and she kept up the gentle movements, her other hand trying to work some of the giant knots out of his neck with pinching movements.
"Do you know what caused it?" She probed gently, sometimes depending on what type of trigger headache her mom had she needed to talk, sometimes it was pure pain.
"Something I ate. Damn twins." He murmured, making a relieved noise as a knot released. They fell into silence as she worked, her fingers gently massaging, softly scraping, tentatively playing with his hair and she felt him start to slowly relax, one of his hand going to cup her knee.
She wanted his pain gone so badly she felt something she'd only felt in anger or fear before, her palatable magic. This was not the anger that crackled her hair or the fear that sparked in her bloodstream and in her aura, this was something else. It drifted from her pores, misting over and around him in soft waves, blunting the pain the noise and light were inflicting him, sweeping them back to her into a heightened awareness of her surroundings. It swirled around them, a whisper of a cocoon, smoothing the stabs of pain his own magic was attacking his brain with, a ghost of a partner as their magic brushed.
She sat there even after he drifted into a light doze, running her fingers through his hair, stroking and soothing, drifting in the strange sensation of his magic touching hers. She marked the time by drinking her wine and peering around his tidy living room, eyeing the books on the shelves and his video game set up with a smile. When her fingers cramped, she pulled away only to have him curl closer, nuzzling against her, a sleeping murmur of, "Don't stop. Keeping you."
Oh, how she wished he meant that, as he bumped his head against her to get her to start again. She flexed her fingers and begin the cycle down his scalp again, one hand going to tug the couch throw over him. The rest of the world ceased to exist, there was only the drifting of her magic in and out, the silk of his hair and his steady breaths of sleep edged with tension, less and less with each drift. More and more of his own palatable magic brushing hers each time in what felt like an incredibly intimate slow dance. The moment broke with the flare of the floo and she worked to keep the magic going even as she was surprised to see Albus Dumbledore. It broke anyway, the intimacy of the moment lingering as her magic slowly disentangled from his and washed away.
He took in the scene and looked extremely thoughtful, before simply saying. "I see I've come at a bad time, may I leave a note for Bill?"
She nodded and Bill shifted on her lap, she kept her voice soft, still stroking his hair. "I'm sorry, Professor, It's his head-"
He nodded kindly to indicate he was aware of Bill's problem. "He's had them since he was young."
Parchment and quill appeared in front of him and he perched in the armchair near Bill's video game collection, before writing a quick note and sealing it. She watched him, feeling oddly exposed at what he'd seen, but even more curious. He folded his hands to indicate he was at her leisure. She fumbled for words, "I..well my magic doesn't do that. Why?"
"I think, Hermione, we've both seen that is clearly not the case. Nor is it the first time you've done it, I believe we documented something similar in your accidental magic file." He twinkled, "May I make a conjecture?"
She nodded, smoothing the edge of Bill's ear as she watched her wine glass refilled. Professor Dumbledore gave her a kind smile, "I believe we are both in the confidence of Harry, so I will not feel that it's unknown the protection his mother gave him when she died."
She shook her head, "He told us."
He nodded, "There are many ancient magics most modern wizards have forgotten the power of, Love for one, but Selflessness is another. Magic given truly with no want of anything in return is a very powerful thing, Hermione. I rather suspect that Mr. Weasley may find himself with a very strong decrease in these bouts. Just as your mother's got substantially better, attributed to a different medicine." He was very merrily twinkling at her.
Hermione didn't know what to say to that, she'd have to look back and try to remember. So simply looked down at Bill, "I truly hope so. He looked like he was in so much pain."
"Now I must be on my way. Do eat some chocolate, ancient magics can be very draining. I shall see you at the start of term." It appeared next to her.
"Thank you, Professor." She told him and looked back at Bill, smiling slightly in his sleep.
He slept for a long time and when he finally woke he looked up at her with the most gorgeous, groggy smile she had ever seen. Her stomach felt like it was full of manic pixies as he sat up, his two words seeming to come from such a deep place that it shook her. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She managed as he cracked his back and headed for the bathroom. It would be very unfortunate that Ron would floo to figure out what had happened to her and find her holding two wine glasses, Bill's voice floating from the bathroom. "Seriously, Hermione you're my favorite person in the world. That was amazing."
"Bill?" Ron would ask in panicked confusion and when Bill appeared rushing down the hallway in concern Ron's tone, he was still shirtless and trying to get his belt done. Ron would turn white then red before bellowing and gesturing between him and the wine glasses, "What the fuck, Bill? We're getting Dad from the hospital and you're too busy seducing Hermione to show your face?!"
"Ron, I helped him with a headache." She tried to tell him, but Ron was having none of it. It was like Krum all over again, but worse because this definitely did not look good.
"Ron, don't jump to conclusions." Bill told him, moving into the room.
Ron was glaring daggers at her, before snapping away. "I can't even look at you. You, you..hussy."
"Ron! Don't you dare insult-" Bill started towards him in anger, wand coming out.
"I'm telling Mum." He went right back through the floo in a complete rage. They would stare at each other helplessly, Bill's voice resigned then angry. "Bloody hippogriffs. I can't believe he said that to you. He's not going to be happy by the time I'm done with him."
She could fathom a response over the hurt flashing in her at Ron's rashness and the alternate flare of a stomach flip at Bill's anger on her behalf. Bill stalked into the kitchen. The floo flared, George's head appeared, "Hullo wrongly accused lovers. Mum says Dumbledore dropped her a note and she'll handle Ron. She's off after him now."
Fred's head appeared, "She said she'll send Ginny if you need Hermione to stay overnight and do more of whatever devious acts she was doing to your broken brain."
George's head turned to listen to someone on his side, "Remus says you're to eat a bar of chocolate before you try and floo, Bill."
Bill answered, "I'll be fine, we'll be over shortly."
Fred and George's heads shared a glance, "Um, might want to wait awhile."
"-For your head's sake. Ron's yelling, Mum's yelling, Mrs. Black's yelling. Sirius is just adding to the mayhem by having Buckbeak out."
"I'll come back then and talk to Ron." Hermione placed the glasses in the sink and started towards them, angrily. How dare he call her that? If she could use her wand right now.
"That's one of the worst ideas you've ever had, Granger. We'll floo when it's all clear."
"Enjoy your time in exile."
Their heads disappeared and Hermione looked at Bill who just raised an eyebrow and she gave him a helpless look in return. "Bad timing."
"Bad timing combined with Ron's innate need to be a little shit every chance he gets. I cannot wait for him to be an adult." Bill shook his head in clear agitation and reached up to rub his shoulder.
"I'm assuming this isn't the first time he's gotten you in trouble?" She went back to the couch, she wasn't going to defend Ron, not today. "Here, need me to do the other shoulder? It didn't look comfortable how you had it jammed."
"You truly are an angel, aren't you?" He said and headed for the kitchen and refilled the wine glasses. Hermione was surprised to find that she didn't feel uncomfortable around him after, it was simply as if even Ron's outburst hadn't broken the serenity of earlier. Bill was going on, "We used to use Perce as a Ron lookout. I know Perce was more strict with you lot at school, but he was decent with Charlie and I." He handed her a glass and smirked, "Though that might be because we would drag him down with us if needed."
She laughed and he settled at her feet to eat his chocolate, get the rest of the knots worked out and have his hair played with. She listened as he explained how he'd been talking to goblins from Spain when it hit and he'd thrown up on one before he could make it home. She stopped playing with his hair at one point, "Wait. You're saying you can't go to Barcelona because you own a woman?"
He climbed up on the couch next to her, clarifying. "No, no. I'm saying I can't go to Barcelona because I offended a family by not taking their daughter as my portion of the treasure and I'd have to duel like 15 people for offending the honor of a girl I've never met."
She stuck her toes under his leg to warm them and he threw the throw over her legs, resting his arm there without a care. She wondered if this was what adult dating was like. Easily sitting around flats, talking about work and laughing or if it was merely what it might be like with Bill, whom Ginny called a big cuddler. Then she shoved it away, if it was this was how he and Fleur spent their time, not she and him curled up in his barely decorated flat. Today was the only day she would get the borrowed time of puttering around the tiny kitchen, trying to find food his stomach could handle, him reaching over her in the cabinets with ease because he kept his food high, brushing her away with his hips. For once his close physical proximity not making her blush or just reducing into a heart hammering embarrassed mess.
They would be exiled for over two hours and it two days before Fleur found two wine glasses in the sink going into a rage that made Ron look tame, especially when Bill wouldn't tell her who he had over. It would be almost two years before Charlie would ask him why he had fresh rose and ginger scented candles only to get a mumbled answer about it helping the occasional migraine. It was too private for him to share even with Charlie, how he'd laid there in pain, completely vulnerable and she had soothed it with her hands. No words to describe how the feeling of her magic brushing him in healing had reminded him of being soothed as a child by his mother, or how when his own magic had reached out to Hermione's it was a new type of intimacy he'd never shared with anyone. His dreams had been odd indeed as he floated there.
Something about the depth of the moment would shift them both, cementing Hermione's crush into something stronger and a longing for moments like that with him. For Bill, it would open his eyes to the fact he'd always considered her Ron and Ginny's little friend that needed the same mentoring and coddling they did, but she wasn't. She was his friend, his equal and deserved to be treated like the witch she was growing into.
Hogwarts Hospital Wing, End of Term
Hermione looked up as the door entered and smiled when she saw Bill coming towards their beds, carrying a vase of peonies, with two bags slung over his shoulder. "Hey you two, how are you feeling?"
"Bored out of my mind and even Hermione has run out of things to talk about." Ron said and Bill laughed.
He handed her the vase and dropped a kiss on her cheek, "Flowers for the lady. I see I'm not the first."
"Peonies are my favorite though. They're beautiful, Bill." She blushed lightly as she thanked him, ignoring Ron's eyeroll at yet more flowers showing up.
"Why do you have so much stuff?" Ron cut in and Hermione wondered if Ron had ever actually apologized to Bill for implying he'd tried to seduce her.
He grinned at them, "Well presents for you two and some treasure I'd like Albus to look at from my vault. Some of it might be useful and some I just can't make heads or tails of." He turned back to Hermione, "One of your presents is the vase there. Those flowers will never wilt or any flowers you put in it."
"Everyone knows those are rubbish, Bill." Ron said looking rather moody, "The charm wears off."
"Not this one." Bill told him, he winked at Hermione. "Did the charms myself on a pretty powerful piece of treasure."
She peered at it, it was wedgewood blue with white swimming mermaids on both sides with little gems in their tails. "Bill, this is too much. Those look like real opals."
"Sure they are." He told her, before unzipping one of the bags. "Relax, Hermione. Just tell me I'm thoughtful and be done with it."
"It's not thoughtful if it's from your heaps of stolen treasure." Ron told him sulkily.
Hermione set her vase onto the little table where it would always be in her line of vision, feeling very fluttery indeed. She didn't think she'd ever change out those flowers, Bill was laying books down on her bed a mix of muggle and magical. He turned to Ron and handed him something, "You'll be telling me I'm thoughtful too."
"What's this? It looks muggle." Ron eyed the grey rectangle.
"It's a gameboy! You can play video games on it." Bill told him in excitement.
"Still going through your muggle childhood, Bill? It's been almost a year." Hermione teased him and he winked at her.
"I have to keep my floo locked to keep the twins and Charlie away from the system. Charlie was worse than I was. He stayed up all night to beat a game, yelling at the machine." He grinned and her stomach flipped hard enough that she had to press a hand to her hurt rib. "You alright?"
She nodded, "Just where I got cursed."
He passed Ron something else, "Card game for the two of you."
"Thank you, Bill. We've still got what feels like forever in here." Hermione told him trying to catch Ron's eyes to encourage him to follow suit, but he was oblivious and examining his new toys.
"So, Hermione, any big summer plans before you go to the Burrow?" Bill asked conversationally, idly reaching over and turning on the power button for Ron.
"My dad wants to do a big camping trip again." She told him, Hermione didn't mind camping, but it also got boring rather quickly.
Bill sharpened, "Muggle camping?"
She nodded and he frowned in thought, before digging around in the other bag he had and pulled something out triumphantly. He handed her what appeared to be a large walking stick and if she didn't already know about extendable bag charm she'd have been very confused. "Here, take this. It's my warding stick, it's not as good as setting real wards, but you'd set off the trace. Just keep it near you, it'll buzz if any other magical people get close."
"Thank you." She said and meant it and he smiled back at her.
"Seems to be all you're saying today. They're damn useful when you're down in a tomb and know there are rival banks hunting too or don't want to be interrupted when you're doing something complicated. Kept me from getting hexed from behind more than once. Also pretty useful if you find yourself in a hand to hand staff fight."
"Do these things happen to you often?" She somehow thought they did, Bill had run off for the most adventurous job he could find and reveled in it.
His ocean eyes were drifting with memory, a self satisfied smile on his face. "Oh yeah. Learned to staff fight from an old bedouin wizard when I was staying with him for a dig. Had my ass handed to me every night for weeks, I was so proud when I finally knocked him off his feet. He really liked breaking my ribs, but gave me that when I left."
"Don't make up stories, Bill." Ron told him, fiddling with his game.
"Who says I'm making it up?" Bill challenged his little brother.
"You and Charlie lie about everything. Don't believe a word he says, Hermione." Ron advised.
"Not about important things, just things you were too young to know about yet." Bill scolded then decided to ignore his brother. "Are you going to be camping while Viktor visits London? He's staying with Fleur and we could all hang out. Fleur doesn't really have many female friends in England and you two have so many shared interests."
The main one being you, she thought before swallowing the little flare of jealousy. He did want to hang out with her at least or for his girlfriend to. She gestured at him with her eyes towards Ron, indicating she'd like to change the topic. "I'm not sure, my dad hasn't set the dates yet. Viktor did invite my family to the exhibition game and my dad is keen on seeing quidditch in real life, but I'm not sure it's safe to take them after how the World Cup went."
"It's not, you should steer clear." Ron butted in, looking sour at the mention of Krum. "I thought you two stopped talking."
Hermione didn't say anything, but she discreetly tucked the letter back under the others and knew Bill saw it the way he suppressed a smile. Ron went on, "Hermione?"
"There's nothing wrong with keeping in touch with friends, Ron. We've been over this." She said tiredly, incredibly glad she'd not bothered to tell him about her few dates with Terry. Ron got out of his bed and headed for the bathroom with a slight stomp.
"Sorry about that." Bill said apologetically, "Didn't know it got under his skin still. If he's a fright to you after I leave, let me know and I'll sic Mum on him. She's been itching to visit every day. Still though you should come out, Fleur was talking about dancing or something."
"I'll think about it." She would, she did want to see Viktor, but not necessarily with Bill and Fleur in a club. She floundered and blushed, "Things with Viktor are well..."
"Unresolved?" Bill offered and she shook her head, trying to figure out how to phrase it and just gave up and pulled out the letter and let him scan it and see for himself. "He's still got feelings and you don't?"
"Something like that, it's been a little too hectic to focus on anything serious, which is well... you saw." Her fingers went up to trace her new scar from Dolohov, in truth she hadn't seen Viktor since the tournament and wasn't sure how she'd react or if any of it would come back.
Bill passed her back the letter and she hid it again, he looked thoughtful as he sat back. "I'll run interference for you if you come out, make sure he doesn't pressure you for more commitment." He frowned, nose crunching in a face she'd never seen him make, looking at her very protectively, but he didn't elaborate on what he was thinking about.
"Thank you." She told him as Ron headed back their way, impressed that he'd give up probably a rare fun evening with friends to make sure hers instead. She wanted to ask why he was looking at her like that, but Ron was too close, so she just let it warm her instead.
"Alright you two, heal up. I'm off to see Albus." He leaned over and kissed her cheek again in goodbye and gave Ron a slap on the back.
Ron watched him go, looking at her curiously. "Since when does Bill kiss you on the cheek?"
"Since I unbroke his brain, I now qualify for the same pecks Ginny gets." Not the kisses she wanted, not the ones that belonged to Fleur Delacour, triwizard failure but winner in the affections of Bill Weasley. She flung herself back into her pillows and rolled away from Ron, "I'm going to take a nap."
A/N: Little Hermione is growing up and Big Bill is starting to notice her as a person in her own right! Go ahead and review.