Blame it on the moon

.

The next morning Bill woke up around half past eight, put on a t-shirt and trousers and left his room. Although it was mid-September, the temperature was a little lower than it had been the day before. However, Bill didn't usually feel cold. Hermione's bedroom door was still closed, she was probably still asleep, so he decided to make them both some coffee and toast before she woke up.

As soon as the water warmed up and he heard the distinctive sound of toast popping out of the toaster, Hermione's door opened with a loud bang. She stepped out of the room awkwardly, fitting a shoe to her foot, her hair completely wild and the collar of a black blazer caught between her teeth. Bill stared at her and couldn't help but laugh out loud at the scene.

"I'm late! I can't believe I'm late..." she stopped and stared at the redhead, grabbed the blazer in her hands and raised an eyebrow. She was surprised he was still at home.

"Hermione, it's Saturday", he reassured her, and she closed her eyes, huffing and taking her heels off again. "Why don't you come round and have a coffee with me?"

She nodded and dropped her coat on the sofa, heading for the kitchen counter and taking the plate of buttered toast he held out to her. He warned her that the coffee would soon be ready and invited her to eat on the balcony.

"You urgently need to stop thinking so much about work", he commented, pulling out a chair for her to sit down. Gentleman, she thought. Then he repeated the gesture and sat down next to her. With a wave of his wand, he floated two cups of coffee over to the table for them both.

"I don't know how to do this Bill, I've spent the last few years just working", she sighed "That's why we're here, even. I've worked so much that I haven't even had time for relationships".

"If it's any consolation, I've had time and lots of relationships, and I'm here too" he smiled and brought his hand to hers, squeezing it affectionately.

"I just don't get it" she said, shaking her head and looking at him intently.

"What?" he asked.

"You here with me", she confessed. "You're the husband any witch could want, I just don't get it".

The red-haired man was visibly surprised, and Hermione realised it when he quickly raised an eyebrow and intended to loosen his grip on her hand. But he stopped himself just as quickly and didn't move his hand, caressing her skin with his thumb.

"I could say exactly the same about you, you know?" he replied and she rolled her eyes.

"You know that when you receive a compliment, you don't necessarily have reply with another, don't you?"

"I know. I'm just saying that I think the same about you", he smiled. "Anyone would be lucky to have you".

"Thank you, Bill", she said, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Hermione wasn't used to receiving many compliments that went beyond the usual praise for her intellect. She liked being recognised for her tenacity and intelligence, but she missed being seen for other attributes. She couldn't remember a time when she felt desired or was even seen as the woman she was. It was a recurring feeling that she fought with all her might, fearing that it might make her somehow futile or less of a feminist.

All the men who had passed through her life didn't see her as she wanted to be seen. As for Bill, their marriage was merely a matter of convenience and the two were gradually becoming good friends. The redhead certainly had no plans to turn what they had into a real relationship, she knew. But there, with his blue eyes burning into hers, his pupils dilated, his comforting smile and his warm grip against her hand, she felt, for the first time, seen.

And he indeed saw her. Every day he saw more of her. Bill had noticed, ever since the conversation in the Burrow in which she proposed marriage, that she was beautiful. And he obviously knew about her other qualities. He hadn't imagined that living with her would introduce him to anything new, but he was wrong. The mere fact that he had breakfast with her every day was enough to let him know that she didn't like to sweeten her hot drinks, unless it was tea. He didn't like tea, but he always made it for her. Within a few weeks, he had memorised some of the freckles she had on her nose. There were fifteen of them. He knew that her eyes never changed colour, no matter the light, they were always the same warm brown. He had also noticed that it took her an average of twenty-six seconds to put her hair up in a bun before she left for work.

Whilst he already knew these details, he found himself wanting to know more and more. Bill had trouble sleeping, and whenever he lay in his bed he wondered if Hermione was already asleep, if she fell asleep easily or if she had trouble sleeping just like him. He always woke up early, had a shower, and waited anxiously for the time when he knew she would open her bedroom door and say good morning. He wanted to know what she was thinking when she sat next to him on the balcony with a book in her hands but with her mind in the clouds, completely distracted. He wanted to watch all her favourite films, read all her favourite books, know her innermost fears and share some of his own.

Bill didn't know when he had become so curious to get to know Hermione completely, because by the time he realised it, the thoughts were already there in his head. The girl brought the mug of coffee to her lips and began to observe the view they had from the balcony, feeling the warm rays of the sun hitting her face and warming her body.

"What do you want to do today?" Bill asked.

"I don't have anything in mind", she replied. "What do you suggest?"

"Something Muggles usually do at the weekends", he commented. "What did you used to do when you weren't at Hogwarts?"

Curiosity about her hammered away in his head, and he thought that accompanying her on things she liked would be a good way to get to know her even better.

"I've just had the perfect idea", she smiled at him, and he smiled back.

The two of them got ready to go out and Hermione kept up the suspense about where they were going. As they had agreed to spend a day as muggles, they didn't apparate, instead they walked a long way, with the girl pointing to objects, buildings and people and telling Bill what they meant. The redhead grinned from ear to ear when they reached their destination and the witch explained that they were in a cinema. She let him choose the film while she bought popcorn and a soft drink and wasn't at all surprised when he ended up choosing Batman.

Taking Bill to the cinema was like taking a child for the first time. He looked at everything with interest, never stopped smiling and was engrossed in the film the whole time. He couldn't take his eyes off the screen and the girl laughed the three times he missed the straw of the soft drink with his mouth because he was too focused on the film. He bounced in his chair whenever the soundtrack got loud and leaned forward in anticipation whenever the scene was suspenseful.

When the film ended, he was so excited that he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, kissed the top of her head and thanked her for "the best day of his life", in his own words.

The two of them walked to a square and got an ice-cream each, sitting down on a stool side by side. The park was full: there were children, families having a picnic, couples hugging, dogs running around and old people playing chess. Hermione pointed to a couple talking intensely three benches away from them, and Bill followed her gaze.

"What do you think they're talking about?" she asked in a whisper.

"I think they're arguing about something", he replied.

The witch took a lick of her ice-cream and leaned back in her seat.

"When I was younger, I had a habit of trying to guess what people were saying or thinking in public places like this", she commented. "It was something I played to pass the time whenever my parents were too busy".

"I can't believe you sold our car to buy dragon eggs, Alfred", Bill said, after a few minutes of silence, imitating a female voice. "I've already told you not to believe men in hoods who claim to be wizards".

Hermione laughed out loud and watched the couple. The woman had raised her arms and exclaimed something at exactly the same time as Bill had spoken.

"Josephine, I told you I saw a dragon flying over my head a few years ago!" Hermione replied, imitating a male voice when the man opened his mouth and said something.

"Alfred, we've had already talked about it. What's next? A little witch and two wizards stole a dragon to escape from a bank?" Bill replied and nudged Hermione with his shoulder, who laughed.

The odd couple seemed to have broken up for good, as they both got up and each went their separate ways, putting an end to Hermione and Bill's fun.

"And what do you think he's thinking?" the witch asked, discreetly pointing to an elderly man who was looking disdainfully at a group of teenagers.

"I think…" Bill began to reply, scratching his chin with his little finger. "That he's the teenagers' grandfather and he's afraid to take his afternoon nap and leave his glasses on the side table, since one of the teenagers has filled his room with gnomes and he's already lost seven glasses in the last month alone".

"Which one of you did this?", she asked, turning to him. He smiled.

"Fred took the blame", Bill replied. "He was never able to prove that I was involved".

"Bill!" she exclaimed, laughing. "I didn't realise you got up to mischief when you were younger".

"Dear wife, I'm a Weasley" he joked, wiping the corner of Hermione's mouth, which was smeared with ice-cream, with his thumb.

Hermione blushed at his touch and at being called "wife". She was already used to many things: sharing the house with him, seeing him every day, eating meals with him every night and even the smell of his cigarettes. Every day when she didn't have to work overtime, she looked forward to the three knocks on her office before Bill came in with a smile on his face inviting her to go home. But despite all this, she believed that she would never be able to get used to the fact that the red-haired man was her husband.

"Speaking of my lovely family" the redhead commented. "Are you ready for our first big event as a couple?"

"What event?"

"Mum and Dad's anniversary next month".

"Is it next month already? I'd completely forgotten!"

Molly and Arthur had been organising a big wedding vow renewal party for months. They had invited a considerable number of people from the wizarding world to celebrate their many years together. Hermione, too busy with her own wedding preparations and taking time off work, had forgotten that the date was coming up.

"Forty years!" Bill exclaimed. "Can you imagine being with someone for that long?"

"Are you sick of me yet?" she asked jokingly. Bill looked at her with a smile and his blue eyes sparkling.

"I still haven't learnt to do the impossible" he replied.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat. Bill made comments like that more and more often, and the witch always blushed and ended up thinking she knew exactly what Fleur had seen in Bill. Hermione didn't want to end up falling in love with him, because she knew he was unlikely to reciprocate her feelings. After a messy divorce with the woman he loved, after yearning for fatherhood only to discover that his daughter wasn't his, after the war and everything else, it was simply impossible that the redhead would reciprocate any romantic feelings for her. She didn't want to fall in love with him, but she had the vague impression that if he continued to be simply the way he was, it would be very difficult.

"Am I going to see you dance the waltz then?" she asked, trying to change the direction of her thoughts. Bill laughed.

"Of course!" he replied. "I'm the best waltz dancer you'll ever meet, you'll see".

By the time the two of them decided to go home, it was getting dark and the mid-season temperature was beginning to drop. Despite the wind, Hermione insisted that they walk back, after all, they were spending a day as muggles. Bill realised that she was walking with her arms crossed in front of her body, she was feeling cold. He wanted to offer her a coat, but he hadn't brought one himself. He was only wearing a T-shirt.

"Come here", he said, pulling her against him and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, wanting to warm her up. Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist, and he rubbed the back of his hand against the skin of her arm. Bill was warm, and his body heat was enough to warm her and protect her from the wind. When he realised how well his gesture was received by her, he dared a little more and kissed the top of her head.

Hermione liked being in contact with him, she felt safe. Involuntarily, she leaned her cheek against his chest as they walked and felt him squeeze her even tighter. The two of them continued to hold each other until they reached the flat, and the girl regretted that the journey wasn't longer so that she could continue to enjoy this closeness.

That evening, as usual, Bill took charge of dinner while Hermione participated passively, sitting at the kitchen counter, facing him. She watched him chop the vegetables with precision and giggle at some comment she made. The two of them had dinner together on the balcony and, after Hermione had washed the dishes, they sat together on the sofa, facing each other, each with their back against an arm of the sofa. The witch had started reading a book Bill had recommended from his collection, and he was writing in his diary.

As soon as she realised that the redhead was writing in his diary, her attention was divided between him and the book. She read a few lines and cast discreet glances at him, or at least she thought they were discreet. Bill had realised that she looked at him from time to time, because he himself was attentive to her every move. The witch was taken aback when she found Bill's blue eyes staring at her and a smile playing on his lips.

"Just ask already, love" he said.

"What are you writing?" she asked, curious, and closed the book. "Another chapter in our tale?"

He returned his eyes to what he was writing down, still with a mocking smile.

"Maybe yes, maybe no" he replied.

"Can I read it?"

"Absolutely not", he replied.

"Please?" she asked, dropping the book on the back of the sofa and leaning forward, closer to him.

"No", he replied, and she snorted. He closed the diary and leaned forward, tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear and smiled. "I promise I'll let you read it one day, just not today".

"I can wait, then", she replied, her eyes glued to his. She couldn't look away and, although they were very close, she didn't want to move. Bill didn't seem to want to move either, as he stood in the same position, staring into her eyes. His only movement was his fingers playing with the end of her lock of hair. Very slowly, the redhead brought his face closer to hers, and Hermione's stomach did flips in anticipation. She was absolutely certain that Bill was going to kiss her, and she ended up moving closer to him, almost touching her nose to his. The red-haired man crossed the tiny space left between them and pressed his lips to hers.

However, as soon as Hermione felt Bill's lips touch hers, a crash was heard from the window and they both jumped backwards in fright. The redhead was the first to get up from the sofa, rubbing his hands nervously against his trousers as he made his way to the window. The witch's heart was racing too fast for her to register anything that was happening. Bill kissed me, she thought. No, Bill didn't actually kiss me, but he wanted to, she mentally corrected herself.

"It's for you", he approached, holding out a letter to her and snapping her out of her trance.

"For me? That's strange, my birthday isn't until Tuesday" she commented, getting up from the sofa and taking the parchment in her hands.

Bill watched her open the letter and read the contents carefully, her lips moving and her eyebrows furrowing as she read. He put his hands in his pockets and stood there. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know whether to stay there or go to his room. By Merlin, he had almost kissed her! He felt like a teenager with no experience of women at that moment, not the 37-year-old man he was. Hermione put the letter down and stared at nothing, completely confused. He approached her, concerned.

"What's wrong?", he asked.

"A divorce petition", she replied. "A witch wants to make an appointment with me on Monday to deal with her divorce".

"And what does your department have to do with it?"

"Nothing" she replied, thoughtfully. "She wants to meet me outside the Ministry".

"Strange", he commented. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Bill seemed genuinely worried, but the witch assured him that she didn't need company and that the sender would probably like her to be alone, since she had sent the letter to her residence, not to her office at the Ministry. The red-haired man nodded and the two sat in silence for a while. The mood had become a little different between the two of them, Hermione's heart remained racing, while Bill seemed to rest. Finally, the girl announced that she was going to sleep and awkwardly kissed the wizard on the cheek and wished him goodnight.

Bill stayed in the living room for a while after her bedroom door had closed, wondering if he should have taken her by the hand before she disappeared behind the door and finished what he had started. The desire to kiss her didn't go away, the simple touch of his lips on hers wasn't enough. On the contrary, it only served to arouse the redhead's curiosity even more. He wanted to know what it was like to kiss her. But in the end, he came to the conclusion that it was probably better that nothing had happened. He was probably just feeling lonely, since it had been almost a month since he had seen Samantha, since he hadn't had sex with anyone. And, if he wasn't mistaken, next week would be a full moon.

He liked to blame the moon for certain attitudes of his, even though he knew that many of them had nothing to do with his "moony" condition. The moon only had an effect on him when it was actually full. In the worst scenario, a day or two before becoming full. Never a week. However, it was more comfortable for him to blame the moon and Samantha for this sudden desire to have Hermione for himself. Ruffling his hair with his fingers, Bill went into his room, closed the door and stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep.

.

Sunday didn't take away Hermione's nervousness, nor Bill's desire. But Ginny and Harry's sudden visit with their children brought them out of their own thoughts. The four adults and the two children enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon, with the exception of a single moment when Bill, thinking very quickly, cast a shield spell on the balcony so that James, who had been like an out-of-control runner ever since he discovered his ability to use his legs, wouldn't be able to reach the balcony edge and fall from a height that would probably kill him.

When the Potters left, Hermione was happy and calm, although a little tired. The redhead made them something quick to eat and suggested they watch a film. The witch accepted the invitation and warned him that she would probably fall asleep halfway through, but that Bill could continue watching until the end if he wanted to. And that's exactly what happened. Halfway through the film, the girl ended up falling asleep and let her face fall on the redhead's shoulder. He liked that.

Bill watched the film to the end but was unable to get up and switch off the device. His back was aching, and he urgently needed to change position, but he didn't want to move and have Hermione end up moving her face away from his shoulder, because he liked that contact. He lay still for a long time and discovered that, when unused for any length of time, the television switched itself off. However, he still didn't move. He decided, like a teenager, to make a mental agreement with himself: he would adjust himself into the bed and, if she moved away, he would get up and go to his room. But if she stayed glued to him, he would stay there as long as he could.

When he stirred, she moved a few centimetres away from him and lay back, still asleep, resting her head on the pillow. Bill mentally regretted it and slipped down onto the mattress, face up, in order to stretch his back before getting up and going to his own bedroom. However, when he did, the witch approached him again and leaned her body against his, resting a hand on his chest and resting her cheek against his arm. Bill smiled and turned his face away, kissed the top of her head and deliberately decided to sleep there.

I need the moon. I need something to blame, the redhead thought before closing his eyes and falling asleep with a smile on his face.