My little witch

.

Hermione woke up with Bill's warm arms around her. In fact, Bill was so warm that the witch woke up before the alarm went off because a few drops of sweat were already running down her forehead. At first she felt anxious with her heart beating frantically, and it took her a few seconds to realise where she was and who was hugging her. Then she remembered that she had fallen asleep watching the film and that Bill had probably fallen asleep too, so that's why he had ended up sleeping there with her. Carefully, she moved the red-haired man's arm and got out of bed. Quietly, she picked up a change of clothes from the wardrobe and made her way to the bathroom in her room.

When she came out of the bathroom, Bill was no longer in her bed. She found him in the kitchen, his hair wet from a quick shower, preparing coffee for him and tea for her. As soon as his blue eyes met hers, the man's cheeks turned the same color as his hair. The witch approached the counter and took the mug of tea in her hands.

"Good morning, Bill".

"Good morning", he replied, sounding unsure, "I'm sorry about yesterday, I've crossed the line and…"

"It's all right, Bill", she reassured him. "You just fell asleep, it's fine".

The redhead nodded, even though he knew it wasn't true. He hadn't fallen asleep, he'd deliberately chosen not to get out of her bed and stay there feeling her body against his. However, as soon as he woke up alone, he felt overwhelmed by an enormous sense of guilt. He felt that he had taken advantage of her. Even if nothing had happened, and even if they had only actually slept in the same bed, Bill felt that this was totally out of bounds. He felt sorry and ashamed.

The two of them Apparated together to one of the Muggle entrances to the Ministry. Normally, they would have used the Floo network, but Hermione had an early meeting with the witch who had sent her the letter at a nearby cafe, and Bill didn't want her to make the way alone. Perhaps it was the war, or Greyback's attack, or the knowledge that both the werewolf and some other Death Eaters had their whereabouts unknown, but the fact was that Bill had become paranoid about the safety of the people he cared about. He was absolutely certain that his head would be covered in grey hairs before he was fifty if he continued to worry so much about everyone's safety, but he couldn't help it.

When they reached the door of the cafe, Hermione turned to the wizard to say goodbye.

"Why can't I stay with you again?", he asked, and she explained that the meeting should be private. He sighed. "Can you at least promise me that you'll send a patronus if anything happens?"

"Nothing's going to happen, Bill, it's a coffee shop" she explained.

"But if something does happen, or you feel at risk, or uncomfortable, or anything o the sort, will you let me know?", he insisted. "Please?"

"I promise", she assured him, with a shy smile and red cheeks. He sighed and approached her, pulling her by the waist and kissing her cheek. The witch's heart almost leapt out of her chest.

"It's not ideal, but it does make me feel better", he said, breaking away from her. "Well, should I just go then?"

"Yes", she smiled. "Have a nice day, Bill", she wished him before opening the door to the cafe and stepping inside. She waved to the red-haired man, who wished her good luck before heading toward the Ministry.

Hermione chose a table further away and ordered a glass of water while she waited for the person to arrive. She looked at her wristwatch and saw that it was only ten minutes before the appointed time. She had barely taken her second sip of water when a young witch, who looked about her age, sat down opposite her. The witch had very dark hair, almost black, and her eyes were brown. She wore simple clothes, even by wizarding standards, but Hermione didn't fail to notice that the garments were of high-quality fabric. Despite the lack of extravagance, Hermione could guarantee that the witch sitting in front of her was a pureblood, or, at the very least, a half blood from a wealthy family.

"I'm sorry for asking you to meet me here", the witch said, holding out her hand to greet Hermione. "My name is Linda Flint".

"Hermione Granger", she shook Linda's hand, giving her a sincere smile. "But you probably already know that".

"I... I was going to come to your office, but I didn't want to attract too much attention", Linda explained. "And I wanted to talk to a woman about it… you know".

"Yes, I know", Hermione sighed. Truth be told, the Ministry was still mostly staffed by men, and not everyone was sensitive to matters that went beyond their own navel. "But I still don't understand how I can help you, my department doesn't deal with divorces. To be honest, I didn't even knew that was a thing since…" Since Bill's divorce, she almost said.

"I know, but your department deals with law", the witch explained.

"I'm not sure I understand", Hermione was confused.

"The divorce was a safe way to convince you to come here, although it's a part of what I want… I got married two years ago and since then we've been trying for a baby, but... I just can't", the witch began to explain. Hermione realised that the woman had dark circles under her eyes and looked exhausted. "I'm not even sterile, I've been to mediwitches around Europe".

"I... I'm sorry", Hermione replied. "Did you husband went to a mediwitch too? Maybe he's…"

"He's not the problem either", Linda answered. "Although, the whole situation is very convenient for him".

"Why' that?", Hermione asked.

"This bloody law!", the woman spoke in a whisper, but with a firm voice, pressing her hands against the table. "I got married because of the law! I'm 29 years old, for Merlin's sake! I'm a pureblood, with magic blood from centuries in my veins, and I just can't have a child! Don't you see? In a year's time the Ministry will expel me from the wizarding world because I can't give them what they want!"

"But tha-that's not your fault! It's a hole in the law!" Hermione replied. "The law didn't foresee your situation; they can't just expel you. I'm sure they won't".

"They can, and they will", Linda massaged her temples wearily. "Unless you help me take this law down. Make it unvalid".

"What? And how am I going to do that? I've already tried! I'm head of my department, war heroine, Golden Girl and all that rubbish, but I don't have that much influence. Especially in the Wizengamot".

"There are others in my situation. Or worse", Linda explained. "Can't you see? The law was made to repopulate the wizarding world. They made us marry to breed new magic people. Purebloods married muggle-borns and halfblood, and still… We're not pregnant. Have you checked the files of pregnancy?"

"No, I haven't", Hermione confessed. It didn't even crossed her mind. She had been lucky with Bill, and it made her just forget about the law for a while. She felt ashamed.

"I'm not infertile, but still I can't have a child. Other witches, healthy ones, are having miscarriages. The ones who had succeed having children are becoming restless, afraid of having actually birthed squibs. We'll don't know for sure for a few years", Linda continued. "The thing is: this law doesn't see the particularities of each person. If we don't have kids, they'll break our wands and toss us out from our world".

"You say you're a Flint, right?", Hermione asked and the witch nodded in confirmation. "Can't your husband speak for you in the Wizengamot? If he's a Flint, he has a seat on the Council. I bet they'd listen to him more than to me".

"My husband is a pig!" the woman replied. "He's been a pig ever since we came to conclusion that I can't give him children, but he doesn't want to go public with it or fight for a divorce. If we divorce, he loses all my family's vault".

"But he'll be kicked out with you too! We're all in the same boat when it comes to this law, it doesn't make sense".

"He's a man", the witch almost shouted in a whisper, a tear running down her cheek. "He's a bloody man. And he has a seat in the Wizengamot. He's the last Flint, they can't afford to lose him. And if I'm banned, he'll have my entire fortune to console him".

"That's unfair!", Hermione exclaimed. Her temples were hot and her eyebrows furrowed. "It's horrible and absurd. I... I'll help you, but I have to think. I have to think where I can start, I don't have any documents, any registrations, nothing. I need a solid case".

"I can help you", Linda replied with a shy smile. "I've been in touch with others like me, I can talk to them, getting information for you".

"That's a start", Hermione sighed. She could hear the wheels turning in her own head. "I think that if we can prove that the Law has holes, incorrigible ones, we can take it down. We can cancel every act of this Law, including the marriages. You wouldn't even need a divorce; your marriage would just be null".

Linda nodded.

"I'm going to collect the documents on wizards births from the Ministry archives. Births, squibs, all the stuff" Hermione explained. "We have to prove that the Marriage Law doesn't guarantee the perpetuation or increase of the wizarding population. We can do this. We'll take it down".

Linda brought her hands to the table and took Hermione's between hers, thanking the girl with tears in her eyes.

When Hermione said goodbye to the witch, she headed for the Ministry, determined to help the woman and the other witches who were suffering under the law. The girl went straight to the Ministry archives and picked up two boxes: Muggleborns and Squib Register. There were, of course, other boxes of documents that the witch would pick up at another time. For the time being, she was determined to filter through the documentation and initially draw up three reports: one on the number of witches born from Muggles in the last 50 years, in order to confirm her suspicion that the union of two wizards is not necessary to give rise to a magical child; and the second on the number of miscarriages or squibs in the last 50 years in magical families, in order to give strength to the first report, for it would show – hopefully - that the union of two magical people does not guarantee the birth of a child with magic.

She thought about searching other topics, because she was sure she had forgotten something, but nothing came to mind. She decided, at first, dedicate to this two reports first, after all, this first piece of research would already take up some time.

Returning to her office and setting the boxes down on the floor, she decided to open the first one and sorted through three gigantic piles of records on her desk. She was so engrossed in her reading as she dictated some data to her quill, which she wrote down on a large piece of parchment, that she was only taken out of focus by three knocks on her door. When she announced that the person could enter, she couldn't stop herself from smiling when she saw Bill emerge from the doorway.

"I'd like to say I'm not surprised to see you so busy, but that would be a lie", he commented, wide-eyed at the piles of papers and boxes. Hermione laughed and he approached her desk. "Thank Merlin I don't deal with paper… So, I was wondering if you'd like to join me for lunch".

"It's already lunch time?", she asked, and looked for the hour in her wristwatch. It was fifteen past twelve. "I'd really like to, Bill, but as you can see I've got a lot of work to do", she sighed, giving the wizard a weak smile as an apology.

Bill walked round the table and stopped next to her. He bent down and took the papers from her hands.

"You need to eat", he said. "What kind of husband would I be if I left you to starve?"

"Bill..."

"And besides… I hate eating lunch alone. Please?"

It was a lie. Bill loved having lunch alone, he hardly ever enjoyed the company of people other than George, his father and now Hermione. He had got used to eating with her, and the mere thought of sitting alone at a table and eating in silence no longer appealed to him as much. His puppy dog eyes had their effect and she got up from her chair, adjusted the skirt of her simple dress, put on a coat and smiled at the redhead, who held the door for her.

The two of them went to the Ministry's cafeteria so as not to take too long to get back to their work. Hermione didn't like having lunch there and hardly ever did. The food was prepared by enslaved elves, and that disgusted her. However, she had so much work to do that this was her quickest option for eating. Bill pulled out a chair for her to sit on and sat down opposite her. Immediately, two plates of food and two glasses of pumpkin juice appeared on the table.

"I've got news", he broke the silence, arranging his napkin on his lap before picking up his cutlery and starting to cut his almost raw steak.

"Tell me", she asked, interested, cutting up her own food.

"My department has temporarily assigned me to Gringotts to reinforce the security of the vaults. Apparently, someone tried to break into on Saturday night".

"What? How did I not hear about this?" she asked.

"My boss helped to keep it away from the press", Bill explained. "You know how it would tarnish Gringotts' image to be the subject of Skeeter's column. It was already hard enough for them to regain confidence since you flew out of there on a dragon".

I'm… sorry?" she asked, pretending to be embarrassed, and Bill laughed. "I'm happy for you, Bill, I know how stuck you've been feeling these last few years here".

"Yeah, it'll be nice to have a bit of action" he commented. "I'm glad there are so many safes, so I'll have plenty to do".

"That's good. However, I'll miss you for lunches".

"You'll have me for dinners" he smiled at her. "It's my favorite time of the day".

Hermione smiled back, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"It's my favorite time too".

"And how was the meeting?", he asked, interested. "Did you sent the woman to the right department?"

"Actually, she needs my help, and I will help her" Hermione replied. "I can't give you any details yet, but her… divorce actually has everything to do with my department. I can't say any more than that, Bill, I'm sorry".

"There's nothing to apologise for, love".

The two of them finished lunch and Bill led Hermione to her office, where she spent the whole afternoon working on her reports. Before the end of the day, Harry knocked on her office door and entered.

"You're not taking this home, are you?" the man asked as she put some papers into a box intending to carry it. Hermione bit her lower lip and loosened the straps of the box, putting her hands on her waist.

"Now that you've said it, I think I'd better leave the work in the workplace", she answered, embarrassed, and Harry arched his eyebrows and smiled.

"Wow, it's never been easier to convince you not to take work home", he teased. "Can I walk you to the Floo?"

"I have to meet Bill first", her cheeks caught fire. "We always go home together".

"I bumped into him not long ago", Harry said, unaware to it all. "He asked me to let you know he'd be late today, he was going out with some colleagues to answer a call".

"Oh, yes. Gringotts", she sighed. "Bill's been transferred temporarily".

Harry couldn't help but notice the unsureness in her voice.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, approaching his friend.

"No, no" she hastily reassured him. "I'm just so used to his presence that I think it's going to be a bit lonely having dinner on my own".

"Would you like to have dinner with us? James is already missing you, ya know".

"Thanks, Harry" she replied, reaching for the handles of the box again. "But I think I'm actually going to go home and read some..."

"Put that bloody box down, Mione" Harry cut her off, heading for the her table and taking the boxes out of her hands. The wizard led her by the shoulders to the door. "You're having a nice dinner with us and you can send a patronus to tell Bill about it. He can meet you at the cottage after his… whatever he's doing".

In the end, Hermione liked that Harry had taken her to dinner at the Potters' cottage. The kids filled the atmosphere and the witch felt at home in the company of her friends. It was reminiscent of Hogwarts, when they used to sit together chatting and eating chocolates by the fireplace in the Common Room. The difference, of course, was that now the two friends were married and had two children together. Hermione approached the baby comforter where Albus was lying, nibbling with his milk teeth on a rubberised toy that Hermione herself had given him when he was still a newborn. The girl couldn't resist picking the child up.

"Gin, he's getting more perfect every day" Hermione looked at Albus with a smile on her face, and sat down on the sofa with the boy in her lap.

"He is, isn't he? And he has Harry's eyes" the redhead commented proudly.

"I perfect!" James complained, approaching Hermione and climbing onto the sofa.

"Of course you're perfect, Jamie" Ginny replied. "You both are!"

James didn't look convinced and crossed his arms, murmuring he was "more" perfect. Hermione brought her lips close to the child's ear.

"You're my favorite. You know that, don't you?" she whispered to James. "And that's why I'm your godmother, because you're the most perfect child in the whole world".

The child smiled smugly and hugged the witch. Harry complained that she spoilt James too much and that he would be terrible and live up to his two names, a truly marauder. But Hermione just couldn't help it. James had her heart since she first saw the little ball with brown eyes in the hospital. And, truth be told, she knew that the fact that James was so much like Sirius was something that brought comfort to Harry, so she didn't try too hard to put limits on the child.

Hermione was glad that Harry had volunteered to cook dinner, leaving her in the company of the children and Ginny, who looked a little tired. It had been a long time since she had last been able to talk to her friend alone, since she usually only saw Ginny with the other Weasleys at the chaotic dinners in the Burrow.

"And how's marriage life?" the redhead asked.

"I knew you'd ask me that", Hermione smiled. "It's… It's actually really fine. Your brother is great company, we've been spending a lot of time together"

"So I've heard" Ginny commented with a smirk. "Are you already trying to give my children cousins?"

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes widening at her friend.

"You said you two have been spending a lot of time together" the redhead shrugged.

"Not together like this" she explained in a whisper, fearing, for some reason, that Harry would hear from the kitchen. He was like a brother to her, so it was always weird when he came to know about her sex life. Or lack of it, for the matter.

Hermione got up from the sofa, still holding Albus on her arms, and conjured a patronus to let Bill know she was at the Potter's. She couldn't hold back her laughter when she saw the green-eyed child trying to catch the otter that was spinning in the air. Hermione recorded the message and released the patronus. Ginny had gone into the kitchen, accompanied by James, and Hermione followed. Harry was cooking the Muggle way, chopping the ingredients with a knife and heating water in the pan. Every now and then James would tiptoe in and steal a few pieces of chopped tomato and eat them. Ginny refilled her husband's wine glass and filled two more, one for herself and one for Hermione. Harry thanked her with a chaste kiss on the lips. Hermione smiled at the scene. She thought that one day she would like to be able to start a family like this.

Albus ended up falling asleep in Hermione's arms a few minutes before the table was set for dinner, and Ginny took the boy up to her room. As soon as Harry carried the pan to the table, James stood on tiptoe and grabbed the knife his father was using and ran out towards the door. Harry had his hands full and his eyes wide, Ginny was upstairs putting Albus to sleep, so it was left to Hermione to run after the child and prevent him from hurting himself. A marauder indeed, she thought. Just as she reached James and took the knife from his hands, Bill emerged from the fireplace, watching the scene with an arched eyebrow.

"Did I come at a bad time?" he asked, playfully.

"You've arrived at the perfect time!" Harry announced from the table, breathing out a relief sigh. "Just in time for dinner".

"Great! I'm starving!" the redhead answered, and walked over to Hermione and pulled her close to kiss her cheek. He looked at her with those kind blue eyes. "Hi".

"Hi", she replied quietly, her face hot.

"No kiss, she's my Myone!" James ran up to his godmother and put himself between her and Bill, pushing the redhead away by his legs. Bill laughed and crouched down so that he was close to the boy's height.

"You know I could never compete with you, don't you?" Bill whispered to the boy. "You're her favorite, she says it all the time. To be honest, I'm kind of jealous of you, you know?"

James smirked and tiptoed away from them. Bill stood up and catch Albus' little hand with his finger, greeting the young kid.

"You two look so cute like that", Ginny came into the room and looked at the couple with a smirk. "Don't you think so, Harry? I can already imagine a red-haired baby, but with Mione curls".

If Hermione's face was hot before, now her cheeks were on fire. The same happened to Bill, but he stood still. Harry laughed and called them back to dinner, dropping the pan on the table and giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.

"Stop picking on them, Gin", Harry whispered in her ear, but Bill still heard.

Ginny took her son out of her brother's arms and put him in the armchair next to the table, and the adults followed suit and each took their place. The four of them dined chatting animatedly, and Bill updated them on his work at Gringotts. When everyone had finished their meal, Ginny called Bill with the excuse that she needed to show her brother a new item she had bought – probably cursed, she said - and the two redheads headed for Harry's office. Harry and Hermione set about cleaning the table and washing the dishes.

"It's her birthday tomorrow", Ginny said. "What you intend to do for her?"

"I was hoping you could help me with that", he smooth back the strands of hair that were falling over his face. "I was thinking of a surprise in the flat, she's already told me she'd like to have more people over".

"That's a good idea! If you leave the Floo open, I can go with Mum to tidy up the flat in the afternoon. You'll just have to delay her long enough for everyone to be there before you two arrive".

"Piece of cake", he scoffed. "Delaying her is easy, the hard part is actually getting her to leave the Ministry on time".

Ginny analised Bill posture, and a sincere smile took her lips.

"I meant it when I said you two look cute together".

"Ginny..."

"I'm just saying!", she shrugged. "It's so on your face, Bill, you can't even hide it. You've been looking at her as if she were the moon itself. And it's in her face too, you know? She doesn't fool me either".

His heart skipped a beat.

"Do you think she..." Bill began, but was interrupted by Hermione, who appeared in the office and asked him if they should go home. Ginny winked at her brother and followed Hermione into the living room, where they said goodbye before the newly couple disappeared into the fireplace.

The next day, Hermione woke up and couldn't find Bill. He had left a note next to a bowl full of biscuits and a cup of tea that was charmed to stay warm. The witch took the note in her hands and read it.

"Dear wife,

I had to go early, so I could leave in time to see you. I'm sorry I'm not able to escort you to the Ministry.

I've left you a small breakfast, pretty ridiculous to be honest, but I hope you like it.

Can I meet you after work? I was thinking we could have that ice cream we had last time. That way I can also wish you a happy birthday in a decent way.

Truly yours,

Bill."

Hermione smiled as she read the note, drank her tea and biscuits and left for work. She was happy to hear that Bill hadn't forgotten her birthday, and relieved to realise that all her work colleagues, on the other hand, did have forgotten. This allowed her to stay in her office all day working on the reports on the annulment of the Marriage Act.

As usual, the time passed quickly. By the time the witch's stomach started rumbling with hunger, her watch already indicated that it was six o'clock in the evening. After a few minutes, she heard three knocks on the door.

"Come in", she said as she put her belongings away in her handbag.

"Hi", Bill smiled, entering the room and heading towards her. He was holding a bouquet of colorful flowers.

"Hi, Bill", she replied, tucking the bag inside her jacket and smiling. "Is all for me?", she gestured to the flowers. His cheeks turned pink, and she felt something in her stomach.

"I didn't want to give you books, since you must receive so many every year, but I'm afraid I ended up opting for an even worse cliché", he explained, feeling a little silly and embarrassed. "I didn't know which flowers you like, so I picked one of each they had at the store".

Hermione felt like she could melt. She approached him and took the bouquet from his hands.

"I loved it", she said, and bent down on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. "And I loved the tea and biscuits. Thank you, Bill".

The two of them left the Ministry through the Muggle exit and walked to the ice cream booth near the square where they had spent the afternoon on Saturday. They sat on the same bench, side by side. Hermione discreetly cast a spell on the bouquet so that it wouldn't shatter inside her handbag, and put it away.

"I've been thinking... I don't like calling you Mione", Bill commented, while eating his ice cream. "I was thinking about it today when I wrote the note. Didn't want to call you that, so I came with wife, which sounds right, but… Well".

"Why don't you like it?" she asked, turning to him.

"Because Ron was the one who called you that", he confessed, and looked away from her.

"He didn't call me wife, obviously", she said, eating her ice cream.

"Yeah", he answered, still not looking at her.

"Yo-you can give me another nickname if you like. Something just for you", she said, her heart racing. She decided to rest her head on Bill's shoulder, so she wouldn't have to look at him and realise that her stomach had done a few flips. The man rested his chin on the top of her head in an affectionate way. His heart was beating really loud.

"Well, you're the little witch in my tale…", his voice was soft against her hair. "You're my little witch".

My.

Hermione's heart leapt up into her throat and back again, restless, and the hairs on her arm stood on end.

"I like it" she pointed out.

"Are you cold?" he asked, taking off his own jacket and putting it round her shoulders.

"Oh, that's better", she sighed comfortably inside his warm jacket. The same she borrowed the nighy she asked him to marry her. "It's getting dark. Shall we go home?"

"What you say about we walk home?" Bill suggested quickly, knowing that he still had to delay her by at least another twenty minutes. "I like it when we walk together".

"Of course", she replied. She liked walking with him too, especially when he held her close and kept her warm during the walk. When they were out, strangely enough, they were more in physical contact with each other than at home. On the street, there was the excuse of the wind, the cold, the rain. And both Bill and Hermione took advantage of each of these excuses to walk around in each other's arms.

This time was no different. Even though the witch was wearing his jacket, he still wrapped his arms around her shoulders and she hold his waist with both arms. Hermione only disentangled herself from Bill's embrace when they reached the front door of the flat, and stepped forward to put the key in the lock and turn the knob. As soon as they entered, the lights switched on.

"SURPRISE!" the small crowd in the room shouted, and then several red-heads came towards her and hugged her.

All the Weasleys, their wives and children were present, with the exception of Charles, who had returned to Romania. Andromeda and Teddy were also present. Hermione's eyes watered. One by one, they all wished her a happy birthday, and Hermione heard from Ginny that Bill had organised the surprise party and had even asked her to decorate the entire balcony with balloons, candles and colored lights. George approached Hermione and dropped a glass into her hand.

"We've got beer, juice and firewhisky in the kitchen, do this poor friend of yours a favor and get pissed, it's been ages since I've seen you embarrass yourself", he nearly shouted, drawing laughters from everyone in the room.

Hermione wanted to thank Bill, but was momentarily held by everyone present, especially Molly, who went on to make a speech about how happy she was that she was finally officially in the family. Fortunately, Bill saved his wife from his own mother and led her to the kitchen counter, where he poured her a generous portion of firewhisky for both of them.

"You heard George", he smirked, and she swore she could die right there. "Drink up".

While Mrs and Mr Weasley, as well as Andromeda, were keeping an eye on Teddy and being responsible adults, because everyone else was having a good time drinking large quantities of firewhisky and making fun of flipping a few shots. They were gathered in the living room. Some had pulled up chairs from the balcony, others were on the sofa, and others on the floor, including Hermione. Bill was sitting behind her on the sofa and she was leaning her back on his legs.

"The time has come, my fellows, to tell embarrassing stories about the birthday girl", Ginny joked.

"Like the time she mistook a strand of Bulstrode hair for cat hair and looked like a kitten herself in second year?" Harry asked, and everyone laughed.

"But I managed to make the perfect polyjuice, thank you very much! It was just a mishap" Hermione defended herself, laughing.

"That's nothing compared to the crush she had on Lockhart! That's true embarrassment!" Ron replied. "Can you imagine? That idiot?"

"And then Sirius at your fifth year" George laughed, and Hermione gave him a glare. She wanted to murder him with her eyes.

"WHAT?" it was Harry's turn to exclaim.

"Dear brother-in-law, it seems you're were the only one who didn't realise what a crush our dear Mimi had on your godfather", George replied and Harry looked incredulously from George to Ginny, who shrugged.

"He was charming! And I was a teenager! It was totally platonic", Hermione explained, taking another sip of her firewhisky.

"I actually agree with Hermione", Luna's voice was heard. She was smoothing her belly and was the only one not drinking. Ron stared at her with wide eyes. "What? He was charming".

"He was old!" Ron declared.

"Lockhart too", Angelina shrugged.

Bill was listening attentively and enjoying himself. He couldn't help but lean forward and join in the fun.

"So my little witch has a thing for old men", Bill whispered in her ear. She shivered.

"You're not old!" Hermione let slip, turning to her husband. Bill's pupils dilated and he cracked a smile. The witch's cheeks reddened and she turned round, taking another shot.

Ginny grinned from ear to ear and nudged George, who whispered "yes, I saw it" and winked at his sister. Everyone was paying attention to Bill and Hermione's interaction, she was visibly uncomfortable, but it was only Ron who decided to get her out of the situation and change the subject.

"Hermione punched Malfoy in the face, it was the most beautiful scene I've ever seen in my life" he said, and Hermione mouthed a "thank you".

"I remember that", Percy chimed in. "The whole Gryfindors heard about it, but the little prat didn't tell Snape. I think he was ashamed to admit that he'd been beaten by a girl".

Everyone laughed and moved on to other matters. Hermione was relieved that they had changed the subject, but her face was still hot. She was completely attentive to Bill, who had his knees positioned on either side of her shoulders, frozen against the sofa. He hadn't said anything else, and she mentally cursed herself for drinking. It was always like this. She drank and ended up talking too much. That's how she'd confessed her platonic crush for Sirius to George, and that's how she'd plucked up the courage to break up with Ron (which turned out not to be necessary, since she'd caught him in bed with someone else and that had made her decision easier).

Bill felt her tense up between his legs, sitting on the floor; he knew she was nervous. He himself was nervous. Ginny's words echoed in his head. He was beginning to have feelings for her, and she, in a way, had feelings for him. Without meaning to, she had confessed that she had a crush on him. Or had he only understood that because it was what he wanted to hear? No, she had said it, right? Everyone heard it. Bill's heart was beating frantically against his chest and, as much as he loved everyone there, he wished with all his might that they would all go away and he could be alone with her.

It was a real martyrdom to endure the rest of the party, which seemed to be getting longer and longer. When Andromeda and Bill's parents announced that they were leaving, Bill breathed a sigh of relief. The others, thank Merlin, had decided to follow their elders. One by one, everyone said goodbye to the two of them.

So when the last guest said goodbye, Bill found Hermione taking the bouquet out of the bag and putting it in a vase of water on the kitchen counter. The atmosphere was kind of tense inside the flat and the two hadn't exchanged a word since Hermione had let slip that she had a crush on him. He realised that she was trying hard not to make eye contact with him and, if it hadn't been for his heightened senses, he would have been upset. But he could hear her heart beating fast and smell her perfume against her warm skin, and he knew that she was like this for the exact same reason as him.

Except for him was worse, way worse. The moon was close, and it was already hard enough for him to have her close before. Now? Simply impossible.

Just as she reached for her wand and was about to wave it to clean the room, Bill intercepted her movement with his hand and held her wrist gently.

"Let me clean up tomorrow" he said, and she finally looked him in the eye.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure", he replied. Instinctively, he moved closer to her, but let go of her wrist and took a deep breath. He was feeling that thing building in his chest and swallowed. "I need you to go to your room as quick as you can and lock the door".

"Why?" she asked, narrowing her eyebrows. She was breathing heavily.

"Because if you don't get out of here in the next five seconds, I'm going to kiss you", he confessed.

She widened her eyes but stood still in front of him. He lowered his face to hers and felt her firewhisky breath against his own mouth.

"Two seconds" he whispered, warning her.

"I'm not going anywhere", she whispered back, and Bill held her by the nape of her neck and pressed his lips to hers.

Her mouth was soft against his, and he wrapped his other arm around her waist, holding her against his body. Hermione brought her hands up to his hair and dug her fingers into the coppery strands, pulling him closer. When he tangled his tongue in hers and tasted the firewhisky, his senses were scrambled and he pinned her against the kitchen counter. He kissed her hungrily, and she responded with equal intensity. The red-haired man slid his hand from her waist to the hem of her blouse and pulled the fabric up just enough to get her skin against his fingers. He squeezed it hard. When she moaned against his mouth, a roar formed in his chest and his body responded to it, going rigid against the thick trousers he wore. He slid his mouth down her neck and she gasped at the feel of his beard brushing against her exposed skin as his tongue moved against the curve of her neck.

"Bill...", she gasped, and he took her mouth in his again.

He felt the urge to tear off every piece of her clothing and feel her against him, and she responded to his touches and kisses as no woman had ever done before. It was with great difficulty that Bill broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers, feeling her heavy breathing against his own.

"We've had a lot to drink" he whispered, swallowing hard. "I really need you to go to your room, because apparently I'm not as strong as I thought I was when it comes to you".

"What if I want to stay?" she asked, and his chest rumbled again.

"You're driving me crazy" he whispered back. "We have plenty of time, and I want to do this right, in a bed, sober. Please, I'm begging you to go to your room".

He wanted her desperately, but he didn't want to have her for the first time under the influence of alcohol at the kitchen counter. He wanted all the time in the world to enjoy her, and he wanted her to be sober to decide if she really wanted him as much as he wanted her. Reluctantly, he released her and planted a simple kiss on her lips before she disappeared into her own room.

Bill took longer than usual to fall asleep, his heart pounding and pounding in his chest. Eventually he fell asleep, her taste still in his mouth.