Chapter Two:
Hermione woke and was surprised to feel a heavy weight across her waist. It took her a moment to realize they had cuddled in their sleep. She didn't want to disturb the red head, but she had to use the bathroom. "Bill," she quietly urged.
"Hmm," he asked, sleepily blinking his eyes open. When his brain caught up with him, he moved back. "Damn, I'm sorry," he said. "I should have warned you I tend to cuddle in my sleep," he admitted.
"I didn't want to wake you, but I have to pee," she said. She stood up and headed to the bathroom. After she had relieved herself, she saw that Bill was dressed for the day. He headed into the bathroom and Hermione dressed quickly.
"Are we ready to get breakfast and start looking for a flat," he asked cheerfully. Hermione nodded and the two headed down the stairs. This time they just ate in the pub. Hermione let Bill order for her and she was once again pleasantly surprised when she enjoyed the food.
Once breakfast was done, Hermione and Bill headed in the direction of Bill's last flat. They walked in and Bill spoke in rapid Egyptian to the man behind the desk. The man stood and grabbed a set of keys. "They only have a one bedroom available, but he said most places are full right now," he said in embarrassment.
"It's okay," Hermione assured him. "Let's check it out. Maybe we can reserve this one while we check out a few others. If we can't find anything better, then maybe we can come back and get it."
"Good idea," he said. They walked in the flat. It was spacious, even though it did only have one bedroom. It had a decent sized sitting room and even a dining room, which Hermione figured they would probably use as their office. Bill talked to the man and handed over a galleon. "I've reserved it. I told him we'd rather have a two bedroom, but we like it. I'll let him know in an hour if we want this one or not," he explained.
They walked to a few other flats and all were booked. The only thing they could find was one that was smaller than the original. Hermione sighed. She was fine with sharing a flat with Bill, but she wasn't sure she wanted to share a bed with him full time. They weren't in a relationship or anything, no matter how much she liked the man.
"I'm sorry," Bill said quietly. "I know this isn't ideal, but we'll keep an ear out for a larger flat," he promised.
"It's not your fault," Hermione assured him. Bill rented the flat and got the keys. They moved in and Bill immediately set wards around it. Hermione began unpacking their things and was glad they had two wardrobes. However, the bedroom wasn't big enough for two beds, so either one would have to sleep on the sofa, or they would have to share.
Once their flat was decorated, Bill sat down on the sofa. "Looks like me and this sofa will get well acquainted," Bill joked.
"Not necessary," Hermione said. "You'll not get a good night's sleep on this sofa. It's not comfortable. You're sleeping on the bed and I'm sleeping on the bed. We're adults. Neither of us are in a relationship. This is the best accommodation we could get. It's not your fault. You'll not be sleeping on the sofa."
"I ended up violating you last night," he protested.
"You cuddled me," she countered. "You didn't violate anyone. I wasn't uncomfortable; I just had to pee," she said.
"Are you sure," Bill approached her. She nodded. He hugged her before sighing. "Fine," he relented. "Now that we have a place to live, we need to get some food stocked. We can't eat out every night." Hermione agreed and the friends walked to the closest grocery store.
Once they returned, Hermione unpacked the groceries and stocked the kitchen. She kept the cold things in a cabinet that Bill placed a cooling charm on and Bill unpacked some of the documents they would need to begin their work.
He spread them out in piles and pulled out some of the books he already owned and some of the ones he had bought for Hermione. Once she was done with the groceries, she sat down with Bill and looked over the documents. "These are documents the goblins have accessed. They want us to translate them and find what's hidden," Bill explained. He produced some rolls of parchment, ink, and quills.
Hermione pulled a document near her and began to research the symbols. Bill did the same and the two worked together in silence for a while.
After about an hour, Bill stretched. "Let's call it quits," he said.
"Are you sure," Hermione asked. She hadn't made good progress and she was getting frustrated.
"Yes," he said. "We don't officially start for two more days. Anything we're doing now is extra," Bill explained. "Let's take a walk." So they did. Hermione and Bill walked together down the street. They stopped in some shops, where Bill bought Hermione a few things, and Hermione insisted on buying Bill a few things, and they headed back to their flat with their purchases.
Once they returned, Bill sat down to write a letter to his mother, and Hermione wrote one to Harry and Ron. When they were each done, they switched letters to add their own input to the other's letters, before sealing them. Bill grabbed the letters and walked to the post office to send them out while Hermione set about making something for dinner.
Bill returned and Hermione had two plates of Pasta fixed and ready to eat. "This looks good," Bill commented. He grabbed a plate, smiling at Hermione before sitting down on the sofa. They ate in silence, and when they were done, Bill took the plates and washed them.
A knock on the door startled Hermione. She opened it. "I'm looking for Bill Weasley," the man said. Bill walked to the door. "Bill," the man said jovially.
"Hey, Marshall," Bill replied. "What are you doing here?"
"Just sent," he said. "I'm leading your team."
"Great," Bill said. "Come in," he said. Bill stepped aside and allowed Marshall in. "Marshall, this is my assistant, Hermione. Hermione this is Marshall. We'll coordinate with him and he'll coordinate with his team," Bill explained.
"Nice to meet you Hermione," Marshall said. "I don't mean to pry, but wasn't your wife's name Fleur," he asked with a frown.
"Yeah," Bill said. "We divorced two years ago," he explained. "Decided to head back out here."
"With a young witch in tow," Marshall said winking at Hermione. Hermione felt her stomach churn. She wasn't sure she liked Marshall very much, but she was trying to take her cues from Bill.
"Yes, and you better spread the word. Hermione's off limits," Bill growled. Marshall suddenly nodded seriously.
"So we start in two days," Marshall checked.
"Yes," Bill said. "Your first task is to talk to the current team and find out what you can. Bring us any documents you can so we can look over them. They may have missed something and I'd rather check myself than trust someone else's work. Then you can check over their locations for anything they missed," he said.
"Where's your office," Marshall asked.
"We just got here yesterday," Bill told him with a laugh. "We don't have an office. Until I tell you otherwise, this is our office." The men talked for a few more minutes before Marshall left. Bill shut the door firmly behind him and turned to Hermione with an apologetic smile. "I don't like Marshall or his team, but we have to work together. Claiming you should keep their hands off of you, but if they get handsy, feel free to do whatever you need to," Bill told her.
"I'm trying to decide whether to be flattered or disgusted with that display," Hermione said. "I've decided disgusted with Marshall. He's gross. I am flattered that you want to protect me," she added softly.
"Of course, I do," Bill said. "I dragged you out here. Mum will have my arse if anything happens to you."
"Not to mention Harry and Ron," Hermione added with a laugh. Hermione leaned forward and kissed Bill's scarred cheek. She ran her fingers down the scars, seemingly forgetting where she was. She jumped back after a moment in embarrassment. She mumbled something about 'taking a shower' before disappearing into the bedroom.
Bill stayed up for several more hours. When he was ready to head to bed, he grabbed some underwear and headed to the bathroom to shower. Once he was done, he headed into the bedroom, where Hermione was sound asleep. He laid down on his side and rolled away from her. He was determined not to cuddle her.
When he woke, he found his arm tightly wound around her waist. She was gently shaking him and he released her, with a good morning, before rolling over to go back to sleep. Hermione went to the bathroom before dressing and fixing herself a cup of coffee. She walked back to the translations she had been working on the evening before and sat down to work.
Bill joined her a few hours later. He kissed her head, and stole a sip of her now cold coffee, before fixing a fresh pot. "How's work going," he asked.
"It's frustrating," Hermione admitted. "I need some translation books to Egyptian." Bill smiled at her indulgently. It looked like a shopping trip to the bookstore was in order for the day.
Hermione and Bill left the bookshop and headed back to their flat. Hermione wanted to get on with her translations, and she believed the book she had just bought was the way to do it. Bill set up next to her and quietly began working through his own.
