Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“No,” Elise huffed, standing from her place in the shed and turning to face Charlie. She held an ax in her hand and an irritated look on her face, which didn’t bode well for her red-haired friend.

“I didn’t say anything,” Charlie frowned, though his eyes held some guilt.

“Weasley, you’ve been giving me a weird look all morning,” Elise rolled her eyes and pushed past him to get out of the shed. There was a tree that the baby dragons had been assaulting, which the others were afraid would fall and injure someone, so she was on her way to help cut it down.

“Define ‘weird’?” Charlie trotted after her, pulling his jacket tighter to fight off the harsh winds. No one ever said Romania had warm winters, but this seemed ridiculous to him.

“It’s the same look you gave me when you invited me to go camping and we ended up running drunk from that herd of hippogriffs.”

“Fair enough,” Charlie finally caught up to her. For someone so short, Elise moved surprisingly quick. “But this is a nice thing this time. Don’t you trust me?”

“Well, we’ve been friends for almost two years, so no I don’t. I know you well enough to not trust you,” Elise stopped in front of the tree and spun to face her best friend. “Whatever it is, the answer is ‘no’.”

Charlie considered this, wondering if he should try to push his luck. Elise was notoriously solitary and when she gave off ‘leave me alone’ energy, it was best to do just that. Still, Charlie had someone become someone exempt to that rule. It may have been because he had a problem with boundaries, but he had become quite adept at evading Elise’s salty attitude even when others couldn’t. Or at least, enduring it.

“What are you doing for the holidays?” Charlie asked as Elise began chopping at the tree. She stopped for a moment and looked at the second oldest Weasley with a raised eyebrow.

“Probably nothing. Gillan and Fimmel are staying here to take care of the dragons and I figured I would help them and probably day-drink,” Elise shrugged.

“Or, you could come home with me and day-drink there. Once you meet my family, you’ll probably want to,” Charlie offered, watching as she hacked at the tree, the winter wind slowing her movements. Charlie held his hand up and waited for her to stop before taking the ax from her and picking up where she left off.

“No,” Elise answered, taking off her beanie to reveal her short, dark hair. She had recently become irritated with it and chopped it to an inch below her chin. It was still a constant mess, but she seemed to get less angry with it when eating.

“Why not?” Charlie asked.

“I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“I just said,” Elise scowled, crossing her arms.

Charlie stopped and turned to face her, breath laboured from all the swinging. “Give me one good reason. Not some half assed excuse or a shrug.”

Elise huffed and turned her gaze away. She wasn’t particularly good at lying or making up excuses. A standard ‘no’ usually sufficed for anyone who wasn’t Charlie Weasley.

“El,” Charlie stepped forward and put his hands on the woman’s shoulders. “I know you’re not close with your dad. And I know that without your mom…well you probably don’t have a reason to go back to America. You’re my best friend. I don’t want you to be alone for the holidays. I couldn’t enjoy my vacation if I knew you were sitting here alone crying to the dragons and eating that weird American spray cheese.”

“You only saw me do that once!” Elise scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Look, I don’t want to intrude. Did you even talk to your mother about this?”

Charlie waved her off and took a step back. “I owled her a week ago and she had no problems. The more the merrier! My mom has never turned a hungry orphan away.”

“I’m in my twenties and I still have one parent. I’m not an orphan,” Elise gave him an exasperated look with a hint of fondness.

“She’ll still be glad to have you. So, is that a yes?” Charlie nudged her with his elbow and gave her a mischievous grin. Elise rolled her eyes, cracked a smile, and nodded her agreement.

“Only if it’s not an intrusion.”

“Perfect! Pack your bags, we’re headed out tomorrow for two weeks of Weasley fun,” Charlie slapped her roughly on the back and mentally congratulated himself on getting her to agree.

“Great, you can chop down the rest of that tree while I go pack,” Elise smiled smugly and began to walk away, ignoring his grumbling. There was a pit of anxiety in her stomach as she really took in what just happened and what was going to happen.

Elise hadn’t spent Christmas with anyone else in three years. Since her mother passed and she began working in Europe, there didn’t seem to be much point in going back to America. Still, maybe she could use a bit of time with a family, even if it wasn’t her own. She should get packing.

Chapter Text

Bill was nervous to be home. As far back as he could remember, Bill had never felt this kind of trepidition when facing the front door of the burrow. It had always been a place of warmth and comfort, but this Christmas it was sure to be awkward ‘I’m sorry’s and half hearted ‘you’ll find someone’s.

He swallowed thickly and gripped the handle of his suitcase tightly, approaching the door and taking a deep breath before opening it.

Bill was immediately assaulted with the smell of fresh baked pastries and the pine-scent of a Christmas tree. The warmth of the fireplace wrapped around him but somehow provided no comfort.

“Hello?” Bill called. There was a gasp and his mother appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. She was clad in a warm sweater and a colorful skirt, a very loud-patterned apron dusted with flour protecting her while she baked.

“Oh, William!” She rushed over and dragged her eldest son down into a hug. “You’re home! I didn’t expect you til Christmas eve. Oh, and you’ve brought a suitcase! Are you staying for a bit?”

Bill managed to extract himself from the rather strong grip of his mother, putting his luggage on the floor and mustering a smile. “I was hoping to stay for the holidays if that alright? I got some time off of work and thought it would be nice to spend it at home.”

“Of course, dearie! Now, you sit down and I’ll make you a cup of tea,” Molly began to fuss, pushing him towards the table and pulling out a chair for him. “Arthur! Your son is here! Arthur!”

Bill cringed at his mothers loud shouting. His father soon came down the stairs, some muggle contraption in his hands, though he lost interest when he saw his eldest son. “Bill! What a pleasant surprise!”

“A great surprise,” Molly agreed. “He’s going to stay with us for the holidays.”

“If that’s alright,” Bill clarified. “I know you’ll have everyone else around and might not have the space.”

“Oh nonsense!” Arthur waved a hand. “Of course we have room for you! The more the merrier.”

“Yes, that’s what I told Charlie when he asked to bring his friend from the Dragon Sanctuary,” Molly nodded as she began putting a pot on to boil.

“Charlie is coming?” Bill perked up. He was always excited to get to see his closest brother. They rarely ever got to visit, usually only communicating through letters and owls.

“Yes and he is bringing a guest. Though I do hope its a human and not an actual dragon,” Molly tisked.

“Speaking of guests,” Arthur took a seat across from his son. “Where is Fleur? Is she coming later?”

Bill swallowed thickly and averted his gaze. Usually a brave man, the thought of admitting what happened to his family was daunting and the main reason he felt so nervous to come home. He didn’t want to ruin the holidays with his bad news, but then again, he didn’t want to spend them alone.

“Actually,” Bill cleared his throat and tried to gather all of his courage. “Fleur and I have seperated. We’re in the process of getting a divorce.”

“What?” Molly spun to face him, a tray of pastries in her hands, though she didn’t seem as shocked as her tone attempted to portray. His mother had never liked Fleur and she made it quite obvious whenever they were around eachother. “When?”

“Five months ago,” Bill looked down with shame. “She uh…She was having an affair.”

“That shameful little trollop!” Molly screeched, slamming the tray down on the table. “I have half a mind to hunt her down and throw a curse or two at that air-headed little-”

“Dear,” Arthur attempted to interrupt, though it was hard to stop his wife once she got going.

“Five months? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Molly,” Arthur interjected with more force, shaking his head once she finally looked at him.

The fiery woman instantly deflated, remembering her son must be feeling a whirlwind of emotions. “Well, you stay as long as you like, love. The Burrow will always be your home.”

“Thank you,” Bill breathed a sigh of relief and took one of the pastries that his mother had offered.

“You’ll have plenty to distract you,” Arthur smiled. “Everyone will be here. We’re going to have a full house.”

“Oh,” Molly bit her lip as she began to pour and serve the tea. “I’ll have to divide up the rooms. With so many couples its so hard to do now. Bill, you can go ahead and put your things in your and Charlie’s room. I’ll probably set up a cot there for his friend. I’m sure the young man won’t mind.”

Molly continued to mutter to herself while the men smiled at eachother, both very familiar with her thought process.

As the day wore on, it became apparent that Bill wasn’t the only one arriving early. Before long, the twins had arrived with many of their creations in tow, eager to test them over the holidays. After them came the arrival of Percy and Oliver, followed by Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.

It was dangerously close to dinner and they were still missing two people, much to Molly’s distress.

“Oh that brother of yours is never on time!” Molly huffed while she mashed the potatoes. The common areas were filled with Weasley’s and their partners and the commotion of them was near industrial level noise.

Still, everyone quieted when they heard a knock at the door before it swung open rather aggressively. Molly dropped her task and rushed to the front door in time to see Charlie saunter in with a woman behind him.

She was not who Bill expected to show up with his brother, mostly because Molly had made him believe Charlie was bringing over a man. Here she stood in their doorway with his younger brother and Bill was struck.

“Hello!” Charlie shouted waving his arm aggressively at everyone, dragging his friend forward by the bicep. He was soon enveloped by the arms of their mother, though he did not release his grip on his friend.

“Charlie! I’m so happy to see you!” Molly could have suffocated him if he hadn’t become so adept at wiggling out of her graps when it became to much, as all the Weasley’s did.

“I’m glad to see you too, mum,” Charlie grinned, then stepped back and pulled his companion in front of him as if she were a human shield.

“And who is this?” Arthur stepped forward and asked the question that had Bill had been burning to get the answer to.

The young woman looked to be in her mid-twenties, a bit younger than Bill. She had dark hair that fell just below her chin. Her face was kind, though she looked put-out. She was slightly curvy though he was mostly guessing because she wore pants made from a durable material and an over-sized grey sweater. Her boots were made of dragon-hide, much like his own, and there was a ring in her right nostril.

“Mum, Dad, this is my friend Elise. She’s a conservationist from America assisting with a rare species at the Dragon Sanctuary.” Charlie gently pushed her forward.

“Hello,” When she spoke it was quite obvious she was not from the UK, or anywhere else in Europe.

“It’s lovely to meet you, dearie,” Molly turned her strong hug on the girl who would have stepped back had Charlie not been effectively blocking her.

“Elise, this is my family,” Charlie turned and began introducing everyone one by one. “This is my mother, Molly, my father Arthur. That’s my younger brother, Percy, and his fiance, Oliver,” The pair each stepped forward and shook her hand. “That's the twins, Fred and George, Ron and his wife Hermione, and my sister Ginny and her husband Harry.”

“It’s good to meet you all,” Eloise gave a soft smile, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

“Oh, and that is my older, and less cool, brother Bill,” Charlie gestured towards Bill.

The eldest Weasley stepped forward and took her hand to shake, lingering for a small moment. Up close she was quite pretty, though she didn’t possess the magical beauty that Bill had seen in Fleur.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Bill smiled charmingly at her, taking note of the light dusting of pink that came across her cheeks before she retracted her hand.

“Nice to meet you too,” Elise ducked her head and stepped back towards Charlie.

“Well, come in come in! You can put your things in Charlie and Bill’s room,” Molly frowned. “I had set up a cot in their room for you Elise, but I’m not sure it would be appropriate now that I realize you’re a young lady.”

“Did you tell your mom I was a man?” Elise turned fiery eyes on Charlie.

“No, I didn’t say what you were. I just asked if I could invite a friend. She made the assumption! And let’s be honest, is there much difference between you and a man?”

Elise elbowed the red-head in his ribs. “There will be a big difference between you and a man pretty soon if you don’t stop being an ass.”

It then became abundantly clear to the room how this short and kind-faced woman managed to bond with Charlie Weasley.

“Okay, enough roughhousing!” Molly swatted at both of them as if Elise was another member of the family. “Put your things away. Elise if you’re still okay with it we can set you up in Bill and Charlie’s room.”

“If they don’t mind?” She looked between Charlie and Bill who both shrugged.

“I’ve seen you first thing in the morning, I’m not scared anymore,” Charlie picked up both their bags.

Bill struggled to hide a laugh and looked back to Elise. “I don’t mind.”

“Now that that’s settled, dinner is almost ready and so should you be,” Molly waved at the whole family, everyone getting up to begin washing up. “Move along.”

Elise followed Charlie up the stairs, Bill watching her go. He would have to ask his younger brother a few questions when they had a moment. It had been months since he had broken things off with Fleur and though he had gone on a few dates he hadn’t felt a spark when he looked at someone in a long time. Though, first, he had to get through dinner

Chapter Text

Elise had never had much of a family. Her father and mother divorced when she was painstakingly young. Her mother had never remarried and once her father found a new wife she and her sister were soon forgotten. When it came to that sister, the pair of them detested each other. Conflicting personalities were often hard to overcome, the age gap and the distance they eventually moved apart did not help. Thus, Elise had never really had a family meal.

This one was…frightening.

There was so much shuffling about, Weasleys and their significant others walking over each other. It was like a game of musical chairs, with Molly Weasley desperately trying to put down the plates of food, all of which did look delicious, Elise would admit.

“I don’t think I can do this,” Elise muttered as Charlie practically dragged her towards the dining room. That seemed to be their perpetual dynamic, Charlie having to drag Elise towards other humans.

Elise had always been rather shy and fairly awkward. Social situations were not her cup of tea and often times, when she met someone, it seemed as if she was having the first conversation of her life. An extrovert she was not. Magical creatures, the woods, the mountains, all of this afforded her a sort of comfort that people could not.

Things like this were extremely intimidating. In fact, Elise was sure without Charlie so brazingly approaching her at the sanctuary, she might not have come to fit in so well there.

“You’ll be fine,” Charlie rolled his eyes at his friend. “I told you it would be good for you to be here and it will be.”

Charlie ushered her into a chair as he stepped aside to help his mother. A glance around the table revealed many Weasley antics. The twins were not-so-discreetly pouring something into Percy’s cup, though the stern-faced brother was too busy batting away his fiance’s hands as Oliver tried to fix his hair. Ginny was engaging in a rather heated debate with Ron about the most recent Kenmere Kestrals and the Falmouth Falcons game. Meanwhile, Arthur and Hermione were holding a healthy conversation about elf rights.

In the kitchen, Charlie was feigning assitance while stealing bites of food from under his mother’s nose, as if there wasn’t enough for him to feast on the moment he decided to sit down. Harry was actually helping Molly, having sat down a large plate of potatos, though Molly had been trying to shoo him out.

“It gets a bit noisy sometimes,” A voice from her side startled Elise from her musings. She soon found Bill Weasley sitting next to her, slightly closer than expected. “You’ll get used to it.”

Elise bit her lip and shrugged slightly. “Well, I got used to Charlie.”

“He is the rowdiest of the bunch,” Bill leaned in conspiratorially.

Elise pursed her lips. “I’m suspicious.”

“So quickly? I’ve barely said a word.”

“On the one hand, I am very familiar with how rowdy Charlie can be,” Elise tipped her head as if she was thinking of something very interesting. “On the other hand, you are very quick to accuse him. Makes me wonder if you are trying to cast suspicions away from yourself.”

Bill leaned away, face a mock of shock. “Me? I’ll have you know I have always been the pinnacle of good behavior. In fact, I was head boy. A prefect too.”

“Ah,” Elise nodded as if that was a perfectly reasonable thing. “I have no idea what that means.”

Before Bill could explain, another bunch of red hair took his seat on Elise’s other side. “Getting along swimmingly, are you?”

“Oh, like a house on fire,” Elise flashed him a grin.

“See? I knew you’d fit in once you let yourself relax,” Charlie nudged her side with his elbow, the pair sharing a small look.

“She’ll be a Weasley before you know it, Charlie,” Bill interjected, winking at Elise.

Soon the plates were sat, Molly took her seat, Arthur served her first and then the rest of the Weasley’s began filling their plates. Charlie nudged Elise and gestured for her to take her share of the dishes passed around. He knew her long enough to know that she was never one to turn down food, but she had a horrible habit of waiting til the end of a gathering to take her share. Charlie ended up taking her plate and piling it with food.

“Come on, El,” Charlie grumbled. “I’ve seen you eat enough to rival the dragons at the sanctuare. Now, be aggressive, you have to get to the food before Ron does.”

“Oi!” Ron shouted from the end of the table.

“Boys, please! Charlie be kind to your guest and your brother,” Molly chastised him. She then turned her gaze to Elise, her tone softening. “Though he is right, dearie. You must take however much you need, do not be shy.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Weasley,” Elise smiled at the matriarch as she took her plate from Charlie.

The rest of the meal went by quite comfortably. Elise was able to loosen up a bit and join in on the conversation. It was a strange thing to Elise, this comfort, and it made her feel warm inside. The same warmth that happened every time Charlie slung his arm around her shoulder or told her a bad joke. It felt like family.

“Elise,” Arthur piped up, drawing the young woman’s attention. “Have you been in Europe long?”

“I have been in Europe for three years, now. However, I have only been at the Dragon Sanctuary in Romania for a little over two years.” Elise answered.

“And how are you liking it?”

“It’s beautiful, and I absolutely love working with the dragons. They’re stunning creatures,” Elise had a soft smile on her face as she thought back to the animals she had spent every day with the past year.

“Do you miss home at all?” Bill asked from beside her.

Elise felt her smile drop and she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t…I don’t reallly have much waiting for me back in the U.S.”

“Oh,” Bill frowned, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Wherever I am is home enough for me,” Elise attempted something of a smile and looked back at her plate.

Beside her, Charlie cleared his throat and looked around the table. “I’m thinking a game quidditch tomorrow. Anyone else?”

Just like that, the conversation shifted and Elise felt a weight lift of her shoulders, just as she felt Charlie squeeze her wrist in support.

Dinner came and went, the sun set hours earlier and each member of the family seemed to disperse. Everyone was exhausted from the excitement of seeing eachother as well as the toll that different methods of travel took on them.

Most everyone had turned in for the night and those who hadn’t were remaining rather quiet in the common area. Elise felt it was the perfect time to escape outside for a breath of brisk air.

The cold was sobering, but refreshing. Elise found herself walking a few yards away from the house itself, the night air cool against her face and fresh snow falling on her hair.

The Burrow was lovely, and though she was not used to the familial love they all seemed to share, Elise did remember a time when she had something resembling that. Before the passing of her mother.

As the chill began to attack her nose and cheeks, she began to feel a bit of sorrow attacking her chest as well. It was a feeling she had felt less often since coming to Europe with distractions and work aplenty. She felt is even fewer still since meeting Charlie and gaining a true friend. Still, there were moments of silence when she couldn’t help but let the feeling prosper, moment when there was no noise to combat it, no work to be done and nothing but Elise and her own thoughts.

“It’s a bit chilly to be standing out in the cold and the dark. Bit creepy too, if I’m being honest,” The voice said from behind her, forcing Elise to clutch her chest with fright and spin around, free hand going towards her wand.

Bill stood behind her, hands raised in mock surender. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“It’s okay, I’m fairly easy to frighten,” Elise relaxed, sticking her wand back in her pocket. “I try my best to contain it when I’m around the dragons.”

“Ah,” Bill came to stand next to her, hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry about more than scaring you. I also wanted to say I’m sorry about dinner.”

“I mean, I did think you weren’t especially familiar with the tradition of not bumping the people who sit next to you, so I appreciate the apology.”

“That’s not what I meant, but I will make a note of that,” Bill gave a half laugh before growing serious again. “I meant about asking you about missing home. I didn’t intend to stir up any ill feelings.”

Elise was already shaking her head before he even finished his apology. “There’s nothing to apolgize for. You don’t know me well and my feelings are my own responsibilty. I can’t get upset at every well-intentioned question.”

“Well,” Bill sighed. “I’m no stranger to awkward, but well-intentioned questions.”

Bill seemed deflated, gazing out into the darkness the same way that Elise had been. The pair of them stood in silence for a long minute, the cold air stinging their faces, but neither felt the urge to go inside quite yet. Though they each shared their own sorrow, the silence wasn’t awkward.

“What the hell are you two doing?” A voice broke the silent air and the pair turned to see Charlie trudging towards them. “You know it’s cold out here right?”

“Hadn’t noticed, actually,” Elise huffed as Charlie pushed himself between the pair, slinging an arm around Elise’s shoulder.

“Anyway, what are you guys doing out here?”

“Just talking,” Bill piped up.

“Without me?” Charlie turned to look at his elder brother. “We need to catch up, Bill.”

Elise had spent enough time with Charlie to recognize the change in tone just then when he spoke to his brother and she took it as a signal to make her escape.

“I’m going to go get ready for bed,” Elise pushed Charlie off of her and began to make her way inside, taking note that the others stayed outside.

Elise made her way inside and discovered that the only one left awake was Hermione who was reading by the fire. The young women waved at eachother in passing as Elise continued up to the room she would be sharing.

Once inside she changed into her pajamas, an old t-shirt and some sweatpants, and picked one of the beds. There was a cot that Mr. Weasley had conjured in the room, but if Elise had been dragged here she would be taking a normal bed.

Sleep was avoiding her and for a while she went over notes from work, making corrections to her scribbled observations and reviewing her data. She tried to keep her mind from going back to memories of home or thoughts of both Charlie and Bill outside. In between the struggle of her memories and the review of her notes, she finally fell asleep.

Chapter Text

“So,” Bill shoved his hands into his pockets, “How are things at the sanctuary?”

“It’s good,” Charlie entertained the small talk. “We had a rare breed come in a few months ago. El has taken over the care, but I’ve interacted with him a few times and he’s a magnificent beast.”

“You always did have a way with creatures,” Bill could see his breath in the night air and he tried to focus on that versus the tenseness between the pair. He had never felt awkward around Charlie, yet at the moment he did.

“Here alone then?” Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out a muggle cigarette. Bill rarely saw him do that, usually only after a night of drinking or when he was stressed.

“Looks like,” Bill shrugged.

Charlie took a drag off his cigarette. “No Fluer. Mum says that might be a permanent situation.”

“You brought someone home,” Bill deflected, not liking the direction this conversation was going. “That going to be a permanent situation?”

Now it was Charlie’s turn to shrug. “Maybe. Not sure how long El is going to be in Europe.”

Bill nodded, pursing his lips and venturing to ask a burning question. “Are you two…serious?”

“Well she is my best friend,” Charlie smirked and took another drag off his cigarette. “That’s pretty serious. But I know what you mean and we’re not like that. We're just friends. Don’t think I’ve ever actually seen her go on a date. Besides, I’m not interested. At all.”

The tone of his younger brother was different, serious and Bill could catch the underlying meaning. “Right. Got it. You know what you want and what you don’t want. That’s nothing to shake your head at.”

“Thank you,” Charlie half smiled and there seemed to be a sort of ease in his shoulders now. He passed the cigarette to Bill who inhaled deeper than he should have.

“I was going to tell you. About Fleur,” Bill turned his gaze away. “Before everyone else, I mean. I wanted to tell you when I found out, but I was just…I don’t know. Embarrassed, I suppose.”

“Don’t be,” Charlie took back his smoke. “You’re not the first to get cheated on, Bill, you certainly won’t be the last. Besides, I’m your brother. I’ve seen you do some pretty embarrassing shit.”

Bill huffed a laugh. “I guess you have.”

“Shoulda told Ginny. Fleur would have never recovered.”

“Merlin, could you imagine?”

“I don’t think I want to,” The pair began to laugh and Bill felt the air around them settle into something more comfortable, as it should have been. “Let’s head inside.”

The two brothers made their way in from the cold, both heading up to their old bedroom. When they entered they found Elise asleep in Bill’s old bed, notebook open on her chest and a quill barely keeping from dropping out of her hand and onto the floor.

He watched as Charlie bustled about the room, picking up the stray jeans that she had left on the floor, taking the book off of her and marking her place, then placing the quil on the bedside table.

“You say you’re not dating, but you look awfully domestic,” Bill teased.

“Just used to cleaning up after her,” Charlie rolled his eyes. “She comes to my cabin to ‘review notes’ as she puts it and two hours later she’s made a mess, eaten my snack, and fallen asleep on my couch.”

Bill hid a smirk and looked forlornly at the bed that he had lost before making his way over to the cot that his father had prepared. Bill began casting some charms on it for increased comfort.

“I can sleep there if you need?” Charlie offered. “I know at your age it can’t be easy on your back.”

Bill rolled his eyes at the slight dig. “It’s fine. I spent a month sleeping on the couch at Shell cottage right before I found out about the affair. This will be a treat compared to that.”

Bill stepped out of the room and into the bathroom to change into his pajamas, then came back into the room to see Charlie already changed and in bed. Bill bid his brother goodnight crawled into his cot, both brothers exhausted from the festivities and their travels.

Bill hadn’t even realized he fell asleep, but the next thing he knew his mother was shouting up and down the hall and he could smell bacon.

“What the fuck,” He heard a voice curse and Bill was reminded that he and Charlie were not alone.

“Good morning to you too sunshine,” Charlie grunted from the other side of the room.

“No disrespect to your mom, but it seems a bit early to be shouting,” Elise groused and Bill could hear the creaks of his bed, meaning that she was moving.

“It’s never too early for a good scolding,” Bill piped up, deciding to roll over and join the conversation. Charlie was awake and stretching.

Elise sat upright in bed, eyes cracked open and her hair resembling a pygmypuff. She squinted and scrunched up her nose. It was almost cute, Bill had to admit. He was rather thrown off, however, when she threw the blankets off and he became acutely aware of just how tattooed her arms were. She had been wearing a sweater the night before so he hadn’t gotten to glimpse the extensive artwork on her skin.

They looked to be muggle tattoos, they didn’t move and the pictures were not anything he was familiar with. On one arm there seemed to be some kind of mishmash of people with swords fighting, colors clashing. It looked like artwork similar to some pictures that a muggleborn coworker had shown him. Anime, he thinks it was called. Not one bit of skin on her arm was uncovered, though it stopped cleanly at the wrist.

On the other arm it looked like various renditions of creatures, both magical and non-magical. This arm was more patchworked with bits of skin peaking through here and there.

Bill had to stop himself from staring, instead turning to look at the door. He could hear the footsteps of his siblings all beginning to rouse from their beds.

There was a knock on the door and then Molly Weasley poked her head through. “Good morning, loves. Breakfast will be done soon, you best get up and get ready.”

“We’re up, mum,” Bill answered her, standing up from the cot and trying not to wince as he did. Comfort charms could only do so much, it seemed.

“Just making sure,” Molly defended herself before leaving the room.

“El,” Charlie approached his friend and kicked her shin. “Get a move on. It’s every man for himself when it comes to the showers here.”

“Fine,” El huffed, standing to reach into her bag and grab her things. The three of them made their way out of the bedroom, each going their respective ways.

With the help of some transfiguration, there was exactly 3 bathrooms in the Burrow. Each morning it was usually a race to get to one for a shower. However, today they were lucky, as most of the inhabitants and their guests had either already been up and ready or were barely dragging themselves out of bed to have breakfast before even contemplating getting out of pajamas.

Bill was lucky enough to get into the shower fairly quickly. He spent longer than he should have in there, but it was refreshing and helped stave off some of the cold. He forgot Charlie had a habit of opening the window in the middle of the night, even during winter, and their room was always left chilly.

When he emerged, he quickly dried off and used a drying spell on his hair. Ginny had seen him pathetically wring out his hair a few years ago while they all went swimming and had taken pity on him, showing him the spell.

Bill then took a moment to examin himself in the mirror. Since the divorce, he honestly tried not to take too long to ponder his appearance. Though he wouldn’t consider himself the best catch in the world, Bill had never thought of himself as unattractive, yet lately he had wondered.

Fleur was a veela, she was beautiful in a distinctly magical way with an aura that pulled you in. Bill had scars on his face, he kept his hair too long according to his mother, and he had lost a bit of weight recently that he worried made him too thin. He sometimes wondered, when he allowed himself a moment with his thoughts, if perhaps this had contributed to the affair. Had Fleur become unattracted to Bill?

He was forced from his thoughts when there was a banging on the door. “Oi! Hurry up, Bill! You’re not the only one who needs to shower!”

Bill rolled his eyes when he heard Fred shout through the door. “Hold on, I’m getting dressed!”

He shuffled about the bathroom, pulling on a pair of jeans and the sweater Molly had made him from last year. It was always made her happy to see him in it and it gave him a sort of comfort.

Bill emerged from the bathroom, Fred shoving past him and closing the door behind him. The eldest Weasley rolled his eyes and made his way downstairs where he could smell his mother’s cooking.

Charlie was already at the table, clad in a pair of dragonhide pants and a grey sweatshirt, a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

Molly was finishing up the last of breakfast with the help of Ginny. Ron was yawning at the table, chin resting on his hand and still clad in his pajamas. Beside him Hermione was engrossed in a book, stirring her tea absentmindedly with a free hand.

Oliver and Percy were dressed and making idle chitchat in the sitting room with Arthur. Harry was just coming down the stairs in his pajamas and his family sweater from last year. George was following behind him, seemingly talking his ear off about a new idea for the joke shop that Harry did not look lively enough to concentrate on.

Bill made his way into the dining area and took a seat next to Charlie. “Anything interesting?”

“Just the usual drivel,” Charlie mumbled, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Charlie, dear, how does Elise take her eggs?” Molly called from the kitchen.

“Over easy,” Charlie answered without looking up from the paper. He answered so easily and Bill vaguely remembered when he was close enough to someone to recite their preferences of the top of his head. Towards the end of their marriage it felt like Fleur changed to a different person, changing all her preferences. Maybe he just hadn’t paid attention enough in the first place.

Before long, Elise came down the stairs and into the kitchen. Half of her hair was pulled up and Bill could see that she had an undercut, the side of her head being shaved, though when she had it down yesterday it was hidden. She wore a pair of thermal leggings, dragonhide boots, and an oversized sweater with a rather hideous yellow pattern on it.

As she approached, Bill quickly stood up, ready to give up his seat next to Charlie as Ron was nearly asleep on his other side. She would probably be more comfortable next to her friend, since it was only her second day there.

“Here, let me move,” Bill stood, almost hitting his knee, he stood up so fast.

“Oh, it’s okay-”

“No, it’s fine,” The pair were talking over each other, enough that Charlie looked up from the paper and raised his eyebrows.

“You guys are being odd,” Charlie squinted at the pair. “Just sit down.”

“Here,” Bill pulled out the chair next to Charlie, gesturing for Elise to take a seat. He did his best to ignore both the slight blush that tinted her cheeks and the look of suspicion on Charlies face. Bill’s own skin tinted red as he cleared his throat and pushed her chair in once she sat down.

“Thank you,” Elise muttered and then turned to face Charlie. “It’s nice to see someone is respectful.”

“I pushed your chair in for you once,” Charlie countered, glaring at his friend.

Elise scoffed. “Uh, you were drunk and rammed the chair into the back of my knees so hard, I fell over.”

“Your lack of proper balance is not my issue,” Charlie tipped his nose up in an exaggerated huff.

“You’re a whole issue on your own,” Elise rolled her eyes.

Though the pair sniped at each other, Bill could hear the undertone of fondness. It was nice for him to see his brother so comfortable. Charlie had always been a people-person, it was a wonder he wasn’t in Hufflepuff. However, Bill had rarely seen him become this comfortable around someone and he had never brought anyone home, save for Tonks when she came to visit for an afternoon during summer breaks.

Before either could get another edge in, Molly was shouting that breakfast was ready and the room quickly became filled with Weasleys and their partners.

Breakfast was only slightly tamer than dinner, as there were a few who were still too tired to make a ruckus.

“Well then lads, and ladies,” Fred stood up as soon as he shoved the last of his eggs in his mouth. “I’m thinking of a nice game of quidditch?”

“Yes,” Oliver was the first and most excited to agree. “Absolutely.”

“It’s a bit snowy,” Ron muttered, looking out the window at the snow-blanketed ground.

“It’s not actively snowing,” George chimed in. “All in favor, say ‘aye’.”

There was a chorus of ‘ayes’ from around the table, including Bill. A good game of quidditch was just what he needed to get his mind off things.

“Do you not play?” Bill turned to Elise, having noticed that she did not chime in her agreement.

“I’m okay,” Elise shook her head to signal her disinterest.

“Oh, she plays,” Charlie smirked. “Last summer, she broke Fimmel’s nose when he tried to knock her off her broom by ramming into her.”

“Merlin,” Hermione made a face of shock.

“Don’t really expect the girl wearing ugly sweaters to break noses, but people can be mysterious,” George pursed his lips as he studied his brother’s friend.

“This sweater isn’t ugly,” Elise looked down at the yellow monstrosity she currently wore.

“Sure, love,” Charlie snorted.

“So, you do play, but you break noses?” Bill was now completely turned in his seat to face Elise. “Interesting.”

“I don’t break noses,” She huffed, seemingly annoyed. “And Fimmel is an aggressive player in any sport. He played muggle soccer with me and full tackled me once.”

“Soccer?” Fred mouthed the word.

“It’s a muggle sport, but we call it football here,” Harry clarified.

“Ah, yes, I’ve heard of that,” Arthur exclaimed from the head of the table.

“Ya know,” Harry began. “Ginny broke another players arm last season.”

“She shouldn’t have gotten that close to me,” Ginny casually stated, taking a bite of bacon.

“Then it’s settled,” Bill smiled. “We’ll play a game or two and Elise will be on my team. Ginny too, now that I think about it.”

He nudged Elise and dragged her chair a bit closer to his, smirking at her. The young woman’s eyes widened a bit and he saw that same shade of pink come across her cheeks. He ignored Charlie’s suspicious gaze as he peered around his friend at his brother. There was nothing to be suspicious about. Nothing at all.

Fifteen minutes later everyone was gathered. Bill and Oliver had been elected the team captains and were given turns to pick their teammates.

“Elise!” Bill pointed at the young woman, making his first pick.

“That was…really quick,” Ginny raised an eyebrow at her eldest brother.

“Too quick,” Charlie muttered, glaring at the pair.

Soon nearly everyone had been picked for a team. On Bill’s side was Elise, Harry, and Fred. On Oliver’s side was Charlie, Ginny, and George. Percy and Hermione sat safely on the sidelines in conjured chairs, comfortable with warming charms and hot chocolate.

The equipment was conjured and transfigured as needed and everyone began to mount their brooms and take their places. Bill and Oliver as keepers, Elise and Ginny as chasers, Fred and George as beaters and Harry and Charlie as seekers.

“Hope you’re ready to get your ass kicked,” Charlie smirked as he shouted to Elise.

“The only competition I see is your sister,” Elise shouted back. “The rest of you don’t stand a chance.”

“I’m quite literally a professional quidditch player,” Oliver called from his place in front of the goals.

Elise pursed her lips and thought about it. “I stand by what I said.”

“I thought you didn’t even want to play,” Charlie tilted his head.

“Exactly, I didn’t. So whatever happens, you brought this on yourself,” She retorted.

“Enough chatter, let's get on with it!” Ginny shouted.

The balls were tossed up and the game began. Elise was surprised at how skilled the Weasley’s actually were. Ginny was amazing, having made a successful career as a pro quidditch player, but the others were nothing to laugh at.

Elise was chasing after Ginny, nearly neck and neck as she did her best to get the quaffle. They were dangerously close to Bill and the goals, but the two women had now begun shoving each other. Ginny buckled down and barely surpassed Elise when George hit a bludger their way.

Bill watched as she leaned back to avoid the bludger, her hands slipping from the broom as she lost balance and began to fall.

The redhead zipped over, managing to grab onto her bicep before she fell off her broom completely. “I’ve got you, love.”

He could see a bit of panic in her eyes as he helped her balance back on the broom. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Bill waited til he was sure she was right in her seat and then went back to the goalposts, ignoring that Ginny had scored.

The rest of the game passed by quickly. All of them were so competitive, but they still managed to have fun, and no one had anything broken by either Elise or Ginny.

The game was ultimately won by Oliver’s team. Fred groused that it was unfair to have two professional players on the same team, but the win stood and no one left with any bad feelings, only numb faces and happy grins.

“So, I had a thought,” Charlie chimed in. “I figured I’d take Elise to the muggle town nearby tonight, maybe do a pub crawl. Anyone want to join?”

“We’ll join,” Fred and George said in unison.

“No,” Ginny shook her head. “I promised Mum I’d help her wrap gifts tonight.”

Oliver and Percy both denied, the former wanting to avoid too much alcohol and the latter siting some papers he wanted to look over for work. Ron, Hermione, and Harry all declined as well, wanting to spend a bit of time amongst themselves while everyone was busy.

“Bill?” The eldest Weasley was pulled out of his thoughts by Elise’s voice, turning to see her looking at him expectantly. “Do you think you might like to come?”

“Oh,” Bill thought about it for a moment. He definitely did. He wanted to get to know Elise away from the entire Weasley clan, maybe had a conversation or two over drinks. Since meeting her he had felt…odd. He liked when she spoke or when her shoulder brushed up against his when they sat next to each other. He was particularly fond of the blush on her cheeks when they spoke.

“If you don’t mind,” He agreed.

“Great!” She smiled widely at him causing his stomach to flutter and flip, a feeling he hadn’t gotten since he first met Fleur. That alone was something he didn’t want to think too hard about.

“Good. Great,” Bill nodded, ignoring the looks from all his siblings. “Can’t wait.”

Chapter Text

Bill was nervous. He hadn’t gone out in quite awhile. He used to enjoy going to the pub for a few drinks, whether that was a muggle one or a wizard pub. He enjoyed getting to meet new people and learn about strangers and their stories. But that was long ago, before he got married. Once he met Fleur, no one ever seemed as interesting as her.

Now here he was, standing in front of the mirror, compulsively checking his reflection to make sure he looked presentable at least. It was half past eight. Everyone had enjoyed dinner and then broke apart. Some were getting ready for the night out while others had their own affairs.

“This seems a bit sad,” A voice piped up from behind him and he turned to see Ginny behind him. She looked confident, clad in a black leather skirt and a green corset type top. She wore stockings underneath that had no doubt been cast with a warming charm. His only sister had decided last minute to come out with them and Elise had seemed relieved to have another woman along.

“What’s sad?” Bill glared at his sibling.

“I’ve been watching you stare at your relfection for a good five minutes. You look fine, don’t worry,” Ginny rolled her eyes. “Though, I suppose if I might feel the same if I was trying to impress someone.”

“I’m not trying to impress anyone,” Bill scoffed.

“Really?” Ginny smirked. “Not even a little bit? Not even a certain guest of a certain sibling?”

Bill refused to turn to look at his sister, not wanting her to see the obvious red of his face. He had put in a bit more effort than usual, trying his hair back into a low bun and exchanging his worn jeans for a nicer pair. He even busted out his best leather jacket.

“It’s okay if you are,” Ginny approached and put a hand on his shoulder. “Five months is a long time. Long enough to move on maybe. And she seems sweet.”

“Gin,” Bill turned to face his sister finally. “I’m not having this conversation. And I’m not interested in anyone.”

“I’m just saying-”

“Are we ready then?” Fred piped up, sauntering down the stairs in his muggle clothes, George hot on his heels. Charlie trailed a little farther behind looking well in his henley and jeans. Lastly was Elise bringing up the tail end of the group.

Bill didn’t feel his breath catch, he will admit, like he did the first time he saw Fleur dressed up to go out in all her ethereal beauty. But he did smile more than he should have, and there was a distinct flutter in his chest.

Elise had her hair in bouncy curls framing her face. She wore a pair of figure hugging jeans, high waisted, and a black cropped tank top. There was a sheer black overshirt covering her tank top that had little silver stars and moons on it. He could see all her tattoos on display and it seemed there was more than what he had seen on her arms. It seemed she had even put on a bit of makeup and in her arms was a leather jacket.

“We’re ready,” Ginny smiled as if they hadn’t been speaking of an incredibly uncomfortable topic for Bill.

The group apparated a safe distance outside of the muggle town and walked the rest of the way to the pub.

They didn’t look out of place, just like a group of young people out for the night, which was a relief to everyone. It was always a bit of a risk for them to go out into the muggle world, just in case they unknowingly did something odd.

As they approached the pub they saw that it was quite packed, which was good. Easier for them to blend in and relax.

“Oh, I love this song,” Elise smiled as they entered the pub, bopping her head along to the beat. “I’m going to go get a drink.”

“Don’t get lost!” Charlie called after her.

Bill cleared his throat and began to trail behind her, speaking to Charlie as he passed. “I’ll go with her. Keep an eye out.”

Bill followed after Elise, doing his best to keep his eyes on the back of her head and not trace the curves of her body that had been revealed in the sheer top and thigh-hugging jeans.

Elise approached the bar and expertly flagged down the bartender, who was a rather beautiful woman with blonde hair and sharp cheekbones. She was thin and wore a tight black dress. Her lips were painted with a sharp red tone and she flashed a smile at the pair, her eyes lingering on Bill to rake over his features.

“What can I get you, love?” The bartender asked, looking more at Bill than at Elise.

Bill smiled and leaned on the counter, “Pint of lager for myself. Elise?”

Elise’s eyes flicked between Bill and the bartender before she cleared her throat and ordered. “I’ll take a vodka and cranberry.”

“Strong stuff to start,” Bill raised an eyebrow at her.

Elise shrugged, not saying much as she tucked a curl behind her ear. A stray piece of hair fell in her eyes and without much thought, Bill reached towards it and brushed the hair behind her ear.

Elise’s face burned and she turned to Bill with wide eyes. She was about to speak when the bartender appeared with their drinks, setting them down in front of the pair.

“Your vodka cranberry,” The bartender spoke before turning her attention back to Bill. “And your lager, sweetheart. Together or separate?”

“Separate!” Elise blurted out before Bill could formulate a single thought. “I mean, we’re separate. I can pay, but seperate.”

Elise quickly pulled out a note of muggle money and slapped it on the table before walking away. The bartender turned her attention back to Bill and smiled. “Let me get you a receipt.”

She turned, gave Bill the change and a slip of paper. After handing him the paper, the bartender winked and returned to her work. As Bill looked at the receipt, he saw that she had written her phone number on the paper.

Bill looked back at where Elise had gone, seeing her taking Charlie’s hand and drag him towards the dancefloor. Bill stuffed the paper in his pocket and returned to his siblings.

“Everything alright?” Ginny asked as she approached her eldest brother. “Elise seemed flustered when she came back.”

Bill hid his red cheeks and shrugged. “Not sure.”

Ginny cocked her eyebrow at him. “Right. Well, I’m going to go get myself a drink. You should join the others. Maybe ask Elise to dance.”

As his sister pushed past him, Bill made his way over to the table that his twin brother sat at. They were in a heated discussion about their latest invention. Bill took a seat next to them, though he hardly paid mind to what they were saying. Instead, his eyes were glued on Charlie and Elise.

The pair danced rather closely to a heated pop song by a muggle singer that Bill was fairly sure he had heard before. Elise was smiling at Charlie and swinging her hips. The dragon keeper let his hand rest on the low of her back, his free hand taking the drink she was holding and taking a sip from it.

Bill tried his best, he really did, but he couldn’t stop the strange stirring in his chest when he saw the pair together, so at ease and comfortable in each other's space. It was that ugly green monster, something he hadn’t felt in ages. Even when Fleur told him she had cheated, he hadn’t felt jealous or angry, just confused and distraught.

“Merlin your pathetic,” Ginny sighed as she pulled out a chair next to Bill. “I’ve never seen you glare at Charlie like that.”

Bill was pulled from his thoughts and managed to choke out a scoff before taking a drink of his pint. “I’m not glaring. It’s just dark. I’m squinting to see.”

“Don’t lie to your only sister, William, it’s bad form,” Ginny smirked and turned her gaze to the pair on the dancefloor. The siblings watched the pair continued to dance as the song shifted, though soon Bill felt Ginny’s knee hit his. “You know, it’s okay.”

“What is?” Bill asked, taking another pull of the lager.

“Too be interested in someone else,” Ginny’s voice was light but serious. “It’s been months. No one would blame you if you looked, maybe even dipped back into the dating pool.”

“Gin-”

“Besides,” Ginny interrupted her brother as if he hadn’t said anything. “Elise is cute and sweet. And clearly you’re interested, if your awkward interactions these last two days have been any indication. Despite what’s happening on the dancefloor, I know for a fact there is nothing going on between them.”

“They look very…intense,” Bill pursed his lips.

“Bill,” Ginny turned her full attention to her eldest brother and jerked his shoulder so that he was facing her. “Ask her to dance, buy her a drink and man the fuck up.”

“Right,” Bill nodded, putting his pint on the table and walking towards the pair as the song shifted to a slower tune. He approached just as Elise finished the last of her drink and handed it to Charlie to take. “Mind if I cut it?”

“She’s all yours,” Charlie shrugged. “I need some air and then a drink.”

“Quitter,” Elise shouted at his back with a good-natured grin as Charlie responds with a middle finger.

She turns her grin back to Bill as the eldest Weasley gestures back towards the floor. The pair make their way onto the dancefloor between the other couples.

Elise begins to twist her hips to the music. The song is low, but with a solid beat. A sound to get closer to, to touch to. Bill steps closer to the woman, his eyes tracing her face as she closes her own to focus on the music.

Their bodies sway together and he dares to put his hand on her ribs, not willing to touch lower until she reciprocates. He watches her eyes flash open and lock onto his. The woman takes a step closer so that when they move they bump into each other ever so slightly.

Bill boldly reached down to grab one of her arms and put it around his neck. Her hand settled softly on the nape of his neck, fingers touching at the hair there.

Elise countered by grabbing the hand on her side and slid it down to her hips. The pair continued to gaze into each other’s eyes while swaying to the music.

“You know, the bartender might make a better partner,” Elise pursed her lips. “I think she’d be happy to take my place.”

Bill smirked and shook his head, feeling some of his confidence of his youth coming back to him. “Not my type.”

“Oh?” Elise raised her eyebrow, a curious glint in her eyes. “What is your type?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. Before, she would have been. But now, I think I want to try something new.”

“Like?”

“Well I think I’ve recently developed a fondness for tattoos,” Bill’s hand moved from her hip to the small of her back. “Dark hair, yellow sweaters.”

“Sounds terrible, you need better taste,” Elise teased.

“I have the finest taste.”

“Really?” Elise pressed forward, her chest against his. When she was speaking this close to him, Bill could see the piercing on her tongue and he wondered how he had never noticed, and most importantly, how it felt.

He was so close, he could feel the heat of her breath on his lips and the way she shuddered when he pushed up the back of her shirt with his thumb and rubbed the soft skin there. Just a small movement and he could see if her lips were as soft as they looked.

“El!” The voice of Charlie caused them to break apart rather rapidly, hands to themselves and faces flushed. Charlie may have been smiling but his eyes were suspicious as he grabbed the young woman and threw his arm around her.

“We’re all going to do a shot then head to the next place,” Charlie pulled her closer. “Let’s go you two.”

Five minutes later the bartender had laid out a round of shots for the group. “Now, before you all run off on me, separate or together?”

“Together,” Bill chimed in before gesturing between him and Elise. “Her and I are together. I’ll buy hers.”

“I wouldn’t mind you buying mine too,” Fred piped up.

“Yeah, why is Elise so special?” George huffed mockingly. “Is it cause she’s prettier than Fred and I.”

“Yes,” Both Bill and Ginny spoke at the same time, grinning at each other. Bill ended up paying for the group and they all took their drinks before sauntering to the next location.

Three hours later and the group was staggering down the street looking for a safe place to apparate home.

Bill had been unable to find a moment alone with Elise and as the drinks were poured and the night devolved, it mattered less and less. He was just happy to relax and have a good time.

As the most sober, Ginny wrangled the group together and managed to get them safely back to the burrow. Charlie and Elise were holding onto each other for dear life, singing an obscene muggle song rather loudly as they stumbled towards the door. The twins were laughing rather loudly at some inside joke and Ginny had her arm slung around Bill’s as she cast a silencing charm on the lot, desperate to not wake anyone.

Elise and Charlie stumbled up the stairs with Charlie leading the way back to their room. Bill decided to give the pair a moment to compose themselves and went to the kitchen for a glass of water and one of the many cookies his mother made during the holidays.

Harry and Ron were in the sitting room playing wizards chess and the former greeted Ginny with a kiss when she approached.

Bill missed that, having someone to greet him with love and be happy to see him when he came home. That hadn’t been something that happened with Fleur in a very long time, long before finding out about the affair and separating.

After a few minutes, Bill made his way upstairs into the room. When he entered, Elise was snoring in bed, clad in her pajamas with her clothes strewn about the room.

Charlie was laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Bill took his clothes and left to the bathroom to change and wash his face before coming back to the room.

He gently climbed into the cot, thinking that Charlie and Elise must have drunkenly passed out.

“Bill?” Thought that was apparently untrue as Charlie’s voice fluttered throughout the room, strangely sober.

“Yeah, Char?” Bill whispered back, not wanting to wake up Elise as she snored gently.

“Are you trying to fuck my best friend?”

Bill could have fallen out of bed from the shock of the question and he quickly answered with a resounding, “No!”

“Are you trying to date her?” Charlie asked.

Bill was unsure how to respond. “Would that upset you?”

“Honestly?” Charlie queried.

Bill was scared to hear the honest answer. He finally was able to admit to himself that he liked Elise, but he would never do anything to cross a boundary with his brother. “Of course.”

“I don’t think so,” Charlie admitted. “It’s just…I know you really loved Fleur and I know you’re hurt and I don’t want you to use Elise to try and fill some gap. If you like her, that’s great. She’s great. But, she’s gone through a lot too and I don’t want to see her sad.”

Bill swallowed thickly. “I understand, Charlie. But I think I like Elise. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to maybe see if it could lead anywhere.”

“As long as neither of you gets hurt,” Charlie agreed. “But Bill?”

“Yeah, Char?”

“You haven’t known her that long. Trust me, she’ll drive you crazy in a week's time,” Charlie teased and Bill breathed a sigh of relief at the mirth in his brother’s tone.

“I’ll judge that on my own.” Bill rolled his eyes and closed his eyes. Soon the soft snores of Elise were joined by the gentle breathing of Charlie and Bill was able to lull himself to sleep.

Chapter Text

“You can’t come with me,” Elise was practically growling as she jogged down the stairs, an irritable Charlie hot on her heels.

It had been a few days since they went bar crawling and about a week since they had all arrived at the Burrow. Christmas was only a couple days away and it’s imminent arrival had only amped everyone’s excitement up.

In this time, Bill had begun to study the dynamics of Charlie and Elise. He couldn’t believe he had ever assumed they were dating, the pair acted more like siblings than Charlie and Bill himself. They constantly chased and picked at each other, like puppies trying to bite each others tails. It was endearing.

“Why?” Charlie pulled at her hair in front of him. Today she wore it in dual braids, colorful bands at the end of them.

“Because I said so,” Elise slapped his hand away, scurrying into the kitchen and narrowly missing knocking into Bill as he sat down a plate of potatoes.

The eldest Weasley had woken early and decided to assist his mother in some tidying of the house before helping her make breakfast for the large clan.

“Watch out,” Bill warned, placing his hand on her back to direct her out of his way.

These past few days had pushed their relationship in a new way. Since the dancing and near-kiss, Bill and Elise had a sort of understanding, there was interest and the possibility of something more, if either one were brave enough to take that step.

“Good morning, children,” Mrs. Weasley greeted in a slightly chastising tone, considering the way they entered the kitchen.

“Morning, Mum,” Charlie said absentmindedly.

“Good morning, Mrs. Weasley,” Elise greeted pleasantly. Despite staying at the Burrow for a week she was still polite and formal with the older couple.

“Oh dear, again, just call me Molly,” the matriarch waved her off. Molly had been so sweet to Elise and it made Bill slightly bitter. He wished she had been this kind to Fleur when he brought her home. Still, they weren’t entirely wrong in their assumptions about his marriage.

“I don’t understand why you are making me stay home,” Charlie huffed as she dropped into a chair at the table. Upstairs the rest of the family could be heard waking up, doors opening and closing. “If it’s taken you this long to get me a gift then you’re a shitty friend.”

“Language,” Mrs. Weasley pointed at Charlie with her spatula, not that he paid any attention.

“I’m not getting you a gift at all ‘cause you’re a shitty friend,” Elise grumbled. “Maybe I don’t want you to go ‘cause you’re smothering me. At least at the dragon sanctuary I can lock you out of my cabin.”

“Says the woman who got drunk and climbed through my window to eat the leftover cheesecake I had,” The dragon-tamer grumbled.

“I fail to see how that bothered you,” Elise shrugged. She was still standing in the way and Bill finally abandoned the bacon he was cooking to grasp her by the shoulders and steer her to the table, planting the young woman in a chair by Charlie.

Charlie scoffed and turned his body to face hers. “First off, you were not quiet about it. Second, after you ate the cheesecake you tried to get into bed with me.”

“Your sofa hurts my back,” was her only reply as she crossed her arms and turned up her nose.

Bill came up behind Elise and placed a cup of coffee in front of her. “Do you two ever think you’re too close?”

“No,” Both Elise and Charlie answered in unison.

Bill huffed a laugh and went back to assisting his mother. Charlie looked at the cup of coffee Bill had placed before his best friend and tried to hide a smile. It was nice to see the pair getting comfortable around each other. He had witnessed the tip-toeing between them these last few days and, instead of feeling uncomfortable, he found himself finding it endearing.

“Well, if you won’t let me go, then take Bill,” Charlie reached for the coffee in front of Elise only to have his hand deflected.

“Get your own,” She slid the cup out of his reach and glared.

“Bill, where’s my coffee?” Charlie turned to face his older brother.

“You’ve got two legs, use them,” Bill smirked to himself. More of the Weasley’s began to pile in.

Hermione and Ginny came in first, both looking rather chipper and discussing some sort of incident from their school days. Fred and George were practically dragging Oliver into the kitchen, demanding to know if he had any insight into the next pro quidditch game.

“Dear, go take a seat,” Molly smiled and gently ushered Bill towards the table. “I’ll handle it from here.”

Bill listened to his mothers request and grabbed himself a cup of coffee before heading to the table. He was nice enough to place one in front of Charlie as well.

“Where am I going?” Bill asked as he took the seat on the other side of Elise.

“Elise wants to go on a trip to Diagon Alley today and she won’t let me go,” Charlie explained the origins of their argument. “I don’t want her to get robbed or something.”

“I don’t think anyone in Diagon Alley is going to rob Elise,” Bill raised an eyebrow. “And I don’t think she would just let that happen anyway.”

“Do you not want to go?” Charlie asked, causing Elise to look at him with a quizzical gaze.

“I do!” Bill was quick to try and explain. “I would be happy to go with Elise. I was just trying to say I don’t think she will get robbed.”

“If you want to go, you’re welcome to come with me,” Elise’s confused look turned to a smile. “I was going to go after breakfast.”

“I’d like that,” Bill agreed.

The conversation quickly dropped as everyone came and sat down. The room was loud with everyone’s voices overlapping and it had been overwhelming at first, but Elise was starting to get used to the noise this family caused.

Breakfast was served and everyone dug in. One thing Elise had yet to get used to was the aggression in which everyone tried to get their food, despite Mrs. Weasley’s scolding. Bill and Charlie had begun to compensate for this by filling up her plate as quickly as they could before all the food disappeared.

The family ate happily, conversation flowing easily and Elise even managed to give her input on many of the subjects.

When the meal was over, everyone quickly dispersed and Bill went over to grab his jacket. Elise had gone upstairs to get her sweater and came back down a few moments later with a nervous smile on her face.

“Are you ready?” She asked, approaching Bill.

She was wearing black leggings and a gray long-sleeved shirt. She was in the process of tugging on an oversized green cardigan with little mushrooms and frogs embroidered on it. It looked cozy and cute.

“I’m ready,” Bill nodded, holding his arm out for her to grab onto. The pair said goodbye to those in the immediate vicinity and stepped out of the Burrow, looking for a good place to apparate as Elise was not particularly fond of using the floo network.

There was a quick crack and suddenly they were in Diagon Alley. As they walked, Bill took note of the fact that Elise didn’t let go of his arm, the thought making him smile.

“So, what do you want to do here?” Bill asked, placing his hand over the one she had on his arm.

The young woman pursed her lips and tilted her head. “Charlie wasn’t wrong when he assumed I was gift shopping. Not for him, of course, but for everyone else.”

“Should I have stayed at the Burrow?” Bill raised his eyebrows, feeling a bit like he may have intruded. “I’d hate to spoil any surprise.”

“Bold of you to assume anything I get would be a surprise for you,” Elise smiled cheekily at him, earning her a bit of an eye-roll. “In all seriousness, I’m glad to have you along. I’ve never been to Diagon Alley so you can show me around.”

“You’ve never been?” Bill was surprised before he remembered. “Ah, right. American. Where would you like to start?”

Elise thought on it for a long moment. “Book shop?”

Bill quickly lead her through Diagon Alley, occasionally grabbing her hip to steer her through the crowd. It was 3 days til Christmas and the whole street was packed with Wizards doing last minute shopping, much like they were.

They soon stopped in front of a shop called Flourish and Blotts where Bill ushered Elise inside.

He watched her browse the books happily, fingers tracing along the spines while she skimmed the titles. Bill leaned against a shelf, hands in his pockets as he admired the way she looked as she floated through the shelves.

He couldn’t help but feel his chest tighten as he looked at her. When he first met Fleur, she was like a whirlwind of emotions. She made him feel like his breath had been stolen, like he was drunk just by brushing against her. Maybe it was the veela blood she had. But with Elise, it was different.

He felt warm and fuzzy when he was with her, almost like he felt when he used to drink hot chocolate and watch the rain from his porch, content. There was no all-consuming fire, but rather a slow warmth that traveled through him and heated up his cheeks. It was quite lovely, when he stopped to think about it.

“Weasley?” There was a familiar voice calling out to him and Bill turned to find an older, yet still familiar face to match.

“Crow?” Bill vaguely recalled. It had been years since he had seen her, but he recognized the slightly aged face of a former Ravenclaw from his graduating year.

“Deirda,” She corrected. “We’re not in class anymore.”

“Then I suppose you should call me ‘Bill’,” The eldest Weasley plastered on a pretend smile. When his gaze moved back to where Elise had been she was gone.

“What are you doing here?” Deirdra asked, her blue eyes happily alight. She had grown up well. Her hair remained blonde as when she was in school, though it was long now and hung in ringlets. She wore a blue jumper that brought out her eyes and jeans.

“Christmas shopping,” Bill answered, struggling not to look around for where Elise went.

“Bit late,” Deirdra gave a small smirk. “Wouldn’t expect that from you. You always seemed so organized.”

“I wasn’t that organized. Besides, it’s not for me. I’m helping someone else pick up some last minute gifts.”

“How kind of you to help a friend,” Deirdra looked around awkwardly before taking a step closer, a little too close for Bill’s liking. “I heard about Fleur, by the way.”

“Oh?” Bill felt his chest pinch a little bit, though he was surprised to find it was with more discomfort than pain at being reminded of his divorce. He was curious about how she knew though, since he had only told family so far. Then again, the twins were loudmouths. Maybe they blabbed.

“Well, I say ‘heard’, but it was more like I saw,” Deirdra began wringing her hands. “I went to this new French restaurant owned by a wizard and I saw her there looking very friendly with a man who was not you.”

Bill brought a hand up to his nose and pinched the bridge of it. Still, he was pleased to realize he didn’t feel any jealousy or hurt, more exhaustion about the whole thing being brought up. He had come to terms fairly quickly with the fact that they were through, but he still didn’t enjoy talking about it. It was so personal and awkward. This was supposed to be a fun day, too, with Elise and no mention of his ex.

“That seems right,” Bill muttered, trying to not display his discomfort.

“She doesn’t know what she’s missing! You were always so funny and kind in school,” Deirdra took another step closer, forcing Bill to try to suppress a frown. “Actually, I’m rather glad I ran into you. See, I had a bit of a crush on you at Hogwarts and now that you’re single I was hoping we could-”

“So, I think I found something for Percy and Hermione. Interest-wise, they’re almost the same person and I’m not going to think on that too hard. I also got something for me, ‘cause I deserve it,” Elise approached like some kind of oblivious guardian angel, saving Bill from a particularly uncomfortable conversation. She stopped once she realized Bill was not alone. “Oh. Sorry, did I interrupt?”

“No!” Bill nearly shouted. He had never been so relieved. He grabbed Elise by her hips and pulled her in front of him, allowing them to linger there. “Deirdra, this is my…Elise. Elise, this is Deirdra, an old classmate.”

“Oh,” Deirdra looked between Bill and Elise, her eyes dropping to his hands still on her waist. “Oh! It’s very nice to meet you, Elise. Is that an American accent I detect?”

“It is,” Elise nodded, giving a polite smile. “I’m originally from the US. I work in Europe though, studying rare magical species. Right now I work on a dragon reserve. I’m spending the holidays with the Weasleys.”

“That’s amazing,” Deirdra looked between the pair again. “Magical creatures are fascinating, though I never had the skill to handle them. I was always better at charms. Not that it matters much though, I ended up practicing magical law.”

“That is nothing to turn your nose up at, you must be crazy intelligent,” Elise’s words seemed sincere.

“Only a little,” Deirdra answered with a slight laugh.

“Well, I’m sorry to interrupt. I’m gonna go pay for these and then I’ll meet back up with you, Bill?” Elise turned towards the red-head with suspicion in her eye.

Bill nodded and Elise trotted on. He watched her walk away fondly before he turned back to Deirdra. “I’m sorry, what was it you were about to ask?”

Deirdra smiled almost as fondly as Bill and shook her head. “Nevermind. Don’t worry about it.”

“Right. Well, it was nice seeing you again,” Bill said his goodbyes and nearly walked away when the ex-Ravenclaw grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“Bill? Elise seems good. She’s not a veela, but she’s pretty and seems sweet. Plus, what a badass career!” Deirdra smirked and released his arm. “Pat yourself on the back. She’s a good catch.”

Bill fought a blush and left his old classmate, approaching the counter where Elise had just finished paying. She turned around and approached Bill with a confused smile.

“What was all that about?” She asked.

“Nothing,” Bill felt relieved now that it was just the two of them again. “You just have perfect timing and may have saved my life.”

“Was she hitting on you?”

“Yes, I think she was about to,” He admitted with a slightly flushed face.

Elise tutted and shook her head in mock disappointment. “First the bartender, now an ex-classmate. I can’t take you anywhere, you’re too handsome.”

“Shut up,” Bill laughed, placing a hand on her back and ushering her out of the shop.

The pair spent the next two hours going from shop to shop, getting gifts for each Weasley. Bill managed to break away at one point and do his own shopping for a gift for her. He perused through the robe shop and found a soft dark blue sweater, knitted with thick yarn and a pattern of night sky on the back. He managed to convince the shop owner to owl it to the Burrow that evening for a few extra coins so Elise wouldn’t see it.

“Okay, the twins were the hardest since I can’t shop from their own place, but I think I got it,” Elise approached the red-head as he left the robe shop.

“Great,” Bill smiled, hoping she wouldn’t ask what he had been up to. “Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to grab something for lunch over at the Leaky Cauldron?”

“Yes! I’m starving,” Elise hooked her arm with Bill’s again. “Lead the way, oh experienced guide.”

“These are some damn good pastries,” Elise was practically moaning as she dug into a cream cheese pastry, choosing to use lunch to satisfy her sweet tooth.

Bill had made due with a mince-meat pie and a butterbeer. He raised an eyebrow at how happily she ate the sweets when she wasn’t fighting nine red-heads and their spouses for a portion. It was endearing.

“Did Diagon Alley live up to your expectations?” Bill asked, taking a sip of his butterbeer.

“I mean, I hate shopping, but it was fun. I think it was more fun with you,” Elise shrugged her shoulders, keeping her eyes on her pastry. “Though, I didn’t enjoy walking in on you about to find your second wife.”

Bill nearly choked on his drink, clearing his throat and hiding a grimace. “I have absolutely no interest in Deirdra Crow.”

“Good, ‘cause I get horribly jealous,” Elise teased. “You should see how upset I get when the baby dragons run to Charlie first before me.”

“That would be devastating, regardless of jealous tendencies,” Bill put a hand on his heart in mock sympathy. He kept up his smile but turned his gaze away. “I think jealousy is something I’ve been experiencing more than usual recently.”

“Oh?”

“Oh yes,” Bill leaned back in his seat. “You and Charlie are very close.”

“Trust me, there is absolutely nothing going on between Charlie and I,” Elise smiled reassuringly at Bill. “We only had sex once.”

“What?!” Bill nearly shouted, lurching forward and leaning across the table, his face inches from hers.

“You’re so easy,” Elise’s face broke out into a shit-eating grin.

“That’s not funny,” Bill narrowed his eyes at her, though her smile was contagious and he fought the urge to return one.

“I beg to differ. Honestly, though, the closest Charlie and I have ever gotten to sex was when a dragon threw up on us and Fimmel made us strip and hose off because it was slightly acidic. Even when we’ve shared a bed, one of us ends up ready to fight the other by morning.”

“That sounds delightful,” Bill huffed a soft laugh.

“Okay, my turn,” Elise stated, taking another bite of her pastry, some of the cream left on her chin.

“Hold on,” Without thinking, Bill reached across the table and used his thumb to wipe the cream away, brushing slightly over her bottom lip in the process.

Elise’s face burned cherry red when he pulled his hand away and licked the cream off his finger. “Continue.”

Elise cleared her throat and covered her mouth, cheeks still ablaze. “I honestly forgot what I was going to say.”

Bill smirked, feeling quite proud of the effect he just had on her. “You were saying it was your turn.”

“Right,” Elise tried to straighten up, taking a sip of the tea she had ordered. “You got to ask me a weird question about my relationship. Now it’s my turn.”

“Ask away,” Bill gestured for her to continue before taking another bite of his pie.

“You’re divorce,” Her tone was a bit more somber. “Are you…moved on?”

Bill prepped himself to feel his stomach churn, but it never did. In fact, he didn’t feel any bit of discomfort from her mentioning his divorce. “Define moved on?”

“I suppose my question is do you still have feelings for your ex?” Elise bit her lip and stirred her tea, not making eye contact with him.

Bill pursed his lips. “I feel some disappointment and a little bit of irritation. But I’m not in love with her anymore if that’s what you’re asking. Things were not going well for about a year before she…found someone else. To be honest, I think the love on both our ends faded long before we ended it.”

Elise nodded and reached forward, taking Bill’s hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I ask because…well sometimes there are rebound relationships after. Most girs would hate to think there was a connection only for them to be a rebound.”

“Maybe they shouldn’t worry about that. Maybe the connection is real,” Bill squeezed her hand back, giving a soft smile. The pair shared the silence for a long moment before Bill felt it best to chase away the somber mood. “So…what did you get me for Christmas?”

Bill and Elise finished up their food, Elise insisting on paying as a thank you for Bill accompanying her on the impromptu shopping trip.

Elise had shrunk the bags and stuffed them into her pockets, making it much easier for Bill to apparate them back onto Weasley property.

“Thank you for today,” Elise spoke up as they meandered back towards the Burrow, having apparrated about a ten minute walk away. “It was fun.”

“Of course,” Bill smiled, hands in his pockets and walking a little slower than usual. It was nearly one o’clock, they were in no rush. “Thank you for lunch.”

“It’s the least I could do,” Elise shrugged.

“I want to make something clear though,” Bill’s tone was rather serious. “That was not a date.”

He could feel Elise stiffen at his side. “Oh?”

“Nope,” Bill stopped with the Burrow just in sight, grabbing her arm and forcing her to stop and look at him. “That was just a really nice lunch with a girl I really like. Tonight would be a date, if you’d like.”

“You want to go on a date? Tonight?” Elise was blushing. The cold wind tousled a few strands loose from her braids and Bill tucked them behind her ear.

“I’m interested in you, Elise. I want to go on a real date, not a shopping trip. Do you want to go out with me tonight?”

“Yes, absolutely!” Elise nodded enthusiastically, both of them allowing excited grins to break out across their faces.

“Okay! Yes, great! Tonight at seven?”

“It’s a date.”

Chapter Text

Elise was distraught. There was absolutely nothing in her duffel bag that could be used for a date. She hadn’t anticipated Charlie having a hot single brother who would be interested in her, and it was a damn shame that her packing reflected that.

It was already past five thirty and she knew that it would take some time for her to get ready, but she couldn’t get past this clothing dilemma. She needed help.

Elise took a deep breath and left the room that she was sharing with Charlie and Bill. She trotted down the stairs, occasionally looking through doorways to see if she could find her intended target.

Bill, Charlie, Oliver and Fred were all gathered in the common area. Bill and Fred were engaged in a game of exploding snaps and Charlie and Oliver were watching while occasionally chiming in with their two cents.

Bill noticed rather quickly that Elise had entered the room, looking around slightly lost. He looked up from his game and called out to her. “Are you alright, love?”

“Ew,” Charlie made a face before Elise could respond, earning giggles from Fred and Oliver and eye rolls from Elise and Bill.

“I’m fine. Have you seen Ginny?”

“She and Hermione are making even more cookies,” Fred answered, pointing to the kitchen.

Elise thanked the twin and marched to the kitchen on a mission. She cleared her throat and tried not to feel awkward.

“Oh, hello Elise,” Hermione smiled, flour in her hair and a large mixing bowl in her arms.

“Hello, I was hoping I might ask you and Ginny a favor,” Elise tried to seem casual.

With her name called, Ginny turned away from the oven and faced the new girl. “What do you need?”

Elise felt so awkward asking younger girls for help getting ready for a date, but she really liked Bill and did not want to mess this up. “I was hoping you guys might help me pick out a nice outfit or maybe you’re particularly handy at transfiguration.”

“Oh, of course we-” Hermione was interrupted by Ginny holding a hand up to her.

The youngest Weasley’s eyes narrowed at Elise and she felt like she was being appraised. “Why?”

The dragon keeper swallowed thickly, feeling even more embarrassed. She dropped her voice so as not to let anyone in the living room overhear. “I’m going on a date with Bill tonight and I have fuck-all to wear. Will you help me?”

“We’d love to,” Ginny’s grin was almost predatory. “Help us finish up here.”

Elise quickly agreed and made herself busy helping with the cookies. It seemed there was always something baking in the Burrow and the smells were always delightful.

The trio finished making the cookies, Ginny setting a magical timer to alert her when they were done baking. She then turned to Elise and gestured upstairs.

“Go get in the shower and start getting ready. Hermione and I will take care of the outfit,” Ginny assured her.

“Thank you!” Elise could have bowed to this woman. “You’re a lifesaver!”

The young women all split up, the brunette going to start up the shower and scrub herself clean.

She sat under the hot spray of water for a long time, savoring the warmth battling agains the cold before she forced herself to begin actually getting ready, shampooing her dark hair and putting a nice smelling soap on that she brought with her from the reserve.

Elise stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, casting a charm to check the time. She had about forty minutes, not too bad.

There was a knock on the door and Elise opened it to find Ginny on the other side, holding a stack of clothes.

“I think these will look very cute on you. I transfigured a big t-shirt you had into a dress and some leggings into tights. They have warming charms on them, but your leather jacket will go really well with them.”

Elise was beyond relieved that Ginny had come through for her. “I could kiss you.”

“I’m married,” Ginny smirked, thrusting the clothes into Elise’s hands. “Besides, Bill would be pissed.”

The older girl smiled and thanked Ginny one more time before closing the bathroom door and beginning to get ready in earnest. It had been awhile since she had been on a real date, but she couldn’t have imagined someone better than Bill to break that streak.

Bill had to hype himself up. It had been years since he had been on a date and his usual confidence had taken a hit since his wife had cheated on him. What’s worse was that he really liked Elise, which didn’t help his nerves at all.

“God you’re so cute,” Ginny teased from her spot on the couch where she was reading the latest copy of Witch Weekly. George and Charlie had also not-so-subtly been watching Bill pace and pick at his appearance.

He was dressed well in his nicest jeans and a dark blue button up. The top had a few buttons undone and he had a black leather jacket over it. His hair hung loose around his shoulders and looked effortlessly tousled, though he had truthfully been running his fingers through it nervously dozens of times.

“It’s weird,” George commented, sizing his eldest brother up. “You seem nervous. That’s weird.”

“I’d be nervous having to deal with El all night,” Charlie chimed in, never missing an opportunity to lovingly slander his best friend.

“All of you shut up,” Bill rolled his eyes. His attention nearly snapped to the stairway when he heard footsteps.

“Sorry, my boots were fighting me,” Elise finally appeared at the bottom of the stairs and Bill could have choked when he saw her. She was beautiful.

Her dark hair fell in ringlets on one side, while the other side had been tightly braided to keep out of her face. She wore a deep blue dress that hugged her figure, the skirt stopping at mid thigh. The neckline plunged just enough to be intriguing, but not extremely indecent. There was ink across her chest that he desperately wanted to get a closer view of. Underneath her dress she wore sheer tights and on top of it she wore her leather jacket. All of this was completed by heeled boots.

“You look fucking gorgeous,” Bill muttered as she approached.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” She blushed and he fought himself to keep from touching the pink of her cheeks. Up close he could see that she wore a little bit of makeup as well.

“Well aren’t you two adorable!” Mrs. Weasley broke the mood, coming in and appraising the two. “Where are you going all dressed up?”

Bill cleared his throat and pulled Elise closer, hand on her hip. “I’m taking Elise on a date.”

“Oh,” Molly seemed surprised, but not upset. “Well you two have fun. But not too much fun! No grandbabies on the first date!”

“Merlin’s tits,” Bill muttered, steering Elise towards the door. “We’re leaving.”

“Have fun kids! Remember curfew!” Charlie called out teasingly.

“Fuck off!” Bill called back, relieved when he heard the door click behind him.

Elise was still blushing when she turned to Bill. “So, where are we going?”

“Muggle London for dinner and a surprise,” Bill felt himself relax now that he was out of sight of his family, though he was sure he saw a curtain move out of the corner of his eye.

“Now I’m intrigued. What’s the surprise?”

“That’s not how surprises work, darling,” Bill chided her, clicking his tongue and leading her farther away from the Burrow.

“Alright, be mysterious,” She rolled her eyes fondly.

“It adds to my charm,” Bill smirked before stopping and opening one arm. “Come here.”

“Okay,” She agreed with a questioning tone, stepping into Bill’s space and allowing him to pull her close til air could barely pass between them.

“I’m going to apparate us,” Bill raised his wand with his free arm. “Works better when we’re closer.”

“I don’t think we need to be this close for it to work.”

The red-head leaned down, his face a mere inches away, a slight smirk on his lips. “Maybe. But I like it better.”

Before she could respond there was a loud crack and Elise and Bill were transported to a dark alley in muggle London. They stepped out of the alley and Bill took Elise’s hand, both feeling their heart rate pick up at the contact while he lead them through the crowded streets.

They came upon a lovely looking restaurant with a line into the street, though Bill bypassed them and approached the hostess.

“I have a reservation for Weasley,” Bill smiled, the hostess certainly not immune to his charm.

“Right this way,” She smiled demurely at Bill and gestured for the pair to follow her.

It was Italian food, but Elise had never said no to pasta. Bill made sure to order wine for the two of them and an appetizer. The wine came first and the waiter made a show of pouring it for them and letting Bill smell the cork.

“Can I make a confession?” He asked as soon as the waiter was out of earshot.

“Always,” Elise took a sip of her wine.

“I know fuck-all about wine. I have no idea what I ordered for us,” He admitted.

Elise couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Well it sounded very fancy. We can just pretend that you knew and that I am very very impressed.”

“I’ve only been drinking with you once. Are you a wine drinker?”

Elise wished she could have lied and said yes to seem more refined, but she could not. “Nope. I’ll still drink it. Never one to turn down alcohol.”

“Are you ready to order?” The waiter had appeared, seemingly out of thin air.

The pair smiled at each other and gave their orders, Bill getting a seafood dish and Elise a pasta in a mushroom sauce. Before the waiter could dash off, Bill had stopped him.

“Do you have a bar here?”

“Yes, sir,” The waiter nodded with a smile.

“Can I get a whiskey on the rocks, and she’ll have vodka and cranberry,” she was impressed that Bill had remembered her order from the bar. The waiter nodded and scurried away to put their order in.

“This place is really nice,” Elise looked around. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been somewhere this nice.”

“Really?” Bill actually looked surprised when she said that. “Where do you usually go on dates?”

“I actually haven’t gone on a date in ages. I went with Fimmel at the reserve a few months back, but that hardly counted,” Elise waved the memory away dismissively.

“Why didn’t that count?” He asked, genuinely interested in hearing about her experiences.

Elise shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not really great first date talk, but we just decided to go the ‘friends-with-benefits’ route and called it an early night. Before that I mostly went on dates to bars.”

“That’s a shame,” He replied, leaning back in his seat and looking at Elise. “You should have been taken to nice places. You’re too beautiful not to take out.”

She blushed for the hundredth time since meeting Bill. “It’s not about the place we're at, it’s about the company. I think you’re the best I’ve had.”

“I’ll prove that in more ways than one,” He winked, feeling himself relax and his charm come back to him. Elise didn’t have much of a chance to respond before their appetizer was placed in front of them along with their new drinks.

Conversation flowed easily through dinner and the pair did their best to get to know each other on another level, as well as ask the superficial questions like favorite color and favorite band.

Bill had managed to keep a smile on her face the entire meal and she had done the same for him. The pair could have lit up the restaurant on their own with the light shining around them.

Bill paid, though Elise had argued over and insisted on at least covering the drinks. When the pair had finished, they made their way back onto the streets and Bill hastily picked up her hand again, though it was Elise who threaded their fingers together.

“So, on to the surprise, then?” She asked as he led her down the road.

“Almost,” he promised. “First, one stop. There is a bakery that I wanted to stop at. I noticed your fondness for sweets. Plus, they have hot chocolate with a little kick.”

“Oh, baby, you had me at ‘bakery’,” she was practically drooling.

Bill let out a laugh and casually placed his arm around her shoulders, feeling her lean into him as they strode down the street together, the winter air nipping at their faces.

The came upon the bakery rather quickly and Elise nearly pressed her face against the glass looking at all the different options. Bill could have cooed over how disgustingly adorable she looked while mooning over the options.

In the end she settled on a lemon creme cupcake that they placed in a fancy box. Bill got his own box for the mint cupcake that he chose. They both ordered hot chocolate that was made with some kind of peppered chocolate and a bit of whiskey, placed in to-go cups so they could make their way to Bill’s surprise.

“So, are we almost to the surprise?” Elise was growing impatient, but extremely excited at the same time.

“Almost, just a little farther,” Bill grinned at how excited she was.

Elise was struggling with the anticipation, but soon they approached, causing Bill to stop them both. He took their now-empty hot chocolate cups and tossed them in a nearby rubbish bin and handed the little pastry boxes to Elise to hold before moving behind her.

“What are you doing?” She asked with suspicion.

“Not spoiling the surprise,” he answered, covering her eyes with one hand and then placing the other on her waist to guide her. “Almost there. Just trust me.”

He gently guided her through the crowd before removing his hand at their final destination. Elise opened her eyes and he watched her face change to sheer joy when she took it all in.

Bill had lead her to a sort of Christmas festival where fairy lights were strewn everywhere and there were stalls selling treats and trinkets and beautiful decorations littered the whole park.

“This is incredible!” Elise turned back to Bill. “How did you find out about this?”

“I read the muggle newspaper too,” he shrugged as if it were nothing. “Let's go take a look.”

The pair made their way through the festival, looking through all the vendors and the treat stalls. Bill watched adoringly as Elise weaved her way through the crowds, doing his best to keep up with her energy. He bought her a stuffed penguin plushie that she spent far too long making eyes at and she bought him a handmade scarf knitted by an elderly woman who set up a stall.

Before long it was approaching eleven and the pair decided to make their way back to the Burrow.

“This is the best date I’ve ever had,” Elise couldn’t stop grinning as they made it back to Weasley property.

“It’s not over yet,” Bill assured her, casting a few charms to melt snow under a tree and dry out the grass enough for them to sit. He cast some extra warming charms and sat down, leaning against the tree trunk.

Elise nudged his legs apart and sat down between them, her back pressed against his chest. “We’ve still got to eat these.”

She watched as he unboxed the treats and handed her the lemon creme cupcake while he took his mint one.

“I had a fantastic time,” He told her, unable to keep the grin from his face.

“I’m still having a good time,” Elise countered, taking a bite of her cupcake. “Though I do question your choice on sweets. Mint?”

“Says the girl who chooses lemon flavored desserts,” He looked at her and tutted.

“And again, I counter with ‘mint’. I don’t understand you,” She shook her head dramatically.

“It’s all about the frosting. Here, try it,” Bill swiped through the top of his cupcake with his finger and held it out to her.

Elise felt her heart stutter, but she leaned forward and licked the frosting off of his finger, knowing full well she could just swiped it off of his finger onto her own.

Bill looked down at her, feeling the metal of her tongue ring touch the skin on his finger and he desperately wanted to feel it elsewhere. There was a bit of frosting on her lower lip, and he wiped it away with his thumb just as he had done at lunch.

The tension in the air was palpable and Bill felt like the heating charms were suffocating him. He took the cupcake out of her hand and dropped it back into the box, pushing both to the side.

Neither need say anything further. Elise just barely leaned forward, her eyes locking to his with an intensity he had never seen or felt before, not even with Fleur.

The red-head put his hand on one side of her face and surged forward, his lips pressing hotly to hers. One of her hands went to the back of his neck to anchor him further.

They broke apart after a long moment and simply stared. Bill raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly, silently questioning while his eyes dipped to look at her mouth once more. Elise nodded and that was all it took.

The pair pressed together, lips smashing fervently, Bill pushing his jacket from his shoulders. The heat was suffocating. Elise was struggling to get her own jacket off and he had to stop to help her, the pair giggling to themselves before leaning in for another kiss.

She twisted in between his legs and shifted to settle in his lap, her knees on either side of his thighs. One of his hands steadied her at her hip while the other clung to the back of her thigh.

“I’ve wanted to do that for awhile now,” Elise admitted when they broke apart once more, her forehead resting against his and their breath mingling.

“Fuck, I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you,” He told her with a laugh, one of relief and euphoria.

“Really?”

“Yes,” He said it like a prayer, like he was admitting to every thought he had of her since she stepped into the Burrow and into his life.

“Then kiss me again,” She challenged, eyes narrowing and the wryest smile on her lips. Bill wasted no time, diving in to kiss her again. But before their lips touched, he looked into her eyes, bright green stark against the night sky that framed her silhouette. He felt his heart skip a beat and his whole body tingle.

Fuck. Fuck he might be falling in love.

Chapter Text

His heart was a flutter with too many emotions. He felt strange, dating after Fleur, but at the same time he felt warm and tingly every time he looked at Elise. Then there was the embarrassment. Charlie and the twins had wasted no time in teasing the pair as soon as they returned from their first date and Bill had never felt so awkward, like a teenager bringing home his first girlfriend.

And Merlin, that kiss. It had been unlike any kiss he had. Even with Fleur, he had never felt that kind of passion. El’s lips had been slightly chapped, likely from working outside in cold weather. Her touch set him on fire in the best possible way. Of course, they hadn’t gone further than a kiss and a bit of feeling each other up. Bill was far too much of a gentleman to fuck on the first date. He wanted her to understand that he liked her for more than just her body. It was everything else about her that made his heart skip a beat.

Bill was still laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Charlie was still sound asleep, enjoying not having to be up early for work. He could only hear Charlie’s snores, so he figured Elise must have gotten up and left the room before Bill had awoken.

The eldest Weasley forced himself to get out of bed, quietly leaving the room since his brother was still passed out.

He shuffled towards the bathroom, needing to relieve himself before going and getting some coffee. As he reached for the handle, the door swung open to reveal Elise on the other side.

“Oh!” She put a hand over her heart. “You startled me.”

“I’m sorry, I just need the-”

“Right, sorry,” Elise smiled, her cheeks tinted pink and Bill couldn’t stop himself from reaching up and touching the color.

“Sorry,” He apologized, retracting his hand with a soft smile.

“No it’s…good. I like when you touch me,” She admitted.

“I’ll remember that,” Bill stated before going to side-step her into the bathroom. Something caught his attention, forcing him to stop. “Is that Charlies?”

Elise looked down at her outfit. She had still been in her pajamas. The bottoms were blue with little axolotls decorating the fabric. Her hair was a bit wild even in her ponytail and she wore a Chuddly Cannons sweatshirt that Bill distinctly remembered Charlie wearing fairly often.

“It’s mine now,” Elise shrugged.

Bill pursed his lips, still observing her. “That won’t do. Stay here, love.”

Elise had no chance to reply as the red-head dashed back into the shared room. Bill dug around in his suitcase and pulled out his own sweatshirt.

He strutted back to the young woman and handed her the sweatshirt. “Trade me.”

“Are you serious? I thought you weren’t jealous of my friendship with Charlie?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“I’m not,” Bill confirmed, being mostly honest. “I just think you’d look better in my sweatshirt.”

Elise rolled her eyes and stepped back into the bathroom. When she emerged a few seconds later, she had traded out Charlie’s sweater for the one that Bill had handed her. It was gray with the logo of some muggle attraction by the coast.

“See? Stunning,” Bill gestured towards her.

“If you say so,” Elise shrugged with a half smile, handing Charlie’s sweater to Bill. As she stepped by him, she leaned up and kissed him on his jaw. “Bathroom is all yours.”

Bill smiled and watched her strut away before he returned the sweatshirt to their shared room and headed to the bathroom for much needed relief. He had to make a note to not drink so much water right before bed.

When he emerged, he went straight down the stairs and into the kitchen to find his mother and Elise making breakfast together. There was music playing and they seemed to be having a good time chatting with each other.

“Good morning, darling!” Molly called when she saw her eldest son enter the kitchen and sit down at the table.

“Morning, Mum,” Bill waved at her, still feeling tired. Even he hadn’t wanted to get out of his pajamas quite yet.

“Did you two have fun last night?” She turned to face him completely, one hand on her hip and the other holding a spatula.

“I definitely did,” Bill said in complete sincerity.

“Me too,” Elise smiled, that adorable blush coming back as she bit her lip and returned to her task of frying potatoes.

Molly looked between the two, finding it divine the way they danced around each other. “You two are just the most adorable things! You know, Elise, I have loved all of the partners of my children, except one. However, I would be happy to add you to the list of my children-in-laws.”

“For fucks sake, mum,” Bill could have just died from his mother’s words and going by the look on Elise’s face she was also ready to hide in a hole.

Molly held her hands up in surrender. “I’m only saying, dear. Now, Elise, are you okay taking over while I go and wake everyone?”

“No problem, Mrs. Weasley, I got this,” The young conservationist smiled and gave Molly a thumbs up.

“It’s Molly, dearest,” She lovingly chided the young woman as she left the kitchen.

“Well, that was the most embarrassing thing to happen to me…ever,” Bill huffed, standing from the table and going to make himself a cup of coffee.

“Not to me. I’ve had way worse,” Elise confessed, causing Bill to turn and size her up.

“What could be more embarrassing than my mum telling us that we have her blessing for marriage after one date,” Bill crossed his arms while he waited for the coffee to brew.

“My second day at the sanctuary, a dragon flew over my head, not a big one, he was just a teenager. Still, he flew over my head and pooped on me, like birds do except it was a lot more. Then I slipped and fell into a big hole one of the babies had been digging to hide in. Everyone saw it.”

Bill made a face. “Yeah, that’s much worse. You’ve showered since then, right?”

Elise rolled her eyes at the man. “Yes, I have showered since then.”

“Just checking,” he teased, turning back around to check the coffee pot. He poured himself a cup as well as Elise, putting creamer into her’s before handing it over.

“Bit too soon to talk about marriage anyway. We haven’t even discussed being exclusive.”

Bill nearly choked on his sip of coffee. “Are you seeing other people?”

“No. Have you seen me leave this house without you or Charlie since I got here?” Elise could have laughed at his frowning face. “Are you?”

“No, you’re the first person I’ve been interested in for quite awhile,” He admitted. “Wouldn’t that make us exclusive, then? Perhaps boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Nope,” Elise slapped some bacon in a frying pan and turned to face the man. “We’ve had one date. I don’t accept titles til the third date. I’m not that easy.”

“Well then,” Bill sat his coffee down and moved across the kitchen, crowding Elise into the counter, hands on either side of her. “Sounds like I need to take you out again.”

“A couple more times, at least,” She looked up at him, green eyes wide.

“That could be arranged,” His voice pitched lower and he ducked his head to be close to her’s. “What would you like to do?”

“I have a few things in mind,” Elise smirked, leaning up just enough that their lips were a breath apart.

“Ugh, gag,” A new voice entered the room, causing Elise and Bill to turn and find Charlie with his arms crossed in the doorway. Neither of them bothered to pull apart, though.

“Let me know what you want to do, love,” Bill ignored his brother and gave Elise a soft kiss on her forehead before finally pulling away.

“This is completely baffling to me,” Charlie pushed past the pair to get himself a coffee.

“What’s baffling?” Ginny asked as she, Hermione and George entered the kitchen to seat themselves at the table.

“These two,” Charlie shook his head. “On the one hand, they’re very adorable, but on the other hand Bill is my brother and Elise might as well be my sister. So, sometimes it’s like seeing your siblings try to fuck.”

There was a chorus of “ew”s that rang out from everyone in the kitchen. Charlie cackled now that everyone had to have the same mental image as him.

Fairly soon Molly returned and the rest of the Weasley’s slowly trailed into the kitchen, everyone getting in their seats.

Elise was starting to feel comfortable making more conversation with everyone during these meals and had even managed to smack Ron’s hand when he reached for the last strip of bacon before taking it for herself.

Bill watched her fondly, glad that she was beginning to grow comfortable around his family. Charlie seemed happy to by the way he mocked Ron when Elise smacked his hand.

Towards the end of the meal two owls swooped in through the window, one dropping a wrapped package in Bill’s hands and another dropping a letter in front of Elise. She petted the owl and gave him a piece of her bacon before he flew out the window and off home.

“What’s that?” Charlie asked his brother.

Bill shook his head and didn’t give an answer, just jogged upstairs to find a hiding spot for it. When he returned, Elise had opened her letter with wide eyes and Charlie was behind her, hands on her shoulders while he tried to read the letter as well.

“Badass!” Elise nearly shouted, the Weasley’s turning to look at her and Charlie.

“What’s the letter about, darling?” Molly asked.

“The reserve just got a rare Indian Foxcatcher!” She turned to Charlie behind her and stood up to give him a hug.

“Merlin I can’t wait to see it,” Charlie seemed just as excited as her.

“Fimmel wants to know what to feed it,” She looked back at the letter.

“Foxes, duh,” Charlie shrugged, earning a disapproving look from his best friend.

“No. They do need an insane amount of protein though. I’ll write him back real quick,” Elise set about looking for a parchment and quill, Arthur being kind enough to help her.

Bill finally finished his breakfast before he and Charlie began to do the washing up so Molly could relax. However, the matriarch barely knew what relaxing was and instead set about furiously knitting in the common area.

When Elise finished writing and sending her letter, she set about looking for Bill who had disappeared.

Elise found him back in the shared room, looking angrily at something he was trying to wrap.

“What are you doing?” She asked, startling the man.

“Shit,” Bill quickly pulled the blankets atop the package. “Nothing.”

“You’re acting suspicious. Is it for me?” She grinned mischievously, stepping towards the blankets.

Bill lurched forward and grabbed her arm to pull her away from the blankets. Elise twisted out of his grasp and he was forced to put his arms around her waist and lift her away.

“Lemme see, lemme see!” She was shouting, laughing while Bill jammed his fingers in her sides to tickle her.

“Quit it, you little gremlin!” He lifted her again and dropped her on the opposite bed, half leaning over her.

“This is cheating!” She protested.

“Don’t be a sore loser,” Bill tutted before releasing Elise.

“Fine,” She huffed and stood up. “I was actually looking for you to ask you a question though.”

“Oh?”

“Wanted to know if you were ready for that second date? I’ll plan it this time.”

“I’d love that,” His features turned up into a soft smile.

“Perfect,” Elise breathed out a sigh of release. “Meet me outside of the burrow at eight tonight. No need to wear anything fancy, just something comfortable.”

“I’m excited to see what you plan.”

“You should be.”

Bill was less nervous this time and more excited. He did exactly as she said and wore something comfortable, a pair of blue sweats and the other sweatshirt she had packed. He had cast a few warming charms on himself as well.

When Elise found him outside, she was also wearing yellow sweats and the sweatshirt he had loaned in the morning. In her hand was a basket and a blanket was under her other arm.

“Where are we heading?” Bill asked.

“Just follow me, o impatient one,” She answered.

The pair walked for nearly a mile before coming upon a small hill. They stopped and Elise cast a few charms to melt the snow and dry the grass like Bill had done yesterday.

Elise rolled out the blanket onto the dry grass and gestured for Bill to take a seat. “I know it’s not fancy, but I figured it would be a bit more intimate.”

“It’s great, El,” Bill smiled and helped her unpack the picnic foods.

She had brought Chinese takeout as well as two slices of blueberry cheesecake from that bakery they went to yesterday.

The pair began to eat, making jokes and telling each other stories while looking up at the stars. It was by far the most romantic date that either of them had been on and the company made it a dozen times better.

“It’s times like this I wish I had paid more attention during astronomy class,” Bill admitted with a small laugh.

“You are lucky to be in the presence of someone who knows a fair bit about it,” Elise boasted before scooting closer to Bill. The scarred man wrapped an arm around her as casually as he could.

“Let’s hear it then,” Bill encouraged her with a nudge.

“Okay then,” Elise pointed up at a series of stars and traced the constellation with her finger. “See that? That’s Coma Berenices. The story is that Queen Berenice of Egypt’s husband went out to war. The queen was so desperate for him to come home safe that she cut off her hair, which was said to be the most beautiful hair in her whole kingdom. She offered her hair to Aphrodite, the Goddess of love. Aphrodite was so touched at the offering that she personally delivered Berenice’s husband safely back to her. She then took Berenice’s hair and threw it into the sky as a reminder of the couple’s love.”

“That’s impressive,” Bill whispered.

“Beautiful isn’t it?”

“I don’t know,” The red-head shrugged. “I’ve seen something more beautiful than those stars every day for the better part of a week.”

“Cheesy,” Elise huffed a laugh and nudged him.

“I mean it though,” Bill turned towards her and cupped her face in his hands. “You’re damn beautiful.”

“Bill,” the young woman muttered, face alight with a blush.

The eldest Weasley leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. This kiss was softer than the night before, their movements unhurried and more loving.

“I’ve wanted to do that since last night,” Bill admitted as soon as they pulled apart.

“I wouldn’t have stopped you,” Elise placed a hand over the curse-breaker’s heart. “Kiss me anytime you like.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

Chapter Text

“You’re pathetic,” Charlie laughed from his seat in the armchair. He was watching his best friend struggle through wrapping her second gift of the evening.

The house was near empty and so Elise figured this was the perfect opportunity to try and wrap the gifts that she had purchased a few days ago for the Weasley clan. Mr and Mrs Weasley had left for a rare date-night. The twins were gone to check on their shop before closing it up completely for the Holiday. Percy and Oliver were off to go an have a private evening while Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry left for the Leaky Cauldron. All that were left were Charlie, Elise and Bill.

“I have many skills, gift-wrapping is not one of them,” Elise muttered as she made another attempt at her gift for Fred.

“That’s obvious,” Charlie huffed and moved from his position on the chair to sit on the floor in front of the tree next to Elise. “Let me help.”

Elise would have protested that she could do it on her own, but this was a task she struggled immensely with. She had never been good at wrapping gifts.

“What did you get me?” Charlie asked as he pulled one of her gifts over to himself and began wrapping it.

“Nothing. I only get gifts for people I like,” She stuck her tongue out at him and continued her awkward wrapping.

“Fuck off. What did you get for Bill?”

“Nothing he can unwrap in front of family,” Elise smirked and winked lavisciously at her best friend, earning a disgusted look from him. “I’m kidding! I have his gift. It’s nothing special though.”

“If it’s nothing special then you won’t mind telling me,” Charlie continued to prod.

“Don’t nag me,” She rolled her eyes, trying to ignore him and focus on the tragic wrapping.

“Tell me, I’ll keep it a secret,” He reached out and pressed a finger into her armpit, causing her to yelp and shove him.

“Merlin, fine,” The young woman snagged a small bag and handed it to Charlie. “Here. It’s so he remembers me. I had Fimmel send it over and then I added a few charms.”

Charlie peered inside the bag and smirked before handing it back to Elise. “That’s cute.”

“Don’t be patronizing,” she rolled her eyes, snatching the bag back from him.

“I’m not being patronizing, I really think it’s cute,” he said in his most serious tone. “You should wrap that one on your own though. More personal.”

“I was just gonna drop it on his head before he wakes up on Christmas morning,” She had perfected that strange serious tone that made it rather difficult for the dragon-keeper to tell if she was kidding or not.

“You make is really hard to tell if you’re being serious or not,” He raised one skeptical eyebrow at her.

“That’s on purpose,” She replied, tongue peeking out as she tried her best to wrap the book for Hermione.

“Char!” Bill’s voice boomed from up the stairs as he jogged down, footsteps loud.

“Oh, fuck! Hide this,” Elise stuffed the bag with Bill’s gift into Charlie’s arm, the redhead quickly slipping it under the sofa.

Bill dropped into the living room, pulling on a jacket as he approached the pair. “What are you two doing?”

“I’m helping El wrap some gifts,” Charlie answered as he cut the wrapping paper. “She’s surprisingly shit at it.”

“Wow,” The woman in question lifted her head and leveled a glare at her best friend.

“I need your help,” Bill interjected before the pair could get into one of their bickering matches. “It’s about mum’s Christmas gift.”

“I can help too,” Elise offered, looking up at the tall man from her seat on the floor.

“Ugh, no, not you,” Bill groaned, shaking his head. He seemed slightly nervous, tapping his foot and crossing his arms with a deep frown settled on his lips.

“Wow, so this is just ‘be an asshole to Elise night’, huh?” She frowned as well, gathering her gifts and wrapping supplies.

“Sorry love,” The curse-breaker tried to soften his features. “I just need Charlie for emotional support, but I don’t want you to be there if it goes bad.”

“Are you planning a heist?” Charlie turned to frown at his brother while trying to help Elise gather her things. “Is your gift to mum the death of her mortal enemy? Why would it go bad.”

“For the record, while I respect your request for me to stay out of this, I can handle witnessing bad things. I’ve seen Charlie naked, twice.”

“My physique is fantastic. You were lucky to see what you did,” Charlie bit back.

“I don’t want to hear about this,” Bill interrupted. “Will you come with me, Char?”

“‘Course. Let me get my jacket.” As soon the younger Weasley disappeared up the stairs, Bill turned to Elise and flashed an awkward smile.

“Are you okay?” The young woman stood up, eyebrows approaching her hairline as she gazed worryingly at him.

“Yes, it’s just that I’ve been putting it off for a few years and so I’m nervous. Besides, you may not find me as ridiculously sexy as you do now once I come back,” He tried to sound like he was joking but there was a tinge of worry in his tone.

“You really do make whatever you’re doing sound ominous,” She nudged him playfully. “I promise, my attraction to you will not change, unless you end up in Azkaban.”

“I can promise that will not happen,” Bill reached down and laced his fingers with her’s. “Wish me luck, though.”

“Good luck with your very creepy sounding gift to your mom,” She huffed a small laugh and leaned up to give Bill a soft kiss.

Soon Charlie was traipsing down the stairs with his jacket and the men wished Elise good luck with her gift-wrapping. All alone, the young woman turned on some music and went about wrapping her gifts.

Once she was done, she took a look outside to see that it was getting dark. Elise decided to grab her bag and take a short trip to the local muggle village to get some takeout.

She found a decent looking Chinese place and ordered enough for both herself and Charlie and Bill, just in case they came back and were hungry.

When she returned to the Burrow, Elise felt chilled from the snow and the cold and decided to take a hot shower. The warmth of the water felt good on her chilled skin and sore muscles. Sleeping on the small, old mattress had not been kind to her body and she reveled in the relaxation.

Bad mattress aside, this had been possibly the best holiday that Elise had in years. Since her mom passed, she mostly spent them alone and while she had expected it to be nice with Charlie and his family, she hadn’t expected the whirlwind of meeting Bill.

Honestly, as stupid as it was to say, she felt like maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to fall in love. It was so silly, they barely knew each other and Bill was divorcing a veela, for Merlin’s sake. There was no way in hell he could feel the same way, but that didn’t stop the way that Elise’s heart pounded when they were next to each other or the way her head felt light when he kissed her.

Elise huffed and turned the water off, needing to get the thoughts out of her head. She quickly dried off, using a charm to dry her hair, and pulled on her pajamas and sweatshirt the Bill had loaned her.

When she left the bathroom, she could hear voices from down the stairs and followed them to see Charlie standing outside the kitchen, likely talking to Bill who was somewhere out of Elise’s sight.

“It looks good, stop fussing!” Charlie scolded.

“What looks good?” Elise asked as she rounded the tall redhead, nearly having a heart attack when she caught sight of Bill in the kitchen. “Oh, fuck!”

“Merlin’s tits! Is it that bad?” Bill balked. He was leaning against the counter, a drink in his hand and a light blush on his cheeks. Most shockingly, he was missing nearly all of his hair. He had chopped it drastically, above his ears and slightly shaved on the sides and back, though the top was longer and tousled handsomely with product.

Elise felt her face burn and her mouth dry up. If she had thought that Bill was hot with his long hair, the new haircut made him drop-dead gorgeous.

“It’s…” Elise tapered off, unsure what to say. After a few seconds of deliberation, she just went with it. “You look fucking hot. Really, really hot. If Charlie weren’t here-”

“Oh for fucks sake,” Charlie groaned, rolling his eyes and going to pour himself some of the fire whiskey they bought on the way back.

“Was this your moms gift?” She asked, taking a few steps closer to the eldest brother.

“Yeah, she’s been bugging me about it for near ten years. I figured I’d let her have it. To be clear, it’s not my only gift for her,” He answered, reaching up and running a hand through his newly cropped locks.

“It looks great,” She smiled dreamily at him, causing the blush on his face to burn brighter.

“You guys are gonna make me throw up the dinner I haven’t even had yet,” Charlie griped.

Elise rolled her eyes and pointed towards the table. “Speaking of, I picked up Chinese while you were out. It’s under a stasis charm on the table.”

Charlie hummed happily and began to take out plates and silverware while Bill refilled his glass and brought a third out for Elise. The trio made themselves comfortable at the table, dishing up the food and making idle conversation. Elise felt at ease and at home, more so with these two men than she had in years, even at the dragon sanctuary.

“Anyway, it’s mostly grown back now and I hardly even feel it,” Charlie finished his story while taking another bite of rice.

“It looks almost normal,” Elise agreed.

“So you’ve seen it?” Bill clarified as he took a sip of his whiskey.

“Oh yeah,” She nodded seriously.

Before the elder Weasley could formulate a follow up question, the door opened and he could hear the voice of his family, most of them having evidently returned home at the same time.

“We’re back!” Molly’s voice boomed through the house before she came into the kitchen, gasping and clutching at her chest. “Merlin!”

Having heard their mother shout, the Weasley clan and spouses all pushed into the kitchen after her, giving their own shocked gasps when they saw Bill.

“Merry Christmas, mum,” Bill muttered as everyone took a good look at his new haircut.

“You finally did it!” Molly was beaming, touching the newly shorn hairs and pinching Bill’s cheeks, gushing at how handsome he looked.

Charlie decided to ease the tension by bringing out the firewhiskey bottle and pouring drinks for everyone, the crowd moving into the living area.

The radio was turned up and everyone was in good spirits. Elise was knee deep in a conversation with Mr. Weasley on the work she carried out before coming to Europe when she made eye contact with Bill. The man nodded his head towards the front door and Elise politely excused herself to follow Bill outside Burrow.

“Gets crowded fast in there,” Bill smiled and held out his hand for her to take. Elise grasped it and the pair began walking away from the Burrow.

“It’s nice. You have so much family, you must never get lonely,” she squeezed his hand.

He shrugged in response. “I don’t know about that. You still get lonely. I always had to be the oldest and the most responsible, never really got to have my own problems.”

“Well, you’ve got Charlie. Plus, I’m a damn good listener, so it’s safe to say you’ve got me now,” she blushed and looked away.

“Do I have you?” Bill stopped their walk as they approached the shed.

“I’d like to think so,” Elise looked up at him fully, her eyes staring into his’. Merlin, she was crazy for this. “Listen, Bill, I know it’s really soon and we haven’t really been with each other long. Fuck it though, I really care about you Bill. Probably more than I should.”

His face broke out into a grin and Bill placed his hands on both sides of her face. “I sure as fuck hope so otherwise it’s gonna be really weird when I tell you that I feel the same.”

“That would be super awkward,” Elise nodded, putting on a fake grimace. “You look really hot, by the way. I’ve been dying to get you alone since you came back earlier.”

“Merlin, are you my girlfriend yet?” Bill was almost laughing, bringing her face closer to his. “‘Cause you really fucking should be.”

Elise closed the distance, pressing her mouth against his. Bill dropped his hands from her face to her hips and pulled them against his own. The pair break apart for a long moment before surging back together.

Bill parted his lips as she did the same, their tongues meeting and fighting before the kiss broke again and the redhead brought his mouth down on the bare skin of her neck.

Elise made tiny squeaks as he bit and sucked at the skin there, moving up to bite at her earlobe. Elise grit her teeth at the delightful feeling, bringing a hand up to scrape through his newly shorn hair at the back of his head.

“Less clothes,” Bill muttered against her neck.

“Less open space,” Elise countered. The wizard couldn’t fault her there, barely detaching himself long enough to open the door to the shed, cast a few warming and silencing charms and drag her inside.

The pair worked together to get out of their clothes, Bill pulling the sweatshirt off of her and tossing it to the side, his own soon following. He gently laid Elise down on the floor of the shed, casting a quick cleaning and comfort charm below her.

Her hands moved to his belt, fumbling to unfasten it while he gripped the back of her head and kissed her heatedly.

“Wait,” Bill grabbed her hands and forced her to look at him. “You want this right?”

“Absolutely,” She answered sincerely. “Do you?”

“More than anything,” He grinned, releasing her hands and allowing her to unfasten the belt and unbutton his jeans.

Bill made quick work of her sweats, hooking his fingers into the waist and dragging them down her legs. She lie naked below him and Bill took a long moment to look at her, eyes and hands tracing the many tattoos and the few scars she had.

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” He breathed out reverently, like she was some world wonder. “I could devour you.”

Elise’s mouth crooked up into a defiant smile, reaching up and touching his chest. “I dare you.”

The pair stumbled out of the shed, gone far too long, but both fully satisfied. Elise felt almost shy, looking up at the man she just slept with and was now completely sure she was in love with.

His freckles stood out against his flushed face as he took her hand and pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“If you’re not my girlfriend by now I’ll be crushed,” He muttered as she hooked her arms around his neck.

“After that? I’d be crazy to say no,” she replied, her own blush matching his.

“Well,” Bill drew out the word. “You have been known to be a bit odd.”

“Excuse you, sir, I am a delight.”

“I can’t argue with that.”

Bill leaned down and captured her lips, this kiss was slow and soft compared to the heated exchange they just had. His heart was fluttering and his stomach was swooping. This was it, he was falling in love.

“William!” The voice made his blood freeze and Bill broke away from the kiss, grip tightening around Elise like this was the last time he would touch her. God and it might be, now.

Releasing the brunette, Bill cleared his throat and forced himself to look at the bane of his existence at this exact moment.

“Fleur.”

Chapter Text

Bill’s stomach was swirling and not in a good way. When he first met Fleur, she made him feel like he was on fire from the moment she touched him. His skin practically blistered where her fingers traced and he felt like he had drank too much firewhiskey.

Now, as she sat before him at his family table, a cup of tea in her hands and an odd smile on her face, he felt sick. It was like heartburn, the kind that made bile rise in his throat and barely keep from spraying out of his mouth.

“Thank you for the tea, William,” Fleur’s honeyed voice rang from across the table, her eyes flitting behind him. Bill turned his head and could see his siblings pretending not to be staring.

Elise stood far away, next to the chair that Fred sat in. Charlie stood right next to her, his hand reaching down to lace his fingers with hers. Bill felt no jealousy this time, only guilt.

“As if she should be served tea,” Molly huffed quietly by the sofa. She had fumed the second that Bill opened the door for Fleur to saunter in. Elise had trailed in awkwardly behind the two, making a beeline towards Charlie.

“Did you say something, Molly?” Fleur called out, her lips curled up in an innocent smile.

“Yes!” Molly stood up and marched towards the pair at the table. “You shouldn’t be sitting at that table! You should have been cursed halfway to Sunday the second you sat foot on my property for what you did to my baby, you dirty little wh-”

“Mum!” Bill barked, startling his mother into silence. His eyes trailed to meet with his father’s pleading for help. Arthur stood up from the sofa and gently took his wife’s arm.

“Dear, I think it’s time we went to bed. All of us,” He turned and addressed the room, earning grumbles from everyone, though they all listened to the patriarch and trudged towards the stairs.

Elise didn’t even look at him as she walked out. Her fingers stayed laced with Charlie’s and she leaned on him half-heartedly while they walked up the stairs.

“I see your mother still dislikes me,” Fleur half-laughed, taking a sip of her tea.

“Well, you did fuck someone else while married to her son,” Bill drawled. He expected there to be some bitterness, but he didn’t have the energy or the heart for it. Bill was trying his hardest to move on and bitterness would not allow for that.

The pair sat in silence for a long time, Bill not willing to break it. He wasn’t sure how. Instead, he refilled her tea, grabbed a cup for himself as well as a couple of biscuits and puttered about the kitchen, trying not to focus too hard on the way his skin crawled in Fleur’s presence.

“You cut your hair,” the French witch stood from her chair and approached Bill. “It doesn’t suit you. Your long hair made you look so…rebellious.”

Bill felt himself bristle. “Some people happen to think it looks good on me.”

“Who? Your mother?” She huffed a laugh before her smile turned cruel. “Or that little…thing you’ve been fooling around with?”

“Don’t call her a ‘thing’,” He snapped, finally turning to face his soon-to-be ex-wife. “She’s a good person and she’s important to me.”

“What kind of ‘good person’ kisses a married man?”

“We are separated, Fleur,” he reminded her, spitting venom with his words. “We’ll be divorced just as you sign the damn papers I sent you.”

“That’s just it, William,” The woman reached forward and took Bill’s hands in her’s, causing his eyes to snap down. “I don’t want to be divorced or separated.”

“What the hell are you trying to say?”

“I left Jack. I couldn’t do it, I missed you and I want to try again,” her words were honeyed and Bill felt his eyes go hazy before snapping himself out of it and pulling his hands from hers. He had to remind himself not to let her touch him so casually as someone with Veela blood. That persuasion of her’s was dangerous.

“Fleur, I’m sorry, but I’ve moved on,” He remained firm. “I don’t even have feelings for you anymore.”

Her perfect nose twitched and Fleur clenched her fists, seemingly fighting off the urge to stomp her feet. “Is this because of that girl?”

“Part of it,” He admitted honestly, thinking about Elise upstairs, likely very confused and uncomfortable. “But even if I wasn’t seeing Elise, I still would say ‘no’. You cheated on me, Fleur. I could never trust you again.”

“William, I can make it up to you,” Fleur reached out and brushed her fingers along the back of his hand. “Perhaps, you could let me stay here for the night. I cannot go home to France now and I do not wish to go to shell cottage alone. Would you really let your wife spend Christmas Eve alone?”

“Ex-wife,” Bill reminded her, though he felt a strange sense of guilt and acquiesced. He had grown up in a family that never turned away someone needing a little care and love, he felt he couldn’t start now. “Fine. You can sleep on the couch.”

“The couch?” She wrinkled her nose. “Not in your bed?”

“You can have my bed and I’ll share Elise’s bed,” He countered, earning a harsh glare.

“Fine. Couch it is.”

Bill set about gathering a few blankets and pillows for her, trying to delay going upstairs and having to explain to Elise and likely Charlie as well.

Still, he couldn’t live downstairs, so he handed the bedding off to Fleur, ignoring her attempts to keep him in place and marched up the stairs. Unfortunately, the first person he came in contact with was his mother, waiting at the top of the stairs, likely eavesdropping.

Molly and Bill made eye contact for a long moment, her arms crossed and a deep frown sat on her aging features.

“I don’t need a lecture, mum,” Bill broke eye contact, feeling ashamed the longer she looked at him.

“I’m not going to lecture you, Bill,” Molly sighed. “I think you already know that you’re on the path to hurting a very nice girl who cares for you. I just hope that you can live with that.”

With that, Molly strutted away and back into her bedroom. Bill felt like a vice gripped his heart and he forced himself to go into his and Charlie’s room.

Elise and Charlie sat on the latter’s bed, her head on his shoulder while Charlie flipped through some muggle magazine. His brother was the first one to look up and Bill felt the urge to shrink under his gaze.

“You okay?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah,” Bill answered.

“What happened?”

Before Bill could answer, the door swung open and Fleur came inside, shocking both Elise and Charlie.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to thank you again for letting me stay, William, and say goodnight,” Fleur stepped in front of Bill and before he could say anything, she leaned up and pecked him on the lips. She turned to Elise and gave a half smirk. “I apologize. Old habits die hard.”

“Somethings about to die,” Elise muttered as Fleur left the room.

“Bill, what the fuck?” Charlie looked as exasperated as Elise felt.

“I’m gonna take a breath,” Elise stood up, grabbing Charlie’s sweatshirt and putting it on. Bill took note that the one he had loaned her was left neglected on the bed.

“Elise, wait,” Bill reached for her only to be deftly sidestepped. He was sure the hurt showed on his face, but when he looked into her eyes he found equal hurt and confusion.

She said nothing, grabbing her wand and leaving the room, as well as Bill.

Elise’s stomach hurt. She felt sick and nauseous, like she did as a teenager before having to give a class presentation. Only it was a hundred times worse.

She was over a mile from the Burrow and it was well past midnight. A few charms cleared the snow from the ground and Elise found herself lying on the ground, looking up at the stars.

Her heart ached seeing Fleur and Bill kiss, even if it had been a small peck. Despite feeling spurned, she also felt guilty, like she was getting in between their relationship. Maybe she was. She had intruded on everything, butting in on a family holiday and sleeping with her best friend's brother. Merlin, she felt like a low-life.

“You couldn’t have bothered to throw down some warming charms?” The friendly voice of Charlie broke through her self deprecating thoughts as he took a seat next to her.

“I melted the snow. That’s good enough,” Elise shrugged, not looking at him as he settled beside her, lying down to look up at the sky with her. “What are you doing here?”

“I gave you the standard hour to sulk and now I’m coming to let you bask in my glorious presence,” Charlie answered, trying to remain light-hearted.

“Fuck off.”

“How do you feel?”

Elise huffed. She could always be vulnerable with Charlie. He had watched her cry over multiple muggle movies, helped hold a towel over her arm when a baby dragon bit her and drew blood, listened to her awkward ramblings about Fimmel the first time she slept with him. He was her absolute best friend in the world. Yet, it still felt embarrassing to admit how she felt about this.

“Are you gonna make fun of me?”

“Always,” Charlie scoffed. “But, not until you’re emotionally ready. For now, you can cry on my shoulder.”

Elise rolled her eyes, but soldiered on. “I feel weird. Kinda shitty.”

“I get weird. Why shitty?”

“I feel like some common whore, getting in between a married couple.”

“First of all, nothing about you is common. You’re a top tier whore. Don’t feel like you’re coming between them though. Bill and Fleur were separated for months now.”

“I know, the whole thing just makes me feel so slimy. And it’s Christmas, I don’t want to cause any tension or trouble in a family that isn’t mine.”

“I’m your family,” Charlie muttered before sitting up and turning to face Elise. “You want to leave, don’t you?”

Elise mirrored his actions, sitting up and facing him. She reached across the pair of them and picked at a stray string on his pajama pants. “I think it’s best.”

“You should stay. I get that it’s kinda weird, but you’re my best friend and I want to spend Christmas with you.”

“Char,” Elise stopped picking at the thread and held his hand and squeezed, biting her lip.

Charlie dipped his head. He had been friends with her long enough to understand when he couldn’t change her mind. This was one of those times.

“I suppose Fimmel could use help with the new dragon,” Charlie agreed.

“I am the only expert on exotics.”

“At least wait til morning so that everyone can say goodbye.”

“I promise.”

When Bill woke up on Christmas morning, something didn’t feel right. The room felt especially empty and it wasn’t just the fact that Charlie and Elise were both already up.

Bill tried to shake the strange feeling off and went downstairs to have breakfast with his family.

Almost everyone had made themselves comfortable at the table, deciding to eat before opening gifts. Molly and Ginny were cooking up the last dish and serving coffee. As exciting as Christmas morning was, the table was near silent. Everyone was too uncomfortable with their newest guest.

Bill took his usual seat. Across from him Fred and George were making idle small talk. Percy was yet to wake up, but Oliver was at the table reading a letter. Hermione, Ron and Harry were awkwardly sipping their coffee.

“Where’s El?” Bill asked, not seeing her at the table.

“Showering,” Charlie answered in a snide tone, not bothering to look up at his brother as he flipped through the paper.

“I’ll get her coffee ready,” He cleared his throat, ready to get up from the atmosphere at the table.

“Don’t bother,” Charlie finally looked up at his older brother, a heated glare sent his way.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Charlie was reeling up for a hot reply, slamming the paper onto the table and standing up, only to be interrupted by Fleur entering the room.

“Good morning!” She smiled cheekily at the room, brushing far too close to Bill as she took the seat between his and Charlie’s respective spots.

“Elise usually sits there,” Bill was firm in his tone and it surprised both Fleur and Charlie.

“Well I’m sure the girl won’t mind.”

Before Bill could reply, another voice interjected. “It’s fine. I won’t be staying for breakfast.”

In the archway, Elise stood with her jacket on and her duffel bag slung over her shoulder, freshly showered and dressed in the same clothes she had arrived in.

“Dear, what are you doing?” Molly asked, pointing the spatula at Elise.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Weasley,” Elise approached the matriarch. “Fimmel sent a letter this morning and it would be best for me to return to the sanctuary to help with the new dragon.”

“But it’s Christmas!” Arthur objected.

“I left gifts for all of you under the tree, but I really have to go.”

“El,” Bill breathed, taking a step towards her. He felt like his heart was breaking. She couldn’t leave now. He wanted to spend so much more time with her and he needed to explain everything about Fleur.

“You can’t even stay for breakfast?” Molly asked, seemingly despondent at the woman leaving.

“I really can’t.”

“There are apparition shields around the sanctuary, Mum,” Charlie explained. “It’s about a seven mile hike to the sanctuary from the nearest apparition point.”

“Best to get an early start,” Elise tried to muster a smile. Before she knew it, she was being surrounded by Weasleys and spouses, each giving hugs and wishing her good luck on the journey home as well as saying they’d miss her. All of them except Bill and Charlie.

“Now, dear, you just remember you are always welcome here,” Molly assured her as the pair walked to the door.

“I appreciate it, Mrs. Weasley,” Elise was more receptive to the woman’s hug than when she first arrived.

“Molly, dear.”

Charlie approached his best friend and gave her a monster hug, lifting her off the ground and burying his face in her neck.

“Fuck, let me go. You’ll see me in a few days,” Elise gasped out, suffocating in his hug.

“I know, but I love you and I don’t want you to be alone on Christmas,” Charlie muttered.

“I’ll have Fimmel, a new dragon, and some vodka. I’ll be doing better than you,” She smiled wryly as he released her.

Elise waved ‘bye’ to everyone and walked out the door. The sound of the door closing snapped Bill out of his reverie and he quickly followed her.

“Elise, wait!” Bill shouted at her over the wind, chasing her through the falling snow. “Wait!”

“What do you want, Bill?” She turned on her heel and hands on her hips.

“You can’t leave. Please, just come back inside and we can talk,” He felt like he should beg, Merlin he wanted her to stay.

“Talk about what? That your wife is back? That you let her stay the night? That she kissed you?” Elise’s tone was more accusing with each word. “Merlin, I feel so weird about the whole thing.”

“It’s not weird,” Bill tried to take her hands, but she was quicker than him and snatched them away. “I mean, fuck, it is. My ex wife is here and she’s being a dick and yes, she kissed me but I didn’t want her to. I want to kiss you and spend Christmas with you! So please, come back inside and stay.”

“I can’t,” Elise shook her head and Bill swore he saw tears well up in her eyes. “I’m not going to be dragged around in front of your ex wife. I felt like I was falling in love with you, Bill, but I’m not about to be made to feel small by some woman I barely know for a man who can’t even tell her when to go home.”

“El,” Bill couldn’t finish his thought. He had no idea what to say. She was right, he had let Fleur stay and he hadn’t been firm. He’d been weak and let the woman who hurt him start hurting the woman he loved.

Elise said no more, simply raised her wand and with a crack, she disapparated.

She was gone and Bill had never felt more alone in his entire life.

Chapter Text

The Carpathians were freezing this time of year, frigid, in fact, and dusted with snow. The sudden change in altitude made Elise nauseous and short of breath. She steadied herself from the disorientation of apparating so far so suddenly. The crack of her arrival still rang in the still air, the light of the sun barely peeking over the mountains.
Elise forced herself to start moving, marching up the slight slope towards the sanctuary. As out of breath as she was from the altitude, she felt like there was a weight off of her chest now that she didn’t have to go down to breakfast and stare at Bill and his wife sharing a meal. Merlin, the thought of it made her shiver in dread. Did she feel guilty for abandoning Charlie on Christmas day? Absolutely. Was she still going to go back on her choice to leave the Burrow? Not a chance.

The sun shone higher and higher as the day wore on and she continued her march towards the sanctuary, having cast a charm to lighten the weight of her bags and a few extra charms to keep her warm on her journey.

It must have been nearing eleven in the morning when she saw a figure in the distance, arms waving enthusiastically. As she neared the figure, Elise could make out familiar features of a long haired and long bearded man. He looked as rugged and hungover as ever, and Elise had never been so happy to see Fimmel approaching her. A familiar and non-Weasley face is just what she needed at this moment. That and a stiff drink.

The bearded man frowned when he recognized Elise, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Elise? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Charlie’s family for a little longer.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Elise huffed, gritting her teeth and glaring at the snow-covered ground.

“I take it the visit didn’t go well.” Fimmel, closing in and taking a couple of her bags.

“It was fine.”

“Whatever you say,” He rolled his eyes and trudged next to her. “Well. if you’re back, want to grab a drink?”

“Actually, that’s exactly what I need.”

An hour later Elise was sitting in the familiar pub in the nearest town. It was wizard-owned and frequented by those at the sanctuary almost daily, especially by those who weren’t particularly adept at cooking on their own.

Fimmel sat across from her, changed out of his dragon-proof gear and into a blue sweater and jeans. The pair had ordered a round of fire whiskey, which had just been placed in front of them along with two bowls of sataras.
“So, the trip was shit then?” Fimmel asked just as Elise took a sip of her whiskey.

She shrugged her shoulders and debated on brushing him off before deciding to fill him in on the trips events. This man had seen her naked before, she could probably trust him to hear something rather uncomfortable.

“It was fine at first,” Elise’s face was turning red.

“But?”

“I fucked Charlie’s hot older brother and then his wife showed up,” She tried to get the words out quickly, feeling her entire being tensing up at the memory of it all.

“El, what the fuck? You slept with a married guy?” Fimmel leaned in to whisper, hoping no one would hear as he didn’t want his friend to be thought of as a homewrecker in their favorite pub.

“No!” She made a face, leaning in to whisper to him as well. They made an odd sight, faces inches apart in the middle of the table as they whispered conspiratorially. “They separated! She cheated on him. He was staying for a few weeks at the Weasley family home and he and I kinda bonded and then we went on a few dates. Then we had sex.”

“Wait, so you went on dates? So you liked him? It wasn’t just like a one off?”

Elise blushed harder and stared at her stew. “I may have had a few feelings for him.”

“And the wife just showed up?”

“Yep. Literally right after we did the deed. She showed up with her stupid veela face and the next thing I know she was thanking him for letting her spend the night and kissing him.”

“So you left?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck,” Fimmel breathed before lifting his fire whiskey and dumping it into her glass. “You need it more than I do. That’s shitty, Elise. And you caught the feelings and everything?”

“Yeah, like some dumbass teenager.” Elise shook her head and downed the drink in one go.

“You know what might help make you feel better?” Fimmel questioned, earning a raised eyebrow in response. “Getting shit-faced and listening to sad songs?”

“See, this is why we’re friends,” Elise smirked and leaned back in her chair, feeling a bit of relief at her friend’s response.

“Kyra,” Fimmel flagged down the owner. “We’re gonna need another round!”

It was well known among everyone at the sanctuary that Fimmel and Elise were a whirlwind together. While apart, they managed to maintain the lifestyle of semi-functioning adults. But, everytime the pair got together, they somehow managed to cause a little too much trouble. Tonight was no different, as Fimmel was determined to help Elise forget her troubles and his weapon of choice was a bottle of vodka.

The pair ambled back to the sanctuary, holding onto each other for support as they drunkenly stumbled past the cabins.

“Piano man, he makes his stand in the auditorium,” Fimmel was shouting rather than singing, swaying badly and pulling Elise with him. “El, sing it! Looking on, she sings the song, the words she knows the tunes she hums!”

“Oh, how it feels so real, lying here with no one near,” Elise drunkenly slurred along. It was dark and snow was falling from the sky. “ Only you and you can hear me when I say softly, slowly!”

“Hold me closer tiny dancer! Count the headlight on the highway! Lay me down in sheets of linen! You had a busy day today!”

The pair were shouting now, arms linked and pulling each other in clumsy circles. Their feet tangled together and they fell into a heap of snow, laughing and coughing. Elise’s vision was swimming. She hadn’t been this drunk in years, but it was soothing her heartache for the moment and she was prepared to ride this out until morning when she had to straighten up and process like a functioning adult. But for now, she had a friend, she had the snow, and she had Elton John.

“Oh, fuck, I shouldn’t have been spinning,” Fimmel groaned from beside her in the snow.

“Bro, we need to get to the cabins,” Elise closed her eyes, feeling like she was on a rollercoaster and the earth beneath her was unsteady.

“Don’t call me ‘bro’,” The bearded man complained.

“I’m serious,” She giggled a little, ignoring his protest. “We’ll freeze to death if we fall asleep in the snow. A ton of people die that way, in Alaska, mostly I think.”

“Is that true?”

“Fuck if I know,” Elise shrugged as best as she could laying down. The pair were silent for a long moment before the young woman pushed herself up into a sitting position, giving herself a moment to let her vision stop swimming. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Fimmel mimicking her movements.

“Hey, El?” Fimmel questioned. “I know you’re very depressed, but was the sex at least good?”

“With who?”

“With Charlie’s hot brother.”

“Oh. His name is Bill. I should have clarified.”

“I’m just gonna keep calling him ‘Charlie’s Hot Brother’,” Fimmel laughed to himself as if he was the funniest man alive.

“To answer your question, it was very good.”

“Do you regret it?” His tone became a bit more serious.

Elise smiled sadly to herself. The alcohol was working through her system and she was becoming emotional, tears forming in her eyes. “Not even for a second. He made my heart feel like it was a bird. Like it was trying to get it out of my chest everytime he was near.”

Fimmel gave his friend a soft smile, the pair now sitting in the snow and smiling at eachother. “You were properly in love.”

“Still am,” She shrugged, bringing up her wet sleeve to wipe at her eyes. When she opened them again there was a flask in front of her and Elise took it from Fimmel and took a long swig.

“Was he a redhead, like Charlie?”

“Oh, merlin, they’re all redheads! The whole family.”

“It’s always redheads!” Fimmel groaned. “I dated a redhead named Kate once. She was my one who got away.”

“They’re a different breed.”

The pair lay in the snow a little longer, passing the flask between each other and sharing tales of woe. Elise felt better to commiserate with someone who had also had their heart broken before, but the more they drank the fuzzier she got and she was fighting to get back up by the end.

“I need to get to the cabin,” Elise finally pushed herself to her feet after failing two times. She and Fimmel clasped arms to try and balance as they approached the cabins which all looked dangerously alike. “I need to eat and sleep or I’m gonna be fucked tomorrow.”

“I just need a good puke and I’m good,” Fimmel tried to give her a thumbs up and a smile, though he stumbled while looking at her.

“You know, maybe freezing to death is fine,” Elise muttered as they came to what they were 89% sure was her cabin. She was fumbling for the keys in her pocket, fingers numb from the mix of cold and alcohol.

“Do you remember that time that we broke into Charlie’s cabin ‘cause we were sure it was yours and you’re key just didn’t work anymore?”

“Don’t remind me,” She was now leaning fully against the door, eyes struggling to stay open as she grew increasingly tired. “We gotta stop hanging out, Fimmel. My liver can’t take it.”

“I’m just gonna take a little break, El,” Fimmel completely ignored what she said, sliding down the wall and sitting against the cabin, closing his eyes.

“Fuck me,” Elise huffed, flopping onto her butt next to him. Her eyes were slipping dangerously close as she pawed at her keys.

She wasn’t entirely sure if she had fallen asleep, but the next thing Elise knew was that she was being manhandled and when she opened her eyes she could make out a flash of red hair before she was closing her eyes again.

“The blue key is her cabin key. I’ll take Fimmel home,” There was a familiar voice to her right, but Elise could not focus on it. She heard the door open and she was soon lifted from the ground. When she blinked drunkenly she could only make out green fabric and red hair.

“I feel terrible,” Elise grumbled, burying her head into the soft green fabric.

“I’m sure,” a new voice spoke, this one familiar as well. The tone was both exasperated and fond. “Merlin, you’re soaking wet.”

“That’s what he said,” She sniggered to herself, earning a sigh from her rescuer.

Elise felt the air around her get warmer and she assumed she was inside. She was placed on something firm and she opened her eyes just enough to realize that she was in her cabin on her couch. Now that she was safe, she had no problem settling in and trying to sleep it off.

“No, sweetheart, don’t go to sleep!” Her rescuer practically shouted, at least it felt like that to her pounding head. “We need to get you in dry clothes. Where are your things?”

Elise groaned, ignoring the voice and reaching her hands down to fumble with the button on her jeans. If this voice wouldn’t let her sleep til she was out of her wet clothes, then she had no problem kicking them off.

“Merlin, you couldn’t wait?”

Elise opened her eyes as her wet jeans were yanked off. Again, her bleary eyes could only process a red haired man before her with a wad of clothes in his hand. Like a petulant teenager, she huffed and sat up, clumsily yanking her shirt over her head with only a bit of assistance from the redhead, who she assumed was Charlie at this point.

She grabbed the clothes from his hand and tugged on the dry shirt, not caring if it was inside out or backwards, if it would get her rescuer to leave her alone.

“There,” Elise drunkenly slurred. “Now fuck off, Charlie, and let me sleep.”

The redhead sighed and lifted Elise once again. “Come on, love. It will all look better in the morning.”

Elise allowed herself to be carried and deposited on her bed where she sprawled herself out, the blankets being tucked around her by her rescuer. The world was swaying and her best remedy was to close her eyes and sleep, even if they were wrong. It wouldn’t be better in the morning. She would still be alone and her heart would still be shattered.

Chapter Text

This was it. This was the worst heartbreak Bill had suffered and he only had himself to blame. Elise was gone on Christmas day and it was all because he was too weak to stand up to his ex-wife and tell her to get lost. How could it be that losing Elise made him feel worse than finding out that Fleur had been cheating? Maybe it was because he felt responsible for this. Maybe it was because in two weeks he had felt more connected to Elise than he had felt his entire marriage to Fleur.

Bill ran his hand over his face and turned around to find Charlie leaning against the house watching him. He already felt awful and he didn’t want to hear his brother’s lecture. Truthfully, he didn’t even want to go into the house. He wanted to follow Elise and drag her back to the Burrow. He wanted Fleur to leave and to open gifts and enjoy Christmas with his family and the woman he loved.

“She’s gone then,” Charlie approached, a glare on his face. Bill had never seen it directed at him before.

“Yeah,” Bill muttered.

“What are you going to do about it?” His brother challenged, hands clenched at his side. It occurred to Bill that this probably hurt Charlie just as much, if not more, than Bill. Elise was his best friend, they were attached at the hip. He had cared about her enough to bring her to the Burrow for the holidays.

“What can I do?” Bill huffed before brushing past his brother. He entered the Burrow as his family rushed to pretend they hadn’t been watching from the windows. The eldest Weasley ignored everyone and grabbed his coffee, leaving the kitchen.

The cursebreaker found himself sitting on the roof, just like he used to do as a moody teenager. Usually Charlie would join him and they would commiserate together, though with how angry his younger brother was, he didn’t expect that to happen anytime soon.

Still, he was not left completely alone, as the window leading to the roof opened and Arthur Weasley popped his head through. “I suspected you were out here. You did love to brood here as a teenager.”

“Dad, now’s not the best time,” Bill tried his best to remain polite, but he was in no mood to talk to anyone.

“I’m sorry, Son. I just came to give you this,” Arthur held out a plate with a breakfast sandwich on it. “Your mother wanted to make sure you had more than coffee.”

“Thanks,” Bill slid over towards the window and took the plate. “I’m not really hungry though.”

“I understand. I’m sorry Elise left,” Arthur stayed, rather than leaving like Bill was hoping he would. In fact, he managed to climb through the window and join Bill on the roof. “She was a very sweet girl.”

Bill smiled to himself. “She was very sweet. A little fiery.”

“She fit right in.”

“Yeah, she did.”

Arthur was looking out at the field in front of them, trying to remain somewhat casual. “I gather you were rather fond of her.”

“You could say that.”

“Perhaps a little more than fond?” Arthur gently prodded. Out of both parents he was always the easiest one to talk to. Molly was loving, but she was passionate and could not always understand when to temper herself and allow her children to come to her.

“I think…” Bill started, fighting with himself over how to explain. “No, I know, I love her. But I think I really hurt her. I think I might have fucked it up for good. I don’t know what to do.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to bring Elise back and have us all enjoy Christmas together. I want Fleur to leave and to forget she ever came back. But,” Bill sighed and finally turned to face his father. Arthur had never seen his son look so lost and it broke his heart. “Does that make me bad?”

“What do you mean?”

“Every marriage has problems and I have known couples who have stayed together even when one of them cheated. But I don’t want to do that. Does that mean I failed? Does it make me a bad person?”

“Is that why you let Fleur stay?”

“Yeah.”

Arthur pondered this for a moment, his chest tightening to know his son felt so much guilt. “Let me ask you, do you still love Fleur?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Then there is no reason to feel like you failed. If you loved her and wanted to try again, we would be having a different discussion, but you don’t. Leaving a marriage does not inherently make you bad and just because others decided to make it work, doesn’t mean that’s the right step for you. So why should you feel guilty about not making the wrong choice for yourself?”

Bill thought hard about what his father had said and he was right. He was nice to Fleur because he felt some sort of societal pressure to try and coexist. Because he felt like pushing her away when she wanted to try again made him the bad guy. But it didn’t. It just made him a human who didn’t fit into that relationship anymore.

“I think you’re right,” Bill breathed out the words, feeling a weight lift off of his chest. “I still feel bad kicking Fleur out on Christmas though.”

“That’s up to you, son. We’re going to play a few games and whenever you’re ready, come in and we’ll open up gifts.”

With that, Bill was left on his own. He finished his coffee and forced himself to eat the breakfast sandwich his mother had made for him. After about an hour, he climbed through the window back into the house and made his way down the stairs.

Everyone had gathered in the living room to play card games together. Fleur was still there, but she had secluded herself into a corner, flipping through a magazine and steadfastly ignoring everyone.

“Bill!” Molly breathed a sigh of relief now that he was there. “Are you ready to open the presents?”

“Yeah, mum. Let’s do it,” Bill tried to muster up a smile and sat down next to Charlie who immediately scooted away from him, determined to remain angry and petty.

Gifts were passed around and everyone seemed content with what they got. True to her word, Elise had left gifts for everyone. For Mrs. Weasley, she got her a few new types of yarn. Mr. Weasley was gifted a book on muggle devices. Percy and Hermione both got books as well, one on international wizard laws for the former and a book on the history of curses for the latter. Oliver and Ginny received quidditch supplies, Harry had received a nice bottle of whiskey. Ron was gifted an assortment of fancy chocolates and the twins were given new sketchbooks for devising their ideas for their shop.

“Oh, fuck yeah!” Charlie cheered, holding the contents of the envelope that Elise had left for him. “I love that woman!”

“What did she get you, dear?” Molly asked.

Charlie held up a pair of tickets. “She got me tickets to see The Cranberries. It’s a muggle band.”

Everyone congratulated Charlie on the good gift as Molly handed the last gift from Elise to Bill. Fleur had been watching the entire time, looking relatively bored. Though, each time someone expressed their happiness for a gift that Elise got, the part-veela looked more and more irritated.

“This one's for you, Bill. It’s from Elise,” Molly smiled encouragingly at him.

Bill took the gift from his mother and gently unwrapped it, lamenting the fact that he never got a chance to give her his gift for her. Once the wrapping was gone, he was left with a box that he quickly opened. Inside was a stuffed dragon, which quickly began to move. It had been charmed to mimic a live dragon, turning towards Bill and staring hard at him. The girl’s cooed at how cute it was. Bill was about to pull it from it’s box when it made an odd burping sound and smoke erupted from the mouth of the plushie, arranging itself into the shape of a heart. Bill couldn’t stop himself from grinning like an idiot, heart clenching.

“For fuck’s sake,” His reverie was broken by Fleur’s voice and snide words, the French witch having reached her breaking point.

“Do you have a problem, Fleur?” Arthur challenged slightly, much to the surprise of everyone. He was well known to be the more docile one between him and his wife.

“It is a childish gift and I find it disheartening to know Bill could be charmed by something so…ridiculous,” Fleur rolled her eyes. “It was very much the same sentiment I had when I met her.”

Bill felt his blood boil, and if he had ever doubted that Fleur was a cruel woman, he certainly didn’t now. Next to him, Charlie tensed, his fists clenching. It upset him to hear someone insult his best friend that way, especially when she wasn’t around to defend herself.

“Bill,” Charlie turned to his brother, the pair locking eyes as the younger’s gaze turned challenging. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Right,” Bill nodded. He knew what he had to do. This was the last straw. “Fleur, get out.”

“Excuse me, William?” Fleur seemed shocked, not even moving from her spot. She stared at Bill as if he had misspoke, but he refused to budge. This woman had cheated on him, interrupted his life again, drove off the woman he loved and now was insulting her to his face.

“I said go. I don’t care where you go but you can’t stay here,” Bill waved her off.

“William, I am your wife! Would you really-”

“Ex-wife,” he corrected her rather quickly. “As soon as you sign the damn papers. Which you are free to leave and do right now.”

“You heard my brother,” Ginny stood, a ferocious grin on her face. “I’d be happy to show you to the door.”

“I told you I wanted to try again,” Fleur huffed, ignoring Ginny and still talking to Bill.

“I don’t. I don’t love you anymore, Fleur. I don’t want to be with you,” Bill’s tone was firm and left no room for interpretation. “I love Elise and I want to be with her.”

Bill quickly stood from the couch and turned to Charlie, gesturing for him to follow as Bill practically ran out of the room and up the stairs. Behind them, they could hear the ruckus of those who were happy to help Fleur find her way out.

“What are we doing?” Charlie asked, following his older brother.

“Packing,” It was one word, but Charlie instantly knew what was happening. The pair began packing the bags they had come with.

“She’s got a few hours ahead of us,” Charlie reminded him. “She’s probably already at the sanctuary.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to hike,” Bill was determined as he finished packing his bag, stuffing the gift he got for Elise inside as well. “I’ve got to talk to her. I’ve got to explain.”

“Good. It will be dark by the time we get there.”

“Let’s not waste time.”

The pair finished grabbing their things and grabbed their jackets before rushing down the stairs. Fleur was, thankfully, gone and Ginny was looking entirely too satisfied with herself. Molly looked up as soon as they came into the room.

“Where are you two going?” She asked, worry in her eyes.

“The sanctuary,” Bill answered easily. He stopped and looked his mother directly in the eyes, hoping he conveyed his seriousness. “I need to do this, mum.”

“Molly,” Arthur approached and put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. The matriarch deflated, seeming to understand.

“We love you guys!” Bill and Charlie both waved, not staying to hug goodbye. Still, the Weasley family was close and they understood what needed to happen and why they had to rush off. There were calls of ‘I love you’s and ‘Tell Elise hi’ from the red-headed clan as the eldest siblings left the property.

Charlie and Bill clasped forearms, the former raising his wand into the air. With a quick crack, they were gone.

Charlie hadn’t been kidding when he said that the hike was long. It took them a few hours and it was well past dark when they saw buildings in sight. The younger of the two had to lead the way since Bill had never actually visited the sanctuary. He had tossed around the idea of visiting his brother for years, but Fleur had always found a reason for him not to go. He should have gone anyway.

“What are you going to say when we see her?” Charlie broke the silence as they trekked through the snow.

Bill hadn’t figured that out yet, though it had been on his mind for the entire hike up to the sanctuary. “I don’t know. I’ll tell her I love her and that I’m sorry.”

“Maybe make it more poetic.” Charlie teased. He had been significantly more relaxed since Bill decided to come after Elise. It seemed his anger at his brother wasn’t permanent, just so long as Bill didn’t get his act together.

“I’m working on it.”

Bill and Charlie got closer and closer to the sanctuary. There were log cabins coming into view and the pair breathed a sigh of relief now that they knew they were close. Charlie had pointed out a specific one as Elise’s, though as they approached they could make out a pair of figures slumped up against the wall near the cabin.

“What the fuck,” Charlie muttered, breaking into a jog.

The siblings came upon the two bodies and Bill instantly recognized Elise. She was slumped against her own cabin in wet clothes with a strange, bearded man leaning against her shoulder. As they squatted down, Bill gently shook her shoulder and received a groan and a flailing arm for his efforts.

“I think they’re smashed,” Charlie sighed, shaking the man’s shoulder. “Fimmel! Get up!”

The bearded man, Fimmel, groaned and opened his eyes. “Charlie?”

“What the hell are you guys doing out here?” Charlie hissed, irritated at his two friends sitting drunk in the cold.

“El’s depressed. Got her drunk. Helps,” Fimmel hiccuped.

Charlie rolled his eyes and began dragging the man to his feet. “The blue key is her cabin key. I’ll take Fimmel home.”

Bill nodded and quickly unlocked the cabin door before scooping Elise into his arms. She looked at him groggily and he felt a stab of guilt that she had spent her Christmas drunk and upset because of him.
“I feel terrible,” Elise muttered before burying her face in the collar of his sweater. Bill smiled sadly at her, knowing she was going to be in for a terrible hangover the next morning.

“I’m sure,” He replied, not sure if she had really been listening. “Merlin, you’re soaking wet.”

“That’s what he said,” Elise replied in a drunken slur.

He quickly deposited her on the couch, hoping to get her out of her wet clothes and into something warm to sleep in. She began dozing off and he was quick to shake her. “No, sweetheart, don’t go to sleep! We need to get you in dry clothes. Where are your things?”

Bill abandoned her for a brief moment, going into a second room that he assumed was her bedroom. Judging by the bed inside, he was right. He quickly rifled through the drawers, getting a clean pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

“Merlin, you couldn’t wait?” Bill was exasperated to find her struggling to kick off her wet jeans, feet kicking desperately while she wore a frustrated frown. It would have been endearing had he not been trying to take care of her.

Bill approached and helped her pull the jeans off. His hands grazed the skin of her legs and it was cold to the touch. He frowned deeply, wanting to hurry and get her into dry clothes so that he could wrap her in blankets and keep her warm.

Suddenly, Elise sat up and began tearing off her shirt, though not without some assistance from Bill. She snatched the dry shirt from his hands and pulled it on, though it was backwards.

“There,” She slurred, dropping back into the couch. “Now fuck off, Charlie, and let me sleep.”

Bill sighed to himself. Of course she thought he was Charlie. Still, he wasn’t going to let that bother him. Instead, he picked her up one last time, cradling her close and placed her in her bed. She immediately sprawled out and he had to tuck the blankets around her.

Content that she was safe and warm, Bill placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and went out to her living room that doubled as a kitchen and dining area. The cabins were not large, as he discovered.

Bill got a cold glass of water and placed it on her nightstand, as well as placing a bowl next to the bed, just incase. There front door opened and Charlie popped in, closing and locking it behind him.

“She alive?” He asked with worry lining his features.

“She’ll be fine, though probably hungover,” Bill informed him.

“Are you going to stay here?” Charlie asked.

Bill nodded. His bag had been dropped by her front door. “I think so. Just incase she pukes all over herself or something. I’ll stay on the sofa.”

“Nope,” Charlie shook his head. “Sofa’s mine. You can sleep on the floor.”

“You have your own cabin,” Bill protested.

“Yeah, but she’s my best friend. I can’t leave her alone when she’s vulnerable,” Charlie countered.

Bill groaned, but surrendered. He grabbed some spare blankets from a close that Charlie pointed out and made himself a bed on the floor next to the sofa. He cast a few softening charms and went to check on Elise one more time before making himself comfortable.

Charlie was laying on the sofa near him, arm draped dramatically over his eyes as if he had the worst day possible. To be fair, it wasn't the best. But they were at the sanctuary now, Fleur had been kicked from the Burrow and Elise was snoring loudly in the other room. It would be okay. At least he hoped so.

“Char?” Bill’s voice was soft when he whispered his brother’s name, not sure if he had fallen asleep in the short amount of time that Bill had been puttering about the cabin. He heard a questioning hum in return and decided to press on with his thoughts. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Charlie asked, voice equally soft, though they were quite sure even a rhino would not have woken Elise from her drunken slumber.

“I know I upset you just as much when I hurt Elise. You asked me not to hurt your friend and I did. So, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.”

Bill allowed a silence to settle over them for a long moment before he asked the question that had been burning at him. “Are we good, then?”

“Yeah, we’re good,” The smirk on Charlie’s face was almost visible in his tone. “You’re my brother, Bill. I love you.”

“Love you too, Char.”

Chapter Text

If there was a God, some divine creator responsible for everything in the galaxy, for every moment of time, then he was a bastard for creating hangovers. Elise was struggling. Opening her eyes was a mistake, the light flooded through her window and shone in her eyes, causing her head to pound.

She couldn’t recall much of last night. She remembered singing with Fimmel and trying to get into the cabin. How she got into bed in clean clothes was a mystery, but one that she would be grateful for. Sleeping out in the snow would surely have ended badly.

Forcing herself into a sitting position, Elise found herself extremely grateful for the bowl placed by her bedside as she was quick to grab it as her insides heaved and she spewed her stomach's contents into the bowl.

“Oh, I’m dying,” She muttered to herself, dramatic as ever. There was a glass of water next to the bed as well and Elise chugged the whole thing.

Judging by the light coming in through the window, she should have been awake hours ago. She had to feed the dragons and clean their stalls. The Longhorn needed her morning potion to help with her indigestion.

The walk to the bathroom was treacherous, she had to stop and get her bearings as soon as she got into the room. Her sweat smelled like Vodka and she needed to scrub the scent from her before going near the dragons.

Elise carefully stripped herself, trying not to make any sudden movements which might cause her head to pound or stomach to lurch. The water took far too long to get hot and she settled for staring at herself in the mirror while she waited. Merlin, she looked awful. There were dark circles under her eyes and a sheen of oil over her skin.

Once the water had warmed, she stepped into the spray and allowed herself to relax under the heat. A shower had always done wonders for her, even after a night of drinking. She took her mint shampoo and scrubbed it into her hair. The smell hit her a bit too hard and she quickly threw open the curtain and heaved into the toilet.

Elise wiped her mouth and closed the curtain again, forcing herself to wash the shampoo out. She managed to get through the rest of the shower without throwing up again, though all the scents and smells of her washes did not help her stomach.

She used a spell to dry her hair and pulled on a pair of fleece-lined leggings, a green t-shirt, and a black beanie. As she entered the main living area which functioned as her living room, dining area, and kitchen, she noticed a single mug on the kitchen counter. Elise approached and found a mug of coffee under a stasis charm. Next to it was a vial of what she was sure was the hangover cure. It was, in fact, a potion that helped temper the worst of a hangover. It didn’t get rid of the whole thing, but it made things bearable. They were almost always kept in stock in the mess hall of the sanctuary.

Elise breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of it and dumped the vial into her coffee which she quickly drank. Someone out there was looking out for her and she was ever so thankful to them. The effects were almost instantaneous as she felt her stomach calm down to light nausea and her headache go from pounding to a quiet thump.

She put her mug in her sink and braced herself to go out into the cold. As she trudged through the living room, she was surprised to find the sweatshirt that Bill had loaned her sitting on her sofa. She could have swore she left it back at the Burrow. Her fingers touched the fabric and she lifted it to her face. It still smelled like Bill and against her better judgement, Elise slipped it on over her t-shirt before grabbing her thermal jacket and boots as well as casting a few warming charms. She couldn’t keep the dragons waiting,

The sun was still blinding as she stepped outside, forcing her to hold a hand up to block it as she trudged towards the dragon habitats. In the distance, she could see Fimmel approaching, the man clad in his winter gear and wearing a pair of dark sunglasses.

“Hey,” Elise nodded at him as he approached. He looked terrible and smelled even worse.

“Hey,” He grumbled back, stopping before her.

“You look like shit. How are you holding up?”

Fimmel grunted. “I think the last of my liver shriveled up and died this morning. You?”

“I feel great, I was thinking of going on a hike after taking care of the dragons,” Elise replied, squinting heavily against the sunlight.

“Really?” He glared at her.

“No, I threw up twice this morning, once in the middle of a shower.”

“That seems right,” He nodded before gesturing towards the dragon habitats. “Well, don’t worry about taking care of the dragons this morning. Looks like someone took care of the feeding and cleaning. Medicine was passed out too.”

“Damn,” Elise muttered. “Shoulda slept in. Who did it? Gillan?”

“Nah, he went back to Ireland to visit his sister for a few days,” Fimmel seemed to debate with himself for a moment. “You know, I almost thought I talked to Weasley last night. Maybe he came back early?”

“Charlie?” Elise frowned. “No, he wouldn’t come back early. Familytime is really important to him.”

“Maybe his hot brother’s wife pissed him off?”

“Dude.”

“What?” Fimmel raised his hands in surrender. “You said she was kind of a dick.”

Elise rolled her eyes and looked back towards the cabin. The sun wasn’t blaring anymore and snow was beginning to fall.

“Maybe we should go check his cabin?” He suggested. “Then you know what we could do? We could go to Tara’s and get a good breakfast.”

Elise pondered for a moment before sighing and starting the walk towards Charlie’s cabin. “Fine. We’ll check his cabin then food. But only ‘cause I need a fat burger right now.”

The bearded man grimaced. “Really? After last night?”

“Hey, best cure for a hangover is salt and grease,” She reminded him, earning a noise of disgust.The pair continued their trek to Charlie’s cabin, both moving a bit slower in their hungover state. Truthfully, Elise hoped that Charlie wasn’t back. She would have felt immense guilt if he left over some of the drama that she had caused. Granted it hadn’t all been her fault, but she felt that it might as well have been. If she hadn’t fallen for Bill he could have been happily made up with his wife with none of the commotion.

They arrived at Charlie’s front door and Elise gave a firm knock, ignoring Fimmel who pressed against his temples as if she had been knocking on his head. Elise rolled her eyes at him, but she was soon distracted by the door opening, Charlie standing there with a stupid grin on his face that Elise was quick to match.

“Charlie!” Elise nearly shouted, falling into the arms of her best friend who squeezed her in a nearly-choking hug.

“Did you miss me that much?” Charlie asked, though he absolutely refused to let go of her.

“Always! What happened? When did you get here?”

“Last night,” He finally released his grip on her, taking a step back.

“Oh, so were you the one who wrangled me into my cabin last night?” Elise teased, her heart light for having seen her friend again, though she was doing her best to push away the guilt that he was here helping her. She wanted to know what had happened before she thought too hard about it though.

“Actually, that was me,” A voice came from the kitchen and soon Bill Weasley stepped into view, handsome as ever with his tousled hair and his soft blue jumper. Her heart ached at the sight of him and the smile fell from her face. Goosebumps ran up her spine and she forced herself to snap from her stupor, crossing her arms and stepping back.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, voice soft.

Bill came closer, hands stuffed in his pockets and an unsure look on his face. “I’m here to talk to you. Why else would I have come here?”

“Hey, Charlie,” Fimmel interrupted, reaching in front of the young woman to reach his friend. He grabbed onto Charlie’s arm and dragged him towards the door. “El and I were going to get breakfast, maybe you and I should just go pick it up?”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Charlie nodded, grabbing his coat from the hanger next to the door. “El, burger?”

“Yep,” Elise grumbled, not breaking eye contact with Bill. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to intimidate him or simply that she was simply afraid that if she stopped looking at him then he would disappear.

The door closed behind her and Elise was left alone with Bill. The man looked contrite, hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped and eyes slightly downcast. Elise would not feel bad, no matter how he looked. Though deep down she felt terrible. She hoped more than anything that she had not broken up a marriage. Her conscience couldn’t take the thought that she might have been responsible for a husband and wife not reconciling. Especially since the husband in question was Bill and as much as she didn’t want to think about it, she cared deeply for the man and if Fleur made him happy then she would be happy.

“Shouldn’t you be at the Burrow celebrating Christmas?” She broke the silence, feet moving on their own and taking a few steps into the cabin.

Bill shrugged, hands still in his pocket. “It wasn’t Christmas.”

“Why’s that?”

He bit his lip as he thought how to reply and Elise couldn’t stop her eyes from snapping to the movement. It had only been two days since she kissed him and yet, she couldn’t help feeling deprived, like a dehydrated woman who had suddenly seen water.

“You weren’t there,” He settled on that answer, earning a scoff in response.

“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes, her response instantly defensive and her posture rigid. “Fleur was there though. Pretty sure that’s what you wanted too since you let her stay and all.”

Bill huffed, frustrated at having that fact thrown back in his face. “I shouldn’t have let her stay, I understand that. I felt so guilty that she was alone.”

“So she makes you feel a bit bad and then you cave? I thought you said you weren’t in love with her anymore.”

“I’m not!” Bill nearly snapped but managed to keep his tone in check, though he did take a few steps forward. “I’m not in love with her, but I also don’t have to be in love with someone to feel bad for them. Besides, I kicked her out.”

That caught Elise’s attention, causing her shoulders to slump and some of the fight to leave her. “You kicked her out?”

“Yes! I know it was too late, but I did it..”

“Why?”

“Well, she insulted your gift to me and then she insulted you and I guess…” Bill trailed off, a red tint appearing on his features. “I guess I just couldn’t let someone insult the woman I cared about.”

Elise had to force herself not to smile, though her heart lightened to hear those words. “You really care about me that much?”

“Of course, Elise,” He said her name like a prayer. He could no longer keep his distance and crossed the remaining few feet between them to take her face in his hands. “I care about you so much. Actually, I’m fairly certain I’m in love with you. And I’m sorry if I gave you doubts about that.”

“Oh fuck,” Elise gumbled, allowing the tension in her to disappear completely. “Alright, I forgive you. I love you too.”

Bill grinned like a madman and neither could recall a time when they had felt this happy, this serene. Elise could not stop her own smile from appearing and she brought both of her hands up to fist into the soft fabric of the jumper that Bill wore.

“I suppose that means were together, then.”

“I suppose so.”

“Is it alright if I kiss you now?” He asked with a slight laugh in his tone.

“I’d be pissed if you didn’t,” Elise could hardly finish her sentence before Bill’s lips descended upon hers. Lips parted and they both savored the taste of each other, thankful that the last time hadn’t been the last time.

Before they could delve further into each other, the door popped open and Charlie peered inside causing both Elise and Bill to turn towards him. “Sorry, had to check if it’s safe. I wanted to make sure you weren’t fighting or fucking.”

“Not yet,” Elise answered him, earning a raised eyebrow from Bill. Taking that as a safe sign, Charlie and Fimmel entered the cabin, takeout containers in hand.

Charlie had been sweet enough to get Elise a coffee from the local coffee shop, handing it to her as he passed by and giving her shoulder a pat. He was happy to be around his best friend again and he was happy that the tension between her and Bill had resolved, judging by the way they were smiling at eachother, like lovesick fools.

The rest of the day had been spent relaxing. Bill and Charlie wanted to stay a few days before going home for New Years Eve. They had owled Mrs. Weasley and informed her of everything that had happened, and of course, the matriarch insisted that Elise come to New Years Eve and celebrate with them.

Elise and Charlie gave Fimmel a break and took care of the dragons in the evening. Elise wanted to check on the Foxcatcher anyway, making sure that he was in good condition and didn’t need anything at the moment. At the end of the evening, they had dinner together and played a few card games before each retiring to bed. Bill had subtly told Charlie that he would join Elise in her cabin and Charlie was mature enough not to tease the pair, not this soon after their reconciliation, at least.

The fireplace was the only thing going in her cabin, meant to keep it nice and warm while she was gone. Bill had brought his bags with him and Elise instructed him to place them in the bedroom. He noted that she only made up the queen bed in the room, not taking any extra blankets out or anything.

Bill made himself busy tidying up a few things before moving to light the three candles that littered the bedroom, casting a warm glow on the walls. The large light remained off, but the glow of the candles and the moonlight through the open curtains was enough to illuminate them both.

Elise had taken her shoes off and removed her beanie, tossing them in the corner of the room. As she straightened the pillows, Bill approached her from behind, a hand reaching up to pull the dark hairs away from her neck. Leaning down, he placed soft kisses on her neck, starting at the base of her shoulder and ending behind her ear. He could feel the shivers that ran through her body at the feeling of it.

Elise turned to face him, the light of the flames casting a shadow on his scars. She had never asked about them, never particularly cared to. If he wanted to share, he would, and in the meantime she was happy to admire the way they stained his features. It made him more attractive, in her opinion.

The wind howled outside and a branch snapped against the window, though they both ignored the sound, too enraptured in each other. Elise reached up and cupped the back of his neck, tugging the taller man down to her height and pressing her lips firmly against his.

Bill’s hands grabbed her waist, pulling her flush against him, though the feeling of her body against his only served to excite him more. He took control of the kiss by probing his tongue further, though she didn’t fight against him, eager to deepen the kiss.

After a long moment they broke apart, slightly panting. Elise’s hands gripped the hem of his jumper and Bill was quick to assist her in taking it off of him, as well as the t-shirt he wore underneath.

This was the first time they weren’t rushed and the first time they were alone without worry of being caught. Especially since Bill had made sure to lock the cabin firmly as soon as the door shut behind him.

With all the time in the world, Elise made sure to admire him closely. Hands slid up his torso, past a few more scars and a spattering of red hair on his chest. Bill shivered at her touch, his eyes not leaving hers until they had to when she leaned forward and placed soft kisses across his chest.

The redhead’s hand found its way into her, pulling her head back firmly so that he could place a searing kiss on her mouth. After they broke apart, he reached down and pulled the sweatshirt that she wore off, slightly frustrated that she wore something underneath it, but he made quick work of that as well.

She was like a piece of art, tattoos littering her body, soft curves for him to trace with his eyes and his hands. She was bold and reached behind herself to unhook her bra, letting it drop to the floor.

In a quick movement, Bill grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her up, depositing her on the freshly made bed and crawling on top of her like a wolf slinking towards its prey. He leaned down, kissing and nipping at her neck, occasionally placing harsher bites. The slight beard he had scraped pleasantly against her skin.

He trailed down her body, stopping here or there to kiss and bite before getting to the hem of her leggings. His fingers curled into the waistband and he made quick work of tugging them off of her, standing from the bed for a moment to dispose of his own jeans.

Crawling back on top of her, he whispered against her skin how beautiful he found her. He moved lower and lower, his mouth soon too busy to whisper love onto her. She moved and writhed beneath him and he could have smiled in pride at the sounds she made.

Before long, he felt her body tense and heard her cry out. He wiped his mouth and got rid of his boxers, leaning down to give her one more long and loving kiss while he lined himself up with her.

“I love you.”

Hours later, sore and very sated, the pair laid on the bed, wrapped up in eachother. Elise lay with her head on his chest. One of his arms was propped up behind his head while the other traced random patterns on her back.

“You know, I did not want to come to the Burrow for Christmas,” Elise admitted, remembering how she had groaned and instantly declined when Charlie had tried to ask her.

“Really?” Bill raised an eyebrow, though he knew she couldn’t see it.

“Yep. I usually like to spend Christmas drinking alone and watching sad muggle movies.”

“That sounds…healthy.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“You’re happy you went though?”

“Are you kidding?” Elise sat up so that she could face him. “Insanely happy. I wouldn’t have met you.”

“I’m glad I met you,” Bill smiled, pulling her down to give her another soft kiss.

“I’m glad I met you, too,” She shared in his smile. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. You have all of me. All that’s left of me is yours.”

“Never I'd have life enough
My heart is screamin' out
And in a few days
I would be there, love
Ever here that's left in
Me is yours”

Chapter Text

One Year Later

“Are you almost ready?” Bill asked, leaning against the doorway. Elise sat in the bedroom, trying desperately to fit all of her gifts into one bag and spectacularly failing. The redhead must have taken pity on her as he crossed the room and cast a quick extending charm on the bag before helping her load the presents for each Weasley in the bag.

“Almost done,” Elise zipped up the bag and dropped it to the ground. “I just need-”

“This?” Bill cut her off, holding up the tiny pouch containing all of her toiletries. “What would you do without me?”

“Well I’d say lose my head, but I did get along quite well before you,” Elise teased.

“Yes, because you had Charlie. I have seen first hand how much he trails after you, keeping things in order,” he replied, putting the toiletries in her clothes-filled duffel bag.

“What can I say? You Weasley men are invaluable.”

“At least you traded up.”

“I heard that!” A new voice joined them, Charlie entering the bedroom with his own bags in hand. “Are you guys ready yet? We’re gonna be late.”

“Late to what?” Elise rolled her eyes. “We’re gonna be there two weeks, you can’t get there late.”

“We could be late for dinner. And I really miss mum’s cooking,” Charlie challenged, coming over and tugging at a loose thread on her sweater. It was the one that Bill had given her last Christmas, after she opened it nearly a week late.

“Yeah, your mom is a killer cook,” Elise conceded. “Maybe we should hurry up.”

“Pick up the pace, darling,” Bill teased, placing a firm kiss on her cheek and patting her hip. Elise grabbed her last item and picked up her duffel bag and the backpack meant to carry all the gifts. The trio began to meander out of the cabin, Elise turning around to take a long last look before they started on their journey.

“Oh, Fimmel said he could help you pack when we’re back,” Charlie spoke up, he turned with Elise, taking in the cabin that he had partially inhabited as well. “I can’t believe you’re moving.”

“It won’t be forever. I’ll be helping out at the sanctuary in Ireland. It’s closer to Bill’s newest dig site. Besides,” Elise shrugged a little. “I think it’s the right time.”

“Don’t think I won’t visit,” Charlie threatened. “You won’t get rid of me that easily. Bill may have denied me fifty-fifty custody, but I will not be removed from the picture.”

“Charlie, you will always be my best friend,” She reminded him, reaching out and squeezing his hand.

“Let’s go before you two make me throw up,” Bill called from outside the cabin. The pair met him outside, Elise taking Bill’s hand now, reaching up and pressing her lips to his. Charlie made a face that the pair ignored as they pulled apart. “We’ve got a long hike ahead of us. Better get to it.”

“Yep,” Elise smiled. “Time to go home.”