Two Step

To everyone’s surprise, Molly was quickly persuaded to go along with the idea. Privately, Hermione rather suspected she was relieved to get a bit more breathing room in the crowded Burrow. Publicly, Molly began acting as though the whole thing had been her idea all along. She bustled about packing boxes until Hermione assured her that the house was fully furnished, and that a complete set of Gilderoy Lockhart’s Household Hints for the Hopeless was unnecessary.

Fortunately moving turned out to be a fairly painless process. His years of living on the road had helped Bill pare down his belongings to the absolute necessities. Hermione’s parents had already been using the house as storage, so her books and keepsakes were there. Thus, moving became a simple matter of Apparating with their suitcases. After hugs and promises to Molly to see about being connected to the Floo network, they were free.

Finally they stood in the front room of the townhouse. Boxes were piled against one wall, but the home appeared otherwise neat and clean. “I cast a Perma-Clean charm on it r thr the funeral,” Hermione explained. “I didn’t want Dad and Mum to have to deal with cleaning it later.”

“Good thinking.” Bill looked about the small room, noticing the somewhat shabby appearance of the furniture, then smiled widely. “You didn’t happen to mention there was an electric grate.”

Hermione’s eyes were wide with feigned innocence. “Oh dear, it completely slipped my mind. So very sad that we won’t be able to just have people Floo right in.” Laughing, she set down her burdens, then led Bill through the small dining area to the kitchen at the back of the house. “Your Mum sent a few boxes of food. I think she’s convinced I don’t know how to shop. We’ll still need to run to the market for produce and milk.” The last was said as she poked through the boxes to see if anything needed to be put away immediately. As nothing required immediate attention, they returned to the front room, and climbed the stairs to the first floor.

“There are two bedrooms and the bath on this floor. You can have either. There is a larger bedroom upstairs, but I thought we could use that as an office and library.”

They settled into their respective rooms. Bill offered to carry Hermione’s things up the stairs, but she waved him off. As she hoisted the heavy boxes, he noticed how strong and toned she was. The training for the Order had consisted of both magical and physical strengthening. Obviously, she had taken it to heart.

He was in for another surprise when he entered the bath they were to share. For the first time in all of his roommate experiences, he actually had half the cabinet space for himself. Fleur had filled or covered every inch of space with beauty potions, supplies, and equipment of unknown purpose. He had to squeeze over several bottles to find room for his toothbrush and shaving kit. Hermione, however, had the ordinary necessities, all put away neatly, but nothing extra. Bill smiled at the thought that he would probably never have to shove aside anything lacy in order to close the shower curtain. If a small, traitorous portion of his mind whispered that he was just a bit interested in what lacy things Hermione might possess, he would never admit it to himself.


Life for the new roommates quickly settled into a comfortable pattern. Hermione spent her days remodeling the house, using magic for some chores, but more often digging in and getting her hands dirty. “You just never feel the same connection to your work when you charm everything,” she explained one evening over a fluffy mushroom and onion frittata.

Bill, who had fortunately outgrown the Weasley boys’ tendency to speak with their mouth full, swallowed before replying “This is wonderful! I never knew you could cook, Hermione.”

“Of course I can cook. Your mother just never let me near the kitchen!”

Their weekends were spent together. Hermione introduced Bill to the joys of bargain hunting through the street markets. Usually, they would eat out and perhaps see a film. They quickly became fast friends. Often, Bill would slip a friendly arm around her shoulders as they were walking, and she took to snuggling up against him as they read in the evenings. On several occasions, when Bill had an especially rough day at work, he found himself on the receiving end of a heavenly Hermione backrub.

In late June, Hermione went to visit her parents over a weekend. Bill found himself at loose ends. He wandered about the house, which seemed far emptier than the absence of one small woman should warrant. Unable to sleep, he finally went into her room and lay down on her pillow. With the fresh scent of her shampoo surrounding him, he finally fell into a deep sleep. The next morning, he laughed at his own foolishness and remade the bed quickly. Using her shampoo when he showered was purely an accident.

When she returned that evening, he swept her into a crushing hug. She laughed as he spun her around. “Bill, I was only gone two days! Don’t tell me you starved without me to cook?”

Later, as she prepared for bed, she pulled back the covers, and smiled to find several long, red hairs on her pillow.