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The full moon is still a week and a half away, but Bill Weasley's skin is already crawling. He can practically feel the lycantropy disease spreading through his veins, changing him. Every full moon, more lycantropy symptoms appear, and Bill knows in his bones that he'll make the full transformation during the next full moon. He's irritable and short tempered to the point where he snapped at his mother until she had left.
Fleur thinks that he's reaching his breaking point with her Mollycoddling, but Bill doesn't think so. His usual strategy to dealing with his mother when she's insufferable is by rebelling - wearing his hair long, getting another piercing or rubbing in all the eccentricities of his curse breaking job. Not yelling at her until she fled by floo.
But then again... Fleur is right that his mother has been worse than usual, and he hasn't forgiven her for how she treated Fleur when they first got together. His anger at how his then-girlfriend, now-wife was treated has been bubbling under his skin, unsatiated with the lack of apologies and tolerance that Fleur gets. Not acceptance, tolerance.
He hears the crack of apparation and tenses, a wolf-like growl at the edge of his teeth. It's barely been a few months since the last wizarding war ended, and everyone is still jumpy, Bill and Fleur included. His wand is in his hand as he creeps toward the door. Despite still being behind a Fidelis, he won't take any chances. Not with Fleur here.
The apparation is followed by a knock on the front door. It's one of the patterns the order of the Phoenix used during the war.
Fleur gets to the door first, and Bill doesn't relax until he hears her joyous voice welcoming their friends.
"Harry, Hermione!" There's a short laugh. Bill imagines Fleur hugging them. "We didn't know you were stopping by?"
"Sorry - after Hedwig, I don't think I could get another owl. And Hermione doesn't have an owl, and Carrow's used the school's owls as target practise so-" Harry says.
"Next time, send a patronus." Fleur chides gently, ushering them inside to the living room. "What's going on?"
"We were actually hoping to talk to Bill?" Hermione says, and Bill let's his head thump against the hallway wall where he's hidden. He's not managing his lycantropy symptoms well and the last thing he wants to do is blow up at his little siblings' friends.
Especially Harry Potter. If anything happened to the Boy Who Lived Twice, the Man Who Conquored, the entire wizarding world would call for his head. Part of them are already calling for his head, after being infected with lycantropy.
"Love?" Fleur calls.
Bill walks to the front door. Fleur grasps his hand, her smaller cool fingers interlocking with his larger, overheated ones.
Try, Fleur's eyes say. Gentle, supportive and so beautiful.
He sighs, but tries nonetheless for her.
"What's up?" Bill looks at the two of them, and then frowns.
It's a little odd to see them out and about without Ron. But then again, maybe not. Ron had left Harry and Hermione on the Horcrux hunt for a few months. That must've shifted the dynamics of their group - especially since Ginny had gone to the Burrow crying that Harry didn't want to get back together, and Ron's crush on Hermione had been unreturned.
Harry and Hermione glance at each other, silently communicating.
"We made wolfsbane." Harry says, which is just about the last thing Bill expected. "A dose for everyday for a week and a bit extra. From Professor Snape's notes. I don't know if we got it right, but if you want - it's yours."
Fleur physically tenses, and stares at the large volumetric flask Hermione pulls out of her pouch and sets it on the round table between them. It's not like either of them hadn't discussed Bill taking wolfsbane, but it hadn't seemed feasible. They weren't poor; not with Fleur's supportive family and the money Bill has made being a curse breaker at Gringotts, but they weren't so wealthy that they could afford paying a Potions Master to make it every month. Even the ingredients themselves were rare and expensive.
Bill knew that Harry was rich - far richer than the old suitcase he dragged to platform 9 and 3/4 or the ill-fitting muggle clothes on his back would indicate. Sleakeasy hair potions were still the no.1 hair product for men and women in Britian and beyond. He hadn't known that Harry possessed his great-great-great grandfather's talent with potions.
"Merlin, of course I'll take it." Bill says. Fleur squeezes his hand, grateful. He knows that he hasnt been alone, stressing about the next full moon. "How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing." Harry says, awkwardly rubbing his hair. "Really, don't worry about it."
Molly may have been okay with using Harry's money on Ginny while Harry stayed with them during summers, but Bill isn't. It doesn't feel right; it's not like covering a meal or letting a friend stay on the couch for a few days. A single wolfsbane potion is more than a month's pay.
"Harry, I can't accept-"
"Look, we don't even know if we got it right and were essentially using you as a guinea pig. It wouldn't be fair to make you pay for it." Harry says, stubborn as ever.
Bill has never met the Potters, but he's met Sirius Black. Sirius had been many things: stubborn, generous, powerful, loyal, depressed, brilliant. Harry is every inch the stubborn, generous and brilliant man his godfather was.
"If you really want to help us, you could write how the potion works, and give us some business advice." Hermione suggests.
"Sure. What are you thinking of?"
"Well it was originally Harry's idea but we were talking about Teddy - Harry's godson - and we don't know if he's going to be a werewolf. I remembered that after Dumbledore died, Greyback turned a lot of students into werewolves and even more during the war and Harry thought of opening a potions store or organization that helps get wolfsbane to werewolves - ideally for free or at an affordable price. Something that'll make life easier for them and hopefully get better rights."
"I still have the basilisk carapace sitting in the Chamber of Secrets from second year." Harry continues. "Since Riddle and Slytherin are dead and I'm the one who killed it; its mine. McGonagall wants it gone as soon as possible, so I figured I could sell the teeth and skin and use the money to set up a store for werewolves or something. For Teddy. We don't really have any experience with the black market for snakes or starting a potions business though..."
Bill runs his hand through his hair. It's not a bad idea - in fact it's very honorable and noble. If a bit illegal. "A foundation might be a better idea than a store. It doesn't sound like you'd want to be a profit, and a foundation would be better able to lobby for protection and protect customer privacy." Bill says. "I'll have to talk to the goblins, but I doubt they'd stop me from consulting with a non-profit foundation. As for the basilik parts, I know a few goblins and a few black market traders that might be interested."
Harry and Hermione grin, glancing at each other and then at him and Fleur.
"Thank you, Bill."
Bill snorts. "No, come on. I'm getting the better deal here. Really, Harry."
"Teddy is lucky to have you as a godfather." Fleur says. "There aren't many wizards or witches that would go so far. You must've been close with Remus?"
Harry's expression closes off. "I wasn't. I barely knew Professor Lupin. But Sirius-" Harry's voice chokes up. Hermione reaches over and puts her hand over his. "Sirius would have. For me."
Bill doesn't doubt that one bit. The man had broken out of Azkaban and swam through the North Sea - one of the most dangerous waters in the world - to protect Harry. If Harry is trying to emulate Sirius's example as a godfather, then Bill can only imagine what will happen. He had no doubts that Harry and Hermione will change wizarding britian. They've certainly got the following, money, magic and brilliance to do it
"We should get going." Harry says, and they stand up.
"What? No, come on, stay for tea!" Fleur insists. "Harry, it's been so long - Gabrielle's coming over later. She misses you."
Harry looks torn, and guilty. "Ah, I'm sorry. Give her my best? It's just - we've got a few more people we're offering wolfsbane to and we'd rather not leave it to the last week."
"Well, far be it for me to keep you." Fleur says, and Bill follows her as they walk Harry and Hermione out. "And Hermione, I heard what happened with Mrs. Weasley at the Burrow. If you ever want to talk, my our door is open."
"I-yeah. Another time." Hermione looks slightly flustered but grateful. Harry looks a tad protective and a tad upset. Bill can only imagine what his mother has done; he's heard about the things Molly did to Hermione through the sibling grapevine in Ron's fourth year when all the papers and magazines were smearing Hermione for being a muggleborn witch that was close to Harry. The papers weren't smearing her now, but there was rampant speculation about them dating, especially since they've been spotted together in diagon alley without Ron. That plus the fact that Harry isn't with Ginny like his mother and Ginny wanted... well. Like Fleur said their door is open, and if Bill gets a break from the lycantropy symptoms he'll have a talk with his mother. He loves her, he really does, but she's not right all the time and sometimes takes things way too far.
More hugs all around, and the front door closes behind them. Their house, their home and eventually, hopefully one day, their family with little red headed part veela Weasleys running around.
Bill puts one hand on Fleur's waist and the other on the back of Fleur's head and gently pushes her against the door, soundly kissing her. Fleur makes a soft noise, then threads her fingers through Bill's hair.
Breathlessly, Fleur tilts her head to break the kiss and presses their foreheads together. "We'll be okay."
Bill kisses her forehead.