ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ • ʙɪʟʟ ᴡᴇᴀꜱʟᴇʏ

ꜰᴏᴜʀ

After breakfast, Freya helped Molly with the cleaning up. Percy, as usual, went upstairs to read. Arthur, the twins, Ron and Ginny were also upstairs, probably taking a nap after the long vacation. Bill had an urgent matter to take care of and had to quickly go to Gringotts. Freya thought it was Merlin answering her wishes of avoiding him at all costs. She knew she couldn't avoid him forever, but she had to... at least for a few more hours... until she knew what to tell him.

"Freya, sweetheart, what's been on your mind today?" Molly asked, snapping her out of her train of thoughts. Freya blushed in response and continued rinsing the pot. "Dear, you've been rinsing at that poor pot for the last five minutes!"

Upon realising that, she dropped the pot into the sink. Molly let out a small laugh and dropped her cloth next to the sink. She cast Scourgify, and the cleaning utensils they were using animated themselves so that they were doing the cleaning on their own. She invited Freya to sit down on the small sofa, and cast another charm on the small kettle, making tea.

"Molly, i-it really is nothing--"

"Freya, you have been avoiding Bill since we came back! While you were upstairs helping Ginny with her homework, we talked." Freya was afraid that would happen. Molly could tell from the expression on her face what she was thinking and patted her hand with a heart-warming smile. "Dear, it's okay to say 'I love you' first."

Once she said it like that, it sounded even more of a big deal. Freya sank in her seat, blushing. "But it's... it's Bill!" she exclaimed, sitting straight up again. "We've been friends for over ten years. It... it never crossed my mind that I..." Liar, she thought to herself. It did cross her mind. Every single day since the Yule Ball. "... Never."

"Freya, you're an adult now." Molly pointed out. Two cups of tea on top of a saucer made their way to the small coffee table in front of them by levitation. The noise done by the cleaning of the dishes died down as well, and it was very silent in The Burrow. "Have you ever been in love before?" She shook her head. "How about an infatuation with someone?" Despite shaking her head, she blushed, and a twinkle appeared in Molly's eye. Oh no, Freya thought. She knew. "Why don't you tell him?"

"Because..." She sighed. "He'll go back to Egypt when autumn starts. And what then? Wait until he's back to talk again?"

"Bill was... conflicted... about sending you a letter. He thought you wouldn't talk to him after... that..." Molly knew better than to mention the event; she knew how uncomfortable this must be for Freya. "I really tried convincing him. Before he left for Gringotts, he promised me he'd talk to you."

Freya slowly lifted her eyes to look at Molly, and in a small voice, asked, "Did he say... what he thought about... what I said?"

Molly shook her head sadly. "I'm so sorry, love. He wouldn't tell me anything, and he left in such a rush I didn't get a chance to press him on it."

"You're too kind, Molly. I'll... I'll talk to him when he's back from Gringotts."

"I hope you work things out, Freya. Bill really does adore you! The whole family does! You've been a part of it for all these years."

*

Freya was reading a book when she heard footsteps from outside. She quickly closed the book and stood up.

"Bill...?" she spoke softly as not to wake anyone up. He popped his head in and smiled faintly.

"Hey, is everyone already asleep?" he asked, and Freya nodded, looking pointedly at the wall clock. Bill followed her gaze. It was close to midnight. "Wow, didn't realise I was out this long. Were you waiting up for me?"

Freya shook her head. "Um, we need to talk..." He knew what they were going to talk about from her tone.

"Of course." He blushed slightly and nodded. "Let's go outside."

"I'll get my jacket." She quickly grabbed her jacket from the cupboard under the stairs, put it on and they stepped outside. They sat on the bench which was under the kitchen window. The view was spectacular, with lots of brightly shining stars, and a full moon. Bill looked down at Freya, who was looking ahead at the view in awe. "It's so beautiful here t this time of year."

Smiling softly, not removing his gaze from her, he replied, "It really is." He blushed and pretended not to have been gazing at her when she glanced up at him. "So... you wanted to talk?"

Freya nodded. "Yeah... about what-- what I said before you left for Egypt..." She paused. She had all her words planned throughout the day. The second she was about to talk about it, her brain froze. "I... uh..."

"Yes...?" He scooted slightly closer.

"I meant it."

He blinked, and Freya couldn't tell whether he was surprised or confused. Usually, she could read him as easy as a Dark Arts book, but now he was looking more like a Potions book.

"Oh, I know you did."

"Y-you do?" Merlin's beard, she cursed under her breath.

"Of course I do, Freya. I've known you for over ten years." He smiled. "I know when you say things and really mean them."

"I just wanted to... I wanted to know where we stood."

Bill frowned slightly. "I-I thought we were... you know..." He blushed even more and cleared his throat. His usually playful and cocky demeanour completely disappeared right there and then, and he felt like a teenager all over again. "I mean I never liked anyone else but you."

Freya's eyes brightened up. "Really?"

He leaned in closer and whispered, "Really." before kissing her softly on the lips. Freya smiled and scooted even closer to him as he wrapped one arm around her and deepened the kiss, his other hand caressing her cheek. They'd kissed a few times since the Yule Ball, but not this intense. They never held hands or went out on a date (or were their many visits to Hogsmeade alone while still students dates?), so this felt completely new for both of them.

Freya was the first to pull away, smiling softly. "Wow..."

Bill chuckled, a twinkle in his eye. "Yeah... S-so to be clear... Have you ever... been with anyone?" She shook her head, turning slightly pink. 

"I never really found anyone else interesting, I guess." she half-joked. "We're good then, right?"

"Of course we are, Freya. I'd say more than good. Rather... perfect." He pushed a small strand of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. "As much as I'd like to spend more time with you, I think we should head upstairs. It's getting pretty chilly."

"Do you have work tomorrow?" Freya asked him, closing the door as quietly as she could. As they ascended upstairs, they held hands, him walking in front of her due to the very narrow passage.

"Yeah, I need to go to the Ministry very early with Dad." he explained. They stopped in front of Ginny's room, which she shared with her.

She looked up at him, taking both his hands into hers. "So I'll see you tomorrow...?"

"Definitely. Goodnight Freya." Bill slowly leaned in to whisper in her ear, "And I love you too."

He uttered it ever so softly, sending shivers down Freya's spine. No one has ever had this effect on her but Bill. He pulled away and gave her a wink before going in his room, which was next door. Once his door was closed, Freya bit her lower lip and smiled, walking into the room on her tiptoes to avoid Ginny from waking up. When she was in her bed, she just couldn't sleep. She kept replaying the whole conversation in her head, especially the two most important sentences of all:

I never liked anyone else. I love you too.

The way the words 'I love you' rolled off of his tongue was Freya's new favourite thing.