Disclaimer: The places, and characters, and creatures that you recognize as coming from the "Harry Potter" books do not belong to me.

----------

Chapter 1: Fleur and Bill

"Ah, it's a bore!" Bill Weasley complained to his only employee who wasn't on a holiday currently, letting his head drop to the table. The whole desk was littered with parchment, mostly applications for withdrawals to be made from different accounts, and be sent to the respective people. Only in those few hours of this morning more money than he earned in a year had probably passed through his hands. But he was used to that.

The burly goblin didn't pay him any attention as he unceremoniously made some free space on the desk to occupy it with the bottle of icy butterbeer he had been asked to bring. Without another word he left, leaving his boss alone again. But Bill had grown used to that, too.

He let the bright mid-June sun shine onto his back through the open window, and drowned half of his drink to fight with its intense heat. The beginning of the summer was promising —it would probably be as hot and dry as last year had been. And Bill liked warmth; during the years he had spent in Egypt he had grown accustomed to the weather that was more than rare in London. He felt the sun stroke his hair, and he was used to that.

What he wasn't used to, though, was the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He drowned the rest of the butterbeer in the hope that it would ease the swirling in there but nothing changed. He stood up from his chair and walked over to the window, letting his gaze wander over the Alley where bright sunbeams played with the boarded-up windows, and not one person thread on the weary cobbles of the street.

He had so much better things to do than to sit there and send enormous amounts of money to already rich people who weren't going to come and spend it, anyway. He could have been working for the Order, he knew he was capable of doing better than trying to convince a surly goblin to fight against Voldemort; especially if he was correct in his suspicions that this very goblin didn't know a word of English and only spoke Gobbledegook. Or he could be—

"Monsieur Weazley," a silent voice spoke from the door. "I houpe I'm noot interrupting?"

"Fleur…" he said, springing around and facing the woman. Yes, he could be—

"I was wondering if you've 'ad lunch already," she said, and her hair caught the rays of sun and lit up in a silvery glow.

"Fleur, I…" Bill said hesitantly, and his hand found its way into a pocket of his robes on an instinct. "You have no right to call me anything but Bill," he finally said, the colour of his ears turning into the usual bright red.

"'As the 'eat not been easy on you, Bill?" she asked, seeing him reddening, and walking finally into the office and up to his table with a slightly concerned face. Bill noticed that instead of the usual rough official robes they were required to wear she was dressed in something pale pink and fluttering.

"Pretty," he muttered before he could stop himself, and then blushed even more fiercely. His fingers had now found the small box in his pocket, and looking at the startlingly beautiful eyes gazing up at him he reprimanded himself for not having had the courage the previous night to do what he had intended to do then. He fumbled with the box and looked down at her.

"I was right," she smiled, touching her hand to his cheek. "You're 'ot."

"You're hot," Bill answered, still engulfed in her eyes.

"You're h-ot," Fleur repeated with a smile. "Hh-ot."

"No," Bill quickly shook his head, trying to clear the misunderstanding.

"No? Hh-ow then?" she asked, still looking as beautiful as a dream with her in it would.

"I mean… I wasn't trying to correct you…" he stuttered.

"But you should," Fleur reprimanded, but the faint colour advancing on her cheeks made it clear that she had understood what he meant. "I'm here to learn Eenglish, aren't I?"

"Yes," Bill said, and opened his mouth to continue, but no words came out. He closed it again, and then opened, and then closed. "Yes, you are," he finally said.

"And why are you here?" she asked, obviously knowing what Bill was trying to do. She looked at him with her head tilted to one side, and subdued all Veela power she had in her veins. "Why are you here?"

Bill closed his eyes. This was it. If he didn't do it now he wouldn't do it ever. He opened his eyes again, and saw Fleur in front of him, looking more breathtaking than ever. And he crouched down on his knees.

"Will you marry me, Miss Fleur Delacour? Will you be my wife forever?"

"Finally!" Fleur shouted, and flung herself on the floor into his arms.

"Weasley," a bored sullen voice came from the door from the goblin who had just stepped into the office with a pile of parchment in his hands, and was now looking the two humans with obvious interest.

Bill waved him off, trying to put the ring on Fleur's finger with just one hand, and failing.

The goblin still stood and watched.

Finally managing to put the ring on the right finger, Bill gave the goblin an angry look, willing him to leave. When the goblin still didn't show any intention of doing it, he decided that all in all it didn't matter whether the goblins sided with the Order or the Death Eaters.

"Bladvak!" he hissed to the goblin harshly, and when the disgruntled employee quickly ran out of the room, Bill leaned in on Fleur, their lips touching.

----------

A/N: In the course of this story I'll be pairing up all kinds of characters from the Harry Potter series. I have some others planned, already, but if anyone has a special wish whose proposal they want to read about, please let me know in your review, and I'll give it a thought!

All reviews are welcome!