26 June '76: Celebrate the Reckless: Bilius - The Red Lion

[Annette Greengrass]

26 June 1976

It felt a little strange, being in muggle London. She’d never gotten much of a chance to explore it, her parents only bringing her around for pureblood events and Ministry, in which she was always expected to be entertained by Rabastan and his family. Those days were over though, as news had broken this week of the elder Lestrange, making Rodolphus the head of the family and getting both her and Rabastan out of the ridiculous commitment their parents had made. On the few occasions she’d met Rabastan’s father, he’d seemed like a stern and uncaring man, which explained a lot about his children. No matter how he’d met his fate, things had worked in her favor, and even now as she walked to the pub she’d agreed to meet Bilius at, she was feeling guilty for feeling so free. But how could she feel anything but giddy and free, when she was going on a real date. In a muggle pub, of all places. She’d stayed at Grace’s the night before, up late talking through how she was feeling. Grace was almost as excited as Annette was for this date, talking up Bilius since the party that she had met him at.

After instructions had been written for her, she’d left early just in case she got lost. As useful as apparition was, there was something intriguing and fun about navigating the underground from Chelsea. She was still with her parents near Barking, and she knew they were sour with her right now. The marriage was a contract for them too, with hopes to move out of the wizard village located so close to muggles into one of the higher class areas. Thankfully, Grace was more than willing to let her crash as often as she wanted, and it was nice to have a friend to talk through her feelings with that could give a good outside perspective. For example, Grace’s stance on tonight’s date had been have fun and be responsible. As if she hadn’t spent the last years being responsible. She wanted to have fun, and Bill was fun, and they’d snogged on the roof at the party, so it wasn’t like he was unaware that she found him attractive.

Turning the corner to where the pub was, she was glad to see him there, and she smiled at the live music coming from inside. “Bill!” she said with a wave, before heading towards him with her hands in the pocket of her jacket. Annette greeted him with a kiss to his cheek and a smile, brushing some hair from her face, “You look great. How was the rest of your week?” she asked, as they stepped from the sidewalk towards the lively place. She couldn’t imagine the high stakes of his job, although she was still unsure of her own job future now that she was done with school. With any luck, she’d hear back this next week before the fresh round of Ministry recruits from Hogwarts started in July. “I’ve never been out in London before.”

[Bilius Weasley]

Against his better judgement, Bilius had asked his friend's friend out for the night.

Gracie would shut him out if he hurt Annette's feelings - not like he never went into anything with a woman intending to ruffle feathers, certainly that was not the plan here, but things always seemed to go south quickly. His wacky work schedule meant dates could be few and far between, preoccupation with those days on duty could make him poor company when he was finally off the clock, maybe he drank too much, and maybe he usually went after women who weren't good for him either. But he wanted to see Annette again, had wanted to since the party, and maybe, just maybe, they could live in the moment together for a while.

It was one date - it couldn't hurt to try, to see if the woman who'd been on his mind all hours lately had been just as distracted by him.

She was a sweetheart, no doubt about it, but more of a spitfire than he'd anticipated upon first meeting her. Hearing about her longtime situation with the Lestrange family, how she'd undermined them and stuck to her guns the whole time she'd been trapped in an arrangement - she had gumption, no doubt about it, and Bill wanted to know more about her. He had used his one (1) move that night, an offer to see the city from the spectacular view their roof had - spoiler: the view was mediocre at best, but it was the only place to get any privacy during a party - and climbed up with her, sneaking a little time away from their friends to indulge in a snog...

He kicked off from the wall of the pub and stepped towards her as she came around the corner, all grins as she called his name. He was treated to a kiss to the cheek - Those aren't butterflies, f*ck's sake. That's just - she's so sweet. What's a girl like her want with me? - and shook his head at the stunner. "You're one to talk, gorgeous. It's been just grand - we were called into Transportation yesterday, whole ruckus with some improperly set up Floos, bit of a tangled mess - but I think you've got me beat on the best week." Not that he would have heeded a warning from Rabastan to stay away, Annette never should have been promised to anyone, especially a family like that - but it did make life more convenient, to not worry about unsavory parties crashing their night. "Saw about the Lestranges in the paper, absolutely mad. Lucky timing, all that, eh?" Suspicious, more like, but one fewer vile person in the world was good for them all. "We toasting to your freedom tonight or what?"

Her admission didn't altogether surprise him - fellow pureblood raised out of the city, he'd had his share of fumbles these last few years of trying to integrate himself into the muggle-scape - but he smiled, taking her hand with a wink. "Well don't worry, I've got you," Bill assured, backing towards the door and pulling her along with him. "Just, y'know, keep wandwork to a minimum, pretend we're debating a novel if we're caught discussing our world, distract them with a smile if you're flustered. You'll be fine." 

[Annette Greengrass]

Boys didn’t usually like her. Not because she was unlikeable, it usually had nothing to do with that and more to do with the fact they wanted nothing to do with someone associated with Rabastan Lestrange. She’d had friends in her house of course, although not any thing quite understood her plight. To have the looming thought that no matter who liked her (which, besides one of the muggle Thatcher boys hadn’t been many), no matter who she fell for, one day she’d be Mrs. Lestrange and miserable. And she knew that Rabastan would have been just as miserable as she was if their arrangement had continued. It wasn’t that she had a soft spot for Rab, she thought the way his family thought was vile, but he had his moments. Ministry parties where he’d get her laughing, and he was a good dancer which always made balls fun. And as much as he had hated it, he’d never completely walked out on one of the dates she tried to plan to muggle places. So it was nice, having someone show interest in her.

Especially Bill, someone she had found so easy to talk to, and fun to sneak off with. Initially, when the owl had arrived at Gracie’s flat, her friend had been hesitant. Not because she’d dated Bilius for a while during school, but because he didn’t have a tendency to keep girls around for long. Annette appreciated her friend's concern, but she was 18, she wasn’t looking to settle down with someone. And she liked Bilius, he was charming and funny. Grace had sent her off tonight, seemingly quite pleased with herself now that she’d come around more to the idea. Annette had her own concerns about tonight because she’d had a couple of days to overthink the whole thing. What if she couldn’t talk to him? She’d done fine at the party, but they’d been around people, and it wasn’t like they’d done much talking while on the roof. She managed the train on her own with muggle money, but she’d never socialized in a muggle setting. Then there was flirting, which she’d asked her close friends to explain to her because she wasn’t sure she was any good at it.

For example, his simple reply to her compliment made her stomach feel ridiculous like it was doing flips. She didn’t get things like this happening to her, being called gorgeous. And he was right, her week had ended up being quite grand. Although if admittedly, she felt it was grander to be on this date than anything else. “Really quite good timing, although my parents are furious. I’ve been avoiding home most of the week since the news broke,” she said with a grin, feeling a tad guilty about her joy in her parent's frustration. “So yes, we are most definitely toasting to my freedom.” He was so cute taking her hand with a wink, pulling her towards the door. The advice was helpful and easy enough for her to follow. It was also much appreciated, and she gave his hand a squeeze. “I hear music, does that mean there will be room for dancing?”

[Bilius Weasley]

Bill couldn't stop himself from making a face as his date clued him in on what the attitude was at the Greengrass house. Any parents would be glad to have their daughter separated from a family of conniving, murderous, Death Eaters - Not that anybody's proven it. Cells in Azkaban with their names on them, filled one of these days. - so why weren't Annette's? Surely the pros of being tied to the Lestranges were far, far outweighed by the cons? It was hard to think of Annette growing up surrounded by those people, but that she had held her own through it all was incredibly admirable, and he didn't know if she realized just how rare she was. He didn't know anyone else who was stuck to a family like that who hadn't morphed into a puppet, more and more people he'd thought were sensible starting to spew the same nonsense as Tim. Or, to those who weren't willing to bet their life on a taunt - Tom Riddle, You-Know-Who, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord... Didn't it get tiresome, having so many names?

His own post-grad experience with the man himself had been a wake up call that someone was always keeping tabs on them. Bill liked attention, sure, but for the right reasons. Not because his parents were who they were, or because Tom was missing the Weasley square on Sacred 28 bingo. He and his brothers were the stubborn sort, and while eventually Bill had relented and heard the deluded man out, it was purely to stop him from coming around and springing the pitch on him one more blasted time.

"One blood traitor to another - they can shove it," he grinned. "Life's in your hands now, and you're out on the town in the muggle sector! If that doesn't show them you've moved on from all that rubbish, not sure what would." Unless we somehow make the front page. "You've been with Grace, or another friend?" If their mutual friend had taken the young woman in, and she had still come out with him, Bill owed Gracie a nice lunch for extending her trust. Or maybe another bug-themed dessert, just making that cake the other day had been a treat in and of itself. And maybe Annette would want to make it with them    Her hand in his, those doe eyes of hers taking every little detail in already, Bill was finding himself wanting to make this night memorable for her. Here she was, just out of Hogwarts, the world at her feet for the first time, finally no creep of an arranged future husband looming over her shoulder to scare away other blokes. Everything was ahead of her, and as excited as he was for that, he could only imagine how thrilling and daunting it felt for her.

Never know. Maybe this goes well and you get to show her around more.

"You caught me, Nettles," Bill laughed, entering the lively pub with her at his side. A busy bar and a busier trio of musicians, the dancing already well under way - all they needed was a drink to blend in. "Hope it's not too elaborate, but I couldn't rent out Big Ben on such short notice. Want me to order for you, or are you ready?"

[Annette Greengrass]

She recognized the face that Bilius pulled when she spoke of her parents because it was the same one Gracie had pulled when Annette had shown up on her doorstep. It was the same face every Bones child had pulled when they’d first learned of her betrothal to Rabastan. And as infuriating as her parents were, Annette was the only one who understood where they were coming from. Already on the outskirts of pureblood society, a marriage between her parents also an arranged event, the chance to move up in society had been in their hands only to be ripped away. Not that she agreed with her parent's wants or followings, but it was hard to hate your own parents. But she needed to get out of their house, especially before they found out about her date tonight. A Weasley? A blood-traitor family, even if they were part of the Sacred 28.

She grinned at him, more than happy to be a blood traitor. Her life was hers to live for the first time, and she had done a lot of living this week. And not just because she was avoiding her parents. It wasn’t as if Rabastan had told her that his father was ill, or of any nefarious plans to kill the old man, but she had known that there was no way he was going to actually marry her. She had suspected that he had a plan to get out of it, and she hadn’t been wrong. Maybe he was an arse, but over the years spent pretending for the public, she had actually picked up on some things about him. “I’ve been with Gracie for the most part,” And yes, we’ve been talking about you but I didn’t tell her everything. “ Did have to go home for one night, but I spent most of my time over at the Bones house with Amelia.” Where he’d also been the topic of conversation, but he didn’t need to know that gossip had already spread amongst the Hufflepuff trio. Had she been on his mind as much as he had been on hers?

There was so much to take in as they entered the pub, so much so that she almost missed his response to her question. Nettles. Could he be any cuter? There were people dancing, people crowded around the bar, conversations all around her. It wasn’t like she’d never been to a pub before, but never a muggle one. In fact, she was pretty sure she’d never really seen as many muggles in her life as she had today. She stepped closer to him to hear him better, eyes going wide at his words, “You can rent out the Big Ben?” He was probably joking, but even after 5 years of muggle studies and living near them, there was a lot she felt she didn’t know about life in London for them. “Oh I am most certainly not ready,” she answered him with a laugh. The most she knew about muggle alcohol had come from the party earlier this week, where Grace - by her third shot of tequila - had demanded that Annette do one shot with her for her birthday. Firewhiskey burned nothing like cheap tequila did.

They maneuvered through the crowd to the bar, her focus going from the people dancing to the groups mingling about. This was even better than seeing Hogsmeade for the first time. She wanted to know what they were all thinking, and how did a magical world exist under their noses without anyone finding out? She’d asked for Gracie’s assistance in dressing muggle enough, wanting to blend in with the crowd. “Oh! This is Abba, I really enjoy their music,” she leaned in to speak to Bill as they found a spot at the bar to wait. “Also the Rolling Stones, even if I don’t understand the politics behind their songs.”

[Bilius Weasley]

"She's a good egg, glad you were with her," Bill commented with a grin, the darling Healer too good for the lot of them. He was glad she'd had somewhere to go that wasn't home, at least for the most part. Best to let her folks get over it on their own if they weren't listening to her, eh? "Gracie knows me too well, though - she try and scare you off?" While delivered with his usual playfulness, he did have to wonder. Couldn't blame his friend for spilling some of the beans about him to her friend, looking out for Annette and all, and wondered if any damage control was needed. She was here, though, so evidently hadn't been deterred completely. And he had to figure that being done with the Lestranges on top of being done with school, the new graduate wanted to have fun on her own terms. Who better to fit the bill for that than him? Especially as her folks were making such a fuss - best to keep trying new things, stay busy until they sorted themselves out.

"Dunno," Bill admitted with a laugh as they entered the pub, "but figure you're used to places a bit...more exclusive than this. If you don't want to get into it, we don't have to get into it, just cut me off," he assured, giving her hand a squeeze, "but if you need to vent anything out about them, I am here. Nobody's gotten a look into them and gotten away with rejecting their disease like you have. If I forgot to tell you the other night, was a bit distracted - wicked impressive."

They sidled up to the bar and he put an order in for them - beer from the tap for him, simple fruity cocktail for her - and he pulled a bowl of pretzels over for their munching pleasure, brows rising in amusement as she spoke. Such a ridiculously adorable little woman, wasn't she? ABBA and all. He nabbed a stool for her, staying close as he leaned against the bar. "You're still perfect to me, but thank Merlin you like the Stones too." Bill had to laugh - he could try and sing along to the pop songs for one night, for her and her alone, but Roderick would have to lock him away to recover if he was ever found on the roof belting out Mamma Mia. "Honestly? Close to no clue on the politics either, but they've got it, right? Have you heard their new album? Just released this spring. We've got the record at our place, you should come give it a listen sometime."

[Annette Greengrass]

Gracie Peasegood was truly too good for them all, and Annette was pretty sure they all knew it. Where would they be without her calming presence? She’d been great as a Prefect, allowing people to get away with just enough that they respected her when she told them they had crossed a line. And she had watched Grace at work over the years, both in the hospital wing at school and at mungos. She was good in an emergency, and her parents finding out that Rabastan had called off the engagement had certainly been an “i-need-to-leave-now” sort of situation. She hadn’t told her parents about the money that he had also left her with. Blood money that she most certainly didn’t want, with no idea what to do with it. She didn’t really understand why Rabastan felt that he owed her something when his ending the situation was more than enough. Never having to socialize with Bellatrix Lestrange again was an added bonus. She laughed at his question, giving a small nod, “I don’t think she was trying to scare me, just wanted me to be aware. Besides, I don’t scare easily, I spent 10 years making small talk with the Lestranges.” She’d more than once stared Bellatrix down from across the table, and while she understood why that family was generally feared, she knew too much of the inside to be frightened of either of the Lestrange brothers. Even Bella had her weak points.

She grinned at his laughter, now determined to look into getting into the Big Ben, a laugh escaping her at the use of his word exclusive. More like bigoted. But it was sort of flattering, to be considered wicked impressive for doing something that hardly seemed brave to her. You had to stand up for what you believed in, and she believed the muggles she was surrounded by tonight were equal to her and the world of magic. And they were fascinating, once you got them talking about something they were passionate about. Like on the way to this date, she’d spoken to a woman on the train who worked for the new Prime Minister. And admittedly, she was glad that Bill was a bit distracted by her the other night, otherwise, she might not have ended up on this date. “I did try and trick them into going to muggle bars or places to eat, Bellabitch hated it,” she admitted. The nickname had been given to her former future sister-in-law after many arguments with the older witch over the years.

He got them some pretzels and managed to nab a stool, and she sat down on it as she spoke to him about muggle music. She’d only been able to listen to it over summers and then listened to those that played the latest muggle music for everyone in the Hufflepuff common room. She felt herself blush perfect, even though she liked ABBA. ABBA wasn’t everyone’s favorite, but she found their music good for dancing. But the Stones were something else, and she nodded enthusiastically as she listened to Bill. “I haven’t heard their new album yet, and I’d love to listen to it. I really liked their last album, oh what was it called…It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll! One of my muggle friends let me borrow it, and I drove my parents crazy all summer with it that year.”

The bartender appeared with two drinks, and she took the fruity one with curiosity, taking a sip. It didn’t taste like alcohol, which she knew enough to know was the most dangerous sort of drink. But it was fun, being out at a muggle pub, on a date with a handsome guy. She did have to wonder if she should mention her application to work at the Ministry for another Weasley, but she wasn’t sure Bill and Arthur were related. The Weasley family may have been pureblood, but they were one of the outcasts of pureblood society, and so she admittedly didn’t know much about them. “What got you into healing?”

[Bilius Weasley]

Merlin's beard, I love Hufflepuffs.

Here was a woman, just cute as a button when you first saw her, so unassuming. And she had made it through ten years with known followers of You-Know-Who. Pushing their buttons, not taking their sh*t, living by her own code. There was an elastic resilience to her that he could admire while he tried to understand. Bill figured some situations had gotten hairy, especially as she'd successfully fooled them into spending time around muggles - who knew what other subverting shenanigans she had pulled? Annette was here on the other side, laughing in talking about it, bursting out a nickname for a dreaded Death Eater like it was commonplace. "Bellabitch?" he laughed in stark wonderment and met her gaze, falling in deep. "No fear. I think we'll get along just fine."

She hopped up onto the stool he pulled over, and now eye-to-eye, he gladly watched a glorious blush bloom to life in her cheeks at his line.

She's agreeing to come over again, just like that?

    Didn't say that -

It's implied - 

"We'll have a listening party at ours then, you can come anytime," he offered with a grin. Their glasses arrived and he took his up, still grinning as he drank deeply, mind working as he took her in. Despite himself, Bill was more interested than he should've been. He could already hear Roderick's smug I told you so loud and clear. "Tricking Death Eaters and driving your parents batty...taking no prisoners. You're something else, Nettles - I should've gotten the warning to stay on your good side for my own sake," he jested, moving closer to tell his tale, animated as could be under the noise of the pub. He was guilty of using such stories to chat up girls...in pubs...Sometimes it helped his cause, sometimes it hurt...

"Summer of '70, we did a brothers trip to the Quidditch World Cup. We've all always been big fans, it was just over in Wales, I didn't look like such a kid next to them anymore - timing was perfect. It's the final, Welsh National versus Japan, it's looking good for the UK - and there's this beastly collision at high speed, our Seeker and one of their Beaters." Hands clapped together, green eyes wide in reliving the memory. "They come crashing down, out of control, other players trying to intercede, referee's whistling like mad to stop the game, whole stadium's just buzzing. And we can barely see them from our spots, but out dash the medics." Bill chuckled quietly, pausing to drink his ale.

"And it - it sounds stupid to say it was beautiful, but it was. They were so - so coordinated, in tune with each other, each with a part to play. And in the blink of an eye, tragedy was avoided because of them, and play resumed after the players were checked over and cleared. I really hadn't paid any mind to the medics until then, but I couldn't stop watching them watch the game from then on. My fixation shifted - idolizing the players, idolizing the medics. The more I learned about the field, the more enticing it was. I like a challenge," he laughed, "and that every day's unexpected. We're a team that does honest work, you know? No time for politics or pettiness when people's lives are on the line. The dream's still to get into the League someday, but I can't complain about being here." He leaned towards her, smile wide. "But you, the whole wide world of possibilities at your fingertips and I'm yammering at you. C'mon, tell me - what's a dream you can reach for now? I'm all ears."

[Annette Greengrass]

In the ten years, she’d spent around the Lestranges, she had learned a lot about them, and by extension, the Black sisters. What she knew was that Rodolphus and Rabastan talked a big game, but something was happening at home, she could see it behind both their eyes sometimes. Rabastan seemed to buy more into the pureblood idealogy than his older brother. Quite honestly, Rodolphus was one of the more tolerable purebloods she had ever been around, which she knew most people didn’t expect. But it was Bella who was the intolerable one, especially now that she was older. There had been a time when Annette had thought Bella would treat her like she was a younger sister, that they’d bond over their connection to their boys. When it was all talk, and she hadn’t spent enough time around them to know that Bella believed the same vile sh*t that their parents spouted. Once she’d met the Dark Lord, well, things had gotten worse. She’d had a taste of power, and Bella liked power more than anything. The nickname had been well earned, and she grinned at Bill as he laughed, glad he found it as funny as she did. “I have called her that to her face, admittedly not purposefully. Andy found it properly hilarious.”

While this was a date, she didn’t know if she was already agreeing to a second one as she nodded enthusiastically to his offer to come over and listen to the Stones. Not that she was opposed to agreeing to a second date, because she knew it was silly but she already felt like she and Bill got along so well. She’d never had the freedom to truly date who she wanted, and now that freedom was all hers. And honestly? The last thing she wanted was to get married and have children, not when that expectation had been forced down her throat for so much of her life. She wanted a good time, and Bill was a good time. She laughed into her drink, giving him a grin before she spoke, “Don’t worry, it’s pretty hard to get on my bad side. Unless your father has also mysteriously died.” She knew she wasn’t the only one who had doubts about the elder Lestrange’s passing, given not only the timing but the quickness of it all. There wasn’t time to dwell on that though, because Bill had a story for her and she found that she was quite distracted by him when he stood so close to her.

She listened intently to his story, smiling as she took in the details. She remembered that Quidditch World Cup, she had been there with her father, as well as the Lestrange family and some of the Blacks. A special booth, away from everyone. She’d felt that it would have been a more exciting experience for her if she’d been in the regular crowd, instead of a stuffy box with people who couldn’t care less about the sport happening. She sipped her drink as she listened, remembering the crash he was describing. Admittedly, she hadn’t paid much attention to the medics then, more focused on the game in hopes that it would drown out the boring conversations around her at the match. But to hear him tell this tale, she was remembering the match in a whole new light, grinning at him widely as he described how beautiful it was to watch the medics work. She loved to hear people talk about their passions, so it wasn’t surprising to hear that his dream involved working in the League one day.

She laughed at his question, taking a moment to drink to avoid the question. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have dreams she wanted to chase, she just wasn’t sure where she was going to end up yet. She knew there were a few positions in the Ministry open, and she had interviews lined up in the Muggle Liason office. That was the only thing she knew she wanted to do, was work with muggles. She wanted to be around them more, she wanted to know what life was like when you couldn’t wave a magic wand and watch your dishes do themselves. She’d seen it some growing up, of course, Imogen Bones had been and still was one of her dearest muggle confidants. Someone with a foot in both worlds who she could talk to. It had only been a couple of years ago that Edgar had finally told Phoebe the truth and they had gotten married, which had allowed Annette another person to talk to. But they no longer lived in Barking, it was just her, Amelia, and the younger Thatcher boys left.

Setting her drink on the bar, she chuckled to herself before she answered, “I want to work with Muggles. Not like as an Obliviator or in Accidental Magic. I’ve got some interviews lined up at the Ministry, and this sounds ridiculous but I also interviewed for an assistant position at a muggle doctor’s office. That interview did not go…well.” She seemed quite incompetent when she didn’t know of many common muggles diseases or treatments, so she hadn’t been surprised when they had never called her. “McGonagall also put in a reference for me in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, under an Arthur Weasley. Your brother, if I was to have a guess.”

[Bilius Weasley]

"You're my new idol, honest-to-Merlin," Bill laughed, picturing the gradual purpling of rage on Bellatrix's face. Who is this girl? Had he known this was going on, he would have paid good money to witness that happening. And conspired with Andy to find an out, sh*t. "Bet you and Andy kept each other sane, eh?" They were trading laughs as if they always had, but he almost spit out his drink at her next. "Okay - okay, hold on - can we get into that?" He was grinning way too widely than the situation allowed for - a man was dead, but, well, from all accounts he'd been unnecessarily awful to literally everyone within his reach - and if there was anyone else who could share in the intrigue...she was perched on the stool beside him. His arm draped around her back, and he continued in excitement. "Rabastan's of age and finished school and the dad just drops dead? The mother flees the country before his body's cold? What?! They honestly don't expect an inquiry? Families like that give us all a bad rap, they're mad."

Annette listened to his story, keen, eyes bright, but as eager as he always was to share, he was just as eager to hear from her. He drank as she laughed, content to wait, but had more questions than anticipated as she began. "A muggle doctor's office?" he repeated in awe. There really was nothing stopping her, was there? "If it helps, you probably made a better impression than I would. Can usually blend in places like this alright, but would've been too tempting to heal something in front of them, and then the cavalry would've been brought in. Their loss, love, sure you could've figured it out. What was the nail in your coffin?"

"McGonagall did that? Damn, wish she'd liked me enough to do something like that," Bill grinned, although it wasn't hard to imagine his old Head of House having a soft spot for Annette. Hard to imagine anyone not liking her. "So you're here looking for an in with my brother, is that it?" Bill joked - he had to joke, he hadn't introduced himself as a Weasley the other night had he? and they'd still snogged? that wasn't like her, anyway - and laughed, unable to stop at her look. "Kidding, Greengrass. But yeah, Arthur's one of mine. I'd offer to put in a good word, but you'll do better without it." Why his brothers didn't implicitly trust his judgement was beyond him, and usually it didn't matter. Even here, though, Annette didn't need his help. Ten years with the Lestranges, coming out wanting to help the muggle community? Arthur would love her immediately, no question. "But really, if you want to work with muggles, Arthur's your best bet. Everybody else is just messing with their memories and covering things up. Not that that doesn't happen with him, but, well, does his best to avoid it, only happens as a last resort."

[Annette Greengrass]

Grinning widely, Annette had to laugh at being called Bill’s new idol. She hadn’t done and said the things she did to try and win any appreciation from anyone, it was simply the kind of person she was. She had had to survive that family for years, and she decided early on into it all that she wasn’t going to let them twist her into the sort of people they were. She’d held her ground, and made sure that all the Lestranges knew was that she wasn’t the type of pureblood they wanted her to be. She had always marched to the beat of her own drum, as her mother would condescendly say. Thankfully during her years entangled with the Lestranges, she had some allies, with Andromeda and Regulus being two of her favorite people to sneak off with at pureblood events. “I don’t think I would have survived without Andy, she looked out for me. She was always far nicer to me than Bellatrix or Narcissa were,” she said with a smile. When Andromeda had left the family, Annette had been incredibly happy for her friend and yet sad at the same time, knowing she would have to face the family alone and pretend she wasn’t thrilled about the situation.

Speaking of situations, the mysterious death of the elder Lestrange was one of them. While Rabastan hadn’t exactly told her what the plan was for getting out of their arrangement, she’d known he and Rodolphus would come up with something. Not that she had expected them to commit murder - which was surely what had happened - but it didn’t entirely surprise her. “Oh, I’m sure there will be an inquiry. But I’m also sure that whatever happened, or whatever they did, they’ve covered their tracks well. They are infuriatingly brilliant at times, which serves them well. I’m positive they’ve already covered their tracks and aren’t worried about any inquiry.” She had no proof, of course, that the brothers had murdered their father and sent their mother fleeing. But she knew them well enough, she thought, to know that there were no natural causes to the death of Reginauld.

She understood what Bilius felt when a single moment in the past was the discovery of your calling. Annette had known years ago that she wanted to work with Muggles, and perhaps bridge the gap between them and the magic world. She knew rules were rules, she understood that. But she’d watched Kyra be excluded from the truth of her neighbor's and friend's lives, and she hated it. When there were so many ties into the magical community in your found family when your best friend was married to a wizard, shouldn’t a muggle be allowed to know the truth? “Well, I think the final nail in my coffin was not knowing what a CT scan was, but I’m almost positive there were about ten other nails when I didn’t know most of the medical terminology,” she laughed. Nettie had learned since then what a CT scan was, thanks to Phoebe. But she hadn’t tried to apply to any more muggle offices.

Her suspicions of Arthur and Bilius being brothers were confirmed, and she smirked at Bill’s jest at her. Truthfully she hadn’t made the connection at first, she wasn’t entirely sure how large the Weasley family was. But in her experience, she’d realized, it seemed like most of her friends were somehow intertwined with each other. It made sense both her date and the potential job would somehow be related. She tried not to react when Bill mentioned muggles and memory erasing, something Annette passionately hated. Yet she was one of the many expected to go along with it when it came to the muggles she knew figuring out the truth about magic. “That’s good to hear, he sounds exactly like the type of person I’d get along with,” she said with a nod. The music changed, and she laughed at the song that started playing. The latest hit from the Bee Gees, one of the muggle bands she had actually heard about. “Care to dance?”

[Bilius Weasley]

After Hogwarts, it seemed like most students carried on with the path they'd already been on. Maybe taking a detour here or there, of their own volition or from a slight change in circumstance, but heading in roughly the same direction they'd started out with, and generally ending up where one would have expected. It was rare for someone's entire life to change. He'd long wished he'd known Andy better during school, to have been there with her as she got herself out. (Admittedly, it'd probably saved him a few nights in the Hospital Wing, them not being so friendly, as he couldn't imagine Bellatrix would've ever taken kindly to him being a fixture in her sister's life.) Bill couldn't admire her more for taking such drastic action, for reclaiming her life and forming a new family that was hers to love and hers to defend and hers to be proud of. And it was good to know that even before then, she and Annette had found each other.

These changes happening for Annette now, they were upending her life and they were coming at her fast - and as far as he could tell, she was handling them with admirable strength and grace, even the difficulties she had with her parents. And, thankfully, the split from the Lestranges hadn't had to involve her or any of their shared friends who had been ready to take up arms on her behalf the other night. Do you have any idea how incredible you are?

"I'm glad you had each other, really," he remarked, "it's hard to think of anybody better to have your back in that crowd."

Bill was curious by nature, and hoped she wouldn't be put off by him asking about her ex-possible-in-law's. Thankfully for him, Annette took his excitement in stride. He nodded along as she went, taking a long draft of his ale. This was, unfortunately, not the first time - and likely not the last - that the cleverness of their enemies worked for them, and not for the folks on the right side of the law. The amount of times Arthur requested access to the manor and, at best, was laughed away... "Would bet my last piece of gold that you're right. I know I should be more upset about that, it's not right - but it gave you your life back. So maybe I don't put my nose where it doesn't belong, for once." 

The Mediwizard was shortly laughing again with her as Annette spoke more to her doomed interview, the muggle doctor's office that had missed out on her. It really was remarkable, what the muggles had figured out, how they had made tools and medicines he doubted wizards could even dream of in order to save the lives of their patients. While he was sure she would've had a good time and learned everything she could, Bilius was glad that - if all went well - she'd be with his brother at the Ministry instead. Arthur needed someone he could rely on, who would take him and the work seriously and with passion, but not shy away from bringing him down to earth from time-to-time. And, with any luck, in a nicer way than he was sometimes guilty of. The music changed, and it was impossible to ignore the pull of the beat. As he started to bop in place, she asked him to dance, and he grinned. She was such a sweetheart in asking, and while it made him realize that he really could've kept swapping stories all night, he was glad for it. They were out to have fun, not pick apart the Lestrange conspiracy or any other downers - however tempting the mysteries were - and he'd be damned if he didn't deliver. Besides, it gave him an excuse to get close to her again, and their snog at the party had left him wanting. He knocked back the last of his drink and held out a hand to help her down. "Reading my mind, love. We'd best get out there, they're waiting for us."

[Annette Greengrass]

Annette would forever be thankful for the years that she had Andy in her corner because it had helped her survive. She was one of the only people who had been proud of Andy when she left, and it had given her hope that she could get out of her unfortunate situation one day. And she had, just not in the way she had expected. “When Andy left, it made me believe I could leave one day.” She knew it was wrong to be thankful that the elder Lestrange had met his fate, but he was just as cruel as Rodolphus was. But Bill was right, this was one of those times where as messed up as it was, it was probably better to not get involved. But his mention of gold had her pulling a face, and she took a sip of her drink before she spoke. “He gave me money - Rab did. I don’t know if he’s paying me off or trying to take care of me, but it’s blood money and I don’t know what to do with it. It’s more money than my family ever had but it’s just…it just feels wrong.”

Bill was bopping along to the music, and as much as she felt they could talk all night and never run out of things to say, she wanted to dance. It was with a smile that she finished the last of her drink, taking Bill’s hand to get down off the barstool. She led him to the dance floor, squeezing into the middle of everyone, grinning as she started to dance along, feeling a light buzz of the alcohol and the feel of everyone around them dancing too. She could spend all night dancing if she could, it reminded her of the parties Amelia and her would sneak into at Hogwarts. She would have to give Amelia a run down of how this date went, she would want to know. They seemed like an unlikely pair, but Annette considered Amelia to be her best friend. They’d had each otheother'sks throughout all their years at school.

She wasn’t sure how long they had been dancing, brushing against each other as they bopped about on the dance floor, but she had to hope that Bill was having as grand a time as she was. But the dancing was making her thirsty, and she leaned in so that Bill could hear her, “I need another drink, how about you?” She took his hand as they weaved back out through the crowd, finding that their spot at the bar was unoccupied. And while the music was still loud, it was easier to have some sort of conversation at the bar than the dance floor. “Could we get another drink, and maybe some water?” she asked the bartender who approached them. She turned to lean back against the bar, smirking at Bill. “Tell me something you’ve never told anyone else.”

[Bilius Weasley]

He smiled at Annette's admission, nodding along in agreement. Whether she knew it or not, Andy was a role model for many of them - with the small exception of naming children. Nymphadora, he still had trouble reconciling the splendid tiny human they'd made with that name, and would jest with her parents endlessly about who'd lost the bet that gave the other naming rights. A preference for obscure Greek names notwithstanding - his parents sticking him with one didn't give him much of a leg to stand on, but thankfully most folks forgot he wasn’t simply a "Bill" - Andy was a star in her own right, and at least there had been upwards of two sane individuals at "society" gatherings.

His drink caught in a cough of shock as she went on - Lestrange paid her off? Chuckling as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, he said in incredulity, "That's the solution to all of their problems, isn’t it?" Gold. And patricide. Bill edged in closer, dropping his voice under the music as he met her eye, mischief glinting in his own. "If you want my two Sickles on it…help your family out, if there’s anything they need, or put some away for you and them for a rainy day. Treat yourself to something extravagant, because you deserve it. And donate the rest somewhere to make his blood boil." The young witch deserved revenge for being forced into such a situation with the worst of wizard-kind. But from what he could gather, Annette would rather take the high road, the kill them with kindness path - and, when the opportunity came, deliver the news to Rabastan with her special brand of bite.

"It can do good out there, no matter where it came from. Arthur would know some places on the muggle side of things, if you're interested." Unfortunately, many of the muggles who fell victim to baiting and other crimes were already on the lower echelon of that society, caught in their own struggles before they encountered the righteous lawless of his kind. His brother's connections kept him attuned to under-the-radar stories that didn't add up, unless a wizarding lens was had, and then he was off to his side of the work - investigate, Obliviate, get turned away at manor gates - as his connections tried to better the lives of the suffering however they could. An influx of Lestrange gold - well, anonymous pounds, with Gringotts help - at one of the shelters would help people now.

Her pull on his hand was stronger even than the pull of the music, and Bill was all too happy to follow at a clip. Through the warmth of the crowd and jostling of bodies they made their own space on the dance floor, and he kept close to the witch. Nettles moved with an emboldened lack of inhibition, her sweet-smelling hair flying free, a rosy pink from the drink and the heat coloring her cheeks - and Bill knew he was the envy of the rest of the sorry lot, as the one she was dancing with. He was happy to oblige when she was ready for another drink, her hand swallowed up in his as they returned to the bar, and he nodded his thanks to the bartender. The witch spun round to face him, back to the bar, a smirk playing at her lips as she looked up at him in challenge.

It was only fair, Annette asking for his secrets when she'd shared so freely with him already. "Let's see…" Bill considered, fingers drumming at her hip as his hand rested on her side - he tended to overshare, save for the deep-seated thoughts that were better kept to himself, which would only bring the mood down here even if he was moved to share them. But while his habits were sometimes questioned by his coworkers and friends, the depths of his superstitious convictions were not. "It's against uniform, so don't go telling on me, and no laughs," he teased, free hand slipping under the collar of his shirt to tug out a simple cord necklace, wood worn into familiar grooves by his hands over time, "but this is my good luck. Realized that where I'll be when I'm called away isn't a given, you know? Not always going to be wood around, so I'd best carry it with me. Since I started wearing it, haven't run into any calls that go wrong in ways we can't figure out the why of. If I ever forget it - shift goes to sh*t." He shrugged, working up a smile, and the pendant fell to his chest as he reached behind her for their drinks. "Usually I say it's sentimental," Bill continued, handing Annette her glass and taking a swig from his. "Making my nephew's crib, broken old broomstick. But really, I just...pocketed it on a bad night. Found it in the morning, worked out how to clean it up and do something with it, and now - learned to just not take it off, things go better that way."