M A R S H. // Bill Weasley ♡

☾ fall of 1993 ☾

For the first time in her life, Frankie had missed the cold, crisp air of England. Egypt was glorious, but Frankie felt only relief when the first raindrop hit her nose as they came home. The August storms warmed her heart, seeing her dad filled her with joy. And even more so she was ready to go back to Hogwarts, even at the news of Sirius Black's escape. She didn't quite believe all the stories about him, maybe he was dangerous, but something didn't add up anytime she heard the story. 

Frankie had spent the rest of her summer mostly with her sisters and father. Alex was taking a gap year to travel across Europe and the Middle East, she said that she was thinking about some form of magical anthropology, which could include curse-breaking she had said. The Weasleys had never met her sisters, that was on purpose. The idea of Bill meeting Alex made Frankie's stomach drop. She was doomed if they ever did, oh god their babies would be beautiful, Frankie thought. Danny on the other hand was going into her last year of school and was not looking forward to it without her older sister. Danny was studying to be an Auror.

They sat around the dinner table on one of the last nights of summer. Dark clouds covered the valley and the distant sound of thunder rolled over the surrounding hills and trees. The dim kitchen lights lit their view.

"Why don't you ever talk about the Weasleys?" Alex asked, taking her fork out of her mouth.

"That's because she's too busy always over there," her father chimed in with a small laugh. Frankie glared at her dad for a moment. But he had already finished his food and was hidden behind this month's Quibbler.

"What's there to talk about?" Frankie stared at the food on her plate.

"Bill Weasley," Danny smiled.

"Shut up," she snapped.

"Frankie," her dad warned.

"She fancies him," Danny teased.

"I do not, he's just my friend," Frankie replied.

"Isn't he the oldest one?" Alex asked.

"Yeah he is, he's 21," Danny whispered his age towards Alex. Alex opened her eyes wide and shot her head back towards Frankie, her father turned the top corner of the page he was on gently with his finger and grinned at Alex.

"21," Alex hissed. Small snickers came from Danny and their father. "Frankie, you are barely 15," Alex was fuming.

"Oh don't worry yourself too much Alex. He's a very respectable young man, he'd never do anything. I can't promise anything from Frankie though," her father said. Frankie's face was red hot, she gripped her fork. Danny was laughing again. Alex stared at Frankie.

"Leave her be Alex," Danny smiled. "Like dad said, Bill's respectable, no way he'd ever go for Frankie," she smiled as Frankie quickly began to rise.

"Why you little-"

"Frankie!" Alex shouted as Frankie jumped towards her older sister, knocking over her own plate and her sisters. Her father flipped the magazine down as Danny shrieked from the impact. Danny and Frankie rolled around on the ground, shoving each other. "Francesca!" Alex stood and pushed her arms through her little sister's armpits and lifted her from her other sister. This is how most time spent with Frankie's sisters went.

With Frankie around so often, Fred and George barely had time to think about other girls. They knew that if Bill hadn't already infatuated Frankie by accident, then their flirting would be much more genuine. But still, they couldn't help themselves sometimes. This was one of those fine mornings. It was the first day of school and the Weasleys, including Frankie as always, Harry and Hermione had spent their last night at the Leaky Cauldron. Fred and George stood in the hallway, their heads grazed one another as they read the Daily Prophet on any news of Sirius Black. They were waiting for Frankie to come out of her shared room with Ginny and Hermione. Their heads whipped up at the sound of an opening door. Fred and George would never admit their small crushes on Frankie, however, their staring didn't help hide it.