Being a Weasley

Bill

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Changing into a werewolf is never an easy transformation. It's painful, it's degrading, and you lose a lot of decent clothes in the process. Turning into a werewolf has changed a lot of things in my life. Mostly because three days a month I'm forced to hideaway from my loved ones.

In spite of my condition, I do have a lot of things that make my life positive. I have a beautiful wife who is currently pregnant with our first child. It's going to be a baby girl and she's already lighting up my world. I felt her first few kicks. I've seen her in the baby monitors, and I've never been more happy in my life.

Fleur being pregnant however is quite the experience I would never like to relive. The main reason of this is that my dear wife is a Veela, and if you've ever seen a Veela angry before you know what I mean when I say it's extremely terrifying. Well, she's like this very often, especially because of her mood swings.

I've been trying to juggle my three lives which I seem to currently have: Working at Gringotts, taking care of my wife and all her needs, and being part of the Order.

My work for the Order is nearing its end, tomorrow to be exact. All of today I've been busy running errands and making plans. I haven't seen my wife once today, I haven't seen her in three days actually, because I have been making plans for the war. And tomorrow, my wife is supposed to be having our baby, and I'm not going to be present.

My life has always taken a turn like this: When I'm needed somewhere, I'll be caught up somewhere else.

My brother's opened their joke shop and I couldn't visit them on their opening day because I was struck with a severe fever and put on bed rest for four days.

The day of my first original wedding, I was attacked by a mob of Death Eaters attempting to sabotage me.

The day my brother Charlie needed me most, I couldn't visit him because of a break-in at work

The day my sister disappeared into the clutches of a corrupt aristocrat, I was delayed because Charlie and I were trapped in a vault when someone tripped the emergency alarm at work. We had received a letter from her early that morning, asking us for an early dinner, the dinner of which we never made it to. I think she was going to tell us why she was about to take off, but we never did find out.

So many things like this have happened, even when I was younger.

Now the day I need to be with my wife while she's having our baby, I will be off at the final battle against You-Know-Who.

It would be too much to ask for her to hold off a day, because that's not exactly possible. I'm not going to be there for my own daughters birth. My dad was there for all of us, he told us that each time he realized it was the most beautiful and wonderful moments of his life. I get to miss that experience.

I give my wife a phone call, hoping she'll answer. She doesn't like to answer our telephone because she says it's way too Muggle.

The phone clicks on. "Hello?"

"Hey my darling, how are you?" I ask.

"Bill? Where are you? Are you coming 'ome? What's going on?"

"I'm using a payphone outside of Godric's Hollow. I'm not going to make it home tonight, I'm sorry." I hold my breath before I tell her the rest. "I'm not going to be able to make it to the hospital tomorrow."

Silence.

"Hello, Fleur?"

"Yes, I'm 'ere," Fleur answers me. "Why?"

"I'm going to battle tomorrow," I whisper. I might not come home.

Merlin, I might lose everything tomorrow. My life, my love, my family. I'm going into battle. What if I don't return home to my life?

"Ze war 'as started?" she asks.

"Yes," I say.

"But- Can you tell zem zat you 'ave a baby to take care of, a wife? Tell zem you 'ave to go 'ome."

"I wish I could. I want nothing more then to be home with you, love. With you and our baby."

I can hear her soft cries on the other side of the line, and I long to be next to her, to wipe away her tears.

"Zay 'ave no right to take you from me! Our child needs you, what if you don't make-"

"Don't," I stop her. "Please."

"I don't want you to go."

"I know, I know." I close my eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too," she says. "I wish I could be with you, to 'elp you."

"You will be helping me, every moment I'm going to be thinking of you and the baby. I'm going to make it home to you, I promise."

Now's not the time for promises. I can't know I'll keep it.

The rest of our conversation is goodbye's, but not real goodbyes, because if we act like we'll never see each other again, we'll believe it. I can't stand the thought of never seeing my family, I must survive tomorrow.

I wake up, and I've been put to work immediately. Tracking people who have gone into hiding for this day. Contacting people who need to know battle strategy.

The day carries on, hot and wretched, I've never felt a day more awful, and from hundreds of miles away I can feel the pain of birth, the pain my wife is having right at this moment.

I approach the battle field with my mom and dad by my side. When the war begins I find everyone is at the battle field, everyone that is, but Percy.

Percy, the family member who's abandoned us. I wonder if he feels the same pain we do when we think of him. I hope he does, he deserves it. He's left us, like I could be leaving my little girl today. I need to stop thinking that!

When fighting I find that my werewolf instincts take over. I'm an animal on the field, ripping apart flesh. Destroying those who attack me. Death Eaters flee from attacking me, afraid for their lives. Every minute I fight, I fight for my freedom from this place, from this sort of life.

I feel a large stab in my back. It's an arrow, shot by the most enormous person I've ever seen. And this enormous person is being ordered by a ferocious looking Death Eater. The enormous person is a giant, and it's looking at me, barring it's teeth, it's eyes promising me I'll be ripped limb from limb.

I dodge the slamming of its fist and step around it. It turns as quick as it can, and I try to stun it before it's facing me again. The stunning spell does not even faze this giant. It growls in irritation and kicks at me. Again I dodge, but barely miss it's huge disgusting foot.

Then something miraculous happens. The giant falls down dead or unconscious, I can't really tell. And all I can see is a figure walking away, it's cloak flapping in the wind.

"How dare you!" shouts the ferocious looking Death Eater, it's a she, I can tell now because her hood is down and her long brown hair is hanging loose around her face. She thinks I'm the one that killed her Giant.

I don't have time to think about who the man is who saved my life right now, I raise up my wand and say, "Come get yours then."

She makes a menacing noise and advances on me, her wand pointed straight at my chest. She throws a memory charm at me, I deflect it. I throw a freezing spell at her, she deflects it. We fight, throwing spells, but she won't get near enough to me to touch me. She knows I'm much stronger in a physical fight and she's not going to give me that option.

Her tripping spell finally hits my feet, and I fall to the ground. As she shouts another spell I roll out of the way just in time. I get to my feet, but she already has her wand ready.

I hear advancing footsteps, but there is still nothing I can do before she finishes her spell.

"Avada Ka-"

"Stupify!" a voice shouts, and lucky for me, they're on my side. The spell hits the Death Eater and she falls stunned.

I turn to see Percy. He's staring at me, his eyes full of sorrow like I've never seen the likes of before.

"You okay?" he asks.

All I can do is nod. Two seconds ago, I was nearly dead, and he just saved me.

"Watch it," he tells me.

We both turn around and face the oncoming Death Eaters.

The night wears on, and I'm still alive and whole, and Percy is still fighting right next to me as if he never left. I walk away from the battle, and I feel the relief of everything wash over me, and I feel my wife's pride and joy as she holds our daughter in her arms.

The only reason I am alive today is because of my family. Being a Weasley is a bit about never letting people down I guess, because even Percy who has screwed up so much, he's still here today, supporting us, me. The only reason I can go home to my brand new baby girl, is because of my brother.