Birds chirped and the smell of the ocean breeze soon made its way to her nose. She stretched feeling much better after almost being rammed by her powers. She stood up, hearing Bill curse before turning on the kitchen. Beatrice smirked jokingly. Bill would always his mother's son, and Molly made sure food was always present at their table despite their economic difficulties.
She inspected the room, soon her eyes settled in the small balcony that had an ocean view. The wooden chairs were draped with her father's old robes. She smiled and her heart wrenched. Every little detail of this house was thought out.
She wasn't mad that Bill had taken her to Shell Cottage. She was glad that there was a little bit of Cedric in the house as she passed through framed pictures of the pair, their family, and, occasionally one of her and Cedric dancing at the Yule Ball. She inspected the three small guest rooms that were yet to be adorned. There was one room that particularly snatched her attention.
She pushed the wooden door open to find a potions lab of sorts. She smiled as she saw the picture framed at the desk. She traced in gently. It was her father and her. Tears ran freely down her face when she realized that all along she had been wrong. The Auror job wasn't suited for her. She was so in love with the idea of being an Auror because she wanted to follow her mother's footsteps. She grew up thinking her father was a rotten and evil man, but everything changed when Sirius himself told her about him.
All along, her father was the unsung hero. The man who had figured out Voldemort's secret, the man who protected his family at all costs, and the man who gave his life to bring down Voldemort, even if other people thought otherwise. She realized that all along, her passion rested on potions. She always loved it, and almost found it freeing for her. She inhaled in contempt and closed the door.
Part of her died with Cedric. The part that wanted to be a hero died. She didn't need to be the hero for everyone because they wanted. She wanted to be her own hero. She wanted to be loved despite and not because.
She climbed down the stairs as she found a Bill with a screeching kettle and a burning smell of bacon. She smiled as he saw his flowered print apron. She launched herself on his back. The man yelped and grabbed a hold of her legs. He laughed as he felt small kisses being littered in his neck. When the woman finally got down, she pressed her lips to a surprised Bill. He definitely did not expect an excited Tris.
"C'mon Will. I feel just fine. This house, it's amazing. This is everything I've ever wanted. Let me guess, did Sirius help you with the decoration? I love it."
The red-haired laugh and said, "I did not even know of this house until yesterday morning. Remus and Sirius helped me set this up for you. They brought some trinkets and stuff, I took care of making it feel like home for you. Hell, even Charlie came to help me for an hour or two. He made sure our bedroom felt as cozy as the Gryffindor Common Room, he also brought the green dragonhide. Oh, and the potions lab I did was because I thought it would help you. I saw Regulus's photo in Walburga's room and I might have read some of his diaries. Blimey, he was a master at potions, even better than Snape".
She laughed at his enthusiasm. She reached once again and enveloped him in a passionate kiss. She truly did not deserve Bill Weasley. After having the best meal of their lives, despite the burnt bacon and stiff eggs, she ran outside still in her nightgown with Bill hot in her trail.
She smiled in glee as Bill grabbed her waist and spun her around mercilessly in the wet sand. She took his face on both of her hands and reached for a kiss, but pushed him inside the salty water.
Bill let out a not so manly shriek as his body was swallowed by the almost freezing water. He laughed so hard his insides hurt but asked his girlfriend for help. As she took his hand, the woman was pulled down to the water, shrieking at the temperature. The man took a stray strand of her black hair and tucked it in her ear.
He couldn't imagine he finally had his cliche. All his life he had his walls lifted to the sky, having a good intention to provide for his family. He never had time to date or engage in silly love dramas. The only thing close to love he felt was towards the girl described in his siblings' letters. The girl who protected them and who loved fiercely with passion.
He was beyond happy. He reaches to encase her hand and kissed it.
Beatrice was beyond elated. Despite suffering a great deal, she finally found her happiness with a certain red-headed man. She smiled lazily at him and kissed his lips. She wanted to stay in that moment with him.
The pair were interrupted by a pop of apparition. Soon, Remus, Sirius, and Harry stepped through the back door to inspect them both, giving them a weird look. Beatrice took Bill's jacket and reached for the bespectacled boy. She laughed and pulled him for a hug, feeling the smaller boy squirm. The three men laughed as Beatrice took Harry's hand and engaged in a splash war. The pair laughed and Beatrice gathered the courage to throw water at her godfather.
Silence filled the air. Beatrice gulped and almost made a move to apologize. Bill's laughter ceased looking at the older man's robes drenched and droplets encasing his face.
"Beatrice Rose Black, you better run or I will drown your pretty little head!", exclaimed a Remus Lupin, a bit too calmly.
Beatrice's eyes widened and she did not even think twice as she ran through the coast, with her hand still in Harry's.
"No Moony, you see, it was an accident, I was actually aiming for Paddy, please have mercy!", the running woman said.
Soon, everyone was wet and laughing. Bill offered to make tea to warm them up.
"Harry here wanted to say goodbye to you before he left for Hogwart's in a week. He wanted to make sure you were alright after everything", Sirius said, pushing the shy boy towards Tris.
"Harry, come here. Although I am not there to take care of you and your trouble trio, you need to remain calm. Remember that you have to protect your mind. I guess the order will be stationed at Hogwarts to protect you. Bill was called for patrol. I am supposed to be dead and all you know? but if things get out of hand, I will be there. Send me a Patronus if you ever need anything and we'll meet at the shrieking shack. Don't tell anyone, but Sirius has been helping me in a little mission for now. I love you, little brother, be safe", she reached to kiss Harry's temple and engulfed him in a hug.
After dissaparating, the woman reached for the ajar door of her potion studio to find a single mandrake leaf. She was going to do this. She wanted to be useful in patrolling and keeping everyone alive. Despite not wanting to be an Auror, she still wanted to protect at all costs those she loves.
She saw Bill heading out to the burrow to tend to his mothers plea to see him. She did not want Molly to feel deprived of her son so she begged Bill to go at least for some hours. Beatrice kissed him goodbye and was left to her own devices. She settled inside the potions room and began working on what she talked with Sirius about. At first, he did not agree on her having this ability but knew that if he were in her shoes, he would probably do it.
So, the began to prepare the animagus potion.
She knew she had to remain with the mandrake leaf for one moth on her mouth, but she needed to prepare the potion to soak it at least a month prior. She crushed the crystal in the vial and added one strand of her hair with a teaspoon of dew. After that, she added a hawk moth and stirred the mixture vigorously. She found the nearest window and placed it right beneath where the moon shone.
She inhaled and inserted the mandrake leaf inside her mouth. At first, the taste was bitter but it suddenly had an inch of sweetness. She stuck the leaf in one of her cheeks and stuffed it so that it wasn't easily seen.
Bill came back ten minutes after she was done cleaning. As he promised, he wasn't gone for too long. She kissed his forehead and took his hand, ready to go to bed.
The man told her about Fred and George's new shop. She would love to come and see it, but she was stuck to the place for a while. The man noticed Beatrice's crestfallen face and said,
"I know this is hard for now, but it's for your own protection. We don't want you falling into the hands of the ministry or the death eaters. I want to protect you at all costs, and I am not letting you be used as a weapon again. If you want to do it then it's up to you, but o one will obligate you to exhort your own body like that again. That's why you are supposed to be dead to everyone but the order. There is too much to risk of either the ministry or Voldemort gets their hands on you".
She nodded in understanding. she was well aware of the sacrifices she had to make. However, she couldn't hide this from Bill. She started,
"Look Will, I can't be here not doing anything while you are risking your lives every day patrolling at Hogwarts. What if something happens and I am not there to help you? I need to tell you something, but you have to promise me not to freak out or anything".
Bill watched her warily, whatever this was, he did not have a good feeling of it. Merlin, if she planned to hide this from him, then he was certain it wasn't a good thing. He took an intake of breath and said, "continue".
"I-I am in the process of becoming an unregistered animagus. I need to make sure all of you are alright in these missions. The only way I can be somewhat undetected is by doing this. What if everything goes wrong and I am not there? By Godric's sake, I can fight off the unforgivables. I can save all of you when you need me, I just need to be there. Will, we are fighting a war, I know I am needed. I will not myself be used as a weapon again, but I know that I am needed to win this war".
Bill sighed and said, "If you really want this, I won't say no. I do not doubt your capabilities because you are bloody amazing. I care for you so much. I won't ever stop loving you. You are your own person, and you are the only one who knows the extent of her capabilities".
The woman let out a breath she didn't know she held and sighed in contempt. He wasn't mad.
"Okay, but no kisses for this month, Sirius says that after the first week it feels like you have a wet piece of cardboard on your mouth".
The man laughed back at her and reminded, "then I guess we have to take advantage of all the kissing this week".
She shrieked as Bill carried her to their room.
All was well. For now. But she needed to appreciate the happy moments she had with everyone. With the war looming, who knew what tomorrow could bring.