Title: The Meeting
Author: Shannon
Email: angels_soul_1@yahoo.com
Pairing: Willow/Bill Weasley
Rating: G
Distribution: SoG, TtH, WLS, NHA anyone else that wants it let me know first.
Disclaimer: All HP characters belong to J.K. Rowling. All BtVS characters belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME, UPN, WB.
Spoilers: I’ll say through OoTP for HP and ‘Chosen’ for BtVS to be safe.
Summary: Bill is sent to recruit a new member for the order.
Authors Notes: This is for Emmy for the TtH fic-a-thon because she never received hers. She asked for angsty romance but I’m afraid I couldn’t quite manage that and get it out in anywhere near a reasonable time so I hope this is okay.

Willow walked into the small Café still not sure who she was meeting or why. Giles had asked her to meet this man and hear him out before making any decisions. He had also said that a lot of what he would tell her would seem shocking but she should assume it was all true. The ‘shocking’ part is what worried her the most. After everything she had seen and done in the last eight years what could this man possibly say that would surprise her that much?

Giles hadn’t told her much, saying it was best for her to hear directly from this person, and that she should call him if she wanted to talk before making any decisions. She knew the man’s name was Bill, and that he was British. Beyond that Giles hadn’t told her anything other than he was a friend of a friend, and that he would know what she looked like and find her without a problem.

She chose a table in the farthest, quietest corner of the small building. If the reasons for this meeting were strange enough that Giles thought to tell her to believe them, she was sure privacy would be important. The waitress approached the table and Willow quickly ordered her drink before turning her attention to the door. She watched several groups of people come in and take seats at various tables. Then a man came in alone, looking around as if he wasn’t sure exactly who he was looking for. She briefly wondered if he was Bill.

Before she could give it too much thought the waitress returned with her drink and set it in front of her. “Obrigado,” Willow took a small sip and continued to watch the man as he scanned the tables. He was handsome, and looked rather young to be a friend of Giles’. ‘Well okay’, she thought, ‘that’s not right.’ Giles would most likely refer to her as a friend too. He didn’t say he had gone to school with this man. If he was the person she was waiting for she was glad Xander wasn’t around. The jokes would never end; his hair was, if possible, redder than her hair was. She noticed it was also tied back into a ponytail.

“Hello,” okay so maybe he is the guy she was meeting, “Are you Willow Rosenberg?”

“Yeah,” Willow smiled and stood up, “You’re Bill?”

“Bill Weasley,” he extended his hand. Shaking his hand she returned to her seat, raising an eyebrow when he continued to stare at her, “I’m sorry, you’re not what I expected.”

“I’m sorry, Giles said you would know me,” Willow responded confused.

“Mr. Giles is a friend of Remus’ and while Remus may have seen pictures I haven’t,” Bill smiled, “He told me you were young, had red hair, and that you were the woman who activated the slayers last year.”

“Well that’s all true,” Willow grinned, “And you couldn’t identify me.”

“With the exception of the last part of the description you could’ve been my sister Ginny.”

“Remus?” Willow repeated the familiar name, “Lupin? I believe I met him. He, um… he helped Giles after I…” she stopped not sure how much she wanted to tell this man. She had met Remus, when she returned with Giles to England after Tara’s death. She found herself liking the man sitting across from her and didn’t want to tell him that she nearly destroyed the world.

She wondered what it was that a friend of Remus’ could have to tell her that would shock her. She knew he was a werewolf and that he practiced magic. He had only been around for a week or so, having to return to some important business that neither Remus nor Giles had wanted to tell her about.

“Dumbledore had told me a little about you, Miss Rosenberg,” Bill smiled, “I’ve heard the stories about the uh…incident… in Sunnydale. I’m afraid it just added to my misconception of who I was looking for.”

“It’s Willow, and I’m kinda worried about what it is you came here for,” Willow admitted, “I’m afraid Giles just made me more worried when he asked me to meet you.”

“There is reason to be worried. How much do you know about…,” Bill hesitated to before finishing, “Lord Voldemort?”

“Lord who?”

“He’s been terrorizing the European Wizarding World for…”

Willow held up a hand to stop him. So far he hadn’t said a single thing that made sense to her. “I think we need to start at the very beginning. Like what’s a wizarding world?”

Bill sighed and then began to explain to Willow that there was an entire world of wizards and witches; that lived everyday using magic for everything, hidden inside the world that she knew. They had a government and schools to educate children in magic. They also had their very own big bad. That was apparently what had brought Bill Weasley all the way to Rio to speak to her.

“So let me understand this,” Willow said trying to condense the information he had given her, “This Voldemort guy, was sort of, but not really killed fifteen years ago by an infant. But now he’s back and well, pissed off. He wants to kill anyone that isn’t a pure-blood wizard, mostly because he can. You belong to some group that’s fighting him, and this Dumbledore guy sent you to see if I can come to England and help, because every magical hand is needed?”

“Yeah that sums it up pretty well,” he responded, “And how do you say that much without breathing?”

“Years of practice,” Willow grinned, “Um, so I go to England and do what exactly? You said I can’t kill the guy right? There’s a prophecy it has to be…Harry?”

“Right Harry Potter has to kill him according to the prophecy but Harry’s young and isn’t strong enough. We need to keep the rest of the wizarding and non-wizarding world safe until Harry can fulfill the prophecy.”

“I hate prophecies,” Willow groaned. Everything Bill had said was surprising but not as bas as she expected. She wasn’t happy with Giles at the moment, there were magic schools, so much of the last few years could’ve been handled better if she had known training was available. There wasn’t really a question about whether she would go to England with Bill. Giles wouldn’t have sent them to her if he didn’t believe she could help in some way.

She wasn’t sure how much help she could be if they already had a small army of wizards and witches, all with formal magical training, fighting this guy. On the other hand, Bill said Dumbledore was one of the most powerful wizards alive today, and he believed Willow could help them. So could she possibly say no?

Then she looked back over at the man across from her. He was handsome and funny and she would like to get to know him better, and if she refused to go back with him it was unlikely she would ever see him again. ‘Where had that thought come from,’ she thought, ‘yeah Kennedy was gone, but she was still gay.’ Or was she? She had thought she was after she met Tara but then what about her very real feelings for Oz and Xander. Anya had, in one of moments of extreme bluntness, asked her if she was sure she wasn’t attracted to both men and women. She had ignored the ex-demon at the time but it was hard to deny the possibility while looking at the man sitting with her.

“You’re in this Order too right?” Willow asked, and then at his nod, “So I’d be seeing a lot of you if I go?”

“Yeah,” Bill smiled.

“How soon would I need to leave?” Willow asked, the decision already made, “I’ll need some time to make sure the slayers here are taken care of and I need to let Buffy and Xander know that I’m gone and…”

Bill held up his hand, “Is that a yes, then?”

Willow nodded blushing slightly. She was used to being around people accustomed to her sometimes random thought process. Not the best way to impress the cute guy, acting insane at the first meeting. “Yeah I’ll help.”

“You can take as much time as you’d like to make the necessary arrangements here. When you’re ready, Mr. Giles knows how to contact Remus. Then you can either meet us in London or I’d be happy to return for you.”

“It should just take a few days then,” Willow replied, “I’ll let Giles know and we can make arrangements then.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you Willow,” Bill said standing, “I look forward to seeing you again soon.”

“Right, I’ll be in touch later this week,” Willow agreed as Bill headed toward the door. She followed a few minutes later to head home, so she could call Giles and start packing. Sure she was putting herself right in the middle of danger again, but seeing Bill Weasley again could make it worth all worth it.