Say You Won't Let Go || Bill Weasley

Nine: The Surprise

The next two months went by painfully slow for Isabelle. Of course, she loved her family and cherished every moment she had with them, even if her brothers were growing more annoying by the day, but she was itching to return to the wizarding world and to the Weasleys.

She missed the entire family tremendously, especially Bill. They still wrote letters back and forth constantly during the summer, and Isabelle had to start getting creative whenever her brothers would find where she hid them. She knew she couldn't just get rid of them after reading them because she felt like she was throwing away all of his kind, loving words.

By mid-July, Chris and Daniel were completely sure that Isabelle was hiding something about the Weasleys from them. They were still hung up on the idea that Isabelle was secretly dating Percy, or maybe it was Charlie. Once they even dared to think it was Fred or George.

The Clarke family was usually very open and honest with one another, which made it harder for Isabelle to keep it a secret from her brothers because it brought her a small feeling of guilt. She wanted to tell them, but she didn't know how to without them making a big deal out of it when they already had so much else to focus on.

Eventually, Isabelle told her mother, Mary, knowing she would always be the best person to go to first for that sort of thing. Her brothers had gone out for the afternoon and her father was still at work when she and her mother were sitting in the kitchen chatting. Her mother asked about how the Weasleys were doing, and that's when Isabelle spilled everything about Christmas and how often she and Bill spoke through letters throughout the rest of the school year and summer.

"Well, I think that's really lovely, Isabelle." Her mother said with a genuine smile.

"Really?" Isabelle raised her eyebrows. She had told her mother about boys from Hogwarts before, but Mary remained skeptical about all of them. She never thought any of them sounded good enough for her daughter.

Mary nodded. "We've known Bill and his family for nearly six years now. He's always been a very nice boy, and you say he's quite successful in that job of his."

"I'm glad you like him, Mum. I really like him, too." Isabelle blushed lightly.

"So when will you be moving to Egypt?"

Isabelle nearly choked on the water she was sipping at that moment. "Egypt?"

Mary shrugged. "I'm sure your conversations through letters are great, dear, but you'll hardly ever get to see him if you're in London and he's in Egypt. That seems like a dreadful relationship."

The topic had crossed Isabelle's mind many times that summer. They've barely spent any actual time together, they definitely weren't in the stage to be moving in together, but she had no idea how they would get there if they never saw each other.

"I don't know, Mum. We have a long way to go before then, but you're right. I've been so lost in finishing school and finding a career, I haven't really thought that far." Isabelle admitted.

"Well, you're a smart girl, Isabelle," Mary said, taking her daughter's hand gently. "You'll figure it out I'm sure. And don't tell your brothers." Mary winked.

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Now it was the last of July and the hot midday sun beaming through the windows wasn't doing Isabelle any favors as she anxiously waited for August to arrive. She was nearly finished with her final preparations for her new job, not wanting to be worried about it while with the Weasleys, and was just about to plop down on her bed in exhaustion when she heard a tap on her window.

She opened the window to let in her small owl with a letter in its grasp. Isabelle took the letter and gave the bird some water in return.

"It is far too hot out there for you to be flying around," Isabelle said as the owl hooted happily before shaking a bit of sand from her feathers.