Title: Oil and Water
Author: celerysticks
Summary: Percy/Oliver slash. It's Christmas for the Weasleys, but the idyllic mood is soon shattered as books and Quidditch don't generally mix. Or so Percy thinks.
Rating: PG.
E-mail: red_five@sailormoon.com
AIM: kateishida
Livejournal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/celerysticks
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O I L A N D W A T E R By CelerysticksPART ONE
The Weasley house had never been quieter. Molly Weasley nodded to herself in satisfaction as she stood in the sitting room's doorway, pointing her wand energetically at a batter mix she was making pancakes with, and watching over her brood. This Christmas, Hermione's parents had to attend a conference in Switzerland, and had arranged for her to spend the holidays with her Jewish aunty, but Molly had snapped up the opportunity to invite both her and Harry to the Burrow. Both had agreed wholeheartedly, and, as they both stammered their thanks to her most of the way through the first day, Molly knew that this was going to be a Christmas to remember.
She'd never seen the household so quiet, so peaceful. All of her children were sat talking animatedly with Harry, playing a muggle game which had been Harry's gift to the family - a game of snakes and ladders that Dudley had thrown in the bin in a tantrum at losing to his Auntie Marge, and that Harry had rescued, and fixed. He'd been working on it most of the autumn to Charm it so that the counters moved on their own, and the adders creaked, and the snakes hissed bad hints to the players. Ron was hissing in frustration as he slid down another snake to the bottom of the board, and Bill was trying to surreptitiously cheat, but one of the snakes ratted him out to Ginny, and the snake pulled Bill's counter to square one. Ron was bickering with the twins, and Harry was the only one really playing the game, while chatting animatedly to Charlie who was sat next to him. Correction - most of her children were playing the game. Percy was nowhere to be seen in the cramped but cosy sitting room. She folded her arms and frowned, letting the bowl float in the air as the memory of Percy leaving earlier in the day with a mumbled excuse that could have been library or shopping filtered through her consciousness.
Well, that was her children accounted for. Molly picked up the bowl again, and splattered batter on her arm and she waved her wand a little too energetically at the bowl. On one of the worn, comfortable sofas, Hermione was chatting amicably with Arthur Weasley, her husband. She would have interrupted their conversation, knowing how Arthur could go on a bit (and knowing exactly where Percy got his focussed rambling from) if Hermione hadn't been engrossed in the chat about Aurorship and the Ministry of Secrets.
It was all too perfect.
"…I swear, if I knew at the beginning that you were going to be like this then I would have never –"
Molly winced, and set the bowl to one side as the strident voice carried through the air from outside, and she sighed. She just had to think that it was all perfect, didn't she? Obviously she hadn't learned the Jinx Domino effect in History as well as she'd thought. She wished she could remember the famous quite from Exedra the Sorcerer… What was it again? "Don't speak so soon? You'll always end up regretting it."
Satisfied that her memory wasn't completely failing, but annoyed at the disruption, she started to move towards the source of the shouting.
"Never what?
Started it all in the first place?"
Hermione was the second to hear that yelling from outside, and she frowned, getting up from the seat and following Molly out of the room. "Hey, everyone, quiet," Ginny hissed, waving her hands at her brothers and Harry. Almost as one, they all looked up to see Molly and Hermione disappear towards the source of the shouting.
"What is it, 'Mione?" Ron asked as they all crammed into the tiny kitchen. Hermione glared at him and gestured at the door. Arthur wrapped his arms around his wife, and they all quietly glanced at the door, fearful of what they might find on the other side.
"Sounds like Percy and someone else…." George said. Fred elbowed him in the ribs and made a shushing sound.
"They're on the path," Ginny realised, running to the door and unbolting it. The others curiously followed her and quietly assembled on the path. It really was Percy, his face red from shouting, and his opponent was none other than an equally angry Oliver Wood.
"Oliver?" Ron breathed.
"Shut up!" Harry murmured back quickly.
"—as if you… I mean you just throw it all away. I can't believe you can be so – so cold!" Oliver clenched his fists and let them fall at his side. "Right. Fine. All over as you wish."
The onlookers watched in amazement as Oliver brought out a book and threw it at Percy. The redhead stared at it uncomprehendingly.
"Read this. Then tell me you don't… You don't…" Oliver swallowed. "Because that could be the only reason why you're being like this."
"Like what?" Percy snapped back irritably, unconsciously cradling the book in his arms.
Oliver grunted in irritation, cantankerously pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I can't believe this. Read the title of the book. Then, if you want to talk, I'll be here at eight."
"At eight?"
Oliver looked fractious on his feet as his eyes sparkled dangerously. "I promised to meet Harry and Ron about letting them have some of tactic sheets for the Gryffindor team, Perce. My entire world does not revolve around you!"
Oliver turned on his heel; face flushed and head down he ran off into the snow angrily. Percy stared after him uncomprehendingly for a few seconds.
"Well-- that's just--" Percy spluttered uneasily, trailing off and sitting down
in an inelegant heap on the snow, the book still grasped tightly in his hands.
"Percy?"
Percy's head lurched up in shock to meet the curious gaze of his family and friends, and he stared at them his face tearstained and reddened. "How -- how long have you been there?" He finally spluttered, getting uneasily to his feet and looking completely lost.
"Not long," Charlie assured quickly, starting forward to help his brother, but Percy pushed his hands away.
"You had no right this was private you--" Percy just stared at them, his gaze wide
like that of a rabbit trapped in headlights, and he couldn't take it. Tears starting afresh, Percy brushed them
away angrily and just ran; pushing past his family, Harry and Hermione like
they weren't even there and thundering inside and up the stairs to his bedroom. The entire house literally shook as he
slammed the door shut.
"Elvis has entered the building," Hermione quipped gently.
Harry started to laugh.
No-one else got it.
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