Author's Note: Thank you to Burgundy Hope for Beta-ing this collection for me, and also supplying the prompt of Peter Pan which is used in the first chapter. There will be seven of these, published once a day. Please watch for the next chapter to come soon!
Disclaimer: The characters and the world they live in belong to the wonderful JK Rowling.
A Place of His Own
June 1983
"Fred and George!" Molly shouted up the stairs.
She had Ginny on her hip, leaning against the balustrade as if that could help her see the twins any better. The Hogwart's Express was due into the station any moment, returning the children for the summer holidays. She should have been there twenty minutes ago to pick up Bill after his first year, but first she had to get this lot sorted and into the Floo.
"Fred! George!" Molly huffed. "Charlie, go get your brothers. No! Ronnie, don't you move."
Her second rushed up the stairs, cracking his knuckles. Charlie was keen to see Bill after so many months of separation—those two were so close. Molly was a bit concerned that Charlie would be overly rough with his twin brothers, but she stuffed that thought aside. She needed those boys down here now!
Looking around, she noticed there was another one missing. Percy was nowhere to be seen. Honestly, he was the only who ever listened, and he chose this moment to ignore her order to stay put? Wherever could that boy be?
Still carrying Ginny, who was leaning sleepily against her shoulder, Molly wondered into the sitting room to find her third boy sitting on the sofa, book in hand. An admonishment was on Molly's lips, but it died at the sight of him. Gangly legs dangling above the floor, book held loosely between his knees, shoulders hunched, Percy looked very alone. Molly's heart gave a momentary squeeze, but then the clock chimed the hour.
"Percy dear, we have to go."
He looked up, eyes shiny behind his glasses. "Do you think Charlie will still want to play with me now that Bill is back?"
Molly opened her mouth to offer Percy assurance, but the words got stuck. The truth was Charlie would probably be so excited to have his best mate back, that he would completely forget about his little brother. Molly would remind him a dozen times not to exclude Percy, but she knew from experience that her words would fall on deaf ears.
"Come along, dear," she said, extending her free hand. "We have to pick up Bill. You're excited to see Bill, aren't you?"
Sliding of the sofa, Percy pushed his glasses up. "Yes, ma'am. Can I bring my book?"
"It's 'may I' and yes, you may."
By the time Molly and her six children tumbled through the Floo, the red steam engine was already in the station. Instructing Charlie to keep a hand on the twins, and noting that Percy already had Ron, she bustled into the depot. Parents were milling about, some of them leaning on empty trolleys, but no children yet. Thank goodness, it seemed they were not overly late.
Molly skidded to a halt, and craned her neck to see if any of the students were disembarking yet. "Fred, George, give me that right now! How did you get a hold of dung bombs?"
"Hello!"
At first Molly didn't realize anyone was speaking to her, then a tall, dark haired witch walked up, holding her hand out. Two boys with equally dark hair followed in her wake. Molly quickly stowed the dung bombs in her pocket, scanning the children one more time for stains or dirt streaks.
"Are you Molly Weasley?" the other witch asked.
"Yes."
"I'm Roberta Wood. My eldest son, Dougal, writes home about your lad Bill all the time."
"Oh! Yes!" Molly gushed. She shifted Ginny on her hip to shake the other woman's hand. "We have been regaled with all of their adventures. Bill's my eldest, too."
The two witches shook hands, falling into the easy talk of mothers about children and cooking and laundry. The two Wood boys lost no time in introducing themselves. The older of the two seemed to be Charlie's age, and before Molly could say 'Snitch', the two were bedeviling the twins. The other boy, tall and burly where Percy was tall and weedy, was prattling on about broomsticks.
"Ollie," his mother tsked. "Not everybody is interested in flying."
The boy looked at Percy with wide eyes. "You like to fly, don't you?"
Molly held her breath. Though her older sons loved to take to the skies, and the twins were incorrigible, Percy was rather indifferent about broomsticks. He'd fly if pressed, and he wasn't bad at it, but it wasn't first love.
"Flying is alright, I reckon," Percy answered.
"See, Mum, everybody likes broomsticks," Ollie said indignantly. "What's your name, kid?"
Roberta rolled her eyes. "I despair of that one."
"I know just what you mean." Molly laughed, but out of relief as much as anything. Percy was bright and kindhearted, but he could never seem to find his place in the world. Bill and Charlie included Percy, usually at Bill's insistence, but Percy wasn't really a part of the friendship the older two had forged. The twins wanted nothing to do with Percy, unless it was to take the mickey. Even at family gatherings with all of Arthur's brothers and their sons, Percy couldn't quite find a mate to pal around with.
"Is Ollie seven?" Molly asked. The boy was rather large, he could easily be older.
"He's eight," Roberta answered.
"Oh, I thought maybe the two of them would go off to Hogwarts the same year."
Roberta looked at them, brow furrowed. "They may still, Ollie's birthday is in September so he won't go until he's nearly twelve."
Molly brightened. "You know, I was just thinking your boys should come out to the Burrow this summer."
Once they had Bill collected, and parted with the Woods, Molly marched her children through Platform 9 ¾ to the designated Flooing area. The two older boys had Bill's trunk between them, Charlie chattering happily to his elder brother. Fred and George tagged after, too excited to have Bill back to get into mischief. She called out for each of the older boys to take one of the younger ones through the Floo.
"Percy, dear," she said, her eyes lighting on her bespectacled son for a moment, "where is your book?"
Percy looked up, his hand firmly wrapped around Ronnie's. "I loaned it to Ollie. He's never read Peter Pan and I've read it twice."
Molly smiled. "That was nice of you, dear. Now, off you go."
oOo
January 1997
Molly pulled her cloak more tightly around her as she stepped out of Fred and George's shop into Diagon Alley. Both boys had offered to walk her to the Leaky Caldron, but Molly insisted she could do it herself. It may be dangerous to walk alone through Diagon Alley these days, but she would rather do it herself than think about one of her sons having to make the return trip on his own. Not that Molly was foolish enough to think that her rebellious twins didn't do just that whenever they pleased. Tempting fate seemed to be their favorite pastime.
With her head down against the wind, Molly didn't see the burly young man walking up the steps to the shop until she nearly ran into him. "Oh! Oliver? It's been so long."
"Hi, Mrs. Weasley," he said, a small smile on his face.
Immediately, Molly wanted to ask about Percy. He had come to the Burrow briefly over Christmas with the Minister for Magic. Seeing his familiar face—and on Christmas, too—after so long had fanned the flame of hope she kept for her third boy. She had longed for Percy to come home so many times since that awful row with Arthur more than two years ago, and all of sudden there was Percy, in her home, near enough to touch. Of course, things had not turned out the way she would have wanted. The twins and Ginny had played their part, razzing their brother, and Molly had watched as Percy pulled up a shield of pride and stubbornness to hide his hurt at the rejection.
On one side, Molly was so angry with Fred, George, and Ginny for treating their brother so shabbily. Didn't they know how sensitive Percy was? Didn't they know how his estrangement had caused Molly so many sleepless nights? At the same time, how could Percy expect to walk back into the bosom of his family without harassment? The things he'd said to Arthur, the way he'd sent back all of his Christmas jumpers, had hurt the entire family.
Yet, if Percy had cut himself out of his own family, he still had one person who was always in his corner. Molly very carefully kept tabs on her third son, eating up any bit of gossip or tattle that she could find, and she knew his friendship with Oliver Wood never wavered. Looking up at the dark-haired boy who had grown so handsome, Molly felt about as near to Percy as she had in all these years.
Taking a deep breath, Molly forced herself to ask about happier things. "I hear Dougal's baby was born."
"Aye, just before Christmas."
"How big was he?"
Oliver held his hands up before him as if he were clutching a ball. "About the size of a Quaffle."
"Oliver." Molly shook her head, unable to hide her smile. "You never change."
Oliver blushed, shrugging one shoulder. "He's ginger, like his mum."
"Oh. Oh, how wonderful."
They lapsed into silence, but neither of them wanted to move away yet. Percy was there between them, Molly could feel it just as if he had walked up. Yet, both she and Oliver were having a hard time bringing up the issue.
Finally, Molly looked at her hands and said, "Do you hear from Percy?"
Oliver exhaled as if he were relieved that she was the first to say anything.
"About every day," he replied.
"And… how is he?"
"An idiot, for all that he's completely brilliant."
Molly smiled. "You know, he came to the Burrow for Christmas."
"I know." Oliver sighed again. "I tried to talk him out of it."
"Oh no, I'm glad you didn't. I mean, it didn't go well."
Oliver snorted.
"But I was glad to see him. He looks like he's lost weight. Is he eating well?"
"Um, I guess. I mean, I don't check to make sure his lunches are packed or anything."
"No, of course not." Molly pressed a hand against her forehead, laughing despite herself.
"But… he's doing all right. He works himself too hard, and has no social life, but I don't think that would be different if…" Oliver trailed off, stuffing his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels. "Well, I think he wants to come home, he's just such-such a bloody arsehole! Pardon the language."
"Think nothing of it." Molly reached up and kissed his cheek. "And thank you."
Oliver turned red. "I'll kick his arse, if you think it'll help."
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm sure that Percy is perfectly capable of punishing himself."
"Aye, that's half the problem."
"Well." Molly cleared her throat, feeling a tad overwhelmed all of a sudden. "Tell your mother I said 'hello'."
Patting Oliver's arm one more time, Molly stepped down from the storefront and made her way up Diagon Alley. When she looked back, she noticed Oliver still standing on the stoop watching her. She couldn't help but be glad that Percy and Oliver had become friends.
oOo
June 1999
The door was opened by Audrey, and already Molly could hear the baby crying in the background. She frowned at the girl, mostly because she still didn't like that Percy and Audrey lived together without a ring in sight. It had been a year since Percy had let that information slip (Molly thought he'd been hiding it from her beforehand), but what could she do? Like it or not, Percy was a grown man who was more than used to living by his own rules.
"The baby expert is in the bedroom," Audrey said, smirking a bit.
"How long has he been crying?" Molly asked.
"Long enough for Percy to start panicking."
Molly gave Audrey a hard look. "It's not funny."
"If you'd seen the way that Percy pompously assured Oliver and Katie he knew all about babies when they left Bobby in his care, you'd be singing a different tune."
Molly huffed and marched back to the bedroom of the small flat. She knew that Audrey was good for her son. The girl made him laugh, and she didn't let him take himself too seriously. More importantly, Audrey had helped Percy repair his relationships with his brothers after the war ended. Even so, Molly wished that the girl were a little more… well, traditional.
"Mum!" Percy sprang off the bed, his dark-haired godson in his arms. "Thank Merlin you're here."
He thrust the screaming baby into her arms. The poor child couldn't be more than five or six months old, but he was a strong, burly baby, and his face had gone completely red in his unhappiness. Molly held him close, wiping away tears from his cheeks.
"I checked his nappy, offered him a bottle," Percy said, ticking off each item on his fingers. "I tried bouncing him, and rocking. I sang, remember how Ginny always liked to be sung to? I even took him out for a walk. I mean, he's Oliver's child, he has to like fresh air."
"Percy, slow down," Molly said. "Where's that bottle?"
"Um…" Percy summoned it with his wand.
"Now test it please."
Dabbing the rubber nipple against his skin, Percy frowned. "It's cold."
Tapping the bottle with her wand, Molly smiled. "Now try."
"Perfect."
"Alright then." Taking the bottle, Molly shushed the baby, bobbing up and down rhythmically, until finally he accepted the nipple. Immediately, Bobby quieted down, slurping noisily and burrowing into Molly's breast.
"How did you do that?" Percy asked, pushing up his glasses.
Molly twinkled at her son. "Magic."
"Thank you for coming. Honestly, I-I reckon I forgot how to take care of a baby."
"Of course I came when you needed me." Molly nuzzled the baby's head. "Besides, I do like to hold a little one. Not that you and Audrey should get any ideas!"
A blush crept up Percy's neck. "Mum…"
"Living together before marriage is one thing, but having a baby out of wedlock is quite another."
"Mum, really…"
"It's not as if I don't know what you get up to in this flat! There's only one bed."
The bottle was halfway finished, so Molly pulled it from the baby's mouth and held him to her shoulder, gently patting his back. Percy's face was now bright red, which served him right. The baby let out a loud belch, spit up going down her back, but Percy was quick to clean it with his wand.
"You needn't worry about Audrey and me," he said, not meeting Molly's eyes. "We're… careful."
"Hmph." Molly let her disapproval hang in the air for one more moment, before she softened. "You could have called Roberta, I'm sure she would have been glad to help out with her grandson."
Percy shrugged. "I convinced Oliver that I would be an excellent babysitter, I didn't want him to think I'd broken his son."
Molly pretended to look at the baby as he finished off the bottle, but really she was watching Percy from under her eyelashes. It had occurred to her over the years that having seven children meant that she had two middle kids in some way. Percy was sandwiched between Bill and Charlie, who were so close, and the twins. Then there was Ron, wedged between the twins and Ginny, the only girl. Maybe, had they been closer in age, Percy and Ron would have made good playmates, but that was not how things worked out. Instead, both of them had made a family for themselves through their choice of friends. Could she have known, all those years ago when she met that Quidditch-mad child that Oliver Wood would grow into someone she kept in her prayers every night?
"Here, Mum, I can do that."
The baby finished his bottle, and Percy took him. Bobby nuzzled his head against Percy's shoulder, half asleep and content.
"Do you remember that book you gave Oliver when you first met?" Molly asked. "It was a Muggle book, wasn't it?"
Percy chuckled. "Yes, Peter Pan, I'd forgotten all about that."
"Did he ever read it?"
"Yes, remember? When he came over later that summer, we got covered in mud looking for pixie dust. Oliver wanted to see if it would really make us fly."
"Ooohhh," Molly groaned. Her children had a special talent for getting dirty, but it had taken a half hour under the hose to get those two rinsed off. Molly was quite certain that was the filthiest Percy had ever been in his life.
There was a commotion in the front room, then a small blonde woman in a black frock came streaking into the bedroom, snatching the baby out of Percy's arms.
"Has he nursed yet?" she asked breathlessly.
"Just finished his bottle," Percy replied. "But what are you doing back so soon?"
"Katie's milk came in and she had a complete break down," Oliver answered. He was standing in the doorway, leaning against one hand, a pair of high heels dangling from the other.
"I did not," Katie snapped.
Molly smiled. "You're first night away from the baby, dear?"
"Yes."
"You shouldn't have hurried back, I had everything under control," Percy scolded.
Oliver looked at Molly, then at Percy with one eyebrow cocked incredulously, but all he said was, "Party was a drag anyway."
"Well, stay for tea at least," Audrey said, appearing by Oliver's side. "I have the kettle on. Would you like to have a cuppa, Mrs. Weasley?"
"Oh no, dear."
The young people filed out of the bedroom, but Molly kept her eyes on her son. This was a small moment, in the scheme of things, but she was glad to be there to witness it. She watched Percy, tall and gangly, as he laughingly denied whatever good-natured accusations Oliver was making about his competency.
Thinking she would make a quiet exit, Molly went to the door, but she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into that familiar, freckled face. "Yes, dear?"
"Thank you for coming, Mum," Percy said, and bent down to hug her.
"Any time." She squeezed him tight because she could. "Now, have fun."
With a wave, Percy turned, and nearly ran into Audrey with the tea tray. Milk spilled as Audrey jerked out of the way, bursting into peels of laughter. Instead of looking clumsy, Percy laughed too, taking the tea tray and kissing the girl that he loved. He did not look in the least bit lonely.
A/N 2: Psst! Don't forget to review.
