I am very excited to get this story started. I actually have it all planned out, which is quite unlike everything else in my life. Basically, the chapters are going to switch between third person limited to Percy and Audrey, until a certain point (no spoilers!), after which the POVs will no longer be split.
This chapter is a bit shorter than the future ones, as it is introductory to the status quo. Enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: All the characters and plot of the Harry Potter series belong to J.K. Rowling.
1. Percy: Haunting Past
Fear always had a way of forcing people into thinking they had no choice but to surround themselves with impenetrable walls. Fear of the past. Fear of the future. Fear of the likely and unlikely. Fear of the unknown.
It was why Percy Weasley found himself in the Burrow one late July afternoon. Just like every other July, June, and May afternoon of that year.
Fear of the past was what truly haunted Percy.
"You know, I've heard that if you stare at a teacup long enough, the sheer force of your gaze will turn it into ten galleons."
Percy looked up and considered snapping at George to go away, as he usually did. He chose not to. It may have been out of curiosity, but mostly it was because he was tired of doing so.
George sat down next to him at the dinner table. "That's a joke, you know? You're supposed to laugh."
Percy only smiled lightly and gave a nod. He looked back down at the empty teacup.
"All right, fine, I'll ask it: what's on your mind, Perce? And let's keep it short. My attention span isn't all that great."
"It was all my fault, being the distracting git that I was." Percy hadn't meant to say that. His intention was just to not talk at all.
He concocted this strategy last week. Every time he talked, someone tried to cheer him up, or make him look on the bright side of things. He was sick of it. It was the same phrases each time, and they didn't work. So, Percy figured not saying anything at all would be for the best.
Clearly, that didn't work so well. At least he knew what to expect, and he mentally cringed in anticipation of it.
"A lot of things were your fault," George started. "Fred's death wasn't one of them."
Percy looked at George to see a solemn expression on his face. That was certainly unexpected. Usually, George's strategies included some kind of prank, joke, or trick. He had never said anything so direct to Percy in the last three months. George's coping mechanism included pretending to be happy the vast majority of the time, and avoiding all talk of anything sad. In fact, Percy couldn't recall George talking about Fred at all that summer.
"You need to get back at it, Percy. Go back to work. Get a hobby. Do something. If you sit here any longer, I'm scared you'll start growing a beard."
And there was the joke.
"I don't have any motivation to do anything," Percy said. That was a lie. It wasn't a lack of motivation–Percy had plenty of that–it was an excess of fear.
"No motivation? Really? Very well, then. You might as well say bollocks to Fred."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Percy exclaimed angrily.
"Fred was the first one to forgive you. Did you forget that? Pull yourself together, already, and prove him right."
"You know, it's still hard to look at you, George."
Silence fell between the two brothers. Suddenly, George said, "Well, mum said the same thing last week, so you're just as moody as her."
With that, George got up from his seat and stormed upstairs.
Percy had a nagging feeling that George was right. He had done very little since the end of the Battle of Hogwarts, as it was being called. Mostly, he had been at home, helping Molly with housework, reading, and brooding. Fred clearly believed in him, and he did owe it to him to start piecing his life back together.
Then again, Percy was scared. It wasn't that he didn't want to get back to work–it was what he wanted more than anything–but he really didn't want to get back to old habits. Another part of Percy, albeit a frailer and less Gryffindor part of him, warned of what might happen should he return to work. Back to putting work before family. Back to being selfish. Back to forgetting the important things, and valuing the wealth of his Gringotts vault over the wealth of his family's love.
His mind was at odds with itself. He longed to return to things as they were. Ginny was starting Hogwarts again. George was back at the joke shop. The dust around him was settling. Yet, the stark difference remained: Ginny and George had not been absolute cowards for the last few years. Their pasts were unmarked by poor decisions, but Percy couldn't say the same.
Percy slid back his chair and placed his teacup in the sink. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of something bright red on the coat hanger in the corner. He approached it and recognized it as a Gryffindor scarf. Merlin knows who it belonged to. Not that it really mattered, considering they were all in the same house.
Percy took it off the coat hanger and held it in his hands. It was warm and fraying, but most of all, it reminded him of the place he called home for seven years.
Where dwell the brave at heart.
"Oh, is it yours?"
Percy turned around quickly to see Molly standing behind him. She was still pale, and any sign of a smile was slight. Fred's death had undoubtedly been hardest on Molly, and it only pained her further to see Percy's guilt diminishing every parcel of his soul.
"Honestly, I don't know," Percy answered. "Doesn't matter much."
"Well, do give it here, anyways. I've got to fix those fraying ends. Honestly, you boys tear up everything, and Ginny isn't much better."
Percy looked down at the wool scarf in his hands. Red and gold faded away by time, and yet they appeared to be bolder and brighter than ever. Percy handed the scarf to Molly.
"Mum, I'm sorry," he said suddenly.
Molly frowned lightly. "For what, dear?"
Yeah, Perce, for what? For being a coward, that's what, you prick.
"Uh... I can't help you with the garden today. I've got some things to do, if you don't mind."
Molly's face brightened with the biggest smile Percy had seen in the last three months. "Oh, Percy, of course I don't mind."
With that, Percy stepped outside the Burrow and apparated away. He really did have plenty of work to catch up to.
Yay! Just a fair warning: while this is a Percy/Audrey story, it's also about Percy and Audrey piecing their lives back together and trying to figure out their lives.
That being said, I should let you know in advance that I have a bit of a different (controversial, if you will) view of Audrey. There isn't any information on anything about her, so I let my mind go crazy.
All reviews and favourites are much appreciated :)
