"Hey, Weasley?" Oliver Wood was laying in his four-poster bed with his hands behind his head for the past three hours, watching Percy frantically packing his trunk. Now, however, he was sitting up on his elbows and looking curiously at the redhead. "Why have you never kissed me?"

Percy spluttered. "Why on Earth would I do that?" He could feel his ears turning red, but he bent down and busied himself with rearranging his socks so that Oliver wouldn't see.

It was their last evening at Hogwarts. Tomorrow, they would take their very last journey on the Hogwarts Express back to the King's Cross station, and most of them would never set their foot in the school again. Percy didn't know how to feel about this. Most people in their year spent the past few days saying goodbyes to all their friends, insuring each other they will remain in close contact even after they left school. But Percy didn't have any friends. He was never popular, always considered by others a bit of a killjoy, and so people tended to avoid him. He supposed he would miss the castle, yes. It's silent might, the magic etched in every stone, every tile of the building. He would miss the library, and perhaps some of the teachers. But otherwise, he quite looked forward to the change of scenery. He had gotten a job at the Ministry of Magic, something he always wanted, and he was excited to start and do his best. Somehow, he really believed he could make a change in the world, and what was a better place to start other than the Ministry itself?

So, instead of saying goodbyes, Percy spent the last days of term carefully packing his trunk and getting ready for his new job.

"Well," Oliver Wood mused, "you like me, don't you?"

Percy's years turned even redder. Yes, he did like Oliver. But Oliver wasn't to know that. The idea of him coming out like this was ludicrous. He and Oliver were never even proper friends, let alone anything else. Plus, Oliver was one of the most popular guys at school, tall, handsome, funny and good at Quidditch, it was easy to see why people (girls, mostly) idolised him. Whereas Percy… well, he was just the skinny glassed prefect and head boy who always ruined the fun in everything.

"What gave you that idea?" he asked, sharply.

Oliver chuckled. "I'm not an idiot, Percy. I can see they way you look at me. We've been sleeping in the same room for seven years, for heaven's sake."

Percy didn't reply. He didn't know it was that obvious, and he felt greatly ashamed. He intended to leave Hogwarts without anyone discovering his secret, and he planned never to see Oliver Wood again in his life.

"But the question is, why have you never kissed me." Oliver continued, brushing away Percy's embarrassment.

"I… I didn't think you'd want me to, I suppose." Percy stammered, still looking at his folded socks.

"And why did you think that?"

Percy felt annoyed now. What was it with all these questions? They haven't spoken together properly in seven years of living in the same dorm, and now Oliver was questioning him like the Spanish inquisition. Was he perhaps laughing at him?

"Well, for one, you've been going out with Olive Evergreen for the past three years," he gritted through his teeth.

"I'm not going out with her anymore."

"What?"

"We broke up a week ago. Had different plans for after Hogwarts."

"Oh," Percy said. He didn't know what should one say in such a situation. That he was sorry? Ask if Oliver was alright? He didn't look too distraught over it.

"So what are you going to do now?" Was the sentence he came up with, hoping to distract Oliver from the topic of kissing.

"Wanna play professionally. Try my luck in one of the teams. And most importantly, take a break from dating," Oliver shrugged. "But enough about that. What about that kiss?"

"Well, do you want me to kiss you?" Percy asked with an attempt at sarcasm.

"That's not the question, Perce. For once in your life, try to forget what other people want and focus on what you want. Did you ever want to kiss me?"

Percy was confused now. "Yeah," he said after a while.

"So why didn't you?"

"I already told you, I didn't think you'd like it. And in any case, you aren't even gay, are you?" He was shouting now, taking the defensive stance, but it didn't matter. They were the only two boy Gryffindors in their year and they had perfect privacy in the dormitory.

"Oh, don't you get it, Weasley?" Oliver sighed. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. What does it matter whether I would like it? Remember Daphne? How she kissed me on a dare in our fourth year? I didn't like it either, but she didn't care. She just went ahead and did it. I seriously don't understand your brother one bit. Always going about how ambitious you are. You are not ambitious, Percy. If you were, you would have done it years ago. But you never did. Because you always but other people's needs in front of your own. Prefect, Head Boy, always the best in everything, obedient, responsible, reliable, mature and quiet. A model student, a perfect son. You've only ever done what everybody expected of you. But when will be the time to start doing what you really want, Weasley? If you continue like this, you will end up with a sad miserable life and it will be all your fault. I suppose you would even marry a girl you don't love just to please your mother-"

Percy couldn't take anymore. His blood was boiling. He walked up to Oliver Wood and gathering courage he never really felt before, he kissed him full on the mouth.

That, at the very least, shut Oliver up. Percy's nose tip brushed against Oliver's and he could feel the other man's scent. It was earthly and grassy, a bit like a Quidditch pitch in the rain. Percy put his hand in Oliver's hair and pulled him closer. He could feel butterflies flying in his stomach, and he thought he was trembling a bit, too.

When he finally pulled away, he could hardly draw breath. He looked Oliver into his deep brown eyes, their foreheads almost touching, his hand still tangled in his hair, and wished this moment could last forever. But then he straightened up a walked back to his trunk.

"Are you happy now?" he shot at Oliver, slightly annoyed. He was beginning to feel great shame. He shouldn't have risen to his provocation, he knew that, and now he was regretting what he had done. Wood was now probably going to tell the whole school. It was only lucky they were leaving tomorrow and he would never see most of them ever again. What if his brothers found out about this, though? He would completely lose his reputation, they would laugh themselves stupid. Big Head Boy kissed Oliver Wood, the great Quidditch player. How amusing.

While wild thoughts were racing through Percy's head, Oliver just sat on his bed, his mouth hanging slightly open, looking as though he had been recently petrified.

"I never thought you'd actually do it," he said at last, looking more confused than ever.

Percy snorted, not looking at the other man. He wanted to run, he wished for the ground to open up and swallow him. He didn't think he could stand being in the same room with Oliver a second longer. He slammed his trunk shut and made for the door, when Oliver spoke again.

"That was a really good kiss, you know."

Percy stopped in his tracks.

"Thank you." He said stiffly.

"So," Oliver grinned. "How was it? Did you like it?"

Percy blushed crimson again, still standing nervously by the door. "Yeah."

Oliver's grin widened. "Good. Learned anything new today?"

"Yeah," Percy repeated. "You are git, Wood."

And they both laughed.

"Keep in touch, Weasley. And remember today," Oliver said as Percy stood in the open bedroom door. The redhead looked at him for a long time, and then smiled.

"I will."