Audrey and the Sunbird
Summer 1999
Percy, 23. Audrey, 22.
Beta read by kirstenalanna on .
Audrey Martin: A quirky waitress living her life in the moment, trying to figure herself out.
Percy Weasley: A serious man with no job trying to figure out how to start living again.
Thrown together by fate (and worried mothers) these two take a road trip to nowhere in a old, beat up car (the Sunbird) trying to get along without killing or seriously injuring each other.
My mother once said I could do anything I wanted but that I didn't want to do anything. In reality there were too many things I wanted to do and I didn't know how to pick. My two younger sisters had known what they were going to do their whole lives. Beatrice, two years younger than me, had always said she would work for the Ministry, marry a nice man, and have two children-a boy and a girl. She did just that, right on schedule, the only change made being that the Ministry she worked for was the Wizarding one and not the Muggle one. At the time this story takes place she was twenty years old and already rising up in the world of magical politics. Cara, a year and a half younger than Bea, was always going to be on stage as a dancer. By the time she was eighteen Cara was dancing her way across Europe. I was twenty-two at the time and still had no plans. I had a job waiting tables at small cafe in Ottery St. Catchpole... just waiting for my life to click into place like my sisters'.
My name is Audrey Elizabeth Martin Weasley, and this is how I fell for a boy named Percy.
OoOoOo
"Excuse me Miss, could I have some more milk?"
I looked up from the table I was wiping down. A young mother, probably not much older than myself, was at the next table over with her two toddlers. She looked absolutely awful, not that I looked much better, and I could tell she was one loud noise away from breaking.
"Right away ma'am," I said in the brightest voice I could manage at 3:43 in the afternoon. I was on my way back from the kitchen with the little cups of milk when Rory, my boss, grabbed my arm.
"Aud," he began, using the nickname I hated but put up with because Rory paid my checks. "When you're done with that your sister is on the phone."
"Which one?" Rory thought about it.
"The older one I think. The one with the dark hair." Beatrice, I sighed but nodded. If it was Cara I'd expect something vitally important to her but meaningless to the rest of the world. With Bea it's more likely that she's speaking for Mum. My mother called about once a week to ask me when I was planning on getting a 'real' job.
Resigning myself to the unavoidable, I groaned and stalked over to the phone. I winced and prepared myself for the worst. With Beatrice, it was always the worst.
"Hello Bea."
"Audrey? Is that you?"
"Yes, who did you think I was?"
"Oh stop with all your sarcasm Audrey, honestly."
I could just see her on the other end, one hand on her hip, the spitting image of our mother.
"What do you need Bea? I'm working."
"So am I, I'm late for a meeting." I rolled my eyes, something she says isn't ladylike. I am regularly scolded by my little sister, she's too much like Mum for her own good. "And don't roll your eyes at me Audrey Elizabeth."
"Bea, drop the Ministry and become a Seer."
"Would you pay attention for once!"
"Sorry," I said sheepishly. "What did you call about?"
"One of the guys here has a Muggle cousin who's selling his car and I know you have this 'idea' about taking a road-trip and I was wondering if you wanted to look at it." Ah yes, the road-trip. I'd been planning it for a while in my head but never actually planned on acting on it. As a witch you get rather spoiled on the whole transportation thing.
"What is it? What kind of car?" I could almost hear the annoyed look on Bea's face as she realized she didn't have the information she should. "You have no idea do you?" I resisted the urge to smirk gleefully, but failed miserably.
"None, look, just come down and take a look alright?"
"Fine, I'll be done at 5:00, this better be good Bea."
"Of course Audrey, we wouldn't want to waste your precious time." She sounded just like Mum but I could tell she was smiling.
"Bye Bea."
"Bye Audrey."
OoOoOo
The car was a 1963 Ford Consul Capri, at least that's what the boy selling it told me. He was a Muggle with no idea what I was, he also seemed to think I was an idiot because his first price made me laugh out loud.
"I wouldn't pay half that for this." I told him, hoping I sounded convincing because in reality I would have paid double. I fell in love with that car the moment I saw it. It was blue, which had been my favourite color even before I was sorted into Ravenclaw. It looked old in a good way, like there was a special story behind it and not just the usual kind. It was the kind of car you would see in a movie or magazine and know you would never have one but if you did you would love it forever. In other words, I had no idea why this boy would sell it to a some no-good, lay-about girl with no idea what she was doing.
"Then no car."
I crossed my arms and stuck out one hip, Cara called it my 'really?' pose.
"That's fine, like I said, I would pay half for it, it looks like it's about to fall apart." That part was true. It didn't mean I wanted the car any less but it was a falling apart car. The boy, and he really was a boy, was probably off to some Muggle school and looking to get ride of a money hogging piece of crap before he left. At any rate we agreed on a price that was actually a little over half his original and I drove off in my brand new (slightly used) car. Thank God my father insisted we girls learn to drive even if we were witches. The ride was still eventful with teh car making strange noises the whole way. My parents rushed out to see what was going on. Bea was with them, she loved to see my 'mistakes' be discovered.
"What the hell is that?" Was my father's reaction.
"A car Dad."
"If that's a car I'm a chicken," he said loudly. Our mother looked horrified.
"Audrey dear, you aren't going to drive it are you?"
"Well what do you suppose she does with it Mum?" Bea asked, even she could have mine and Cara's attitude when she wanted.
"You girls are going to be the death of me I swear," Mum sighed before going back inside.
"Will you work on it Dad?"
My father was a mechanic as a teenager and still fixed our cars if he could.
"Of course, but you have to promise you'll be careful."
"Dad, I'm an adult, I can take care of myself." Bea snorted. "Oh shut up Bea, I'm older than you and that makes me an adult." As Bea opened her mouth to retort our father shooed us inside.
"Go bother your mother, I'm busy." We went inside with Mum to wait for Dad.
"Why are you so set on this Audrey? That car will be the death of you." I turned away from the window where I had been watching my father.
"No it won't Mum. And it's just something I want to do."
"Well if you must go take someone with you."
"Like who?" I asked as Bea held up her hands. "Not her?" I pointed to my sister. "Mum she'd be the death of me."
"Don't you have any nice, friendly, helpful male friends you could take?" I fought the urge to roll my eyes, my mother had no idea the type of person I hung around.
"No I don't, I can take care of myself,." I tried to say, again.
"I'll find one for you then, you can't go alone."
I sighed and gave up, flopping into the chair next to Bea with a beaten look on my face.