Percy and Penny. Penny and Percy. That's all it ever was anymore. It wasn't just one, it was always the pair of them when one of their names came up in a conversation. Why wouldn't it? The couple was nearly inseparable. However, Percy hadn't any control over that. Penelope Clearwater was the most annoying person at Hogwarts, or so it seemed.
"What is there to talk about with people who do everything together? I mean, we don't even talk anymore. We just… We're just there. We don't do anything! Oh, would you slow down?" Percy snapped at his best friend, Oliver Wood.
"You don't give her much room to talk, honestly." Oliver muttered, slowing his pace. "You kind of live in your own little world, it seems. You either don't hear her when she talks or you ignore her."
"That is not true!" The redhead protested, getting a little ahead of his friend. "She just hasn't got anything to say that she hasn't said a million times!" Just as Percy finished, a girl with wavy dark brown hair passed by the boys. She turned her head and wiggled her fingers at Percy. Oliver's eyebrows went up.
"What.. What was that?"
"What was what?"
"That."
"Oh, how specific, Oliver. Use your grown-up words, please?"
"You know what I'm talking about. That's… Who was that?"
"She's a friend."
"You don't have friends, Percy."
"You're hysterical, you know that?" Percy stopped abruptly. "If you must know, her name is Audrey. She's in Gryffindor, a year behind us. Are you satisfied?"
Oliver turned on his heels, looking Percy in the eyes. "I know that look, she's not a friend." His voice was now slightly hostile, and his face was no longer joking.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know bloody well what I'm talking about."
"No, I really don't, Oliver. Gosh, you've made me late!" Percy shoved past Oliver and hurried up the staircase.
Oliver, whose face was as fiery as Percy's hair, yelled after him. "You better not push your luck, it'll come back and bite you in the arse."
The Weasley simply pretended not to hear Oliver. Though, half the school probably heard Oliver's booming voice. Sure, he and Audrey had some eventful evenings. But it's not as if Penelope was all over him, wanting to take it to the next level.
There was a time when Percy's heart skipped a beat when he thought of her. He would do everything within his control to impress her. He would recall waiting for her at the end of class, so he could walk her to lunch. They both had so much in common, it seemed as if they were made for each other.
Then, Percy met Audrey. She was wild, crazy, and nothing like Percy in the slightest. But he loved her nonetheless. Audrey kept him on the edge, just begging for more. There was something about the way her hazel eyes had a twinkle when they spoke. He absolutely loved it when he brushed a lock of her wavy hair behind her ear, revealing her porcelain face. Then there was Penny, a simple candle compared to Audrey's bonfire personality. Penny… Wait, what?