"It's not that I'm doubting you," Percy said, sounding dubious, "But where did you learn how to do this successfully?"

The taller boy shook his head, jumping off the set of drawers on which he was perched. "You could have made that sound a bit more convincing, Perce," he chided. "Don't worry," he continued when Percy turned red at being called out, "We both know it's not something I would have studied on my own. Dad taught me during the summer – he heard that the Dementors were being stationed at Hogwarts, and he wanted me to know how to defend myself."

"He shouldn't have told you that," he replied, a frown on his face. "It was supposed to kept secret until the year started up again for a reason! What if Black had found out beforehand and figured out a way to get past them?"

"Come on Percy," he scoffed, "Do you really think that Black can get past Dementors without a wand?"

"Stop being a fool, Oliver. He got out of Azkaban, didn't he? And he didn't have a wand or outside help that time!"

"That we know of," Oliver replied. "Anyway, that isn't the point of this. We're here so that you can learn how to conjure a Patronus."

Percy shuddered at the mention of their motivations. He still remembered how it had felt when the Dementors had flooded the Quidditch pitch – intellectually; he had known the effect they had on people. But to feel it in reality had been something completely different. And then he had looked up to watch Harry-

The feeling of arms shaking him pushed him out of his memory. "Stop thinking about it," Oliver said quietly, pulling towards the couch at the side of the room. "If you keep remembering that, you're never going to be able to conjure a Patronus."

Percy sighed, allowing himself to be guided by Oliver. As much as he understood that he needed to stop thinking about it – well, it was hard to get the image of one's brother's best friend free-falling fifty feet from the air.

Oliver exhaled harshly, sitting down and pulling Percy beside him. "I know that it's not the easiest thing to forget," he murmured, "And I'm not telling you to do that. But if you want to get anywhere on being able to cast the Patronus, you're going to have to put it out of your mind for the next couple of hours, at the very least."

"And what do I think about in its place?" he asked, turning to face Oliver. "I know I'm supposed to think happy thoughts, but how is that even possible when we both know the reason I'm doing this? It's not like I'm here to randomly think about the vest moments of my life – I can't put the Dementors out of mind considering the fact that we're here to practice banishing them."

Oliver shook his head. "I forgot how obsessive you can get," he said fondly. "How about we try something a bit different instead?"

"Like what?" Percy asked, sounding suspicious.

"Instead of thinking about happy thoughts and trying to cast the spell tonight…why don't you just think about your childhood? You don't have to tell me anything – just think about it. Maybe it will help take your mind off the Dementors, and it will probably also give a number of memories you can try to use for your Patronus."

The redhead threw him an incredulous look. "Have you not been listening to anything I've told you over the past seven years?" he asked. "My childhood is hardly the best place for me to start looking for my happiest memories ever!"

"Perce-"

"I know, I know," he interrupted Oliver. "You think I'm overreacting, but I can't help it! My childhood was definitely not the happiest time of my life as far as I'm concerned, and you know it."

Oliver sighed. "Okay," he acceded. "Then why don't you tell me about what it is? That will still serve the same purpose."

"Hogwarts," Percy said, taking hardly a moment to think about it. "Hogwarts has definitely been the best time of my life. After it – well, at least it got me noticed at home for me, instead of mum telling me that I needed to spend more time outside with Bill, Charlie and the twins. And – forget it. The point is that I definitely prefer my post-Hogwarts life to the one I had before it."

Oliver turned to face him better, and Percy felt himself smiling involuntarily. He was definitely not going to let the Scot know how he had started to feel about him, and that one of the things that had made Hogwarts so happy for him was having someone's – was having his – friendship after so long feeling lonely at home.

The two of them were definitely unlikely friends. Oliver was the type of person who would usually prefer Charlie, or Fred and George, over someone like him. But for some odd reason, the two of them had been friends since the first day of Hogwarts – immediately after he'd been sorted into Gryffindor, barely two minutes after Percy, Oliver had declared him his new best friend.

And no matter how different they were, a fact that became more and more evident as the years passed by, the other boy had never strayed from that promise. Percy might not have been the best with emotions, but it hadn't come as a surprise to him when he had realised that he'd fallen in love with his best friend.

He looked at Oliver again, fighting the urge to sigh. What he was about to do was utterly idiotic, and wouldn't end anywhere good – but he knew himself. He wouldn't be able to ever conjure a Patronus if he didn't do it. His memories of Oliver might have been the happiest he had, but they were still tinted with a longing that would prevent them from being useful.

And while there was a part of him that would rather deal with Dementors unarmed than tell Oliver, he also knew that it wouldn't necessarily be only him in danger. He couldn't take that chance with anyone's life. Not his family's, who he still loved despite the fact that most of his memories of them were shaded with at least a little bitterness, and definitely not Oliver.

"Hey Oliver?" he whispered, fighting the fear that was trying to keep him from saying or doing anything else.

The other boy turned to face him, a bright grin on his face. "Yeah, Perce?"

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips, before pulling away. But before he could move away completely, Oliver grabbed on to him, pulling him back and deepening the kiss before letting him go.

"You could have just told me," he murmured after they separated.

And there was so much for the two of them to discuss, that much he knew. But for one of the only times that he could remember, he was happy to keep what he should do aside. He'd question Oliver later – and answer whatever questions the other boy undoubtedly had – but in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to return to making his happiest memory.

A/N: I hope you guys liked this! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)

This was written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, using the prompts Anywhere But Here, by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbours, specifically the lines "When I'm scared of who I can't be / You bring me sweet relief." and a picture of a rough sea.