Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot, which is a pity; I'd make a good
mistress.
A/N I didn't intend for it to be this long, it just kinda kept writing itself.
Percy came storming down the stairs from his dormitory, looking furious. He cast a quick glance round the common room, but not finding his object he settled on his younger brother, Ron, and Harry, who were doing their homework in the prized seats right by the fire. Drawing himself up, putting every ounce of his authority as head boy in to his posture, he headed over to them.
"Oh, no" said Ron under his breath
"Have either of you two seen Oliver? Harry, did you see him at Quidditch practice this afternoon?"
"Er, yeah, I did, but he went off really quickly as soon as practice ended, said he had something important to do."
Percy almost snorted, but stopped himself just in time, remembering the scene that had greeted him as he returned from the library, hoping for a little relaxation time before supervising the library that evening.
"Well, if you do see him, would you tell him that I'm looking for him? By the way Ron, you should take better care of your homework." Percy tossed this last comment over his shoulder as he headed out of the common room, plainly on the war path. Ron and Harry felt distinctly sorry for Oliver Wood, pitying him for being Percy's only roommate, the only one who had to put up with the incessant studying and adherence to the rules. Their pity lasted only a few seconds, as Ron looked down to find his history of magic essay slowly smouldering, then realised, too late, that homework and the fireside don't mix.
Percy decided he'd have a quick look down at the Quidditch pitch before he went on duty, he really was mad at Oliver. After seven years of being roommates, the Quidditch star had still not outgrown his love of childish pranks. Percy remembered that he had enjoyed the odd prank, and even pulled a few himself, they had been a lot closer in their first few years. But then, something happened, Percy still wasn't sure quite what it had been, but Oliver had become the star of the Quidditch team, which earned him a great many friends and admirers, and Percy had been pushed out. Still, he acknowledged to himself, he had made no effort to maintain his friendship with Wood, they were both to blame. So now, by their seventh and final year, Weasley and Wood had settled in to a pattern of cordiality, with the occasional upset in the form of one of Oliver's pranks.
By this time, Percy had reached the pitch and was not surprised to see a lonely figure saving bewitched Quaffles, circling the hoops at one end. He settled down to wait in the stands, duty could wait, it was a few hours before his shift started, he had been planning to put in some extra hours, but now he had something better to do. His anger had burned away, but instead there was a need to talk to his roommate, really talk. Percy couldn't explain it, but he had learned to trust his instincts, most of the time. He waited for some time, watching Wood save goal after goal, admiring the technique, even if Percy himself had no idea how to play Quidditch, he could still see that Wood was a superb flyer. Finally, Wood noticed that he had an audience and landed close to the stands, motioning to Percy to join him on the pitch.
Percy hurried down, trying to maintain his angry face, looking at Oliver over the top of his horn rimmed glasses, but he almost dissolved in to laughter at the guilty look on Oliver's face. He held on to his stern face and just looked at Oliver, watching him grow more and more uncomfortable, until Wood was almost squirming under the unexpected scrutiny. He blushed from the roots of his hair right down to his neck, where the blush blended beautifully with his scarlet Quidditch robes. Usually, Percy just yelled about school rules and propriety, and then left, this new method was beginning to scare Wood a little.
"Can we just sit and talk for a minute?" asked Percy, startling Wood, who merely nodded.
They sat in the stands of the pitch, in an awkward silence for a few moments, then Oliver gathered his courage and spoke
"Are you very mad? I know that it was wrong of me, but it seemed funny at the time"
"Well, it would have been funny, had it happened to someone else" said Percy, referring to the prank Oliver had played on him, filling their dorm room with animals from the magical creatures classrooms, all of which had been fed a large quantity of jumping beans. "But as it happens, there's a few other things I'd like to talk to you about"
"This sounds ominous" said Wood, trying to make a joke and lighten the tension which seemed to have inexplicably settled over the two boys.
"No, not really, I just think it's time we had a proper talk. We used to be good friends, and I'm not quite sure what happened, but I've got too few to start throwing friends aside." Percy was surprising Oliver by what he was saying, but he was also surprising himself. He never expected to actually say all this, he wasn't used to taking the initiative in situations like this but, Percy thought to himself, he might as well get it all out; after all, they'd be leaving for good in a few months time.
"I know we're not particularly close, but we are the only Gryffindor boys this year, so I think we should make the effort to be more friendly toward each other, if only because we'll have to speak to each other at the reunions" Percy finished with a little chuckle, trying to lighten the mood in his turn. "But these pranks you keep playing aren't helping, you know. I mean, the first few were pretty funny...the time you bewitched my pillows to fight with me was...well it was a good bit of magic at least. But sometimes you just go a bit far Ol, these animals have left droppings all over the room, not to mention that whatever you gave them has made them all unapproachable and hyperactive. I mean, that time you put the Bludgers in my bed was a bit too much..." here Percy trailed off, absent mindedly rubbing his side, where one of the Bludgers had broken two ribs. He vaguely realised that Wood wasn't looking at him, staring at his feet instead.
"Ol? Are you listening?"
At the sound of the nickname Wood's head lifted slightly and he turned to look Percy full in the face.
"Alright, I'll talk about things, but you've got to promise not to say anything until I've finished, ok? Promise?"
Percy merely nodded and settled back to listen to Oliver's excuses, mentally rolling his eyes.
"Ok, in about the third year, everything was going well with my Quidditch, and everyone wanted to be my mate. It was flattering to have the older guys wanting to be friends with me, and it felt good to be admired by the younger ones. And you weren't there. Remember when you got an A in Potions (A/N, A is for Acceptable, just a pass grade), and you just went crazy. You started spending all your time in the library and doing extra study, so I couldn't share things with you as much as we had before. And then, it was just like I didn't know you as well, you stopped talking to me, so I stopped talking to you. And it was hard, because I thought we were good friends...." Oliver stopped talking and stole a look at Percy.
Percy was sitting still, a stricken expression on his face. He had no idea, all this time he'd been blaming Wood, but in fact it had been his own fault. He turned to Oliver
"I had no idea. I'm sorry; I really was a bit of an ass, wasn't I? Well, allow me to apologise for...well, being an idiot really. I truly do want to be friends with you, proper friends, not just like 'a card at Christmas'. Can you forgive me?" he asked.
This new Percy was a bit of a mystery to Oliver, but he was happy that the old straight-laced stickler for the rules seemed to have taken a break, if only for a little while.
"Of course I can' smiled Oliver, his Scottish accent even more marked with relief, 'if you can forgive me for the pranks"
"I'll forgive you for the pranks if you'll tell me why you played them. Is it really just to annoy me?" Percy was still smiling, but he also honestly wanted to know
Oliver muttered something and looked fixedly at the empty pitch. To Percy's surprise, when he looked over, Oliver was blushing again, a blush which only burned deeper as he realised Percy was watching him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that" said Percy, trying to ignore Wood's inexplicable nervousness.
Wood sighed, turned to Percy and said clearly "how else do I get you to notice me?"
"What!?"
"You heard me. I wanted to be your friend, I wanted to share everything with you, I saw you in the depths of despair, even though you didn't know I was there. I saw how hard it was for you when everyone liked Fred and George and you were left out. I knew that you were lonely some nights, and I wanted to come and talk to you, but I didn't think it would be appreciated. So I didn't. But...I wanted to."
Percy had been silent as Oliver continued to try and explain himself, getting more and more flustered as he went on. He wanted nothing more than to run away, the memories Oliver evoked were still raw and painful. But he couldn't just get up and leave, something was stopping him, a sense that more needed to be said. But Wood did not say anything further, and the silence was stretching uncomfortably, so Percy felt he must say something, anything.
"I didn't know you felt like that. If I knew, these last few years might have been a bit easier' said Percy with a somewhat weak smile. Truth be told, Percy had been quite affected by what Wood had told him. Time to stop being so uptight, he thought to himself. He turned to Wood, catching the Keeper off guard with a hug, whish Wood returned after a few seconds.
Percy broke the hug, and turned to leave, feeling an odd mixture of sadness and triumph that he had finally got to the bottom of Oliver's pranks, and sorted out what promised to be a deep friendship. He was halfway back to the castle, now late for his duty supervising detention, when Percy heard a voice calling him.
"Perce....Percy!' called Oliver, running to catch up with him, still in his Quidditch robes, 'there was something else that I had to tell you' Wood panted, tired after his sprint.
"Oh, don't tell me, there's something else you've put in our dorm, right?" said Percy, only half joking. 'Come on Ol, out with it, I'm going to be late"
Feeling that the quicker he got this out the better, Oliver made up his mind. He reached forward and grabbed the collar of Percy's robes, then pulled him in to a kiss. Not wanting to force himself on the Head Boy, Wood kept the kiss gentle, but was pleased when, as he tried to pull away, Percy's hands locked behind his neck, keeping the two boys together. When they finally needed to breathe, they let go of each other, both surprised at the effects of a simple kiss.
"What was it you needed to tell me?" whispered Percy
"you need it spelled out for you?' sighed Oliver, ' all those times that I played pranks and annoyed you, I needed you to notice me somehow, I love you, I have for a while now and I just thought that the best way to tell you was to show you. We'll be leaving in a few months time, so there won't be as much time left for us to feel awkward around each other. I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable, or whatever. I just thought since we were sharing back there, that now was a good time to let you know..."
Any reservations Oliver had about Percy's feelings were soon overcome as Percy stared deep in to Oliver's eyes for a few seconds, then initiated another blistering kiss.
"I'm glad you told me"
A/N I didn't intend for it to be this long, it just kinda kept writing itself.
Percy came storming down the stairs from his dormitory, looking furious. He cast a quick glance round the common room, but not finding his object he settled on his younger brother, Ron, and Harry, who were doing their homework in the prized seats right by the fire. Drawing himself up, putting every ounce of his authority as head boy in to his posture, he headed over to them.
"Oh, no" said Ron under his breath
"Have either of you two seen Oliver? Harry, did you see him at Quidditch practice this afternoon?"
"Er, yeah, I did, but he went off really quickly as soon as practice ended, said he had something important to do."
Percy almost snorted, but stopped himself just in time, remembering the scene that had greeted him as he returned from the library, hoping for a little relaxation time before supervising the library that evening.
"Well, if you do see him, would you tell him that I'm looking for him? By the way Ron, you should take better care of your homework." Percy tossed this last comment over his shoulder as he headed out of the common room, plainly on the war path. Ron and Harry felt distinctly sorry for Oliver Wood, pitying him for being Percy's only roommate, the only one who had to put up with the incessant studying and adherence to the rules. Their pity lasted only a few seconds, as Ron looked down to find his history of magic essay slowly smouldering, then realised, too late, that homework and the fireside don't mix.
Percy decided he'd have a quick look down at the Quidditch pitch before he went on duty, he really was mad at Oliver. After seven years of being roommates, the Quidditch star had still not outgrown his love of childish pranks. Percy remembered that he had enjoyed the odd prank, and even pulled a few himself, they had been a lot closer in their first few years. But then, something happened, Percy still wasn't sure quite what it had been, but Oliver had become the star of the Quidditch team, which earned him a great many friends and admirers, and Percy had been pushed out. Still, he acknowledged to himself, he had made no effort to maintain his friendship with Wood, they were both to blame. So now, by their seventh and final year, Weasley and Wood had settled in to a pattern of cordiality, with the occasional upset in the form of one of Oliver's pranks.
By this time, Percy had reached the pitch and was not surprised to see a lonely figure saving bewitched Quaffles, circling the hoops at one end. He settled down to wait in the stands, duty could wait, it was a few hours before his shift started, he had been planning to put in some extra hours, but now he had something better to do. His anger had burned away, but instead there was a need to talk to his roommate, really talk. Percy couldn't explain it, but he had learned to trust his instincts, most of the time. He waited for some time, watching Wood save goal after goal, admiring the technique, even if Percy himself had no idea how to play Quidditch, he could still see that Wood was a superb flyer. Finally, Wood noticed that he had an audience and landed close to the stands, motioning to Percy to join him on the pitch.
Percy hurried down, trying to maintain his angry face, looking at Oliver over the top of his horn rimmed glasses, but he almost dissolved in to laughter at the guilty look on Oliver's face. He held on to his stern face and just looked at Oliver, watching him grow more and more uncomfortable, until Wood was almost squirming under the unexpected scrutiny. He blushed from the roots of his hair right down to his neck, where the blush blended beautifully with his scarlet Quidditch robes. Usually, Percy just yelled about school rules and propriety, and then left, this new method was beginning to scare Wood a little.
"Can we just sit and talk for a minute?" asked Percy, startling Wood, who merely nodded.
They sat in the stands of the pitch, in an awkward silence for a few moments, then Oliver gathered his courage and spoke
"Are you very mad? I know that it was wrong of me, but it seemed funny at the time"
"Well, it would have been funny, had it happened to someone else" said Percy, referring to the prank Oliver had played on him, filling their dorm room with animals from the magical creatures classrooms, all of which had been fed a large quantity of jumping beans. "But as it happens, there's a few other things I'd like to talk to you about"
"This sounds ominous" said Wood, trying to make a joke and lighten the tension which seemed to have inexplicably settled over the two boys.
"No, not really, I just think it's time we had a proper talk. We used to be good friends, and I'm not quite sure what happened, but I've got too few to start throwing friends aside." Percy was surprising Oliver by what he was saying, but he was also surprising himself. He never expected to actually say all this, he wasn't used to taking the initiative in situations like this but, Percy thought to himself, he might as well get it all out; after all, they'd be leaving for good in a few months time.
"I know we're not particularly close, but we are the only Gryffindor boys this year, so I think we should make the effort to be more friendly toward each other, if only because we'll have to speak to each other at the reunions" Percy finished with a little chuckle, trying to lighten the mood in his turn. "But these pranks you keep playing aren't helping, you know. I mean, the first few were pretty funny...the time you bewitched my pillows to fight with me was...well it was a good bit of magic at least. But sometimes you just go a bit far Ol, these animals have left droppings all over the room, not to mention that whatever you gave them has made them all unapproachable and hyperactive. I mean, that time you put the Bludgers in my bed was a bit too much..." here Percy trailed off, absent mindedly rubbing his side, where one of the Bludgers had broken two ribs. He vaguely realised that Wood wasn't looking at him, staring at his feet instead.
"Ol? Are you listening?"
At the sound of the nickname Wood's head lifted slightly and he turned to look Percy full in the face.
"Alright, I'll talk about things, but you've got to promise not to say anything until I've finished, ok? Promise?"
Percy merely nodded and settled back to listen to Oliver's excuses, mentally rolling his eyes.
"Ok, in about the third year, everything was going well with my Quidditch, and everyone wanted to be my mate. It was flattering to have the older guys wanting to be friends with me, and it felt good to be admired by the younger ones. And you weren't there. Remember when you got an A in Potions (A/N, A is for Acceptable, just a pass grade), and you just went crazy. You started spending all your time in the library and doing extra study, so I couldn't share things with you as much as we had before. And then, it was just like I didn't know you as well, you stopped talking to me, so I stopped talking to you. And it was hard, because I thought we were good friends...." Oliver stopped talking and stole a look at Percy.
Percy was sitting still, a stricken expression on his face. He had no idea, all this time he'd been blaming Wood, but in fact it had been his own fault. He turned to Oliver
"I had no idea. I'm sorry; I really was a bit of an ass, wasn't I? Well, allow me to apologise for...well, being an idiot really. I truly do want to be friends with you, proper friends, not just like 'a card at Christmas'. Can you forgive me?" he asked.
This new Percy was a bit of a mystery to Oliver, but he was happy that the old straight-laced stickler for the rules seemed to have taken a break, if only for a little while.
"Of course I can' smiled Oliver, his Scottish accent even more marked with relief, 'if you can forgive me for the pranks"
"I'll forgive you for the pranks if you'll tell me why you played them. Is it really just to annoy me?" Percy was still smiling, but he also honestly wanted to know
Oliver muttered something and looked fixedly at the empty pitch. To Percy's surprise, when he looked over, Oliver was blushing again, a blush which only burned deeper as he realised Percy was watching him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that" said Percy, trying to ignore Wood's inexplicable nervousness.
Wood sighed, turned to Percy and said clearly "how else do I get you to notice me?"
"What!?"
"You heard me. I wanted to be your friend, I wanted to share everything with you, I saw you in the depths of despair, even though you didn't know I was there. I saw how hard it was for you when everyone liked Fred and George and you were left out. I knew that you were lonely some nights, and I wanted to come and talk to you, but I didn't think it would be appreciated. So I didn't. But...I wanted to."
Percy had been silent as Oliver continued to try and explain himself, getting more and more flustered as he went on. He wanted nothing more than to run away, the memories Oliver evoked were still raw and painful. But he couldn't just get up and leave, something was stopping him, a sense that more needed to be said. But Wood did not say anything further, and the silence was stretching uncomfortably, so Percy felt he must say something, anything.
"I didn't know you felt like that. If I knew, these last few years might have been a bit easier' said Percy with a somewhat weak smile. Truth be told, Percy had been quite affected by what Wood had told him. Time to stop being so uptight, he thought to himself. He turned to Wood, catching the Keeper off guard with a hug, whish Wood returned after a few seconds.
Percy broke the hug, and turned to leave, feeling an odd mixture of sadness and triumph that he had finally got to the bottom of Oliver's pranks, and sorted out what promised to be a deep friendship. He was halfway back to the castle, now late for his duty supervising detention, when Percy heard a voice calling him.
"Perce....Percy!' called Oliver, running to catch up with him, still in his Quidditch robes, 'there was something else that I had to tell you' Wood panted, tired after his sprint.
"Oh, don't tell me, there's something else you've put in our dorm, right?" said Percy, only half joking. 'Come on Ol, out with it, I'm going to be late"
Feeling that the quicker he got this out the better, Oliver made up his mind. He reached forward and grabbed the collar of Percy's robes, then pulled him in to a kiss. Not wanting to force himself on the Head Boy, Wood kept the kiss gentle, but was pleased when, as he tried to pull away, Percy's hands locked behind his neck, keeping the two boys together. When they finally needed to breathe, they let go of each other, both surprised at the effects of a simple kiss.
"What was it you needed to tell me?" whispered Percy
"you need it spelled out for you?' sighed Oliver, ' all those times that I played pranks and annoyed you, I needed you to notice me somehow, I love you, I have for a while now and I just thought that the best way to tell you was to show you. We'll be leaving in a few months time, so there won't be as much time left for us to feel awkward around each other. I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable, or whatever. I just thought since we were sharing back there, that now was a good time to let you know..."
Any reservations Oliver had about Percy's feelings were soon overcome as Percy stared deep in to Oliver's eyes for a few seconds, then initiated another blistering kiss.
"I'm glad you told me"