An Ordinary Love Story
The story of two ordinary people who shared an extraordinarily ordinary love.
He sighed as he stood at the end of the long queue, waiting his turn. After what seemed like ages, the line inched forwards, but just as the person before him took a small step, there was the clanking sound of metal grates, and the witch behind the counter put up a sign that read Lunch Break. The witches and wizards at the very front of the queue exclaimed in frustration and started to demand that she come back, but the rest were already dispersing. Percy groaned as he walked to the row of chairs near the wall and flopped down in one, placing his file on his lap.
Thanks to the damage during the war, a lot of paperwork had gone missing in the Ministry, and even the simplest of procedures would take forever. All he needed was a seal on his verification papers, but it didn't seem like he would get it any time soon.
He sighed again as he idly watched the yelling escalate. The witch behind the counter was long gone, and the ones in the neighbouring cubicles continued to feign ignorance, but the frustrated people on the other side of the grates didn't seem to care that their insults and pleas were falling on deaf ears.
"You'd think they would've found a solution to this by now," he muttered to himself as he sat back in his seat.
"I agree."
Surprised, he turned to his right to find a petite, dark-haired witch he'd never seen before sitting in the chair beside him.
"Er," he said awkwardly, wondering if he should tell her that he'd just been thinking out loud.
She turned wide, brown eyes away from the counter and fixed them on him, the corners of her lips lifting in a small smile. "They really need to get their act together. This is getting out of hand."
He nodded, cleared his throat, and said, "Yeah, they really should."
He thought that would be the end of their conversation, but the brunette held her hand out and said, "I'm Audrey, by the way."
Taking the outstretched hand after a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Nice to meet you. I'm Percy."
Her smile widened, and she began to list all the things that she thought would make things more efficient. As he listened, he couldn't help but feel relieved that he had someone to talk to while he waited.
-oOo-
He strode down the hallway, engrossed in the file he was reading, mentally making notes to consult his assistant about. Just as he rounded a corner, he ran right into someone. The force of their collision threw them both backwards, and in the process of regaining their balance, the papers in their arms went flying all over the place.
Stumbling, he caught himself just before he fell and squatted down as he began to pick up the papers.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the woman was saying over and over again as she knelt down and helped him. "I wasn't looking. Oh, I really am terribly sorry!"
"It's fine, don't worry about it," he assured her, although he was rather annoyed that she'd shattered his concentration and caused him to lose his train of thought.
He stood up with a sigh and glanced at the witch, picturing her to be on the heavier side, considering the force with which she'd run into him. To his surprise, it was the same petite brunette he'd spent over an hour talking to the other day.
She blinked, her expression mirroring his, and said, "Aren't you…"
"Percy, yeah." He nodded, half-smiling.
"Looks like we keep running into each other, huh?"
She laughed awkwardly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, and he cleared his throat. Although he would've probably been glad to have bumped into her some other time, he was far too busy at the moment and wasn't really in the mood for small talk.
"Well, I have to get back to work, so…" he trailed off, making a vague motion with his hand, and she flushed.
"Yes, right, of course. Well, erm, see you around, then."
"Right. See you around."
He nodded to her and walked off, feeling slightly guilty for cutting her off like that, but as he flipped open his file, he decided that such thoughts would have to wait for later. Right now, he had more important things to—
He halted abruptly when he realised that some of his papers were missing. Cursing under his breath, he spun around, and someone slammed right into his chest. Stumbling backwards, the heel of his shoe caught against the gap in the tiles, and he went sprawling to the ground, a shrieking Audrey tumbling down on top of him. They lay there for a moment, each catching their breath, and she finally pulled herself up and dusted herself off.
She held her hand out, as though offering to pull him up, and he took it without thinking about the fact that she was much smaller than he was. She nearly fell on him again, and face as red as his hair, she stepped back and waved her hands.
"I'm so embarrassed, I really don't know what to say. I'm so sorry. Oh, Merlin, this is so embarrassing."
She babbled on, and as he got to his feet and helped her sort out the papers, he couldn't help but smile. Her clumsiness was rather endearing. Something about this woman intrigued him.
-oOo-
"I didn't know you were Head of the DMT*."
He looked up from the papers he was signing to see familiar, twinkling brown eyes and a surprised smile. She held out a file and said, "The forms you requested from the education department."
He sat back in his seat and said, "I didn't think the Head of the Department of Magical Education herself would come up here to hand over some forms."
She rolled her eyes, and he motioned to the chair opposite him. She nodded as she took off her coat and slung it on the back of the chair before sitting down. "Now, that's not fair. You knew I was Head, but you didn't tell me you were."
He shrugged. "It never really came up."
She tilted her head, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I suppose not. Well, the actual reason I'm here is because I would like to discuss the pros and cons of adding the pre-schools in this list to the Floo Network," she said, pulling out papers from the file.
He was about to answer when he felt the sharp pang of hunger, and said, "How about we have this discussion over lunch? My break starts in a few minutes, and that's the only time I've got to spare right now."
She seemed surprised by the invitation but accepted it nonetheless, and rising to her feet, she shuffled the various papers and replaced them in the file. He strode around his desk and, as an afterthought, picked up her coat and held it out for her. She stared at the coat and then at him, and with a little, embarrassed laugh, she slipped her arms through and thanked him.
He smiled in reply, and as they exited his office, he couldn't help but think that she had a very pretty laugh.
-oOo-
"Percy! Percy, wait!"
He paused, one leg already in the Floo, and glanced sideways to find her running towards him. She reached him, doubled over, gasped for breath, straightened up, and said, "Here."
He eyed the envelope she was holding and frowned in confusion. Noticing his expression, she said, "They're tickets."
"Tickets?"
"Right. For tonight's show."
Racking his brains, he wondered what she was talking about when she continued in a rush, "Remember you told me at lunch the other day that you wanted to see that musical but didn't know anyone who sold tickets?"
Recollecting that particular conversation, he nodded. She smiled. "Well, remember how I said I happened to know someone who had two extra tickets?"
She waved the envelope, and he exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't actually expected her to get him the tickets. "What, really? I can have these?"
She nodded, and he accepted the envelope and thanked her. Just as she was about to say something, the wizard behind him grumbled about him holding up the line, and she stepped back hurriedly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for the hold-up!" She flushed and then glanced towards him, as though she was waiting for him to say something, but seeming to change her mind, she mumbled a goodbye and waved as she turned around and began to walk away.
He turned back to the Floo and began to step inside once again, but a sudden realisation dawned on him, and he called after her. "Audrey!"
She stumbled and spun around. "Yes?"
"I'll pick you up at seven!"
She laughed, a dimple forming in one cheek, and said, "Alright!"
As he stepped into the Floo and felt the familiar, dizzying sensation, all he could think of was her delighted expression, and he couldn't help but feel that something might just be going right for him for once.
-oOo-
He groaned as he placed the last of the papers atop the pile and stretched out across his desk. Revelling at the coolness of the glass against his cheek, he sighed and stared at his pot of ink, wondering if he would bump into her today.
It had been ages since their date, and both of them had been so busy that they hadn't even had time to eat a meal together. Every time either of them had a moment to spare, the other was waist-deep in work. They'd both been working overtime lately, but he still had yet to see her.
Groaning, he straightened up and stretched. Rising to his feet, he yawned and decided that, since he'd managed to finish his work early, he would go eat an early lunch in the newly rebuilt canteen while it was still empty. Despite what everyone said, he rather liked the mashed potato salad with sour cream and a dash of scallion that they served.
Trudging out of his office, he stifled another yawn and decided that he was much too lazy to walk to the elevator. Spinning on the spot, he Disapparated and arrived at his destination a moment later. Once he'd bought his lunch, he settled down at the farthest table and bit into his bacon and egg sandwich, humming as the taste filled his mouth.
"Mind if I sit here?"
He looked up to see her in all her messy-haired, bleary-eyed glory, and he immediately felt himself perk up. He motioned to the seat opposite his as he continued to watch her, taking in her dishevelled appearance and the shadows under her tired, brown eyes. She looked far more exhausted than he felt.
"Tough week?" he asked as he scooped up some mash.
She mumbled a reply as she scarfed down her flavoured yogurt and grabbed her coffee. He nodded, and the two ate in silence, neither having the energy to begin a conversation, yet still enjoying the peaceful quiet that settled over them.
Once he was done, he pushed back his tray and sighed, dreading having to go back to more paperwork. She leaned forwards and cupped her chin with her hands.
"Tough week?"
He snorted and shook his head. "Unbelievably. Sometimes I wish I wasn't the one who had to handle all the others' mistakes."
"Mmhm. Same."
She titled her head and smiled in the most adorable, lopsided way, and he felt the sudden urge to hold her tight in his arms and not let her go. Just the thought of not seeing her again for a while made his already miserable day even worse.
-oOo-
He glanced at his watch and quickened his pace. He'd promised to meet her across the street from the restaurant, but he was running late. Hoping he hadn't made her wait for too long, he rounded a corner and crashed into someone.
Throwing his arms out, he caught the railing with one hand and the person who had bumped into him with the other. Staring into wide, sparkling brown eyes, he saw his own surprise reflected in them and burst out laughing as a sense of déjà vu settled over him. She straightened up and watched him laugh with a wry smile on her face.
Once he'd settled down, she said, "If we keep running into each other like this, one of us is bound to get hurt."
"It wouldn't be me," he replied, giving her a once over.
She smacked his arm playfully and laughed; the sound of her bubbling laughter had quickly become one of his most favourite things. He'd picture himself waking up to her smiling face and her tinkling laughter, and every time he would come to the realisation that he was falling for her more and more.
Drawn out of his thoughts by her calling his name, he crooked his elbow and offered it to her. "Milady."
She giggled in a girlish way that made his heart sing, and as she hooked her arm through his, she said, "Why, thank you, sir."
He grinned as they walked across the street to the restaurant, and all the way through dinner, the only thing he could think of was that he wanted to spend every last moment of his life with this woman.
-oOo-
He turned to his side and propped his head up with his arm. Reaching forwards, he tucked a strand of her wavy curls behind her ear. The glitter from the Fly, Falcons! hat she'd been wearing earlier that day was still in her hair. She looked up at him, brown eyes shining, and he dipped his head down to capture her lips.
Once he pulled away, she smiled. "I was quite surprised that you could be just as passionate about Quidditch as you are with…" she trailed off, twirling her hand.
He quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"
She shrugged a shoulder.
"Well," he said as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "I suppose there's still a lot about me you don't know."
"Is that a challenge?" she asked, leaning back in his embrace so she could look him in the eye.
He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, but he couldn't keep the smug smile from his face. She flicked his nose and said, "Well, you didn't think I was such a good cook, either, so I suppose we both don't know each other all that well."
"Then it's a good thing I intend to spend the rest of my life learning everything there is to know about you," he murmured, watching as her eyes went round.
"What?" she whispered, and he leaned over her to grab his wand from the side table, and summoned the small, velvet box that was in his coat's pocket.
He clicked it open and held it in front of her, gauging her expression nervously. She stared at the simple platinum ring, the small cluster of diamonds making her eyes shimmer. He wanted to urge a reaction out of her, but he was much too anxious, so he remained absolutely still as she slowly tore her eyes away from the ring to fix them on him.
"Oh, Percy," she breathed, her kind, brown eyes glistening with unshed tears. "It's so… perfect."
"So…" he said, his voice catching. He cleared his throat and tried again, suddenly feeling overcome with emotion. "So… you're saying yes?"
"Of course I'm saying yes, you dolt!" she exclaimed, startling him as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
He pulled away after a long moment and couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled to the surface. "I love you," he whispered as he slipped the ring on her finger, and for the first time since he was born, he really and truly felt the depth of meaning in those three words.
She smiled, tears spilling down her cheeks, as she whispered back, "I love you, too. Now and forever."
-oOo-
The weeks before and after the wedding went by in a blur. All he remembered, and needed to remember, was watching her walk down the aisle, her beautiful white dress trailing behind her and tears streaming down her cheeks as she laughed. She had looked like the happiest woman in the world, and she made him the happiest man in the world.
He had never once thought that he would feel so passionately about something that wasn't related to his career or his goals, but she had a way of engulfing him in her warmth, and he had no qualms in drowning in those deep, loving, brown eyes of hers.
The only other people who were just as happy, if not happier, were the rest of his family. So much so that he had to finally put his foot down and tell them that they just wanted a simple, quiet wedding and nothing else. He also remembered that there had been a lot of crying on everybody's part, including his, during the days that led up to the wedding and on the day itself.
Now, as he waited for his wife to gingerly place the tiny, pink bundle in his arms, he felt as though his heart would explode from being too full. His daughter mewled quietly, and he leaned forwards and pressed a feather-light kiss to her little, ginger head. The edge of her mouth quirked upwards for a second, and he gasped in delight.
"Looks like she's happy to finally meet Daddy."
He sat down beside his wife and kissed her hair. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed happily as she snuggled against him.
Smiling, he held his family close as he said, "And Daddy is very happy to finally meet you, too, Molly."
~*To be continued*~
(*DMT: Department for Magical Transportation)
A/n: This was written for Round 13 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. The prompt this time around was probably the hardest one yet- we could write whatever we wanted. After debating over a lot [two] of possible plots, I decided that I wanted to write a Percy/Audrey one and ended up with this fluffy, adorable piece. I actually saw Audrey as this strong, tall, independent woman [similar to Astoria] after reading several stories, but while writing this I decided that a small, clumsy, bubbly Audrey is something that I absolutely adore and is someone who would be perfect for Percy.
Agh, they are just too cute, I cannot. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this piece.
Special thanks to my Cappy'tan and beta, lokilette.
Comments, opinions and concrit are always welcome! I live and breathe for reviews, as you know.
Lots of love~
Arty xx
