Searchign for Audrey: introduction
by: Lovelyrubberboots
Disclaimer: if you recognize it I don't own it.
Thank you in advance for reading and reveiwing.
Audrey Peterson's morning began simply. She'd gotten out of bed, taken a shower and gotten dressed. Her husband had made breakfast and woken up their child, a little girl, with blonde hair and a messy braid. After her husband left for work Audrey re-did the braid and walked her daughter to school. From there she got on a bus and headed down to her office, a fairly impressive building in the heart of the city. Smiling she got in the elevator, chatting with a co-worker.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?" the co-worker remarked, as they rode up to one of the top floors.
"Very. I noticed several bird while walking Hannah to school today,"
"She's nine, right?"
"Yes. She'll turn ten in… Well, what day is it today?" Audrey asked.
"July 7th," the co-worker said promptly.
"She'll turn eight in twenty days," Audrey said proudly, and smiled at her co-worker. Suddenly, Audrey's smiled faded, "July 7th? Today's the seventh?" Audrey asked.
"Yes – is something the matter?"
"Oh –" Audrey paused, "No, I just forgot about a meeting I have today. Excuse me," Audrey got off the elevator quickly, happy to be at her floor. Quickly she walked through the rows of workstations and entered her office. She closed the door and lowered the blinds and fell into her chair. July 7th. She thought about what year it was quickly and sighed. Nineteen. They'd be turning nineteen today.
Nineteen years, 8 months earlier.
Twenty-One year old Audrey stepped out of the bar. She was barely able to stand on her own, but luckily she had Percy. Percy Williams, was his name. Maybe. She couldn't quite remember, and she was guessing her might not either. They had both had too much to drink. Really she needed to be going to bed. But instead she and Percy were headed off to her apartment. Audrey rarely had one night stands, but it had been a bad day a work for her (and apparently for him as well). She didn't care. What was the worst that could happen?
Five months after that.
April Fools. Percy had hoped she was playing an April Fool's day joke on him, but her swollen stomach and serious face suggested otherwise. Percy mentally cursed himself for having gone out for coffee. He shouldn't have been frequenting muggle shops. And goodness forbid he was seen talking to one – there was a war going on. Quietly Percy had suggested they go somewhere more private to talk. She'd agreed and they'd quietly headed out the back of the store and down an alley. It made her oddly uncomfortable at first to be walking down side streets with a man constantly looking over his shoulder. But she soon found herself enjoying the walk, even if her feet were tired and swollen and even if her back did hurt slightly. She never knew that Percy had confounded her twice in the trip and given her a cheering charm.
At his apartment Audrey had spoken first, explaining he could have a role in raising their children (she was pregnant with twins. Audrey had learned that a month ago) and blah blah blah. She was quite glad to have run into him, but she also explained that she'd be fine raising the children on her own. Percy had given her a sad smile.
"Audrey…" he started, looking extremely pale. She thought he was going to tell her he was dying of some horrible disease, "Audrey. I'm a wizard," she didn't believe him at first. But after some spellwork she did.
"I'm a pureblood wizard, which means that there's almost a 100 percent chance that our child, erm, children" Percy corrected himself, "Will be magical too." And is if this weren't enough of a shocker for Audrey, there was more. Percy went on for what seemed like ages about a war and and some crazy guy and some things called muggles and his job at the ministry and more.
"Percy, I can't raise these children," she finally said, interrupting him.
"But I thought you said you could? And would?" Percy reminded her.
"That was before I knew they'd be… like you. I can't raised wizards,"
"Audrey, muggles to it all the time,"
"What?"
"Non-Magical people like you raise magical children all the time," Percy said again.
"Look here, Percy. I'd have enough on my plate in trying to raise two perfectly normal children. I can't raise two magical children," she glared at him, the cheering charms were obviously wearing off, "Now, you can either take care of them or I can put them up for adoption," Audrey said.
It had worked. They agreed that Percy would take the children once they were born and once the war Percy had talked about was over.
The next time she saw him was in early May, about a month after they'd last run into each other, when he burst into her apartment, looking ten years older than he had the last time she'd seen him. He told her everything that had happened in the last month, including something about a large battle at a school. It was all very strange. Percy cried several times as he told her what had happened, and Audrey almost felt a bit of pity for him.
When it was all said and done he took a small owl out of his coat. He explained that he wanted to be their when his children were born.
"Daughters. It'll be two girls," she told him, touching her stomach lightly.
Percy smiled, a true and genuine smile, before he explained the owl. He told her just to write out whatever hospital she was going to on a piece of paper and to give it to the owl.
"Tell the owl to find Percy Weasley,"
Two months later, after her water broke, that was exactly what she did.
Percy got the owl at a family dinner. The dinner was unusually cold and harsh. In all the fuss since the war had ended Percy had almost forgotten to tell his parents that they were going to be grandparents. He'd told them the news mid-June, and hadn't quite expected the reaction her got. Percy had expected a lecture about becoming a father at twenty-two. He'd expected a lecture about how to be a good man. He'd expected his mother to cry, with both grief and joy. He'd expected some good-natured jokes about the situation and he expected things to be a little awkward. And that was exactly what had happened when he told them.
Just as they were eating dessert the owl had swooped in and Percy had felt a giant swoop of nerves at the news. His mother had cried again and his family had asked to come, but when he told them how scared Audrey had been by just one wizard they hung back, asking him to keep in touch however possible. Percy knew though that the most he'd be able to do was send a patronus when they were done.
After the girls were born Audrey hadn't talked to Percy. She didn't look at the children. All she did was ask him what he was naming them. Percy hadn't thought of it and said the first two female names that popped into his mind.
"Molly and Ginevra," he said.
"No," Audrey had said, "Not Ginevra. Pick another name," Percy nodded, trying to think up another name, any name other than his sister's.
"Lucy,"
"Fine." She said turning away from him.
Later, the nurse would ask him for middle names. Percy thought about it for a moment again, trying to decide. He'd thought Audrey was going to name them.
"Molly Alodia Weasley and Lucy Olivette Weasley," he told the nurse after several minutes, remembering the two names from his History of Magic NEWT. The nurse just nodded and asked him to spell the names.
Five days later, Percy took Molly A. Weasley and Lucy O. Weasley to his home, and realizing he had no cribs, no diapers and no baby supplies at all, took them to the burrow. It was one of the most nerve wracking experiences of his life, taking two newborn babies in a muggle cab, to Diagon Alley and in the Floo network, all the time having women coo over the two girls.
"Mom!" Percy called out over the screams and cries of his two daughters, when he finally got to the burrow.
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