Hey everyone. This story was brought to you by Madam Ponfrey's Fun Fitness, Around the World, Magic Kingdom, Herbology Hangout, and Insane Prompt Challenge on Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For Madam Pomfrey's Fun Fitness I wrote for Preachers Bench's Color prompt of periwinkle. For Around the World I wrote for Melbs Tram Cuff Links's object prompt of expensive suit. For Magic Kingdom I wrote take a walk down Main Street USA's Disney Clothier object prompt of dress. For Herbology Hangout I wrote for Arranged Marriage Trope. For Insane Prompt Challenge I wrote for prompt number 203. Moresome of Percy/Oliver/Audrey. Warning for out of characterness. Word Count without Author's Note is 1,492. I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of Love for Three.
"Can I talk you?" comes the voice of one of Audrey's co-workers at the Ministry of Magic.
She can place the voice but the name eludes her for a few moments until she looks to find the red haired man standing next to her in an expensive suit. That's when his name comes to her. Percy Weasley. She nods her ascent that he can talk to her and waits for him to begin. When he starts to fidget nervously and look around she becomes suspicious of his actions.
"You can start any time you want," she tells him with a sweet smile hoping to seem attractive to him. "I don't bite. Unless you want me to that is."
Percy, who was trying to keep his composure because requesting this of a co-worker was embarrassing enough, took a deep breath. "I think it more appropriate if we do this in the privacy of my office," he told her. "That is if you don't mind?"
"I don't mind," Audrey tells him stand and flattening out her periwinkle dress as she follows him towards his office. She's surprised to find someone already waiting in his office however and is about to ask Percy about the man when he motions her to sit down. Taking a look at the attractive sandy haired man, who looks familiar like one of her favorite Quidditch players, then sits down in the chair next to the man.
"Audrey," Percy begins hastily a pretty pink coloring his cheeks making her wonder why he was blushing, "I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend Oliver Wood. Oliver this is Audrey. She's the one I was hoping we could use for the plan."
"She'd do perfectly," Oliver Wood, in all his hot Quidditch star glory tells Percy making Audrey wonder not for the first time what she wasn't being told by Percy.
"I'd do perfect for what?" she asked eyeing the two men in the room with her.
"See Percy's family is pureblood family," Oliver told her as though she would know the geneology of a the people in her office. "They're brought up to believe certain things and have certain values. About all sorts of things to be honest."
"But most of all among those thing is a good pureblood man is supposed to marry a witch," Percy told her a tinge of sadness coloring his voice. "Not a wizard."
"But there's a slight problem there. I'm not witch. As you have very clearly noticed and neither is Percy."
"Which means that if you wanted to get married you wouldn't be able to," Audrey supplied for Oliver who nodded. "But I don't see what that has to do with me precisely."
"You're a woman," Percy pointed out. "A rather attractive woman which would make both our mother rather happy if I don't say so myself. Don't you think so, Oliver?"
Oliver nodded excitedly. "That would provide them with the grandchildren they want and keep us out of their radar."
"Excuse me?" Audrey motioned their attention back to her. "What does that have to do with me?"
"We would like it very much if you'd agree to marrying both Oliver and myself," Percy stated in that business like manner he had about him. As though the whole idea was a business transaction and not something very personal for all involved in it. "You will be compensated for your time and energy if that is what you require. But we'd like to be able to tell our parents soon. So we need to know if you'd be agreeable to marrying us both sometime within the next few weeks."
Audrey could feel her mouth drop open at the words that had just left Percy's mouth. Had he truly just asked her to marry both him and his male lover? Was this really happening right now? Or was she still back in her bed in dreamland? But it couldn't be that. Could it? She couldn't really dream up something like this in her wildest dreams. Let alone her normal dreams.
"Audrey?" Percy's voice broke her out her thoughts.
"I'm sorry," she murmured shock coloring her voice. "It's a lot to take in. I just need..."
"Please," Oliver stated looking at her pleadingly, "just give it some consideration. You'd be helping us both out so much and we'd be very appreciative of it."
Percy looked like he wanted to say something but stay quiet upon seeing the look that Oliver was throwing him. "Just please get back to us as soon as you can," he ended up saying as he motioned for Audrey to leave.
Walking out of the office as though through a numb haze Audrey felt as though she was being pranked in some sort of way. She half expected Percy and Oliver to come out of the office and exclaim that she was being punked or something. That was the way it happened on the Muggle show of that name wasn't it?
"What's up, Audrey?" asked another of her co-workers, Hermione Granger, who was married to Percy's brother Ron.
"I think your brother-in-law is pulling a prank on me or something," Audrey whispered trying to make sense of it herself. "He just asked me to marry both himself and his lover Oliver. What do you think I should do? Do think it's a real offer?"
"I can tell you this much," Hermione told Audrey watching the older woman's reaction, "Percy doesn't pull pranks. He's too straight laced for that. So if he asked you to do that then it's him actually asking you." Hermione thought for a moment. "I can't really tell you what to do about the offer but I can say this. You have to do what's right for you and follow your heart. What does your heart tell you to do?"
Audrey sighed. "My heart is still a little confused but a big part of it really wants to help Percy and Oliver out," Audrey told Hermione. "But it's all happening to fast. Don't you think?"
"It doesn't matter what I think. It only matter what you think and feel about the situation and if a big part of you is saying that you should do this then I'd go with that." Hermione packed up her things to go to her Healers appointment she'd told Audrey about earlier in the day. "Just take this time to think about it and do what you think is right. Okay?"
Audrey nodded. "Thank you, Hermione," she called after the younger woman as she walked towards the fireplace to Floo out of there. "Have a good rest of the day."
After Hermione left Audrey went to thinking about what she would want done if it was her in this situation. Would she want someone to help her and her lover out or just leave them hanging? She knew she'd appreciate the help if it was her and she'd been brought up to do for others what you'd have done for you. Gathering up her courage she walked back to Percy's office to see Oliver and Percy in a heated discussion about something. Knocking lightly on the door she gained their attention.
"Come in, Audrey," Percy told her holding the door open for her. "How can we help you?"
"I just wanted to let you know that I'd thought about your earlier offer," Audrey told Percy speaking in the terms he'd spoken in earlier. "I also sought advice from a very trusted friend of both mine and your family. She helped me see the thing to do and I'd like to help you out. So my answer to your unofficial marriage proposal is yes."
Oliver's eyes widened in please shocked as he and Percy hugged each other. He then motioned for Audrey to join the two of them. "We'll have to get an engagement ring for Audrey," he told Percy to make it official.
"And one for you as well," Percy told Oliver as he placed a kiss on Oliver's lips.
"And me too," Oliver said placing a chaste kiss on both Percy's and Audrey's lips. "And we'll have to make our parents understand the arrangement we've got going here too."
"I think yours will understand more than mine."
As the duo broke into another bout of play arguing Audrey sat there and wondered what she'd just gotten herself into. But then the last thing either of them thought would happen happened. Arthur Weasley walked into Percy's office and it was now or never in terms of telling him.
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Love for Three.