The Summer After the Goblet Part 2

By Indus

Disclaimer: Again, no copyright of JK Rowling and publishers of Harry Potter intended. This is for non-commercial uses only. Any original characters are mine and I am usually willing to share if my permission is asked.

Last chapter: Death Eaters attempt to strike at the Weasleys and the Ministry of Magic together when they send an exploding letter to Percy at his office. However, Percy triggers the explosion by opening the letter with his wand when working late at night instead of in the day when other people could have been hurt, and he was reaching for a quill (btw I said pen in the first chapter… sorry) so the desk provided him some shelter and he is still alive. This happened a couple of weeks after the end of Harry's first year. Not much has changed, and the witching world is back to normal, divided as ever about the return of Voldemort. But the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione are still coming to terms with the events of that horrible day.

It was at about six p.m. when they found Percy, huddled against a bolder with the desk over him, protecting much of his body from the blast. His face, however, was another story, and every witch and wizard present had to avert his/her eyes from the sight of him being carefully floated to an awaiting stretcher, which was levitating a few feet off the ground and controlled by two witches simultaneously. As he grabbed Ron's shoulder, giving as well as receiving comfort, Harry couldn't help noticing that two people still stared at Percy: his mother and Oliver. And he realized that all that mattered was that he was alive. For a minute, after a shout had gone up they had all thought he was dead, since it seemed impossible that Percy should survive unless he had not been at the Ministry. So when he was discovered everyone thought he was dead. Then rescue workers had levitated some rubble and said he was still alive.

They waited at the hospital until a female healer came to meet them. The waiting room became quiet, and Harry snapped to attention. Being in a magic hospital had momentarily distracted him. It was not too big as most people were sent back within a few days.

"Hello, I'm Amana, wise woman and healer from the wildlands."

"I'm Arthur Weasley, from the Ministry of Magic, and this is my mate, Molly," Ron's father said heavily, but quickly. He was impatient to get past the formalities, but he knew better than to anger his son's healer.

"Please sit down. Now, within a couple of weeks, your son will be able to go home, and his health will improve for the next few months. By August, he should be as healthy as he was before. The problem is with his face…" As Mrs. Weasley's face whitened, Amana continued.

"We were able to begin knitting the bones, and the burns, though very deep and intense, should heal with time and the scars will disappear by next year. However there was something we could not help. I'm very sorry to have to tell you that Percy is quite blind."

Suddenly, Harry knew that he would not have changed places with Ron for the world. Dursleys, cupboards, guardians who could not guard and evil wizards did not make life as bad as what the Weasleys were going through. With Voldemort on the rise, they would need all the help they could get. Now it was so much harder to protect Percy. The Weasleys were also struggling financially, and aside from the expense of Percy's care, they relied heavily on him being able to support himself and even send some money home.

Oliver sat still, in shock, as Molly Weasley broke down. Dimly, through the rushing in his ears, he heard the healer tell them they could see Percy, although he would not be awake until tomorrow at the least. He had regained consciousness and then they had sedated him until his injuries would not cause him much pain. But during those moments of clarity he had demanded the details of his injuries, and apparently he met the news of his blindness with quiet acceptance. That broke through Oliver's daze, and he was suddenly angry. Percy should have been told when his lover was there on hand to help. That anger helped him see the situation more clearly, and his quick mind showed him the path he had to take.

He stood up. "I feel the need to tell you all that Percy and I secretly contracted several months ago."

Although Harry and Hermione were somewhat confused, the Weasleys immediately rose and threw questions at Oliver, who calmly waited for the babel to die down a little and then raised his hand, signifying a need for silence.

"We did not tell you because we wanted it to be a surprise. Then all this happened with Voldemort and we thought you had enough on your plates. We know you tolerate out relationship, but we also know it doesn't make you all very happy, and that the Ministry is still a little conservative about the ceremony of the contract, even though it is open-minded about homosexuality in general. For the sake of Percy's career, we wanted to face the world as a family. A couple of weeks ago, we were approved for the adoption of a two-year-old girl, and our once a week visiting period will be finished by the end of September. It is decided that on the first of October we shall take her home."

Dead silence followed his words.

He continued," We knew we wanted her when we saw her. Her face was as bright a red as any of yours. We traced her family tree back about three hundred years until we came to a Weasley, so she must be a distant cousin of yours. Her father is unknown and her mother died giving birth, so she did not have a name, just a number. When you see her, she is a direct ringer for Ginny, and even Percy, with her bright red hair and warm brown eyes. But she mostly reminded us of someone else, who is not genetically a Weasley. The first time we saw her, she was twisting a boy's ear because he had stolen her doll. His name was George, so we had to call our daughter Molly Weasley-Wood."

His voice cracked as he said the baby's name, and so did the invisible bonds holding the Weasleys back. They all sprang on Oliver, shouting their congratulations and hugging tight. Closest of all was Percy's mother, who had found adjusting to her son's sexuality more difficult than anyone else. But at this moment all she could be was grateful that her little boy had found such happiness.

"You should go first," she whispered.

"That's not why I said this now. I would rather you all went first and I go alone at the end. I wanted you to know because I am Percy's next of kin. I will be the one who takes care of the medical stuff, including decisions and bills." Harry and Hermione exchanged relieved glances on hearing that statement. Professional Quidditch players were paid more for a game than Arthur Weasley made in a year, and although Oliver lived humbly, it was well known that he was quite rich. "But more importantly, his being blind means that there are going to be changes in my home, where he will stay during recovery. Now Molly, I know that you want to be with him, and you can come every day from morning to night, but I want Perce to be home, and for us to face our new life together, as we have done before."

Although Molly Weasley obviously wanted to pamper and care for her son, she knew that what Oliver was proposing was logical. She was just amazed that he was capable of making a speech like that mere moments after he found out his contracted partner was permanently blind. She did not see fall apart later, when he was with Percy in the hospital room.

"You listen to me, Perce. I don't want to hear any excuses." Despite the quiver in his voice, Oliver managed to sound like the Quidditch captain he once was, pushing his teammates to play better than ever before. "I need you, so very much. And so does little Molly. I called the orphanage earlier, and they were more than Ok with sending her to the home of a blind man, so don't think that this is going to make any difference. She will be with us in a few months, and our home will be complete. So you wake up tomorrow with the knowledge that I am here with you, and I will be there forever.