Chapter 2:
Percy's next day started out good. His landlady came to see him to ask if he would look after the property while she was away visiting her children and their children, and their children's children, and their children. He became tired just counting them up, and he really wasn't interested anyway, so he stopped counting. Suffice to say, there were plenty of relatives for her to visit and she would be gone for a month. She asked him to feed her dog, Morag, and take care of the large house in which he rented a small flat. He did appreciate her giving him authority over the other 4 tenants. There were some changes he wanted to institute immediately. For example, his upstairs neighbors insisted on making potions until the wee hours of the morning. The fumes would waft down and he would wake up with extra larges noses, or funny colored body parts. Once he slept for 2 days because they concocted a new form of the Delta draft. Why they needed to redevelop a potion that had been effective for centuries the day before he was to present himself to Rufus Scrimgeour, he had no idea.
His landlady, Mrs. Penn, refused to stop their concoctions, "It's how they make their money." She explained. Percy wished they would get real jobs and stop bothering him.
As much as Percy enjoyed the power he now held over his fellow tenants, he did not relish looking after Morag. Morag was a boundless ball of energy who behaved with little discretion, and jumped frequently on anything around her. Mrs. Penn was given Morag by her great-great-granddaughter, Deena, for Christmas a couple years earlier and loves the little beast. Although Morag was not exactly little anymore. The dog weighed 50 pounds and when standing, reached above Percy's knees. She was some muggle mixed breed that Deena picked up at some muggle dog orphanage, or some such. Percy tried to pay attention, but was uninterested in Deena's muggle meanderings, despite Deena's beautiful, uh, eyes. Yeah, Percy did not allow himself to think about her other parts, although they also had interested him too.
He met Deena within days of Penelope's desertion. Penelope left for America to visit her uncle, Marty, and found a job as a marketer for some magical shampoo brand. She could not understand why Percy could not move to America to be with her. She went on and on about how this was a great opportunity for her and how he was only an assistant in the International office and how her job was more important. After weeks of arguments in which both said a great many unforgettable things, they simply stopped sending owls to each other. Percy admitted to some disgruntlement with the ending, but did not allow himself to think overly about it.
There were plenty of other women interested in him, Deena for example. Unfortunately, Deena lasted a month before she told him she needed someone who was there for her. Whatever that meant, he dismissed Deena from his mind and dwelled on his later confrontation with his upstairs neighbors. He smiled and failed to notice the quickly moving shadow as it slid beneath his door. He turned toward the kitchen door and cleaned the mess Mrs. Penn always left. It was as though dust followed her through the house. She also had trouble eating cleanly. There were crumbs all over the table and her cup had left a ring on the table. Percy sighed as he waved his wand. The dust, crumbs, and stain disappeared and his kitchen was spotless again.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something and whipped his head around. It was gone. Percy gripped his want in his right hand and backed toward the wall. The kitchen suddenly felt less empty than before and the light pouring in from the window lost its brightness. It wasn't the cold that preceded a dementor attack. It was something else, something, more alive and more personally menacing. He had the feeling something wanted HIM, specifically. While he felt the need to be needed, this was not what he wanted.
Percy started reviewing spells in his head. While at Hogwarts, he had studied dueling in the hope that someone would challenge him, but it had not happened. His table glittered brightly in the monochromatic room. Percy had decorated the already overwhelmingly white room with even more white, and some black for contrast. The table was mostly white, with black legs and his black chairs started clattering. Percy jumped and felt a coldness move along his nerves. The white daisies on the counter seemed to lose their life, even though they looked the same. Percy held still, he wanted no distractions from whatever was coming.
Percy's wand hand shook slightly when a shadow began coalescing between him and his table. He could see the glittery table top through the shadow and wished he could simply wave the smoke away. Why not…
"Levita sombra." The shadow was patently unmoved. Percy felt his confidence waver slightly. Maybe he should simply dispel the magic.
"Dispersar." He thundered. The shadow shimmered slightly and started growing larger. It's once amorphous shape started forming into some sort of beast. It was large with 2 heads, large ears, small legs, and big arms. As the form became more solid, Percy edged closed to the hallway door. Maybe if he could reach it, Percy could escape the vile wee beastie.
The shadowy beast started stalking forward. It still glided, despite having legs, they did not move. It picked up speed until it blew through him and the wall behind him. Percy gasped for air for it seemed the beast had taken his breath with it. It took several minutes before he noticed everything in his kitchen was unchanged from before the beast's appearance. He looked at the clock upon his wall. Less than 5 minutes had pasted since he last checked the clock, but he felt a great dissonance within his soul that had not been there before.
Percy shook his head to clear it and realized if he didn't leave now, he would be late for the office. What if they needed him for something? He was usually at the office 2 hours before anyone else. He was there if anyone needed anything. Someday soon it would pay off and he would get a promotion. He would have been promoted even earlier, were it not for his family's public persona. They couldn't understand that appearances matter. They could do whatever they want in private, but act normal in public. His father, with his muggle fixation, caused Percy to be teased, derided, and maligned when first he started at the Ministry. Were his father more normal in public, Percy may have still been a junior undersecretary to the minister.
Percy left his flat through the side door built onto the house after the centuries of existence by the rest of the house. He took 2 steps out and apparated to the Ministry. As he breathed in the smell of freshly varnished floors, he decided it was the smell of success, as he did every day. He vowed to be the most efficient he could be and to avoid acting abnormally.
He caught himself looking for a flash of blonde hair as he moved toward the lifts. Maybe Luna and her father would still be here. Percy privately thought there was little chance of Luna's father seeing Scrimgeour, yesterday, today, or tomorrow.
The lifts were working this morning, even though they did take more than twice the time of normal. Percy rounded the corner toward his Office when he saw a flash of gold out of the corner of his eyes. He felt a pressure in his chest and stopped to look to the right. Luna was standing, looking at a portrait of Nigelus the Wondrous. She was standing on the balls of her feet and humming what sounded like "Live with me Among the Felix Felicis."
"Hello." Percy tried to look nonchalant, as though he hadn't been looking for this girl since arriving in the Ministry. He walked toward her, maybe a little faster than normal, although he did make sure he didn't fall over his feet. This had been a problem when he was a kid, something the twins teased him about until he managed to get them detention everyday for a month their first year at Hogwarts. Percy did not consider that the twins would bore of teasing him about being clumsy when there were some many other targets around.
"Did you know that Nigelus was responsible for creating the Horns of Gigantir. The horns make anyone grow more than 3 feet when blown. I think they disappeared into the Department of Mysteries." Luna continued to stare dreamily at the portrait and hum.
"I thought the Horns of Gigantir was supposed to be a myth." Percy said before he could stop himself. He did NOT want to encourage Luna's more imaginative tendencies.
"Only to those who have not the foresight to believe in them." Luna finally turned toward him and smiled slightly. Percy felt as though a great weight had lifted from his soul. He felt light and found himself grinning back at Luna for several moments before remembering that the office was merely feet away. Anyone could see him talking to Luna Lovegood, and that would not benefit his career. His smile fell and he backed away, looking around to make sure no one was around. Maybe he could meet with Luna a little in secret, just to talk about her father's magazine. Maybe Percy could persuade her and her father to make it into a proper magazine, one that published articles on magical defense and the proper brewing of various potions rather than imaginary beast and conspiracy theories. Percy ignored that there were at least 5 magazines on that very subject, maybe more, and that The Quibbler was, at least, unique.
"Maybe we could talk about this more later. What are you doing this evening?" Percy consciously kept his face from turning red. He would not be embarrassed.
"Hmmm." Luna looked up at him, considering. "I should be here in case we meet with the Minister." She paused and looked back at the portrait, than at his office door, than back at Percy. "The Ministry's marbredouxes could try to attack me tonight. They are attracted to witches below 18 years of age and give you all sorts of growth about your person. Where shall we meet so I can explain the Horns of Gigantir to you?" She looked expectant and somewhat less flighty than before.
"Um." Percy had not considered where they could meet. "Shall me meet at Bucky's Tavern in Diagon Alley? Say at 7:30."
"Well, Diagon Alley does have some Sinegals and the Ministry does spy of everyone that comes and leaves, but I think I'll be safe." She did not say 'with you', but Percy felt as though she had said it and he felt as though he could do anything, even become Minister of Magic.
Percy backed up a little. "Great, I'll see you there." She smiled and he hesitated then nodded to her and opened the frosted office door and entered. It was time to get some work done. Percy felt his mood lift, and he was going to see Luna after work.
The first problem at work was that his direct supervisor, Janice Markham, had a mountain of work, but her daughter, the eternally energetic 2-year Marcy, had no babysitter. The babysitter quit that morning because she was marrying her boyfriend and moving to America today. Janice's husband, Roquellan, was negotiating an agreement with Turkey to support Britain against He Who Must Not Be Named. This left Janice with a really busy day and no one to look after her little girl. Of course, she asked Percy to and Percy was feeling only slightly put upon. He had only seen the little girl twice when Janice brought her by the office while on vacation and didn't think one little girl could be much of a problem.
Janice gave Percy a bag of Marcy's toys and told him to "keep my little Marcy amused until I finish the report." Them she gave him a look that plainly said, 'If you can't take care of a two-year old child, you are not worth the clothes that surround you.'
Percy shouldered the bag and picked up the pony-tailed cherub and walked to his desk. Marcy smiled at him and head-butted him. Percy felt a great pain in his head and cursed silently. Marcy continued to smile and her head moved forward again, Percy almost dropped her in his haste to get her head away from his. Percy felt an ache blooming in his temples. The light feeling in his chest was darkening and he felt more like himself.
Percy took a doll out of Marcy's bag. It said, "Hello," in a falsetto voice and held its arms out to Marcy. Marcy grabbed the doll, then threw it on the ground and yelled. "No, want Tycho." Percy dumped all the toys on the ground and sat down in his chair. This was going to be a long day. Maybe Janice would get done early and save him from her bratty daughter. Suddenly, he heard Marcy cry, she bumped her head into his desk and a large welt appeared on her forward.
Percy sighed and waved his wand to make the rapidly spreading bruise disappear. He picked the little girl up as she continued to cry and remembered yesterday, when the blessedly quiet office ran smoothly and no children ran amok.
Bang. Percy felt light-headed as pain once again exploded in his head. Marcy grinned at him and he felt anger rage within. "You should not hit people with your head Marcy." He said lightly. He would not give this little brat the satisfaction of making him show emotion. He turned her to where she was facing out from his hip and looked around; no one was watching him struggle with the little one, so he mumbled "Quiesco." After all, he knew her hijinks would keep him busy all morning, and he already had a splitting headache. He could just imagine what troubles the brat could cause him. Marcy became limp and he placed her on the floor, cuddled around her doll. Percy figured it would look better if she looked as though she had fallen asleep on her own and he cared. So he placed a blanket around her and posed the little girl in blissful sleep.
Percy smirked to himself and went to work.
Nothing happened until lunch when Janice decided to spend time with her daughter. Percy was deeply studying a document on the Avada Kadavra curse. It detailed the mechanics of spell production and how specifically, the curse killed its victims, as best estimated by qualified healers. He did not notice Janice walk up and try to shake her daughter awake.
"Did you put a spell on my precious little girl?" Janice's normally kind face was contorted. Percy had never seen her this angry. "You couldn't cope with one small child and had to perform magic on her."
Percy considered his words. "I could tell she needed sleep madam, but was unwilling to fall asleep. I did what was best for her." He stood up and flicked his wand at Marcy.
Her eyes opened and she stared at Percy, then her mother, then Percy again. Percy picked her up to hand to Janice, but Janice backed away.
"I'm still busy. I was just coming over to tell you that you get to watch Marcy for the afternoon as well. I don't even have time for lunch so you'll need to feed her." Janice glared at him. "You will perform no more magic on my daughter." The 'or else' went unsaid, but Percy felt it.
"Yes madam." Percy put Marcy back down before she could resume what he had decided was her favorite game.
"The food's in the bag. Don't forget to take her to the rest room. Now." Janice eyed her daughter.
Percy looked at the little girl and saw how she was squirming. He picked her up and held her out of head-butting reach and hurried to the men's restroom.
"No," she said. "For BOYS." She started squirming even more and Percy looked about for some sign of salvation. There was none. He continued toward the restroom and she jumped suddenly from his arms and sat on the floor.
"No" She yelled.
Percy grabbed for her, but the slippery brat dodged and rushed around a desk.
"See here Weasley, keep that little girl under control." Amos Puffin said loftily. Amos had been a year behind Percy at Hogwarts and been another Head Boy. The duo avoided each other because each saw the other as competition.
Percy grabbed Marcy suddenly and the girl squealed. He marched forward, not realizing he was entering the women's restroom until within it's confines. He glared at Marcy. "Now see what you made me do."
She smiled beatifically at him and pointed to her shorts. "Help me."
Percy felt panicked, "What! I thought you knew how to do this?"
Marcy, of course, had no answer and tried to push the shorts down. They would not budge and she started crying.
"Okay, okay." Percy unbuckled the shorts and Marcy pushed them to the ground and waltzed into the stall, it lowered to fit her height and she turned to Percy.
"Bye, Bye." She said and crossed her arms over her chest.
Percy felt as a condemned man must when given a reprieve, or a pardon. He left the restroom and stood outside for several minutes. He began to worry. Had the brat drowned herself? Then Percy would never get a promotion.
He opened the bathroom door carefully and was greeted by the sight of toilet paper strewn about and the sound of barking. Marcy held Percy's wand and was sayning nonsensical phrases over the beast. It began to grow larger. Percy felt at his wand belt for the wand he knew was in the hands of a 2-year old. He rushed forward, but was held off by the dog. It was roughly the size of a horse, with shaggy brown hair, doleful eyes, and a lot of teeth. It growled at him.
"Be a nice little dog." Percy tried to feel calm, but it was hard with the dog's mouth inches from his face. He reached forward and patted its long snout. It leaned into his hand, nearly knocking him over and he inched sideways toward the brat. She ran around the beast and Percy continued stroking it as he moved quickly toward the little girl. She pointed the wand at him and sneezed. I jet a red flame emerged and burned his clothing. He looked down at the once pristine black robes. They were now more tattered then anything he had worn in his life. He had never been good at working with fabric either, so he couldn't repair them.
Marcy started giggling and fell down in her laughter. Percy made his grab and caught his wand before turning it on the dog and saying sedately, "Dispersar." It disappeared, mid-growl and Marcy started crying.
Percy waved his wand at the bathroom and returned to its clean state. Marcy held her hands up to him and he tied a complicated knot around his wand as a secured it once more on his belt. Then he picked the girl up and caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. The robes were ragged, but the white shirt and black pants beneath were serviceable. He put Marcy down and removed his robes. There was some singing to his shirt, but he decided it was better than going around with burnt robes all day. Percy picked the girl up and strode from the restroom.
The day proceeded as expected. Marcy ran Percy ragged as she demanded all his attention. His in-tray continued to grow and he got nothing done. The minute he would get a moment, Marcy would act out and he would forget his place while he dealt with her. After the fifth time this happened, Percy put his work aside and glared at the little girl.
"I am an assistant, not a babysitter. You are not part of my job and as much as I would like to keep this job. I will watch you misbehave no longer. Be GOOD." He hissed.
Marcy smiled, stood up, and pushed his in-tray off the desk. How she reached it, Percy never knew. He was too busy picked up the now hopelessly disorganized papers. He didn't have time to put them in order, but he did make the stack look neat.
Thankfully, Janice did finish her report by 5, so Percy left the office, hoping to run into Luna. But it was not to be and Percy simply walked down the stairs alone. A couple of times he saw a flash of something out of the corner of his eye, but whenever he looked, there was nothing, and he allowed himself to dwell on it no more.