Summer after the Goblet 4
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.
Summary: Percy is blinded in an attack on the Ministry and the Weasleys,
which goes wrong because Percy opens an exploding letter while working
late, alone. The magical world still refuses to believe in the return of
Voldemort, and claims this is the work of some rogue mad wizards. Oliver,
Percy's lover, wants to take care of him and the little girl they will
adopt in a matter of months. And this is summer after GOF.
Warning: The rating shouldn't be more than PG-13. Slash Oliver/Percy.
Percy carefully listened to Oliver's reading aloud from a cooking book Molly had left, trying to gauge his partner's mood by the tone of his voice. Realizing that Oliver was as much in need of some humor as he was, he opened the care package Fred and George had slipped into his briefcase before they left. He may not have been able to see the twins sneak the box into his briefcase but he had heard the small click of the snap being opened and the small giggle that had accompanied Fred's attempts at mischief making for as long as Percy could remember.
The box was small, and felt similar to that which housed Chocolate Frogs. But why would Fred and George put Chocolate Frogs in Percy's briefcase? It was a little irritating since it was his good one that had been a present from Oliver and he had not even used it yet. If he hadn't heard them he would not have opened the briefcase until he found some use for it and then the Frog would have melted all over.
Percy gasped as he realized what was inside was definitely not a Chocolate Frog. It was metal, and cool to the touch. His fingers were shaking too much for him to feel the letters and he held the small object out for Oliver to identify and read.
Oliver took it and gazed at it in silence for a few minutes. Percy heard a hitch in his partner's breathing and assumed he was angry or hurt. "Is it some stupid joke the twins played? You can tell me, I'm not going to suddenly become sensitive to their juvenile."
"Shut up Percy." Oliver's voice was gentle as he smiled down at the overly- serious Weasley. "It's not a joke."
Percy's mouth went dry. Despite all his family had done to express their love for him since he awoke in the hospital, he was completely overset by an affectionate gesture from the two who had never given him anything but trouble. "What- what is it?"
"Remember when you were Head-Boy, and they charmed your badge?"
Percy snorted. "Yes, quite vividly in fact."
"Well," and Oliver had a distinct smile in his voice. "They made another badge, and it has just one word written on it."
"What?" He was surprisingly nervous. He may have had two older brothers, but it was the respect of those two that would mean the most to Percy Weasley.
"Gryffindor," And Oliver's eyes went moist as he thought of what that word meant to him. Quidditch had been his great contribution to his House, and when he thought of Gryffindor he always thought of pride and spirit, and the wind rushing through his hair as he twisted to avoid the Bludgers and catch the Quaffle under the brown eyes of a shy red-haired boy.
But then he looked at Percy, whose eyes were closed as he whispered the word again and again to himself. Gryffindor had always meant something different to Percy. Courage, to deal with those who could not understand him. Loyalty, for the House and the people within that he always tried to work for. And of course, the place where he met and fell in love with Oliver Wood.
Percy would need the qualities and the person that badge simplified, and how like George and Fred to realize it.
Smiling suddenly, Oliver put the badge on the table and hugged his partner to him. Leaning down, he whispered in the soft, shell-like ear, "What say we leave all these things out here to put away tomorrow and go to the bedroom to celebrate your homecoming in style?"
Percy laughed and agreed instantly.
*
The next day went well. Percy asked the apartment for directions when he became disoriented, which happened quite often since he had not been home after the beginning of summer. It was now August.
He healed rather faster than his healers had expected, and was soon as healthy as he could be, although he still tired easily. But as time passed, it became obvious to Oliver that his young lover was not happy. At first he thought the problem was adjusting to being blind, but he soon realized that there was more bothering Percy Weasley.
He asked what was wrong, but his queries were usually fielded. After all, Percy was an expert at keeping things to himself. And Oliver, not wanting to push him, allowed him to until one evening when he returned from a Quidditch match to find his lover in the same place and position he had been in when Oliver left the apartment in the morning.
"All right, this is it!" Oliver exploded, causing Percy to jump. There were wards to prevent anyone from entering without Percy's knowledge, but naturally members of the household were allowed free passage through those wards. Brooding, Percy had remained completely unconscious of Oliver's arrival until his partner was standing right in front of him, yelling. "What the hell is the matter with you?"
Coldly, Percy raised his head so that he was facing where he knew Oliver was standing. "I would have thought that was obvious. I'm blind, in case you didn't notice."
But Oliver was too angry to fall prey to those tactics. Grabbing Percy by the shirt-collar, he ignored the voice in his head telling him that it was wrong to physically attack someone who could not see the attack coming. Speaking through gritted teeth, he forced Percy to stand still and listen. "Don't ever use your blindness as a weapon, or as an excuse. Tell me the truth- what is the matter with you?"
Struggling away, knowing that Oliver could not hurt him, Percy strode to the window. Gazing outside at the busy street, seeing nothing but taking comfort in the sounds of people bustling about, living their lives normally, he chose his words carefully. "Molly is coming to be with us soon."
No, Oliver could not hear this, he would not hear it. But as much as he loved the little girl, Percy was his life and he had to ask. "Have you changed your mind, then? Do you not want her anymore?"
"No, no!" Percy turned back to his partner and walked towards him, without running into anything, to put his hand on Oliver's arm for reassurance. "I want her, but I don't know if bringing her here will be for the best, with things as they are. We are in a war now, Oliver."
"I noticed," Oliver replied bitterly, remembering those horrible days in the hospital, and the rubble that was the old Ministry.
"I'm a Weasley, and we will probably be targets. Godric, Oliver, she may be hurt."
Oliver pulled his arm out of Percy's grasp. Sometimes, to be kind, one had to be cruel. "You've been a Weasley for your entire life (although sometimes it is hard to believe) so why did you not bring this up when we were first talking about adopting?"
Percy couldn't answer his partner for a minute. Then, swallowing, he spoke the hardest words he had ever had to say in his life. "Because I'm blind."
"You once told me that you didn't belong in your own family. That your parents didn't understand you and your siblings detested you. Think about this for a second- Molly may always know how you feel if you leave her in an orphanage. And then think about this- you may sometimes feel as if you don't belong, but it took mere minutes for your entire family to come together to bring you through this. She will never know that if we don't take her in. Merlin, Percy, what use is giving her a safe life if she doesn't have love in it? And one more thing- Molly has Muggle blood in her. Who says she is safe in that orphanage?"
Percy was silenced, and was as enthusiastic as Oliver when welcoming Molly a few days later. The little girl did a great deal for Percy's self-esteem. Blindness did not matter to a two-year-old, and she enjoyed the responsibility of making sure Dad didn't fall over anything.
But neither of them forgot the conversation they had before she came, and although they did not discuss it again, both knew they were worried about their little girl's safety.
*
Molly settled in quickly. The little redhead was the spoilt darling of the Weasley and Wood families, and knew it well. Her favorite was Oliver, who took her on low broom rides and no matter how tired he was always picked her up and swung her in his arms for a hello kiss when he came home from practice.
Percy, although not a favorite because of nagging tendencies, was equally loved and necessary in a way that Oliver could not be. Due to his disability, Percy was always home, and was therefore taking the role traditionally held by the mother, and he did it well. Suddenly his character was not so inexplicable to his family; he was a male Molly Weasley sr. when it came to parenting.
However, Percy was not his mother in other ways. He couldn't be satisfied with staying at home while his family fought a war and his lover escaped into the air and still earned enough money to keep his family.
And that was what burned. Percy had no objection to one person in a family staying home to take care of the children, whatever the gender of that person. But he had not anticipated being that person. Perhaps it wouldn't have burned so badly if he had been able to work, and chose to stay at home. But his life, his work, had been taken away and he could not even wreak vengeance upon his enemies. The bitterness this caused him was evident to his family.
This time, though, he talked to Oliver and explained his feelings, instead of indulging in sulks in private. And his partner understood; Oliver knew he would not be satisfied if he was ever rooted to the ground. It was war- time, and everyone felt that they had to do something. The young Quidditch player could not think of anything, so he turned to the wisest wizard of them all.
"Oliver, this is a pleasure, no less of one for its unexpectedness, to be sure." Dumbledore looked as ancient as ever, his eyes twinkling youthfully with affection. Then suddenly the twinkle disappeared as he asked how Percy was.
"Well, that's what I came to see you about, sir. He's fine health-wise, but"-
"But he is bored with the constraints of his new life." Dumbledore, as usual, did not need the situation explained to him. Standing up, he looked into the blazing flames of the fireplace and considered his options. An idea was forming, and he was struck anew by his own brilliance. "Really, I've outdone myself this time."
"What, sir? Have you thought of something?" Oliver was on his feet in a second. Something about the triumph on the Headmaster's face made him feel sure for the first time in months that his life would actually resemble the plans made on weekend morning walks in the park with Percy.
"The war will definitely focus on Hogwarts this time, my child." And the Professor's eyes dimmed as he remembered the carnage of the Ministry. That could not happen here, where children made lasting friendships, fell in love for the first and sometimes only time and where they learned how to use the power that flowed in their very veins.
"Yes, sir." Oliver bit his lip, hiding the despair that always destroyed him inside when he considered what would happen to his beloved home of seven years.
"I've been thinking that we need to have someone researching spells to protect Hogwarts from Voldemort." Although the former Gryffindor Captain winced at the name, his expression lightened as he realized that what Dumbledore was suggesting.
"Sir, you are brilliant!" Ignoring Dumbledore' humble agreement, he began to expound on the idea's advantages. "Percy was always good at looking things up in the most obscure books and his grades prove how good he is at stuff like that. Besides, there is no safer place for him and Molly than in this school. With the reading spell Hermione found, his blindness shouldn't stand in the way of his reading. It is quite incredible, sir, what that young girl found. This spell whispers whatever text Percy points his wand towards in his ear."
"Yes, Ms. Granger is very intelligent and her talents are quite like those of young Mr. Weasley. However, she will want to do a far more active job in the war, researching ways to keep Mr. Potter safe and the undo Dark spells. I would like someone to concentrate only on Hogwarts, and I believe the best one to do that is Percy." The Headmaster did not say the obvious. Such a job would necessitate a constant presence at the school, which would keep Percy and their toddler safe and provide the family with steady income even when war made Quidditch stadiums empty.
It was arranged that Dumbledore himself would bring this idea to Percy so that the rather proud young man should not know of his partner's interference. He did guess, but Oliver denied it, confident in his knowledge that he had not actually given the Headmaster any help coming up with the idea.
And so it happened that Ron was heartily embarrassed and discomfited by the presence of his brother's family on the train on September 1st. Of course, Molly's presence bothered him not at all; the little girl was quite the darling of her uncles and aunt. Strangely enough, Harry seemed to get the most pleasure from just watching her play, or holding her tight. To him, she represented what he had spent his entire life fighting for, what his mother had died for and what Cedric had never graduated for: the future. And more than that, she was the first of a new generation of the only family he had known.
THE END. I AM THINKING OF ADDING NEW FICLETS OF HARRY'S 5TH YEAR WITH THE WOOD-WEASLEY FAMILY AT HOGWARTS. ANY IDEAS?
Warning: The rating shouldn't be more than PG-13. Slash Oliver/Percy.
Percy carefully listened to Oliver's reading aloud from a cooking book Molly had left, trying to gauge his partner's mood by the tone of his voice. Realizing that Oliver was as much in need of some humor as he was, he opened the care package Fred and George had slipped into his briefcase before they left. He may not have been able to see the twins sneak the box into his briefcase but he had heard the small click of the snap being opened and the small giggle that had accompanied Fred's attempts at mischief making for as long as Percy could remember.
The box was small, and felt similar to that which housed Chocolate Frogs. But why would Fred and George put Chocolate Frogs in Percy's briefcase? It was a little irritating since it was his good one that had been a present from Oliver and he had not even used it yet. If he hadn't heard them he would not have opened the briefcase until he found some use for it and then the Frog would have melted all over.
Percy gasped as he realized what was inside was definitely not a Chocolate Frog. It was metal, and cool to the touch. His fingers were shaking too much for him to feel the letters and he held the small object out for Oliver to identify and read.
Oliver took it and gazed at it in silence for a few minutes. Percy heard a hitch in his partner's breathing and assumed he was angry or hurt. "Is it some stupid joke the twins played? You can tell me, I'm not going to suddenly become sensitive to their juvenile."
"Shut up Percy." Oliver's voice was gentle as he smiled down at the overly- serious Weasley. "It's not a joke."
Percy's mouth went dry. Despite all his family had done to express their love for him since he awoke in the hospital, he was completely overset by an affectionate gesture from the two who had never given him anything but trouble. "What- what is it?"
"Remember when you were Head-Boy, and they charmed your badge?"
Percy snorted. "Yes, quite vividly in fact."
"Well," and Oliver had a distinct smile in his voice. "They made another badge, and it has just one word written on it."
"What?" He was surprisingly nervous. He may have had two older brothers, but it was the respect of those two that would mean the most to Percy Weasley.
"Gryffindor," And Oliver's eyes went moist as he thought of what that word meant to him. Quidditch had been his great contribution to his House, and when he thought of Gryffindor he always thought of pride and spirit, and the wind rushing through his hair as he twisted to avoid the Bludgers and catch the Quaffle under the brown eyes of a shy red-haired boy.
But then he looked at Percy, whose eyes were closed as he whispered the word again and again to himself. Gryffindor had always meant something different to Percy. Courage, to deal with those who could not understand him. Loyalty, for the House and the people within that he always tried to work for. And of course, the place where he met and fell in love with Oliver Wood.
Percy would need the qualities and the person that badge simplified, and how like George and Fred to realize it.
Smiling suddenly, Oliver put the badge on the table and hugged his partner to him. Leaning down, he whispered in the soft, shell-like ear, "What say we leave all these things out here to put away tomorrow and go to the bedroom to celebrate your homecoming in style?"
Percy laughed and agreed instantly.
*
The next day went well. Percy asked the apartment for directions when he became disoriented, which happened quite often since he had not been home after the beginning of summer. It was now August.
He healed rather faster than his healers had expected, and was soon as healthy as he could be, although he still tired easily. But as time passed, it became obvious to Oliver that his young lover was not happy. At first he thought the problem was adjusting to being blind, but he soon realized that there was more bothering Percy Weasley.
He asked what was wrong, but his queries were usually fielded. After all, Percy was an expert at keeping things to himself. And Oliver, not wanting to push him, allowed him to until one evening when he returned from a Quidditch match to find his lover in the same place and position he had been in when Oliver left the apartment in the morning.
"All right, this is it!" Oliver exploded, causing Percy to jump. There were wards to prevent anyone from entering without Percy's knowledge, but naturally members of the household were allowed free passage through those wards. Brooding, Percy had remained completely unconscious of Oliver's arrival until his partner was standing right in front of him, yelling. "What the hell is the matter with you?"
Coldly, Percy raised his head so that he was facing where he knew Oliver was standing. "I would have thought that was obvious. I'm blind, in case you didn't notice."
But Oliver was too angry to fall prey to those tactics. Grabbing Percy by the shirt-collar, he ignored the voice in his head telling him that it was wrong to physically attack someone who could not see the attack coming. Speaking through gritted teeth, he forced Percy to stand still and listen. "Don't ever use your blindness as a weapon, or as an excuse. Tell me the truth- what is the matter with you?"
Struggling away, knowing that Oliver could not hurt him, Percy strode to the window. Gazing outside at the busy street, seeing nothing but taking comfort in the sounds of people bustling about, living their lives normally, he chose his words carefully. "Molly is coming to be with us soon."
No, Oliver could not hear this, he would not hear it. But as much as he loved the little girl, Percy was his life and he had to ask. "Have you changed your mind, then? Do you not want her anymore?"
"No, no!" Percy turned back to his partner and walked towards him, without running into anything, to put his hand on Oliver's arm for reassurance. "I want her, but I don't know if bringing her here will be for the best, with things as they are. We are in a war now, Oliver."
"I noticed," Oliver replied bitterly, remembering those horrible days in the hospital, and the rubble that was the old Ministry.
"I'm a Weasley, and we will probably be targets. Godric, Oliver, she may be hurt."
Oliver pulled his arm out of Percy's grasp. Sometimes, to be kind, one had to be cruel. "You've been a Weasley for your entire life (although sometimes it is hard to believe) so why did you not bring this up when we were first talking about adopting?"
Percy couldn't answer his partner for a minute. Then, swallowing, he spoke the hardest words he had ever had to say in his life. "Because I'm blind."
"You once told me that you didn't belong in your own family. That your parents didn't understand you and your siblings detested you. Think about this for a second- Molly may always know how you feel if you leave her in an orphanage. And then think about this- you may sometimes feel as if you don't belong, but it took mere minutes for your entire family to come together to bring you through this. She will never know that if we don't take her in. Merlin, Percy, what use is giving her a safe life if she doesn't have love in it? And one more thing- Molly has Muggle blood in her. Who says she is safe in that orphanage?"
Percy was silenced, and was as enthusiastic as Oliver when welcoming Molly a few days later. The little girl did a great deal for Percy's self-esteem. Blindness did not matter to a two-year-old, and she enjoyed the responsibility of making sure Dad didn't fall over anything.
But neither of them forgot the conversation they had before she came, and although they did not discuss it again, both knew they were worried about their little girl's safety.
*
Molly settled in quickly. The little redhead was the spoilt darling of the Weasley and Wood families, and knew it well. Her favorite was Oliver, who took her on low broom rides and no matter how tired he was always picked her up and swung her in his arms for a hello kiss when he came home from practice.
Percy, although not a favorite because of nagging tendencies, was equally loved and necessary in a way that Oliver could not be. Due to his disability, Percy was always home, and was therefore taking the role traditionally held by the mother, and he did it well. Suddenly his character was not so inexplicable to his family; he was a male Molly Weasley sr. when it came to parenting.
However, Percy was not his mother in other ways. He couldn't be satisfied with staying at home while his family fought a war and his lover escaped into the air and still earned enough money to keep his family.
And that was what burned. Percy had no objection to one person in a family staying home to take care of the children, whatever the gender of that person. But he had not anticipated being that person. Perhaps it wouldn't have burned so badly if he had been able to work, and chose to stay at home. But his life, his work, had been taken away and he could not even wreak vengeance upon his enemies. The bitterness this caused him was evident to his family.
This time, though, he talked to Oliver and explained his feelings, instead of indulging in sulks in private. And his partner understood; Oliver knew he would not be satisfied if he was ever rooted to the ground. It was war- time, and everyone felt that they had to do something. The young Quidditch player could not think of anything, so he turned to the wisest wizard of them all.
"Oliver, this is a pleasure, no less of one for its unexpectedness, to be sure." Dumbledore looked as ancient as ever, his eyes twinkling youthfully with affection. Then suddenly the twinkle disappeared as he asked how Percy was.
"Well, that's what I came to see you about, sir. He's fine health-wise, but"-
"But he is bored with the constraints of his new life." Dumbledore, as usual, did not need the situation explained to him. Standing up, he looked into the blazing flames of the fireplace and considered his options. An idea was forming, and he was struck anew by his own brilliance. "Really, I've outdone myself this time."
"What, sir? Have you thought of something?" Oliver was on his feet in a second. Something about the triumph on the Headmaster's face made him feel sure for the first time in months that his life would actually resemble the plans made on weekend morning walks in the park with Percy.
"The war will definitely focus on Hogwarts this time, my child." And the Professor's eyes dimmed as he remembered the carnage of the Ministry. That could not happen here, where children made lasting friendships, fell in love for the first and sometimes only time and where they learned how to use the power that flowed in their very veins.
"Yes, sir." Oliver bit his lip, hiding the despair that always destroyed him inside when he considered what would happen to his beloved home of seven years.
"I've been thinking that we need to have someone researching spells to protect Hogwarts from Voldemort." Although the former Gryffindor Captain winced at the name, his expression lightened as he realized that what Dumbledore was suggesting.
"Sir, you are brilliant!" Ignoring Dumbledore' humble agreement, he began to expound on the idea's advantages. "Percy was always good at looking things up in the most obscure books and his grades prove how good he is at stuff like that. Besides, there is no safer place for him and Molly than in this school. With the reading spell Hermione found, his blindness shouldn't stand in the way of his reading. It is quite incredible, sir, what that young girl found. This spell whispers whatever text Percy points his wand towards in his ear."
"Yes, Ms. Granger is very intelligent and her talents are quite like those of young Mr. Weasley. However, she will want to do a far more active job in the war, researching ways to keep Mr. Potter safe and the undo Dark spells. I would like someone to concentrate only on Hogwarts, and I believe the best one to do that is Percy." The Headmaster did not say the obvious. Such a job would necessitate a constant presence at the school, which would keep Percy and their toddler safe and provide the family with steady income even when war made Quidditch stadiums empty.
It was arranged that Dumbledore himself would bring this idea to Percy so that the rather proud young man should not know of his partner's interference. He did guess, but Oliver denied it, confident in his knowledge that he had not actually given the Headmaster any help coming up with the idea.
And so it happened that Ron was heartily embarrassed and discomfited by the presence of his brother's family on the train on September 1st. Of course, Molly's presence bothered him not at all; the little girl was quite the darling of her uncles and aunt. Strangely enough, Harry seemed to get the most pleasure from just watching her play, or holding her tight. To him, she represented what he had spent his entire life fighting for, what his mother had died for and what Cedric had never graduated for: the future. And more than that, she was the first of a new generation of the only family he had known.
THE END. I AM THINKING OF ADDING NEW FICLETS OF HARRY'S 5TH YEAR WITH THE WOOD-WEASLEY FAMILY AT HOGWARTS. ANY IDEAS?