Searching for Percy
Chapter 4 – Lovers in a Dangerous Time
By Poppy P
A/N's: Big thanks to my beta-buddy Zsenya, my British-buddy Soupytwist and my good friend Yolanda. Title and song lyrics are from the song "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" by the Bare Naked Ladies (I love them!). Sorry for the long wait between chapters. But it turns out that I wrote two chapters at once, I just didn't know how to separate them. As a result, the next chapter should be up fairly quickly. I dunno if Emo Tuesday is reading this fic, but the Oliver Wood element is dedicated to her (go read her cute Oliver fic guys!). This chapter is based on another Percy fic I wrote, "The Broom Shed Incident". I suppose you don't really need it to understand this chapter, but it makes for a better reading experience. (Reviewing that fic and this one, makes for a better author experience : ). Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink). On with the show guys…
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime
Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
Gotta kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight
1 Lovers in a dangerous time…
"Weasley! Get your head out of the clouds!"
At the sound of Professor Wood's voice, Petra veered sharply to the right on her broomstick, narrowly missing the heavy Bludger pelting towards her face. Her Beater's club banged painfully against her knee.
"Oy, Weasley! Try using your club on the Bludger next time, eh?" shouted Kathryn Davies, her fellow Beater, a sixth year Slytherin.
Professor Wood, dove towards the pitch, landed and blew his magically magnified whistle shrilly. "That's enough for tonight!" he called up to the team.
Petra and her teammates made for the ground. She noticed that some of them were throwing nasty looks her way. Petra looked down on her broom handle, abashed. She couldn't blame them; she had been a bit distracted lately and it was definitely affecting her game. Ever since Gareth had given her and Damien the list of the ingredients for the Vox de Morte potion, she had found it difficult to concentrate on anything else, even Quidditch.
Petra had been extremely honored when she had been chosen as a Beater for the Inter-house team. The Inter-house team represented Hogwarts in the Tri- School Quidditch League against Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. The league had been formed shortly after the war. Petra had been on the Gryffindor House team since her second year. Her uncles had been delighted when they heard the news, although her mother and grandmother Weasley were still appalled that she had chosen to play such an 'unlady-like' position. Her Uncle Ron however, had been livid. He thought it was a dangerous position for her to play, and ordered her to quit the team immediately. After much pleading and cajoling on Petra's part, he had finally conceded to let her play, especially when Penny pointed out that it really wasn't his decision anyway. Ron and Penny's relationship had become very strained after that, much to Petra's despair. It had been shortly after Ron's separation from Hermione, and Petra just couldn't fathom the change her favorite uncle had undergone. Despite all of his protests, Ron attended all of her games, although most of the time he sat by himself in the stands wearing a scowl for the duration of the match. When Petra had been chosen for the Inter- house team at the beginning of the current school year, Ron had gone through a similar reaction, although he resigned himself to the fact that Petra was going to play whether he liked it or not. Ron's unreasonableness was especially hurtful to Petra since she had come by her love of Quidditch through him.
The last to land, Petra hung back in the semi-circle that surrounded Professor Wood. Hogwarts was most honored to have Oliver Wood coach the Inter-house team. He was the current Captain and Keeper for Puddlemore United and coached the Hogwarts team during Puddlemore's off-season. He was strict and expected a lot from his players. But the results showed; Hogwarts had won the league championship for the past three years that Wood had coached. He was also well liked by the student population, particularly the girls. His fame, boyish charm and deep, brown eyes fringed with golden brown lashes, made him a favorite with female students and faculty alike.
Professor Wood regarded Petra critically now. "What's going on up there Weasley?" he asked, gesturing up at the sky. "You're supposed to hit the Bludgers, not shy away from them! How can your team function if one of their Beaters isn't protecting them?" Petra kept her gaze down at his feet which were now pacing back and forth, kicking up little puffs of dust from the pitch. "You're good Weasley, no doubt about it. You wouldn't be here otherwise. But you need to keep your mind on the game, understand?" Petra nodded sadly. "You'll be cleaning out the broom shed tonight to help you remember that," Professor Wood continued. "Dismissed!" he called out, blowing his whistle once again.
Petra's teammates started to drift away, some shaking their heads in disgust. Only Max Hagrid, their Keeper, hung back. "Cheer up," he said, giving Petra a crooked grin and a playful cuff on the shoulder that almost sent her sprawling to the ground. She appreciated the gesture just the same.
Petra sighed and started towards the broom shed, when Professor Wood called out, "Petra, can I see you for a minute?"
"Yes?" said Petra hesitantly, fully expecting further reprimand.
He held back until all of the other students were out of earshot. At last he spoke. "Sorry I had to lay into you out there, Petra. It's just that you've been really distracted these last few practices. Is something wrong?" he asked with concern.
Petra's gaze shifted guiltily to the side. Was something wrong? Well, besides the fact that she had bartered herself as a date to get the ingredients for an illicit potion that would allow her to communicate with her dead father, everything was just fine.
She looked up at Professor Wood again. "Nothing's wrong, Professor. Just thinking about my school work, that's all." She gave him a bright smile, though she couldn't help averting her eyes from his anxious gaze.
"Come on now," said Wood, his concerned look fading with skepticism. "I've been around too many Weasleys not to know what that look means."
Petra's eyebrows shot up with interest. "What do you mean?" she asked curiously.
"I can read a Weasley as easily as a Quidditch diagram," he countered, folding his arms across his broad chest.
"Oh, that's right," said Petra with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders, "I forgot you were on the Gryffindor team with Uncle Fred and Uncle George."
"Ay," he responded a far off look in his eyes. "But actually, I was thinking about your father."
"You knew my father?" asked Petra eagerly.
"Shared a dorm with him for seven years," he paused. "Didn't you know?" he asked.
"I didn't know you were that old!" blurted out Petra. As soon she realized what she had said, she clapped her glove-covered hand over her mouth. "Oops!" she said through her fingers.
"Would you like to clean that broom shed out next week as well?" he asked sternly.
"No Sir," responded Petra, wide-eyed.
Wood broke out with a grin. "Just having you on," he said cheerfully. "But your father really was my mate. Brilliant student mind you, but a lousy liar."
"What did he lie about?" asked Petra, keen to hear about this side of her father.
"Your mother mostly," said Wood. "He was the first one of our crowd to fall in love, and we teased him mercilessly." He smiled, as the far-off look returned to his face. "During our sixth year he kept leaving the dorm late at night. Every time we asked him where he was going, he told us some vague story about special prefects training. After a while we started to get suspicious, so one night we followed him."
"Wait!" said Petra incredulously. "Are you trying to tell me that my mum and dad used their authority as prefects to break the rules?"
"Well," said Wood with a smirk, "they weren't studying. We caught them kissing, right in the middle of the restricted section of the library."
Petra pressed her fingers over her mouth, giggling. "Did he know that you saw them?"
"Oh we let him know," said Wood smiling. "We gave him a hard time once he got back to the dorm." He shook his head reflectively. "We were so immature. But you know something? Percy put us in our place after your mum got Petrified." He paused and looked at Petra. "You know about the basilisk and your mum getting Petrified, of course?"
Petra nodded. "Uh huh."
"We were trying to cheer him up," said Wood, "about Penny and he said 'Don't bother, because nothing makes sense without her. I love her.'" He looked down at Petra. "That took guts for a sixteen year old to say."
Petra blinked hard several times and cleared her throat before she spoke. "My dad said that?" she asked quietly.
Oliver nodded approvingly. "I always admired him for that. A lot of wizards in our generation got married young because of the war, but that wasn't the case with Percy. He had it all figured out long before the conflict started. He loved your mother and he didn't care who knew it after that." He shook his head sadly, then looked down at Petra with a sheepish smile. "Sorry Petra, I didn't mean to ramble on like that. I'm sure you've heard all about your dad. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."
"Thank you," said Petra shyly. Then, before she lost her nerve, she leaned forward and did something many girls at Hogwarts would've liked to do. She placed a quick peck on Wood's cheek.
Wood looked slightly embarrassed, but pleased all the same. Then he got a stern look and said, "Now get to that broom shed, missy, and let's keep our mind on Quidditch from now on, eh?"
"I will," said Petra, the color rising on her face from her impulsive kiss. She turned on her heel and ran all the way to the broom shed. By the time she got there, she had rationalized with herself that kissing Professor Wood on the cheek was not that much different from kissing her uncles. Still, she couldn't wait to tell Mauve about it. Mauve would freak!
As Petra started pulling brooms off of their hooks in the broom shed, she thought about what Professor Wood had said about her parents. She had always taken it for granted that her parents loved each other, but she had never thought about them being in love at that young age. She was practically as old as they were when Penny was Petrified, and she couldn't imagine feeling that strongly about anyone. In fact, now that Petra thought about it, lots of people Petra's age had extremely young parents. Damien's parents were a prime example, as were Mauve's. Petra figured Professor Wood was right when he said that people fell in love faster and younger during times of war.
She was polishing the broom brackets when a memory hit her suddenly, and so clear that it was like watching a mental movie of herself. She was five years old, it was before her mum had started dating Dave. Petra had always thought her mum was beautiful with her long, dark, curly hair, sparkling gray eyes and happy laugh. Yet sometimes at night, unbeknownst to Penny, Petra would sneak to the door of her mum's room and hear her sobbing. It didn't happen very often, but sometimes, Penny would even cry out Percy's name. Petra could remember feeling scared and sad that someone as beautiful as her mum could feel such pain. In her five-year-old mind it was her father's fault that Mum was sad, and Petra hated him for that. She could never tell anyone about those nights of course. She couldn't betray Mum's secret like that. Besides, her Weasley grandparents and uncles always spoke so fondly of her father. But on those nights, listening to her mum's anguish, Petra hated Percy.
She clenched her polishing rag convulsively, remembering her irrational hatred of the dead father she had never known. Petra hadn't thought about this in a long, long time. She had grown out of it, of course. Her mum had moved on as well, happy with her new marriage and children. But Petra remembered a promise she had made to herself at that time, that even to this day she had kept. She would never shed a tear for that man, Percy. And she never had.
Petra had been in the broom shed for one long, dusty hour when she heard banging on the door and a familiar voice calling out her name. "Petra! Are you still in there?" Damien poked his head around the doorway and walked in.
"What are you doing here?" asked Petra, hastily wiping at the front of her purple, practice robes. She knew she must look a fright after dusting off the rows and rows of cupboards.
"Adrienne Lynch told me about practice. She said you might still be out here." Adrienne was a fifth-year Ravenclaw and Seeker on the Inter-house team. "Tough practice?" he asked.
Petra grimaced. "You have no idea. I can't think about Quidditch, knowing what we're about to do."
"Yeah." Damien nodded. "That's what I came out here to talk to you about. I've been doing some more reading on Vox de Morte. Guess what I found out?" In his eagerness he didn't wait for Petra to ask. "If the potion is taken near the vicinity of the person's death, the reception is much stronger. Anywhere they've been while they were alive works really, but their site of death works best. They're naturally drawn to that place." His dark eyes sparkled eagerly in the growing dimness of the broom shed.
"Really?" asked Petra excitedly. "That's great! You can just take the potion up in the North Tower. All we have to do is get that old dingbat Trelawney out of the tower for a couple of hours." She frowned suddenly. "But…"
"But what?" said Damien.
"That's not so great for me, I guess. I don't know where my dad died," said Petra.
"You've never asked?" Damien's eyes widened in surprise.
"Not really," said Petra. "I don't know very many details of his death because every time I even tried to ask, my family gets all sad and teary- eyed. I can't handle that." Petra shuddered.
Damien moved closer to Petra and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I know it must be hard on you."
Petra looked up at him with a grateful smile. Damien smiled back and squeezed her shoulder. Suddenly, Petra felt very aware of their close proximity to each other and she became extremely nervous. She stiffened as Damien suddenly swooped down towards her face. She wondered if Damien was actually going to kiss her. However, he merely looked over her left ear and frowned. "What's that?" he asked.
Petra turned around, her knees shaking. "What?" she asked breathlessly, squinting at the spot on the cupboards where Damien was looking.
"It looks like writing," he said, pulling his wand out from his sleeve holster. "Lumos," he muttered. His wand light illuminated a small heart carved into the edge of the cupboard. In the middle of the heart were the initials P.A.W. + P.C. "Aren't those your initials, P.A.W?" asked Damien, looking at Petra curiously. "Petra Angelica Weasley."
Petra frowned at the sound of her middle name. She had never really liked it. "Yes, those are my initials." Damien's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What?" asked Petra. "Oh!" she said, cottoning on, "I didn't carve that there!"
"Then who's initials are these?" asked Damien.
"I dunno," said Petra irritably, "These could've been there forever. Hogwarts is over a thousand years old, you know."
"I suppose," said Damien doubtfully.
Petra leaned closer to the carving, struck by a sudden idea. If she didn't know better, she might swear that these were her parent's initials. But that couldn't be. Petra just couldn't imagine her father defacing school property. From all she had heard about him, it would go against his nature. Her mother was just as bad about following the rules. But still… Petra remembered Professor Wood's words, "He loved your mother and he didn't care who knew it after that."
Damien leaned closer as well. Petra could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck as he pressed close behind her. He touched his wand to the middle of the carving and read the initials out loud. "P.A.W. plus P.C."
Suddenly, there was a flash of light as the carving took on a warm, pink glow. The initials in the heart disappeared and were replaced by the words Yule Ball, 1994. The scent of roses filled the broom shed, replacing its normally stale, dusty smell.
"Wow," murmured Damien.
Petra, however, remained silent, for in that moment, she knew exactly whose initials those were.
Damien pulled his wand off the carving. The letters in the heart reverted back to the initials. The scent of roses slowly faded away like an old memory, or a dream. "Cool bit of Charm work, that," said Damien, putting his wand away. "I guess we should be heading back to the castle. Are you all done here?"
Petra smiled. "For now."
"What do you mean?" asked Damien curiously.
"I think," said Petra, "that I've found the perfect place to take that potion."
A/N's II: In the next chapter, George makes an appearance as does Ron and Hermione. We'll also get to meet Hillary, Ron and Hermione's 3-year-old daughter. Petra asks some questions that don't get answered. Billy gets tricked. Ron gets mad. Damien prepares to take the potion. See you soon!
Chapter 4 – Lovers in a Dangerous Time
By Poppy P
A/N's: Big thanks to my beta-buddy Zsenya, my British-buddy Soupytwist and my good friend Yolanda. Title and song lyrics are from the song "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" by the Bare Naked Ladies (I love them!). Sorry for the long wait between chapters. But it turns out that I wrote two chapters at once, I just didn't know how to separate them. As a result, the next chapter should be up fairly quickly. I dunno if Emo Tuesday is reading this fic, but the Oliver Wood element is dedicated to her (go read her cute Oliver fic guys!). This chapter is based on another Percy fic I wrote, "The Broom Shed Incident". I suppose you don't really need it to understand this chapter, but it makes for a better reading experience. (Reviewing that fic and this one, makes for a better author experience : ). Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink). On with the show guys…
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime
Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
Gotta kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight
1 Lovers in a dangerous time…
"Weasley! Get your head out of the clouds!"
At the sound of Professor Wood's voice, Petra veered sharply to the right on her broomstick, narrowly missing the heavy Bludger pelting towards her face. Her Beater's club banged painfully against her knee.
"Oy, Weasley! Try using your club on the Bludger next time, eh?" shouted Kathryn Davies, her fellow Beater, a sixth year Slytherin.
Professor Wood, dove towards the pitch, landed and blew his magically magnified whistle shrilly. "That's enough for tonight!" he called up to the team.
Petra and her teammates made for the ground. She noticed that some of them were throwing nasty looks her way. Petra looked down on her broom handle, abashed. She couldn't blame them; she had been a bit distracted lately and it was definitely affecting her game. Ever since Gareth had given her and Damien the list of the ingredients for the Vox de Morte potion, she had found it difficult to concentrate on anything else, even Quidditch.
Petra had been extremely honored when she had been chosen as a Beater for the Inter-house team. The Inter-house team represented Hogwarts in the Tri- School Quidditch League against Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. The league had been formed shortly after the war. Petra had been on the Gryffindor House team since her second year. Her uncles had been delighted when they heard the news, although her mother and grandmother Weasley were still appalled that she had chosen to play such an 'unlady-like' position. Her Uncle Ron however, had been livid. He thought it was a dangerous position for her to play, and ordered her to quit the team immediately. After much pleading and cajoling on Petra's part, he had finally conceded to let her play, especially when Penny pointed out that it really wasn't his decision anyway. Ron and Penny's relationship had become very strained after that, much to Petra's despair. It had been shortly after Ron's separation from Hermione, and Petra just couldn't fathom the change her favorite uncle had undergone. Despite all of his protests, Ron attended all of her games, although most of the time he sat by himself in the stands wearing a scowl for the duration of the match. When Petra had been chosen for the Inter- house team at the beginning of the current school year, Ron had gone through a similar reaction, although he resigned himself to the fact that Petra was going to play whether he liked it or not. Ron's unreasonableness was especially hurtful to Petra since she had come by her love of Quidditch through him.
The last to land, Petra hung back in the semi-circle that surrounded Professor Wood. Hogwarts was most honored to have Oliver Wood coach the Inter-house team. He was the current Captain and Keeper for Puddlemore United and coached the Hogwarts team during Puddlemore's off-season. He was strict and expected a lot from his players. But the results showed; Hogwarts had won the league championship for the past three years that Wood had coached. He was also well liked by the student population, particularly the girls. His fame, boyish charm and deep, brown eyes fringed with golden brown lashes, made him a favorite with female students and faculty alike.
Professor Wood regarded Petra critically now. "What's going on up there Weasley?" he asked, gesturing up at the sky. "You're supposed to hit the Bludgers, not shy away from them! How can your team function if one of their Beaters isn't protecting them?" Petra kept her gaze down at his feet which were now pacing back and forth, kicking up little puffs of dust from the pitch. "You're good Weasley, no doubt about it. You wouldn't be here otherwise. But you need to keep your mind on the game, understand?" Petra nodded sadly. "You'll be cleaning out the broom shed tonight to help you remember that," Professor Wood continued. "Dismissed!" he called out, blowing his whistle once again.
Petra's teammates started to drift away, some shaking their heads in disgust. Only Max Hagrid, their Keeper, hung back. "Cheer up," he said, giving Petra a crooked grin and a playful cuff on the shoulder that almost sent her sprawling to the ground. She appreciated the gesture just the same.
Petra sighed and started towards the broom shed, when Professor Wood called out, "Petra, can I see you for a minute?"
"Yes?" said Petra hesitantly, fully expecting further reprimand.
He held back until all of the other students were out of earshot. At last he spoke. "Sorry I had to lay into you out there, Petra. It's just that you've been really distracted these last few practices. Is something wrong?" he asked with concern.
Petra's gaze shifted guiltily to the side. Was something wrong? Well, besides the fact that she had bartered herself as a date to get the ingredients for an illicit potion that would allow her to communicate with her dead father, everything was just fine.
She looked up at Professor Wood again. "Nothing's wrong, Professor. Just thinking about my school work, that's all." She gave him a bright smile, though she couldn't help averting her eyes from his anxious gaze.
"Come on now," said Wood, his concerned look fading with skepticism. "I've been around too many Weasleys not to know what that look means."
Petra's eyebrows shot up with interest. "What do you mean?" she asked curiously.
"I can read a Weasley as easily as a Quidditch diagram," he countered, folding his arms across his broad chest.
"Oh, that's right," said Petra with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders, "I forgot you were on the Gryffindor team with Uncle Fred and Uncle George."
"Ay," he responded a far off look in his eyes. "But actually, I was thinking about your father."
"You knew my father?" asked Petra eagerly.
"Shared a dorm with him for seven years," he paused. "Didn't you know?" he asked.
"I didn't know you were that old!" blurted out Petra. As soon she realized what she had said, she clapped her glove-covered hand over her mouth. "Oops!" she said through her fingers.
"Would you like to clean that broom shed out next week as well?" he asked sternly.
"No Sir," responded Petra, wide-eyed.
Wood broke out with a grin. "Just having you on," he said cheerfully. "But your father really was my mate. Brilliant student mind you, but a lousy liar."
"What did he lie about?" asked Petra, keen to hear about this side of her father.
"Your mother mostly," said Wood. "He was the first one of our crowd to fall in love, and we teased him mercilessly." He smiled, as the far-off look returned to his face. "During our sixth year he kept leaving the dorm late at night. Every time we asked him where he was going, he told us some vague story about special prefects training. After a while we started to get suspicious, so one night we followed him."
"Wait!" said Petra incredulously. "Are you trying to tell me that my mum and dad used their authority as prefects to break the rules?"
"Well," said Wood with a smirk, "they weren't studying. We caught them kissing, right in the middle of the restricted section of the library."
Petra pressed her fingers over her mouth, giggling. "Did he know that you saw them?"
"Oh we let him know," said Wood smiling. "We gave him a hard time once he got back to the dorm." He shook his head reflectively. "We were so immature. But you know something? Percy put us in our place after your mum got Petrified." He paused and looked at Petra. "You know about the basilisk and your mum getting Petrified, of course?"
Petra nodded. "Uh huh."
"We were trying to cheer him up," said Wood, "about Penny and he said 'Don't bother, because nothing makes sense without her. I love her.'" He looked down at Petra. "That took guts for a sixteen year old to say."
Petra blinked hard several times and cleared her throat before she spoke. "My dad said that?" she asked quietly.
Oliver nodded approvingly. "I always admired him for that. A lot of wizards in our generation got married young because of the war, but that wasn't the case with Percy. He had it all figured out long before the conflict started. He loved your mother and he didn't care who knew it after that." He shook his head sadly, then looked down at Petra with a sheepish smile. "Sorry Petra, I didn't mean to ramble on like that. I'm sure you've heard all about your dad. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."
"Thank you," said Petra shyly. Then, before she lost her nerve, she leaned forward and did something many girls at Hogwarts would've liked to do. She placed a quick peck on Wood's cheek.
Wood looked slightly embarrassed, but pleased all the same. Then he got a stern look and said, "Now get to that broom shed, missy, and let's keep our mind on Quidditch from now on, eh?"
"I will," said Petra, the color rising on her face from her impulsive kiss. She turned on her heel and ran all the way to the broom shed. By the time she got there, she had rationalized with herself that kissing Professor Wood on the cheek was not that much different from kissing her uncles. Still, she couldn't wait to tell Mauve about it. Mauve would freak!
As Petra started pulling brooms off of their hooks in the broom shed, she thought about what Professor Wood had said about her parents. She had always taken it for granted that her parents loved each other, but she had never thought about them being in love at that young age. She was practically as old as they were when Penny was Petrified, and she couldn't imagine feeling that strongly about anyone. In fact, now that Petra thought about it, lots of people Petra's age had extremely young parents. Damien's parents were a prime example, as were Mauve's. Petra figured Professor Wood was right when he said that people fell in love faster and younger during times of war.
She was polishing the broom brackets when a memory hit her suddenly, and so clear that it was like watching a mental movie of herself. She was five years old, it was before her mum had started dating Dave. Petra had always thought her mum was beautiful with her long, dark, curly hair, sparkling gray eyes and happy laugh. Yet sometimes at night, unbeknownst to Penny, Petra would sneak to the door of her mum's room and hear her sobbing. It didn't happen very often, but sometimes, Penny would even cry out Percy's name. Petra could remember feeling scared and sad that someone as beautiful as her mum could feel such pain. In her five-year-old mind it was her father's fault that Mum was sad, and Petra hated him for that. She could never tell anyone about those nights of course. She couldn't betray Mum's secret like that. Besides, her Weasley grandparents and uncles always spoke so fondly of her father. But on those nights, listening to her mum's anguish, Petra hated Percy.
She clenched her polishing rag convulsively, remembering her irrational hatred of the dead father she had never known. Petra hadn't thought about this in a long, long time. She had grown out of it, of course. Her mum had moved on as well, happy with her new marriage and children. But Petra remembered a promise she had made to herself at that time, that even to this day she had kept. She would never shed a tear for that man, Percy. And she never had.
Petra had been in the broom shed for one long, dusty hour when she heard banging on the door and a familiar voice calling out her name. "Petra! Are you still in there?" Damien poked his head around the doorway and walked in.
"What are you doing here?" asked Petra, hastily wiping at the front of her purple, practice robes. She knew she must look a fright after dusting off the rows and rows of cupboards.
"Adrienne Lynch told me about practice. She said you might still be out here." Adrienne was a fifth-year Ravenclaw and Seeker on the Inter-house team. "Tough practice?" he asked.
Petra grimaced. "You have no idea. I can't think about Quidditch, knowing what we're about to do."
"Yeah." Damien nodded. "That's what I came out here to talk to you about. I've been doing some more reading on Vox de Morte. Guess what I found out?" In his eagerness he didn't wait for Petra to ask. "If the potion is taken near the vicinity of the person's death, the reception is much stronger. Anywhere they've been while they were alive works really, but their site of death works best. They're naturally drawn to that place." His dark eyes sparkled eagerly in the growing dimness of the broom shed.
"Really?" asked Petra excitedly. "That's great! You can just take the potion up in the North Tower. All we have to do is get that old dingbat Trelawney out of the tower for a couple of hours." She frowned suddenly. "But…"
"But what?" said Damien.
"That's not so great for me, I guess. I don't know where my dad died," said Petra.
"You've never asked?" Damien's eyes widened in surprise.
"Not really," said Petra. "I don't know very many details of his death because every time I even tried to ask, my family gets all sad and teary- eyed. I can't handle that." Petra shuddered.
Damien moved closer to Petra and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I know it must be hard on you."
Petra looked up at him with a grateful smile. Damien smiled back and squeezed her shoulder. Suddenly, Petra felt very aware of their close proximity to each other and she became extremely nervous. She stiffened as Damien suddenly swooped down towards her face. She wondered if Damien was actually going to kiss her. However, he merely looked over her left ear and frowned. "What's that?" he asked.
Petra turned around, her knees shaking. "What?" she asked breathlessly, squinting at the spot on the cupboards where Damien was looking.
"It looks like writing," he said, pulling his wand out from his sleeve holster. "Lumos," he muttered. His wand light illuminated a small heart carved into the edge of the cupboard. In the middle of the heart were the initials P.A.W. + P.C. "Aren't those your initials, P.A.W?" asked Damien, looking at Petra curiously. "Petra Angelica Weasley."
Petra frowned at the sound of her middle name. She had never really liked it. "Yes, those are my initials." Damien's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What?" asked Petra. "Oh!" she said, cottoning on, "I didn't carve that there!"
"Then who's initials are these?" asked Damien.
"I dunno," said Petra irritably, "These could've been there forever. Hogwarts is over a thousand years old, you know."
"I suppose," said Damien doubtfully.
Petra leaned closer to the carving, struck by a sudden idea. If she didn't know better, she might swear that these were her parent's initials. But that couldn't be. Petra just couldn't imagine her father defacing school property. From all she had heard about him, it would go against his nature. Her mother was just as bad about following the rules. But still… Petra remembered Professor Wood's words, "He loved your mother and he didn't care who knew it after that."
Damien leaned closer as well. Petra could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck as he pressed close behind her. He touched his wand to the middle of the carving and read the initials out loud. "P.A.W. plus P.C."
Suddenly, there was a flash of light as the carving took on a warm, pink glow. The initials in the heart disappeared and were replaced by the words Yule Ball, 1994. The scent of roses filled the broom shed, replacing its normally stale, dusty smell.
"Wow," murmured Damien.
Petra, however, remained silent, for in that moment, she knew exactly whose initials those were.
Damien pulled his wand off the carving. The letters in the heart reverted back to the initials. The scent of roses slowly faded away like an old memory, or a dream. "Cool bit of Charm work, that," said Damien, putting his wand away. "I guess we should be heading back to the castle. Are you all done here?"
Petra smiled. "For now."
"What do you mean?" asked Damien curiously.
"I think," said Petra, "that I've found the perfect place to take that potion."
A/N's II: In the next chapter, George makes an appearance as does Ron and Hermione. We'll also get to meet Hillary, Ron and Hermione's 3-year-old daughter. Petra asks some questions that don't get answered. Billy gets tricked. Ron gets mad. Damien prepares to take the potion. See you soon!