All rights and privileges to Harry Potter are copyrighted trademarks and property of J. K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, and all peoples associated. And all rights and other stuff to The Lioness Quartet and Wild Magic are copyrighted trademarks and property of Tamora Pierce and Random House. The characters of these fictions are used WITHOUT permission for the entertainment purposes only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit. As if anyone would actually pay money for this thoughtless drivel. And even if they like it, it's right here and money is not required. So there! Bottom line: I don't own them I just like to play God with them. Like an ant walking back and forth across my feet for what seems like miles upon miles. Or a bug with a magnifying glass as it slowly burns into nothingness. Ahem Yes, I don't own them. Never have. Never will. Sigh
Pairings: Percy/Marcus
Contents: Angst, Slash, POV, Dark, and lots of Death!
Spoilers: None as of yet, and this is AU
Summary: One can never be sure of what one will need in the future.
Status: Incomplete
Italics indicate Marcus projecting his thoughts.
Bold Italics indicate someone else's thoughts.
---
I awaken with an arm draped over my lower stomach dangerously close to my cock - which has recognized this attention. With a soft growl in the back of my throat I detangle myself from his loose grasp and head out to take care of my problem.
Percy grumbles something incoherent and curls in on himself. My supposedly cold, unfeeling Slytherin heart aches, encouraging me to return, but my aching cock wins out.
When I return, Percy is gone. I head down to the kitchen with a sigh, hoping to eat something before we fight again.
Molly is already down stairs cooking. I shouldn't say already because it's almost eleven in the morning and she's making lunch. She is talking softly to Percy who is sitting at the table with his head in hands supported by his elbows. Molly Weasley, now she is an interesting woman with many secrets. In fact the one Weasley that I had expected to figure everything out still has no idea, and the Weasley I had least expected to know knew for ages.
The conversation comes to an abrupt halt as soon as they realize I'm in the room. I love it when people talk about me behind my back.
"Morning Molly, Percy." I sit across from Percy.
"Good morning, dear." She pauses from her cooking and smiles at me. "Do you need to head out today?"
"Yes'um. In about an hour."
"Lunch will be finished shortly." She returns her attention to the stove.
"Why are you so friendly with her?" Percy hisses.
"Why aren't you?" I never tire of this game.
He doesn't respond for a moment. "Why do you do that?"
Well, that's not what I expected. "Do what?"
"Make me hate you," he whispers. I'm ready to respond with 'because you make it so easy,' but he continues. "Because the more frustrated I become the more I realize I can't function without it." He looks away.
I almost fall out of my chair.
JESUS CHRIST! Did he just say that he needs me!
For once I have no idea what to say, so I just study him pensively. He looks like he's about to cry, which is absurd. This is a phenomenal breakthrough. It's only taken… six bloody years!
"Percy," I breathe out. Slowly I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his shoulders. "It's called love," I explain directly into his ear. "It's addictive and it hurts, but everyone needs it to function."
He's thrown completely off guard. I tug gently on his earlobe with my teeth – the ear without the earring – and he gasps softly. So he has sensitive ears, does he?
"All right boys, it's time for lunch," Molly announces loudly before turning to us, giving us our limited privacy.
I go back to my place at the table as she places a plate in front of each of us. "It looks wonderful, Molly, thank you." It looks like vegetable stew, but at this point I really don't care if it's hippogriff gizzard as long as it's warm and filling and stays in my stomach. And since Molly cooked it, it will also taste good.
Percy stares steadfastly at his plate, eating very slowly and methodically. I hope he's digesting my words as well as his stew.
"Are you coming back as soon as you finish up?" Percy asks shyly.
"It should only take two hours," I tell him. I honestly have no idea how long it will take.
"So you'll be back for dinner?" Molly inquires.
"Hopefully." Percy is still looking at his plate. "And after that I shouldn't be needed for at least three days." It will take that long for the Death Eaters to replace their dead leader and receive orders from above. Of course that is the optimistic estimation, I may be needed tonight.
Percy looks up, as if he's about to ask something, but he second guesses himself and continues to eat. He's not comfortable with the fact that I classified his emotions. He doesn't want to be attached to anyone; he wants to be strong and independent. Too bad he's human.
"It's just human, Percy," I tell him as I place my dirty plate in the sink. I head back up to our room to change into clothing a tad cleaner than what I'm wearing.
I have my shirt off when I feel him staring at my back. I let him stare a while before I pull a clean shirt on and face him.
"Yes?"
He looks like I just caught him breaking curfew.
"I was… Well, that is…" I raise my eyebrows as he attempts to construct a sentence. "What is going on this afternoon?" he finally blurts out.
"I have a meeting with Dumbledore and an Auror," I say nonchalantly. I break eye contact and search the room for one of my clean robes. He's going to ask what we will be discussing. "If it involved you, you'd be there. You only need to worry about what involves you." I find a clean robe under the bed.
"I wasn't going to – "
"Yes," I sigh. "You were."
The air begins to vibrate again.
"It involves you," he states firmly through gritted teeth. Yes, it does. That is why I'm going. "And because it involves you, it involves me."
"Not exactly." I pull on my robe. "It involves me. This is my battle – " Fuck!
"Your battle!" he screeches. "You're going into battle – and you weren't going to tell me?"
"Yes, I'm heading into battle, and no, I was planning on telling you tonight when I knew more about it." He's seething. I walk up to him and look up into his violet eyes. "I was planning on telling you, no matter how brash and obtuse you may be."
I can feel something inside him snap and he collapses.
On reflex, I catch him before he hits the floor, and scoop him up, placing him on the bed. I thought we were finished with these fainting spells – like when we got rid of all the dementors.
"Molly!" I call downstairs, not frantically, but not calmly either.
She comes barreling up the stairs and is in the room before I have to call her name again.
"What happened?" she asks in trepidation.
"He fainted again," I say absently. He should not have fainted. I have given him back the full power of the Jewel, but that should not be triggering spontaneous unconsciousness. The last time that happened something was literally killing him.
I need to be in his mind again, but I would prefer to have his permission. I could very easily tear down his wall, but I can't bring myself to do it. Damn, I'm going soft in my old age.
"Percy," I murmur into his hair. "Wake up." I give his mind a small mental nudge, but it does nothing.
Molly hurries to grab a smelling salt, and that wakes him up.
He grabs for my robe and clutches it so tightly in his fist that his knuckles turn white. His breathing is raced and his eyes are wide and panicked. He looks from me to his mother and relaxes slightly.
"What was it, dear?" Molly inquires tenderly.
"I – don't know." He furrows his brow in thought.
"Let me in," I request tersely.
He looks at me uncertainly before breaking down his mental wall. I invade his mind.
DarkBitsoflightBloodHissingScreamTerrorFangsRedeyes and a name: Nagini.
That's Voldemort's snake.
He looks up at me terrified. "Why?" His voice is so quiet I barely hear it. What does Voldemort's snake have to do with me? I don't want this!
"I don't know," I reply to his voiced question. "I'll talk to Dumbledore about it. Molly, can you look after Percy, make sure he doesn't leave your sight until Dumbledore, Severus, or I return." Treating me like a child.
You are a child.
He blushes faintly.
She nods. "Is he going to be alright?" Of course I'm not going to be alright. The last time I passed out not only was I dying but so was all of Britain!
"I think so. I need to go… Um, Percy I need to cast that spell on you again, are you coherent enough to understand?"
He glowers at me, unimpressed. You're such a bastard, Marcus.
I know.
I point my wand at him and cast the spell. And there is silence once again. I push his mind into true sleep.
I turn to Molly. "He's asleep now. Please keep an eye on him: there is a camp on the outskirts of Gravesend." She gasps, placing a hand over her mouth in horror. "I have a feeling his vision was an unintentional byproduct of the goings on at that camp. Keep him safe."
"Is that where you're going?"
"No'um." It's best not to disclose that type of information, even to someone as well-intentioned as Molly Weasley.
We lapse into silence, watching Percy sleep. Fuck. If anyone on the other side found out that I… This can only end badly. I leave before I can think of all the horrendous and gruesome ways this could end.
---
I feel that Marcus is very out of character in this chapter, that he is too much of an asshole to be that nice. But one of my betas said: "He's an asshole and assholes have feelings too… I'd imagine." So he is all touchy-feely in this chapter and he WILL NOT be like that in later chapters. I don't want this to become too much of a romance story. Mostly because this is a war story. There will be lots of war coming up. The next chapter is gonna be a bit boring – it's all battle plans and the like.
And thank you to all of my reviewers. JaimeBlue, Rhea, eh, and imakeeper. You guys are awesome.
