Title: Goodbye, Nostalgia

Author: zazial

Time Period: DH

Pairings: Percy/Audrey, many others.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and everything connected with him. She's kind enough to let us play with her creations the way we do.

Chapter 7

Friday morning the snowy owl was waiting for him on his desk when he walked in.

"What now?!"

He was an idiot for talking to an owl and expecting an understandable response, that was what.

She held out her leg where he saw the familiar ribbon and seal, tied around what appeared to be an even heavier letter.

"No! I absolutely refuse! If your lady wishes to speak to me, she will have to wait until after the war is over!" Which was ridiculous he knew, but just two days after meeting the woman, Percy knew it was hopeless to expect rationality from himself. 'It's just the stress' he told himself 'There's been a lot of work lately.'

The owl did not move.

"Look, I have no problem with you, but either leave and show Ms. Beridore that I have not read her letter, nor do I wish to, or I'll just burn it again."

With a disappointed and irked ruffle of feathers, the snowy owl left his office. Good riddance. As he fell into his chair a stray card that was previously buried under too many other papers fell to the floor. When Percy bent over to pick it up, he realized what it was: the invitation to Bill's wedding to Fleur Delacour. He remembered being surprised to receive it a month ago, but realized that it was just like his Mum to have snuck it in, hoping…

But he could not go and ruin the happy nuptials with his presence anyway. He looked at the date. Merlin…it was today. His eldest brother was getting married today, and he was stuck in an office, unable to think, unable to work and…and he was all alone.

All the way until lunch, Percy again found that he could not concentrate. Damn that woman, damn fate, damn doing what he believed in. Damn being wrong. But he was no Death Eater a least.

Percy decided that he actually would go to lunch for a change. Perhaps the fresh air would do him some good. He did not have to bother getting someone to come with him as most Ministry staff went to the same areas for this hour and so he found himself in a popular wizard's café.

"What will it be sir?" asked the jovial plumped faced woman behind the counter whose name he never bothered to learn.

"Uh…just…chicken soup thanks." Really what he missed was his mother's chicken soup, but he mentally kicked himself for thinking that. He'd been taking too many walks down Nostalgia Lane lately. Nostalgia, definitely nostalgia. Memory was what happened, Nostalgia meanwhile was just the reverie of what happened, the romanticism of it. He had definitely ignored the true road and walked down that overgrown path of dreams.

The chicken soup was average, but it was warm and soft, and most importantly filled an unknown cold in his stomach. At least, he felt a bit better as he smiled, paid and stood to leave.

Once outside he was met by a now all too familiar face. Why in Merlin's name was Audrey Beridore standing in front on him now? In person? Looking as neat as ever, and that damned chignon again. This could possibly be considered stalking.

He decided to ignore her again and continued walking.

"Two years ago I walked out on my family."

Percy stopped. What she said absolutely stunned him.

There was a long silence and he waited knowing now that he needed to hear what she had to say.

"I have no siblings, and my parents, they denied me the right to my magic my entire life, never told me my true name or even my past, and raised me as a muggle in a different country. I decided to finally claim my right as a witch and join the wizarding world but they vehemently objected so I just left."

Denied magic? How on earth could anyone deny a witch her magic? And a name…he assumed she was talking about her family name. He thought 'Beridore' sounded odd. Was it possible to not know one's own name?

"I sought to prove to them that the magical world held no threats, that I could be successful here. I did not speak to them from the moment I left."

Percy turned, wanting to demand why the hell this meant that she was obsessively hounding him but the look in her eyes stopped him. She was looking at him but not at him, in absolute anguish. "And I'll never get to speak to them ever again, or prove anything, because six months after I left they died."

A sharp icy feeling impaled his stomach. It was fear, pure and clear fear as Percy was forced to face the entirely possible notion that he could lose his entire family from this war, and never speak to them again. And oh Merlin, his brother was getting married right this minute. Audrey Beridore had lost her family in six months, he had left for how long now? Almost a year and a half.

They just stood there after that, Percy no longer cared about the time. Bill was getting married, Bill almost died a few months before at Hogwarts, his father almost died the previous year. In his sixth year Ginny almost died. Those feelings of despair washed over him as he remembered how it felt to hear that Ginny, baby Ginny, their little Ginny was in the Chamber of Secrets, what it felt like to feel helpless. He was so self-absorbed he could not even protect his baby sister. Well now that changed hadn't it? He was in the Ministry, working to protect Ginny and all magical citizens. Was that really what it was about when he first left?

He could die in this war. He'd never be able to…to what? Tell them that he loved them even with what everyone had done? He was never good at just pure expression like that, he needed to lecture in order to prove that he cared.

What were they waiting for? Why was he standing on a now empty street staring at this woman who was also lost in her own world down on Nostalgia Lane?

"My brother," he broke the silence "Is getting married today."

"Congratulations." She nodded. Was that a tiny smile?

Percy shrugged. He was at a complete loss for words. He opened his mouth but shut it, realizing that for the first time in a very long time, he had no idea what to say.

"I'll be going then. I'm sorry for the letters, I just needed to…tell you that. I don't know why, but I assure you, from now on, you'll hear nothing from me."

Despite what he had been feeling for the past two days, Percy was not entirely happy to hear that. Instead of expressing it however, he just nodded dumbly.

Smiling slightly, Audrey held out her hand. Percy took it and they shook, as he held her hand he looked at her eyes, realizing with a start that she was tall, almost his height. He dropped his eyes as soon as they released each other and she walked into the café where he saw her ask to use their fireplace to floo. Percy stood still, watching until he saw her disappear in the green flames. Then he finally made his slow walk back to work. He knew that he was late, and for the first time, he did not really care.