A/N: Okay, I felt bad for leaving you with such a huge cliffhanger, so here's the chapter earlier than expected!
Honestly, I'm a bit nervous about this chapter, mostly because of Audrey! She exists in canon, but we know nothing about her, so it was up to me to create her. After thinking about someone who would work with Percy, she popped into my head and I knew she was great – I just hope that's represented on the page! I'm really curious what you think of her and really scared at the same time! 0.o
Chapter 7
The first thing that Percy was aware of was that he was lying on a lovely, soft bed, and for once, he felt comparatively well-rested. Had he actually fallen asleep the night before? Without the Sleeping Draught? But that was impossible!
His memories swiftly caught up to him, and his eyes flew open. Percy knew the moment they focused that he was not anywhere he recognized. Without realizing it, he felt his breath grow short as he began to panic. The room was small and homey, but he was alone and it smelled foreign to him. Straining to sit up, he nearly screamed when the latched door swung open to reveal none other than Littleton with a tray in her hands.
She yelped at seeing him awake, but quickly put the tray down on a table as she rushed to his bedside and forced him to lie back down. Percy didn't argue as an overwhelming sense of vertigo washed over him.
"Miss Littleton," he gasped.
"Mr. Weasley, sir, how are you feeling?" she asked, her voice trembling as she spoke hesitantly. "I'm…terribly sorry! I didn't…I didn't know where to take you so I just brought you to our cottage. That is, my father's and mine. I just…I didn't know what you were saying. You…you passed out before…before I could understand. I hope…you don't mind."
Percy closed his eyes as the world spun. "Your…cottage, Miss Littleton?"
"Yes. And you can call me Audrey if you like. I mean, now that we're not at work… You don't have to, of course…"
Percy blinked slowly. "Right. Well…Audrey, I don't want to be an imposition…"
"Oh no, sir, not at all!" Audrey rushed to say. "I couldn't possibly make you leave now! You're…dreadfully ill, sir. I had to look up some remedies in my old textbooks, but I think they should work." She glanced at the doorway. "I'm brewing a potion now that should help you feel better. And…I've started a soup, if you're hungry. If…if I might ask, sir, when's the last time you ate anything?"
Percy struggled to comprehend her words past the thick fog in his mind. "Eat?" he spoke feebly. "Yes, of course…I…must've…" Frowning, Percy realized he had no idea when he had last eaten anything substantial. He had thought his weight loss was a by-product of the potions…
Audrey swallowed as she went and retrieved the tray, upon which a small bowl of soup steamed pleasantly. It smelled good, but Percy's stomach roiled.
"I don't…" Percy started.
"Oh, right," Audrey breathed, setting the tray down on the nightstand. "Well, you might be more inclined after drinking the Cleansing Potion. It should be done now." She swept out of the room and returned with a steaming goblet of a silvery liquid in her hand. Offering it to him, he accepted it but hesitated to drink.
"It's a Cleansing Potion," she explained, "It negates the effects of all potions in your system. Hermione and I…suspected you might be taking something."
Percy grimaced as he gulped it down, sighing in relief when the aftertaste was peppermint-flavored. Almost instantly, he felt ten times better. He glanced at Audrey, who had taken a seat next to him.
"Ah, so that's what you two were talking about," he commented, reaching for the soup.
"It's light, so you should be able to eat it easily," she said, pausing as he spooned up a portion and sipped at it. It was indeed light, though the broth hinted of basil.
"Yes, thank you, Miss…Audrey," Percy corrected himself clumsily, feeling like an intruder in her home.
Audrey smiled shyly. "Have as much as you like."
"You're…very kind."
There was an awkward pause as Audrey sighed.
"We were…worried about you, you know. Sir."
"You and Hermione?"
"Yes. She told me…what happened. With your brother."
Percy involuntarily stiffened as Audrey continued in a small, sad voice.
"I know…what it's like. I lost my brother, too."
Percy, startled, met her eyes. "What happened?" he blurted. "Oh, I'm sorry, that's rude of me—"
"No, it's alright," she insisted. "His name was Jake. He was my older brother, always looked out for me." Her eyes became wistful as she stared into the distance. "It was always just the three of us, my brother, my father and me."
"Your mother?" he asked gently.
"She died when I was young. I don't think either of them ever got over it. But we were happy enough. Jake was just…he was too reckless. He wanted to fight when You-Know-Who returned. He wanted to oppose the Death Eaters, but my father wanted us to flee the country. Jake fought with him, and they argued constantly. I guess it didn't help that I was still at school." She paused to draw a shaky breath.
Percy, who had stopped eating to listen, leaned forward. "You don't have to tell me," he said quietly.
Audrey shook her head, a sad smile on her lips as she met his gaze. "I want to. Because I know what you're going through right now." She lowered her eyes and resumed her story, practically whispering it.
"It was about a year ago when it happened. The Death Eaters came to our door. I was home, by that point, as my father had withdrawn me from Hogwarts. My father was out, and my brother…I think he knew what was coming. He hid me, cloaked me in undetectable spells that we had been preparing for weeks. But he didn't put them on himself." Tears brimmed in her eyes. "He stood up to them, and I heard them hurt him and then…kill him. And for so long I blamed myself for not helping. For not realizing his true intentions. For hiding when I could have fought and died beside him. But you know what?" she looked at Percy with abrupt fierceness as her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "It wasn't my fault. It took me a long time to realize and accept that truth, but when I did, it was so much easier. You need to realize it too."
Percy, so absorbed in her story, froze when she spoke directly to him. His heart was pounding, and he felt his body heat rise as he roughly returned the soup to the tray and stood up, purposefully ignoring his lightheadedness.
"Miss Littleton, I appreciate your advice and I am very sorry for your loss. But you know barely half of my situation, and I would thank you not to interfere in my personal business!" His words came out more forcefully than he intended, and felt ashamed when she flinched and tears squeezed out of her eyes.
"But sir, please, listen—"
"Miss Littleton, we are work associates. I did not request your help, and though I am grateful for what you have done for me, I have to ask you to disregard my personal situation and focus on your work," he spoke vehemently. "Now, if you don't mind, if you could point me to my things, I will take my leave."
When she didn't answer, Percy strode past her into a humble kitchen where he saw the potion she had been brewing hanging in a cauldron over the fireplace. Noticing his briefcase on the counter, he went over to grab it as Audrey emerged from the bedroom.
"Don't you get it?" she cried. "You need help! You're killing yourself!"
Percy scooped up a handful of Floo Powder from a jar on the mantle and turned to face her coldly.
"And why should you care, Miss Littleton?"
He watched as a devastated expression overcame her. Her mouth parted, but her lips only trembled, and Percy knew it was time to go.
And as he stepped into the green flames, he could've sworn that the sound of weeping followed him.
George yawned and stretched. The day was warm, the grass was green, and the sunshine was bright as it shined into his eyes. He had been starting to feel like a ghost, never leaving the house, becoming paler and paler. Of course, with his genetics, that kind of came with the package, but it was still nice to get some fresh air, especially if that meant avoiding his family.
Not that anyone was home at the moment, but he knew his mum would be back soon to heckle him, and Lee would probably stop by to persuade him to join the radio show, as usual. Then, when his dad came home, he would nonchalantly pass by George's bedroom (formerly Percy's), attempt to strike up a conversation about nothing, and then sigh in disappointment. Oh, and then Ron would come home, slam doors, stomp around like a giant, and tear into anyone within range. The pleasantness at the Burrow just never ended.
George found it easier and easier nowadays to just stop communicating entirely with his crazy family, though he had to curse Percy's foresight when they were drafting the W.Y.S.K.Y. Checklist. That checklist was the only thing he allowed to occupy his mind lately, but every time he reflected on the goals Percy had set for him, he despaired at their implausibility. It was hard enough getting up in the morning knowing he had nothing to accomplish.
Suddenly, George was startled out of his ruminations by two loud cracks followed by raised voices. Propping himself up on his elbows, he glanced over to enjoy the show.
"What the bloody hell's wrong with you?" Harry was demanding, squarely facing Ron, who had a livid expression and a tightened jaw. Typical, George thought idly.
"What's the bloody hell's wrong with you? Why'd you take us out of there so early?" Ron shot back.
"I wasn't taking us out of there; I was taking you out of there!" Harry retorted.
Ron scoffed. "Oh, so now you get to make the calls? I thought we were still in training! Or wait, just because you're Harry Potter you get to be the boss now?"
Harry growled and began to pace, visibly trying and failing to control his fury.
"That's not how it is—"
"That's exactly how it is!" Ron yelled. "They don't want me out there! Who am I, compared to the glorious and almighty Harry Potter?"
Harry looked about to yank out his hair in frustration. He took a deep breath to calm himself.
"Look, Ron, I pulled you out of there because you disobeyed protocol."
"How do you reckon that?" Ron demanded heatedly.
"Our orders were to capture the target and wait for the rest of the team to assemble before interrogating him. Remember?"
"Well, sorry for wanting to get the information out of him before his pals could come bail him out!"
"Ron, he was just a kid. He didn't deserve to be whaled into like that!"
"He was a Death Eater, Harry! Who knows how many people he's tortured and killed!"
"But we don't know that for sure, Ron! The information's spotty! We're following leads of leads here!" Harry blew out a long breath and both were silent for a few moments. "Can I be honest with you, mate?"
"Please, I would hate for you to hold back," Ron muttered sarcastically.
"I'm being serious!"
Ron glared at him but huffed, slightly calmer. "Fine."
"Don't get mad, but I'm not sure this whole Auror thing is right for you."
"What do you mean it's not right for me? I want to do it!" Ron exploded.
"But I don't think you should. I think you're still upset…about Fred."
"Christ, you sound like Hermione!" Ron scoffed.
"And she's right! I've been thinking about it a lot, and with what happened today… I just think you should take some time off and figure things out."
"Oh, and you're the expert now?"
"On grief and loss, I like to think so, yes," Harry replied stiffly.
Ron had the decency to look slightly ashamed at that, but still jutted out his jaw stubbornly.
"So I'm kicked off the Auror squad. What am I supposed to do now?"
Harry raked a hand through his hair as he thought it over and at last shrugged.
"I dunno. Maybe…try talking to George or something. He's handling things much worse."
"Handling things?" Ron repeated dubiously. "He's not even handling things! I haven't so much as heard a word out of him in weeks!"
"Well…there you go," Harry said weakly, trying to crack a smile. They shuffled their feet awkwardly for a moment before Ron spoke up in a much quieter voice.
"You're heading back, then?"
"Yeah, I should."
Ron sighed. "Right. Well…bye, then."
"Yeah. See you later." Harry Disapparated with another crack, and George was left staring at Ron, who suddenly looked so sad and vulnerable that George surprised himself by sitting up and waving him over.
Ron blinked, surprised at George's proximity, as he approached and plopped down beside him.
Ron sighed and grimaced. "I suppose you heard all of that?"
"The part where you beat up a kid, or the part where you no longer have a job?"
Ron scowled. "Nice to hear that you've started talking again." He paused. "So are you going to rat me out?"
George shrugged. "Maybe. If I feel so inclined." There was a short silence as George determined to check Ron off the list. "So, what was with the kid? Did he look at you funny? Call you names?"
How strange that teasing his younger brother could come back so easily, George mused.
Ron, despite being annoyed, also seemed a bit relieved.
"Nah. Yours and Fred's were always the worst, so nothing else really bothered me," he joked, trying to crack a grin, though it didn't quite work. He sighed painfully. "I dunno. I guess I just…lost it. Every time I see a Death Eater, I think of Fred, and it makes me want to bash their faces in. I want them…to pay for what they did."
George, his good mood fading, uncomfortably shifted positions so he was facing away from his younger brother. Damn that bloody checklist to hell!
A long silence stretched between them.
"Hey George?" Ron murmured at last.
George grunted in reply.
"Are you…mad at me?"
George rolled back over to see if Ron was fooling around, but there was dead seriousness in his eyes.
"No, I'm not mad at you," he said sincerely. "Why would you think that?"
"You've been avoiding me since…well, since Fred died."
George swallowed heavily, refusing to acknowledge the last part of his statement.
"To be honest, I haven't wanted to get in your way lately. You're like a bloody raging beast, coming home and yelling at everybody!"
Ron's ears flushed as his face grew sheepish. "Yeah, I guess that's true…"
"But really, I'm not mad at you. And…I don't blame you." George didn't know where those last words had come from, but they seemed to relieve a lot of tension in Ron's shoulders the instant he said them.
Ron's gaze was far away as he half-smiled. "Thanks. I guess…I needed to hear that."
The two brothers sat together in more awkward silence, the touchy-feely moment they had just shared suddenly becoming embarrassing.
"So, you're with Hermione now?" George brought up out of nowhere.
Ron chuckled self-consciously. "Erm…yeah. It's great. I guess it was a long time coming."
George gave him a sly look. "I think you mean a long, long, long, long, long time coming, Ickle Ronniekins. So long that Fred and I stopped taking bets, as we figured you'd be in your seventies before you'd figure it out."
Ron scowled but maintained a half-grin as he lay back on the ground.
"Guess I was a bit daft on that count, eh?"
"There are not enough words in the marvelous English tongue to accurately answer you," George responded. Ron laughed and silence fell between them again, though it was much more comfortable.
"George?"
George rolled his head over to Ron to give him a look.
"What?"
"Erm…are you…okay?" Ron asked, squirming awkwardly.
George groaned. "You too?" He hadn't meant for his tone to be annoyed, but it came out that way and he watched Ron scowl.
"What do you mean by that?" Ron demanded, offended. "I'm just asking how you are! You've been acting like a bloody…"
"A bloody what?" George yelled. "Just…leave me alone!" He stood up, abruptly agitated, and stalked to the house.
"You called me over!" Ron shouted after him. "Merlin, you're such a—"
George didn't hear him over the slamming of the door.
A/N: Oh, the angst!
I've almost caught up to myself here, and the next chapter needs a lot of work, so I might not be able to post it quickly, especially considering all the homework I have. But I shall try my best, and perhaps procrastinate with this story!
Thanks for reading, and please let me know how you feel about Audrey! I appreciate it!
