prompt 41: candle

A/N: Candles don't really have a lot to do with the plot of this, but I mentioned them several times, and I got the plot idea and I just couldn't shake it. Some of you Torchwood fans will recognize this dialogue :)

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The corridor was deserted except for flickering light from the enchanted candelabrums, the minimal light of which did not reveal the patrolling prefects at the end of the hall.

"Do you think they've noticed that we've patrolled together every week for the past two months?" Penelope whispered.

"Yes," Percy replied with a smile.

They had known each other before, being in the same year, but prefect status had tied them together; she was one of the few who would put up with him, and he was desperate for good company, and moreover, she was beautiful.

They turned the corner silently and looked down the similarly vacant hall. Penny folded her arms.

"Let's go to the library," she said, raising her eyebrows mischievously.


Percy inhaled deeply, looking for that beloved scent: books.

"I love libraries," he said absently.

Penny laughed. "It's really a shame they don't have many Muggle books here."

She began scaling the shelves, looking a leather-bound volumes by wand-light. She crouched down, scanning the lowest shelf until she pulled a slim hardback out, stood up, and handed it to Percy.

"Read it. You'll like it," she stated with inarguable authority.

He flipped the cover over--The Picture of Dorian Gray. He'd never read a Muggle novel before, but it was a place to start, and it gave him something to talk about with Penny.

Her faint smile, shrouded in warm candlelight, gave Percy some much-needed confidence.

"Erm…so, Penny, I was thinking, next weekend's Hogsmeade, and maybe you wanted to…erm, go with me?" It came out better than he had hoped. But that didn't mean she'd say yes.

She put her hands on her hips. Was she angry at him? "Are…are you asking me out on a date?"

Percy felt his heart sink. This was what true rejection felt like. "Erm…yes."

She grinned. "As long as it's not in a library. Some fetishes should be kept to yourself."

Percy wasn't sure whether he had been accepted or not, but for some reason, he didn't press any further.

"Hm…ten-thirty. Patrol's over," Penny said brightly, holding her lit wand near Percy's watch.

He walked her back to Ravenclaw Tower; he always did. Just as she turned to consult the door-knocker, Percy decided that he wouldn't be able to sleep without conformation that he had, most unfortunately, been turned down.

"Penny…was that a yes?"

She laughed softly, causing dark curls to fall over her eyes. "Most definitely."