So I just put up my Christmas tree today. And the jolliness of it all made me feel a bit ill (because let's face normal people don't hurt poor fictional characters who just want happy lives). So I wrote some angst. A lot of angst. Then a bit of fluff to take the edge off.

Thank you so much for following and favouriting the story. And for my wonderful refuses. I love them and you guys so much.

Disclaimer: Not even JK would put someone through this much torture.

Chapter 10:

Percival lay in bed, thinking. Adriana had spent a solid hour complaining about her Minister. And with good reason. Since Maya was out on a week's leave, Fawley had started giving Adriana eyes. She had, in no uncertain terms, told him to go away or she would hex him to kingdom come. Percival actually felt like hitting the man. He didn't think it was fair to treat someone like that in the workplace, especially if they were so high up. Percival had never abused his position like that, except maybe to get the hour nap in his office he needed. It was strange. He felt protective of Adriana. He brushed it off as normal, friendly concern. Because she was just a friend.

Pain. It hit him like a tidal wave. The cold, cruel whispers. The colder hands that danced across his skin. The muttered words that brought more pain than anything he'd ever felt before. It made him scream. It made him writhe and beg for mercy. For it to end. Each scream that tore from his throat felt like a piece of his soul gone. Those brilliant purple eyes were alive with joy each time. Sometimes he stared into his own dark irises. He prayed he never saw such a predatory look on his face again. The breaths of words in his ears. Worthless. Weak. Over and over again. He wanted to be left alone. He wanted to curl up and never see the world again.

"Such fun Percy." Grindelwald had said with excitement. "You really live up to the Graves family reputation." He had smiled. "Such a good boy Percy. Aren't you Percy? Percy? Percy? Percival? Percival?" Grindelwald had only called him Percival once.

"Percival." He heard someone calling his name. He shot up, desperately gripping onto whoever it was. "It's alright Percival." Adriana. Hearing his name felt like a godsend right then. It was spoken softly. With worry, concern and compassion. Adriana was holding him. He had his faced buried in her hair. He wouldn't cry. He was a Graves. And the Graves family didn't cry. His heart was slowing down from the hummingbird it had been imitating. "It's alright." She repeated softly, threading a hand through this hair. He clung to her. She was probably the only thing anchoring him to reality at this point. She was calming him down. When his breathing slowed, his heart stopped racing and his body was less tense, she pulled back slightly. Her silver eyes were dancing with fire. They were alive with warmth. Percival felt himself relaxing back down onto the pillows. Then he caught sight of himself in the mirror on the wall. His black hair was a mess. He was a chalky white. The second he saw his eyes, the mirror cracked. He hadn't even processed the use of magic. It had just happened. "Look at me." Adriana said. Percival tried to tear his eyes away from the cracked reflection. It was hard. The longer he looked at it, the more it seemed like the expression was changing. His usual skin pallor was returning. And he was smiling like a wolf. He felt hands at either side of his head and felt himself being twisted towards Adriana. "Don't look there. Look at me." He focused on her eyes. It took a while until he was completely calm.

"I'm fine." He said. Adriana raised an eyebrow.

"As an Auror I know that's code for I'm feeling a lot right now but I'd rather pretend everything's fine." She said. Suddenly Percival didn't want to look her in the eyes. They were beginning to remind him of Dumbledore's, as if she could see right through him. He sat up properly, leaning against the bed head.

"I'm fine." He insisted. Even to him it sounded like a complete lie. His voice had a tremor and was cracked.

"Forgive me if I don't believe you." Adriana said as she draped herself across his legs. She was lying across them, legs dangling off the bed. He became very aware that he was wearing thin silk pyjamas and she was wearing an equally thin robe and gown. Her body was warm and that warmth seemed to seep into him. She moved and she was lying right next to him.

"What are you doing?" He asked. He didn't know why she was so close. Why she was lying on the bed.

"Shush. Get back to sleep." She said in a somewhat stern voice. Part of him wanted to twist away from her. The other part of him remembered the mirror on the other side of the room. He slumped back down under the covers. He stared at her. She kept her eyes firmly open. Those silver wells almost seemed to be hypnotising. He fell asleep thinking about cinnamon and silver.

Waking up next to something smaller than him made him briefly wonder if he'd adopted a pet. Instead, when he finally willed himself to open his eyes, he saw Adriana curled up in a ball against his chest. Part of him wanted to wake her up. Another part was trying to work out exactly what had happened last night. Another part was telling him to just watch her sleep. He decided to listen to that part. Adriana was an Auror, she didn't sleep much anyway. He was also aware that she had been at his side for every nightmare. That probably didn't help. She deserved a little rest. He should do something for her. An idea sprang into his mind and he carefully removed himself from the bed. Adriana murmured something that sounded oddly like 'orange haired pillock' but didn't wake up. Percival turned and saw the mirror that he'd smashed last night. Horror and dread crept up on him. He quickly repaired it but turned away before he could see what was looking back. He hadn't had this problem with mirrors before. It was probably because of whatever nightmare he'd had. He snuck downstairs and started on his something nice.

Adriana woke to the scent of something good. She pulled herself out of bed. Her mind did not function as well as it should on mornings so it took a moment to process that this was Percival's room and that had been his bed. Then she remembered last night and the momentary panic she had evaporated. She'd probably freaked him out more. She went downstairs wondering if he was halfway back to America. Then she saw him in the kitchen. He was making breakfast. That was different. Adriana didn't have house guests often but she was pretty sure they didn't make breakfast.

"Good morning." She said. Percival glanced up from the stove. He smiled slightly at her. "You're in a good mood this morning." She said.

"Your hair." He said. Adriana glanced into the oven door to check her reflection. As usual, it had turned into a bird's nest.

"Glad my bed hair entertains you." She grumbled. She shot him a suspicious look. "Your hair is all neat and tidy."

"Mmm. I don't really get bed hair." Percival admitted.

"Lucky you." Adriana grumbled. A hairbrush came zooming down the stairs and began attempting to disentangle Adriana's hair. "What's for breakfast?"

"You'll see in a minute." Percival said. He shooed Adriana into the dining room. She sat down and had some toast while she waited. Percival walked in with a stack of pancakes. She smiled. Pancakes seemed to be the safe bet for a morning treat. She helped herself to some. They had cinnamon in them.

"Yum. Gotta love that cinnamon flavour." She said happily. A small smile graced Percival's face.

"I'm now quite fond of cinnamon." He said. Adriana smiled at him fondly. She liked it when he smiled. It was rare. And they weren't wide smiles. Just little flicks of his mouth. His dark eyes crinkled slightly. He seemed warmer. Adriana made it her mission to make him smile more. She noticed that he was happiest when he was in the garden.

"I was wondering..." She started. Percival glanced up at her. "What do you think about putting furniture in the garden?"

"It's your garden." Percival said in a non-committal way. He'd love to put furniture in the garden. Then he could read outside.

"You spend more time in it than I do." Adriana said. Percival looked down at the table. "Which is great because it would probably go back to being a jungle. So, if I leave some money, would you go out and buy some things?"

"Yes." Percival said. Adriana smiled.

"Good." She said. "You're much better at this decor thing than I am."