Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
"One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel."
― Steven Moffat
Audrey awoke to the muffled thuds of ceramic on wood and grinned when she remembered where she was. The familiar sounds of her dad making coffee awoke a deep relief within herself and her brain relaxed for the first morning in many months. She extracted her arms from under the covers and stretched, giving a loud yawn, which caused her bed mate to shift in his sleep. Suddenly the previous night came back to her in full force and she took great care when rolling over to not awake Percy in his current state of rest.
Looking at his face on the pillow next to her, Audrey recalled the emotions that she had experienced as Percy confessed to wiping someone's memory. Horror, betrayal, sympathy, anger and shock just to name a few. Even if it had been just a few precise memories, it made her skin crawl to think about losing control over your own mind- hours of your life lost, never to be reclaimed.
But he was so broken; and with this fact in mind, she focused on the enormously difficult position he had been placed in- that she had placed him in. He had been protecting her as much as he was protecting his job. She was sure of it.
Percy shuffled again, his glasses pressing into the bridge of his nose. With a soft smile, she reached out to stroke his cheek, her fingers barely touching him in fear that she was crossing an invisible line in their relationship. She didn't know what was propelling her to touch him in such a caring way, only that she enjoyed the warm adrenaline that developed in her stomach at the feeling of his slightly stubbly skin against her fingertips.
"Audrey?" he murmured, opening his eyes. Fast as lightening, Audrey whipped her hand away and sat up, trying to appear natural despite all the strong emotions that were bubbling through her chest. A confused look passed over his face. "What are you doing here?"
"I think I should be asking you that question," she replied with a smirk. "As this is my bedroom."
"Oh," said Percy simply. "I apologise for intruding, I assume I fell asleep."
Audrey looked at him understandingly. "It's cool. You were pretty worked up last night."
"Yes… I suppose I was." He pushed himself into a sitting position and removed his glasses, wincing as felt his bruised nose.
"How much can you see without those?" she asked, curiosity overtaking her. "I mean, you wear them all the time."
Percy grimaced and gestured towards her. "A blurry outline. Spots of colour with little definition." He adjusted himself and reached into his robes for his wand to heal his nose. Audrey drew in a sharp breath and a horrified look crossed his face as he quickly pushed it back into his pocket. She kicked herself, wishing for the days when she saw magic as something amazing and special instead of a potential weapon. "I'm sorry," he said, his ears glowing, "I didn't even think."
"No, no, no," said Audrey, stumbling over her words. "Please don't be sorry, I know you wouldn't hurt me. I really want us to be normal again."
"I wiped someone's memory just to save my career!" he exclaimed. "I introduced a muggle to magic because it fed my ego to have someone look up to me despite it putting you in considerable danger!"
"Hey," she said softly, "you are not a bad person." Percy scoffed and looked away. "Look at me." She placed her fingers where they had been minutes before and guided his eyes back to her own.
"Sorry, but … I can't really see you," he said. Audrey's brow furrowed in confusion before she realised that his glasses were still residing on the covers and not on his face. An amused snort emanated from her nose and she clapped her hand over her mouth to save the serious moment they had been having. Unfortunately, the disgusted look on his face only furthered her amusement and she started to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of their predicament.
Percy watched her laugh and realised that although he couldn't see her, he could picture the exact expression of joy upon her face. He felt enormous relief that she was enjoying herself despite the dreadful act he had committed. He was also trying not to feel elated at the words she had spoken last night, admitting that she had missed him. It was a nice feeling to be wanted.
As he thought about this, an unexplored question arose in his mind and he turned back to Audrey with a calculating expression. "Audrey," he began, waiting for her to notice as she came down from her high.
"Yeah?" she responded, wiping tears from her eyes.
"If you, erm… well you said…" Percy began to feel heat creep up on his face again. "Last night, when you said you miss- well, had wanted to see me, why didn't you just go back to Oliver's flat?"
Audrey's expression turned from light-hearted to completely befuddled. "I- I don't know. I guess I didn't really remember where it was."
"Really? You did say you had travelled through London a fair amount to find it the first time."
"It was quite strange actually," she said in a ponderous tone. "I was just about to give up when I saw Oliver, and as we were walking back to his place we were talking about rather interesting topics, I assume I was too enthralled to take any notice.
Percy nodded, accepting her answer despite the numerous questions that still chipped away at his mind. How could she remember facts from every book he gave her but not a simple address? How could she have been so lucky to spot a wizard in the middle of London? And one that he knew personally?
A knock woke him up from his thoughts and before he could register what it meant, he was forcefully shoved under the covers.
"Just a minute," he heard Audrey yell. He felt her move around on her bed and felt several objects pile on top of his body. "Don't make a sound," she hissed. "Come in, Dad."
Percy heard the door open. "Good morning Audrey," greeted her father, followed by a hearty chuckle, "Look at you all cocooned in there, reading, it's a bit hot for that. Anyway, breakfast is on the stove and I boiled the kettle for you."
"Thanks Dad," she replied. "Have a great day."
"I'll try," he said, and Percy heard the door shut.
With great effort, the young wizard extracted himself from the blankets to see Audrey perched on his lap and nearly choked. She turned her head at the sound and blushed, jumping off the bed and moving to the door.
"Well, I'm going to get breakfast, you coming?" she said as her brown curls disappeared around the corner.
Before following, Percy gave himself a moment to bury his head in his hands. Audrey was a beautiful woman and it was understandable to be attracted to her when they had been that close. However, he was ignoring the fact that his emotions had merely been intensified in that moment, not created. He felt that a deep desire had consumed his body and wanted to collect his thoughts away from the women that made them scatter.
"So, what are you doing today?" Audrey inquired as Percy entered the kitchen. "Work?"
"Actually, it's the day of the third task so I'll be at Hogwarts," he said, standing awkwardly in the centre of the room.
A worried look crossed across her face. "Are you sure you want to go? After what happened last time?"
"Certainly," Percy replied. "I was just a little tired that day. One should always get a full night's rest." He pretended to ignore her frustrated sigh and made his way to the kitchen table which was stacked with various indecipherable notes and textbooks with words that made no sense to the wizard. He took his time looking through them, trying to see if he could learn as much about Audrey's world as she managed to learn about his. The only sound was small clinks as Audrey stirred milk through her coffee.
Suddenly, they both broke the silence.
"Who is Maslow?" asked Percy, while Audrey said, "I'm coming with you."
They stared at each other, both trying to figure out the context of their words.
"Oh," Audrey began, still looking confused, "Maslow was an American psychologist who theorised that-," But she was cut off by his firm voice.
"No."
She frowned. "Yes. I have to."
"Do you know the reason I had to wipe her Megan's memory?" said Percy, advancing on her. "She saw us. In public. We were not careful enough and taking you today would be extremely dangerous."
"Going alone would be extremely dangerous," argued Audrey.
He snorted. "How?"
"Percy, the whole time I've known you you've been at your best," she said. "You try to hide all your weaknesses from me, but... you're not perfect Percy, nobody is. And from what I saw last night I don't think you can handle that fact very well."
"This conversation is ridiculous," he said firmly, doing his best to ignore the voice inside him that agreed with her. "Thank you for letting me stay, I have to go." And with those words he exited the house and began to walk up the street.
Unfortunately, he only made it past the kitchen when he heard her.
"Fucking, bugger, shit! Percy, you moron."
And, like a biblical voice inside his head, Audrey's expletives triggered something inside of himself and he walked back through the door.
After a moment of shock, the tall girl recovered and quipped, "Aaah, the walk of shame."
"I'll be back at five."
"No talking, no wandering off, no curiosity, no idiocy, no-."
"Percy, I'm not an imbecile. I won't do anything stupid," said Audrey, slightly sick of his lecturing. Before apparating they had agreed that she would stay outside the village and only move in case of emergency. She didn't mind this arrangement because she was still close to him if he needed anything. "Anyway, you need to go, it's going to start in an hour."
His blue eyes flicked across her face, trying to ascertain her seriousness. "I know. I just think you should-."
"I know, ok. Everything's going to be fine," she said soothingly. She held out her arms as a goodbye but instead received a quick nod and the sight of him walking away.
Audrey rolled her eyes at his typical avoidance and turned away from his retreating silhouette, finding a shady spot behind between two moss covered rocks, away from the prying eyes of the village. She opened her bag and pulled out a new book Percy had gotten her on his way back from work. It was a detailed collection of legends and history that explained Circe's life and her impact on the magical world.
Telling herself there was nothing to worry about she turned to the first page and began reading.
It was as she reached the sixteenth chapter that she decided to get up and stretch, after all, she had been sitting for a good few hours. As she rose she began to hear the noise that was previously blocked by the rocks surrounding her.
Screams. Lots of screams.
Audrey's knees felt weak as she scrambled over a smaller boulder to hear more. She felt like she had swallowed one of the rocks she had been sitting on. Anxiety pressed heavily on her chest as she recalled the similarity to the night when she had been introduced to magic.
"Audrey!" a voice called. She hastily ran back to her previous spot to see a comforting sight of red hair and glasses.
"Percy, what's happening?" she asked, forcefully restraining herself from embracing him in relief. "I just heard screaming."
"Something…" he began, face pale. "I don't know exactly. One of the champions I think… it was probably an accident."
"I don't understand," said Audrey. "Please, I can help."
His face darkened. "No, I need you to hide. There's a small drop off the hill if you walk that way," said Percy, gesturing down the slope. "Stay under there until I figure out whether it's safe to apparate."
"Hey, you have to tell me what's going on!" she exclaimed as he began to leave.
"Audrey there is no time. I have to be of assistance."
He left her again, but this time it was not mild worry she was left with but significant dread. She tried to understand his rush but could only focus on the terror of not knowing, just like her feelings when he had avoided the question about the death eaters four months ago.
Waiting in the shallow cave, Audrey felt more alone than she ever had before. The sky darkened to a murky black and the sounds of owls echoed through the night. She had to resist the temptation to run through Hogsmeade and find answers because the loneliness was so tenuous.
"Audrey?" she heard in the darkness after a torturous amount of time.
"Yes?" she replied, unsure of whether the voice was Percy's or not.
Something moved above her and her heart jumped into her throat. "Come on we have to go, it's safe but I don't know for how long."
Breathing a sigh of relief Audrey pushed herself up, making sure her head didn't collide with the dirt overhang and looked up. The moon cast its light in a way that obscured Percy's features and she began to climb up the incline so she could see his face.
But to her horror, she was stopped by a wand on her throat.
"Hello girlie," a husky voice said behind her, sending shivers across her skin. She felt his hot breath against her neck as he addressed the other stranger. "Is this the one?"
The tall man in front of her moved into the light. Audrey's pulse quickened when she saw the crude hood which hid his face from view. He lifted his wand to her eye level and she had to force herself not to turn away. She breathed a sigh of relief when the only consequence was a purple light that floated out of her chest.
"Yes, it's her," he replied. "What's your name, beautiful?"
Audrey's eyes flashed at his soft tone, seemingly teasing her fear. With as much courage as she could muster she began to respond, only to jump as high as she could, twisting and kicking the man holding her. Not another thought crossed her mind as she fled across the hilltop, leaping over rocks and rotting logs to try and reach anyone that could help. She heard angry voices behind her but didn't stop to see whether they were chasing her.
Her heart pumped in her chest and her breathing staggered, protesting the quick pace of her flight.
She knew she couldn't run forever.
Only a short distance from the first house Audrey felt her legs give way and she was flung into the air. She hurriedly cleared her hair out of her eyes only to see two figures emerge from the darkness behind her.
"Please! Please, I don't know anything!" she screamed, remembering the horrifying sight of the family floating in the sky and realising how hopeless any escape was. They had magic and she didn't. "Please don't hurt me!"
"We won't hurt you pretty girl," said the shorter one. "You won't even notice what we've done."
They chuckled as they advanced on her as she began to scream in earnest, squirming madly, trying to escape.
The taller one pressed his nose against hers, Audrey felt his breath on her skin and tried to scratch his face but quickly felt her arms fastened behind her. She sobbed, scared out of her mind, as he placed his wand against her forehead.
"You're our way in," he spat, and everything went black.
Audrey groaned as she felt someone shaking her and felt sharp rocks poking into her back. For a few moments she felt a rush of energy like she was in danger but it quickly seeped out of her like a lost dream. Opening her eyes, she saw a familiar face.
"Percy!" Audrey exclaimed as she remembered the recent events, the terror she had felt as she heard the screams from the village. "Can you tell me what has happened yet?" She stood up and faced him, taking in his shaking hands, drawing flashbacks to his recent breakdown.
"I- … I don't really-," started Percy. He cleared his throat and continued, "A student has died up at the school."
"What!?" she cried. "In the maze?"
"Yes, I believe so," he replied, hands uncontrollably adjusting his glasses.
Audrey's wide eyes juxtaposed her even tone. "How do you think it happened?"
"I believe there was a glitch in the way the task was designed. It's utterly horrible business."
"Do you-?" she began uncertainly. "Do you think it was Vol- You-Know-Who?"
Percy blinked. "Of course not, Audrey! He's been dead for years, remember? If he was back we would know."
"What do you have to do now?" asked Audrey. "Is there going to be a funeral? What about his family? Oh god," she clapped a hand to her mouth, "They- they'll be-… oh shit, Percy. Can you imagine if one of your brothers died? It'd stop your whole world, it would be like reaching into your chest and taking out everything that made you yourself. And can you imagine the agony it would be to see your child die before you? It's something that every parent fears and-." She broke off, staring at him. Percy was looking at her with such intensity that her emotions twisted and she couldn't tell whether she was depressed or ecstatic. She felt exposed yet her thoughts were clouded. "Are you even listening to me? Do you even-?" she started, but was cut off by a determined step forward and a pair of lips meeting her own.
Audrey felt all rational thought exit her mind. She knew this was so wrong under the circumstances but nothing had ever felt more right than wrapping her arms around Percy's neck and kissing him back passionately. They clung to each other, their movements awkward and desperate - a collage of lips and wandering hands.
Percy pulled away slightly and they broke apart, breathing heavily in the summer air. "Sorry," he muttered, removing his arms from around her waist. Audrey felt the loss inside her, a heat that need to be revived. "I should have asked you first… it's not appropriate. You probably didn't want-."
"Shut up, Percy," Audrey groaned, pulling him back to her. He didn't protest as her lips moved gently against his in a slow kiss, warming them to their centre. Without breaking contact Percy spun her around and apparated away from the village.
The muted light of a living room came into view as Audrey's vision cleared from the asphyxiating travel choice. She immediately recognised the sofa as the one in Oliver's apartment.
"Oh," she stated, surprised. "Why here?"
"I don't really know," Percy replied, looking confusedly around the room. "Going home would mean talking about what happened with my family."
Audrey nodded, studying his face. "You have to go home eventually."
"I know."
They both moved slowly through the room, tiptoeing around the inevitable conversation concerning the recent development in their relationship. Percy dropped heavily into the armchair, resting his head in his hands. Audrey placed herself uncertainly on the edge of the nearby sofa. The silence made the air seem thicker.
Finally, Percy spoke, "Look Audrey, you don't have to stay if you don't want to. I understand if this makes you uncomfortable."
All she could do in reply was bite her lip in closeted relief. He was still pompous, insecure Percy and she was comforted by this fact, realising that her friendship with this man had been transformed into a deep attraction.
"Come over here," said Audrey, patting the seat beside her.
"Why?" he asked, studying her with a guarded expression.
"So I can give you a hug," she said, smiling with fond exasperation.
He stood, still wary, and crossed to the sofa. His chosen position left a sizeable space between them. Audrey rolled her eyes and grasped his hands, wondering why it had been so easy ten minutes ago and now made her body quiver with nervous energy.
Tentatively, she pulled him closer and their eyes connected. She saw him swallow nervously. Making sure to be slow, she traced her hand up his arm, hearing his breathing increase the higher it got. Audrey didn't know why she was being so gentle when all her instincts told her to jump him. Her hand brushed his neck and she gently tugged at a red curl.
He looked at her, his eyes betraying the depth of his anxieties. "I want to be happy."
"Ok," she said softly, steadily returning his gaze.
With those words, he broke, leaning forwards to claim her lips with the fierce passion of a man who had been waiting too long. Audrey gasped at the sheer meaning behind their kiss and returned it just as strongly. Lips and teeth clashing together they sunk back onto the cushions, ignoring any outside noise and internal problems. It was only the two of them, the one person they could trust without fear of being judged or ignored. The one person they had desired for months. In the midst of their embrace Audrey felt Percy's hand begin to trail up her leg and she smiled against his lips, moving her hand to touch the skin under his shirt.
"Wait- stop," he exclaimed, pulling away. She raised an eyebrow quizzically; from what she could tell he was quite enjoying himself. He looked sheepish, "I am not being very proper."
Some part of Audrey wondered what Percy and Penelope had actually done but she brushed it away.
"The last thing I want you to be right now is proper," she said, straddling him.
"Ok," he said quickly, and allowed her to unbutton his shirt. She captured his mouth in another kiss and gently moved her hands up his chest and back around his neck. They breathed staccato gasps in between kisses - it was impossible to concentrate on any one thought flying around her mind.
It was just as Percy slid a warm hand under her shirt that the door burst open, causing them to jump apart. Oliver appeared in the hallway looking worse for wear, and, not recognising the situation he had stumbled across, walked in and threw himself down onto the armchair. He let out a loud groan and rubbed his eyes tiredly whilst the others watched him closely.
"Well…" he began, his voice hoarse, "all in all I feel pretty fucked." At their lack of response, he looked closer at their position. His eyes wandered over Audrey's body sprawled unceremoniously on the floor and Percy's shirt with half its buttons undone. Both their faces were considerably red and he did recall a thump as he had entered the flat. His eyes widened in understanding.
Audrey, watching the changes on his face jumped in before he had a chance to comment, saying, "Yeah, we were just saying how… how, um…"
"I'm sure you were," said Oliver, raising his eyebrows. "Maybe before you started stripping him."
"It was in no way a slight on Diggory's death," Percy elaborated, his ears darkening to match his hair. "We just- well, I… we're sorry."
The athlete let out a booming laugh, throwing his head back and thoroughly shocking his two friends. "Are you kidding me? This is the only good thing that's come out of today."
"What?" asked Audrey. She was completely baffled by the continuously shifting mood and turned to lock eyes with Percy who was looking just as confused.
"Aaaah," Oliver sighed, wiping his eyes. "I'm going to hell, but I guess I'll see you two there."
Audrey grasped the coffee table to help herself up, shaking her head in amusement. She made her way out of the room where Percy was trying to assure his friend that they were not disrespectful, and walked into the kitchen. With methodical actions, she filled up the kettle and set it upon the lit stove. She was having trouble contemplating the dramatic nature of the past twenty-four hours and couldn't believe that this time yesterday she had been fearing a dinner with her father. With everything that had happened, good and bad, she felt like a changed person and she had to give herself a moment to reflect upon her feelings.
As she opened the fridge her eyes were drawn to small scratches detailing the skin on her arms. Intrigued, she made sure no one was around before searching over her entire body, discovering more angry red lines etched upon her legs and a sizeable rip in her shirt. It appeared as though she had run through a forest or done some serious climbing but she couldn't remember doing anything like that.
Suddenly, Audrey felt fear like she had never known, she felt weightless yet grounded as the same time. She heard screaming and whirled around, trying to pinpoint the source, but all she saw was the blue cupboards.
"You alright in there?" asked Oliver from the next room. As abruptly as it had begun, the trance was broken and she snapped back into reality, hurrying to get the mugs and finish her task.
After a few minutes, she returned to the sitting room accompanied with three mugs of tea. Percy and Oliver were still bickering and it brought a smile to her face to see that they could find laughter under the circumstances.
Once the tea was placed in front of them, they all paused to drink and remembered the situation that had led them there. Oliver covered his eyes with one arm, leaning back in his chair; Percy's back stiffened, drinking his tea with a hardened expression. Audrey watched the darkness consume them and had to stop herself from sobbing. She felt like one of those awful people who pretended to be sad even though they had no connection to the deceased. However, it was hard to argue with the sinking feeling in her chest and the tears pricking her eyes. It wasn't that she knew Cedric, it was that she understood the depression and anger accompanying the death of a loved one.
Not caring that there was someone else in the room she shifted closer to Percy and, setting down her tea, she wrapped him tightly in her arms. He looked down into her eyes and returned the embrace, laying a soft kiss on her forehead before resting his head on top of hers.
Everything was about to change.
Authors Note: Hello people who made it to the bottom! A week since updating? What is this madness? Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you liked this chapter, I know it's a bit long but I had so much to write! Thank you for the follows and reviews, I always feel really happy when I see them.