Author's Note: It's Thanksgiving in the US. To show my readers how grateful I am for all of you, and your reviews, I'm posting an extra chapter. I hope this makes up for that killer cliffhanger. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you celebrating, and Happy Thursday to those of you who are not.

Chapter Ten

"I saw 'er first."

Percy vaguely recognized the stocky man before him as the bloke who was trying to dance with Audrey before. "Excuse me?"

There were two other equally stocky men standing behind the first. "I said, I saw 'er first."

"You mean Audrey?" Percy asked, the absurdity of the statement dawning on him. "Well, first of all, she's not a piece of property that you can call dibs on. And second, she came with me."

"She was dancing with me."

Percy pushed his glasses up. He used long practiced skills to keep from saying the first thing to come to mind. Which happened to be: sod off, you ruddy Neanderthal.

"And now she's dancing with me," Percy said instead, he began to turn back to Audrey. "Good evening, gentlemen."

The hand was on his shoulder again, whipping him around. Percy ducked the fist coming at him, sinking his own in his assailant's hard stomach. Bloody hell, what had he just done! The man grunted, doubling slightly. Percy shook out his throbbing hand. This was bloody stupid. Paradoxically, a thrill shot up Percy's spine, all of his nerve endings tingling. A grin spread across his face even as he heard Audrey scream.

Ha, he thought, I don't have five brothers for nothing.

"Percy! Watch out!"

A fist landed squarely on Percy's jaw, knocking him to the ground. Percy saw stars, then Audrey's worried face hovering over his. It felt as though every tooth in his skull had rattled loose. He shook his head to clear it. It didn't quite work, but he scrambled to his feet anyway. He'd brawled with his brothers enough to know better than to leave himself open to attack.

"Get back!" he shouted at Audrey, putting himself between her and the three blokes.

"Are you mad?" Her small hands were clutching his shoulders, trying to pull him away.

The first rush of adrenaline was clearing, and Percy was beginning to take stock of his surroundings. The pounding music, the pulsing lights, his own hammering heartbeat. The other dancers stopped gyrating, spreading out in a semi-circle around the brawlers. Merlin's pants, Percy was involved in a pub brawl. Soon, Percy knew, security would descend on them. He, Percy Weasley, was going to get arrested. Well, he just hoped that he didn't get the hell beat out of him first.

The man who had been dancing with Audrey was advancing on Percy again. The others were hanging back, but they were obviously ready to jump in if Percy proved more of a fight than he appeared. Audrey was still at his back. He needed to get her out of here before she was hurt. Dammit, he'd love to just pull out his wand right now and take care of this whole unfortunate business with a well-placed hex.

The next moments were a blur. Audrey yelped, her hands falling away from Percy's shoulders. Another fist rushed at Percy's face, but he dodged out of the way. Fights were breaking out around them, screams and shouts overtaking the blaring music. Then Oliver was there with a roar, his fist planted in the shorter man's face. He went down like a sack of potatoes, blood spurting from his nose.

Oliver looked like an enraged bull, heaving chest, wide stance, broad shoulders squared. The other two men rushed at the dark haired wizard. Percy tackled one of them to the ground. He was scrambling to his knees, pulling his own fist back when he felt a hand around his collar, yanking him up. The next thing Percy knew was the sucking sensation of Disapparition.

The landing was rough. Percy pitched forward, sprawling across the grass, a small body crashing into his. With adrenaline still surging in his veins, he rolled onto his back, ready to jump up and defend himself. But once he was lying face up, he realized the body half on top of his was Audrey's. She was staring at him with wide, startled eyes. Her face was very pale in the moonlight. Still, new hormones were pumping through his body eager for a much more pleasurable release.

"Well, this is some first date," came Oliver's deep brogue, followed by a hearty chuckle. He was still standing, hands on his hips, and looking cheerier than he had all night. "The last pub fight I was in was right after Hogwarts, I was with Dougal and Fergus. Merlin's beard, I thought Catriona was going to castrate the lot of us that night."

For a moment Percy wondered at his best mate's mental state if he obviously considered a pub fight a lovely memory. His head dropped back, bouncing on the ground, and Percy immediately wished he hadn't done that when a stabbing pain shot through the back of his skull. He would have rubbed it, but Audrey's head came to rest on his chest and he could feel her fast breaths against his side. He wrapped one arm around her, savoring the weight of her body on his. He immediately forgot about the pain in his head and began wishing that Oliver wasn't there.

"Never thought I'd get into something like that with the Head Boy, though," Oliver continued.

Well, Percy had heard quite enough of that. Time to change the subject.

"Did you Disapparate us?" Percy asked once his breathing slowed.

"I did," Audrey said, her voice muffled by his chest. "Oliver had the presence of mind to bring my purse when he came to our rescue."

"Oi! I was handling things just fine before he showed up."

Oliver snorted. "For how much longer?"

Percy didn't argue the point. He knew he had been in for a beating if Oliver hadn't shown up when he did.

Suddenly, the realization that Audrey had Disapparated them in front of a hundred or more Muggles hit Percy like cold water to the face. He stifled a gasp, though several colorful curses were rattling around in his head. By his estimation, Audrey had broken at least two laws in doing so, that could be complicated…or not. The dance floor had been chaotic at the time, and the lights certainly made perceptions murky. It could be that no one noticed that three people simply popped out of sight. If that were the case, they would be in the clear. However, if Muggle law enforcement was called in, if numerous witnesses reported that three people simply disappeared into thin air, if those reports reached the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and they most certainly would…. Percy sighed heavily.

Before the Ministry fell, a case of Misuse of Magic such as this would mean a team of Obliviators and the DMLE would be dispatched to the pub to tie up any loose ends, but now? Percy wasn't sure. The Ministry wasn't functioning as it ought to be. Different possibilities played out in his mind. The best-case scenario was that the Ministry took no notice of Audrey's use of magic and nothing came of it. However, if it did come to light, hopefully procedure would be followed. That could mean some uncomfortable questions asked, especially if the witch and wizards involved were described as a tall, ginger bloke, a pretty girl, and an ox-like Scotsman. That would narrow the field down pretty quickly; there were only so many tall, ginger blokes. Add in the spectacles and they would have Percy dead to rights.

Then there was the worst-case scenario. Alerted to the presence of wizards in a Muggle pub, the Death Eaters and their lackeys swooped in and massacred the whole lot. It was something that only months ago would have seemed an absolute impossibility to Percy, and yet now seemed all too likely. His stomach heaved as he pictured the carnage. But he pushed the image away. No, rationally, that was not going to happen. It couldn't. Not over something as small as the Misuse of Magic during a pub fight. The world had not turned that upside down and inside out, had it?

Then Percy remembered that he'd walked out on his family. His eldest brother had been maimed. His baby brother and sister had fought in battles. His best mate lost both of his brothers in one night. Just that morning, Percy had helped send the widow of a man he'd known half his life into exile. Yes, unequivocally, the world had turned that upside down.

Percy pressed a hand to his forehead and groaned. He was a fastidious person, so careful in every aspect of his life. How had this night turned into such a mess? He stroked his other hand through Audrey's soft, loose waves and had his answer. For the second time that night, he heard Oliver's voice in his head:

"For such a smart wizard, you are a complete idiot when it comes to witches."

It had been true when Percy was thirteen and Mabel Etheridge kissed him in the common room. It had been doubly true when he was fourteen and Brigit Cameron had let him touch her breasts behind that tapestry on the third floor. And it had been glaringly true about Penelope. Now, apparently, it was true of Audrey, as well, and he hadn't even kissed her yet.

"Alright, Perce, what are you thinking?" Oliver asked, coming to crouch over Percy's prone form.

Percy sat up, helping Audrey to do so as well. "Were you hurt?" he asked her.

"A few bruises, but I'll manage, thanks for asking," Oliver said.

Percy looked at his best mate, who was grinning. "Sod off, I wasn't asking about you."

Oliver laughed, but Percy ignored him.

"Audrey, I heard you yelp," Percy said, brushing her hair away from her face. "Are you alright?"

"I did?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

"Aye," Oliver said, "when I tossed your purse to you."

"Oh, well, that's because I'm not good at catching things."

"But you are unharmed?" Percy asked again, feeling as if he'd go mad if she didn't answer his question.

"I'm fine, not a scratch."

Relief broke out over Percy. He sucked in a deep breath, realizing that he had in fact stopped breathing while awaiting her answer.

"Now that's settled," Oliver said, interrupting Percy's thoughts, "tell me what you are thinking. Something's plainly worrying you."

Percy glanced at Audrey, who was staring up at him with big eyes. "Disapparating in front of all those Muggles would count as a Misuse of Magic."

"Wouldn't the Muggles have to notice the use of magic for anything to come of it?" Audrey asked.

"And even if they did, there's no way to track someone who has Disapparated," Oliver put in.

"Yes, well, you are correct," Percy agreed, pushing his glasses up. The other possibilities were still nagging at him. His rational mind was battling with the part that knew rationality no longer had any bearing on the world he lived in. He was going in circles. Yes, the chances that the DMLE would be notified were slim, but what if they were? His mind couldn't seem to let go of that possibility.

Beside him, Percy could sense Audrey relaxing. He suspected that however her nights out typically ended, they didn't normally include brawls in Muggle public rooms. This would all seem very exciting to her later, but that brush with violence had shaken her up. Regardless, while Audrey might let the topic go, Oliver was watching Percy carefully. They knew each other too well, lived in the same dormitory for too long.

"What has your knickers in a twist?" Oliver said in a low voice.

Percy sighed, reluctant to give voice to his rambling thoughts. "What if the Muggles did notice? What if they report to their authorities that three people disappeared from the dance floor? The DMLE will become involved."

"They still couldn't trace it back to us," Oliver said.

"Unless our descriptions were given," Audrey said.

Percy almost smiled, impressed at how quickly she'd come to that conclusion. "Yes, there is that. Think, Oliver, what was the first thing Audrey's brother said when he saw us?"

"'A Weasley and a Wood,'" Oliver quoted. "We stand out."

"And you are the only fully grown Wood left. My description will be narrowed down to either Bill, Ron, or myself."

"And Ron has spattergroit…" Oliver said.

"And Bill is scarred," Audrey added.

"Still, we can protect Audrey."

"Who says I need protection?"

Percy snorted. Of course Oliver's first instinct was to protect the damsel in distress. "Yes, well, getting hauled into the DMLE would be a sticky situation, but…."

Glancing down at Audrey, he now wished he'd never said anything. It was a stupid, irrational fear, but one that could infect the others easily.

"The Ministry is run by Death Eaters," Percy said. "What if—"

Audrey's eyes grew big, and she went very still by his side.

"You think that the Death Eaters might go to the pub?" Oliver asked. "For what reason?"

"Why do they ever murder Muggles, Oliver?" Percy snapped, then regretted it when he saw Oliver flinch.

"But-but I just wanted to get us out of there," Audrey said, her voice shaky. "I-I didn't think anyone would notice."

Before Percy knew what was happening, Audrey was on her feet, wand in hand. The two men hurried after her. Percy reached out with his long arms and grabbed Audrey by the shoulders, turning her towards him. Tears were streaming down her face. The breath caught painfully in Percy's chest. Merlin, he was an idiot. Why did he open his fat mouth? He should have just lied. He should never have allowed his imagination to run away from him in the first place. Anything that would keep Audrey from looking like that.

"I d-didn't want anyone to get hurt," she whimpered.

Percy pulled her against his chest, stroking her back with one hand, the other lacing through her hair. Her tears were soaking his shirt. "Shh," he soothed.

"Don't cry, Audrey," Oliver said, patting her awkwardly on the back. His voice was edging on panic. "Please, don't cry."

Percy elbowed him. "Shut it, Ollie."

"I'll go back to the pub," Oliver said briskly, gripping his wand. "I'll check things out, if there's trouble, I'll come for you. Just take her back to your flat, Percy, you'll hear from me either way."

With a pop, Oliver was gone. Audrey sniffed and pulled back to look up at Percy.

"I would offer you a handkerchief," Percy said quietly, "but it was in my jacket which seems to be lost."

"That's okay," she mumbled and wiped a tear away with her thumb.

"Why don't I take you back to my place to get cleaned up," Percy said, then thought of how that sounded. He felt the burn of a blush creep up his neck. "Um, if that's okay with you."

She sniffed. "Do you have designs on my virtue?"

"Not tonight."

"Then, no, it's not okay with me."

Percy laughed and tried to control the urge to pull her nearer. He lost the battle and tightened his arms around her. The feel of her slight body against him eased away some of his worries.

"You're a saucy minx."

Audrey snuggled closer, her hand traveling up his back slowly. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"That's how it was meant." Percy looked around, they seemed to be standing in a field or meadow, though it was too dark to be certain. "Where are we?"

"A meadow near my parents' home in Suffolk."

"At least we aren't in your bedroom."

Percy saw a flash of white and knew she was smiling. "I wasn't ready to explain to my mother why I had two Gryffindors in my room. Despite what Seth says, I'm not actually trying to kill her."

oOo

Within moments, Audrey found herself walking into Percy's flat. He placed his hand lightly on the small of her back as he guided her in. His touch burned through the fabric of her t-shirt, the tip of his little finger brushing the bare skin where her top rode up. Audrey arched her back. Once inside, Percy shut the door and set wards against it, giving Audrey the opportunity to look around. It was small and bare.

She was not unfamiliar with bachelor pads. Both of her brothers had moved out of the house as quickly as possible. Brian secretly lived with a girlfriend for a time, but otherwise they lived on their own. Audrey understood that "decorating" was a term that could only loosely be applied to a single man's home. Percy's flat, however, was devoid of anything that could be called homey or even personal. There was a brown sofa and a huge coffee table, a few stools up to a breakfast bar, and a table that seemed to function more as an office. Audrey wondered if the apartment had come furnished.

The only thing that might hint at something Percy had bought himself was the tall, cherry wood bookcase. It was heavy and old, carved with fruit and flowers that held the patina of age. It was also empty. Not one book or photo frame. Not even a paperweight.

"Blimey, Percy, do you even live here?" she blurted out.

"What? Of course I do." He was still busy casting wards against the door for good measure.

"I think you do little more than sleep here."

"I also eat here and do paperwork. What else should I do here?"

"You could start by putting a picture on the mantel or a throw blanket on the couch."

"Why would I do that?"

"It's called creature comforts." Audrey turned to him and gasped. This was the first time she'd seen him in good light since they left the pub. Percy was sporting a fat lip. Dried blood caked in the corner of his mouth and down his chin, a purple bruise blossomed across his jaw. There were even splatters of red on his otherwise pristine white shirt. Audrey pressed a hand to her head, feeling woozy.

"Whoa," Percy exclaimed. His arms came around her shoulders. "Are you going to faint?"

"No, no…maybe."

"Close your eyes."

Audrey did as she was told, but now that she was aware of it, the coppery scent of blood was overwhelming. Her stomach heaved. Audrey made a mewling sound. Merlin, this was humiliating.

Eyes still firmly shut, Audrey allowed Percy to shuffle her across the room. The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the sofa. Percy was making soft shushing noises that somehow made her want to laugh despite the nausea.

"I'll just go clean this up then," Percy said, hovering over her. "I'll try to heal it, then there will be nothing to worry about."

Audrey cracked an eye open. "You can heal yourself?"

"Well, I don't know, truthfully. I've never done it before, but Oliver can, so surely I can, too."

"He can?"

"Yes, Oliver claims that any Quidditch player with half a brain can heal minor injuries," Percy said, his voice reminded Audrey of Professor Vector during lecture. "And by 'minor,' Oliver means broken fingers and busted noses. But what it's really all about is that the bloody prats are more afraid of the team Healers than they are of being hit in the face with a Bludger."

Audrey laughed, then chanced opening her eyes. Her stomach seemed to stay put.

"Sit down," she instructed, pointing at the overlarge coffee table. "I'll fix you up."

Percy was wringing his hands, his eyes brows furrowed. "Are you sure? You look a bit green."

"I'll take deep breaths."

Hesitantly, Percy sat on the coffee table before her. Audrey used her wand to syphon off the blood. The absence of blood would surely help the situation. Although, the sight of it being drawn into her wand was making her stomach roll dangerously. She took a deep breath.

"You don't have to do this," Percy said, his voice little more than a whisper.

"I can do it."

The blood was gone. Her shaking hand went to move her wand closer to his face, but Percy caught her hand in his.

"You don't have to," he repeated.

"I can do it."

A smile came to his face, then he winced as the action pulled at his injury. He released her hand. Audrey couldn't say that she saw trust in Percy's eyes, but there was admiration there. She could be stubborn, it was true. Her siblings, and especially her mother, had lamented her great flaw many times while growing up. Even at school, poor Flitwick had seemed at a loss the few times he'd been faced with her stubbornness. Once, McGonagall had told her that tenacity was a good thing in a witch. That was the closest anyone had ever come to praising her. But the look in Percy's eyes made her feel proud of who she was. It made her even more determined to see this through.

Pressing the tip of her wand gently to his mouth, Audrey closed her eyes.

"Um, shouldn't your eyes be open?" Percy asked, a hint of humor in his voice.

"Shh, I have to visualize the injured body part as it should be healthy."

"You can't do that with your eyes open?"

"Are you worried?"

"Well, yes, if you must know."

"Do you want your lip fixed or not, Gryffindor?"

"Not, I think."

Audrey opened her eyes just to give him a dirty look. "Just for that, I am going to visualize your lips sealed shut."

"Alright, alright!" He held his hands up.

Audrey shut her eyes again.

"Audrey," Percy murmured, "visualize my lips on yours."

Her eyes popped open. "Now?"

He shook his head, smirking at her. "Not yet."

"I hope this hurts like hell then," Audrey growled.

She cast the spell and watched as the injury healed within seconds, knowing exactly how that stung from the numerous times her mother or Madam Pomfrey had fixed her up. A smirk graced her own lips.

"Bloody hell," Percy swore, grabbing his lip.

"You're a big baby." She poked his chest with her wand harder than necessary and Scourgified the blood off his shirt.

Percy pushed her wand away. "Could you wait until I took it off, at least? It feels like I'm being attacked by one of Filtch's scrub brushes."

"Cry baby."

"Brat."

Audrey's eyes flashed. "Insufferable."

"Tease."

"Me? Oh, no, Percy Weasley, I am no tease. You, sir, are a tease."

"Oh, this from a girl who ordered a slippery nipple as innocently as if it were milk with tea."

"And I'd let you see my nipples right now if you weren't such a prude."

To Audrey's satisfaction, Percy's eyes darkened. They even dipped down to stare at her breasts. With a small flick of her wand, her red bra strap "chose" that moment to slide off her shoulder and hang loosely against her upper arm. Percy gulped, his hands curling into fists. Would she let him see her breasts tonight? Maybe.

Why not? She'd done more on less acquaintance. The boys Audrey knew at Hogwarts paid little attention to her, unless it was to take the mickey over her small breasts or poor scores. The men she'd met since didn't mind her slim figure. In fact, many of them were more than willing to help her explore it. If Audrey was honest with herself, being the center of that kind of attention was as overwhelming as it was exciting. It took a lot of bravado to bluster her way through a flirtation, but it was worth it. She wanted to explore all the pleasurable things men and women did to each other, but she didn't want the heartbreak of a relationship. She knew what it felt like to be invisible in the eyes of someone you cared for—she wasn't interested in playing that out in her love life.

Then there was Percy. He was something altogether different. That both thrilled her and scared her. Maybe it was because he was her schoolgirl crush who finally noticed her that made her stomach do excited little flips whenever he smiled at her. Maybe it was the passion in his eyes when he looked at her that made her skin tighten. He wanted her, she could tell, and she wanted him in return. This thing that burned between them, it was simply the heat of mutual attraction that gave it such intensity, nothing more.

Percy's eyes traveled from her bra strap, up her arm to her face. There was that passion again. Audrey shivered.

"Are you cold?" he asked, his voice rough.

"Mmm, yes, a bit."

Percy stood. "I'll just see if I can find you a blanket…or something."

He walked around the coffee table to a room that Audrey presumed was his bedroom. Deciding to follow—though she was pretty sure he had not intended her to do so—she found a room that was as sparse as the rest of the flat. It was bigger than she would have guessed, with a hearth on one wall that filled Audrey's mind with all sorts of images of shagging in front of a cozy fire.

"Do you have a jumper?" Audrey asked and watched as he jumped.

Percy turned. "Audrey…I didn't realize…."

"I mean all Weasley's have jumpers right? That's your thing, as a family."

"Er, yes, I reckon so. But it's been a few years since I got a new jumper."

Audrey opened the clothes press. It was another old and ornate piece of furniture in cherry wood. Inside, it was much larger than its dimensions suggested. In fact, she could crawl inside and dig around to the back. She looked at Percy over her shoulder and smiled.

"Is this your magic?"

"Yes, indeed. I found that at a Muggle shop in London after I moved here."

"The bookcase, too?"

"Yes, they came from the same shop," he said with a shrug. "Cost a bloody fortune."

"They're beautiful, though."

Percy shrugged again. Audrey reckoned that men could only talk about furniture for so long before they ran out of things to say. She considered her own purchases for the tiny flat she used to live in. The only thing she could ever afford to buy was an old, green velvet chair that sagged in the middle. Still, it was a good reading chair.

Audrey boosted herself up and into the clothes press.

"Er, what are you doing?" Percy asked.

On her hands and knees with her arse poked up in the air and a fair amount of thigh on display, Audrey looked at Percy over her shoulder and offered him the innocent smile she used on her parents. Percy was red in the face and his eyes were on her legs. Resisting the urge to wiggle her arse, Audrey was sure of two things: first, Percy couldn't really see anything. Second, he imagined that he could. That was a good start.

"I have an inkling that if I dig around to the back I'll find a jumper," she said.

Percy made a strangled noise in his throat. "I think you are trying to drive me mad," he muttered.

Withdrawing his wand from his pocket, he pointed it at the clothes press. A moment later, two boxes slid to the foreground. Climbing down, Audrey opened one of the boxes. Like the clothes press, the box was much bigger on the inside than it should have been. This one was full of books, bundles of letters tied with blue ribbon, and rolls of parchment. Sitting on top was his Head Boy badge looking a bit tarnished. There was even a Gryffindor banner. Somehow, she had not imagined him with so much house pride.

"The jumpers are in this one," he said. He opened up the box in front of him. A pinched look came over his face for a moment before he wiped it clear and stepped away from the box.

Moving to the other box, Audrey saw there were stacks of hand-knitted jumpers in various shades of pale blue. She wondered if that was Percy's favorite because that was not the color she would choose for him. With his fiery hair and brown eyes, she would have picked chocolate brown or maybe hunter green. There was something familiar about the smell of it, like cinnamon and grass. She'd only been at the Burrow for the wedding, but instantly, Audrey knew this was the smell of his home.

"My parent's home smells like old books and parchment," she blurted out, glancing at him quickly.

"My home always smells like good things baking in the oven," he said roughly. "Even when Mum's not making anything."

Audrey dug to the bottom of the box and pulled out a sky blue jumper with a white "P" in the middle of it. She pulled it over her head and stuck her arms into the sleeves. It fit perfectly, except that the sleeves hung past her fingertips.

Percy smirked at her. "That's the one she made me the year I was twelve. I always hated that jumper." He took her arm and folded the sleeves back. "It looks better on you."

"So, I'm the size of a twelve-year-old boy?"

He looked into her eyes and smiled. "But much sexier."

"I should hope."

Percy cleared his throat. "Are you thirsty? I could make tea."

Clumsily, Percy backed away, then turned on his heel to walk to the door. He motioned through it, not meeting Audrey' eye. She slipped past, careful not to touch him. As much fun as it was to push Percy to the edge of his comfort level, Audrey knew she'd gone as far as she should. It was Percy's turn to make a move in her direction. Somehow, she knew that he had to do that in his own time. She wondered how long that would take and why she felt so patient.

In the kitchen, Audrey boosted herself up on the worktop while Percy put the kettle on. She was rather gladdened to see that he did indeed own a pair of mugs and the makings for tea. Perhaps he wasn't as hopeless as she feared. He made her a cup, smiling when she requested four heaping spoonfuls of sugar, then placed the steaming mug in her hands, his long fingers grazing her shorter ones. Audrey offered him a small smile and his eyes slid away from hers. Leaning with his back against the worktop—near her, but with a careful distance—Percy sipped his tea.

Irresistibly, Audrey reached out and stroked her fingers lightly through his curls. They were springy, but soft. She thought maybe she could lose her fingers in there. Then he reached up, and captured her hand. For long moments, they sat in silence, her hand in his. Audrey felt shy and content, and she liked that feeling. Maybe a little too much.

Just as she was contemplating what outrageous thing to say next, there was a knock at the door.

"That'll be Oliver," Percy said, moving from his spot against the worktop. Even as he said the words, he pulled his wand out.

Pulling her own wand, Audrey followed him. Percy was standing at the ready—stance wide, wand raised—before the door. He demanded to know who it was, and Audrey heard Oliver's answering response.

"What was the first Playwizard we looked at?"

"Third year, after Christmas break," came Oliver's brogue. "I stole it from Fergus because all of the witches in Dougal's magazines were charmed to look like Catriona."

With a swish of Percy's wand, the door swung open. Percy was laughing, and Oliver looked a bit embarrassed. He turned even redder when he saw Audrey standing behind Percy with a grin. Muttering under his breath, Oliver punched Percy in the arm. Audrey could tell it was meant to be a light punch, but Percy winced and rubbed his arm.

Oliver slammed the door shut. "Of all the questions you could have asked….Prat."

Percy recast the wards against the door, still laughing.

"You are a bad influence," Oliver said, shaking his finger at Audrey.

"Alright," Percy said, his smile fading. "What happened at the pub?"

"No massacre," Oliver said. "A few people were being led away by…what do you call Muggle Aurors?"

"Bobbies," Audrey supplied.

"Really?" Percy asked, looking at her. "That's an odd name."

"I think it's a slang name," she replied with a shrug. "They're police officers."

"Well, there were a few people under arrest," Oliver continued. "Mostly, the crowd was being dispersed into the city. I didn't see any wizards or witches who looked as if they were trying to blend in, and I couldn't feel any magic being used. I think we're safe."

Percy blew out a breath. "I was overreacting. I've never been so glad to have jumped to the wrong conclusions."

Relief flooded through Audrey as well. For all the playfulness of the last hour or so, she realized how tense she'd been under the surface. She hugged Oliver's neck. He patted her back with surprising gentleness, though awkwardly. When she released the dark-haired wizard, Audrey turned to Percy. She would have thrown her arms around him too, but hesitated a moment.

Percy took her hand. "It's after midnight, I told your brother I'd have you home."

"He's neither my keeper, nor my father," Audrey protested, though with less conviction than she normally would.

"No, but I should try to keep with the spirit of my word at least."

oOo

Percy had never wished to be a Muggle, nor had he ever been particularly interested in their customs and habits beyond what was required for Muggle Studies. Yet, as Percy walked Audrey up to her brother's flat only moments after leaving his own, he rather envied Muggles one thing. Without the ability to Apparate, a couple would have to walk or drive home at the end of a date. That would mean long moments in a confined space together, or perhaps walking shoulder to shoulder down the sidewalk. There would be hand holding and shy smiles and flirting. Instead, Percy had Audrey at her door almost as soon as he'd walked out of his own.

"Well," he said once they came to a stop outside Seth Sprayberry's flat. For some reason, his hands felt like aliens attached to his body. He didn't know what to do with them. Should he shove them in his pockets? Take her hand? He wanted to run his fingers through her hair.

"I don't think I've ever been on a more exciting first date," Audrey said with a smile. She leaned against the door and looked up at Percy.

"Would you mind terribly if next time was a bit more boring?" He ran a hand through his own curls.

"Will there be a next time?" she asked softly.

Percy leaned in. "I'd like there to be. Would you?"

"Yes, I think I would." She leaned towards him. "Are you going to kiss me, yet?"

"Yes," he said, grinning. "Finally."

They both leaned in, her arms finding their way around his neck. His hands suddenly knew exactly what to do as they pressed into her back. His lips found hers unerringly. Gentle at first, just a brush across her pretty mouth. Then more insistent. His tongue slid across her bottom lip. A small moan came from her, firing Percy's blood. He pressed her into the door, their bodies flush against each other. Audrey's hands clutched more urgently at his shoulders, her lips opening to him. His tongue was inside her mouth, his hips pressed against hers. He felt his cock stir, and the urge to rub it against her was intense. With his last shreds of sanity, he knew it was time to pull away.

Audrey was looking up at him with dazed, lust filled eyes. Her hair was a bit messy, he wondered how one kiss could make her look so disheveled. Then he wondered how undone she would look if he made love to her.

"Good night," he murmured.

"Good night," she echoed, her voice breathless.

They watched each other for a moment, as Percy backed down the hall. Then he turned on the spot, and the next thing he knew, he was in the alley near his building. He sighed, a wide grin on his face. When Percy entered his flat, he found Oliver in the kitchen.

"Making yourself at home?" he asked his friend.

"Merlin's beard, Percy, it's hard to believe you live here," Oliver complained from where he was looking through the overhead cupboard. "All you have in your cupboard is bread and cereal. Muggle bread and cereal, at that."

"I take lunch at the Ministry," Percy replied. Audrey had said much the same thing.

"I like Audrey," Oliver said.

"Yeah?" Percy said carefully, going very still. He wanted to play down how much Oliver's approval meant to him, but Percy was pleased all the same. Not that it mattered. It had only been one date, he could hardly call Audrey his girlfriend.

"Aye, she makes you blush," Oliver said with a grin, then added more seriously, "And she makes you laugh. Nothing like Penelope."

"What do you mean?" Percy asked with a furrowed brow. He noted that it only felt as if one or two stones were thrown into the pit of his stomach, as opposed to a boulder, which was the feeling he normally experienced when Penelope was mentioned.

Oliver shrugged. "I don't know. Just…when you told me Audrey was a Ravenclaw, I was worried that she would be another proper, stuffy…snobby, erm, girl. Penelope never made you laugh like that, she certainly never made you blush."

Percy was reminded of Oliver's Hogwarts preference for sunny, busty, agreeable Hufflepuffs. Katie might be cheerful and, well, no denying that she had a nice bosom, but she was also headstrong and fiery when angered. A complete Gryffindor, through and through. Maybe neither Percy nor Oliver knew what they needed in a mate when at Hogwarts.

"So, I've always wanted to know," Oliver said, a slow smirk came across his face. "Was Penelope the type of girl who shags with the lights off?"

Percy shot his friend a withering look, but Oliver only laughed.

"I'll take that as a 'yes,' then."

"Oliver," Percy said suddenly, "did you like Penelope?"

Oliver closed the door to the cooling cupboard having only found butterbeer. "I didn't think much about her when we were at Hogwarts. I sometimes thought she didn't like having me around."

"Really?" Percy asked. This was news to him.

"I think she thought I was uncouth. I really got that feeling after we graduated and I was never invited around."

"Since when did you need an invitation?" Percy snorted.

"Since you were living out of Penelope's pocket."

Percy took a moment to absorb that. After leaving Hogwarts, Oliver had been busy training with Puddlemere, and Percy had been busy ingratiating himself with Barty Crouch, Sr. When Percy hadn't been working, he'd been with Penelope. It seemed the natural order of things, but now he considered that they often spent time with Penelope's friends—and almost no time with Oliver.

Guilt stabbed at Percy. As well as a new appreciation for Oliver. When things had gone bad with his family, then worse with Penelope, Percy had turned to Oliver who had stepped in without a word of recrimination. It had been Oliver who helped Percy find a flat and move into it.

"Sorry, mate," Percy muttered.

Oliver shrugged. "What did you fancy about Penelope anyways? You were keen to marry her at the time."

Percy studied his shoes. "That she was proper and well-mannered. She was the antithesis of everything I grew up with—I thought that was what I wanted. No mess, no fuss, no scads of ginger children. Plus she had all that pretty hair."

"And Audrey?"

"Well, Audrey is messy, isn't she?" He grinned, staring up at the ceiling. "She has pretty hair, though. It's soft, you know…and flowy."

And she had that pretty, little mouth. And it tasted like a fruity drink and peppermint.

"I'm pretty sure that 'flowy' is not a word, Head Boy," Oliver chuckled.

Percy shrugged, a blush creeping up his neck. "Perhaps, but it applies."

Oliver leaned against the worktop, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, why did you and Penelope break up anyway? I always got the feeling it ended badly, but you never would tell me."

The boulder dropped into place now. Percy swallowed thickly, and became engrossed with his shoes. Only one person knew the whole truth of it, and that was Bill, who'd caught him in a vulnerable moment. Otherwise, Percy would have never told anyone.

Maybe it was the Weasley in him, but for all the neat and tidy corners that Percy had desired, things ended messily. "Messy" didn't even cover it. "Disastrously" was more like it. He'd gone straight to Oliver's, though Percy knew that Oliver was on tour with Puddlemere at the time. But where else was there to go? He'd severed ties with his family only days before the break up, he couldn't go there. Though, if he were honest with himself, he'd wanted nothing so much as his Mum. Not that he deserved her comfort after what he allowed to happen.

"Well," Percy said slowly. "She wasn't the person I thought she was, and, as it turns out, neither was I. I wanted things I never knew I wanted and she…didn't."

Oliver looked at him for a moment. "Well, there's a good deal of non-answers there," he finally said. Then he cuffed Percy on the arm.

"I have to be at the Ministry early tomorrow," Percy said. He lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly with the heels of his hands.

Oliver sighed. "I have to report to Puddlemere and check in, though training keeps getting pushed back. They've already had to reschedule the first week of games."

Readjusting his glasses, Percy's interest was piqued. "Really? Why?"

"The Commission is wreaking havoc across the League," Oliver answered. "Muggle-born players have gone missing. Other players have needed time off to deal with a family members' blood status or just plain disappeared with their families. Angelina says it's the same in Holyhead."

"Well, that's certainly not being reported in the Daily Prophet, is it?"

"Have you seen the Quibbler lately?"

Percy laughed. "No, why would I?"

Oliver shrugged. "The twins sent me a copy the other day, I'm just saying you might want to take a look at it."

The two of them walked to the door, the late hour pressing in. The previous night had offered little in the way of sleep, and here it was gone midnight. It felt as though weights sat on Percy's eyelids. He couldn't say that Oliver looked much better. Whatever Oliver and Katie were doing twenty-four hours previously could only be called bittersweet. Percy reached for the doorknob, but paused and looked at his friend.

"You going to be alright?"

Oliver nodded. "They're safe, mate, nothing else matters."