Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter... I don't even know why I write this statement every bloody chapter
"Hold on. Hold on to what we are. Hold on to your heart."
-Of Monsters and Men
Audrey yawned and arose from her position, feeling her joints creak in protest of her abysmal posture. With a wide stretch, she saw Percy lying on the couch above her, face plastered against the armrest, glasses askew. Moving slowly to avoid waking him she gently removed the spectacles to avoid more bruising on the bridge of his nose. Deciding it would be better to let him sleep, she stood and walked through the hall and into the kitchen where the smell of coffee welcomed her.
"Morning," greeted Oliver before putting a handful of small brown seeds in his mouth.
"Hey," replied Audrey, taking a seat across from him. She watched him scoff more snacks and raised a sceptical eyebrow. "What in the world are you eating?"
The stocky boy showed her the packet. "Got to keep my strength up. Quidditch doesn't take a break."
"You realise you have a cup of coffee in front of you? Surely drinking that plus hundreds of coffee beans is going to make you sick."
"I think hundreds is stretching it, Williams," said Oliver. He took a patronising sip of his beverage and changed the subject, "So you let Percy sleep in?"
Audrey nodded, blearily wiping her eyes. "I thought he should rest; he was really stressed last night."
"Well you seem to be able to relax him," he said slyly.
"Aaah yes, I was wondering when we'd get to this," she sighed, tossing her loose hair over her shoulder. "Go on then. Hit me."
Oliver laughed, "You can't force my humour, it comes naturally in the conversation."
"You are the funniest person I know," said Audrey, trying to hide her smile which would betray her sarcasm.
"If you're going date Percy you're gonna have to get used to it."
"Yeah… I- I guess," she said tracing her fingers over the rough surface of the table.
He poured more beans into his mouth as he answered, smirking, "You two probably should talk about that today."
"Most probably," muttered Audrey, feeling a faint tinge of anxiety at the thought of rejection. Last night she had kissed Percy Weasley; the man who had lead her through the most amazing segment of her life. She was truly worried about the possibility of him thinking that it was a mistake and moving on. Taking a deep breath, she tried to reassure herself that it was just her imagination, she knew Percy, and he wasn't the sort of person to kiss someone just for the hell of it.
A voice broke Audrey out of her reverie. "What in Merlin's beard are you ingesting?"
Oliver looked put-out at the second negative comment on his food and she began to laugh as Percy drew the seat out at the head of the table, shooting disgusted looks at his friend.
"They're just coffee beans!" exclaimed Oliver, shoving the packet in the red-head's face.
"It's the bloody talk of the town," said Audrey in a low voice. Percy smirked.
"You two are ridiculous," said Oliver, rising. "I have to go to practise, I'll see you both later."
As he opened the door Percy said, "Wood, don't forget your beans." They both started chuckling to themselves as the athlete stalked out of the flat.
When the door clicked shut, silence fell upon the pair. Audrey tapped her fingers against the table, flicking through possible topics of conversation whilst shooting glances at the boy next to her.
"What are you up to today?" she asked, a welcoming smile .
Percy's face fell. "I'm not going to work, that much is clear."
"Why?"
"I was greeted by two owls a few minutes ago. One of them unceremoniously pecked me awake so I could see the message from the Minister telling me to take the day off to relax after my stressful evening."
Audrey's brow furrowed. "Well that's nice of them… isn't it?" she said slowly.
"It might seem like that to you," he said, missing her frown at his dismissive words, "but there have been some questions raised after Mr Crouch was found to be in a deteriorating mental state whilst he was sending me instructions for my work. It may seem like a kind gesture, but they are simply putting me aside until they know what to do with me."
"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, placing a hand on his forearm. "I know how much your work means to you."
The tall man shook his head, as though disappointed in himself and said, "I should have known something was wrong, Mr Crouch had hardly missed a day of work in his life- even with a mild case of dragon pox he still turned up. I have to prove that I'm a loyal worker or else all these years of planning are going to be for nothing."
"If they have watched you this year they will definitely know how valuable you are to their system," said Audrey with a small smile. "Remember when you told me how you discovered the mandatory end of work time? It was midnight. Midnight. I honestly have never met anyone who has that level of dedication.
"Thank you," said Percy, giving her a grateful look. "I hope so." He pressed his shoulders back into a confidant posture and nodded, ready to take on the world.
Audrey hid her smirk, torn between being proud of his determination and amusement at his pompous demeanour. "What about the other owl?"
"Pardon?" questioned Percy, still thinking about his future. "Oh, of course. I had to revive him because he's not up to long journeys and nearly died… again."
"And who was the letter from?"
"My family, well, my mother," he said. "They want to get everyone together when Ron and Ginny's holiday begin in a week or so. There's so many of us that we rarely get the chance to all be together."
Audrey nodded, smiling. "That's really thoughtful of her; it should be lovely."
"Aren't you coming?" asked Percy, looking confused.
"You never asked," she said pointedly, frowning. "And in any case, I was under the impression that it was a family thing. I don't want to intrude, especially after recent events."
"You were highly enthused to accompany me yesterday."
"I seriously doubt you need support around your family," she explained. Percy raised his eyebrows. "…do you?"
Percy adjusted his glasses and straightened his posture, saying, "I would rather appreciate your company. If anything, you will distract my family from recent events."
Audrey beamed at his words and rose from the table, checking to ensure her sleeves still covered her scratched arms. Before he could question her movements, she leant forward and kissed him on the cheek.
"What was that for?" he asked bemusedly.
"To say goodbye," she answered. "I have find a payphone and tell my dad that I'm coming home."
Percy stood and said, "I can apparate with you to your house."
"It's fine," said Audrey. "I like taking the train, it's quite peaceful- well… once you get outside of London it is." She smiled and took his hands in hers, brown eyes staring into blue. "If you need me just come over, I don't care what time of day or night it is. I'll probably be home most of the time anyway, exams are this week."
"I will," he assured her. Audrey nodded and debated within her head how to say goodbye. Before she began to overthink she leant in and placed her lips on his, feeling warmth creep down her neck from the soft contact. Percy's hand crept around her neck, holding her in place as their kiss deepened. They broke apart too soon and Audrey removed herself from his arms so that she wasn't tempted to stay. She bit her lip, holding back a grin.
"I'll see you later then," she said.
"You definitely will," he replied.
Audrey squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight pouring down through the branches of the large oak they were standing under. She immediately recognised the rickety house and wondered how someone like Percy could have been raised somewhere so disorderly. The house seemed to sway in the slight breeze that was rolling in the direction of the orchard, bright red apples gleaming in the morning light. She gazed upon the clumps of greenery and flowers bursting out of the ground in time for summer and took a deep breath of fresh air, finding the messy garden relaxing and charming.
"What?" asked her companion. "Why are you smiling?"
"Your house is so beautiful," replied Audrey, shaking her head in amazement. "It's straight out of Anne of Green Gables or some book like that."
Percy frowned, analysing his surroundings. "Were the characters of that book particularly chaotic?"
"No," she said. "It's just sort of… ruggedly beautiful."
"Do you realise that you've been here before."
Audrey sighed in faux-frustration. "Let's go inside, shall we?"
They walked the short distance to the front door and Percy rapped smartly on the wood before entering. She smiled at his proper manners despite the familiarity of his home; most people, including herself would simply burst in.
"Who's that?" said a voice from their right. Mrs Weasley emerged from the kitchen and spotted them, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Oh, Percy you came, and you brought Audrey! We'll have to introduce you to everyone since it was only Arthur and I last time you popped in." She bustled into the living room with the two newcomers in her tracks. The only brunette in the house felt slightly overwhelmed when she remembered how many siblings Percy had.
They entered the cluttered room to find the tall long-haired man Audrey remembered as Bill playing chess with a gangly teenager, and Mr Weasley sitting in an armchair reading a newspaper that seemed to be moving. The occupants were completely invested in their activities as no one looked up at the group idling in the doorway.
"Checkmate," said Bill, smirking at his brothers awed expression.
"What!?" Ron spluttered (or at least Audrey deduced that it was Ron). "You bloody-!"
He was cut off by his mother's firm voice, saying, "Language, Ronald!" and sunk back in his chair, shaking his head. It was then that he spied the stranger and his brow furrowed.
"Who are you?" he said bluntly. His ears went red under Mrs Weasley's gaze and he elaborated, "Sorry… I mean, hello my name is Ron, what is your name?"
Taken-aback, Audrey snorted, trying to hold in her laugh. "I'm Audrey Williams," she managed, trying not to embarrass him. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet you."
There was sniggering behind her as two boys entered the room, indistinguishable from each other.
"I think she's making fun of you Ron," said one.
"Not that it's hard," added the other.
They walked past the group at the door and sat down on the lounge, ignoring Ron's exaggerated eyeroll. Percy made his way into the room as well, perching on a hard-back chair next to his oldest brother who whispered something pointedly into his ear and got a similarly firm reply. Audrey put this observation aside and advanced into the room whilst Mrs Weasley walked out, yelling, "Ginny!"
There was a crackle of paper as the balding man folded his newspaper and smiled at the newcomer, despite his evident exhaustion. "It's good to see you again, Audrey."
"Wait, you've met her before?" said one of the twins, baffled.
"We don't even know who she is!" exclaimed Ron, fed up with the unresolved questions.
There was a flutter of bright red hair as Ginny entered the room, sitting on the arm of Fred and George's sofa. She pushed the twins down the seat and gestured for Audrey to take the space next to her.
"Good, we're all here," said Mrs Weasley, taking the other hard chair. "Now we can all meet our guest."
"Really mum?" questioned her youngest. "You needed us all here to introduce one person?" She turned to the other girl and clarified, "No offence."
"None taken," Audrey replied.
Bill leaned forward to shake her hand. "Hi Audrey," he said cheerfully.
"Are you Percy's girlfriend?" asked one of the twins.
"No Fred they're just friends," answered Mrs Weasley.
The couple's eyes met and Audrey raised her eyebrows, smirking; Percy cleared his throat. "Actually, Audrey is my girlfriend."
"Since when?" replied his shocked mother. "You should have told us."
"Since yesterday," the newcomer interjected. "Percy's been sitting on his bloody arse since February."
Bill laughed when his brother awkwardly adjusted his glasses. "He does like to ignore certain things, doesn't he?" Audrey grinned, ignoring the slight coolness in his voice.
"Wait… were you at-," Ginny began, she closed her eyes to steady herself and continued, "at the Third Task?"
"Er… not exactly," she replied. "I waited for Percy in Hogsmeade."
Before anyone could reply there was a sudden outburst as Bill rose from his chair.
"You're kidding!" he shouted. "Percy, you bloody idiot!"
His brother faced him down. "You don't know the full story."
"Tell me then," Bill retorted. "Tell me why you lied and then put yourself and this innocent person in danger."
The onlooker's expressions were baffled, completely oblivious to the source of their argument.
"I would never put anyone in danger!" said Percy, his ears beginning to redden. "And I never lied!"
"Yeah and Audrey just happens to have reclaimed her memories after one of the smartest people wiped them?" scoffed Bill, shaking his head. "You're joking, Perce."
"I don't-," he began to reply before he was interrupted.
"What in Merlin's saggy balls is going on!?" screamed Mrs Weasley. The whole room went quiet at her outburst.
Fred, however, never knew where the line was. "Language, Mum."
"Fred Weasley, leave this room or I swear!" shouted his mother, steam almost pouring from her ears. "I will not tolerate fighting in this house."
"Molly, I'm sure our boys can explain," intervened her husband, ignoring Ginny's smirk at her mother's words. "Why doesn't Fred stay as long as he doesn't speak?"
Mrs Weasley slowly sat down, nodding but no less angry. "Bill, Percy, would you mind explaining what that was all about?" The two boys looked at each other, Bill furious and Percy pleading. "Audrey?" The girl jumped at her name, forgetting that she was present in the room and not simply a spectator.
"I don't really know how to explain," she said slowly. "I haven't quite worked out the intricacies of what they're talking about."
"Sorry, Audrey, but what exactly does that mean?" asked Mr Weasley gently.
Bill shook his head, breaking into speech, "She's a muggle." You could have heard a pin drop in the deadly silence that followed his words.
"What?" breathed Molly, looking at Percy.
"Oh, seriously Percy," said his brother. "You had to tell them sometime."
"I would have preferred it in a lighter setting," hissed Percy in reply.
Bill's eyes flashed and he began to speak loudly before quietening at his mother's glare. "Anywhere you went people could have seen her, and anyone could have done a quick check through the archives and discovered that she is a muggle; how much trouble would you have been in then."
"If that happened I…" started Percy, eyes falling to the floor, "I would have taken care of it."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Can we please stop with the dramatics? Audrey is a muggle. Percy broke a law… well, numerous laws as it happens. But what's done is done."
"No, it's not done," stated Bill. "Did you wipe Crouch's memory?"
"What?" said Percy, his head shooting up in shock. "Of course not."
"You're lucky he's dead now," said his brother. "But maybe you should think about who he was chatting with in the months when you didn't see him."
Percy's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "He was challenged greatly by the stress he was burdened with throughout his life. We can all agree that he was mentally unsound but by no means was he an evil man."
"Well, Perce, I didn't know you had it in you," said George, breaking the awkward silence by leaning forward and pompously shaking his brother's hand.
"We're so proud," added Fred, a hand over his heart.
Ignoring them, Bill continued, "Audrey saw something that could put her in considerable danger in the future, you told us that her memory was wiped for a reason."
"She remembered," said Percy firmly. "I don't know how it occurred but she found me again and I realised that if she was in danger, I would rather know than be in the dark."
Audrey smiled, fingering her sleeve, thinking about what the thin material covered. "And anyway," she said cheerily, "everything is absolutely fine."
Audrey stared at the ceiling, sleep refusing to rescue her from boredom. She reflected on the crazy afternoon and felt warm when she thought about the incredible family she had been welcomed into. With a small smile, she remembered how they had accepted their edited story about how she had discovered magic and how Percy had purposely left the story to their meeting and various trips without any detail.
She wanted to see him.
"Are you awake?" whispered a voice next to her.
"Yeah," Audrey replied.
The sheets shifted on the other bed and she spotted a pair of brown eyes peering out from the darkness. "Can I say something strange?" asked Ginny.
"Shoot."
"I never knew Penny," she said tentatively. "Like… I knew of her but I only had one or two extremely awkward conversations with her."
As she paused, Audrey pushed her, "You can keep going, I don't mind."
"When they broke up Percy was sad, but he had his work to distract him and he didn't have to see her every day. However, I wish I knew her despite everything. Percy can be quite infuriating at times but he is my brother and I want the best for him."
"I'm not going to break up with him, Ginny," said Audrey. "And I understand where you're coming from. I have friends who are like my siblings and if I didn't know someone they were close to I'd feel nervous as well."
Ginny's teeth flashed as she smiled. "Thanks, sorry for the rant."
"It's alright, you've done better than Oliver's reception to us. At least you didn't walk in on us snogging," the older girl chuckled.
"Actually, that's exactly how I had that awkward conversation with Penny," Ginny said.
Audrey laughed, "Oh god, that must have been dreadful."
"You have no bloody idea," she said, groaning at the thought. "It's etched in my brain forever."
"I'll make a note to only make out with Percy when you're in the other room."
Ginny winced. "I feel like my imagination of that scenario is worse than if I actually saw it."
Audrey looked at her and started to laugh, the other girl joining in at the strangeness of their situation.
"Hey if you want to sneak into Percy's room I won't tell mum," said Ginny suddenly.
"Really?"
"Yeah, just… spare me the details," she elaborated, turning over.
Audrey grinned and pushed back the covers. She made sure to not make any noise as she crept up the wooden stairs and pushed open Percy's door, entering a completely dark room.
"Percy?" she whispered as she closed the door and advanced forward. "Are you awake?" All she heard in reply was annoyed mumbling which she took as a yes. "I can't see anything in here, can you turn on a lamp or something?"
There was a clatter of wood and a bright light illuminated a section of the room, causing Percy's hair to look like fire. Feeling comforted by the light, Audrey moved towards the bed and sat on edge, leaning casually against the headboard.
"How are you?" she began, ignoring her warm cheeks which betrayed the embarrassment she felt.
"Quite well," he replied. From what she could see in the dim room, his expression was rather confused. "What brings you here?"
Audrey took a deep breath, shaking out all hesitation she had left. "I was wondering if you would like some company tonight. And your sister invited me to share your bed."
"What!?" Percy spluttered whilst Audrey scooted closer on the mattress. When he saw her smiling, however, he said, "Oh, very funny."
"I try," she replied.
With his long fingers Percy plucked his glasses from the bedside table and leant over her body. The feeling of his torso against her thighs caused her breath to stop in surprise and a drizzling warmth to gather in her chest at their close contact.
"Sorry," he muttered as he pulled the neatly tucked sheet out from its position. He held the covers open and she pulled her legs to her chest, making sure not to show too much below her nightie and slid her bare legs into the cool sheets. Once they were both settled, an awkward silence seeped into the room as they lay next to each other, not knowing how far to go at the current stage of their relationship.
"We don't have to do anything," said Audrey hurriedly. She looked at his face on the pillow next to hers and went back on her words. "I mean-, not if… oh fuck." With those final words, she covered her face with her hands and cursed her rashness.
"Oh," he replied slowly, realisation setting in. "Right. I didn't mean to… If you didn't want…"
They made eye contact, each face glowing bright red in the light. Audrey began to laugh and was soon joined by Percy. Soon they were both chuckling uproariously at their combined embarrassment.
"We're such losers," she cried, shaking her head dismally. "We're nineteen and we can't even say the word 'sex'."
"I am so glad no one saw that," replied Percy. "That would have been humiliating." He wrapped his arm around her waist and she reciprocated, turning the contact into a firm hug, filled with joy and nervousness in equal amounts.
Taking charge, Audrey moved her head back and connected their lips, glad that they had halted the stilted conversation. The feeling of freedom as they kissed was incredible and she pulled gently on his shirt to move him on top of her. She tangled her fingers in his hair as he began to kiss down her neck, causing small sighs of pleasure to emanate from her mouth. Her hands moved down and tugged on his shirt, successfully pulling it over his head.
Percy shifted his body back up and kissed her again, taking time to enjoy the softness of her lips and her warm hands travelling over his chest, exploring the expanse of skin she'd never touched. Needing to feel more of her, he daringly placed a tentative hand on her leg and began to move it up her thigh.
"Is this alright with you?" he asked, pulling back. He took in her flushed face and heard her heavy breathing, matching his own.
"Yes," she breathed, and before he knew what was happening Audrey had flipped him over and straddled his waist. Leaning forward, captured his lips again before sitting up and smoothly removing her nightie.
Stunned at the sudden actions, the young Weasley drank in the beautifully curvy girl in front of him. He wasn't one to prey on a woman's looks and had never fully realised the extent that he was attracted to the barely clothed woman sitting on his lap.
"Just one second," he managed to say as Audrey began kissing down his chest, her brown curls tickling his skin. With one quick movement, he flicked his wand at the door and cast a silencing spell on his room.
"You good?" she questioned, smirking. "Because I can stop."
Percy chuckled, pulling her head back down and connecting their lips.
"Don't."
Authors Note: I know this chapter is a bit fluffy but this all needed to happen in order for the next chapter to be brilliant and I also desperately wanted Audrey to meet the Weasleys.