Author's Note: Inspired by Be More Chill, specifically Michael in the Bathroom.

Percy in the Bathroom

770 words

The farewell party was in full swing by the time Percy slipped inside, unnoticed. He had considered skipping it altogether, much preferring the idea of quietly packing his belongings and getting an early night.

Still, he knew Penelope would berate him on the train ride home, and decided at least putting in an appearance wouldn't kill him.

He was still wearing his school robes, having just come from patrolling the grounds, but everyone else seemed to have already changed into more comfortable - and in some cases, revealing outfits. He halfheartedly wondered if he should be enforcing some sort of distancing rule as he caught sight of Flint and Gracen snogging in the corner, but Penny caught his attention, waving him over to the refreshments table in a sparkling dress.

"Here, try some punch. Someone's spiked it, but it's not bad once you get past the initial burning." She thrust a glass of purple liquid in his hands and reached for his tie, loosening as she spoke. "Can't have you looking all stuffy."

"I don't look stuffy, thank you very much." He pushed her hands away and handed the glass to the house-elf running the table. "And I don't need alcohol to get through the night, unlike some people."

"Suit yourself, but don't blame me when you're looking back on photos in twenty years and see how out of place you look." Penelope picked up her own glass from the table and took a long sip. "I'm going to dance."

He watched her walk to the dance floor and start spinning in tune with the loud and fast song blaring throughout the Great Hall. Something Ginny would like, he thought.

Percy glanced around the room, searching for something to keep his interest long enough that he would want to stay a little longer. Most everyone was dancing - even the few professors who had come to say their goodbyes. Dancing wasn't one of Percy's specialties, as anyone who'd witnessed it could attest to. Still, for lack of anyone to talk to, he considered humoring Penny and joining her, until…

"Another win, eh, Wood? Great way to go out!" someone shouted.

Percy whirled around, catching Oliver walking in with Harris, a boy from the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Oliver had been handing out with Harris a lot recently, especially since he and Percy had been avoiding each other.

They locked eyes across the Hall, but Percy quickly averted his gaze, rushing back to the refreshments table and downing the first glass of punch he could get his hands on. He refilled the cup and did a loop around the room, trying to keep as far away from his roommate as possible. Still, he found his eyes searching for Oliver every few minutes, and then regretting it the moment he found him. Always with Harris. Always laughing, and smiling. It was unbearable.

Percy lasted a total of fifteen minutes before rushing from the room and running all the way up to Gryffindor tower, promptly locking himself inside the bathroom off his dormitory. He sank to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest.

Oliver.

He couldn't get the boy out of his head. Carrying on downstairs with someone else, acting like Harris' best friend when he used to be...

"He's not your friend, Percival. Pull yourself together," he scolded himself. "You ended that, didn't you? Thought you were being clever and making a clean break. Now you have to face the consequences."

He was right, of course. He was always right. He thought it was easier to end the friendship than deal with its slow decay once he and Oliver moved on from Hogwarts and got busy with their careers and forgot to keep in touch.

There was knocking at the door. Frantic knocking. He knew it well.

"Perce? Are you okay?" It was Oliver's voice.

"Oh, yeah! I'll be out soon!" Percy jumped up and turned on the faucet. "Go back to the party! I'm fine!"

He returned to the floor, wallowing in his self-pity and regret, allowing the sound of the rushing water to drown out Oliver's voice as he tried to ask something. The handle jiggled a little, and for a moment Percy worried that Oliver would just unlock it anyway and barge in, but then that wasn't really his style.

Sure enough, the jiggling stopped and Percy heard nothing more from the other side of the door. He let the water run, covering the sound of his crying into his hands.

This was all his fault, and he would live with the consequences of being replaced, even if it killed him.