i know i haven't posted in some time but to make it up to you, i'll post a couple of chapters together. because i have loads done, it's just the editing...which in this case has been done via phone so i apologise for any mistakes. as mental as it is, i'll post 4 chapters all together.

Little Glass Houses

Chapter Eighteen

Pain Au Chocolat

"Do you eat anything?" was the first question that Ginny asked him when he walked into her flat that morning. Her flat was beautiful, modern, and in coffee-and-caramel colours with warm tones.

"Pardon?" Percy wasn't sure if he'd heard her correctly.

Ginny walked towards her kitchen. She opened up the fridge, which was glossy and quite new compared to his. "Do you eat anything?" she reiterated, and Percy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Of course, he ate? Everyone ate? He didn't really understand what she'd meant by that. "Because I haven't really seen you scoffing whole roasts." She explained when she was met with his silence. "I've not seen you eat anything since we've started talking to each other." She pulled out a bag of pains au chocolat from the fridge and shut it. She put the bag down and produced two small circular plates. They were plain white, and thick. Now, why would you put your croissants in the fridge?

She opened the bag and offered him to take some. He took three, and they were massive.

"Harry loves them," Ginny said, and Percy wasn't really surprised. Harry had a healthy appetite for a bloke that was so thin. He'd seen him scoff massive plates of chicken and vegetable pies covered in lashings of gravy and go for seconds and thirds and then eat several servings of pudding afterwards. He was still thin, but no longer skeletal. "I love them," she added on, and shook three croissants out of the bag herself.

"Do you want tea?" she asked before they'd dug in. Percy was waiting for her to eat before he started eating.

Percy nodded his head and two minutes later, a cup of tea appeared by his side. Plain red mug, belonging to Harry he assumed because of the cracks on the side. It was bigger than most of the mugs that he owned and absolutely filled to the brim with tea. After she finished the first half of her pain au chocolat, he'd decided that it was finally safe for him to start eating. As he chewed, he thought of Penelope. She was post-call that morning, still at work. He knew that she would've lazily left the on-call room in messy off-hospital-policy blue scrubs and would either be diligently eating a low-fat cottage cheese with fruit or naughtily scoffing two or three chocolate-iced doughnuts with a butterbeer milkshake. He bet that she'd be eating the doughnuts now, wondering if he was laughing, smiling, and talking about her with Ginny. Laughing about me now, were you? He could imagine the confrontation later, with her hard blue eyes piercing straight into his soul.

Every time Percy thought of Audrey, he felt so guilty. Penelope didn't let him have any female friends anymore—well, not male ones either, but definitely not any female ones. And Ginny was his sister but…

"Percy, you're not eating," Ginny reminded him, tapping on his hand.

He looked down, noticed that the pastry flakes were all over his lap, and he was just squeezing solid, cold chocolate out of his pain au chocolat for the last three minutes. "Oh," he cut off a bit, and slowly chewed.

Percy cocked his head to one side. "Is Harry around?" he'd hate to see him.

"It's just us," Ginny replied. "Harry's at work with Ron. They've finally been put together on a shift—it'll end badly of course, but…" she just shrugged. It was then that Percy had really noticed that she was wearing pink. It was rare that she was. It was a blouse, but she wore them with Quidditch shorts and long socks.

"I suppose," Percy finished off half of his croissant before he asked, "What kind of paperwork do we—"

"Perce, do you really think I've asked you here for paperwork?" Ginny would've probably had it done anyway. He was frightened that Penelope would know that she didn't need any paperwork done.

Percy shook his head, but he didn't meet her eyes.

Ginny reached over to place her hand onto his, and it was a little unnerving. "You can't marry her, Percy," she said a little quickly. "She's bloody mental!" she said the word to imply that she was battier than he'd ever give her credit for. "She accused you of trying to rape her on Christmas bloody Eve! And-and-and then theres the fact that she talks to you like you're less than dirt—and you let her! And then I felt like I had to ask her permission to have you over…"

He knew all along, deep down, that she was going to say something about her, about Penny.

"I don't know why mum likes her!" She sighed deeply, shaking her head. "And I couldn't figure out all this time why she'd know you. That Audrey girl." Her eyes were focused on him. "How does she know you? And don't you tell me that you'd rather not say." Percy opened his mouth to say just that, and then found himself flustered. "I want the truth! Just tell me the truth! How is it that she met you?"

"Penny kicked me out of the flat," Percy admitted without looking at her. "Audrey…Audrey thought I was homeless and offered me a place to stay."

"So, why didn't you go back home?" Ginny asked. "And what did she kick you out for? Not commending everything she's ever done for you, you think?" her hands were shaking with rage.

"I…I can't remember," he replied quietly. "Err, I couldn't." He smiled weakly. "The questions."

"Because it's not normal for your girlfriend to throw you out in the middle of the bloody winter when you don't own a proper coat and have no money!" Ginny replied back hotly. Percy was surprised that she was aware of either of those things because he'd never told her. Her eyes widened. "They were so shocked about you that day. I remember. They thought that you were bloody sex-obsessed! But I've seen what she…"

Ginny cocked her head. "Percy, you can't say the word 'sex' without blushing! Did you really have it off with her in mum and dad's bathroom when we were having dinner?" she didn't sound like she believed that.

Percy stared at his plate. He had absolutely no appetite anymore. "Yes," he whispered.

"Did you want to?" she asked. Percy felt his whole world blur, and he was suddenly aware of where he was, what day it was, what the moment was.

"No," Percy answered. It didn't feel liberating. It didn't feel relieving. It made him feel ill.

When he looked up, Ginny looked sick. "She talked you into it," she said it flatly. "She talked you into doing something that you didn't want to do?" she asked again. "Is that what happened? This was all her idea…"

Percy stared down at her lap. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," he was afraid of rejecting her but he couldn't talk about it either.

He was starting to feel his breathing quicken and his eyes widen, but he could barely see past the blur of thoughts-thoughts-thoughts-thoughts that filled his mind. Oh, Merlin, what was he doing? His hands were shaking, and he could barely make out where he was, or why he was there when just a moment before, he was so sure of those things. He felt like he was about to have a heart attack. He barely heard Ginny get out of her chair until she was holding onto him so tightly that he could smell her apple-scented shampoo. The smell of anyone, even his sister, so close to him made him want to cry. All he could think about was not being able to see in the Emergency Room and all those women…

"Perce, it's okay," Ginny whispered. "Perce, calm down." She held on even tighter to him.

Percy nodded his head. "Okay," he manged to squeeze out. "I'm sorry."

"Merlin, what did she do to you?" came out of Ginny's mouth. She sounded truly horrified by what he'd become, a nervous mess just about to break down even on questioning. "Perce, what did she do?"

Percy managed to calm down, his breathing turned slow and his mind becoming clearer.

"This isn't normal," she whispered. "It's not normal what she did to you," her voice was wobbly. "Perce, tell me," she begged. "You have to tell someone. Everyone thinks-thinks that it's just your baby, but I know it's not, Perce. I see the way that she looks at you, the way that…" her voice cracked. "Percy, she doesn't even love you."

Percy nodded his head. "I know," he didn't love her either. At least not anymore. "I know."

"You can't love her," Ginny thought so too. "She just wants you. Like you're this thing that she has to have. Her first love, her first kiss, her first everything. She just wants that." Percy believed that too. "Maybe she liked you before, but she doesn't like you anymore."

Percy had been together with her so long that he didn't even know whether she liked him, much less loved him. "Just-just don't go back, Perce! Cancel the wedding!" Ginny yelled. "Just stay here," she begged.

"I can't," he whispered softly. Percy closed his eyes. "Gin, I can't leave her."

He couldn't imagine a scenario where he didn't wake up next to her, didn't see her at all, didn't talk to her, didn't have her telling him exactly what to do and how to say it. It was daunting. And he realised how pathetic it was, a man like him, to be so dependent on a woman just to live, but this was what his life had come to. She was the only one that knew Peter the way he did, the one person that he could attest to the sex and violence. Without her, he was just an unwanted sack of meat that had been kicked around a few times.

"Mum and dad don't know," Ginny said defiantly. "Mum thinks that she's the best thing that's ever existed. Dad's totally buying her act. And I think they're believing it more now, when they found out about Peter."

Hearing his son's name out loud was painful. He and Penelope never said his name.

She wandered towards the fridge, poured a bit of orange juice and then bought out more pains au chocolat for herself. Her plate was absolutely full of them. She offered him some more pains au chocolat and orange juice, but he'd declined. It felt so unreal, just to hear someone tell him to leave Penelope. He felt…reassured. That not everyone thought that he should be marrying her. But he knew that Ginny didn't know exactly what their relationship was like. She was under the impression that Penelope was a batty woman, not a…

Percy swallowed the lump in his throat just thinking about it.

"You have to tell mum and dad that you don't want to marry her," Ginny told him, but panic immediately filled him. The wedding preparations that they'd already started paying for, his father staring at him expectantly when he'd said that Penelope was his fiancée, but he hadn't been planning on marrying her… "You have to, Perce."

He shook his head. He had to marry her. If he didn't marry her, she'd end him.

"Shh," she said, her voice low. "Perce, we can do it together. We can go and tell mum and dad that you don't want a wedding." He didn't want a wedding, but it wasn't what he wanted. To say no. "You can't seriously be thinking of marrying a woman that-that said those horrible things to you. That…you don't even like, much less want to spend the rest of your life with!" she reasoned.

Percy didn't know what to say. He felt so…drained. All of these expectations that people had of him. Of things that he should do. He wished he could run away from it. "Oh…okay."

He wished that she could read his mind, see how much he just wanted to give it all a rest. Everything had become so complicated when his family had become involved into his life. Their opinions felt like a law passed down, and he'd become so…compliant that the idea of resisting anyone and the fight that would inevitably follow just exhausted him. Percy wanted things to smooth over as quickly as possible. Gone. Done. That was that.

He thought of what George had said, that he was always sleeping. Yes, but when you didn't wish for anything at all, when you were past thinking about what you wanted, what would you do with your time?

Ginny pushed his tea towards him, as if to remind him to finish eating.

Percy nodded his head, and busied himself with the croissants and tea, because it wasn't like he had anything to do for the rest of the day. His mind had gone blank. Trying to think about them going to the Burrow to tell them that the wedding was off was such an unfathomable idea that Percy couldn't really imagine it happening. They'd already started paying for the arrangements. The awfully expensive arrangements…

Absentmindedly, Percy picked up a piece of parchment paper that Harry had written to Ginny. He'd not really read it, but he recognised Harry's handwriting, his oversized o's and his awkward a's. Percy folded the note and then made it into a white lily, something that he'd perfected a long time ago.

"Can I do that?" Ginny asked him, breaking him out of his concentration. "Show me." She ordered.

Percy nodded his head and unfolded the parchment paper. "It's really just the folding," he showed her slowly this time, but he supposed he lost her after the third or fourth fold, but Ginny watched with an intrigued expression. "It's a white lily," he said, and she nodded her head.

"I used to make Penny bouquets of paper flowers," Percy smiled weakly. "Daffodils, roses, daisies…"

"Oh," Ginny answered, but didn't say anything else.

The last one she threw into the fire, because she told him that he was too old to be playing with parchment paper. She was sick of him being 'cheap' with her. He put bouquets of paper sunflowers on his son's grave. Sometimes, he put real ones. Sunny, yellow flowers for his sun-son-something-alike. That was Peter. A light into a dark world, a magical something into an ordinary reality, a gift that he didn't deserve. And then you thought of what he could've looked like, what he would've done, and in your mind, you always think that he turned out to be the sweetest boy, sweetest man, sweetest boyfriend, sweetest something. And then it played out into a fantasy, wondering, wondering, what he thought, what he would've said, what he'd felt when he'd been dying...

Was this a blessing? Would he have suffered otherwise? Did he feel scared? Did he feel safe in his arms? And the not knowing what he could've been was harder than the loss altogether, harder than if Peter had never been there. Because he was there, he was there, and then he was just gone. And it happened so fast. Now, how was that supposed to make any sense? And how could Percy not know what was happening when he'd been there, when Peter was with him?

"How did you start doing these?" Ginny suddenly asked, breaking Percy out of his thoughts.

Percy smiled weakly. "I couldn't concentrate on reading anymore, but I…I like the feeling of the parchment against my hand. It's… just a familiar feeling," he tried to explain. "So, when I couldn't really concentrate enough to read a book, I used to tear out the pages, usually the ones that weren't important and just fold them. I started just making squares, trying to see how small I could make them. Then…paper planes. I've seen a muggle child do one when I'd left the apartment," he remembered being mesmerised, as if he were witnessing the most wonderful thing in the world. "I'd tried until I'd gotten it right. Then I tried to do other things. And I've gotten used to just knowing how I'd have to fold something to get it into a shape that I want."

This was the only way he knew how to calm himself down. When Calming Draughts didn't work anymore.

"After…after Peter and Fred died, I've gone to therapy," Percy confessed. Ginny looked surprised that he'd admit to that. Percy wasn't really the most resilient at the time, the most stubborn. At the time of Fred's death, Penelope had treated him so sweetly, so kindly, that he'd never have believed that she would ever hurt him again. "Penny used to come with me. She used to talk to them, about what Fred was, what Peter was…" he closed his eyes. "I know that you've heard what she said to me, how she talks to me, but Penny is…"

Penelope was complicated. She would fight for you, but she would hurt you, she was poisoned medicine. She was a polluted stream that was clear some days when you were thirsty and dying and needed a drink. She just was, and she was just someone that was with him. She was never his girlfriend or fiancée or lover, she was just…Penelope. Very carelessly Penelope. And he'd known that for ages, and he stayed with her for ages. And he couldn't imagine that ending.

"She's Penny," Percy said with a smile. "And I couldn't imagine being without her."

"She's brainwashed you, Perce," Ginny shook her head. "Can't you see that? Made you depend on her." He knew what she did. He was aware every day what she'd done to him, but he'd accepted it. He had to, when he'd been living with her for so long he'd forgotten how it was to live another way. "You didn't need mum and dad when you were just a kid, Perce. You didn't need Bill or Charlie when you were adjusting at Hogwarts. You've never needed anyone before. Can you see how sickening it is that she made you need her?"

Percy nodded his head. "I…I suppose," he played with his sleeve.

Ginny shook her head. "I won't let you hurt yourself like this anymore," she said. "I won't."

He smiled back at her because she still didn't know. And he didn't know how he was going to tell her. "Ginny, she—"

Before the words could come out of his mouth, she grabbed a bag of Floo powder and wandered over to her fireplace. "Come on, Perce," she said, tears started to pool at the corner of her eyes and her hands shaking with rage. "We should go now," she decided. "I can't let this go on for another bloody minute. I can't."

She was the one being mental. He was paralysed as she tried to drag him off the stool.

"I've-I've not finished breakfast," Percy lamely decided to mention, when he knew that he was eating at the pace of a particularly slow flobberworm.

Ginny smirked. "I'll be sure to let mum know then!" she then laughed when she saw him pale.

He'd not used the Floo network in ages. He'd almost forgotten how it felt like to be sucked from one home to the next, especially when he wasn't feeling up to it. He was woozy as he was catapulted straight into the Burrow living room. Ginny was already stood, unaffected. A gigantic floral vase beside Percy was shaking and had nearly fallen but Ginny had captured it just in time. The sounds of lively chatter came in from the kitchen. Percy could hear Charlie moaning about something related to baked beans.

This was not the right time. This was not the right time. This was not the right—

Pathetically, Percy needed Ginny's help in getting up and she helped him up from his arm, where his other infected cut wound was at. He winced in pain, but she didn't seem to notice, her eyes on the kitchen door.

"Mum! I'm here with Percy!" she yelled. "We-we need to talk about something important!"

Yes, why not talk about a wedding you've been planning for nearly half the year around your mum's breakfast table? Why not say that you had to cancel the wedding because the bride and groom 'didn't really love each other anymore' before your father had even had his morning coffee? Percy couldn't envision a single scenario where this wouldn't end up in angry shouting and tears. He let out a strangled breath, letting his hands drop lazily to his sides. Percy couldn't even imagine—

"Come on," Ginny dragged him into the kitchen, and Percy just stared at the floor. A sense of déjà vu hit him, along with unadulterated terror seeping into his skin. "Mum! Dad!"

Arthur looked up from his copy of The Daily Prophet, beaming. "Ginny? What are you doing here?" he asked. "We thought that Percy was helping you with these papers of yours."

"We have the whole day for that," Ginny mentioned with a roll of her eyes. "Well, actually, I'm here—we're both here to talk about the wedding—"

"Oh, love, speaking about the wedding! Since you're here, can you look at this for me?" Molly put down the magazine and Ginny could see it was more glasshouse weddings. "It's beautiful. We can put the flowers around here…" she pointed towards the top of the glasshouse. "Just absolutely cover it with the white lilies…"

"Oh…well…um…" Ginny was stammering because her eyes landed on the bridal magazine that Molly was happily skimming through and humming. How many mornings did she spend looking through bridal magazines and catalogues this year alone? She had the most content look on her face.

"White lilies?" Percy was feeling ill.

Percy couldn't even envision this wedding with cakes that he didn't even like, in a glass cage that he couldn't escape from and adorned with the same white flowers they've put on their son's grave for the past year.

"I…I guess," Ginny was wavering already, and she hadn't even said anything yet. "It is rather pretty…"

"Penny and I are going to get the dress robes today for Percy and her to try on since it's only a week away now. Last few magical alterations and we should all be set," Molly energetically spoke, her brown eyes gleaming with joy. "And have you seen the rings? I haven't shown you, but they're absolutely wonderful. They've just come in this morning. Penelope's so pleased with them. The bands are so costly but…"

Costly, the word rang into Percy's mind. His family and Penelope and his' money had gone into that.

"But it's a band that'll last years," Ginny echoed indifferently, her face a masked expression.

"Yes, exactly! Both Penny and I agreed on that. They deserve the best, the loves," Molly had a plate of egg whites and wheat toast, trying to slim for her own dress robes. She took a sip of her tea.

"Thank you," Percy replied quietly. "Let's just…" he grabbed Ginny's hand. "Please," he begged quietly.

"So, what are you here for?" Charlie asked. "I heard you saying you had something important to say."

Ginny was staring at their parents and Charlie with big eyes, and then looked at Percy.

"Mum, they can't get married," Ginny whispered.

"What do you mean that they can't get married?" Molly didn't even look like she believed that Ginny really meant it when she'd said it. She started laughing, a bright beam on her face. "Oh, love, if this is about you and Harry, you know that we'd do the same. If Harry ever asks." She said the last part with disdain.

"Mum, this isn't about Harry," Ginny tried to plead with her. "It's about Percy!" he flushed deeply, wildly. "Percy doesn't even like her, much less love her. I'm serious! They can't get married, they can't!"

The whole room went silent and Molly accidentally dropped the mug of tea that she was holding. Beige-looking tea seeped into their carpet and the sound was so loud that Percy had jumped up from where he stood. Percy had forgotten how to siphon liquids with a wand. He hadn't used his wand in ages…

"Ginevra, this is just getting ridiculous!" Molly yelled. "He's been with her for a decade! They lost a child together for Merlin's sake and still stayed together. Do you know how rare that is? Of course, they love each other!" she looked at Percy, in a way that left him feeling nervous and frightened. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself? You've not said a word since you've been in…what have you said to your sister?"

The thought of Peter made him flinch. Percy closed his eyes. "This was Ginny's idea," he whispered.

Ginny scoffed. "Percy, tell mum that you don't love Penny," she ordered. "She'll listen to you! She won't believe me. Just say something." She begged. "Merlin, I'm wondering if you even like her most of the time…"

"Of course, he likes her!" Molly yelled loudly. "Of course, he loves her!"

Charlie looked disappointed. "Seriously? This is coming up now?" he sighed. "You're supposed to be getting married in a bloody week!"

"So, Percy, do you?" Ginny asked him. "Do you love her? Tell them! Godric, you're infuriating."

Arthur, who had been calm since he and Percy started talking again, looked furious. "Percy," his voice was dangerously low. "Percy, you can't be serious. Do you know how much money I've spent on this? For you?"

Percy felt his throat go dry and his thoughts were racing everywhere. The money that his parents had chucked away, the absolute breakdown that Penelope would have if this wedding was cancelled, the look of betrayal on his mum's face, the look of expectation that Ginny gave him…and it was all just so much to bear that he just didn't know what to do except stand there. His lip wobbled, but he wasn't there. Not really.

Charlie grabbed him by his waist, and Percy looked into Charlie's eyes, really looked into his eyes, for the first time in ages. And he didn't see a single positive emotion in them, nothing. It had all gone away. "Perce, we'll ask you again," he said slowly, as if Percy hadn't heard the first time. "And this time I'm talking slowly so you understand," he emphasised that last part, as if Percy were thick (not that he'd blamed Charlie, of course). "Do you love her? Do you want to marry her?"

"Percy!" Ginny and Arthur shrieked out at the same time. Percy jolted up, panicked at how loud they were.

"Just answer the question," Charlie repeated again in that condescending tone.

Percy bit down his lower lip, feeling his heart burst out of his chest. "No," he quietly said.

Charlie shoved him to the side angrily. "Seriously?" he asked him a little hotly. "Seriously, Percy?" Percy felt himself stiffen. "And you couldn't have told mum and dad this little piece of information before they splashed out on your wedding?" he asked. "Do you know how much they'd spent on this? Do you have any idea how many months mum and Ginny spent planning your bloody wedding? It's been nearly half a year." He said the last part with emphasis on it. "Merlin, you're a selfish arsehole."

"He's a selfish arsehole?" Ginny looked surprised. "How could you let her talk to him like that?!"

"What are we supposed to do now?" Arthur looked more than just irritated. He was fuming. "We're supposed to cancel all of this just because you've had an epiphany now?" he rubbed his temple.

"Everything," Molly echoed incredulously. "We're supposed to cancel everything."

"Unbelievable." Arthur shook his head. "Merlin, Percival, it's like every time that I have you figured out; you manage to surprise me!"

"I'm sorry," Percy whispered, but he wasn't sure that anyone could hear him over the shouting.

"Percival, maybe you should just go," Molly's voice was dreary and sombre. "You should go talk to that poor girl. Do you have any idea what-what she's been thinking all this time? How much she loves you? Do you have any idea how lucky you are that you have her and she's-she just lost a baby and you're telling her that you don't want to marry her even after… after how much she's done for you."

Arthur nodded his head. "Go on," he ordered. "Go tell her. You. Not Ginny or any of us—you're going to tell her that we're cancelling this wedding."

Percy's lip twitched. The thought of going back to his flat and talking to Penelope about this was torture. "No," he repeated, shaking his head. "No, no," he was close to tears. He was terrified.

"Go on," even Arthur didn't seem like he was moved by his breakdown. "You owe it to her!"

"She'll kill me," Percy panted with wide eyes. "She'll kill me."

"Perce, you strung her along for a decade," Charlie scoffed, but he didn't understand. Nobody did. "It really is an act. Whatever you're doing now, Merlin, pretending to be so…so bloody quiet and sweet. You're a walking wreck. There hasn't been a single conversation that I've had with you that hasn't left us in ruins."

They were going to send him away? Percy didn't want to go. They were going to send him away?

"That's not fair what you're saying to him," Ginny whispered. "Come on, Perce."

He was so tired of being led away by Ginny. So tired of this endless cascade of unfortunate events.

Ginny grabbed his hand and led him to the fireplace. He clutched his chest, feeling his heart thud-thud-thud against his hand. He couldn't imagine travelling by Floo when he felt like this, but Ginny had thrown the glittery powder into the fireplace, the flames had gone emerald and foreboding.

"Perce, forget about what they said." As if he could. "They'll get over it!" Ginny patted his back, which was damp with sweat. "It's just money! Who cares? You can't marry someone you don't even like." She smiled weakly at him. "Just tell her. Pack your things and just…it'll be okay. You can stay with me! Harry wouldn't mind."

Percy stared at the flames until his world had turned into grey.

"No, you don't understand. You don't know," Percy whispered, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Ginny wasn't really listening to him either. "Please don't do this to me, please. I can't go alone. I can't," he begged. "She'll—"

"I'm sorry, Perce! I can't go with you to break up with your fiancée!" Ginny yelled as she pushed him into the fire.