Chapter 13
The next time Percy was to meet Mik and Pyoter he brought Oliver with him. The brothers were already in the tower, waiting for them.
"Previet! Velcome, Oliver! Has Percy explained to you vhy you're here?" Oliver shook his head.
"No. He said you'll explain it better." Mik nodded, smiling wryly.
"Not really. My student vas simply being lazy." Percy looked up and whistled tunelessly. Oliver hid a smile, (or tried to, at least).
"You are here," Mik began, "because you are Percy's anchor. It is wery easy for a Veather Mage to become lost vhen absorbed in his magic. An anchor keeps the mage grounded as he or she veaves the spells. The Mage's body vill remain intact, but the mind vill be lost. Eventually the body decays to much for the mind to be returned, so the mind vill search for another. Once found, the mind of the mage vill share the body vith that of the host until a new mage is found. It's not a very pleasant experience, and the mage vill be at half strength until death." Mik paused and laughed at Percy and Oliver's shocked expressions. "Perhaps dat is a bit much for right now, eh?" Percy and Oliver nodded vigorously. "Wery vell. Ve shall start de pratical lessons today. Please sit."
Percy sat where he stood, surprising Oliver by the speed and grace with which he sat. He moved to sit next to him. "Either kneel behind or sit in front facing him. Do not sit at his side." Oliver nodded and sat in front, facing Percy.
"Good. Now, take his hands. If you vere behind him, your hands vould be on his bare shoulders. Direct skin-to-skin contact is necessary." Oliver took Percy's hands and smiled. Percy smiled back, blushing slightly. "Close your eyes. Percy, I vant you to stretch your mind out, talk to a storm, call the vinds, call some clouds. Play. Experiment. I shall be here if you get in to deep. But I find the only vay to know vhat you are doing is to do it yourself. Oliver, your job is to keep up a werbal connection. As you get more skilled at this, vords vill not be needed. Even more so and contact vill become unnecessary. But one must crawl before one can valk. Go on, you may begin." They both nodded, closing their eyes, slightly nervous they would mess up and Percy would be lost. Oliver began his monologue.
"Ok, um.well.I'm not really sure what to talk about just yet. I guess it doesn't matter what you talk about as long as you're talking, huh. I'm probably going to end up talking about either you or quidditch. If it's about you I hope you can here me. If it's quidditch, then it may be better if you don't I know it just bores you anyway.
"I was so happy when we won the cup game. I've been trying to do that for six years, wanted it for 11. But it was kind of depressing at the same time. That was the last time I would play as keeper for the Gryffindor team. I would never play with the twins, or the girls, or Harry ever again." Oliver paused for a moment. "They knew about me, and I think they know about us. They figured me out a while ago, and they keep giving me these looks every time I talk to you." He smiled, "So when we do come out, we have to tell them first.
"I love you so much, Percy," Oliver said, suddenly serious. "I can't wait until we graduate and I can be with you all the time, without hiding behind Penny. I know what you're doing and I'm ok with that, I mean, Penny and Betty are like sisters to me, but I still wish we didn't have to hide." Oliver paused and started again. "I think I'm going back to talking about Quidditch now. I'm getting all choked up, I won't be able to talk for much longer if I continue like this.
"So, I think the best play in Quidditch history has to be."
Meanwhile
Percy let himself drift, only dimly aware of Oliver's voice. He floated among the clouds in his mind, blown by the wind. Up ahead he saw the heavy black of storm clouds. He held his hand out. "Come," he mouthed and the storm clouds begain to drift towards him, more forming as they moved. His eyes flashed and lightning struck. He raised his other arm like a conductor of a symphony. The wind began to blow, whipping his hair around.
Back in the tower the wind began to blow heavily. Mik looked up and saw storm clouds in the distance.
"Vat is he doing?" Pyoter asked his brother, his voice a low ruble.
"He's calling a storm, successfully, I might add." The brothers watches, awestruck, the coming storm. Thunder crashed. "I better stop this before it hits. He's not ready to control this yet."
***
Percy circled his hands, closing his fists, a conductor stopping the play of his symphony. The storm stopped, paused, waited for a command. Percy lowered his hands. The clouds began to dissipate. They were no longer needed. Percy opened his eyes, following Oliver's voice back to earth.
"In 1804 when Puddlemore.Percy! You're back!" Mik opened his eyes and looked at his student. He had just closed them. He hadn't done anything. Not only could Percy call storms with no training, he could end them as well. Percy was much stronger than Mik had first realized. Percy looked over to him.
"Well? How did I do?" Mik blinked.
"I'm going to be honest vith you Percy. You show more talent now than I did after weeks of training. I've never seen anything quite like it." Percy smiled and preened. Oliver laughed.
"That's Percy, alright. Light-years ahead of the rest of us mere mortals." Percy blushed, not knowing what to say, and not saying anything because he knew it was true.
Two weeks before graduation
Mik met Percy and Oliver at the bottom of the tower. "Ve vill not be in the tover today boys. Ve vill be going out to the field behind the Quidditch pitch. Follow me." He started to wheel away, then stopped. "Oliver, Vere is your broom?" Oliver blinked, confused.
"My broom? Uh.well.it's in my dorm, why?"
"Go get it. Today ve teach Percy to fly. You'll need it."
"Flying?" Percy asked in a whisper, face a dull gray. He swallowed. Mik, however, if he heard him, did not answer. With a worried look in Percy's direction, Oliver went to get his broom. He knew how much Percy hated to fly. Percy wheeled Mik to the front steps where Pyoter had built a temporary ramp. Seconds later Oliver ran up, broom in hand. Pyoter silently took the chair from Percy and guided his brother down the ramp. Percy and Oliver followed behind and the four made their way to the field.
***
"Ok, Oliver, mount your broom and kick off. Percy will be up in a minute." Oliver did so and watched his lover from a bird's eye view. "Ok Percy, I want you to close your eyes and call the winds to you." Percy nodded and closed his eyes. He stretched out his arms, as he had seen Mik do in the past.
"Don't loose yourself, Percy. Do not go looking for the wind. Let the wind come to you."
"Wind.come." Percy mouthed. A gentle breeze ruffled Oliver's hair. ".come." a stronger gust caused Oliver to cling more tightly to his broomstick. ". come." Percy's robes whipped about his body. Lowering his arms slightly he let his robes fall away, leaving him in his jeans and tee shirt. He raised his arms higher. ".come!." he spoke this time, and his voice was like thunder. His eyes flashed open, and they were pure white. "Come!" Percy slowly rose into the sky, riding the air.
He was flying.
***
Percy and Oliver raced back to their dorms. Percy was positively glowing (not to mention winning the race; practice, you know.) He could fly! He knew he had the most ridiculous grin on his face, but he didn't care. His hair was windswept and his cheeks were rosy underneath his freckles. Definitely un-Percy like. Well, un-Perfect Prefect. It was close to curfew and not many students were about. Nobody was there to notice the difference in Percy, except for Oliver. Oliver was, in a way, very glad that he had all that wonderfulness to himself.
They were around the corner from the Gryffindor Tower, laughing and teasing, their flirtation that of lovers, when Percy almost ran somebody over.
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry.Neville?" The blond boy on the floor looked up at Percy, tear stains on his cheeks and eyes red. All the happiness fell from Percy's face and was replaced by concern. Oliver wore a similar expression.
"Neville, what's wrong?" Neville sniffed.
"Nothing." He tried to stand, "Go away." Oliver reached out to steady the boy and the brief smile of gratitude he had gotten faded almost instantly when Neville lost his balance agin, hitting his head on the wall. The started to slide down the wall, tears flowing from his eyes. Percy looked at Oliver and Oliver nodded, entering the common room. Percy sat down next to Neville and placed a comforting arm around his shoulder. Neville shifted and cried unabashedly into Percy's robes. Percy stroked Neville's blond locks and whispered soothing words and phrases as he had done for his younger siblings in their youth.
Eventually, Neville's tears stopped and he pulled back. Percy kept his hand on Neville's back, rubbing soothing circles.
"There now, "Percy said gently, "feel a little better?" Neville nodded, sniffling. "Care to tell me what's wrong?" Neville shrugged. "Neville?"
"They hate me." It was said in such a small voice that Percy almost didn't hear it.
"Who is they?" Percy asked gently, remembering his own loneliness.
"Everybody. The teachers, the students. The only one who doesn't hate me is Professor Sprout."
"I don't hate you," Percy said, "I know Oliver doesn't hate you. McGonagall doesn't hate you, even if you frustrate her to no end at times.? Neville sniffed.
"Snape hates me."
"Snape hates everybody, himself the most." Neville snorted in amusement. "I'm serious about this Neville. Something happened in Snape's past that makes him hate himself. Until he can like himself he will never be able to like anybody else. I would pity him but not only am I unable to feel pity towards teachers, epically for Slytherin." This time Neville did smile.
"Thanks Percy." Percy blinked.
"For what?"
"For being there. For listening." Percy smiled.
"Oh, I was glad to do it. Despite my rather harsh or whiney attitude most of the time, I see all the Gryffindors as my younger siblings. You're family, and as the big brother, It's my job to make sure all the 'little ones' are happy." Neville smiled.
"I've never had a big brother before." Percy laughed.
"Well, you do now. If you ever have a problem, I mean ever, you come strait to me, ok?" Neville nodded. "Good. Now, let's go inside to that fire. This floor is cold!" Percy shivered dramatically, getting a laugh from Neville. Percy put a brotherly arm around Neville's shoulders and led the way into the common room to the fire and Oliver.
TBC
AN:
I'm so sorry this took so long to update! I have been SWAMPED with work and my beta reader took my notebook over the weekend, so I couldn't update then.
The story has been written. Totally. All that's left is typing it up and posting it. I'll try to post chapter 14 by the end of the week, but no promises.
Lady Cinnibar - yeah, u can make deadlines, but your pooka is truly horrible with them. That's why I try not to set them. If you don't set a deadline, you never have to worry about not meeting it. I have the first 4 chapters of my next story written. Book to in my as of yet unnamed Harry Potter/Highlander series has been begun. I'll start to post that after I finish this one.
Xixie - noone does the boys like me? Noone? Wow. That is so cool. I'm honored. Yay! claps hands excitedly I know there's a reason behind Snape's actions, but I don't think they'll come out in this story. They'll most likely be written into Harry Potter and The Four Horsemen. Book Two. My year 6.
I would like to say that I have gotten my second flame ever! Whoo! Hoo! It was getting a little bit cold. I would like you to know that if u don't like what I write, don't tell me. I don't really care. If u don't like it, that's your problem. I've got a solid fan base that I am eternally grateful for. I am NOT stopping this fic so close to the end and I think that I'm a better slash writer than half the people out there. I'm also worse than half the people out there. This story is for FUN. Not cannon. Not serious. I like the idea, so I'm writing it. I don't give a f*** about what Percy's like in cannon. THIS ISN'T CANNON. THIS IS A CREATION THAT I"VE MADE, A SPIN ON AN OLD THEME. I know Percy's got a strong character. He's probably strait to, but you know what, I don't care. This is an AU. And to tell you the truth, yes. I am in high school still. I KNOW my grammar is atrocious. U should see what my notebooks look like. I don't understand why people bash fics simply because they don't like it. Don't like it, don't read it.
I'm sorry about that rant, but if you're gonna flame, me, at least have the balls to let me know who you are.
I was, am, and always will be Immortaljedi
Oh, by the way, the link to Positively Percy, which is included in that review, doesn't work. Positively Percy has been down for the past few months. I know. I check it every day.
The next time Percy was to meet Mik and Pyoter he brought Oliver with him. The brothers were already in the tower, waiting for them.
"Previet! Velcome, Oliver! Has Percy explained to you vhy you're here?" Oliver shook his head.
"No. He said you'll explain it better." Mik nodded, smiling wryly.
"Not really. My student vas simply being lazy." Percy looked up and whistled tunelessly. Oliver hid a smile, (or tried to, at least).
"You are here," Mik began, "because you are Percy's anchor. It is wery easy for a Veather Mage to become lost vhen absorbed in his magic. An anchor keeps the mage grounded as he or she veaves the spells. The Mage's body vill remain intact, but the mind vill be lost. Eventually the body decays to much for the mind to be returned, so the mind vill search for another. Once found, the mind of the mage vill share the body vith that of the host until a new mage is found. It's not a very pleasant experience, and the mage vill be at half strength until death." Mik paused and laughed at Percy and Oliver's shocked expressions. "Perhaps dat is a bit much for right now, eh?" Percy and Oliver nodded vigorously. "Wery vell. Ve shall start de pratical lessons today. Please sit."
Percy sat where he stood, surprising Oliver by the speed and grace with which he sat. He moved to sit next to him. "Either kneel behind or sit in front facing him. Do not sit at his side." Oliver nodded and sat in front, facing Percy.
"Good. Now, take his hands. If you vere behind him, your hands vould be on his bare shoulders. Direct skin-to-skin contact is necessary." Oliver took Percy's hands and smiled. Percy smiled back, blushing slightly. "Close your eyes. Percy, I vant you to stretch your mind out, talk to a storm, call the vinds, call some clouds. Play. Experiment. I shall be here if you get in to deep. But I find the only vay to know vhat you are doing is to do it yourself. Oliver, your job is to keep up a werbal connection. As you get more skilled at this, vords vill not be needed. Even more so and contact vill become unnecessary. But one must crawl before one can valk. Go on, you may begin." They both nodded, closing their eyes, slightly nervous they would mess up and Percy would be lost. Oliver began his monologue.
"Ok, um.well.I'm not really sure what to talk about just yet. I guess it doesn't matter what you talk about as long as you're talking, huh. I'm probably going to end up talking about either you or quidditch. If it's about you I hope you can here me. If it's quidditch, then it may be better if you don't I know it just bores you anyway.
"I was so happy when we won the cup game. I've been trying to do that for six years, wanted it for 11. But it was kind of depressing at the same time. That was the last time I would play as keeper for the Gryffindor team. I would never play with the twins, or the girls, or Harry ever again." Oliver paused for a moment. "They knew about me, and I think they know about us. They figured me out a while ago, and they keep giving me these looks every time I talk to you." He smiled, "So when we do come out, we have to tell them first.
"I love you so much, Percy," Oliver said, suddenly serious. "I can't wait until we graduate and I can be with you all the time, without hiding behind Penny. I know what you're doing and I'm ok with that, I mean, Penny and Betty are like sisters to me, but I still wish we didn't have to hide." Oliver paused and started again. "I think I'm going back to talking about Quidditch now. I'm getting all choked up, I won't be able to talk for much longer if I continue like this.
"So, I think the best play in Quidditch history has to be."
Meanwhile
Percy let himself drift, only dimly aware of Oliver's voice. He floated among the clouds in his mind, blown by the wind. Up ahead he saw the heavy black of storm clouds. He held his hand out. "Come," he mouthed and the storm clouds begain to drift towards him, more forming as they moved. His eyes flashed and lightning struck. He raised his other arm like a conductor of a symphony. The wind began to blow, whipping his hair around.
Back in the tower the wind began to blow heavily. Mik looked up and saw storm clouds in the distance.
"Vat is he doing?" Pyoter asked his brother, his voice a low ruble.
"He's calling a storm, successfully, I might add." The brothers watches, awestruck, the coming storm. Thunder crashed. "I better stop this before it hits. He's not ready to control this yet."
***
Percy circled his hands, closing his fists, a conductor stopping the play of his symphony. The storm stopped, paused, waited for a command. Percy lowered his hands. The clouds began to dissipate. They were no longer needed. Percy opened his eyes, following Oliver's voice back to earth.
"In 1804 when Puddlemore.Percy! You're back!" Mik opened his eyes and looked at his student. He had just closed them. He hadn't done anything. Not only could Percy call storms with no training, he could end them as well. Percy was much stronger than Mik had first realized. Percy looked over to him.
"Well? How did I do?" Mik blinked.
"I'm going to be honest vith you Percy. You show more talent now than I did after weeks of training. I've never seen anything quite like it." Percy smiled and preened. Oliver laughed.
"That's Percy, alright. Light-years ahead of the rest of us mere mortals." Percy blushed, not knowing what to say, and not saying anything because he knew it was true.
Two weeks before graduation
Mik met Percy and Oliver at the bottom of the tower. "Ve vill not be in the tover today boys. Ve vill be going out to the field behind the Quidditch pitch. Follow me." He started to wheel away, then stopped. "Oliver, Vere is your broom?" Oliver blinked, confused.
"My broom? Uh.well.it's in my dorm, why?"
"Go get it. Today ve teach Percy to fly. You'll need it."
"Flying?" Percy asked in a whisper, face a dull gray. He swallowed. Mik, however, if he heard him, did not answer. With a worried look in Percy's direction, Oliver went to get his broom. He knew how much Percy hated to fly. Percy wheeled Mik to the front steps where Pyoter had built a temporary ramp. Seconds later Oliver ran up, broom in hand. Pyoter silently took the chair from Percy and guided his brother down the ramp. Percy and Oliver followed behind and the four made their way to the field.
***
"Ok, Oliver, mount your broom and kick off. Percy will be up in a minute." Oliver did so and watched his lover from a bird's eye view. "Ok Percy, I want you to close your eyes and call the winds to you." Percy nodded and closed his eyes. He stretched out his arms, as he had seen Mik do in the past.
"Don't loose yourself, Percy. Do not go looking for the wind. Let the wind come to you."
"Wind.come." Percy mouthed. A gentle breeze ruffled Oliver's hair. ".come." a stronger gust caused Oliver to cling more tightly to his broomstick. ". come." Percy's robes whipped about his body. Lowering his arms slightly he let his robes fall away, leaving him in his jeans and tee shirt. He raised his arms higher. ".come!." he spoke this time, and his voice was like thunder. His eyes flashed open, and they were pure white. "Come!" Percy slowly rose into the sky, riding the air.
He was flying.
***
Percy and Oliver raced back to their dorms. Percy was positively glowing (not to mention winning the race; practice, you know.) He could fly! He knew he had the most ridiculous grin on his face, but he didn't care. His hair was windswept and his cheeks were rosy underneath his freckles. Definitely un-Percy like. Well, un-Perfect Prefect. It was close to curfew and not many students were about. Nobody was there to notice the difference in Percy, except for Oliver. Oliver was, in a way, very glad that he had all that wonderfulness to himself.
They were around the corner from the Gryffindor Tower, laughing and teasing, their flirtation that of lovers, when Percy almost ran somebody over.
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry.Neville?" The blond boy on the floor looked up at Percy, tear stains on his cheeks and eyes red. All the happiness fell from Percy's face and was replaced by concern. Oliver wore a similar expression.
"Neville, what's wrong?" Neville sniffed.
"Nothing." He tried to stand, "Go away." Oliver reached out to steady the boy and the brief smile of gratitude he had gotten faded almost instantly when Neville lost his balance agin, hitting his head on the wall. The started to slide down the wall, tears flowing from his eyes. Percy looked at Oliver and Oliver nodded, entering the common room. Percy sat down next to Neville and placed a comforting arm around his shoulder. Neville shifted and cried unabashedly into Percy's robes. Percy stroked Neville's blond locks and whispered soothing words and phrases as he had done for his younger siblings in their youth.
Eventually, Neville's tears stopped and he pulled back. Percy kept his hand on Neville's back, rubbing soothing circles.
"There now, "Percy said gently, "feel a little better?" Neville nodded, sniffling. "Care to tell me what's wrong?" Neville shrugged. "Neville?"
"They hate me." It was said in such a small voice that Percy almost didn't hear it.
"Who is they?" Percy asked gently, remembering his own loneliness.
"Everybody. The teachers, the students. The only one who doesn't hate me is Professor Sprout."
"I don't hate you," Percy said, "I know Oliver doesn't hate you. McGonagall doesn't hate you, even if you frustrate her to no end at times.? Neville sniffed.
"Snape hates me."
"Snape hates everybody, himself the most." Neville snorted in amusement. "I'm serious about this Neville. Something happened in Snape's past that makes him hate himself. Until he can like himself he will never be able to like anybody else. I would pity him but not only am I unable to feel pity towards teachers, epically for Slytherin." This time Neville did smile.
"Thanks Percy." Percy blinked.
"For what?"
"For being there. For listening." Percy smiled.
"Oh, I was glad to do it. Despite my rather harsh or whiney attitude most of the time, I see all the Gryffindors as my younger siblings. You're family, and as the big brother, It's my job to make sure all the 'little ones' are happy." Neville smiled.
"I've never had a big brother before." Percy laughed.
"Well, you do now. If you ever have a problem, I mean ever, you come strait to me, ok?" Neville nodded. "Good. Now, let's go inside to that fire. This floor is cold!" Percy shivered dramatically, getting a laugh from Neville. Percy put a brotherly arm around Neville's shoulders and led the way into the common room to the fire and Oliver.
TBC
AN:
I'm so sorry this took so long to update! I have been SWAMPED with work and my beta reader took my notebook over the weekend, so I couldn't update then.
The story has been written. Totally. All that's left is typing it up and posting it. I'll try to post chapter 14 by the end of the week, but no promises.
Lady Cinnibar - yeah, u can make deadlines, but your pooka is truly horrible with them. That's why I try not to set them. If you don't set a deadline, you never have to worry about not meeting it. I have the first 4 chapters of my next story written. Book to in my as of yet unnamed Harry Potter/Highlander series has been begun. I'll start to post that after I finish this one.
Xixie - noone does the boys like me? Noone? Wow. That is so cool. I'm honored. Yay! claps hands excitedly I know there's a reason behind Snape's actions, but I don't think they'll come out in this story. They'll most likely be written into Harry Potter and The Four Horsemen. Book Two. My year 6.
I would like to say that I have gotten my second flame ever! Whoo! Hoo! It was getting a little bit cold. I would like you to know that if u don't like what I write, don't tell me. I don't really care. If u don't like it, that's your problem. I've got a solid fan base that I am eternally grateful for. I am NOT stopping this fic so close to the end and I think that I'm a better slash writer than half the people out there. I'm also worse than half the people out there. This story is for FUN. Not cannon. Not serious. I like the idea, so I'm writing it. I don't give a f*** about what Percy's like in cannon. THIS ISN'T CANNON. THIS IS A CREATION THAT I"VE MADE, A SPIN ON AN OLD THEME. I know Percy's got a strong character. He's probably strait to, but you know what, I don't care. This is an AU. And to tell you the truth, yes. I am in high school still. I KNOW my grammar is atrocious. U should see what my notebooks look like. I don't understand why people bash fics simply because they don't like it. Don't like it, don't read it.
I'm sorry about that rant, but if you're gonna flame, me, at least have the balls to let me know who you are.
I was, am, and always will be Immortaljedi
Oh, by the way, the link to Positively Percy, which is included in that review, doesn't work. Positively Percy has been down for the past few months. I know. I check it every day.