Author's Note: I do not own anything. The characters are J.K. Rowling's.
The song is called 'The Good Stuff' and it's by Kenny Chesney. Everything
in italics is the song. Story is a fluffy Percy/Hermione one-shot song-fic
from Percy's POV. Please review!
*****
Well, me an' my lady had our first big fight, So I drove around 'til I saw the neon light. A corner bar an' it just seemed right. So I pulled up.
"Fine" Hermione yelled as I walked out the door. I went over to my muggle car and drove around for a little while. Soon I saw the Leaky Caldron and I pulled up to it. Not a soul around but the old bar keep, Down at the end an' looking half- asleep. An' he walked up, an' said: "What'll it be?" I said: "'the good stuff'." I entered the bar that was empty save for the Tom the bartender. I've known Tom for most of my life. Whenever I was down he knew what to say. He was sitting down at the end of the bar looking like he was asleep. But he came over to me and asked me, "What will you be having young Percy?" "The good stuff Tom." I replied.
He didn't reach around for the whiskey; He didn't pour me a beer. His blue eyes kinda went misty, He said: "You can't find that here...
I noticed that Tom was just standing there. He was looking at me with his blue eyes. He didn't reach for the firewhiskey, which I sometimes drank. He didn't get me my butterbeer. I stared at him closely and noticed his blue eyes had gone misty. Then he spoke up softly. "Percy," he told me, "you can't find that here."
...Cause it's the first long kiss on a second date and Momma's all worried when you get home late And droppin' the ring in the spaghetti plate, 'cause your hands are shakin' so much. An' it's the way that she looks with the rice in her hair. Eatin' burnt suppers, the whole first year, An' askin' for seconds to keep her from tearin' up. Yeah, man, that's 'the good stuff' .."
"Percy I know you and 'Mione had a fight. But just think for a minute; remember all the times you spent together. The first kiss you shared. How Molly was all worried when you came home late after any date. And tell me my favorite story, the one about you proposing to her." he said.
"You mean the one where we went to that fancy muggle restaurant?" Tom nodded. "It was a muggle Italian restaurant, but fancy none the less. We were both having spaghetti and when our food came out I decided to ask her. I got down on one knee and my hands started shaking. I dropped the ring in her plate of spaghetti." I paused while Tom chuckled at me. "She was so happy she started to cry." I continued. "In the end we both were laughing at my nervousness. But she said yes. That was one of the happiest nights of my life." I said sadly, thinking about our fight.
"What about your wedding?" Tom prompted. "I've been to many Weasley weddings I might get some of the details confused." I smiled at him and thought back to the wonderful day. "Remember the way she looked with that rice in here hair?"
"Yes, her wedding dress was prefect; she was perfect." I nodded again, smiling happily at the memory.
"You told me later on that you couldn't believe you married an angel." I smiled more.
"Or what about those stories you two tell about eating burnt suppers the whole first few months because you didn't want to hurt her? What about you always asking her for seconds to keep her from getting hurt" He looked me in the eyes and said, "Percy, that's the good stuff."
He grabbed a carton of milk an' he poured a glass. An' I smiled an' said: "I'll have some of that." We sat there an' talked as an hour passed, like old friends.
He grabbed a flask of pumpkin juice and poured a glass. "May I have some of that?" I asked. Then we sat and talked as an hour passed. We talked about all my brothers and Ginny. We talked out how they were and how many new Weasley kids there were now. We laughed about how ecstatic my mother was now, with fifteen grandkids. Tom asked if Hermione and me were going to add to that soon but I just sighed.
I saw a black an' white picture an' it caught my stare, It was a pretty girl with bouffant hair. He said: "That's my Bonnie, Taken 'bout a year after we were wed.."
A picture I had never seen caught my eye. It was a pretty girl with curly hair. Tom noticed me looking at something so he followed my gaze. "That's my Bonnie. It's from about a year after we got married." He said with a smile.
"She's beautiful." I told him
He said: "Spent five years in the bottle, When the cancer took her from me. But I've been sober three years now, 'Cause the one thing stronger than the whiskey...
"When she first got that rare untreated cancer I was so upset. And when she died I took to drinking. But I know that wherever she is now she's proud because I've been sober three years now. 'Cause Percy there is one thing stronger then that there firewhiskey," Tom told me, his eyes misting again.
...Was the sight of her holdin' my baby girl. The way she adored that string of pearls, I gave her the day that our youngest boy, Earl, Married his high school love." An' it's a new tee-shirt saying: 'I'm a Grandpa'. Bein' right there as our time got small, An' holdin' her hand, when the Good Lord called her up, Yeah, man, that's 'the good stuff'."
"To me it was the sight of her holding baby Amanda. The day she was born was one of the best days of our lives. I sat there holding her saying to myself 'I helped bring her here'. The day Earl, you remember him he was in your year at Hogwarts, married his love. That day I gave her pearls. I remembered her face; she loved those pearls so much. Then there was the time Amanda had a lil' baby. Bonnie bought me a tee-shirt it said 'I'm a Grandpa' and then those few months we spent when our time together was getting small. But most of all I remember holding her hand when she died. That's something you will remember forever." He shook his head and grinned again. "That's 'the good stuff' Percy" he told me.
He said: "When you get home, she'll start to cry. When she says: 'I'm sorry,' say: 'So am I. 'An' look into those eyes, so deep in love, An' drink it up...
He looked at me then at the clock on the wall. "Percy it's getting late you should be heading back home." I nodded and turned to leave. When I was at the door he stopped me and said, "And Percy when you get home if she's crying and saying 'I'm sorry' you say 'so am I'. And I promise that if you look into her eyes you'll see love. Drink it up Percy, cherish that because it's 'the good stuff'. "
So I got into my car and went home. And just like Tom had said Hermione was sitting there in the living room crying. When she saw me she said: "I'm so sorry Percy," She threw her arms around my neck and cried into my chest.
"So am I sweetie, so am I." I kissed the top of her head. I stepped back for a moment and looked into her eyes. They were filled with love. I kissed her lips and knew that we would be together forever. The whole fight was forgotten, everything that we said, it all seemed childish now.
...'Cause that's 'the good stuff'. Yah, that's 'the good stuff'."
Author's Note: this was BETA read by my daughter Tommy (lol sweetie)
Well, me an' my lady had our first big fight, So I drove around 'til I saw the neon light. A corner bar an' it just seemed right. So I pulled up.
"Fine" Hermione yelled as I walked out the door. I went over to my muggle car and drove around for a little while. Soon I saw the Leaky Caldron and I pulled up to it. Not a soul around but the old bar keep, Down at the end an' looking half- asleep. An' he walked up, an' said: "What'll it be?" I said: "'the good stuff'." I entered the bar that was empty save for the Tom the bartender. I've known Tom for most of my life. Whenever I was down he knew what to say. He was sitting down at the end of the bar looking like he was asleep. But he came over to me and asked me, "What will you be having young Percy?" "The good stuff Tom." I replied.
He didn't reach around for the whiskey; He didn't pour me a beer. His blue eyes kinda went misty, He said: "You can't find that here...
I noticed that Tom was just standing there. He was looking at me with his blue eyes. He didn't reach for the firewhiskey, which I sometimes drank. He didn't get me my butterbeer. I stared at him closely and noticed his blue eyes had gone misty. Then he spoke up softly. "Percy," he told me, "you can't find that here."
...Cause it's the first long kiss on a second date and Momma's all worried when you get home late And droppin' the ring in the spaghetti plate, 'cause your hands are shakin' so much. An' it's the way that she looks with the rice in her hair. Eatin' burnt suppers, the whole first year, An' askin' for seconds to keep her from tearin' up. Yeah, man, that's 'the good stuff' .."
"Percy I know you and 'Mione had a fight. But just think for a minute; remember all the times you spent together. The first kiss you shared. How Molly was all worried when you came home late after any date. And tell me my favorite story, the one about you proposing to her." he said.
"You mean the one where we went to that fancy muggle restaurant?" Tom nodded. "It was a muggle Italian restaurant, but fancy none the less. We were both having spaghetti and when our food came out I decided to ask her. I got down on one knee and my hands started shaking. I dropped the ring in her plate of spaghetti." I paused while Tom chuckled at me. "She was so happy she started to cry." I continued. "In the end we both were laughing at my nervousness. But she said yes. That was one of the happiest nights of my life." I said sadly, thinking about our fight.
"What about your wedding?" Tom prompted. "I've been to many Weasley weddings I might get some of the details confused." I smiled at him and thought back to the wonderful day. "Remember the way she looked with that rice in here hair?"
"Yes, her wedding dress was prefect; she was perfect." I nodded again, smiling happily at the memory.
"You told me later on that you couldn't believe you married an angel." I smiled more.
"Or what about those stories you two tell about eating burnt suppers the whole first few months because you didn't want to hurt her? What about you always asking her for seconds to keep her from getting hurt" He looked me in the eyes and said, "Percy, that's the good stuff."
He grabbed a carton of milk an' he poured a glass. An' I smiled an' said: "I'll have some of that." We sat there an' talked as an hour passed, like old friends.
He grabbed a flask of pumpkin juice and poured a glass. "May I have some of that?" I asked. Then we sat and talked as an hour passed. We talked about all my brothers and Ginny. We talked out how they were and how many new Weasley kids there were now. We laughed about how ecstatic my mother was now, with fifteen grandkids. Tom asked if Hermione and me were going to add to that soon but I just sighed.
I saw a black an' white picture an' it caught my stare, It was a pretty girl with bouffant hair. He said: "That's my Bonnie, Taken 'bout a year after we were wed.."
A picture I had never seen caught my eye. It was a pretty girl with curly hair. Tom noticed me looking at something so he followed my gaze. "That's my Bonnie. It's from about a year after we got married." He said with a smile.
"She's beautiful." I told him
He said: "Spent five years in the bottle, When the cancer took her from me. But I've been sober three years now, 'Cause the one thing stronger than the whiskey...
"When she first got that rare untreated cancer I was so upset. And when she died I took to drinking. But I know that wherever she is now she's proud because I've been sober three years now. 'Cause Percy there is one thing stronger then that there firewhiskey," Tom told me, his eyes misting again.
...Was the sight of her holdin' my baby girl. The way she adored that string of pearls, I gave her the day that our youngest boy, Earl, Married his high school love." An' it's a new tee-shirt saying: 'I'm a Grandpa'. Bein' right there as our time got small, An' holdin' her hand, when the Good Lord called her up, Yeah, man, that's 'the good stuff'."
"To me it was the sight of her holding baby Amanda. The day she was born was one of the best days of our lives. I sat there holding her saying to myself 'I helped bring her here'. The day Earl, you remember him he was in your year at Hogwarts, married his love. That day I gave her pearls. I remembered her face; she loved those pearls so much. Then there was the time Amanda had a lil' baby. Bonnie bought me a tee-shirt it said 'I'm a Grandpa' and then those few months we spent when our time together was getting small. But most of all I remember holding her hand when she died. That's something you will remember forever." He shook his head and grinned again. "That's 'the good stuff' Percy" he told me.
He said: "When you get home, she'll start to cry. When she says: 'I'm sorry,' say: 'So am I. 'An' look into those eyes, so deep in love, An' drink it up...
He looked at me then at the clock on the wall. "Percy it's getting late you should be heading back home." I nodded and turned to leave. When I was at the door he stopped me and said, "And Percy when you get home if she's crying and saying 'I'm sorry' you say 'so am I'. And I promise that if you look into her eyes you'll see love. Drink it up Percy, cherish that because it's 'the good stuff'. "
So I got into my car and went home. And just like Tom had said Hermione was sitting there in the living room crying. When she saw me she said: "I'm so sorry Percy," She threw her arms around my neck and cried into my chest.
"So am I sweetie, so am I." I kissed the top of her head. I stepped back for a moment and looked into her eyes. They were filled with love. I kissed her lips and knew that we would be together forever. The whole fight was forgotten, everything that we said, it all seemed childish now.
...'Cause that's 'the good stuff'. Yah, that's 'the good stuff'."
Author's Note: this was BETA read by my daughter Tommy (lol sweetie)