April 5, 1997

2:02 a.m.

BANG!

I shot out of bed with a shout at the sudden noise at my front door. A cold fear fell over me as if I had been dunked in ice water. My wand was in my shaking hand as I fixed a strap on my nightgown. I had strong wards and security charms on the door, they would hold until I got there.

BANG!

I ran into the hallway, sliding across the floor into the living room and pointed my trembling wand at the door.

BANG! BANG!

Steady Audrey…

Ignis Ardeat!

There was a howl of anguished pain and cursing from the other side of the door as my burning ward activated.

I took a deep breath and tried to force my voice to stay steady. "W-who's there?"

"Enforcer! Open up!"

"Prove it!"

There were more muffled bangs from further away. They sounded like they were coming from down the hall.

"There's been an attack!" He shoved a badge under my door. I examined it nervously, I checked it for falsifying magics with a quick spell. The crest of Ministry law enforcement continued to glow and shimmer in the dark. "You need to evacuate!"

I could hear a rush of footsteps and shouts in the hallway muffled by the wall and the door. It was a herd of footsteps and a feeling of fear. The pitched shout of a child as they ran past my door caught my attention. The only people on this floor with children were the Carters down the hall.

I opened the door with a flick of my wand, returning the badge to the Enforcer who caught it in his hands. He was old and grizzled with a hard expression that matched his steely gray eyes as I put on my shoes and grabbed my cloak to cover myself. I left my apartment joining the small crowd of people from my floor to the staircase with the Enforcer following behind me.

The lobby was dark and cold with an implacable air of malignancy and fear that stopped me for a moment. Was that a hand behind the desk? The Enforcer put his hands on my shoulders and guided me roughly out the door to the cold streets where the rest of my neighbors were standing in an eerie silence, all of them staring into the sky transfixed by something above our building. I looked up as well, pulling my cloak tighter around my shoulders as I finally popped the clasp into place and I felt a cold dread go through me.

The Dark Mark hovered over my building, almost lost to the bright lights of London.

The whispers were all around me, the voices soon rising in a panicked symphony of dread and terror.

"Where's Tully?"

"That you Andy?"

"Merlin's beard!"

"I never thought they would come here!"

Eloise, my landlady, had pulled out a clipboard but I couldn't look at her. The Dark Mark had consumed my attention. The snake emerged from the skull, gleaming and predatory as it moved back and forth seemingly staring us down as the Enforcers began the spell to banish the mark from the sky.

It was so much worse than the newspapers made it seem.

I was beginning to understand the fear and prejudice towards parselmouths in this country. The symbolism Voldemort's people used was haunting.

Eloise's voice rang over the crowd to begin roll call.

"Carter?"

"Present!" Mr. Carter's voice came from behind me. I turned to see him, his wife and two daughters clutching his coat while the baby was half asleep in his arms.

"Tubbins?"

"Aye!"

"Feinburg?"

"Here!"

"Graves?"

"Present!" The sound of my name snapped my attention away from the monstrosity dissipating from the air.

"Roades?"

The silence was tense and flowed through the crowd, a collective held breath.

"Holly Roades?"

It was like being perched at the edge of a knife.

"Which flat?" A nearby Enforcer asked, as he took a step closer to Eloise whose hands were shaking.

"7-B," Eloise breathed. The Enforcer nodded at an Auror and repeated the flat number and she rushed inside. "Have you found Walker yet?"

Walker was our building security, I had just realized how strange it was to have not seen him. I thought he was helping the elderly couple on the ground floor.

The Enforcer nodded slowly. "Behind the desk. He never stood a chance."

Eloise froze and a cold palpable chill fell over the crowd. Was… Was that Walker's hand I saw? I did my best not to puke.

"The roll call, Ms. McGrew." The Enforcer reminded her as gently as he was able, his gruff tones softer.

Eloise continued, rattling off the names of my neighbors for the next several minutes, calls of Present! and Here! A somber silence shrouded itself over the crowd. The air of dread drifted to hope before disappearing as the Auror emerged without Holly Roades with a downcast shake of her head.

There was a pained wail from the depths of the crowd behind me that sent shivers up my spine. I wanted to vomit, but my body would not give me enough leeway to dry heave on Mr. Miller's slippers.

I didn't want to stay here. I wasn't sure I could force myself to go back upstairs to my dark apartment where the shadows could contain multitudes of the evil and callousness of the world that had just come far too close to me in the last several minutes.

I wanted to leave. Now! Where could I go?

The Carters and a few of the others were discussing a hotel with a shaking Eloise's input, but a large part of me did not want to be alone. A long ignored fear of Voldemort's followers had stirred in my heart. If I went to Lucinda, she would never let me leave Thornell again. I didn't want to intrude on Misty and Zara's love nest, that would be awkward.

If I was honest with myself, I wanted to be with Percy. I was frightened. I knew I could not make any real decisions tonight. Two people I knew in passing had been murdered tonight. Walker always had a friendly word for me, he didn't deserve to die in the line of duty like that. Poor Holly Rhodes. Murdered in her own apartment. For what? The wrong place at the wrong time? Speaking out? I had not seen her name in the paper for anything.

The roll call was soon finished, all living residents were checked and interviewed by the Aurors and Enforcers on the scene to give statements and take contact information. I stayed close to the Carter family, chatting with the family, talking to their daughters and making faces at the baby as she finally woke up while her parents spoke with the Enforcers. Like me, the family had heard nothing and had nothing but good things to say about Holly Rhodes and William Walker. The family bid me a rushed farewell after they finished, stating they were going to the Leaky Cauldron for a couple of days.

I quickly gave my own statement, answering the Enforcer's questions as I pulled my cloak tighter around me as my white nightgown billowed about my ankles and my long dark hair hung heavy down my back. I was sure I looked a fright. I was going straight to the apparition point and could only hope none of the No-Majs saw me and the repelling charms from the Ministry would keep the street cleared of them for several hours yet.

The Enforcer sent me on my way with a hurried thank you and an apology for the scare when he tried to beat down my apartment door.

I took a moment to check my wand and adjust my cloak before following a young man from the fourth floor to the apparition point down the street. I was lucky to grab my cloak, this poor man was wandering the chilly streets in a pair of sweatpants. At least he wasn't in his underwear like the old man from the second floor. I was also grateful I had not seen the rumored nudist from the top floor.

I have seen far too much of my neighbors tonight.

Getting to the apparition point was the easiest part of my night. The hard part was going to be explaining to Percy how I ended up on his doorstep in a cloak and nightgown (why was I wearing the nice one with the lacy straps? I had that nice woolen one that was like a blanket.)

I watched the man in his sweatpants disappear down the alley that was our apparition point. I waited politely for the popping sound that would signal his departure before stepping into the alley.

I focused on the alleyway by Percy's building. The distinctive bit of purple rat graffiti that marked the location was vivid in my mind's eye. I wiggled my toes and cataloged every other part of my body, my joints, my arms, my legs and ears. I took notice of the little hairs that were standing on end in the cold.

The feeling of being sucked into a pipe grabbed me suddenly, squeezing me in tight hands. The breathlessness and the sudden welcome of fresh air was revitalizing, and made me feel the abject momentary terror of being in a new location in the middle of the night.

I checked that all of my extremities had made the trip with me before leaving the alley, awkwardly making eye contact with a passing No-Maj couple who looked at me with concerned expressions before looking away, not wanting to get involved with whatever mess I was involved with.

Really the smartest thing they could do. I didn't have the wits to craft a good excuse right now.

I didn't walk to Percy's building, I ran. My shoes came down heavily on the sidewalk. I slowed down to knock on the door for the doorman. I gave him the visitor password, the number of Percy's apartment and submitted to his spell checks to make sure I was not in disguise.

He let me pass with a strange, confused expression and I hoped he wouldn't ask Percy any questions the next time he saw him.

The lift to Percy's floor creaked and groaned until I stepped out of it, relieved my night had not gotten worse by the thing breaking.

I could see the door ahead of me and took a deep breath before knocking loudly. I stepped back as one of Percy's door charms sparked on the doorknob.

I knocked again.

There was some muffled noise from inside the flat.

"Who is it?"

"It's Audrey!" I heard the door handle jiggle for a moment as if he meant to throw the door open before collecting himself. "What was the name of the book you loaned to me last week?"

"The Essential Primer of Magic and Mythology!" His words were hurried, flying past his lips with none of his usual measured tones.

"What was the title of the novel you loaned me?"

"The Mysterious Death of Hugo Sinclair!"

"Are you okay?!" Percy flung the door open as he spoke and I threw myself into his arms with such force he took two steps back. I heard the door close behind me, either through a spell or Percy kicking it closed.

I was greeted by the scent of him and the warmth of his arms around me, one hand was buried in my hair while the other rested around my upper back. His chin rested on the top of my head as a stream of questions escaped him while I trembled in his arms, the adrenaline that had kept me on my feet and gotten me to Percy was finally giving way to the horror of something I had dismissed as a silly symbol from idiotic people to truly understanding the terror associated with it. I was a fool to brush that aside.

"Shhh, you're okay." Percy rocked me back and forth as he made soothing noises into my hairline. I did not know when my tears began to fall but it must have been a sudden thing. "You're safe."

I inhaled his comforting scent and truly did my best to collect myself and stop these horrible wheezing noises that clawed their way out from my throat despite my best efforts.

"What happened?"

I moved back slightly to look at Percy. I was going to have some composure. I was going to be calm and…

It fully occurred to me that it was the middle of the night and I had clearly woken him up. Percy's glasses were gone, hair was a mess, flying in several different directions and made him look delightfully rumpled. And… he was not wearing a shirt. It finally sunk in that I had been crying into his chest and the embarrassment quickly flooded over me as I took him in. The lean willowy lines of his form, freckles on his shoulders and the sparse reddish blond hair on his chest.

Move your eyes, Aud, have some respect!

"Death Eaters in my building! They killed the watchman! A-and a woman who lived a floor above me! The Dark Mark-! I took a deep breath as Percy sucked in a breath through his teeth. "I can't go back to my apartment tonight!"

"Then you're staying here." He put an arm over my shoulders and led me to the couch where my shaking legs finally gave out. "Do you want something to drink? Tea?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Right. Alcohol?"

"Please."

He squeezed my hand before going to the kitchen cupboard where he hid his wine glasses and a couple of bottles of wine for… occasions that I hoped were more normal than this one. I took a deep breath and tried to forget the fear of the evening and think about more pleasant things. Though my brain kept drifting to the warmth of him under my hands.

That was the quickest, easiest distraction I could find.

Percy came back and pressed a glass of wine in my hands while he told me he would be right back before walking to his bedroom down the hall. I took off my cloak and hung it over the arm of the couch as I sipped my wine and wondered what he was doing. I peered down the hallway to see a bundle of sheets flying into an open closet before a folded bundle flew out of the closet and into the bedroom before the closet door closed.

I tipped my head back to finish my wine before getting to my feet to look over Percy's bookshelf. I was familiar with his collection, but I didn't want to be where he left me when he came back to the living room. I was fine. I just needed a minute.

"Audrey."

My spine straightened and I turned quickly to find him standing at the entrance to the hallway. He appeared much calmer then I felt, leaning against the wall and looking at me with a quiet, unreadable expression. I felt his eyes drifting slowly over me, lingering on my exposed shoulders.

"I've made up the bed for you."

"Oh, thank you."

I had never seen Percy's bedroom. I imagined it was as spartan and practical as his apartment.

It was a small room, the freshly made bed was pressed against the wall in the center of the room with an old school trunk at the foot of the bed that had a heavy blanket folded carefully on top of it. The pillows were resting against the headboard and the dark blue comforter rested in such a way that I could see edges of the sheets were tucked under the mattress. I noted the pair of bedside tables, both had covered candle lamps with wicks and one table had three books next to the lamp. I could see the corner of another book peeking out from under the bed as if it had been put under there in a hurry.

In short, it was a comfortable space even if I thought it needed more personal touches.

"There's another blanket in the trunk if you need it."

I nodded and peered up at Percy, meeting his eyes as he glanced down at me.

"I'll sleep on the couch."

What?

My question must have shown in my face.

"I changed the sheets, so you can have the bed and I'll sleep on the couch. I insist." He gave me a smile. "I put a towel on the bathroom sink for you too."

He was far too tall for that couch to be comfortable.

"Goodnight, Audrey." He reached out to take my face in his hands and leaned down to kiss me, his mouth moving slowly over mine as my knees threatened to give out from under me as my stomach flipped and fluttered. His mouth lingering for a few extra moments, millimeters from my own as if he wanted to kiss me again or not leave at all before finally pulling away.

Oh my… That was very… chivalrous. Yes… That was the word.

"Um…"

He stopped in the doorway to look back at me.

"You are too tall to sleep on that couch, and I don't think I should take your bed."

"I'm not letting you sleep on my uncomfortable couch."

"We could share the bed!"

Percy froze, blinking slowly as he took me in with my imploring expression and stubborn set in my chin.

I walked over to the side of the bed, my legs felt heavy and my stomach had leapt into my throat. I reached under the pillows Percy had carefully rested against the headboard to fold back the comforter and sheets in a neat straight line before I looked back at Percy with this wordless invitation.

"I'm fine with it if you are."

For one of the few times in my year and a half of knowing Percy Weasley, he seemed truly at a loss for words. I could see his ears were as red as his hair and the rest of his face was turning a similar hue.

My own face was heated from the brazenness of my sensible suggestion.

"Are you sure? I have no problem-"

I folded the comforter and sheet back one more time to make my point. It was like the bed had been cut in half for how far I had folded the covers back.

"Honestly, I don't want to be alone."

That was all this was. I was scared. The war finally came to my doorstep and I wanted comfort and safety in Percy's arms and I was not going to get that if he was going off to be chivalrous on the couch.

Percy nodded quickly, his face and ears burning in the low light of the room from the lamp on his bedside table.

There was a reverent kind of silence between us. Stolen glances as I reached up to adjust the pillows and Percy neatly folded the extra blanket to rest it across the foot of the bed just beyond the folded covers. A twitching kind of distraction from my need for comfort.

"In case you get cold."

I doubted that was going to be the case but I wasn't going to say anything about it as I finally laid down and pulled the covers over myself. The lamp went out and the room was encased in darkness. I could feel the slope in the bed from Percy getting climbing in next to me before he heaved a tied sigh.

I turned my head to look at the outline of his face in the dark from the window.

"Thank you for this. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's fine." His hand found mine in the dark, his long fingers moving over my wrist and down to twine his fingers with mine. "I would rather have you here than somewhere else."

"Yeah. I didn't want to go wandering London in a nightgown. What would the muggles say?"

Percy chuckled and brought the hand he was holding to his lips to kiss the inside of my wrist.

Well. I'm sure my heart just stopped. I might be dead now.

Percy turned slightly towards me, releasing my hand and propping himself on his elbow to look down at me.

I know what I don't want right now, sex required openness, which I could not give at this point. If we got to that point, I didn't want there to be lies and misdirection between us. Also, it was too close to three in the morning to try anything of the sort. I may or may not have put a bit of thought into how I wanted that part of our relationship to start.

I am not sure if I'm in love yet. Maybe I'm just guarded, and I don't know what romantic love is like. Is it grounded? A sea of passion until time has striped away the gold varnish? Books say it's a selfless thing, that love makes people better and stronger, selfless and honest, but I feel more selfish and dishonest for wanting to bottle up these moments that feel like they're from someone else's life and keep them in a drawer to look through at my leisure.

It's a strange thing.

Maybe I'm too young, and perhaps too jaded, to really understand it?

Instead, I reached up to caress his face and propped myself up to kiss him goodnight.

Oo0Oo0

Author's Note: Did I just invert a trope? Yes. Plot and affection can coexist.

This section ends at 42 chapters now, you got an extra one.