Chapter 6
Memories
Molly waved her wand before her, opening the door to Percy's old bedroom. Once through the door, she guided her son to the bed, everything in the room was as he had left it when he had moved in with Oliver. The bed still creaked slightly under Percy's slight weight as she settled him onto its worn springs. Laying him down gently, she removed his shoes and pulled a knitted afghan up over his chest and kissed him gently on the forehead.
"Thanks Mum," Percy said softly. His eyes were filled with sorrow and a hardness that she had never seen in his eyes before. "I'm going to get him back. I have to."
"I know Percy, I know. Rest now, you've had a long day. I'll bring you up some tea and some soup later, how's that sound?" Molly was beside herself. It was times like these that she hated being a mother to so many. All of her children needed her, what few she had left at any rate. The twins, whose constant pranks and jokes had given her more than her fare share of gray hairs, silenced during the war. Bill killed quietly one night while he was in Asia looking for some item for Gringots, that not even Percy had been able to find out what it had been. Ginny.her precious daughter. She had been defiant to the end. Standing beside Voldemort during the battle, using her wand to cast curse after curse.
Molly had been in a rage when she had seen that it had been Ginny who had struck down Fred, causing Voldemort to turn his focus on George who charged her, seeing only blood in his eyes and wanting revenge in that instant. Watching her family being torn apart was almost more than Molly could bear, but there had been Percy, sweeping her aside and casting a counter-curse at Voldemort and glaring defiantly at Ginny as she had laughed wickedly. "Don't go far, Percy-dear! I want to have fun with you later!" Ginny's laughter still rang clear in her head.
Percy had handed her off to Minerva who carried her to the back of the battlefield. She hadn't been there when the most powerful of them had cast that final spell, turning Volemort and his followers to little more than dust on the open field. She knows that the voice she had heard calling for her in that horrible moment had been her mind playing tricks with her sanity but to this day she would swear that she could hear Ginny calling for her.
Taking a deep, but shaky breath, Molly gathered herself and walked down the stairs, wiping at her eyes. She didn't think it would be wise if the others noticed her crying when she came back into the room.
*
Percy sighed as Molly closed the door, leaving him in the spelled silence of the room. Rolling over onto his side, he saw the sky changing to the dark hints of evening as the sun set. Instantly, before he could stop them, the tears came in a flood bringing with them the pain and anguish that Oliver's loss had given him. Thankfully, sleep claimed him quickly.
Waking a few hours later, he found a tray on his old dresser, the glow of the warming charm keeping the food hot. Rising from his bed, he walked across the room, only wanting the tea. When he reached for the teapot the charm dissolved and the scent of the hearty soup filled his nose. Realizing he was extremely hungry, as his stomach made its empty state known, quite loudly, he carried the tray to his bed and sat down to eat.
Percy ate as though he were in a trance. Before he realized it, the bowl was empty and the only thing remaining on the tray was the half-drank pot of tea. Placing the tray back on his dresser he poured another cup of tea and walked over to the window. Thankfully, the window overlooked the garden in the back of the house. As he watched the garden gnomes ran about freely, taking advantage of the absence of people to return to the yard. Looking down on them, memories flooded unbidden to the surface of his mind and he found himself standing on the grass..
*
The sun was warm on his face as he smiled up into it, letting it bathe him in its golden heat. "Careful there, Percy. You're going to get more freckles." Oliver's voice carried across the garden where he was pulling at a particularly stubborn gnome. "Come on, blast you!"
Percy laughed as Oliver pulled the gnome free and quickly landed on his backside with a grunt. "I warned you they would knock you on your arse, Ol!" Percy laughed loudly as Oliver glared at him and swung the gnome over the hedge.
*
Walking through Trafalgar Square in London, on a mission for the Ministry's Dept. of Intelligence, only to find Oliver appearing before him, smiling and holding a dozen roses. They had spent the rest of the day walking hand in hand through Victoria Park and sharing lunch.
*
Two years ago, a night so different from this. Thunder rumbled loudly across the sky, making the windows panes of their flat rattle. Lightning streaking through the night, leaving after images to linger in their eyes. Fevered lovemaking on the roof in the pouring rain, reveling in the raw power of the rain. Loosing himself in the passion as Oliver was able to bring both of them to release over and over again throughout the night.
*
Watching Oliver play Quidditch for Puddlemere United. Feeling the thrilling exhilaration of the crowd. Reveling in the heat and sweet pain of the rough celebratory sex afterwards.
*
Percy raised a hand to his face, to brush away the few silent tears that flowed. Stopping he stared at his hand and saw the ring he was wearing. Wondering if its twin was still on Oliver's own hand or if his captors had removed it. They had been spelled but only to tell the other if they were in pain or dead. Now, he wished he had been more insistent about placing more charms on them. If he had, then Oliver would already be back in his arms and not being held by Marcus Flint.
Gazing that the ring, he remembered the night Oliver had presented it to him. He had come home from work to find the flat filled with candlelight, the warm smell of amber incense filling the air with its earthy scent. Putting down his things, he heard something behind him and turned, expecting to see Oliver, but finding Hermes instead.
The small owl had hooted at him softly before hopping down the table to peck softly at his hand before offering his foot to him. Blinking in surprise he found a small box tied there with a simple red bow. Reaching into a small bowl on the table, he had given a cracker to Hermes and took the box, allowing the small owl to head back to his perch in the corner.
Opening the box, he had gasped at the ring inside. It was a band of gold with a diamond in the middle and two garnets on each side, followed behind by two citrines. Pulling it out of the box, he felt the magic trickle across his hand and heard the soft voice behind him. "It's in Gryffindor's colors because that's where we found each other."
"Oliver, I don't understand. It's beautiful." Percy stopped, his voice hitching as tears of joy filled his eyes and his heart soared.
"Make it final Percy. Be complete with me, please?" The last part was spoken in a whisper as Oliver crossed the room and knelt on the floor in front of Percy. "Spend forever with me."
Nodding his head, he smiled as Oliver slipped the enchanted ring onto his finger. It was then that Percy saw that Oliver was wearing a matching ring. As Oliver's fingers pulled back and brushed his, he felt the power in the ring slide across his skin, making him shiver. "Yes, I will. To the end and beyond."
*
Glancing once again at the ring, he winced as he felt a pain come through the ring and knew instantly what it was. Marcus Flint. He had Oliver now and was torturing him. Cradling his arm to his chest, he sank onto the bed and swore softly; cursing Marcus to every level of hell he could remember. The tears coursed down his face in a steady flow as he vowed over and over again what he would do when he held Oliver in his arms once more.
Percy was so caught up in the thirst for revenge and loss he never heard the door open as Hermione stepped into the room. Walking across the floor, she saw that Percy was crying, holding both of his hands against his chest, and silently went to sit down next to him.
As she sat, Percy looked over at her and fell into her outstretched arms and cried piteously. Hermione said nothing, only remained in silence and stroked his hair softly, wetting it with her own tears. Since she had started working for Percy at the Ministry the two of them had become very close. It seemed almost fitting that she replaced one Weasely with another. Ron had all but abandoned their friendship when she and Draco had wed.
They sat there until the sun was gone and the only light in the room was that of the lone candle sitting on the bedside table. Finally, Hermione felt Percy pull back and smiled at him softly. "We'll get him back Percy. You know that."
"I know Hermione. I know. It still hurts though." In that moment, he felt the ring flare again and hissed as the pain bit home flooding his hand in fire.
"Percy? What is it?" Hermione watched as Percy grasped his hand and massaged it gently around the ring. "Your ring, it's enchanted?"
Nodding, Percy looked at Hermione and smiled softly. "It was a gift from Oliver five years ago. He has one identical to it."
"Wherever did you find them? They're beautiful! I wonder why I've never noticed them before tonight."
"We usually keep them charmed so that the only ones who can see them is us. One of the chasers on Oliver's team has a sister who's an Auror. She enchanted them for him with the same spells they use to use on pureblood wedding bands, except for the infidelity spell. She told him she couldn't see why either of us would be interested in that part of it."
Hermione laughed. "Well considering that all one has to do is watch the two of you for any length of time can tell you're both completely besotted with one another."
Percy laughed at Hermione's sarcastic statement of truth. Turning to smile at her, he heard the door creak open slowly and turned to see who it was. As the door stopped two small heads crept around the wooden door to stare into the room, eyes filled with concern. "Hello Phillip, Narcissa."
Hermione turned to smile at her children as Phillips voice came quietly across the room. "Mom? Is Uncle Percy ok?" Narcissa nodded slightly as Hermione and Percy rose from the bed. Taking that as their cue, both children walked into the room, followed by Lily.
"I'm fine Munchkins. Thank you." Percy smiled down at the three children.
Philip and Lily exchanged grins while Narcissa simply nodded brusquely and then smiled softly, something that wasn't often seen on her solemn face. "Uncle Percy, don't worry about Uncle Oliver. We'll help you get him back."
"Thank you Narcissa. The thought is greatly appreciated." Turning to look at Hermione his face became thoughtful for a moment. "There is something I want to ask your mother though, so if the three of you will excuse us?"
"Oh, sure!" Philip stammered his reply as he ushered a giggling Lily and a rather disgruntled Narcissa out the door.
"What is it Percy?" Hermione turned to stand in front of Percy, her brow knit in mild worry.
"I know the children were outside this afternoon, when everything was happening. They were there when I arrived. However, before I could order them back inside, the death eaters had grabbed Oliver." Percy stopped for a moment, lost in thought. "I don't remember much after that, except for the dragon. Why do I have the feeling that the children were involved in that?"
Hermione blushed as Percy asked her the calm question. Finally glancing up at him, she sighed and nodded. "Narcissa and Lily were. Philip was protecting them while they cast the charm. So now have a dragon roaming the countryside. I can just imagine what kind of trouble it's causing. Don't worry about it though, when I came up here, your dad was talking to Charlie about coming to retrieve it. He should be here tomorrow." Hermione trailed off, not sure what to say next. As she looked at him silently, Percy turned to stare out the window. "So, where do we go from here?"
Sighing, Percy shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I'm not sure. I'm honestly not sure. Let's head downstairs before my Mum sends in backup, thinking I've lost it and decided to kill you and hide the body."
Hermione laughed, relieved that Percy was well enough to make jokes. "Well, just remember, if you ever decide to do that, the backup will most likely be my husband."
"Eh, I'm not worried. I think I can take your little ferret." Percy winked at Hermione.
"Percy! I can't believe you said that!" Hermione laughed as she tried to reprimand him, realizing that she was fighting a loosing battle. "Enough! I surrender!"
*
Heading down the stairs and into the living room, Percy saw that most of the children from earlier were gathered in groups around the large living room. Some of them were playing games, such as Exploding Snap or Wizards Chess. Others were talking quietly or listening while they were read a story by one of the older children. Turning toward the kitchen Percy stopped as they saw the confrontation taking place there.
Ron was standing in the doorway in front of them, his back to them as he talked into the kitchen. Penelope was standing beside him, her head held high in an almost arrogant fashion that seemed better suited to Hermione or Narcissa than her.
As they listened to the conversation, Percy sighed with a mixture of frustration and anxiety. "This is all your fault, Malfoy! If you hadn't come into our lives, none of this would have ever happened."
"You're right Ron, it wouldn't have happened, you want to know what would have happened? You would be dead now, along with your entire family and that includes Hermione and Harry as well. Voldemort would have won and killed the lot of you that night, instead of vice versa. What is it with you and this vendetta against me?"
"I never did understand what Hermione saw in you," Ron said, his voice filled with disdain. "She would have been better off where she was before she decided to run off with a sod like yourself."
"Ronald Weasley, that's quite enough," Molly said, standing up and coming around the table. "I've have had it with you and your petty grievances against Draco. He has proven himself a hundred fold and you still want him to be the bad guy in everything! It's ridiculous!"
"Well, if I can see it, I don't know why Hermione is so blind that she can't," Ron fired back heatedly at his mother.
"Maybe it's because I'm not blinded by my jealousy over losing something you weren't meant to have," Hermione said softly. She was fed up with trying to mediate between the two of them. Moving around Percy she walked across the kitchen to stand next to Draco and their children. "I found a love that completed me Ron, something I could never find with you, I'm sorry. I never mean to hurt you."
"Oh, of course, just like Percy never mean to hurt Penny." Ron was trembling in anger now. Penelope kept her face calm and stood behind Ron like a watchdog.
"Leave me out of this Ron," Percy said, anger coloring his words slightly. "I want nothing to do with your squabbles. What occurred between Penelope and myself is precisely that, between Penelope and myself. I think you should leave."
Spinning to glare at Percy, Penelope stormed out without even waiting for Ron. Ron glared at his older brother. "Maybe they should have taken you instead of Oliver, at least he was good at something."
Percy's eyes narrowed and he felt the blush creep up his neck when Harry stepped between them. "Ron, if you and I were ever friends, you'll drop this right now and leave before something happens." Harry's voice was quiet as he spoke but carried clearly across the quiet house. All sounds of the children playing in the living room had stopped and all eyes were turned toward the red-haired man standing before them.
Without another word, Ron turned and stormed from the house, slamming the door behind him. Harry turned to look at Percy. Reaching out, he placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Sorry about that Percy, I honestly don't know what has gotten into him lately."
"It's all right. It's not your fault. Look, it's late, why don't we get the children to bed and let the four of you head home. I think I'm going to stay here tonight before heading back into the office tomorrow."
Draco walked over and stood next to Harry. "We've talked about this while you were upstairs and decided that it would be best if we take the children to Hogwart's. Molly said that since Arthur is all right, she would accompany us and care for the children while they are there and I know that they would love it at the castle."
Nodding thoughtfully, Percy agreed. "Yes, that might be for the best after all. I'll see you out." After almost a half hour of gathering the children and flooing them to the great hall of the school. Percy said his good-byes to his friends and promised his mother he would be fine, he realized how tired he was, regardless of the fact that he had slept earlier that evening.
Checking on Arthur, to see if he needed anything, he bid him good night and he walked back up the stairs and to his bedroom. Once there, he looked around the room and spotted a picture frame on his dresser. Walking over to it, he picked it up and watched it for a moment. It was from his birthday party just after graduation. Oliver was covered in the cake he had been carrying into the living room when it had exploded.
The twins are in the background grinning, obviously proud of themselves, while Oliver was glaring at Percy who was bent over laughing wildly. Watching the picture move before him, Percy smiled and walked over to the bed, still holding the frame. Reclining back against he headboard, he watched the scene again and again until sleep came to him, lulling him silently into a deep, dreamless oblivion.
TBC
Memories
Molly waved her wand before her, opening the door to Percy's old bedroom. Once through the door, she guided her son to the bed, everything in the room was as he had left it when he had moved in with Oliver. The bed still creaked slightly under Percy's slight weight as she settled him onto its worn springs. Laying him down gently, she removed his shoes and pulled a knitted afghan up over his chest and kissed him gently on the forehead.
"Thanks Mum," Percy said softly. His eyes were filled with sorrow and a hardness that she had never seen in his eyes before. "I'm going to get him back. I have to."
"I know Percy, I know. Rest now, you've had a long day. I'll bring you up some tea and some soup later, how's that sound?" Molly was beside herself. It was times like these that she hated being a mother to so many. All of her children needed her, what few she had left at any rate. The twins, whose constant pranks and jokes had given her more than her fare share of gray hairs, silenced during the war. Bill killed quietly one night while he was in Asia looking for some item for Gringots, that not even Percy had been able to find out what it had been. Ginny.her precious daughter. She had been defiant to the end. Standing beside Voldemort during the battle, using her wand to cast curse after curse.
Molly had been in a rage when she had seen that it had been Ginny who had struck down Fred, causing Voldemort to turn his focus on George who charged her, seeing only blood in his eyes and wanting revenge in that instant. Watching her family being torn apart was almost more than Molly could bear, but there had been Percy, sweeping her aside and casting a counter-curse at Voldemort and glaring defiantly at Ginny as she had laughed wickedly. "Don't go far, Percy-dear! I want to have fun with you later!" Ginny's laughter still rang clear in her head.
Percy had handed her off to Minerva who carried her to the back of the battlefield. She hadn't been there when the most powerful of them had cast that final spell, turning Volemort and his followers to little more than dust on the open field. She knows that the voice she had heard calling for her in that horrible moment had been her mind playing tricks with her sanity but to this day she would swear that she could hear Ginny calling for her.
Taking a deep, but shaky breath, Molly gathered herself and walked down the stairs, wiping at her eyes. She didn't think it would be wise if the others noticed her crying when she came back into the room.
*
Percy sighed as Molly closed the door, leaving him in the spelled silence of the room. Rolling over onto his side, he saw the sky changing to the dark hints of evening as the sun set. Instantly, before he could stop them, the tears came in a flood bringing with them the pain and anguish that Oliver's loss had given him. Thankfully, sleep claimed him quickly.
Waking a few hours later, he found a tray on his old dresser, the glow of the warming charm keeping the food hot. Rising from his bed, he walked across the room, only wanting the tea. When he reached for the teapot the charm dissolved and the scent of the hearty soup filled his nose. Realizing he was extremely hungry, as his stomach made its empty state known, quite loudly, he carried the tray to his bed and sat down to eat.
Percy ate as though he were in a trance. Before he realized it, the bowl was empty and the only thing remaining on the tray was the half-drank pot of tea. Placing the tray back on his dresser he poured another cup of tea and walked over to the window. Thankfully, the window overlooked the garden in the back of the house. As he watched the garden gnomes ran about freely, taking advantage of the absence of people to return to the yard. Looking down on them, memories flooded unbidden to the surface of his mind and he found himself standing on the grass..
*
The sun was warm on his face as he smiled up into it, letting it bathe him in its golden heat. "Careful there, Percy. You're going to get more freckles." Oliver's voice carried across the garden where he was pulling at a particularly stubborn gnome. "Come on, blast you!"
Percy laughed as Oliver pulled the gnome free and quickly landed on his backside with a grunt. "I warned you they would knock you on your arse, Ol!" Percy laughed loudly as Oliver glared at him and swung the gnome over the hedge.
*
Walking through Trafalgar Square in London, on a mission for the Ministry's Dept. of Intelligence, only to find Oliver appearing before him, smiling and holding a dozen roses. They had spent the rest of the day walking hand in hand through Victoria Park and sharing lunch.
*
Two years ago, a night so different from this. Thunder rumbled loudly across the sky, making the windows panes of their flat rattle. Lightning streaking through the night, leaving after images to linger in their eyes. Fevered lovemaking on the roof in the pouring rain, reveling in the raw power of the rain. Loosing himself in the passion as Oliver was able to bring both of them to release over and over again throughout the night.
*
Watching Oliver play Quidditch for Puddlemere United. Feeling the thrilling exhilaration of the crowd. Reveling in the heat and sweet pain of the rough celebratory sex afterwards.
*
Percy raised a hand to his face, to brush away the few silent tears that flowed. Stopping he stared at his hand and saw the ring he was wearing. Wondering if its twin was still on Oliver's own hand or if his captors had removed it. They had been spelled but only to tell the other if they were in pain or dead. Now, he wished he had been more insistent about placing more charms on them. If he had, then Oliver would already be back in his arms and not being held by Marcus Flint.
Gazing that the ring, he remembered the night Oliver had presented it to him. He had come home from work to find the flat filled with candlelight, the warm smell of amber incense filling the air with its earthy scent. Putting down his things, he heard something behind him and turned, expecting to see Oliver, but finding Hermes instead.
The small owl had hooted at him softly before hopping down the table to peck softly at his hand before offering his foot to him. Blinking in surprise he found a small box tied there with a simple red bow. Reaching into a small bowl on the table, he had given a cracker to Hermes and took the box, allowing the small owl to head back to his perch in the corner.
Opening the box, he had gasped at the ring inside. It was a band of gold with a diamond in the middle and two garnets on each side, followed behind by two citrines. Pulling it out of the box, he felt the magic trickle across his hand and heard the soft voice behind him. "It's in Gryffindor's colors because that's where we found each other."
"Oliver, I don't understand. It's beautiful." Percy stopped, his voice hitching as tears of joy filled his eyes and his heart soared.
"Make it final Percy. Be complete with me, please?" The last part was spoken in a whisper as Oliver crossed the room and knelt on the floor in front of Percy. "Spend forever with me."
Nodding his head, he smiled as Oliver slipped the enchanted ring onto his finger. It was then that Percy saw that Oliver was wearing a matching ring. As Oliver's fingers pulled back and brushed his, he felt the power in the ring slide across his skin, making him shiver. "Yes, I will. To the end and beyond."
*
Glancing once again at the ring, he winced as he felt a pain come through the ring and knew instantly what it was. Marcus Flint. He had Oliver now and was torturing him. Cradling his arm to his chest, he sank onto the bed and swore softly; cursing Marcus to every level of hell he could remember. The tears coursed down his face in a steady flow as he vowed over and over again what he would do when he held Oliver in his arms once more.
Percy was so caught up in the thirst for revenge and loss he never heard the door open as Hermione stepped into the room. Walking across the floor, she saw that Percy was crying, holding both of his hands against his chest, and silently went to sit down next to him.
As she sat, Percy looked over at her and fell into her outstretched arms and cried piteously. Hermione said nothing, only remained in silence and stroked his hair softly, wetting it with her own tears. Since she had started working for Percy at the Ministry the two of them had become very close. It seemed almost fitting that she replaced one Weasely with another. Ron had all but abandoned their friendship when she and Draco had wed.
They sat there until the sun was gone and the only light in the room was that of the lone candle sitting on the bedside table. Finally, Hermione felt Percy pull back and smiled at him softly. "We'll get him back Percy. You know that."
"I know Hermione. I know. It still hurts though." In that moment, he felt the ring flare again and hissed as the pain bit home flooding his hand in fire.
"Percy? What is it?" Hermione watched as Percy grasped his hand and massaged it gently around the ring. "Your ring, it's enchanted?"
Nodding, Percy looked at Hermione and smiled softly. "It was a gift from Oliver five years ago. He has one identical to it."
"Wherever did you find them? They're beautiful! I wonder why I've never noticed them before tonight."
"We usually keep them charmed so that the only ones who can see them is us. One of the chasers on Oliver's team has a sister who's an Auror. She enchanted them for him with the same spells they use to use on pureblood wedding bands, except for the infidelity spell. She told him she couldn't see why either of us would be interested in that part of it."
Hermione laughed. "Well considering that all one has to do is watch the two of you for any length of time can tell you're both completely besotted with one another."
Percy laughed at Hermione's sarcastic statement of truth. Turning to smile at her, he heard the door creak open slowly and turned to see who it was. As the door stopped two small heads crept around the wooden door to stare into the room, eyes filled with concern. "Hello Phillip, Narcissa."
Hermione turned to smile at her children as Phillips voice came quietly across the room. "Mom? Is Uncle Percy ok?" Narcissa nodded slightly as Hermione and Percy rose from the bed. Taking that as their cue, both children walked into the room, followed by Lily.
"I'm fine Munchkins. Thank you." Percy smiled down at the three children.
Philip and Lily exchanged grins while Narcissa simply nodded brusquely and then smiled softly, something that wasn't often seen on her solemn face. "Uncle Percy, don't worry about Uncle Oliver. We'll help you get him back."
"Thank you Narcissa. The thought is greatly appreciated." Turning to look at Hermione his face became thoughtful for a moment. "There is something I want to ask your mother though, so if the three of you will excuse us?"
"Oh, sure!" Philip stammered his reply as he ushered a giggling Lily and a rather disgruntled Narcissa out the door.
"What is it Percy?" Hermione turned to stand in front of Percy, her brow knit in mild worry.
"I know the children were outside this afternoon, when everything was happening. They were there when I arrived. However, before I could order them back inside, the death eaters had grabbed Oliver." Percy stopped for a moment, lost in thought. "I don't remember much after that, except for the dragon. Why do I have the feeling that the children were involved in that?"
Hermione blushed as Percy asked her the calm question. Finally glancing up at him, she sighed and nodded. "Narcissa and Lily were. Philip was protecting them while they cast the charm. So now have a dragon roaming the countryside. I can just imagine what kind of trouble it's causing. Don't worry about it though, when I came up here, your dad was talking to Charlie about coming to retrieve it. He should be here tomorrow." Hermione trailed off, not sure what to say next. As she looked at him silently, Percy turned to stare out the window. "So, where do we go from here?"
Sighing, Percy shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I'm not sure. I'm honestly not sure. Let's head downstairs before my Mum sends in backup, thinking I've lost it and decided to kill you and hide the body."
Hermione laughed, relieved that Percy was well enough to make jokes. "Well, just remember, if you ever decide to do that, the backup will most likely be my husband."
"Eh, I'm not worried. I think I can take your little ferret." Percy winked at Hermione.
"Percy! I can't believe you said that!" Hermione laughed as she tried to reprimand him, realizing that she was fighting a loosing battle. "Enough! I surrender!"
*
Heading down the stairs and into the living room, Percy saw that most of the children from earlier were gathered in groups around the large living room. Some of them were playing games, such as Exploding Snap or Wizards Chess. Others were talking quietly or listening while they were read a story by one of the older children. Turning toward the kitchen Percy stopped as they saw the confrontation taking place there.
Ron was standing in the doorway in front of them, his back to them as he talked into the kitchen. Penelope was standing beside him, her head held high in an almost arrogant fashion that seemed better suited to Hermione or Narcissa than her.
As they listened to the conversation, Percy sighed with a mixture of frustration and anxiety. "This is all your fault, Malfoy! If you hadn't come into our lives, none of this would have ever happened."
"You're right Ron, it wouldn't have happened, you want to know what would have happened? You would be dead now, along with your entire family and that includes Hermione and Harry as well. Voldemort would have won and killed the lot of you that night, instead of vice versa. What is it with you and this vendetta against me?"
"I never did understand what Hermione saw in you," Ron said, his voice filled with disdain. "She would have been better off where she was before she decided to run off with a sod like yourself."
"Ronald Weasley, that's quite enough," Molly said, standing up and coming around the table. "I've have had it with you and your petty grievances against Draco. He has proven himself a hundred fold and you still want him to be the bad guy in everything! It's ridiculous!"
"Well, if I can see it, I don't know why Hermione is so blind that she can't," Ron fired back heatedly at his mother.
"Maybe it's because I'm not blinded by my jealousy over losing something you weren't meant to have," Hermione said softly. She was fed up with trying to mediate between the two of them. Moving around Percy she walked across the kitchen to stand next to Draco and their children. "I found a love that completed me Ron, something I could never find with you, I'm sorry. I never mean to hurt you."
"Oh, of course, just like Percy never mean to hurt Penny." Ron was trembling in anger now. Penelope kept her face calm and stood behind Ron like a watchdog.
"Leave me out of this Ron," Percy said, anger coloring his words slightly. "I want nothing to do with your squabbles. What occurred between Penelope and myself is precisely that, between Penelope and myself. I think you should leave."
Spinning to glare at Percy, Penelope stormed out without even waiting for Ron. Ron glared at his older brother. "Maybe they should have taken you instead of Oliver, at least he was good at something."
Percy's eyes narrowed and he felt the blush creep up his neck when Harry stepped between them. "Ron, if you and I were ever friends, you'll drop this right now and leave before something happens." Harry's voice was quiet as he spoke but carried clearly across the quiet house. All sounds of the children playing in the living room had stopped and all eyes were turned toward the red-haired man standing before them.
Without another word, Ron turned and stormed from the house, slamming the door behind him. Harry turned to look at Percy. Reaching out, he placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Sorry about that Percy, I honestly don't know what has gotten into him lately."
"It's all right. It's not your fault. Look, it's late, why don't we get the children to bed and let the four of you head home. I think I'm going to stay here tonight before heading back into the office tomorrow."
Draco walked over and stood next to Harry. "We've talked about this while you were upstairs and decided that it would be best if we take the children to Hogwart's. Molly said that since Arthur is all right, she would accompany us and care for the children while they are there and I know that they would love it at the castle."
Nodding thoughtfully, Percy agreed. "Yes, that might be for the best after all. I'll see you out." After almost a half hour of gathering the children and flooing them to the great hall of the school. Percy said his good-byes to his friends and promised his mother he would be fine, he realized how tired he was, regardless of the fact that he had slept earlier that evening.
Checking on Arthur, to see if he needed anything, he bid him good night and he walked back up the stairs and to his bedroom. Once there, he looked around the room and spotted a picture frame on his dresser. Walking over to it, he picked it up and watched it for a moment. It was from his birthday party just after graduation. Oliver was covered in the cake he had been carrying into the living room when it had exploded.
The twins are in the background grinning, obviously proud of themselves, while Oliver was glaring at Percy who was bent over laughing wildly. Watching the picture move before him, Percy smiled and walked over to the bed, still holding the frame. Reclining back against he headboard, he watched the scene again and again until sleep came to him, lulling him silently into a deep, dreamless oblivion.
TBC