Percy was slumped against the door to Esme's room when Ron ended his climb up the stairs to the third floor. His fist was still clenched around the neck of the icevodka bottle despite it being empty, and he was fixated upon the dark wall across from him. Ron jogged over, towering above Percy's folded form. "Crikey, Percy. Did you drink the whole thing?" Ron inquired with disbelief.
Percy's head belatedly turned to meet Ron's eyes. "Oh... 'ullo Ron. No, not the whole thing- Esme drank quite a bit, but I had most of it, I must admit," Percy shook his head, seemingly unable to control its bobbing. He slapped his hand on the hard wood floor heavily. "Come on Ron, have a seat."
Ron's eyebrows furrowed, but he slid down next to Percy, avoiding the large glass Esme had brought up earlier. With everyone still downstairs listening to the match, Ron let his legs stretch out fully across the breadth of the corridor. "You know, if Mum catches you pissed she's gonna really lay into you," Ron offered weakly. A wistful smile grew on Percy's face as his head thunked back against the wall.
"Ah Ronnie... nothing Mum could say right now could make me regret being drunk, cause it's bloody lovely," Percy replied, lifting the bottle of icevodka and searching for any traces of liquid left in it. After finding there was none, he put it back down next to him. He looked over at Ron and crossed his arms over his knees, leaning into Ron a bit. "Esme kissed me. Even practically unconscious she's a good kisser," Percy revealed.
Ron's head snapped towards Percy's. "She kissed you? Really?" Ron reacted, a laugh in his voice. Percy smiled widely and nodded. "It's so strange that under such... awesomely bad circumstances that my life could be going so well. I mean... wow. Really. Wow," Percy exclaimed, throwing his arms up in amazement and nearly breaking the bottle against the wall.
"I have a girl, smart, gorgeous- admittedly slightly imbalanced but really, who am I to talk- who actually likes me and not the vague, prefect 'me'; I have my family back and they're actually treating me like a person as opposed to an invader of mental serenity AND I get the added bonus of not having this huge secret handing over my head every bloody day because everybody here knows. And I'm absolutely smashed! The only way this could possibly be any better is if I got a letter tomorrow morning saying that You-Know-Who was dead and I had been given the barrister scholarship from the Dept. Of Magical Law Office," Percy giggled, sighing and looking up at the ceiling.
Percy swung his body around so he was sitting cross-legged with his head leaning to the left against the wall. "I'm not used to this. Things going my way. It's very... different," Percy said thoughtfully. Ron gave Percy a crooked grin and patted him on the shoulder. "Good on you, Percy. Congratulation," Ron said, the cheery tone reminiscent of one talking to a young child.
The look on Percy's face sobered up dramatically as he put a hand on Ron's shoulder. He was at a loss for words, looking down at his lap pensively. He looked up at Ron and gave Ron a tight- lipped grin. "I almost can't believe you're the same Ron who hit yourself with a slug-spewing curse. You're a good guy, you know? I see it; don't let anyone tell you different," Percy finally said, sliding his hand off of Ron's shoulder and squeezing his upper arm.
The corner's of Ron's mouth perked up, but they didn't rise to a full smile. "Can I ask you a question?" Ron asked hesitantly. Percy bit back the obvious retort and went back to his original position: back against the wall, knees buckled under the loop of his arms. "Well, I seemed to be getting more sober by the minute, so I should be able to answer it," Percy replied disappointedly.
"What was... er... Kris like? You know...?" Ron's voice was uneasy as he asked. Percy thought about it.
"Krisgios? I don't know, really," Percy admitted. He frowned as he figured out a way to explain. "One of the things you have to realize is that we didn't really have personalities. I mean... until last year, the earliest memory I had was waking up at the Institute after they put the suppressors in. Then I started dreaming about what had happened, but even with that it's only the pain and procedures. It's not like we all had playgroup together in the between times- at least, I don't remember it. I can't even remember the moment when things finally just built up so bad that I got hijacked by my past life, or magical spirit or whatever. Just waking up in the Institute." Percy's face had taken on the form of careful blankness, looking out at the wall across from him but not really seeing it. "When I woke up, I was a complete blank slate," Percy said his voice low, mournful. He dropped his head down, letting his spectacles fall down his nose as he pinched the bridge.
"In any case, the two years we spent at the Institute was just basic stuff- English language, motor skills, because after those chips were put in, we lost all of them. Just basic, basic stuff so that we could possibly function in society. All the stuff about personality just wasn't as important as making sure we knew what you did with a spoon, or the difference between blankets and large towels. I mean, I'm sure Kris was a nice bloke but whether he was funny or bossy I really couldn't tell you. I never saw him again after I left," Percy said uncomfortably.
"Liandrel was a healer though," Percy added, rather abruptly. "When we'd go into therapy, we'd have to talk about how much we remembered from our past lives. Liandrel was a healer, married with three kids. Kris didn't remember a lot- I don't remember a lot- about his past life, but he remembered that."
Ron was disappointed with the information, which Percy caught. "It doesn't matter. I mean, Esme calls me JJ sometimes, but I'm not Jeylon anymore than you're Kris or Liandrel or whoever," Percy assured Ron. Ron didn't look convinced; the flash he had when Percy had looked at him in his office made Ron think that even if Percy thought he was the only one in his head, that wasn't really the case. The man with the golden eyes was buried somewhere deep in that psyche.
It made him uneasy to think that not only was this Liandrel/Kris character in his head, but that there was someone else lurking, a someone who was responsible for making him a wizard instead of a muggle. Ginny had certainly noticed the changes that he'd undergone in the last month and a half- how much of who he was as a person was actually Ron? Would he still be the same person he was had the Dept. Of Mysteries incident hadn't happen, or was he actually going maturing?
He was jolted out of his thoughts as the door to Esme's room swung open and Percy fell backwards into the room. Esme looked awfully disheveled, her hair wildly tucked behind her ears and her skirt and blouse seriously wrinkled. "Percy, it's hard to be passed out when you're being so damn loud. Oh, hullo Ron," Esme squinted behind her glasses. Esme turned around and went deeper into her room, appearing second later with a cardboard box with 20 or so blue glass vials with no visible seal to be found. Esme opened her mouth and started to explain the box, but whatever she was saying, it wasn't English. She went to drop the box into Ron's lap, but stopped when she saw Ron looking up strangely at her.
She looked over to Percy, who was trying to get to his feet. "English, Esme," Percy said knowingly, rubbing the back of his head with a wince. Esme looked genuinely surprised. "Wasn't I?" she asked, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples with the thumb and middle finger of her free hand, mentally replaying the last 30 seconds back in her head.
"Oh. Huh. Well, what I meant to say was I brewed up the Dreamless Sleep potion we talked about. They've got a preservation charm on them so just tap the vials with your wand when you want to take one. They're stronger than what you might be used to, so be near a bed when you take it. Yeah? That sound okay?" Esme explained, peering up at Percy from under the palm of her hand for accordance, which he gave. Esme turned back to Ron and gave him the small cardboard box. "Strange. The vodka must have hit me harder than I thought it would," Esme shrugged, shaking her head as if to clear it.
"How are you feeling?" Percy asked tenderly and Esme sighed. "Still horrible, and apparently, my brain is malfunctioning. Only cure for that is more alcohol. You'd better go put those in a cupboard, Ron, they keep better in the dark," Esme said, already trudging further down the hall and disappearing into another room. Both Percy and Ron followed her down the hall with their eyes, before the door slammed heavily.
"She gonna be alright?" Ron asked. Percy waived his hand. "She'll be fine. I think. Er... I think. I'd better go check on her," Percy frowned and looked hesitantly down the hall. "You'd better go put that away, you'll need it if you want to get any sleep tonight," Percy said absentmindedly as he started walking down the corridor, his hand against the wall supporting his movement. Ron gave his brother a worried look before making his way downstairs.
"Hulloooooo Dad!" Esme shouted, reaching out towards her father, who was trudging up the stairs at almost 2 in the morning. She fell over and both her and Percy burst into laughter. Severus halted at the top of the stairs, having difficulty deciding whether he should be furious or concerned. Molly, apparently, did not have that affliction.
"Percy Ignatius Weasley, what in heaven's name do you think you're doing?" Molly bellowed furiously, pushing Severus out of the way and stomping towards her giggling son. Percy was trying to right Esme, who was trying to push herself into a sitting position against the wall and failing. "Percy!" Molly shouted impatiently as she stood in front of the two of them.
Percy looked up, his eyes squinting behind his spectacle. He looked down at his right hand, which was wrapped tightly around a dark green wine bottle. Back to his mum. "Getting pissed," he replied, blinking as if to refocus his eyes.
"I'd say you were far past getting, son," Arthur pointed out calmly, sliding next to Molly. Percy smiled. "Yes, yes I am completely in concurrence with that statement. I'm no long getting pissed, I am completely stone drunk," Percy slurred rather lucidly, nodding enthusiastically.
"Esme? My 25 year old bottle of scotch? Really?" Severus picked up an ornately decorated golden bottle that had been discarded some distance from the door to his room- where Percy and Esme were currently parked. Molly turned to Severus, her fury temporarily directed at him. "Your daughter is nearly passed out on the floor and the only thing you have to say to her is did she really just finish your scotch?"
Severus's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare presume to tell me how to talk to my child, Molly," he shot back nastily, striding over and crouching down in front of Esme. "Come on, let's get you to bed," he said dryly, slipping a hand under her shoulder to put her upright. Esme batted the hand away, shaking her head. "Can't sleep. Tried, failed," she murmured, slumping the other direction onto Percy's shoulder. Percy nodded his head in agreement and attempted to take another drink from the green bottle, but Arthur's hand stayed his hand.
"We'll have another go then, shall we?" Severus tried again. Esme sighed vehemently, gave Percy a peck on the cheek and took her dad's hands. Severus helped her up, and with a glare towards Molly, led her back down the hallway to her bedroom.
"What's the verdict, then?" Percy asked, his head resting comfortably against the door. Molly looked at Arthur, her lips pursed. "Percy, let's get you into bed. We can talk about it in the morning," she said soothingly, the anger gone from her face. Percy pushed himself up from his sitting position, rather shakily. "No...I'd better know now," Percy argued, his voice climbing up in intensity.
At his parents silence, Percy let the bottle drop out of his hand. It bounced, magically protected, and rolled across the hardwood. Percy's lips drew a hard line, his eyes glaring. "Well, I don't know why I'm surprised. It's not like you've ever protected me before," Percy spat nastily. Molly clutched her chest in surprise as Percy stomped down the hall to his room, her eyes tearing as she tracked his form. Percy slammed the door shut.
"Percy?" Arthur's authoritative voice echoed as he peered through the cracked door. The room was empty and completely devoid of light- only illuminated by the mild glow from the hall. Arthur slipped inside, moving towards the bed. The covers were still plastered neatly to the mattress- no sign of a sleeping form. He stilled his body and listened- the faint sound of breathing caught his attention and he turned around. Sitting next to the open door was Percy, his legs pulled up to his chest.
"I was wondering if you'd see me," Percy said dryly, his face empty of expression. "I didn't," Arthur replied, pointing to his ears, "just because I work in Misuse of Muggle Artifacts doesn't mean I'm not still an Auror." Arthur spelled up a few candles and walked to the bedroom door, closing it. He took a seat on the bed, facing Percy. The candlelight emphasized Percy's cheeks and eyes, making him look almost hauntingly gaunt.
"We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't feel it was best," Arthur said after a time. Percy guffawed and sat straighter against the wall. "How would you know what's best for me? You think a video tape makes you understand? You don't even know me," Percy's voice rang sharply. Percy got to his feet and stood in front of his father. "I've worked very, very hard to make sure I'd never see that place again. If you think I'm going to subject myself to whatever poking and prodding they'd like, you're out of your head. It won't be some holiday at a hotel, I don't care what those bloody doctors told you," Percy shouted.
"They didn't tell me. Aidan did," Arthur replied smoothly. Percy took a step back, shocked. "Aidan? Aidan Harris?" Percy choked out. Arthur nodded, standing up. "They brought him in two days ago. Believe me, Percy, we didn't just take their word for it. All three of us checked the place out thoroughly."
Arthur sighed. "To tell you the truth, I still don't feel comfortable with you going. You're right- I don't completely understand everything that's happened. I still can't remember any different than my son growing up right before my eyes. And it's hard for me to admit that somebody could protect you better than I could even when I know it to be true, because for me, I've always had that job."
Percy looked down at the carpeted floor. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," Arthur said hoarsely. "Oh Dad..." Percy sighed, fighting for something to say. Arthur beat him to it. "Ginny... Ron... now you... I can't let my pride get in the way of protecting you, Percy. You're too important to me," Arthur said, smiling in a lopsided way. Percy's face cracked into a tiny grin as he closed his eyes and tried say something. When he couldn't, he found himself in the midst of a bear-hug
"I'm sorry for the way I behaved," Percy said when he could. Arthur chuckled. "You were angry. And pissed. I think we'll excuse it just this once," Arthur smirked. Percy pulled back a little out of Arthur's arms and looked up.
"Not just for that. For before. I... I had no right to say what I said to you, about our family; any of it," Percy clarified. Arthur didn't say anything in response, just clapped him on the shoulder warmly.
"You'd better get some sleep. It's been a rough day. You can apologize to your mother in the morning," Arthur finally said, the normal optimistic and comforting tone back to his voice. Percy walked over to the bed and toppled onto it- not bothering to change his clothes nor pull up the covers. Arthur chuckled to himself a bit as Percy began to maneuver himself under the covers. "Percy?" Arthur called from the door. "Hmm?" he called from under the covers.
"Are you and Esme..." Arthur began. "Good night, Dad," Percy groaned and the ruffle of covers being pulled over a head echoed through the room. The floating candles dissipated into smoke, the room darkening slowly. "Good night, Percy," Arthur replied, shaking his head and closing the door.
Author's Notes: Awww... I feel warm and squishy inside. Yay. Many thanks my dearest DB, Miss Piratess and Schizo13 for reviewing and keeping me feeling special.