A/N: I love you guys! Even those of you who still review Fire and Ice. I seriously expected that fic to be forgotten by now. Guess I underestimate it. Amid threats to writer's block and self-admonishment, I've written this chapter much quicker than the last. It's kinda hard to build up my moment after weeks of not posting, but I'll try. This completely unbeta-ed. (I was impatient and I wondered if I was capable of doing anything on my own anymore.)
Updates on my other fics: Chapter for Trial of a Death Eater is done, but not posted. It'll be up soon. Chapter 2 of the Immortals- I wouldn't look for that anytime too soon. I'm still piecing it together from scraps of paper with writing on them. Continuation of Swan is coming along very slowly, but I promise I'll get it to you as soon as possible. CSWDT- when I find time to write it along with everything else, I'll post it.
Dedication: This chapter is largely for Fleur, but also for Rubicon and little hecate. Hopefully, they'll know why.
Thank you my dear, dear reviewers. I love you! (Even if I need to get off the computer and do my pre-calc HW and have no time to type thanks you's.)
***
Early the next morning, Bill silently opened the door to Percy's room and his jaw hit the floor. Percy was working! It was seven o'clock and Percy was scribbling furiously, in danger of knocking a large pile of papers off his desk. He looked up at Bill. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"I want to go Christmas shopping."
"Bill, you're athiest," Percy said simply.
"That's hardly the point."
"It isn't?" Percy replied, looking over the rims of his glasses.
"No. The point is that I want to get gifts for my family."
"And what does that have to do with me exactly?"
"I want you to come with me."
"No."
"Why not?"
"I have work to do."
"Lighten up, Perce, or you'll be forty by your next birthday."
"So?"
"Live a little!"
"I am living!"
"Only literally."
"What other way would you have me live?" Percy inquired,a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Figuratively! Have fun. And don't tell me that writing six feet of parchment on 'The Dangers of Sniffing Floo Powder' is fun," Bill added quickly. Percy's lip made an odd twitching movement and he burst out laughing.
"I daresay you know a thing or two about sniffing floo powder," he chuckled, nearly falling out of his chair.
"I'll have you know that I have never been desperate enough to sniff floo powder."
"Is this what you think I do all day- write about trivial topics in a weighty manner?"
"Yes."
"I have outside interests."
"Prove it. Come shopping with me." Percy cast a longing look at his piles of parchment then turned back to Bill.
"You're on," he said.
Shopping with Percy was very entertaining. Bill knew it would be. Percy hadn't always been a stick-in-the-mud. This was a fairly recent development. A few years back, he had almost failed transfiguration horribly. Since then, he had been devoting his life to books and the business of being thoroughly boring. It was amazing how Percy tended to lose himself in his interests. He rarely did anything in half-measures.
"Oh look, Perce! A book just for you!" Bill exclaimed, holding up a copy of Floo Powder: The Substance that Changed our World.
"Shut up," Pecy muttered. Bill turned to grin at him, but something else caught his eye. Two new customers were entering Flourish and Botts and one of them happened to be a sandy-haired teenager. Bill's face lost all color. Percy turned to see what was bothering Bill and saw only Seamus Finnigan and his friend Dean Thomas.
"You like a teacher!" Dean exclaimed.
"Yes," mumbled Seamus. He had told Dean hours ago and it still hadn't sunk in. Of course, he hadn't told him which teacher, but the fact that it was a member of the Hogwarts staff still had Dean in shock.
"A teacher?"
"Yes, Dean, a teacher."
"But they're so old!"
"Not all of them are old," Seamus replied absently.
"The youngest one is Bill Weasley and he's- what?-25, maybe?"
"26 in June." The words slipped out of Seamus's mouth before he could stop them. Dean's eyes widened.
"Omigod, I don't believe it! You like-"
"Bill! Hi!" seamus said as Bill and Percy came out from behind a bookshelf.
"Seamus! Fancy meeting you here," Bill replied cheerfully, hiding the fact that this was the last place he wanted to be right now.
"Yes, the odds are very slim, since he normally doesn't read," said Dean, brightly. Seamus made a mental note to kill Dean while he turned pink.
"Then why are you here?" Percy asked.
"Well, like I said, normally he doesn't read, but Seamus had the sudden desire to find out more about curses."
"Curses?" Percy repeated, pushing his glasses up on his nose.
"How to break them to be exact," Dean answered.
"How to break them?"
"And love potions."
"Liar!" Seamus hissed. It was Bill's turn to blush scarlet. Percy took one look at the rosy faces of Seamus and Bill and the mischievous grin on Dean's face and gradually understood. He smiled. He really did have a sense of humor. He was a Weasley- how could he not?
"Dean, I was looking for a book on art history, you wouldn't happen to know where they are?" Dean actually hadn't the faintest idea, but he lied and said he'd be delighted to show Percy around, leaving Bill and Seamus in an awkward silence.
*I can't believe Dean said that!* Seamus thought, grimacing. "So, how's your holiday coming along?" Bill asked, in a completely-casual-certainly-not-strained sort of way.
"Wonderful, until Dean decided to embarrass me horribly. I suppose I deserve it for hounding him about Lisa- They broke up by the way."
"Did they? How come?"
"Something involving Padma. I forget exactly what now."
"And after all your hard work," Bill cooed simpathetically.
"Well, no worries. I'm hard at work on another project."
"What's that?"
"You," the boy replied simply.
"Seamus, we've been through this-"
"Don't you know anything? I don't listen. I always get things my way in the end. It's just a matter of time," Seamus replied, smiling slyly. He leaned forward. "You'll crack. I know it," he whispered, lips brushing Bill's ear. He pulled back. "I'd better find Dean. See ya at school." And just like that he left. And Bill knew he was a goner.
He had known it since the kiss he and Seamus had shared briefly before Seamus had gone to apologize to Harry. It was so intense, so passionate... so short. He had wanted more. He was going to give in, but he wasn't giving in without a fight.
***
^_^ Ah yes, an update for those of you wondering what Seamus is up to. How do you think he'll fare?
Luv,
J. Silver
P.S. Which literary term is your favorite?
Updates on my other fics: Chapter for Trial of a Death Eater is done, but not posted. It'll be up soon. Chapter 2 of the Immortals- I wouldn't look for that anytime too soon. I'm still piecing it together from scraps of paper with writing on them. Continuation of Swan is coming along very slowly, but I promise I'll get it to you as soon as possible. CSWDT- when I find time to write it along with everything else, I'll post it.
Dedication: This chapter is largely for Fleur, but also for Rubicon and little hecate. Hopefully, they'll know why.
Thank you my dear, dear reviewers. I love you! (Even if I need to get off the computer and do my pre-calc HW and have no time to type thanks you's.)
***
Early the next morning, Bill silently opened the door to Percy's room and his jaw hit the floor. Percy was working! It was seven o'clock and Percy was scribbling furiously, in danger of knocking a large pile of papers off his desk. He looked up at Bill. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"I want to go Christmas shopping."
"Bill, you're athiest," Percy said simply.
"That's hardly the point."
"It isn't?" Percy replied, looking over the rims of his glasses.
"No. The point is that I want to get gifts for my family."
"And what does that have to do with me exactly?"
"I want you to come with me."
"No."
"Why not?"
"I have work to do."
"Lighten up, Perce, or you'll be forty by your next birthday."
"So?"
"Live a little!"
"I am living!"
"Only literally."
"What other way would you have me live?" Percy inquired,a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Figuratively! Have fun. And don't tell me that writing six feet of parchment on 'The Dangers of Sniffing Floo Powder' is fun," Bill added quickly. Percy's lip made an odd twitching movement and he burst out laughing.
"I daresay you know a thing or two about sniffing floo powder," he chuckled, nearly falling out of his chair.
"I'll have you know that I have never been desperate enough to sniff floo powder."
"Is this what you think I do all day- write about trivial topics in a weighty manner?"
"Yes."
"I have outside interests."
"Prove it. Come shopping with me." Percy cast a longing look at his piles of parchment then turned back to Bill.
"You're on," he said.
Shopping with Percy was very entertaining. Bill knew it would be. Percy hadn't always been a stick-in-the-mud. This was a fairly recent development. A few years back, he had almost failed transfiguration horribly. Since then, he had been devoting his life to books and the business of being thoroughly boring. It was amazing how Percy tended to lose himself in his interests. He rarely did anything in half-measures.
"Oh look, Perce! A book just for you!" Bill exclaimed, holding up a copy of Floo Powder: The Substance that Changed our World.
"Shut up," Pecy muttered. Bill turned to grin at him, but something else caught his eye. Two new customers were entering Flourish and Botts and one of them happened to be a sandy-haired teenager. Bill's face lost all color. Percy turned to see what was bothering Bill and saw only Seamus Finnigan and his friend Dean Thomas.
"You like a teacher!" Dean exclaimed.
"Yes," mumbled Seamus. He had told Dean hours ago and it still hadn't sunk in. Of course, he hadn't told him which teacher, but the fact that it was a member of the Hogwarts staff still had Dean in shock.
"A teacher?"
"Yes, Dean, a teacher."
"But they're so old!"
"Not all of them are old," Seamus replied absently.
"The youngest one is Bill Weasley and he's- what?-25, maybe?"
"26 in June." The words slipped out of Seamus's mouth before he could stop them. Dean's eyes widened.
"Omigod, I don't believe it! You like-"
"Bill! Hi!" seamus said as Bill and Percy came out from behind a bookshelf.
"Seamus! Fancy meeting you here," Bill replied cheerfully, hiding the fact that this was the last place he wanted to be right now.
"Yes, the odds are very slim, since he normally doesn't read," said Dean, brightly. Seamus made a mental note to kill Dean while he turned pink.
"Then why are you here?" Percy asked.
"Well, like I said, normally he doesn't read, but Seamus had the sudden desire to find out more about curses."
"Curses?" Percy repeated, pushing his glasses up on his nose.
"How to break them to be exact," Dean answered.
"How to break them?"
"And love potions."
"Liar!" Seamus hissed. It was Bill's turn to blush scarlet. Percy took one look at the rosy faces of Seamus and Bill and the mischievous grin on Dean's face and gradually understood. He smiled. He really did have a sense of humor. He was a Weasley- how could he not?
"Dean, I was looking for a book on art history, you wouldn't happen to know where they are?" Dean actually hadn't the faintest idea, but he lied and said he'd be delighted to show Percy around, leaving Bill and Seamus in an awkward silence.
*I can't believe Dean said that!* Seamus thought, grimacing. "So, how's your holiday coming along?" Bill asked, in a completely-casual-certainly-not-strained sort of way.
"Wonderful, until Dean decided to embarrass me horribly. I suppose I deserve it for hounding him about Lisa- They broke up by the way."
"Did they? How come?"
"Something involving Padma. I forget exactly what now."
"And after all your hard work," Bill cooed simpathetically.
"Well, no worries. I'm hard at work on another project."
"What's that?"
"You," the boy replied simply.
"Seamus, we've been through this-"
"Don't you know anything? I don't listen. I always get things my way in the end. It's just a matter of time," Seamus replied, smiling slyly. He leaned forward. "You'll crack. I know it," he whispered, lips brushing Bill's ear. He pulled back. "I'd better find Dean. See ya at school." And just like that he left. And Bill knew he was a goner.
He had known it since the kiss he and Seamus had shared briefly before Seamus had gone to apologize to Harry. It was so intense, so passionate... so short. He had wanted more. He was going to give in, but he wasn't giving in without a fight.
***
^_^ Ah yes, an update for those of you wondering what Seamus is up to. How do you think he'll fare?
Luv,
J. Silver
P.S. Which literary term is your favorite?