So this is chapter 3, I'm so glad it's holidays, I might actually have time
to catch up on my homework, update my stories and catch up on the sleep I
missed on camp. Great fun, but very tiring. Anyway R&R.
CHAPTER 3
(PERCY'S POV) What the hell is going on, how could I possibly have dreamt about Hermione, especially, oh god, what's going to happen if she ever finds out. What if I do have feelings for her, that could never work especially once she goes back to Hogwarts, it could never work. But things are never going to be the same after that kiss. How could I have let something like that happen, I'm supposed to work for the ministry. I'm supposed to be the mature 1. I'm not supposed to let my feelings get in the way of my job. What am I going to do?
O.K let's just be realistic for 1 second, I'll pretend that we're just friends and not mention the kiss unless she mentions it first. I just have to try and sort out my feelings, whether they are for her or not. What if they are for her? I still can't act on them, at least not until she finishes school, that would be illegal; I could never break a law, that's just wrong.
Maybe I should just calm down I don't know what's going to happen, anything could happen. It's not like I'll be seeing her once school starts again, I'll be at the ministry and she'll be at Hogwarts, nothing can possibly happen. Until then I'll just have to live with it, I can pretend nothing happened, hopefully she will to. Just so long as I keep a safe distance from her nothing can go wrong.
(END POV)
*******
Percy didn't know then how wrong he was how wrong about everything he could possibly be. Wrong about work, wrong about keeping a safe distance. Wrong about everything. As he walked slowly down the rickety stairs, like a proud man, through the lounge room furnished with a sofa almost falling apart and other furniture in much the same condition, past the fireplace and the floo powder and into the Weasley's small, cosy kitchen, with its wobbly table and the other members of the Weasley family.
He was just in time as he took his seat, crisp bacon rashers settled themselves neatly on his white plate, followed by 2 perfectly cooked eggs, a piece of already buttered toast, and cutlery. A large glass of orange juice landed beautifully on the table in front of him, without even spilling a drop, no thanks to the Weasley twins who were trying to manipulate Mrs. Weasley's spell so it drenched poor Percy instead of landing on the table.
Down the other end of the table Harry and Ron sat discussing, this years Quidditch plan, while Fred and George tried to decide on their next big experiment and product to bring to the outside world for their Joke Shop, which had just opened in Diagon Alley. It was called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It sold everything from disguises for people who didn't want to be recognised to fake wands and Ton Tongue Toffees, along with many other rather dangerous and wonderful must haves for any smart practical joker.
Hermione sat across from Percy discussing dress robes with Ginny, while Percy tried to engage in a conversation with Mr. Weasley about the newest head of Department Of International Magical Cooperation. Since the death of Barty Crouch, they hadn't managed to keep a head of this department very long. Recently a new head had being appointed. His name was Anthony Evans. He was middle aged, with very little of what had once been dark curly rather attractive brown hair, he had a teenage son, who had taken an immediate liking to Ginny and was to be starting at Hogwarts that year. Josh was in Ginny's year and had been going to school at Beauxbatons until that year.
Anthony, had a rather good sense of humour, even the twins got on well with him. He seemed rather interested in their joke shop, and laughed so hard at the 1st joke they ever played on him. Percy was so embarrassed. They both wore masks, pretending to be Percy and offered him a Ton Tongue Toffee, which he accepted thinking it was his new colleague being nice, when his tongue began to grow he thought it was absolutely hilarious. Percy's being in his good books ever since.
Percy didn't think nearly as highly of his current boss as what he had of his first. Mr. Crouch was always going to be top. But he still thought that Anthony was quite wonderful, although he could be quite intimidating at times, especially when he was in a bad mood. Percy also thought he was a bit messy. He would drink his coffee before leaving the mug wherever he was at the time. There were now coffee mugs all over the office, in odd places, growing mould and they were running out of mugs.
As they sat around the kitchen table tawny owls arrived bearing letters for Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Percy, all bearing the same wax seal, same yellow parchment envelopes, all addressed in green ink. Harry, Ron and Hermione's letters were almost identical. There was the usual list of things they would need, including 4 of the usual robes, dress robes (Ron had finally gotten some new ones) parchment, ink, quills and the book list including the standard book of spells grad 7, a book focussed completely on spiders, which didn't seem to impress Ron at all, there were the books for all their selected subjects, plus a book on a new subject which one of them had ever heard of before. It was called life education.
As Hermione opened her letter she found an extra page, one, which her friends didn't have, she unfolded this page last. The page held a copy of the Hogwarts emblem, followed by a letter addressed to Hermione. It read:
Dear Miss. Granger,
I am delighted to inform you that you have been selected as this year's Head Girl, the Head Boy is yet to be decided. You will be sharing a dorm and living quarters, with the Head Boy for the year, your responsibilities to the rest of the school are rather great. You will be given a full list on your arrival at school. You will also be working rather closely with Professor McGonagall, myself and our school Prefects to make our school a more enjoyable and safer place, for everyone in it. I trust that you will accept this position gratefully and fulfil your duties.
Yours truly, Professor Albus Dumbledore Order of Merlin, First Class
AlbusDumbledore
This letter rather shocked Hermione; Ron who had been reading it over her shoulder clapped her on the back, rather nervously. He still hadn't gotten over that childish crush, and started yelling Bravo at the top of his lungs. What, what the other Weasley's started asking, Percy just looked, rather questioningly at Hermione. Who didn't reply immediately just turned a deep shade of scarlet.
"I got Head Girl" she whispered so quietly Percy barely heard and the other occupants of the room had to ask her to repeat what she had said. It didn't really come as a surprise to anyone, everyone expected her to get it, Percy had known she would ever since he'd met her.
After a substantial amount of congratulations and a considerable amount of bacon and eggs, people began to leave the kitchen, muttering congratulations for perhaps the hundredth time that morning as they left. Percy whispered something to Hermione as he left no one else understood, but she understood perfectly "Look in the envelope" he had murmured in to her ear.
She looked into the envelope, wondering hwy he had instructed her to do such a ridiculous thing. She had already emptied out the contents of the yellowed parchment envelope; there was nothing in there. She looked again, finding nothing, but some stupid toffee the twins had made, it wasn't a ton tongue toffee, but still she was wary and didn't eat it. That couldn't have been what he meant she thought to her self and resolved to search for Percy and ask him what he'd meant, just so soon as she'd helped Mrs. Weasley with the washing up.
She found Percy sitting in his room at his neatly organised desk with all its filing systems. He sat bent over a piece of parchment, quill in mouse, ink sitting on the desk in front of him. He looks so good like that Hermione thought to herself. She hit herself, what am I thinking, where did that come from, how can I possibly be thinking like that, what the hell is going on?
She entered the room trying to get her heartbeat back to normal; it had begun to race when she'd started thinking about how sexy Percy was. "What did you mean about looking in the envelope?" she asked loudly. Percy jumped slightly, he hadn't heard her approach. She'd scared him, he looked up into her eyes, a smile appeared on his face.
He shook his head slowly, he'd been off in a world of his own, as he came back to reality he asked "What was that, you said?" "I was just wondering what it was you were talking about when you told me too look in the envelope" Hermione answered, trying to sound stern, but failing terribly, instead she just sounded sweet and innocent, with a bit of a weird twist. "I meant there should be a Head Girl badge in the envelope, I didn't see you pull it out, that's all" he replied, beginning to get a little suspicious. "The only thing I found in that envelope apart from the letter was a weird toffee that the twins made" "Oh, those bloody twins, I'm gonna get them" he started to raise his voice, you could hear the annoyance "They must have taken it" "Oh well we better go get it back" Hermione said accepting the fact rather better than Percy, who had always been known for his short temper. "It's not that easy" Percy replied considering all the possible options "They won't give it up" "You never know" Hermione said trying not to be to pessimistic. She turned to walk out the room, heading to the twins room, other wise known as the most dangerous part of the house, the place of explosions. As she reached the door she stopped, preparing what to say, she knocked as she did so, she heard a huge explosion coming from inside the room.
A crack appeared in the doorway, ever so small, only just big enough for a head. George's head appeared around the edge of the door. "What do you want" he asked looking around behind him, as if making sure Fred wasn't doing anything stupid. "I want my badge back" Hermione said, suddenly not feeling very strong or in control. Her anger showing. "What badge?" he asked shrugging, like a seemingly innocent child, those who knew him knew better than to believe this. "My Head Girl badge, which you seem to have exchanged for some kind of toffee" She replied beginning to lose her temper. "Oh, you mean that badge, by the way that was no toffee, that was a deluxe treacle flavoured tentacle ton tongue toffee designed completely by us, selling really well at the joke shop" "George" "What?" "My badge" "Oh yeah right I'll just grab it for you" George's head disappeared and so did the crack in the door. There was a lot of banging and crashing coming form inside before George emerged holding what appeared to be a normal Head Girl badge, just like Hermione had seen other head girls wearing in her previous years.
Still she was a little cautious "You haven't done anything to it have you?" she asked as she examined the badge very carefully. "Of course not" George replied, he sounded rather convincing but the look on his face suggested otherwise. Hermione looked questioningly at George, but walked away without saying anything else.
Now what can I do with it, so those idiots don't take it again, she thought to herself. She thought long and hard as she walked downstairs about her predicament, she almost missed the bottom step of 1 flight of stairs, then almost bumped into Percy on her way across the landing. He stared at her, he was about to ask her how shed' gone getting her badge back, but she just walked straight past. Percy was rather hurt at this, he thought they were good friends, how wrong could he have been, he thought that she didn't like him anymore, that she was dumping him, maybe to go back to that Viktor guy, or maybe so she could date his younger brother Ron or maybe even 1 of the twins.
Percy headed into his room, he felt depressed. Finding out someone doesn't like you can be extremely depressing especially when you like them. He just couldn't' work out what he'd done wrong. Then he thought maybe it was the fact that he'd never really had much experience with women. Maybe that was it. Yeah that had to be it, there was no other reason, unless she was secretly dating some other guy, that he didn't know about, or there was the other option that she was, well. That she was a lesbian, but he didn't think so.
It was almost lunch time, Percy realised from all the noise coming from outside his door. How long he had been sitting in his room he didn't know. He'd just being staring out the window, thinking about his dream, about Hermione brushing him off the way she had. HE knew he had to go to lunch, but he just couldn't bear to face Hermione.
He heard a knock on the door, it was Ron. "Percy it's lunch, you gotta come down stairs" "Okay I'm coming" He replied. Percy shook himself out of his own little world, stood up and walked slowly to the doorway, he exited and walked slowly downstairs, dreading lunch and seeing Hermione again.
He entered the kitchen and smelt the wonderful smell of his mother's cooking and met the eyes of all the Weasley's and their guests. He could smell a wonderful vegetable stew cooking on the stove and could see a meat pie sitting already on the table. He could see and apple pie, ready for baking sitting on the counter, with flour all over the place. He sat down, not meeting Hermione's gaze, just a typical lunch at the Burrow, he thought, well almost typical.
CHAPTER 3
(PERCY'S POV) What the hell is going on, how could I possibly have dreamt about Hermione, especially, oh god, what's going to happen if she ever finds out. What if I do have feelings for her, that could never work especially once she goes back to Hogwarts, it could never work. But things are never going to be the same after that kiss. How could I have let something like that happen, I'm supposed to work for the ministry. I'm supposed to be the mature 1. I'm not supposed to let my feelings get in the way of my job. What am I going to do?
O.K let's just be realistic for 1 second, I'll pretend that we're just friends and not mention the kiss unless she mentions it first. I just have to try and sort out my feelings, whether they are for her or not. What if they are for her? I still can't act on them, at least not until she finishes school, that would be illegal; I could never break a law, that's just wrong.
Maybe I should just calm down I don't know what's going to happen, anything could happen. It's not like I'll be seeing her once school starts again, I'll be at the ministry and she'll be at Hogwarts, nothing can possibly happen. Until then I'll just have to live with it, I can pretend nothing happened, hopefully she will to. Just so long as I keep a safe distance from her nothing can go wrong.
(END POV)
*******
Percy didn't know then how wrong he was how wrong about everything he could possibly be. Wrong about work, wrong about keeping a safe distance. Wrong about everything. As he walked slowly down the rickety stairs, like a proud man, through the lounge room furnished with a sofa almost falling apart and other furniture in much the same condition, past the fireplace and the floo powder and into the Weasley's small, cosy kitchen, with its wobbly table and the other members of the Weasley family.
He was just in time as he took his seat, crisp bacon rashers settled themselves neatly on his white plate, followed by 2 perfectly cooked eggs, a piece of already buttered toast, and cutlery. A large glass of orange juice landed beautifully on the table in front of him, without even spilling a drop, no thanks to the Weasley twins who were trying to manipulate Mrs. Weasley's spell so it drenched poor Percy instead of landing on the table.
Down the other end of the table Harry and Ron sat discussing, this years Quidditch plan, while Fred and George tried to decide on their next big experiment and product to bring to the outside world for their Joke Shop, which had just opened in Diagon Alley. It was called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It sold everything from disguises for people who didn't want to be recognised to fake wands and Ton Tongue Toffees, along with many other rather dangerous and wonderful must haves for any smart practical joker.
Hermione sat across from Percy discussing dress robes with Ginny, while Percy tried to engage in a conversation with Mr. Weasley about the newest head of Department Of International Magical Cooperation. Since the death of Barty Crouch, they hadn't managed to keep a head of this department very long. Recently a new head had being appointed. His name was Anthony Evans. He was middle aged, with very little of what had once been dark curly rather attractive brown hair, he had a teenage son, who had taken an immediate liking to Ginny and was to be starting at Hogwarts that year. Josh was in Ginny's year and had been going to school at Beauxbatons until that year.
Anthony, had a rather good sense of humour, even the twins got on well with him. He seemed rather interested in their joke shop, and laughed so hard at the 1st joke they ever played on him. Percy was so embarrassed. They both wore masks, pretending to be Percy and offered him a Ton Tongue Toffee, which he accepted thinking it was his new colleague being nice, when his tongue began to grow he thought it was absolutely hilarious. Percy's being in his good books ever since.
Percy didn't think nearly as highly of his current boss as what he had of his first. Mr. Crouch was always going to be top. But he still thought that Anthony was quite wonderful, although he could be quite intimidating at times, especially when he was in a bad mood. Percy also thought he was a bit messy. He would drink his coffee before leaving the mug wherever he was at the time. There were now coffee mugs all over the office, in odd places, growing mould and they were running out of mugs.
As they sat around the kitchen table tawny owls arrived bearing letters for Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Percy, all bearing the same wax seal, same yellow parchment envelopes, all addressed in green ink. Harry, Ron and Hermione's letters were almost identical. There was the usual list of things they would need, including 4 of the usual robes, dress robes (Ron had finally gotten some new ones) parchment, ink, quills and the book list including the standard book of spells grad 7, a book focussed completely on spiders, which didn't seem to impress Ron at all, there were the books for all their selected subjects, plus a book on a new subject which one of them had ever heard of before. It was called life education.
As Hermione opened her letter she found an extra page, one, which her friends didn't have, she unfolded this page last. The page held a copy of the Hogwarts emblem, followed by a letter addressed to Hermione. It read:
Dear Miss. Granger,
I am delighted to inform you that you have been selected as this year's Head Girl, the Head Boy is yet to be decided. You will be sharing a dorm and living quarters, with the Head Boy for the year, your responsibilities to the rest of the school are rather great. You will be given a full list on your arrival at school. You will also be working rather closely with Professor McGonagall, myself and our school Prefects to make our school a more enjoyable and safer place, for everyone in it. I trust that you will accept this position gratefully and fulfil your duties.
Yours truly, Professor Albus Dumbledore Order of Merlin, First Class
AlbusDumbledore
This letter rather shocked Hermione; Ron who had been reading it over her shoulder clapped her on the back, rather nervously. He still hadn't gotten over that childish crush, and started yelling Bravo at the top of his lungs. What, what the other Weasley's started asking, Percy just looked, rather questioningly at Hermione. Who didn't reply immediately just turned a deep shade of scarlet.
"I got Head Girl" she whispered so quietly Percy barely heard and the other occupants of the room had to ask her to repeat what she had said. It didn't really come as a surprise to anyone, everyone expected her to get it, Percy had known she would ever since he'd met her.
After a substantial amount of congratulations and a considerable amount of bacon and eggs, people began to leave the kitchen, muttering congratulations for perhaps the hundredth time that morning as they left. Percy whispered something to Hermione as he left no one else understood, but she understood perfectly "Look in the envelope" he had murmured in to her ear.
She looked into the envelope, wondering hwy he had instructed her to do such a ridiculous thing. She had already emptied out the contents of the yellowed parchment envelope; there was nothing in there. She looked again, finding nothing, but some stupid toffee the twins had made, it wasn't a ton tongue toffee, but still she was wary and didn't eat it. That couldn't have been what he meant she thought to her self and resolved to search for Percy and ask him what he'd meant, just so soon as she'd helped Mrs. Weasley with the washing up.
She found Percy sitting in his room at his neatly organised desk with all its filing systems. He sat bent over a piece of parchment, quill in mouse, ink sitting on the desk in front of him. He looks so good like that Hermione thought to herself. She hit herself, what am I thinking, where did that come from, how can I possibly be thinking like that, what the hell is going on?
She entered the room trying to get her heartbeat back to normal; it had begun to race when she'd started thinking about how sexy Percy was. "What did you mean about looking in the envelope?" she asked loudly. Percy jumped slightly, he hadn't heard her approach. She'd scared him, he looked up into her eyes, a smile appeared on his face.
He shook his head slowly, he'd been off in a world of his own, as he came back to reality he asked "What was that, you said?" "I was just wondering what it was you were talking about when you told me too look in the envelope" Hermione answered, trying to sound stern, but failing terribly, instead she just sounded sweet and innocent, with a bit of a weird twist. "I meant there should be a Head Girl badge in the envelope, I didn't see you pull it out, that's all" he replied, beginning to get a little suspicious. "The only thing I found in that envelope apart from the letter was a weird toffee that the twins made" "Oh, those bloody twins, I'm gonna get them" he started to raise his voice, you could hear the annoyance "They must have taken it" "Oh well we better go get it back" Hermione said accepting the fact rather better than Percy, who had always been known for his short temper. "It's not that easy" Percy replied considering all the possible options "They won't give it up" "You never know" Hermione said trying not to be to pessimistic. She turned to walk out the room, heading to the twins room, other wise known as the most dangerous part of the house, the place of explosions. As she reached the door she stopped, preparing what to say, she knocked as she did so, she heard a huge explosion coming from inside the room.
A crack appeared in the doorway, ever so small, only just big enough for a head. George's head appeared around the edge of the door. "What do you want" he asked looking around behind him, as if making sure Fred wasn't doing anything stupid. "I want my badge back" Hermione said, suddenly not feeling very strong or in control. Her anger showing. "What badge?" he asked shrugging, like a seemingly innocent child, those who knew him knew better than to believe this. "My Head Girl badge, which you seem to have exchanged for some kind of toffee" She replied beginning to lose her temper. "Oh, you mean that badge, by the way that was no toffee, that was a deluxe treacle flavoured tentacle ton tongue toffee designed completely by us, selling really well at the joke shop" "George" "What?" "My badge" "Oh yeah right I'll just grab it for you" George's head disappeared and so did the crack in the door. There was a lot of banging and crashing coming form inside before George emerged holding what appeared to be a normal Head Girl badge, just like Hermione had seen other head girls wearing in her previous years.
Still she was a little cautious "You haven't done anything to it have you?" she asked as she examined the badge very carefully. "Of course not" George replied, he sounded rather convincing but the look on his face suggested otherwise. Hermione looked questioningly at George, but walked away without saying anything else.
Now what can I do with it, so those idiots don't take it again, she thought to herself. She thought long and hard as she walked downstairs about her predicament, she almost missed the bottom step of 1 flight of stairs, then almost bumped into Percy on her way across the landing. He stared at her, he was about to ask her how shed' gone getting her badge back, but she just walked straight past. Percy was rather hurt at this, he thought they were good friends, how wrong could he have been, he thought that she didn't like him anymore, that she was dumping him, maybe to go back to that Viktor guy, or maybe so she could date his younger brother Ron or maybe even 1 of the twins.
Percy headed into his room, he felt depressed. Finding out someone doesn't like you can be extremely depressing especially when you like them. He just couldn't' work out what he'd done wrong. Then he thought maybe it was the fact that he'd never really had much experience with women. Maybe that was it. Yeah that had to be it, there was no other reason, unless she was secretly dating some other guy, that he didn't know about, or there was the other option that she was, well. That she was a lesbian, but he didn't think so.
It was almost lunch time, Percy realised from all the noise coming from outside his door. How long he had been sitting in his room he didn't know. He'd just being staring out the window, thinking about his dream, about Hermione brushing him off the way she had. HE knew he had to go to lunch, but he just couldn't bear to face Hermione.
He heard a knock on the door, it was Ron. "Percy it's lunch, you gotta come down stairs" "Okay I'm coming" He replied. Percy shook himself out of his own little world, stood up and walked slowly to the doorway, he exited and walked slowly downstairs, dreading lunch and seeing Hermione again.
He entered the kitchen and smelt the wonderful smell of his mother's cooking and met the eyes of all the Weasley's and their guests. He could smell a wonderful vegetable stew cooking on the stove and could see a meat pie sitting already on the table. He could see and apple pie, ready for baking sitting on the counter, with flour all over the place. He sat down, not meeting Hermione's gaze, just a typical lunch at the Burrow, he thought, well almost typical.