Title: Leaving For The Tea Room
Author: quietliban
Summary: This is Percy's life. This is what he does.
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe, characters and concepts contained therein belong to JK Rowling and her associated publishers. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Thanks to DanieChagnon23456 from FAP for the beta.
September 1999
1:11am Thursday, 2nd of September, 1999
Percy doesn't expect to see him again so soon, but the young Malfoy is in the receptionist's waiting room the next week. His grey eyes are staring murderously at Eloise, and Percy continues to walk over to her desk.
The plump witch looks up at him. "Veronica Hedges sent these over. She said that they're from the CML?" He remains stoic at the implied question in the receptionist voice. He doesn't want to add to her gossip. The file is quite thin, and he takes it, glancing back to where the pointy-faced Malfoy is sitting with his grey eyes trained on the desk. Percy stops, and turns back to Eloise. "Mr Weasley?" the receptionist asks when he hesitates to leave.
"Why is Draco Malfoy here?" he asks. Eloise glances over the top of her desk to where the blonde man is sitting.
The receptionist sighs. "Oh, the poor lad," she begins and Percy is confused by the use of this term to describe the young Malfoy, but he continues to listen. "He's been trying for months now to get an audience with the Minister."
He glances back to the sullen blonde man. "Whatever for?" he asks.
"To get his father out of Azkaban," the receptionist reports and Percy is surprised. He never really paid much attention to the scandal that put the elder Malfoy in Azkaban.
"Thanks Eloise," he nods at the files in his hand and returns to back to his office.
4:38pm Wednesday, 15th of September, 1999
The history section in Flourish and Blotts is a dusty and murky place. The books seem as old as their content, and a musty smell fills the air. Percy wishes that he was through with his search, but the Hemlock proposal hasn't stopped bothering him. He knows that the Hemlock Sentence was used centuries ago in both the muggle and wizarding worlds. His research in the Ministry libraries was fruitless, and he hasn't found any records of when and where it was used. He thinks that it is very odd of the Ministry to have no records of such things, but he doesn't question, instead he has come here to find the answers to his questions.
He sighs heavily as he opens his third tome, searching the index for any mention of Hemlock. Once again Percy is disappointed. He closes the book and puts it back on the shelf, bumping into a slender body as he steps back. He turns to apologise, but the words are silenced as he meets grey eyes.
"Weasley," the greeting is more of a threat.
"Malfoy," Percy responds, keeping his voice neutral. The grey eyes are still watching him disdainfully. He turns away again, but he can still feel those grey eyes on his back.
He tries to focus on the titles in front of him, but he's now painfully aware of the blonde man standing behind him. He shifts his weight as he draws out another book from the shelf, the back of his arm briefly touching the slender blonde man behind him. He doesn't bother to apologise. He knows it won't be welcomed. The title of the book does not look promising but that doesn't mean that it won't be helpful.
There is no mention of Hemlock in the index and he shuts the book in disappointment. The sound of the heavy book closing is loud in the relative quiet of the bookshop. He decides to try the Herbology section; at least he knows that hemlock that is referred to in the proposal is a poisonous plant. Percy passes the young Malfoy as he moves to the other section. He glances at the book the blonde man is holding in his hands; Wizengamot: When They Were Wrong.
The title of the book does not reassure Percy in any way about the Hemlock Sentence, and he knows he must keep going with his research.
5:25pm Tuesday, 21st of September, 1999
Percy arrives home from work; he rubs his eyes, knocking his horn-rimmed glasses slightly askew. He has brought the Hemlock Sentence proposal home with him despite the fact that he knows it is safer at work. He wants to read over it again before he has to submit it the next morning.
The text that he finally found on hemlock didn't even begin to assuage his fears about the proposal. His new knowledge about how it was used in ancient Greece makes him think that the proposal is a terrible idea, and he wonders how anyone, even the Minister, can think that the Council of Magical Law will accept it.
It is true that the wizarding world is scared, and Percy can't blame them. The rumours that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has risen again and the seeming conformation of the Dementors fleeing Azkaban are hardly comforting. The unmarked murders of innocents are also frightening.
The Wizengamot has made mistakes before. This is something that he knows. They have made mistakes despite the Veritaserum, and other methods, but then he knows that they have all made mistakes. They have all made mistakes and they all continue to stand by them. It is something he also does.