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.

November 1999

10:26am Monday, 1st of November, 1999

There are too many offices on level two, Percy decides as he finally stands in front of the receptionist's desk. He has been into five different offices already only to be sent in four different directions until he found the office door marked 'Director of the Council of Magical Law.' Veronica Hedges slides in behind her desk and looks up at Percy. She smiles at him flirtatiously, but Percy ignores it and tells her that he has a ten-thirty appointment with the Director. She is quite a pretty witch, with long flowing black hair, and sparklingly blue eyes.

"Percy Weasley," she nods as she scribbles something on the large book in front of her with a quill. "You were the one who did the draft on the Hemlock stuff weren't you?"

He nods.

"I didn't know you were cute and young, I thought that they would have gotten one of their stuffy pretentious seniors to do it," she tells him conversationally. Percy shrugs.

"I don't know why they gave it to me," he begins to turn towards where the chairs are set up as a waiting room, but Veronica calls him back.

"Percy?" she calls her voice light and cheerful. "Do you want to go out for drinks on Friday?"

The witch's forwardness shocks him, he looks at her and she's smiling, albeit nervously. He doesn't know what to say, it has been so long since he and Penelope had broken up, and anything since then hasn't exactly been long lasting or particularly savoury. He smiles at her regretfully, besides he reasons, as he begins to tell her his refusal, he doesn't want to start a relationship with somebody who works for the Ministry.

"Look, Veronica is it?" He watches as her expression fades. "I'm sorry but I'm not...I'm not interested in women." It is not quite a lie, he thinks, because he hasn't been attracted to that many witches in a long while, and it disturbs him slightly, but those brief unsavoury affairs have mostly been with men.

A door opens, and Percy sees the blonde Malfoy walk out of it. He is shaking hands with a grey-haired wizard that must be the Council of Magical Law director.

"Oh, you're…" she falters, "You're that way inclined."

Percy nods. "Sorry."

She gives a short laugh, and he can hear that it is empty. "Well, I guess we can still go out for drinks."

3:33 pm Saturday, 6th of November, 1999

The fans around him are sitting on the edge of their seats as a Chaser for Puddlemere United narrowly misses a bludger while passing the Quaffle. Percy himself is slightly bored. His team is losing and their star player is not on his best form. He is disappointed, he was so confident that the Chudley Cannons would win over Puddlmere, but not even the Snitch can win them the game now.

"Aw, c'mon," Daniel Goodwood announces his displeasure. "Can you believe that?" Percy turns to him.

"Well it's a fair call," he remarks, noting that one of the Puddlemere beaters is being restrained from attacking the umpire. "It was a low shot."

Daniel looks at him, mock-disgust in his eyes. "You bloody Cannons fans."

He laughs at his friend; he hasn't been to a Quidditch game in such a long time. It's good, he thinks, to be outside, watching his favourite team, whether they be winning or not.

"They have had a hard season though," Daniel concedes, "and I s'pose you ought to take what you can get."

It is true that the Cannons have been having a terrible season with losing their past eight games consecutively. Still, it doesn't mean that the Cannons can't play; it just means that the Cannons can't play well. "That's not true, we won against the Harpies, and you know they're one of the hardest teams in the competition," he defends his team.

"Yeah, but that was the start of the season," Daniel replies. "Oo, look at that."

He looks out onto the pitch and sees that the Seekers have finally shown some movement. Percy gets excited as he sees that the Cannons' seeker is just in front of Puddlemere's. The crowd is shouting and cheering, and he can't help but join in. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," he urges his team on. He knows they will not win, but that isn't the point. The Cannons' Seeker pulls up, and the Puddlemere Seeker keeps flying, but soon comes to a rest. The crowd sighs loudly in disappointment.

"Do you think they really saw it?" he asks Daniel.

Daniel laughs. "Probably not," he shrugs.

The Puddlemere chasers are in possession now, and Percy sighs. He looks over the crowd instead, and his eyes meet a pair that is similar to his own. He sees a wizard with long red hair with a slim blonde woman sitting beside him. The wizard sees him, and starts to wave. Percy begins to put his own hand up before quickly restraining himself. He has no brothers anymore.

The Seekers are moving again, and the stands are filled with cries. The Puddlemere Seeker is ahead this time, and the Cannons' Seeker is only just trailing him. "Oh, c'mon," Percy shouts with the rest of the fans. The Puddlemere Seeker twists as he reaches out and the Snitch flutters in his hands. Disappointment vibrates through Percy and he looks at Daniel.

"Twenty galleons, please?" Daniel puts out his hand. Percy shakes his head.

"I'll pay you at the pub," Percy says. Daniel looks at him doubtfully.

"We're not going to your fancy-schmancy pub are we?" Daniel smiles. "You know that I feel out of place there."

They get up, and Percy shakes his head. "No, we can go to wherever you want."

"Leaky is it then."

Percy groans and they stand in line for the portkey.

"C'mon Perce, it's not that bad," Daniel says.

Percy winces at the nickname. "If you want to catch a disease," he tells his friend, staring straight a head. His eyes meet another pair of eyes, grey ones this time. Grey eyes that bear no resemblance to his at all. He quickly looks away, and sees the dark-haired witch from the cafeteria. Malfoy's arm is around her shoulders, and she's laughing with him. Percy turns back to his friend, not comfortable with the feeling rising in his stomach.

"I've been going there since forever, and I've never caught anything," says Daniel.

"Yeah well, I've seen how you live Daniel," Percy replies as they reach the front of the portkey queue, "and honestly I'm surprised you having caught anything from your kitchen."

They both take hold of the portkey, and Percy feels the pull behind his navel.

1:04 pm Monday, 8th of November, 1999

The news is out. The Council of Magical Law has accepted the Hemlock Sentence. Percy picks at his sausages unhappily. He had hoped that his meeting with the Director would have influenced the council to say no. He realises that he shouldn't have hoped so.

3:47 pm Tuesday, 9th of November, 1999

Draco Malfoy sticks his head into Percy's office. Percy stares at him shocked before becoming annoyed with the blonde man's audacity.

"Adrian here?" the young Malfoy asks, his tone curt, and Percy just shakes his head before returning to his work. The replication charm is boring, and Percy actually finds himself wishing for something more complicated then replying to letters.

"Well," the blonde man's voice interrupts his work again. "Do you know where he's gone?"

Slowly Percy looks up. He doesn't know why the blonde man is still here. It disturbs him that he sees this man everywhere, from Quidditch to the pub and his very own office. It is starting to annoy him, and slightly freak him out.

"No," Percy replies and turns back to his work again.

The door clicks shut, and he thinks that the young Malfoy has gone. He sighs with relief as the strange feeling in his stomach recedes.

"Bloody pointy-faced rodent," Percy mutters to himself. He glances at the open book on the corner of his desk, quickly referencing when he sees that the blonde man is still in the office.

The Malfoy is glaring at him, and Percy thinks he sees anger and hurt in those grey eyes. Percy blushes, embarrassed at being caught out. The other man doesn't say anything, and Percy is most grateful. His grey eyes still continue to stare at him, and Percy swallows before replacing his quill over the parchment.

3:25pm Tuesday, 16th of November, 1999

Percy is about to leave the office for the tea room when he slams into another body. He looks up and sees the young Malfoy. The blonde man pushes him back inside the office.

"Adrian isn't here," Percy tells the Malfoy, and tries to leave again.

"I know," the Malfoy tells him. Percy is confused, if the blonde man isn't here to see Adrian then why is he here?

"I wanted to speak to you," the Malfoy tells him, and Percy lets the blonde man guide him back to his desk. His cup of tea can wait. The blonde man is silent for a moment and Percy waits for him to speak. The other man's grey eyes are searching Percy's and he has to look away. He can't bear their intensity.

"This has to stop," the Malfoy says decisively.

His eyes flick up to meet the blonde man's, he knows that there is surprise written on every edge of his face.

"I see you everywhere and it's…" Malfoy drifts off. He looks beyond Percy for a minute and Percy suddenly feels very nervous. "I'm imagining it, aren't I?" the young Malfoy doesn't finish his original sentence.

Percy feels the air thicken. "Imagining what?" he asks gently. He can see that the Malfoy is greatly distressed.

The Malfoy shakes his head in his fine boned hands, the golden strands of his hair coiling round his fingers. "I'm going insane."

"We're all mad here," Percy mutters under his breath.

The Malfoy looks up and laughs. "I'd better be going." Percy gets up and follows him out, tea cup in one hand. The young Malfoy doesn't speak, but holds the door open for a fraction longer to let Percy through. Their hands brush as Percy reaches up to take over. He walks silently behind the blonde man before turning into the tea room, confused to as why the blonde man was ever in his office in the first place.

2:37pm Thursday, 25th of November, 1999

There is a knock on the office door and Percy looks up. A dark-haired witch walks in and looks around for a moment before her eyes rest on him.

"Can I help you?" Percy asks cautiously.

"Oh good, Pucey's not here," the witch sighs in relief. "So you're Weasley?" she asks. Her voice is amused. Percy thinks that he has seen her somewhere before. It is possible that she was just a student at Hogwarts when he was there, but he isn't satisfied with that explanation.

"Yes, Percy Weasley," he responds. "And you are?"

"He's really confused about you, you know," the witch continues not answering his question. "I don't know why. He's always been so vehemently against you and yours. It should be just an open-shut case, but he says you're different."

"Who?" Percy asks, but he has a sinking feeling in his stomach. He places the witch now. She was with the young Malfoy at the Quiddicth match. Percy feels a pinch of jealousy.

"Draco," she takes a seat in the chair in front of his desk. "Who else would I be here for? Not that he knows that I'm here. He would kill me if he knew."

"Oh," Percy is beside himself. He is sure he doesn't understand.

The witch stares at him for moment. Percy glances anywhere but at her. "He works in Magical Catastrophes, you know. So if you ever feel the urge to visit him just go to the Oblivators' headquarters. He's not that great at putting himself out there. He says he always stuffs it up…so please, if you're interested or not," the witch shrugs, "let him know. Okay?"

The witch looks at him again. "I still don't know why he wants you, though," she tells him as she walks out of his office. Percy stares at the door as it slams shut. He is not exactly sure what had just happened