A/N: This chapter is dedicated to jadely31 who has stuck with this story for an awfully long time now and I am extremely grateful for that! I was staring at this chapter, feeling like I was getting nowhere fast, a couple of weeks back when I realised I had a new e-mail – well anything to procrastinate, I opened it to find a lovely review from them that reassured me that someone out there was still reading this and made me absolutely determined to get another update out asap. Thank you. Seriously. The world feels insane right now and it feels like the little things matter more.
I always say I'm going to update quicker next time and I always fail, and that makes me feel rubbish, but I am feeling more inspired on this story again these days – inspired or not though I am not letting this go, I will be seeing this through to the end, I just hope someone's still reading then!
A Subtle Change
Chapter 36
I need you. Minerva's words had circled Severus' head all night.
It might be the first time anyone had ever said that to him.
On reflection though, it wasn't really. Minerva might have been the first to voice those particular words but the sentiment wasn't entirely new. If leaving your child in someone's care wasn't expressing a need for them, then what was?
Severus was likely to spend a lifetime wondering why him. Why, of all the people they could have chosen, had the Malfoys decided he was who they would entrust their son to? They were as unforthcoming with answers in death as they'd typically been in life.
The Malfoys. Minerva. Why after 30 odd years had people suddenly decided they needed him.
It was uncomfortable. It came with an instant panic of just how badly he could let people down. He'd made enough of a mess of his own life, how was he supposed to guide a headstrong teenager who hated him? How could he offer serious support to a woman wiser and more powerful than he would ever be?
Approaching the Great Hall for breakfast, Severus tried to put it all from his mind. Easier said than done when he was tired and running late precisely because he'd spent all night trying and failing to do just that. He was late enough that there was only one seat left at the teachers' table. He sighed internally, of course there was, if there were any gods up there they'd never liked him.
"Good morning." Minerva looked as composed as always, like the last time they'd seen each other she hadn't verbally ripped him open right before saying something that felt so devastatingly personal that he couldn't get it (or her) out of his head.
"Good morning," he returned awkwardly, before sitting down in the empty seat on her right.
A wave of her hand and Severus' cup filled with an aromatic black coffee. The only response to his raised eyebrow was, "You're not the only one who can show off."
He'd never doubted for a moment that she could perform such relatively simple wandless magic, but he'd rarely seen her do it. Whereas he had learnt to do without his wand as much as possible, she seemed to prefer to use hers most of the time. Whether that was habit or because she knew the value of being underestimated he wasn't sure, though it seemed unlikely that there were many people left who would underestimate her. More importantly though, "I do not show off!"
"You do. You always have."
For an awful moment he thought she might make some remark about him looking for attention and he bristled for a fight, but she simply sipped her tea and asked Professor Flitwick to pass the toast.
Alright, so he liked recognition, what was wrong with that – he'd received precious little of it in his life! Perhaps at times it would be fair to say he had got slightly carried away in seeking it; from being seduced by the Dark Lord's overtures of admiration, to refusing to hear out his school bullies as they begged him to understand they were not guilty of what it had then appeared. Though that might have had less to do with seeking recognition than it did with the seductive pull of watching one suffer who had so delighted in seeing the same in him. His sympathy for Black's 12 years in Azkaban was decidedly limited.
"You're scowling." Minerva commented.
"I am not." He scowled all the deeper.
She raised her eyebrows. "Of course not. That would be so unlike you. What was I thinking?" There was the faintest hint of humour, enough to suggest the retort was good natured while staying well clear of suggesting she was finding humour at his expense.
Minerva had long mastered that art. She knew how to fight with him, to turn scornful or exasperated words into something almost fond even when he knew full well she was furious with him. That incident with Black and Lupin in the Shrieking Shack had earned him more than one harsh rebuke. She never though, even when their arguments turned teasing, made it feel like she was laughing at him.
It helped. Even when he was furious with her. For someone who spent so much time furious with all the world though, he was only rarely so much as angry with her.
"Gryffindors don't think," he retorted.
It was his turn to calmly continue with his breakfast as her head snapped round in his direction. Her lips were compressed to a thin line but it looked more like she was biting down on a laugh than an insult. Corners of her mouth quirking slightly, she shook her head and returned to buttering her toast.
Apparently their current, partially self-inflicted, chaos had granted his house a reprieve. She allowed him the final word.
XXXXXXX
Invigorated by an excellent morning's training, Oliver flew just above the cloud cover, warming charm keeping off the worst of the cold, dipping down only when he was sure he was approaching the Burrow.
He knew Percy was spending the day 'working from home', which was about the oddest phrase he'd ever heard the other man utter. Percy had complained repeatedly about how hard it was to get any work done at the Burrow so why he was voluntarily basing himself there for a day made no sense. At least it hadn't made any sense until Percy had made some offhand remark about Thornfield that suggested he and his boss were having another disagreement. There was nothing about Percy's habit of avoidance that Oliver felt should be encouraged, but he'd absolutely refused to let himself comment on anything to do with Percy's work. Percy wouldn't dream of offering him career advice, so Oliver fully intended to extend the same courtesy.
He landed right at the front door and found it open almost before he'd dismounted. Clearly he'd been spotted, he just hoped no local Muggles had spotted him as well!
"You broomstick fanatics are a menace to the Statute of Secrecy!" Oliver was greeted with a fond head-shake and a kiss as Percy pulled him inside. "My family are all out, even Ginny! She's been told she can start taking short trips out now, build her strength up a bit. Mum was going to St Mungo's for a check up anyway and it seemed a pretty safe place to take Ginny to. The whole house is empty."
What else could Percy's willingness to embrace him in the hallway have indicated. "I figured." Oliver watched Percy's face fall and realised he'd just poured an unpleasant amount of cold water on Percy's perfectly justified pleasure at the fact his sister was getting stronger. "I'm sorry, that was...unnecessary."
Percy smiled grimly. "It's fine...well it's fair anyway."
"No, it's stupid. After everything we've all been through recently we don't need to go looking for more conflict, especially with each other."
"But it bothers you."
It wasn't a question but Oliver still felt compelled to answer. "Yes. But it's your life and your decision."
"Yes. It is."
Percy's slightly supercilious response, so typical of the redhead when he felt defensive, made Oliver press more than he'd intended to. "Why don't you just tell your family about us, I mean what do you think is going to happen?" He softened the question with a squeeze of the other man's hand.
Percy squeezed back, presumably in an attempt to soften his own words. "I don't know what's going to happen and to be honest, Oliver, I think we've all had enough of unknowns for now."
"Bill reacted well." Oliver knew Percy had issues with his family, that things had not always been quite as they should have, but he really couldn't fathom his reluctance to tell them about their relationship.
"Yes. Bill." Percy retracted his hand and gave him a slightly scornful look. "My brother with the ear piercing, ponytail, and dragon hide jacket had little trouble accepting something unconventional. Shocking."
Oliver didn't appreciate Percy's snippy sarcasm under the circumstances but fought to maintain his sense of humour. "Well he was also a banker."
Percy clearly did not approve of Oliver's attempt to find a lighter side to the issue. "I'm glad you think this is funny."
"Oh I don't think anything about this is funny!" Oliver almost snapped at the reproof.
There was no 'almost' to Percy's, "Well that makes two of us then!"
Oliver took a deep breath and fought to remain calm. Percy was upset, he'd been through a lot, and Oliver had said he wasn't going to push things. "I didn't come here to argue, I was hoping you might like to have dinner later."
The tension in Percy's shoulders diminished ever so slightly. "Where?"
It was all Oliver could do not to shout Oh, for god's sake, are you ever going to be seen with me in public again! As it was Percy had to repeat the question, Oliver spent so long silently composing himself.
"Anywhere you like. I'm happy to try and cook if you want? Or I could just order something, that'll probably be better."
Percy's shoulders had visibly relaxed now and Oliver knew he shouldn't find Percy's relief so annoying. "That would be lovely."
It would. It would be lovely. Oliver was in danger of forgetting that. He tried to shake off the niggling doubts and took Percy's hand again. "I should let you work, how about I have dinner ready for 7pm?"
Percy smiled and kissed him. "I'll be there."
Oliver was abruptly reminded of the fact that the last time Percy had said he'd be there for dinner he had not in fact been there. He'd all but forgotten about it, about the ruined dinner, the melted washing up bowl (which he still needed to replace, a perk of staying with his parents so long had been putting off household shopping) and possibly unwise visit to Adam with the wine he'd expected to share with Percy. Percy himself showed no sign that the fact he'd effectively stood Oliver up was even crossing his mind. It likely wasn't. Oliver suddenly felt unwilling to go and found Percy laughingly disentangling their hands.
"I really do need to work, Ol." Percy looked at him very seriously for a moment, "Are you alright? You're not struggling to sleep or anything like that now you're back in your own flat?"
Oliver put on his most confident smile, the one he was reasonably convinced even his mother couldn't see through. "No. Nothing like that. I'll let you get on."
"Ok." Percy looked unconvinced, and just for a moment it felt like maybe there was someone that smile didn't fool after all. An owl appeared at the window though bearing a letter with a Ministry seal and Percy's attention was pulled away. "I'll be there at seven."
Oliver stole a final kiss while Percy was trying to wrestle the letter off the owl (seemingly quite difficult when Oliver prevented him seeing what he was doing) and quickly left before the owl got nippy.
XXXXXXX
Pansy sat at the back of the Charms classroom, idly plaiting and unplaiting a strand of her long hair and staring out of the window. Flitwick didn't try to stop her. Of all the teachers he was probably the one that had thrown her the most sympathetic looks over the past weeks, and on one occasion had even called her into his office and forced her to watch some tap-dancing cupcakes. She had an inkling that he meant well, but she couldn't find the energy to care.
She and Draco still weren't speaking, their relationship was in shreds and this time it didn't look salvageable. They'd fought before, but never like this. She wasn't even sure she wanted things to be salvageable between them. He was being an immature, self-obsessed...her train of thought chugged to a halt. This kept happening, she swore she was done thinking about him and then almost instantly started thinking about him. She could raise enthusiasm for nothing right now, but thoughts of Draco and their ruined romance cut through the fog like nothing else. If only she'd held her temper in then maybe she wouldn't be alone, but that was ridiculous. It wasn't her fault, he'd lashed out at her over everything from the very moment they'd found out. He'd been awful, pushing her away, snapping at her every suggestion of comfort, and belittling her in front of everyone. They'd fought before, yes, but he'd never treated her like that. Her own unkind words and outbursts of temper had been thoroughly deserved.
If things had been bad between the two of them though, in some ways things had been worse with the other five students to receive those dreadful summons from Snape.
By the end of that first week Crabbe, Goyle and Alice Hob had been gone; the boys transferred to Durmstrang, Alice old enough to simply drop out altogether.
Esther Gibbons had been the first of them to recover herself, after all in reality she'd lost her family months back and by her own choice. If anything she seemed better than she had all year. Pansy could see glimpses of the sharp, witty girl she remembered. Whatever brief camaraderie that initial missive had pulled Esther back into with the rest of them though had fast dissipated. Her situation was not theirs and Pansy, Draco and Theo had returned to carefully excluding her.
With his mother, who had raised him on her own, in prison, Theodore's father had repeatedly tried to make contact with the son he'd walked out on before he was even born. Pansy had been shocked by how little it seemed to have taken to persuade Theo to meet with the man in Hogsmeade. Her classmate had returned looking tired and pale and had even less to say for himself than usual.
Her own friends had withdrawn with all due haste from her company. She found she didn't miss them, she felt isolated and vulnerable without people around her but it wasn't as though she'd cared much for any of them. Pansy had always had the unfortunate habit of viewing her female schoolmates as rivals rather than allies.
"Miss Parkinson? Pansy?"
She looked up with a start, then looked down a little, directly into the worried face of Professor Flitwick. "Class has finished," he said gently. "Everyone else has left." A glance around her confirmed he was right, she was alone. "You look like you're having a rough day."
A rough day. What other kind was there for her now? Still, he meant well, she was beginning, slowly, to almost appreciate almost like him for it.
Her silence only seemed to worry him further. "I don't have any more classes now, why don't you come and have a cup of tea in my office?"
Pansy could see dancing cake in her future and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. She opened her mouth to refuse but then realised she was effectively being offered a chance to sit in his office and drink tea instead of going to Potions.
"Ok."
The little man gave her a smile. "Lovely. I might even have some cake somewhere!"
Pansy groaned internally, maybe Potions would have been a better bet. Too late now.
XXXXXXX
An afternoon filled with Gryffindor students who hated him, and Slytherin ones who hated him more, had done little to improve Severus' mood. His NEWTS class had been particularly trying, as should probably be expected from any class that contained both Draco and Potter. Or should have contained Draco and Potter, as it happened only one of them had turned up. The latter's absence had gone unexplained with Granger simply looking uncomfortable and suggesting maybe he wasn't feeling well.
Thus the sight of Potter (never exactly welcome), moodily stomping along the corridor, broomstick in hand, could hardly have been less well timed. For a moment, something in the lighting and the posture, it could have been James.
Not shouting wasn't even an option Severus considered. "Potter! You were absent from my class this afternoon." Which in reality had been an improvement on the one Potions class Potter had attended since leaving the hospital wing, but that was decidedly not the point.
The boy looked utterly unconcerned. "I can't imagine why I wouldn't have wanted to be there."
If even Draco, who seemed to hold him personally responsible for his parents' deaths, could show up to his class, then Severus saw no reason the boy he'd nearly been killed trying to save couldn't. "You've always thought you've got nothing more to learn haven't you, Potter. Always put yourself so far above the rest of us mere mortals."
The boy laughed scornfully. "Oh it must be such a disappointment to you that I didn't mange to get myself killed after all!"
Disappointment. Yes, because failing Albus one last time was exactly what Severus had been going for. Good god though he was sick of this boy. Bitterly, he thought he'd liked him better when he was broken in a cell. Probably best if he didn't share that particular sentiment though.
"When it comes to you, Potter, I save my disappointment for your ineptitude when you do show up in my classroom and for your general attitude towards those unfortunate enough to have to suffer you."
"What is going on?" Wonderful. Just who he'd wanted as a witness. Not even twenty four hours since she'd said she needed him and here he was letting Minerva down again.
Severus' anger meant Potter found his voice first. "Nothing, Professor McGonagall. Professor Snape and I were just having a discussion about disappointment. I'm late for a Quidditch practice." The boy left before either of his teachers could stop him.
No you're not! Severus wanted to shout. There's no bloody Quidditch practice at this hour, you're just an entitled little brat who...
"What was that about?" Minerva cut through his thoughts.
"Some people still think the rules don't apply to them."
"Severus!" He could see her visibly restraining herself, could see patience pushed too far and his friend ready to snap. She didn't though. She always held things together. That was who Minerva was. What she lacked of Albus' seemingly endless patience she made up for in a formidable self-control Severus could only envy. "Come to the staff room. I think it's best if he's left to his own devices for now." She turned to go, noticed he wasn't following her, and looked back, frustrated. "That wasn't a suggestion. I need to speak to the staff about Harry, things can't go on like this."
"I'll see you there, I have a cauldron that needs removing from the heat or it'll bubble over and make a mess."
She gave him a sardonic smile. "Of course."
It was no good, the boy made his blood boil. Every single time, all he saw was James Potter out to humiliate him and it no longer mattered what was or wasn't true in that image. It had never been about what James, Sirius, or any of their hangers on had managed to do, but it had everything to do with how they'd made him feel. How he'd allowed them to make him feel.
Disgusted with himself, the situation, everything, Severus stormed back to his dungeon sanctuary to catch his breath. There were days, he strongly felt, when getting up in the morning turned out to have been a wildly misguided plan.
XXXXXXX
Another teacher might have felt more conflicted about offering tea and sympathy to this particular student, would have argued Pansy was alone and miserable very much because of her own actions. The actions of her parents couldn't fairly be held against her, but her own certainly could and they had seldom been good. Filius though had always tried to deal with the student sat in front of him, to allow them the freedom of leaving their mistakes and missteps behind and just deal with now.
The student currently sat in front of him looked like someone on the verge of giving up. There was nothing neglected about her personal appearance but whereas she'd once moved through the school in a gaggle of people, always busy and chatty and enjoying the attention, now she slunk around like a cat someone had kicked, avoiding everyone and paying no heed to her classes, her teachers, or her fellow students. None of it seemed to matter to her. There was something almost reckless in her apathy, her determination to make no effort to reclaim her life or future, to refuse to try. He had a horrible feeling that sooner or later she was going to get hit hard with the fact that far from nothing mattering, everything mattered more when the world wasn't your friend. That the education she was wasting might be her best hope of a future that looked brighter than her present. That the classmates, past enemies and friends alike, were the peers she'd be dealing with for a long long time. The wizarding community was a small one.
He'd tried to get her to talk, but to say she wasn't forthcoming would be an understatement. She'd drunk the tea he'd offered and picked at a piece of cake that he'd forbore from making dance after the look she'd given him the last time he'd tried to cheer her up that way.
He wondered if she was talking to anyone at all. She seemed to have gone from a girl he never saw alone to one who was never anything else, almost overnight. She certainly wasn't talking to Severus, that much was clear. Very few of his house were and Filius had tried to reach out to a number of them, give them someone a little more removed from it all who they might feel able to talk to. They'd all rebuffed him. Pansy was the only one who'd even gone so far as to condescend to sit in his office and drink tea with him, and that might only be because she didn't care enough to refuse.
At the striking of the clock, signalling the end of the last lesson of the day, she rose from her chair and smoothed her skirt. "Thank you for the tea." It was remarkably polite given that she'd barely spat out two words whilst drinking it.
"You're welcome." You're always welcome, he wanted to say, would have said had it been a member of his own house he was talking to, but he had a feeling that too much encouragement with this one would have the opposite effect.
Filius walked out with her, accompanying her down the stairs. An upside to her sudden penchant for dawdling was the ease with which he could keep pace with her longer legs. "Why don't you try and get a little fresh air before dinner?" he suggested as they reached the ground floor.
Pansy shrugged, and for a moment he thought she might be softening just a little, but then she looked down the corridor towards the Entrance Hall and her face hardened.
Confused as to what had upset the touchy student now, Filius looked up and saw the Headmistress bearing down on them.
Minerva didn't seem to have noticed Pansy. Now that she wasn't constantly spouting views that had always meant Filius found her difficult to like (probably simply due to the fact she was saying very little at all), the girl was unexpectedly easy to overlook as she padded along so slowly and quietly she could have been a part of the tapestry she was passing.
In fairness Minerva did also seem rather distracted, and was of course looking down in order to make eye contact with him thus putting Pansy rather above her eyeline. "Ah Filius, could you come to the staffroom, I need to talk to everyone, there's been a bit of an upset. Harry..." she spotted Pansy and abruptly stopped.
The girl's face twisted unpleasantly. "Oh, don't mind me. Potter's had another meltdown, everyone best run to his aid!"
"Pansy!" She was halfway down the corridor even as Flitwick called after her, no intention of turning back. The fact she'd sounded more alive in her spite than she had with anything else didn't encourage him to call again.
"What was that about?" His colleague didn't look like she had time to pursue Pansy's poor behaviour.
The Charms Professor sighed, "Difficult Slytherins. I have no idea how Severus deals with them."
"By being one usually." Minerva's annoyance was clear.
"Has he been difficult again?"
"He's who Harry was upset with. I have no idea what started it but Severus certainly wasn't doing much to finish it."
Filius wished he were tall enough to pat her arm without it looking ridiculous. "He's not changed in some ways has he? If you want to find him, just look for the unhappy Gryffindors."
Minerva laughed, "Yes, I know, sometimes I'm one of them!"
She didn't look too unhappy though, he thought, just tired and frustrated. It seemed to him that she'd long been unable to speak of Severus without sounding at least a little fond.
"Is now a good time to say how happy I am my own house are so little trouble?"
"That's not what you said last week when they filled their common room with smoke while trying one of their godforsaken experiments," she reminded him.
He didn't really have an answer to that one, the Ravenclaw common room still smelt a bit funny.
XXXXXXX
The discussion was in full flow by the time Severus joined his colleagues in the staffroom.
Minerva passed him a cup of tea with a stern expression. "No more danger of anything bubbling over?"
"No."
"Good. Sit down. I've briefed everyone on what happened, though to be honest I'm not sure what set him off is particularly important. I think we were bound to end up here at some point after everything Harry's been through."
"I'd really rather hoped he might stop the meltdowns once he got out of the hospital wing."
"Oddly enough, Severus, it wasn't exactly what any of us were hoping for!" Sprout admonished.
"Maybe it was too soon to send him back to classes." Professor Sinistra suggested, calmly.
"He needs normality," Severus insisted. "At least what passes for it around here. He's spent too long being a special case, it doesn't help him."
"Nor, I imagine, does you reprimanding him." Flitwick's words were uncharacteristically harsh.
"I was not..." Severus abandoned his remark and threw up his hands. "Think what you want. I treated him like any other student."
"That'd be a first!" Hagrid put in.
"Enough!" Minerva raised her hand, receiving instant silence. "We should probably have expected that after everything he's been through he'd have some trouble readjusting. The two of you have never responded well to each other, Severus, and that likely didn't help, but honestly something like this was bound to happen sooner or later."
"You're right," Madame Pomfry sighed. "He needs more than just the clean bill of physical health I can give him. He's experienced something traumatic. Indeed he's not the only one around here. Emotions are running high, and not just for him." She cast a significant look around the room while most of the teaching staff refused to catch her eye. "You should expect more of this across the board, and I would expect that many of us may find it harder to deal with than usual."
XXXXXXX
There was, Severus thought, nothing for clearing a room like tacitly suggesting that those occupying it might benefit from a little therapy. You don't have to mad to work at Hogwarts...
Minerva looked like, annoyed as she was, she wasn't quite ready to send her staff to a shrink. She had conceded though that some students in particular could do with a little encouragement to take up St Mungo's offer of counselling. She'd disappeared with Poppy to talk it over further, leaving the rest of them to make their way to dinner.
Severus was attempting to slip back to his dungeon when a voice coming from several feet below alerted him to Filius trying to get his attention.
"I'm sorry, Severus. What I said wasn't helpful. I think Poppy was correct, none of us have come through this as alright as we'd like people to think." Severus bristled, expecting something approaching amateur psychological analysis of his own state. Instead Flitwick looked rather sombre. "Well, I certainly haven't."
They were both quiet for a moment, letting the last of their colleagues pass out of the staffroom, before Filius continued. "I keep thinking I should have been there. I was a duelling champion, I know a thing or two about surviving a fight."
Survivors guilt. Severus was willing to trust his own amateur psychological analysis that far. There was a lot of it going around. Survivors guilt that was, though also quite frankly a lot of amateur psychology!
"That's why he wanted you here." Severus wished, not for the first time, that Albus had been a bit keener on explaining his motivations while he was still alive. "The Headmaster knew that if they failed Hogwarts would be a prime target, and he needed someone here with the ability to defend it. You have an impressively cool head, you're an excellent strategist and you are someone people underestimate."
The little man smiled conspiratorially, "Being less than four feet high has it's advantages."
Filius was cheerful as ever about his most noticeable feature. Like Hagrid, it was clear from a glance at him that there was something most definitely not human lurking in his family tree, and, like Hagrid, Filius had occasionally found himself on the receiving end of people who held 'views' about such things.
Filius had never once shown the slightest resentment towards Severus for his choosing to side with those people. Professor Flitwick had been one of his favourite teachers when he had been a student and had welcomed him back to Hogwarts with more genuine good nature than almost anyone else had. Less than four feet tall, yes, but a bigger man than most nonetheless.
"Hogwarts was lucky to have you." Severus held the door for the other man and started walking slowly down toward the Great Hall. "Poppy has been singing your praises ever since that night. Of course she's also been singing Longbottom's praises so her judgement is hardly infallible."
"Oh, Severus!" Filius shook his head with a grin and poked him, somewhat painfully, in the knee, causing him to struggle briefly to keep his balance. "That boy's got a lot more about him than you're ever willing to concede. His Charms work holds real promise you know, and Pomona says she's not come across such a natural in Herbology in many a long year."
"That may be, but I'm still grateful he no longer has cause to get near my cauldrons."
"I'd wager he's grateful for that too," Flitwick responded archly.
An image of a cowering Neville in one of his first potions classes crossed Severus' mind and he felt his lips curl in amusement.
Flitwick saw and shook his head, a sly smile crossing his face. "I heard you weren't so unfeeling when you came across him at the hospital last summer. Going soft in your old age, Severus?"
There was a temptation to ask how exactly how Filius knew about that, but he had a feeling that the explanation would involve a depressed Longbottom and the tap dancing cupcakes the other professor kept in his office to cheer up downcast students. He'd had those at least as long as Severus had known him. "He'd just lost his parents. I do have limits, even with students as irritating as that one. No need to spread vicious rumours about me going soft." He smiled, "I leave being kind to the students to you." The note he'd received that afternoon suggested even Pansy Parkinson had made it onto Filius' extensive list of students he was trying to help. Normally Severus would have objected to anyone being pulled out of his class, but he suspected that that particular student would get rather more from an hour with someone like Flitwick than from an hour staring into her cauldron like she had no idea what it was. She'd never been his best student but lately things had got ridiculous.
Pansy had made it clear she wasn't going to talk to him. Maybe Filius stood a better chance of getting through. Grateful as Severus was though, it irked him that the other man was having more luck with his Slytherins than he was of late.
A slightly bitter thought formed in Severus' mind as they parted ways, him waving aside Filius' insistence that he come and eat some dinner, preferring to retreat to his office. When it came down to it, in certain ways, he was absolutely not who Minerva 'needed'. The twist in his stomach suggested that Minerva's reliance on his own support was more gratifying than he had wished to acknowledge. The truth was, the two of them were too similar for him to offer the right balance that Hogwarts needed.
If there was one teacher in the school the students were more scared of displeasing than himself, it was Professor McGonagall. It made sense, she'd scared him and when he'd come to teach himself he felt that in some ways she'd shaped his own methods. She was generally reckoned more approachable than he was, but still miles away from their Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff counterparts. Filius and Pomona were much more 'my door is always open' types, with dancing cupcakes and purring potplants on hand to comfort troubled students. Minerva and himself stood some way apart from each other, but both still further down the tough love end of the spectrum than their colleagues.
She needed him personally, but professionally he saw exactly where this was going, even if he suspected she hadn't yet come to the waiting conclusion herself.
XXXXXXX
Charlie would later state that he had been innocently minding his own business and that the fact it was the childhood bedroom he and Bill had shared that he'd been doing it in shouldn't be read too deeply into. He was definitely not moping. The twins were having none of it. Descending like a whirlwind into his personal space as though they'd just apparated there, they were hauling Charlie to his feet before he knew quite what was happening.
"You are coming with us."
Charlie found himself checking his wand was within reach. "Where?" he asked dubiously.
"Pub." The twins answered in unison.
Their brother shook his head. "I'm really not in the mood."
The twins exchanged a look and Fred said decisively, "That's why we're going."
"What?"
"You can't sit in here forever." George said in explanation as he grabbed Charlie's cloak and whirled it about him, getting one side stuck on his ear.
"I wasn't intending to." Charlie fought his cloak down from the side of his head. "Aside from anything else, I am supposed to be going back to Romania at some point." He was trying not to think about that.
"Now don't start on about work, you sound like Percy." They bustled him out the door and towards the stairs.
The sound of his brother's name made him ask, "Why does he get out of this?"
"We can't find him." Fred complained.
"He's probably at work." George's expression said clearly that Percy was to be considered something of a lost cause.
"Again!" Fred rolled his eyes.
"Well be fair, with you two on the loose he's safer there!" Charlie grumbled, struggling to keep his feet under him as he was hustled down the stairs.
"What are you three up to?" Their father met them in hallway, drawn from the kitchen by the noise as Charlie stumbled down the last couple of steps. His dad was there just in time to reach out and steady him.
"Pub." The twins chorused again.
His dad looked so pleased that Charlie couldn't fight any more. "Yeah, pub."
Arthur Weasley all but beamed. "I'm glad you're going out, Charlie."
"You could come with us?" George suggested. "Keep us under control?"
Arthur laughed, something Charlie hadn't heard in too long and suddenly he remembered why he loved his irritating brothers. For all Fred and George often took things too far, caused more damage than they ever seemed to acknowledge, they also seemed to know, instinctively, better than any of the rest of them, what to say when no one else did. They knew how to make their father smile again.
"I think I'll leave that pleasure to Charlie. Though perhaps sometimes, we all need to be a little out of control?" He patted Charlie on the arm, "Please and try and have some fun."
The twins' chorus of 'He will!' sounded more like a threat than anything else.
XXXXXXX
Oliver looked at the clock, 7pm and no Percy. Ok, no reason to panic, he was just late, he'd probably got held up with work, he'd turn up. Hopefully before dinner went cold. Oliver paced up and down, rearranged the cushions on the sofa and fiddled with the cutlery and wine glasses he'd laid out on the table.
At the sound of a knock he was so relieved he almost ran to open the door. He was greeted by a slightly sheepish looking Percy. "I'm sorry I'm late, I..." Percy held something out to him in what Oliver assumed was either apology or explanation.
Sunflowers. Bright and beautiful and not in the least bit restrained. If Oliver had expected discretely budding roses, or something clever involving carnations, he'd have been disappointed. But of course he hadn't expected anything. Percy was good at catching people off-guard, even when he didn't mean to.
"I..." Percy looked embarrassed at Oliver's silence. "Are they alright? I wasn't sure...I mean do people buy men flowers?"
Oliver laughed, "I don't think there are any rules." He smiled warmly and took the bouquet, "Thank you, I love them." He felt himself flush a little. "No one's ever bought me flowers before."
Percy looked relieved. "I'm glad you like them." He looked almost shy and Oliver couldn't not kiss him, carefully trying not to crush the flowers between them.
"There's only one problem," he pointed out, "I don't think I own a vase."
Percy gave him an effortlessly self-assured look. "That's not a problem. Give me something I can transfigure."
Within minutes Oliver had a rather nice new vase and a renewed sense of just how impressive his boyfriend was. He was pretty sure no attempt of his own would have looked that good.
XXXXXXX
Showing up unannounced on people's doorsteps was, Remus considered, possibly a bad habit he was forming. Dru didn't always look like she appreciated it, Severus certainly hadn't appreciated it, but Arthur Weasley greeted him with a warm smile.
Nevertheless Remus hesitated, still feeling like this was the last doorstep he should be darkening. "Is it...Is it a bad time, Arthur?"
"Not at all!" Arthur ushered him inside. "I've as good as got the house to myself. Molly and Ginny are both in bed, they went out earlier and it's worn them out. The twins have dragged Charlie out to the pub. Percy's gone out as well, he didn't say where. Please sit down, it's nice to have some company. I was about to have a cup of tea and raid the biscuits, care to join me?"
Remus smiled, "I never turn down biscuits."
"Wise man."
Settled with tea and copious amounts of biscuits, Remus relaxed in The Burrow's comfortable living room. "It must be nice to be back here, Arthur."
"It is. It helps." Arthur determinedly changed the subject. "Anyway, what have you been up to? I could really do with hearing about something else."
Remus hesitated. "I've been...busy with, erm, Druscilla."
"Busy?" Arthur's eyes twinkled. "It that what they're calling it now?"
Remus chuckled self-consciously, "Arthur!" He sobered. "I don't honestly know what to call it. I know what I'd like to call it, but she's not...well...I don't really know what she wants, she's not being terribly clear."
Arthur smiled sympathetically. "She might just be busy with work, I assume she's shoring up support for a Ministerial bid."
"She is, but it's not just that. She's blowing hot and cold a lot, but more often cold. I wish I could believe it was about work, but it's not. I don't know what's going to happen and it's driving me mad. I don't know what to think, what to say, what to do." Remus grimaced, "Things got bad enough that I went to visit Severus to see if he fancied joining me for a drink."
"And, how was that?" Arthur asked carefully, poorly concealing a smile of amusement.
"Well he did give me a drink," Remus conceded, "Though he also told me never to come back."
Arthur chuckled softly. "That sounds like the Snape we all know."
Remus sighed, "It was a really stupid thing to do and I'm probably lucky he didn't try to curse me. Actually scratch the 'try', I'm fairly sure Severus would succeed before I could even think about stopping him."
"Probably. Though I don't think I'll ever stop being grateful for his kindness to Percy." Arthur frowned, "That is, I doubt Severus would describe it as 'kindness' but he certainly helped when none of the rest of us seemed to be getting anywhere."
"Well, I'm not the only one disturbing his peace of late. I had an owl from McGonagall earlier, apparently he and Harry had quite the set-to. Again."
"Oh dear."
"Yes. Harry's not coping well. Severus is never coping well. They've always been a bad combination but right now...well, I suppose this was inevitable."
"I'm afraid it probably was," Arthur agreed. "Does Harry know how much Severus did for the Order, how instrumental he was in rescuing him?"
"I think he knows but doesn't fully appreciate it. I need to have another talk with him about it all, though it's probably not helpful how often he's seen me fighting with Severus myself."
"You fight with Severus when he's being difficult and vindictive, and you defend him when he's not. I'm sure Harry's old enough to begin to understand that, that Severus has two very different sides to him and that though they do not cancel each other out they do make him a little more complicated than the moustache twirling villain he likes to pose as."
It took Remus a good few minutes to stop laughing at that image. "Oh god Arthur, you're not wrong! Severus is his own worst enemy with how he presents himself to the world. Not that I'd tell him that, I'm not feeling that courageous. Especially not right now. Apparently even Dru came close to a fight with him over something or other recently! As she put it, about 'the fact they were both more upset than they'd like to admit to'. Which sounds disturbingly plausible and in character for them both."
"It does rather."
"She also said she had to stop Draco Malfoy from drawing his wand on Andromeda Tonks, which I suspect is another problem that's landed itself in Severus' lap. And Draco's probably far from the only one of his students to be acting out right now." Becoming depressed with even the thought of Severus' problems, Remus took another biscuit, suddenly rather guilty that he'd interrupted him the other night. Arthur was a much more satisfactory drinking partner than Severus, but he couldn't deny the man had managed to make him feel better when he'd probably been feeling awful himself. Remus grabbed a second biscuit and adopted a lighter tone "So poor Severus has had rather a lot to cope with of late, just when you'd think his life might get a little easier he's beset by traumatised students and lonely werewolves."
Arthur let his forced cheerfulness slide. "Why on earth didn't you come here? I'm not sure I could beat Severus Snape in many ways, I once lost spectacularly to him at chess during a very long wait for an Order contact, but I think when it comes to hospitality and a friendly welcome I probably have the edge."
Remus chuckled, "Probably."
Arthur smiled but raised prompting eyebrows, "Well, go on. Why didn't you come here?"
Sometimes it was really easy to tell that the man had raised seven teenagers, all of whom seemed to have had their own unique ways of wreaking their own brand of havoc at one time or another. It was difficult to resist that particular look he was currently bestowing Remus with. It spoke firmly, but not unkindly, of 'you've done something foolish and you can either tell me what it is and we can try and fix it, or you can prevaricate your way into more trouble'.
Remus smiled sheepishly. "I rather thought, under the circumstances, you didn't need my problems."
"Because my own are so much more enjoyable?" Arthur's sad grimace twisted into something more genuinely amused. "To be honest, Remus, I'd bloody kill for your problems." He sounded like Ron, and Remus couldn't help smiling back.
"Besides it's been a good many years since any of my friends has embroiled themselves in a dubious love affair, and Molly tells me you can't laugh when it's one of your own children it happens to." There was a twinkle in Arthur's eyes that told Remus that, albeit in a very good natured way, he was definitely the butt of the joke.
"Thanks, Arthur!" Remus couldn't stop himself laughing.
The world saw Arthur Weasley as a kind but unremarkable man who was very much kept in line by his wife. The more Remus had got to know him though, the more he'd realised that it was his very kindness that helped to make him remarkable and that no one, not even Molly, was capable of keeping the man in line if he didn't want to conform. It amused Remus to think that the Weasley children's penchant for rebellion was probably inherited from the unassuming Ministry man.
That thought brought on a quite different one, it was after all another Ministry rebel he was trying to understand. Arthur probably had a different insight into what Dru was like than anyone else Remus knew. "You've worked with Dru a long time, haven't you?"
"We've both been at the Ministry for a long time," Arthur responded carefully. "I've never actually worked with her. Though we did once spend an entertaining afternoon lost on the muggle Underground together whilst trying to get to a meeting." Arthur smiled at the memory before seeing Remus' confusion and explaining, "It was during an internal Ministry drive to stop apparition in central London, following a few close calls with muggles – that didn't last long, I think many of our colleagues caused more consternation on the Underground than they would have by appearing from thin air." He became more serious though as he added, "I'm not sure Druscilla's a big fan of my office if I'm honest."
"Really?" That wasn't what Remus had expected to hear. Druscilla valued many of the things Arthur epitomised, hard work, principled stands, being unafraid to speak out. He had to admit though that now he thought about it, he didn't think he'd ever seen them chatting in any of the many Order meetings they'd both been present at.
Remus could tell Arthur didn't entirely want to say something but was steeling himself to say it anyway. "I've always felt there's a bit of the old pureblood mentality about her. She wouldn't like to see Muggles harmed but she's not particularly interested in them, and when she is it's only to be wary of them. She doesn't understand the Muggle world, she's never really experienced it. To be fair, neither have I, but I don't think she understands why I find them fascinating."
This wasn't exactly a shock, Remus had spent enough time around Dru to realise that their politics didn't always align. For all she was open minded and passionate in defence of, often unpopular, causes, she was also slightly conservative at times, with a hard-line approach to things she found unacceptable. Her own life experience she acknowledged to be privileged but he sometimes felt that she forgot this in the heat of the moment, that she was capable of speaking without fully understanding and without realising that she didn't fully understand. Her passion led her to drive on like a rogue erumpent and heaven help anyone who got in her way, even if they had good reason for being there.
"I think she'd make a good Minister nonetheless," Arthur clarified. "She might not have been my first choice, but she's a good person, she's determined and smart and willing to make herself unpopular defending other people. She could bring a lot that's good to the role."
Remus smiled wryly. "I do know what she's like. She and I don't always agree, but I do think she can do this. I think she's more than just bright and driven, I think she's got compassion that she doesn't let many people see. I think she understands much more than her flippant attitude suggests. Like Severus, her personality doesn't always do credit to the rather more complex person underneath."
"Yes, I must admit I've struggled to understand the public image she presents. It's got worse in recent years, it seems like the closer she's got to power the worse she's behaved in some ways. Her politics and her goals don't seem to have changed, but she has. She's got more openly flippant, more obviously flirty, more likely to use people and spit them out."
Remus winced and Arthur continued with an apologetic glance. "Druscilla is intelligent, well-educated, well-read, practical, charming, passionate and generous with her money, time and support. However one virtue I've never been able to add to the list was kind. She might fight dedicatedly for people's rights but she has no interest in providing tea and sympathy or a friendly ear to the world at large. You earn whatever kindness you get from her, there's no general goodwill there. I did have some concerns about Percy working for her, especially when he so clearly came to admire her. But instead of making Percy more hardnosed than, it pains me to say, he can occasionally be, I do wonder if he hasn't made her more thoughtful."
"I think he has. She once joked Percy was her professional conscience."
"Merlin knows she needed one! I think you've made a difference too. She's been very isolated. Driving people away like it's a badge of honour. Refusing to cooperate if she doesn't see instant gain. I think getting close to you has helped her reconsider some of that."
"She's really not who you would have chosen to run for Minister is she?" Remus asked, forced to admit to himself that he couldn't actually disagree with anything Arthur had said.
"No. Honestly I hoped Kingsley might be persuaded, but..." They shared a quiet moment remembering the gallant Head Auror, who even Remus felt was possibly better fitted to the traditional role of Minister than Dru was. "I can't help but be reminded though that Kingsley always had faith in Druscilla, and he knew her better than any of the rest of us. It was him who persuaded Dumbledore that she needed to be brought into the Order. He valued her highly, and if he'd survived and couldn't be persuaded to run himself then I think he might well have backed her campaign. You're not going to ask me if I'm backing her are you?" It was clear Arthur already knew the answer to that.
Remus shook his head. "I don't think it would be an appropriate question for me to ask you."
Arthur smiled, "She's not asked me either."
"I very much doubt that's because she doesn't value you, or that she wouldn't want your support."
"No, I think, possibly for the first time since I've known with her, she's being considerate. It's a tricky situation with Percy so clearly working on her campaign, and I suspect she knows I've not been in much of a place to think about politics."
"She does have some sense of tact."
"It's more than that," Arthur assured him. "If there's one thing I know she does understand, it's loss. I've been at the Ministry long enough to have watched her go through things no one should. Her whole family were gone within the span of a couple of years. Perhaps that's enough to make anyone forge a badge of honour out of being self-reliant. I'm interested to see who else steps forward, but actually I'm leaning towards offering her my support."
Remus felt the grin spreading across his face. "I think she'd be really happy to hear that. Look, I know she's not exactly warm and cuddly, but I really do think she's incredible and I know there's a good heart under all the posturing."
Arthur was smiling at him. "You love her, don't you."
Remus covered his face with his hands in laughter. "God help me, yes I do!" He threw out his hands helplessly, "She's difficult, and overwhelming, and slightly insane, and I'm normally far more cautious than she makes me, but somehow I have no doubts. I feel like I should have, but I don't. She's what I want. Problem is I'm not convinced I'm what she wants."
"I don't have any insight that can help you there, but I can tell you that if she lets you go then she's not as smart as I thought she was. She'd be lucky to be with you."
"I'm not sure I'd go that far."
"Stop it!" Arthur admonished sternly, "I wouldn't let the boys talk about themselves like that, so why would I let you?"
Remus chuckled, "You give much better pep talks than Severus!"
"Well of course I do."
The sound of people stumbling through the front door interrupted their conversation and within moments they were joined by a slightly inebriated Fred and George, and a very inebriated Charlie.
"We helped him unwind." George said proudly.
Arthur laughed and shook his head, "Oh dear."
With this noisy homecoming, Remus decided it was time to call it a night. As the brothers went in search of plates for the pungent takeaway they'd brought back with them, he took the opportunity to escape.
Arthur laughed again as he escorted him to the door. "Do you remember being that young?"
"I really don't!"
There was a crash from the direction of the kitchen and Arthur tried not to look concerned.
"I'm going to let you go and deal with that." Remus grinned.
The other man surprised him with a brief hug. "Thank you for coming round. It's been nice having someone else to talk to."
"Thank you for listening."
Arthur smiled, "Just remember, all relationships take work."
"Well Dru is a workaholic..."
"There you go, you're looking on the bright side already."
XXXXXXX
From the moment Percy had shown up with the beautiful sunflowers the evening had been perfect. Oliver couldn't remember the last time things had felt so easy, like they weren't teetering on the verge of a disagreement. Lounged together on the sofa in front of the fire, things just fit, they just fit. Maybe, Oliver thought, it really didn't need to be so complicated.
Percy shifted and stretched, a reluctant look on his face. "I really need to head off soon, it's late."
"Oh." Oliver couldn't hide his disappointment. "I was hoping you might stay?"
Percy looked unusually wistful. "Ol, you know I can't."
"Why?" It seemed pretty clear that he wanted to.
"It's not a good time, my family would be bound to notice right now, then they'd wonder where I was and what could I give them as a reason for being gone all night?"
It honestly wasn't the answer Oliver had expected, though it likely should have been. He'd been expecting something about work to be collected before Percy headed back to the office tomorrow, or an early morning meeting, not that. He replied as carefully as he could. "I suspect 'the truth' is too radical an answer to that clearly rhetorical question."
"Oliver." Percy managed to make his name sound like a plea, for patience, for understanding, possibly just for letting the subject drop.
"I know." Oliver squeezed his hand placatingly, but he wasn't letting things go entirely. "There is another question you could answer though. Can't you tell me what this is about? Why are you so afraid of them knowing about us? I'm not talking about telling the world, I know you're worried about your career, but this is your family!"
"Yes, my family who have been through a lot lately! Bill's dead, my mother's not long out of hospital, I just think they've been through enough for the moment!"
"Been through enough..." Oliver was equal parts baffled and insulted. "Percy you're telling them you've got a boyfriend, not a brain tumour!"
"Don't be like that, you know exactly what I mean!"
"Yes, Percy, that's the problem. I do know what you mean!"God, I wish I didn't right now. "I'm sorry but when you class our relationship in with your brother's death and what happened to your mother, it's a lot more revealing than you seem to think! Use that brain of yours for a moment and consider how you could expect that to make me feel?!"
"That's not what I meant." Percy muttered quietly, refusing to look him in the eyes.
Oliver felt utterly deflated, anger of a minute before replaced with a bitter misery. "Isn't it?"
Percy stood up suddenly. "If you want to second guess everything I say then you might as well have this conversation without me. I need to get home."
"No, you "need" to run away." That, Oliver knew the moment he'd said it, was definitely a mistake.
"Excuse me?" Percy always had done cold and careful rather too well. His tone was like creaking ice, suggesting any minute now the floor was going to disintegrate and plunge you into freezing depths.
Oliver though, hurt and offended, didn't know how to do anything else right now but fight back. As though putting Percy in the same kind of pain might lessen his own. "You're so used to being good at things, to finding things easy, and when you don't, when no amount of wracking that brilliant brain of yours seems to pay off, then your answer is always to just avoid the issue. You do it to me, to your boss, to your family!" Well if he hadn't crossed the line before, he certainly had now.
Percy didn't argue though, didn't even look at him, just picked up his cloak and marched over to the front door. "I'm leaving."
"Fine. Go." Part of Oliver hadn't quite thought he would. Hadn't quite expected to hear the door closing (not slamming, Percy did love to maintain the high ground when it came to maturity) behind Percy, leaving him alone.
XXXXXXX
Arthur found himself surrounded by his three sons as soon as Remus had gone. Whatever had crashed down in the kitchen though they seemed to have cleared it up before he'd got there.
"Are he and Thornfield still..." Fred wiggled his eyebrows.
"Fred! That's none of your business!" Arthur admonished, but couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Do you want a hot drink, dad?"
"No, thank you." Charlie did not in Arthur's opinion look quite sober enough to be around boiling water. "There's a Sober-Up potion in the cupboard somewhere I think, if you want it..."
"Did he say how Harry's doing?" George interrupted.
"Ye-es," Arthur responded slowly, wondering how much of the story to repeat. "It sounds like he's struggling a bit. I think everyone at Hogwarts is." Suddenly he felt very tired, nothing like the energy of the young to make you feel old. "Look, I think I'm going to go to bed, please try to keep the noise down and Charlie, please take that potion before you get any further with that kettle!"
George was, thank goodness, rooting in a cupboard and came up victorious with the potion in question, while Fred was removing the kettle from Charlie's hands. Right, he could go to bed reasonably assured they weren't going to burn the house down, that was good enough.
XXXXXXX
The Sober-Up potion was out of date but Charlie swallowed it regardless, washing down the greasy takeaway. It was still probably less toxic than anything else he'd imbibed in the last few hours. The twins had been buying the drinks and he'd lost track of how much he'd drunk in the endless parade of different coloured beverages and the odd cocktail umbrella. Not to mention whatever had been in that kebab. The twins looked far too bright eyed and sober now though. They also appeared to be mid-plot.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Fred was asking.
"It sounds like Hogwarts is in need of a little fun." George replied.
"Aren't we all right now." Charlie sighed, sobriety came with far too many memories, maybe he should have gone with the hangover.
The twins seemed to have almost forgotten he was there. "I feel like, as the school's most esteemed alumni, we should make a donation to this worthy cause." Fred declared.
"Definitely." George nodded as they both turned to look at Charlie.
Faced with identical terrifying grins, Charlie shook his head. "I don't want to know, I like my plausible deniability intact when it comes to you two!"
They cackled, there was no other word for it, it couldn't be termed anything so innocent as a laugh.
He was about to warn them not to wreak too much havoc when they were all distracted by the sound of the front door. Someone was trying to come in unheard.
The three of them exchanged a look and then cautiously made their way to the hallway.
Much to Charlie's relief though, it was Percy in a rather nice set of midnight blue robes that Charlie didn't think he'd seen before. "Hello," he smiled, "You're back late."
"It's been a long day!" Percy snapped, heading straight up the stairs with no further acknowledgement of any of them.
"Looks like some poor girl's had a lucky escape!" Fred commented.
"What?" Charlie began to wonder if he was as sober as he'd thought.
"He was wearing his best robes, either he's been at a full on Ministry function that he's failed to mention." George expounded.
"And when has he ever failed to mention an invite to a Ministry function?" Fred put in.
"Or he's been on a date." George finished.
"A failed one by the look of it." Fred looked a bit too amused by the idea.
"Leave him be, both of you!" Charlie sighed. "I'll go and see if he's alright." He took the stairs quickly enough that Percy only just made it into his bedroom before him. Charlie knocked gently on the open door, making sure he had Percy's attention before asking, "Can I come in?"
Percy looked miserable and cross and simply nodded without speaking.
"Is everything alright?"
"Fine. I'm just tired." He didn't look fine, he looked awful.
"Where have you been?" Charlie tried to keep his tone as neutral as possible, trying not to appear nosy but deeply curious. Was there really some mystery girl like the twins thought?
"Working."
Charlie eyed the incriminating dress robes, wondering what to say. Bill would have simply called Percy out, and ended up starting a fight while he was at it. As he stood in silence wondering what to say, Percy began to frown at him. "I'm tired, Charlie, if you don't mind I'd like to go to bed."
"Yeah, sorry." Charlie hesitated at the door, "You know if you ever wanted to talk about anything, I'm always here. Even when I'm in Romania, I'm only ever a firecall away."
"I'm fine. There's nothing to talk about."
With, he felt, possibly more of the puzzle pieces than anyone else, Charlie still wasn't quite sure what was going on with his brother but when Percy wasn't talking then no power on earth was going to make him.
XXXXXXX
A/N: That was longer than I'd originally intended, hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think. Next chapter we should see a little bit more of Harry and I have a feeling Dru will be back, for better or worse! :) Thank you to anyone who's read this and please everyone stay safe in these deeply unsettling times. X