Title comes from this line from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: "Harry could see the sun sinking, blood-red, below the skyline."

Oliver wasn't sure the Gryffindor common room had ever been so awfully silent before. He hadn't thought the year could get worse after all the petrifications, but now that a student had been taken - now that Ginny Weasley had been taken, the younger sister of Oliver's teammates and friends, a sweet and kind little first year who should have been having fun with her friends, not presumably dead in the bowels of the school - the petrifications hardly seemed important. Those people would wake soon. Professor McGonagall had said as much at breakfast. But Ginny…

The door to the common room opened, and Percy stepped inside, his face bone white. When McGonagall had made the announcement, Oliver had thought Percy might faint, but instead, he'd asked McGonagall for permission to go up to the Owlery to send a message to his parents. McGonagall had agreed to escort him there and back, and Percy had left before anyone could say a word to him. Oliver had already done his best to offer his condolences to Fred, George, and Ron, but he hadn't had a chance to speak to Percy.

And apparently, Percy had no intention of letting anyone speak to him now either, because he made an immediate beeline for the dormitory stairs and disappeared up them without a word.

A few of the other upper-years exchanged concerned looks, all apparently thinking the same thing Oliver was thinking. Before any of them could move, though, Oliver stood and followed Percy to the dormitory. He wasn't sure if Percy wanted to see anyone, but he'd check, and if Percy wanted to be alone, he'd stand outside the door and keep people out for as long as he had to. He'd do whatever Percy needed, and he hoped Percy would know that meant he didn't have to go through this on his own.

The dormitory door was closed, so Oliver knocked gently. "Percy? Can I come in?"

There was no response, which Oliver supposed wasn't technically a no, so he pushed the door open. Percy wasn't immediately visible, but Oliver spotted him after a moment, sitting next to his bed with his knees drawn up to his chest. He looked young in a way he hadn't for years, and Oliver was suddenly reminded that Percy was younger than him; Percy's birthday was in August, Percy wasn't even of age yet, Percy was far too young for any of this. Of course, that implied an age where this sort of thing wasn't awful, and Oliver didn't think that existed either. Loss was never acceptable at any age, but Oliver had hoped, perhaps childishly, that it would leave them alone at Hogwarts, at the very least.

But Ginny Weasley had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets, and that meant even Hogwarts wasn't truly safe.

"Percy?" Oliver asked quietly, approaching Percy's bed slowly. The words Are you alright? were on the tip of his tongue, but they were stupid words, he knew. Of course Percy wasn't alright. Percy's little sister was most likely dead. Oliver wasn't sure Percy or any of the other Weasleys would ever be truly alright again.

"Percy, do you want me to stay or go?" Oliver asked tentatively. Percy looked somewhat like he wanted to be alone, and the fact that he'd gone up to the dormitory seemed to imply that as well, but Oliver didn't think he should be alone. He didn't think anyone should be alone right now.

"I scared her away this morning," Percy said in a hollow-sounding voice. "She was talking to Ron and Harry, and I scared her away. I could have sat with her, but I didn't. There was enough room for both of us."

Oliver's bed was next to Percy's, so Oliver sat down next to it, mirroring Percy's own posture. "You didn't know," he said, knowing the words were hopelessly insufficient.

"She's been so nervous all year," Percy continued as if Oliver hadn't spoken. "She's not normally like that, but all year, she's been so afraid. I tried to comfort her. I told her she would be safe. I promised her I would keep her safe."

"Percy-"

"I've been useless all year," Percy spat, and Oliver wasn't sure whether the self-hatred in his voice was better or worse than the awful emptiness that had been there before. "I couldn't help anyone, couldn't save Penny, couldn't save Ginny-"

"It's not your fault," Oliver said firmly, leaning forward to grab Percy's hands. "None of this is your fault, Percy."

"I'm still useless," Percy whispered, looking down at their joined hands. "I can't do anything, I can't help, I can't fix things, I'm useless, Oliver-"

"You're not useless," Oliver told him. "There was nothing anyone could have done." He swallowed. "Percy, I'm so sorry."

Percy crumpled forward like a puppet whose strings had been cut, and Oliver pulled him towards him, letting Percy rest his head on Oliver's shoulder. Percy's breathing was shaky, but he wasn't crying, not yet. Oliver thought he might still be in shock. Later, he was sure, the tears would come, and he'd be there too, if Percy still wanted him to be.

"I can't believe she's really gone," Percy whispered after a moment. "She's my little sister. She's supposed to go to Hogwarts for six more years, and she's supposed to have fun, and she's supposed to tease me because she saw me kissing Penny, and she's not supposed to be dead."

"I know," Oliver whispered, hating the words for their uselessness. "I'm so sorry, Percy."

"What am I supposed to do now? What do I do, Oliver?"

"You keep moving, one day at a time. It's the only thing you can do."

"I just want her to come back," Percy mumbled into Oliver's shoulder.

Oliver wrapped his arms around Percy and held him. "I know."

The afternoon passed slowly, and the sky outside turned blood-red with sunset and then navy-blue with dusk. Percy was mostly quiet, and so Oliver was mostly quiet as well. They sat on the floor together, and to Oliver's relief, none of their roommates tried to enter the dormitory. Oliver was pretty sure he was the only one of them that Percy truly considered a friend, and he didn't think anyone but friends should be with him now.

The sky grew darker and darker outside, and Percy rested against Oliver's side, breathing slowly and mostly evenly. He still hadn't cried. Oliver wondered how much longer it would be before he would.

Then, after hours of sitting together, the door flew open, and one of their roommates burst into the room. "She's not dead!" he cried. "Weasley, your sister's not dead! Potter and your brother saved her, she's in the Hospital Wing with your parents right now. She's alive!"

And at that, Percy finally burst into tears.