Hello, this is a short one to deal with the aftermath, because the last chapter just wasn't angsty enough... MWAHAHAHA
Disclaimer: I don't own the wizarding world
Chapter 26:
The next morning Percival woke up feeling safer than he had in a while. He shifted slightly, smiling as he heard Adriana grumble in her sleep and move into a more comfortable position on his chest. They stayed like that for a while. Peaceful. Happy. Until everything hit Percival like a shockwave. It shook his bones. Made him want to cry. To scream. Grindelwald was on the loose! Yesterday had been shock, adrenaline and exhaustion. There hadn't been time to process. Now that Percival was rested, now that the adrenaline and initial shock had worn off... it hit him just how terrified he was. Adriana must have felt him tense because she was up in a second, soothing hand on his shoulder. He was breathing hard. He felt nauseous. It wasn't good. It wasn't right. Adriana's hand was attempting to steady him as he shook. He could hear her, saying words that didn't sound like any language he understood. He was trying to breathe. Her voice wasn't soft, it was garbled but the undertones were the same. It didn't make sense. He was suffocating.
"Percival, please just breathe. Just try and breathe with me." Adriana said desperately, over and over again. He tried to make out all the words but all he could hear was murmurs. He knew that he needed to calm down. That he needed to regulate his breathing. But the more he became aware of that, the less he seemed able to do it. Suddenly, arms were wrapped firmly around him, but not tightly. They rocked him back and forth and stroked his hair. And finally, after what felt like hours, but must have been minutes, he calmed down enough to breathe normally. His stomach settled. His heartbeat went back to its regular rhythm, or close enough. He slumped back on the bed, exhausted.
"Adriana?" Percival asked, his voice cracked with emotion.
"I'm here." She assured him. "I'm right here." Her arms were still around him, she was still close. He hugged her tighter than she tugged him and let out an uncontainable sob. He cried uncontrollably on her shoulder until he had no tears left to cry. Until he felt light headed. Until he felt everything wash away. Adriana did not pull away, nor let out any sounds of annoyance, disgust or disdain. Instead she held him just as tightly as if willing his anguish to leave.
"What are we going to do? What's going to happen?" Percival started asking in a rush.
"Calm down." Adriana soothed. "We don't have to do anything."
"But Grindelwald!" Percival exclaimed. The fact that he used the man's name was a sign of how serious this was. Couldn't Adriana tell that they were dealing with the most dangerous man alive?
"Has never actually come to Britain as far as we know." Adriana said softly. "His fanatics maybe and some wannabes definitely, but never him."
"No one thought he'd go to America either and look how that turned out." Percival shot back. Adriana worried her lip slightly.
"I know it's not a certainty that he won't come here. But there isn't much else we can do about it." Adriana said. "Just be vigilant." Percival opened his mouth to respond when he realised she was right. What could they do? They didn't know where Grindelwald was, or much about his plans. They didn't know his base of operations. They couldn't actually do anything. But despite knowing all that Percival still felt panicked. The world wasn't safe. Why couldn't they have just shoved Grindelwald into the death potion? Percival wouldn't have minded kicking in the man himself. He untangled himself from Adriana's embrace.
"I need fresh air." He mumbled, stumbling out of the room and outside. He collapsed onto a garden chair. His beautiful garden, his beautiful home. It was all coming down, crashing around him. The world was dark. The future was grim. Percival felt like nothing could save him now.