Disclaimer: I don't own. Period.
A/N: Smaller paragraphs? Review please!
"Audrey Brinkman?" Percy said gaping. She couldn't be related to Adviser to the Minister? No, she couldn't be!
Brinkman was a common name, right? Gregory Brinkman was only the highest spot you could get in the Ministry besides the Minister himself. He controlled everything. He could fire someone with the blink of an eye and give him or her a life sentence life sentence in Azkaban with the snap of his fingers. Personally Percy had never met him. The person he reported up to was the Undersecretary and he reported up to the Adviser. They had no conflicting schedules whatsoever but the way people talked about him he felt as if Gregory Brinkman could already hate him. Of course he had seen the Adviser around, big tall and muscular with a menacing stare. Everything needed to scare the shit out of anybody. Especially Percy.
"Oh stop," He heard Audrey's voice say and he came crashing back to reality. "It's my mother most people are afraid of. Daddy just puts on that façade to scare people." She said confirming his suspicions.
He just stared. Now he most certainly felt worthless in her eyes. Why was someone so beautiful, and mostly likely rich, doing talking to him? "Your probably what I'm doing here still. I work at a muggle elementary school, see? I teach 6th grade and so I needed to copy a quiz. I have 24 students in my class and so since this week in spring break in the muggle world, I have to copy them for Monday. I have been in and out of the Ministry for the past 4 years and I always use Daddy's copier. But he was using it so I jumped on the elevator and I jammed the button number five and decided to use this one. I know it's selfish. But 5 seems like such a friendly number. It's got that delicate curve at the bottom but it's tough too with the intersecting lines on top." She said and smiled. Percy looked on in shock. She was apologizing to him?
"No, really I'm sorry. I should have been looking after my staff." He said shuffling his feet. Percy had never felt comfortable around the opposite sex and now he was extremely nervous. Her status and her beauty threw him off his feet and he didn't know what to say.
"You seem nice, Mr. Weasley. Do you want to eat lunch together?" Audrey said.
He hadn't known how it happened. How was it that now he sat across from the prettiest woman he's ever seen? How was it that his incomprehensible groan was mistaken for a 'yes'? Percy's eyes were as large as saucers as Audrey grabbed his hand and apparated them out of the Ministry an hour before.
"I don't understand," He finally managed to say after a few minutes. Audrey set down her menu and looked at him, her green eyes sparkling.
"Here's what it is, Weasley. I know your going to think I'm crazy. In fact I think I am too but, Weasley, here goes. I love you. There I said it," Audrey said with a dramatic gesture. She sighed and looked at Percy with a smile. Percy didn't know how to take this. After being the object of teasing for the last years, Percy knew she was joking. But there is such a thing as love at first sight right? The probability of any part of her confession being true was slim. As the middle child Percy knew when someone was "yanking his chain". He shook the notion out of his head. If she wanted to joke, he could joke too.
"Oh darling! How could we have lived apart for so long! We must be married at sunset!" Percy said uncharacteristically jumping up from the table and rushing to her side. Several people stared while he heard someone whistle. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. He suddenly felt the devilish rush he always felt when playing with his brothers. Audrey however seemed surprised that Percy had caught onto the joke.
"Your good," Audrey said obviously impressed. "I would have said that to anyone else and they would have stood in front of an 18 wheeler for me." She smiled and took a sip of her drink. An automatic smile went on Percy's face. He wiped it off quickly. How could he have acted so unprofessional! He blushed but Audrey seemed unfazed.
"Weasley, tell me. What about you? You married? I'm looking for a good shag and I was wondering if we could go to the bathroom together and be clear of my conscience," Audrey said staring. Before Percy had time to stop himself an answer was slipping out of his mouth.
"Sorry, darling, I've already got three wives. I wouldn't mind a fourth though," He said and blushed again. This is what he got for hanging out with Fred and George growing up. Audrey immediately broke out into a huge smile. "I'm not usually like this," He said truthfully as their lunch was set in front of them. "Usually it takes me hours to come up with a good comeback and by then the time has already past." His nervousness was now gone when he looked at Audrey. Her carefree ways made her easy to be with. They ate their lunch in silence. Percy wanted to remain professional yet it was distracting when Audrey would giggle whenever their eyes met. They split the check.
"I'll see you around," Audrey said kissing Percy's cheek as she got off the elevator. He was surprised at the closeness as her soft lips touched his cheek. He blushed a deep red, hating that as a redhead he was prone to get red faced at the drop of a hat. Audrey smiled and stalked away. He tried to keep his eyes up as she walked away but his eyes were on her shapely thighs and round…
"Level 5: Department of International Magical Cooperation."
That night for the first time in three months Percy went to his family's house for dinner. Suddenly the thought of sitting alone to eat his sad ramen noodles didn't appeal to him.
"Percy!" His mother said rushing to embrace him. The other members of the family reached to embrace him as well. Hermione gave him a quick squeeze while Ginny couldn't get her arms around her growing stomach. George's eyes didn't look like they showed anger anymore only mischief. He been accepted in a way he had never even thought possible. They sat down for dinner and Percy ate more than he had had in months.
Time passed quickly. Percy although hoping in the back of his mind to see Audrey each day, she never came. He went through his work in a robotic manner. It seemed like he didn't even like his work anymore. It was ridiculous. How could Percy, who had always wanted to be Minister of Magic, not give 100%? The more Percy thought about things the less he even wanted to become Minister. Certain types of people, although he was a great Minister, hated Kingsley. He received death threats on a daily basis. Percy, always ready to please, didn't want death threats. He wanted a job that could support him and his eventual family. He wanted a job where he had friends.
The thought of raising children was strange to him in the past. Of course he wanted kids, but to do that you needed a wife, and to have wife someone would have to talk to him. The only people who talked to him nowadays were Heather, who was butt kissing to the extreme, and his family. With that he didn't think was legal. Mum had no trouble mentioning this to him at every dinner they had together.
"Dear when I was your age I had already had three children with the fourth and fifth on the way," She had told him the night before over peas and carrots.
Since visiting the week before Percy came home with his father everyday after work and they headed home together. It wasn't until the next week on Friday that the cycle was broken. This time Percy ate his dinner in the maternity ward at St. Mungo's. Ginny had gone into labor with her first child. This thought struck Percy as utterly foreign. Of course he had knew his sister was pregnant why did it seem so weird now? Was it because she was so young? She was only 20. Sweet young Ginny was already starting an adventure of her own. He remembered the first time he had seen Ginny, all pink with a scrunched up face. He hated the baby who cried all the time. The thought of the pretty redhead that replaced the chubby baby made Percy suddenly felt like an old bachelor.
"I bet you 20 dollars that sucker comes out with a lighting scar and glasses," George said to no one in particular. Bill sat next to his father on the couch yet neither accepted the petty bet. They were all surprised as Hermione, who stood next to Ron, spoke up.
"Make it 30," she piped and we all burst into laughter. Unfortunately Hermione lost her bet to George. Little James Sirius although not bearing a scar or glasses came out with a surprising amount of unruly black locks.
"I've never seen so much hair on a baby before!" The doctor exclaimed.
"How long have you been doing this?" Percy asked politely.
"2 days… but still," The doctor responded flustered as she whisked herself out of the room.
He swore he would never forget the moment he got to hold his first nephew. He hadn't held Victoire when she was born. Fleur had her in her mother's house in France. Percy had even seen his little niece until she was a month old. She had already opened her eyes and was ready to take on the world. But this baby was different. He was so small, wrapped in a yellow blanket. His eyes were opened a crack and his hand were curled into fists.
"Hi, James, I'm your Uncle Percy," He told his nephew, suddenly aware of his mother's gaze. "Um… I'll probably be your least favorite uncle," Percy said softly shifting the small baby in his arms.
"Don't say that!" Ginny yelled from the bed. "He might believe you." He heard George laugh when Ron whispered, "It's true." Percy shifted away from his brother in law's gaze. Harry was already hovering over Percy waiting to get his new baby into his arms again.
"Uncle Bill will tell all about his scrape with a werewolf. Uncle Charlie will tell you about how he once wrestled a dragon. Uncle George will tell you about another uncle you never got to meet. Uncle Ron will tell you all about he went hunting for horcruxes… but the only I can tell you is how I left," Percy said. Suddenly it was only he and his nephew. There wasn't anyone else in his room. What would he be able to tell this child? What stories would this child want to hear? Would he tell him that he couldn't save his own brother? The gaze he would receive from this little guy would never reach the adoration his brother's would get.
"Oh Percy," He heard his mother say. He gave the baby back to the father. His mother had tears in her eyes and everyone else got unusually quiet. His father's eyes were on the ground and Ginny was loudly sobbing. The rest just stared at him as if he had grown an extra head.
"I need to the use the restroom," He said escaping from the room. They were drowning him with their looks. He tore down the halls and apparated outside the hospital. He looked at the abandoned store. After a few seconds, he heard a distant pop and George materialized a few feet away from him.
"I think I splinched half of my eyebrow," His brother said smiling. Sure enough, one red eyebrow was only half there. Percy mumbled an incantation and his brother's eyebrow re-grew. The stayed silent as they watched muggles pass. "Why do you talk like that? We don't blame you for anything." George said breaking the silence. Percy sighed. How could he possible explain? No one had mentioned the cause of Fred's death since his funeral. He didn't want to bring it up again now.
"I was there when it happened. I saw it with my own eyes. I couldn't do anything. If I would have stayed… none of this would have happened," Percy said trying to explain as best as he could. George instead of looking uncomfortable like he had for six months after the last battle when someone would mention Fred, looking relaxed. He even had a small smile on his lips.
"Even if you would have stayed, he still would have fought. He knew what was right and he wouldn't be stopped until that prevailed. We knew it was dangerous. We didn't fight because of you. We fought because we had to." George concluded.
"Percy, I want you to believe it. No one blames you. I don't, Mum doesn't, and Ginny doesn't. No one. Not even Fred," George said in a steady voice. Percy choked up at these words. He knew it was George was speaking to him, but he felt as just then Fred himself had forgiven him. For the first time in four years he felt completely peaceful with himself. He wiped away the tears before anyone else could see them.
"I'm sorry I ruined the happy moment," Percy said in an unnaturally deep voice. "Do you think they'll remember?"
"Oh don't worry. I got it all on camera," George said smiling devilishly holding up a muggle video camera.
Percy arrived at Shell Cottage a few days later to find only Fleur and small Victoire at the house.
"Bill vent to ze store. 'E will be back soon," Fleur said as cooked dinner. Victoire looked up from where she stood at her mother's legs. Her gaze met with Percy's and she looked away shyly. Some days she would hug Percy when he walked through the door and other days she would hide in her room the whole visit. This day seemed to be the latter.
"Hi, Victoire. I got you something." He told her awkwardly. He never knew how to talk to his niece, especially not when Fleur was staring at him like that. Victoire walked over to her uncle with outstretched hands.
"Uncle Percy. I want to see!" She squealed. Sometimes it even surprised Fleur how easily her daughter picked up talking. She didn't have an accent so Fleur thought that Bill had secretly been teaching Victoire how to speak when she wasn't looking. She expressed this to anybody she could get to listen. Percy thought she was just brilliant.
He handed her the small string necklace he found while browsing Diagon Alley. Although he knew he paid the street peddler too much, he bought the small charm with his niece in mind. It was black string with a small charm in the shape of a flower. He gently did the clasp on the little girl's slender neck. "Thank you!" She giggled. She leaned in and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. Percy blushed. He had always thought there was some rift between the two of them.
But now as he looked into Victoire's eyes that were filled with adoration, he realized that they were in fact very close. He left Shell Cottage that day with a smile on his face. He had done it. He had closed the gap he had always wanted to fill. He no longer had to stay away, there was no need to be proud. Let bygones be bygones! He was sure he would make James adore him as he had with Victoire. He would make sure he was loved. He could choose his own future from now on.