They were several inches apart at the hip, but leaning towards one another so their lips just contacted. Tentatively, Percy reached up one hand to brush aside a lock of Penelope's thick, curly hair. It was, like most of his actions with her, almost painfully hesitant, as though he were afraid of doing something wrong or being scolded for how he was behaving.
After a moment, Penelope inched closer to him, reaching out to gently lay one hand on his thigh. Percy flinched away before he could think, though he relaxed after only a moment. This brief movement was enough for Penelope, though, for she pulled back from the kiss, though her hand stayed in place, and sighed softly to the Gryffindor. "Perce, this won't work if you don't relax a little."
"I am relaxed!" He protested, leaning forward to gently brush his lips against hers again, their noses rubbing against one another for a moment before they both pulled back, matching smiles playing at their lips.
"You're more relaxed than usual, I'll grant you," Penelope replied, an almost impish glee behind her faint smile. As her hand slid a few inches further up his leg and he all but jumped out of his skin, she laughed to herself. "But see, you're not completely relaxed." A hand rose to his cheek, and she guided his eyeline back to her. "You keep looking towards the door. You're all jumpy. Why is that?"
"Ever since... you were, and the... and Ginny..."
Percy trailed off there, but Penelope giggled to herself once more. "I'm fine now, Percy; thanks to Hermione Granger, in any case." She fell silent for a moment, before her bright demeanor returned and she added, "Are you really that worried about what your family would think?" She leaned forward, her lips barely apart from his, murmuring the soft words, "You're not ashamed of me, are you?"
"No!" His words came with shock and alarm, and he nearly pushed her aside in his mad rush to prove her words wrong. "It's just - you don't know my family, the teasing, and -- and besides, I swear we're breaking some school rule, doing this in here..."
He waved a hand around the otherwise-empty classroom, indicating the scattered chairs from a previous class, and continued, "We hardly have permission to be here, and... you know, hanky-panky..."
Penelope laughed gleefully at his words, though she withdrew her hand from his thigh as she shook her head. "Perce, you're the only boy I know who would actually use the word 'hanky-panky'." As he opened his mouth to protest, she rose a silencing finger to his lips before adding, softly, "And that might be why I like you... and why I'd like to get to like you more." His freckled cheeks flushed almost as bright as his shock of red hair at her words.
"Alright," he murmured softly in return, leaning forward to brush his lips against hers again. "But not here, some other time, some other place."
Her grin was almost wicked as she nodded in affirmation, ran her fingers through his hair once more, and stood to leave the room. End of term was scant days away, and it wasn't until a week later that Percy found out what she meant by this.
He chastely kissed her goodbye at King's Cross Station, out of sight of his family, before venturing off home. Before they parted, she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "We'll meet in London."
A week later, an owl arrived for him; it was a short note from Penelope, not like the lengthy letters she had sent him before. All it said were a few simple words,
London. The Leaky Cauldron. We'll be in a room together, quite alone. When can you be there? XOX Penelope
Although Percy had never snuck out of home before, a small part of him relished the idea of being able to do something unusual for once. He had endured endless teasing since returning home and he had endeavored, the whole time, to hold his head high and act like, well, Percy.
His note to Penelope in return read, in light of this,
I hope you realise this is every bit as questionable as the classroom at Hogwarts. I would be available any time, but only after dark; someone would be sure to catch me at any other time. Regards, Percy Weasley.
Not a day later, a response came.
Please, Percy, don't let me make you do something you find "questionable". If you'd rather not, simply stay at home... but if you can, Friday night suits me just fine. XOX Penelope.
Percy thought long and hard about his response before sending it; a part of him wanted to remind her that as Prefects of Hogwarts (and potentially in the running for Head Boy and Girl, he hadn't forgotten that even if she had) they were honour-bound to ensure that they followed the rules of the school to the letter. He considered telling her that as much as he wanted to see her, no one could deny that sneaking out of home to meet with her - in an Inn, of a nighttime, in a room alone together - and barely of age, was not only questionable but certainly bound to get them in trouble with their respective parents, and quite possibly the law.
He considered all of this, before writing back,
Friday's fine. I'll meet you then. --Percy.
Having never snuck out of home before, and certainly having no idea how to go about it if he cared to, Percy eventually resorted, after everyone had gone to bed, to sneaking some floo powder out of the jar and throwing it into the fire grate, murmuring to himself as he stepped in, "Diagon Alley!" He supposed he could always apparate back into his room the following morning, though this only occured to him having used the Floo Network to leave. Apparition should have been an option from the start, he realised afterwards.
Not knowing exactly what Penelope wanted from him, though dimly suspecting that it was hardly going to be completely innocent in nature, Percy had foregone his tattered, flannelette pyjamas in favour of his old dress robes. They were far from sexy in appearance, though he did hope they made him look rather more adult.
Penelope was waiting for him at the door of what he supposed was their room in the Inn. Rather than the deeply flattering negligee a small part of his mind had hoped for, she appeared to be wearing nothing but a dark overcoat. Not that he could blame her, he supposed as he followed her into the room. It was rather cool for a summer evening.
Not a word had been spoken between them; not so much as a "hello" or a "you look nice this evening". Not until they were both inside and the door was closed and locked behind them did Penelope greet him with, "Do you still think this is questionable?"
He coughed, clearing his throat, and aware that his cheeks were probably flushed vibrant red before he replied, softly, "Yes... but I'm sure we'll both manage."
Giggling softly to herself, Penelope moved forward and guided his hands around her waist, their bodies more closely pressed together than they ever had been before. This was hardly an achievement, given the majority of their contact would have been at arm's length, had Percy had his inexperienced little way.
"Are you ready for the big surprise?" Penelope whispered into his ear, her breath tickling his sensitive skin.
Percy merely blinked at her owlishly from behind his hornrimmed glasses, eventually nodding slowly. She extricated herself from his arms, stepping back a little way, and unbuttoned her overcoat. Suddenly, Percy realised, she was quite nude beneath it. She stopped for a moment - her own cheeks flushed quite brightly red, now that she was fully on display to him - to let him take in the view, before she backed away from him and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"This is what you had in mind?" He eventually found his voice, and cursed himself silently for his first words.
Despite her obvious embarassment, Penelope laughed at him softly, motioning for him to come nearer. "What else do you think we'd be doing here?" She seemed to be obviously resisting the urge to cover up her body from his gaze, and although Percy knew the gentlemanly thing to do would be to glance away, he could not tear his eyes from her figure. It wasn't perfect - although whose was, he supposed, certainly not his own or any other body he'd ever caught a glimpse of - but it was Penelope, and it was right there in front of him.
"Well?" She added after a moment, meeting his eye awkwardly. There was a brief moment between them where they simply looked at one another; both quite aware of what, in the end, they had come there with the intention of doing, but not entirely convinced that it was what they really wanted.
Percy slowly and clumsily began to undo his dress robe, and Penelope rose from the bed to help. It was awkward, clumsy, and both of them chuckled to themselves from time to time as they helped to strip him down to nothing, and their hands began to tentatively explore the other's body.
"Are you ready?" Percy murmured to her, drawing a little closer to her and very, very aware of the closeness of their bodies.
It was a long moment before Penelope nodded, very slightly.