Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. Everything belongs to the great Ms. Rowling.
A/N: Hello! I've been away from this story for quite some time, though this chapter has been half-written for a while now. I do intend on finishing all my in-progress stories, even if it takes a while to do so. I don't have much time to write, but I still enjoy it. I've also got some new stories planned! I know Percy is not very popular, but I hope you'll all give him a chance in my story. Thank you very much for reading! (Reviews make me happy, too!)
Chapter Seven – Getting Started
Percy and Hermione's first lunch meeting was at a small bistro in Central Muggle London on the following Sunday. It had been over a week since their first, unexpected encounter, and both were a little unsure of what they expected to come from the meeting today.
Hermione arrived at the bistro ten minutes before the scheduled time. The hostess took her to a booth, where she found Percy already there. Hermione privately rolled her eyes when she saw him, thinking to herself, 'Thank goodness this isn't a date; we'd look ridiculous,' as she realized that they were dressed nearly identically, in crisp white dress shirts and black trousers.
They politely greeted each other, and sat quietly looking over their menus. It wasn't until they placed their drink orders with their waiter that they felt they could look directly at each other. Clearly, the slight feeling of awkwardness was mutual – after all, they had only just seen each other for the first time in several years, and now they were working together to change Percy's life.
Hermione was the first to break the silence. "What I'd like you to know," she started, clearing her throat, "is that I obviously can't and won't make any promises about how this will turn out. I can, however, assure you that I will do my best insofar as guiding you toward the appropriate actions to take. I want you to know I will not mislead you in any way, but should it appear at any time that you are not taking this seriously, then the whole deal is off and these meetings are through. Do you understand?"
Percy nodded. "That sounds more than fair," he agreed. "And I want you to know that I am absolutely serious about this. There is nothing that means more to me than getting my family back." He paused for a moment to think about work, which had been his top (and only) priority for the last several years. Then he shook his head. "Nothing," he reiterated.
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "I'm glad to hear that," she said, still finding herself surprised with his earnestness despite their previous encounter. There had, admittedly, still been doubt in her mind as to how sincere he was about the whole matter. Though he had seemed it, she hadn't seen him for many years, and she didn't know if he just expected her to come up with some sort of magical solution to the whole dilemma.
Percy let out a deep breath as he seemed to be gaining some small approval from his lunch companion, and found the courage to keep going.
"So I've been considering the best way to go about this," he said.
"So have I," Hermione nodded. "What have you come up with so far?"
He took a deep breath and was about to answer her, when their waiter interrupted to ask if they'd had enough time to decide.
After Hermione ordered the wild mushroom ravioli and Percy selected the crab cakes, they decided they had enough privacy to continue their conversation, and Percy cleared his throat.
"Well," he began, "I've been thinking about where to begin. Obviously, we can't start with my mother. She would force me on everyone, and things would be no better than they currently are."
"My thoughts exactly," interjected Hermione.
"So," he continued, "We obviously need to commence elsewhere. You have the advantage of knowing my family better than I do now..." He paused to do his best to suppress a melancholy sigh at the last phrase he spoke, and then carried on. "And whether or not you would specifically know how each individual feels about me, I imagine you would have a better idea with whom we should start. However, based on what I do know of the Weasley clan and its legendary temper, it will certainly be a challenge to win them over. And while my sister has undoubtedly inherited the capacity for a great temper, I also recall she is the most willing to hear someone out." He hesitated at this time, wanting to gauge Hermione's approval of his short speech, and waited for feedback.
To his relief, Hermione smiled. "Actually, that's exactly along the lines of what I was thinking," she said. She sipped her ice water, and spoke again. "It's good to know that we are on the same wavelength with this. It's probably going to make the planning that much easier, if we aren't bickering over important decisions."
Percy grinned back. "I can assure you, there will be no bickering on my end. I'm nothing but grateful for your help."
They were both silent for a few moments. Hermione took another long gulp of her water. "Okay," she said. "Do you have any ideas as to how to win Ginny over, then?"
They were interrupted again by the waiter, setting down their plates of food in front of them.
As they tucked in, Percy answered her question. "Not specifically, as of yet. I would like to get your input as to a general idea of what you feel would impact her the most. I care about this, and I care about my sister, and I want to do this right."
Though she didn't say so, inwardly, Hermione was quite pleased, as well as impressed with his focus and dedication. 'Not that I should be surprised, I suppose,' she thought. 'He's always been motivated. It's good to hear that it's finally about something in addition to his career.'
Between careful bites of her pasta, she asked, "Do you know that Ginny and Harry are getting married in a few months?"
Percy nodded. "I saw the announcement in your paper last month. I was very pleased to see it; those two have always been a good match for each other, and frankly, it's about time."
"Agreed."
"If I was still in Ginny's life, I would have had a talk with Harry a couple of years back about him dragging his feet on this one. It would have been my brotherly duty."
Hermione giggled at this comment, as she privately concurred that someone ought to have had a word with Harry some time before now. "Well, though it hasn't been said, I'm sure it would mean a lot to Ginny for everyone to be there on the wedding day. At the same time, you know her well enough to realize that she wouldn't be a pushover." She paused pensively for a moment, and then added, "It will probably require some sort of a grand gesture on your part. Something that would mean a lot to her and to you, to show her that you care about her. And an apology for mistakes of the past, and wishing her the best for her future, while indicating that you hope you can one day be a part of it, without being pushy or overly anxious."
Hermione waited for a response from Percy, who was now staring into his plate as he chewed on his crab cakes.
"There is something…" he finally said, slowly. He looked up at Hermione. "It would certainly mean a lot to me."
"What would?"
"Not here," he paused. "Could you…" He started again, shaking his head slightly as though shaking off the awkward speech. "I hope you don't think this impertinent on my part, but would you please come to my flat after we finish here? I wouldn't ask, but I have an idea of something that I would like to give to Ginny, and I'd like you to see it."
Hermione was a bit puzzled, but Percy maintained that he would prefer her to see the item in question, and that it wasn't really something he wished to discuss in public anyway, so she acquiesced.
After Percy paid the bill for lunch (something Hermione would normally object to, but allowed him on this instance as it was she who was helping him) and they left the bistro, Hermione asked, "Where do you live? Do you live in the wizards' part of London, or…"
He cut her off. "I live in the Muggle area, but not far from the wizards' quarter. I prefer it in Muggle London, given my current circumstances. No familiar faces to judge me, you know?"
There was a bit of an awkward silence at this, so Hermione just nodded. She finally interrupted the silence with the matter-of-fact statement, "It must be pretty hard for you."
Percy shrugged. "It's lonely, that's for sure. But some days I almost forget – days where I get really busy with work. It makes the days when I do remember that much worse. So the more I throw myself into my work, the better."
Hermione frowned, thinking to herself that now she was on speaking terms with Percy, she seemed to find herself less sure of what to actually say to him.
The remainder of the trip to Percy's flat was spent in silence.
Upon arriving, Percy requested that Hermione wait just a moment in the living room. She sat down on the sleek brown leather sofa (no overstuffed furniture, of course), and took in her surroundings. The sensation of being in an apartment so much like hers – with only a slightly different colour scheme – was an odd one. All of her friends' places had a very casual feel to them, whereas Percy's had the same extreme tidiness, the same sense of order, and the same apparent need for filled bookshelves to cover nearly every unused space. As she waited, she fidgeted with her hands.
Percy emerged from another room after only a couple minutes, carrying a flat box. He sat down next to Hermione, and placed it in her hands.
"I bought this for Penelope. For the wedding. I don't know if it's appropriate, given that I don't know what Ginny plans on wearing or even if she would accept this, but… If we were close, if I hadn't messed up, I'd want her to have this. If Penelope was still alive, I'm certain she would too."
Hermione carefully removed the lid from the ivory silk keepsake box and found inside a delicate white gold wedding tiara, covered in small hand-painted ceramic roses, dotted with tiny pearls and crystals. In spite of its detail, it was at the same time understated and exquisite.
"It's beautiful," Hermione breathed. While not one to have a specific fondness for jewellery and other such trinkets, she was certainly able to appreciate the fine quality and splendour of the piece in question. And, while she did her best to deny having a silly, girly, emotional side, she had to admit that wedding plans always broke through that force field. She turned it over and over in her hands, examining every angle with admiration of the way the light reflected in its crystals.
"Do you think Ginny would like it?" he asked.
She nodded. "Absolutely."
"Do you think she would accept it?"
She paused. "That's a tougher question. How do you plan on presenting it to her?"
"Not in person, of course," he replied. "I'd send it via Hermes, along with a letter. I want to explain, and to apologize, and to wish her all the best. But I won't ask for anything. I can't."
Hermione thought for a moment. "Would you like me to read the letter after you've finished writing it?" She looked up at him, tearing her eyes off of the dazzling tiara for the first time since it was presented to her.
Percy's eyes were on the floor. "If you don't mind. I want to get this as right as possible. And I was hoping I could ask you…" He trailed off.
"What?" she prompted.
He finally made eye contact. "Could we somehow time things so that you, and only you, are there when she receives it? I'd really like her reaction gauged, and you're the only one who…" Again, he allowed his sentence to drift off.
Hermione nodded. "I'm sure we can work something out. I'm seeing her tonight for Sunday dinner –"
Percy interrupted with a chuckle, designed to cover up what would have otherwise been a saddened sigh. "So they still all have Sunday night dinner together?"
She bit her lip, internally cursing her insensitivity. "Um, yes, they do. So it won't be a good time tonight, as there won't be any privacy. But I am seeing Ginny on Tuesday to look over bridal magazines with her, so that would work. Would you be ready to do this for Tuesday?"
Percy took a deep breath, as though steeling himself. "Yes," he affirmed. "I'm ready to write the letter right now. Do you mind waiting, just for a bit?"
"You already know what you want to write?" Hermione queried.
"I've known what I've wanted to say for years," he replied.
She paused. "Okay."
Hermione sat patiently and quietly for nearly half an hour while Percy hunched over a bit of parchment with a quill at the dining room table, adjacent to the living room. She wondered to herself for what seemed like the hundredth time if she was doing the right thing. There was still an inkling of doubt as to whether or not this was a betrayal to the Weasleys, or a waste or her time, or if it was just better not to get involved.
She looked over at Percy, seated at the table, and visibly hemming and hawing over precise wording. Had she let him back into her life too quickly? She had promised herself to keep her guard up, so she couldn't be put in a position to get hurt again, but she found herself going along with everything that he wanted. 'Not that he had requested anything too unreasonable,' she acknowledged to herself. Yet here she was, sitting in his flat, of all places, waiting tolerantly while he composed a letter. Why? And why did she already trust him?
As she mulled these things over in her head, Percy sighed deeply and put his quill down, pushing himself away from the table.
"Right," he said, somewhat nervous. "I think I'm done."
Startled out of her reverie, Hermione stood up with a bit of a jolt. "Oh! Well... would you like me to read it now?"
Percy nodded, and passed her the parchment.
It was now his turn to wait quietly while Hermione read the letter over. She went through it three times, finally looking up.
"Well?" he asked nervously.
Hermione nodded, eyes glistening just slightly, doubt erased from her mind. "Is this really how you feel?"
"Yes," Percy answered.
"Then it's perfect."
It seemed to Hermione as though Tuesday took ages to arrive, though it was only two days after her meeting with Percy. But it did finally come, and Hermione left work on time – usually she stayed late – to meet Ginny, as she had promised. Harry was working late, so the two girls had the night to themselves to look through magazines for ideas for the upcoming wedding. The floor was strewn with copies of Your Magical Wedding and Charming Brides and Bride's Gown Revisited.
Ginny was lying sprawled across the floor, while Hermione – still in her work clothes and not wishing to crease them unnecessarily – was seated on Ginny's bed.
Ginny thrust a magazine toward Hermione, with a page folded over.
"What do you think of this wedding dress?" Ginny asked. "Do you like the empire waist?"
Hermione pursed her lips as she examined the proffered picture. "I don't think so. Not for you. You have such a tiny waist that it might make you look as though you're… you know."
"What?"
"Trying to hide something?"
"What?"
"Like you're up the duff," Hermione finally spat out, exasperated.
"Oh!" Ginny exclaimed, turning a deep crimson. "But I'm not!"
"Well, I know that, but it's possible that others might jump to some sort of a conclusion if they can't see your waistline."
"Got it. Empire waists are out," Ginny agreed.
They continued to mull over the magazines, until a scratch at the window – the one that Hermione had been expecting – interrupted them.
Ginny's eyes widened in confusion, and Hermione instantly remembered to play along, feigning ignorance.
"Is that an owl from Harry?" Hermione asked.
Ginny shook her head. "I think… I think that's Hermes," she said, only a little unsure of her answer. "It's been a long time since I've seen him, but that's definitely Percy's owl." She turned to Hermione. "Why would Percy send me an owl?"
Though she hated hearing one of her best friends sound confused and distraught, she couldn't give up the act now.
"I don't know," she answered. "Should we let him in?"
"Oh, of course, I suppose we should," Ginny said, jumping up from the floor to open the window.
Hermes dropped the wrapped package and letter directly into Ginny's hands, and immediately flew back out of the open window.
Ginny held the package and the letter, and stared dumbfounded. Hermione gently touched her arm. "Do you want to read this on your own?" she asked her.
Ginny, startled out of her trancelike state, replied with some surprise, "Oh! No, please stay. I just need a minute. What do you think I should do, open the package first, or read the letter?"
"I always read letters first," Hermione answered truthfully, and was glad she was able to do so. She didn't want to feel as though she was manipulating her closest girlfriend any more than she already did.
Ginny sat back on her bed, and read the scroll of parchment in silence. Hermione tried not to stare, but she couldn't help focusing on Ginny's face, trying to gauge her reactions to the letter. It seemed as though Ginny had almost forgotten Hermione's presence, based on the intensity of her concentration. She eventually put down the letter, and looked up.
"Before I open the package, could… could you read this? I think I'd like your thoughts on all this," Ginny asked.
Hermione nodded. "Sure." She took the parchment from her friend's outstretched hand, and read it for the second time.
Dear Ginny,
I am fully aware that no mere letter can even begin to make up for the way I behaved to you, Harry, and the rest of our family, but I still wish to start trying.
I'd like to start by telling you that I'm sorry. I'd like to put into words on this page exactly how remorseful I am, but I'm afraid the language simply isn't equipped for a decent description of the extent of my regret and sorrow. More than anything, I wish I had a Time Turner, so I could stop my younger self from destroying the most important thing in his life.
I know that there is nothing that can excuse my past actions, and that asking for your forgiveness would be asking for more than I deserve.
I hope that someday, when and if you are ready, that I can work on rebuilding our relationship, but in the meantime, I want to wish you only the greatest joy on your wedding day. Harry is a good man, and I know you will bring each other happiness, security, and comfort for many years to come.
I would be truly honoured if you would accept the gift that I have included, though I shall understand entirely if you do not wish to do so. It belonged to someone very important to me, and now I would like to ensure that someone else very important to me has it.
Yours sincerely,
Percy
Hermione looked up from the parchment and at Ginny, who had opened the box and was staring at the delicate tiara nestled inside. Ginny's eyes were red and rimmed with tears. She carefully picked up the tiara and examined it from a number of angles.
"This must have been Penelope's," said Ginny quietly. "Never would have gotten to wear it. Did you know that she was killed around the end of the war?"
Knowing that she could again give a safe, truthful response, Hermione answered, "I only found out recently. It's shocking how many war victims we're still just finding out about."
"I knew," Ginny said simply. "I knew she and Percy were engaged. I saw her obituary in the Prophet when it happened, before you were working there, and I still didn't… I still didn't reach out to him! I sort of wanted to, but I just couldn't, and now he… he…" Her speech broke down as she began to cry.
Hermione hugged Ginny, cautiously circumventing the tiara she was holding. After a few moments, Ginny wiped her eyes and spoke up.
"Thank you," said Ginny. "You know I'm not normally like this, but I just feel like I've been Stunned. This is all so unexpected."
"Are you angry at him? Should he not have written you, or sent this to you?" Hermione probed gently.
Ginny shook her head. "Not that he wrote to me," said Ginny. "No, I'm not angry at him now. Maybe some of my brothers would want me to be angry still, but… I was angry for such a long time, and eventually, I just couldn't keep it going. It was too exhausting, and we had been shown how short a time we have, and, well, I missed him. He may have done some horrible, stupid things, but he was my brother and I wanted him back. I didn't know how to go about it, and given how everyone else might feel, I didn't know if I should. But this! This means that he has been thinking of me, too. That means a lot to me. What did you think? Did he sound sincere to you?"
Hermione nodded. "I don't think he'd have written it if he didn't mean it."
"Neither do I," Ginny agreed. "He may have done a lot of things wrong, but he wouldn't write something like that if he didn't mean it."
There was a brief silence before Ginny spoke again.
"Would you mind if we cut this evening short? I think that I'd like to write back to him. I don't know, maybe it's the wrong thing to do, but I'd like to give him the chance to work toward something. We could at least be on writing terms for a while. If he's trying to make amends with everyone, if he can actually do it, I'd really like it if the whole family was there on my wedding day. I won't send him an invitation yet, but I'll wait and see. I'll see how our letters go," finished Ginny.
"No problem, we can reschedule. Do you want to go shopping for your dress this weekend?" Hermione asked.
"That'd be great. Mum will be coming with us," said Ginny.
"Of course!" Hermione grinned.
"Oh! Speaking of Mum," Ginny continued. "Could you keep this just between us? I don't think that everyone else feels the same way that I do, so I'd like this to stay quiet, at least for now. If the wrong people found out, it could do more harm than good. I'm going to tell Harry, but he'll keep it a secret, too."
"Absolutely," Hermione agreed. The two girls stood up, and hugged goodbye. "I'll see you on the weekend, then?"
Ginny nodded, and picked up a quill as Hermione left her room. "Wish me luck!"
As soon as Hermione left the Burrow, she found she couldn't contain her excitement any longer. She knew that she had told Percy that she would send him an owl with an update on the evening's events, but she found herself unexpectedly gleeful at Ginny's positive response, and wanted to deliver the good news in person.
She Apparated as close as she could get to Muggle London, and ended up running the rest of the way to Percy's flat. When she finally arrived, and stopped to knock on his door, the adrenaline wore off and, badly in need of air, started gasping for breath.
When Percy answered the door, he was surprised to see a panting, dishevelled Hermione.
"What happened? Are you okay?" He let her in, putting aside his nerves about his letter to Ginny in favour of concern for Hermione's well-being. "Sit down! I'll get you some water."
Hermione ungracefully flopped down onto the sofa, as Percy ran into the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. Hermione was beginning to catch her breath when he returned, and was able to speak again after finishing her drink.
"Is everything all right?" Percy asked gently.
Hermione nodded, and smiled widely, now that she was able to breathe again. She stood up.
"I wanted to tell you myself," she said. "Ginny is going to start writing to you. She's wanted to talk to you for years, and she wants to give you the chance to rebuild things between the two of you."
The expression of Percy's face quickly changed from that of worry to elation.
"Really?" he asked, still nervous that Hermione's message was too good to be true.
When Hermione nodded again, he whooped with delight, and lifted Hermione from the floor in a tight hug, spinning her in a circle. Quickly regaining his composure, he put her down.
"I'm sorry for that," he apologized. "That was inappropriate of me."
"It's fine," Hermione said, still beaming. "She wants to take her time, you know, and let you do the same, but this is a great start."
"Of course, of course! Well, I promise, I won't bollocks this up again. I will quickly respond to any and every letter she sends. Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me with this. I can't say it enough, but –"
"It's fine!" Hermione said again, quieting him. "It's wonderful. We'll meet again for lunch this Sunday, and you can let me know how things are going with you two. But right now, I'm pretty tired. Could I use your Floo? I don't fancy another jog at this time of night."
He grinned at her, and led her to the fireplace he magically installed in his living room. "Help yourself," he said, gesturing.
Hermione took some Floo powder and stepped toward it. Before she entered the fireplace, Percy approached her, and gave her another hug, slightly awkwardly this time. "I mean it. Thank you," he said.
She hugged back. "You're welcome."
After Hermione Flooed home, Percy went out for a walk, as he was too excited to sleep. He thought about Ginny and the rest of his family. He thought about how proud Penelope would be that he was trying hard to make amends with them. More than anything, though, he thought about Hermione, and lucky he was for her to have come back into his life.