Hey hey, fellow Percy/Marcus fans! Here's the next chapter for you to read! Let me hear your thoughts! :) (If you want to... ) :P

Chapter Twelve-Sapphires, Silver Wire, and Society

The next morning, a sleeping Percy was awakened by a gentle nudge. "Percy, sweetie..time to wake up. Breakfast is ready...it's also time to meet the parents."

His eyes bolted open at the mention of the king and queen. 'Shit, that's right. Today's the day...oh, Merlin.'

Leaning up, Percy saw Marcus was halfway dressed in his town attire, smiling down at him. "Alright, I'm getting up. Let me become decent and brush my teeth."

Afterwards, he and Marcus left to the moment nearly every significant other dreads.

Walking down a lengthy hall, past a few rows of armor and delicately-woven tapestries, they arrived at the royal dining room. Two elegantly-dressed adults were already at the farthest end of the huge table.

A man strikingly resembling Marcus looked up from the Daily Prophet and greeted them "Good morning, Marcus." His icy eyes focused on Percy "And would this be the friend you've been visiting...Percy Weasley?"

Marcus nodded, signaling Percy to introduce himself.

"Y-Yes. I'm Percy Weasley. It's a pleasure to meet you both, your majesties."

Queen Seraphine smiled "Very wonderful to see you so cordial, but there is no need to be so formal...it's not the sort of occasion."

"It's a delight to meet you as well. How about you two sit already, breakfast is getting cold." King Aurelius reminded as the boys took their seats.

As the meal commenced, Seraphine queried the redhead. "Will you be attending the ball next week?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Fantastic. We'll be looking forward to you arrival."

Aurelius piped "Percival, may I ask you something?"

Redirecting his attention from his plate, he responded "Yes?"

"Why is it that I never saw you at the Malfoy gala or any other for that matter?"

"Well..."

Marcus gave his father a 'please-don't-grill-my-boyfriend-this-early' look, hoping he'd let the issue drop.

"Alright, Marcus. He doesn't have to tell me now."

This relieved the both of them. Once they finished their meal, Marcus and his still-secret boyfriend headed to Madame Malkin's, where their company was waiting on them.

" 'Bout damn time, you codgers!" Warrington snipped.

"Really! Let's get cracking!" Terence grabbed Percy by the hand and excitedly dragged him inside the shop. Marcus shook his head in mirth at the display, it was funny to see Terence so ecstatic over the littlest things...new robes being one of them. Of course, most of it was due to the notion of helping outshine Ginny.

A soft-faced woman of about fifty was tapping her foot impatiently. The prince stepped forward "We have an appointment under 'Flint'.''

"I'm not sure why you even bother to make one, your highness. You're always top priority."

"I didn't want distractions."

"Right. So, the usual black?"

"Not for me...him." He nodded in Percy's direction.

She licked her lips in thought as she hovered around the curly-top, taking in his appearance. "Stand still." Malkin ordered as she conjured magical tape to take his exact measurements. Percy complied, uneasily standing there as the master seamstress flitted about, jotting down the numbers as she perused a variety of fabrics and colors.

"Hm, I've narrowed it down to several- emerald green, silver, gold, white, the classic black, oak brown and sapphire blue. Now.." she moved Percy's face down to hers, then back up again. "...due to your skin tone and hair color, those are the best choices. The rest of your family has blue eyes from what I remember but are more of a mixture of aqua and sky...yours is sapphire. To bring those out, I highly recommend the sapphire blue. For the fabric, silk would be the best."

"Alright...that's fine."

She nodded before stepping off to stitch his ensemble together.

Thirty minutes later, she levitated the outfit to the redhead and ushered him to a changing room.

Alone, Percy scanned over his outfit. 'I thought it was only robes. There's a white long-sleeved shirt, sapphire blue vest and trousers, and the outer robes. The buttons are knut-sized sapphire gems...' his eyes widened in amazement at the craftsmanship. The expensive fabric glittered in the light and had soft dark blue stitching in a near-floral pattern.

As he undressed, he looked in the private mirror..the cast-shadows did not help his reflection. He gazed disapprovingly at his thin form, still uneasy about Marcus wanting to see him shirtless.

'I wonder how much longer I can hold out?' he pondered as he dressed, gingerly buttoning his shirt and lastly, his vest. He faced the mirror yet again. The ensemble fit his every limb perfectly, of course an inch or two was let out so he won't be constricted.

'I guess I can step out, see what they think.' he shrugged to himself before opening the door. Keeping eyes level to the ground, Percy moved out of the changing room. Marcus grinned as the shy redhead stood there, waiting.

"Percy, you look amazing." he circled around his boyfriend, eyeing him up and down.

"Yeah, mate. You do." Adrian nodded with a smile. The others muttered approvingly, causing Percy to blush.

"To add the finishing touches, here's some matching dress shoes and...the pièce de résistance." Terence pulled out a small box, opening it. Inside were a pair of silver wire glasses. "The lens frames are oval-shaped to suit your facial structure."

Percy slowly took the glasses in awe over such a kind gesture. "Thank you. I..I dunno what to say."

"The look on your face is enough and they're from Marcus. Try 'em on." Percy did as he was told, removing the large horn-rimmed atrocities and replaced them.

'Hm, these are better. Not so clunky and easy to slide off..' He smiled as he gazed at Marcus's reflection behind him.

"They're perfect." Flint whispered, putting his arms around him. "How about you change and we get back to the castle? I'd like to give you an overview of what will be happening next Friday."

The following Friday evening emerged and the Weasley house was abuzz with movement. The custom-made dresses and robes were shipped in from France as promised two days before...and of course, Percy was sent out to pick them up..along with other errands. As everyone was ready to go, Percy remained in his houseclothes, everyone but Bill and Charlie were unaware of his plan to show up.

"Ginny, borrow my diamond earrings. They'll complete your midnight blue gown marvelously." Gazing in the hall mirror, Ginny put them on, admiring her image as she moved one stray hair back into place.

''Excellent as usual." Her mother beamed as her daughter grabbed her clutch purse and stood ready to depart.

Percy gazed silently as his family grouped together to exit. Ginny turned around and gave him a cruel smirk before they apparated. 'That will soon be gone, dear sister.' Giving it several minutes, he hurried upstairs to get ready. Meanwhile at Dragonheart Castle, the numerous guests were filing into the royal ballroom, each stopping to bid one another 'good evening' or to compliment their eveningwear.

On the throne platform stood Marcus, all decked-out in one of his finest robes with the imperial seal. He surveyed the perimeter, observing the crowds bustle about...politely waving and nodding to various passersby. He truly anticipated tonight, his beloved Percy was coming to see him.

His inner peace was soon disrupted when his parents took their thrones, eyeing the attendees.

"A marvelous turnout, dear." Queen Seraphine commented. Aurelius silently nodded. Marcus twiddled his thumbs as he avoided eye contact with the girls sending him sultry glances. How obnoxious it was, indeed. Speaking of, a fiery-haired harlot-in-training approached the Flints with Molly at her side.

Giving a light bow of the head, Molly addressed the king and queen "Good evening, your majesties. On behalf of the Weasleys, I thank you for the privilege of allowing us to attend your magnificent ball."

Marcus rolled his eyes 'Spare me your false pleasantries.'

Seraphine smiled "You are certainly welcome. Hello Ginevra, it's a delight to see you as well."

"As it is to be in your presence again." she flashed a dazzling grin as she averted her eyes towards the prince.

"Son, why don't you bid her a proper 'hello'? Tonight isn't the night to lack social etiquette." Aurelius suggested.

Grudgingly, extremely grudgingly, Marcus took Ginny's small hand into his. "I am pleased to see you this evening, fair Ginny." he kissed her hand. Molly smiled as Ginny lightly giggled. They bid them farewell and left to mingle with the other guests.

Marcus grimaced 'Did I almost throw up? Ugh...Percy...get here already.'

Within the next ten minutes, Percy arrived at Dragonheart Castle. Tonks noticed his familiar mop of curls and escorted him to the back entrance, where he won't draw too much attention at once.

A glass door was open to the right of the throne platform. Percy stood there nervously.

''It's ok, Percy. Just take it easy..Marcus is right over there." She whispered as the king addressed the massive congregation, giving a speech and signaled for the ball to commence.

"Thanks." Percy sighed as he watched everyone traipse about. 'Come on, Percy. You can do this...it's been years. Hopefully they have forgotten all about your mishaps or at least forgiven you for them. Marcus is waiting.'

Taking one last breath, he strolled through the glass door, slowly slithering his way through the crowd. Behind him, he failed to notice the stares people gave as he passed by.

"Is that a Weasley?"

"It should be, Arthur did say he had seven children.."

"If so, where the hell has he been all these years?"

"I remember the last gala he attended, poor boy."

"Heh, is he gonna cause another accident? Better shield your robes."

"Oh, hush. He was only a child, give him a break. A lot children can be awkward and clumsy."

"I dunno where he's been but he's looking rather spectacular in those robes. They complement his eyes exquisitely." Apparently, people did remember him.

As Percy kept winding his way through the crowd, he eventually caught Marcus's undivided attention. He was standing with his buddies when the redhead stepped forward.

"Hi. I'm here..like I said."

Marcus's heart fluttered at seeing him. Percy's finally taken a step to break out of his thick shell. "I'm glad you came..." he patted Percy's hand as he was led to their table.

Montague whispered to Warrington "Check out the crowd. I don't think they've forgotten Percy after all. Well..a fair amount, anyway." he mentioned as several stares, points and whispers were sent their way.

An hour into the party, across the ballroom, Ginny was flirting with Malfoy, Lynch, Kirke and Davies, having an 'interesting' conversation until Diggory pulled Davies to the side "Hey mate, check out the talent over at Flint's table."

"Which one?"

He pointed "The one in the sapphire blue robes. He's quite a catch. Get this, it's Percy Weasley."

Roger tilted his head "Oh really? Hm...he's not that bad-looking of a bloke. Kinda cute."

That caught Ginny offguard. She quit talking as she stood on her tiptoes, seeing in fact, Percy was indeed at the ball...all dressed up and sitting next to Marcus. Her pretty faced contorted into a ferocious scowl.

'I need to warn Mum..'

The tension thickens. What a bitch, huh? Stay tuned for 13! :P