Author's Note: As I've written a Christmas special and a semi-New Year's special, I suppose I have to write a Valentine's special as well though I hate the holiday with a fiery passion (WAY TOO COMMERCIALIZED!).

"So Valentine's Day is coming up," Percy commented to Audrey a few days before the holiday that he so usually hated, but for some reason, was looking forward to this year.

She gave him a look between utter disgust and have-you-lost-your-mind. "Valentine's Day?"

"Yes….."

"I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. I tend to sleep in and read murder mysteries on that day."

"Why murder mysteries?" Percy asked, perplexed.

"Because it's so very un-Valentine-y. Anything vaguely romantic would probably make me want to hurl," she replied. "Now let's please talk about something else. Just thinking about it makes me feel gross."

XXX

And so on that very date, Percy found himself going to work as usual and nothing seemed out of place. The Ministry of course had not allowed for any Valentine's decorations, a fact for which Percy was very grateful. While he despised the new Ministry's regime as much as the blonde witch who sat across from him and seemed to party far too hard for her own good (the one for whom he made the hangover potion), he was glad to avoid the ridiculous amounts of red and pink confetti that always seemed land in his eyes.

"Are you Percy Weasley?" a short girl with chin-length black hair stood before Percy's desk expectantly.

Percy, who had not noticed her approaching, looked up at her unsure of who she might be. "Yes, that's me."

She nodded and handed him a folded up letter, very business-like. "I was told to give you this."

Percy started to open the letter, but she stopped him.

"Not here. Anywhere but here. Don't let anyone else see that," she stared him down meaningfully for a moment before she left.

Percy blinked puzzled and slid the note into his pocket.

"What was that about?" the blonde witch at the desk across from his asked him.

"Just giving me a note," he said nonchalantly.

"I think she likes you," the witch grinned.

"I've honestly never seen her before in my entire life," Percy answered, "so I doubt that."

"I'm sure," she grinned.

Percy attempted to return to his work, but the witch continued to stare at him, amused.

"It's Weasley, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Well, Mr. Weasley….." she smirked, "you know what I think your problem is?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"You're too uptight," she replied, completely ignoring his comment.

"Mmm-hmm."

"What you need is a girlfriend."

"Okay," Percy said only half-way paying attention. It took a moment for her words to register. And another moment to realize that she might be flirting with him. "Are you offering?" he asked, terrified of what she might say.

"Hell no!" the witch laughed. "But I'm just saying, if you had one, maybe you wouldn't be so uptight all the time. I mean, you're all work and no play."

"That's because you only see me at work. When we're supposed to be working."

"And your point? You never go out for drinks with any of us after work."

"Just because I don't choose to spend my free time going out with coworkers doesn't mean I'm not going out."

"And are you?"

"Well, no, but….."

"Exactly my point." Her voice suddenly went from mocking to serious, "You know, these are dangerous times that we're living in. You'd hate to see someone let each day pass by never realizing how important how someone is. That is, until it's too late. Does she know?"

"Who?"

"That girl you're always thinking about?"

Percy stopped immediately. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, you're thinking about someone and I didn't think you were gay so…"

"Alright, I get it," he sighed.

"You should tell her," the witch shrugged. It was at that moment that, despite working across from her for over a year, he didn't know her name. She nudged a photo on her desk so that Percy could see a blonde woman laughing in the frame. She looked maybe 25 years older than Percy's coworker, but she was still very beautiful.

"Is that your mum?" he asked.

"Was," she replied, not looking at him. "But she was a filthy Mudblood and unlike most of them, she was one of the unlucky few who didn't escape with the rest last September."

"I'm so sorry," Percy said. The words, "filthy Mudblood" seemed to stab Percy in the chest. Audrey, like this girl's mother, was Muggle-born.

"Yeah, well, like I said, these are dangerous times we live in. So you can't let people go on without telling them things they really need to hear. Because one day, you might not get to tell them."

Percy only nodded. "Yeah…"

"Alicia. Alicia Spinnet."

XXX

The moment Percy was able to leave, he hurried for the door before anyone, not even Yaxley, could stop him. Once alone in the elevator, he opened the note in his pocket (somehow it seemed heavier than just a folded up piece of paper) and scanned it. His eyes widened and a huge smile broke out on his face.

"You seem happy," Audrey commented as she, as usual, helped him take off his coat once he walked through the door.

He held up the note, "I've gotten some good news. Great news actually."

"And what might that be?" she asked as the two of them sat on the couch next to Joey.

"You remember Penelope Clearwater, right?" he asked.

Her face was blank when she answered, "She was the Head Girl, right? And a Ravenclaw?"

"Yeah, well, I've been worried about her for a while because she's a Muggleborn." He waved the note a little, "She sent a letter to me saying she's fine. See, here she says that she and her fiancé, Richard, managed to escape to Brazil," (Percy didn't notice how Audrey relaxed at the word "fiancé") "and they're now working for the Brazilian Ministry." He laughed slightly, "She said she's just glad that they both speak Portuguese."

Audrey smiled, truly smiled, "That's great! I'm glad that she and her fiancé are safe. Is he Muggle born too?"

"She didn't say," Percy smiled. "I'm just glad that she's not dead."

"Funny that she contacted you on Valentine's Day, though," Audrey said, her smile intentionally plastic.

"Am I missing something here?" Joey asked.

"Penelope was an old girlfriend of mine. Obviously, I haven't seen her in years," Percy explained. "She started seeing a guy from work a few years ago, but I didn't know that they were engaged." Percy was surprised that he said this without any bitterness as he had whenever he'd spoken of Penelope before."

XXX

That evening, Percy found Audrey reading Penelope's note.

"She has freakishly neat handwriting," Audrey commented.

"Yeah, well, Ravenclaws are known for that."

Audrey dropped the note on the coffee table. "No, really. Her letters are perfectly straight! See this 't?' It makes four perfect ninety degree angles! Who writes like that!"

"And why are you so interested in her handwriting?" Percy asked, amused.

"You can tell a lot about people from their handwriting," Audrey explained.

"And what can you about me from my handwriting?"

She handed him a pen and a drawing that Joey had long since abandoned. "Write something."

Percy flipped the paper to the blank back. "What do you want me to write?"

"I don't know, anything. Um, 'My name is Percy Weasley. I'm pompous and Audrey is the single most amazing person I've ever met.'"

Percy smirked and did as he was told, only he replaced the word "amazing" with "annoying."

"Alright," Audrey said, viewing the two sentences and disregarding the insult. "You were well-trained in penmanship. I'd go as far to say you made a point to practice a lot as a kid and you were first learning to read and write."

"Guilty."

"You've very ambitious. You want to make a good impression," she frowned. "But….."

"But?"

"But you write a little too fast to be just efficient. Your handwriting is a bit…loose. Not quite sloppy, but it's nearing that point. Almost like you're losing interest. Were you anybody else, I'd say that you haven't gotten that promotion that you've been wanting for a while and you've just lost hope, but you…I'd say that you've found that some things are just more important." She studied him, but for some reason, Percy didn't find it intrusive.

"Much more important," Percy replied, never breaking eye contact.

"Are you going to tell me what they are?" she asked, trying not to smile.

"No," he shook his head. "Not today."

"Why not?"

"It's Valentine's Day," he replied. "And it would such a cliché."

Audrey scowled. "I hate when I can't argue with your logic." She stood up and left the room saying, "I'm going to bed."

"But I guess we'll have a lot to talk about tomorrow," Percy called.

"Yeah, whatever!"

Percy couldn't help but grin.

Author's Note: So I really didn't want them to get together so soon after they almost did (I wanted to wait at least a chapter or two) and come on. Getting together on Valentine's Day? THAT fanfic hasn't been done a thousand times before!