Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
A New Era
Whatever discussion had taken place behind the closed doors of Lord Flint's study led to the Weasley family occupying guest rooms for the night. Our house, as we had been told by an inappropriately gleeful Mr. Pucey, was overdue for a top to bottom security spell workup.
The room Ginny and I found ourselves in was bigger than our room at home, both in width and height. It was even bigger than my dorm room. Crown molding outlined every wall and was embossed with some sort of French renaissance design. The drapery matched the duvet and upholstery of the furniture in the room; light and airy pastels of lavender. And the bed Ginny and I shared was bigger than any bed either one of us had even lain in before. Bigger than both our beds pushed together. At least we didn't have to worry about accidentally kicking each other in our sleep.
Ginny had no problem falling asleep under these conditions. She was out seconds after her head hit the satin pillow. Must be nice; to possess thoughts that don't keep you up at night. I wonder what that feels like. Laying on my back, I ran a hand over my tired eyes; listening for any little sound that might indicate someone else was still awake. But there was nothing. There was a stillness to this place, a type of silence I was unaccustomed to. At the burrow, there was always some sort of background noise. Be it chirping insects outside in the summer, or the house creaking as it settled for the night. Likewise, in the dorms, someone was always making some noise. From snoring to turning over in their sleep. Here there was only nothingness ringing in my ears. I didn't like it.
When I was sure enough time had passed for everyone to have hunkered down for the night, I sat up and slowly climbed out of bed. Making every move I made carefully to not disturb Ginny. With this not being a planned visit, the pajamas I had were something Mum had grabbed without much thought when she and Dad had briefly returned home to grab everyone's things. As such, I was stuck with a pair of Fred's pajama bottoms and an old T-shirt. I didn't have my dressing gown or slippers. So, as I tip-toed towards the door, I hoped no one of importance would see me.
The white-painted door with a gold-colored door handle opened with only a small audible click. Not something Ginny would be able to hear from the bed, let alone be awakened by it. The hallway on the other side of the door was hard to see in the dark. But that was more of a comfort than a deterrent. The portraits of the Flint family ancestors are just as pleasant to look at and interact with as one can imagine.
Closing the door behind me, I kept one hand on the wall to give me some sort of an illusion of a guide as I started counting doors. Fred and George elected to share a room, to no one's surprise. Mum and Dad were also sharing, obviously. Ron had been given his own room and so had Bill. Which meant… I stopped in front of door number five. Percy also had an immaculate guest room to himself.
My hand hovered over the door handle. Do I knock? Do I just let myself in? Knocking would be polite and respectful of Percy's privacy (something Fred, George, and I hadn't been paying attention to as of late). But it was late. He could be asleep. Then I'd need to just let myself in to wake him up. Or, if I did knock, that would give Percy the opportunity to say know and I really needed to talk to him.
The decision was made for me as the door opened causing me to be face to chest with one Mr. Marcus Flint. He had been snickering as he opened the door. But at the unexpectant sight of me, the sound died off before reaching fruition. My head snapped back so I took look at Marcus in the eyes. We both stood still, blinking surprisedly at each other for longer than was strictly necessary. Why was he here? Was the first question I asked myself before I quickly realized it was a question I probably didn't want answered.
"Marcus", Percy whispered in the background. "What is it? What's wrong?"
That was enough to snap Marcus out of any shock he was feeling. The skin around his eyes relaxed as he glanced over his shoulder. "Nothing", he whispered back. "Your sister is here to see you. Proving me right".
Proving him right? My nose wrinkled as Flint moved aside for me to enter the room. Well, that sure hadn't been my attention. Shooting a suspicious look at the Slytherin seventh-year, I brushed past him and noticed a few things. The magically powered lighting fixtures still alighted the room, and Percy was up; pacing the room. The bed hadn't been disturbed at all, meaning he hadn't even bothered to go through the motions of sleeping. "Hey, Perce", I said; deciding the best thing to do was just to ignore Marcus altogether.
Percy paused in his pacing and stood like a shell-shocked deer on a highway. His eyes flickered back and forth between me and Marcus; as if he was unsure what he should do in this situation. Marcus decided to make it easy on him. "I'll see you both in the morning", he said before stepping out of the room. "Remember, all the rooms are soundproof. So if you want to yell at each other, go right ahead. You won't disturb anyone". And the door closed with a soft click. Yeah…. Didn't like the sound of that.
Percy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Holly, you should be asleep. It's late".
I glanced at the closed door over my shoulder. "What was he doing here?" Percy blushed and I quickly changed gears. Right, it's better to not get sidetracked from this conversation. "It doesn't matter. Perce, can we talk".
Percy held up both of his hands. His fingers were shaking ever so slightly. "Holly, I really don't-"
"I'm sorry", I talked over him; knowing we'd never get anywhere if I allowed him to call the shots. "I didn't know you had feelings for… I mean, because of Clearwater I thought you were…" Merlin, this is going poorly. At the increasing amount of red in Percy's cheeks, I decided to just get to the main point. "Look, I don't care what your preferences are. You're still Percy. And I'm sorry that I… discovered you and Flint before you were ready to talk about it". I paused to rub my left arm in some sort of self-soothing gesture. It was becoming increasingly difficult to look at Percy, but I forced myself to maintain eye contact. "I promise, I won't tell anyone. It's your business. Not mine". I had more to say, but I was cut off by Percy taking a few hurried steps forward and flinging his arms over my shoulders.
The squeaking sound Percy's hug evoked from me was more surprised than indignant. Percy's arms were like boa constrictors. I could feel his grip testing the strength of my bones. He didn't say anything and I wasn't going to force any words out of him.
Unfortunately, I couldn't just leave it there. "Um… But Fred and George are probably going to figure it out". It was like turning a knob. Suddenly, Percy was holding me at arm's length; studying my face with a fair amount of dread. "So, you know how Fred and George have been going through their biggest fight to date?" Percy's nervous stare was the only answer I got. But it was enough to evoke word vomit and I spilled everything. Starting with the letter I'd sent to Lord Flint to get him to help Hagrid's hippogriff, to how us triplets had talked him into applying to an internship he originally didn't want, to Flint suddenly becoming a fixture in his life, to us triplets staging a fight to put a buffer between him and Flint. During this whole explanation, Percy's face did a lot of interesting things; second-hand embarrassment, bemusement, annoyance, disbelief, and anger. I was talking faster than normal when I came full circle. "And Fred and George are going to put two and two together when I tell them they can stop fighting."
Percy sighed deeply as he let go of my shoulders. "Holly", he groaned in complaint and stress as he started pacing once more.
"I don't think they'll tell anyone", I said in an effort to be comforting. "At least not on purpose. And they won't care either. I'll make sure of that". The look Percy sent in my direction was incredulous. "We only decided to fake a fight because we love you".
Percy ruefully shook his head before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Fred and George don't love me. They torment me. It sounds like they just wanted to keep Marcus away from our family".
I hesitated for a moment. Not because Percy was right, but because I was struggling to decide if he'd be okay with me sitting down next to him. "Of course, they love you", I insisted; deciding to just go for it. If he told me to move I would. "Pranks and driving people batty are how they show they care. Honestly, if they didn't love you, they'd ignore you entirely".
Percy snorted in dry humor. An action I decided to interpret as an improvement in his mood. "Following that logic, I must be Fred and George's favorite family member".
I hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "Technically it's a tie between you and Ron if we're counting pranks". Laying down on my back with my feet still stationary on the floor, I waited for Percy to get his thoughts in order. This way my position gave him some sense of privacy while also keeping myself close if he needed the comfort.
Percy sat with forearms resting on top of his thighs, hunched over and head ducked. Being as close as we were, I could feel one of his legs bouncing next to mine. "Marcus said you wouldn't be bothered by… this", Percy said after the silence had become uncomfortable. "He said our whole family would be accepting, considering how progressive our family's social opinions have been up to this point".
Why do I get the feeling those hadn't been Marcus' exact words? "Nice of him", I commented just to keep Percy talking.
"Do you think Mum and Dad will be okay with… Marcus and me?" Percy's question was strained, and his tone tense. How long had he pondered that question?
"They better be", I answered; staring up at the ceiling. "I mean, Ginny's the first Weasley to be sort into Slytherin, that we know of, Bill looks like a punk rocker still living in the eighties, Ron has questionable hygiene, and I used to be a fully grown woman living in muggle America. If they can accept all that, you liking men shouldn't even make them bat an eye". Percy flinched at my wording which is fair. Tact has never been my strong suit. And really, considering the size of our family, the chances of one of us identifying as a homosexual had to be pretty high. So, Mum and Dad really shouldn't be surprised at all.
From where I was laying down, I could see the muscles in Percy's back clench and unclench as he worked through whatever he was thinking. And Percy being allowed to get lost in turbulent thoughts was a dangerous thing, so I kept talking. "I really believe Mum and Dad won't care what you like as long as you're safe and happy. It might take some time for them to get used to it and you don't have to tell them or anyone until you want to. But if you do tell them and they're not okay with it then you and I will disown them and move into an apartment together". Percy released some tension in his shoulders and his leg stilled. "Of course, I have two more years of school. Meaning you'll be on your own for a lot of the time. But when I'm home, I can cook our meals and keep the kitchen clean. You'll have to be responsible for the bathroom though because I hate cleaning bathrooms".
Flopping down next to me on the bed, Percy and I spent several minutes staring up at the ceiling in silence. At least this time it was a comfortable silence. "I thought there was something wrong with me", Percy admitted when my eyelids started to feel heavy. Which I promptly responded to by pinching him on his elbow, sleepiness forgotten. "Ow! Holly!", Percy yelped as he sprung up, holding his abused elbow in one hand.
Yawning, I remained unaffected by the glare Percy cast over me. "If you say bad things about yourself, I'm going to pinch you. There's nothing wrong with you and if anyone tells you differently, tell me. Fred, George, and I will make them clinically insane. Just like we did with Lockhart".
Percy's face was grim but it didn't match the lightness of his voice. "That's not funny", he scolded; lying back down next to me.
"Hmm. It's a little funny", I disagreed. Even though it hadn't been pranks by the wonder Weasleys that had done Lockhart in. But Percy didn't know that and I needed to joke about the situation. "Hey, Perce?" I asked after another moment passed. "Now that we've established there's nothing wrong with you and that you're perfectly acceptable, are you sure you want to settle for Marcus Flint?" I turned my head to face Percy and the expression on his face spoke a thousand words. "I mean, Hogwarts isn't a big school, but there are lots of blokes out there…" Percy narrowed his eyes, making me aware this conversation topic wasn't getting the traction I hoped it would. "What about Diggory? He's handsome and smart. Much more your type, if you ask me".
"Stop", Percy demanded as he pushed his glasses up with his hands to cover his whole face. "I'm not having this conversation with my little sister".
"Or there is that Bulgarian quidditch player, Viktor Krum. You know, the one that's been in all the teen witch magazines as of late. Real man of mystery there".
Percy lowered his hands just enough to squint one eye at me. "How, in Merlin's name, do you expect me to meet a Bulgarian quidditch player?"
I shrugged. "Stranger things have happened". Especially when Mr. Krum would be at Hogwarts next year. I could probably manipulate an encounter if Percy was interested. "What I'm trying to say is that you have the Weasley signature good looks, you're smart and nice. You can do a lot better than Flint".
Pointing towards the door, Percy only had three words. "Good night, Holly".
Breakfast in the Flints' residence was like having brunch at a five-star hotel. The spread was immaculate. Ranging from foreign pastries to fresh fruit cut up into delicate shapes. We were eating on fine hand-painted China that was causing Mum to supervise Ron and Ginny very closing just in case either one of them broke or scratched something. Percy and Marcus sat at one end of the table talking about something that had Marcus grinning from ear to ear and Percy blushing like a cherry tomato. While Bill and Dad sat on the other end of the table with Flint Sr.; their heads bent together and talking too quietly for anyone to hear.
Which is something that should bother me. But it wasn't. Mostly because Fred, George, and I were currently doing the same thing. "What do you mean we owe Percy a favor?" George asked as I swallowed a big mouthful of coffee. Needless to say, I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night.
"I mean we really screwed up this time and we need to… respect Percy's privacy". I was doing my best to not look down the table where our middle brother was currently busy resembling a steamed lobster. But it was proving to be challenging; now being in the know.
"Holly", Fred scoffed as he set down his fork. "When have we ever cared about Percy's privacy?"
It was a good point. "There's a first time for everything", I insisted as George studied a piece of pineapple with scrutiny. As if that one piece of fruit held the answers to the universe.
"What aren't you telling us?" George asked when the pineapple had no answers from him.
Drumming my fingers against my coffee mug, I tried to think of a response that Fred and George would accept. "I promised I wouldn't tell you, although I have faith you'll figure it out on your own".
"So, it's a secret", Fred observed, frowning.
"Percy's secret", George added before eating the pineapple, already connecting dots.
"And it has something to do with Flint", Fred guessed. The skin between his eyebrows wrinkled and he crossed his arms. It was a stance Fred only adopted when he was thinking. Was he close to figuring it out? Should I make us leave the table just in case he does piece it together? Percy might just spontaneously combust if Fred figured it out and blurted it out loud enough for everyone to hear before he had the sense to maintain a filter.
But, luckily, Fred's thought train never got to pull into the station. "Ah, Good morning and welcome", Lord Flint greeted as two people entered the room. One was a scruffy-haired boy who made a beeline for a surprised Ron. The other was equally as scruffy looking. "Lord Black, please help yourself and join us. You and your godson are the first to arrive".
Not looking terribly pleased to be here, Sirius grumbled something under his breath before grabbing a chocolate croissant and taking a seat next to Bill.
"What's going on?" I asked the whole table although my focus was on the adults.
I was ignored, because of course I was. "I'm assuming the floo trip was sufficient". Lord Flint said just for the sake of small talk. "I prefer apparition myself".
"I prefer getting answers myself", George mocked. But the only one who paid any attention was Mum who sent him a warning look.
Lord Flint's social niceties were rejected. "Who else is coming?" Sirius asked. "Adrian…. The Pucey's said this was going to be important".
"Just a few to start", Dad said with a smile. Seemingly grateful to have Sirius in attendance. "Just the ones who… Who Marius thought would be…"
"Who we believe should be in our inner circle as things progress", Lord Flint filled in when Dad struggled to find the right words.
Feeling alarmed and absolutely in the dark, I locked eyes with Fred. "Inner circle?" I mouthed before doing the same to George. Just what had Adrian and all the adults talked about last night.
"Of course, the Puceys will be joining us and your friend Professor Lupin. As well as-" Lord Flint cut himself off as two more people entered the dining room after being shown the way by one of the Flint family's house-elves. "Ah, Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick. Welcome. Please make yourselves comfortable and help yourselves to breakfast".
With Professor Sprout looking slightly more uncomfortable than Flitwick, the two teachers nodded their thanks and did just that; pausing even now and then to greet the rest of us sitting at the table. Professor sprout ended up sitting near Harry and Ron while Flitwick chose to be near us triplets. Leaning over Fred, I wasted no time. "Professor", I whispered to get his attention. Maybe if the other adults weren't listening, Flitwick would feel more willing to inform us about what madness was about to take place. Flitwick looked up from where he was building a plate of foreign breakfast pastries with a bit of unease in his eyes. "What's happening?" I asked.
Flitwick opened his mouth, then paused. His eyes flashed over to where Mum was sitting before he refocused on us. "In good time, you three. In good time".
Good time? If I wasn't concerned, I'd have rolled my eyes. When is time ever good? The next group to arrive was the Puceys, with Adrian doing everything in his power to avoid me. Following them were Neville and his grandmother who looked a little too pleased to be there. Along with Lupin. Behind them came Lady Zabini and her son. The Zabinis walked in with Bulstrode and who could only be her parents. The very last to arrive was Mr. Ollivander who I had never seen outside his shop before. The older man's fingers were twitching with idleness as he looked the most out of place amongst all the occupants in the room.
When what must be the most hodge-podge group of people I've ever seen, Lord Flint stood up from his chair to address everyone. "Welcome friends new and old. I know everyone will have many questions. It is no secret our families have not always been free to socialize. I bring us here today in an endeavor to change that. Difficult times have afforded us the rare opportunity to reshape society into a form that best suits us all. One where our children will be spared from filling predestined roles they do not wish to undertake. One where we will strive to reach new heights that are currently unavailable to us through the means our society provides". Lord Flint held out his arms as if opening himself up to everyone. "My friends, it is time to bring in a new era of our own design".