Hello! I'm back again! I hope this chapter pleases you all and I'm sorry for the wait. Being a teacher means that I've had an entire summer to write (yay!) only one problem…someone released the rope and my imagination took off! Of course it decided to pay me a visit just as I went back to school and lost my time to actually write. Thankfully I've been able to keep hold of it and am currently trying to make sense of the copious amounts of notes I've written on various pieces of paper. Seriously the amount I've got is ridiculous and half of it doesn't even make any sense.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter Twenty Four

By Rosa241

Harry POV:

That was humiliating!

I'd spend ages last night coming up with the perfect way of asking Cho to the ball. Ages! Seriously I spent all night trying to think up the best words. For a minute I actually thought that she was going to say yes, for a minute I thought that she might consider going with me. Maybe she would have if it hadn't have been for him.

"I'm really sorry but I'm already going with Cedric."

She was already going with someone!

I'd asked her out and she was already going.

Worse she was going with Cedric.

Before this year I'd never really spent time with the hufflepuff and truthfully since the world cup I hadn't really seen him either. He seems to be at the centre of everything going wrong lately. No one really knows what happened between Cedric and Oliver but whatever it was had caused havoc with Percy. Something big had happened between the two quidditch players and that something had caused big problems for Percy and Oliver. I don't know what went on but I know it had to be Cedrics fault.

Now there's this.

I finally work up the courage to ask out Cho and the stupid gits already gone and asked her!

Why couldn't he have waited?

Why couldn't she have said no?

Why didn't I ask her days ago instead of waiting until the last minute?

Sighing heavily my eyes flicker over towards where Ron is still sulking. Quite what had been going through his head when he'd asked Fleur I don't know but getting knocked back was not a pleasant thing. I'd thought he was being ridiculous at first, now I can appreciate how horrible it is.

At this rate neither of us is going to be going to the ball with a date. To be honest I quite think that'd suit Ron just fine but I'm a champion. How's it going to look if I'm the only champion to turn up without a date? I can just imagine the taunts from Malfoy and the rest of the slytherin lot.

Leaning back in the chair I sigh again. We've only got a few more days until the ball takes place and I'm running out of ideas. Ron's plan of asking Hermione since she was bound to be date free, Ron's words not mine, had been scuppered when she'd angrily revealed that Viktor Krum had already asked her. I didn't plan on admitting to a still furious Hermione that the same thought had crossed my mind. I'd even considered begging Ginny to go with me only to find out that she was going with Neville.

Even Neville had manned up and asked someone out.

"Hi Harry." Padma waves as she wanders through the common room with her twin. As I watch the two of them leave a sudden thought crosses my mind. Making my decision I head off before my courage deserts me.

Please work.

Percy POV:

"So what do you think?" To be honest Olivers idea was pretty good. We'd opened the egg a few times since the first task and only had managed a few seconds before shutting it. The sound coming out of it was just so horrible! Maybe if we listened to it all the way through then we'd get the clue. The thought filled me with dread. The headache that seemed to have become a permanent fixture over these last few weeks was bad enough without that awful noise making it worse. Just thinking about it makes my head throb again.

"I think you might be on to something actually." He beams at this and the fist pump he does almost makes me smile. Naturally my head throbbing again turns it into more of a grimace.

This stupid bloody headache!

I've tried everything that usually works when I get them but so far nothing has done the trick. For a while I thought I was coming down with the flu but this feels different. I've had the flu enough times now to recognise when I've got it, this isn't the flu. I'd toyed with the idea that I was stressed, stress headaches are an unfortunate side effect of thinking too much, but they were never this bad. They also never lasted this long either. Maybe if I wasn't so tired…

It's been weeks since I've been able to get a decent nights sleep. These damn nightmares are driving me crazy. Of course I've had a few nightmares since the events of the world cup but they usually were the same. Oliver was killed and then there was that voice. As horrible as it was they had started to disappear. These nightmares are different though.

At first they didn't make any sense. They were just jumbled images and pictures flashing through my mind. As weird as they were there was nothing about them that worried me. Now though…

Since they started three weeks ago they've been growing more and more sinister. The disjointed images being replaced by increasingly disturbing scenes. Death, destruction, chaos, blood…just thinking about them makes me shiver. Honestly I dread going to sleep right now. I know that I need to of course but I know the moment I close my eyes I'll be bombarded with those damn nightmares. I can't face it.

"Perce, you really need to sort this out." Oliver's words bring my eyes back up to look at him. "You're exhausted mate! Seriously I'm getting tired just looking at you."

"I'll be fine." To be honest I don't even believe the words myself, why would he?

"Oh cut the crap!" The force of his voice shocks me for a moment. "Would you listen to yourself! You've been saying for days that you'll be fine well you know what? Newsflash! You're not fine. You're not getting better you're only getting worse!"

"It's probably just the flu." The moment the words leave my mouth I know it's entirely the wrong thing to say. His eyes darken for a moment and his face turns a vivid shade of red as pure anger encases him.

"Oh for the love of…" He trails off as he begins pacing the length of the room. "Are you actually kidding me? The flu! Percy you've barely slept in weeks, you look like you've been dug up and don't even think I don't know about the nightmares!"

Of course he knew we shared a room after all. It's times like these that I both love and hate having a best friend like him. He's been there for me when no one else was, even my own family, and at no point did I ever feel like he was going to walk away. When everyone else allowed themselves to be pushed away he pushed back. He shoved me backwards and forced me to confront my problems. As much as I'm forever grateful part of me hates him right now.

I want him to let this go, to walk away and allow me to deal with this my own way. He won't though. I know him.

"Percy I'm worried. There's something really wrong and you need to let someone help." He's right of course, I know he is. But there's a big difference between knowing it and admitting it. Admitting that I need help is nothing something I can do easily.

"I know." The words come out after a few minutes of silence and I swear he actually breathes a sigh of relief. "I know I need to sort this out and I will. Just let me do it my way. Please."

"Perce…" His growl annoys me but I let it pass, he's allowed to be worried.

"Please Oliver. If we do this your way then you'll be storming through the castle right this moment telling the world that I'm dying. You know how hard this is for me." Sitting down at last he sighs and I know he's agreed.

"First thing tomorrow we go down to the infirmary and speak to Madam Pomfrey." Smiling at his words almost gets me a smile in return. Almost. He'd prefer it if I went for help there and then but I can't. I know that I need to but I just can't. Most people wouldn't understand but he does. Oliver knows that if I'm going to ask for help then it needs to happen my way.

"Thanks." He's not happy about it but he'll let me have today.

"First thing I mean it!"

Moody POV:

It won't be long now.

It won't be long before he gives in.

I'll admit that it's taken longer that I'd have thought it would. This has been done previously and usually it only takes a few days, a week at most, before the potion takes effect. A few days taking this stuff renders them weak and helpless, their bodies simply keel over and eventually they slip away. Somehow this kid has managed to hold out for a lot longer. But that doesn't matter now.

It'll be all over soon.

Give it another day and he'll be gone. I won't have to worry about him anymore. Something inside of me feels fear at the boy. He saw me at the world cup. Of course he doesn't know that it's me, there's no way that he can know, but something inside of me…

The way that he stares at me sometimes.

The distrust in his eyes when he sees me with Potter.

Somewhere deep inside he knows something isn't right and that thought scares me.

But no more.

No more will I have to worry about him.

Another day and he'll be gone.

Another day and he won't be my problem anymore.

Okay so before you all shoot me…

Basically Percy has been bullied before, quite badly, and it has left him no liking asking for help. He doesn't like to admit that he needs help since that makes him feel weak which reminds him of his previous bullying. We already know that he's got some self-esteem issues and he hates the thought of others perceiving him to be weak. That's the reason why he is struggling with asking for help. That's the reason why he doesn't want to admit to feeling so awful. Although he knows that he needs help he finds it hard to do so and this is why he needs to do it his own way.

This didn't turn out the way that I wanted and I'm not entirely happy with it but I don't think it'll get any better if I spend hours poring over it.

Hope you enjoy!

Until next time,

Bye x