time to turn over a new leaf

Who? Oliver and Percy
When? sometime in the last 3 weeks
What? Come on, you knew it was coming.


( Get up, get up, get up. Come on, get up. Let's go. )

*sitting there waits till Oliver's breathing deepens in sleep and slips out of bed, heading into the kitchen and poking round on the top shelf of the cupboard beside the fridge* *he finds what he's looking for in the cupboard beside the fridge, then sits down at the kitchen table with tea*

( *he looks up, and she's there, like she just is, sometimes, late at night* )

*pauses to snap a picture of a waterfall--he'd got the camera for Christmas ages ago and only just found it at the bottom of the closet in a box of books he keeps meaning to sell back to Flourish and Blottes--and when it registers the end of the roll of film, he shoves it back in his pocket with something like relief* *he's not a very good photographer, nothing ever comes out like he wants it to, but he's at least used the thing, and (he thinks) avoided taking shots of his thumb over the lens* *that's enough to make him feel less guilty about never using what was in fact a really good Christmas present*

*he grins, noticing Oliver's attention's on the trees rather than the waterfall, and finds a rock to sit on while he waits* *he's perfectly content to sit there and watch Oliver forever, it's one of his favourite pasttimes, so he sits there and watches Oliver watching trees and feels the weight of the workweek slide off his shoulders*

To: Bill
From: Percy

Bill,

Meant to send this earlier. Mum mentioned you've got engaged, just wanted to say congratulations.

Best to both of you,
Percy

*wanders through the garden and up to the kitchen door, peering inside, seeing no-one, and knocking as he walks inside* *he looks into the living room and doesn't see anyone, and sets his Mum's gift down on the kitchen counter before poking into the fridge to see if there's anything good to drink*

WHO? Bill and Percy
WHEN? last Wednesday evening
WHERE? London


( Things are....pretty good. I filed for divorce. The bank tries to work me into the ground. I think I have a trip to Venice coming up. )

*yanks his fleece jacket over his head and slings his gym bag over his shoulder, and walks outside into the chilly air beside Bill, his breath puffing out in misty white clouds ahead of him*

*consideringly* I don't know many of the pubs round here. *laughs* Just the coffee shop. D'you have a preference, then?

WHO? Arthur and Percy
WHEN? Thursday evening
WHERE? the Tube

( Magical Law Enforcement won't follow her, neither will Magical Creatures and if you don't have those two depart...ments...Oh bloody hell... )

***

WHO? Molly and Percy
WHEN? Friday lunchtime
WHERE? the Burrow

( You two aren't worrying about me again, are you? )

*Apparates into Ottery St Catchpole and walks toward the Burrow, needing a break from the fumes from Melvillus' latest mishap and the resulting annoyance floating round the apothecary shop*

*his head is reasonably clear by the time he hits the lane leading to the Burrow and turns up it, and he's managed to work up a smile by the time he knocks on the door and walks inside* *doesn't see his Mum anywhere, so he calls* Oi, Mum! It's me! *before heading on into the living room, where he also doesn't see her*

*he settles for leaning in the doorway between the two rooms and waiting to see whether she responds*

*heads down the stairs to the Underground station at Bayswater, figuring at least on the Circle line they can just keep riding till they're done talking since it's a loop* *was amused at first when his father suggested the Underground, but watching the crowds of people coming in and out, he thinks it's actually a very good idea--it's Muggle, and it's busy enough no one's likely to notice them*

*he buys his ticket with some spare change he had in his pocket, watching couples walk hand-in-hand toward the ticket barrier and wishes he knew how to fix things with Oliver* *he's lost in thought, and doesn't see Arthur coming down the stairs till he's almost next to him*

*looks up, forces his mind to clear, pushes his glasses back up his nose, and smiles* Hi, Dad.

WHO Arthur and Percy
WHEN last Friday, 1/12
WHY It had to happen sometime.

( ...You're not dying are you? )

*is doing the dinner dishes by hand, the better to think about the situation with Sophie and the Ministry, muttering to himself as thoughts occur to him, then mentally discarding them and starting to mutter all over again when something else comes to mind*

*it's taken him at least four times as long as normal to do the dishes, but he hasn't noticed; he's too caught up in sifting through strategies about pinning Umbridge down on everything, and about how to protect Sophie, occasionally pushing his glasses up his nose and muttering darkly about all of it*

*it's Friday evening and he's lurking in the Ministry Atrium, feeling like he'll he arrested or tossed out on his ear at any moment, hoping he can catch his father before he leaves for home* *he considered popping by the Burrow later tonight, but discarded the idea as a bad one, mainly because he thinks there are too many distractions there--between Mum and George and Andie and anyone who happens to pop in and the comfortable feel of it, he doubts he'd ever get to the point*

*it's a bit surreal to think he's here at all, given that he swore he'd never come back, but it's too important he warn Arthur to worry about that, and it's too risky to send an owl* *an old friend from school who works in the Goblin Liaison Office heads over and they shake hands and he does his best to make polite conversation while keeping an eye out for Arthur, hoping Fred doesn't wander by, and trying to fight back his nerves* *Carson finally leaves for home, and in the middle of a crowd Percy spots his father*

*he waits till the crowd's mostly cleared to different Floos, then walks over in a fog of guilt and worry and love; Arthur looks tired, and his usual smile's nowhere in evidence, and for a moment he's tempted just to leave, let the man get some rest, but now Arthur's spotted him--he's not sure exactly what expression's on his father's face but it's anything but happy-to-see-you and he has to take a deep breath before he says it* Dad. Got a moment?

Who? Penny and Percy
When? Monday evening, dinnertime
What? Old friends, catching up

( Cheers. And no pressure. I don't require commissions or proof that my brilliant ideas are being implemented. )

*

Who? Sophie and Percy
When? Wednesday evening, dinnertime
What? A little talk between friends


( I have news--most of it bad--and I need advice, and I need a favour. )

*arrives at the pub early, and shoves his hands in his coat pockets, wishing he'd remembered his gloves as it's a great deal colder than he'd expected when he left the flat this morning*

*the short wait for Sophie gives him a chance to worry over the chances she's taking with Umbridge, and the rumours he's heard of Umbridge's growing influence at the Ministry* *he doesn't like to think of any of his family working there--his father, or Fred, or Sophie; to him, she's family even if they don't share a last name--not with the way things are going* *since he talked to her last, he's searched his memory for anything that he can remember about Umbridge, and found less than he'd have liked; the two of them tended toward opposite circles inside the Minister's offices*

*lost in dark thoughts of the Ministry, when he sees her coming up the walk toward him he has to shake his head, as though to clear it, and his smile's a bit more thoughtful than it is happy though he's glad to see her as always* Sophie. *gives her a hard hug, fuelled by worry* Good to see you.

*arrives outside the restaurant, cheeks pink from the chill in the air* *he'd wanted to arrive more than five minutes early in case Penny did, but one of the other apprentices blew something up at work and he had to hurry home and change before going to the restaurant* *cursing Melvillus under his breath for such an elementary mistake--who in their right mind would add mugwort that way?--and decides he ought to count his blessings; at least he didn't turn purple, like Snodgrass did*

*he smiles as he sees Penny arrive, and hurries over to give her a fierce hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her round as he does* *laughing, he sets her down and takes a long look at her* Looking as good as ever, Penny. It's fantastic, you being back. *and he clearly means it*

Who? Oliver and Percy
When? Christmas morning

( 'Schrissmass. Mrychrissmas. )

( these dreams )

*he wakes up slowly, tangled up with Oliver, and stretches as best he can without waking Oliver up* *it's his second Christmas back in England, and after the one spent in Portugal alone, he's so incredibly grateful to be here--with a man he not only loves but likely couldn't so much as face a day without; with someone who always seems to understand, where it seems very few people have ever really understood*

*he grins as Oliver mutters something about a rogue bludger in his sleep and moves closer, and works his arms round his lover so he can pull him closer still* *he closes his eyes, still smiling, and thinks that if life never gets any better than this, he'll die feeling as though it was all worth it; he'll know without a question that no matter how many mistakes he's made in life, finding Oliver again means he did something, somehow, perfectly right*

*he listens to the soft slide of snow on the roof, the crackle of nearly-dead embers in the grate, and Oliver's soft, slow breathing, and decides that this Christmas is the best one yet* *he settles the covers over them more securely, and just lies there waiting for Ollie to wake up*

( Happy Birthday, big brother! )