Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave ...
They hadn't been in the new house for that long, only long enough that boxes were no longer littering the hallways, though there was still a lot to unpack. Percy's attic library, for example, which he would disappear to as soon as he got home. All those books needing organized? The man was in heaven. His own personal archive.
Lavender, on the other hand, had only taken a day to unpack. She hadn't bought much since Halloween, and her closet only held the bare essentials that would get her through the week.
It was odd not to hear Jack jumping on the stairs like he loved to do, nor to hear Percy chastising him for doing so. He was at his grandmum's for dinner, but he'd promised Lavender he'd bring her back some of the famous biscuits he kept telling her about.
She hadn't had the heart to tell him she couldn't eat them, but what the little boy didn't know couldn't hurt him.
Making her way downstairs, book in hand, Lavender had ever intention of curling up on a sofa in the living room and finishing the book she'd stolen from Percy's collection. However, she changed her course of direction when the doorbell rang. Padding barefoot across the hardwood floor, she smiled at the head of blond hair she could see through the glass.
Reese was studying the parchment in her hand. This seemed to be the right place. She'd never been very good at directions, but she'd sensed Lavender's earthy, warm colors and Percy's vivid blues in the area. Centered here, but they weren't stuck yet and so she stood unsure, shifting foot to foot with Kiss in her arms as she frowned at the tiny map and directions.
Lavender pulled the door open, face spread into a large grin. "You found it," she said, voice warm. "I know it was a little sudden, but the whole move thing was sudden. Hi, Kiss." Her attention turned slightly to the small bundle at Reese's front.
Reese started a bit at the sudden greeting, but not moments later a smile bloomed on her features. "Hallo, Lavender." She glanced down at her baby then. "Say hi too, Kiss Kiss."
Kiss smiled, little hand reaching in a grabby wave.
Small fingers wrapped around one of hers, and Lavender's smile only widened. "Did you want to come in?" It felt a little odd, still, that this was her home, too. Percy had made sure she knew he'd specifically looked for a larger place, to accommodate a room for her. She was allowed to invite people in without it being awkward.
Besides, Reese was Percy's friend first.
"Mmhmm. You want to take Kiss in?" Reese asked, brows raised slightly in question. She let few people hold her child besides those she felt comfortable. Despite the fact she'd only met Lavender a handful of times, Reese felt as if she knew her being, the colors that ran through her openly, deep and honest.
"Really?" At Reese's nod, Lavender held her arms out. It took a few seconds to disentangle the blonde babe from her sling, but soon she was securely snuggled against Lavender's chest, the Gryffindor looking down into Kiss' bright blue eyes with a small smile on her face. "Percy's around here somewhere," she said, though her voice was fairly far away.
"Mmhmm. I'll just follow his blue. It's always bright if he's just been there," she chattered, eyes on Lavender and Kiss. Content in that moment with the world, Reese's lips curled and she turned to shut the door behind her before padding into the depths of Percy's new home looking for the man himself.
He had absently noticed the doorbell ringing, but Lavender must have gotten it, and his name wasn't bellowed, so he cataloged the occurrence in his mind and went back to his book. His head turned, though, when he heard the light movement of feet up the attic stairs.
Lavender walked solidly, and Jack stomped like most children did, with blatant disregard for those around them.
"Hullo?" He called, marking his spot and placing his book to the side.
Reese grinned. She knew she was going the right way. Percy's colors weren't stuck to the place yet, but the bright blue from his aura was fresh, so to speak. When she peeked her head in the door at the top of the stairs, her green gaze met an inquiring blue. "Hullo."
Percy blinked for a moment, before a wide smile broke on his face. Reese. Reese. He wasn't surprised, exactly, that she had managed to find his home. She had always managed to find him, since they had made their friendship.
He was very glad to see her in person, though.
"Aren't you going to come in?" he inquired, standing from his chair, brushing bits of dust off the front of his pants.
"Uh huh. I was just waiting until the right moment," she informed him before slipping around the door and skittering across the little space between them and jumping for a hug. It'd been a very long time since she'd seen her constellation, too long.
"I've been trying to find you, you know," she said, voice muffled against his sweater. "I went to your flat and met Lavender, twice even, and then she invited me here so I could search in the right place."
Her finger's tightened and she breathed him in; ink and parchment. "I missed you," she said a little softer then.
Percy's arms had instinctively wrapped around the small person flinging herself at him, but it was affection that caused him to squeeze just that bit harder and breathe deeply. She smelled like flowers, with just the hint of baby and sunshine. How she managed to smell like sunshine in the middle of a dank, English winter was beyond him.
"And I've missed you. It seems we've been ships in the night," he replied, setting Reese carefully to her feet and pulling back to look closely at her.
"Ships in the night?" She tipped her head, watching him. Reese reached out then, fingers tracing over the very, very light freckles along his cheek. "You haven't been outside in a really, really long time." Her gaze shifted from her finger's exploration to his. "Did they lock you up down there?"
"It feels like it," he replied, tips of his ears coloring pink. "I don't think it's going to change anytime soon, either." He pulled back, tugging Reese to the chaise with him, settling her before sitting himself.
"Because... because of the blackness?" She didn't know how an archivist kept so very busy, but she supposed the Ministry did have a lot of books and parchments. She hadn't been there herself in years though, not since she'd re-met Percy, anyways. It was a dark place and it made her feel dirty and frightened to be there.
"Because of the blackness, and Halloween, and other things," the other things were not to be spoken about, not yet. "It isn't just the Archives. It's the Unspeakables, too."
Reese's lips made a round 'o' at this before she started nodding slowly. It made sense, fit him better for all that he smelled like ink and parchment. Percy was also vividly bright, safe. It was a thing nurtured into a blaze and now she knew why. "Unspeakables... because of Halloween..." her voice dropped to a whisper as she caught at a hand and held on. "... you're going to get the Black Widow? She did it."
"That's the hope, as the Aurors have been less than successful," Percy replied, squeezing Reese's hand gently.
She nodded, licking her lips as they'd gone dry. She didn't like thinking about that night, what had happened, how much black and vivid red in pain and anger had crushed her. Nightmares still haunted her dreams sometimes, the promise that had been in her dark eyes. "She saw me, Leo. She knows what I am."
Percy nodded slowly, trying to tamp down the instinct to protect. Bellatrix Black Lestrange needed to reason to get a hold of Reese. The things... he stopped his over active mind from forming those images. Fear was a very real feeling, and concern that Reese was not the best at keeping in regular contact.
"You're welcome here, Reese, you and your daughter, anytime, if you feel the need to be safe, to hide. I'll keep you safe, as best I can," he said softly.
Reese moved to wrap her arms around his neck again, nuzzle her nose where she could breath him in. "I know. You my Leo, and full of colors that blaze in the darkness."
He didn't feel like how Reese described him, but he trusted her statement none the less. He hoped he could live up to it.
Kiss cradled to her chest, Lavender made her way up the stairs to the attic. She grinned in Percy and Reese's direction, liking the comfortableness in the room. "You ready for dinner?"
"I believe so," Percy replied, dropping a kiss on the top of Reese's head. "But only if I can gobble up that lovely bit of sweetness you have in your arms."
Lavender turned her shoulders away from him, guarding Kiss. "Over my dead body," she replied, eyes narrowed.
"She's serious," Reese informed him solemnly, warmly pleased that it was a true thing. She'd known she could trust Lavender though; people lied, but colors and auras didn't.
"I know. You should see her when I steal her toast in the morning; downright cranky," Percy teased, disentangling Reese from his person, and standing. He tucked her small hand in to the crook of his arm, though, and led her towards the stairs.
"Shall we?"
"Is there going to be cheese?" she asked, eyes bright on him.
"For you, of course, and bits of fruit and bread, and a banana pudding for dessert," Percy replied, ignoring the face Lavender made about the cheese.
"Mmkay. I guess we 'shall' then," she agreed, grinning at Lavender when she reached out to tickle Kiss.
SUMMARY: Reese goes over to visit Percy and Lavender in the new house.
Lavender, on the other hand, had only taken a day to unpack. She hadn't bought much since Halloween, and her closet only held the bare essentials that would get her through the week.
It was odd not to hear Jack jumping on the stairs like he loved to do, nor to hear Percy chastising him for doing so. He was at his grandmum's for dinner, but he'd promised Lavender he'd bring her back some of the famous biscuits he kept telling her about.
She hadn't had the heart to tell him she couldn't eat them, but what the little boy didn't know couldn't hurt him.
Making her way downstairs, book in hand, Lavender had ever intention of curling up on a sofa in the living room and finishing the book she'd stolen from Percy's collection. However, she changed her course of direction when the doorbell rang. Padding barefoot across the hardwood floor, she smiled at the head of blond hair she could see through the glass.
Reese was studying the parchment in her hand. This seemed to be the right place. She'd never been very good at directions, but she'd sensed Lavender's earthy, warm colors and Percy's vivid blues in the area. Centered here, but they weren't stuck yet and so she stood unsure, shifting foot to foot with Kiss in her arms as she frowned at the tiny map and directions.
Lavender pulled the door open, face spread into a large grin. "You found it," she said, voice warm. "I know it was a little sudden, but the whole move thing was sudden. Hi, Kiss." Her attention turned slightly to the small bundle at Reese's front.
Reese started a bit at the sudden greeting, but not moments later a smile bloomed on her features. "Hallo, Lavender." She glanced down at her baby then. "Say hi too, Kiss Kiss."
Kiss smiled, little hand reaching in a grabby wave.
Small fingers wrapped around one of hers, and Lavender's smile only widened. "Did you want to come in?" It felt a little odd, still, that this was her home, too. Percy had made sure she knew he'd specifically looked for a larger place, to accommodate a room for her. She was allowed to invite people in without it being awkward.
Besides, Reese was Percy's friend first.
"Mmhmm. You want to take Kiss in?" Reese asked, brows raised slightly in question. She let few people hold her child besides those she felt comfortable. Despite the fact she'd only met Lavender a handful of times, Reese felt as if she knew her being, the colors that ran through her openly, deep and honest.
"Really?" At Reese's nod, Lavender held her arms out. It took a few seconds to disentangle the blonde babe from her sling, but soon she was securely snuggled against Lavender's chest, the Gryffindor looking down into Kiss' bright blue eyes with a small smile on her face. "Percy's around here somewhere," she said, though her voice was fairly far away.
"Mmhmm. I'll just follow his blue. It's always bright if he's just been there," she chattered, eyes on Lavender and Kiss. Content in that moment with the world, Reese's lips curled and she turned to shut the door behind her before padding into the depths of Percy's new home looking for the man himself.
He had absently noticed the doorbell ringing, but Lavender must have gotten it, and his name wasn't bellowed, so he cataloged the occurrence in his mind and went back to his book. His head turned, though, when he heard the light movement of feet up the attic stairs.
Lavender walked solidly, and Jack stomped like most children did, with blatant disregard for those around them.
"Hullo?" He called, marking his spot and placing his book to the side.
Reese grinned. She knew she was going the right way. Percy's colors weren't stuck to the place yet, but the bright blue from his aura was fresh, so to speak. When she peeked her head in the door at the top of the stairs, her green gaze met an inquiring blue. "Hullo."
Percy blinked for a moment, before a wide smile broke on his face. Reese. Reese. He wasn't surprised, exactly, that she had managed to find his home. She had always managed to find him, since they had made their friendship.
He was very glad to see her in person, though.
"Aren't you going to come in?" he inquired, standing from his chair, brushing bits of dust off the front of his pants.
"Uh huh. I was just waiting until the right moment," she informed him before slipping around the door and skittering across the little space between them and jumping for a hug. It'd been a very long time since she'd seen her constellation, too long.
"I've been trying to find you, you know," she said, voice muffled against his sweater. "I went to your flat and met Lavender, twice even, and then she invited me here so I could search in the right place."
Her finger's tightened and she breathed him in; ink and parchment. "I missed you," she said a little softer then.
Percy's arms had instinctively wrapped around the small person flinging herself at him, but it was affection that caused him to squeeze just that bit harder and breathe deeply. She smelled like flowers, with just the hint of baby and sunshine. How she managed to smell like sunshine in the middle of a dank, English winter was beyond him.
"And I've missed you. It seems we've been ships in the night," he replied, setting Reese carefully to her feet and pulling back to look closely at her.
"Ships in the night?" She tipped her head, watching him. Reese reached out then, fingers tracing over the very, very light freckles along his cheek. "You haven't been outside in a really, really long time." Her gaze shifted from her finger's exploration to his. "Did they lock you up down there?"
"It feels like it," he replied, tips of his ears coloring pink. "I don't think it's going to change anytime soon, either." He pulled back, tugging Reese to the chaise with him, settling her before sitting himself.
"Because... because of the blackness?" She didn't know how an archivist kept so very busy, but she supposed the Ministry did have a lot of books and parchments. She hadn't been there herself in years though, not since she'd re-met Percy, anyways. It was a dark place and it made her feel dirty and frightened to be there.
"Because of the blackness, and Halloween, and other things," the other things were not to be spoken about, not yet. "It isn't just the Archives. It's the Unspeakables, too."
Reese's lips made a round 'o' at this before she started nodding slowly. It made sense, fit him better for all that he smelled like ink and parchment. Percy was also vividly bright, safe. It was a thing nurtured into a blaze and now she knew why. "Unspeakables... because of Halloween..." her voice dropped to a whisper as she caught at a hand and held on. "... you're going to get the Black Widow? She did it."
"That's the hope, as the Aurors have been less than successful," Percy replied, squeezing Reese's hand gently.
She nodded, licking her lips as they'd gone dry. She didn't like thinking about that night, what had happened, how much black and vivid red in pain and anger had crushed her. Nightmares still haunted her dreams sometimes, the promise that had been in her dark eyes. "She saw me, Leo. She knows what I am."
Percy nodded slowly, trying to tamp down the instinct to protect. Bellatrix Black Lestrange needed to reason to get a hold of Reese. The things... he stopped his over active mind from forming those images. Fear was a very real feeling, and concern that Reese was not the best at keeping in regular contact.
"You're welcome here, Reese, you and your daughter, anytime, if you feel the need to be safe, to hide. I'll keep you safe, as best I can," he said softly.
Reese moved to wrap her arms around his neck again, nuzzle her nose where she could breath him in. "I know. You my Leo, and full of colors that blaze in the darkness."
He didn't feel like how Reese described him, but he trusted her statement none the less. He hoped he could live up to it.
Kiss cradled to her chest, Lavender made her way up the stairs to the attic. She grinned in Percy and Reese's direction, liking the comfortableness in the room. "You ready for dinner?"
"I believe so," Percy replied, dropping a kiss on the top of Reese's head. "But only if I can gobble up that lovely bit of sweetness you have in your arms."
Lavender turned her shoulders away from him, guarding Kiss. "Over my dead body," she replied, eyes narrowed.
"She's serious," Reese informed him solemnly, warmly pleased that it was a true thing. She'd known she could trust Lavender though; people lied, but colors and auras didn't.
"I know. You should see her when I steal her toast in the morning; downright cranky," Percy teased, disentangling Reese from his person, and standing. He tucked her small hand in to the crook of his arm, though, and led her towards the stairs.
"Shall we?"
"Is there going to be cheese?" she asked, eyes bright on him.
"For you, of course, and bits of fruit and bread, and a banana pudding for dessert," Percy replied, ignoring the face Lavender made about the cheese.
"Mmkay. I guess we 'shall' then," she agreed, grinning at Lavender when she reached out to tickle Kiss.
SUMMARY: Reese goes over to visit Percy and Lavender in the new house.