Harry Potter: Confidence
Title: Confidence
Author: Serena-chan
Category: Books
Sub-category: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance
Pairing: Percy Weasley / Oliver Wood
Part One:
Percy was curled up in his bed in the 7th year boys' dormitory reading a book. It was his favorite thing to do, especially on a dreary winter's evening. It wasn't quite cold enough to snow yet so the steadily darkening clouds above had contented themselves with pouring down bucket loads of icy cold rain, which beat against the windows with a comforting rhythm.
Because it was only 7 o'clock he was alone in the dormitory, which suited him just fine. He had already finished all his homework for the weekend, organized his notes in an orderly fashion, and now he was looking forward to a little peace and quiet. He snuggled deeper under his warm comforter and heaved a contented sigh. What a perfect way to end the week.
His contentment was very short-lived however, when moments later Oliver Wood burst through the door, muddy, dripping wet, and disheveled. Honestly, Percy thought irritably, how can anyone think of having Quidditch practice in this mess!
" 'Lo," grunted Oliver, whose upper lip had turned blue from the cold. He proceeded to strip off his soaking wet Quidditch robes and toss them unceremoniously on his bed and the floor next to it.
Because his bed was located next to Percy's, bits of water flew off the discarded clothes and landed on Percy's cheek. He opened his mouth to ridicule him for being so careless, but Oliver had already disappeared into the bathroom.
Whiping his cheek, Percy shot a disgusted look at Oliver's bed and the floor space dividing the two beds. Water from the soggy clothes was already soaking into the carpet and Oliver's bedsheets.
His first instinct was to leave them where they were. After all, Oliver had made the mess, he could clean it up. However, Percy did not relish the idea of stepping onto soggy carpet if he got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Sighing, he decided to at least deal with the mess that was on the floor. He set his book carefully aside, and swung his feet over the edge of the bed.
After wringing the rainwater out of Oliver's clothes into a nearby potted plant, he neatly draped them over the bedposts to finish drying. He mopped up what he could of the water in the carpet with a clean towel, but it was still very damp.
Grabbing his wand, he murmured a charm that caused a hot dry wind to fly from the tip of his wand. Using this as a sort of blowdryer, he soon had the carpet dry. Then his eyes fell on the wet spot in Oliver's bed. Oh well, why not? Oliver was already bound to notice what he'd done so far. He might as well finish the job.
After drying the sheets he set about to making up Oliver's bed, which was never made. He knew he really shouldn't be going this far, but Percy had always hated being in a room with any kind of disorder. It would give him satisfaction to, for once, be in a completely clean dormitory, (even if it wouldn't last).
As he smoothed the bedspread, some of the scent from the sheets floated up to his nostrils. It smelled like pine and the outdoors and was positively infectious. Percy had a sudden picture in his mind of Oliver the last time Percy had seen him at a Qudditch match. Wind blowing back the dark hair, revealing the shine of exhilaration his eyes held whenever he rode a broom.
Percy shook his head to clear the images. He shouldn't be thinking about another student like this, especially not another male student. Disgust for himself overwhelmed him, and he flopped onto his bed in a most unPercy like fashion. Why can't I just be normal?
After a hard workout on the Quidditch pitch, nothing felt better to his aching muscles than a nice hot shower. Flipping the water off, he toweled himself dry with one of the fluffy red and gold towels offered in the Gryfindoor washrooms. He discarded this towel and wrapped a dry one around his waist before retreating back to the bedroom.
He stopped in his tracks when he looked toward his bed, a wide grin slowly spreading across his face. All his Quidditch robes had been neatly dried and hung up on the bedposts, the floor was dry, and his bed was made up in such a perfect manner than only Percy could have accomplished it. In the bed next to his, Percy appeared to be very absorbed in whatever book he was reading, but Oliver saw a light blush start to spread across his cheeks.
"Been tidying up in here?"
"I'm assuming that's a rhetorical question seeing as we're the only two in here," Percy said without looking up. His blush was now deepening and had spread down his neck.
God, he's cute when he blushes, Oliver thought, but all he said out loud was, "Thanks." Percy just nodded curtly in reply, and Oliver went over to his trunk, pulled out some pajamas and began to get dressed for bed.
Don't look at him when he's changing, don't look at him when he's changing. . . his mind chanted, but that didn't stop his eyes from peaking out from the side of his book as Oliver let his towel drop to the floor. Even though he had his back to him, Percy couldn't help but admire his roommate's naked form.
Oliver was tanned and muscular from hours of Quidditch training, but not in a bulky way. No, Percy decided, Oliver had the perfect body. Just watching the way the muscles in his back moved when he bent down to pull on his pajama bottoms sent waves of heat rushing to his face and groin, his heartbeat doubled, and his stomach tightened.
Oh why, oh why, oh why does he have this effect on me? Percy thought anxiously, as he hid his face once more in his book.
When he had finished changing, Oliver turned once more to face his redheaded roommate only to find him once more absorbed in his book. Tumbling onto his bed and rumpling up the bedcovers that Percy had so meticulously arranged, he rolled on his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows, facing Percy.
"So, it looks like it's just me and you tonight," he said, grinning widely at the book his roommate was hiding behind.
"It's only 7:30," Percy replied. "Why don't you go down to the commons? I'm sure my brothers will be only too delighted to entertain you."
"Nah, I'd rather stay up here with you." Percy gave him a look from over the top of his book. "Okay, Fred and George are testing out these new prank tea cakes that explode and throw cream and jelly everywhere when you bite into them. I don't want to be up with them half the night, helping them mop it all up." That's a lie. I would rather stay here with you, but you'd kill me if you knew the reason why.
"I'll kill them," Percy said, speaking of Fred and George.
"Don't bother. They're not worth it." Pause, "So what are you reading?"
"Advanced arithmacy." Oliver made a face at which Percy couldn't help but chuckle. "It's really quite fascinating. Of course you've never given it a chance because it doesn't fly around on a broomstick."
Ouch. That kind of hurt. "There's a lot more to me, you know, besides Quidditch, but I wouldn't expect you to know that because you never take your nose out of a book long enough to see what's happening in the real world." Oliver immediately regretted his emotional outburst, but luckily Percy's face held only amusement.
"Touché," he said chuckling, putting his book down, and actually focusing his attention on Oliver.
There was a sudden rapping on their bedroom door, and Fred's mischievous voice shouted from the other side, "Oh Oliver? Now you wouldn't be hiding from us would you?"
"There's a certain gentlemen friend down here that would like to get aquatinted with you," George said, in a sing-song manner.
Groaning, Oliver pulled his blankets over his head, and Percy faintly heard him mutter, "I'm not here."
Percy went to answer the door. "He's not in here, and will you please lower your voices? Some of us are actually trying to study."
"You're the only one," muttered Fred. "Besides, it's the weekend and Christmas break is only a week away. Lighten up."
George on the other hand was looking quite suspicious. "How do we know your not hiding him in here?"
"You'll just have to trust me," Percy snapped, "unless you want me to write home to Mum about your exploding tea cakes." Grinning at his brothers' horrified faces, Percy said, "That's what I thought. Good night."
Oliver poked his head out from under the blankets when he heard Percy close the door. "Am I safe?" he inquired.
"Quite," said Percy, coming over to sit at the foot of Oliver's bed, something that had never happened before in their entire six years of rooming together. "However, I do think that I'm entitled to an explanation."
"How do you figure that?"
"Well, unless you want Fred and George to know your up here-"
"No! Alright, I'll tell you." Oliver did his best to glare at Percy. "Before I do though, I just want you to know that you can be really cruel sometimes."
"Fair enough." Percy grinned.
Oliver sighed, I really didn't want him to find out this way. "Okay, Fred and George are trying to fix me up to go on a date with this guy who's only 4th year. Seriously, his voice has barely broken. He's practically still a child. Definitely not old enough to know what he wants." Just leave it at that. Please, just leave it at that.
"That's preposterous!" Percy spluttered. "I really will have to give them a talking to. It would be one thing trying to set you up with a girl, but to try to set a straight man up with-"
"Percy, stop." Deep breath. "I'm gay." Whoa. That was a big step. Did I really want to do that? I can't take it back now though. It's already there, hanging in the air. All I can do now is wait to see how Percy reacts.
Oh, now this really isn't fair, Percy thought bitterly to himself. It was so easy to hide my attraction from him when I thought he was straight, but now. . .
"Percy?" He jumped, realizing that he had been sitting there in silence and shock for quite some time. Taking his silence the wrong way, Oliver said, "It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I understand. I'll just ask McGonagall tomorrow if I can switch rooms, okay?" Oliver had turned away from him now and was doing his best not to cry.
"No, Oliver," Percy desperately wanted to reach out and take the other boy in his arms. "Don't. I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but it just surprised me. That's all. Of course I still want to be room mates. Do you really think that something like that would matter to me? After all, I'm-" Percy stopped, shocked at what he'd almost said. Oliver had turned to face him with a look of utmost curiosity on his face.
"What? What were you going to say?"
"Nothing." Percy hastily tried to retreat back to his own bed, but Oliver was now sitting up and had a firm grip on his arm.
"Hey, I shared something really personal, and let me tell you, it wasn't easy. I think the least you could do is finish your sentence." Oliver was now staring intensely into his eyes, and Percy found that he couldn't look away. Those dark eyes were deep and entrancing. He was more and more aware of Oliver's warm hand touching his skin, and he was close enough to smell the same outdoorsy scent that Oliver seemed to radiate. He felt he was going to go mad if he didn't do something soon. He'd have to tell him.
"Alright," he said at last, swallowing, "I'm. . . I mean, I'm also. . . " God, this is hard.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Oliver was looking questioningly at him. Percy thought he detected some sort of raw emotion in his eyes.
Oh, to hell with it. "I'm gay too alright, but it's not that easy." He pulled away from Oliver's grasp and returned to his own bed.
"What's that supposed to mean? It's never supposed to be easy coming out of the closet, but-"
"No, you don't understand." Percy felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. "My parents can never know. No one can. They'd be too disappointed."
"From what I've heard about your parents, they seem like they'd be pretty understanding," Oliver said thoughtfully.
"Oh, I know they would be," Percy moaned. "That's not the point. They wouldn't be disappointed in me specifically, but they would be disappointed that their only hopeful prospect of having grandchildren is nonexistent."
"But you have loads of siblings-"
"Oh really? Bill and Charlie are both imersed in their work, they haven't dated in years, and they're not exactly getting any younger. Ron's completely oblivious to everything that goes on around him, and can you honestly see Fred and George settling down to raise a family? That just leaves Ginny, but she's too young to notice boys."
"That's not entirely true," Oliver murmured, his mind drifting back to only a few days ago, when he'd seen Ginny watching a certain Gryffindoor seeker very intensely.
Percy, however, didn't seem to hear. He kept rambling on, "Mum always used to tell me when I was little that I was her one hope that she might have grandchildren. How can I tell her that that will never happen?"
"So, what? Your just going to go through life pretending to be something your not?" Oliver was getting mad now. "Get married to a nice woman who really deserves someone who truly loves her, manage to have sex with her enough to produce a few kids, and go through life completely miserable? Oh yes, I'm so sure that's what your mother wants for you."
"Just shut up!" Percy snapped. "You don't have any idea what your talking about." Slamming his head down on his pillow, facing away from Oliver, he tried to suppress the tears that were streaming down his face. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! How could I be so stupid! My one dream, that my roommate might possibly be gay, has come true, and now I've gone and ruined any possible chance that he might feel the same way about me. Ugh! I hate myself!
In the next bed, Oliver was quietly kicking himself for losing his temper. Poor Percy was obviously having a hard time coming to terms with his sexuality. And I might have been the one to help him through it, but noooo. I just had to go and ruin it, didn't I?
Laying back on his pillows, he stared at the figure in the next bed. He had never wanted anyone so much in his entire life.
Part Two:
It had been almost three days since Percy's and Oliver's nighttime confrontation. The two had been exceedingly polite to one another, not wanting to have another fight. However, they had said little to one another.
For Oliver, this was sheer agony. He had always done most of the talking anyway, and the few words he managed to worm out of Percy were always the highlight of his day. Besides, it didn't feel right to keep things all bottled up inside of him. He liked having someone to confide in, even if Percy didn't always say much back.
He had to try and get back the friendship that they'd had. He would just have to accept the fact that Percy would never want to be in a relationship with him. If he couldn't have him as a lover, then he'd at least have him as a friend, although in his heart he knew that he would always continue to love Percy Weasley. Nothing could ever change that.
That evening, when Oliver emerged from the bathroom, hair still wet from the shower, he saw to his dismay that Percy had already arrived, changed into his nightclothes, and was pretending to be asleep. Oliver knew better though. Percy had always been a light sleeper. There was no way that he had actually been able to fall asleep with the noise from the shower running drifting through the bathroom door.
He quickly changed into his pajamas, swallowed his pride, and summoned all the courage he could muster. A second later, he had jumped on the edge of Percy's bed hard enough to make the whole bed shake. Percy didn't move, which was proof enough to Oliver that he was only pretending. Had he really been asleep, Percy would surly have awoken from that.
"Come on, Perce, I know you're awake." Oliver flopped down on the pillow next to Percy's head so that their noses were only about six inches apart.
With a sigh, Percy finally opened his eyes. "What do you want?"
Oh boy, here was the hard part. He couldn't look him in the eye. "I just wanted to say that I'm awfully sorry about the other night. It's your life, not mine, and I have no right to tell you how to live it." Even though I want more than anything to tell you to spend it with me.
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," Percy said softly, not making eye contact either. "You were telling the truth, and I knew it deep down, but I just didn't want to face it. I know that my parents would never want me to be unhappy, and I know that I would never be able to make it through life living a lie. I just snapped at you because it was the first time I'd ever spoken to anyone about my sexuality. I've known that I was attracted to men since I was thirteen. That's a long time to keep so many emotions all bottled up, and then when I heard you say all my fears out loud. . . I was scared."
Oliver had never heard Percy say so much at one time unless it was about a school related topic. He brought his eyes up to Percy's face only to see that he was crying. It tore his heart in two to see the one person he truly loved in so much pain. Hesitantly, he put is arm around him, and Percy snuggled into his embrace to weep on his shoulder.
"Shh. It's all right." Oliver murmured, running his hands through Percy's fiery curls. "I know this isn't going to be easy, but I promise that I'll always be here for you. I'll help you get through this."
Percy looked up at him through his tears. Their faces were only inches apart, and Percy didn't have his glasses on. Oliver found himself drowning in the other's deep blue eyes. There was a heavy emotion there that he couldn't quite detect, but it made his heart beat at an almost alarming rate.
He slowly found himself inching his face closer to Percy's. Percy didn't pull away. He seemed to be moving in as well. Their lips connected in a sweet, tender kiss, that sent them both swirling into a world of pure bliss. They gripped each other tightly as the kiss deepened. When lack of air forced them to part, Oliver suddenly realized what had happened.
"S-Sorry!" He yelped, jumping out of Percy's bed. "I shouldn't have done that."
"It's alright. I don't mind. I mean, um," Percy's face was as red as his hair. "I mean, it-it doesn't matter."
Oliver nodded, so relieved that his knees felt weak. He made his way over to his own bed. Just as he was closing his eyes, Percy rolled over to face him.
"Oliver, what are you doing over the Christmas holiday?"
"Probably just staying here," he said, glumly. "Mum and Dad are abroad right now, so it wouldn't make much sense for me to go home."
"Well," Percy swallowed hard, try to sum up his courage, "would you like to come to my house for the holidays?"
"I'd love to," Oliver responded, feeling more happy then he had in ages. Percy gave him a genuine smile of warmth and affection that made his heart leap, before blowing out the candle next to their beds and wrapping them both in a comfortable blanket of darkness.
Part Three:
Oliver wasn't quite sure what to expect when he arrived at the Weasley's house for Christmas break. When he had friends over at home, his parents always had this stiff demeanor that made both his friends and himself quite uncomfortable.
However, he quickly saw that he needn't worry. Mrs. Weasley greeted him with the same warm hug that she used to greet her own children and their other guests. Oliver decided that he liked her instantly. She was so, well, motherly, a refreshing change. His own mother did love him, but she wasn't very good at expressing it.
"My, we have a full house this Christmas!" Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully as she bundled them all in doors with their luggage in tow. "But the more the merrier! Now, Harry dear, you'll stay in Ron's room as usual. Hermione, you'll be with Ginny. Lee can sleep on the cot in Fred and George's room, and Oliver you can sleep in Percy's room. Now, get your things upstairs and rest a bit. I'm sure you're all tired from your trip. I'll call you down when supper's ready."
Oliver followed Percy upstairs and to his room. He wasn't quite sure what to expect of Percy's room, but it certainly wasn't this. His room was very tidy of course, but that was where his preconceived notions ended.
Deep blue curtains with gold stars hung from his windows and matched his bedspread. He had a bookshelf full of books, and Oliver was surprised to note that only about a third of them were school related. A pile of neatly stacked comic books was beside his desk, and he had a shelf next to one of his windows that was lined with miniature trees. The thing that surprised Oliver most was that the walls were covered with Quidditch posters.
Percy saw what he was looking at, blushed, and quickly said, "This used to be Bill and Charlie's old room. The posters are theirs, but I've never gotten around to taking them down." Maybe because they remind me of you.
Oliver set his bags down and watched as Percy carefully unpacked all of his belongings and put them neatly away. Then, he began to unpack Oliver's as well.
"Hey, you don't have to do that," said Oliver, embarrassed.
"I don't mind," Percy said, not making eye contact. There was an awkwardness between them that Oliver didn't like one bit. Deciding that he'd better do something, he searched the room for a topic of interest.
"These are clever," he said, walking over to Percy's shelf of trees. "Did you grow these yourself?"
Percy, finished with the unpacking, came up beside him. "Yeah, I did. They're called bonsai trees."
"Do they always grow like that?" Oliver asked, genuinely interested now. "I mean, in those funny shapes. It doesn't look natural somehow."
"No, if you let them grow naturally, they'd be the size of any tree you'd see outside. What you do is keep them from growing by cutting off the new growths. You can make them grown in these patterns by tying their branches so they'll grow a certain way."
"Seems kind of cruel," Oliver said, eyeing the plants. "Don't get me wrong, I think they're brilliant, but doesn't it seem mean to not let them grow naturally?"
"I don't think they mind," Percy said, fingering the leaves of one plant tenderly. "They live much longer this way, and they're not subjected to any sort of harsh weather. Besides, a tree in nature will grow to fit its surroundings, so tying their branches isn't really all that unnatural."
"I guess not," Oliver said, glad that the awkwardness between them had passed. He grinned mischievously at Percy's comic books. "Now what have we here? Don't tell me that Mr. Perfect actually reads comics!"
Percy grinned and blushed as Oliver snatched a comic book from the top of the pile and began to thumb through it. "Give that back," he said, laughing, "and I object to being called Mr. Perfect!"
"Make me."
Percy lunged at him with surprising strength, but Oliver, being the athlete, kept it just out of Percy's reach. Laughing, they tumbled backward onto Percy's bed, limbs tangled together; the comic book fell and lay forgotten on the floor.
Not wanting the moment to end, Oliver tickled Percy's ribs, eliciting a shriek of laughter from him. Percy tickled him back, and they ended up having a sort of a wrestling match, each fighting for a dominant position so as to get the better of the other. Just as Oliver was pinning Percy down so as to tickle him mercilessly, Fred and George burst into the room.
"What's all this laughing in here, Percy? It actually sounds like your beginning to develop a personality," George said, laughing at the scene before him.
"I've just discovered," Oliver said, grinning at his teammates while he continued to tickle Percy, "that our Prefect here is exceedingly ticklish."
"Found your weakness has he, Percy?" Fred said. Percy tried to look indignant, but failed miserably as his face was all red from laughing. "Mum says it's time to come down for supper."
The twins left, and Oliver watched them go, momentarily loosing his concentration. The next thing he knew, Percy had flipped him on his back and was sitting atop him triumphantly.
"Now, as payback for your atrocious behavior, I think I'll just have to sit here and prevent you from going down to supper." Percy grinned at him, "And there's nothing you can do to make me move."
"Really?" Said Oliver, raising himself up into a half sitting position. In one quick motion he had grabbed Percy's face in his and pulled him into a quick kiss on the lips. Percy was so stunned that Oliver was able to easily wriggle out from beneath him and leap off the bed.
"Hey!" Percy exclaimed when he realized he'd been tricked. "That's not fair!"
Oliver opened his mouth to reply, but didn't get the chance because Percy's mother was shouting for them to come downstairs before their supper got cold. The boys grinned at each other, a new sort of closeness forming between them that they both very much liked.
Oliver followed Percy down the stairs to the dining room. He was definitely beginning to see a whole new side of Percy Weasley!
Part Four:
After dinner, Fred and George suggested that they take advantage of the remaining light outside and practice Quidditch. Percy stayed behind to help his mum clear the dishes before rather reluctantly bundling up and trudging outside.
A comfortable blanket of snow covered the ground, and it crunched pleasantly under Percy's boots as he walked. Ginny and Hermione where building a snowman outside of the tree-surrounded paddock that they used for Quidditch practice during holidays. Oliver, Harry, Fred, George, Ron, and Lee were already on their brooms and starting practice.
Percy stood awkwardly for a moment just beside the trees that lined the paddock. He wasn't quite sure what to do. Ordinarily, he'd have done the natural big brother thing and helped Ginny with her snowman. However, Hermione was helping this time, and he felt it would be rude to join them without being asked.
Trying to join the Quidditch game was completely out of the question. Percy had never been too good on a broomstick in the first place, let alone flying at breakneck speeds in pursuit of a ball.
Why on earth did I even come out here? Percy asked himself. What's there for me to do? He could feel the familiar, nasty panic that crept up on him at moments like this beginning to well up in his chest. Well, perhaps 'panic' was too strong a word, but it was somewhere along those lines. He fought the sudden impulse to go back into the house, up to his room, and bury himself in a book.
He caught a glimpse of Oliver through the trees that were obstructing his vision. Percy wished more than anything at that moment that he could be fearless like that. Oliver was so confident on a broom. He could soar as high as he wanted, as fast as he wanted, completely free from all the burdens of everyday life.
Percy shook himself out of his reverie. Well, maybe he didn't have the confidence to join them, but he was not about to give in to his impulses this time. He would stay outside, even if he didn't do anything but watch the others. It seemed to be a step in the right direction anyway.
He walked over to the nearest clump of trees, and, casting a charm to keep the snow from getting his clothes wet, he sat down with his back leaning against a tree trunk to watch the Quidditch practice. Oliver, Harry, and Ron seemed to be on one team, while Fred, George, and Lee were on another.
They had bewitched snowballs to fly around as bludgers. True, they weren't nearly as powerful as regular bludgers (all they did was explode into a powdery mess when they hit someone, rather than knocking them off their broom), but at least it gave them something to dodge. Besides, this was much safer and much more sensible in Percy's opinion.
Before long, Percy was entirely entranced with the game before him. (Well, not so much the game as the leader of one of the teams.) Oliver truly was amazing at his sport. His concentration and intensity on the game easily rivalled any professional player. However, this particular evening he seemed rather distracted. He kept taking his eyes off the quaffle and looking over his shoulder as though he were searching for something.
About thirty minutes into the game, Oliver finally spotted Percy sitting, almost out of view, under a clump of trees. So that's where he's been hiding, Oliver thought. I was beginning to worry that he hadn't come outside at all.
Out loud he said, "Alright everyone, fifteen minute break. I need to dash inside and change my gloves. These I've got on are completely soaked through."
The others exchanged glances. It wasn't like Oliver to want to take a break simply to get some new gloves. However, no one wanted to object. They were all exceedingly cold from flying so fast through the icy air. A fifteen minute break would give them time to regain some feeling in their cheeks and noses.
Percy had heard Oliver shout something to the others, but he wasn't able to make out exactly what he had said. Soon, everyone had landed, and he saw Oliver disappear into the trees on the opposite side of the paddock. Percy sighed and kept his eyes focused on that area, waiting for Oliver to reappear.
How he wished he could have just one tenth of Oliver's courage! Just once he wished that he could come up with the nerve to do something daring, something that was completely unexpected of him, something where he acted first and thought later.
He thought of the excited gleam that sparkled in Oliver's eyes every time he sailed through the air on his broomstick, and a wave of determination swept over him. Why not? He asked himself, Why shouldn't I be more outgoing? At least at home anyway. That way, if I make a complete fool out of myself, it'll only be in front of my family and friends rather than the entire school.
Percy was awakened from his train of thought by a cold snowball exploding on the back of his head. He whipped around to find Oliver standing behind him grinning, and Percy realized that he must have sneaked around the wooded area of the paddock so he wouldn't be seen.
"So this is where you've been hiding. Why didn't you come join us?" Oliver inquired.
"I'd rather just watch, thank you," said Percy, wishing for the millionth time that he were more athletic.
"Come on," Oliver said kindly. "I'll bet you'd like it if you just tried it."
"I'll bet you'd like advanced arithmacy if you just tried it, but that doesn't seem to be happening either," Percy retorted. He inwardly winced at the sharp edge he'd had in his voice. He hadn't meant for it to sound mean.
Luckily, Oliver didn't seem to mind. He sat down next to Percy, and sighed. "I just hate to see you sitting alone over here."
Percy was about to remark that he'd sat alone hundreds of times and Oliver had never seemed to care before, but the words got stuck in his throat when he saw the look in Oliver's eyes. They were a shade of brown he'd only seen once before, the night Oliver had kissed him. It made his breathing uneven and his heart pound violently in his chest.
Whatever would have happened next, Percy would never know, for two tightly packed snowballs flew past them. Luckily, they missed hitting them, and exploded on the tree trunk they were leaning against, covering them in powdery snow.
"Gee, Oliver," George said, with Fred smirking just behind him, "I thought you were going in to change your gloves."
"Maybe I was, and maybe I wasn't!" Oliver shouted, hurling a snowball at them, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
This only caused Fred and George to laugh harder and throw more snowballs. The others hurried from the paddock to see what all the commotion was about, and soon they were all involved in a good natured snowball fight. Even Ginny and Hermione had been pulled into the skirmish.
Percy, who was not about to sit there and let the others pelt him with balls of frozen water, found himself becoming just as involved in the fight as everyone else. After all, having grown up with Fred and George as brothers, a snowball fight was one athletic thing he had learned to cope with.
Packing a perfect snowball, he saw an opening to hit Oliver in the back of the head. Taking aim, he threw the snowball. Just before it was about to hit however, Oliver turned towards him so that the snowball exploded right in the middle of his face.
As he wiped the snow from his eyes, Oliver turned to see a very sheepish looking Percy smiling at him. Oliver playfully tackled him, and because the ground wasn't particularly even where they were having their snowball fight, Percy lost his footing almost instantly. The two boys went tumbling at a downward slant several feet from the others.
"Hey, let me up," said Percy, who was being pinned down by Oliver.
"No, I don't think I will," Oliver grinned. "This is payback for hitting me in the face with that snowball."
My how the tables have turned, thought Percy. Only that afternoon, he had been the one pinning Oliver down. He then remembered what Oliver had done to get himself out of that predicament.
Don't think. Just act.
Before he could talk himself out of it, Percy had quickly sat up and pressed his lips against Oliver's. The other boy was taken off guard just long enough for Percy to shove him off and run back toward the others. Behind him, he could hear Oliver laughing and chasing after him. Well, he'd wanted to do something daring, and he'd certainly accomplished it!
Author: Serena-chan
Category: Books
Sub-category: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance
Pairing: Percy Weasley / Oliver Wood
Part One:
Percy was curled up in his bed in the 7th year boys' dormitory reading a book. It was his favorite thing to do, especially on a dreary winter's evening. It wasn't quite cold enough to snow yet so the steadily darkening clouds above had contented themselves with pouring down bucket loads of icy cold rain, which beat against the windows with a comforting rhythm.
Because it was only 7 o'clock he was alone in the dormitory, which suited him just fine. He had already finished all his homework for the weekend, organized his notes in an orderly fashion, and now he was looking forward to a little peace and quiet. He snuggled deeper under his warm comforter and heaved a contented sigh. What a perfect way to end the week.
His contentment was very short-lived however, when moments later Oliver Wood burst through the door, muddy, dripping wet, and disheveled. Honestly, Percy thought irritably, how can anyone think of having Quidditch practice in this mess!
" 'Lo," grunted Oliver, whose upper lip had turned blue from the cold. He proceeded to strip off his soaking wet Quidditch robes and toss them unceremoniously on his bed and the floor next to it.
Because his bed was located next to Percy's, bits of water flew off the discarded clothes and landed on Percy's cheek. He opened his mouth to ridicule him for being so careless, but Oliver had already disappeared into the bathroom.
Whiping his cheek, Percy shot a disgusted look at Oliver's bed and the floor space dividing the two beds. Water from the soggy clothes was already soaking into the carpet and Oliver's bedsheets.
His first instinct was to leave them where they were. After all, Oliver had made the mess, he could clean it up. However, Percy did not relish the idea of stepping onto soggy carpet if he got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Sighing, he decided to at least deal with the mess that was on the floor. He set his book carefully aside, and swung his feet over the edge of the bed.
After wringing the rainwater out of Oliver's clothes into a nearby potted plant, he neatly draped them over the bedposts to finish drying. He mopped up what he could of the water in the carpet with a clean towel, but it was still very damp.
Grabbing his wand, he murmured a charm that caused a hot dry wind to fly from the tip of his wand. Using this as a sort of blowdryer, he soon had the carpet dry. Then his eyes fell on the wet spot in Oliver's bed. Oh well, why not? Oliver was already bound to notice what he'd done so far. He might as well finish the job.
After drying the sheets he set about to making up Oliver's bed, which was never made. He knew he really shouldn't be going this far, but Percy had always hated being in a room with any kind of disorder. It would give him satisfaction to, for once, be in a completely clean dormitory, (even if it wouldn't last).
As he smoothed the bedspread, some of the scent from the sheets floated up to his nostrils. It smelled like pine and the outdoors and was positively infectious. Percy had a sudden picture in his mind of Oliver the last time Percy had seen him at a Qudditch match. Wind blowing back the dark hair, revealing the shine of exhilaration his eyes held whenever he rode a broom.
Percy shook his head to clear the images. He shouldn't be thinking about another student like this, especially not another male student. Disgust for himself overwhelmed him, and he flopped onto his bed in a most unPercy like fashion. Why can't I just be normal?
After a hard workout on the Quidditch pitch, nothing felt better to his aching muscles than a nice hot shower. Flipping the water off, he toweled himself dry with one of the fluffy red and gold towels offered in the Gryfindoor washrooms. He discarded this towel and wrapped a dry one around his waist before retreating back to the bedroom.
He stopped in his tracks when he looked toward his bed, a wide grin slowly spreading across his face. All his Quidditch robes had been neatly dried and hung up on the bedposts, the floor was dry, and his bed was made up in such a perfect manner than only Percy could have accomplished it. In the bed next to his, Percy appeared to be very absorbed in whatever book he was reading, but Oliver saw a light blush start to spread across his cheeks.
"Been tidying up in here?"
"I'm assuming that's a rhetorical question seeing as we're the only two in here," Percy said without looking up. His blush was now deepening and had spread down his neck.
God, he's cute when he blushes, Oliver thought, but all he said out loud was, "Thanks." Percy just nodded curtly in reply, and Oliver went over to his trunk, pulled out some pajamas and began to get dressed for bed.
Don't look at him when he's changing, don't look at him when he's changing. . . his mind chanted, but that didn't stop his eyes from peaking out from the side of his book as Oliver let his towel drop to the floor. Even though he had his back to him, Percy couldn't help but admire his roommate's naked form.
Oliver was tanned and muscular from hours of Quidditch training, but not in a bulky way. No, Percy decided, Oliver had the perfect body. Just watching the way the muscles in his back moved when he bent down to pull on his pajama bottoms sent waves of heat rushing to his face and groin, his heartbeat doubled, and his stomach tightened.
Oh why, oh why, oh why does he have this effect on me? Percy thought anxiously, as he hid his face once more in his book.
When he had finished changing, Oliver turned once more to face his redheaded roommate only to find him once more absorbed in his book. Tumbling onto his bed and rumpling up the bedcovers that Percy had so meticulously arranged, he rolled on his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows, facing Percy.
"So, it looks like it's just me and you tonight," he said, grinning widely at the book his roommate was hiding behind.
"It's only 7:30," Percy replied. "Why don't you go down to the commons? I'm sure my brothers will be only too delighted to entertain you."
"Nah, I'd rather stay up here with you." Percy gave him a look from over the top of his book. "Okay, Fred and George are testing out these new prank tea cakes that explode and throw cream and jelly everywhere when you bite into them. I don't want to be up with them half the night, helping them mop it all up." That's a lie. I would rather stay here with you, but you'd kill me if you knew the reason why.
"I'll kill them," Percy said, speaking of Fred and George.
"Don't bother. They're not worth it." Pause, "So what are you reading?"
"Advanced arithmacy." Oliver made a face at which Percy couldn't help but chuckle. "It's really quite fascinating. Of course you've never given it a chance because it doesn't fly around on a broomstick."
Ouch. That kind of hurt. "There's a lot more to me, you know, besides Quidditch, but I wouldn't expect you to know that because you never take your nose out of a book long enough to see what's happening in the real world." Oliver immediately regretted his emotional outburst, but luckily Percy's face held only amusement.
"Touché," he said chuckling, putting his book down, and actually focusing his attention on Oliver.
There was a sudden rapping on their bedroom door, and Fred's mischievous voice shouted from the other side, "Oh Oliver? Now you wouldn't be hiding from us would you?"
"There's a certain gentlemen friend down here that would like to get aquatinted with you," George said, in a sing-song manner.
Groaning, Oliver pulled his blankets over his head, and Percy faintly heard him mutter, "I'm not here."
Percy went to answer the door. "He's not in here, and will you please lower your voices? Some of us are actually trying to study."
"You're the only one," muttered Fred. "Besides, it's the weekend and Christmas break is only a week away. Lighten up."
George on the other hand was looking quite suspicious. "How do we know your not hiding him in here?"
"You'll just have to trust me," Percy snapped, "unless you want me to write home to Mum about your exploding tea cakes." Grinning at his brothers' horrified faces, Percy said, "That's what I thought. Good night."
Oliver poked his head out from under the blankets when he heard Percy close the door. "Am I safe?" he inquired.
"Quite," said Percy, coming over to sit at the foot of Oliver's bed, something that had never happened before in their entire six years of rooming together. "However, I do think that I'm entitled to an explanation."
"How do you figure that?"
"Well, unless you want Fred and George to know your up here-"
"No! Alright, I'll tell you." Oliver did his best to glare at Percy. "Before I do though, I just want you to know that you can be really cruel sometimes."
"Fair enough." Percy grinned.
Oliver sighed, I really didn't want him to find out this way. "Okay, Fred and George are trying to fix me up to go on a date with this guy who's only 4th year. Seriously, his voice has barely broken. He's practically still a child. Definitely not old enough to know what he wants." Just leave it at that. Please, just leave it at that.
"That's preposterous!" Percy spluttered. "I really will have to give them a talking to. It would be one thing trying to set you up with a girl, but to try to set a straight man up with-"
"Percy, stop." Deep breath. "I'm gay." Whoa. That was a big step. Did I really want to do that? I can't take it back now though. It's already there, hanging in the air. All I can do now is wait to see how Percy reacts.
Oh, now this really isn't fair, Percy thought bitterly to himself. It was so easy to hide my attraction from him when I thought he was straight, but now. . .
"Percy?" He jumped, realizing that he had been sitting there in silence and shock for quite some time. Taking his silence the wrong way, Oliver said, "It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I understand. I'll just ask McGonagall tomorrow if I can switch rooms, okay?" Oliver had turned away from him now and was doing his best not to cry.
"No, Oliver," Percy desperately wanted to reach out and take the other boy in his arms. "Don't. I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but it just surprised me. That's all. Of course I still want to be room mates. Do you really think that something like that would matter to me? After all, I'm-" Percy stopped, shocked at what he'd almost said. Oliver had turned to face him with a look of utmost curiosity on his face.
"What? What were you going to say?"
"Nothing." Percy hastily tried to retreat back to his own bed, but Oliver was now sitting up and had a firm grip on his arm.
"Hey, I shared something really personal, and let me tell you, it wasn't easy. I think the least you could do is finish your sentence." Oliver was now staring intensely into his eyes, and Percy found that he couldn't look away. Those dark eyes were deep and entrancing. He was more and more aware of Oliver's warm hand touching his skin, and he was close enough to smell the same outdoorsy scent that Oliver seemed to radiate. He felt he was going to go mad if he didn't do something soon. He'd have to tell him.
"Alright," he said at last, swallowing, "I'm. . . I mean, I'm also. . . " God, this is hard.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Oliver was looking questioningly at him. Percy thought he detected some sort of raw emotion in his eyes.
Oh, to hell with it. "I'm gay too alright, but it's not that easy." He pulled away from Oliver's grasp and returned to his own bed.
"What's that supposed to mean? It's never supposed to be easy coming out of the closet, but-"
"No, you don't understand." Percy felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. "My parents can never know. No one can. They'd be too disappointed."
"From what I've heard about your parents, they seem like they'd be pretty understanding," Oliver said thoughtfully.
"Oh, I know they would be," Percy moaned. "That's not the point. They wouldn't be disappointed in me specifically, but they would be disappointed that their only hopeful prospect of having grandchildren is nonexistent."
"But you have loads of siblings-"
"Oh really? Bill and Charlie are both imersed in their work, they haven't dated in years, and they're not exactly getting any younger. Ron's completely oblivious to everything that goes on around him, and can you honestly see Fred and George settling down to raise a family? That just leaves Ginny, but she's too young to notice boys."
"That's not entirely true," Oliver murmured, his mind drifting back to only a few days ago, when he'd seen Ginny watching a certain Gryffindoor seeker very intensely.
Percy, however, didn't seem to hear. He kept rambling on, "Mum always used to tell me when I was little that I was her one hope that she might have grandchildren. How can I tell her that that will never happen?"
"So, what? Your just going to go through life pretending to be something your not?" Oliver was getting mad now. "Get married to a nice woman who really deserves someone who truly loves her, manage to have sex with her enough to produce a few kids, and go through life completely miserable? Oh yes, I'm so sure that's what your mother wants for you."
"Just shut up!" Percy snapped. "You don't have any idea what your talking about." Slamming his head down on his pillow, facing away from Oliver, he tried to suppress the tears that were streaming down his face. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! How could I be so stupid! My one dream, that my roommate might possibly be gay, has come true, and now I've gone and ruined any possible chance that he might feel the same way about me. Ugh! I hate myself!
In the next bed, Oliver was quietly kicking himself for losing his temper. Poor Percy was obviously having a hard time coming to terms with his sexuality. And I might have been the one to help him through it, but noooo. I just had to go and ruin it, didn't I?
Laying back on his pillows, he stared at the figure in the next bed. He had never wanted anyone so much in his entire life.
Part Two:
It had been almost three days since Percy's and Oliver's nighttime confrontation. The two had been exceedingly polite to one another, not wanting to have another fight. However, they had said little to one another.
For Oliver, this was sheer agony. He had always done most of the talking anyway, and the few words he managed to worm out of Percy were always the highlight of his day. Besides, it didn't feel right to keep things all bottled up inside of him. He liked having someone to confide in, even if Percy didn't always say much back.
He had to try and get back the friendship that they'd had. He would just have to accept the fact that Percy would never want to be in a relationship with him. If he couldn't have him as a lover, then he'd at least have him as a friend, although in his heart he knew that he would always continue to love Percy Weasley. Nothing could ever change that.
That evening, when Oliver emerged from the bathroom, hair still wet from the shower, he saw to his dismay that Percy had already arrived, changed into his nightclothes, and was pretending to be asleep. Oliver knew better though. Percy had always been a light sleeper. There was no way that he had actually been able to fall asleep with the noise from the shower running drifting through the bathroom door.
He quickly changed into his pajamas, swallowed his pride, and summoned all the courage he could muster. A second later, he had jumped on the edge of Percy's bed hard enough to make the whole bed shake. Percy didn't move, which was proof enough to Oliver that he was only pretending. Had he really been asleep, Percy would surly have awoken from that.
"Come on, Perce, I know you're awake." Oliver flopped down on the pillow next to Percy's head so that their noses were only about six inches apart.
With a sigh, Percy finally opened his eyes. "What do you want?"
Oh boy, here was the hard part. He couldn't look him in the eye. "I just wanted to say that I'm awfully sorry about the other night. It's your life, not mine, and I have no right to tell you how to live it." Even though I want more than anything to tell you to spend it with me.
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," Percy said softly, not making eye contact either. "You were telling the truth, and I knew it deep down, but I just didn't want to face it. I know that my parents would never want me to be unhappy, and I know that I would never be able to make it through life living a lie. I just snapped at you because it was the first time I'd ever spoken to anyone about my sexuality. I've known that I was attracted to men since I was thirteen. That's a long time to keep so many emotions all bottled up, and then when I heard you say all my fears out loud. . . I was scared."
Oliver had never heard Percy say so much at one time unless it was about a school related topic. He brought his eyes up to Percy's face only to see that he was crying. It tore his heart in two to see the one person he truly loved in so much pain. Hesitantly, he put is arm around him, and Percy snuggled into his embrace to weep on his shoulder.
"Shh. It's all right." Oliver murmured, running his hands through Percy's fiery curls. "I know this isn't going to be easy, but I promise that I'll always be here for you. I'll help you get through this."
Percy looked up at him through his tears. Their faces were only inches apart, and Percy didn't have his glasses on. Oliver found himself drowning in the other's deep blue eyes. There was a heavy emotion there that he couldn't quite detect, but it made his heart beat at an almost alarming rate.
He slowly found himself inching his face closer to Percy's. Percy didn't pull away. He seemed to be moving in as well. Their lips connected in a sweet, tender kiss, that sent them both swirling into a world of pure bliss. They gripped each other tightly as the kiss deepened. When lack of air forced them to part, Oliver suddenly realized what had happened.
"S-Sorry!" He yelped, jumping out of Percy's bed. "I shouldn't have done that."
"It's alright. I don't mind. I mean, um," Percy's face was as red as his hair. "I mean, it-it doesn't matter."
Oliver nodded, so relieved that his knees felt weak. He made his way over to his own bed. Just as he was closing his eyes, Percy rolled over to face him.
"Oliver, what are you doing over the Christmas holiday?"
"Probably just staying here," he said, glumly. "Mum and Dad are abroad right now, so it wouldn't make much sense for me to go home."
"Well," Percy swallowed hard, try to sum up his courage, "would you like to come to my house for the holidays?"
"I'd love to," Oliver responded, feeling more happy then he had in ages. Percy gave him a genuine smile of warmth and affection that made his heart leap, before blowing out the candle next to their beds and wrapping them both in a comfortable blanket of darkness.
Part Three:
Oliver wasn't quite sure what to expect when he arrived at the Weasley's house for Christmas break. When he had friends over at home, his parents always had this stiff demeanor that made both his friends and himself quite uncomfortable.
However, he quickly saw that he needn't worry. Mrs. Weasley greeted him with the same warm hug that she used to greet her own children and their other guests. Oliver decided that he liked her instantly. She was so, well, motherly, a refreshing change. His own mother did love him, but she wasn't very good at expressing it.
"My, we have a full house this Christmas!" Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully as she bundled them all in doors with their luggage in tow. "But the more the merrier! Now, Harry dear, you'll stay in Ron's room as usual. Hermione, you'll be with Ginny. Lee can sleep on the cot in Fred and George's room, and Oliver you can sleep in Percy's room. Now, get your things upstairs and rest a bit. I'm sure you're all tired from your trip. I'll call you down when supper's ready."
Oliver followed Percy upstairs and to his room. He wasn't quite sure what to expect of Percy's room, but it certainly wasn't this. His room was very tidy of course, but that was where his preconceived notions ended.
Deep blue curtains with gold stars hung from his windows and matched his bedspread. He had a bookshelf full of books, and Oliver was surprised to note that only about a third of them were school related. A pile of neatly stacked comic books was beside his desk, and he had a shelf next to one of his windows that was lined with miniature trees. The thing that surprised Oliver most was that the walls were covered with Quidditch posters.
Percy saw what he was looking at, blushed, and quickly said, "This used to be Bill and Charlie's old room. The posters are theirs, but I've never gotten around to taking them down." Maybe because they remind me of you.
Oliver set his bags down and watched as Percy carefully unpacked all of his belongings and put them neatly away. Then, he began to unpack Oliver's as well.
"Hey, you don't have to do that," said Oliver, embarrassed.
"I don't mind," Percy said, not making eye contact. There was an awkwardness between them that Oliver didn't like one bit. Deciding that he'd better do something, he searched the room for a topic of interest.
"These are clever," he said, walking over to Percy's shelf of trees. "Did you grow these yourself?"
Percy, finished with the unpacking, came up beside him. "Yeah, I did. They're called bonsai trees."
"Do they always grow like that?" Oliver asked, genuinely interested now. "I mean, in those funny shapes. It doesn't look natural somehow."
"No, if you let them grow naturally, they'd be the size of any tree you'd see outside. What you do is keep them from growing by cutting off the new growths. You can make them grown in these patterns by tying their branches so they'll grow a certain way."
"Seems kind of cruel," Oliver said, eyeing the plants. "Don't get me wrong, I think they're brilliant, but doesn't it seem mean to not let them grow naturally?"
"I don't think they mind," Percy said, fingering the leaves of one plant tenderly. "They live much longer this way, and they're not subjected to any sort of harsh weather. Besides, a tree in nature will grow to fit its surroundings, so tying their branches isn't really all that unnatural."
"I guess not," Oliver said, glad that the awkwardness between them had passed. He grinned mischievously at Percy's comic books. "Now what have we here? Don't tell me that Mr. Perfect actually reads comics!"
Percy grinned and blushed as Oliver snatched a comic book from the top of the pile and began to thumb through it. "Give that back," he said, laughing, "and I object to being called Mr. Perfect!"
"Make me."
Percy lunged at him with surprising strength, but Oliver, being the athlete, kept it just out of Percy's reach. Laughing, they tumbled backward onto Percy's bed, limbs tangled together; the comic book fell and lay forgotten on the floor.
Not wanting the moment to end, Oliver tickled Percy's ribs, eliciting a shriek of laughter from him. Percy tickled him back, and they ended up having a sort of a wrestling match, each fighting for a dominant position so as to get the better of the other. Just as Oliver was pinning Percy down so as to tickle him mercilessly, Fred and George burst into the room.
"What's all this laughing in here, Percy? It actually sounds like your beginning to develop a personality," George said, laughing at the scene before him.
"I've just discovered," Oliver said, grinning at his teammates while he continued to tickle Percy, "that our Prefect here is exceedingly ticklish."
"Found your weakness has he, Percy?" Fred said. Percy tried to look indignant, but failed miserably as his face was all red from laughing. "Mum says it's time to come down for supper."
The twins left, and Oliver watched them go, momentarily loosing his concentration. The next thing he knew, Percy had flipped him on his back and was sitting atop him triumphantly.
"Now, as payback for your atrocious behavior, I think I'll just have to sit here and prevent you from going down to supper." Percy grinned at him, "And there's nothing you can do to make me move."
"Really?" Said Oliver, raising himself up into a half sitting position. In one quick motion he had grabbed Percy's face in his and pulled him into a quick kiss on the lips. Percy was so stunned that Oliver was able to easily wriggle out from beneath him and leap off the bed.
"Hey!" Percy exclaimed when he realized he'd been tricked. "That's not fair!"
Oliver opened his mouth to reply, but didn't get the chance because Percy's mother was shouting for them to come downstairs before their supper got cold. The boys grinned at each other, a new sort of closeness forming between them that they both very much liked.
Oliver followed Percy down the stairs to the dining room. He was definitely beginning to see a whole new side of Percy Weasley!
Part Four:
After dinner, Fred and George suggested that they take advantage of the remaining light outside and practice Quidditch. Percy stayed behind to help his mum clear the dishes before rather reluctantly bundling up and trudging outside.
A comfortable blanket of snow covered the ground, and it crunched pleasantly under Percy's boots as he walked. Ginny and Hermione where building a snowman outside of the tree-surrounded paddock that they used for Quidditch practice during holidays. Oliver, Harry, Fred, George, Ron, and Lee were already on their brooms and starting practice.
Percy stood awkwardly for a moment just beside the trees that lined the paddock. He wasn't quite sure what to do. Ordinarily, he'd have done the natural big brother thing and helped Ginny with her snowman. However, Hermione was helping this time, and he felt it would be rude to join them without being asked.
Trying to join the Quidditch game was completely out of the question. Percy had never been too good on a broomstick in the first place, let alone flying at breakneck speeds in pursuit of a ball.
Why on earth did I even come out here? Percy asked himself. What's there for me to do? He could feel the familiar, nasty panic that crept up on him at moments like this beginning to well up in his chest. Well, perhaps 'panic' was too strong a word, but it was somewhere along those lines. He fought the sudden impulse to go back into the house, up to his room, and bury himself in a book.
He caught a glimpse of Oliver through the trees that were obstructing his vision. Percy wished more than anything at that moment that he could be fearless like that. Oliver was so confident on a broom. He could soar as high as he wanted, as fast as he wanted, completely free from all the burdens of everyday life.
Percy shook himself out of his reverie. Well, maybe he didn't have the confidence to join them, but he was not about to give in to his impulses this time. He would stay outside, even if he didn't do anything but watch the others. It seemed to be a step in the right direction anyway.
He walked over to the nearest clump of trees, and, casting a charm to keep the snow from getting his clothes wet, he sat down with his back leaning against a tree trunk to watch the Quidditch practice. Oliver, Harry, and Ron seemed to be on one team, while Fred, George, and Lee were on another.
They had bewitched snowballs to fly around as bludgers. True, they weren't nearly as powerful as regular bludgers (all they did was explode into a powdery mess when they hit someone, rather than knocking them off their broom), but at least it gave them something to dodge. Besides, this was much safer and much more sensible in Percy's opinion.
Before long, Percy was entirely entranced with the game before him. (Well, not so much the game as the leader of one of the teams.) Oliver truly was amazing at his sport. His concentration and intensity on the game easily rivalled any professional player. However, this particular evening he seemed rather distracted. He kept taking his eyes off the quaffle and looking over his shoulder as though he were searching for something.
About thirty minutes into the game, Oliver finally spotted Percy sitting, almost out of view, under a clump of trees. So that's where he's been hiding, Oliver thought. I was beginning to worry that he hadn't come outside at all.
Out loud he said, "Alright everyone, fifteen minute break. I need to dash inside and change my gloves. These I've got on are completely soaked through."
The others exchanged glances. It wasn't like Oliver to want to take a break simply to get some new gloves. However, no one wanted to object. They were all exceedingly cold from flying so fast through the icy air. A fifteen minute break would give them time to regain some feeling in their cheeks and noses.
Percy had heard Oliver shout something to the others, but he wasn't able to make out exactly what he had said. Soon, everyone had landed, and he saw Oliver disappear into the trees on the opposite side of the paddock. Percy sighed and kept his eyes focused on that area, waiting for Oliver to reappear.
How he wished he could have just one tenth of Oliver's courage! Just once he wished that he could come up with the nerve to do something daring, something that was completely unexpected of him, something where he acted first and thought later.
He thought of the excited gleam that sparkled in Oliver's eyes every time he sailed through the air on his broomstick, and a wave of determination swept over him. Why not? He asked himself, Why shouldn't I be more outgoing? At least at home anyway. That way, if I make a complete fool out of myself, it'll only be in front of my family and friends rather than the entire school.
Percy was awakened from his train of thought by a cold snowball exploding on the back of his head. He whipped around to find Oliver standing behind him grinning, and Percy realized that he must have sneaked around the wooded area of the paddock so he wouldn't be seen.
"So this is where you've been hiding. Why didn't you come join us?" Oliver inquired.
"I'd rather just watch, thank you," said Percy, wishing for the millionth time that he were more athletic.
"Come on," Oliver said kindly. "I'll bet you'd like it if you just tried it."
"I'll bet you'd like advanced arithmacy if you just tried it, but that doesn't seem to be happening either," Percy retorted. He inwardly winced at the sharp edge he'd had in his voice. He hadn't meant for it to sound mean.
Luckily, Oliver didn't seem to mind. He sat down next to Percy, and sighed. "I just hate to see you sitting alone over here."
Percy was about to remark that he'd sat alone hundreds of times and Oliver had never seemed to care before, but the words got stuck in his throat when he saw the look in Oliver's eyes. They were a shade of brown he'd only seen once before, the night Oliver had kissed him. It made his breathing uneven and his heart pound violently in his chest.
Whatever would have happened next, Percy would never know, for two tightly packed snowballs flew past them. Luckily, they missed hitting them, and exploded on the tree trunk they were leaning against, covering them in powdery snow.
"Gee, Oliver," George said, with Fred smirking just behind him, "I thought you were going in to change your gloves."
"Maybe I was, and maybe I wasn't!" Oliver shouted, hurling a snowball at them, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
This only caused Fred and George to laugh harder and throw more snowballs. The others hurried from the paddock to see what all the commotion was about, and soon they were all involved in a good natured snowball fight. Even Ginny and Hermione had been pulled into the skirmish.
Percy, who was not about to sit there and let the others pelt him with balls of frozen water, found himself becoming just as involved in the fight as everyone else. After all, having grown up with Fred and George as brothers, a snowball fight was one athletic thing he had learned to cope with.
Packing a perfect snowball, he saw an opening to hit Oliver in the back of the head. Taking aim, he threw the snowball. Just before it was about to hit however, Oliver turned towards him so that the snowball exploded right in the middle of his face.
As he wiped the snow from his eyes, Oliver turned to see a very sheepish looking Percy smiling at him. Oliver playfully tackled him, and because the ground wasn't particularly even where they were having their snowball fight, Percy lost his footing almost instantly. The two boys went tumbling at a downward slant several feet from the others.
"Hey, let me up," said Percy, who was being pinned down by Oliver.
"No, I don't think I will," Oliver grinned. "This is payback for hitting me in the face with that snowball."
My how the tables have turned, thought Percy. Only that afternoon, he had been the one pinning Oliver down. He then remembered what Oliver had done to get himself out of that predicament.
Don't think. Just act.
Before he could talk himself out of it, Percy had quickly sat up and pressed his lips against Oliver's. The other boy was taken off guard just long enough for Percy to shove him off and run back toward the others. Behind him, he could hear Oliver laughing and chasing after him. Well, he'd wanted to do something daring, and he'd certainly accomplished it!