cinaed: This fic was supposed to be short (True Genius (Rodney McKay))
[personal profile] cinaed
Title: These relics of remembrance are just like shipwrecks
Author: [livejournal.com profile] cinaed
Rating: PG
Character(s): Percy Weasley, Oliver Wood, Lee Jordan
Summary: He doesn't often consider himself a fool.
Notes: *Spoilers for Deathly Hallows, including canon deaths.* The title comes from "So Long, Astoria" by Ataris. Written for [livejournal.com profile] duckduck, since I know she loves these two together.

Percy Weasley doesn't often consider himself a fool. His idiocy when it came to You-Know-Who returning had been an unfortunate lapse in judgment, but still, he's right most of the time.

But now, as the other survivors of the battle begin to cheer and embrace one another, he feels like someone who has missed the punchline while everyone else laughs at the joke. Why are they all celebrating? Oh, there's You-Know-Who's death, of course, but in this moment while bloodied, weary faces brighten with smiles, Percy just feels like they're back on borrowed time. After all, how long was it after Grindelwald's defeat that You-Know-Who appeared?

He presses his palms to his eyes, which feel gritty, like someone's tossed sand into them. His mother's brothers died during the first war against You-Know-Who, and now Fred is gone and George and Bill will never be quite the same, and Percy wonders if it will be his child who loses his or her life during the next war.

A warm hand suddenly lands on his shoulder, and Percy jumps. "Sorry," a low, familiar voice mutters, and Percy turns to blink at the apologetic look on Oliver Wood's face.

"Oliver," he says after a beat of silence, and the word is sharp with surprise. "What are you-- how did you--" Percy has not seen his yearmate since graduation, and he finds himself drinking in the sight of Oliver almost greedily, taking in the unmarred features.

Oliver smiles at him. It's funny, how he seems shorter than Percy remembers, the past few months shown in the thinness of his face and shadows under his eyes, but his smile hasn't changed a bit. "Good to see you too, Percy." His hand is still on Percy's shoulder, the warmth reassuring, somehow.

Percy clears his throat, which feels suddenly, suspiciously tight. "It's good to see you as well, Oliver." The words come out stiff and almost formal, but Oliver grins and Percy thinks he understands. Then he hesitates. No doubt Oliver has heard about Fred, but if he hasn't--

Oliver must see something in his face, though, because the grin is replaced by a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry," he says, and then grimaces, because the words are hopelessly inadequate, just like Percy's awkward 'It's good to see you.' "That is, I mean--"

"Thank you," Percy says, because it is all he can say, and silence falls between them amidst the continuous cheers of the crowds. He clears his throat again, tries not to think about George looking haunted or his mother's expression when she saw Fred's body, because he will be damned before he breaks down in front of anyone, much less Oliver Wood.

The awkward, suffocating silence stretches on, and Percy is about to say something, anything, to shatter it, when Lee Jordan comes over to thump Oliver on the back, grinning like an idiot. "Did you see Longbottom kill the snake? Never thought he had it in him, really, but hell, that was amazing!"

"It was, wasn't it?" Oliver agrees, a brief grin twitching his lips upward, and then Lee is gone again, to thump someone else on the shoulder and shout enthusiastically, and Oliver's expression shifts to an intense one. It is much the look he wore before a Quidditch match, when he'd pace in their room, muttering about various strategies and often cursing Marcus Flint under his breath.

"I am sorry about Fred," he says now, voice low and barely heard amidst the celebrating. "If-- when the funeral--"

"I'll make certain to let you know," Percy says, just as quiet, and they stand in a different sort of silence as the fireworks begin.

Date: 2007-07-26 12:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fenellaevangela.livejournal.com
Your post-DH fic are really wonderful. These are the details that JKR doesn't include :-)

Date: 2007-07-26 01:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cinaed.livejournal.com
Hee! *giggles at your icon*

And thanks, glad you're enjoying. JKR just left so much open-endedness to play with you know? And it's fun to dabble. *really wants Neville fics*

Date: 2007-07-26 12:47 am (UTC)
aryas_zehral: (Default)
From: [personal profile] aryas_zehral
*sad smile* This is really good.

Date: 2007-07-26 01:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cinaed.livejournal.com
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Date: 2007-07-26 01:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ncp.livejournal.com
*cries* Poor Percy. I imagine it must be harder for him, because he JUST got his family back, and Fred was taken away from him.

Date: 2007-07-26 01:22 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cinaed.livejournal.com
Oh yes. That's what killed me in the book. Percy'd just been reunited and then-- boom. *shakes fist at JKR*

Date: 2007-07-26 04:27 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] duckduck.livejournal.com
Oh, Ace. Oh, this is brilliant, it's such a noisy scene but such a quiet story. You did an excellent job, and filled (what I thought was) an obvious hole with (what I think is) an important scene. It's a good start to a reunion for the two of them.

Date: 2007-07-27 02:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cinaed.livejournal.com
Thank you. Oliver would be a good support for Percy while the Weasleys try to repair the mess of their lives. :) *pats them both*

Date: 2007-07-26 04:43 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emiime.livejournal.com
Oh, thank you for writing this! I've been craving good DH-compliant Percyfic and this is the first piece that has delivered. This is lovely! ♥

Date: 2007-07-27 02:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cinaed.livejournal.com
Thank you! I hope to see more Percyfic in the future too-- I mean, DH opened up so many various possibilities and fic ideas. :)

Date: 2007-08-10 03:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cinaed.livejournal.com
Thank you. :)

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