Chapter Text
Ollie,
I’m glad we didn’t need to do much to make up for lost time.
Kissing you is so much better than I imagined
If I have timed things correctly, you would have just returned from Wales when Hermes delivers this parcel to you. I hope everything went well with the Quidditch League, and that negotiations have progressed to prepare for an upcoming season. From the articles Seeker Weekly has published so far, the prospects look promising.
I assume the lack of letters or Howlers also means you left your StarEdge behind as promised. While I am glad the broom exceeds your expectations, it is a relief that neither of us needs to fabricate a vague explanation or cover-up story for bypassing standard protocols, at least for now. We may want to consider that idea though, should a sponsor or Randolph Spudmore himself gift StarEdges to Puddlemere, or if your teammates start asking questions.
Everything in London is the same as usual. You will be proud to know that I have continued on my daily walks. Kenwood House’s gardens have become a personal favourite of mine to seek tranquillity these days. And I have also started meeting up with Penny at the local bookshop around the corner.
She sends her best wishes, by the way. Penny is doing as well as one can expect, given everything she has endured. Her spirits seem much brighter than usual, though this may be because she found out you and I have been seeing each other on a weekly basis and she may have coerced me into spilling all the details. Did you know she has been waiting for years to see which of us would make the first move?
You always have been much braver than me. Nevertheless, you never once mentioned anything about romantic feelings until now. Or perhaps you were just as terrified as I was.
While I acknowledge I should have said something sooner, there never seemed to be a good time to do so. After all, we have been friends for years. Friends do not pine after each other. They don’t fantasise about what it would be like to push each other up against a wall and press their lips together. The amount of times I wished we had done all of that sooner though…
We are polar opposites, like night and day. It does not help that we both lead two different yet demanding careers. You are now a star Keeper and a well-known public figure with a fan base and media attention. I am just an ordinary politician with a complicated and questionable reputation, and I have done what I can to keep my head down.
Frankly, I had no idea if we even stood a chance, or if you would ever consider a relationship. Yet, out of the vast options you have available, you chose me as your partner. You keep choosing me. Sometimes, I feel like this is still a dream.
After rereading this letter now, as well as our previous correspondences, I must admit you are right about us. We are complete fools. If we had only bothered to delve deeper into our past, we would have realised this latest development was a long time coming.
Based on our last conversation (in a broomshed of all places), it means we have fancied each other since the end of our last school term. Ollie, that is four years! It seems like it has been longer than four years of admiring, wanting, and loving you, though. I have never felt this way about anyone else, and the possibility that the feelings are mutual…
I think I confessed enough on parchment already. This topic will be much easier to address in person, and I am certain there is still much more we need to discuss.
Are you still amenable to having me to stop by the house tomorrow? Let me know if there is a time that suits you best. I will even do the honours of making Rumbledethumps or a steak pie, which I know are some of your favourites. I look forward to welcoming you back with open arms, and perhaps more if you are willing.
With affection,
Percy