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It was a crisp autumn evening in London and Percy Weasley was exhausted. He had had a long day at the Ministry thanks to some incident involving a rather energetic six year-old, her elderly great-aunt, and a cat named Celestina Purrbeck causing a Floo Network-wide panic. Despite being the Junior Head of the Portkey Office, Percy and the rest of his office were drafted to help with the problem. Thankfully, everyone and everything was eventually all right, but Percy had to skip any breaks he had, including his lunch break and was practically covered head-to-toe in floo powder.
He was supposed to cook dinner for himself and Oliver Wood, but Oliver took one look at him and pushed him into his bathroom, told him to wash up, and volunteered to cook the dinner himself. Percy was too tired to offer his boyfriend any resistance.
His relationship with Oliver was still fairly new. They became reacquainted in the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts, but had been dancing around each other for the past two years. It wasn’t until when a very drunk, affectionate Oliver confessed his feelings towards Percy that Percy realized that life was short and he should just go for it. He didn’t bring up his feelings until Oliver was completely sober the next day, but it worked. They had been practically inseparable for the past month. Except for work. And Quidditch, which, in fairness, was Oliver’s work.
Thanks to Percy not really being “out” due to his fear of some backwards-thinking wizards, nobody knew.
Ok, some people knew, but they were pretty much sworn to secrecy. A few of Oliver’s teammates knew, mainly by accident. They had walked in on a stolen kiss between the two of them after a practice. Percy had recently written a letter to Charlie admitting his relationship to his former classmate, but he was still awaiting a response. Of all his family members, Percy figured Charlie was the safest to tell. As an asexual, he wouldn’t judge Percy’s own sexuality. He also lived further away and wouldn’t tell anyone anyway. While Bill may not tell their parents, he would probably tell Fleur, who might it slip to their parents.
After showering and putting on a fresh pair of Muggle jeans and a jumper, Percy went back into his kitchen. Oblivious to his return, Oliver was whistling while he worked on dinner.
Percy snuck up behind him and wrapped is arms around his waist.
“You look gorgeous in an apron,” he said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for cooking for me.”
“Rough day at work?” Oliver asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Percy groaned as he finally separated from Oliver.
“Well, drink some wine, relax. This pasta will be done soon enough,” Oliver said with a smile.
Percy grabbed a bottle of red wine and uncorked it. “Do you need help with anything?” he asked while pouring two glasses.
“I’ll be fine,” Oliver reassured him. “Go sit at the bar.” Percy did as he requested and sat at the breakfast bar.
“And how was your work today, Ollie?”
“We had photo shoots today. For like posters and calendars and all that jazz,” Oliver said shrugging. It was Oliver’s second year off the reserves and he had gained quite a bit of attention. However, he was much too humble to care about the hoards of adoring fans.
“You don’t sound too excited,” Percy said.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love playing professional Quidditch. It’s absolutely brilliant. But I’m not a poster boy. I don’t enjoy posing. I’m not Krum. Or like Roger Davies or whatever. I’d rather just play.”
“Well, I think you’re gorgeous and think you deserve to be on every poster. But I also wouldn’t mind keeping you for myself.” Percy gave his boyfriend a cheeky grin.
Oliver smiled back. “Why, Percy Weasley, who would have-“
A sound interrupted his thought. It was a tapping coming from the living room window.
“I’ll get it,” Percy sighed.
There was an owl waiting at the windowsill. Opening the window, Percy could see it was a familiar fierce-looking, scruffy owl.
“Hello, Thor,” he greeted the owl, taking the letter from his beak. The outside seemed slightly scorched and had plenty of ink smudges. It was definitely from Charlie.
Percy offered Thor some owl treats and water. Percy’s own owl- Archimedes- looked quite putout by the scruffy intruder.
“Don’t look so upset,” Percy chastised his owl, “You would need this too if you traveled all the way from Romania.”
Percy called out to Oliver; “I’m going to read this letter from Charlie.”
“All right. Dinner should be done in a few,” Oliver called back.
Percy grabbed a letter opener and gently tore open the letter.
Dear Sweet, Stupid Percival,
First off, I’m fine. The dragons are adorable little assholes. They say hi.
Secondly, I KNEW IT!!! I KNEW IT!!!!! I KNEW IT!!!!!! I knew you two nerds fancied each other!
But, seriously, I’m glad you felt comfortable to tell me about you and Oliver (and come out).
I know you don’t want to hear this, but you should tell Mum and Dad and the rest of the fam. They aren’t going to abandon you. Mum will probably be thrilled and start planning your wedding. Sure, the boys might make fun of you for dating Wood of all people, but they’ll actually be happy for you. They, like I do, just want you to be happy. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Invite him over for Sunday dinner (or a lower-key dinner) and take no argument. The sooner you do it, the easier it will be.
And don’t worry about the old folks at the Ministry. They’ll be dead soon anyway. Was that too mean? Anyway, most of them are assholes.
BE A GRYFFINDOR!
Love,
Charlie
PS Give Thor extra treats and water. He’s been a good boy and deserves it.
Percy rolled his eyes at his brother’s ridiculousness. He did give Thor some extra treats though because if anyone could talk to animals, it’s probably Charlie.
He knew Charlie was right though: his family probably won’t abandon him. He was being silly if he thought that.
He fired off a quick letter to Charlie and sent Thor on his way.
Oliver was plating the pasta when Percy came back into the kitchen.
“Voilà. Fettuccini Alfredo with broccoli. It’s not from scratch, but it’s still good,” he said putting the plates on the small kitchen table.
“It smells good,” Percy said.
“Thank you,” Oliver said washing his hands. “What did Charlie have to say?” He tried to say it casually, but there was a slight cautious tone in his voice. Oliver knew that Percy told Charlie about them and he was curious.
Both men sat at the table before Percy spoke. “He’s happy for us and claims that he knew we liked each other. He also thinks we should tell my family.” Percy actually kept his tone casual. Oliver breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“Are you ready to tell you family about us?” Oliver asked.
Percy nodded, slightly hesitantly. “Yeah.” His nod became surer. “Yeah. Now or never, right?”
“That’s the spirit!” Oliver said and kissed him. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Are you free Sunday for dinner?”
The next day at work was much better than the previous one. Of course, most situations would be better than that.
For lunch, Percy was meeting with his father at the Ministry cafeteria. Tuesdays and Thursdays were usually their days to eat lunch together, unless there was some sort of emergency, be it personal or work-related.
The cafeteria was always busy and loud, filled with tired bureaucrats and underappreciated workers trying to grab something to eat before slogging back to work. There was always a rush during the lunch hours where good food and tables were taken quickly. Merlin help the Ministry workers who arrived late on fish and chips day. Truthfully, Percy preferred eating in his office. It was much quieter and much less claustrophobic, but he did enjoy eating with his father and other friends.
Percy walked into the cafeteria that Tuesday slightly distracted. He wasn’t entirely afraid of asking his father if he could bring a guest to the Burrow on Sunday, but he wasn’t entirely comfortable either. His mind was occupied as he grabbed whatever bowl of food was in front of him. Fortunately for him, it was a stew he liked.
Arthur was at their regular table in one of the quieter corners of the cafeteria. As usual, he had a packed lunch from home set out in front of him.
“There you are, Percy! I thought that Floo debacle yesterday would have scared you off,” he greeted his middle son.
“Please. Being Prefect while students were being attacked by a basilisk was much worse,” Percy said wryly.
“Oh gosh, you were weren’t you? So many things happened while you kids were at Hogwarts, it’s hard to keep track of it all.”
Percy didn’t take his father’s forgetfulness to heart, as he would have done a few years ago. Truly, his father was correct: so many things had happened in he and siblings’ years at Hogwarts. Considering Ron was attacked by a troll in his first year was the least of their problems, it was understandable that his father forgot a relatively small detail.
“So, what’s happening in your department? Any more wild toasters reeking havoc in the north?” Percy asked.
That got Arthur talking about an enchanted vacuum cleaner that was flying around in a small Muggle town in Derbyshire. An old wizard who didn’t particularly for his Muggle neighbors did it to scare them, but the spell was too powerful and started chasing around a group of schoolchildren. It had taken five of them to retrieve the vacuum and get the villagers to forget what they saw.
The conversation then switched to what friends and family were up to. George and Ron were working on some new product that was due to be released soon but they were keeping it secret. It was Ron’s first big project since leaving the Auror program. Ginny was about to start her first season as a starting member of the Holyhead Harpies after being a reservist for a year.
Percy figured it was now or never to ask his father about Sunday dinner. “Father, I have something to ask you.” He said.
“What is it?” Arthur asked curiously. He had no idea what his son meant to ask.
“Could I bring someone to Sunday dinner?”
Arthur looked slightly surprised. Percy had never brought anyone to dinner before. Quite frankly, he thought the question might be much worse. “Of course you can,” Arthur said with a smile. “Your mother should be fine with that and I have no concerns. I’ll tell her to prepare an extra plate.”
“Thank you,” Percy said before taking a sip of stew.
“Now is this a friend you’re bringing or a romantic someone?”
Percy was careful not to choke on his food, but he still swallowed hard. “Does it matter?” he squeaked.
“Of course not. I was just wondering,” Arthur said nonchalantly.
Percy took a deep breath. “It is someone I’m dating,” he admitted.
“Oh, really? Anyone I know?”
“Um, yes, you do know them.” Arthur gave his son a questioning look. “I want to keep it a surprise,” Percy said.
“All right,” Arthur said shrugging. “But I want you to know, I won’t judge you for whomever you bring, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Arthur was completely calm and casual in his statement.
“Why would you say I’m worried?” Percy asked trying to sound calm and failing.
“You’re being secretive and you’re possibly the most forthright child I have. You’ve always been less willing to share when you’re nervous about judgment.”
“That’s very perceptive of you.”
“It’s called being a father for 30 years,” he said simply.
The two sat in silence for a few moments until Percy broke the silence. “I’m bringing a man with me,” he rushed out.
“Ok,” Arthur said.
“That’s it?” Percy asked, expecting a larger response.
“Thank you for admitting that to me. I know it’s a big step for you. And I love you no matter who you love.” Arthur reached out and grasped his son’s hand.
“Thank you,” Percy whispered.
Arthur turned back into his lighthearted self. “I really don’t consider it that big a deal. I came of age in the sixties, remember? Besides, your Uncle Gideon was interested in men too.”
“Really?” Percy asked, shocked. He had never heard this. Of course, he never heard much about his uncles growing up. Now that he had lost a brother himself, he could understand.
“Yes, he was. You actually remind me of him a bit. He was always the more serious of the two,” Arthur seemed lost in his thoughts for a brief moment. “Percy, If you want me to keep who you’re bringing to dinner a secret, I will. If you want me to tell your mother, I will. I defer to what you want.”
“Can you keep it a secret? For now, at least?”
“All right,” Arthur said. “Now who do you think will win the league this year?”
Percy was perfectly happy to change the topic to Quidditch.
Late Thursday evening, Percy found himself stacking boxes at Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. George had bribed him with the promise free dinner from his favorite takeaway place in exchange for helping him and Ron set out the display for their new product: Hairy Hats. They were hats that changed the wearer’s hair when put on their head. There were several different hats that came with a variety of options. Percy didn’t have much better to do- Oliver had a late-night practice- so he agreed to help.
“Hey Perce!” Ron called from his place on top the tallest ladder. “Can you levitate some of those boxes up here?”
“Of course,” Percy said. He cast a quick leviosa to help his brother. They effortlessly glided up to the top.
“Thanks!”
George walked over to Percy. He leaned in and whispered, “I kind of want to put a fake spider up top there to see what Ron does.”
“George! He’d probably fall and hit his head and you’d be out of a business partner. And then you’ll have to deal with an upset Hermione. And Mum. And probably Harry,” Percy chastised him.
“Damn, you’re right. I don’t think I want a Hell-bent Hermione Granger coming after me. She can hex worse than Ginny.”
The brothers went back to work silently for a while.
Percy broke the silence. “Don’t you have employees who could be doing this work? Why did you invite me here? Not that I don’t appreciate your company.”
“Well, Verity is still recovering from a nasty cold, so I told her to get some rest. Heather has young children at home, so she always leaves before three. And Lee, well, I love ‘em, he’s a great salesman and a great friend, but he’s a shit stocker. He just has a knack for moving the wrong thing and knocking an entire display over. Besides, there’s some dirt I want to get from you,” George explained.
Percy sighed in annoyance, slightly resigned to his fate.
“Mum says you’re bringing someone with you to Sunday dinner.”
“Word gets around quickly then. I told Dad on Tuesday.”
Ron was coming down the ladder, clearly eavesdropping on their conversation. “So you are bringing someone? I thought George was joking.”
“You owe me five galleons mate,” George said to Ron.
“Only if it’s a date,” Ron argued. “Is it a date?”
“Yes,” Percy said reluctantly.
“Bloody hell!” Ron whined, pulling out his wallet to hand George his money. “Seriously? You’re bringing a date to Sunday dinner? Do they know what they’re getting into?”
“Yes, they do,” Percy said. He had warned Oliver that Sunday dinners could be hectic for the extended Weasley clan (not that he didn’t know that already).
“The more important question, little brother, is who is Percy bringing?” George said with a light of mischief in his eye.
“That, you’ll just have to come see and find out,” Percy sniffed.
“What? Not even a hint?” George asked, mock offended. “You’re just going to leave us in suspense?”
“Yes,” Percy asserted.
“Can we please get a hint? Just a tiny hint? One teeny tiny hint?” George asked.
“You’re making much too big a deal about this,” Percy said. Years of the twins’ pranks and annoyances prepared Percy to stand his ground about this.
“Then it’s not a big deal to give us a hint.”
Percy turned to his other brother. “Ron? Should I give him a hint?”
Ron shrugged. “It’s up to you, mate. It’s just nice not to be on the other end of George’s questions for once.”
“George, if I give you just one hint about my date, will you drop the subject?” Percy asked.
“As hard as that offer is, yes I will take it,” George said.
“All right then. Here’s my only hint,” Percy said smugly. He waited until George seemed ready to jump out of his shoes. “My date went to school with us.”
Ron burst out laughing at George’s annoyed face. Clearly he wanted a better hint. “He beat you at your own game, Georgie! You should see your face!” Ron was laughing so hard he was almost crying. Percy laughed too. It was good to get a leg up on George for once. And Ron was right: his face was funny.
“All right, chuckleheads, get back to work.”
It was finally Sunday.
Oliver had spent the night, not giving Percy the opportunity to worry about one extra thing. He even brought a change of clothes so he wouldn’t have to Apparate home (and leave Percy alone). The man clearly knew his boyfriend well.
Snuggling on the couch after eating breaking, Oliver asked Percy, “So what’s the official game plan?”
“Well,” Percy said, “Sunday dinner is a bit of a misnomer. People start gathering at the Burrow as early at three. But George and Ron don’t close the shop until four, so usually they don’t arrive until five. Dinner itself doesn’t start until five-thirty or six.”
“So we can either peel the plaster off slowly or rip it off quickly?”
“Basically, yes.” Percy was biting his lip. Oliver leaned over and kissed his lips to relax him.
“So what do you want to do?” Oliver asked.
“I’m not sure,” Percy said. “On one hand, only getting a few reactions at a time isn’t as attention grabbing-“
“Is that a plus or a minus?” Oliver interrupted.
Percy considered it. “A bit of both? I don’t know. Doing it all at once just gets it out of the way, but that might just create chaos. What are your thoughts?”
“Ultimately, it’s up to you, but if we wait until five or so, I’ll be worrying about your blood pressure. Not that I can’t think of a few things to distract you,” Oliver said with a wink.
“And I’m sure I can think of a few things,” Percy flirted back, bringing Oliver into a kiss. It was slow and sensual. Both men kissed with the intense passion they were known for. When they were done, Oliver refused to fully part the two of them. He kept his forehead on Percy’s. The two men smiled at each other.
“As much as I would love our distractions,” Percy said, “I think it would be better if we arrived early.”
“Ok,” Oliver said, “But we still have a few hours left. Maybe we can do a few of those distractions?”
“I think that can be arranged.”
A few hours later, Percy and Oliver were outside the Burrow holding hands. Really, it was more Percy was clutching his boyfriend’s hand for dear life. Oliver understood though. It was a big step for them, especially Percy. The two men looked at each other. Oliver could see a mix of fear and determination in Percy’s eyes; it was a similar look Percy had in school when a big test was coming up. Oliver gave Percy’s hand a light squeeze and smiled at him. Percy gave a small smile back.
“Are you ready, love?” Oliver asked.
Percy took a deep breath. “It’s now or never, right?” Percy opened the front door.
It was a general rule at Sunday dinner that knocking the front door was unnecessary. For one thing, unless you were extremely loud, it was difficult to hear above the general hubbub of the Burrow. It was a constant stream of whistling kettles, loud pranks, and shouting Weasleys. Also, the chance of anyone being close to the front door was fairly slim. The more Weasleys that had already arrived, the more likely people were outside. However, at this time of day, most people would be hovering near the kitchen.
Percy led Oliver into the Burrow. “Mum! Dad! We’re here!” he called out.
“In the kitchen!” Molly called out. Of course.
Percy could feel his breath going shallow. Although his father had assured him everything would be fine, Percy was worried about his mother’s reaction. She was the more traditional of his parents.
Getting to the kitchen, Percy and Oliver realized they weren’t the first ones there. Bill, Fleur, and baby Victoire had already arrived. Molly and Fleur were in the kitchen, chatting and working on dinner. Bill and Arthur were sitting at the kitchen table, playing with Victoire.
“Hello,” Percy said. Everyone turned to look at the two men. Despite some slight looks of surprise, no one seemed offended or horrified in anyway. “This is Oliver, my boyfriend. I believe you all have met him before,” Percy said slightly shaky.
“Hullo,” Oliver said brightly. “I brought some flowers for you, Mrs. Weasley.” Oliver handed her a bouquet of colorful flowers.
“Oh, these are beautiful! Aren’t you sweet!” Molly said. “Let me grab a vase for this and some water.”
As she did that, Arthur walked up to Oliver and offered his hand. Oliver shook it. “Good to see you again, Oliver! Keeping out of trouble, I hope?”
Oliver laughed. “As much as a professional Quidditch player can keep out of trouble. Perce helps though.” With that, Arthur got Oliver started on Quidditch, so who knew when either of them would stop.
Fleur walked over to Percy, whispered, “He is very ‘andsome,” with a smile, and went back to assisting Molly with dinner.
Percy decided to sit next to his brother, who hadn’t said anything yet, but was smiling. As he sat down, Bill asked, “So you and Wood finally got together, huh?”
“Charlie just said ‘I knew it!’ I don’t know why both of you thought it was inevitable. I never told anyone I fancied blokes before,” Percy said, watching as his niece started grabbing at her father’s ponytail.
Bill shrugged, as much as anyone could with a four-month old holding on to his hair. “Call it the benefit of age. I knew you were close with him when you owled me when you were thirteen, panicking that Oliver had been knocked out by a bludger. Charlie also owled me that you had barely left his side. Then, most of your letters from school mentioned him in some way. As for the blokes thing, you’re less secretive when you check men out than you think you are.”
Percy blushed and stuttered. Bill gave him a smile.
“It’s all right. I’m glad you’ve found someone. You deserve to be happy.”
“Thank you,” Percy whispered. “You do too, by the way. Though I suppose you’re already there.”
“There are still some hard days, Perce. We’ve been through a war, you know.” Bill looked at his daughter and smiled. “But, yes, I am happy. I’m very fortunate. But don’t worry about it. Oliver clearly cares about you and you have us.”
“Is it wrong that I’m worried about how the others will react?”
“You mean our younger siblings?” Bill asked. Percy nodded. “Well, I can’t guarantee they won’t say something stupid or won’t be surprised- they aren’t the most observant bunch- but they like Oliver and they love you.”
Percy still didn’t look entirely convinced, but he decided to change the subject. “How’s my niece doing?” Victoire was always a safe subject and Percy did indeed care for her wellbeing.
“Would you like to hold her?” Bill offered. Percy nodded. As his brother carefully passed his daughter to him, Percy greeted her with a, “Hi sweetie.” Victoire looked at him with her big blue eyes and Percy felt a surge of affection. Despite what others may assume, Percy loved children.
“She’s getting heavy,” Percy noted to his brother.
“Yeah, I noticed I’m starting to get some more muscles from holding her. Fleur’s always been in better shape than me,” he said with a laugh.
Percy started making faces at his niece, making her smile. The surge of affection came back.
“But, yeah, she’s happy and healthy. Which is pretty much all you can ask for as a parent,” Bill said.
Percy felt someone place their hands on his shoulders. Looking slightly up, he noticed it was Oliver. They smiled at each other.
Oliver moved a chair to sit next to Percy. “Who’s this cutie?” he asked.
“This is Victoire,” Percy said.
“Hi Victoire. I’m Oliver,” he said in a soft voice. He looked up at Bill “Can I hold her?”
“Sure,” Bill said. Percy handed his boyfriend Victoire.
Pretty immediately, Oliver was making funny sounds and funny faces in an attempt to make Victoire laugh. He succeeded. Percy could feel his stomach flutter seeing his boyfriend playing with his niece. The thoughts of their future children entered his head and he wanted it so bad. Stealing a glance at his brother, Percy could tell Bill knew what he was thinking by his knowing look. It made Percy blush harder.
The next half hour or so passed uneventfully. Percy and Oliver played with Victoire while talking to Bill. At one point, Percy tried to assist in the kitchen but was shooed out by Fleur. Arthur attempted to lug in a Muggle radio to work on at the kitchen table. He got a few screws out when Molly chastised him for messing up her table and gave him the choice to either work on it in the living room or back out in his shed. Dejected, he went to put it back in the shed. He then spent his time going between his sons and his wife.
Then four o’clock came and Ginny and Harry burst through the front door. They were loudly debating Quidditch.
“I’m telling you, Gin,” Harry’s voice echoed in the entryway before the two became visible to the rest of the family, “Wood is the hardest keeper you’re going to go up against. He’s absolutely men- hey speak of the devil.”
Harry and Ginny finally arrived in the kitchen area and had noticed the extra dinner guest. Percy looked slightly nervous. Oliver looked amused.
“Hey Wood! What are you doing here?” Harry asked, embarrassed.
“Spying?” Ginny joked. She received a reprimand from her mother.
“Percy invited me,” Oliver said with a smile.
“Really?” Ginny said slightly shocked. “Perce, you’ve never invited anyone over before.” Clearly, no one had clued Ginny or Harry in that Percy was bringing a date. Percy was slightly surprised that Ron didn’t mention it to either of them. But he also figured that Ron didn’t care enough to mention it or simply forgot.
“He’s my boyfriend,” Percy said.
“Oh!” Ginny said, slightly shocked. Both Ginny and Harry seemed to take a second to process what that fully meant. Then, Ginny broke out in a big smile. “Well, Percy, you definitely found a keeper.”
A mix of groans and laughter filled the room.
“Oh, that’s twin-level bad,” Bill groaned.
The room settled down eventually. Much to everyone’s chagrin, Ginny, Oliver, and Harry began a conversation about Quidditch. It began as a discussion about how pro-Quidditch was different from playing it at school and quickly turned into an examination of the different teams. Fortunately for everyone, they steered clear of their own teams. Harry didn’t actually have much to say on the subject, so he began a discussion about the Ministry goings-on with Percy and Arthur.
At four forty-five, there was a clear, loud crash coming from outside, like someone had Apparated too close to the bins. Everyone looked up from whatever they were doing.
“George and Ronald seem to be ‘ere early,” Fleur noted.
It was indeed George, Ron, and Hermione. Everyone could tell by Ron’s boisterous laugh.
“Really, you ought to Apparate more carefully, George,” Hermione’s voice rang out from the front door as they entered the house.
“Yeah, yeah,” George shot back.
When the trio got to the rest of the family, George and Ron quickly scanned the room for the expected new face. When their eyes reached Oliver Wood, both men looked gobsmacked.
“Wood?! Perce, you’re dating Oliver Wood?!” George asked.
Percy rolled in his eyes. “Yes, George. I’m dating Oliver Wood. Now you know,” Percy said annoyed. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Wow, we were way off,” Ron said, laughing. “I said you were dating either the other Gryffindor prefect in your year- what was her name?” He looked around to clarify.
“Felicity Simons?” Percy said.
“Yes! That’s her name! I knew it started with an F. Or the Head Girl in your year. Audrey Bloomingfeld?”
Oliver and Percy burst out into giggles. Everyone looked at them. “It’s funny you should mention Felicity and Audrey, Ron,” Oliver said. “They’re married to each other. We ran into them recently at Diagon Alley.”
“They have two kids,” Percy said. George joined into the laughter.
Ron was clearly embarrassed. “George thought you were dating Angelina!” he shouted to deflect attention away from him.
“Oi! Shut it Ron!” George snapped.
“What?” Percy asked. “Angelina Johnson, really? Don’t get me wrong, she’s a lovely girl, but we’ve barely spoken to each other one-on-one.”
“I think he was just afraid that Angelina was taken,” Ginny piped up. “He’s had a crush on her since forever.”
George hid his face in his hands, probably to hide his blush. A muffled, “I can’t believe this is happening,” was heard coming from his hands.
“Consider it payback, big brother,” Ginny said.
“You have to take it sometime,” Ron said. “You are the only single Weasley right now.”
“Charlie’s not in a relationship!” George argued.
“Yeah, but he’s also asexual so we have accepted he may never be in a relationship,” Percy said.
“And he’s not here right now,” Bill added.
“You know, if you asked, Angelina would probably say yes,” Oliver said.
“Quit taking the mickey out of me,” George groaned.
“I’m serious!” Oliver said. “I had lunch with her and Alicia and Katie a few weeks ago and she talked about you for a while.”
George perked up. “Really?” He looked hopeful.
“Of course. Would I lie to you?”
“You are usually very honest,” George conceded, but still seemed a little suspicious.
“Usually too honest for his own good. Told McGonagall that he didn’t care if I fell off my broom as long as a caught the snitch,” Harry said good-naturedly to Ginny. Percy glared at Harry.
“Yeah, that wasn’t great,” Oliver said sheepishly. “ But in my defense, I was, like, sixteen.”
“I think it’s fair to say that all of us here as said some idiotic things as teenagers,” Percy said sadly. Oliver took one of his hands and kissed it.
“But the important thing is learning from past mistakes and doing the right thing in the end,” Arthur said lighting squeezing Percy’s shoulder comfortingly. “Now, I do believe dinner is ready. Right, Mollywoobles?”
“All right everyone, grab a seat. Dinner should be ready in a moment,” Molly sang out. “Fleur, dear, could you help me get all the food out? And Ron, please grab the pumpkin juice, if you would. Georgie, would you please grab the plates and silverware? And no tricks this time please.”
There was a bit of a scramble as some of the taller family members ducked to make sure the different dishes floating to the table didn’t smack them in the head. The plates landed without any sort of mess though. Dinner was a wide array of meat pies, a bouquet of steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pudding for dessert.
Dinner was a loud and boisterous affair, like usual. Everyone had stories to tell and there were many failed attempts of talking over one another. George and Ron tried telling a story about a funny prank Verity played on Lee, but didn’t have the natural communication skills George and Fred had, but they still got through it and everyone laughed. Everyone had a chance to speak if they wanted, even if it took a while. The family welcomed Oliver in their fold without question. Molly and Fleur were charmed by Oliver’s praising of their meal. Everyone asked Oliver about his relationship with Percy and, more importantly, Quidditch. Hermione even tried asking a few questions about Quidditch, but was quickly lost, so she and Percy had a separate conversation about the Ministry.
After dinner, Oliver was quick to volunteer to help wash the dishes. Despite Molly’s arguments, he would take no for an answer. Percy just shrugged at his mother and told her that Oliver is very stubborn and it’s not use arguing with him about it. He joined his boyfriend in the kitchen to help him.
Oliver smiled at him. “I think it went well,” Oliver said, filling up the sink with water and suds.
“Yes, I think it did too,” Percy agreed. “Are we doing this with magic or doing it ourselves?” he asked pointing to the dishes.
“Well, magic is faster, but doing it ourselves does give us more time alone,” Oliver said as he wrapped his arms around Percy. Percy gave him a peck on the lips. Oliver seemed eager to continue kissing his boyfriend, but Percy reluctantly pulled away.
When Oliver gave him sad puppy dog eyes, Percy explained, “There’s not really such a thing as ‘time alone’ here, especially in the kitchen. I swear I had more privacy at Hogwarts.”
“Well, I was your only roommate.”
“Exactly,” Percy said. He gave Oliver another peck on the lips. “I promise, when we get home, we can do whatever you want.”
A sly look crossed Oliver’s face. “Anything I want?”
Percy rolled his eyes. “Within reason. I get final veto.”
“Deal.”
“Now let’s get to those dishes,” Percy said lightly pushing Oliver toward the sink.
“All right,” Oliver said. “And don’t think I didn’t hear you say ‘When we get home’.”
“I meant my home,” Percy spluttered, embarrassed by his slip. He had definitely thought about it before. It would make their lives much easier. And he just wanted to, even if they had only been dating for a month. He knew Oliver was it for him.
“It’s all right,” Oliver said with a laugh. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about too.”
“Really?” Percy asked after casting a few silent cleaning spells.
“Yeah. I mean, I know it’s early, but it’s not like we didn’t live together for seven years. We’re already past the ‘what about my weird living habits’ part of a new relationship. And it would make our lives so much easier. And I’d get to see your gorgeous face every morning.”
Percy wasn’t sure what to say. Oliver had also clearly thought this through. But this was a serious conversation and his childhood kitchen was maybe not the place to have it. “Can we put a bookmark on this conversation? I absolutely want to talk about this, but not here and not now. It’s a very serious conversation. There’s so much to discuss: where, when, how-”
Oliver interrupted him, “It’s all right, Percy, we can wait to talk about it.” His voice was calm and even. He bumped shoulders with Percy. “We’ll just get through this evening first, yeah?”
Percy nodded, blushing.
They did get through it. That time and many others throughout the years.