Chapter Text
When Audrey had told him that she didn’t want to be with him anymore, it had not come as a surprise to Percy. It hurt, sure, to have her say all the things out loud that had been unspoken for too long, always creating a tense atmosphere whenever the two of them were alone. That he was too focussed on his career, too inattentive, he either cared too much or not enough. But, most importantly, he just wasn’t a good lover. And the worst thing about it: Percy agreed. He had married Audrey because he liked her. She was smart and a great listener, easy to be around and could compensate his lack of social skills with ease. She had wanted children, the grandchildren that Percy desperately wanted to give his mother. She had been the perfect candidate. To late Percy had realised that one very important thing was missing: love. He liked Audrey but that wasn’t enough. It never had been, it never would be, and it was only a question of time until Audrey would find out.
There was no big dispute, little tears (mostly on Molly and Lucys side) and no screaming. In a matter of months, they had signed the divorce papers, made plans for their children regarding custody and visitations and Percy had moved out.
And here he was. Nearly forty years old and living with his parents again until he would find a suitable flat close to his children, who were too young to apparate. What made it worse was the fact that everyone else seemed to have their lives figured out. His younger siblings were all happily married, successful in their respective careers and just overall content. His older siblings too. Charlie wasn’t married but that was by his choice. A few years prior he had confided in Percy that he had never been in love or attracted to anyone and that he preferred the company of his dragons. Percy had since then often wondered if he was like Charlie. Maybe he just wasn’t born for romantic love. Would that be so bad? But, contrary to Charlie, he couldn’t fathom the thought of spending the rest of his days alone. He liked being loved, being needed. The problem had been Audrey, that’s what he tried to convince himself of. But the nagging feeling wouldn’t go away. Audrey, in his eyes, was the perfect women. If he hadn’t been able to fall in love with her, could he fall for any women at all?
At dinner, the atmosphere was tense.
After some small talk about his work, Molly suddenly asked how he planned on spending the upcoming holidays. Easter was less than a month away.
“Of course, Molly and Lucy are always welcome here, but I can’t guarantee that the other kids won’t say anything, out of curiosity, that will make them uncomfortable. I’ve read in a magazine that children are always the ones suffering the most in a divorce, my poor hearts. “
“Have you already talked to Audrey about it?”
“When have you last spoken to them?”
How he managed to finish the meal remained a mystery to Percy. As soon as he’d swallowed the last bite, he excused himself to his room. Once the door was magically sealed, he couldn’t hold his tears in any longer. He knew his parents only ever had his best interest in mind, but right now they were driving him crazy. He had to find a solution quickly. He spent a few minutes pacing his room, a rare luxury that he could only allow himself now that nobody was occupying the room below his. When he finally came to a stop, his eyes fell on yesterday’s issue of the daily prophet. Slowly he turned to the page that was titled “looking for…”. He quickly skipped the romance section, then the job offer section and finally found the section he was looking for: roommate. The first ones seemed horrid. The people that were looking for a roommate seemed either very unpleasant, very old or the offer was clearly a scam. Then he saw a name he hadn’t thought about in a long time. Oliver Wood.
The Advertisement read:
Looking for roommate to share 3 Bedroom flat in central London, no dogs, no smoking.
He obviously hadn’t wanted to pay for more text. Percy briefly wondered what had happened to Oliver. He was around Percy’s age; they had graduated Hogwarts together. Oliver had gotten into professional Quidditch almost immediately after graduation, first playing reserve for some smaller clubs like United Puddlemere. But his brilliance as keeper had only ameliorated with time and daily practice.
Of course, this had come to a halt as soon as Voldemort had taken over. Percy didn’t know what exactly he had been doing during the war, but he remembered him at the battle of Hogwarts. He had fought bravely, like a true Gryffindor.
A few years after the war he had been playing with the tornados and had even been speculated to be the next keeper in the British national Quidditch Team.
But lately he hadn’t read anything about him anywhere. What had happened?
He decided to ask Ginny who’d promised to come over with Harry and his niece and nephews the next day. In the meantime, it couldn’t hurt to send an owl to Oliver. The offer was good, and besides, he had already shared a dorm with Oliver. How hard could it be than to share a flat, where they’d both have individual rooms?
As he watched his owl Maia, Hermes’s successor, flying through the night sky with a letter to Oliver Wood, he felt hopeful for the first time in weeks.