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The heavy office door flew open on its hinges, slamming into the wall that shook the shelves which sent dust through the air. Percy Weasley sighed heavily and kept his gaze trained on his parchment as he continued to scrawl his notes in shorthand. He could smell the familiar scent of saffron and lilacs before she spoke, “You can’t avoid me, Percy.”
“You’re not changing my mind, Miss Patil,” Percy drawled as he felt her gaze burning into the back of his head. Padma Patil made a scoffing sound in the back of throat before her heeled footsteps approached and she slammed a heavy tome down on her adjoining desk. “Percy! You swore you wouldn’t abandon me when I had to present to the French Minister!” Padma accused sounding wounded.
Percy looked over his spectacles at her tight features and he felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. “Miss Patil—,” He began before Padma interrupted with annoyance in her tone, “It’s Padma! We’ve worked together for three years, for Merlin’s sake!” She sat down on the edge of her desk which was across from own his and she folded her arms with annoyance.
Then he sat back in his chair, pinched the bridge of his nose and then he began again, “Padma, I said I would support you in your research, which I have, and I promised to present with you when the French Minister was visiting here.” Before she could interrupt again, he held up a finger and he said, “I’m not going to bloody Bordeaux!” Her lips jutted in disgust as she grumbled, “Well, I am sure Ginny will have something to say when she hears how you refused to come with me.”
The mention of his little sister had Percy’s spine straightening as he gazed up at her and said much more calmly than he felt, “She will understand, and Ginny knows that I don’t like to travel by Portkey.” Then he thought back about the last time he traveled and got sick in a bush in Drogheda, Ireland it sent goose flesh up his arms. Padma said falsely sweet, “She’ll hex you first, and you know it.”
He did know it.
When Padma joined the Magical Law department a year after Percy transferred, after being a Secretary for Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, it surprised him with how well he got along with the former Ravenclaw. They both attended Hogwarts together, of course, but it was admittedly after Ginny came to eat lunch with him that he grew closer with his colleague. He had invited her along to lunch with his sister, which Padma accepted in her usual clipped tones.
It was Padma’s quick wit, her very sharp mind, and wicked tongue that intrigued Percy. Yet it was her friendship with his little sister, that really brought the dark-haired witch out of her shell around him. Her dark brown eyes always ensnared him and she was staring directly into his own eyes now which had his heart begin to race inside his chest. “You would leave me all alone to fend off the French?” Padma asked with hurt.
“Their Minister is pleasant enough, even if he is French. Don’t hold that against him too much, eh?” Percy said with some levity as Padma’s face hardened. She said swiftly, “Call a spade a spade. You must not want to save the herd of Unicorns as much as I do.” He sputtered in indignation before she shifted down to sit on her chair and turned it to face the wall in an attempt to ignore his presence. It was petulant action that had a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as it reminded him of many arguments with his younger siblings over the years.
“Padma, don’t be cross with me,” Percy said softly just short of pleading. She did not answer, and he watched her arms cross in a huff once more. His gaze wandered to the ceiling beseeching someone, anyone else, to have this conversation other than himself. There was no assistance sent from Godric, so he pushed his chair out, stood fluidly and stalked around their desks to stand behind her chair.
Her dark strands were braided in a long elaborate knot which recalled him back to a recent wet dream, which featured Padma’s braid wrapped around his fist, and he shook himself off the imagery as flush crawled up his face. “I’m sorry, Padma, I do care about protecting the Unicorns. I just don’t want to make a fool of myself retching in front of the Minister,” Percy said that last bit quieter. She did not immediately respond and he continued, “You have the documents to prove that the herd cannot be relocated. They will be unable to refute it.”
There was a herd that was being threatened by a wizard who owned a winery, they were eating the grapes that were used to make a quite famous wine in Bordeaux, France. Yet it was only a small section of the vast fields that they roamed. The Unicorns were bred in Wales, that were gifted to the wizard’s ancestor, Vicomte de Montmorency, that the herd expanded from six colts and six fillies to a strong herd of thirty-five.
Unfortunately the forests that they originated from in Wales is no more, it’s now a row of homes inhabited by Muggles so they cannot be moved from France. It was Padma’s task to verify the documents, and with Percy’s helped, they did weeks of research to prove the rights of the herd to continue to thrive in Bordeaux. Now all that she had to do was present the documents to the French Minister to sign. It seemed so easy on paper, but he understood her worry.
“You have all the records, they truly cannot prevent the Minister from signing, Padma,” Percy said with encouragement and placed a hand tentatively on her shoulder to turn her chair around. Her brow was still furrowed with worry and she insisted with a plea, “Please, Percy, come with me. I don’t want to make a mistake, and I don’t want to jeopardize the herd’s home because of something I said.”
“Please,” Padma said softly, that sent a stab to his heart that Percy found himself relenting and he conceded, “Alright, I’ll go with you.” She asked in somewhat disbelief, “Really?” He knew that he could be stubborn as a Gryffindor and didn’t fault her as he assured her with a nod of his head and said, “I have full faith in you, but I can be there to help translate.”
Per Shacklebolt’s request, Percy had learned French and he was fluent which will be helpful for tomorrow. Her lips pulled into a wide smile and she stood up from her chair suddenly. She rose up on the balls of her feet to wrap her arms around his neck to give him an enthusiast hug. Padma pressed her face against his collar and said happily into the fabric, “Thank you, Percy! Thank you!” His cheeks were bright with colour as he patted her back gently as he said sincerely, “You would have been fine without me, you’re one of the brightest minds I know.”
When she untangled her arms from around him, she gave a shy smile and said, “I will meet you in the Atrium in an hour. We have two rooms reserved at the chateau where the French Minister is staying tonight.” Padma placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, gathered her satchel, and left their office. He could hear her footsteps departing, the smell of her fragrance coiling in his nose, and the spot where she pecked his cheek felt warm. Percy felt like he was in a daze as he collected his briefcase and headed to the lift to pack his bags.
There was blood rushing in Percy’s ears, his stomach rebelling as he heaved the contents of it into a hydrangea bush as Padma soothingly rubbed his back. They arrived ten minutes ago to Bordeaux by Portkey, the discarded enchanted-bell had rolled away as he fell on his knees and got sick. He wiped his mouth off with a handkerchief and the sweat on his brow made him feel all clammy.
It was hot in France, especially as they were located more south than Paris, and he sighed in relief as Padma cast a muttered, “Scorgify,” to clean up his mess. Thankfully they landed in the outer fringe of the chateau’s borders so no one saw Percy’s dreadful reaction to their arrival. He pushed his spectacles up that slid down the bridge of his nose and smiled ruefully at Padma as he stood. Her lips quirked to the side and she asked, “Ready to check-in?”
“Lead the way,” Percy said in agreement, and lifted up his trunk that he dropped in their descent. The matron who owned the chateau welcomed them inside, yet it seemed that Padma’s lack of proficiency in the language created a barrier. The two of them would be sharing a room for the night, as all the other rooms were fully booked. Padma looked stricken as she apologized to Percy and he waved it off, assuming as most hotels he has stayed at had double beds.
They left their belongings with the front desk and wandered to the small pub located just past the entrance. Padma sat primly at the bar, Percy perched across from her on his stool, but before he could order the two of them some Butterbeers, the bartender placed two Firewhisky in front of them. He knew that she usually did not drink alcohol, but he was surprised that she lifted the glass and she said softly, “Santé!” He quickly clinked their glasses together and watched as she drained hers. Percy followed suit a beat later and the familiar burn hit the back of his throat.
“Levons nos verres!” The bartender cheered as he refilled their glasses and held out his own. Once more they clinked their glasses to drink, and another patron at the bar, called out a tipsy, “À votre succès!” They toasted once more with another mouthful, swallowed down to Percy’s empty belly. Padma began to giggle with a twinkle in her brown eyes and she crowed once more, “Santé!” One more round of drinks were filled and drank until Percy felt like his head was swimming.
One of the patrons in the corner requested another drink so the bartender gave them a moment of reprieve and Percy felt Padma staring at his profile, he turned to look at her and noticed she was smiling at him. Her words weren’t slurred, but she leaned against his shoulder as she admitted, “You’re so handsome. I like you so much. I feel so relieved you’ll be there holding my hand tomorrow.” His left hand was resting on his lap and she laced their fingers together, giving them a gentle squeeze. Percy flushed happily at her confession and he admitted with a stutter, “I-I like you too, Padma.”
There was the scent of saffrons and lilacs coiling from her perfume that lingered in the air and the proximity of her hair pressed against him. Padma said with a wistful sigh, “If only you knew how much I love you,” and there was a moment where Percy held his breath as he waited for her to continue. But that moment never came as she began to softly snore and slumped against his side.
“Padma!” Percy blurted before his arms wrapped around her to prevent her from sliding off the stool, and he lifted her into his arms. Their room was located on the ground floor and the matron led him through the hall to unlock the door for him. The candles ignited with a wave of her wand and it revealed a large four-poster mahogany bed, ready for a dalliance between lovers.
Of course, there was only one bed.
It was going to be a very long night.