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There was another pebble in the centre of Percy’s desk. He sat down, leaning forward to scrutinize it more closely. This one was almost triangular in shape, with smooth edges and pleasing striations in various shades of brown across its surface. He liked it.
He leaned back and cast some standard detection spells on it, unsurprised when the results came back clean. None of the others had curses on them either, but you could never be too careful.
Percy picked up the rock and placed it at the base of the Chinese elm bonsai tree that Ginny had gifted him for his birthday last year. He was starting to build up quite a collection over the past week. There was the oval, jet black stone, polished to a high shine; a sharp-edged, craggy grey rock that shimmered subtly in the light; and a burnt-orange sandstone disc with a hole in the center. He didn't receive a new one every day, and he'd been unable to discern a pattern in when the drop offs would occur. Percy wasn't sure why someone had selected him as the recipient of these unique rocks… but he was oddly flattered.
As the weeks went on, the pebbles continued to appear, sometimes when he had only been away from his desk for a meeting, but mostly he found them in the mornings when he arrived at work.
Of course, it could all be an elaborate prank, courtesy of his brothers, but George typically preferred something flashier and Ron just didn't have the patience. Though he was curious about who it could be, Percy didn’t feel the urge to unmask them prematurely. It seemed harmless for now, so he decided to wait and see how things developed. Perhaps his mysterious gift giver would reveal themselves in time.
Percy loved his family, he truly did, and he was so grateful to be welcomed back into the fold after their prolonged estrangement, but sometimes it was all a bit too much. It didn’t help that the Weasley clan’s family dinners had expanded over the years to include spouses and children and close friends who may as well be Weasleys. He knew his mum was comforted by all the noise and boisterousness and didn’t want to diminish it, so he slipped out the back door for a breather, sure that his presence wouldn’t be missed.
He was halfway to the pond when Luna called from the doorway, “Do you mind if I join you?”
“I don’t mind,” he said, halting his progress so she could catch up. He always found Luna to be an oasis of calm amidst the chaos. “Too loud?” he queried when she reached his side.
Luna hummed in agreement. “It’s nice to be included,” she said, “but the amount of wrackspurts can be overwhelming at times.”
Percy smiled at the blonde witch, by now used to her odd creature references. Even if he didn’t believe in wrackspurts, he understood what she meant. As they continued their short walk, the setting sun lit the path before them in soft golden tones and the pond itself glimmered like diamonds.
“How’s work?” he asked, knowing that she’d started a position in the Department of Mysteries recently.
“It’s wonderful. I’m learning so much!” she exclaimed, beaming. “It’s hard to keep it to myself though.”
“I can imagine.”
Reaching the edge of the pond, they stood in a comfortable silence, watching the sky erupt in hues of pink and orange. Feeling the urge to do something with his hands, Percy scanned the stones at his feet until he found a suitably flat one. Picking it up, he carefully threw it with a flick of his wrist, satisfied to see it skip over the surface three times before sinking.
Luna held another one out to him which he gladly accepted, this time getting five skips. They hunted for a few more skipping stones, and Percy chuckled to himself when he realised the ones that Luna gave him were getting much further than the ones he selected.
“Look,” she said, a small rock in her hand, “this one is shaped like a heart.”
Percy observed her find, a dark grey stone with some speckles of white, smooth, and indeed, shaped like a lopsided heart.
“It’s nice,” he remarked kindly, imagining how it would look amongst his collection. “You should keep it.”
Her lips tipped upwards as she slipped it into a hidden pocket. “Maybe I will.”
The last vestiges of colour were fading from the horizon and twinkling stars began to dot the night sky.
“I’m going back inside, are you coming?” Luna asked.
He shook his head. “I think I’ll stay out here for a little longer.”
“Okay,” she replied, turning to leave, but then she paused. “Percy, did you know that some species of birds will gift each other pebbles to indicate their interest in courting?”
“W-what?” he stammered, caught off guard.
“I just thought it was an interesting fact you should know. Well, good night!” Luna said with a wave before trekking back towards the Burrow, a slight bounce in her steps.
Percy stared after her, even long after she had entered the house.
Snapping out of his reverie, he knew what he needed to do.
The next morning, as he’d expected, a dark grey lopsided heart with white speckles sat in the middle of his desk. His chest filled with warmth as he placed it with the others.
Percy had spent another hour outside last night, scouring by starlight for the perfect response. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a light brown pebble streaked with amber, slightly lumpy, but unmistakably in the shape of a heart. He laid it on his desk for her to find when he left for his morning meetings.
He knew that Luna would recognise it for what it was.
A promise.