In A Time Of Uncertainty

Part Two, Chapter Eleven

There was a silence.

"Since when?" asked Bill after almost half a minute.

"Last night."

The room was still again.

"Isn't anyone going to say something?" said Ginny, looking around. When no one did, she continued, "Well, what I want to know is how long Percy's known he likes blokes."

"I believe that's what we'd all like to know," said her mother. She was gripping her water glass; her knuckles were very white. "You could have said something, Percy. To us, to Penelope, to - "

"I did say something to Penelope," said Percy emphatically. "I'm bisexual, I didn't lie to her. And how was I supposed to have said something to you? I figured you'd get upset, just like you're doing now."

"I can't deal with this," Molly muttered, burying her head in her hands. "I can't - "

"He needs you to!"

The whole room jumped. Percy turned; it was Charlie who had spoken.

He was sitting rigid in his chair, perched on the edge. "Well, do you want him back or not?" he continued. Percy could tell he was making a great effort to control the volume of his voice. "If you do, you can't pick and choose what parts of him you want. You're his mother. How is he supposed to do things that you can't?"

Percy's father looked back and forth between his wife and his third son, as if he didn't know whom to go to first. Finally, he said, "Percy, are you happy with Oliver?"

"Yes."

Arthur walked over to Molly and kissed the top of her head. "Molly, he's happy," he said. "He's back home and he's happy. What more could we possibly want for him?"

"He isn't going to stay happy!" she wailed.

"No one ever does, dear."

"There will be people who hate him, who - "

"Everyone's hated by someone, Mum," said Bill, passing her a handkerchief. "That isn't going to stop."

Charlie cleared his throat. "I, er, actually found out about Percy and Oliver a few hours ago," he said. "You ought to see them together. They can barely keep their hands and eyes off of each other."

Ginny smiled at Percy. He swallowed hard and smiled back.

"Oliver's a good person, Mum," he said as she dabbed at her face. "He isn't going to hurt me."

"Are you sure you're - bisexual?" she asked, looking up at him with reddened eyes. "People go through phases, you know."

"Not phases that last twenty years."

"We've got seven children, Molly," said Percy's father. "The odds were we'd get one that wasn't straight."

"I can get used to it," she muttered, her voice still shaky. "It's just - Percy, are you sure?"

"Yes," he said firmly.

And at that moment, he felt more proud of that one word than of anything else he'd ever done in his life.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So then after everything calmed down Dad realized I hadn't gotten my birthday presents from the family yet," Percy told Oliver the next day. "He and Mum got me clothes - Bill and Charlie combined funds and bought me a new bookcase. Ginny got me three new quills and these chocolates - here, open your mouth, you can have one."

Oliver licked Percy's fingers as the chocolate was placed inside his mouth.

"Seems to me," said Mundungus loudly from the armchair, "that if I was to have a box of chocolates, I'd offer them to everyone in the room."

"Sorry, there's only eight of them," said Percy. "Well, five now: I ate one myself and then gave one each to Ginny and Oliver."

"Don't be rude, Mundungus," said Mrs. Figg, who was writing a report for Dumbledore. "You shouldn't ask people for things like that."

"Well, if I'm not s'pposed to steal them, and I'm not 'lowed to ask for them - "

"Then you get a job and pay for them," she finished.

"You don't have a job," said Mundungus resentfully.

"No, I have two pensions, my own and my late husband's," answered Mrs. Figg at once.

"Dung did you ever have a job?" Charlie asked, his tone curious and not critical.

"Raised and sold Crups for ten years."

"So what happened?" asked Percy.

"Well, you need a liscence to have 'em, on account of the tails and such, and - "

"Let me guess, you didn't have one," said Oliver.

"I did, it just expired after three years. And after they took the Crups, well, Warty Harris knew about a box of broomstick compasses that some delivery wizard with a few too many drinks in 'im left at the Antediluvian Augrey in Kent."

But Percy had stopped listening; Oliver was planting wet kisses up and down his neck.

"All in favor of Percy and Wood leaving and coming back when they can contribute something, say aye," said Mundungus.

Mr. Tibbles hissed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The following day, Molly told Percy to invite Oliver for dinner. "The sooner I get used to things, the better," she said. "And I do like him, Percy, I hope you know that, I just - never expected - "

"It's okay, Mum," he said, and he kissed her on the cheek, hoping to ward off another of her emotional outbursts.

"What am I supposed to wear?" were the first words out of Oliver's mouth.

"A fig leaf. Oh, and dance on the table," said Charlie. Oliver snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Just a nice robe, I expect," said Mrs. Figg. "I like that blue one you wore last Saturday."

"What's that one like?" Percy asked.

"Sort of a pale shade...you can see it if you want, follow me."

"If you ain't back in five minutes, I'll set a bagful of doxies after you," said Mundungus. "This is still Headquarters, even if it ain't Grimmauld Place, right, Figgy?"

"With a memory like yours, Mundungus, you ought to have become a historian or something of the sort," she said. "But he's right. Five minutes, you two, we've got lots of work left ahead of us."

"Have you really got a bagful of doxies?" Percy asked Mundungus.

"Better not to know," Oliver muttered, taking Percy's hand and leading him down the corridor.

"A historian!" they heard Mundungus howl. "A bloody bore, like Binns? I used to flick chalk at him to see if he'd notice - "

"Here it is," said Oliver, and turned the handle of the door.

Percy had never seen Oliver's bedroom; during their brief, ill-fated affair of two years previous, they'd stayed in the sitting room and the bathroom. The bedroom was thickly carpeted in cream, with deep blue walls and a white quilt on the bed. Oliver had a series of photographs on his bureau. One was of himself at the age of twelve or so, with two people that Percy assumed were his parents. The woman had Oliver's coloring and the man had his physique and face.

In another photograph was the Gryffindor Quidditch team of their seventh year. All seven were smiling broadly and fighting over who got to hold the Cup. Oliver was standing a bit to the side, looking at it as though it were the Holy Grail. Finally, Katie Bell seized hold and held the Cup aloft. Fred and George began to ruffle Harry Potter's hair, while Harry tried to swat their hands away.

"This is it," said Oliver. Percy jumped, startled.

The robe was the pale color of a winter sky, and made of a light fabric that felt soft to Percy's fingers. "I like it," he said.

Oliver put the robe back in the wardrobe and beckoned for Percy to come closer. Heart thumping, he did.

Before he knew it, Oliver had pressed him against the wall and was passionately assaulting his neck with an open and wet mouth. Percy began to spread his legs, then realized that Oliver had already spread his own. He rested his hand on his boyfriend's lower back but restrained himself from grabbing his backside.

Oliver began to kiss his mouth, his tongue circling Percy's with an arousing forcefulness. Percy moaned and pressed him closer.

"I love you," he gasped.

Oliver pulled away and closed his legs and eyes. "Don't say that if you don't mean it, Perce," he said, his voice soft and serious.

"What makes you think I don't mean it?" He did. He was ecstatic around Oliver, a feeling he'd thought was lost forever.

"Because I know what you're like when you're aroused, you lose control and do things you wouldn't do otherwise."

Percy grabbed Oliver's hand. "I want to lose control with you," he said. He realized how seductive that sounded and, blushing, continued, "Not just in a sexual way; you make me want to forget about expectations and conventions and just - I don't know. Enjoy things. With you."

Oliver squeezed his hand lightly. "That's very high praise," he said. "But just think about it, okay?"

Percy nodded, but he knew he wasn't going to change his mind. What was love, if not a constant need and appreciation for another's body and soul?

He tried again. "Look," he said, "I loved Penelope. I don't now, but I did. Maybe I still would if things were different, but I don't. And I don't want to. I know what love feels like, and this is it."

"Speaking of Penelope," said Oliver, "I think I ought to tell you that I know you slept with her."

Percy stared, aghast. Oliver smiled and kissed his forehead.

"I just sort of figured it out, a few days after we broke up. Whenever we were - together - you just seemed more experienced."

"You're right, I did," said Percy as soon as he was able to breathe. Then he asked, hesitantly, "Did you...ever...with any man...?"

"No, actually. Not that I haven't had the chance, but I'm one of the most HIV-paranoid people I know. This friend of my cousin's - first bloke I ever fancied, I was a bit obsessed with him - died from it. So yeah, I just figured I'd avoid that whole mess." He slid an arm around Percy's waist. "And wank like mad instead."

"Thirty seconds!" they heard Mundungus yell.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At dinner that night, they held hands under the table. Without ever speaking about it, Percy and Oliver developed a sort of code.

One squeeze meant, I'm scared out of my mind that someone's going to say something stupid and embarrass us.

One squeeze back mean, Don't worry about it.

A thumb massaging the palm meant, I wish I were snogging you right now.

Fingertips digging into the back of the hand meant, Me too.

"How's Puddlemere doing?" Ginny asked.

"Well, so far this season, we've defeated the Chudley Cannons, Pride of Portree, and the Appleby Arrows. The Montrose Magpies beat us one-ninety to sixty." Fingers tapping the wrist. Relax.

"I never had any doubts that Oliver would play professionally," said Percy. Long squeeze. I'm so proud of you.

Fingers clasping thumb. Thank you.

All and all it was a fairly ordinary dinner. To her credit and Percy's relief, Molly treated Oliver the same way she treated all of her childrens' friends: with concern, interest, and an unspoken acceptance. Charlie and Ginny wanted to hear about Quidditch. Arthur wanted to know about Oliver's family; it turned out that Mr. Wood, who owned a broomstick supply shop, had repaired Arthur's Cleansweep Five in 1987.

After dinner, the family left Percy and Oliver alone in the sitting room with such casualness that Percy knew it was feigned. In fact, he was almost certain he could hear Ginny giggling on the stairs.

The minute they were completely alone, he said to Oliver, "Seeing as that meal was stressful and nerve-wracking, I am in no way aroused."

"Good job, Perce. There's a first for you."

Percy ignored him. He lifted his hand to Oliver's face and began to trace his features: nose, cheek, chin, forehead. "And I still love you."

Oliver didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, when Percy was just about ready to shake him, he leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"I love you too, Percy. I didn't want to say it until you said it first."

They clung to each other fiercely, as if they were afraid the other would disappear. Their lips caressed, their arms embraced, and they were at long-sought, blissful peace.