In A Time Of Uncertainty

Part Four, Chapter Eight

Percy awoke to the sound of knocking at the door. Were they leaving for the Caribbean already? No, of course not, that was tomorrow, right after Oliver played his last Quidditch match. The knock on the door couldn't be very important. He slid a hand between Oliver's legs and gently cupped the left thigh, not moving his hand, letting Oliver feel the possibilities. Oliver opened his eyes slowly and smiled.

The knock came again. Oliver sat up with a start. "Damn, they're here already."

Now Percy was fully awake. "Who?"

"Ginny and Ron, your mum told me yesterday that they would come over and help us pack." He grabbed the clock from the table next to the bed. "Damn, I've got to be at work in fifteen minutes."

"Percy? Oliver?"

"One moment!" Percy called. Then, to Oliver, in a frantic whisper, "I can't answer the door like this!"

"You could have thought of that before you decided to be my personal sexual alarm clock."

"I didn't know they were coming, Ol, because my mum didn't tell me and neither did you - "

"I was going to, except you started talking about Remus and then I forgot." He snatched back the blankets and flung open the doors of the wardrobe. "Christ, if I'm late Penge won't think twice about letting me watch my last match from the sidelines - "

"Oliver!" Percy hissed. "What about the door?"

"Start thinking of the least arousing things you can, get your dressing gown, and go answer it."

Oliver's erection had softened. "You do it!"

"Percy, I have to get ready for work."

Bloody hell. Percy grabbed his dressing gown from the floor and began to think as he tied the sash. Dead flobberworms, oven grease, the Slytherin Quidditch team of 1994, naked trolls - The last did the job quite sufficiently. He raced down the corridor and turned the knob to find Ron and Ginny, looking rather curious and perplexed.

"Oliver," Percy said as he hurriedly ushered them through the door, "neglected to tell me that you were arriving. Sit here for a bit - " he gestured to the sitting room " - and give me a minute to get dressed."

"Right," said Ron, looking as though he thought Percy had misplaced about half his brains.

Back in the bedroom Oliver was throwing clean clothes for after practice into his bag. "Meet you at Grimmauld Place a few minutes after three," he said. "You all should have finished packing by then, right?"

Oliver wouldn't be there to help Percy leave the first place they had ever made love. "What's at Grimmauld Place?"

"Final meeting before everyone takes off to various corners of the world," said Oliver, in a tone that indicated he thought this should be obvious to Percy. "You remember."

"No, Oliver, I don't bloody remember something that no one told me in the first place." Percy snapped. "Who told you?"

The sound of Oliver zipping his bag resonated in the silent room. "Remus did."

The name touched a nerve. "Oh, well maybe while you're telling me things no one bothered to tell me before, you can tell me what the hell is with you two." Percy grabbed the first robe he saw in his wardrobe and pulled it over his head.

"What," said Oliver slowly, "the hell are you talking about?"

"Is he another one of you on-friendly-terms exes? From what I understand, you joined the Order a few days before I did. That's a pretty short time to be on a first-name basis with a former teacher and think that you can show up at his house in the middle of the night."

"Percy, if you honestly think - "

"Everyone always talks about him like they know something I don't. That's it, isn't it. He was your boyfriend."

"That's not true."

"Well, then, explain to me why he's so damn set against us having any sort of communication while I'm gone. Thinks he's going to keep you company?"

"That's not true!" Oliver's eyes had grown very intense.

"Then you'd better tell me what is true, because you haven't told me everything, and right now that's the only explanation I can think of!"

Oliver swallowed; Percy could tell that he was trying to suppress his anger. "Perce, remember when we were talking about not throwing screaming fits?"

"Yeah," Percy shot back, "and I remember how you hate it when people don't tell the truth. Can you honestly tell me that I know everything that everyone else knows about Remus?"

Neither looked away from the other's piercing gaze. "It's complicated," Oliver said.

"Which means no."

"Yes, which means no! For God's sake, Percy, will you just trust me on this one? He's never been my boyfriend, and he's too good of a person to help someone cheat on their lover."

"Everyone acts like he's some goddamned saint," Percy muttered.

There was a pause, and then Oliver hoisted the bag over his shoulder. "I have to go. I promise you I'll explain everything after the meeting at Grimmauld Place, and I promise you that even if I haven't told you the whole story I didn't lie to you. Can you trust me on that?"

"Yes," said Percy wearily, and then, "You haven't had any breakfast."

"I have snacks in the bag. See you around three."

"All right."

"Kiss me."

He did.

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

"Did you have a fight?" Ginny asked when Oliver had disapparated and Percy had finally returned to the sitting room.

"We had a slight argument." He put his hands on his hips and looked around. "The place in the Caribbean is supposed to be fully furnished, so basically what I need you two for is to box up all the smaller things. I'll put Cushioning Charms on the sides of the boxes so nothing breaks. If you have any questions about something ask me. And for God's sake, stay out of the library."

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

"I have something to ask you," said Ron about two hours later, as he and Percy piled extra bars of soap into a box, next to the shampoo. "It's sort of a weird question."

"Oh, wonderful," said Percy dryly. "That's exactly what I need, Ron, thank you. Ask and get it over with."

Either Ron ignored this advice, or he thought he couldn't continue without a preface. "Well, you know how you like blokes and all that?"

"Actually, I'd forgotten that particular piece of information. Look, if this is going to be some question about what exactly Oliver and I do in bed, I'm not answering it. Go ask Bill what exactly he did with the veela girl."

Ron scowled. "You're acting like a stupid git again."

"I can't have you thinking I'm too perfect, now, can I. Honestly, Ron, this day has been steadily getting worse since I woke up, and unless this question is important I'd rather you didn't ask it."

"It's important to me," Ron retorted. "Does that count?"

"Yes, you bloody well know that counts. Go ahead."

"Perce?"

He could have strangled him. "Yes, Ronniekins?"

"Did you ever fancy Crouch?"

It took a few seconds for Percy to fully comprehend what his brother had said. "What?"

"Crouch. Did you fancy him?"

He was serious. He was honest-to-God serious. "Ron, he was old enough to be my father and he had an impeccably neat bristly mustache."

"So you didn't."

His sincere earnestness pushed Percy over the edge. He dropped the bar of soap he was holding and began to laugh. "Oh sweet Merlin...Crouch...oh...Crouch...!"

"It isn't that stupid of a question," said Ron stubbornly. "You were obsessed with him and then we find out you're gay."

"Crouch!...I told you, I'm not gay."

"Bisexual, whatever. Stop it, it isn't funny!"

Of course, whenever someone vehemently insists that something isn't funny, it becomes funnier still. Percy laughed harder and Ron began to look a bit scared.

"Percy, okay, calm down - "

"I can't. If I don't keep laughing I'll be incredibly insulted by that question."

Ron ignored him and picked up the bar of soap Percy had dropped. "What's Oliver like to live with?"

"He cooks well," said Percy, saying the first thing that came to mind. "Interesting to talk to. He keeps the bed nice and warm, but that's not the sort of information that's going to apply to you."

A heated flush rose in Ron's cheeks. "You're getting too sensitive, Ron," said Percy casually. "I'm just talking." The blush darkened and Percy decided he had better lay off for a bit. "I don't think I've said this before: Congratulations about making Keeper."

"Thanks," muttered Ron. "I was really lousy until the last match."

"Well, that's understandable, people are never excellent at something right away."

"I bet Oliver was."

Percy smiled. "He was good, but if you ever want to hear him rant for about half an hour or so, ask him about the time in second year when he got stuck in the goal post. I think he was a bit overeager to prove himself during that match; it was only his second, and the first one had ended in eight minutes. The Quaffle was heading straight for the goal. He rushed at it and caught it - caught it after it had already gone through. Ol had been straining so hard to catch it that he slipped halfway off his broomstick and ended up lying on his stomach across the bottom of the hoop, one half of his body sticking out either side."

"You're kidding," said Ron, a hint of a smile twitching his mouth.

"No, I swear it's true. I made the mistake of telling Fred and George about it once I got home for the summer, and they never forgot it. By the time they were second-years and Oliver was in fourth no one else remembered a thing about Ol getting stuck in the goal post, but they did, and they weren't even there. I remember Oliver storming back up to the dormitory and telling me that if I didn't get my stupid brothers to leave him alone he was going to tie them into knots and use them as Quaffles himself. I suppose you're worried about Fred and George."

"Not too much."

"It's all right if you are." Percy closed the box. "I am."

"They're tough, though," said Ron, and Percy realized the two of them were actually having a significant conversation.

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

"Kingsley, have you seen my box of Fizzing Whizbees?" Dedalus Diggle was anxiously searching headquarters.

"Sorry, I haven't."

"I had them, I know I had them, and I was going to give them to everyone if there were enough, but now I can't find them, and that's fourteen Sickles' worth of Fizzing Whizbees that have disappeared!"

Mundungus had just gotten out of St. Mungo's, although he had a standing appointment there every day for the next two weeks. He seemed very disappointed that Percy and Oliver had not gotten him the promised bottle of alcohol, and didn't pay attention to their protests that he hadn't told them he was getting out. His mood improved for the better, though, when he managed to corner Hermione Granger and show her the latest photographs of Tibblentina.

"Fizzing Whizbees don't just vanish!"

"From the way he's bouncing around the place," Percy whispered to Oliver, "I'd say he's eaten the Fizzing Whizbees and forgotten about it."

"Albus, are you ready to begin?" McGonagall was sitting on a small blue armchair, and although she had patiently observed the talkative fervor going on around her, she looked as though she were about to snap.

"Yes, I believe so, if - does anyone know where Hestia has gotten to?"

"I'm right over here!" called a voice from the other end of the room.

"Thank you, Hestia. Hasn't Remus come downstairs yet?"

"Yes," said Remus, who was standing right next to the staircase.

"All right. I'd like to start with individual reports from everyone. Dedalus, we'll begin with you."

Dedalus Diggle began to talk about some connections he had in the Floo Network office, but Percy was only half-listening. He was looking at Oliver, and wondering what on earth the full story about Remus could be. Of course, considering that the man was a werewolf it could be any number of things, but what thing would mostly everyone know except for Percy? Perhaps Remus had -

Dedalus let out a sudden gasp. "Second floor corridor."

"What?" asked Dumbledore, perplexed.

"That's where I left the Fizzing Whizbees. Second floor corridor. Oh, could someone run up and get them for me, I'm sure to forget where they are by the time I've finished - "

"I'll do it," said Mundungus, but Percy objected.

"Not with your leg. I'll get them. Just laying somewhere in the corridor?"

"Yes. Thank you so much. Anyway, once they've checked with the Argentine Ministry - "

Percy walked past Remus and began to climb the steps. Really, if Dedalus couldn't remember where he'd left a box of candy, it was a surprise that he was allowed to investigate something as important as the Floo Network office.

Upon seeing the upper corridor, it was easy to see the box. It lay next to the second door on the left, which was open. Percy picked up the box and was about to head back downstairs when he realized that he knew the door's room. It was Remus's, the one Percy and Oliver had slept in.

He peered inside. Two suitcases lay open on the bed, and the doors to both wardrobes were open. It seemed that Remus was in the midst of packing. Both curious and not particularly willing to sit through a report about the Argentine Ministry, Percy went inside and looked at the open wardrobes.

The one on the right held a number of shabby robes, many of which Percy recognized from the year Remus had taught at Hogwarts. Four pairs of scuffed shoes sat at the bottom. Finding nothing very interesting, he looked at the wardrobe on the left.

Half of it was occupied by several pairs of Muggle jeans on hangers; Percy tried to imagine Remus wearing jeans and failed. A number of brighter and newer robes were next to them. At the very end was a black motorbike jacket. Percy pulled the other clothes over to one side so he could look at it.

It did not seem very worn, although it had the smell of old leather. Leather, lavender, and perhaps a bit of cologne.

A silver chain with a large rectangular piece of metal hung around the hanger's hook. Percy knew that he should get back downstairs, but he was too inquisitive, and no one would mind if he were gone another minute. He reached into the wardrobe and pulled the chain toward himself. There was an inscription on the rectangle.

Sirius: I told you I was going to get you a dog tag. Happy anniversary - it's been a great three years. Love you always, Remus.