Into the Belly of the Whale

Percy straightened the quill-holder on his desk. He leaned forward and eyeballed the distance between his pot of ink and his empty In-Box, making certain that his quill-holder was perfectly in the middle. He nodded, satisfied, while he straightened his desk calendar. Percy sat up and grinned to himself, pleased with the aesthetic quality of his desktop. Everything was straight, evenly spaced, neat and well-organized.

He leaned back in his chair to take in the whole effect. Percy noted that it didn't appear to be much different now than before he straightened it. He never really let it get messy anyway.

Percy wasn't one to put off things. His In-Box was always empty--though not for lack of assignments. Percy prided himself on his efficiency. Yes. One day his efficiency would truly pay off.

Drumming his fingers on the arms of his chair, Percy looked around his workspace. There were no reports to be made or filed; he'd done those during his lunch hour. There were no figures to research or calculate; he'd done those first-thing over coffee. Seeing as there was nothing left that needed straightening at his desk, he sighed and gathered his things. He smiled to himself and silently complimented his own efficiency once more.

He nodded at the cleaning witch on the way out. When he was nearly to the elevators, he stopped short and turned around, remembering what he had left on his desk.

"Accio book!" he called, and held out his hand. The book landed securely in his hand, and he stowed it in his small leather bag. Percy turned back to the elevator and waited to board it. Yes. His day would be free and clear tomorrow to start any new reports because of the extra work he did tonite.

Boarding the elevator, Percy made a mental to-do list: There are those two dishes in the sink that need cleaning, all the plants need watering, and the bathroom could probably do with a good Scourgify charm. He checked his watch. Yes. He could get it all finished before bed, and he could get to work a little early to tie up loose ends before he started his day.

Percy looked down at his stomach as it rumbled. Food. Yes. He would have to get some of that. Why not reward himself with some of the Leaky Cauldron's Shepard's Pie? Percy exited the elevator and the Ministry. Out on the street, Percy looked at the crowds of people milling around the sidewalks. The Leaky Cauldron was six blocks away and, fortunately, just on the way to his flat. Two witches Percy recognized from Hogwarts walked by, laughing at some funny tidbit one had said to another. He reached in his bag and pulled out his book. Percy slid his finger into the small space between pages left by his bookmark and opened the book. He carefully stowed his bookmark by tucking it between the last page and the back cover, just as he always did. Having taken this route between work and home everyday, Percy could easily navigate the people-thronged streets while resuming his place in his book.

He walked the six blocks--one left, two rights--to the Leaky Cauldron and carefully closed his book. He put it back in his bag and entered. Percy took a seat at one end of the bar. He removed his robes and folded them neatly over the back of the chair occupied by his leather bag. Wouldn't it be funny if he ran into some workers from the Ministry here? Lots of Ministry workers come here just after work for a quick firewhiskey before heading home. Percy noted, as he checked his watch, that he probably missed that crowd. Although, if he did run into someone from the Ministry, that person would probably make some joke about how he thought Percy never left the office. Yes. That would be funny. Percy chuckled to himself and sighed.

He looked around the Leaky Cauldron, and--on finding that there was indeed no one from work actually there--sat down at the bar. After placing his order with Tom the barkeep, Percy looked around once more. The Leaky Cauldron was fairly full, despite him having missed the after-work crowd. All around him, people laughed with their friends. Families passed plates of food between them. Lovers exchanged romantic gazes. Percy coughed and dug in his bag. He pulled out his book, placed the bookmark between the last page and the back cover, and resumed reading.

He looked up only when Tom brought him his food. Percy had finished three chapters by the time he left the Leaky Cauldron. When Percy got home, he hung his bag on its usual hook by the door, hung his robes in the closet, and started washing the two dishes in the sink. He then wiped his table and all the counters in the kitchen, swept the floor, and rearranged his food in the pantry--changing his organizational system from having the items classified by food group to being in alphabetical order. He quickly watered all of his plants and turned them so that the other side was now facing the sun--or what would have been the sun, had it actually still been daylight when Percy had gotten home. He went to the bathroom and cast three successive Scourgify charms. He had to be sure that it was clean. He clapped his hands and dusted his palms. He returned to the living room. Percy sat on his couch and breathed a sigh of contentment. He had finished everything on his list and more. Yes. He really is very efficient.

Percy glanced at his fireplace. It was sparklingly clean and had not been used for weeks. Percy reminded himself that it was too warm out for a fire anyway. Glancing at his watch, he was pleased to see that he could still, in fact, get eight and a half hours of sleep--and get to work early.

Percy stood and stepped toward his bedroom. A crooked Daily Prophet caught his eye. He bent down over his end table to straighten the paper before going to bed when he noticed an advertisement for a new pub located two blocks from his flat. It had just opened and was having specials all week long. Percy sighed and reminded himself of his eight and a half hours of sleep. From somewhere in the back of his head, he heard the twins taunting him. They were making fun of him for always following the rules. Percy aligned the corner of the Daily Prophet with the corner of his end table while the memory of realizing that the twins had charmed his Head Boy badge to read Humongous Bighead flashed in his mind. Percy looked at the parallel corners, now neat and perfectly aligned. Suddenly, he grabbed the copy of the newspaper and flung it across the room. It landed in an unceremonious heap as Percy yelled out, "Bugger!" He clapped a hand over his mouth and glanced wide-eyed around his apartment. Upon realizing that he offended no one, he dropped his hand and said, "You are in your own flat--where you live alone. Git."

Percy closed his eyes and sighed sadly. He looked over at the paper again and walked over to it. He stared at the advertisement, memorized the address, and turned to the door. Without even picking up the paper, he grabbed his robes and bag, and left.