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Tweak says, "You won't forget this one"

WEASLEY, ron b. (pigwidgeoned) wrote in pandorarpg,
@ 2012-01-03 21:14:00

Entry tags:

!status: complete, ^date: november 10 2003, character: percy weasley, character: ron weasley

Characters: Percy Weasley & Ron Weasley
Setting: Percy's flat, Kinnerton Court, 10 November 2003, 5:03pm
Rating: PG for language and freakouts
Summary: Ron comes to tell Percy about Penelope's death.

Ron felt completely drained and overly exhausted already. His day had been too bloody eventful for his liking. It started out with the prank of embarrassing proportions that he knew he'd be hearing about around the office for too many sodding weeks to come that George claimed he had nothing to do with. Even on a normal day this would have been enough to send Ron home. But he still had his planned meeting with Penelope that he couldn't bunk off, especially if it was true that her brother had been killed by a witch and it fit into the patterns of the murders. But when Penelope did not show up for their meeting and the lady at Obscurus Books told him that was not a normal occurrence he began to get worried and asked for the address to her flat so he could check for her there. Ron did find Penelope at Dittany Heights, but he was already too late to save her. She was drawing her last breaths by the time he arrived and he was busy trying not to be killed by her attacker as well. She let him live and he was able to see a lot of helpful information, but he did not capture Penelope's killer and worst of all, Penelope did not live through the ordeal.

Ron then had to report all of this to Gaskin which took at least an hour, after which he was released for the rest of the day once he went by St. Mungo's to have his leg properly healed. This was his next stop and while it did not take that long, it was all the hustle and bustle that tired him out and the dread that he was getting closer to the errand he didn't want to make but knew that he had to. It was only one day ago that his brother had asked him to speak to Penelope and now she was dead and Ron had to let him know about it. It seemed to Ron like yesterday was the first time he had heard Percy mention his ex-girlfriend since the time they had still been dating. He didn't know what that meant exactly, but if he had only recently begun speaking to her again only to lose her now - well Ron hated to think of it.

He apparated to Kinnerton Court, Devon outside of his brother's flat. Ron had not come here very often and his appearance was certainly not going to forebode anything good to Percy. He saw the pieces on his mental chessboard moving - his brother jumping to the conclusion that someone in the family had been harmed. He shook his head, trying to get that off his board because that wasn't true and he didn't need it cluttering his checkered spaces or making him worry too much. Everyone in the family was fine. But what if Percy wasn't because of his nightmare connection to Penelope?

Ron hurriedly moved up the landing and knocked heavily on Percy's door. "Perce? Open up already, it's Ron!" He fidgeted and pulled out his wand, worry creasing his brow. He banged on the door again. "Percy, are you alright?" Ron was two seconds away from trying to break through Percy's wards now.

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pigwidgeoned
2012-01-04 11:22 pm UTC (link)

Ron held onto Percy, trying his best to be some sort of comfort though he had no idea if he would be any at all. He held Percy firmly in his grasp as the older man shook, wishing that he needn't go through this, knowing how it felt himself. It had barely been a week.

"Of course she didn't deserve it, Perce. Why would she?" Ron rubbed his hand on Percy's back, though it stopped dead when he heard Percy speak again. "Perce-" Ron pushed his brother away from him and tried to look him in the face. "This is not your fault. You did not kill her. It was Pandora. It was these memories that you've got of hers. I saw her, Perce, I saw what she did, okay? You had nothing to do with it. If anything you can blame me for not getting there soon enough to save her, for being such a shite Auror that I was no match to stop the witch who did it, but you aren't blaming yourself for this."

Ron had no idea why Percy would think that he had anything to do with this, but he would be willing to shoulder the blame if need be, considering what he'd heard from his brother the previous day concerning Fred. Percy didn't need to be carrying more guilt for something that was not his fault.

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youngestmformev
2012-01-05 12:43 am UTC (link)

When Ron pushed him back, he could just imagine the look of disgust on his brother's face. In fact, he rather felt the same way, utterly disgusted with himself. How dare he even mourn her, mourn anyone, when he had been the cause of so many deaths. Just because it had been years since the last one did not mean he was now immune from whatever it was that made him responsible. He was cursed.

He shook his head when his brother tried to take the blame, for he was perfectly capable of doing it himself. "We had the same dream, and I was hurting her, well not her, but it was still her. And I'm the one who said her brother's death sounded like an airless charm. She wouldn't have gone searching if it hadn't been for me. It is my fault. All of them."

He tried to throw off Ron's hands where they still held him, not wanting to curse him too. So many, dead, because of him. Mr. Crouch, Minister Scrimgeour, Fred, Penny, even two Death Eaters unfortunate enough to cross his path as he sought his revenge on Rookwood...

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pigwidgeoned
2012-01-05 01:04 am UTC (link)

Ron was shaking his head too. He knew that arguing with Percy right now was stupid, but he was going to do it anyway because he couldn't believe that his brother was talking like this. "The dream doesn't matter, Percy! That wasn't you! It's Pandora's memory, it's not even your own! The only reason it happened to be Penelope in the same memory was because the two of you were connected in some way, but those people in that dream weren't actually either of you!"

Ron clenched Percy's upper arms tightly, not willing to let his brother go. He wasn't going to let him get this sort of crazy thought into his head. "The searching doesn't matter, Perce! We don't know if that's why she was killed or not, alright? And it doesn't matter what you said or didn't say, she would have kept digging on her own; he was her brother for Merlin's sake, what else would you expect her to do? We would do the same for our brothers! We have! And we're going to do the same for Harry - but blaming ourselves doesn't find the murderer, Perce! Blaming yourself just lets Pandora go kill more people!"

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youngestmformev
2012-01-05 01:16 am UTC (link)

Ron's words flew over Percy's head as he focused on the idea of being cursed. People seemed to die around him, and those that didn't suffered terrible fates, like Minister Fudge. But Penny, she had left him, she should have been able to get away from it, away from him. Except she came back, as if to give him one last chance to say goodbye. Something had told him he would never see her again, but he'd believed it to be voluntary on her part.

"I never told her I was sorry." His head finally lifted, eyes staring into his brother's as if trying to make him understand. "I had the chance, and I didn't tell her. She died not knowing how much I hated myself for hurting her."

And this time he'd hurt her one last time - for the last time.

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pigwidgeoned
2012-01-05 01:41 am UTC (link)

Ron's eyes went soft at that. What could he say to this? He did not know what had transpired between his brother and Penelope Clearwater; he never knew why they had finished with one another, all he knew was that when it was over, Percy never mentioned her again. It might not have been good, considering, but Ron couldn't tell him that. So what did he say?

"Percy, I'm so sorry." Ron searched his face, wondering if what he said would even matter. He knew it wouldn't, but he'd try anyway. "But you were helping her, yeah? You were talking to her again these past few days, so that had to mean something. She probably already knew, even if you didn't get the chance to say it. Just because you don't say something out loud doesn't mean that people don't quite understand the meaning from the way you act."

Ron didn't know if that was the truth. He didn't know how Percy acted with Penelope, but he did know how he acted with his family, which was difficult if he were to be quite honest. And there were times like at Sunday brunch that if it weren't for Hermione seeing Percy's spot, Ron wouldn't know what was going on in Percy's head half the time, but maybe he was different with Penelope. Just maybe.

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youngestmformev
2012-01-05 01:53 am UTC (link)

He nodded as if in understanding of whatever Ron had said, but it only barely registered in his mind. He felt so hollow inside, as if he had vented out all of his humanity, and there was next to none left. His eyes stared past his brother at the wreck that was his kitchen.

"I need to clean up this mess," he muttered emotionlessly. "I need it to be tidy, just in case..."

In case what, one of Penny's friends or relatives came demanding answers?

He looked back at Ron, his eyes colder than they'd been moments ago, as if he had finally built back up his inner walls. Yet they were still crumbled around his heart, he simply needed to remind his brother, to feel useful. "Penny's family is Muggle. Her things, some of them might be magical, and she might have a familiar. They can't go to her family..." He felt like such a fool, thinking of those laws at a time like this - but it was his job, wasn't it?

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pigwidgeoned
2012-01-05 02:30 am UTC (link)

Ron's eyebrow shot up when Percy mentioned the mess in the kitchen. He couldn't believe that he was even thinking about it just then, but maybe he really wasn't. Maybe he was just trying for a distraction from thinking about anything else. "Leave it, mate, I'll clean it up in a minute, okay?"

But then he wondered if that was the wrong thing for him to say because Percy looked at him, his eyes hard. Ron was a bit taken aback, thinking that maybe he was being asked to leave, but no, now Percy was talking about Penelope's things. For Merlin's sake, did the man ever just stop and just be for a minute? "Percy, stop!" Ron snapped at him, shaking him a little by the shoulders. "The Aurors aren't even done in her flat yet, you don't need to worry about her things, okay? It will be taken care of. Just - just stop it, alright? Stop thinking about the Ministry and your stupid laws for bloody sake!"

Ron's face twisted a bit in sadness because he shouldn't have said that. He shouldn't be mean to him about that right now, but it was rather infuriating, to be quite honest and when did Ron ever have the ability to say the right thing at the right time? That was a definite never.

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youngestmformev
2012-01-05 03:06 am UTC (link)

Percy felt a wave of vertigo as he was shaken by the shoulders. He nodded, agreeing with Ron, though for completely different reasons. "Yes, there would be evidence there. Something to go on. Can't disturb the crime scene..."

He leaned back, his shoulder resting against a kitchen cupboard door as he breathed in and out slowly. What was he supposed to do with himself now? What could be done?

"I-" His voice broke as he tried to put words to the nothingness he felt inside, but found none. Finally, there was only the truth. "I don't know what to do," he admitted. It wasn't something he admitted lightly.

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