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Percy Ignatius Weasley ([info]youngestmformev) wrote in [info]pandorarpg,
@ 2011-10-24 22:14:00

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Entry tags:!status: complete, ^date: october 31 2003, character: daphne greengrass, character: percy weasley

Rated PG
Who: Percy Weasley and Daphne Greengrass
What: Waking up after a terrible nightmare
Where: Percy's flat, Exeter
When: October 31 - 7:25 am



That night, Percy had suffered from a terrible nightmare that had left him trembling and sweating in horror. What worried him, however, was that it wasn't the nightmare he'd been having regularly for the last five years, as had been the night before - a nightmare of his brother's death and accusations of Percy having been responsible for it. This time, it had been as if he had been someone else, a man in love with a beloved wife, but who had been forced against his very will to do the most horrific things to her...

It was fortunate, then, that he had an extensive collection of Dreamless Sleep potions for the nights that it was difficult to face another moment of sleep, yet at the same time was necessary for him to get a good night's rest. The Ministry Hallowe'en gala was that coming night, and he needed to be prepared.

And thus it was that he was awoken from his dreamless sleep, but he didn't quite know what it was that had woken him. His eyelids opened slowly, his vision remaining fuzzy and unfocused without his glasses, and saw nothing but the wall of his bedroom. He listened and used every sense to figure out what was different - after all, he'd grown up with Fred and George as brothers, and he'd learned long ago that Constant Vigilance was the only thing keeping him from spending the day without being covered in purple polka dots.

He thought he heard breathing... but that couldn't be. Nobody had spent the night in his bed - save him - ever since he and Penny had broken up years ago. He slowly began turning, expecting to see a freckled face smiling at him and teasing him for having a stick up his arse even in his sleep. However, there was no teasing, and he could have sworn that there was no red hair next to him. Confused, he reached out to his night-table to fetch his glasses and slid them onto his face.

Upon seeing the strange blonde head on the pillow next to his, he let out a decidedly un-masculine shout and modestly pulled the blanket up to his chin.

"Who are you, and which of my brothers put you up to this?!"

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[info]vernus
2011-10-25 03:55 am UTC (link)
Daphne's own dream had woken her up, and when she had woken up, it was screaming her pretty little head off. Just like she had been in her dream. All she could remember was being cut up into little bitty pieces and all the blood. Well, and there was a woman too. A redheaded woman. One she had never met, but still seemed somewhat familiar to her from somewhere. It wasn't a vision. Of that, Daphne was sure. whenever she had a vision or a flash of herself, it was from her point of view. This dream was as if she was watching it happen, like a stage show.

Either way, she had gotten up, written in her journal and set about leaving her home before realizing she had nowhere to go at all. It was then that she remembered the Weasley from the day before. Certainly this wasn't to reschedule, but as scared as she was, she needed to go somewhere. Daphne had thrown a fistful of floo powder into the fire and said what was written on the card. She had expected to come out the other side in an office, when she came out in a flat instead, she was a little weary.

There should have been wards, she thought, but didn't question it too much further. Instead she crept along the flat until she found a door, a bedroom. This would take a lot of explaining, she reasoned before she opened it, but it would be worth it. She pushed the door open as quietly as possible, and once inside she hesitated before having given him a light poke. When Percy didn't respond, she had merely crawled into his bed and tried to fall asleep. It was five o'clock in the morning, after all, and she thought she could possibly leave before he even woke up.

She was wrong. The sound of the un-masculine scream was what scared Daphne into waking up at almost half past seven. Her eyes shot open and she looked around what she could see in the room. It took her a few moments to remember where she was, and in the brief time, she had a feeling of panic come over her as she worried about Astoria. She turned slowly, and as soon as she saw the face of the person beside her, sighed with relief. How she had come to be in this Weasley's bedroom she still wasn't entirely sure. It just sort of... happened.

"It's me, I'm sorry, it's okay," she said at once, almost quickly enough to be three words. Daphne held her hands out, she didn't mean any harm, and she was most grateful he didn't have a girlfriend who could have barged in and taken things out of context. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. Except I sorta did. But I didn't know where else to go."

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-10-25 04:07 am UTC (link)
Percy cleared his throat uncomfortably as her face was revealed, and he recognized the young lady from Twilfit and Tattings. His face flushed with embarassment - in part at his state of dress (in pyjamas, rather than proper robes), and in part at his having screamed like a girl in front of her.

His mouth opened and closed a few times as he registered what she had said... but was still confused as to how she had come into his flat. He then remembered his floo address, the personal one for business that he had forwarded to his home for emergencies during non-work hours. Ironically, nobody in his family had the address, as they were the most likely to barge in upon him, and as a result, most of the wards he had on his flat were designed specifically for them.

Perhaps it was time to get his wards re-done. He looked again at the young lady. Maybe not.

He self consciously smoothed a hand along his hair to bring some sort of order to his unruly curls, though contrary to his efforts they only became more unruly.

"Are you all right?" he finally asked. He didn't like the sound of her having nowhere else to go. What had happened? Didn't she have any family or friends? But then, Percy himself had felt that way the night before. He had family, though few friends, but he wouldn't have wanted to bother any of them with his dream from the night before. Slowly, his hand released the blanket and his straightened up in the bed.

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[info]vernus
2011-10-25 04:32 am UTC (link)
At the very least he hadn't just told her to get out, which is what her mother had done to Daphne every time she had ever crawled into bed from being scared as a little girl. It was why she had resorted to going to Astoria's the night before. She watched Percy quietly, trying to decide what he was thinking, and very glad she had at least managed to properly get dressed before leaving if that blush she thought she saw had actually happened.

"Yes," she answered, though shook her head automatically. "I don't know." That was at least more honest, and she looked down at the sleeves of her jade colored jumper. She picked at the material absentmindedly for a moment while deciding what to say that didn't sound stupid. Or, too stupid, rather, she knew it would sound ludicrous either way. She took a deep breath.

"I had a bad dream. And I'm afraid of clowns, which is what I saw yesterday. And tonight there was this woman with clown hair, and she was trying to cut me up. Actually, she did cut me up and there was blood everywhere and she was just laughing about it. When I woke up everywhere she cut hurt. It's stupid but I can't go to my mother because she'll just say it was just a dream, one that I got for eating after midnight like she's told me not to do too many times because I'll get fat. Not to mention that I'm too old to be sleeping with her because I ought to be getting married soon, and then that'll just lead to another round of questions about why I'm being so difficult when I'm really not. I just don't want to end up miserable like she did, and this is all a lot more than you needed to know, really."

With that she closed her mouth and took a deep breath, as if to make up for all the air she hadn't taken in while speaking and held it, then puffed her cheeks out as she exhaled. Daphne looked up with her eyes, thoroughly embarrassed that she had just let all of that out on someone she didn't know, and a Weasley no less. She blushed, unable to help herself because on a scale of one to ten, this was a twenty-seven on the embarrassing scale.

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-10-25 04:47 am UTC (link)
Percy blinked at the long stream of words coming from her lips. He thought he understood most of it, however it would take her calming down to get anything useful out of her. Contrary to what his siblings would say, he had a sympathetic side - it was the side that tutored younger students, and that was patient with the Longbottom boy whenever he forgot the House password.

He nearly patted her hand, but thought better of it, seeing as they were both seated in his bed and such a gesture might be seen as improper, though not meant as such. He mustered up his most sympathetic, and sincere, look, hoping to put her at ease.

"Well, I've an idea. Why don't we get up, get ourselves straightened out, and then I'll make you some tea and breakfast. I promise, I won't poison you," he said, attempting a joke. "Then we can talk, about the dream or whatever else you would like. How does that sound?"

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[info]vernus
2011-10-25 05:09 am UTC (link)
Her nerves were probably still going to be racing until after noon, but she sighed and nodded silently. The obedient part of her personality just letting him take control of the situation. Daphne knew her strengths, and working when she was a nervous wreck was not one of them. She could handle pressure, but this was altogether different. She slid off the bed, realizing how inappropriate it was, but in the grand scheme of things, of well. As she climbed out she looked in his direction, noticing the spot on his neck.

"I'm sorry," she repeated quietly. "I'll let you... do what ever it is you need to do. And you have something on your neck, by the way. Just thought you should know."

With that she went back to the room she had come into and sat on the sofa rather stiffly. What was she thinking, she told herself at once. Honestly. Demented people do things like this.

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-10-25 05:49 pm UTC (link)
Percy heaved a sigh of relief when the young woman - and bloody Merlin, he still hadn't gotten her name - left his bedroom. He finally pulled off his blanket and slid his legs over the side of the bed, and took several moments to gather himself together.

He was long used to setting aside his own feelings in order to do his job or to take care of a sibling or student in need - but that didn't mean it was an easy thing to do. His own dream still haunted the edges of his mind, but he pushed it aside with well-practiced ease in order to make his ablutions in his en-suite.

A quick cleansing spell, another to tame his curls, and he was ready to find something to wear. Before he left the bathroom, however, he looked into the mirror to examine the mark she had mentioned. He huffed in frustration as a cleansing spell wouldn't work. Bloody George, must have done something to his shirt or tie or some such thing. He'd owl his brother later to find out how long it would take for the mark to fade.

He quickly grabbed a pair of black trousers and a brown jumper, and within minutes stood as his usual, presentable self. His appearance put to order put his mind to order, and he walked out confidently into the living room and gave a smile to his visitor.

"I was thinking Earl Grey, but if you have another preference, I do have a few different leaves in the kitchen," he said softly so as not to startle her. "And... how do you take your eggs?"

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[info]vernus
2011-10-26 02:22 pm UTC (link)
The time Percy had taken to make himself presentable ( and Daphne thought it was an awfully long time for a man, really ), she had been sitting on the sofa, realizing how completely and utterly stupid this whole thing was. Just as she was going to head back to the floo to go home, Percy appeared and spoke. Drat, she thought bitterly but turned around quickly at his question. No one had ever really asked her opinion of tea, now she thought about it. Though that was because those who knew Daphne, knew she didn't even really like the beverage. The only time she had ever even used tea was for readings. Aside from that, tea wasn't something she had outside of when she as feeling ill.

"I don't drink tea," she answered absentmindedly. "And any which way for the eggs, I don't generally eat those either. Mother says they're fattening."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shrugged. She felt awkward around Percy, she had been confident the other day, but now she realized she had let him see her in a vulnerable state. It was enough to make her want to kick herself in retrospect, but he wasn't treating her any differently. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she realized he didn't even know who she was.

"I never told you my name, did I Mr. Weasley?"

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-10-26 02:52 pm UTC (link)
Percy's eyebrows rose in questioning wonder. A mother who accused eggs of being fattening and something that shouldn't be eaten? "You're a beautiful woman, I don't think that a few eggs would hurt," he said, trying to force his eyes not to look her over any further - that would be quite improper. "In fact, my mother would likely say you could stand to gain a few pounds - but then she does say the same for me. Come, there's a table and chairs in the kitchen - you can sit there and we can chat while I cook."

He paused at her question. It was true, but he hadn't quite been able to come up with an appropriate way to ask her name. He originally wanted to deny the question to save them both embarassment... but likely that would just lead to more. But first...

"You may call me Percy."

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[info]vernus
2011-10-27 04:02 am UTC (link)
"Daphne, and thank you," she said in response to his saying that she may call him Percy, and the compliment he paid her. The wording made her eyebrow go up momentarily, though she still followed and took a seat at the table he had mentioned. She looked around the flat, uncertain of why a pureblood would need to do any cooking. Didn't all pureblooded families have house elves to do that sort of thing? Perhaps they were at the home of his parents, what with however many of them there were, they had to have had a number of elves doing things. She could feel herself returning to normal and leaned back in the chair, something she would never have done at home.

Daphne considered the comment about standing to gain a few pounds silently while he went about his work in the kitchen. Certainly that may have worked with people like Millicent, but then again, she wasn't expected to carry the same responsibilities as Daphne or Pansy were. That was when it hit Daphne, what would Pansy think if she knew? She would never hear the end of it... For a split second she contemplated leaving again, only to realize that at least this Weasley had great potential when it came to the proper Wizarding society.

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-10-27 04:21 am UTC (link)
Daphne - a lovely name.

As he entered the kitchen, he took out his wand and began a series of well-practiced spells. One filled the kettle and started it to a boil, another took out two pans and lit the burners on the stove for them, another took out sausage and eggs from the fridge...

He also conjured a glass and spelled it full of orange juice from the container in the refrigerator. Freshly-squeezed, no pulp. He had it settle in front of Daphne as he continued the chain of spells that were fixing breakfast. Having come from one of the wizarding world's poorer families, cooking was a skill he had to learn young to help his mother manage the household.

He thought back to what Daphne had said before, trying to think up something to chat about while the food cooked. He wanted to wait until they had full stomachs to think on her dreams, and the subject of her mother was likely a volatile one, seeing as what he'd heard so far had him wondering on the woman's fitness to be a parent in the first place.

"Will you be attending the Ministry gala this evening?" he finally asked.

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[info]vernus
2011-10-27 04:34 am UTC (link)
Daphne was actually rather impressed that a man knew all of those spells for cooking. She didn't even know how to scurjiffy anything. Was that even the right spell name? No matter, she thought, as she would never have to use it any way. Either way, she was still impressed.

"I will be," he nodded as she took the juice and moved it to the exact place she wanted it, fifteen degrees to the right of her twelve o'clock. "Mother would never let me live down an opportunity like that. Although I must say, I would have thought they would cancel it after what happened yesterday. Or, what I've heard happened yesterday. Is it true someone killed themselves with office supplies?"

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-10-27 04:43 am UTC (link)
The kettle boiled and he spelled his tea to prepare itself. The sausages were nearly done, and the eggs were scrambling themselves quite nicely.

"The idea of cancelling the gala was toyed with briefly," he admitted, enjoying the opportunity to discuss some of the inner workings of the Ministry, "but it was decided that firstly it's too late considering all the arrangements that have been made, and secondly that cancelling would only bring more attention to the situation, and perhaps give the impression that there is something to hide." He sighed. "One of the reasons the gala is being held at all is because of the recent history of the Ministry, and it's an effort to improve relations with the public, etcetera etcetera."

He did hold back a chuckle at the theory she'd posited as to the means of death. "To my knowledge, there were no office supplies involved," he replied with a smile. "I haven't heard any update from St. Mungo's as of yet, but the DMLE is looking into it."

There, the plates were flown out, the food placed upon them - and there, the toast popped at exactly the right time, and a spelled knife buttered them just so. Within moments, two plates of scambled eggs, toast and sausage were deposited on the table, and Percy finally sat down opposite his guest. As the silverware settled upon the table, he picked up a fork and brought it to his eggs.

"It's nothing particularly fancy, but it should fill you up. If you need anything, please feel free to ask."

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[info]vernus
2011-10-27 04:59 am UTC (link)
How peculiar Percy was, she thought as she began to eat and did so fairly quickly. At home they did not eat and talk to each other. Daphne knew several people who's mealtimes were much different, but those were the ones at the Greengrass home. Usually the three women didn't even eat dinner together any more. Daphne came home late some nights and took her dinner in her room, what Astoria and Mrs. Greengrass did, she wasn't sure. The eggs weren't bad, though she merely picked at the sausage once she again heard her mother's voice in her head telling her that no man wanted a fat trophy wife.

"Thank you, it was wonderful," she said when she was done. She had eaten most of the food, save a piece of the sausage. "Do you house elves clean up at the very least, since you cooked?"

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-10-27 05:05 am UTC (link)
Percy had noticed her silence and had kept his words to herself, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. He also noticed her hesitancy with the sausage and at first wondered if he had cooked it wrong, but then wondered if it was related to what she had said earlier about eggs and her mother's preoccupation with weight. He only just kept himself from shaking his head at the ridiculousness of the idea, and his sympathy for Daphne grew.

"House elves?" he echoed, unconsciously looking around to see if Hermione Granger was about, which of course she wasn't. However, the subject had become such a volatile one whenever Hermione was at Weasley dinners that the reaction had become instinctive. "The only time I've had them was at school. Growing up, it was our job to help Mum clean up after meals - or at least those of us who didn't immediately jump out to go play quidditch or what not," he added with an affectionate grumble.

"It's not a hassle, though," he admitted. "The spell does most of the work itself. I don't even need to be in the room."

That was his cue to stand, refilling his tea and leading Daphne into the living room. He took a seat on the sofa, allowing her to sit on the chair or the sofa as her heart desired.

"Now, did you want to talk about... last night?" he began tentatively.

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[info]vernus
2011-10-31 07:33 pm UTC (link)
Daphne did not need anyone's sympathy. Well... maybe a little bit, but not for the weight thing, or her mother. She followed Percy into the living room and took a seat in the chair opposite the older man. She sat straight, out of habit, as if her mother was whispering in her ear that proper posture was important. She had not cared to put on the face of a proper pureblooded witch with him, so why she was doing it now, she wasn't sure.

"I am sorry for that," she answered to his last comment. "I didn't mean to barge in on you like that. I just..." Daphne considered what she was going to say for a moment, and took a deep breath to calm the nerves that were beginning to resurface. "You're very nice, and I appreciate that you haven't tried to bed me. And that you don't look like the woman in my dream."

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-11-01 02:29 am UTC (link)
A light flush coloured Percy's cheeks at the comment about him having not tried to bed her. Well, one would say it wasn't necessary, seeing as you were already in my bed.

"I'm glad you felt comfortable enough with me to seek my help," he said honestly. "I'll admit, it's not the first morning I've awoken with someone in my bed, but then it had been one of my siblings after a bad night of either a storm of the ghoul in the attic."

He took a deep breath and then a sip of his tea before continuing. "What did the woman do, in your dream?"

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[info]vernus
2011-11-01 05:02 am UTC (link)
A small smile turned the corners of Daphne's lips upward, and was gone a few moments later when he asked about the dream. Normally, she wasn't this open with anyone except her sister. Percy seemed to inspire trust though, and she sighed, allowing herself to slouch for a brief moment before sitting upright again. Remembering wasn't something she wanted to do now that she had gotten her mind off it. Still, that was why she was there, wasn't it?

"She was," she started and looked confused with herself for a moment. "Well, she was cutting me apart, really. Piece by piece. Started with my feet and moved on up. There was blood everywhere, and the more I screamed the slower she did it so I felt everything. And she laughed. I suppose with the clown from yesterday, I'm a little hypersensitive."

Without thinking, Daphne reached down and scratched her ankle. It was then that she noticed for the first time the spot she had on the inner part of it.

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-11-01 11:22 pm UTC (link)
Percy nodded, sympathizing. His nightmare had been equally terrible, and for a moment he toyed with the idea of telling her of his so that she may not feel so alone. The idea was immediately quashed, however, as Percy Weasley did not bother others with nightmares, not since he was nine and crawled into Bill's bed because he thought the winter wind was a Dementor come to Kiss him.

"I believe anyone would be hypersensitive after something like that," he assuaged.

"Whenever I have a bad dream, no matter how terrible, I take a few moments to think about it and force myself to see how it is just a dream. I would take a few deep breaths, let the tension out, and try to put it behind me. As long as it's just a dream, then it cannot hurt you. We control them, not the other way around."

He didn't know if the words would help her, but they had helped him on occasion.

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[info]vernus
2011-11-02 02:23 am UTC (link)
"Tell me, Percy," she began, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest as her lips pursed. These were not ordinary dreams, she had felt pain where the woman had cut her. Every big slice, and the finer she cut, the more pain she had felt at first. Of course, this was hours ago, and the pain had stopped by now. At the time, it had burned and stung. "What did you dream about?"

She looked at him across the small room and felt her eyebrow go up questioningly. A moment later she crossed one leg over the other, and her trousers went up slightly at the bottom. It was then she saw the little mark for the first time. Odd.

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-11-02 02:40 am UTC (link)
Percy's eyebrows lifted and his mind quickly sought out some sort of answer. "Well, when I was young, I used to have nightmares that Death Eaters would come to take my family. They actually were after my family when I was very little, and so the fear was justified."

His eyes couldn't help but notice the motion of her legs, and without his consent, lingered on them long enough to notice the small mark on her ankle. The mark looked nearly identical to the one on the back of Percy's neck.

He groaned. "My apologies, I fear you've been an accidental victim of my brother's pranks. He must have done something to my sheets, and it rubbed off on your ankle." He winced. "When I find out what he's done and how long it will last, I'll let you know."

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[info]vernus
2011-11-02 04:43 am UTC (link)
"You dreamed Death Eaters were coming for your family," she asked, though couldn't help the tone that came with it. He was a pureblood, and admittedly, his family were muggle loving blood traitors, but that was neither here or there. Daphne's ideas of politics had shifted quite a bit over the last ten years of her life. She had even gone through a phase where she wanted to be just like Bellatrix Lestrange. It was a phase she hoped to never have to speak of. Still, she couldn't help the slightly condescending tone that slipped from her mouth. She fought to keep herself from saying, Yes, because you lot have so much that the Dark Lord wanted. What with all that money and influence. "Is that what you dreamed last night? That Death eaters were coming for you?"

Her eyes looked down at the spot and she looked away quickly. The spot was in the exact place the red haired woman had been cutting when she first started laughing. The spot. It had to have something to do with her.

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-11-02 01:44 pm UTC (link)
Percy felt like shrinking away at her reaction. "I didn't say it's what I dreamed last night. In fact, I don't remember having said that I'd had any sort of dream last night, the night before, or last week," he finally said, stiffening with his old pomposity that always came up like a wall to protect his inner self.

"And for the record, they did come for us. We were in safe houses until I was five, as a matter of fact. It's not unusual that such would be a child's nightmare."

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[info]vernus
2011-11-02 06:13 pm UTC (link)
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him, though did so internally and added a shake of the head. Aside from stopping the Weasleys from reproducing, she couldn't think of any reason why anyone would have wasted their time with the family during the first war. During the second war, certainly, she had heard her parents arguing enough times to know that the Death Eaters thought the Weasleys were hiding Harry Potter.

"You're deflecting," she said bitterly, and her lips pursed tightly together.

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-11-02 06:44 pm UTC (link)
Percy unconsciously echoed her pursing lips. "If I am deflecting, it's because my dreams are not the issue at hand. I wasn't the one so disturbed by what I saw last night that I crawled into bed with a near total stranger. Which was extremely dangerous thing to do, as you know."

Merlin, he was doing it again - concern and self-protection turning into his usual sanctimonious-sounding speech. He tried to catch himself, he really did, but it wasn't always in time. And then, it was only because he was trying for his family, not because he wasn't right to speak and feel that way.

"But then, I'm a little more accustomed to dealing with nightmares than most." This was the only concession he would give.

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[info]vernus
2011-11-02 07:30 pm UTC (link)
Daphne felt her eyes narrow momentarily before she looked away, she had to look away so that when she rolled her eyes, Percy didn't see her do it outright. She ran her tongue along the top of her teeth, because if she had wanted someone to act like her father, she would have gone to Azkaban and seen him.

"Are you always this difficult," she asked, the second question she was probably not going to get an answer to. And the third. "And let's be honest here, what were you going to do, read the index of one of your books to me until I dropped dead?"

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-11-02 10:55 pm UTC (link)
Her question had him huffing defensively, and placing his mug on the coffee table so that he could cross his arms over his chest. If he'd wanted someone to act like one of his siblings, he'd have gone to the Burrow for this sort of punishment. Though, admittedly Daphne was far nicer to look at.

"I'm sure if you'd ask anyone in my family, they would surely answer yes to that question," he replied snippishly. "As for what I would have done, you should not underestimate me. I may appear to be nothing but a paper-pusher," he said with words that sounded oft-spoken, "but I fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, after all."

He looked over at her, wondering how in Merlin's name they had come from having a lovely breakfast to facing each other down in such a manner. This woman was simply impossible, that must be it.

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[info]vernus
2011-11-03 06:02 am UTC (link)
"Ooh," she said in a biting tone, one that she didn't even make an attempt to hide. Her eyes widened as she did and she rolled them right after. "You and a half score of thoroughly untrained wizards. Look, I understand, you keep people at arm's length because you much prefer to keep it that way. If people can't get close, you can't get invested, and then you can't get hurt. Plus it helps with your political aspirations if people think you're always in control. Maybe it comes from being the red-ish-black sheep of your family, maybe it comes from technically being a middle child. Or maybe the fact that you're afraid to be vulnerable with people because you've been taken advantage of. I may not have been acquainted with you long, but I can guarantee I know more about you than you know about me. And let's be honest, what do you know about me? My name is Daphne, I'm a seamstress, I'm afraid of clowns, my mother is a cow and I had a moment of weakness in which I came to you. I can admit when I need help. You can't.

"And just so we're clear, a good leader can admit when he needs help, they don't take everything on themselves. You want to be Minister? Start there. People will never stand behind a Minister they think is hiding something or can't admit things are beyond their control sometimes. Take Fudge, for example. A little honesty wouldn't have hurt him. Let's say, for argument's sake, that you become Minister. How are you going to handle it when nothing is in your control? You can't be Minister and be in control of every single thing. That's why you have a job right now. Because the person in charge can't do everything. So now I ask again, what did you dream about last night? Or are you going to deflect? Again."

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-11-03 11:41 am UTC (link)
Every time Percy had opened his mouth to argue, it was shut again by the continuing stream of words. He listened with incredulity at her accusations, and... felt his heart ache as he knew she was right. Somehow, she could see right through to him in a way his own loved ones never had.

But then she struck the greatest chord of all, seeing right into his greatest desire and turning it in her favour.

It was as if she'd found the weakest point of his personal wall, and with a tiny jewelry hammer, had struck it repeatedly until she managed a hole large enough to reach into. It left him bare in a way he was not accustomed to. Yet it also left him nothing to lose, for she could already see into that inner self, and she hadn't walked away.

He met her eyes with Gryffindor courage, despite his fear that every ounce of terror he had felt at the nightmare would come showing through.

"I'm someone else. I know this because I'm standing, facing a woman I've never seen, but whom I love beyond life itself. She's sitting, tied to a chair, and my body is moving without my wishing it. I can feel myself fighting, wanting to stop it, but I can't. I watch myself walk forward, and with some sort of instrument, I cut off her fingers one by one. This woman I supposedly love more than anything, and I'm being forced to torture her to death. I can't help her, I can't save her, I can't even save myself. I fail to stop it, and she dies..."

With every word he spoke, his tense body began trembling until the only thing that was keeping him together were the arms tightly wrapped around his body.

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[info]vernus
2011-11-03 08:29 pm UTC (link)
Somewhere between the end of what she had said and the end of Percy's dream, Daphne had moved to the sofa so that she could sit beside Percy. She put her hand on his shoulder, and when he trembled, she sighed. It had not been her intention to make him feel badly, but she had had enough of his self righteousness.

"That is a horrid dream," she said softly and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "But don't you feel better now that you're no longer holding it in? That would have eaten away at your mind all day."

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-11-03 08:41 pm UTC (link)
"As a matter of fact... I don't feel better," he said almost apologetically. It was true that the telling had done nothing for him other than forcing him to relive the memory that he'd tried to keep at bay. What did make him feel better was her company next to him, and the comforting hand on his shoulder. As a result, his arms loosened and his hands fell to his lap.

"My usual method of coping involves a quick analysis, and an equally quick compartmentalization to limit its effect on my ability to work, or what not."

He knew it sounded clinical, but it had worked most of his life. Logic and reason guided his actions, even if they led to different conclusions than other persons.

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[info]vernus
2011-11-04 05:07 am UTC (link)
Daphne punched him in the arm, softly though, as she was certain that if she had done it full force, she would have bruised Percy. Why were boys so complicated? And this was was even more complicated than most.

"You're supposed to say yes," she teased. "Are you a Virgo?" As much of a tomboy as Daphne had once been, she always did have rather girly interests. And if she remembered all the teachings of her former Divinity professor, then yes, Percy was most certainly a Virgo. The epitome of one, she might even say.

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-11-04 03:04 pm UTC (link)
Percy made a small pout at the punch, but the corners of his lips curled up, showing there was no offense taken.

"Technically, no. I was born in the last day of Leo, and so being on the cusp, I may have qualities of both, particularly since I have Mercury, Venus and Mars in Virgo... I won't bore you with the details." Unlike many others, he had always respected Divination. Yes, it did help that Professor Trelawney had predicted Percy's becoming Minister for Magic one day, but that was beside the point.

"And you?" It sounded like a silly pick up line, but he was genuinely curious.

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[info]vernus
2011-11-07 06:08 pm UTC (link)
"I like you better as a Virgo," Daphne said and looked at the red paint on her fingernails. She wondered for a moment how much of what had been taught he remembered, for lack of a better word, as Trelawney seldom actually taught. "I'm an Aries. Selfish, hard headed, fiercely independent, combative, all those lovely things."

For a moment, Daphne wondered if she should say more, but it was in her best interest to be vague. It was also in her nature to generally be that way with people she didn't know too well. She searched her mind for things which she could discuss with Percy. Given they were both fully awake now, and although she really should have been going... well, she didn't really want to. Lingering wasn't something she usually did, but maybe this one time wouldn't be so bad.

"Percy, when was the last time you did something fun?"

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[info]youngestmformev
2011-11-10 07:01 pm UTC (link)
"Two of my brothers were born Aries," he said, remembering the fiery spirits that were Fred and George as children. "Thankfully, you're nothing like them," he added with a small smile.

Something fun? Now she was starting to sound like his mother. And father. And Bill, Charlie, George, Ron, and Ginny. And come to think of it, Oliver at school. And... "I read a new manual on Russian runes last week," he offered. "And Sunday I made my monthly trip to Honeyduke's - that was pleasant."

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[info]vernus
2011-11-10 07:14 pm UTC (link)
She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips on its own, and when she realized he was being completely serious, she stopped. Well, she tried to stop, but that only made Daphne want to laugh even harder. After a few seconds of trying to control the giggles, she cleared her throat.

"We'll have to change that, you need to live a little," she decided, as if she had any actual say in anything. "I should probably get going, I have to work today... but thank you."

She stood up and smoothed down her clothes. It was going to be a long day given that the gala would be that evening, and people always waited until the last minute to purchase their dress robes, or their dresses.

"For everything. And just so you know, it's Greengrass. Daphne Greengrass. I'll see you at the gala, Mr. Weasley, and I expect a dance." She winked and disapparated from his living room.

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