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Tweak says, "Brian’s lesbians!"

Roger Davies (agile) wrote in wished,
@ 2009-08-31 22:36:00

Entry tags:

!1997: 08, !complete, penelope clearwater, roger davies

Who: Penelope Clearwater, Roger Davies, & OPEN!
When: 26th August (Backdated)
Where: Leaky Cauldron
What: Penny and Roger have a joint birthday party!
Rating: R

The Leaky hadn't seen this kind of excitement in a long time, as far as Roger could tell. But since Roger was already halfway to complete drunkenness, he wasn't exactly beaming at the jubilant atmosphere that had sprung up because of the party he and Penelope had put together, in spite of the dire happenings of the wizarding world at large.

No, he was beaming at the fact that there were girls here and a lot of them were more than wiling to part with a birthday kiss for him.

Roger was on a mission to find the other half of the birthday duo. He wasn't exactly sure when he had started to speak to Penelope Clearwater on what he was now viewing as a friendship based relationship, but before the invention of the nifty little interconnected journals, he could only remember talking to her about only Quidditch back in school. As Head Girl, she had granted his requests for late practices on the Pitch and they had discussed strategies occasionally. Beyond that, they hadn't spoken much, but he was seeing how much he had been missing out on not talking to quiet woman before now.

He was glad to have this party with her, but was now determined to find her and demand a kiss. Hey, she was attractive and he was shameless.

After that, he had some Gryffindors he needed to see about some promises.

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Katie/TOTALLY OPEN!

goldenchaser
2009-09-01 03:20 am UTC (link)

Katie wasn't incredibly close to either Penny or Roger, but she also wasn't one to turn down a chance to attend a good party, especially one with the promise of an open bar, so here she was, drink in hand and having a brilliant time.

Close friend or no, it was only polite to extend well wishes to the two celebrating birthdays this evening and she looked around the room, trying to see if she could spot either of them. In a moment, she might give up for the time being and grab Ange or Ali for some dancing, but she figured it might be nice to make with the pleasantries first.

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agile
2009-09-01 04:46 am UTC (link)

On his mission to find Penelope, he caught sight of Katie nursing a drink. Smirking to himself, he made his way over, greeting friends and getting pats on the back as well as kisses on the cheek as he moved.

Moving in next to her, he threw an arm around her shoulders without pause and said, "Good to see you here, Bell. Alicia around yet?" He hadn't forgotten what she had written on his journal - as a matter of fact, it had fueled quite a few pleasant dreams for him for a few nights.

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goldenchaser
2009-09-03 09:42 pm UTC (link)

"She's around here somewhere," Katie grinned and shrugged at his question. The arm around her shoulders didn't go unnoticed, but rather than act annoyed, she let it go. She wouldn't say Roger was a close friend by any stretch of the imagination, but she could resist the urge to roll her eyes and make a snarky comment on his birthday, at least.

"Happy Birthday, Roger," she added, leaning and kissing his cheek briefly. She flashed him a grin, quite happy and relaxed herself as she tended to be at these things. "Are you having a good time?"

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agile
2009-09-04 09:06 pm UTC (link)

"A spectacular time, as a matter of fact," he said, giving her a smirk that wasn't taunting but amused. "Happy Birthday to me indeed."

Turning his head to look at her, he asked, "Are you enjoying yourself? I hear that the open bar is pretty popular with the guests." At least the drunken cheers and talking seemed to indicate that. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you personally for gracing us with your presence. I didn't think you would really show after that owl of yours."

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Meghan/TOTALLY OPEN!

proprio
2009-09-01 03:27 am UTC (link)

Meghan was definitely not going to miss a birthday party for one of her good friends. She remembered Roger, too, of course, but Penny was a dear friend and had invited her personally, so there was no way she was going to not be here.

She smiled as her gaze traveled around the room, looking for her friend, for that familiar head of curly hair. There was a drink in her hand, already, and she had to admit they'd really done a great job setting this thing up. Everything looked amazing and she definitely didn't hate the fine selection of beverages.

Tonight was definitely going to be a good night!

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Re: Meghan/TOTALLY OPEN!

penelynn
2009-09-01 04:12 am UTC (link)

Indeed, the party was going quite well and Penny was enjoying herself. For the first time since the party started, Penelope found herself without someone to talk to and looked around for a familiar face. Most everyone was a stranger to her and the comfort of seeing a good friend would straighten her back out.

Luckily, it didn't take long for Penelope to spot Meghan a short distance away and she approached her friend with a smile on her face, "Hi!" she held out her arms to greet Meghan with a hug and was anxious to find out if she was having a good time so far or not. "I'm glad you came! I was really starting to wonder if I would know anyone here besides Roger, Oliver and the rest of the Gryffindors."

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Meghan/TOTALLY OPEN!

proprio
2009-09-03 09:15 pm UTC (link)

"Hi!" Meghan was equally glad to be here and she said so as she returned the hug her friend pulled her into. She hadn't been at the party for an incredibly long time, but already she was having a good time, even if there weren't many people here she knew.

She nodded her head as she pulled away again. There were an awful lot of people she either only vaguely recognized or didn't know or remember at all and she could certainly understand Penny's worry that she might not know many of those in attendance.

"I think I can count the people I actually recognize on one hand," she told her with a laugh.

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Re: Meghan/TOTALLY OPEN!

penelynn
2009-09-04 03:41 am UTC (link)

"Surely you have a bit of familiarity with some of the other Quidditch players," Penny pointed out, not sure if Meghan even knew any players well outside of her own team. "The entire group of Tornadoes is here. Trying to drink each other under the table."

Penny did recognize quite a few faces from her days at Hogwarts, but even most of those people were there because of Roger. He was vastly popular and well-liked. She certainly couldn't blame them and maybe even felt a bit jealous that she wasn't as socially adept.

"Are you in need of a refill?" she asked, noting that Meghan's drink was getting low. "I've tried to keep away from the bar as much as possible. I usually have good self control but in this sort of atmosphere it's hard not to want to get smashed like everyone else."

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Re: Meghan/TOTALLY OPEN!

proprio
2009-09-07 06:54 pm UTC (link)

Meghan nodded. "A bit, yes." She did recognize some of them, of course, but she wouldn't say she knew many of them well, exactly. She snorted, then laughed at the comment about the Tornadoes. "That's got to be entertaining."

Her attention turned back to Penny after a sweep of the room. "Are you having a good time?" she asked, nodding at the question of a refill. "We should get you something, too," she added with a grin. "It's your birthday. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to get smashed."

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Roger

penelynn
2009-09-01 04:09 am UTC (link)

A joint birthday party with Roger Davies almost seemed surreal to Penelope. When he first mentioned the idea, Penny initially thought he was joking. Somehow it actually came together and now she was standing in the Leaky Cauldron surrounding by loads of people, many of whom she didn't know. It amazed her how friendly people became when invited to an open bar birthday party. Penny imagined that the bulk of the guests knew Roger one way or another, but she was fine with that. The friends she had invited showed up and she was having a splendid time.

Penelope nearly always felt like she was in the minority when it came to social type things. She wasn't one to drink and she was quite conservative about certain topics and didn't really feel the need to throw herself at any guy who looked at her as if he may be interested. Tonight was a bit out of the ordinary for her. She was already four alcoholic beverages in and found herself giggling at the stupidest things. Shaking her head didn't seem to help clear out the slight fogginess that was taking over.

When she arrived at the party, she had been wearing a nice cardigan over a spaghetti strap tank top and jeans. After the first few drinks had warmed her, Penelope had lost the cardigan sweater and was walking around a bit more exposed than she normally was in public.

At some point, she had moved away from Oliver and a few other friends and now she found herself standing alone near the bar.

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agile
2009-09-01 04:52 am UTC (link)

Roger had met up with her for a few minutes in the beginning of the night, but had quickly lost track of her. She had her friends and he had his, though both sets seemed to be getting along perfectly well with one another.

Those closest to him were his Quidditch mates on the Tutshill Tornados, but quite a few Hogwarts alum had shown up as well. It had kept Roger busy for a good portion of the night, until he halfway drunk and determined to find Penny.

He seemingly appeared out of nowhere, as he popped in next to her by the bar. "Now what's the birthday girl doing by herself in middle of a smashing party such as this?" Roger asked, grinning wide at her. When Fred had accused them of flirting, he hadn't been all that off about the observation. At least, Roger had been flirting with Penelope ever since the journals had been introduced and it just wasn't because it was in his personality.

She was attractive, intelligent, and fun to talk with. She, in ways, reminded him of Cho, which might have had something to do with his attraction.

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penelynn
2009-09-01 04:31 pm UTC (link)

When Penny spoke to Roger earlier in the night, she was relieved that he seemed to have forgotten about his request for a kiss as a birthday present. If she wasn't convinced that he was actually genuinely flirting with her before, she was after the owl exchange that had taken place a few nights prior. Penelope was having a difficult time discerning how she felt about that specific type of attention after going so long without it. The fact that it was coming from Roger also confused her quite a bit. The last man that had been interested in her had been Percy (well, that she was aware of) and from Percy to Roger was a drastic difference.

One of the benefits to knowing Quidditch player was that they knew other Quidditch players and all night long, Penelope kept spotting various people she knew only from their player stats and excitedly pointed them out to her friends, two of whom were already on different Quidditch teams and seemed to enjoy her surprise and fan-like enthusiasm.

When Roger approached her, Penny had been looking over at a crowd of his fellow Tornadoes. Perhaps she was looking for his familiar face in that very group of men and that is why, when he popped up by her she nearly fell over from slight shock. Her cheeks blushed even deeper than they had been before, due to the alcohol and she put her hand over her heart fleetingly.

"They wandered off," she explained and smiled back at him, doing her best to recover as smoothly as possible. "I didn't think I'd see you for the rest of the night. Are you having a good time?"

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agile
2009-09-03 05:28 pm UTC (link)

"And go home without my birthday kiss? I don't think so," Roger said, smiling right back at her. It was hardly surprising that he would forget about that little part of their birthday present exchanges. He still thought it was a fair exchange. Quidditch tickets for a kiss? Yes, certainly fair. Roger didn't think he could say a lot of positive things about Percy after everything he had heard about him, but he had definitely had great taste in women.

Why no one else saw Penelope for all the intelligence she possessed and beauty under that shy exterior? He couldn't be certain. Maybe a lot of people couldn't get past the quiet demeanor or couldn't be bothered, but that was their loss.

"I'm having a great time," he answered a second later, leaning back against the bar comfortably as he watched some of his teammates start a chant of 'Drink, drink, drink!' as two of the party goers tried to outdrink one another. "Not as great as those guys, apparently," he said, gesturing out toward them. "Want to have a go at it?"

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penelynn
2009-09-03 05:56 pm UTC (link)

And so Penny had been wrong in assuming Roger had forgotten and moved on to better things. It was more than fair of him to want the kiss. In a way, Penny actually thought she was getting off easy. That didn't make the fact that she had to kiss him less worrisome. Silently, she was calculating when she had last kissed someone. A proper kiss, not just a peck on the cheek or something quick against the lips. Suffice it to say that it had been a very long time.

"Here I thought you had decided to let me slide," she chuckled. If not for the several drinks, it would've been a nervous sort of sound. Instead, it was carefree and unrestrained.

"What?" Penny asked, confused by what Roger was suggested until she turned and looked in the same direction as him. "Oh, yes, they seem to be having a blast." Given that most of the men in that group were two times the size of Penny, she had to turn down Roger's offer. "No, not really. Believe it or not, but I'd actually like to be able to get myself home at the end of the night."

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agile
2009-09-04 09:05 pm UTC (link)

Better things? Hardly.

"A kiss from you for a few tickets? I think I'm getting off easy, honestly," he said, raising eyebrows. "So for that, I'll let you off any drinking contests that I may have made you indulge in, any other night."

Looking absolutely mischievous, he said, "So about that kiss." He turned his head toward her, meaningfully. "I think it's time for that present." Despite what people may or may not say about him, Roger was a fair guy. He didn't take more than what he was owed and he didn't pressure people into doing things that they did not want to do.

So when she would lean in for a kiss, he planned to turn his head to let her press the kiss to his cheek. Easy, no pressure, and no feelings of obligation.

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penelynn
2009-09-05 03:24 am UTC (link)

The problem, in Penny's head, wasn't so much the kiss itself but that she didn't see why she shouldn't kiss Roger (or someone else, for that matter). More than an adequate amount of time had passed since her relationship with Percy ended and Penelope was over it, for the most part. True, sometimes she found herself not quite comprehending why she had let him slip away. Even if it was his idea and she didn't hesitate too much to agree with him, it still felt weird for her to be single.

At some point, she was going to have to get over how awkward she felt just thinking about being intimate with another person. Even though her intimacies with Percy had never ventured as far as she would've liked...

But this wasn't that intimate. She was standing with a gorgeous guy and he was mostly drunk and really just wanted to be reassured that he could get any girl to kiss him, no matter how conservative and ordinary the girl may be. Penelope wasn't feeling pressured at all. It didn't feel like she had to do it. If it was something she was truly against, she would've said so right away.

So, predictably, she leaned forward to plant a kiss on Roger without too much more hesitation.

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agile
2009-09-06 03:52 am UTC (link)

And as he had planned, Roger politely turned his head and let her get him on the cheek. He had no idea what went on Penny's pretty little head, but he thought that she might have appreciated not having to snog his drunken self that night. She was that conservative type, older, and much more mature than him. He honestly thought she was just humouring him out of politeness and not because she wanted to, so he did what he thought was the best thing for a gentleman-type to do.

"A lovely birthday present," he said when he felt her soft lips leave the stubble of his face, before taking a swig of the drink in his hand. His smile was almost blinding. "I think the best one of the night." Angelina Johnson would beat it later that night, though he didn't realize that now.

Reaching into his back pocket, he brandished the promised tickets to her, leaning over to give her a little peck on the cheek. "Happy Birthday Penelope. I was going to wrap them up, but I lost the fight with the Spello-tape."

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penelynn
2009-09-14 04:06 pm UTC (link)

Penelope froze in her position for a moment, not understanding that Roger had turned his head until she had already planted the kiss on his cheek.

She felt tricked and a little confused. Had it been his plan all along to get her to want to kiss him and then make her feel like an idiot when he turned away.

"Right," Penelope nodded, her face no longer showing the happiness she had been feeling before. She wasn't mad, exactly, but she was a bit hurt for some reason that eluded her. "I'm glad you liked it."

Receiving the tickets now seemed cheap and Penelope took them from him rigidly and forced herself to smile at the gift. She wasn't ungrateful. The tickets were fabulous and she was very excited about it, but it just seemed different now. What was I expecting? she asked herself as she blushed slightly.

"No worries, I'm rubbish at wrapping too," finally the corners of her mouth curved on their own and she looked at Roger fully, not avoiding his eyes as she had a few moments after the 'kiss'. "Thank you."

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Percy/Open

weatherby
2009-09-01 05:25 am UTC (link)

Percy hated crowds. He truly, truly disliked crowds. A lot. Worse when they were made up of people who knew him from school. Worse yet when there was alcohol and close quarters involved.

But he promised himself he wouldn't miss this day. Penelope was a friend. Probably the best friend he had ever had, in that she had tolerated him for years and even now seemed to like him regardless.

He hadn't seen her in far too long, and words over magical journals simply weren't good enough. So despite his hatred of drunken crowds of old schoolmates, he braved the door to the Leaky Cauldron and stepped inside before he could talk himself out of it.

The small wrapped parcel he brought for Penny was safely tucked in the large inner pocket of his robe, but that left him awkwardly empty-handed as he stood inside the doorway and looked around. Hopefully he would spot her fast, exchange a few pleasantries and give her her gift before someone whisked her off to more interesting company.

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Re: Percy/Open

penelynn
2009-09-02 02:16 am UTC (link)

When Penny invited Percy to the party, she had a very strong feeling that he wouldn't show up. She knew of his dislike of crowds and also knew that Percy was smart enough to know that if he showed up that he could possibly encounter Fred and George. Because of the lingering possibility of knowing he wouldn't show up, Penny was slightly taken off guard to spot her best friend and ex-boyfriend standing at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

The discomfort he must have been feeling was evident on his face and Penelope's grin at seeing him quickly turned into worry. Grabbing her cardigan off the back of the chair she had been sitting in, she slipped it on and walked over to where Percy stood.

"Percy, you came!" she nearly squealed with excitement and went to hug him. "I'm so glad you're here!" The worried expression had quickly been replaced with a huge smile when she actually got to him.

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Re: Percy/Open

weatherby
2009-09-02 02:24 am UTC (link)

He caught sight of someone approaching from the corner of his eye, and the fact that it was her so intently walking towards him made him relax a great deal. His first petty thought was that at least he could get out of their fast.

Followed rather quickly by the thought that she looked beautiful, and he really ought not be such a selfish git.

He smiled, because he couldn't help it. Because it was Penny, and she was happy, and he had always gotten a thrill seeing her happy. Of course, he got more of a thrill to think it was him that caused it.

He pushed his discomfort aside and he opened his arms to return her hug instantly. "Hullo, Penny," he murmured against her hair, focusing on her so he didn't distract himself by looking around for anyone with red hair and a grudge.

"Of course I came," he replied after a moment, pulling back enough to get a good look at her. "I...may not stay. Long. You understand. But..." He felt his face heat and sighed. Bloody Weasley complexion always gave him away. "I wouldn't miss your birthday."

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Re: Percy/Open

penelynn
2009-09-02 02:39 am UTC (link)

She did understand why he wouldn't be sticking around and felt a surge of love for him for being so bold as to put his concerns on the back burner just to please her on her birthday. At the same time, Penny felt a bit guilty and hoped that his brothers didn't see him and totally ruin the peaceful and fun vibe of the party. Just in case, she turned slightly to check out who was around them and then focused her attention back on Percy.

"You're very sweet," Penny didn't miss his reddened face. "This really isn't my style, you know?" Of course he knew, but she still felt the need to explain herself. "Somehow Roger talked me into having this joint party and I don't even know more than half of the people here. It's a bit overwhelming." Penny glanced down at the ground for a moment, trying to remember her point and, finding it, continued on. "It's nice to see a familiar face."

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Re: Percy/Open

weatherby
2009-09-02 02:59 am UTC (link)

Percy looked around with a more ctitical eye then. No, this really wasn't Penny's style at all. Roger Davies, yes, but not Penny. These gatherings of drunken people chattering at each other too loudly had never been her style at all.

Which was one of the reasons why she actually got along with Percy for as long as she had.

He grasped her hand, more comfortable with her physically than anyone else he knew, and led her a bit further away from the edges of the crowd. "Don't let them bully you into staying around, at least not longer than you want to. I know these sort of gatherings are intended to last well into morning hours, but you've got no obligation to..." He trailed off, realizing how he sounded. Like the bossy know-it-all everyone always accused him of being.

"Well. You're an adult. I expect you can extricate yoursef when you must." He released her hand fast and flashed a wry smile, that softened almost at once when he took her in all over again. "Do you remember," he asked suddenly, voice softer, "when school was done and I was still at the B...at my parents' home, and I couldn't offer you anything more exciting for your birthday than a silly picnic on the floor in my tiny bedroom, practicing our wards to keep the twins from spying?"

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Re: Percy/Open

penelynn
2009-09-02 03:24 am UTC (link)

If Penelope was anyone else, she might have been a bit annoyed by Percy's little lecture about not having to be peer pressured into partying too hard. Fortunately, she found herself smiling at his genuine concern for her and squeezed his hand in hopes of communicating that.

The physical contact had never bothered her one bit. Being friends with Oliver, who was nearly always hugging her when he was in a good enough mood and then being raised in a family that wasn't afraid of showing their affection in the form of cheek kisses and comforting cuddles had prepared her for nearly anything Percy could throw at her, post their break-up.

When Percy let go, Penny nearly reached out for his hand again, but kept herself from doing so at the risk that it would seem too familiar. "You don't have to worry about me, Perce," she matched his soft tone of voice with one of her own.

Now Penny was the one blushing. The memory had caused her to blush quite a bit, mostly because she remembered how oddly romantic the whole scene had felt at that time. Even thinking back on it now made her miss that in a very fresh way. Smiling fondly up at him, "I do remember, yes." Penny laughed, "Oh, Merlin, that was a very good birthday. This doesn't compare with that. Or the others, really."

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Re: Percy/Open

weatherby
2009-09-02 03:34 am UTC (link)

"Of course I don't have to," he agreed wryly. "But that's never stopped me before." He did miss the slight warmth of her hand when he let it go, but though Penny made him more comfortable than anyone else, he was still unused to a lot of physicality. He came from a family of huggers and ticklers and touchers, but their physicality seemed to end where Percy began. Even his mother had always been somewhat restrained with Percy.

Which, no doubt, was his own doing. Something he projected without even knowing it, no doubt.

So he kept himself from stepping too close, or touching her arm, or brushing strands of wayward hair off her forehead as she looked up at him.

Warmed-over butterbeer and the leftovers of a roast dinner his mum had prepared the night before, and he had felt like such a pathetic arse for not having more he could do for her.

He chuckled, shaking his head at the memory. "As I recall I spent a good twenty minutes trying to describe the lavish dinners and giants flats I'd be able to get you for your birthdays once my career was made. And you didn't want to hear a thing about it. You were perfectly happy..." He hesitated, his smile fading a bit before he pushed it back up. "Happy in my shambles of a bedroom. And here you are now, center of attention in a bar brimming with people. Surely it's more exciting, at least."

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Re: Percy/Open

penelynn
2009-09-02 03:52 am UTC (link)

"You were too hard on yourself for that and many other things," Penelope sighed and shook her head in a sarcastic exasperated fashion. She found herself trying to choose her words carefully now. No matter how good of friends they were now, a few years after breaking up, being around Percy was still slightly dangerous territory and saying the incorrect thing could cause her to feel sad that their time together had ended in a way she never predicted.

In order to focus her attention on something else, Penny laughed and shook her head again in disagreement, "I wouldn't say I'm the center of attention. Nor do I need to be the center of attention to have a good time." True, it was exciting for many different reasons, but in her head, the crowded bar couldn't compete with Percy's crowded bedroom.

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Re: Percy/Open

weatherby
2009-09-02 04:02 am UTC (link)

"You deserved more," he answered simply. Really, that was the heart of the whole matter, the beginning and end of most of his memories with Penny, even the best ones. As good as he could give her, and as good as he could be for her...she deserved more. He would always be Poncey Percy, the perpetual prefect. Penny...

She had been like him in school - more like him than most other children. But she was also...like them. She didn't need to be the center of attention, but she could handle it, and could flourish from it.

She deserved everything, and Percy could only ever give her...

Well.

"I brought a bit of something," he said suddenly, letting his thought steer him towards happier things. He reached into his robe and tugged out the small present, holding it out to her.

She wouldn't have to guess hard - it was obviously a book. But she enjoyed books, and this was a bit of a rare find in a Muggle bookshop in London. A Muggle cookbook - she enjoyed cooking, and he had benefited from that many a time - antique and frail, more than 200 years old if the date inscribed in the front was right.

It seemed like fate, finding it just a short month before her birthday. If she still enjoyed the sort of things she had, anyway.

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Re: Percy/Open

penelynn
2009-09-02 04:27 am UTC (link)

Penelope could've easily continued arguing with him, but something in his voice made her shut up and accept his viewpoint. It didn't mean she agreed with him one bit, but there was really no point in stirring things up that were better left alone.

Before he could pull the present out, Penelope was already telling him that it was unnecessary. She was curious as to what it could be and was happy to see that it was book-shaped.

Taking it from him carefully, Penelope read the cover and grinned at the art. It was clearly quite old and Percy knew that she loved old things. They had a feel and a smell to them that made them irreplaceable. The book clearly had something to do with cooking, but she wanted to hear some about it from Percy. "How did you come by this?" she asked, examining it still, an eager-to-learn look on her face, "It's beautiful. Thank you," she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek to show her appreciation.

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Re: Percy/Open

weatherby
2009-09-02 04:37 am UTC (link)

He smiled, wide and unrestrained. There was nothing better than putting that look in her eyes. Nothing in the bloody world.

His hand twitched as he mentally forbade himself to reach up and touch his cheek like some addled schoolgirl.

"How did I come by it? There's no real story there, I simply found it and thought it was perfect for you." He shrugged, blushing but at least for a better reason than his earlier embarrassment.

"Besides, I thought it might earn me dinner one night. Apparently they ate a great deal of fowl in the 1780s. I know you'll experiment with something in there at least once, I thought I had a good shot at being on the receiving end of the results."

He wanted to lean down, to return the quick kiss on the cheek. Instead he contented himself with taking her hand for a brief moment and squeezing. "Happy birthday, Penny."

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Re: Percy/Open

penelynn
2009-09-03 05:42 pm UTC (link)

Penelope could have kissed him again for that smile, but didn't. Instead, she clenched the book close to her chest in a protective manner. Even with the lack of an interesting story behind the book itself, she would cherish it just because it was given to her by Percy.

"I like that," she stated, matter-of-factly, "You thinking that it was perfect for me, I mean," she explained, grinning again. "That alone makes it special."

Percy was right. Penny was already planning on paying him back in the form of a dinner or something. As much as he said he hadn't given her enough, she felt the same. It wasn't something that bothered her because she knew that he liked it that way. It really struck her as odd how alike they were at times.

"I'm in need of a challenge, anyway. My meals have become a bit repetitive." It was true enough. The hours she was currently keeping meant that she ate at off times and usually ended up opting for the easy thing instead of the most delicious. "Using you as my guinea pig sounds like a fantastic idea!"

There was something so very natural about talking to Percy and Penny wished he could stay longer and take her mind away from the noise and crazy antics happening around her. "Thank you," she put all the feeling she had behind those words and hoped that her eyes and tone of voice would translate into something Percy could easily read. "Are you sure you won't stay for a bit? Have a drink with me?"

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Re: Percy/Open

weatherby
2009-09-04 01:06 am UTC (link)

Percy's grin went crooked and he shrugged. "Of course you might have changed a great deal in the last couple of years, I don't know. Maybe it's not perfect at all for you anymore. Maybe you've become some wild woman who enjoys overcrowded bars and headlining parties with blokes like Roger Davies."

All rubbish, of course, but he knew she'd know that. He spoke dryly, as he usually did when trying to make some joke, but unlike usual Penny could usually tell when he was kidding. Most people seemed to take him at face value most of the time.

"Guinea pig?" He sniffled, straightening his shoulders and peering at her as if far too dignified for any such suggestion. "Couldn't you just call me a 'tester' or something? Sounds much more properly academic."

The humor faded into a sort of churn of happy confusion. She wanted him to stay. Well...it wasn't as if she had ever actively wanted him away from her. But. It was different suddenly. Most of their year of Hogwarts surrounded them, and it was Percy she wanted to have a drink with.

Luckily he'd been blushing nonstop for the last ten minutes, so the heat rising to his face didn't show through. "Perhaps one. It's been a while since I've had a proper whiskey."

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Re: Percy/Open

penelynn
2009-09-04 04:09 am UTC (link)

Percy's humor was difficult for Penny to miss, which was one of the perks of knowing him so well. They were always on the same wavelength with humor and Penny never grew tired of him sarcastically teasing her over certain things. "I did just move in with a Quidditch player," she did her best to keep the comedy going a bit longer. "Things could get wild."

"Food critic?" Penny suggested with a smirk. "Tester seems too academic."

To Penny, it would've been a shock for Percy to think it was sudden. Although it was many years ago, she couldn't forget how she was able to bond with Percy when their school paths went a similar direction. There was a loneliness about being named Prefect and then, later in their seventh year, Head Girl. That connection made it easy for her to rely on him in ways that she didn't with most people and even now she sometimes felt like he was the only person in the world who could properly understand her.

"Really?" If it was possible, Penny brightened more at his acceptance of her proposal. Still, she felt she was in the position to protect him and was faced with the dilemma of how to go about having that one drink with him while keeping other people away. "How should we go about this? Shall I get the drinks and meet you back here or would you prefer we ducked out for a moment?" It might be good to get some fresh air and some peace and quiet for a few moments.

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Re: Percy/Open

weatherby
2009-09-04 04:30 am UTC (link)

Percy felt his smile twitch a bit. "Yes. I suppose you did." And that was something he was very happy not to think about, thanks. He was fond of Oliver, he really was. Despite being Percy's total opposite in most ways, Oliver had proven a surprisingly steady friend to him in school. If they grew apart afterwards...well. That was to be expected.

Still. Friend or not, Oliver was...Oliver. Grinning, charming, athletic, handsome. All the things Percy had never been in his life.

It was selfish, maybe, or just petty, but the idea of his Penny getting on so well with a man so unlike him made Percy feel...odd. Self-conscious, in a strange way.

Still. She was sharing his flat, not his bed. At least, not that Percy knew about...

And either way it was none of his business, and what the hell was he doing in some bar as if he was the sort of person anyone would ever invite to a party...

Bloody hell, man. Get yourself together.

Percy dragged himself out of his increasingly annoying thoughts. "I think I could brave the bar with you," he answered wryly. "I'm not so skittish, and the company is worth it."

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Re: Percy/Open

penelynn
2009-09-04 04:47 am UTC (link)

Penny wasn't expecting their back and forth banter to die off so suddenly. Her forehead creased just enough to show that she was worried she said something wrong, but beyond that Penny didn't know what to think of it. In her eyes, Oliver was a good friend and had been generous enough to offer her a place instead of put her through the torture of finding a suitable roommate. It was becoming clear to her that other people thought there was something else between them and Penny was honestly confused by it.

Slightly bothered by the thought of her mentioning Oliver making Percy uncomfortable, she did her best to shift gears and concentrate on the man before her.

"I didn't think you were, but I do understand. Considering the circumstances, I just thought I should ask." Without another word, she turned and lead the way to the bar. It wasn't as crowded as it had been the last time she made a trip to it, so it was easy to nudge in and actually stand at the bar instead of outside a group of people. Penny leaned forward on the top and waited patiently for the bartender to come to them. "I've never been able to drink whiskey," she randomly stated, glancing back over at Percy, "As predictable as it is, I do tend to like the more fruity drinks. The less I can taste of the alcohol, the better."

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Re: Percy/Open

weatherby
2009-09-04 04:58 am UTC (link)

Percy's silent chastisement of himself grew stronger when he saw how quickly she picked up on his changing mood. Guilt made him wince, and he ordered himself rather forcefully to knock off the cynical nonsense and be there for her on her birthday, the way a friend was supposed to be there for another friend.

He followed her to the bar, deliberately keeping himself from getting too tense or stiff as the crowd grew thicker around them.

"The first few times I ever got pissed I was the same way," he mentioned idly, not thinking that he hadn't really had his first good drunk until after their relationship had ended, and it might be news to her that he'd become something of a connossiour.

"But it truly is an acquired taste. I don't suppose I'll ever love the taste of the stuff, but I can appreciate it now. Or at least not make horrible uncontrollable faces as it goes down." He smiled faintly, laying an unconsciously-proprietary hand on her back as he leaned past her to gesture the bartender. It never paid to wait in crowded pubs - at least, not in the Muggle pubs he'd gone to most often, and doubtless it was the same in Wizarding pubs.

"Whiskey," he called when the bloke finally came over. "And not firewhiskey - I know there's at least a bottle or two of the Muggle stuff back there. And..." He glanced at Penny.

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Re: Percy/Open

penelynn
2009-09-04 06:23 pm UTC (link)

One of Penny's eyebrows quirked up as she tried to grasp an image of what drunken Percy would be like. It wasn't easy, to say the least. She had no idea he'd ever been completely smashed before and it made her realize just how little she knew about the types of things he did nowadays. From their earlier conversation, she had a feeling that when he did decide to do some heavy drinking it was probably alone. That worried her more than slightly. "I really can't picture you pissed," she said skeptically.

Penny was familiar with the face. It was the face she made when she had anything that tasted remotely like alcohol. How some people spent every weekend drinking horrid tasting liquid astonished her. Fortunately, she could take comfort in knowing that she would never become addicted to such things.

When Percy took charge of the situation, Penelope snorted laughter. It was like him to want to hurry along the process. She certainly didn't mind, but she'd always been more patient and didn't mind to wait her turn. Faced with the decision to choose what to have, Penny twisted her mouth into a thoughtful expression. "Why not?" she said, mostly to herself, "Maybe I'll have a whiskey too." It couldn't hurt.

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Re: Percy/Open

weatherby
2009-09-05 03:02 am UTC (link)

He flashed her a wry smile. "I get very relaxed," he informed her almost primly. "Needless to say, there aren't many people who have seen me that way."

One, as a point of fact. One person, and that was entirely on accident. But he wouldn't tell her any of that.

He couldn't help a grin as he looked back at the bartender. "Two, then." He turned back to her in smiling surprise. "Do I get to watch you make a horrible uncontrollable face now, or are there things I don't know about you?"

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Re: Percy/Open

penelynn
2009-09-05 04:49 am UTC (link)

Penelope folded her arms on the bar top and watched the bartender prepare the drinks while she considered her answer to Percy's question. "Only if you promise not to laugh at me," she knew that wasn't a promise he could keep because she had heard previously that her faces were priceless.

There were definitely things he didn't know about her, just as she was sure there were several things about him that she didn't know. But the question made her frown ever so slightly, "I don't think I've changed very much in the last few years." At least not in any way that matters, she added silently to herself.

A few moments later and the shots were in front of them. "One thing I have learned is to not smell it before I try to drink it or to let it linger too long in my throat." Probably not news to him, but Penny actually had to learn those things since she didn't regularly go around asking for advice about how to take a shot.

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johnsonchases
2009-09-02 04:24 pm UTC (link)

Angelina liked a good party. It was one of her favorite things in the world. She enjoyed meeting new people. So she'd spent most of the evening chattering away with new people, dancing with whatever guy pulled her onto the dance floor, and drinking some.

Roger and his open bar were awesome. It was official. Man after her own heart. Needing a break from the dancing, since her feet were beginning to hurt a bit. Angelina extracted herself from the group of people she was dancing with, figuring that she may as well go thank the birthday boy himself.

She glanced around before finding him talking to a group of people. Strolling up behind him she poked his shoulder with her free undrink filled hand and smiled. "Hi!"

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agile
2009-09-03 05:29 pm UTC (link)

Excusing himself from the group that he was regaling with a lively account of the latest amazing stunt he had pulled on the Quidditch field during practice, he turned around to find Angelina there. She looked like she had been having fun. He had seen her earlier that evening, but had been pulled in all sorts of different directions by his friends and teammates for this and that.

"Hi yourself. You're having a good time, I take it?" He asked, grinning wide as he took a swig of his current drink. He had long since lost count of how many he had put away, but it was safe to say it wasn't his first one. But his vision was still with him and he wasn't stumbling around quite yet. That was a testament to his will right there.

Slipping an arm around her waist, he nodded toward a quiet corner to talk so it would easier to hear each other when speaking. "Are you finding the drinks to your satisfaction?"

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johnsonchases
2009-09-03 06:02 pm UTC (link)

Angelina very comfortably threw her arms around his neck and continued smiling even as she felt the liquid in her glass slosh around dangerously. "Fantastic!" She said carefully. Not wanting to slur anything.

Angelina was definitely going to need help flooing home tonight. Thankfully she knew to not try to apparate.

"It's your birthday, so happy birthday." She said letting her fingers play with the hair above his ears before leaning on him and kissing him full on. It was his birthday so birthday snogs were crazy important.

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agile
2009-09-04 09:09 pm UTC (link)

Oh Angelina. He wasn't exactly sober himself, but he wasn't at the point where he would need any help getting home. Though he might just claim it so he could get up close and personal with a pretty party goer or two.

He didn't expect the kiss, at least, not quite so unexpectedly, so he stumbled back a bit, before catching himself and grinning against her lips. If she insisted, who was he to refuse?

Getting into the spirit of the birthday snog - because they were indeed important for such an occasion - one of his hand found its way to the back of her head, while tangling his fingers in her soft hair. His other hand pulled her closer because he was planning to make the most of the kiss and he could hear the catcalls start up around them.

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johnsonchases
2009-09-04 09:47 pm UTC (link)

So when he responded she couldn't help but push herself against him. A hand snaked around to the back of his neck in some attempt to keep him there, not like he was particularly fighting against her or anything.

Alright so this would be brought up again, but she really wasn't thinking about that. She really didn't care much about anything since she'd made the decision to do this about 30 seconds before she'd done it. She could hear a few catcalls but they seemed far away to her. She closed off the kiss, laying a couple more soft ones before smiling and stepping away.

"I," she started carefully to keep herself from sounding too drunk, as she made her move away from him, "am going to go dance now."

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agile
2009-09-04 10:16 pm UTC (link)

Roger was hearing more clearly than her, but Angelina was doing a terrific job of making his senses fall away. Still, he managed to flip everyone off around them with the hand that used to be on her waist, before immersing himself fully to the kiss.

If she thought he was going to be leaving her alone after this, she had another thing coming. Sure, he may have found Penelope attractive, but the last time he checked, he had seen her being friendly with Percy Weasley elsewhere in the pub.

Reluctantly, he let his hands fall away from her when she pulled away. He chased after her lips to get a few last pecks in, but didn't protest too much when she decided she was going to go dance then. "Tease," he accused, laughing as he leaned back to watch her.

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