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Vera The windowpane was cool beneath his cheek, balanced by the warm wood under his hand. A dim chirp of crickets and occasional moans from the foundations were the only disturbances of the black silence. He shifted on the sill, fingering the intricate carvings that he himself had put there so many long years ago. Eternities had passed since he was the child with a penknife and book of Protection charms, carefully carving shields for Fred, George and Ron. They had been so small then and so very frightened. But he had been strong and carved their fears away with bony fingers. When his mother found him at it, she didn't have the heart to scold him. Instead, she had gathered him up in her arms and held him for a long time. He had missed these memories. Even if they were so tainted with those later ugly years when had sat in this very room, wishing he were anywhere else, but in this house with his hateful siblings and suspicious parents. The coughing fit took him unaware and sent him sprawling to the floor. The ice block that had long settled in his chest rattled wickedly threatening to grow larger. Icy spikes flowed through his veins, cutting invisibly and choking into his throat. He convulsed once, twice and went still. All was silent again. He stayed the floor a long time and thought of his changed little brother, wondered if those powerful eyes had found out what he tried so hard to conceal. He had come home to find his family again, true. But his deeper, stronger purpose was far more selfish... Percy Weasley had come home to die. The canvas had taken on a life of it's own. Lately that happened a lot. She had imagined that once peace had descended, so would it descend on her soul, but it seemed not be. The thick layers of red and black paint stared back at her, the bent grotesque images a hideous throwback to the darkest times. She stood with a sigh and brushed long tangled strands of hair out of her eyes with stiff false fingers. The windows were open on a fresh, cloudless morning and the sun shone cheerily in. She itched to slam them closed and sit in the dark to weep. She allowed the feeling to wash over her for a long moment before shaking it clear. There was no room for that now, no time to sit in fear. After all those long years of battle, Major General of the second largest troop, Hermione had found her place organizing the reschooling of those she had worked so hard to make battle ready. In six months, she had already begun three central Learning Centers with fifty classes taught by pre-War Hogwarts' and other secondary school graduates. If all went well, she herself would graduate in a year and start teaching herself. Her life by all appearances was good. By sheer chance, her parents were not those among the Muggle-born relatives wiped out in one of the reactive strikes and they were happily ensconced in their practices. She had a job she enjoyed with the promise of endless learning in front of her and even a wonderful man by her side. Merlin knew they'd both had enough of pain and loneliness for a lifetime. "Heavy thoughts, love?" And he was there and the last of the darkness left her. "Mmmm." She smiled crookedly. "They've passed. Have you made dinner?" "I hope you don't mind that its only eggs." "That will do, Regulus." Yes, in a few months she'd be Hermione Black and the world would spin on. Eventually the pain would leave. And life could begin again. It was in the middle of the third day Ron had spent at Snape's side that he finally got a glimpse of the mysterious stranger who had made him itchy since the first time he'd come here. It wasn't just the Silver Sight that warned him of the presence of another, but years of excepting a sneak attack making him hyper aware. Ron was listening carefully to a text read itself quietly and clearly to him while Snape poured over several other tomes when the door creaked. Ron was instantly on his feet, fingers going to his side to pull his sword from his hip. It took him a moment to register that there was nothing there to pull on his attacker. As a part of the peace process, there was a general disarmament as suggested several times in General Potter's speeches. "Settle down. It is no one of any threat to you." He could feel the other body, close and frightened. Gently, he extended a hand. "Hello?" As soft as a dove, fingers alighted on his hands and then flitted nervously away again. "It's quite safe Draco. He is merely easily startled." The touch returned, tentative, but a little surer. "Draco." Ron repeated. "That's a nice name. Who are you?" "He is my adopted son. " Snape responded unexpectedly. "He wanted to thank you." "Whatever for?" "You killed Lucius." The voice seemed oddly hoarse in contrast to the soft hand, which had still not left, tracing gentle circles into his palm. "If I had him here I would do it again." Ron replied firmly. "Of all of them, he is the only one I have no regret in slaughtering." The hug was so swift it left Ron wondering whether or not it had actually happened. "Are we friends?" "Sure, Draco." The body felt as old as his own, so what was with the little boy act? "Can you bring Percy?" "What?" For a moment, he wanted nothing more then to be able to see so that he could figure out what the hell was going on. It passed as swiftly as it came. "Is the Forget-Not congealed?" Snape asked, his tone noticeably softer then Ron had ever heard before. "No." And the presence retreated after another soft touch to his wrist. When the door shut, Snape loosed a small sigh. "What does he want with Percy?" "Your brother was an.....associate of mine." "A spy, I know." "Yes." A creak of wood as Snape shifted in his chair. "We often came and went from my chambers. Draco became very familiar with him and they often occupied each other when I had other things to attend too. Once the war was over, he saw no reason to return." "He didn't speak to any of us when he left... He's back now." "I saw him at the banquet." Snape admitted. "But he did not seem interested in speaking with me." "I don't know why he came back." Slowly, Ron lowered himself back into his chair, halting the droning of his book. "The same day Harry spoke to you, he just showed up." "Well, if you could get him to come, Draco would be most grateful. He seems to be quite taken with you already." "Why did he thank me for killing Lucius?" There was a long agonizing pause and Ron had almost decided he wasn't going to get an answer when Snape broke the silence. "Draco was Lucius' son. I took him from his home when he was five. Since then he has lived with me. In sixteen years, I have only barely begun to peel back the layers of damage done. The boy may never really grow up." "I wish I had taken longer to kill him." Ron said firmly. As one, they turned back to their books. There was nothing left to say. Once more at home, Ron went out back and sank into one wicker chair. Carefully, he let his cigarette blaze up and took a deep, satisfying suck. The smoke filled him and burned in all the right places. Letting out a long, funneled breath, he waited. Someone was bound to come interrupt his peace and quiet. Within ten minutes, Ginny had arrived and was chatting merrily about her part in Hermione's learning centers. He listened, nodded and said all the right things. "Well, enough about that." She finally said decisively. "How are things going with Professor Snape? Has he threatened to poison you yet?" "Not at all." He paused and took another drag. "He's been fairly decent for Snape. I think he's better when he's doing something new instead of teaching scared kids." "Have you made any progress at all?" "We're still reading the case studies. There's a surprising amount of them when you've lumped them all together. Some are better documented then others." "That's good... Mom says dinner should be ready if an hour or so. Can I get you anything?" "No....wait." He felt her pause. "Ask Percy if he'd mind taking me for a walk." "All right." Confusion flowed off her clear as day. " I think he's upstairs." Several minutes later, Ron felt his brother's presence. As he grew more used to the Silver Sight, it became more detailed. There was a certain 'feel' to almost everyone around him. Percy was a tense line of red, occasionally wavering to slightly calmer oranges. "You wanted something?" "Walk with me? I'd like to get away from the house." "Ginny would be happy to..." "Help me up." A fine boned hand clasped his wrist and drew him up. With a touch born of practice, Ron clasped his brother's bent elbow. "Just down to the pond and back." They moved slowly, avoiding the faster, but more treacherous routes across the Burrow's back property. In the relative silence, Ron could hear Percy's stiff even breaths and swayed with his methodical steps. "Snape said the two of you used to spend quality time together." He said, after a while. "Hardly." Percy sniffed. "We worked together is all. And he was kind enough to lend me his couch for a kip when I was too tired to Apperate back home." "Really?" Ron clutched slightly tighter as they began going downhill. "I met Draco, you know. He asked for you." "Oh...is he...Well, no, of course he isn't fine." "No. He's seems very...fragile." Percy snorted "Handy understatement. He's a bloody mess and Snape of all people is the only thing keeping him from the brink of extinction. He almost never talks to anyone. I'm surprised you saw him at all." "He wanted to thank me....for killing Lucius." "Merlin...that was you? There was barely enough body to scrap into a jar when they found him." "After what Snape told me about Draco, I wouldn't mind doing it all over again." "How much did he say?" The question was casual, but Percy's grip on his arm tightened. "Almost nothing. Only that it was a fucking good thing that he got him out of there." The grip relaxed. "Why, how much did he tell you?" "Not much, but....Draco's got some interesting phobias that give enough away." "Like what?" "Don't push it." A swift breeze brought the lake air to them. "We're here." Slowly, Ron disengaged from his brother and walked slowly down to the water. He swirled his fingers in the lapping waves and smiled at the memories that greeted him. Harry and he during shortened summer breaks playing until they passed out on the shore, fatigued and burning. He felt Percy join him and the very idea of Percy sitting in the damp and the mud was enough to make Ron shiver. They had all changed so much. Gently, so as not to startle him, he raised wet fingers to his brother's cheek. "May I?" Percy nodded weakly under his fingertips. Waves of unease greeting his Silver Sight, Ron felt the soft skin as familiar as his own. The cheeks were so deeply hollowed, the lips so puckered, he rather imagined Percy was sucking on some invisible lemon. The skin under his eyes was especially fragile as if there were heavy bruises there. A sharp breath disturbed the air and Ron dropped his hands. "You feel tired...sick." "Thanks." Was the dry return. "You look just peachy." "I know." They were quiet together for a long time, but finally Ron just had to ask, "Where were you? After the dust cleared...." "Italy mostly. And then China for a few weeks and then Switzerland." "Why those places?" "No particular reason." Seeking aid, turning to every Charms, Potions and Curse professionals he could find. Anyone who might have the blessed cure. "Just places I wanted to see." And he had learned a fair amount, seen some amazing places, but it was all done in sepia-colored memory. His mind had been everywhere at once. "Did you find what you were looking for?" "No." And the bitterness leaked into Ron's skin it was so strong. "It doesn't exist." "What....love?" "Fuck. Off." The anger was so immediate and so foreign that Ron nearly tumbled into the pond, only well honed reflexes saved him. He could hear Percy retreating. "Wait!" He commanded. "I don't know what's got your knickers in a twist, but I can't get home alone." He could feel the pull of emotions, but Percy's fundamental sense of what was right seemed intact. A begrudging hand helped him up. "This is so pathetic." "I can't help it." He replied defensively. "I know...that's what's pathetic. The two of us...Merlin, our whole fucking family. We were the incorrigible, courageous, indefatigable Weasleys and now... Mom's got a twitch, Dad's back is practically snapping in two with all the extra responsibility, Bill and Charlie have had all the fight sucked out of them and Ginny's a nattering twit. The only pair with a sense of humor are dead. And us! The fallen, wounded heroes. The spy uncovered and the great General unable to walk to his own house." It wasn't funny. Not at all. But the woods rang with gales of laughter all the way back to the Burrow. If Snape had been expecting to Percy to come back with his tail between his legs, all dewy-eyed apologies then he would have been gravely disappointed. But of course, Snape was smart enough not to except anything of the sort. He arrived with Ron on time for the blind man's daily appointment at the beginning of the second week. The time away from England hadn't added weight to those strong Weasley bones, but rather had thinned him to the point of ugliness and added black circles beneath his eyes. The scar that twisted his lips was red with irritation. The stupid boy had been scratching at. "Professor Snape." "Mr. Weasley." They stared at each other, angular, bitter ex-spies. Comrades in arms. A flicker of understanding passed between them and the tension in the room shattered. Just in time for a streak of white gold to burst through the room and attach itself to Percy's dubious frame. "Percy!" The anger was punctuated with hard hugs. "You went away." "Yes, well I'm back now." The half of his lips that were still mobile, raised in a strange smile. "Checkers!" Was the firm command. And Percy allowed himself be dragged into the personal chambers attached to the lab. When they were gone, Ron sank boneless into his usual chair. "That's the first time he's been remotely happy since he came back." He said, slightly perplexed. "What's checlerns? "Checkers." Snape corrected absently. "It's a Muggle game. I tried to teach Draco chess, but the pieces obliterating each other bothered him. Percy suggested the alternative." "Strange. I didn't think Percy knew the first little thing about Muggles." Snape snorted. It sounded almost exactly like Percy's. "You don't know much about your brother, do you?" Snape mocked. "The boy knew more then anyone in the Order. He spent vast amounts of time living among them, particularly when he was spying. It was safer for him at least to sleep and eat in Muggle London and it gave him a place to disappear to if he was ever caught." "I never knew." Ron replied softly, idly scratching his naked scalp. "Then again, I never asked." "Don't feel too guilty." Snape said hurriedly, trying to blur over his kindness. "You're plate was rather full." "Yes." But the reply was full of mourning and Ron's concentration waned the rest of the day, thrown off particularly when Draco's bubbling laughter would rise from behind the door, once accompanied by Percy's husky chuckles. With the day a complete waste as far as research went, Snape was more then happy to see the Weasley brothers on their way out to Dumbledore's office where they would floo home. When he returned, Draco was happily dissecting a Beeblebrox for the next batch of Cure-All they had to make. "Did you have a good visit?" "Won the games. Almost all of them. " Draco beamed, bouncing a little on his toes. "Percy is a better player then you." "I suppose that he is." He replied coolly. "He's had more practice." "Percy is sad." "Yes." "Oh." Draco bit his lip. "He was happy today." "I suppose." "Then he should visit more often!" Draco beamed and Severus, Mordred take him, smiled back and tried to ignore the tightness in his chest. next part last part << |