Author's Note: This is not the greatest Percy/Oliver fic in the world; this is just a tribute.  The greatest P/O fic in the world is the "Catharsis" trilogy by A'jes' Blue, so go read that.  :o) This story is for xixie, my beta and the one who introduced me to the wonderful world of Percy/Oliver shipping.  Reviews are always appreciated and believe it or not, these characters don't belong to me.

*****

The knocking was so faint, at first he was sure he had imagined it. 

Knock, knock.

There it was again.  But it was so soft he had to strain to hear it over the sound thrashing the Chuddley Canons were currently receiving on the radio.  He rose from the couch and made his way to the front door, surprised.  It was nearly midnight - not too late for his friends to be dropping by, but he doubted it was them.  They were more the barge-in-first-knock-on-the-door-later-types.

He opened the door to find a tall, thin wizard leaning against the frame.

"Hello, Oliver."

Oliver searched the man's face, trying to place him.  He looked like a drowned rat that had recently been in a tavern brawl; his robes were torn and caked with mud, his nose looked broken, the lenses in his glasses had cracked, and he was shivering from the rain pouring down outside.  Suddenly, recognition came.

"Percy?!  What happened to you?"

The other wizard nodded.  "Sorry to drop in like this.  I had a bit of trouble with some Muggles.  I think they were trying to rob me, but when they saw I didn't have any money, they beat me up instead.  Even broke my wand, the prats."

Oliver stepped aside.  "Come in, let me get a towel or something."  He rummaged around in a closet and pulled out a towel and a spare robe.  "Here, you should go get changed.  Do you want me to owl anyone for you?  Should we contact the Muggle police?"

Percy shook his head.  "No, don't bother.  It's not like they got anything.  I just came into London for the day on Ministry business.  I was supposed to meet the rest of my staff at 10 for a portkey back to the office, but I got attacked on my way there and then I got stuck in the rain, and since you're the only person I know around here, I thought maybe I could drop in, dry off, get you to heal some of these bruises . . ." he trailed off, uncertainly.  Percy was well aware that he and Oliver had never really been friends, but they had been roommates for all seven years at Hogwarts and he felt more comfortable coming to him than worrying his mother at this time of the night.

Oliver smiled.  "No problem.  I've had plenty of practice with bumps and scrapes from playing Quidditch.  Just let me get my wand."

Within minutes, all traces of Percy's beating and subsequent frolic in the rain had disappeared.  In addition to clearing up his cuts and bruises, Oliver also repaired his glasses and tried to mend the broken wand with Spell-O-Tape while Percy washed up in the W.C.  When he re-emerged wearing the robe, face and hands clean, hair combed and parted down the middle just so, Oliver was able to detect a clearer trace of his old roommate than he had seen in the miserable wretch who had shown up at his door.

"So, how are you feeling?"  he asked, gesturing for Percy to join him on the couch.

"Better, thanks.  Not terribly fabulous, but a definite improvement."  Percy smiled, shyly.  Now that his immediate problems had been dealt with he felt awkward for having barged in on a semi-stranger, especially one he really hadn't seen or talked to since graduation almost two years ago.  Oliver had always been more of a friend to George and Fred than to him, so he was at a bit of a loss over what to say or do next.  "Sorry for interrupting your game."

Oliver waved a hand dismissively in the direction of the stereo, which was still broadcasting softly.  "Don't worry about it.  The Canons couldn't win a match playing themselves, much less against the second-best team in the league."

"London's only second best now?"

Oliver feigned hurt.  "I guess you don't support Puddlemere.  Didn't you hear about the all-star reserve Keeper they just moved to first string?"

"The twins might have mentioned something about that, yeah.  Congratulations, by the way."

"Thanks."

A silence settled over the two wizards.  Percy tried out his wand, testing the Spell-O-Tape with simple charms.  He was lost in thought, about to summon a miniature rainbow, when he realized that Oliver speaking.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I just asked if you'd like some tea?  I also think you should probably stay here tonight.  You're in no shape to Apparate."  Oliver stood up and began moving towards the kitchen.

"Tea would be great, thanks.  And I don't want to cause you any trouble.  I can always get a ride on a Knight Bus or something . . ."  He could hear Oliver filling the kettle with water, a soft hiss and then a high-pitched whistling as he used magic to boil the water.

"Don't be silly.  It's not a problem, at least, as long as you don't mind sleeping on the couch."  Oliver reappeared in the doorway, carrying a tray with a teapot and two cups.  "I just wish I had something stronger.  After that little romp in the rain, you could probably use a good Pepper-Up potion right now."  He placed the tray on a small table and found two chairs for them to sit in.

Percy took the cup of tea Oliver offered to him and sipped.  "I'm sure I'll be fine.  Tea's more than enough to warm me up."

As they drank, quietly filling each other in on their lives after Hogwarts, Percy could feel his eyelids getting heavier.  He knew Oliver wouldn't have put anything into the tea, but he was suddenly so sleepy . . .

The other wizard noticed the look on his face.  "I'm sorry, Percy, you've had a long day.  Why don't you go ahead and lay down?"

Percy nodded and wandered over to the couch.  He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow Oliver had retrieved for him, and he didn't stir when a blanket was slowly draped over his body.  Oliver watched the sleeping form for a few minutes, thinking, then walked into his bedroom to get some rest himself.