A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts. Prompts are below :)

Wandlore Task 10: Write about being protective

Word Count: 2393

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.

Enjoy!

Their first kiss took place under the Quidditch stands, after a particularly spectacular Slytherin defeat. Oliver, overcome with enthusiasm, had pulled the taller boy behind one of the posts and smashed their faces together. It was quite uncomfortable, until Percy took control of the situation.

Oliver, when he pulled away, expected to see horror on the other boy's face. He'd kept these feelings carefully under wraps, and it was both terrifying and liberating to have his secret revealed.

He was relieved to instead find a flustered, happy smile on Percy's lips. "I didn't know you…" The taller boy trailed off.

Oliver, fifteen, just grinned. "You can't be right all the time," he said a bit breathlessly. Then his confidence wavered. "This is okay with you, right? Percy?"

Percy, his face still scarlet, kissed him again in answer.

They weren't a secret, but they didn't flaunt their relationship, either. So it came as a surprise when, nearly two months after they'd gotten together, Fred and George Weasley approached him when he was flying around the Quidditch Pitch.

The two boys exchanged a look as Oliver walked over to them. "All right, lads?" he called out to them.

Fred grinned at him, but his eyes lacked their usual mischief and warmth. "Fine, Wood, fine. We just wanted a word."

Oliver looked at them critically for a moment, unsure whether this was a joke or not. Eventually he decided that even the Weasley twins wouldn't be bold enough to prank him somewhere as sacred to him as the Quidditch Pitch, and motioned to the stands. "Right, then. Let's have a seat."

The three of them clambered up into the stands. Wood felt oddly uncomfortable; he was used to these two constantly moving around and laughing, but now they were completely still. Oliver didn't know quite what to make of it. Outside of Quidditch practice, he wasn't their captain—he wasn't sure how to handle this.

"So…" George stretched out and put his feet on the seat in front of him. "You're dating our brother."

Oliver raised a dark brow. "Yes," he said slowly. "For about two months now."

Fred looked surprised. "Has it been that long? Whoever said news travels fast was a liar."

Oliver shivered in the cool, crisp air. It was getting late, but he knew that this was a conversation that could last a while. He pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders. "You wanted to talk about Percy?"

"Yes," Fred said, looking pleased that Oliver had caught on. "Now, you know we have a lot of respect for you. You're a great captain—"

"—wicked on the field," George cut in.

"—and brilliant," Fred finished with a grin. "And you know that Percy is a pompous git."

Oliver opened his mouth to protest, but Fred spoke over him.

"Oh, don't deny it, it's true. The point is, he's still our older brother. So, if anything were to happen to him while he's with you… well, sorry mate, but you'll regret it."

Oliver realized, suddenly, what they were saying. Had the atmosphere not been so tense, he would have thought it funny that Percy's younger siblings were threatening him to protect their brother.

"I won't hurt him," Oliver tried to convince them. "I really do like him, you know. I don't plan on messing this up anytime soon."

Fred and George glanced at each other. "See that you don't," George said. "Our brother deserves the best, you know."

They left then, leaving Oliver in the stands. His mind was whirling. He knew that their last comment hadn't been a dig against him, but the truth of those words rang in his ears. Percy did deserve the best—but was Oliver the best?

He shook those thoughts aside. Percy always knew what he wanted, and he had chosen Oliver. If he wasn't happy, he would leave, Wood was sure.

"Is this seat taken?"

Percy looked up at him, and shook his head slightly. "You know it's not. We sit here every day."

Oliver shrugged and sat down with a grin. "That is very true." He started piling his plate with food, starving after the Saturday practices. "Finished your Charms essay yet? You said you wanted to get that done before lunch."

Percy adjusted his glasses. "I did. It took less time than I thought it would, actually. I got a head start on Potions." Percy ran a hand through his red hair, then shot Oliver a tired smile. There were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was paler than usual, Oliver noticed with worry. The upcoming OWLs were hitting him hard.

Oliver nodded. "That's good." He cleared his throat. "You know, your brothers paid me a visit yesterday evening, when I was flying around the pitch."

Percy looked at him sharply. "Fred and George?" he guessed. When Oliver nodded, he groaned. "What did they want?"

Oliver grinned a little. "They basically told me not to break your heart."

Percy flushed scarlet and closed his eyes. "This is not happening to me," he murmured. Then he sighed and opened them once more. "Don't listen to them. I can take care of myself—Merlin knows I can. And besides that, I trust you."

Oliver bit his lip, his dark eyes shining with unsurety. "They said you deserve the best," he began, "and you do. Just… they didn't mean it that way, but I was wondering if you knew how they… how they really felt about us."

Percy looked surprised for a moment, then laced their fingers together. "Just let it go," he advised. "I'm sure they weren't implying anything—they like you more than me, after all." There was a bitter tinge to his voice that Oliver didn't like, but knew he couldn't do anything about. "It's fine, really. They always liked you before—why wouldn't they now?"

Percy resumed eating, but Oliver wasn't completely convinced. Still, he tried for a smile and raised their joined hands up to his lips, pressing a kiss against Percy's knuckles. "Okay then."

Percy shot him a smile, then turned back to his meal. Oliver sighed as he watched him. Percy had a point, but that didn't mean that Fred and George didn't have one, too. If there was one thing he'd learned from Quidditch, it was that there was always room for improvement. He might be enough for Percy, but he was going to try his hardest to be even more worthy of him.

But saying and doing, he discovered, were two different things. Percy was no fool; one week of Oliver holding doors open for him and carrying his books made him suspicious. In fact, Percy was so focused on figuring out what had brought about this change in his boyfriend that they never had any fun.

Besides that, it was exhausting. He also got the feeling that Percy didn't appreciate being fawned over.

One day, it was too much for both of them.

"You don't have to do this," Percy said one night in their dorm room when Oliver held the door open for him. "I'm perfectly capable."

Oliver shrugged, but he closed the door. "I just thought it would be nice."

Percy stared at him for a long moment before replying. "If you're trying to impress me, you can stop. I didn't agree to go out with someone who walks me to class and brings me lunch when I'm too absorbed in work to pay attention to the time."

Percy walked over until he was right in front of Oliver. "I want someone who can talk for hours about Quidditch and loves Astronomy. Who can make me laugh."

He gave Oliver a pointed look, and the Quidditch captain swallowed thickly. "I'm not sure such a person exists," he joked weakly.

Luckily, Percy laughed and pulled him in for a kiss.

Some of the knots in Oliver's stomach unwound. But a part of him, despite Percy's assurances, still worried that there was something more that he should be doing.

The summer before seventh year, Oliver received an invite to the Burrow. It wasn't the first time he'd met Percy's family, but it was the first time nine heads had swiveled his way when he walked through the door.

"Er…" He blinked, at a loss. "I'm here for Percy?" It sounded more like a question than he wanted it to, but Oliver chose not to focus on that.

The man in question stood up from the lunch table quickly, his blue eyes apologetic. "I need to grab something. I'll be right back."

An uncomfortable silence followed him out of the kitchen. Oliver shifted from foot to foot. He couldn't believe this. He'd never had a problem talking to the Weasleys before—nearly all of them were huge Quidditch fans, and Molly always liked asking him about school and his ambitions for the future.

He cleared his throat. "It's, erm, nice to see you all again."

It was Charlie who spoke next. "Hullo, Wood. You've been dating Percy for a year and a half now, haven't you?"

Oliver desperately counted silently. "Er, no. Only a year and three months."

"Ha!" Bill, who Oliver vaguely remembered from his first few years at school, slammed his hand down on the table, triumph in his eyes. He pointed and grinned at Charlie. "I got it right!"

Charlie pouted and pulled out a galleon from his pocket, handing it over with reluctance. Bill grinned, his long red hair falling into his face as he stood up. "Now that you've won that bet for me, Wood, I was thinking that you and I could have a little chat."

Molly and Arthur exchanged glances. "Now, boys—" the Weasley patriarch began.

"Ah, Dad, we know Oliver. It will be fine."

Charlie and Bill walked into the sitting room to escape their parents' protests, dragging Oliver with them. Before the door closed, Oliver distinctly heard Ron mutter, "Poor sod."

Oliver swallowed and sat gingerly down in a chair, wary of what was coming. This felt an awful lot like the time the twins had confronted him.

He was right to be suspicious.

Bill sat back in an armchair, his fang earring glinting in the lamplight. "So. You and Percy."

Oliver ran a hand through his hair. "Yes." He raised a brow. "For a while now."

Charlie stretched out in his chair, glancing amusedly at Bill as he flipped through a sketchbook of dragons and brooms in an attempt to appear disinterested. Oliver recognized this habit from their time at school together.

Bill shrugged. "Well, yes. But what I want to know is… how serious about him are you?"

Oliver was taken aback by the question. To be perfectly honest, he hadn't thought that far ahead. Percy was the planner; Oliver lived in the moment. But he considered it for a second. He wasn't much of a dreamer, but he could imagine a future with Percy at his side. He could see it so clearly that it was frightening.

But then, he always had loved the thrill of falling through the air.

"I'm not messing with him," he said slowly. "I'm happy with him. I just want a chance. That's all."

Irritation was beginning to bubble up inside him. He always had been quick to temper, and he realized in that moment just how much he had worried over what the Weasley brothers thought of him. He had second guessed everything, and that just wasn't fair. He understood their protectiveness—he would defend Percy to the grave—but Percy should be trusted to make his own decisions.

"Just a chance to be with him without you… without you lot questioning my worthiness. He wants to be with me. That must count for something."

Bill and Charlie exchanged a look of surprise. "Mate." Charlie looked concerned. "That's not what we meant."

Oliver scoffed lightly.

"That's the truth!" Charlie insisted. "Merlin, mate, I didn't realize you were thinking like that. We don't think you'll intentionally hurt him—we just wanted to know if you could see this working out. If the two of you split up… Well, Percy's a bit easy to poke fun at, isn't he? He's not the most popular of the bunch."

Bill nodded. "He needs stability. He doesn't do well with change. If your House was going to pick sides after a break-up… that wouldn't be good for him."

"Oh," Oliver said, his voice hoarse. "You don't have to worry about that. I wouldn't ostracize him. And I'm not doing this for a laugh."

Charlie pushed his sketchbook to the side and put a hand on Oliver's shoulders. "Good. I doubted you would. And for the record, I'm really glad he has you."

"So am I," Bill agreed. "He's happy with you."

Oliver grinned in relief. "I'm happy with him, too."

The three of them stood up, and immediately after a red-faced Percy burst into the room, his glasses askew and his chest heaving. He glared at his two older brothers.

"I hate you," he ground out.

Charlie and Bill grinned at him. "Sorry we had to set the twins on you, Percy," the eldest Weasley said lightly, "but we needed time to talk to Wood here. But we've finished now, so you're free to go."

Oliver hurried to tug his lover out of the house before he could murder his older brothers—a very real possibility, considering the impressive OWLs he'd received.

"So," Oliver began slowly, amused, "what did Fred and George do?"

"They locked me in my room," Percy grumbled. "I really hope Bill and Charlie didn't give you a hard time."

"Nah. They were only looking out for you," he assured the taller man. "They really care about you, you know."

Some of the tension left Percy's shoulders, and he smiled. "Yeah, I know."

Oliver looked up at the turquoise sky and sighed contentedly. He draped an arm over Percy's shoulders and pressed his face into his lover's milk white shirt. "And you know that I love you, right?" he whispered softly.

Percy stilled. When Oliver peeked up at him, an incredulous, touched grin was on his face. He bent down to kiss Oliver, slow and steady. "I do now," he murmured. "And… I love you, too."

Oliver was certain that he was beaming brighter than the sun. He squeezed Percy's hand, and everything just seemed to fall right into place at last.

A/N:

Writing Club:

Disney Challenge: Songs 4. A Girl Worth Fighting For — write about someone protective

Book Club: Eva — (color) turquoise, (dialogue) "This isn't happening to me.", (word) dreamer

Showtime: 18. Dyin' Ain't So Bad (Reprise) — (emotion) relief

Amber's Attic: Prompts 8. (word) horror

Liza's Lyrics: 11. Hanson - MMMBop — "Oh, so hold on the ones that really care." (inspiration)

Angel's Arcade: 15. The Iron Bull — (trait) undying loyalty, (relationship) lovers, (action) kissing another person's hand

Lo's Lowdown: Dialogue 1. "I hate you."

Bex's Basement: 9. "I just want a chance. That's all."

Film Festival: 15. (action) holding hands

Seasonal Challenges:

Days of the Year: 1st April — Write about Fred and George

Spring: 5. (word) crisp

Colors: 3. Milk white

Birthstones: 4. Alexandrite — "Ha! I got it right!"

Flowers: 6. Freesia — (object) sketchbook

Earth: 13. (word) stability

Amanda's Challenge: Characters 12. Dawn Summers — write about a younger sibling

Hufflepuff Challenge: Traits 13. Understanding

Star Chart: 1. (scenario) first kiss

Fortnightly Challenge:

Space Mom: 2. Write about someone trying to fix or improve something

Capcom Lives: 5. Phoenix Wright — (action) pointing and grinning, (dialogue) "That's the truth!"

Magic Kingdom: Meet and Greet: 16. Elsa — (dialogue) "Just let it go."

Gym: Level 1: Glute Bridge — (dialogue) "Is this seat taken?"

365 Words: 31. Convince

Insane House Challenge: 77. (character) Fred Weasley