Series: THE ASSIGNMENT
Pairing: PW/OW
Rating: A careful PG for subject matter and language
Warning: Surprise, it is slash
Summary: In their seventh-year, Percy and Oliver are paired in an unusual assignment.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. are the property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros. No infringement on their copyright is intended.
Beta: Originally, there was no beta for this part. However, Tanya or lj user"arcanefairy",betaedthis part andprovided some great suggestions – and I've even proudly stolen one of her sentences – Thank you ;)

A/N: Very AU. No Voldemort. No Cho Chang. And Penelope is blonde.

Chapter One

One afternoon in Mid-December, Hermione Granger sat in the front row of Professor Plum's class and carefully re-rolled her seven-foot long essay. Though term projects were normally due at the end of the holiday season, a few students submitted their assignments early in the hope of gaining their professor's good favor.

Just as she was tying the parchment roll tightly, a hand flashed in front of her, and all seven-feet of parchment came loose. Her assignment flew into the air and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor.

"That's my homework!"

Blaise Zabini looked down at the open parchment and back at Hermione with a smirk. "Is that what you're calling it these days, mudblood? I can't wait to see Plum's face when you present this sorry excuse of a wizard-muggle cooperation timeline."

Hermoine flushed as she held out her hand. Her gaze was strong as she demanded: "Give it here."

Blaise's foot hovered over the parchment. "And what might you do if-"

He stopped. The echo of heavy, confident steps and boyish chuckles could be heard from outside the classroom.

"…Real smooth, Wood. What did you expect him to do? He doesn't read minds. No Ravenclaw has ever shown promise in Trelawney's class."

"And you would know that Perce because…?"

"Yeah, Perce. Something Penelope's not reading, is it?"

More laughter.

"Ha-ha," came the dry reply. "Dave, the next time you're with Karen, I'll-"

The trio of seventh-year boys entered the classroom and briefly looked at the third years before exchanging knowing glances.

Percy Weasley was the first to react, straightening his robes in anticipation of what he liked to call a 'head boy situation.' He brushed his knuckles on his badge in a seemingly casual (and yet calculated) gesture. "Hello. Dropping off your end of term assignments?"

Slowly Blaise nodded, eying the two Quidditch players that stood behind Percy.

"I'll make sure Plum sees them." He looked pointedly at her before looking at the floor, the unrolled parchment catching his eye. "How are you today, Hermione?"

When she didn't answer, he picked up her assignment, used his fingers to quickly roll it in a swift motion and tied a neat bow. "Perhaps you'd both best be off to your last class, hmm?"

Shooting Percy an annoyed look and ignoring the piercing stares of the others, Blaise placed his own assignment on Plum's desk and walked briskly out of the room.

Oliver Wood cleared his throat. "Hi there, Hermione. Kind of early for this stuff, don't you think?" He pointed at the assignment.

Recovering from the ordeal, she smiled at him. A hint of a blush came over her cheeks as she said, "I'd rather not have Professor Plum wait to grade mine until the last minute. I expect you have your assignments as well?"

David Sharp of Ravenclaw laughed and muttered, "Yeah, right."

Percy sat on the edge of his desk and explained, "We haven't received the end-of-term assignment as of yet. But Plum has been stressing practice over theory this term."

Hermoine pursed her lips together. "That's right, I'd forgotten about that. I heard that Plum's approached the Board of Governors and Ministry of Magic for permission."

Dave shook his head. "Probably something stupid. It always is with Plum. You guys remember last year's open-choice projects? Someone wrote 'Quill Versus Ballpoint: The Best of Both Worlds.' "

Oliver laughed. "Now, who wrote that one? Do you remember, Dave?"

Percy cleared his throat and said quickly, "What about that one that Plum kept using as an example of an 'unsurpassed impassioned argument?' Oh, that's right! I remember now! 'Quidditch Versus Rugby: The Ancient Battle of Good Against Evil'."

Dave and Percy began to shake with laughter as Oliver stared at them. "How did you two know?"

Hermione cleared her throat, and the three younger men startled, cutting off their conversation and staring at her as though she only just appeared.

"Thanks, Percy. I'd better be off."

As she gathered her books together, Hermione caught another glimpse of the three seventh years over her shoulder. It wasn't often she was reminded of Percy's sense of humor. Well, she thought, at least not around his brothers.

Percy called after her. "Are you sure you're all right? Did you want to make out an official report?"

"Yeah. He's got a new quill!" Oliver added.

Dave snorted. Percy sighed heavily.

Shaking her head, Hermione gave a short wave and raced to make her last class.

"Mr. Wood! Haven't we wasted enough class time these last few months? Put that book away! Eyes forward! Everyone!" Professor Plum pointed to himself and set his lips in a tight, thin line. "I hope I won't be disturbing any more Quidditch-strategy sessions today."

Percy bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling, unable to stop from turning in his seat to look at Oliver in the back row. Sure enough, Dave was huddled beside him and both textbooks remained closed. Percy caught Oliver's eye and raised his eyebrows in a mock-scolding gesture.

"Today you'll receive your term-end assignments."

Plum walked to the chalkboard and with a dramatic flick of his wrist, detailed diagrams and instructions covered the boards in his trademark small handwriting.

Percy drew in a quick breath, his quill at-the-ready, and waited patiently for the professor to explain the strange illustrations. He squinted his eyes at the diagrams. This can't be right. The instructions indicate that --

"The Marriage Assignment." Plum's gleeful voice echoed off stonewalls. "For the next week, you'll all be paired into groups of two and assigned random tasks to be completed as a team."

The class whispered excitably. The professor was clearly enjoying himself, smacking his thin lips as he looked around to gauge the reaction.

"Class, this is a serious project. It will count towards 80-percent of your first-term grade and forty-percent of your overall grade. I suggest you pair-up wisely, as this week you'll be spending most of your time with your," the professor paused and held up both hands in an air-quote gesture, " 'spouse.' "

With a slight hiccup, Percy tried to stop staring at the chalkboard. Perhaps this is all a prank, he thought. Married for a week. Counting for eighty percent of the term grade. And evaluated by… what?

He shook his head hard, some reddish strands loosening from their gelled hold and sweeping in front of his eyes. Don't be ridiculous. He let out a slow breath. After all, we're in class with the seventh-year Ravenclaws. Of course, Penny will-

"Oh, and class?" Plum clapped his hands together. "I want in-house pairs only. Makes things a lot more convenient that way, don't you think?"

What--

Drawing a quick breath, Percy turned around.

Oliver's jaw dropped. He's kidding. He must be kidding! Come on, Plum. Tell us this is just one of your silly whims that's you're not actually expecting us to follow through. For Merlin's sakes here, we're not thirteen!

Oliver drummed his fingers on the edge of his desk. Of all the stupid last minute assignments. Just his luck. One week before the start of holidays, Plum gives out a project. And assigns project partners with each house--

He shifted his gaze from Plum to Percy, matching his stunned expression. For a moment, he could have sworn he'd seen the redhead sway as though about to faint. His hands were white as they gripped his parchment and quill, threatening to tear both into two. He gave Percy a weak smile before breaking the gaze.

Beside him, Dave was bouncing in his seat. "All right! A whole week forced to be with Karen! This is going to be-"

"Horrible," Oliver interrupted in a dry voice, looking up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, just-- uh, horrible?" Dave paused, a wicked smile slowly appearing. "Whoa! It's just you and Perce, eh? Well," he now smacked his lips in a Plum-like gesture, "I was always pulling for you to hook up with--"

"Oh, just shut up! Like it's bad enough when it's just me, all right? Percy doesn't need to be dragged into my shit," Oliver wiped a hand over his forehead, glaring at Dave sideways. "Try to wipe that idiotic smile off your face."

Dave ignored Oliver's sharp tone, instead laughing and slapping him hard on the back. "It's not going to be that bad. Everyone knows that you're gay and that Percy is dating Penelope. They won't bother a Quidditch captain and the head boy."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Quidditch doesn't stop them from bothering me already. And now, for Perce to be messed up with me, it's not going to help matters."

Dave put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, squeezing. "I'm serious. It's never been a problem for anyone, has it? Except a select few that choose to make it their problem."

Oliver stared at the back of Percy's head. "I know. That's what worries me. He shouldn't have to put up with this, even from only a 'select few'."

Dave patted Oliver's shoulder again. "You should be more worried about having Percy as your partner. If you get anything less than an 'A,' he'll be looking for an annulment. Good luck!" he added cheerfully. He stood, flashing Oliver another mischievous smile as he made his way to Karen's desk.

Oliver leaned back in his chair, balancing on the rear legs. Looking around, he noticed that most of the Ravenclaws seemed more than content with the assignment. Like Dave and Karen, many of the seventh-years were already dating each other and the few singles left were quickly paired-up. Oliver noticed Penelope Clearwater had already changed her seat to sit beside the handsome Ravenclaw seeker, Adam Jones.

Plum cleared his throat. "Ah, all settled now? Excellent! To ensure a good grade, I recommend that you follow – Er. Mr. Weasley, are you all right? Would you like a glass of water? No?"

Oliver looked at Percy again, whose gaze was darting back-and-forth, between Plum and Penelope. His face was red.

From his seat, Oliver heard Dave laugh and watched as Percy cast him a reproachful look.

"Everyone, listen up! This assignment will test your cooperation and teamwork skills. It will help you form the basis for what you can expect upon entering into a magical marriage bond. In any wizard relationship-- be it business, marriage, friendship, whatnot, how you encourage a relationship can have a positive or negative consequence on your magic. For instance, those with a poor business relationship will often find their use of simple spells requires more concentration when working in a business environment."

Plum began to pace. "Marriage, however, is a little different. When encouraged, the bonding of two individuals translates into the literal bond of your magic. The more you help and encourage your relationship, the better your relationship – and thus, magic – will be. And in dark times, the positive energy of a small bit of magic can make all the difference."

Plum stopped walking, and Oliver could see his eyes flashing with excitement. "This project will show how magic of a few can negatively affect the whole. You'll have to adjust to a slight change in your use of magic, but you'll also learn new safeguards. As well, you'll have a chance to see the affect that a bond has on charms. And the ability to take each other's strengths and produce a greater result. With this experience, I believe the Marriage Assignment will significantly benefit you in the future. Besides," Plum smiled brightly. "It's fun."

Most of the students cheered at this remark, looking forward to this particular assignment with unsurpassed enthusiasm.

Why am I not surprised?

Oliver rolled his neck, loosening tense muscles. Percy's bright hair caught his eye again, and he followed his gaze. Still looking at Penelope and Adam.

And, Oliver realized, Percy was probably noticed the same situation that he saw – that Penelope only had eyes for Adam, laughing loudly to him, throwing her blond curls high above her head, touching his shoulder lightly. Adam was leaning close to her, his arm around the back of her chair.

Assignment hasn't even started yet. Oliver looked at the surface of his desk, carefully examining pencil marks that bored students had etched into the wood. He wouldn't dare chance a look around the room, and risk seeing Percy react to Penelope and Adam together.

Adam. I think his name is Adam.

Percy bit his bottom lip, trying to remember everything he'd ever heard about the young man Penelope was paired to. I think… Yes, Dave introduced us last year. He's smart. That's a given, he scolded himself. But he's also athletic, on the Quidditch team. Maybe Oliver knows him well.

Percy drew his eyes away from Penny to look around the classroom. Everyone was paired boy-girl, and he shuddered as he realized that he and Oliver would be deemed Hogwarts Poster Gay couple.

It wasn't that gay couples were uncommon in the wizard world, he acknowledged. But no house ever seemed to miss an opportunity to tease new couples, especially the one house that, Percy knew, Oliver spent so much of his time trying to avoid. And those Slytherins aren't about to pass on the opportunity to take every available jibe at the head boy marrying-- er, pretend-marrying a Quidditch Captain.

The project itself wasn't a problem for Percy. If he could ignore his brothers' teasing, he could certainly put up with the entire student body for one week. No, the major concern's Oliver.

Percy sighed, looking at the back of the room. Oliver was staring at his desk, looking similarly miserable as whenever he lost a Quidditch match.

Handle it, Ol, Percy silently willed. Handle it so that I don't have to.

"Settle down now." Plum clapped his hands loudly, and Percy turned back to the front of the room. "There are some specifics for this assignment. Take note, that the more time you spend together, the better the mark. And the more activities that you do together, the better chance you have for increasing your grade."

The class snickered. How old are you all? Percy rolled his eyes, twirling his quill in his hand.

Plum walked to his desk. "Before you leave, I'll be placing a set of charms on each couple. These charms will award points for actions that would otherwise go unseen. For instance, showing genuine concern for one another. Sacrificing your happiness for your partner's. Even chivalry may earn you points."

At this suggestion, some of the Ravenclaw boys stood up and pushed their partner's chairs in an exaggerated gesture. I'll never again tease Dave that Ravenclaws don't have a sense of humor.

"Are we set?" The professor's face was flushed with anticipation. "Line up at the classroom door with your partner."

"Right," Percy muttered, setting about capping his inkbottle and gathering his books as the other students stormed the doorway in a poorly formed line.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and jumped at the touch. "Merlin, where'd you come from?"

Oliver gave him a weary smile. "Sorry bout that. Looks like it's just you and me, eh?" His gaze shifted from Percy to the classroom door, where Dave held Karen's hand as Plum uttered the charms.

A whole week of this?

Percy cleared his throat lightly, bringing Oliver's attention back to him. "You know," he said slowly, gathering his books in his arms. "I would have preferred dinner first."

Oliver's weary smile spread into a genuine grin, and he slapped a hand on Percy's shoulder hard.

Oh, that's going to bruise.

"Get your books, Red," Oliver said. "I ain't carrying them for ya."

With a wry grin, Percy shook his head at Oliver's words, joining him at the back of the line. He leaned to the side, trying to get a glimpse at the charms.

As the pairs made their way though the classroom door, he noticed, Plum was sprinkling a white, glowing dust taken from a large bowl and uttering an incoherent phrase. No help there.

"Professor," Percy started as he and Oliver approached the doorway. "If you don't mind me asking, what charms are you using?"

"Charms approved by the Ministry, Mr. Weasley." Plum busied himself as he drew a pile of the white dust together in his bowl.

Percy exchanged a look with Oliver, shrugging his shoulders at Plum's non-answer. I suppose he can't go around telling students marriage charms. Think of the havoc Fred and George could reek.

Plum suddenly looked up from his bowl, as though he'd only just noticed which students were in front of him. He blinked, and then gave them an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, boys. You know, by the end of this week, most of the Ravenclaws will think that you got the better deal. And you already share a dorm and spend time together, so goblet half full, right?"

"Sure," Oliver muttered.

"Just let me know if you have any questions. Or problems," Plum added quietly.

Wait, problems?

"Wait, problems?" Percy blurted out.

As he spoke, white dust swirled around him. The room, the doorway, Plum – all turned white until Percy couldn't see anything at all except Oliver at his side. Somewhere a voice chanted.

Percy looked into Oliver's eyes. They looked small and-- scared, he decided, they looked scared. He nodded at him, as though trying to convey he felt the same. He found himself reaching his hand out towards Oliver, who was mimicking his movement, but just as their fingers brushed, Plum and the classroom appeared. The fog was lifted.

From the corner of his eye, Percy watched Oliver lean against the wall before realizing that he too was supported against a desk. The experience left both boys exhausted, dizzy and gasping for breath.

What the--

"Professor," Oliver gasped, his Scottish accent thick. "Was that normal?"

The color seemed to drain from Plum's face as he looked at both young men, taking his time answering. "Um. Yes. Yes, I'm sure that's normal. Well, boys. Gentlemen! Good luck!"

Before the boys could catch their breath, Plum was urging them out the classroom door. Percy opened his mouth but the sound of the door slamming shut drowned out his questions.

What the hell was that?

Quickly, Oliver turned his puzzled gaze to Percy, who looked disheveled and surprised. The other students were unaffected by the dust and the charm. Had something had gone wrong?

"Perce, did you feel--"

"Hey!"

Oliver groaned. "Hello, Dave." He turned slowly, seeing his friend lean against the opposing stonewall, a smirk on his face.

"Well, if it isn't Hogwarts' cutest couple."

Percy swallowed and, seeming to recover from the charm (or whatever the Hell that was in there!), rolled his eyes to Oliver. "Not even a full minute afterwards and we're assaulted."

Oliver nodded at Percy, a pang of annoyance piercing through him. He fought through it. "At least he called us 'cute'."

Dave hummed for a moment. "No, no. Not cutest couple, I take that back. More like powerhouse. A Quidditch Keeper falling in love with the head boy. Like a fairy tale. Put that fist down, Ol."

Oliver put down his fist, knowing that idol threats had been lost on Dave for years.

Standing in between the tall young men, the shorter Dave placed an arm around each of their shoulders and led them down the hall.

Oliver sighed, resigned to a week of Dave's perpetual teasing.

He could hear Percy's teeth grind together. "What are you still doing here, Dave?"

"Perce, you wound me. I would never miss my two best friends getting married. It's the happiness day of- ok, ok, guys," Dave hastened his step to catch up with the young men, managing to place his arms around their shoulders once more. "Loosen up, you two. You lucked out. I have to spend this week with my girlfriend. Oh man, that's going to be tough."

Oliver shrugged his arm away again. Never known for tact, this Ravenclaw wasn't making the situation any easier. "Shove off. It's not like we have a choice in the matter."

He looked at Percy, immediately regretting his words. I didn't mean for it to come out like that!

But Percy said quickly, confidently, "And besides, it's only a project. We hang out all the time. I don't think we've ever had an easier assignment."

"That's right," Oliver encouraged, nodding. "Who's to say that the lower years will even hear about it before it's over? They're all too busy with their own term-end assignments."

Dave laughed, shaking his head. "You guys have no idea what's in store for you."

Percy shifted his books to his side. The pile was quite large, and it occurred to Oliver that he was probably having difficulty holding onto such a heavy load all day. Should have offered to take some of them. But Percy smoothed out his robe with his free hand, showing no sign of strain.

When he lifted his head, Oliver could have sworn that he winked at him.

Percy said calmly, "You know, Dave, you're welcome to hang out with us this week whenever you like. But unless you'd like to be known as the guy who wanted to spend more time with Hogwarts 'powerhouse couple', then I suggest you shove off."

Dave huffed. Defeated, he muttered, "Well, shit," and started to walk down the corridor.

But he stopped after only a few feet, turning around on his heel. He grinned devilishly at his friends again, rolling up his robe sleeve and pointing to a muggle watch on his wrist. "Class ran late. Time for dinner, gentlemen! As per usual, you'll be sitting with the Gryffindor Quidditch team, eh?" He chuckled crudely. "For once, I'd love to be sitting at your table."

Clucking his tongue, the smarmy Ravenclaw walked down the corridor and turned into the Great Hall.

- -To Be Continued