Genre Romance, Humor
Rating PG-13 (slightly sexual content)
Summary Have you ever wondered how the Puddlemre United Sock ended up in the Burrow? As a matter of fact, only Percy and Oliver know.
Pairing Oliver/Percy
Author's Note A fluffy little snapshot into their relationship I wrote this summer and finally got uploaded.
Thanks to My two betas rohwyn and loony4lupin who did a great job at correcting my mistakes ;)
Disclaimer Everything is Rowling's, nothing is mine, of course.
The Puddlemere United Sock
„And that's not mine, I don't support Puddlemere United"
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; P.78
And the answer to the question how the Puddlemere United sock ended up in the Burrow
The Burrow, Summer of 1994
When their mother suggested that Ron should invite his best friends Harry Potter and Hermione Granger for the summer, Ron was delighted.
It was the summer of the Quidditch World Cup, after all, and the best thing was that their dad had been able to get tickets to the season's most awaited game, Ireland versus Bulgaria.
Ron and Harry were widely known to be Quidditch maniacs, Hermione was not, but she'd surely love to come too, Ron was certain. Even though she wasn't much of a Quidditch fan, she had pestered Arthur with questions about the safety and anti-Muggel preparations, the nationalities that would be represented at the Cup and his experiences with other events of such magnitude in the magical world.
Percy thought she was a remarkable girl for caring not only about the big game, but also about background information on the World Cup.
When Molly mentioned Ginny could invite some friends of hers too, as the house was already crowded and a few more wouldn't matter much, Ginny answered that Hermione was her best friend anyway. She hesitated before adding that Harry was a friend of hers too, and didn't even blush. Percy found this almost as remarkable as Hermione's questions to his father.
When the twins were asked by their mother whether they would like to invite their friend Lee Jordan for the summer, Fred explained that Lee was in Jamaica with his family for the holidays. George's comment was something along the lines of: "And we'd be there too, if a certain someone didn't always interfer with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes … "
After that, Fred and George hadn't had too much to laugh about, as the cellar had to be cleaned out. Percy thought the twins were remarkably uncreative about finding an excuse this time.
After one of his first work days at the Ministry, when his mother asked Percy whether he would like to invite some friend for a few days or a week, Percy's first thought was that he ought to focus on his new job now.
His next thought was Oliver Wood. And before he could think about ticklish situations that might occur when he was in a small house, with Oliver and eight other people (because Bill and Charlie also had agreed to come to visit), he already had sent Hermes out with a letter. The answer was quick and the tone enthusiastic: Oliver intended to arrive in two day's time and stay for a week.
Over the next two days, Percy found Mr. Crouch's lectures less exciting and his own research on cauldron bottom thickness less interesting.
When Oliver finally arrived, it was a Saturday and Percy was not in the office, but at home and had been awake since 5 in the morning.
It was George who helped Oliver out of the fireplace, but Oliver only had eyes for Percy. (Mrs Weasley couldn't help getting the impression that Percy beamed even more than the day he had received his appointment to the job at the Ministry, and she found this very odd.)
As Percy left the room to carry Oliver's luggage to his room where a second bed had been prepared, his mother was already talking Oliver into having a bit of toast or "maybe you'd rather like an omelette, my dear boy, you surely are very hungry, aren't you?"
The trunk hadn't even touched the floor of Percy's room yet when the door flew open, with Oliver standing in the doorframe. Oliver with dishevelled brown hair, with his soft, even browner eyes, and a grin in his face that told Percy everything he needed to know. Percy had to remind himself that he was almost eighteen years old, and a "mature young man", like his mum called him now, and not a 13-year old teenager, but his knees almost gave away nevertheless.
"How did you escape my mother?", he asked, but actually he'd rather have said Take me, here, now, straight away. But he somehow had the feeling this would have been too forthright.
Oliver's grin grew wider, as if he knew what Percy had actually wanted to say. "I told her the trunk is heavier than it looks and you might collapse under the weight."
"Not that I'm not aware of your strength, but I had to get away from her to see you." he added with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
His tone was easy-going and light-hearted and so very much Oliver, that Percy once again had to remind his legs not to give away, as Oliver fully entered the room, securing the door behind him.
"I sincerely hope you are aware of the fact that I'm going to have spinach for dinner for the rest of the summer, as my mum will think now that I'm too weak to carry a trunk"
"You like spinach" came Oliver's answer, and honestly speaking, Percy did not mind spinach anymore as the spider outside his window right now. However, the fact that Oliver knew of his liking of it was lovely, and then Percy wondered when his brain had started using words like lovely?
Oliver approached him in a few steps and then spinach and lovely did really not matter to Percy anymore at all. They stood only inches apart, almost at eye level, because Oliver was only a tiny bit taller than Percy.
He could feel Oliver's closeness to his own body, his scent seemed to tickle his nose, the familiar smell of a Quidditch lawn and broomstick polish and Scottish highlands.
"You smell nice" Percy mentioned, which caused Oliver to laugh at his serious tone, before he seized Percy's wrists and pulled him towards himself. Then Oliver's lips were on Percy's and Percy almost forgot that the door wasn't locked and everyone and anyone could walk in any moment, but he only almost forgot, and with a quick flick of his wand, he locked the door.
Oliver felt so incredibly good that Percy leaned in for the kiss, opening his mouth in invitation. Oliver got the hint and tasted Percy's lower lip with his tongue, hearing Percy moan rather demandingly into the kiss.
He gave in to the urge to press Percy against the nearest wall and kiss him, like he seemed to have wanted to since he got out of the floo in the kitchen, deeply and fiercely and breathtakingly.
Percy's hands ended up on Oliver's shoulders and suddenly Oliver's hands were on Percy's hips. Oliver pressed himself against Percy and Percy couldn't think of anything else but Oliver against him, everywhere.
When Oliver finally broke the kiss, they stayed like that, and Percy, breathing heavily, couldn't think of anything else to say but: "Well then, Welcome to the Burrow"
Oliver laughed throatily, letting his lips brush against Percy's again.
"Your only reaction to us against this wall is Welcome to the Burrow?" Oliver asked disbelievingly.
"Not the only reaction, no, I wouldn't say that" Percy grinned, taking Oliver's hand in his and leading it a bit further down from the hip to let him feel the evidence of another rather obvious "reaction".
Oliver's eyebrows rose and his expression displayed faked surprise.
"Is this what I think it is, Perce?", he asked, his tone so deliberately innocent that Percy couldn't help but giggle, really giggle.
"No, you know, Oliver, I recently started to wear my ink pot inside my trousers", Percy said with a very serious expression.
"Really, but then you surely must have a very large ink pot", Oliver whispered, lowering his head to kiss Percy's neck, nibbling a little at it.
Percy rapidly increased his grip on Oliver's shoulders, his breathing getting heavier again.
"Oliver, stop this, or I won't be able to … " Oliver changed his nibbling to soft biting, directly above Percy's pulse spot. "Oh Merlin … don't … don't stop", Percy gasped. He could feel the smile following these words against his neck.
"Don't or don't stop?", Oliver whispered. Percy could feel his hot breath agains his skin.
"Don't stop." Percy gasped and when he put a leg between Oliver's legs and touched him there, Oliver willingly followed the demand, attending to Percy's neck again, kissing the freckles there.
Percy, in the meantime, realized, that somehow Oliver had taken the initiative, and because this appealed to Percy's sense of fairness, he let his hands roam under Oliver's shirt and a little lower. He certainly didn't do it because Oliver's skin felt so incredibly warm and good, but only, because really, Oliver shouldn't have to do all the work alone. Because that wouldn't have been fair at all.
Oliver moaned, attending to Percy's shirt now, but before his fingers could even reach the second button, suddenly the door handle turned.
Percy, hands still under Oliver's shirt, leg between Oliver's, turned his head hastily at the sound.
"Hey, Percy, what are you two doing in there? Mum says you should come downstairs!" Ginny's voice said through the door.
Percy felt the blush rising to his face, pushing Oliver aside a little, despite the fact that the door was locked.
"Thanks, Ginny, we will be done here in a moment", he called in the direction of the door, hoping his voice sounded normal and not as hoarse as it felt.
Oliver had left Percy's buttons by now, falling backwards onto the bed.
"After all of this," he made a movement with his hand, indicating the space between himself and Percy, "you're blushing because your sister is knocking on the door?"
Percy grinned, shrugged his shoulders and smoothed his shirt, without answering.
"Come on now, we ought to go down." he finally said and pulled Oliver up from the bed.
"If you can resist the sight of me on your bed so easily, maybe I should wonder how serious this thing between us is for you." Oliver stated playfully.
The next few days consisted of talking and laughing, as well as of hours spent together silently, both content with only the presence of the other.
When they did talk, Oliver told Percy how excited he was about being able to play Quidditch professionally now, how glad he was that he had managed to have his favourite activity for a job and how amazed he still was at the fact that he had actually been accepted to the team.
Percy listened closely, although he already knew everything about the Puddlemere United team because of Oliver's constant chatter about it during their final school months, and he told Oliver he wasn't amazed at all that he had been accepted, because Oliver was the best keeper around and "Puddlemere should be happy they have you on the team".
Percy, meanwhile, explained everything about his new job to Oliver.
Afterwards, Oliver knew everything there was to know about International Magical Co-operation, Percy's boss Mr. Crouch (who, in Oliver's opinion, seemed to be a rather boring person, but he was careful not to mention this), and even about the Triwizard Tournament, which was going to take place at Hogwarts the following school year, and according to Percy was a top-secret issue, before the start of the school year in September.
"I feel very honoured you chose to let me in on the matter, then." Oliver teased, which earned him a slap on the arm from Percy. Oliver, however, decided to take advantage of the situation, grabbed Percy's arm, pulled him close and kissed him soundly.
When Percy had to go to work again, he felt unsure about whether he was looking forward to it or not. On the one hand, it meant less time to spend with Oliver, but on the other hand, he was keen to prove that he actually had the qualities for the job in him, even if he had just graduated from school.
So Percy spent his days working again, while Oliver, because the Quidditch season hadn't started yet, stayed at the Burrow.
He would have preferred Percy's company, but the rest of the Weasley family made sure that he never got bored.
The twins showed him all of their inventions, which Oliver found brilliant, especially the little broomstick model which fired tiny bludgers at you when you weren't paying attention.
Charlie took Oliver with him by broom, showing him the area around the Burrow, and soon they were joined by Bill and Ron, playing Quidditch, two on two, using apples as a quaffel, and the space between two appletrees as the goal area.
Oliver, an only child, was a little overwhelmed with the amount of people living at the Burrow, but he also liked the trouble and he especially appreciated Mrs.Weasley fussing over him, always cooking the meals he liked best for dinner. Overall, he liked the Weasley family very much, but he also could understand why Percy got irritated with having so many people around him all the time.
Although Oliver enjoyed the time with Percy's siblings and Percy just loved his work at the Ministry, they both liked the evenings the best, when they could spend their time together.
They would sit in the garden, laughing about the gnomes who poked their ugly little heads out of their holes, while Percy told Oliver about his day at the Ministry and Oliver described to Percy how Fred had hoodwinked him with the fake wand.
Sometimes they found themselves in the living room, Percy sitting in his favourite armchair, reading a report he brought home from work, and Oliver sprawled out on the floor, playing wizarding chess with Ron or Ginny, and always losing, despite his strategy qualities at Quidditch.
But most of the time, the two of them sneaked away, finding some more private place, either in Percy's room or else outside the house, looking for some deserted space in the backyard or behind the broomshed, sitting on the small stone wall, kissing and doing more, but not too much, because neither of them wanted anyone else to know.
On the next Saturday, Oliver was planning to leave at noon, as his Quidditch training with Puddlemere started the next week, and he still had some things to sort out at home before.
So Percy's mum had woken the two of them early that day with a loud knock on the door (none of his family wondered why Percy and Oliver always locked the door at nights, this had been a habit of Percy's since he was ten when Charlie had sneaked into the room one night, stolen Percy's glasses and not given them back for an entire day. Therefore none could have guessed that the actual reason for the locked door was that Percy didn't want to be interrupted during his late night activities with Oliver) So Oliver had enough time to pack his stuff timely.
They had breakfast with Arthur and Bill, who already were awake, as Bill had plans for the day to go to Gringotts to settle some work-related issues with the goblins and Arthur had decided to join him.
Molly was hustling through the kitchen, offering everyone more to eat, especially Oliver, as if she was afraid he might return home with an empty stomach.
Percy just sat with his toast, annoyed by the fact Oliver would leave today, when he suddenly felt something touch him there.
He nearly choked on his toast, as he realized, that Oliver had put his foot between his legs, stroking him lazily with it. Still coughing, he glanced at Oliver sitting opposite him and looking innocent, not showing any outward sign that he was doing this with his foot under the table at the very moment.
"Are you alright, dear?" His mother asked. "Is something wrong with the toast?"
Percy felt the blush rise in his face, as Oliver still hadn't pulled his foot away. He couldn't quite concentrate on anything else but the feeling down there.
"Uhm … yes, I'm fine, Mum." Percy mumbled, without looking at anyone. At this moment, Oliver increased the intensity of his strokes and Percy felt himself starting to react.
"I – I just need to – ooh – erm, I mean, I think, I will go and get Oliver's trunk now, yes … " he spluttered, jumping off his seat, and hastening out of the kitchen with a backward glance at Oliver.
Percy leaned against a wall in the dark stairwell leading to the cellar, where no-one walking by would see him, as he was sure he made a rather pitiful impression. He still could feel the heat in his cheeks, his breathing was heavy and well, there also was this other problem caused by Oliver's foot.
The guy was just incredible: doing this, with his parents and older brother in the room. Since when had Oliver started become so bold, Percy wondered. Although he couldn't deny that he somehow liked the thought. And he definitely had liked what Oliver had done back there in the kitchen, even if the location had been a little odd.
At that moment, Oliver's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Perce? Where have you gone?"
"I'm down here." Percy called back. The next moment, he saw Oliver's silhouette in the narrow stairway opposite him, but there was so little space between them that you'd rather call it "on" him, instead of "opposite him".
They stood so close that Percy could see every tiny wrinkle around Oliver's eyes as he grinned.
"Seems that trunk is going to be our favourite excuse, isn't it?"
Oliver laughed softly, reaching out his arm to place a hand on Percy's hip.
Percy was tempted to give a cheeky response, but he wasn't in the mood for teasing, not after what Oliver did just a few minutes ago, and especially not as Oliver was going to leave today. So he grabbed Oliver's hand before it could reach its destination. He held it close, not letting Oliver taking the initiative this time, but putting his own hand on Oliver's chest, pushing him roughly against the opposite wall.
"Whoo, Percy, what's going on he…" Oliver's question was interrupted as Percy placed his own lips on Oliver's, kissing him hard. When he heard Oliver moan quietly, Percy softly bit down on his lower lip, before breaking the kiss.
"You think you're the only one who can get bold at times? Well, you're mistaken, Oliver", Percy whispered under his breath, smiling mischievously.
"I didn't think you can't get – oh!", Oliver started, but was soon distracted as Percy lowered his head to place kisses on Oliver's neck. He tasted the skin with his tongue, letting a muffled moan escape, when he felt Oliver press against him in response. He let go Oliver's hand which he had still grasped in his own, letting it tangle in Oliver's hair, while feeling a hand on his chest, fiddling with the first button of his shirt.
He let Oliver open about the half of the buttons, before leaning forward for another kiss. It started out tender, but soon became passionate and fierce, as if the goodbye today was final, as if there wasn't Floo and Apparating to visit each other as often as they liked to.
This time it was Oliver who broke the kiss, but only to travel deeper, leaving a trace of kisses behind as he nibbled his way along Percy's neck, stopping on his colarbone to let his tongue lap at the freckles.
Percy pressed closer against Oliver, now feeling the definite proof that Oliver was just as excited about this as he was against his thigh.
Oliver seemed to get impatient, as he fiddled with Percy's belt now.
"No, let me." Percy said, voice husky, as he took Oliver's hand away, instead attending to Oliver's own beltbuckle now. Percy heard the low groan as he brushed against Oliver's erection through the fabric, and smiled as he felt Oliver's strong grip on his shoulders.
"Perce, you do realize we're doing this in the stairw-"
- CRACK –
Percy jumped at the noise, being taken aback at the sudden interruption, dimly realizing Oliver's grip on his shoulders had gone. Then he saw what caused the noise: the step had broken down under the weight, and Oliver was standing with one leg in a hole of old wood, looking utterly bewildered.
"Ahem – what was that?" he asked, and before Percy could get the absurdity of the situation, Oliver and him, almost being all over each other, in the staircase, and the step breaking down underneath them –he heard a voice from the kitchen.
"Where was that noise coming from?" his mother shouted. "Is this you again, Fred and George?" No answer "Bill, dear, please go and look where that noise came from, will you?"
Percy looked at Oliver, appalled. "Quick, get out there, we've got to go!" He whispered, trying to keep the alarm out of his voice.
Oliver was looking positively alarmed too. "I can't! I'm stuck in here!"
Percy cursed under his breath, a sign of how little he wanted to be discovered here, like this, by Bill. Of course, Bill was better than Ron, or Merlin, Fred and George, but he really didn't plan to let the family know about him and Oliver like this.
Grabbing Oliver's arm, he helped him to pull his leg out of that hole, when he heard Bill's voice.
"I don't know where this came from, Mum, maybe it was something in the cellar, wait a moment, I'll go down and look."
"Quick!" Percy groaned, seizing Oliver's hand to pull him down the stairs with him.
"Wait! My sock's still in there, it got caught by some splinter … " Oliver turned around, but Percy could already hear Bill's footsteps on the corridor above them.
"Who cares about your sock!" Percy tried not to yelp. "Come on, now! Oliver, now!" Percy urged him, after pulling his wand out of the pocket of his trousers, pointing it at the hole and whispering "Reparo".
Finally Oliver was following him, and they hustled down the stairs. Percy pulled open the door to some tiny broom closet and they rushed in, closing the door behind them.
The moment the door fell shut behind them, they heard Bill's footsteps on the stairs. They didn't look at each other, but both listened closely to what was going on outside. Bill had come down the stairs and obviously was rummaging in the main cellar room. Then they heard him going up the stairs again.
"I haven't found anything, Mum, no idea what the reason for this noise was.", Bill's voice was carried down to them.
"That was close" Oliver finally said, sitting down on an inverted bucket and watching Percy who was leaning against a wall, looking relieved, and somehow as if he didn't quite believe what just had happened.
"Well, that was, an experience. And now, have you gone completely mental? What was this about your sock?" Percy asked, his tone disbelieving.
"Hey, these are my favourite socks! They're Puddlemere United socks, I can't believe you made me leave it in that hole!"
Oliver made it sound as if Percy had made him leave his firstborn son behind, and Percy couldn't help but laugh.
"You aren't saying you would have preferred Bill to find us like that" he gestured to his own open shirt and Oliver's half-opened belt " in order to rescue your sock, are you?"
The grin that was spreading over Oliver's face now, was too cute to be cross with him, Percy decided.
"Well, maybe not, but I'm definitively going to miss that sock, you know."
"How about we go upstairs to my room now and I make you forget all about your stupid sock before you leave?" Percy asked.
He suddenly had a lot of ideas of how exactly to make Oliver get over the loss of his sock.
"Ooh, great idea, Perce. You know, there's this thing you can do with your tongue that will make me forget about anything you'd like me to forget about quite quickly."
Oliver was on his feet again, seizing Percy's hand enthusiastically.
When he turned towards him, Percy couldn't help the feeling that Oliver was going to make him resposible for losing that sock when, well, his needs had been satisfied, to put it like that, but somehow Percy didn't mind when he saw the smile that had spread over Oliver's face at Percy's suggestion.
Three years later, when Mrs. Weasley had turned into an army commander in her mission to make the house as clean as it hadn't been since – well, ever – for her eldest son's wedding, Ron Weasley was just about to carry a large box of cleaning agents down to the cellar, when a step of the stair broke down underneath him.
"Mum, you won't believe what has just happened! The stair has broken down and, Merlin's pants, there's a Puddlemere United sock in there!"