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1. The Setup
Arthur needed help on another one of his muggle contraptions. He called this one "lawn-mooer". Percy had no idea what the thing was, and it seemingly wasn't at all related to cows, but it was apparently very complicated with lots of metal bits inside, and that is why he commissioned the help of Leo.
Leo ruined everything.
Leo had a thick accent and thick, sinewy arms from days spent helping his family on their farm. He had sandy brown hair and the twins started calling him “Leo the Hunk”. Percy didn’t find this very amusing, especially because it was an odd term and he actually really did think Leo was very attractive.
The first issue was that the farm nearby where Percy’s father had found Leo was a muggle farm. Leo was a muggle . The second issue was that Percy was 16, fresh home after Sixth Year at Hogwarts, and his hormones were absolutely raging.
It was really quite a damper on Percy’s perfected sensibilities.
2. The Encounter
“Oi! Hand me that spanner there, would ya?”
Percy froze. Literally froze, like a rabbit that just caught the attention of a hawk. He turned slowly, dramatically toward the voice.
“Are you speaking to me?”
Leo the Hunk nodded, grinning widely at him. Percy picked up what he assumed was a spanner and handed it to Leo the Hunk. Leo the Hunk started laughing. Full-belly laughing. Percy wasn’t sure why, and he was staring at Leo’s bright face as he laughed, and he felt like he may do something pretty stupid, so he turned and walked away. He barely heard Leo shouting after him that Percy had handed him a plastic lawn flamingo.
3. The Crush
“Ginny, I have an inquiry.”
“Merlin, Percy, just ask me a question like a normal person for once.”
Percy cleared his throat. He and Ginny had never really… bonded. But she felt like the only safe person to ask this to.
“How do you… how do you know if you fancy someone? How did you… ahem… know that you fancied…Harry…?” Percy’s face burned, but he refused to look away from Ginny, whose eyes were now filled with mirth. Even at 11 years old, she was far more confident than Percy had been at her age.
“Ooooh, Perc! You fancy someone! Who? Who is it?” She giggled.
“That is not what this conversation pertains to. Just… please, tell me how you know.”
Ginny stifled her laughter, and her eyes quickly shifted to take on a dreamy, misty quality. She was really quite ridiculous. “Well I expect it’s obvious. I mean, I knew Harry and I were in love from the moment we first saw each other last year. And it’s not just fancying, we’re meant to be. It’s like… a wild fiendfyre is lit up inside of you, and you think you’re going to burn up when you’re near them but you still don’t want to be apart. And you want to kiss them, and–”
“ALRIGHT. That’s quite enough,” Percy said, even though he had one more question. He fidgeted for a minute before Ginny rolled her eyes.
“Out with it, Perc.”
“How can you tell if this… other person… fancies you back?” Percy would absolutely never, ever recover from this conversation.
Ginny smiled, her gaze far away. “Well, Harry is always so sweet to me. Gallant, even. And yes, we’re young, but I just know if I give him some time he’ll see me differently. I’m not a child anymore, I’m eleven years old , and I know that he probably wishes we could get married already…”
“Thank you, Ginny, this has really not been very helpful at all. Goodnight.” Percy turned to retreat to his room. Ginny called him a complete and utter plonker on his way upstairs.
4. The Kiss
“You’re staring at me again,” Leo the Hunk said. He was sitting on the ground next to the old car.
Molly had told Arthur to stop inviting him, she didn’t like the thought of a muggle hanging around this often, but then Leo had told Arthur that he knew a bit about fixing up cars and Arthur had told him to come by at night to help with his Ford Anglia. By this point in the summer, Leo definitely realized that the family was at the very least “odd”, and not only because Percy had been lurking nearby whenever Leo was around.
“Sorry,” Percy said, looking away. He then immediately looked back again. “I just… like to look.”
There was a moment’s pause when the boys looked at each other, both waiting to make sure that Percy had really just said what he had just said.
Leo stood.
Leo approached.
Percy clenched his shaking hands.
Leo put his steady hands on both of Percy’s shoulders.
Leo leaned forward and waited.
Percy leaned forward and kissed Leo.
Fiendfyre ignited and roared through Percy’s chest, head, face. It was going to burn him up. They kept kissing anyway.
5. The Fling Has Flung
It was a week later, and one week until Percy returned to Hogwarts.
Leo yanked Percy into the brush, and they tumbled down among the tall grasses near the Burrow, laughing. They tussled for a bit, trying to pin each other down, but Leo won easily and he kissed Percy and Percy let him.
,,,,,,,,,,
They laid back, looking at the night sky, and Percy told him about the constellations and what their positions meant. Leo said “mhm,” and “ooh, alright, sure,” even though they both knew they spoke different languages and saw the world in different ways. Percy pointed up, and Leo pointed too, following his finger everywhere.
,,,,,,,,,,
Percy watched Leo cranking something inside the bonnet of the Ford Anglia. He had oil on his arms, and a frustrated look on his face, and he was a bit sweaty. When he asked Percy to hand him a spanner, Percy handed him a plastic lawn flamingo, and this time it was on purpose because it made Leo the Hunk laugh.
,,,,,,,,,,
Leo grabbed Percy’s hand, and Percy wasn’t sure why, but then nothing happened and they kept just holding hands for a while. It was nice.
6. The Goodbye
“Off to your fancy school again then, eh?” Leo said. They were standing in a field somewhere in between their houses, which weren’t even very close together in the first place. He had a look on his face that seemed sad, or maybe rueful, or maybe bitter.
“Yes, we’re not just a country bumpkin family, we’re actually quite well educated.” Leo raised his eyebrow at that.
“Right, so I’m the country bumpkin then,” he said.
“Does it matter?” Percy said.
Leo scuffed his boot on the dusty ground. “No, I s’pose not. But not in the way I was hoping.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Percy said. He didn’t like this part. It wasn’t neat or organized, it was confusing and tasted like all that fire had just turned to ash.
“It’s hard out here for chaps like us. I was just hoping it wouldn’t be this time, maybe,” Leo said. Dejected. Maybe dejected was the emotion that Percy saw on his face.
“It won’t be hard for me. I’ve got quite a lot of job prospects, actually,” Percy said. He realized this may have been the first time all summer they’d really talked to each other. He also realized he was sounding, as Ginny would put it, like a complete knobhead.
“That’s not… what I meant. But alright, good for you mate. Goodbye.” Leo turned and walked away.
It was such a formal way to say that. Goodbye. It sounded like the way Percy would say it. He had wanted to hear how Leo the Hunk said goodbye.
Percy turned around and went home, too.
7. The Rest
Percy missed Leo when he was at school. They’d barely spent any time together during the summer, but he still missed him. Leo had ruined everything. Being orderly and studious wasn’t even as fun anymore as it had been. Percy laid in bed and pointed his finger up to the sky, and he wondered what he was even pointing towards, anymore.