* 𝘖𝘏, 𝘐𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘜𝘚.

--—    loading  student  files  for  PERCY  WEASLEY,  please  hold  !!    alright,  i  think  i've  got  it  now..  you're  twenty  six  years  old  and  in  your  seventh  year,    SPECIALISING  IN  MAGICAL  LAW  ??    i  can't  wait  to  see  where  that  takes  you. bear  with  me,  dear,  i  just  need  to  confirm  some  more  information  with  you.    pureblood,  gryffindor  house,  cisman,  he/him,  and  member  of  competitive  potions  league,  dueling  club,  debate  team,  and  quidditch  club  are  all  correct  ??    perfect.

percy has a two hour gap before his class so he decides to do something productive with his time. with a few books in hand he heads our for the transfiguration courtyard. the weather is as nice as it can get for december and after having spent an entire morning around classrooms, he could use the fresh air. his eyes spot a familiar face, though and he has a change of plan. he'd been looking for them yesterday and this day, but with no success. "willow!" percy approaches them. "i was starting to get worried. how-- how are you?"

her eyes land on the nasty redness on the bridge of his nose, clearly indicating its broken status. yikes. “ten slytherins? sounds like a reportable offense to me on their part,” ripley adds casually, taking the seat next to percy without missing a beat, “’m surprised you didn’t go to mcgonagell first.” she leans in to inspect percy’s nose a bit more closely, the line between her eyebrows prominent. “i could help with that, if you want. your nose, i mean.”

"i could handle it myself." percy responds. it's supposed to be a part of the joke, but deep down he's actually reassuring himself. the weasley resists the urge to hide his face when ripley comes closer to inspect, though he does pull away a bit. he doesn't like this feeling of vulnerability. "it's-- it's fine, ripley. why are you here? you alright?" he changes the subject.

amortentva​:

“merlin,  perce,”  willow  huffs  at  the  push  they’re  given  after  he’s  gotten  his  balance,  but  it’s  not  enough  to  keep  them  from  continuing  their  plight  to  keep  the  two  apart  from  one  another.  it’s  undoubtedly  a  precarious  sort  of  situation,  and  if  willow  was  anyone  else,  they’d  be  in  the  gathering  of  students  around  them  that  percy  and  aleksey  seem  to  be  completely  ignoring  in  favor  of  their  pissing  contest  and  not  wedged  between  them.  with  aleksey’s  insults  hurled  their  way,  willow’s  nostrils  flare  as  they  turn  towards  him,  lip  curling  in  anger  as  they  shove  their  palms  against  his  chest  to  push  him  back.  “i’m  no  one’s  anything,  you  absolute  git,”  they  sneer,  disgust  plain  in  their  features.  there’s  much  to  say  about  the  lack  of  fear  they  feel  despite  the  lunge  aleksey  makes  at  percy  with  willow  right  in  front  of  him,  far  too  familiar  with  aleksey’s  true  nature  to  know  that  he’ll  never  lay  a  hand  on  them.

percy’s  warning  does  little  to  nothing  to  inspire  willow  to  move,  to  leave  and  let  either  of  them  go  on  hurting  each  other,  and  their  tone  is  sharp  when  they  turn  to  percy,  “i  don’t  care  who’s  fault  it  was,  this  isn’t  the  bloody  drama  club.  stop  putting  on  a  show.”  their  brows  furrow  in  concern  at  the  blood  tainting  the  fabric  in  percy’s  grip,  and  they  glance  back  to  aleksey  for  a  moment  before  settling  on  the  fact  that  percy  may  be  more  likely  to  call  it  quits..  at  least  for  willow’s  sake.

“go  to  the  hospital  wing,”  willow  demands  when  they  turn  their  gaze  back  to  percy.  “either  that,  or  get  through  me  to  get  to  him.”  it’s  not  overtly  obvious  who  of  the  two  they’re  protecting,  really,  and  if  willow’s  being  honest…  they’re  not  certain,  either.

“then why act like it?” aleksey spat back, the idea of willow being here to defend percy obviously irritating him even more. “boo fucking hoo. no one’s falling for that woe-is-me bullshit.” he turned back to the weasley. why was the gryffindor backing down? why was he so eager to take the fault for everything, as always? hell, aleksey would rather have him fight back. it was then he met willow’s eyes once again and backed off, releasing the pressure and threat of him about to jump on percy any moment now. he then noticed the crowd having surrounded them, eager to find out the newest gossip or perhaps watch aleksey and percy batter the shit out of each other. “oi, fuck off!” he yells at the other students, before letting out another irritated sigh and leaning against the wall, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket nonchalantly, though there’s nothing nonchalant about the expression on his face. willow’s words catch him off guard and it makes his features soften up, more so with a look of surprise and a hint of hope. a look at willow, then at percy, then back at willow. aleksey doesn’t say anything, keeping his gaze away from the both of them now.

percy is taken aback by willow’s words - who were they protecting? he’s well aware dolohov is their ex -- one of the many arseholes they’d dated -- which is why he wasn’t too fond of the idea of them being in his presence a second more. he meets aleksey’s eyes for a second - the slytherin looks just as surprised as percy himself. sure, willow maharani was a huge pain in the arse, but over the years percy had grown fond of them, no matter how much they annoyed him on a daily basis. “willow?” the weasley mutters, he wants to urge them to follow him, to leave with him, but he knows they’re stubborn and if they’ve set their mind to it, percy pressing the issue could just reinstigate the conflict. “right.” percy nods, having a hard time hiding his disappointment. “i’ll get going now.” he presses the shirt against his nose once more and begins to walk away. the crowd gathered to watch the conflict had dispersed, but a few students had stuck around to watch from a far. percy can feel their eyes on him as he walks away and he simply wants do disappear. he trieds to hide as much of his face as possible, especially the tears that threaten to fall out. idiot. stop it. stop it. you’re not weak. don’t you fucking cry. percy weasley’s not weak. don’t you fucking cry, idiot.

“come on percy, it was mostly out already.” what a buzzkill. “besides, that wasn’t what i was saying and you know it.” she rolled her eyes, stamping out the last few glowing embers with her foot. “well there’s your problem; you’re not understanding that it wasn’t a perfectly good tapestry it was a butt-ugly foul looking tapestry which the world is better off without.”

“you’re right, i don’t understand it. you could’ve, i don’t know, fold it and put it away somewhere you don’t have to look at it?” percy suggested, but had a feeling the lestrange wouldn’t like it. it seemed like it was the destruction part of it she liked. “i guess this is the part i tell you i’ll have to report you for destroying school property.”

amortentva​:

willow’s  just  caught  the  tail  end  of  the  fight,  practically  fighting  tooth  and  nail  theirself  to  manage  their  way  through  the  crowd  gathering  around  the  scene  the  two  have  put  on.  it’s  hard  not  to  flinch  at  the  sight  of  aleksey’s  fist  meeting  percy’s  face,  but  it  doesn’t  deter  willow  in  the  slightest  from  their  goal  of  separating  the  two–  “oh  my  god,  cut  it  out,”  they  exclaim,  frustration  and  desperation  colouring  their  tone  as  willow  shoves  at  aleksey’s  shoulder,  causing  enough  space  to  put  them  between  the  frenzied  pair.  percy’s  demand  is  met  with  a  glare  shot  over  at  him,  and  if  they  weren’t  in  this  particular  situation,  it’d  be  almost  amusing  to  willow  that  he  thinks  they’ll  ever  take  him  seriously  in  trying  to  tell  them  what  to  do.

“what  the  fuck  is  wrong  with  you  two?”  willow’s  brows  are  furrowed  as  they  look  between  aleksey  and  percy,  a  hand  pushing  at  either  of  their  shoulders  to  keep  them  apart  from  one  another.  they’re  honestly  concerned  one  of  the  two  might  lunge  at  the  other,  but  hopefully  their  presence  will  keep  the  aggression  from  heightening.

“go on, say that shit again. go on, weasley! zayebis, pizdets. ya ubyu tebya!” the verbal attacks followed now that percy was out of his reach. getting to him meant getting through willow and that’s not something aleksey was willing to do. for a moment, he’d forgotten. they weren’t his anymore. it dawned on him the moment his eyes met willow’s; willow maharani didn’t love him anymore – or ever? – and most likely jumped in to protect the weasel. the sudden realization did begin to make the anger sizzle out, replaced by other emotions. he didn’t want to be in the same room as willow ; it still stung, you know? but merlin, he’d rather shake percy weasley’s hand and give him a kiss on the cheek right now rather than admit to willow he still cared. “what now? you’re weasley’s personal bodyguard? gonna carry him out to safety? tuck him in?” aleksey let out a snort before turning towards percy once again, attempting to move towards him a little, willow still in between. “come on, pussy, step aside.”

something filled him with anger for a moment as percy attempted to get past willow and reach aleksey. “tosser! you could’ve killed me! careful how you speak to them, you--” willow was persistent, though and their words brought him back to reality. what the hell did percy get himself into? he felt himself lose his balance a bit; he gripped willow’s arm first for support, but as he regained his balance he kept his hold on them to push them back to safety if aleksey decided to do anything. he touched his face - his nose was bloody and most likely broken. percy didn’t feel the pain yet, most likely from the adrenaline. “oh, fuck--” the weasley took off his shirt and pressed it against his nostrils, taking a few steps back to avoid another verbal confrontation. it was when the fear started to settle in. just what was aleksey capable of? percy had been a witness to his outbursts before, but with someone so unpredictable, you could never be too careful. besides, percy had never been a fighter. he had to let go of his ego and anger right now. “i’m sorry willow, it was-- it was my fault. please, let’s just leave. i don’t want you getting hurt. please.”

There was no stopping Ellio once he heard about Percy getting into a fight. It was everything he’d been wanting to happen, something he could bother him with, it would be the peak annoyance for him and enjoyment for Ellio. Sitting in the chair next to him, he grinned at the red-headed man. “I heard something incredible about you.” Honestly, Percy was probably expecting him to pop by at some point. “I almost don’t believe it.”

“fucking hell.” percy lets out a prolonged groan at the familiar sight of ellio’s face. probably one of the last people he wanted to deal with right now, but one he expected to show up. “please don’t tell me the news are spreading already. are at least people saying i fought back or got in a punch or two?”

you’d think the hospital wing would be a bad place to hide out, but really when it’s quiet, ripley found herself enjoying the empty beds thoroughly. even if madam pomfrey reminded her not to get too comfortable every other hour, she never really kicked her out. but the moment she stepped in and saw percy, she knew the wing would be a bust. “i’m not here to wait, don’t worry.” she looks over the other with a tilt of her head, empathetic in the way her eyebrows knit. it was strange, seeing someone like him out of it. “what happened to you? you okay?”

percy weasley never expected that ripley’s presence out of all people would give him comfort, but, there they were. he could see the worry in her eyes and percy hated it when people worried about him. it was the other way around, always. percy was the one who worried, so he simply had to make light of the situation. “oh, you know me, i was just minding my business and all of sudden these ten slytherins show up, trying to mess with me. anyways, i beat them all up--” percy flexes his bicep whimsically “--and all i got from the fight was a little broken nose. you should see the other guys.”

with the unfortunate fate of having woken last in the dorm, lottie was now facing the reality of a full blown hangover without the aid of the potions that zehra usually kept fully stocked. after spending the first half of her morning retching, moaning and feeling absolutely miserable, she finally made her way to the hospital wing. madame pomfrey was typically less than hospitable when it came to the kind of relief she was seeking, but short of trying to brew her own potion, there was nothing else for it. she had planned on a quick visit, give or take with pomfrey’s lecture, but the sight of the weasley in the waiting room announcing a wait had her scowling. settling herself into a chair a few down from his, she attempted to look as dignified as was possible, fixing her dark hair. “sure,” lottie replied sourly, “lots of students accidentally studied too hard at your session.” she tipped her chin in his direction, “is that what happened to you? a bit too much revision?”

“oh.” percy deadpanned. “of course you were one of them.” the weasley was used to not fitting in with his peers, his interests hardly aligned with theirs. he still had, however, little hope that at least in aurelius his classmates would be a little more mature. “no, what happened was, a bunch of little shits completely disregarded my wishes, ruined my study session and i got into numerous situations i should’ve never gotten into in the first place and my bloody nose is broken because everyone is selfish as does as they please!” the words had come out so fast from his mouth, percy had to stop there and catch a breath. “whatever..”

percy wanted to keep a low profile, as much as possible since the events from this day. to his study session being ruined, to getting into a fight, the weasley wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. however, even percy had those moments where he could admit he needed help, especially medical. so he sat outside the office patiently, suddenly hearing someone else entering the room and regained his composure. “they’re a bit busy today. it’ll be a while. lots of accidents, it seems.”

those words made aleksey see red ; percy knew just where it hurt the most. he stopped dead in his tracks, for a moment considering whether percy or his wand was closer. it didn’t matter at the end, because the dolohov turned back, his fist clenched before landing it on the weasley’s face. anger was better than tears. he grabbed him by the collar then, pulling him closer before pushing him into the wall, still holding on tightly. anger was better than sadness. “you don’t talk about my father, you don’t talk about my family. got it?” aleksey spat out through gritted teeth.

it came out of nowhere ; before percy could react, the dolohov’s fist landed on his face. it was over then, he couldn’t overpower aleksey nor fight back, especially when he felt the tight feeling around his neck, his collar pulled in. “i wasn’t--” the weasley tried to say, when he suddenly felt release. he was still a bit dizzy; but even then could see someone had come in between them. he pulled back and caught his breath. suddenly, it hit him who the person was -- his saviour, if you will. and percy’s adrenaline shot right back up. “willow, stand back, now! are you stupid?” sure, they were a pain in the arse, but the last thing percy wanted was for them to end up getting hurt. @amortentva​

it was nothing aleksey hadn’t heard before. in fact, it hit too close to home which is why he was trying his hardest to keep his composure, fists clenched and all, but those things never came easy to the dolohov. “sure, i wish i had your dignity. you’re the one that spent two years crying over a lost internship with mr. fudgy. couldn’t get more pathetic, really. you sure were having at the pub then, weren’t you?” it was time to walk away, he felt it. aleksey grabbed his backpack off the ground, but couldn’t resist adding one last thing. “pussy.”

oh no, he didn’t. if there was one person who’d always the worst thing in order to hurt percy, the one to bring out the worst out of him, it was aleksey. a part of him wondered, why would he bring it up? to be cruel? why was he so cruel? perhaps percy could return the favour. aleksey knew him, but so did percy. “you know, dolohov, just ‘cause your dad doesn’t love you doesn’t give you the right to be an arsehole.” his lips turned upwards in that kind of smile that barely contained the disdain and anger. “we’re all going through something, aren’t we? you could still choose to be a more pleasant person to be around.”

“me and my friends?” aleksey raised an eyebrow  “half the people that came i didn’t even know.” he could live without percy weasley; sure, he might have thought they could be buddies back then, but it obviously wasn’t possible. whatever. what the dolohov hated, though, was always ending up being the bad guy. “now, don’t flatter yourself – you’re implying that i give a shit about you, perce, which is wrong. we just wanted to have fun is all. you should try it some time.”

why did it sting? surely, someone saying it right in your face, that they don’t give a shit about you must sting. especially for percy, who had this need to be liked. to be admired. “you started it. you always do. and guess fucking what -- you never consider the consequences of your actions, but they exist!” the weasley spat out, getting angrier by the second. percy hated losing his cool like that. “fun to you is chaos and destruction and getting shitfaced and waking up not knowing where you are -- thanks, i’ll skip. some of us have dignity and ambitions, you know?” at some point percy thought he could help aleksey; but found himself getting dragged down instead and he simply couldn’t let this happen.