#olivercy

      He tried reorganizing his thoughts, skipping the checkout desk and leaving behind the usual Quidditch magazines. Truth be told, Oliver couldn't recall the last time he'd studied on his own like this, though it'd been happening more often since the previous school year…

      …but such thoughts about studying together brought to mind a face and a voice Oliver couldn't get out of his head. He attempted to bury them under memories of team practice and team shenanigans, but that was of little use. After all, teammates came and went.

      But Percy Weasley had been his roommate, his friend, all seven years here at Hogwarts.

      Oliver ground to a halt out in the corridor. The harder he avoided thoughts of Percy, the easier it was for the mere name-drop of the bespectacled wizard to summon his freckled face to the forefront of Oliver's mind. Almost as though Percy stood right before him…

      But he didn't. Not actually. No, Oliver was all alone today.

      A pair of witches up ahead chatted and giggled, breaking Oliver's reverie. He caught their eyes and politely smiled, though his eyes lingered on the blonde for half a second longer than necessary. He only moved on when he realized neither witch was familiar to him.

      Ah. That had to be it. The blond girl just now reminded him of one very vivid, Percy-adjacent fact: One Penelope Clearwater, of Ravenclaw House, existed, and she was Percy's girlfriend, no matter how poorly the two tried to keep it quiet. But Clearwater—she had to be it. Percy occupying Oliver's thoughts was a simple matter of…well, it were as though having Clearwater by his side highlighted Percy's presence, made him more noticeable to Oliver, in some strange sense. Now, between last year and this year, Percy spent less time with Oliver, and that was because he had Clearwater's company. So it was as simple as that: Clearwater highlighted the fact that Percy was no longer at Oliver's side.

      Oliver mustered a smile for his friend as he went downstairs to survey the weather. He hated catching his reflection in the windows as he passed the glass—did his smile really look that fake? But his Quidditch studies had given him excellent bluffing skills!—and set aside the mental images of Percy and Clearwater as the overcast skies caught his attention. But they weren't what held his attention the longest.

      Ah, Dementors, right.

      Though the school had assured the students that the Dementors would behave in their hunt for Sirius Black, it was no pleasant sight to see manifestations of dread shadowing the clouds. Worse still, though they'd yet to impede a Quidditch match, Oliver didn't like the way the skies darkened with the creatures above the pitch. Any chance for some solo practice today was nixed by their presence.

      Nevertheless, Oliver's legs itched to be active. And if he couldn't sit still long enough to study, then what else was there save for flying?

      He made his way upstairs and to Gryffindor Tower, if only to exchange his things for his broom and a warmer cloak. He passed dozens more windows, giving him ample time to practice his happy-for-you-Perce smile while trying not to think that perhaps Percy and Clearwater mightn't last forever. (…huh. That dreary effect the Dementors had on people worked quite well, even at a distance.)

      "Other people are trying to study, so no need to stomp into the common—oh, Oliver," Percy said, lifting his head from the fireside couch. He pushed his glasses up from the end of his nose. "You're not usually worked up into a tizzy unless—no, don't tell me Slytherin's stolen Gryffindor's practice time again?"

      Oliver blinked, his irritation from earlier cooling as Percy's wild guess caught him off-guard. "Er, what? Oh, no, nothing like that." He shook his head. "Actually, I don't think anyone will be practicing today, scheduled or not."

      Percy furrowed his brow, a familiar sight which made Oliver chuckle for a second before the Weasley caught on to this school year's reality. "Ah. Right. Our unwelcome guests."

      "At least they're not houseguests, right?"

      "They never will be, Oliver. I can assure you of that. The Ministry has full control of the Dementors."

      Oliver turned to spare Percy his eye roll since he didn't share that opinion. "Yes, well. They might mess with Quidditch, but they can't keep me from flying," he said as he disappeared upstairs.

      Percy's scrambling footfall echoed behind Oliver as Percy hurried after him. "You can't be serious! Oliver, just wait until the headmaster intervenes or the teachers clear them out. It won't kill you to stay indoors for a day."

      But Oliver had tossed his school things aside and yanked on one of his team jumpers already. He cocked his head at Percy, prepped to bicker or debate as usual—

      —but the vision of Percy by the doorway, with concern worrying lines into his face and what little stark light there was from outside the tower coming in to highlight his eyes and make his freckles pop, erased the tiniest of quips from the tip of his tongue.

      Oliver's throat went dry, and he shook his head, partly in answer to Percy, mostly to snap himself out of it. The motion also bought him time since his mind had gone blank for a moment. But, the next thing he knew, he blurted out, "Then come outside with me, Perce."

      Half expecting snark, Oliver raised a curious eyebrow when Percy spluttered and waved a shaky hand at him. "Outside?! With everything that's going on?! And in seventh year, no less, Oliver."

      "It won't kill you to leave your books inside for one day," the Quidditch captain returned, bolstered by the chance to turn Percy's own prod on him.

      Percy narrowed his eyes at him. "…it might," he huffed.

      Oliver raised both his eyebrows now, although he wasn't yet up to imploring the other wizard.

      Percy turned heel, descending the stairs to return to his abandoned belongings on the couch and the table in front of the common room's fire. He sat and acted as though he hadn't been disturbed to begin with, even though Oliver rested his arms on the back of the couch.

      "Go for a fly with me, Percy."

      "I've already wasted enough time this afternoon. No one pries me from my studies, Oliver."

      "Usually no one," Oliver retorted. This time, he knew his grin was genuine when Percy faced him—genuine and a tad cheeky.

      It only lasted for half a second until Oliver recalled that he used to be the only one able to pry Percy Weasley from schoolwork.

      But thoughts of Percy and his eagle witch didn't shake Oliver's resolve, though some of the jauntiness of his tone from their typical exchange escaped him as he insisted, "Look, just. Come on, yeah? Just a flight. No harm done, Percy."

      Percy's fluster returned in the form of a shaky hand that adjusted his glasses. His words, too, weren't so evenly annunciated as he replied, "F-Fine. But only because I've undoubtedly read more about the Patronus Charm than you have, so I can do something about any Dementor that might wander onto school grounds."

      Oliver settled him with a dry stare. "Whatever happened to 'the Ministry has full control of' them?"

      Percy spluttered some more and snatched up his Gryffindor cloak, but that was that.

      Oliver began to regret asking Percy along by the time they reached the ground floor. Seven flights of stairs and all they had between them was awkward silence—how unusual. It were as if Percy had been affected by Oliver's strange mood of the day, too.

      Yet Percy didn't linger in Oliver's footsteps once they were outside proper. No, he fell into step with Oliver as they traced the path to the paved courtyard. A time or two, Oliver even glanced Percy taking in large gulps of the refreshing, crisp autumn air.

      His teammates were always teasing Oliver that he had no sense of time, place, or occasion, but that wasn't the case when it came to him and Percy. He knew not to poke Percy over every little last thing; that was how two nutters like them stood each other long enough to befriend each other, even if they were friends more of circumstance because others in their year and House found them to be different kinds of extreme. But, really, he liked to think he knew Percy as well as the bloke would allow. So…perhaps this hadn't been the worst idea, for them both?

      "A quick zip around the courtyard, then?" Percy suggested.

      "If you want to frighten the underclassmen or get caught in one of your twin brothers' schemes, then that sounds grand," Oliver said. He gestured to the far corner from where they stood, and Percy squinted where he pointed.

      "Oh, Godric. Fred, George, and Lee. Up, it is."

      Oliver swung his broom into position with practiced ease. He needn't wait long for Percy to join him, and Percy wrapped both arms around his torso. Oliver took that as his signal to kick off.

      Stunningly, though, Percy relaxed behind Oliver. They hovered above the lowest roof while Oliver did a mild circle. He leaned forward so Oliver could hear him. "I forgot how nice it could be, up here."

      "Well, you never bring a broom to school—" Oliver stopped short when Percy purposefully gave him a squeeze to interrupt. He risked a glance over his shoulder at his passenger.

      "It's all right to fly higher!" Percy insisted. He jerked his head towards the nearer turrets.

      Oliver blinked, distracted by the wind in those red curls, and reacted half a second too slow. He managed not to crash into any part of the castle, but he could've sworn he heard the twins' howling laughter far below them as they flew just out of sight of any interested audience.

      Percy relaxed once more, or perhaps studying had at last drained him, for he pressed his cheek against Oliver's right shoulder. "I do enjoy the view from up here with you, Oliver," he said.

      "And, as I said, you never bring a broom to school. We could always fly together, Percy." (AGH! Stupid, stupid—it wouldn't be the same, though!)

      Percy shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same. 'Sides, it's not as though I could have Charlie's old broom. He needs it for work. I don't really need a broom."

      Briefly, Oliver wondered how long Charlie's old model would keep up with the variety of dragons in Romania. But he quickly returned his attention to Percy. "Well, I'm glad you like it up here."

      "You're just glad you got me outside."

      "That, too. But I can make this happen anytime, Perce." …yeah, the more he lingered on the thought, the more he liked the idea. He glanced at Percy. "You say the word, and I'll bring you up here."

      To his surprise, Percy grimaced. "I doubt that. Maybe if I remained at the Burrow after school, Oliver, but…"

      Ah, of course. The one fact everyone knew about and which tended to push others away from Percy Weasley. Oliver returned his grimace. "Still think it's best to move out if you get any of the Ministry jobs you're eyeing?" He tried to lessen his grimace, but all Oliver succeeded in doing was gritting his teeth. In the end, he faced forward and made a loose eight-figure around Gryffindor Tower.

      Percy sighed and hugged him tighter. "Well, home isn't always one place to every person. Things change."

      "Not everything has to, Percy."

      The bespectacled Weasley son paused. When he next spoke, his chin was tucked back by Oliver's shoulder and his tone was oddly fond. "No…not everything has to."

      Things…didn't have to change? He agreed? Oliver understood Percy's words and yet he didn't. If anything, his response made the Keeper fret a bit. He quite liked his time spent with Percy (why else would he have been so aggravated to begin with lately…!), but Percy—

      Percy was someone who was very careful about change. Percy was someone with a plan in place and contingencies for that plan and contingencies for those contingencies. So if he didn't want to hear about these thoughts and feeling Oliver had been juggling…

      Lost in thought and taking the quiet as a subconscious cue, Oliver hooked his broom around the tower and flew a few minutes longer, taking them past the Clock Tower and beyond the covered bridge. Only the looming presence of the living, breathing, darkened sky far beyond (and yet too close to) them by the Quidditch pitch brought Oliver back to his senses, and he landed safely far away on the path to the Stone Circle. He turned to Percy, figuring he had a few seconds before all of today, all of the past year exploded from him—

      He never had the chance to explode. Percy, facing Oliver, removed his glasses and buried his face by his friend's shoulder, sighing contently. "To expound on what I was saying: Having you around… I don't want that to change, Oliver." Percy leaned into him after.

      Percy's words and actions were more than enough to get Oliver's hopes up. And, with a lighter heart and clearer mind, finally Oliver recalled one of his other sources of irritation: Angelina and Alicia had been chatting this week about whether they'd seen Percy and Clearwater have a very discreet breakup. It would, of course, explain the couple's bickering this school year. But the news also had led to Oliver's dwelling on Percy's absence in his life, his circling, evolving thoughts…and his brooding over whether to shoot his shot. The Quidditch metaphor didn't escape him, though he'd never been so worried not to have a Chaser's aim until now.

      But it didn't seem he needed Chaser skills nor to worry about exploding in front of Percy. No, not with Percy leaning against him…looking up at him…leaving his glasses off a smidge longer to scooch an inch closer….

Just a mini idea that sprang up from a play on words, hence the title. Not much to say here except, as usual, the angst creeped in, but I did my best to beat it back with fluff, *LOL*. Also, I actually quite like Penny and PercyPenny, tho I ship Olivercy/Perciver more, so it was a bit tough for me to write Ollie being jealous of her. :') (Ngl, writing's ships can be hard when you love nearly everyone involved. X'D) Also I never rly stopped to think about how Oliver might feel about Percy's Ministry ambitions, so it was fun to explore some potential headcanons here. :O Aghhhhh, I kinda just wanna write more of them, *lol*.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!