acidpop25, "Hero," PG-13
Title: Hero
Author: acidpop25
Rating: PG-13
Prompt Set: 50.4
Prompt: #38, "Courage"
Word Count: 356
Summary: "You're just a bloody coward, you know that, Percy?! A bloody useless coward."
Warnings: Bit of language, character death.
Notes: Finally found my H/P groove again, woohoo!
When Percy wouldn't take a dare from Charlie to climb the huge oak in the backyard, Bill and Charlie had laughed.
"What's the matter, Perce, scared you'll break your glasses?" Bill taunted.
"Not scared," Percy had retorted defensively.
"You just don't know how to climb a tree, do you?" Charlie needled. Next to him, Bill made clucking sounds.
Percy had glared, red-faced, and gone to climb the tree, had been halfway up when his mother had come out of the house and yelled for him to get down so suddenly and loudly that Percy fell and broke his arm.
"Scaredy-pants," his brothers had snickered, and left him out of their games.
~*~*~*~
There had always been taunts that Percy belonged in bookish Ravenclaw instead of in Gryffindor. Not Slytherin, despite ambition, because even Slytherins had a certain kind of nerve.
"I dare you," Oliver had said with a wicked grin, "to sneak into Ravenclaw and steal a pair of Penelope Clearwater's knickers."
Percy wouldn't do it. Couldn't do that to Penny.
"Oh, grow a pair, for Merlin's sake," Oliver had muttered. Percy heard.
~*~*~*~
"Look, some of us just don't want to panic prematurely."
"You're just scared!" Ron accused. "You're too bloody scared to see what's right in front of you!"
"No one else saw it, Ronald, there is no proof-"
"Like hell there isn't!"
"You just believe him because he's your mate!"
"You're just a bloody coward, you know that, Percy?! A bloody useless coward."
"Fine! Then clearly I'm not needed, if you're all so bloody brave!"
The door slammed shut behind him.
~*~*~*~
They called Percy a coward often and easily until Harry told them all to shut the hell up, because they didn't know anything. Then they only whispered it, quietly, out of earshot, in the evening, when Harry disappeared from the Order hideout and would tell no one where he went.
They called Percy a hero after he died so Harry could live and fulfill the destiny he had been cursed with. Harry had looked at them with hard bitter eyes and said none of them understood the first thing about courage.
Author: acidpop25
Rating: PG-13
Prompt Set: 50.4
Prompt: #38, "Courage"
Word Count: 356
Summary: "You're just a bloody coward, you know that, Percy?! A bloody useless coward."
Warnings: Bit of language, character death.
Notes: Finally found my H/P groove again, woohoo!
When Percy wouldn't take a dare from Charlie to climb the huge oak in the backyard, Bill and Charlie had laughed.
"What's the matter, Perce, scared you'll break your glasses?" Bill taunted.
"Not scared," Percy had retorted defensively.
"You just don't know how to climb a tree, do you?" Charlie needled. Next to him, Bill made clucking sounds.
Percy had glared, red-faced, and gone to climb the tree, had been halfway up when his mother had come out of the house and yelled for him to get down so suddenly and loudly that Percy fell and broke his arm.
"Scaredy-pants," his brothers had snickered, and left him out of their games.
~*~*~*~
There had always been taunts that Percy belonged in bookish Ravenclaw instead of in Gryffindor. Not Slytherin, despite ambition, because even Slytherins had a certain kind of nerve.
"I dare you," Oliver had said with a wicked grin, "to sneak into Ravenclaw and steal a pair of Penelope Clearwater's knickers."
Percy wouldn't do it. Couldn't do that to Penny.
"Oh, grow a pair, for Merlin's sake," Oliver had muttered. Percy heard.
~*~*~*~
"Look, some of us just don't want to panic prematurely."
"You're just scared!" Ron accused. "You're too bloody scared to see what's right in front of you!"
"No one else saw it, Ronald, there is no proof-"
"Like hell there isn't!"
"You just believe him because he's your mate!"
"You're just a bloody coward, you know that, Percy?! A bloody useless coward."
"Fine! Then clearly I'm not needed, if you're all so bloody brave!"
The door slammed shut behind him.
~*~*~*~
They called Percy a coward often and easily until Harry told them all to shut the hell up, because they didn't know anything. Then they only whispered it, quietly, out of earshot, in the evening, when Harry disappeared from the Order hideout and would tell no one where he went.
They called Percy a hero after he died so Harry could live and fulfill the destiny he had been cursed with. Harry had looked at them with hard bitter eyes and said none of them understood the first thing about courage.