Fic: "Thank You" for bekkio
Title: Thank You
Author: desultory6
Recipient's name: bekkio
Rating: G
Character(s): Percy Weasley
Author's notes: I'd like to thank my Betas, so thanks.
Summary: Percy Weasley, in a bar?
Once again, Percy was sitting in the Hog's Head, drinking. This wasn't the sort of place one would expect to find him. He was, after all, "Perfect Percy the Prefect," former Head Boy at Hogwarts, now the Minister's personal assistant, and this place was dank and dirty and not up to current Ministry standards. If any of his family members saw him now, they'd have an apoplexy, but that was part of its appeal. In an odd way, he enjoyed being at a disreputable place, drinking out of a dirty glass, and fraternising with the lowest dregs of society. Tonight, though, his only company was an old bartender who kept grunting, and a strange fellow concealed by a cloak.
"Firewhiskey?" Percy muttered as he handed the bartender his five knuts. The glass pushed towards him was dirty, but Percy was beyond caring.
A few moments later, the man in the cloak got up and sat next to Percy. Seeing him up close for the first time, Percy was startled by how feeble the man appeared, though no less nervous.
Voice barely above a whisper, the man spoke: "I'm Elphais Dodge."
"Good to know," Percy retorted.
The man paused, as if about to chuckle, then asked simply "You Ministry?"
"Yes," Percy huffed, not breaking his staring contest with the large crack in the wall.
Dodge didn't seem to take the hint. "Things must be easier now that the old coot is dead," he whispered, leaning in closer. Percy choked on his drink.
"Excuse me?" he started, once he caught his breath. There was no way he had understood that correctly, Percy assured himself.
"Dumbledore. Now that he's gone, the Ministry must have fewer problems."
"Have some respect, the man is dead!"
"You're one of Dumbledore's ilk," he continued, grey hair falling forward. "Did you spy on Ministry dealings for him?"
"No!" Percy barked, forgetting for a moment that he wanted nothing to do with this stranger.
"Really?" he said sceptically, tucking his errant hairs back under his hood. "Then why are you so offended?"
Becoming more impassioned, Percy barked back, "Because he was a great wizard... a great man!"
"If you think so, then why aren't you on his side?" Dodge countered. Percy hesitated for a moment and the man continued. "You might want to re-evaluate your actions if you can't come up with a reason for them."
Taking a moment before continuing with his inquisition of the young man, he looked up.
"Barman, more drink!" he barked, rummaging in his pocket for a sickle but finding none.
The bartender glared at him suspiciously, "Can you pay?"
"Come on," Dodge demanded loudly, wheezing, then coughing into his sleeve, "you know I'm good for it!"
"Elphais, get out," the bartender said sternly.
"But I want another!"
"Out!"
"Fine," Dodge muttered, disapparating with a huff.
The bartender returned to scrubbing the counter, a fruitless task, as his filthy rag could do nothing but spread the grime around. Suddenly, he stopped wiping and looked up at Percy.
"He has a point, you know."
Startled by the man's sudden attention to him, Percy paused before defending himself. "How can you say that? I may not have been on Dumbledore's side, but his death was not a good thing! He was a -"
“Calm down, that’s not what I meant.” The bartender put a hand on Percy’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him, but Percy shrugged it off.
“It’s not?”
The bartender looked at him as if he was daft. “No. What I meant was that it’s odd that you weren’t on his side.”
Percy blinked.
Twice.
“Why’s that?
“Your entire family is.” The old man replied as if it was the obvious answer.
Percy took a sip of his drink.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Percy, your family is as loyal to Dumbledore and the Order as it gets.”
Shocked, Percy asked, “how do you know who I am?”
“Your family talks,” was the simple reply.
“How- who are you?” Percy was getting a headache.
The barman replied with an amused smile. “You don’t know?”
“Should I?”
The bartender put out his hand and said, “I’m Aberforth Dumbledore.”
Percy’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He could see the brotherly resemblance. It wasn’t just the long grey hair and beard, their eyes had the same twinkle. He said the only thing he could think of. “That explains why it smells like goat.” He shook the offered hand in an attempt to regain his composure. “That doesn‘t, however, explain why I should trust you.”
“You shouldn’t, these are dangerous times, but it explains how I know about you and your family.” Aberforth leaned onto the bar and stared into Percy’s eyes. “There is something I’d like you do for me.”
“Goats aren’t really-”
“Forget the goats. This is important! I want you to keep something safe for me.”
“What do you want me to take care of?” Percy didn't want to get involved in any shady dealings. Rules were there for a reason. He didn't want to risk his job, either. He'd worked too hard and given up too much.
“A locket.”
“Locket?” Aberforth placed a gold locket on the bar. Percy started laughing and asked, “are you kidding me? Is this a joke?”
“This locket is very important!” His voice was urgent and desperate.
Percy stopped laughing. The locket didn’t look important, but the way Aberforth said it commanded attention. “What is it?”
“I don’t know” Percy couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t liked being played with, so he downed the rest of his drink and said, “I think it’s time for me to leave.” He would have left if is wasn’t for Aberforth grabbing his arm. That man was strong.
“The night my brother died he was trying to get this locket. I don’t know what it is or what it does, but it has to be kept safe.” He let go of Percy’s arm. “I can’t keep it safe because I’m too much of a target. That leaves you.”
“Why me? Why not someone in the Order?” Percy was never the first choice.
“I’ve always been a rather,” he paused, trying to think of the right word, “dodgy member of the Order. Besides, I wouldn’t know who to trust. Snape killing Albus tore the Order of the Phoenix apart. I don’t trust them and they don’t trust me.”
“But you trust me?” Percy was sceptical.
“You are who you say you are.”
Raising an eyebrow Percy asked, “is that enough?”
“It has to be.”
Everything Percy had done up until this point in time was nothing compared to this. It was his chance to do something important and right. There was no way he could turn away from this opportunity, this sacred duty.
“I’ll take it.”
“Good.” He placed the locked in Percy’s hand. “Don’t come back here.” Aberforth leaned forward and said, “you need to stay as unnoticed as possible.”
Percy nodded in recognition. He started to leave, but hesitated when he got to the door. He turned around and tried to muster up enough Gryffindor courage to speak. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Aberforth looked at Percy questioningly.
“Trusting me with something important.” Percy left and softly shut the door behind him.
Aberforth went back to scrubbing the counter, even though it wouldn‘t get any cleaner. He stopped when Elphais Dodge apparated in and asked, “are you sure Percy Weasley is the right person to trust with whatever all this was about?”
“Yes.”
Dodge started pacing.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Aberforth smiled.
“I don’t, but I know doing it wasn’t wrong.”
Dodge stopped pacing, returned the smile, and asked, “You like him, don’t you?”
“Help me take down the repelling charm. I need to get some paying customers in here.” His eyes were gleaming behind his glasses.
Author: desultory6
Recipient's name: bekkio
Rating: G
Character(s): Percy Weasley
Author's notes: I'd like to thank my Betas, so thanks.
Summary: Percy Weasley, in a bar?
Once again, Percy was sitting in the Hog's Head, drinking. This wasn't the sort of place one would expect to find him. He was, after all, "Perfect Percy the Prefect," former Head Boy at Hogwarts, now the Minister's personal assistant, and this place was dank and dirty and not up to current Ministry standards. If any of his family members saw him now, they'd have an apoplexy, but that was part of its appeal. In an odd way, he enjoyed being at a disreputable place, drinking out of a dirty glass, and fraternising with the lowest dregs of society. Tonight, though, his only company was an old bartender who kept grunting, and a strange fellow concealed by a cloak.
"Firewhiskey?" Percy muttered as he handed the bartender his five knuts. The glass pushed towards him was dirty, but Percy was beyond caring.
A few moments later, the man in the cloak got up and sat next to Percy. Seeing him up close for the first time, Percy was startled by how feeble the man appeared, though no less nervous.
Voice barely above a whisper, the man spoke: "I'm Elphais Dodge."
"Good to know," Percy retorted.
The man paused, as if about to chuckle, then asked simply "You Ministry?"
"Yes," Percy huffed, not breaking his staring contest with the large crack in the wall.
Dodge didn't seem to take the hint. "Things must be easier now that the old coot is dead," he whispered, leaning in closer. Percy choked on his drink.
"Excuse me?" he started, once he caught his breath. There was no way he had understood that correctly, Percy assured himself.
"Dumbledore. Now that he's gone, the Ministry must have fewer problems."
"Have some respect, the man is dead!"
"You're one of Dumbledore's ilk," he continued, grey hair falling forward. "Did you spy on Ministry dealings for him?"
"No!" Percy barked, forgetting for a moment that he wanted nothing to do with this stranger.
"Really?" he said sceptically, tucking his errant hairs back under his hood. "Then why are you so offended?"
Becoming more impassioned, Percy barked back, "Because he was a great wizard... a great man!"
"If you think so, then why aren't you on his side?" Dodge countered. Percy hesitated for a moment and the man continued. "You might want to re-evaluate your actions if you can't come up with a reason for them."
Taking a moment before continuing with his inquisition of the young man, he looked up.
"Barman, more drink!" he barked, rummaging in his pocket for a sickle but finding none.
The bartender glared at him suspiciously, "Can you pay?"
"Come on," Dodge demanded loudly, wheezing, then coughing into his sleeve, "you know I'm good for it!"
"Elphais, get out," the bartender said sternly.
"But I want another!"
"Out!"
"Fine," Dodge muttered, disapparating with a huff.
The bartender returned to scrubbing the counter, a fruitless task, as his filthy rag could do nothing but spread the grime around. Suddenly, he stopped wiping and looked up at Percy.
"He has a point, you know."
Startled by the man's sudden attention to him, Percy paused before defending himself. "How can you say that? I may not have been on Dumbledore's side, but his death was not a good thing! He was a -"
“Calm down, that’s not what I meant.” The bartender put a hand on Percy’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him, but Percy shrugged it off.
“It’s not?”
The bartender looked at him as if he was daft. “No. What I meant was that it’s odd that you weren’t on his side.”
Percy blinked.
Twice.
“Why’s that?
“Your entire family is.” The old man replied as if it was the obvious answer.
Percy took a sip of his drink.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Percy, your family is as loyal to Dumbledore and the Order as it gets.”
Shocked, Percy asked, “how do you know who I am?”
“Your family talks,” was the simple reply.
“How- who are you?” Percy was getting a headache.
The barman replied with an amused smile. “You don’t know?”
“Should I?”
The bartender put out his hand and said, “I’m Aberforth Dumbledore.”
Percy’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He could see the brotherly resemblance. It wasn’t just the long grey hair and beard, their eyes had the same twinkle. He said the only thing he could think of. “That explains why it smells like goat.” He shook the offered hand in an attempt to regain his composure. “That doesn‘t, however, explain why I should trust you.”
“You shouldn’t, these are dangerous times, but it explains how I know about you and your family.” Aberforth leaned onto the bar and stared into Percy’s eyes. “There is something I’d like you do for me.”
“Goats aren’t really-”
“Forget the goats. This is important! I want you to keep something safe for me.”
“What do you want me to take care of?” Percy didn't want to get involved in any shady dealings. Rules were there for a reason. He didn't want to risk his job, either. He'd worked too hard and given up too much.
“A locket.”
“Locket?” Aberforth placed a gold locket on the bar. Percy started laughing and asked, “are you kidding me? Is this a joke?”
“This locket is very important!” His voice was urgent and desperate.
Percy stopped laughing. The locket didn’t look important, but the way Aberforth said it commanded attention. “What is it?”
“I don’t know” Percy couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t liked being played with, so he downed the rest of his drink and said, “I think it’s time for me to leave.” He would have left if is wasn’t for Aberforth grabbing his arm. That man was strong.
“The night my brother died he was trying to get this locket. I don’t know what it is or what it does, but it has to be kept safe.” He let go of Percy’s arm. “I can’t keep it safe because I’m too much of a target. That leaves you.”
“Why me? Why not someone in the Order?” Percy was never the first choice.
“I’ve always been a rather,” he paused, trying to think of the right word, “dodgy member of the Order. Besides, I wouldn’t know who to trust. Snape killing Albus tore the Order of the Phoenix apart. I don’t trust them and they don’t trust me.”
“But you trust me?” Percy was sceptical.
“You are who you say you are.”
Raising an eyebrow Percy asked, “is that enough?”
“It has to be.”
Everything Percy had done up until this point in time was nothing compared to this. It was his chance to do something important and right. There was no way he could turn away from this opportunity, this sacred duty.
“I’ll take it.”
“Good.” He placed the locked in Percy’s hand. “Don’t come back here.” Aberforth leaned forward and said, “you need to stay as unnoticed as possible.”
Percy nodded in recognition. He started to leave, but hesitated when he got to the door. He turned around and tried to muster up enough Gryffindor courage to speak. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Aberforth looked at Percy questioningly.
“Trusting me with something important.” Percy left and softly shut the door behind him.
Aberforth went back to scrubbing the counter, even though it wouldn‘t get any cleaner. He stopped when Elphais Dodge apparated in and asked, “are you sure Percy Weasley is the right person to trust with whatever all this was about?”
“Yes.”
Dodge started pacing.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Aberforth smiled.
“I don’t, but I know doing it wasn’t wrong.”
Dodge stopped pacing, returned the smile, and asked, “You like him, don’t you?”
“Help me take down the repelling charm. I need to get some paying customers in here.” His eyes were gleaming behind his glasses.