Distraction
“What are you doing here? Holliday doesn’t start until tomorrow.” A voice said from the top landing of the stairs.
“Harry just in time, we needed a distraction!” Fred said, turning to face him on the stairs. “No one will dare look in their direction knowing they’re standing next to an evil dark wizard!”
“What?” Harry asked eyes Like saucers.
“Come on Harry, you'll do it for us, right?” George joined.
“Boys!” Percy snapped, looking at his younger brothers.
“We need a distraction to get Lirum out of the tower unnoticed. You wouldn’t want people thinking you’re slacking as a prefect, and letting your little brother's boyfriend stay the night would you?” Fred teased looking in Percy’s direction.
“No one would believe they would ever spend the night with you!” Percy argued, arms crossed and ridged.
“Didn’t your girlfriend? One of the Ravenclaw prefects, their prefects?” Fred argued back. “Given what she said in front of everyone, I think the whole school would believe it. They’d probably believe you let them stay for some extra benefit on your part, as well.”
“What?” Lirum sat shocked and flushed at the idea. Both boys froze for a second, a short inhale on Fred’s part and Percy’s he’d snapped right toward them became a vicious scowl and turned back to Fred.
“How dare you talk about them like that! In front of them no less!” Percy bellowed out.
“So the whole school thinks I’m a floozie? What, am I taking all of you to bed then?” Lirum asked, shocked.
“No!” They all shouted together.
“Wait, why am I only being paired with men?” Lirum shouted, the boys all looking at each other awkwardly.
“Well…” George started looking at his brothers.
“Is there a single rumor of me and a girl?” Lirum asked, crossing their arms.
“You’re not going to like it.” George said finally looking back at them, both brothers followed suit awkwardly shifting in place. He tapped awkwardly on the arm of the sofa.
“Why are you all looking at me like that? Who is it? Cho? Penelope?” Lirum asked, confused as to the faces that spoke volumes about how much they didn’t want to be the one to day it. “Hermione? That can’t be right, she’s like twelve?”
“Luna.” Percy said under his breath trying to hide it with a cough.
“I’m learning the killing curse.” Lirum said curtly. “She’s eleven, a child! She should be nowhere near anyone’s list, especially not mine.”
“I mean three years isn’t that much.” Harry said from behind them.
“I turn fifteen tomorrow you nonce! That’s disgusting! I wouldn’t be caught dead, sniffing near a child!” Lirum shouted. “I blame Cedric, he went and nonced off with Cho and now people think I’d be ok with it.”
“What’s with all the racket?” Ron said, toddling down the stairs.
“Harry’s about to lead the way out of the common room for me.” Lirum said, crossing their arms impatiently.
“Do I really have to be your distraction?” He asked, sighing.
“I was on your side before you made a comment about me and Luna. You owe me one, you'll make the distraction since apparently, I don’t need any more evidence against me.” Lirum said, standing from the sofa and walking toward the door.
Ginny and Hermione were the last to make it into the common room, just as they walked out of the portrait hole. Harry led the group followed by Ron and Hermione. Fred And George continued making jokes about Harry’s place as the Heir of Slytherin. While Lirum and Percy exchanged looks having a fully silent conversation of their disapproval. Students scuttled out of the way, and as predicted they didn’t even notice Lirum amongst them.
“Watch this, it'll be funny.” Fred whispered to Lirum before running out in front of them. “Make way for the heir of Slytherin!”
George trailed behind announcing. “seriously evil wizard coming though!”
“It is Not a laughing matter!” Percy snapped through gritted teeth attempting to stop them from matching down the hall making a scene.
“Oh, get out of the way Percy!” Fred Said ducking under his arm pushing forward much to Percy’s disapproval. “Harry’s in a hurry!”
“Yeah, he’s off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant!” George laughed, dipping around percy leaving him and Lirum towards the back of their group, Ginny trailing the farthest behind.
“Oh, don’t!” she cried as the boys continued
“Perce, I think they might have taken the distraction too seriously. We didn’t need this much.” Lirum laughed watching the twins draw way too much attention from scared students hurrying off to the Hogwarts Express.
“Ugh, I’ve noticed.” Percy groaned and watched his brothers cause more trouble.
“If they applied this level of dedication to their studies. I don’t think I’d be top of the class.” The ravenclaw joked as one of the twins pulled out a clove of garlic.
“I’ve been saying that since their first year.” Percy said, sharing a sympathetic look with Lirum before turning back to the boys. “Where did he even get that? Has he had a clove of garlic on him all night? Did he sleep with it? He can’t just carry it around just incase can he?”
“I’ve learned with the twins sometimes it’s best not to ask. Otherwise you’ll find they nicked a whole galleon off you on the train.”
“They what?” He asked, shocked.
“It’s not a big deal, Perce.” Lirum shrugged following the boys to the last breakfast before break.
“A whole galleon is a big deal!” Percy stressed as they entered the great hall.
“Can I sit with you?” Lirum asked, attempting to change the topic before Percy got too upset.
“What?” Percy asked, blush creeping onto his cheeks.
“Can I sit with you at the Gryffindor table?” Lirum clarified, approaching the tables.
“You want to sit with me?” He asked again, pushing his glasses up to hide his embarrassment.
“Well yeah, you always sit so far away I can barely hear you. I’ll be good I promise.” Lirum teased stopping at the start of the table.
“It’s not you I’m worried about. Well, not when it comes to misbehaving.” Percy joked lightly. The mood shifted as he paused and spoke again. “Although, I suppose it should be after your surprise entrance last night or cursed me in the hallway.”
“Ooo, I see we’re not pretending that away.” Lirum joked awkwardly to relieve the sudden tension.
“No I don’t think we can, you hate it when I do that remember.” He spoke with a bittersweet smile.
“I was really hoping you’d forgotten.” Lirum said just above a whisper.
“We both were, and I wanted to.” Percy said with a deep sigh. “I was just so worried about you. You where the last person I thought would pull their wand on me, and I was furious.”
“I’m sorry Percy.” Lirum said, looking at Percy.
“Apologizing when you don’t mean it, is a good way to hurt the both of us.” Percy said Solemnly.
“Percy-“ Lirum started.
“So, who do you plan to attack next Harry!” Fred joked loudly rushing down the row of tables. Percy cleared his throat.
“You can sit wherever you like. Holliday starts today so I doubt anyone would say anything. They definitely won’t at dinner.” He nodded and gestured toward the table and walked to his normal seat.
“I wasn’t asking you as a prefect.” Lirum said. The distance between them felt like it grew with those words, the opposite of what they’d wanted.
“Come on Thumper, no pouting.” George said, wrapping an arm over them from behind. “What are we whispering about?”
“They're asking if they can sit at the Gryffindor table.” Percy said, turning to his brother.
“Oh come on Percy! It’s almost holiday , what's one day?” George said, pulling Lirum along behind him laughing. “Come on we’ve saved you a seat, Love. Right here between me and Fred.”
“Wait we were still-“ they started getting cut off by Fred who trapped them in between himself and George.
“Don’t worry about Percy! Not even he can stay mad at you.” Fred joked, arm thrown across their shoulders and hand on George’s.
“He told me I could.” Lirum said under their breath looking back at Percy.
He slowly walked down the length of the table to sit normal seat. They thought for just a moment he’d stop a seat earlier and sit across from them, but he didn’t. He and Ginny sat in their normal seats. They should have been happy to be as close as they were, but at the busting Gryffindor table it felt much farther.
“Lirum!” They heard a voice call from the door. Luna ran down the table to their normal spot. “You weren’t in the common room where were you?” She asked out of breath.
This added on to the stewing regret Lirum felt. They hadn’t even thought to leave a note for Luna, who’d become their closest confidant. They hadn’t thought they’d be out all night, or sleep in the Gryffindor dorms. They hadn’t thought about the twins when they’d snuck out, or Percy’s reaction when they’d pulled their wand on him. Had they thought of anyone but themselves. They thought about how they didn’t want to be followed anymore, or to go home and be forced by their grandfather to celebrate their birthday. Had they thought about leaving him alone every year, or just that they wanted to be alone.
“Hey!” They snapped back to the feeling of their hair being tussled “you alright, that’s the second time today I’ve caught you moping”
“Yeah I’m just a bit distracted, that’s all.” Lirum replied. Occasionally joining in on the conversation.
After breakfast Lirum and Percy made their way to ravenclaw tower to collect their things. Ready for some quiet after the twins had kept up the act far longer than needed. The rest of the students had already rushed through the snow to the Hogwarts Express before those two stopped harassing Harry and making a show of him being the heir of Slytherin.
“I think this is the furthest I’ve been up this tower.” Percy said as he summited the stairs, followed by Lirum.
“You never came up here with Penelope?” Lirum asked, stepping into the landing.
“Why would I?” Percy asked, looking mildly affronted.
“Which came first, the Phoenix or the Flame?” Eagle came to life and asked its riddle as Lirum stepped forward.
“Neither, a circle has no beginning.” Lirum replied, and the door opened. “I don’t know? You were dating for the better part of a year, and with everything Tonks said I just thought you might have-“
“Please don’t finish that thought.” Percy put his hand up to stop them before pinching the bridge of his nose. “I think it should be clear I am more respectful than the boys she was running around with.”
“Said while sneaking into the common room with the boy you were sneaking around with!” A voice rang out clearly from the common room they’d previously thought would be empty.
“P-Penny! I thought you’d go home for Holiday!” Percy said, sounding rather alarmed.
“I am a school prefect as well, Percy! Did you truly believe I would abandon the professors and my position during such a troubled time!” Penelope shouted at him, before turning to Lirum. “And you if you think I didn’t notice you never came down this morning you have another thing coming! I believe it’s quite clear where you were! Might I say as a prefect you should be ashamed of yourself for sneaking around with an underclassmen like this!”
“Weren’t Roger Davies an underclassmen and Teddy Taylor both underclassmen?” Lirum asked, confused if they’d remembered wrong. The scarlet that covered Penelope’s entire face after they’d asked thay seemed to answer the question far better than any words. She then huffed and stormed up the stairs.
“That was a bit uncalled for, and definitely gave the wrong impression of what we’re doing here.” Percy said awkwardly.
“It was an honest question.” Lirum replied just as awkwardly.
“I should wait here. Go grab you things and we can head back.” Percy gestured toward the stairs as he paced awkwardly around the now empty common room.