Christmas again
Lirum followed Percy back to the Gryffindor common room to find the twins sheepishly sitting on the sofa watching the entryway. George hurriedly stuffing the piece of parchment Lirum assumed must be their ‘marauders map’ into his robes. Soft anxious smiles accompanied by pleading eyes faced them.
“Well, judging by your faces I left just in time for more screaming.” Lirum joked, hoping to ease the clear tension in the room.
“I’m so sorry, I-“ George started.
“I’ll be ok. Let’s just get to bed, I’m really tired” Lirum shrugged. “We can start new tomorrow.”
“But I- no. You’re right, you’re tired, we can talk about it in the morning.” Fred said awkwardly, before standing from the sofa. George followed, freeing up the space for Lirum. Both looked bizarrely at Lirum when they strode past them and up the stairs.
“Where are you going?” The boys chorused as Lirum reached the top.
“I’ve had a long day. If you think after all of this you lot are going to stick me on the sofa you’ve truly lost the plot!” Lirum said back confidently as they strode past the dorms marked third and fourth year straight to the sixth year dormitories. They opened the door to find something they did not expect.
It was a mess. The walls on half of the room where lined with in books and the occasional photo or trinket on shelves, their own wee a desk with a fine swan feather quill Lirum recognised as the one they’d gifted Percy accompanied by several loose rolls of parchment, and stacks of books, and a trail of clothing scattered from the bed into what appeared to be the no man’s land of dirty clothing that filled the middle of the room. The other side's walls were plastered with quidditch posters and trophies as well as pictures of the Gryffindor team throughout the years. With a desk that seemed to be covered in hastily drawn plans for the quidditch team, while every other available surface including the desk chair was covered in clothing Lirum couldn’t tell if they were actually clean or dirty.
Suddenly they heard pounding footsteps behind them like someone was running up stairs. They turned to see Percy red faced all the way to his ears. He ran towards them and quickly flung himself into the doorway between them and the room.
“I swear it’s not normally like that!” He said as he slammed the door shut and lirum could hear the sound of things being tossed around on the other side. “You can blame that damned Oliver Wood! He has no idea how to pick up after himself and I’ve had to live with it for the past six years!” His voice was muffled through the door but Lirum couldn’t help but laugh.
“Forgot about that when you said I could stay over did you?” Lirum joked through the door. “Are you sure none of it’s yours? Or does he typically leave clothes on your bed?”
The door flung open. Percy’s glasses had slid down his nose in his flurry of cleaning and his face was now far redder than it had been before.
“There were not!” He said arms crossed, standing in the middle of the doorway. Lirum slipped right past him and ran towards the bed snatching up a jumper he’d missed.
“Oh so, this is Oliver’s? Has he been undressing in your bed or if I look inside of this will your mum have marked a P on the inside?” Lirum teased holding it, dangling it on one finger.
“No!” He Said rushing forward trying to take the jumper back from Lirum. They dodged swiftly out of the way jumper, still in hand.
“No it’s not Oliver’s, or no your mum doesn’t write in your clothes anymore?”
“Either one!” He cried out. “Not you too! Just give it back, please.”
“So it is yours?” Lirum said triumphantly as they handed back his jumper, which he swiped quickly from them before throwing it in his trunk and sliding the whole thing under his bed.
“You know I tried really hard to keep it clean at first! I gave up after third year, I’d tried everything! We even split the room down the middle at the start of every year but things slowly crossed the line.” Percy ranted throwing things that were on the floor toward the bed on the other side of the room starting to reveal the line magically marked on the floor.
They noticed standing there if smelled like some odd mix of mud and books. They took another whiff to the smell of grass mud and sweat emanating from a pile of clothes on the floor. Percy looked over at them smugly.
“What, you don’t love the smell of the quidditch pitch?” He said sarcastically.
“He knows the elves here are free right? He doesn’t need to worry about his laundry, he could just hand it over? I mean I don’t really like the idea of house elves either, but this is ridiculous. If you hate it, do the washing up yourself.” Lirum said, staring at the pile aghast. “And if his fear is accidental, freeing the elves they're already free.”
“I wish, but noooo. He just loves the smell of the game, and those are his lucky quidditch robes.” Percy scoffed, as he straightened up his desk the same meticulous way he always had in the library setting up for their study sessions. Lirum moved towards the bed to rest and noticed the open book on the nightstand. They sat down and picked it up, marking the page Percy had been on before flipped it over to read the front cover.
“What do we have here? Let’s see.” Lirum announced reading aloud. “First love, First loss by Amorette Deveuve.”
“No, that’s private!” Percy said as he quickly lifted the book from Lirum’s hands.
“Come on Percy, let me have a little fun.” Lirum teased falling back on his bed.
“Weren’t you tired? Go to bed then, because I don’t consider picking through my things and teasing me about them very fun.” Lirum perked up to tease him again when the door swung open.
“No closed doors when you have friends over, remember.” Fred said standing in the door.
“Fred, though I appreciate your sudden interest in following the rules, I don’t think that rule applies here.” Percy said, pushing his glasses up and turning toward the door.
“It would if they were in our room!” George joined in from down the hall, making Lirum laugh.
“Alright, alright, everyone out! I’m going to bed.” Lirum said, laying back in the bed.
“So you’d just kick me out then?” Fred said standing in the doorway.
“Yes!” Lirum said from the bed attempting to find something to throw at him but he’d ducked out and away before they found something that wouldn’t be ruined.
The next few days passed calmly. Lirum had the very awkward conversation with the twins about their parents passing , leaving it as Fred described it frustratingly vague, but no one pushed as was clearly a very sensitive subject that needed to be broached carefully. Afterwards they would join the boys in the common room spending a fair amount of time just talking or reading by the fire, or go with Percy to the library. If the boys began arguing it usually only took Lirum standing and taking a few steps toward the stairs for them to hush, apologise and ask them to stay.
Christmas morning Lirum woke up again in Percy’s bed. Though the boys hadn’t fought too much , Lirum had taken advantage of Percy’s original offer of taking his room. They’d grown quite fond of it. After the first night Lirum had sent all of the laundry to be washed up and it left the room smelling mostly of Percy’s books and fireplace smoke both leftover from Percy’s nightly reading and what wafted up from the common room. It was quite lovely, cozy, homely even. It didn’t help that they’d been sleeping in the jumper Percy had given them after the basilisk attack.
They made their way down stairs to find the boys around the fire, waiting to open their presents. Fred tossing each of his brothers each their lumpy parcels Lirum could already tell would be this year's jumpers. They snuck over to their trunk and opened it up attempting not to be spotted while pulling out everyone’s presents.
“What do you have there?” Ron asked, peeking over the back of the sofa to see Lirum rustling about in their trunk.
“Nothing for you, if you don’t keep quiet.” Lirum said standing up presents in hand. Ron turned red and snapped forward facing back toward the fire.
“Oi, Lirum you joining us mum sent you one too!” Fred said, waving the parcel around in the air.
“Coming!” They answered, kicking the trunk back under the sofa. They walked presents in hand next to Fred who eyed them suspiciously. “I got presents for you!”
“Why do I have the feeling my present is going to be revenge of some sort?” Fred said hesitation clear on his face when he handed them their jumper.
“Because you know you probably deserve it, but lucky you I am a merciful friend!” Lirum cheered, sorting through the presents they’d picked out for everyone. “The red one is yours, blue is for George, purple are for Hermione, Harry, and Ron, and lastly green is for Percy.”
“Why did you pick out different wrapping for all of us?” George asked, picking his present up and giving it a little shake.
“And why are ours all the same?” Ron asked, picking up one of the three purple boxes.
“So I wouldn’t mix up who’s present was who’s! It would be an easy mistake to make!” Lirum defended opening their own present so they could put their new jumper on. “If you don’t want it, give it back.”
“No.” Ron said, holding his present to his chest.
“Oh this is going to be wicked!” They heard George say from the spot he’d taken up in one of the arm chairs. He was reading the box of his new frogspawn soap Lirum had picked out at Zonko’s. “How hard do you think it would be to slip this into Lockhart’s bathroom?”
“Brilliant, bloody brilliant!” Fred cheered, holding up his dungbombs. “It wouldn’t be hard at all since I was gifted our distraction!”
“And I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear that.” Percy said, holding his box unopened in his lap.
“Why aren’t you opening yours Percy?” Lirum asked, watching as he just sat with his presents.
“I already know what they both are. It's best I keep them safe for later.”
“What, you don’t want us to know what Lirum got you.” Fred said, eyeing his older brother suspiciously.
“That’s exactly why I’m not opening them. I’m keeping them safe.” Percy said glaring back at his brother.
“Come on Percy, I picked them out just for you at least try them on! I’d like to see if they look as good on you as I thought they would!” Lirum teased hoping Percy would give in if they asked.
“You picked out clothes based off whether, or not you thought they’d look good on him? Gross!” Ron cried out from the sofa.
“Do you want me to take the candy back?” Lirum asked, turning about to see him and Harry trading bits and candy freezing when they faced them.
“No!” The boys said together.
“Wait, why are our jumpers a different colour?” Harry asked, looking at Lirum before eating a handful of every flavour beans.
“Well that depends on whether you believe George. Apparently we’re a part of an exclusive club.” Lirum joked, throwing on their new jumper. “After all we’ve really only got to things in common, one of them being the colour of the jumpers.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked again looking at George who was trying desperately not to laugh.
“Sorry mate, you're in the orphans club.” George cackled. Joined by Harry and Lirum much to the horror of the rest of the Weasleys.
“George!” Percy And Fred snapped together. Fred turned to face his brother and Percy jumped up from his seat. “That can’t be alright!” Ron followed but they were ignored by the half of the group still laughing at the joke.
“Wait, I thought you lived with Mr. Ollivander?” Harry asked innocently.
“I do, but he’s far too old to be my dad. He’s my grandfather, he was my fathers father. Infuses on was, but he’s taken care of me since I was little.” Lirum explained awkwardly.
“Like how I live with the Dursleys?” He asked, appearing a bit more lost in thought.
“Yeah, but that’s enough dwelling on it. We need to bring catmione her present. Wouldn’t want her lonely on Christmas.” Lirum said grabbing the last purple box.
“Please don’t call her that to her face. She’d lose it.” The second year boys said together.
The group headed to the hospital wing to bring hermione her present. They spent a while keeping her company and playing a few games before it was time for dinner. Christmas dinner at Hogwarts was full of cheer as it was every year. After they arrived everyone began eating and joking around. After a while Lirum noticed everyone randomly giggling.
“Fred? What’s so funny?” Lirum asked, watching him choke down a laugh.
“I’m sorry darling but if I tell you you’ll ruin it.” He answered, they followed his eyes back towards Percy though. After a moment they figured out exactly what they were laughing about.
“Whats so funny! Why are you all laughing!” Percy demanded as most of the table watched giggled at his prefect badge that had been jinxed to read Pinhead instead.
“Oh Percy.” Lirum said resting their head in their hands.
“What? What is it? You’ll tell me won’t you?” He begged walking closer to Lirum who stood up in kind.
“Here just let me-“ they said, attempting to take off his prefect badge before he jumped back like he’d been burnt.
“What are you doing- w-who did it!?” Percy demanded, only earning more laughter from the table.
“Come on, let's just get back to the common room.” Lirum said, leading the way for hairy and the trail of Weasleys to follow.