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Never Let Go by majestic_ginny

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Story Notes:

Thank you to my flist for putting up with my incessant nagging about this story and giving some brilliant suggestions. Special huggles to Alex, Ellie, Jamie, Minna and Pooja Di for helping me sort out a couple of stuff. All of you guys rock :D.

And of course, I'm not JKR. Her mysteries are far, far better than mine.



Chapter Notes:
So here's the first chapter. I hope you all enjoy!



Lucy Weasley was late for breakfast.

On a balmy July morning, Percy Weasley sat at his breakfast table, skimming through the day's issue of the Morning Prophet and trying to find something newsworthy. In one hand was a cup of strong tea, which he was sipping at regular intervals as he waited for his daughter to come down. He had been disappointed with the paper so far - the news consisted mainly of things such as gargantuan daisies or the inauguration of the fastest broomstick to date. Useless tosh, he thought as he turned a page. Why bother with inaugurating a broomstick when a faster one would come out and take its place in a few months?

–Percy, that’s your third cup of tea,” his wife said as she sat down beside him, looking at him with her eyebrows raised. –And you’ve already finished the paper twice! You know, if you are so worried about her, go to her room and call her down. It’s maddening to see you two like this.”

He shook his head. –She’ll think I’m imposing on her,” he replied, setting down the paper and turning around to look at her. –As it is, she’s not talking to me, so--”

–Percy,” Audrey interrupted, looking into his eyes. –You went through her personal things. She’s supposed to be a bit ticked off.”

–But I’m her father; I’m supposed to be worried about who she’s dating!” he cried exasperatedly. Even with two teenage daughters, he still wasn’t sure if he was doing the parenting job properly -- and considering his most recent showdown with his eldest daughter, he decided he was very, very bad at it. –It’s my job, isn’t it? It’s really not my fault for caring about her. Just… tell me where I’m going wrong,” he finished with a sigh

To his surprise, Audrey laughed. He loved it when she laughed; her eyes crinkled slightly around the edges and a slight dimple formed in her left cheek. Ever since the first day he’d seen her laughing, he’d fallen in love with her.

On Fred’s third death anniversary, Percy couldn’t bear to face his family. After Fred's death, Percy had felt like he had taken a blow to the chest. There were times when he was unable to eat or sleep, when grief and guilt ate at him like acid. Fred's funeral was the worst day of his life, ever. He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye to his brother, knowing it was his fault he laid there. He hoped his mind was playing a joke on him, that it was fooling him and showing him false visions.

Every morning started bleak and dry and Percy would have to convince himself that he wasn't a murderer. That it was a mistake anyone could have made. Deep down, though, he knew it was his fault that Fred had died. If Fred hadn't been distracted by him, if he hadn't been talking to Percy when that wall collapsed, he could have got that extra second to save himself. A moment's distraction had cost him his brother's life. What bothered him the most was that Fred's murderer had got away that day. Percy hadn't been able to track the bastard down. Rookwood had been killed, anyway, that very same day by a stray Killing Curse aimed at someone else by one of his own kind, but Percy was far from satisfied. Seeing Rookwood's dark, vacant eyes staring up into the vast sky hadn't been enough for him. He had wanted to destroy Rookwood himself, to punish him for taking away his brother. Percy had wanted to take revenge, to pull Rookwood apart, limb by limb… to see the light leaving his eyes. And he hated his luck for not being able to make it happen.

As everyone had been leaving for the services to be held at Fred’s grave, Percy had slowly slipped out (for his mother would have dragged him along if she had seen him leaving) and had gone to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink. He had never accompanied his family for the services, and he could tell that Gorge hated him for it. He had even gone to the point of calling Percy a coward, and though Percy had hit him hard in the face, he knew George was right. But while George had lost his twin, he was not the one responsible for it. He could never know how Percy felt, for it had been all Percy’s fault.

He had been sitting in the pub all alone, clutching a bottle of Firewhiskey, bringing it up to his lips unsteadily from time to time. And Percy had been on his third bottle when he saw her for the first time.

She came in like an angel, dressed in white robes, her blonde hair billowing in the wind as she stepped into the pub from the howling street outside. And yet that angel looked like her whole world was falling apart. Her grey eyes were bloodshot. Her face was drained of all colour, and her robes were askew. She sat down on the barstool beside him, ordered a glass of gin, and then stared into blankness.

Later on he found out that her boyfriend had left her for someone else. He couldn’t believe how someone could toss aside such a beautiful creature as herself for anything else, for he knew that anything else would be unappealing compared to her. They often met at the Leaky Cauldron for drinks afterwards, and gradually Percy found himself being drawn to her in a way he’d never been towards any other woman.

As days passed, she became more open to him. She told him that she worked as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries, and Percy was glad to find that she worked at the Ministry. To his own surprise, Percy would often leave work early and go down to the tenth level to wait for her outside her Department. Then they would leave work together and head for lunch, talking about subjects ranging from mundane things as ants to deeper things like politics or the meaning of life. Audrey, he knew, knew far more about the subject than he could ever imagine, but her research on the subject was classified and she couldn’t share it with him. Percy hated mysteries, but he let it pass. After all, she couldn’t know about the internal affairs of Shacklebolt’s campaign, either.

One sunny Sunday morning, as they sat outside Fortescue’s ice-cream shop, Percy told her about his ambitions to be the Minister for Magic and change the world. She laughed, to his dismay -- but then he realized that she wasn’t mocking him; in fact, she had said, she was glad to have found someone like him with a purpose in his life and who shared her enthusiasm for work, and that she was finally starting to enjoy herself. That day as they sat together under the azure sky sipping hot chocolate, he finally realized that he was falling in love with her.

He couldn’t believe that he was the same Percy Weasley who loved his work more than anything else.

The thing about grief, he realized soon, was that it changed people. It made them someone they weren’t. His grief had in the end brought him closer to everyone in his life.

–Percy, are you listening to me?”

He jerked out of his reverie. She was waving her hand in front of his face, an exasperated smile on her face.

–Sorry, dear,” he said quickly, wiping that lovesick grin off his face. –What were you saying?”

–You should really apologize to her,” she prompted, trying to keep her face straight.

–But --”

"You know how stubborn she is, Perce. Until you apologize to her she won't talk to you. And she's a big girl," she said patiently, taking his hand in hers. "She knows how to deal with boys. And she knows your position in the ministry, Percy; she won't do anything that will upset you or dishonour your name. She's old enough to know what's right and what's wrong. Just give her a chance to prove it to you."

Percy didn’t want to admit it, but what his wife said made perfect sense, he knew. And he hated it. Lucy was his little girl, and she was still too young to be dating anyone. And just to know if she was in any sort of relationship, he had snuck into her room when she was downstairs and gone through her drawers to find any sort of hint of the existence of a boy.

But to his chagrin, Lucy had seen him and the face-off that had followed was worse than one of Mrs Weasley’s tirades, he recalled with a grimace.

–She really has grown up, hasn’t she,” he mumbled.

–And now you’re finally speaking sense!” Audrey said happily, clapping her hands. –Bravo!”

–So I should go up to apologize?”

–Double bravo to you,” she replied, standing up and kissing him on the cheek. She picked up his empty cup and took it up to the sink, and placed a cleaning charm on all the dishes. –Now you go up there and make up with your daughter while I clean up. Molly’ll be back from Fleur’s place soon, and if I’m not wrong, Dominique will be will her. Those two are attached to the hip.”

Percy laughed. He got up, pecked his wife on the cheek, and, squaring his shoulders, shuffled up to his daughter’s room.

Percy knocked twice, but Lucy didn’t answer. She was probably asleep, Percy thought, which was a good thing. He’d tiptoe in, kiss her on the forehead and wake her up like he used to do when she was a child, and he’d apologize. And then things would return to normal, he thought as a huge grin split across his face.

He pushed the door.

The door opened with a creaking noise, swinging in a wide arc until it hit the wall behind it. The blinds were drawn, and the minimal amount of sunlight diffusing in through the red curtains gave the room an oddly eerie feel. He peered into the dark room, his eyes adjusting to the dimness inside.

Lucy’s bed was empty. The blanket had been carelessly tossed aside, revealing the white bedspread underneath. The pillows were dented inwards, and the sheets were crumpled up, so she had certainly been sleeping in it. The bathroom door was ajar and the lights out; she was definitely not in there.

Where is she? Percy thought.

–Lucy?” He called out. Resting his hands on the doorframe, he leaned in. –Luce, are you in here?”

The room was completely vacant, except for the furniture and a small bundle of clothes at the base of her bed. He scanned the room, an oddly apprehensive feeling rising up in his chest. Something was terribly wrong, he thought as his heart started to beat faster. A lump formed in his throat. Lucy was nowhere to be seen. There was nothing odd about her room, though, except for the bunch of clothes; Percy knew that Lucy was a perfectionist and hated when anything was messy --

He peered at the bundle. And then he realized it was not a bundle at all.

He staggered.

And then he let out a bone-chilling howl.

No, please, no… He thought frantically, leaning onto the doorframe, his legs unable to support him any longer. The air seemed to have left his lungs. He couldn’t breathe. Not this. Please let this not be true…

Footsteps thudded up the stairs. –Percy, are you alright?” Audrey cried from the landing, her voice panicky. A second later she skidded into view, her eyes widening at the dishevelled form of her husband. –Percy, wh-what happened, what -- why did you --”

–Lu-- she-- there--” He could say no more. He sank to the floor as his legs finally gave way. His hands shaking uncontrollably, he pointed into the room.

Audrey’s eyes followed the direction of his finger, wondering what on earth had him so shaken up.

And then she saw it.

Her mouth widened into a silent scream as she collapsed onto the floor, her fingers clutching at her face.

Lucy Weasley lay on the floor, her body oddly contorted, her brown eyes staring into nothingness. She was dead.



Chapter Endnotes:
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