saitaina | The End of the Begining Cookie

Originally published at Memoirs of a Nobody. You can comment here or there.

Percy headed out of the Great Hall, tired of the stairs and whispers that had fueled the dinner hours conversation. He should have known it would be a moronic decision to attack Malfoy in the middle of a corridor, now everyone would know about it. And everyone would bring up the past, the rumors, the talk of a Death Eater at Hogwarts. He shook his head, pulling up the hood of his cloak, heading for his rooms when searing pain shot through his arm, and Percy gasped, clutching the burning tattoo, falling to his knees, tears streaking down his face as he fought the pain, fought to breath. A shadow fell over him and he didn’t raise his head, to body dying, one cell at a time.

“Are you going to go to them?” Neville asked softly, watching his lover, aching to take away the pain.

“And if I was?”

“You need to make a choice, Percy.” Neville said softly. “Them or us, good or light.”

“What do you want me to say Neville?”

“That you love me, that it was all a mistake, that you have nightmares about what you did. That it’s all over, that you’re here now and will be here always. That you’re good.”

“I can’t,”

“You won’t.”

“No Neville, I can’t. It wasn’t a mistake, and I don’t have nightmares. I never regret the choice I made because for me, it was the right choice. I loved every minute of what I did and I’m only sorry that you can’t under stand that.”

Neville stared down at Percy, unable to belive what he was hearing. What had always remained unsaid between them had just been said. And Neville no longer had a shield to keep him safe from the truth.