 | |||||
|
Title: One is the Loneliest Number
 Percy Weasley pulled open the door of his small, dingy, one room flat. He set his shopping bags on the counter and began putting groceries away. He set the bottle of ginger ale and jug of orange juice on the top shelf of the small refrigerator and the tins of soup and package of crackers on the counter. Opening another bag, he set out the box of cold tablets and two boxes of tissues. Rubbing his nose with the back of his hand, he went over to the fold out couch that doubled as his bed. He had overslept this morning and hadn't bothered making the bed and folding it back up. " Eh-chuhh. " A sneeze caught him by surprise, and he pulled out his over used handkerchief to catch the two that followed. " Huh-chushh, uhchoo. " After blowing his nose, he eyed the damp handkerchief with disgust and tossed it on the coffee table. Coughing, he straightened out his bed so after he ate, he could crawl straight into it. He walked the few feet over to the small kitchenette. He pulled a pan out of the sink and set it on the stove, pouring in a tin of soup. While the soup was heating, he poured a glass of orange juice and put the kettle on for tea. Sighing, he took a bowl and spoon out of the sink. Percy didn't have many dishes, so they were mainly stored in the dish drainer. In fact, he mused, he really didn't have much of anything. A small assortment of dishes, the sofa, coffee table, desk and chair, a lamp, his clothes and a few books. The dishes and furniture he had purchased second-hand. Everything else he had taken from home a week ago when he stormed out. Turning his attention back to the soup, he poured some in a bowl and placed the pan in the fridge. He steeped a cup of tea while eating his soup. It was nowhere near as good as Mum's or Bill's. Right now, he'd even eat George's and George couldn't even toast bread without burning it. Sniffling, he finished the soup, leaving the dishes on the counter. It had been a long day, he thought, rubbing his temples. Feeling his nose start to itch again, he quickly opened a box of tissues and held one to his nose. " Heh-heh-hehchoo, ehchoo, hey-eh-ahchuhh, uhchushh. " Blowing his nose again, he groaned. It had been a very long day. He had awoken this morning with a runny nose and headache and had gotten worse as the day went on. With some embarrassment, he recalled the meeting he'd had this afternoon, where with no warning, he had exploded into a fit of nearly a dozen sneezes, and Amos Diggory had stopped his presentation to inquire if he was alright. "Finde, just a sumber cold." He had sniffled, trying to blow his nose as softly as possible, face redder than his hair. He had felt Arthur looking at him several times after that. Percy had hurried off as quickly as possible after the meeting, lest Arthur stop him. He had heard his father call his name but ignored it and kept walking. He had a feeling Arthur wouldn't mention any of it to Molly, especially after the way he had treated her. A small part of him wished he had stopped when his father called his name, but he quickly squashed it. Not that having someone here would be all that bad, but Percy, in his ambition, had lost touch with his friends and driven away his family. So, there was no one he could turn to. Shivering despite the heat, he sighed. "Just great. Dow I have a fever." He muttered, wiping at his runny nose. It sure would be nice to have someone to talk to. Merlin, he was so lonely, he'd even settle for having Snape here. Pushing the thoughts aside again, he finished the tea before changing into his nightshirt and brushing his teeth. The sound of footsteps above startled him. He still wasn't used to his flat. He'd become so accustomed to the chaos at The Burrow he hardly noticed it anymore. He wasn't used to the noises and the silence here. The creaking of the pipes and the movement in the flat above him were easier to take, but the silence…the silence made him feel more alone. All he had were his thoughts for company, and they were things he didn't want to deal with right now. " Hayuhshoo, ahshushoo, uhschoo, uhkushoo, kuchoo, uhkuhchoo. " Grabbing the tissues again, he blew his nose half a dozen times before filling a glass with water and getting ready to crawl into bed. Coughing harshly, he checked to make sure his inhalator was on the coffee table, which doubled as a nightstand. He set the water down and placed the tissues within easy reach in case he needed them in the middle of the night. The way this cold was progressing, he was sure he would. Walking back to the counter, he opened the box of cold pills and swallowed two, then crawled into bed. The pull-out was old and lumpy, quite a change from the bed at his parents, and he spent a good ten minutes trying to find a comfortable spot that was within reach of the water, inhalator and tissues. " Heyehshoo. " The sneeze came again without warning, and he fumbled for the tissues. " Huhughshooo, ehsheshh. " He managed to cover the last sneeze and carefully blew his increasingly tender nose. Molly had a salve she would always give him to help his nose whenever he came down ill; especially since his pepper-up allergy meant that whenever he caught a cold, he was in for at least a week of blowing his sensitive nose. Sniffling and sighing, he pulled the thin quilt around his body. Despite the warmth of early summer, he was chilly. The people upstairs weren't moving around anymore, and the silence of the flat seemed to crush in on him. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind so he could sleep. But, as had happened every night since he had left, thoughts of his family kept closing in on him, increasing the loneliness and despair he felt inside. It took him a long time to fall asleep that night, partly from the congestion of his cold and partly from the unfamiliar sounds in his apartment, his uncomfortable bed, and the nagging thoughts of his family and how he had left things. He had often felt alone at The Burrow, probably because he never felt he really "fit" with the rest of the Weasleys. But now, he was alone; he only thought he was before. | |||||
 |
Created & Organized by A, tarotgal, and Meg |
 |