The First Time
a Harry Potter story
by midnight_angel_girl
Percy awoke that morning with achy muscles and a deep tickle in his nose. He was not going to sneeze in front of Oliver. Percy hated sneezing in front of people he didn't know that well, and he had just met Oliver two months ago. He rubbed his nose fiercely, trying to get the tickle to abate.
He heard Oliver stir in the next bed and saw him sit up. "Morning." Oliver said quickly before grabbing a tissue and sneezing. "Uhchushoo, uhshushh, hushoo." He sniffled, then blew his nose. Oliver always sneezed three times when he woke up.
Percy rubbed his nose again. Hearing Oliver sneeze had only intensified the tickle in his nose. "Blehhh...bless you." He groaned inwardly as his breath hitched.
"Thanks. You know, Percy, you don't have to bless me every morning." Percy didn't answer, just pressed harder on his nose to keep from sneezing. "You fall back to sleep?"
Pinching his nose tightly, he lost his battle with the sneeze. "Huhmpphh."
"What? Perce, it's time to get up."
The stifled sneeze that he had let out did nothing to alleviate the tickle and another, slightly louder, sneezes slipped out. "Hih-nigh." "Percy? You ok?"
"I'm fihh..." The sneeze came to fast for him to stop it. "Ihhktchh." He managed to half stifle it and felt his ears grow hot, a sure sign that he was blushing.
"Was that a sneeze?" Oliver asked about Percy's strangled sound. Percy sat up and nodded, still pressing his hand to his nose. "Bless you. You know, the more you fight it, the more you'll sneeze." Percy didn't answer, just kept his hand firmly against his nose. "Perce, you can sneeze in front of me. You hear me sneeze every day." Taking a few tissues from the box next to his bed, he went over to Percy. "Just let it out. Everybody sneezes." He offered Percy the tissues and pulled them away when Percy reached for them. "Say please."
"Plehh...ehh...Olihhh...ihchishh." He sneezed, turning his head away. "Huh-hahshoo, hehshoo." Sniffling he turned back to Oliver, his face scarlet.
"Bless you. Better?" He nodded as Oliver handed him the tissues, and he gently wiped his nose. "Blow. Otherwise you'll keep sneezing."
Blushing harder, he blew his nose. "Thandks. Ahshoo." Another sneeze snuck up on him, and he blushed again.
"Bless you. Coming down with a cold?"
Percy sniffed. "I thindk so."
"Well, let's get you to the infirmary for some pepper-up."
"Cand't. Allergic. Cand you please get Charlie?"
"Sure. Accio tissues." He sent the tissue box towards Percy's bed. "You might need these."
"Thandks." Oliver left and came back a few minutes later with Charlie.
"Hey, Perce." Charlie sat down on the bed. "Got a cold?"
"I thindk so."
"Okay, let's take you to Madame Pomfrey. She's got something that'll help. Oliver, since it's not going to cure him, she's probably going to want to give you some pepper-up so you don't get it." Charlie handed his younger brother his bathrobe and took the two first years to the infirmary.
JK Rowling's, not mine