Misery Loves Company
a Harry Potter story
by midnight_angel_girl
"Ihhk-eshh. " Fred Weasley looked through the restaurant in the direction of the familiar sounding sneeze. " Hih-kishh. " This time, he located the sneezer, and it was just who he'd thought'it'd be. From across the room, he could see Percy's ears tinged pink with embarrassment, the way they always were when he sneezed in public or after a long sneezing fit, as he bent his head forward to blow his nose. It'd been well over a year since he had last talked to his brother, but couldn't help feeling a twinge of sympathy for him.
Brushing the thought aside, he turned his attention back to his dinner and his girlfriend, and they resumed their conversation of Quidditch, potions, and practical jokes. A bit later, he was distracted by three more harsh sneezes from Percy's direction.
" Heh-chushh, ehhk-shishh, hashish. "
He looked over again, and this time his eyes met Percy's for a brief second before Percy looked down again, blushing, his face nearly as red as his hair.
"That poor bloke sounds like he's pretty miserable." Fred's companion commented.
"Yeah." He paused. "Um, Morrigan, that's my brother, Percy. I'm gonna go see if he's okay." He set his napkin on the table and crossed the restaurant to his brother. "Percy?"
"What do you wad, Fred?" Percy tried to sound snarlish, but his sniffling and congestion ruined the effect.
"To see if you're all right."
"What do you care? Ihhk-shhh."
"You're still my brother, Percy, still family."
"Well, I'b fide." he snapped before a harsh coughing fit struck, leaving him dizzy.
Fred handed him his glass of water. "I'm going to go make my excuses to Morrigan, and then, get you back to your place and into bed. Mum'd never forgive me if I left you alone when you were like this." He left Percy and crossed back over to Morrigan. Percy watched as he spoke with her, gave her some money and kissed her. "What's the best way to get back to your place?" he asked when he returned to Percy's table.
"Abparate or Floo." Percy stood up, swaying slightly. Fred instinctively put out a hand to steady him, surprised when Percy didn't even try to brush him away, and led him to the Apparition/Floo point.
"We deed to Floo together. Her-shish. I dod't thik I cad do it by byself." Percy rubbed his nose with his sleeve. Fred wrapped his arm around Percy as they stepped into the fire and called out Percy's address. Seconds later, they were in the fireplace of Percy's rented cottage. Fred led Percy to the couch and went to find the kitchen to get him a glass of water. "Daks." Percy sniffled as Fred pulled out his wand. "What are you doig?"
"Getting your temperature. Examinus." Percy's temperature flashed in the air, indicating that he had a slight fever as well as that he had a bad cold, which given his allergy to Pepper-up - one Fred and Charlie shared as well - would be difficult to deal with. "Why don't you lie back Perce. Have you taken anything?"
"Just a headache potiod. I cad't take Pepper-up - you dow that. Ad I have do way of getting the stuff Mub has. Hehk-ishh, hit-chishh."
"Bless you." Fred handed Percy the nearly empty box of tissues. "Do you have any more tissues anywhere? I'll get you some of Mum's potion."
"How. You're dot sick. There's bore tissues id the bathroob."
"I'll think of something." Fred went into the bathroom and grabbed the box of tissues from under the sink, then looked around to see if there was anything he could use to make it look as though he had a cold. He opened the medicine cabinet and found a small, hardly used bottle of cologne. "Perfect." he whispered, reading the label. He grabbed the tissues and cologne and went back to the living room. Percy was now in the kitchen. "Percy, what are you doing?"
"I wanded sobe tea. Bade you a cup, too." He brought two cups over and set them on the coffee table.
"Thanks. Fred set the tissues down and held up the cologne. "Mind if I use this?"
Percy shook his head. "Go ahead. I dod't dow why you wadt to put colode od dow, but sure."
"Thanks. I'll be back in a minute. I need to spray it outside."
"Why? huh-Kishahh."
"It's my plan to get you something for your cold. I'm allergic to this, and if I spray it in here, I'll sneeze forever." He grabbed a couple tissues and stepped outside, returning a few seconds later, sneezing fiercely. " Heh-shoo, eh-shoo, heh-ehshh, huh-ershoo, uhr-eshh, huchoo, achoo, hah-kuh-shoo, hatchoo, kachoo, hah-hachoo, huh-huh-eshh, huh-huh-hurshoo, huh-huhchoo, harashoo, huh-hishoo." He blew his nose. "Do I soud like I have a cold dow?"
"Bless you. You look and sound awful."
"I'll call hobe dow. Go id a different roob so they dod't see or hear you." Percy went into his bedroom while Fred knelt before the fireplace and called the burrow. A few minutes later, he called Percy back in the room. He handed him a box. "There you go. Told you I'd... hah-ehshh ...cobe up with sobethig."
"Thaks, Fred. Are you goig to be okay? I dod't have anything for allergies."
"It'll go away id a bit. Do you bide if I stay here udtil it does. Otherwise, I'll have a lot of explaiding to give George."
"I dod't bide." Percy drank some of one of the potions and sat down on the couch. Fred sat next to them and Percy covered them with his blanket. "How is everyode?"
"Bill's good, Charlie's good. Ron's doing alright. George ad I are great - busidess is boombig. Mum and dad biss you. Uh-hahchoo."
"Bless you. Ad Giddy?"
"Giddy." Fred sighed. "Giddy deeds you, Percy. You probised you'd always be there for her, ad you're dot. Everythig she's gode through the past five years has caught up with her. She's dot eved at Hogwarts this year because she cad't hadle it. She's dot doing good at all."
"What's beig dode about it? her-skishh."
"Snape gave us the name of sobeode who's helping her. She's ad old friend of his and Remus's."
"Professor Sdape?"
"He's paying for it, too. It was hard to condvince Mub and Dad on that one, but he did. George and I tried to give hib bodey, but he woud't take it. He likes Giddy - says she shows great potedtial as a healer - ad he wadts to bake up for sobe of what he did as a death eater. But she deeds you. You deed to cobe hobe, Percy. It's not the same anymore. Hutchoo, huh-shoo."
"After all I put theb through, do you thik they'd let be? Hah-shishh, her-shhh."
"I dow so. It'll take sobe tibe, but they will. Thik about it." He took the tissue Percy offered, and they blew their noses. "For Giddy at least."
"I will. Thaks for helping be today."
"Thaks for letting be stay here for awhile."
"Do probleb. Heh-cheshhh. Bis'ry loves cobady, after all.