Kitten

1

“You are unbelievable”, Percy said as he entered the dorm.

The room was the pure definition of mess. There were only three Gryffindor boys in their year and somehow they still managed to never have a tidy room whatsoever. Oliver tended to walk straight from the Quidditch pitch into bed – which his shoes full of mud. He generally spent most of his time at the pitch and Percy secretly wondered when he was doing his homework, he surely couldn't remember the last time he saw Oliver in the library after he got into the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.

Their room mate Sam was barely ever in their dorm, since his closest friends were in Hufflepuff he spent most of his time in their common room and more often than not he also stayed there overnight. Percy couldn't blame him though. He and Oliver, despite being best friends, almost constantly fought over something; so often that Fred and George had a list counting their fights and reasons (mostly Quidditch and Studying, Oliver always argued with the importance of Quidditch, Percy with the importance of Studying and School).

Percy was eager to keep his side of the room clean at the start of term but after only a few weeks his bedding was covered with ink stained, books and loose papers and it wasn't that unusual for him to find a long lost quill under his pillow. He only slept in his own bed when Sam was at the dorm for once, the other nights he used his empty bed. Percy never told Sam about this, but Sam knew it all to well, but never bothered to talk to Percy about it.

“What's the problem again?”, Oliver asked, sounding very annoyed. For the past three weeks or so his nerves had been on the edge and Percy avoided talking to him for longer than a few minutes. The last Quidditch match of the season was coming up and saying Oliver Wood was nervous was an understatement.

Percy immediately regretted his words and closed his eyes for a second. Do not make him angry, he told himself. Oliver was his only friend and Percy hated it when they were fighting. “It's just … you never remember to take off your boots before entering the dorm or even clean them.”

Oliver glanced at Percy and he instantly knew that this was by far not what Percy was really talking about. “Okay, what's it really, Perce?”

“Do not call me like that”, Percy said without hesitating a second. “You know how much I hate that name.”

Oliver smiled for a small moment. “For once that's not the problem here. Go on, what's really bothering you, my little friend?”

“I'm not that much smaller than you.”

Oliver sighed and looked at Percy again. It was like a lightning hit him in the stomach when Percy noticed his brown eyes for the millionth time.

Percy exhaled loudly. “Oliver, do you know what day yesterday was?”

“Thursday”, Oliver said. “The 25th I believe. Why?”

Percy just stood there, right in the door frame, the door itself not even closed yet, waiting for him to realize.

Then, finally, Oliver's eyes widened and he let out a curse. “May 25th! Listen, mate, I – I'm so, so sorry.”

“It's okay”, Percy said and his voice cracked and if anyone else would have been there, they would've heart how much it was not okay and how much he was hurt. “It's not that important anyway.”

“Oh of course it is!” Oliver stood up from his chair, dropped his quill on the ground and ink drops landed on the burgundy coloured carpet. “It was your birthday, and I forgot it! It was not just any birthday, it was your 17th birthday, too, and I –.I forgot it. You are a grown-up now! You were supposed to have a big party, you know.”

Percy closed the door and sat himself on the edge of Sam's bed. He than rubbed his face. “I really didn't want to be mad at you, you know, but you are my best friend and you forgot my birthday!”

“Merlin, I don't know how to make that up to you. I don't think I can. I don't even have a present for you. I mean I had one, I ordered it months ago, it's was just perfect for you, but the delivery somehow got lost and I was thinking about doing that stuff so you can get it back, Sam told me he would have shown me how, you know how bad I'm with the whole muggle stuff, but … I just forgot. I'm so, so sorry.”

“I know”, Percy said softly. “You're very stressed right now and so am I. Even though you are busy with your Quidditch stuff and your application and I am busy with studying for the N.E.W.T. exams.”

“The exams”, Oliver buried his face in his hands, “I completely forgot about them. Could you maybe help me with that?”

“Of course. If you'll save me the best seat at the match. And if you'll win”, he said jokingly.

“And there we have some extra stress.”

Percy giggled and laid back, while Oliver watched him slightly amused.