Empty Alleyway (an HP fanfic)

IV

The door swung open in the middle of Percy's conversation with Charlie. Percy and Oliver met, and though Percy diverted his gaze immediately and stared at his daughter, the same can't be said for Oliver as he stared at the teen on the hospital bed with serenity.

"Well, I seem to recall you saying that you want to see the kid." Arthur pushed Oliver closer to where Percy is.

"Dad!"

"I think we should give them privacy," Molly decided. "To decide what to do."

"To do what?" Percy asked. "Am I expelled? Are you kicking me out?"

"No!" Bill shook his head frantically. "Of course not! Dumbledore gave me a list of what you can do now to continue your education." He gave the parchment to Oliver.

"I think we should leave them be."

"What- and risk that boy hurting my son more? I don't think so."

"Arthur! What can he do?" Molly glared at her husband. "I don't see him being able to harm Percy more- he is sore and on a hospital bed with high security!"

"The point is-" Charlie kissed his brother's forehead. "We'll leave the room. You three should bond together and make a decision."

"But I wanna play with the baby!"

"No- I wanna play with her!"

"No! She's a girl, like me!"

"Ginny, Ron, they need a moment with the baby." Charlie countered. "You can play with her later."

"Ok." The rest of the family left the hospital room.

"So this is our daughter," Oliver said, looking down to see the baby's face.

"This is our daughter." Percy nods.

"Have you given her a name?"

"No." Percy shook his head. "Not yet."

"Percy, you knew about this?" Oliver asked. Percy pressed his lips together as he nods. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid of how you'd react."

"Well, hearing this from you should be more pleasant than hearing this from your dad." Oliver cocked his head. "Seriously, he nearly punched me."

"I'll talk to him about this-"

"Don't you dare." Oliver shook his head. "He was just upset, I understand."

"Do you want to hold your daughter?"

"Uhh," Oliver doubts.

"He won't break." Percy nearly cracked a laugh looking at how fearful Oliver looked, but he nods. "Ok. Have your hand to the shape of a cradle."

Oliver did and Percy placed the baby on his arms. Oliver blinked a few times, his daughter fits his hands. Such soft skin meeting Oliver's rough ones from how long he is exposed to the sun and the mud.

"She's beautiful."

"Isn't she?" Oliver widened his eyes as he remembered.

"What are we going to do?" Oliver asked. "I'll have to tell my parents and we live at two different houses, and I'm still 15 as you're still 14."

"Well, I've had tonnes of experience of taking care of little children. You're not the middle child for nothing." Percy shook his head. "I'll ask my mum if she wants to help me raise her when we're at Hogwarts."

"That reminds me, Professor Dumbledore sends you this." Oliver gave Percy the parchment. "What you can do if you wish to keep the kid and your status as a student."

"Let's see. I can stay at home and have a tutor sent to me or I can go to Hogwarts and every weekend I can go home to visit her," Percy lists off his choices.

"Will you be there for her?" Oliver asked.

"I don't know," Percy answered. "Will you?"

"I will if you wish me to." Oliver nods.

"Then me too." Percy agrees. "I think I should opt for option 1 first, really bond with her, before I choose for option 2 for next school year. It's February now, right?"

"Yeah." Oliver bit his lips. "Which means the date of conception would be around the end of last year."

"We were so young then."

"We are so young now."

"True." Percy smiled at his baby, the one Oliver carried. "For the sake of her, we can't be like we were. You need to stop being so obsessed with Quidditch and I need to be less studious and uptight."

"We should."

"What would be her name?"

"I think you should decide it, you gave birth to her." Oliver kissed his daughter's soft cheeks. She lets out a noise that made both Percy and Oliver smile.

"I think I'll do her middle name," Percy decided. "And you'll do her first name."

"Why me? You sacrificed everything for her, I only sacrificed a bit."

"I wouldn't say that's not correct, give me her." Oliver handed her to Percy. "Look at the wisps of brown hair there, she looks like you."

"I think her middle name should be Lucy," Oliver declared.

"I think we should. Her first name should be Ruby."

"Ruby? Why?"

"She's the gem of our lives," Percy answered, playing with her finger. "Besides, she's a Weasley and Weasleys are commonly associated with the colour red. Rubies are red."

"Well, rubies aren't necessarily red."

"But if someone says ruby, you would automatically associate it with red," Percy countered. "Ruby Lucy."

"That just sounds horrible, don't rhyme the name." Oliver shook his head as he contorted his face. "I'm changing her middle name."

"To?"

"Grace," Oliver decided. "Ruby Grace."

"What about the last name?"

"I think it should be ours," Oliver answered. "Ruby Grace Weasley-Wood."

"What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Percy chuckled as he kissed his baby's soft forehead again. Oliver ran his fingers along with her hand, holding her tiny fingers before kissing. "Like her father."

"Her other father too." Percy smiled. "Ready to declare it to the family?"

"Alright, though I'm not really sure about going out to meet them."

"Please, as scary as they may seem, they're only like that to protect me." Percy laughed. "They won't do much to you."

"Your father-"

"Is all bark and no bite," Percy continued. "Calm down."

"I don't know, I think 'nearly punching' counts as a bite."

"Almost biting," Percy corrected him. "You're going to be fine."

"If you promise so." Percy kissed his boyfriend's lips.

"We'll be just fine."