A/N: I own none of the cannon characters presented in this work, nor do I have any claim over any of the wonderful world Ms. Rowling lets us all play in. :)

This story is about the moment when things first progressed from a friendship to something more tenuous in Percy and Penelope's relationship. Unsurprisingly, it grew out of studying. :) Even a sweet little trip to the owlery.

"Great job, Percy, really fabulous!" Penny called from across the room. Percy swelled a bit at her encouragement, letting her words wash over him. They had been working for months now on his charms, every Wednesday night. Tonight Penny was reviewing the Imperturbable charm with him, and he was doing far better than he had expected to. Penelope had been trying various ways to break inside his charm for the last ten minutes, finding it truly imperturbable. This was an especially large accomplishment for Percy, who not only had a hard time repelling anyone, but had a particularly hard time focusing on the desire to keep Penelope away from him.

Penny sat in a chair near the front of room, signaling to Percy that it was time for a break. She had arranged early on for sandwiches to be brought up to the classroom while they were working in it—she wasn't, Percy learned quickly, a fan of skipping meals.

"Have you been reading the book by Fennon?" she asked him as he sat down.

"I have," Percy said, thinking back to the book by a young French witch that had notably compared casting charms to moments with a lover. "Though," Percy admitted, "I'm not to terribly far into it." He grabbed a goblet of water off of the table, taking a quick drink. "I did quite enjoy her points about desire in the opening chapter, desire being the root of all good charms and all that. It makes sense to me; that you have to put feeling behind your spells, though I've never heard it explained quite as well. She certainly has a passion for charming, and a talent for explanation."

Penny smiled a playful grin. "She had a way with words." The grin didn't fit her statement, however. Percy decided there was more to this statement than she wanted him to realize. He raised an eyebrow, lowering his head to look at Penny over his glasses.

"That she does," he agreed, noting with some suspicion that Penelope had spoken of her in the past tense. "Penelope, is their more to that thought than you're letting on?"

Penny chewed her bite thoughtfully before responding. "Do you remember me telling you that I have a cousin in our year at Beaubaxtons?"
"Yes," Percy nodded. "Elizabeth, right?"

Penny nodded. "mmhmm. Did you ever wonder why my British cousin, whose father lives and works in Puddlemere, went to a French academy?"

"Her mother was French, you said. You're aunt, the one who fell ill—" Percy stopped short, not wanting to introduce painful memories of late relatives into their conversation.

Percy gazed at Penny, a look of utter confusion on his face. She smiled.

"Her mother used to teach there, before she got ill." A thought dawned in Percy's head. He though he might be catching on as Penelope spoke again. "Aunt Charlize taught charms," she finished, grinning almost casually as Percy's mouth opened in shock.

"Aunt Charlize…," he clarified a moment later—"You're Charlize Fennon's niece?"

"Actually, I'm Charlize Clearwater's niece. She published that book and married my uncle Eli several years before I was born."

Percy didn't have trouble believing that Penelope was related to a Charms master, particularly after all the help she had given him in the subject. "So your aunt taught you charms when you were little?"

"No," Penny laughed, shaking her head, "She always talked about charms, was always working on a new theory, but didn't teach me." She smiled, almost timidly. "My first two years at Hogwarts, I was impossibly shy," Penny explained. "I was certainly too shy to ask anyone for help, so I wrote her nearly every day, embedding all sorts of Charms questions into my letters. She finally just sent me her book, and told me to occasionally write her about things other than my studies." Penny smiled at the happy memory, taking another bite out of her sandwich.

"But why didn't you say anything, when you recommended the book to me?"

Penny shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I don't generally tell people I'm related to Charlize Fennon. N.E.W.T. Charm students are required to read a few of her books, so I just…" she shrugged, sinking down into her chair a little. "I just don't want to invite comparison. Thom didn't either. We've never even told Flitwick about the relation."

Percy was at a loss for understanding. He would love to have a famously talented wizard in his lineage to live up to; instead, all of his teachers compared him to his older brothers, Bill and Charlie, for their aptitude in various subjects, and lately, to Fred and George as well, for their jovial nature. He wouldn't have minded the comparisons so much, except it always sounded to him like he was the lesser part of the evaluation.

"But enough about that," Penny said. She took a deep drink out of her goblet, having polished off her sandwich, before returning to talk of their business at hand. "You've gotten much better at casting shield charms to keep people away—and the Imperturbable charm is fairly advanced shield magic." Percy did his best not to appear as proud of himself as he felt. He had done a pretty good job of being less official with Penelope since she called him out on his condescending behavior a few weeks into their practices.

"There is one thing I think we should work on, though," she continued. "Breaking charms isn't likely to be a focus on the O.W.L., but it is great practical knowledge, something everyone should know. I figure we can work on that next wee—"She stopped short, frowning. "Percy, what's wrong with your badge?"

Her voice was both disgusted and frightened. Percy looked down at his sweater in surprise—he hoped the twins hadn't done anything to his prefect's badge. "What?" he asked, concerned, but not seeing anything out of the ordinary. "My prefect badge?"

"Yes," Penny cried, holding out her hands. "Hurry, let me see it!" With hardly a second thought, he pulled the badge off of his sweater and handed it Penny. Her hand closed around it and she jumped up, now smiling roguishly, wand drawn. She slid the badge into the breast pocket of her robes, backing away from Percy.

"Penelope, what are you doing?" Percy demanded, standing himself and moving towards her.

"Giving you some real practice." Penny took a large step back. "Imperto," she cast, forming an imperturbable charm around her. "If you want you badge back," she told him, "You're going to have to come and get it." She kept her wand drawn, the playful smile still lingering in her dark eyes.

"Alright then," Percy accepted her challenge, drawing his wand. "Perto," he cast, using the standard counter-charm. Just as he expected, it made no difference, and Penny's barrier was just as intact as before when he tried to get through it. Taking a step back to evaluate, Percy cast a few spells her way, hoping to crack the resolve of her charm, to no avail.

"Remember what Charlize wrote," Penny encouraged him. "Desire is the root of all good charms. To get that badge back, Percy, you have to really want to get it back."

Percy tried a few more spells, even going as far as trying to use Alohomora against her barrier. Penny was smiling, amused, but hadn't laughed at his inability to get to his badge.

What am I missing? Percy thought to himself, pacing back and forth a few feet from where the Imperturbable Charm stood between him and the successful completion of this lesson. I want my badge back. I desire it, and yet, I can't get through. He sighed, casting another glance in Penny's direction. Her coffee-colored eyes were sparkling as she pushed long strands of black curls out of her face.

"Come on, Percy, think. You can do this. Desire."

Percy returned his gaze to the floor, determined not to let Penny distract him from the task at hand. Wait a moment, he finally thought to himself, Penny is the task at hand! He turned towards her, examining her face as he thought furiously. Penny cast the charm I'm trying to break—so what is she desiring with this charm? He resumed his pacing. He always thought better if he was moving. Penny is focusing on keeping me from the badge, he thought. She's putting all of the desire she can into keeping me away from her. He smiled to himself, realizing what he needed to do.

He stopped and rounded on Penny. "If you want something to happen, Percy," she prompted him, "make it happen." She adjusted her stance again, holding her wand aloft at him.

I've been focused on getting to the badge, he thought to himself, instead of focused on getting to Penny. He noted the irony in the fact that he had spent much of their time together focusing his thoughts on anything but his want to be closer to the beautiful young woman now egging him on in his attempts to reach her. Percy let himself remember all of the wonderful things about her—her adorable little laugh, the way she could turn any topic into an intelligent discussion, her admirable charms skill—the way her hair smells like eucalyptus, he thought to himself. How she walks with such purpose. He let himself catch sight of her face. The way her eyes always sparkle, and her hair cascades around her shoulders.

Percy was suddenly filled with the desire to be near to her, to run his fingers through the waves of her black hair, catch her eyes with his own, taste those soft, pink lips—

He smiled, and turned to face her again. "Perto," he cast, forcefully this time, his focus not on the formation of the word he new so well or the wand movements he had spent hours committing to memory, but instead on Penelope, holding her wand so strongly with her delicate fingers.

A loud popping noise filled the room, and Percy was able to step through beyond the point where the imperturbable charm had stood a moment before.

"You did it Percy!" Penny lowered her wand as Percy continued his deliberate walk towards her, stopping very close to her; closer than he had dared get before. He had a strangely determined look on his face. He leaned down slightly, until her face was just inches from her own. But he didn't reach for the pocket where Penny had stored his badge.

"What are you doing?" Penny's voice had dropped to a whisper, just loud enough to pass between them.

Percy looked her in the eyes. "Making something happen," he responded, also whispering. Taking her face in his hands, Percy leaned in, touching his lips to hers.

Penny's breath caught in her throat as Percy's lips met her own. His kiss was firm and demanding, catching her completely off guard. She found herself leaning into him, kissing back, her hand moving to rest against his chest. When he pulled away a moment later, Penny was the one with a slightly shocked expression on her face. She blinked as Percy began to turn a deep shade of red.

"I hope that was alright," Percy began, flustered. "I mean, I hope it's alright that I…kissed you."

Penny nodded slowly, still a bit shaken. "It was," she assured him, still speaking softly. "It just…surprised me, that's all."

"Sorry." Percy had stepped back out of their incredibly close quarters of the previous moment. "I just…" he trailed off, his eyes determinedly searching the classroom for something to stare at.

Penny smiled at his discomfort. That truly must have been out of his comfort zone, she thought to herself, watching Percy avoid her gaze. She had yet to look away from him. "No," she assured him. "Don't apologize." She smiled. "It was actually quite nice." Penny could feel herself blushing now, a faint pink flushing her cheeks. Percy faced her again, the hint of a smile sneaking back onto his face. He looks as though he surprised himself, Penny thought, not just me. For the first time, they were both silent, not because of awkwardness, but because of a loss for words.

"Oh, you badge!" Penny started, motioning to remove it from her pocket. "Here." She meant to hand it to him, but as he stepped closer to her again, she changed her mind, instead stepping right up next to him, pining the badge back onto his sweater herself. "There," she said, smoothing his sweater, unintentionally noticing the lean cut of the muscles around his collar bone. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest, so loudly that she was surprised Percy couldn't hear it. Penny tilted her head up, eyes wide, taking in the look on Percy's face. He looked both terrified and thrilled at Penny's touch; she imagined she looked quite the same way. They stared at one another, and for a moment, Penny thought he was going to kiss her again, but an eruption of noise in the adjacent corridor interrupted them.

"That will be the Hufflepuffs on their way back to their common room," Percy said. "Dinner must be over."

Penny nodded. "Must be," she agreed, stepping away from Percy, back towards her book bag. Dinner's end normally signaled the end of their practice sessions. She had just picked it up when Percy caught her forearm.

"Penny," he said, pleading in his voice, "wait. Please." She turned to face Percy, still holding her arm. "I didn't mean to make this awkward." He dropped her arm, but not her gaze. "Please believe me, I didn't intended—I mean, I didn't expect—" He sighed. The normally loquacious youth couldn't find the right combination of words.

"It's alright." Penny cut him off, knowing that the last thing she would want to be thinking about tomorrow would be how she babbled and blundered her way through an awkward, post-kiss moment. "I think we've had enough charms practice for the night." She slung her bag around her shoulder. He had never called her Penny before, only Penelope, and she was surprised at how much she liked her name when it was coming out of Percy's mouth.

"Could I walk you back to your common room?" He asked, offering his arm.

"Actually, I'm headed to the Owlery," Penny told him, "I've got a letter for Thom I meant to send yesterday." She smiled apologetically.

"I'd say I'd fancy a bit of a walk," Percy responded hopefully, turning his head to the side and grinning, a move Penny had seen his friend Oliver use on her friend Devon on several occasions. It was much more sincere coming from Percy, she thought. He offered her his arm again and she took it, tentatively.

Their conversation on the way to the tower where the owls of Hogwarts resided would have shown no sign to the outside observer that the pair had just moments earlier shared an awkward first kiss in an empty classroom. Penny inquired after Percy's family, curious how his younger sister was doing, being the only child at home. Percy told her she was doing well, and asked Penny about the latest trade to her Uncle's team. A discussion about the comings and goings of Puddlemere United's latest players carried them all the way up the owlery steps and into a room full of owls of every size, color, and species, all doing their best to nest in the close quarters.

Penny spotted Yvainne immediately among the sea of browns, blacks, and whites. She was an ordinary looking tawny owl, light brown and grey with a mess of puffy feathers, but Penny had become close with the bird over the course of their long years together.

"Hello Yvainne," Penny greeted her, stroking her outer feathers. "I've a letter for you." She pulled the letter out of her bag and fastened it securely about Yvainne's outstretched leg. "For Thom," she told the bird, fishing and owl treat out of the outer pocket of her bag and gingerly handing it over to the fluffy little bird.

A golden screech owl with grey tipped wings fluttered down, landing on Percy's shoulder. "Hello there," Percy said to the owl, obviously one he was familiar with, scratching it on the head. "Penny, you don't by chance have any more owl treats, do you?"

"Oh!" Penny dug into the pocket of her bag once more, handing Percy a treat for his companion. Percy offered it to the screech owl, who accepted it happily, making soft little hissing noises as he ate.

"Thank you," Percy said. "Hermes and I are still new to one another—I don't want to get a reputation as the master who doesn't bring him treats."

Yvainne hooted softly, obviously displeased with being less than the center of Penny's attention. "Oh, Yvainne," Penny cajoled the bird, "you have your letter, girl. Off you go; it's late already!" Yvainne gave an undignified sort of hop, but she none the less turned and took off into the night sky.

"I'm going to regret that later," Penny muttered, watching the now indignant owl disappear into the distance. "I've had that owl since my tenth birthday, and she still can't stand it if I pay any attention to another bird."

Percy smiled. "Hermes is a bit more easy-going, at least, so far." Hermes rubbed his beak against Percy's outstretched hand. "Of course, I've only had him a few months."

Penny hesitantly reached a hand out towards Hermes, who bent his head beneath her hands, obviously acceptant of her attention. Penny smiled, smoothing the feathers on the crown of Hermes's head. "He's a nice bird," Penny told Percy.

"And he's a great judge of character."

Penny tucked a stray strand of curls behind her ear. Hermes gave a soft hoot. "I should probably get back to the common room."

Percy nodded. "I'll walk you," he offered, and shook his arm just slightly, giving Hermes the encouragement he needed to return to his place in the rafters.

Penny didn't vocalize a response, instead just accepting quietly as Percy held the door open for her at the top of the Owlery steps. It had gotten quiet in the castle in the time since they had left the Charms classroom, and they made the walk to Ravenclaw tower in near silence.

"Well," Penny said when they reached the entrance corridor, "Good night." She lingered with Percy, the sky outside of the window reflected in the surface of his glasses.

"Listen, Penny, about what happened tonight; I really didn't intend to make things awkward between us." Percy was doing his best to hold onto some decorum, Penny could tell.

"Funny thing is, Percy," she interrupted, "I didn't think it was all that awkward." Her blunt honesty came from somewhere deep with in her. If Percy had really wanted to be close to her that sincerely, perhaps she could rethink her stance on avoiding romantic entanglements. She couldn't deny that she thought he was good looking, and he was certainly the person she had connected with the most on an intellectual level since arriving at the school years ago. In reality, she had already rethought her position on Percy Weasley. She would be more than happy to continue in the vein this night had started, kissing in empty classrooms, taking moonlight walks about the grounds…

"Good night," she said again, leaving Percy to his thoughts as she rounded the corner taking the steps leading to the tower door at a quick pace. As much as she wanted to remain there at the foot of the stairs with Percy, she knew that the longer she stood there, the harder it would be to walk away.

She made her way through the common room straight past her roommates, still up studying, and up the stairs to her bed. Lying across it, still fully clothed, she stared at the ceiling, unsure how she should be feeling. What she really wanted was for Devon to come up and talk to her, but as it was a Wednesday, Devon was likely still down at the pitch talking strategy with the rest of the Ravenclaw team. Penny rolled over, looking at the nearly full moon out of her window. Liking a boy isn't supposed to be this complicated, she thought.