teenage dirtbag || percy weasley [HIATUS/ABANDONED]

what a way to make a living

The best thing about being a real adult witch was the freedom.

Freedom to cast spells in your own home.

Freedom to apparate to work.

Freedom to work.

But with all these freedoms came one fatality to Lee's future.

Her parents.

Now that she was graduated there was an increased pressure for her to find a real job. To actually start her life. They didn't seem to accept applying for the Auror program as starting her future.

There was also not so subtle undertones of settling down.

She was 18 years old! Barely even an adult and they wanted her to settle down?

The tension created by the two pressures was intense. It often resulted in an argument of some kind.

It was driving Lee insane.

She took as many shifts as she could.

At least she was good at her job. Tending to plants was one of her one natural gift.

The apothecary was never too busy or too slow. It was easy to keep a steady flow of ingredients. Lee mostly pruned and watered. Then she would harvest when the time came. She would stock shelves and sweep on occasion.

In the month since Lee's last ride on the Hogwarts Express she had seen Percy once. They did exchange owls regularly, but the only face to face contact happened two weeks after graduation, when she had been invited to Sunday dinner at the Burrow.

They had planned to meet at Florean and Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour in two days. So Lee had that to look forward to.

_______

The odd bottles that lined the shelves were growing even creepier as the sun set. They almost seemed to glow red with the disappearing sun.

Lee lazily swept the store floors, watching the array of reds, oranges and pinks. There hadn't been a customer for thirty minutes, and not many through the entire day.

And she still had an hour before the store closed. Then some upkeep to take care of before she actually got to leave.

Lee didn't mind it though. The later nights. It was often peaceful giving the living ingredients one last check. The actual cleaning wasn't her favourite, but it was easy.

She swept the floor, which was usually covered in dead fallen plants of some kind. She cast a weak scourgify on the shelves to clear away dust. The same with the checkout counter.

It all went by quickly when there were two people working.

But that wasn't the case that night.

The seasoned employee who was supposed to be helping Lee close had gone home. His wife had owled him that their youngest child, a three month old boy, had gotten a cold. Orville was originally hesitant to leave her in charge, but Lee insisted.

He needed to be with his family.

So that left Lee to close by herself for the first time ever.

She was certain it would be alright.

And it was. It just took longer than it should have.

Lee should have been apparating home well before midnight. Instead she popped into her living room at half past one. Closing with just one uneducated employee took a while.

Lee unlocked the door and quietly stepped in. She began to sneak her way toward her bedroom when she was attacked by bright light.

"Where have you been, young lady?" Her mother hissed.

"At work mum, I told you." Lee was far too tired for a confrontation.

"Two hours late!" Her mother screeched. "Tell me where you really were."

"I already did. I had to close the shop."

"Oh, is that what you've come up with?" The woman snorted, "like I'd believe that!"

"Well, what else do you want me to tell you mum?"

"The truth," her mother rolled her eyes. "Have you been out drinking?"

She sniffed the air.

"No," Lee restrained from yelling. "I was at work, why don't you believe me?"

A stabbing in Lee's heart grew with her mother's disbelief. It hurt to learn that her own mum didn't trust her.

"Because I know what you do for fun. I've let it slide in the past. I've been lenient. But not anymore. You're an adult now Ophelia, you can't go out and get drunk, or high or whatever stupid things you do."

"Its a good thing I don't do those things then."

Maybe Lee did, but not in the reckless way her mum described.

"Oh, you don't, do you?" Her mother stomped into the kitchen. She came back carrying an all too familiar box. "What do you suppose this is?"

"Mum, it's not dangerous," Lee defended. "I-"

"Like hell it's not dangerous," her mum interrupted. "Nicholas started with this shit. Then he passed. Do you really want to go down the same path? Will you force me to go through that pain again?"

Lee's anger reached its boiling point.

"What the fuck, Mum?" She screamed. "Are you trying to guilt me into being some perfect bitch like you? And by using my brothers death?"

"Don't talk to me like that!"

"When will you accept that I'm not you?" Lee asked, her voice fading to a whisper. "I'm not Nickie. I'm Lee."

"You might as well be your brother, and I won't cry for you."

Her heart beat violently as her throat began to close. Lee felt tears threaten to fall. She forced them down.

"I'm not like Nickie because I got lucky. I only had to spend three months a year in this hell house."

Her mother scoffed.

"At your magic school. Wasting away your education learning voodoo. You could have done so much more Ophelia, but you wanted to go to the school for freaks."

With a resounding smack and a quick pop, Lee appeared in her room. She furiously packed her things, waving her wand like a mad man. She felt needles course through her palm as she heard the shouts of her mother.

Hot tears poured down her face. When all her possessions had found their way into her bag, she took a breath. In. Out.

Then, she apparated to the only place she could.