Thank Merlin it had been nothing more than a hinkypunk, Percy had easily dispatched it, used to calls of them tormenting the edges of Hogsmeade. A fairly standard procedure when all was said and done. Trap it in a corner, make sure it couldn’t send fireballs at you, then stun it till it evaporated into smoke. The deed done, Percy returned to Maggie’s kitchen, determined to keep this as professional and normal as possible.

A bit of sweat rolled off his brow and a smudge or two of smoke and dirt was on his face and clothes, but other than that no harm had been done. Even his cane had done little to hinder him. But one would have thought he’d saved someone from a troll again with the way Maggie came barreling into him.

The force of her body, the warmth of her arms around him, shocked Percy into forgetting more than a decade had passed between them and he froze. For a moment it was just Maggie and himself, nothing beyond them. Wanting only to comfort her, his arms wrapped around her and he held her close. “It’s okay, Maggie, everything is okay. It’s gone now.” He murmured gently into her hair trying to reassure her.