Chapter Text
Percy Weasley could be confused for one of three brothers as the middle child. He and his brothers, Ron and Bill, all bear a striking resemblance to each other. Each the tallest in their sorting cohort, each with the same Flame-Red shade of hair, each with the same sharp jawline, and analytic and methodical minds behind crystal clear blue eyes, just like their Father, Arthur. While the other four Weasleys; Charlie, Fred, George, and Ginny resemble their mother, Molly. Hair a deeper red-orange, rounder faces, stronger, shorter builds, and eyes the color of honey. Emotional and impulsive, they dominated the Burrow.
Percy followed the rules his whole life, and things had a tendency to work out for him, well in terms of his goals, but not with fitting in with his family. The natural order of things is that the older brother picks on the younger brother, well, unfortunately for Percy, chaos won out.
His “little brother” was actually a set of twins. Telepathic twins, born for the sole purpose of creating complex traps for everyone around them. Percy definitely couldn’t pick on them, yet the responsibility of wrangling the demons was placed squarely on his shoulders.
And thus by the ripe old age of 9, Percy became a stick in the mud, he had to, the harder Fred and George pulled at the leashes, the deeper Percy got set in his ways. This had the added benefit for the Weasleys that the twins dedicated most of their efforts on trying to get one over on Percy. Their attempts rarely succeed and that made them more determined. The detriment for Percy is that any time the twins ventured out and plotted against Molly, Ginny or Ron, it was Percy’s fault.
Percy was going to be Prefect, Head Boy, Department Head and then Minister for Magic, as he told himself constantly and he used his ambition to build up a fortress of Percytude.
Percy became Percy and now that Percy is Percy, there’s nothing anyone can do. He doesn’t know this, but his tendency to keep everything in and never show venerability makes him extremely difficult to deal with sometimes.
Prefect he thought on that Halloween, when he followed orders that led to 3 of his first years to face a troll, including his brother. I was following orders he thought to keep the tears in at his mother’s berating letter.
Head Boy he thought, fearing he'd lost it when he failed to notice anything wrong with Ginny and that damned diary. But no one else did either. The fight over the Big Head Boy badge was just for show. He felt like an imposter his whole seventh year.
Department Head he thought when Mr. Crouch began acting slightly strangely. But the expert efficiency he performed the increased responsibility with got him noticed.
Minister for Magic was the thought keeping Percy in line, in the summer of 1995.
He had believed Harry, at first, he didn’t believe the Dark Lord gone for one second after Ginny and the Chamber of Secrets. But the following propaganda storm and the constant reassurances from Delores and Cornelius shifted his opinion. It really was easy to do after Percy’s three years of trying to keep Harry and his friends in line, but Percy still believed You-Know-Who was back, but he also knew that the only way, in his current station, that he was going to be able to hold his ground and move forward in his ambition, to not get fired, was to go with the flow and not contradict the Ministry.
Percy tried to explain it to his parents, but his father is head of his department and doesn’t seem to understand how precarious of a perch on which Percy is posted. Regardless of any Dark Lord returning from the dead, a black mark on his file is a black mark. Percy cannot risk being known for insubordination. They took his warnings as betrayal, so far as to accuse him of trying to spy on them for Fudge. If anything Percy had intended to spy the other way around. Fudge was increasingly unpopular, his position is elected, and everyone knows Percy’s ultimate ambition was Minister for Magic.
He was more offended at Molly and Arthur’s response to him, as if they didn’t think he could think for himself. He knew he shouldn’t have said what he said as soon as he said it, but you can’t put it back in the box. The row with the Weasleys outcast Percy and he hadn’t spoken to any of them since the falling out.
Well, until that day that Delores sent the Dementors. He hadn’t known that at the time, he was down in the Improper Use Office when the notice of Harry Potter casting a Patronus in broad daylight in the middle of a muggle street came in. Stone faced, Percy heard “snap wand” from Mafalda while she was writing and he disappeared to the DMLE.
It was Percy who slipped into to Arthurs office to let him know what had happened.
“Percy, why are you here.” Arthur said flatly, with a look of annoyance on his face.
“It’s Harry..” Percy started.
“Not this again Percy, and not here. Cant you—“
“No! It’s not any of that. They’re going to snap his wand. He cast a Patronus. Has anyone taught him how to send messages?” Percy interrupted. Arthur looked haunted
“Dementors! In Surrey?” Arthur concluded.
“It seems so.” Percy said, he’d kept his composure this whole time and Arthur took it as him not caring. Percy knew that, but didn’t care. Well he did care, but couldn’t afford to let a single brick slip.
Arthur sent off a Patronus of his own to Dumbledore and quickly wrote a note to Harry to tell him to stay in the house and not to surrender his wand.
“Thank you, Perce.” Arthur told his son, slightly more warmly than earlier. Percy smiled a little.
“I don’t think it was you-know-who. The Ministry has control over the Dementors.” Percy said, immediately regretting it. Arthur pulled his son into a hug.
Percy left his father’s office, and on his way back to his cubicle he stopped at HR. He put in a transfer request to the open position in Magical Transportation. He spent the rest of his work day drumming his fingers and separating his files. When the orange paper airplane gently landed on his desk he gave a deep sigh of relief and slipped out of the hostile Minister’s office. He realized that he wasn’t going to get minister if he tied himself to this one. Better to work on his department head ambition. Percy gave a big, toothy smile to the guard as he met his father in the atrium. Percy held up the orange note, and Arthur beamed at him and patted him on the shoulder.
“Let me side-along you, Perce.” Arthur asked. Percy narrowed his eyes.
“What kind of broom was I riding when I got the scar on my knee? Percy asked.
“The red Shooting Star 220. And the scar is on your shin.” Arthur raised his eyebrows and smiled.
“What is the purpose of a rubber duck?” Arthur asked.
“For nice!” Percy said, they laughed and popped away.
Arthur and Percy appeared in a grimy, dark street in Muggle London. Percy didn’t ask anything. Arthur handed him a slip of parchment
The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve Grimmauld Place, London.
Percy was impressed by the appearance of the building, but disgusted at its appearance. The inside was no better. Arthur’s loathsome and estranged second cousin, Walburga pressed her hands against her portrait’s glass, screaming and hissing. ‘Sounding a lot like Delores’ Percy thought, even before he knew what fate would befall both harpies. The click of shoes on the granite floors followed by the closing of the Portrait’s curtains and a deep sigh announced Sirius Black.
Percy’s eyes blew wide. Sirius sighed again.
“It’s fine, Perce, Sirius is innocent.” Arthur said.
In a very un-Percy-like move, he waved his orange memo and said “Not my Problem. Unless you have any problems with your Floo connection?” He asked
“Er. No…” Sirius said.
“Any haunted brooms, Flying Carpets, or illegal port-keys?”
“Nope.”
“Wonderful, I see nothing wrong here.” Percy declared. Arthur beamed at the malicious compliance. Sirius just dragged his hand down his face. And asked Arthur “Any more of you?”
“Nope this is the last one, my son, Percy.”
“Pleasure” Sirius said. “Got the whole team here. Still waiting on Mad-eye and Remus, they left to pick up Harry, Kingsley, Tonks and Dumbledore are still at the ministry.”
“Thank you, Lord Black, for hosting my family.” Percy said bowing slightly.
“Just Sirius, I was disowned.” Sirius sighed, waving his hand with a horrified look on his face.
“Not according to the Wizengamot files. Your grandfather left the whole lot to you and Harry.” Percy said. Sirius’s mouth fell open.
“What do you mean?” Sirius pressed, taking a step closer to Percy
“He filed a will, and I looked it up. I wanted to see if the seat passed to Malfoy when Arcturus died, but, thank Cerce, it did not. It has you listed as his heir and Harry Potter listed as yours.” Percy told them, in his prefect voice.
Sirius didn’t know what to say, and a good thing too, because the curtains on Walburga’s portrait started shaking again.
“Into the kitchen. Come on.” Sirius said lowly, and the three men quickly made their way.
Percy just realized as he walked into the kitchen that he really was the only Weasley out of the loop. Even Charlie, who normally came up with excuses to remain in Romania, was sipping tea and talking with Bill. His anxiety instantly maxed out when he locked eyes with his mother.
Molly was taking a deep breath, ready to start yelling probably something along the lines of ‘Arthur Septimus Weasley how DARE YOU bring him here’ but was stopped when Percy held up the orange memo again. Molly snatched it from his hands and her anger lessened with every line she read. She said nothing, just grabbed Percy and crushed him in a hug.
Percy told the present Order Members about what he had heard while technically eavesdropping earlier and his decision to change to the Magical Transportation department, it was one of the only departments without any ties to the sitting minister, or any known or suspected Death Eaters working within, and Percy told them as much. The present people all seemed to understand his reasoning, and he could feel that his mother, specifically was sorry. He wasn’t going to hold his breath for the words, Weasleys don’t typically apologize, and there has been exactly zero occurrences recorded of a Prewitt saying ‘sorry’… or really ‘Excuse me’ for that matter.
The screeching of the portrait announced the arrival of Harry, Remus and Mad-eye, Sirius slipped back into the foyer to greet them. Percy could hear the muffled sound of whispered arguing and someone storming up the stairs. Sirius and Remus were slumped over when they returned. Mad-eye looked like he always does. Percy shuddered when he felt the magical eye look through him. Sirius let out another deep sigh as though he predicted the doorbell ringing again 4 seconds later. He stormed off and returned with the last 3 order members.
“Isn’t there anything that can be done about Walburga?”” Percy asked answered by an exasperated sigh by the other 15 people in the kitchen.
“Dark magic sticking charm. We have to find the binding runes, and they could be anywhere in the house. And removing it by force might cause a Ward Collapse.” Bill said by rote as if the 16th time he’s repeated it. Percy gasped at the thought of a Ward Collapse and didn’t press the issue. His sole focus now is Magical Transportation. Maybe then we won’t have a repeat of the Tri-Wizard Cup.
“The DOM has taken Harry’s case” Kinglsey informed the room without preamble upon entering. Tonks trailing behind him, limping in pain.
“What does this mean for Harry?” Molly asked.
“He’s been cleared, Molly. Apparently, an Unspeakable witnessed the Dementors and intercepted the letter from Improper Use.
“Oh. That explains why the boy was so confused.” Moody said.
“The muggles were in a right state.” Remus added.
“And where is Harry?” Dumbledore asked. Sirius let out a pained sigh.
“Stormed off upstairs. Told us he wanted to know what’s going on, we said we couldn’t, he went upstairs.” Sirius said.
“Do you think the DOM would help us with the you-know-what?” Bill asked.
“I’m afraid not —“ Albus was cut off by a shout in the foyer,
“Ginny! Debbie! Picky! Gary! Kreacher!” A deep, commanding voice called, and pop pop pop pop pop sounded like a drumroll. Sirius, Remus and 4 others ran out to see what was going on. Percy popped his head out of the kitchen, he was curious but wasn’t about to run into danger blindly. Percy’s eyes went wide at the sight of Ginny, the Elf decked out in a Victorian style red dress with a fancy hat and parasol and everything. He was taken aback at how clean and bright the foyer was and the sunlight coming down from a glass roof, which he noted as strange, considering it was nearly 8 P.M. He watched on, in confusion, not being able to follow the subject matter of the conversation between the Headmaster, Portraits, the Elves and Harry Potter. Percy and the rest of the Order were ejected into the foyer.
CLACK
Percy’s eyes followed the elder wood wand’s movement to the floor where Professor Dumbledore had stood moments before he faded from existence.
The wand was calling to him and he was approaching it subconsciously. He felt the power in the wand telling him to wait.
By the time Percy could focus on anything but the wand, he looked up and was shocked at a bubble of pure, white magic swirling and sucking in black, inky smoke.
Percy screamed in a not so very manly pitch when the elves said “Tom Marvolo Riddle” and the Dark Lord appeared, trapped in a bubble. Voldemort stretched and sunk like water down a drain and disappeared, along with the light. The portrait sucked the blue box Voldemort was trapped in, into his frame.
‘Damnit Ronald’ Percy thought when his brother pointed to the wand saying something about Dumbledore, but sighed in relief when no one really looked at the wand, just the empty space between him and his mother. He got a pull like ‘Now’s the time’ and he held his hand open and the wand jumped into it. His eyes widened when the wand subtly changed to resemble Percy’s own a little better, and sent warm vibrations down his arm and up and down his spine. Percy shivered as he felt his magical core expand and open.
The Elder Wand flashed information into Percy’s mind, like an introduction of sorts, and when it had finished, Percy could again actually concentrate on what was going on. He followed the others into the dining room and sighed in contented relief at the downfall of Voldemort.
Percy was interrogated by his younger siblings, he had been at odds with their parents, last they knew. Percy explained his distancing from the Minister, and he reasoning for it, how he knew that Voldemort was back, and even though that didn’t matter anymore, there were still, now ex, Death Eaters out there. Percy was ready for them, but first, he was intent on using the most powerful wand in the world to create a perfect magical transportation network.