The great hall was decked out in Halloween decorations for the feast that night- All Hallows Eve of Ron Weasley's sixth year in Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. On either side of him his best friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, sat engaged in conversation with the people on their other side. Across from him was sitting his little (and only) sister Ginny, who was regaling him with the gossip from Ravenclaw house. Why she thought he cared was beyond him, but for today Ron was feeling generous. He'd listen for a while. He stifled a yawn and poured a second (third?) mug of coffee for himself and one for Ginny too. She frowned in his direction and he sighed internally. What had he done now? To his shock, she accepted the mug and smiled a little, muttering her thanks, and then continued on with the (apparently dramatic) story of the ill-fated affair between Padma Patil and Blaise Zabini. Why anyone would want to go out with Blaise still eluded Ron, but when he'd asked Ginny she'd blushed a little and muttered something about him being nice, underneath all the Slytherin. He'd decided that he really didn't want to know how Ginny knew that.
The sky overhead, in the ceiling of the great hall, was clouded and grey. Perfect Halloween weather, really.
"Do you remember when we were really little Gin, and Percy took us trick or treating in the village like the Muggles do?" He hadn't meant to bring up their other brother, but it was that time of year. Ginny met his eyes and nodded, her eyes misting for a just a second.
"Yeah, I remember. We used to love that. Percy always made sure to save us the best sweets." They fell silent for a minute before Ron took a breath, drawing the courage to suggest something he'd been thinking about for almost a year.
"You think if we wrote to him, or something, that it would make a difference?" Biting her lip, Ginny nodded again.
"I think I'd like to try. He's still our brother. And it is Halloween." Ron grinned, smile reaching his eyes for the first time that day.
"We'll send one at lunch, yeah?" And they lapsed into silence, each caught in their own memories. Their own hope.
They got together at lunch- brushing off Harry and Hermione's questions and glares- and composed a brief, but heartfelt, letter to Percy. Basically, telling him they missed him and that while he may have been a git he was still their brother and that they would really like to see him. Ginny insisted on asking him to come meet them in Hogsmeade the following weekend, and they gave a very excited Pig the rolled parchment with only slight unease.
"Do you think we should tell the others? They seemed a bit pissed off when we left."
"I don't want to tell anyone Gin. I don't want them to have another reason to be angry with him if he doesn't come, or doesn't write back." There was a quality in Ron's voice that Ginny couldn't quite place, but she agreed and changed the subject. They'd wait and see what happened with Percy, and it could be their secret for now.
After all, he was family. Even if he was a git.