Title: By The Horn Rimmed Glasses
Setting: End of April, Harry's 5th yr. before Dumbledore goes into hiding
Characters: PercyxOC
Author's notes:
Oh my gawd…you people have no clue to how hard I thought about this fanfic….NO CLUE! This has been in my head for about 3 YEAR! And by god I will finish this…come hell or high water. I just got the courage to attempted this. I EVEN DID A ROUGH DRAFT! This is my first HP fic and I want it to be SLAMMING and NOT A PIECE OF CRAP!
sighs So even if the next book comes out before I finish this…or no one BLOODY REVIEWS, I –will- finish this. Because of my love for Percy Weasley. AND HP.
So there. I have said my piece. Now enjoy…or else I –will- destroy the world. –inserts evil laughter-
JP but still enjoy! I worked my –ass- off.
Disclaimer- IF I OWN THE BLOODY BOOK I WOULDA FINISHED THIS A LONG TIME AGO. And my name is –not- JK Rowling, contrary to the rumors.
Sidenote: I can't remember whether it was 2 or 3 days ago, July 6th or 7th…but there was a bombing on the London subway…I think it's sad really, but I was thinking of a fanfic! It sounds like a good one…even though there was 40 ppl killed. Is that a bad thing, to write a fic about it?
---------By The Horn Rimmed Glasses-----------
Chapter 1: Babysitter Required
"Weasley, in my office now!" barked the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge from his office.
His Junior Assistant, Percival, aka Percy, Weasley jumped up from his cramped desk in the corner by the door, almost knocking down stacks of paperwork. He scurried up to the door like an obedient dog and poked his head through the crack.
"You called for me sir?"
Fudge shook the Daily Prophet in his hand crisply and set it on his desk then addressed Percy without even looking at him.
"Of course I did Weasley, or are you deaf of hearing? Now sit down, I have important business to discuss with you and I'mnotwasting mytime to do it."
Percy immediately sat in the chair in front of the large, ornate, and stained cherry wood desk of the Minister. The Minister took a sip of his tea and ate one of the many biscuits on a very large plate, not even offering one to the skinny, over worked and almost gaunt young man in front of him.
"I know you have heard that the US is sending their Secretary of Foreign Magical Policy, Eli Damien Griffin, to discuss the possibility of war in the Middle East because of the attacks(1) they had to deal with over the past year. Obviously they want us, Britain, to support them when they go to ICW(2). Now I don't excpect –"
"I've heard that most people in the Middle East despise the Western philosophy on Magic. Isn't that true, sir?" Percy interjected.
Fudge waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Yes, yes it is but to tell the truth, most of the Middle Eastern magic is old and dilapidate. They need to be brought into the new century anyway(3)," He took a sip of tea. "But all that doesn't concern you. I have a simple task for you, one of which a boy like you should have no way of bumbling up. All you have to do is baby sit his child."
Percy grimaced on the inside but kept his face straight on the out. "But sir, surely I am much more of service to you and the ministry helping by your side-"
Fudge laughed and shook his head. "My boy, you would be more of a service to me if you just stop trying so hard to impress me." He looked at Percy hard. "Now, you will watch this kid and keep it happy and out of its father hair for two weeks or you can pack you things."
"I will do whatever is needed of me sir and not a speck less."
Fudge sat back in his chair and sighed. "Very good, as I expected. He or she will be arriving today here at a quarter to2. For some bloody reason the thing's coming a day before its father, just to annoy me no doubt. We both will go down to greet it and after that I will come back up here and it's all yours." Fudge laughed in a mocking kind of way.
"And don't worry, there will be a car provide seeing as you have no other mode of transportation besides magic."
Percy had a look of slight worry on his face, pretending not to hear the previous comment. "But sir, were will he or she be staying? Surely not at the Leaky Caldron-?"
"Don't you worry your little flaming head about that." Again Fudge looked amused. "And it is to be dropped off no later than 8 pm or else it's your skin, understand Weasley?" Fudge growled, the amusement on his face quickly evaporated.
Percy gulped. "Yes sir." He said firmly. "But, sir, won't it need protection of any kind?"
Fudge raised his eyebrow. "For what? I'm sure –you- are very capable of handling a situation. I'm not going to waste man power on one little brat. And besides, if one arises, take care of it in anyway necessary. You did graduate from Hogwarts top of your class didn't you? But then again that could just be another mistake that fool Dumbledore made. Like so many others." He grimaced.
"No sir, I did graduate top.' He said haughtily. And I will make sure the Secretary's child is completely safe."
Fudge picked up his paper and replied distantly. "Right right very good. Exactly as it should be. We won't go till 1:30. Use this time to come up with a good plan or something. Oh and you might need Muggle clothing if you plan to sightsee so you might want to send a memo to the Dept. of Muggle Research. You are dismissed." And with that Fudge disappeared behind his paper.
Percy got up quickly. "Thank you sir." He said to the paper. Before he turned, he saw on the front under the headline something about Harry Potter.
HARRY POTTER: Secret mental instability in family that causes impulsive lying found out! Read more on pg. 8
Shaking his head ever so slightly, Percy crept silently out of the office.
--------------------
'What am I going to do with this child?' Percy thought as he squeezed back behind his little wooden desk. The paperwork obscured his view as he heard two people; a male and a female mention his name.
"But that's not all. Did you hear about Percy's father? Man's a loony obsessed over Muggles. It must run in the family because his youngest son has a," The speaker's voice became a whisper for the last part. "mudblood girlfriend. And I heard that from Mr. Malfoy, his son is in the same class as Weasley's."
The woman laughed coldly and replied in a disgusted voice. "Well, Jonah, what do you excpect from a wizard family like the –Weasley's-."
The man named Jonah laughed. "But Liz, besides his family, Percy is a stand up guy, don't you think?"
Percy listened closely to what this Liz was going to say. He fought the impulse to jump up and tell them off. But curiosity got to him.
"Well," she hesitated. "If you call a workaholic ass kisser a stand up guy. I heard that in order to get this job he had to…" Her voice trailed off.
Jonah gasped. "You're kidding!"
Liz replied in a hushed tone. "Well after that Crouch incident how else could he be able to get such a high promotion?"
They walked pasted his desk. Percy ducked underneath, hiding from their view all the while still listening intently.
'Don't think about it Percy. Their just jealous I'm so young and already in the Minister's good gracious, that's all.' He told himself smugly over and over again. 'Lying bastards are just jealous.'
He could hear Jonah talk again from his hiding space.
"But did you hear that he left his family just for that job. Right dumb if you ask me, no job is worth cutting off your family."
Percy had to use all his might to restrain himself from getting up and shouting at him. 'You don't even know who I am! You have no clue to my life and you're bloody discussing it like it was a trashy novel! He got up from his hiding place roughly, bumping his head on the desk. He bit his tongue to keep from cursing. His thoughts still raged through his head.
'Those –people- I –called- family didn't give one about me and my dreams and they didn't care about bettering themselves. But not me, no I wasn't going to waste away my life being poor and looked down on.'
By the time Percy had got back in his chair, the pair had gone.
'I should be used to that. I hear something new about my family and myself everyday. Even from the Minister.' He thought with a shutter of anger. 'But I don't give a damn. They can say all they want. Because one day I –will- be the one on top. And then I'll be untouchable.'
Yet ambition wasn't the only reason that made him leave his family.
'Forget about it and get to work.You stillhave a lot to do.' Percy chided himself and began to work fast to get the paper work on his desk down to a stack. Then he still had to write up a schedule for week and then the next.
'Another busy Monday, as usual.' Percy sighed, pushing his horn rimed glasses back up on the bridge of his nose. He had a lot to do, and it wasn't even past 8am. But the thoughts of all those people expecting him to fail fueled him on. It made him work faster and with swift accuracy. It made him tireless and hunger didn't affect him.
'I don't need anything or anyone. I've sacrificed everything for this, and I will not let it be in vain.'
-------------------
'You've outdone yourself, Percy old boy.' He thought proudly.
All paperwork was organized neatly into stacks of importance. He could actually see the rest of the office. It had taken all of lunch break, but it was done. He looked at the clock over head, it was just after 12:30 pm.
'Now for the little brat.' Percy pulled out a new sheet of parchment and wet his quill with ink. 'It must be somewhat young, no older than 17 possibly. So what can I do to keep the little monster happy?'
Percy touched the feather tip of his quill to his cheek.
'I'll take it to the Museum of Magical Creatures. And going to Diagon Alley takes about two to three days. Plus there is always the tour of Gringotts. Hm, this is going to be a piece of cake.' With a slight smile he started to jot down places and times.
By 1:30 he had gotten down a large list of places when Minister Fudge emerged from his office, his lime green bowler placed neatly on his head.
"It's time, so let's get moving." He said to Percy briskly and began walking toward the elevator.
Percy folded the list of activist and placed it in his robe pocket. He followed the minister in silence; head rose in its usual arrogant manner, and joined him in the elevator. It was filled with flying interdepartmental memos, but not many people. Most had already gone on lunch breaks back home or still working.
When they reached the golden gates, the Minister stopped at the security gates.
"Hello Ernie, did the Foreign Minister's child arrive yet?" he asked as he scanned the hall.
Ernie scratched his head. "Yes sir, over by the fountain." He replied; nodding his head in the direction.
Without another word, Fudge walked towards the fountain. Percy was at his heels, also scanning the hall, looking diligently for someone out of the ordinary.
When they got close to the fountain Fudge turned to Percy.
"Well, do you see any one you don't recognize?" Fudge questioned impatiently.
Percy kept searching, but he found it hard to pick out someone he didn't know. People where Apparating back from their lunch breaks now, and it was starting to get crowed.
Suddenly there came a voice from the other side of the fountain.
"Hello Minister Fudge, it's a pleasure meeting you."
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(1) Okay okay I don't really believe in Bush's policies but I needed a BASE so why not out of real life? Don't you agree? I DON'T CARE IF U DON'T! -deathglares-
(2) International Confederation of Wizards...I love the 5th book.
(3) Again I don't believe it, but Fudge seems like a person who would. SO DON'T GO FLAMING ME AND SAYING I'M STUPID OR SOMTHING! Sheez...just trying to get into character.
So what do you thing?
I made a cliffy!
.. I think…
I'm so proud of myself! I finally finished a chapter.
So…hm…anywhoo. I really need to go to sleep. It's like 3 am in the morning.
Kis da muse: -sighs-The authoress would like to apologize in advance to the long assed author's note she left at the beginning of the chapter. It will not happen again…hopefully. I can't promise anything.
Lady KK: -hits Kis in the head with a mallet- Shadup! THEY WILL LEARN TO LOVE MEEEE! –insert crazy laughter-
REVIEW! PLEASE!