Author's Note: Written for…
Bring Your Child to Work Day Competition. Prompt: Arthur and Percy
"It's so fluffy, I'm gonna die!" Challenge.
Miniature Minister
The Weasley family had been a long-running hit at the Ministry's annual Bring Your Child to Work Day. Bill and Charlie had managed to charm everyone they met for years without fail, and Percy knew the pressure was on for his first visit to his father's office.
"Everything will be fine," Arthur told the seven-year-old, helping him to straighten his tie and visitor's badge as they waited for an elevator. Lines were always longer on this day due to the excess amount of bodies.
Percy stood stock-still as they rode the elevator to the third level, even while his father chatted enthusiastically with all the other children who came and went, asking them if they were enjoying the tour and whether they planned to join the Ministry when they grew up.
The third floor was unnaturally crowded as everyone mingled, pulling children from four to eleven along behind them. Percy felt strangely out of place in the social setting; he wasn't very good at making friends like his brothers were.
Arthur introduced the boy to a few of his coworkers as well as the head of the department, and the head of the Improper Use of Magic Division. Percy dutifully shook all of their hands and answered any questions they had for him.
Willy Angus, Arthur's long-time friend and partner, was waiting in their shared cubicle. Willy didn't have any children of his own but was like an uncle to the Weasley kids.
"Percival, good to see you," Willy said, standing to mimic the boy's rigid stance and shake his hand. He'd always said Percy was too serious for his own good and had insisted on calling him by his full name whenever possible. "Looking forward to seeing your dad and I in action?"
Percy nodded, quietly taking a seat in the corner. He laughed, watching a teapot on Willy's desk that wouldn't stop hopping about, spilling tea everywhere.
"When did that come in?" Arthur asked, bending down to examine it.
"Bell dropped it off just before you came in. Another Hopping Pot hopeful."
Arthur roughly took the pot by the handle and poured himself a cup of tea, then deposited it back on his partner's desk.
"You see, son, this is the sort of thing we need to look out for. As amusing as this is, it could mean disaster if a muggle got a hold of it."
Percy nodded gravely, composing himself.
"Oh, knock it off, Artie. You tried the scare tactic on Bill and Charlie too. Do you honestly think it'll rub off on any of them?" Willy asked, tapping the teapot with his wand a couple times in an effort to get it to stop.
Arthur shrugged, sitting at his desk. "It's always worth a shot."
Their boss, Mr. Bell, came in then, silencing their squabbling. Percy decided he liked Mr. Bell: he was tall and smiled a lot, and he wore a suit, unlike most of the people in Arthur's division.
"I've got a job for you two," he started hesitantly. "I know I promised no assignments today, but it can't wait and you're the only team qualified. Someone enchanted dinosaur bones to start moving at the Museum of London."
"I can't go, I've got Percy," Arthur said.
Percy thought of mentioning that watching his dad take on an animated dinosaur skeleton sounded really interesting, but he kept silent for fear of sounding too childish.
"You're not the only ones having to head out of the office today. There's a bunch of kids whose parents are out right now. Humbert and Tuft are watching them. I'm sure Percy would have more fun with them than watching the two of you figure out that ridiculous teapot."
Arthur didn't look too sure, but he nodded and turned to Percy. "We'll just be an hour or two, alright? We've had worse assignments than this."
"He's right," Willy put in. "Hey, remember that cursed toolshed back when Molly was pregnant with … um. Who was that?"
"Bill," Arthur answered, wincing. "And I'd rather not discuss that one. Painful memories."
"I'll be fine, Dad. Go," Percy said, and he allowed Mr. Bell to lead him from the cubicle and down the hall to the break room where a dozen children were being 'supervised' by a couple of wizards snacking on biscuits.
Mr. Bell called a small girl with long, dark hair over to him. "Percy, this is my daughter, Katie. She's been here plenty of times, and she'll introduce you to the gang. Just go to Humbert and Tuft if you need anything. I think there may be some chocolate biscuits left if you hurry."
Percy was rather skeptical of the authority of the two wizards in question, but he didn't say so. He followed Katie to a group of kids playing gobstones and watched them for a few minutes before getting bored with the game. He'd never been very good at it and even though Katie and most of the other kids looked much younger than him, they played as if they'd been practicing for years.
He tried to keep himself amused: introducing himself to a few of the older kids, briefly chatting to Mr. Tuft about his job, even helping a little boy to draw a castle when Percy got really bored.
After an hour in the break room he excused himself to use the restroom and then wandered about the floor rather than go back. No one thought twice about him being on his own. There really wasn't any doubt whose child he was with the flaming red hair. Arthur was a popular man.
Percy didn't want to bother anyone with questions about their work in the Ministry – and, if he was honest with himself, he found the department's work a bit boring – so he decided to explore another level to see if the Ministry could be as fascinating as he'd heard.
He wasn't sure exactly where he was going and wound up riding the elevator for quite a while, going back and forth between floors with random strangers. Finally a woman around his parents' age stepped on and smiled brightly at him, and he thought she looked a bit familiar.
"What's your name?" she asked as they waited for the elevator to stop at her floor.
"Percy Weasley, Ma'am," he answered, shaking her hand.
"I'm Millicent." She tapped his visitor's badge lightly. "You're here with your parent, then?"
"My dad. But he's on an assignment right now."
"Ah, so you decided to see what the Ministry has to offer while he's busy?"
Percy nodded shyly. "Am I in trouble?"
"Certainly not! I applaud your curiosity."
The elevator stopped suddenly and Millicent held the door open.
"Perhaps you'd like to take a look at my office? Things can get rather lonely with just me in there, but at least you'll get another view of the inner workings of the Ministry."
Percy hesitated. It was exactly what he'd wanted, but he'd already been gone for a while and he was sure his father would kill him if he found he'd run off.
"I can send a note down to your Dad's office," Millicent said kindly, sensing his conflict. "Would that help?"
He nodded, grinning at her.
She took him by the hand through winding corridors that he couldn't memorize. Percy quickly realized this floor was nothing like his father's. Everyone here dressed nicely and acted professional. There were hardly any children about, and those that were there sat quietly by their parents' desks.
He kept expecting Millicent to turn into the next cubicle or office in line, but they didn't stop until they had reached the farthest end of the floor, and a large set of double doors marked with a gilded MoM.
The office was probably bigger than his kitchen, with polished dark wood floors and cream walls. There was a large ebony desk at the center of the room, floor-to-ceiling bookcases lined two walls, and a chess table was set up in one corner.
"Have a seat," Millicent offered while she sat behind the desk.
Percy sat down across from her, eying the bookcases in awe.
"I'll need your father's name, and his the level he works on."
He told her quietly, suddenly feeling like he was getting his dad in trouble.
She scribbled a note and sent it off, then smiled at the small boy.
"Would you like to see what I do here, Percy?" Despite his reservations, the boy nodded and she led him to a room next to her office that she had to unlock with her wand. It was smaller and messier and reminded him more of his dad's office.
"These are forms I need to finish filling out so England can compete in the Quidditch World Cup this year," she said, tapping a small stack of papers on a work bench. "Those file boxes there are court cases I need to review. And these," she lifted up two files. "These are potential laws that may be passed this year, and I need to decide whether or not to approve them."
"Wow." The boy couldn't hide his excitement.
Millicent continued to lead him around the floor for another fifteen minutes, giving him little glimpses into her job, until Arthur showed up to retrieve him.
"I'm so sorry if he was any trouble, Ma'am," he said, keeping a hand on Percy's shoulder.
Millicent smiled at him. "Not at all. He's alleviated my boredom, if anything." She knelt down to Percy's eyelevel. "So tell me, Percy, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
With an apologetic look to his father, the boy grinned at her. "The Minister!"