A/N: To anyone who has read my other fic, Less Than Perfect, I am sorry for the lack of updates. I have no idea how to put all the words together and make it sound right so please be patient with me. Also, I don't take much pride in this story, but I wanted to see what I could do with it.
Disclaimer: I, sadly, own nothing. :(
Chocolate
Percy has always been her favorite son.
She always tried to hide that fact from her other children, from her husband and most importantly, Percy—especially since it wasn't necessarily right to have a favorite—but it has always been more than a little bit tricky. In many ways, Bill was like Percy, but he lacked the ever prominent innocence that Percy possessed, which always reminded her that he was—and possibly always will be—her little Percy-boy. Charlie was the rebellious sort that she could never understand. Fred and George, were always so extremely difficult to discipline, so extremely difficult to tame. Ron always seemed distant, so stubborn, so childish, and she knew that she would never understand what he wanted even if she tried.
But Percy, Percy was different. He actually respected her, not because he wanted to do what was expected, but because he wanted to make her happy.
It all started when the twins were born. Arthur led Bill, Charlie and Percy into the room and she handed Fred to Bill and George to Charlie. When the twins were finally back in her possession and sucking on her breasts, Percy climbed onto the bed and looked at the twins skeptically. He had always been so smart for his age.
"I don't like them," Percy finally concluded. Molly was utterly shocked at this and was about to tell him off when he continued. "They look like trouble," he said as he held his Mum's hand in his own, "but I'll keep them out of it. You can trust me."
And that he did. For years and years to come, he kept the twins out of trouble when they would get stuck up a tree, or tell them off for scaring Ron, and looked after them so they couldn't accidentally hurt Ginny. His actions had never made him popular with his siblings, but Molly appreciated what he did more than he could ever imagine.
When Percy received his letter from Hogwarts, she, not unlike Percy, was scared. Percy was her quiet one; the one with his nose always in a book; her responsible young man that she had always feared for the most. Percy just didn't fit inwith other children his age, it was quite obvious really. They'd play outside, he'd stay inside and help around the house; not that she didn't appreciate his help but, she worried for him, like any good mother should. She actually thought of letting him start the term a year later than everyone else his age, but in the end, with a lot of persuasion from Arthur, she let Percy go to Hogwarts, instructing both Bill and Charlie to take care of him.
And when he became prefect, she just couldn't believe it. Her little Percy, a prefect! From then on, she trusted him more to look after his brothers, like she had trusted Bill and Charlie. Percy never let her down.
But then, when Ginny was taken down to the Chamber of Secrets, all her thoughts of Percy being her favorite momentarily went away, and all she could think about was how she would give anything to have her little girl back.
And she did get her back, thanks to the wonderful Harry Potter and her Ron! And she was so happy that she didn't care how they got her back. And she promised herself to never let her children stray away from her ever again.
But then someone did leave. And the one who left was the last one she expected. Percy.
She cried every night for two weeks when he left and there are times, now and again that she still cries for her third son. The one that she let slip from her grasp. And there are times when she thinks that it's her fault. She was his mother; she should've seen the signs. She should've seen the hurt in his eyes when the twins ridiculed him. She should've noticed the extreme happiness in Percy's voice when he announced that he got a promotion. She should've taken into consideration her son's feelings before opening her mouth.
It was the day after he left that she finally mustered enough strength to finally go and visit her son's flat to try and persuade him to come home.
When Percy opened the door, she should've seen that he was actually planning on actually listening to an apology, but didn't. So she blabbed on about how heshould know that his father was right and that he should apologize right away. She should've tried even harder when Percy slammed the door at her face instead of giving up.
When that boggart turned into the dead Percy all those months later, she shouldn't have worried so much more for his safety than anyone else's, but she was scared of losing her son before the whole fight between him and the entire family was over.
She shouldn't have knitted that sweater for Christmas that year, but she couldn't help it. Arthur was rather cross at her when he saw what she was knitting, but she didn't care. Percy was her son and no feud would stop her from making him a Weasley Sweater.
She also knew that she shouldn't have made such a commotion about Percy coming home the Christmas after that, especially since he was with the Minister, but she was so happy to have her son back that she didn't stop and think about the consequences. She should've stopped Percy from leaving the Burrow, his glasses covered in mashed parsnip, but she was too busy crying. She should've known that a piece of Percy died that day, the last bit of him that believed that he could still actually return to his family and ask for forgiveness and that for a moment, he actually thought he finally had the courage to, but she didn't notice.
No one did.
There were times she wished that she didn't care so much about him, that she had seen him as the prat that the others could see him as, but her heart would never let her.
And there were times, in those rare occasions when she asked herself, if she ever really knew Percy at all;if she ever really saw past the glasses, the responsibility, the pompousness. But as soon as those thoughts entered her mind, she's quickly brush them off. If anyone knew Percy, it was her. So, she pushed those thoughts away from her mind because she knew that she knew Percy for what he was.
She also knew that she shouldn't be making a cake for Percy again. The third cake she's made, for the third Birthday that Percy has celebrated alone. She shouldn't have slaved over that Chocolate cake for two hours, but she did.
&.&.&
"Mum that smells delicious!" Charlie complemented as he, Arthur, Ginny, Fred and George sat down. Ron was off with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, who-knows-where, which made her worry. "What is it?"
"It's cake, sweetie," Molly replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. She then sat down beside her husband and wondered if he had remembered that it their third son's birthday today. Seeing as he avoided her gaze throughout dinner, she guessed that he probably did; and Ginny, who was exceptionally quiet, even as the rest of the family talked about Harry Potter and where he was, possibly remembered as well.
She shouldn't have brought out the chocolate cake, but Charlie asked for it and the twins said that they wouldn't have minded a slice of cake themselves but Ginny and Arthur said that they didn't want any cake—and that's when Molly knew for sure that they did remember what day it was.
"Ooh, chocolate!" Charlie said possibly drooling as Molly walked over the table, the cake in her hands. She should've put the cake down on the table right away, but Fred distracted her.
"It's a good thing that the prat isn't here then," he commented. Nobody had to ask who he was talking about. And that's what was so sad about it.
"Fred!"
"Oh come off it, Mum," George said. "I'm sure he just said that because Percy's the only one in our family who doesn't like chocolate. I mean, who could possibly hate—?"
But George never was fully able to get his question out because at that precise moment, Molly dropped the cake platter, it made a clangsort of noise, the cake was absolutely ruined and Molly burst into tears.
She should've remembered that Percy didn't like chocolate, but she didn't. She shouldn't have let the family and Percy drift so far apart…
But she did.
A/N: I don't blame Molly. It's sort of like, she blames herself, really, because she is his mother and she should've known better. Something like that.