There's a fork in the railway track. Two ways you can go. But this train always goes one way. That's what Percy Weasley likes about it. It's always the same, it's predictable. Just like him.
Not that he usually thinks this much about these things, but it's the principle of the matter. If he decided to think about it one day, he'd really like this train and these tracks.
Other trains go the other way on the tracks. But they don't discriminate against this train for it. They don't care what this train is doing, just as long as it gets to its destination. This is why humans are unlike trains. Humans will discriminate.
He really should stop thinking about train tracks in such depth. They really aren't that interesting.
Sometimes he's not as predictable as the train. On the other hand, sometimes the train is running late for some reason. Sometimes the train needs to go the other way to leave room for a freight train to pass by. So he really is like the train after all.
He really needs to stop thinking about trains.
He needs to read this book for class. It's supposed to be a study of wizards being absorbed into muggle society. He really can't see the point of the assignment. What is And Then There Were None supposed to say about wizards being absorbed into muggle society? Agatha Christie being a witch doesn'tmake herworks all that deep and meaningful. Not about wizard and muggle relations, anyway.
But he'll do it anyway, because like the train, he's predictable and reliable. Besides, it's coming up to his OWLs now, and he needs to study hard.
He sits down on the train, and pulls out the book. It's hard to concentrate, with the movement of the train, and it isn't all that interesting a book, but he'll read it anyway. Or try to, at least.
He doesn't get much of a chance to read it. Penelope Clearwater comes and sits in front of him, watching him for a moment before she says anything. "Do you want me to tell you who the killer is? Then you wouldn't have to read the whole book."
"No. I'm a train track."
That's got to be the weirdest thing he's ever said.
"A train track?" She repeats. She seems bemused by the idea. Not that she understands what he's saying. But it sounds amusing.
"Yes. A train track." He sighs, and looks up from his book. "Trains are very reliable. And predictable. You know which way it's going to go. That's what I'm like. And I intend to remain that way for now."
That's not strictly true. Sometimes he'd like to be a little wild, a little unpredictable. It just so happens that he's the kind of person that, upon deciding to become more unpredictable, goes out to buy a book entitled How To Be More Unpredictable. It pains him to admit it sometimes, but it's sadly true.
She knows that. Some part of her knows that. But, as a general rule, she doesn't interfere with other peoples' lives. Besides, he's only a friend to her.
Now he's saying something about being reliable and how if more people were like him the world would be a better place, and in any case, you need to focus for the OWLs, they're the biggest thing this year, and without doing well there, you'd make nothing of your life. She's not quite listening. She's thinking about the train track analogy.
To Hell with predictability.
She pushes his book out of the way and kisses him. It's probably the most spontaneous thing she's ever done.
Kissing her back is definitely the most spontaneous thing Percy's ever done.
Sometimes the train needs to go onto the other track, to make way for a freight train.