A/N this story was written for my new friend Panny in honour of her birthday and also to show her that it really wasn't Percy's fault that Fred died in the Battle of Hogwarts. Sure the bloke made a mistake by denying his family for years but everyone deserves a second chance. I don't own anything JK Rowling does. If I owned the Potterverse this story would never have been necessary. Tell me what you think of it, it only takes a minute.

A Brother's Parting Hope.

Percy sat alone in his room, He was back home at the Burrow and it had been three months since the Battle of Hogwarts. Three months since he had let his guard down at the wrong time and tried to be funny. That single moment of weakness had been all it took for a curse to be fired and the wall to fall and kill his brother Fred. He wasn't drunk anymore, he had drunk himself sober hours ago but that didn't stop him wallowing in his own misery. He would sit alone in his room and relive that moment over and over again.

Someone knocked on his door.

"Go away" he told whoever was on suicide watch that day.

"Come on, Percy, come and have dinner with everyone," it was George" I f I can face them all then you should be able to. How many times do we have to tell you it wasn't your fault?" He made a huffing sound and walked away.

Percy could understand the logic of that statement, the real blame for his brother's death lay with Voldemort but that didn't make him feel any better. He stood and looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were red from lack of sleep, his hair hadn't been combed for weeks and his five o'clock shadow was rapidly becoming a proper beard. He couldn't remember the last time he had bothered to wear his glasses. He shut his eyes trying to work up some of that Gryffindor courage Weasley's were suppose to be famous for, squaring his shoulders, he opened his eyes and looked back to the mirror. What he saw made him spin around to the door so fast that he almost lost his balance.

"I thought I told you to go away George" he began to shout before he realised there was no one standing behind him. He shook his head trying to clear it then looked back at the mirror.

"I'm not George, I'm Fred, humph, and you call yourself my brother." The illusion in the mirror said.

"I've lost it, I've finally lost it." Percy chided himself.

"Yes, you have." The illusion told him.

"If I close my eyes you'll just be gone, right?"

"No, I am not going anywhere until you stop blaming yourself for my death. It was not your fault! I knew exactly what I was getting myself into by joining the order. I choose to fight and at the same time I choose to die if need be. No one blames you, not even George, silly git blames himself for letting them split us up during the battle. They need you, mate, all of them, Mum, Dad, Bill, Charlie, 

Ron and Ginny but especially George. He needs you because you share his guilt and together you can both get past it. If you don't believe that he needs you more than anyone else ask Mum to show you our letters home during our first year of Hogwarts that will prove it to you." The illusion sighed loudly and shrugged its shoulders" I have to go now; they didn't give me much time." And with that he was gone, leaving Percy to stare intently at the mirror for the longest time before he shook his head viciously and rubbed his eyes.

What on earth had caused that to happen? What was that bit about letters home.

He made a decision, this really had gone on too long, and he was obviously spending too much time on his own. He cleaned himself up a little and headed downstairs to eat with his family.

"Hello dear" his mother said smiling at him as he entered the overcrowded kitchen.

"Thought I might eat down here tonight if that's ok with you all"

"Course it's alright mate, absolutely spiffying to see you" George joked which made Percy startle. When had George started smiling again let alone joking?

Apparently he wasn't the only one who was surprised by this comment because everyone in the room looked like they had been stunned for a moment. They all looked between Percy and George and then back at their plates not wanting to question this new happier mood of George's.

"Yeah thanks for that George it's good to see you too, I guess." This made George make a strange choked laughing sound before he sobered and looked down at his food.

The rest of the meal past in relative silence with the others making occasional comments and the odd requests of, "Could you pass the potatoes", or their mum asking whether they felt like ice-cream or custard with their pudding.

When everyone had gone off to do their own thing Percy approached his mother who was sitting in her favourite arm chair knitting.

"Mum do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course not dear, you can ask me anything at all, anytime. What is troubling you so?"

"I had a dream, yes, a dream, it must have been a dream and in my dream Fred asked me to ask you if I could read his letters home from his first year at Hogwarts. I understand if you won't let me or you need to ask George's permission but I would really like to read them."

"Well dear if Fred told you to ask me then there must be a very good reason. I will ask George and if he doesn't have a problem with you reading them I will bring them to your room later. Is that alright?"

"Yes mum thank you" he gushed kissed her on the cheek and hugged her fiercely.

"Perfectly alright dear" she said into his hair hugging him back just as fiercely. "It's so nice to have you back you know Percy we have all missed you terribly"



He said nothing but let his mother hug him for a while longer before he returned to his room to wait.

He was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling when his mother knocked and asked if she could come in. "Yes mum you can come in"

"I asked George and he said and I quote "Don't see why he'd want to read them but whatever floats his boat" He is a strange mood tonight I must say but it's the most animated we've seen him in months so I am not going to say anything just yet." She handed Percy a small pile of yellowing parchment tied together with a bright blue ribbon and smiled "I hope you find what you're looking for in there, knowing the twins like I do it's probably some hidden clue to something they found highly important"

"No idea mum I just need to read them"

"Ok dear I am just down the hall if you need me, good night, I love you"

"Night mum I love you too" She kissed the top of his head and left.

Percy got comfortable and untied the ribbon from the parchments. He then began to read, most of the letters were the same.

Dear Mum and Dad

We're sorry we got detention again we promise to try harder from now on.

Love Gred and Forge.

P.S. Charlie says we might make the house team next year if we don't get expelled first.

Then on the very bottom of the pile was a very different letter, the one that Fred must have been speaking of. It was much longer than the others and Percy assumed it must be the one Fred was talking about. It was their very first letter home dated September 2nd 1989.

Dear Mum and Dad,

We made Gryffindor! I told George that we would and that we wouldn't be separated because I wouldn't let anything come between us except maybe death (Percy cringed) I was joking of course because "no one ever died being sorted" I told him. He was so worried he was almost crying. Can you believe that our George crying over something as silly as a sorting? A broken broom or being banned from flying for a whole summer maybe but not the sorting. Anyway he was really upset so I went to see if I could find Charlie and all he said was "Tell him to get over himself all Weasley's are in
Gryffindor simple as that" I said "that's what I said" but Charlie just laughed and went back to playing exploding snap with is mates, so I went and found Percy and he came right away to see George.

Percy told him that what Charlie said was mostly true and that if he could be made a Gryffindor then there was no way us twins would be put anywhere else but then he said that no matter what happened we would all still be brothers and we would be there for each other no matter what. He 

was really great, he made George feel much better and you know what? If anything ever happens to me and I can't be there to make sure George is ok I hope Percy is there for him. He really is a good big brother when he isn't being all stuffy and trying to be perfect.

Anyway we are together so it's not important any more. I just wanted to tell you so that if I forget I said this you will have it in writing.

Bye for now your Newest Gryffindor son and don't forget most handsome as well

Fred.

Percy was in shock he dropped the letter and collapsed on the bed in a heap crying for all the time he had wasted in the years he spent trying to be perfect and make a name for himself. He decided right then and there that from now on he would do everything in his power to make sure George was Ok and to stop worrying about himself because Fred needed him to help their brother and he was determined never to let his family down every again.

The end.