Percy's office door creaked open and Remus Lupin walked in.
Percy didn't look up, but continued busily scratching out a row of Arithmancy figures.
"Excuse me," tried Remus.
"Put it on the desk," said Percy dismissively. "Is there more Fitzmonger's Ever-Function Fizz in the lounge?"
Remus shut the door with a bit more of a bang than he'd intended. "If you're tired enough to need that, you should go home, Percy."
Percy looked up, but instead of his usual sullen glare, his face was drawn and tired. "If you're Mum's emissary for the day, please go away. I'm busy." He went back to his figures.
Remus circled the desk to look over his shoulder. Pages and pages of Arithmancy stared back at him. Complicated calculations of imports, exports, and currency exchanges. "I'll make you a trade," he said, abruptly.
Percy whirled round in his seat. "I have to finish these figures by eight," he snapped. "Contrary to popular belief, I actually have work to do here. You can tell Mum I won't be home for dinner, just like I haven't been for the past six months, and won't be for the next six."
"I'll do your figures if you listen to me," said Remus.
For a split second Percy looked tempted, before turning resolutely back to his work. "It's against policy."
Remus took a deep breath, reminding himself why he'd agreed to try to talk Percy into coming home. Ah, yes. Because Molly had been crying when she'd asked.
"Listen, Percy, at Hogwarts you always seemed – "
"At Hogwarts I always did what everybody wanted!" snapped Percy, finally giving up any semblance of work, slamming his quill into the Ink-Quell. "I studied, I worked hard, and I got top marks. That's why I was Prefect. That's why I was Head Boy. I did whatever everyone bloody wanted!
"This isn't about marks," tried Remus, "it's – "
"Yes it is!" snapped Percy. "Because you lot were all the same! Professors always wanted me to work, and wanted me to study, and when I did – you didn't like it."
Remus, who'd been about to interrupt, paused. "What?"
"You didn't!" Percy went on. "I did everything a student is supposed to do! I was the best – and you all hated that, didn't you? You gave the twins pats on the head, and had Ginny to tea in your office – but you never talked to me! NONE of you ever talked to me!
"And Mum is just the same!" Percy was shouting now, past all caring. "I did everything that she wanted. I studied because she wanted me to be a Prefect! She wanted me to be Head Boy! She wanted me to get a good job at the Ministry! And now that I have it, she wants me to throw it all away!" Percy stopped, breathing hard, red in the face.
Remus stood, at a loss for words.
"I don't understand, all right?" said Percy, turning the other way. "I didn't everything everybody wanted, and they hate me for it. She'd tell me to come out of my room, to stop studying, and Dad was always happier when the others had done something stupid than when – Now they want me to throw away everything I've worked for!
"I worked hard to get this place, and if I drop it now I'll never be able to get in again. I make good money! I'll go higher up, I will! And she understands that, doesn't she?"
Suddenly, Remus understood. "Percy… Your mother isn't upset that you've done well. She's upset that… that you aren't …"
"Like the twins?" finished Percy, whirling round once more, again angry. "Yes! Everybody loves the twins! And what have they made of themselves? Tell me! What have any of them made of themselves? Charley and his dragons. Mum hated that he wanted to leave for Romania. She hated that he wanted that dangerous job, but is she sending people to him to make him come home? Does she want him to give it up? No!
"Bill! Running all 'round the Wizarding World in his fairy-tale world, living on minimum wage, in a dead-end job. Cursbreaking! She didn't want that either, told him not to. Does everybody glare at him when he comes home? NO!"
"I'm the only one that did what she wanted!" shouted Percy hysterically. "I did everything right! And they – "
"And they should love you best," finished Remus softly. He wanted to say that Percy was wrong – Bill had plenty of opportunity at Gringotts, and that they had glared at Percy last Christmas because he had only come as part of his job. But in a flash, he understood. Bill had been in the same place for years, hadn't bothered to work himself up, simply because he liked where he was – and that was what Percy couldn't understand, would probably never understand. Just as he wouldn't understand how Christmas, or even a simple dinner was more important to his mother than any advancement.
Percy sank into his chair, and swiveled it so that it was the other way. "Yes they should," he said bitterly. "Merlin, but they should."
"Percy," said Remus, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Your mother… she may have wanted those things, and she definitely thought they were good things, but … she wants her children to be happy, more. She's not upset with the others, because they're doing what makes them happy."
"And I'm not happy?" demanded Percy. "Why doesn't anybody believe that I like this? I like studying – nobody's upset with that Hermione girl Ron brought home. Nobody tells her to lighten up and toss the books. Nobody even tells dad to put away the plugs, and Merlin knows they don't do anybody any good. But my work is good for something, it's important, and its what they wanted. Why isn't anything I do ever good enough?"
Remus took a deep breath, and let it out again. "I'm sure you can be happy doing what you do, and I'm sure you enjoy it. I'm also sure that once you enjoyed being home, too. You don't need to work overtime every day, Percy."
"I'm not going back," said Percy tiredly. "Not until they admit that I'm right, not until they behave as though they want me when I'm there."
"Maybe you both need to do a bit of admitting," suggested Remus. "I'll admit that I payed more attention to the twins in school because they needed my help more. Because I needed to work more to make sure they studied."
"So I was a forgone conclusion, then," said Percy. " Nobody had to worry about me skiving, or spiking the punch, or jumping off the Astronomy Tower…"
"Nobody tried to jump off the Astronomy Tower," said Remus. "What I'm saying is… your mother is happy about your success, but she's upset that you're not speaking with her."
"Charley and Bill aren't there, either."
"No, they're not there, but they're still –"
"So why am I different?" demanded Percy. "Why aren't the rules the same for me? If Fred or George did half the work I did, they'd have been cooed and fussed over to no end, and it would be Fred and George this, and Fred and George that… all I ever wanted to know was that they were happy. Not just indifferent or exasperated with me."
"Your Mum still makes a great fuss over you, Percy," said Remus. "Very proud of how you did in school, and –"
" – But now that she's decided she doesn't like the Ministry, my job isn't good enough," said Percy. "It was good enough before the war broke out."
Remus sighed. "Your mother has good reason to be upset with the Minister. That you're working for a man she's against is a large reason for your family to be a bit upset with you."
"I'm not working for Minister anymore than Dad is," snapped Percy. "I'd have to work through channels for years to get close enough for him to even bother to learn my name! I have a very simple Ministry desk job, which, if I do well in, might, just might get me enough recognition to move higher on the ladder. Speaking of which, I really need to get back to these figures."
Remus sighed. Whatever Percy he'd just talked to was gone, a professional façade now in his place "I've talked to you for your mother," he said, turning to leave. "I think now, I'll go talk to your mother, for you."