Author's Note: For the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Season Two/Round Ten, as Captain for the Caerphilly Catapults, substituting for Keeper of the Caerphilly Catapults, writing about the Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Transportation. Also, for the If You Dare challenge, prompt 137. The Ultimate Boredom Solver.
A Percy Disaster
(Percy tries to navigate the Department of Magical Transportation on Bring Your Kid to Work Day, but his children aren't making it easy.)
It was the morning of Bring Your Kid to Work Day in the Department of Magical Transportation, and Percy Weasley had a six-year-old running several feet ahead of him and a ten-year-old reluctantly trailing behind.
"Look at the brooms!" squealed Lucy, the little one. "What are all the desks for? Who are all these people? Why are they doing that? How does that work? And—" Lucy continued babbling faster than any six-year-old should've been able to talk, and Percy turned around to look at his other daughter. Though she was ten, Molly and Percy always had a mutual understanding of the ridiculousness of the antics of Audrey and Lucy.
… Except that Lucy was now quiet. Percy turned back around, and Lucy was gone. Frantic, he looked back at Molly for an explanation of places little kids ran off to. "Where's she gone?" he asked. Molly had been looking forward the whole time, after all.
"I told you, Daddy," was all Molly offered, looking up from the book she'd been trying to read as they walked. "I told you she'd run off and—"
"WEEEEEEE!" Lucy zipped back into sight, this time on the broomstick of some poor soul who worked in the Department.
"Lucy!" Percy exclaimed. "Get down this instant!" She was only a foot off the ground, but she was uncontrollably flying between desks and causing quite the commotion.
Most of the employees were now looking at the always-in-control Head of their Department who couldn't handle taking his eyes off a six-year-old for one minute…
"Ach!" Lucy tumbled forward off the broom, seemingly undisturbed by this, and Percy, flushing, returned the broomstick to its owner, stumbling over apologies.
Lucy continued to bounce around the square of desks in the area, and when he turned around again, Molly was sitting in his desk chair as if she belonged there, reading her book.
Percy dropped the collection of things he'd been carrying onto his desk, said, "The only reason we stopped here is so I could drop these off; now, we have to get you to the kids tour the activities committee organized."
Molly gave a pout as she hopped down from the desk chair, keeping the book open, and Percy had to hold onto Lucy's hand to keep her from running off again, as she ran far enough ahead of him to almost pull his shoulder out of its socket.
How had his mother raised so many children?
Lucy's babbling abruptly stopped when she ran straight into Kingsley, and then just stared up at him. Percy almost ran straight into him as well, and then said, as smoothly as possible, "Hello, Minister; I see you've met my daughter, Lucy…." He then realized that Kingsley was invited to many Weasley gatherings and so already knew Lucy, but he'd been so prepared to introduce the kids to all the other officials they ran in to….
"Yes, I have," said Kingsley, seemingly undisturbed. He patted Lucy on the head and asked, "Are you here for Bring Your Child to Work Day?"
"Uh huh." Lucy nodded eagerly.
"And Molly, too," Percy said, awkwardly twisting to locate his other child, who shuffled forward and looked up.
"Hello," she said, with shy politeness, and then proceeded to ignore the Minister altogether and look back at her book.
Honestly, she might have well have been Hermione's child—
"Well, there's a tour for the youngsters that starts in a minute," Kingsley started, and Percy accidentally interrupted:
"Yes, yes, we're on our way there, we've just had a few…"
"Mishaps," finished Molly.
"I can imagine," laughed Kingsley, and then said that he'd leave them to getting to the tour, and went.
"Daddy, it's almost nine," said Molly. "We're gonna be late."
"No, no, no, we're not, we're almost there," Percy insisted. They continued making their way through the Department, Percy tugged along by Lucy. "We just have to keep moving…."
They eventually did make it to the room where the tour was going to start, where a bunch of the other Weasley-Potter kids were gathered—Rose, Hugo, James, Al, Lily….
Harry, Ron and Hermione stood with them, seeing their children get settled with all the others before leaving. Percy lingered near them, acknowledging them but not joining their conversation yet, keeping an eye on where Molly and Rose read together, and Lucy and Lily chased each other around the room.
Evidently the trio noticed the latter and Ron asked, "Rough morning, Perce?"
Not rough. I can handle my kids. And don't call me that. "Not too bad," he said stiffly, and then Lucy ran over his feet and he almost tripped over himself. As he faded back out of the conversation, he looked at his older daughter and said, "Molly, try to keep your sister in sight," but Molly didn't look up from the book this time.
He cleared his throat loudly and she still didn't notice him. Finally he waved his hand in front of the book and repeated himself.
"Do you really think that'll happen?" she asked him.
Well, no. "Just try," he said, and he could hear the three other family parents laughing at him.
They were still laughing as they all left, the tour for the children beginning. Ron clapped Percy on the shoulder. "I thought the big Department Head might do better—"
"Oh, shut it."
END
