"I already told you why, Percy," Ron responded with an obvious tone of discontent. "You have to do it with us, it's your duty as a brother!"

For what Ron thought to be the hundred and seventeenth time, Percy tried to deflect. "But George -"

"- can't do it yet. Why is that so tough to understand? He's burying his twin. Not just another brother, but his twin - the one that none of us can truly say we have had that kind of a close a connection to."

"Why can't Ginevra do it?"

"Because she's a witch, and wizards are supposed to be the pall bearers for funerals."

"I don't understand why we have to do it! We can just levitate the casket! Are we not wizards?"

"Why does a beater hit a bludger? It's just the way things are. Now quit making excuses, you prat!"

"Well, what about Harry? He could do it!"

"Harry's my best friend, but he's still not a Weasley." Ron felt his temper rising as he began to plead, "George needs us Percy, so would you please just stop being difficult? It's your duty. We need you to do this with us!"

"It's just..." Percy hesitated before sighing heavily. "You wouldn't understand, Ron!" Percy proclaimed in a dark, hollow voice.

"While I never wrote a report on cauldron-bottom thicknesses, you may be surprised to find that I understand a great load of things," Ron retorted, sharply.

Percy fidgeted while he considered his next words carefully. When he finally spoke again, it was so softly that Ron was caught off guard and he almost missed the first few words. "This is different than when you were out running around, saving the world from dark magic and evil wizards. I left. I abandoned the family. I said horrible things to everyone. I wrote letters to Fred and George, telling them to give up the shop, that they were embarrassing and degrading to our family name. I told Bill that curse-breaking for Gringotts was lowly work."

Ron stood quietly and Percy continued to berate himself. Ron wanted so badly to interrupt, but he understood that Percy needed this opportunity to give voice to all the feelings and regrets that he had been holding in for so long. Ron understood because he did the same thing to himself several times the previous December. So Ron just let Percy carry on while he let all of his pent up fears and frustrations come out.

"I tried to pressure our father into falling in line with a corrupt government. I told you to abandon Harry. How can you forgive me? How can the family forgive me?"

Percy got so worked up that he was yelling, waving his arms around in the air. His eyes were open wide, almost bulging from behind his glasses and small droplets of spittle flew from his mouth with nearly every word. He was looking around, eyes darting from point to point like he was seeing events replaying through his mind. if Ron didn't know how Percy felt, he may almost find his brother's appearance comical. He suppressed a grin when he wondered, 'Is this what someone acts like after drinking Essence of Insanity?'

"And I was blind to it all for so long. Then when I realized what was really going on, I was in too deep and I couldn't see how to get out. I was a coward! So I stood by and watched all of this happen. And when I finally got the nerve to come back, I caused such a distraction that Fred got killed! If I would have just stayed out, or.."

But Ron never got to hear what else Percy thought he was responsible for, or how things could have been different. Percy had broken down, sobbing uncontrollably. His shoulders shook heavily as he brought his hands to his face - one removing his horn-rimmed glasses and the other covering his eyes.

Ron was beside himself. Was he really going to have to admit what he had done... to Percy of all people? Harry and Hermione had been gracious enough to forgive him, and decided they would say Ron had left to find food, information, potion supplies - anything he could to help. Only Bill and Fluer suspected otherwise, but even they had agreed to drop it because they didn't know all the details of Ron's sudden appearance at Shell Cottage. Ron had shown up in a right state - distressed, angry, tired, hungry and dirty. Bill could tell that something was wrong with Ron, but didn't press him for the details that Ron would never have shared anyway.

Debating with himself, Ron steeled his resolve before taking a deep breath, then pursing his lips to blow it out slowly. Ron walked over and sat next to Percy, then leaned over and bumped their shoulders together and said quietly, "If it makes you feel any better, I was stupid enough to take your advice. But to be honest, the reasons you gave really had nothing to do with it."

Percy never looked up, but managed to mutter out between snuffles, "whadameen?"

"I mean, I abandoned him. I left. Back in December, I went through a dark time and I left. Even when we were isolated out in the middle of the woods, Voldemort got to me. Worst part was, I couldn't come home, and I couldn't go back. So I ran out on my best friends. After a run-in with some snatchers and learning about the taboo, I crashed at Bill's."

Percy had stopped crying and was looking at Ron through red-rimmed eyes. He didn't even bother to wipe the wetness from his cheek. "Wait, let me get this straight. You - " Percy hesitated, barely wanting to repeat what his youngest brother had told him. Certainly someone was putting him up to this. Ron must have been looking for an opportunity to make him suffer just a little more for his betrayal. Any moment, George would pop out from around the corner to let him know this was an elaborate set up.

But then Ron finished the sentence for Percy with a deep regret pouring out of his words. " - Left. Abandoned my friends. Ran away." The pain was evident in his voice as he finished, "I deserted them when they needed me most. So while I've never studied cauldron bottoms, I know exactly what you're going through."

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for nearly a minute before Percy finally spoke again. "You really left?"

"Yes. I really did."

"But they welcomed you back?"

Ron stared off towards the corner of the room, but Percy could tell that he was not seeing the chair that obstructed the view of the objects there. "Eventually." Ron brought up his right arm and started rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Because of the protective enchantments, it took a while to get back to them. Harry forgave me right off, since the first thing I did was save him from drowning. Hermione, well, she uhm, took a bit longer. But what's going on with Hermione and me is obviously a bit different," he chuckled nervously.

Percy cracked a smile. "I might have noticed." But the smile quickly faded. "Harry and Hermione are different, though. What makes you think that the family will accept me back?"

Ron sighed loudly. "Haven't you been paying attention at all? Who gave you the hug in the hallway at Hogwarts?"

"George."

"And who cheered you on for cracking a joke?"

"Fred."

And who was there with you when you dueled Thickenesse?

"Father."

"And who insisted that you come stay here at the Burrow?"

"Mother."

"And who first insisted that you act as a pall bearer on Saturday?"

"William."

"And who has been sitting here, admitting his biggest regret,to help you understand that love and forgiveness and our family staying together is more important than who-said-what-to-who?"

"Whom, Ronald."

"Uh, Perce? That'd be me, in case you hadn't noticed the last 10 minute conversation."

"No, Ronald. Whom, not who. Who-said-what-to-whom."

Ron couldn't help but grin. Percy was finally starting to lighten up. Ron hoped that it was all finally going to sink in. "So, does this mean you're going to stand with us?"

Percy cringed. Back to the casket again. Every conversation felt like the ramifications of his betrayal were discussed anew. Had Percy never left, showing up at Hogwarts would have been expected. If the rothers hadn't made such a big deal of Percy's return, they wouldn't have been standing idly in that passage talking... and Fred would still be here. Percy also struggled because he knew that Ron was right. The family had clearly forgiven him and accepted him back. But could he forgive himself so easily? He had spent so much time ignoring the obvious truth, then even longer being too afraid to own up to his mistake. Percy had already given this very dilemma a significant amount of thought, and would later decide that with every opportunity, he'd make an attempt to weigh his family and his career both into the decision, so as to never sacrifice either one of them completely for the other.

"Yes. I'll stand with you all Friday... as long as you promise you're not just having a go at me about all this."

Ron broke into a huge grin. "I promise I'm not having a go at you, Perce. You're one of the few people in the world that know that I left Harry and Hermione on bad terms. But it changed me. It made me really understand the importance of standing with those you love." They both were quiet for a moment before Ron said, "So, are we good?"

"I think we will be, Ronald."

Ron smacked his hands down on his knees and said, "good!" Then he stood and turned to leave the room. "I need to go check on Hermione." Ron took a few slow steps before he turned back, looking happier than he had been in quite some time.

"Oh, Perce?" Ron said with a curious tone in his voice.

"Yes Ronald?"

"Welcome home."