Thank you to those who reviewed! They're appreciated!

gngrlvr1 - your Luscious thing made me laugh for a lot longer than it should have. :P

And I Googled everywhere, and Muggle cameras can be used at Hogwarts, in case anyone's wondering after this chapter.

Sorry...Got carried away on random things again..

Please read and review. :)

Chapter Fourteen.

Nell Moore had not been a Muggle born witch, but she, like Percy's own Father, had been intrigued to a fault by Muggle contraptions. One of these obsessions had been Muggle cameras. For some reason she had been fascinated over pictures that didn't move, and had run around school with what she had called a vintage style camera that had flashed brightly whenever she snapped a picture. She had been a decent sort, insisting that she needed to send the photographs to her best friend in Australia studying at their national wizarding school Van Diemen's, and even though she had jumped out of nowhere sometimes to take her pictures, she had never kept any compromising ones - but it had grown wearisome going to classes with lights flashing in your eyes and feeling disoriented.

Nevertheless, now he was grateful more than ever at the dozens of photographs she had given him over the years. He had never thought he needed them due to the amount of normal photographs he had, and so had put them away in an album. But that album had been one of the first things he had packed before he had run from his life, and he had a silly surge of fondness for the girl who he had more often than not been sharp with as she had followed him around, discussing video games or whatever they were called that she had in a collection at her home. He could keep this album out and not have to worry about Muggles taking a look at them, and so he was grateful.

He traced the motionless photographs now, with his fingers. A friend of his had once dismissed them by calling them "lifeless". But looking at them now he had to disagree with that friend of his. There was a sort of beauty to Muggle photography, it captured things that normal photographs could not, in a way. There was one with a rare look of surprised laughter from Professor McGonagall…There was one of Professor Dumbledore at the staff table looking weary, a goblet in his hand he must have been swirling…There was one of the twins caught unaware as they looked over their schoolwork – a rare picture indeed!...There were friends…There was a shaft of light from one of the tower windows…There were teachers…Professor Snape directing a lost student somewhere who looked terrified…Professor Mcgonagall seizing the microphone from Lee Jordan during a Quidditch match, looking frazzled and frustrated at him, and appalled at something he must have said…There was himself straightening his glasses and looking bored…There was Penny in mid hop, holding her robes up to her ankles, for some reason playing hopscotch during one Christmas vacation she had decided to stay at school…There was Morgan with a ball of snow aimed dangerously at the camera…There was a bunch of first years, Ginny included, heads bowed, braving the snow as they followed the half giant that was Hagrid somewhere out in the grounds…There was himself leaning over a chessboard looking as if he was giving advice to a disgruntled Ron – he had remembered that one being taken, as Ron had said quite hotly, "I know what I'm doing!"...There were so many memories – one with Penny resting in sleep, curled up, her head on his arm, her mouth half open, as he stared at the fire in the Gryffindor common room…Tears slid down his face as he saw one of Ginny, Ron, Fred and George, each holding a placard, each with a word which added up to the sentence "Happy birthday Perfect Percy". Though the placard Fred held with "Perfect" had had the words "Prissy" and "Poncy" above it crossed out. Percy laughed at this, in spite of his tears.

There was a knock at the door, and Percy wiped the tears from his face before he stood up and went to answer the door.

"Oh, hello," he said to that Michelle girl, as she stood there.

Her eyes gazed at him with an unreadable expression, but then moved to his face finally, "You've been shopping…You look nice."

"Oh!" he had half forgotten this, and laughed slightly as he looked down at himself, "Well, it's an improvement on the homeless look, don't you think? I heard that went out of style a couple of years ago," he inwardly cringed. Comedy was not his forte and even he knew this…

"Hello, Minister! Did I mention I'm resigning?"

"You're joking, Perce! You actually are joking, Percy… I don't think I've heard you joke since you were-"

That sudden and unexpected recollection slashed through his mind, and he moved back as if somebody had struck his stomach, as if he had been winded.

The last words of Fred.

A thought he had long since tried to repress snaked its way into his head for half a moment – had your joke distracted him out of concentration? If you hadn't have spoken just before the explosion went off…Might things have been different?

He had been sobbing louder than he had thought one night after the battle. Shaking hard sobs, curled up in his bed, till he felt someone prodding his shoulder. He froze, too ashamed to turn, till he heard Ron say feebly, "Perce…Don't cry, Perce…Everyone else can cry, but it's scary when you do."

Percy turned, looking up at his little brother's face blotched with his own tears. It had all come out when he saw him, that stupid fear that had gnawed at his mind, that he couldn't quite get rid of - had he killed Fred? Ron had laughed hollowly in response, his hand tightening on Percy's shoulder, "You're off your trolley, Perce, bloody hell," his voice quietened, "There was an explosion…An explosion…I was there, remember? I saw it all. You didn't do anything, how can you even think that, mate? Don't…Don't think stupid rubbish like that. Mum isn't well, Perce, Dad reckons she should go to St. Mungo's just for a bit, for a rest. Ginny heard him talking to Bill. She needs you to be strong, okay? None of this craziness."

"You really aren't doing well yet, are you?"

Percy came back to the doorway in a rush, "Oh…No, I'm fine…Do you want a coffee or something?" Shit, how the hell are you going to make a coffee?

"I'll make one, you sit down."

He sighed relieved at this, and did as he was told. He saw her eyes widen at the amount of junk scattered over the floor, and then wandered over to the trunk, obviously confused at how it had all fit in there in the first place, but she said nothing. She seemed to have something on her mind too. With one eye on what she was doing with the coffee pot to memorise later, and one on his photo album, he took it and flicked through it, looking for a particular photograph. Ah, here it was…Nell had insisted on it.

There was the six prefects and head boy and head girl from his seventh year. He took it out of the album and closed it, to pin up somewhere.

His eyes gazed from left to right, at Loretta Maple from Hufflepuff who had had an irritating high-pitched laugh, Beatrice Dedman from Gryffindor, Penny from Ravenclaw who stood stiff and uncomfortable besides the head-girl Morgan Moreau from Slytherin, Percy of course as head-boy, Solomon Byrne from Slytherin who looked as rigid as Penny (Percy inwardly felt amusement, moron!), Benedict Sharp from Ravenclaw who looked as if he were desperate for the lavatory and plump Terrence Hart from Hufflepuff who had always maintained throughout the years that look of being both thrilled and surprised that he had actually been chosen as Prefect. Percy ignored the fact Terrence held his thumbs up in undignified excitement at the camera.

He heard a low whistle and looked up at Michelle who was looking down at the photo, two cups of coffee in her hands, "Was that from your school days? Lordy lord, look at those robes. Was that your uniform? Must've been a fancy school."

"Oh…" Percy looked back down, "Yes, it was a good school I suppose. A boarding-school out in the country."

"Wow. Sugar and milk?"

He answered and after everything was settled, she sat beside him.

"What was your school like?" Percy asked.

"Oh…" she paused for a moment, then said with a shrug, "I never went to school. My Mum taught me things - my Dad…" she paused again and cleared her throat, "We moved around a lot, you see. His job."

Percy smiled slightly, "I always wanted to travel as a kid. Do you have any siblings?"

Michelle shook her head, but she said with an excited, feverished smile he couldn't quite interpret, "But it didn't matter. Dad took me out all the time and every year we'd go to Blackpool for vacation by the sea. Of course it'd piss down with rain so we couldn't swim much, but he'd always take me to Pleasure Beach and we'd go on the carousel there over and over again."

"That's nice," Percy said politely, "Do you see your Dad a lot now? Does he still travel for work?"

"Yeah," Michelle answered, "But he sends me postcards from everywhere, writes long letters, you know? He says emails are stupid and where's the fun in them? He's in Paris right now, a huge business deal or something."

There was a pause, and Michelle looked at the photo again, "She's very pretty."

"Yes…" Percy nodded slightly, staring at Penny and her thick, gold curls. Better than he'd ever deserved...

"Inky black that hair is," she continued and Percy looked up confused. Then he realised she was talking about the girl standing beside him in the photograph, Morgan. Morgan.

"Do you still see her?" Michelle asked.

"No, she's dead."

The answer from his own mouth had been so blunt, he had surprised even himself. He blinked and muttered an apology, "Shouldn't have said it like that…" and tried not to think of her broken body lying sprawled over the Hogwarts lawn, her blue black hair fanning around her, her cold grey eyes looking up at him and seeing nothing. She had been one of the reinforcements Charlie had brought with him, who had chosen to fight. There had been several groups of former students and their families waiting for the signal, and she had been in one of those.

His mind strayed to his first day of lessons at Hogwarts…

Percy was in first year, looking up in fear as Professor Snape was calling out everybody's names from the roll. His voice was low and sharp, and contempt seemed to ooze from every syllable. But Percy's brothers had been legendary in the school, so surely he would be treated well?

"Morgan Moreau," Snape's eyes fell upon a dark haired girl, and he smiled, "Ah, finally Slytherin has the honour of having one of you. Ravenclaw seems to steal all your family, it's good to see that for once the Sorting Hat has it right."

The little girl glowed at the praise.

Professor Snape continued to call out names.

"Percy Weasley…" there was a slight pause, and Snape looked down his nose at the small red-head who offered him his best smile.

This was not returned.

"Another Weasley…" Snape drawled, "Just what we all need."

"My brothers speak highly of you, Sir!" Percy spoke out loud, but blinked in embarrassment when around him several of his classmates sniggered.

A slight twitch befell the professor's mouth and he seemed as if ready to speak, but then he turned to the Slytherins and shook his head slightly, "No, it would be too easy, wouldn't it?"

The Slytherins laughed uproariously and Percy seemed to shrink in his seat, feeling tears stinging his eyes.

Later during the lesson, Percy was lowered, the desk at eye level, as he examined his snake fangs for his boil cure potion. Had he crushed them well enough? He wanted to make a good impression on the professor on his first day.

"Here…" he heard a whisper, and turned to Morgan, who was smiling gently, "You're too paranoid, you're crushing them too much. Take some of mine."

"…Why?" Percy asked suspiciously, "You're a Slytherin, you're not supposed to help me."

"I can do whatever I want," she said proudly, "And maybe I like you," she left her offering on his table and flounced back to her cauldron, leaving Percy utterly confused. Why would anybody ever like him?

Percy frowned, but he continued to remember things...For some reason from that day forward, he had become Morgan's shadow. He had grown to love her like a sister.

It was their second year and they were on the Hogwarts Express. He was looking for her through the compartments, till he saw her alone.

"Morgan!" he swung open the door, "Why are you in…?"

His voice trailed at her bruised face. She turned from him scowling, "I haven't had time to fix my face with my wand yet."

"Your Father again?" he said weakly.

"Stupid question, you know it's always him. And what of it?" she had said proudly, "If my Father chooses to strike me, what is it to you?"

"Morgan, I'll get my Dad to talk to him –"

"Get your Dad to talk to mine?" the girl laughed derisively, "Don't be absurd, it was about you anyway! He says I'm not allowed to be friends with you anymore, that your family are all blood traitors!"

Percy stood there uncomfortably, uncertain what to do, "He hit you because of me?"

"And a fat lot of good that did him, didn't it? Like I'm going to stop being friends with you! He can't touch me at Hogwarts, no matter how much he likes to make up for it in the holidays."

It was sometime during third year, their first visit to Hogsmeade. He was pining for Penny, looking around for her, his heart beating desperately - was she with another boy? He trudged absentmindedly through the shops, Morgan beside him, clutching his hand tightly. She had always felt comfortable with holding his hand, but for some reason lately she had started doing it a lot more. Not that he minded, he missed the days when Ginny used to hold his hand.

Where was Penny?

Morgan was sitting by herself, waving her wand about absentmindedly over a flower, watching the delicate petals fold and unfold, "I suppose it's not going to be the same," she said when he sat beside her.

"The same?"

She smiled coyly, "When you become Minister for Magic after I beat you to the job first. Don't worry though, Weasel, I'm sure I can find you a job somewhere when I'm in charge, so you won't feel completely useless. You can sort out my filing cabinets or something."

He flicked his wand light-heartedly giving her a small electric shock, and didn't know why she blushed scarlet before returning to the flower.

Percy smiled slightly, they'd been such kids together. He thought of when they had been a little older...

It was sixth year, and Percy was sitting in the prefect lounge looking over homework, with a bit of a smirk on his face. He was busy at work of course, but could hear a few of the fifth year prefects in a corner, heads together, discussing who would be head boy and head girl next year.

"No, look, it's definitely going to be Weasley from Gryffindor. School marks are taken into consideration too…No, Clearwater won't be head girl – she's gotten into too much trouble…Remember that time with Professor Snape at the breakfast table? Llewellyn might have pulled her back, but everybody on the staff table would have seen her pulling out her wand…It'll be that Slytherin girl, what's her name? Morgan Moreau. Weasley and her will have to be partners at the Heads of House and Prefect dance next year if they both get it – can you imagine Clearwater? It's worth being a Prefect just for that!" the small group suddenly noticed Percy looking at them over his papers, and discussion suddenly changed to the next Quidditch match.

The door swung open and in traipsed a dark haired girl – she saw Percy and nodded to him, then threw herself in the comfy chair opposite from him, "Do you want to know what I know?" she said haughtily.

"Not particularly," Percy's head was lowered, but he could not hide the small smile, "I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway."

"Well, it involves your family – ahhh, I knew that would turn your head!" the girl said mischievously as Percy looked up at once.

"Is it Ron?" Percy's voice was shaking, "Merlin, what have him and Harry been doing now? Is he alright?"

Morgan raised her hands placatingly, her voice gentle at his concern, "Relax, it's alright. It's the twins."

Percy leaned back, his hand wavering on his forehead, "Of course. The twins. I'm sorry…Just don't do that – first it was the Philosopher's Stone in his first year and then the bleeding Chamber last year. I swear I'll be burying my brother in only a few years time if he continues this friendship with Harry Potter…" his voice trailed, defeated.

Morgan shrugged, "Have a word with him then."

"Are you serious?" Percy snorted, "Ron never listens to me. I'm Perfect Percy, remember."

"Mm," then Morgan lowered her voice, "Are you still having those dreams?"

"Dreams?"

They both looked up, unaware that Penny had entered the room. Percy groaned inwardly as he saw the small group of Prefects from before look over eagerly at this, as Penny had her hands on her hips.

"What dreams, Percy?" Penny repeated at him.

Morgan feigned confusion, "You haven't told Precious Penny about your dreams? Oh my!"

"Morgan…" Percy said warningly, and Morgan rolled her eyes.

"What dreams? And why would you tell her about any dreams you're having?" Penny said quietly.

Damn…Quiet was always dangerous.

"Why would he tell me?" Morgan asked, sarcasm dripping from her words, "Let's think about that for a moment…Oh, that's right, I'm Percy's friend. I've been friends with Percy since first year. And over the years friendships tend to deepen and confidences are made. See, friendship has a bit more responsibility than – what's that muggle born term? I feel as if I'm slumming it, saying it out loud and it is rather vulgar, but I think the point is clear – more responsibility than tonsil hockey, which I think you're familiar with, wouldn't you agree?"

They glowered at each other dangerously, till Penny finally looked over to Percy, "Apparently the twins stole some Abyssinian shrivelfig from Professor Sprout's store-room. What on earth they planned to shrink is beyond me!"

Percy sighed, "Bloody hell. I need to go," he stood up, "Perhaps I can convince Professor Sprout that they're merely deranged…The insanity plea...They can't get into any more trouble, Merlin knows what will happen to them, I'll try to calm the situation down."

"Before you go, about the dreams. I can ask Professor Snape for something to clear your mind, because unlike some idiots I don't draw my wand out at teachers."

"Well, unlike some students," Penny retorted heatedly, "I don't need to kiss–"

"RIGHTO," Percy said loudly, "I'm off!"

He began to walk to the door, but stopped when Percy heard his name being called by Morgan, "I've heard Professor Dumbledore is partial to sherbet lemons. You'll need that bit of knowledge to try and gain head boy next year, what with your brothers being liabilities to your school career," she smiled playfully.

Percy had to grin at this, "It's your career you should be concerned about –" his smile faltered when he saw Penny staring stonily at him, and he stumbled as he quickly turned back and bolted out the door.

Percy stared at the photo for one moment more, then placed it on the table. She'd been such a good friend over the years - he had so much to mourn about - was he really only about to turn twenty two in a few months? He felt so old...He couldn't forget Morgan. Could never forget her. He wasn't even sure he quite believed his brother was dead, let alone a dear friend. He'd think more on her later..