Chapter 2: A Very Weasley Yule

Young Percy sat at the kitchen table, alone. It was barely six in the morning and his family was still asleep. Today was Christmas Day, but Percy didn't feel much like celebrating. He was feeling rather dejected these last few days, after finding out that his rat, Scabbers, had been a man the whole time. A scary, dangerous man, who may have betrayed the Potters. Percy sighed and flexed his hands tightly around the glass of milk in front of him, trying to blink back his tears. He was so focused on his misery; he did not hear the stairs creak as his father came down and entered the room behind him.

Arthur studied the profile of his son. His thin fingers were clenched harshly around the glass in front of him, his shoulders hunched and eyes downcast. His hair was unusually messy and he wore his spectacles –the Weasleys could not afford cost-prohibitive corrective potions for Percy's eyes –on the end of his nose and Arthur could see dried tear tracks on his face. He crossed the room and sat down across from his son.

Percy glanced up as he sat down, but said nothing. "Percy, son," Arthur said lowly, "I'm not sure what you are thinking right now, but you can talk to me," he entreated, reaching out to pat his son's arm softly.

Percy closed his eyes. "Dad, I –I should have known!" he burst out.

"Known what, son? About Scabbers?"

Percy nodded miserably.

"Oh, Percy. You are a very intelligent young man, but Pettigrew fooled all of us, the family, your schoolmates, even the Ministry."

"But Dad, Charlie said rats only live a couple years, he was my rat, I should have known better!"

"Son, I think we all assumed it was the magic in the house that kept Scabbers alive so long," he said gently, "You aren't responsible for this. Only Pettigrew is to blame here, he's the only one who did us wrong."

Percy looked up at his father. "Dad, can I –can I see the trial?"

"We can listen on the wireless, Percy," Arthur allowed, "We won't be allowed in the court chambers, not for a big case like this."

Percy nodded. Yes, he could handle this. He could do better.

"Arthur dear?"

Arthur looked over at his wife, who was directing the dishes from Christmas dinner to wash themselves. They had just sent their children off to bed and Arthur was brewing tea for the both of them.

"Yes Molly?" he answered, catching the seriousness in her tone and turning to face her.

"Do you think it's time we talked with Charlie about –about his future?"

Arthur observed Molly's expressions for a moment. She seemed reluctant, though he expected that, she didn't want their children to grow up too fast. She was very protective of them.

"Maybe that would be best, my father sent me a letter this morning asking about Bill as well."

"Yes, yes of course, we'll talk to them together."

Arthur nodded, turning back to the tea kettle, which was now nudging him earnestly. "Yes, and Bill and I will have to visit Weasley House," he sighed.

"Will your parents be very upset?" she asked gently.

He nodded. "Probably."

Two days later, on the 27th, just two days before the trials of Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, Arthur and Molly Weasley sat down with their two eldest, after sending their younger children off to their rooms to get ready for bed.

Bill and Charlie thought their parents seemed unusually grave. Charlie looked over at his older brother nervously. With so many younger siblings, the two were closer to one another than to the rest of the brood and could often communicate without speaking aloud –not unlike their twin brothers. Bill nodded to him and took the initiative to speak first. "Mum, Dad, is everything alright?" Bill asked hesitantly.

"Yes dear," their mother answered quickly, "there is just something we wanted to talk to you about." She swallowed thickly and looked at Arthur.

Arthur sat up straight. "Look sons, you know we chose not to raise you the traditional Pureblood way and because of that we are both mostly estranged from our families. But, neither of us were ever officially disowned, so there we still have some… family responsibilities."

"Are you Heir Weasley, Dad?" Bill asked, understanding what his father was getting at.

Arthur nodded. "I am my parents' youngest son, but, well, my oldest brother Frederick died of Dragon Pox before I was born and your Uncle Bilius, well, you know he passed several years ago…" Arthur took a sip of his tea, "My father, after Bilius died, he contacted me about training you in the old ways right away, but, your mother and I, we know how that can destroy a childhood, and we refused. But now…"

"Now I'm an adult and he'll want to name me Heir Presumptive, right?"

"Yes, they'll want, well, we want to secure the line and, my parents, I think they regret removing themselves from your lives when we had our… disagreement about how to raise you all."

Bill smiled at his father. "I'm glad you raised us the way you did Dad, Charlie and I, we've picked up the most important old traditions without having to be trained like little Pureblood princes like some of our classmates. We're thankful for it. Still, I'll gladly learn what Grandfather thinks is important now, too."

"I'm happy to hear that, son." Arthur's eyes lit up with pride as he looked at his eldest son.

"Dad, I mean, I'm very interested and all, but why are you telling me this too?" Charlie asked curiously.

Arthur turned to look at his wife. She met his eyes hesitantly, pausing for a moment and then nodding firmly. "Charlie dear, did you know that my family, the Prewetts, are a Noble family like the Weasleys? We've lost our Ancient status… because of the war, and now most of the family is dead. All except my Great Aunt Muriel, who never married –she is of the main family line –and Ignatius Prewett, he married Lucretia Black, but they were never able to have any children."

"So, there is no Prewett heir?" Charlie asked her.

"Not exactly, no. Technically, Great Aunt Muriel is still Lady Prewett until there is an eligible heir in another Prewett line. Though it happens more often in the pure lines that only marry into other pureblood families and have trouble producing heirs who have magic –the line can be passed by a female heir to her heir if she is a consort, or, in rare circumstances, to her second son, if both families agree and perform the Rites together…"

Charlie stared at her in astonishment. "I… could be the Prewett heir?"

"On your seventeenth birthday, yes."

"No wonder Great Aunt Muriel goes on about my manners and taking a 'proper' wife," he muttered.

Molly reached across the table to take her son's hand. "What do you think about all this Charlie dear?"

"I'm not sure Mum," he began slowly, "I always thought I would go abroad, become a dragon trainer maybe, not a member of the Wizengamot. I thought Bill wanted that too." He looked at his brother imploringly.

Bill sighed. "Charlie," he said gently, "Dad is in line before me, I wouldn't be a member of the Wizengamot for a long time, unless Dad gives up the Lordship sooner."

"Oh. Oh, yeah." Charlie wrung his hands, "Mum, I'm not sure I'm the best for this. Does it have to be me? What happens if I don't want to?"

"Of course, you can refuse, Charlie. If you are sure, well, in a few years I'll talk to Percy. I know our family hasn't really kept the old ways or talked about the family lines much, but I don't want to see Prewett House die out either. If none of you boys want to take over the family, maybe Ginny will be interested in a consort contract, I don't know exactly, but I won't force any of you. It's your choice."

Charlie nodded. "Thanks mum. Honestly, I think Percy would be much more interested in this. This isn't what I want for my life. What can I do?"

"Well, there's nothing to be done right now, but on your seventeenth solstice, if Percy agrees, you would pass on the heirship to him during the Rites and he would become Heir Prewett until his majority."

"Mum, I don't think you should wait to tell Percy about this," Charlie said quickly, "He needs family support Mum, or I worry he could get swept up in the worst parts of the Ministry. Maybe Grandfather would be willing to let him listen in on some of the lessons, or Great Aunt Muriel might help too."

Bill agreed with him immediately. "I know you both think that raising children on Pureblood mania takes away their childhood and, for the most part, I agree, but Percy thrives on structure, he would like nothing more than to be an influential part of the Ministry. I am nervous about what sources he might use to get there without the support of his family."

"I really don't think…" Molly began.

"Molly," Arthur said, placing his hand on his wife's arm, "The boys have seen Percy away from home, we haven't, and you know how much he likes to learn all he can about laws and the Ministry. Maybe we should consider this."

"Yes, I suppose…" Molly trailed off again, her eyes focused away from the three men in front of her. All three Weasley men watched her patiently, knowing better than to push Molly Weasley when she was making a decision she didn't much like. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and then turned to look at Charlie again. "If you're sure you want to pass on the heirship, then yes, I will talk to Percy and ask Muriel and Ignatius about lessons for him."

Suddenly, there was a shuffle of bare feet near the doorway and Percy bounded into the room, excitement shone in his eyes like his parents had not seen since he was very small.

"Do you mean it, mum?" he cried, flinging his arms around a very surprised Molly Weasley.

Lord Septimus Weasley was a very patient man and a very proud man. House Weasley was once a rich and dignified House, but, over the centuries, clinging to their Light values tightly, the Weasley clan had lost their fortune to war and poor investments. Without the knack of the Potter and Bones families for making strong social connections to protect their assets, they tended to both die for the Light in large numbers and drain their vaults at the same time. And so, the once vast family had whittled down to a single line under the name Weasley -though, naturally, they had eligible blood relatives in many of the other Sacred 28 families. Lord Septimus and his wife, Cedrella –formerly a Black –were nearly seventy years old, and of their three sons, only one still lived.

Septimus and Cedrella had been estranged from their son, Arthur and his wife, Molly, formerly a Prewett, since Molly was pregnant with their second grandchild. Septimus and Cedrella, both very traditional, despite the fact that Cedrella had been all but disowned for marrying into a family of 'blood traitors,' had pushed the young couple to allow a pureblood tutor for their children, to 'raise them correctly.' Admittedly, they had pushed too hard, and their thoroughly modern son, encouraged by his passionate wife, had cut them out of their lives.

Cedrella had a secret though, one she shared with no one but her husband. Twice a year, on the Solstices, Molly Weasley would send a brief update and photos of the children. She hadn't missed even one occasion in the last fifteen years. At the moment, Cedrella was curled up in the Lady's parlor, in her favorite spot in the house, on a bench seat under the double window. In her hands, she clutched one of the most recent photographs, an image of two teenage boys deep in discussion, the younger impatiently brushed his long hair back behind his ears on a loop, it had grown out since the previous summer, and the elder's fiery hair was pulled back and tied at the base of his neck. Cedrella wrapped up the photos in the parchment that came with them, Molly's curly handwriting disappearing as she refolded it.

Cedrella had just put the package away in the chest with all the others when her husband entered the room. She looked up at him, seeing something in his expression she had not seen in years. Hope.

"Septimus?"

He smiled at her fondly, handing her a letter. She glanced down, recognizing her son's brisk handwriting on the brief note.

My Lord Father,

I hope this message finds you well. Bill is ready for the Rites and all that goes with it. With your leave, we will visit Weasley House on the 1st at seven in the evening.

Regards,

Heir Arthur Weasley
Noble and Ancient House of Weasley

Cedrella met his gaze, tears filling her eyes. "We can fix this?"

"We will."