Title: You Needed Me - 18 July 1995
By: PepperjackCandy
Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: Harry, Percy, Cornelius Fudge, the Ministry of Magic, Diagon Alley, and most associated things and people belong to J.K. Rowling. General Robert E. Lee belongs to history. My twisted chess book version belongs to me. As, I guess, does Hecate McGonagall.

A/N: As always, my deepest thanks to my reviewers. For chapter 6, they were: crys clouse, Azure, Creamy Mimi, plumeria, Padfoot Lover, Silent Stalker, Pyro, Merii, just silver, Tinderblast, Strega Brava, Artema, Myr, Ruka-chan, Erin LaCroix, Pumpkin Hatching, Krissy, JediGinny, Rashelana Lupin, Zortified, and Kimagure. If I missed anyone, I apologize. Now on with Chapter 7! 8-)

===========

18 July 1995

"Well, I guess I'd better be getting back to work." Percy said, reluctant to leave. "Can't keep Mr. Fudge waiting." He felt like every internal organ was tied up in knots.

Harry stood. "Walk me back to the flat?"

At Harry's warm smile, one of the knots inside Percy loosened a little. "Sure."

Together, they walked down Diagon Alley to Percy's building, and up the stairs to Percy's flat. When they got to the door, Harry said, "Good luck on the interview. Not that you'll need it." Then, grinning widely, he hugged Percy.

Percy left feeling invincible.

He returned to the Ministry of Magic offices where he went directly up Cornelius Fudge's office. His secretary, Hecate McGonagall, looked up from the letter she was transcribing with a triplicate quill set and motioned for him to wait just a second.

After she was finished, she looked up at him, smiling gently. "Take a seat and the Minister will be with you in a moment."

Percy sat down, still watching Hecate. It never failed to surprise him, such amiability from a woman who looked identical to Minerva McGonagall, his old Transfiguration teacher and Head of House -- Minerva and Hecate McGonagall were identical twins, though Hecate ended up in Hufflepuff.

Some day, Percy thought as she went about her work, I'll have to see if I can find a reason for the abundance of identical twins in wizarding families - the McGonagall twins, Fred and George, and those girls - what was their surname? You'd think it was a decade ago, rather than just last year . . . Patil! Parvati and . . . something else starting with 'P.'

He shifted position slightly, wishing he'd brought something to work on, and continued waiting.

Half an hour later, he stood and walked to the window, looking out into the park that fronted the building. He wished idly that Fudge would hurry up.

A few minutes later, he sat back down again. Hecate looked up at him. "The Minister should only be a few more minutes." She assured him.

It's a test. Percy reassured himself. He wants to make sure that I really want the position, so he's keeping me hanging as long as possible. If I were Minister of Magic, I'd . . . He stopped, shocked at how hopefully he'd thought that. Do I want to be Minister of Magic? Yes. I do want to be Minister of Magic. Well, if I were Minister of Magic, I'd treat my employees with respect. It felt good to say that. Very, very good, in fact.

Finally, Hecate said, "the Minister will see you now."

Percy stood and walked into the inner office, where Cornelius Fudge sat behind an oversized mahogany desk. The desk was empty, save for a roll of parchment, quill and inkpot. On the credenza behind him stood a perch with three Ministry owls on it.

"Mr. Weasley." Fudge said, standing to shake Percy's hand. "Please, have a seat."

Percy sat in one of the guest chairs that Fudge had indicated.

"So, apparently you'd like to be considered to head up the Department for International Magical Co-operation."

"Yes, sir."

"Tell me," Fudge leaned forward, his eyes glittering maliciously, "why I should give the position to *you*, fresh out of Hogwarts."

It took every ounce of courage Percy possessed not to back down. "Because, sir, I'm the person most qualified for the job."

"Oh, really?" This time, Fudge leaned back, exuding an oily self-confidence that put Percy's teeth on edge. Percy thought he'd have to research which House Fudge had been in. He wouldn't be surprised if it had been Slytherin. "There are many, many wizards -- and witches -- older and more experienced than you."

"But they don't know the department, sir. Not like I do. I assisted Mr. Crouch in running the Triwizard Tournament, and even filled in for him, successfully, after he disappeared. So successfully," he reminded him pointedly, "that no-one not in the loop even knew he had gone.

"Furthermore," he continued, "I know quite a few of Mr. Crouch's old contacts personally, and have even made a few of my own." Having run out of things to say, he stopped before his tension made him babble on further.

Eventually, Fudge broke the silence. "You've done good work here at the Ministry, son. And I have no doubt that you'll be a valuable employee in the future. We'll be in touch about the position." And then he picked up his quill and started writing, effectively dismissing Percy from his presence.

Percy stood, hoping he was projecting the self-confidence the twins had always accused him of, and stepped back out into the front office.

Hecate smiled at him as he left. "I wish I could tell you if you have the job, but I can't. You know how it is." She winked at him.

Definitely not like Minerva McGonagall. He smiled back at her. "Thanks, Hecate. See you around." As he returned to his office, he wondered if she really meant it the way that it sounded -- that she believed that he already had the job.

Percy returned to his office, but he was so desperate to talk to Harry that he couldn't get anything done, so he sent a message up to Hecate's office that he'd be taking vacation time for the rest of the day, bringing me up to two and a half missed days since I started with the Ministry. And all for Harry. He grinned as he headed down to Diagon Alley and home to his flat.

Harry was beside himself. For the last hour and a half, he couldn't think of anything besides Percy's interview. He'd tried to study. He'd tried to read. He'd even toyed with sending a message to him with Hedwig, but figured that Percy had enough on his mind without getting unwanted owls from his summer roommate. I wish he'd come home and tell me how it went.

Then, as if he'd said, Accio Percy, Percy was there, smiling sheepishly. "Hi. I couldn't get any work done, so I, er, came home."

Harry was fairly bouncing up and down with impatience. "So? How'd it go?"

"You could at least let me get in the door first." Percy laughed.

"All right." Harry stepped out of the way and waited while Percy walked into the living area. "So? How'd it go?" He repeated.

Percy laughed again, a little louder this time. "I really don't know." He admitted. "His secretary all but admitted that I had the job, but I don't know if she really *knows* or not."

Harry smiled. "I bet that you have the job."

"I hope so. At least I think I hope so. So, it's too early to think about dinner, but you want to, I don't know," he shrugged, "go for a walk or something?"

Harry nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Soon, they were changed into Muggle clothes and had exited the Muggle side of Percy's building, walking in silence through the park across the street.

The silence was companionable at first. Harry mused over the previous weeks, reminding himself that the past fifteen days had been just a very pleasant interlude and that he'd have to go back to Hogwarts in just over a month.

But soon, Harry could sense a change in Percy. He could tell that Percy was upset about something.

Should I ask him? Or should I trust that he'll tell me about whatever it is? He nearly chuckled. He's going to just open up and confide in me. Ri-i-i-ght.

He looked at Percy. "You all right, Perce?"

"Yeah. Fine." Percy responded distractedly.

Wait for it . . . three, two, one.

"Actually, there is something."

Harry silently indicated a bench with his head and they sat.

Percy opened with, "I'm not sure I deserve the job, if I do get it."

Harry hastened to reassure him. "Of *course* you deserve the job!"

Percy shook his head sadly. "You see, I've . . . there's these . . . feelings . . . that have come up."

Percy looked into Harry's eyes, and Harry felt something inside him spinning as his green eyes met his friend's blue-gray ones. "Feelings?"

Percy looked away. "It's stupid. Never mind."

"Percy." The sincere tone in Harry's voice dragged Percy's gaze back. "Feelings are never stupid. *Your* feelings, especially."

Percy sighed. "It's just that . . . I realized today that I want to be Minister of Magic someday."

"Well, I'd vote for you. If . . . Minister of Magic were an elected title, that is."

"That's not it. You're not supposed to *want* the things you want, 'cause that just proves that you don't deserve them."

"Huh?"

Percy sighed. "Look at Mr. Fudge. He wanted the job, and he doesn't deserve it."

"I'm following you so far . . ."

"Who should be Minister of Magic? Professor Dumbledore, that's who."

"All right . . ."

"And *they* offered *him* the job."

"But he didn't want the job."

"*Exactly!*"

Harry shook his head as if to clear it. "Let's start this again. You want to be Minister of Magic someday."

"Right."

"And that proves that if you *were* made Minister of Magic, you'd be as hopeless at it as Fudge is."

"Right."

"Because Professor Dumbledore refused the job when it was offered to him."

"Right."

Harry paused for a moment, uncertain how to counter his friend's fear. "Ah-ha! But how do you know for certain that Dumbledore didn't want the job?"

Percy explained in a simple tone, like he was speaking to a young child. "Because he turned it down."

"But I seem to remember in History of Magic, Binns going on about how someone refused a crown of some sort because they didn't want to look too eager."

Percy nodded. "Julius Caesar was supposed to have done that, I know."

"So if he could refuse when it's offered the first time . . ."

Percy's eyes widened. "You're not suggesting . . . ."

"Why not?" Harry shrugged. "I'm pretty sure that Dumbledore's only human, and, well, you've got to admit that it's at least as reasonable that he wanted the job but refused so that he wouldn't look too eager, as to assume that just because he turned it down, he *didn't* want the job, isn't it?"

"I guess." Percy admitted with bad humor.

"And when did start thinking that you don't deserve to get the things you get? What about your O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts? You put so much hard work into them, you can't convince me that you didn't deserve them."

"Look, I never said it was logical." Percy snapped, but almost immediately, he saw the humor in what he'd just said. "I *am* being illogical, aren't I?" He smiled softly at Harry.

"Just a little." Harry nodded, grinning back. "But I'll forgive you for it."