Living
Author's notes: Here's some more. Now, for all three people who read this, I have a question- would you prefer that I keep this in some sort of chronological order, or would you rather I skipped around in the timeline? It would be much less confusing in the former, but I've written a great deal that can't be put up yet because it is all out of order. Let me know, okay? Now, this here's just a shortie, because I have to go to class, but I hope everyone likes it, and I promise to get into the story soon. I am just waiting for a friend to return my copy of OOTP. Oh, yes. I still don't own them.
We have got to get out of here. in our darkest hour, I see the end is near.
~Phantom Planet
****sorry.****
Percy was an accident. He had been informed of this fact at the age of three by Charlie. At the time he had no idea what Charlie meant, but over the years, as he began to understand the implications, it haunted him with a sort of guilt. He was an accident.
When Voldemort's real reign began, Bill was not quite two, and Charlie had just edged over one. Molly Weasley, a young mother with two toddlers and a husband who'd just joined the Ministry, decided quite firmly that she was not bringing and more children into a world that looked very much as though it would not be around much longer.
The thing most people forget is that Voldemort had been around for a very long time. That in itself really explains his seeming rocket to power- an overnight sensation is rarely so overnight as it appears. For decades, the cynical, jaded, and power hungry had gravitated toward the powerful figure. With him they plotted a campaign for domination of the wizarding world. The loyalty of these followers, these "Death Eaters," was such that people outside of the inner circles could barely comprehend. It was a loyalty that did not spring up quickly, but had been fostered for a great deal of time, even while the select few had been in school.
A fairly wise (though not particularly intelligent) wizard once said that there wasn't a witch or wizard who'd gone bad who hadn't been in Slytherin house. It is more or less true, although there is far more to it than the simple personality preferences of Salazar Slytherin. But a fair number of those personality traits had surfaced in one Percival Weasley, and had resulted in a recommendation to Slytherin house by the Sorting Hat. He did not want to be a problem yet again, so he begged to be sent to the same house as his brothers.
But the hat had been quite firm, only relenting after a few moments of torment. Percy thought about those moments very often. The thought that he may have been an even greater enemy to his brothers than he already was- it was terrible. But not as terrible as the knowledge that he had been an accident.
Molly Weasley had decided not to have any more children. But eight years later, Percy appeared. And nothing could explain why she had continued having children, five after him. Perhaps she was defying Voldemort in her own way, by rebelliously having a family despite the war. But most of the time, Percy had the distinct impression that it was because he was a bloody disappointment, and she was trying to make up for him.
He was sorry.
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More notes! Okay, I just had to point out that while it has very little to do with the story, does anyone else find it a little strange that Hagrid says that about the bad wizards all being from Slytherin, and yet he totally believes that Sirius Black went evil? It would be wicked cool if Sirius had been a Slytherin- besides, he was genetically disposed toward it. I'm just sayin'…