All the King's Men

By Perse

Chapter 6: Stumbling Blocks

Ron studied the odd patterns in the tiled floor as he trailed Bill towards the ward of St. Mungo's where Percy was recuperating.

After his and Harry's unscheduled trip to Diagon Alley, Mum had let him know on no uncertain terms that he was incredibly lucky that she was allowing him out to do this. And that was only because it was more for Percy's benefit than his. He was the last one to see Percy, and everyone wanted it to happen before they brought him home tomorrow. Other than this, he wouldn't be leaving the house until he headed back to school next month.

Ron didn't see this as much of a punishment. He didn't think he would have been allowed out of the house anyway, whether he and Harry had taken their little excursion or not. Nevertheless, he was in a rather lousy mood.

All day, he had been excited (if also a bit anxious) about seeing Percy. Now though, he had a sudden strong desire to run away.

He wondered if it was obvious, for a moment later Bill reached back and pulled him forward, anchoring him to his side with an arm around his shoulders. "Relax. It'll be fine," he said quietly, steering him towards Percy's room.

An assistant Healer was slowly walking down the hallway towards them, assisting a figure with a familiar red head. "Hey, you're up!" Bill called in greeting, releasing Ron to go to Percy with a smile.

Ron stopped and simply stood, watching. Percy smiled tremulously, though his face was pinched with pain. Bill took over from the Healer, supporting Percy back into his room. Ron followed, a bit overwhelmed. Percy looked so fragile. He was very shaky, requiring a good deal of Bill's assistance to get back into his bed. Ron knew that it was largely due to the nerve damage done by repeated use of the Cruciatus curse.

Ron's only experience with the Cruciatus curse was by proxy—through Harry. One night late in 4th year, after the last task, Ron had woken to Harry's screams. Nightmares weren't unusual for Harry, but this was different. It sounded as if he were in great physical pain. After Ron had woken him, as he'd been trying to soothe him, Harry had explained that he'd been reliving the memory of being cursed. He'd described it as best he could with disjointed words and winces. Ron had rubbed his friend's trembling back and cringed at the mere description.

He cringed now, with the realization that his brother had been put through that over…and over…and over…

He started to feel a bit lightheaded. It made it difficult to think straight. Later, he would blame that feeling for the colossal mess he was about to make of things.

For he couldn't handle thinking of Percy in that way. He frantically reached for something else to think about. He went back to Harry. Unfortunately, connecting Harry and Percy in his mind made him think of the letter. He could quote the damnable thing word for word right now if someone asked him to…

By the time Bill excused himself and left them alone to get reacquainted, Ron was in an angry kind of haze. He couldn't deal with Percy being weak and smiling at him in that nervous way. He could, however, let himself feel the anger that he had just reawakened.

Still, they started off well enough. Percy said a soft, "Hi, Ron," and Ron managed a jerky nod and a "Hi Percy."

Then they went silent, staring uncomfortably at each other for a moment before they took to looking anywhere else. Ron kept his mouth shut, afraid of what might come out if he opened it. Percy eventually cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well…it's good to see you. I suppose I have a complete set now; if only I can keep you all straight!" he joked weakly.

Ron snorted before he could stop himself, but managed to avoid saying anything when Percy looked confused. Instead he said, "Uh, yeah. Not quite complete though; you haven't seen Charlie."

"Not in the flesh, no," Percy amended. "But he'll be coming home soon, right?"

Ron nodded dumbly. He must have looked surprised, for Percy asked, "What?"

He should have kept his mouth shut. Instead he answered honestly, "You said 'home' like it's a good thing. Like you miss it."

Percy was even more confused now. "Is that…unusual?" he asked uncertainly.

"Well, yeah," Ron said, then caught himself. "Maybe we should talk about something else."

There were a few minutes of silence as Percy watched him, then tried to accept it and move on to another topic. "Um…Bill tells me you have a really good friend who will probably be around a lot. Harry, wasn't it?"

There were very few things he could have said that would have produced a worse reaction than that did.

Ron bristled, pulling himself to full height. "I don't think you'll be spending much time together," he said coolly.

"Oh." Percy, unfortunately, misinterpreted the reaction. "Did you have a fight?" he ventured.

"No. I'm sure I'll be spending plenty of time with Harry. He's practically a member of the family; I think Mum would adopt him if she could. But I doubt you would get along with him."

"Why?" Percy asked innocently, out of sorts now.

"Because you…you…" Ron stuttered angrily, but paused. The look of alarm and confusion on Percy's face calmed him a bit as he realized that his brother had no idea what he was talking about. It also flooded him with a wave of guilt. His brother was hurt and had been through hell. He couldn't take Percy to task for things he didn't remember doing, and even if he could, this was not the time for it.

But he couldn't just let it go, either.

After a moment he stuttered, "I can't do this. I should go." With that he turned abruptly, away from Percy's thunderstruck expression, and made for the door.

Bill was a short distance away talking to the Healer. When he caught sight of Ron stumbling from the room, he quickly came over. "What happened?" he demanded.

Ron shook his head, unable to speak.

Bill grabbed him, not all that gently. "Ron, talk to me."

"I couldn't…I wasn't ready for this. I'm sorry," he finally choked out, which of course was no explanation at all.

Bill apparently decided that he would get nothing out of Ron and that he should go check on their vulnerable brother. To Ron he ordered, "Wait right here." Ron made no acknowledgement, so Bill grasped his chin. "Ronald, look at me. Do not leave this ward without me. Understand?"

"Yes," Ron bit out.

Bill released him and hurried back into Percy's room. Ron stared after him, then glanced around self-consciously before practically collapsing back against the wall. He shut his eyes tightly against the sudden hot pressure that threatened tears and drew shaky breaths as he waited for Bill to return.

Molly was in the midst of orchestrating dinner preparations when Ron arrived back in the Burrow's fireplace. She came to meet him, drying her hands on a dish towel and smiling in anticipation of him being in a better mood after finally getting to see his brother.

She was thus surprised when he looked absolutely miserable. "Ron?" she asked in concern.

He looked up and met her eyes for only a moment before blowing past her and heading for the stairs. She turned to look after him, calling, "Ron!"

"Let him go," a soft voice said from behind her. She turned back to face her eldest as Bill stepped away from the hearth. "I think he needs some space right now."

"What happened?" she demanded.

"It didn't go well," Bill said simply, walking past her to sink tiredly into a nearby chair.

She, of course, was not about to be content with that answer. But before she could question him further, her youngest came bounding down the last few stairs.

"What's wrong with Ron?" Ginny asked, stepping towards them. "He practically mowed me down on the stairs." She stopped short as she observed their faces and fell silent.

Bill sighed. "I don't know, exactly. Ron was so upset that I didn't get much out of him. Percy was mostly confused. He said Ron just went a bit nutters on him, and wasn't making much sense. Nothing Percy understood, anyway. I think Ron's harboring a lot of anger…and probably fear. More than any of us realized."

"I was worried about Fred and George," Molly confessed softly. "I knew they were angry. But Ron…"

Ginny glanced between them before speaking up. "You know about the letter, right?"

"What letter?"

"It was back before Christmas last school year—Percy owled Ron a letter. Congratulated him on being a Prefect and following in his footsteps, rather than Fred and George's."

Bill grimaced a bit, but said, "Okay. Well…that's a bit arrogant, not as if Charlie and I weren't prefects as well, but…"

"Oh, that's not all. There was some advice about placing loyalties with the Ministry instead of Dumbledore, because Dumbledore wouldn't be around all that much longer, and trusting Umbridge because she was really a 'delightful woman.' But none of that bothered him like the bits about the family and Harry."

Molly winced in anticipation. "What about us and Harry?"

"Something about how fortunate he was to have been severed from the family ties. And Harry…well, he told Ron that he should really get away from Harry. Suggested that if he was afraid because Harry was a bit unbalanced and perhaps violent, then he should seek help from Umbridge."

Bill groaned. Molly felt a bit of anger rise, but pushed it back. "You read this?" she asked Ginny.

"Oh no. Ron was so upset, he tore it into itty-bitty pieces and tossed it in the fire. Hermione told me about it later."

"He was trying to encourage Ron to follow his path—renounce the family and the Order, cut ties to Dumbledore…" Bill mused, shaking his head.

"And Harry," Ginny threw in. "I'm pretty sure that was the final straw."

"We all have a lot to work out with Percy," Molly said. "But the rest of us have managed to do it internally; Ron is going to have to learn that as well. After all, Percy isn't that person any more." Even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true. Percy's change was forced, and none of them could predict what might happen if and when he started to remember. But she wanted to believe that Percy had changed; she needed to believe that in her interactions with him now.

The fact that neither of them called her on it suggested they felt the same.

"It would be better if Harry was here," Ginny mused after a few minutes of silence. "Ron would talk to Harry."

Molly rather agreed with that statement. But Percy was coming home tomorrow, and it probably wasn't a good idea to add Harry to the mix right then. Ron would simply have to wait to see Harry. Perhaps he would be willing to talk to one of his siblings.

She sighed, and turned her attention back to the two children with her. Ginny smiled slightly. Her precious little girl; she'd been such a blessing through all of this.

She then looked to Bill, who was currently slumped in his chair looking only half-awake. As she studied him closer, she realized that he looked a bit pale and exhausted. With a gentle hand, she tilted his head up as if her were her little 5-year-old boy again. He met her eyes, and immediately read what she was thinking. "I'm fine, Mum."

"Don't lie to your mother, William," she said quietly.

He snorted softly, but amended, "I'll be fine, Mum. I'm just tired."

She studied him for a moment, but he held her gaze. Finally she gave in, "At least stay here for the night."

"I'll stay here for the next few nights, to help Percy with the transition…if you'll have me, of course."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Molly responded seriously, though she knew he'd been kidding.

He stood and hugged her lightly. "You can't worry about us all, you know," he said softly, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before letting go. "There are just too many of us for that," he added with a teasing smile as he headed for the stairs.

"And whatever would you do without each other, hmm?" she shot back.

"We'd be lost, Mum. We'd be lost," he conceded as he bid her goodnight.

Meanwhile, at the Ministry, Arthur had settled back into the routine he'd perfected over the summer. He was there, and doing his job, but his mind was with his family.

He was preparing to leave after a long day when he had an unexpected visitor.

Most people still referred to him as Fudge's new assistant, but Arthur didn't see him as all that new. Of course, it had been the longest summer of his life, and Thomas Barnwell had been hired just after Percy's disappearance.

Truth be told, he had a couple of other references for the young man who had taken Percy's job. But he was far too mature to say any of them aloud.

Needless to say, this was not a terribly welcome visitor. Nevertheless, Arthur sat his briefcase back down and offered him a seat.

Thomas remained standing. "I won't keep you, Mr. Weasley. The Minister just asked me to speak with you. He wishes to extend his good thoughts and to be kept abreast of Percy's progress," he said formally.

Arthur had to bite his lip. Of course it was too trivial a matter for Fudge to bother with in person, he thought sarcastically. Percy was just his personal assistant who'd sworn loyalty to him and possibly been abducted in the line of his work. Aloud he stated coolly, "Inform the Minister that Percy is doing well and should make a full recovery."

Thomas nodded slightly. "I am sure he will be pleased to hear it. If I may ask, has the boy recovered any of his memory yet?"

The boy? He couldn't be much older than Percy himself. Briefly, Arthur wondered what was so special about this one that made Fudge want to keep him close. Who was he related to? What secrets might he hold?

To Thomas he said, "Not yet. But I'm certain it is only a matter of time."

"I'm sure you are right, Mr. Weasley. I will tell the Minister that you are optimistic."

He strongly disliked this young man with his stiff formalities and his unwavering devotion to Fudge and the job. Unfortunately, this young man reminded him of Percy less than a year ago.

He didn't want to go there. "I need to get back to my son," he said pointedly.

Thomas tilted his head in acquiescence. "Of course. Do let us know if there is anything we can do."

Nodding curtly, Arthur gathered his things and pushed past him out of the office.

George awoke disoriented.

It was a bit strange to be back in their old room. Nothing had been moved—the same posters still graced the walls, the little hiding places still held the same tricks. There was an almost eerie sense that the summer had never happened.

But it wasn't just the room; something else had woken him. He wasn't sure what. But he'd always had a 6th sense when it came to his twin, and it didn't take long to figure out that Fred wasn't in his bed.

He settled back to wait. A few minutes later, the light from the hallway lit Fred as he reentered the room.

"What are you doing?" George asked.

Fred started a bit, surprised to find him awake. But he recovered and closed the door before heading back to his bed. "Checking on Ron," he stated.

George blinked at him. "And what is our baby brother doing at 2 am? No, wait, let me guess. Sleeping?"

Despite the darkness, he caught the impact of the look Fred shot his way.

"Harry's worried about him. Says he's been having nightmares," he confided after a moment.

George absorbed that with a small "Oh." He wasn't all that surprised; he knew Ron was having a particularly tough time with everything at the moment. He hadn't known that Fred had decided to shoulder responsibility for him. "Is he all right?" he asked.

"He's quiet for now," Fred responded with a sigh.

"And how many times have you already checked on him tonight?" George asked softly.

"A couple," Fred responded vaguely, lying back and settling into his pillow.

George watched his dark form for a moment, wondering if Fred had slept at all. Then he lay back as well. "I'll go next time, if you want," he offered.

Fred didn't answer him, and George assumed the conversation was closed for the moment. He was drifting back to sleep a few minutes later when Fred suddenly spoke again.

"What use would we be in a fight?"

A bit fuzzy, George blinked in his direction before saying a confused, "What?"

"We've always had this completely carefree take on life, which was great while it lasted. But Ron's right, George. We'd be no help in a battle."

George pushed himself upright again, trying to wake up for what was apparently going to be a serious conversation. "Fred—" He rubbed at his eyes, trying to wake himself further and thinking that it was entirely too early for this.

"I mean, what the hell good are we if all we can do is watch the rest of our family die?"

"Nobody's died!" George exclaimed with a bit of alarm. He didn't like the direction this was taking. "What brought this on?" he questioned. "You know better than to take to heart the things that Ron says when he's upset."

Fred shook his head. "He's not a child; no matter what I may have said. He meant it. And he was right."

George sputtered, "It's not as if we're incompetent! We might not be great fighters but we wouldn't be useless."

Silence. Then, "Maybe." It was doubtful and lacked any conviction.

George sighed.

"I just wish we had put a little more effort into our studies. We wouldn't be so unprepared if we hadn't goofed off so much."

George gazed at his twin's form in the darkness. "There was no reason for us to be preparing for war."

"Yes, there was. It was there from Harry and Ron's first year! And it is certainly there now."

With that, Fred turned over and at least gave the impression that he was trying to sleep. George stared at his back for a moment, then lay back once more without a word.

Because really, there was nothing he could say to that. However, one thought kept running through his mind—he wished they were back in school, even if they had been irresponsible. Adulthood was highly overrated.

tbc

Author's note: I want to take a minute to thank all of my reviewers. It means a lot to know that you are reading and to see your comments. Please keep them coming!