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I ring the doorbell, sincerely hoping that it will be some more or less friendly face that we'll open the door. I have no intentions to come face to face with Father, for example. I am very lucky here. It's Charlie.

"Hello.. What? How?" – he stammers, astonished.

"I'll explain. Is McGonagall already here?" – I ask.

"No. It's just me, Remus and Bill, yet. Even Mum and Dad are not here yet. How do you know how to get here. You couldn't unless Dumbledore told you…", - he says.

"Well, you answered yourself', - I smile slightly.

"Percy, but…"

"I'll explain. Or.. Well… McGonagall will start… I told you nothing because I thought that there was no proof for that… I didn't want you to think that I was lying..', - I tell him.

He frowns: "I'd prefer a more coherent explanation".

"You'll have it. When everyone is presented. Will you let me in?" – I smile.

He blinks" :"Sure. Sorry". He moves out of the way, lets me in and closes the door.

I enter the living room. I had been here only once when there was noone in here. Dumbledore told me about this place and said in the case of emergency it'll be the safest place in the world. Now I came here for the most difficult battle in my life and this place won't protect me.

"Percy!" – the two other people in the room exclaim.

I smile: "Good evening!"

"But…"

"I will explain. Have patience", - I sight settling in a chair that was as far from any sitting place in the room as possible but from where I can more or less well see other people in the room.

Soon other people start gathering in the house. I feel myself stiffening with every new coming person. I know almost all of them. Most of them know me. Not all of them notice me at once. When they, sometimes they greet me, sometimes frown, sometimes start questioning me. I answer shortly, not giving them any explanation or information, not yet. To tell the truth, I want to run away from here, hide from all of them. Let them hate me, let them feel disgust. But I don't want to bear all these looks of misunderstanding, mistrust, shock… Let them forget me! Just don't look at me. I do all I can to hide my emotions, not to curl in a ball in front of all of them. I know that I myself chose to sit alone from them. But that's the only way to see all the reactions when I start explaining.

How on Earth will I explain that the last year had nothing to do with our family quarrel that I was spying on the Minister only because I thought that they were doing a lot of things in a wrong way. Actually, they were doing nothing useful at all. Well, for a whole year after I left my family I was thinking, trying to understand who was right and who was wrong. I couldn't believe Dumbledore, not when the only proof I had was Potter and his story.

As a lot of people I got really worried after that massive break-out from Azkaban. I was convinced that Potter was telling the truth after his interview. Even a maniac wouldn't have been able to invent something like that. I believed Potter but I did nothing at that moment. What I possibly could do? Leave the Ministry? As if that would have helped anyone. And, well, I thought that sooner or later Minister will also see the truth. I waited because I didn't know what to do.

Then Minister was changed. I overheard their conversation with Dumbledore. Well, Fred and George are not the only ones that can eavesdrop. I didn't like what Minister was saying. And soon I understood that he didn't intend to do anything to catch the Deatheaters or protect people. His first priority was to convince people that he is doing something useful not to really do something. I wasn't sure that I would like what Dumbledore was doing. But at least he was doing something. Minister could at least let Dumbledore do what he wanted to without spying on him and making all he could to stop Dumbledore from doing anything at all. But.. Well…

I started spying on Minister because I wanted to make it easier for Dumbledore to what he considered relevant. As I said I didn't like Ministers methods. I wasn't entirely sure that Dumbledore's methods were much better. But it was something different after all. And, well, he was telling the truth for the whole year, even if he couldn't prove it, so he new at least a little bit more than Minister. I decided to give it a try. I am still surprised myself that managed to lie and play my role for almost ten months without anyone suspecting anything.

Sometimes I wanted to give it all up! Why, on Earth, couldn't two clever people agree with each other! I wasn't sure that I was doing the right thing. But I was convinced after Minister tried to make Potter become Ministry's "poster boy" that what Ministry was doing was entirely wrong. Even now I am not sure that I am happy with Dumbledore. His methods endangered school and students. A year ago my brother, Potter and who-was-with them could have been seriously injured and he did nothing to prevent that. And… Well, there were many things about which I couldn't agree with him. But… I didn't agree with Minister more often… So… That's the only explanation I could give them all. And I wasn't sure that they'll understand me, Sometimes I couldn't understand what I was doing myself.

"Percy? – Charlie places a hand on my shoulder. – Are you OK?"

I nod: "It's OK. Don't worry". I am lying. I am not. Not only because I am nervous but also because I feel my head start aching again. I almost don't notice it now but soon it will get worse. I know that I'll be able to hide it for may be an hour. If I manage to calm myself, a bit longer. But then… And I don't want to let anyone find out about my migraines.

Charlie knows that I am not fine, he squeezes my hands; "listen, no matter what you were hiding from us, Bill and me, we'll stay on your side. Remember that. We are with you. Don't worry".

I manage to smile, even if a bit artificially: "Thank you. I know. I'll be fine".

He nods and leaves to his seat. At this moment all the rest of my family together with professor McGonagall enters. I brace myself for the battle.