I am restless. I pace back and forth, my hands clasped behind my back. I am waiting, for what I don't know. Perhaps my death, perhaps redemption, perhaps an end to this pain that has encompassed my body and soul.

I must remember the good times I have had. Perhaps they will help with dulling the pain that seeks to destroy my willpower, the essence of my very being.

September 1st dawned bright and sunny. I was up with the chickens, making sure that my trunk was packed and everything was ready. I saved out a robe to change into on the train and my wand, but everything else was properly stowed in my trunk. I had wanted to wear my Hogwarts robe to the station, but Mother told me that since we were going to a Muggle station that it wasn't proper.

Going downstairs, I found Mother making lunches for us to take with us on the train, "Need any help?"

"No, don't you worry about it. Sit down and have a spot of breakfast, it's a long train ride."

I was nearly too excited to eat but I knew that Mother was right. Sitting down with a bowl of cereal, I laughed as a plate of toast and bacon appeared before me as well, "Mother!"

"Eat."

Just one word, but it had so much power behind it when spoken by a mother. With resignation I nibbled toast along with my cereal, although I left the bacon for my brothers and sister. I was just finishing up my orange juice when the thundering footsteps of my two older brothers were heard on the steps.

"Bacon, brilliant! I'm starving!" Bill said as he came into the kitchen, grabbing at least three pieces before sitting down.

"Hey Mum, any eggs?" Charlie said, plopping down haphazardly in his seat.

Rolling my eyes, I thought to myself These two have nothing on trolls when it comes to etiquette. Standing up, I took my dishes over to the sink and washed them, then started up the steps and nearly being bowled over by Fred and George, then by Ron. Spinning on my heels and nearly falling back down the steps, I bit back a scream of frustration.

Wondering where Ginny was, I decided to check her room and found her sitting on her bed, looking at the calendar I had given her.

"Hey Gin Gin. Aren't you hungry for breakfast? You should get down there before our pigs of brothers eat it all."

She looked up at me and I could see that there was a tear in the corner of her eye threatening to fall. "Without you here, Ron, Fred and George are going to tease me all the time. And who's going to read me a story before I go to bed at night."

Smiling at her, I sat down beside her on the bed and gave her a quick hug, "Now, don't you worry about those Neanderthals. I'll have a talk with them and tell them if they don't be nice to you while I'm gone, I'll turn them into something nasty when I come home for Christmas break. How do you think they'd like to be toads?"

She giggled at that and a smile crossed her face, "I think it would be an improvement."

"I think you're right," I said, smiling at her, "As for your stories, well, I wanted this to be a surprise, but along with a message that you can hear each morning there is a story for you to listen to each night."

"Wow, Percy. This must have cost you a lot of money!" She said, a look of awe on her face.

"It was worth it. I wanted to do something special for you. And just think, in just five years you'll be going to Hogwarts too. It will be here before you know it."

The hardest thing about my separation from my family has been my lost of touch with my baby sister Ginny. All I wanted to do was to protect her from anything that would hurt her, and I ended up hurting her myself.

After the disorganized mess of breakfast, which I finally convinced my sister to join, the house was set for another flurry of activity---attempting to get Bill, Charlie and I out the door with our trunks and assorted paraphernalia, along with two mischief making twins, a seven year old and a six year old girl. We took a car that Father had purchased recently to tinker around with and amazingly enough we all fit in it. How, I don't know, but I suspect he used magic to expand it.

It wasn't a pretty sight. Fred and George insisted on bringing some of the silly jokes they spent their pocket money on, including a whoopie cushion and a rubber spider, which they used to torture both Ron and Ginny. Ron had been terrified of spiders ever since Fred turned his teddy bear into one after Ron broke his toy broomstick. And of course Ginny, being a girl, wasn't into the creepy crawly things.

After going back several times for different items that we had forgotten or so that Ginny could use the loo, somehow we made it to King's Cross with ten minutes to spare. Father got us three trolleys and loaded our trunks onto them, along with Merlin's cage. Scabbers was tucked into my pocket, along with my wand and a book I kept out for reading on the train. My robes were slung over my arm and I tried not to dirty them as we walked through the wall between platforms 9 and 10.

There was the Hogwarts Express, in all her glory. I couldn't wait to get on board and start my journey to becoming what I already was, but first there was a bit of unfinished business to attend to.

Placing my hands on my hips, I turned to my younger brothers, "I had better not hear of you three teasing Ginny or when I return for Christmas break you will all turn into toads."

I gave Mother and Father a hug, hugging Ginny last. Father gave each of us two galleons to spend on the train, and Mother gave us the sandwiches she had packed.

The train whistle sounded and I knew that I had to go so I didn't miss it. Bill and Charlie had already boarded.

Turning to Ginny, I gave her one last hug, "I promise that I will write to you as often as I can and tell you all about Hogwarts."

Running towards the train I climbed on board, quickly finding a compartment so that I could wave to her through the window. I waved until I thought my arm would fall off and the platform was out of sight.

Settling myself on the seat, I decided that I would change into my robes before I engrossed myself in the book which I had brought. I had the robe over my head when I heard the door to the compartment open.

"Hmm, that's an interesting look for you," I heard my brother Charlie's voice through the cloth.

Pulling the robe down properly, I glared at him, "Haven't you heard of knocking?"

"Well, I would knock, but I figure this way I don't need to wait for someone to tell me to come in. How about a game of Exploding snap?"

Cocking my left eyebrow at him, I said, "You know I'm not into games like that. Besides, I brought my own form of entertainment,"I said, showing him the book I had brought with me.

He chuckled as he saw the title, "Famous Wizards Throughout History? What did you get a dumb book like that for?"

"Because one day my name is going to be in here," I said, throwing my shoulders back and sitting up straight, trying to look important, "One day I'm going to hold the highest office our country affords, Minister of Magic."

Charlie roared with laughter, catching the attention of Bill who was passing our compartment. Sticking his head in, Bill looked from Charlie to me. I could feel my face turning redder as the seconds ticked by, but I didn't know if it was from anger or from embarrassment.

"What's the big joke?" Bill asked, innocently, "I'm always ready for a good one."

Gasping for breath, Charlie fought to compose himself, "Percy here...he thinks...I mean...he says," Charlie couldn't finish the sentence because he was laughing so hard.

"Really. I don't see what's so funny about wanting to be the Minister of Magic," I didn't even try to hide my indignation.

"You want to be the Minister of Magic?" Bill's eyes grew wide, but he didn't laugh. Not out loud, anyway, "I think that's a great goal, Percy, and I hope that one day you will achieve it. Don't listen to this prat," He said, jerking a thumb towards Charlie, "He's destined to play Quidditch all his life."

Smiling gratefully at Bill, I turned to Charlie who was still all but rolling around on the floor with laughter, "See? Bill supports me. And just for that, when I'm Minister of Magic I'll send you to Azkaban for being the world's biggest prat!"

My blood still boils when I think about the way that Charlie treated me. I bet he's not laughing now.

Charlie left soon after I said that to go find some of his friends, and that was fine with me. Bill left soon afterwards, but before he did, he turned to me with more words of encouragement.

"Don't pay him any mind, Percy. It's good to have dreams and I think you should go for them. You have a great mind, be sure not to waste it."

With that he gave me a brotherly slap on the back and walked out of the compartment, leaving me to my solitude. I had just gotten engrossed in my book when a knock came at the door.

Earmarking my spot in my book, I stood up with a sigh and opened the door, "Come back to apologize have you?" I said, figuring that it was Charlie at the door, but was taken aback when I saw a total stranger standing before me.

"Hi there. My name is Oliver Wood," The boy standing before me said with a thick English accent, extending his hand.

I looked at him, giving him the once over. He didn't seem like much of a prat, "Percy Weasley," I said, taking his hand and shaking it and inviting him in.

"Weasley, Weasley... You wouldn't be related to Charlie Weasley by any chance, would you?" He said, looking at me with interest.

"Yeah, he's my prat of a brother," I said, rolling my eyes.

"You're kidding! He's a BRILLIANT Quidditch player. I've heard tell that they haven't seen such good playing since James Potter was on the team years ago," Here Oliver's face fell, "Poor James and Lily. I wonder whatever happened to their son, Harry?"

"I don't know. I know Mother and Father knew them but they don't talk them that much. Too painful, I suppose."

Oliver looked very uncomfortable at this, and hurriedly changed the subject, "So, do you play Quidditch? I would love to be on the team but usually first years don't get picked, or even have the chance to try out."

Crossing my arms in what I hoped would be a dignified way, I put on an air of superiority and looked at him through my glasses, "I most certainly do not. I have much more important things to do than to play a silly game with a bunch of balls and broomsticks."

I had hoped that this would dissuade him continuing his talk about Quidditch, but instead it just launched him into a campaign that showed that he was determined to change my mind.

"How could you not like Quidditch? It's the wizarding world's national pastime. Have you ever been to a professional match? It's so exciting!"

Holding up my hand, I attempted to stop his endless prattling, "I didn't say that I don't like to watch it. I said I don't like to play it. Seems like a good way to have the stuffing knocked out of you."

The topic soon changed again to other things and I found that even though Oliver did have a certain fondness for Quidditch, he also had shared my love for reading and we spent a good portion of the train ride talking about our favorite books and authors. More importantly, he didn't laugh as my brother had when I talked about becoming Minister of Magic.

We discovered how hungry we had become when the cart came down the aisle with the food on it. I bought a couple of chocolate frogs, which I intended to send to Ginny the next day and a few pumpkin pasties. I didn't have a huge sweet tooth, but I did enjoy the pasties once in a while. Oliver swapped one of his ham sandwiches for one of my corned beef and the remaining part of the ride after we eat was spent mostly in silence. I read my book and he read a Quidditch book which he had brought with him.

Good old Wood. He was my first friend at Hogwarts, other than my brothers of course.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew the conductor was announcing that we would arrive at Hogsmeade station in just a few minutes. Sitting up, I straightened my robes and ran my hand over my hair, wanting to look presentable for the sorting ceremony.

Seeing that Oliver had fallen asleep as well, I poked him, "Hey, wake up. We're almost there."

Looking out the window, I found with dismay that it was raining. So much for being neat and tidy, I thought to myself. Well, at least surely they will have some kind of thing for us to ride in, maybe I wouldn't get that wet.

When the train stopped and we got out, I tried quite unsuccessfully to stay dry by holding my book over my head. That's when I heard a gruff voice which appeared to be coming from a cross between a grizzly bear and a man:

"Firs' years, over here!"

Not wanting to make a bad impression, I followed the man who was built like a mountain, eager to get out of the rain, and found that I was in for another unpleasant surprise; we would be crossing the lake in open air boats, which no protection at all from the rain.

With a longing look at the carriages which seemed to be moving of their own accord towards the castle, taking the older students in dry comfort, I sighed.

"Come on, we haven't got all night!" The giant called, "The sooner we get inside the sooner you can dry off!"

With as much as resolve I could muster and my head held high, I walked through the rain to the waiting boats filled with first years. I was determined that come hell or high water, they would not call me a sissy.

Looking down into the dark waters of the lake, I figured that this constituted both.

After what seemed like an eternity, we reached the castle and were lead inside, looking much like a pack of drowned rats. I could feel the water squelching in my shoes and knew that my hair was plastered against my skull.

Running my fingers through it, I attempted to comb out as much water as I could and looked around in vain for something to dry my glasses on. I knew that I looked horrible, and took little comfort in the fact that the rest of the first years looked as bad as I did.

Eagerly I waited my turn to put on the sorting hat as I watched the others taking their turns. I could almost know before it was announced when the hat would put someone in Slytherin. They were such a surly looking bunch, how could one not? I didn't doubt that I would be in Gryffindor, all my family, the ones with red hair that is, were in it.

Finally my turn came and I walked up slowly to the stool, unlike some students who had shown no coolth at all and had run to the stool. I waited patiently for Professor McGonagall to put it on my head and for it to ring out Gryffindor so that I could join Bill and Charlie, prat that he was.

"Hmm," The hat said in my ears, low enough that only I could hear it, "This is very difficult. You are very clever, so you would do well in Ravenclaw, but I am thinking either Slytherin or Gryffindor..."

"Not Slytherin," I whispered, "I couldn't face my father if I was put in there. He said no child of his would ever be in Slytherin..."

"Well, to honor your wishes since you want to please your father... All right, then, go join your brothers in...Gryffindor!" The last word was bellowed out for all to hear. Only the hat and I knew what had gone on before.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I went and sat down next to Bill, who slapped me heartily on the back, "What took it so long?"

"Oh, it had wanted to put me in Ravenclaw, but I said that I wanted to be with you guys." I wasn't really lying, it was half true. There was no way in Merlin's name that I was going to admit to almost being sorted into Slytherin.

That hat is not as dumb as it looks or sounds. I should have been in Slytherin, and quite honestly I would have requested it if it hadn't been for my father's adamant words that no child of his would be there.

I must rest for now. I take my leave and bid you farewell.