i already have these chapters edited mostly, so i decied to post them. i reread the chapters (mostly the dialogue) and it seemed to flow alright so...

The Mother Who Cried Werewolf

Chapter Six

Chinese Food Nightmare

"Perce, what are you doing on there?" Charlie frowned as he caught Percy sitting in his wheelchair.

His dad still thought that their mum was making Percy sick, so he confided in Bill and Charlie. He didn't want Percy to be left alone, and since then, Percy's mysterious illnesses had stopped propping up. It was making Charlie feel on edge, to think that their dad might be right about their mum making Percy ill.

"I'm just taking a nap," Percy admitted, rubbing his eyes.

He'd barely been sleeping these days. Bill and Charlie had been hearing him groaning during the night when he used to sleep the second that his head had hit the pillow. He had dark circles in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Don't you think you'll feel better on your bed?" Charlie gestured towards Percy's bed.

Percy shook his head. "I can't breathe," he admitted weakly. Charlie had no idea why he'd feel breathless lying on his bed. "And it hurts to walk. It hurts so much." Charlie had noticed that Percy's body could be divided into his emaciated top half and his heavier bottom half. His legs were puffy and swollen.

"Oh…okay." Charlie didn't know why Percy's legs were like that, but when he thought about it, Percy's legs had looked like that for some time. Maybe he was a little heavier. Maybe that was just how he distributed his weight.

"I think I need to go to the hospital," Percy admitted.

"Percy," Charlie gave him a hard look.

"I get breathless eating," Percy replied. He did notice that Percy wasn't scoffing as much as he always was the past couple of days. But he felt like he was between a rock and a hard place admitting that.

"Perce," he shook his head. "It's Christmas Eve. And we're supposed to be cutting down on the amount of time you're going to the hospital, not making it more."

Percy's face was pale as he nodded his head. "I know." He rubbed his neck. "Maybe you're right."

"Of course, I am," Charlie stroked Percy's hair, which did feel a little damp. His cheeks were on the flushed side. "You just need to move around more, not less," he instructed. "Perce, you lie in bed all day long. You're breathless just walking out of the room because you're just a hairline from being bedridden. I'd be tired too if all I did was sleep and eat."

Percy didn't look convinced. "I suppose that's right."

"Rest up," Charlie said. "Dad is going to be taking us out tonight. Just us… to make us forget about how…"

"How he kicked mum out yesterday?" Percy reminded him. Not that Charlie forgot.

"Yeah."

Charlie shivered just remembering how it had gone. Yesterday, they were sitting downstairs, having dinner together. Nobody had eaten anything because there was such tension in the air between Arthur and Molly, who had gotten into a massive fight again just before dinner. Even Percy was playing with his split pea soup rather than eating it.

"Why won't anyone eat?" Molly called out annoyingly. "It's not like I've prepared all of this for myself."

"We're not hungry," Fred said after eating a mouthful of the spaghetti bolognese.

"Watching my figure," George pinched his muscular arm.

"Yeah," Ginny rubbed her eyes. She had been crying just an hour ago. Charlie remembered finding her in her room, wishing that the fighting would just stop. This one was the worst yet.

"Well, I suppose I'll just be eating this whole pan of spaghetti bolognese all by myself," Molly mumbled. "Charlie? Bill?"

"I'm eating, mum," Charlie had eaten approximately one pea so far.

"Um… I've decided to go vegetarian," Bill chuckled lightly.

Clink-clink-clink. The sound of Percy tapping the bowl. "I can eat spaghetti bolognese," he said.

Molly had this impression that Percy should start eating solids slowly after a year of not eating anything. It made sense to Charlie, but Percy had already scoffed his weight in crisps, chocolates, sandwiches and pancakes in the morning. He was beyond the point where you'd worry if he could handle solids.

"That's enough, young man," Molly said, as if Percy had said a slur or an insult.

"Molly, let him eat what he wants," Arthur finally said. "You've said it yourself. You haven't cooked it for yourself, and Percy could eat for the whole bloody family if you let him." Percy's ears went red. But it was true. Ever since Percy had been allowed to eat again, he was almost permanently attached to the fridge.

"Just a week ago, he was being fed through a tube," Molly reminded them.

"Mum, he was being starved through a tube for a year," Fred suddenly said. Charlie was surprised and he noticed the small smile that started forming on Percy's face. Because it was true. "And nobody likes split pea soup."

"Yeah, mum," Ron pushed his uneaten plate towards Percy. "Here."

"Ronald," Molly glared at him. Charlie didn't understand why Molly was insistent on Percy eating next to nothing.

"Mum, let him," Ginny said. "It makes up for all the times where we were eating, and he wasn't."

Percy started eating. Charlie found himself smiling a little. At least someone had his appetite.

"He had a…a…" Molly stammered. She looked like she wanted to say that Percy had a legitimate reason for not being able to eat, but all of them knew that it was just Percy faking it. Why did his mum want to hold onto that?

"A what, Molly?" Arthur asked. "A mother that was either deliberately poisoning him or encouraging his behaviour?"

Molly's cheeks went red. "How dare you! You don't—!"

"That's enough now," Arthur finally said.

"Yes, you're right. It's enough. I'm sick of these accusations!"

"And this is over. I've already talked to Muriel over the Floo a while back and she said that she'd be happy to accommodate you," Arthur said stoically. "All your things are packed. You can go tonight."

He'd been talking about divorcing mum for a few days, but Charlie thought that he'd take mum out to the side and tell her. But telling their mum that he was divorcing her during the family dinner?!

"Muriel? You've talked to MURIEL about me?!"

"Yes, well, she is your sister, isn't she?" Arthur's voice was getting louder. "I don't think there's a family member you're on good terms with. But that's not my fault now, is it?"

Molly was so stunned that she said nothing. Then she let out a shriek that was so loud that Percy accidentally bit the fork. "You can't do this to me! This is my family! You can't just kick me out of my own FAMILY!"

"Dad," Ginny's voice was small. "She's right. We can work through this together. That's what you said."

"Work through what together?!" Molly yelled.

"Not with your mother, sweetheart," Arthur said quietly. "Molly, please just leave."

"You're going to be sorry for this," Molly said. "You're going to be so sorry." Percy winced.

She stood up from the table, her hands shaking with fury. "I'm coming back. Just you wait and see. Do you think that you can do this to me? Do you think that there's a judge in the Wizengamot courts that would rule in your favour over mine?" she placed her hands on her hips. "And who's going to be taking care of our children when you're at work?"

"I'll figure it out," Arthur said hotly. "And like you've been taking care of them to begin with!"

Charlie already knew that he'd talked to him and Bill about staying for the next few months until Arthur could figure it out. The twins, Ron and Ginny might go back to Hogwarts, but they hadn't figured out quite what to do with Percy just yet. Bill had started looking for local jobs with Gringott's already. Charlie wasn't sure what he wanted. He loved his job in Romania, but he couldn't leave his siblings out here to dry.

"Come on, Percival," Molly shot him a look at him. "Your father has kicked us out of the house." And that stung hearing that. Charlie felt angry at his mum. She didn't seem to care about the fact that Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, Bill and himself were suddenly motherless, but she wouldn't let their father have Percy.

"Father didn't say anything about…" Percy rubbed his neck nervously.

"Percy?" Fred echoed incredulously. "That's all you care about, mum! Percy!"

Percy just went red. "I didn't…"

"Do you see what we mean, Percy?" Ron looked at him pointedly.

"My son stays with the rest of his family," Arthur stated. "Boys, Ginny, go up to your rooms."

Everyone did go up to their rooms. Charlie remembered helping Percy up because he was still a little breathless. He wasn't used to walking more than a few steps in his room. Even just going up and down the stairs was a bit much for him. That day outside having the picnic had wiped him out so much. It was abnormal.

Even just thinking back to it, Charlie couldn't believe that it had happened.

"I don't know if I can go," Percy broke Charlie out of his thoughts.

"You don't know if you can go have dinner with us and dad?" said Fred from the doorway. He looked pissed. To be honest, Charlie felt that way too because the only reason why they were in this predicament was because of Percy. "You're such a self-centred arsehole, Percy. Do you know how hard it is for us to see mum fawning over you?"

"I know but…"

"But?"

Percy bit down his lower lip. "I don't feel too well."

"Percy, you always don't feel well," Fred mocked. "And I thought we were supposed to be helping you through your fake sicknesses, right?" Percy nodded his head soundlessly. "Then get up and I don't know—borrow something of Charlie's." Percy's closet was just pyjamas, sweatpants and sweatshirts because he didn't go out.

Percy said nothing.

"I hope you like faux dragonhide," Charlie told him with a smirk. When he noticed how depressed Percy looked, he sighed. "Fred is right, Perce. Even if you don't feel good, you're just going to have to suck it up. It's Christmas Eve. All you have to do is listen to Bill yapping about his times in Egypt and eat as much as you can. Even you can do that."

Percy smiled weakly, but Charlie knew that Percy would rather have his toe extracted than go.

That night, they headed down to Yuri Yum-Yum Chinese Take-Away, which had wallpaper peeling off the walls and chairs that could collapse at any given moment. The cutlery may not be the cleanest either. But the smells of intoxicating Chinese food wafting from the kitchen always made Charlie blind with hunger. He didn't care if he was eating off a dirty floor of an Azkaban cell, because Yuri Yum-Yum always made the best Chinese food. Arthur meticulously went through the almost empty restaurant and chose a table at the back where you couldn't tell that the rest of the restaurant was falling apart. The cushions looked new, and the table looked like it had just been cleaned.

Charlie could remember when this place was shiny and new. Everyone that was anyone had hit up the restaurant. But back then, finding a Chinese restaurant was like finding a needle in a haystack. Now, Charlie could go out for a leisurely coffee and find about ten of them right next to each other, promising authentic flavours and desserts that Charlie had never even heard of.

They were a little dressed up for a rubbish bin like Yuri Yum-Yum, but it was the thought that counted. The reason why it had turned into a takeaway restaurant was that people would rather be sitting on their couches eating delicious Chinese food than sit down in their dine-in portion and contract asbestos.

"Mum would've hated it here," Ginny finally said. She was right. She was wearing a heavy white coat that would no doubt have its array of sauces on it by the end of the night.

"I love this place," Ron counteracted. Charlie did too. They all did—well, everyone except Percy.

"I wonder how many health code violations they're breaking," Percy mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Charlie supposed their dad could've taken them somewhere nicer, but he didn't think there was anyone that didn't want to be there. Percy just needed to be reacquainted with a wonton or something.

"Who cares?" Fred's stomach was growling so much that even Charlie couldn't think straight. "I'm starving."

"We could've eaten at home," Percy complained, reminding Charlie that he was a moody fifteen-year-old.

"Perce, can you at least pretend you want to be here for like three minutes?" Bill told him off.

"Fine," Percy answered. He'd been in a foul mood since they'd left. He was huffing and puffing just walking into the restaurant, with his cheeks so red it looked like he'd caught sight of a girl he liked on his way into the restaurant. He had already used the napkins on the table to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

The waitress came around to take their order. She looked a little out of practice, considering barely anyone ever sat there to order their food. Her body language just screamed of someone that was used to jotting down things on paper and sticking them in the kitchen. Charlie flipped through the yellow-and-black menu, pictureless, and they all decided to order about nine servings of prawn crackers along with their mains.

Everyone had already known what they wanted and were excited about it, but it felt like Percy was purposefully taking forever to decide on what to eat. In the end, he just seemed to choose something at random.

There was a clear divide in the table, with Fred and George shooting Percy a look every few minutes. As they were waiting for their food, Arthur enlarged the table so that it was twice as big and took out the board game that he'd shrunken down in his pocket. It was a murder mystery board game, with more twists and turns than a Chaser in a Quidditch ring. Last time, mid-game, the cards that Charlie had been holding were suddenly swapped with Fred's and had knocked him over the head when they flew to his hands.

The night had gone by exceptionally well for the first hour they were sitting there. That was until Percy, who had eaten about one bite of his food, announced for the eighth time that evening that he wanted to go home.

Even their dad looked like he was reaching his limit. "Charlie," he turned to him and gave him a pleading look. "Charlie, please take your brother home." He didn't even look at Percy directly when he'd said that.

Charlie was annoyed that he had to take Percy home when he wished that it could've been Bill. Charlie gestured for Percy to come out of the table. He didn't look like he belonged from the second that he'd left home. He had disappeared from underneath the clothes that he was wearing and had a permanent scowl since he left home. Charlie couldn't pass the street without someone pausing to look at Percy. Even the waitress that had served him waited patiently as Percy decided on what he wanted, despite it taking nearly five minutes. She must've thought that there was something wrong with Percy too.

"Everyone keeps looking at me," Percy said, pulling Charlie out of his thoughts. That was true.

"It's no excuse to bloody well trash our night now, is it?" Charlie asked. "What do you think is going to happen, Percy? People stare and look at things that they've never seen before. It's not a big deal. It's not a reason to bloody well ruin our night! What's going to happen the next time that you're outside and you don't feel comfortable?"

Percy was panting. Charlie was pretty sure that he knew why Percy felt the way that he did.

"You're having a panic attack, Percy," Charlie finally told him. "You aren't going to die."

"It feels like…" Percy placed a hand on his chest.

"I know," Charlie's voice softened. "Do you feel a little better?"

"I suppose," Percy frowned. He was still sweating quite profusely and looked a little shaky. Charlie placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it.

"Come on, let's head back there," Charlie insisted. "It's Christmas Eve, Percy. What are we going to do alone?"

Percy reluctantly agreed to go back to Yuri Yum-Yum. The rest of the night went by without a hitch. Percy didn't say much of anything after that. He did eat some of his food, even though it was cold. He'd refused a heating charm to heat his food. On the second round of the game, Charlie had felt comfortable enough to admit that he might be seeing someone. Some people would congratulate him. Others wonder who he was seeing, but his siblings…

"Is it human?" George asked.

"Yes, she's bloody human," Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Human without any furry or tail-like parts?" Fred insisted on clearing that up.

"Blimey."

When they got back home, Charlie was a little bit on a buzz. He didn't think that things would work out without their mum, but it was quieter. Not as much scolding or glares being thrown around. It felt like this could work out.

"Thanks, dad," Ron had said immediately upon returning home.

"Excellent night," Fred agreed. "Had so much—"

"Fun," George yawned. "Can't wait to do it again."

There was a permanent smile on Ginny's face the whole night. Fred and George even looked like they were in better spirits than usual. They immediately ran up to their room to begin their experiments, which Charlie was sure they'd sort of ignored in the last couple of days. Arthur looked exhausted coming into the house.

Percy collapsed on the nearest chair and was trying to catch his breath. The sounds that he made were like he was being strangled and Charlie didn't know if it was because heavy breathing sounded different on someone with a tracheostomy tube or if it was just too much for Percy.

Charlie helped Percy upstairs because he felt a little bad, but to be honest, he felt like he should've left Percy to get up and walk to his room on his own. He didn't get onto his bed. Instead, he chose to get onto his wheelchair.

He would've reminded him how uncomfortable it was, but it didn't look like he cared.

"I'm sorry," Percy wheezed out breathlessly.

"Whatever, Percy," Charlie shut the door behind him. He didn't care about how childish it made him. Percy was such a prick sometimes. Arthur was standing outside, waiting for him to finish up with Percy.

"I've made him a cup of tea," Arthur admitted, showing Charlie the mug. "He's barely eaten all day."

Arthur opened the door to his room. Charlie was pleased to find Percy sleeping in the wheelchair. "Dad, he doesn't…" then he noticed the alarmed look on Arthur's face. "Dad?"

"His chest isn't moving much, is it?" Arthur asked. Charlie hadn't noticed at first but now that his father had pointed it out, his chest wasn't moving at all. Percy's face was so pale that he looked almost…almost…

All the blood had drained out of Arthur's face as the mug in his hand fell to the ground. CRASH.

"Percy! Percy, wake up!" Arthur shook Percy as much as he could, but Percy was motionless. And when Charlie said motionless, he made there wasn't even so much as a flicker of a movement.

"Charlie," the way that Arthur looked at him would haunt him forever. "Charlie, we need to go to the hospital. We need to go now."