Annoying Author Notes: First of all, many, many thanks to everyone who rewieved: The Female Nerd, EvenAngelsCry, Lamarquise (both the twins and Ron&Ginny are going to give him a hard time, you can count on that), db (nope, it's not gonna be easy at all), Zoran, (if you gave me your email, we could exchange ideas on the matter), Rutu, Bluebird757, Velvet Green and Kerei Kitsune.Sorry I kept you waiting, I've got a lot going on lately. Hope the chapter's worth the wait, I'm impatient to hear your opinions.
Secondly, I made an unbelievably stupid mistake in 'Awkward' (Part Three: Future Tense): I said Naoise's surname is Lannigan, when I had previously stated in 'Home, Bittersweet Home' that it was Donnovan. I can´t believe I don´t remember the names of my own characters!
Now, finally, here´s Part Two... enjoy!
Part Two: Fred and George
The Wizarding world was going through one of the darkest periods of its entire history. The Dark Lord had set out to conquer the world once more and wizards and witches found themselves in open warfare. Every day news of more deaths, disappearances and strikes from the Dark Lord appeared on the Daily Prophet, and fear had spread across the country like a highly infectious disease. People had started to lock themselves at night, searching in vain the feeble security their homes could provide, and lately Diagon Alley looked like a depressing desert, even during the day. Nobody was keen on leaving their refuges unless they were compelled too, which meant there were no more reunions, meetings or just groups of friends or families hanging out in a sunny day. Wizarding families just kept to themselves, and acted as though they were under constant attack... which they sort of were. Not only had the Dark Lord taken away their sense of security, their hopes, the chance to trust, but he had also taken away their entire lifestyle.
Under the current circumstances, Percy couldn't help wondering which sort of person would throw a party. True, he'd always been stuck-up, but unless he was very much mistaken this wasn't exactly a festive time, although Christmas' holidays were approaching. People was being murdered every day. Who could have a party under those circumstances?
In spite of how nuts the whole thing sounded, it was nothing but the naked truth. And, even more bizarrely, whoever was the lunatic who was throwing the party had hired Leprechaun's Gold to entertain his guests. Had the whole world gone mad?
Percy, feeling that his curiosity had been rightfully piqued, would have liked to learn more about such an obvious case of utter madness, but unfortunately it had been Black Eye the one they had contacted, and it was a well-known fact that Black Eye wasn't a talkative person. Actually, if he pronounced more than ten words a day the other members of the band considered it to be a miracle. The only information they had managed to get out from him had been the time and place of the party. About the people that would hire them, all he could say was that they were celebrating the success of their business or something of that sort; Black Eye wasn't truly interested. Sometimes, Percy wondered whether the taciturn man was capable of feeling any human emotion, such as curiosity.
What had immediately caught everyone's interest, though, was the amount of money that according to their drummer they would get paid for the private show. It was a large sum of money for such a modest band like Leprechaun's Gold that had played in only one private party before (which didn't really count, as it had been Riley's Great Auntie's birthday); everyone's eyes widened in wonder. However, Percy frowned and glanced at his partners, trying to deduce from the looks on their faces whether they were thinking among the same lines he was. Much to his disappointment, they didn't seem to. Sighing inwardly, Percy realised that once more he would have to play the part of the spoilsport.
'Er, not like I want to ruin the moment or anything, but... what do we now about the people will be playing for? I mean, I know it sounds stupid but – we're not exactly in peaceful times. How can we be sure it might not be dangerous?'
Everyone turned to stare at him and he felt himself reddening but did not look down. Riley was the first to recover from the shock, turning his stunned look into a roar of laughter.
'C'mon, Percy! You can't seriously believe that we're being hired to animate a Death Eaters' gathering. If we were a band like Spawn of Devil, maybe we could consider it –' At this point, Laoise started to snigger. It was a well-known fact that, in spite of their dark clothes and their "bad boys" facade, Spawn of Devil was a more pro-goverment band than the mega-commercial The Weird Sisters, which was saying a lot 'but us? C'mon, aren't our lyrics a little too romantic for the Dark Lord's taste? For some reason, I can't quite picture him singing the chorus of "With you 'till the end of magic", can you?'
At the end of such astounding speech, they had all burst into laughing, including Percy, although there was a small admonishing voice at the back of his head – which sounded awfully like his mother's – that scolded him for laughing at such a serious matter as the Dark Lord was. However, once laughter died away, Percy got serious again.
'Okey, so they're probably not Death Eaters – but we don't know which kind of people they might invite, if the place's safe or not...'
'Oh, c'mon,' Riley exlaimed, still looking amused. 'You sound like my Great Auntie Dannan. Loosen up a lil' bit, will you?'
'He's got a point, though,' Naoise interjected and Percy gave her a grateful smile. 'These aren't normal circumstances, Riley. Things aren't like they used to be.'
A thick, heavy silence fell upon them. News on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's attacks were getting worse by every passing day, and by now they all knew somebody who had either been attacked, murdered or withdrawn. Riley's words had been witty, and funny, but these days you couldn't be too trusting.
Laoise stopped bitting a nail long enough to add:
'And we don't know a thing about the blokes that are hiring us. They could be – well, anything.'
'Wendell Everett.'
Everyone turned to stare at Black Eye.
'Reuben what?'
'Wendell Everett.' It was Riley, not Black Eye, the one to answer Percy. 'It's his cousin... the one that wrote about review about us that was nearly published in the Prophet...'
'Oh, yeah...' Percy replied, remembering. He frowned. 'What does he have to do with any of this?'
Everyone turned, yet again, to Black Eye for answers. The man looked thouroughbly irritated at the prospect of having to waste so much breath in giving them an explanation.
'He knows the guys that're throwing the party. He recommended us.'
'And by any chance, did he mention where we'll be playing?'
Black Eye glared at Naoise, who didn't lower her eyes. Finally, he resigned to the inevitable.
'Rented local, Diagon Alley.'
He gave her a piece of parchment with an address scribbled on it, and pursed his lips, as if he were trying to silently state he woud not open his mouth again. And he didn't.
Naoise, who'd at first sided with Percy, considered that the fact Black Eye's cousin knew those that would hire them was reassuring enough. Laoise, who tended to agree with whatever her older sister thought, quickly manifestated that she was certain nothing could go wrong. On the other hand, Percy still didn't feel entirely reassured. After a moment's hesitation, though, he finally gave in and agreed to do the others' will. Delighted, Riley patted him on the back, Laoise smiled, Black Eye looked almost cheerful and Naoise planted a kiss on his cheek, making Percy grin like an idiot.
However, he still had a bad feeling about the whole thing...
---
In spite of Percy's feelings of forebodding, the show they gave at the party turned out to be a success. The guests appeared to have loved their performance, judging from the clapping and cheering they had received, and nothing dodgy had come to pass, for which Percy was very grateful.
As they had been invited by Wendell – Black Eye's cousin – to stay over, Percy and Naoise had managed to find a quiet corner where they could drink their beers in peace... and maybe do some snogging, later. Thankfully, Percy had outgrown the phase he needed to hide in order to be able to kiss a girl although, much to Naoise's current disappointment, he hadn't overcame his refusal to dance in public.
'C'mon, Percy, it'd be just one dance... nobody is going to laugh at you...'
'No way, Naoise. You might be persuasive, but just not enough to convince me of making a fool of myself in a crowded place.'
Naoise gave him a feline smile.
'Let's see if you don't change the tune after a couple more beers.'
Percy laughed softly, certain that there was no way that could come to pass. Naoise pouted mockingly.
'So you won't dance with me?'
'Well... no. But I'm sure I can make it up for you...'
Her lips curved and her eyes gleamed.
'Really? 'Cause you'll have to prove it...'
He grinned. 'Not a probem...'
Just when Percy was getting closer to Naoise's inviting lips, a voice came from the crowd.
'Oi! Perce!'
Narrowing his eyes, a quite annoyed Percy turned to see Riley who, like always, seemed unaware of his surroundings. However, something in his face or Naoise's must have given him a clue, because he asked, beffudled.
'Um… Did I interrupr anything?'
'Yes, you did,' Naoise pointed out, 'but the harm's done, so just spill what you've come to say.'
Still looking bewildered, Riley nodded and turned to Percy, whose annoyance slowly vanished as his curiosity was piqued.
'What is it, Riley?'
The young man's eyes were alight of enthusiasm.
friend?'
'Yeah, I remember.' Percy frowned. 'Do the blokes have a name or what?'
Riley shrugged.
'Don't know, forgot to ask them how they were called. Anyway, they were impressed by us… especially you.'
Percy's eyes widened.
'Really?'
'Yep. They say it was the best guitar they heard in a while… But they couldn't see you well, 'cause of the stupid leprechaun hats we were all wearing –'
'Hey,' exclaimed Naoise, offended because the hats had been her idea in the first place. Percy suppressed a snigger. He couldn't say he was particularly fond of the hats.
'…so they want to see you face-to-face,' Riley continued, ignoring Naoise completely. 'They're on the other room. You going?'
Percy coulnd't honestly say that he wasn't pleased at Riley's words and yet he hesitated. As though she had read his mind, Naoise poked him on the arm.
'C'mon, Percy, go there and impress them so they hire us again. Don't worry about me, I'll have a fun time making sure Laoise doesn't get too drunk.' She shook her head as she glanced at the bar, where her sister was draining a mead bottle. 'That girl really can't hold her liquour.'
After placing a fleeting kiss on his cheek, she stood up from her stool and headed towards her sister. Trying not to look as disappointed as he felt, Percy put up his courage and walked towards the door Riley had indicated him, across the dancing floor, which was merely a large living room without almost any furniture. From what he could see, the place was somebody's house, which had been prepared to host the party in little time, judging from the way most of the furniture had been vanished but no decorations had been put up. And it wasn't like they were really needed, it was, after all, quite a small party. Probably the only ones who weren't personal friends of the hosts were themselves, something that had managed to ease Percy's worries a little. The people he was about to meet weren't as mad as he'd first thought, after all.
After he'd seen their faces, though, he'd changed his mind.
Avoiding the dancing couples, some of them so entwined with each other that was impossible to tell where the boy started and the girl ended, Percy managed to make his way across the room and hesitated the briefest instant in front of the door. Then he knocked faintly, and after a few moments he heard a muffled voice coming through the door:
'C'me in!'
Percy pulled the door open and stepped into a dimly illuminated place that seemed to be a small sitting room. He took a look around, as his gaze got used to the lack of light. Here nobody had bothered to get rid of the furniture, which was old and musty and had the distinct air of not having been used in a long while. There were sinister portraits of ancient-looking men and women with old-fashioned robes and white pelucas, giant maroon flowers decorated the walls and every surface was coevered with velvet tableclothes with lace. Percy repressed a shiver. Who could live there?
'Don't get scared by the decorations: this lovely place belongs to the great aunt of a friend… in case you haven't noticed.'
Something in the casual tone made a bell rang in Percy's brain, but he ignored it. He turned and saw two men on his right. One of them with his back turned on him – he was pouring Butterbeer in three glasses. The other one was turning to face Percy.
The first thing Percy noted were the identical, quite fancy jackets made of dragon skin. Percy couldn't remember where he'd last seen such jackets. Then, he noticed that they were both stock-build and even in the half-darkened room he could see that their hair sparkled red. At last, Percy's eyes reached the face of the young man that was in front of him, whose juvenile smile froze the moment he locked eyes with Percy. Suddenly, Percy knew who were the only people mad enough to throw a party in the middle of a war.
The young man's jaw fell open.
'What the hell are you doing here?'
Percy, who had just understood how bizarre the situation was, nearly let out a hysterical laugh. Before he could pull himself together and answer – that given he could have done so – the other man had turned round, raising a quizzical eyebrow.
'Fred, what's going…?'
He never finished that sentence. Instead, his eyes widened until Percy feared they might pop out, and stared at his older brother as though he were a ghost, a Death Eater, or both.
'Why are you here,' George asked. His tone sounded more shocked than angry.
Give him time.
Okey, so this was so not the encounter he'd imagined with his twin brothers. Hell, he couldn't have pictured such ridiculous circumstances in his wildest dreams… or his worst nightmares.
In the end, he decided to be honest.
'Riley said you wanted to see me.'
George frowned, still more perplexed than mad. 'We didn't want to see you, we wanted to see…' Dawning comprehension shone in his eyes. 'Wait a moment… you are the guitar player of the Leprechaun's!' He frowned. 'You play in a band and you're actually good at it? Since when?'
Certainly, the last thing Percy would have thought he'd talk with his brothers when he finally saw them again were his musical abilities or lack of thereof. Before he could come up with a halfway decent reply, a low, deadly voice whispered:
'What the sodding hell are you doing him?'
Both Percy and George winced and turned to look at Fred, behind whose eyes poorly repressed anger flickered. Percy frowned.
'I've already told you, I play with…'
'Don't care who the hell you play with, what I' asking is why you came to our party, when you should know none of us wants to see you!'
At Fred's outburst, instead of freaking out, Percy felt indignant.
'I didn't know it was your party, OK!'
George frowned. 'Are you telling me that you, Mister Safety, came to a place willingly without knowing who was throwing the party?'
Percy squirmed, remembering what he himself had told Riley and the others, but nevertheless shot him a somewhat defiant look.
'One of the band's members has a cousin that was coming. It seemed safe enough. And, anyway, you hired use without knowing who we were! You were as careless as I was.'
Geroge stared at him, incredulous. Percy could not say he blamed him. After all, the twins were always reckless. It had been utterly dumb to excuse his own behaviour with theirs.
Besides, he suspected there was more to this discussion than a simple argument because of a party. No, this went much, much deeper, and Percy wasn't sure he wanted to dwell in such dangerous waters. Especially as Fred looked ready to jump to his throat in any minute.
Before such regrettable thing took place, though, the door swung open and, to Percy's shock, a slightly staggering Naoise almost fell in.
'Percy, luv, there you are!' Her eyes were conspicuously bright and a faint smell of alcohol surrounded her. Percy mentally groaned. None of the Donnovan sisters was famous for holding her liquour.
Somehow she managed to zigzag towards him and wrap her arms around his neck, as she placed a wet kiss on his cheek. Percy, who in other circumstances would've been delighted, felt how his face reddened. Naoise smirked, and turned to face the twins.
'Never mind Percy, he's a little too proper for his own good…'
Her voice tailed off and Percy could see why: Fred and George were staring at her as if she had grown an extra head. Naoise looked confused, and Percy suspected it wasn't just because of alcohol.
As Fred and George shamelessly sted at Naoise's blue hair and her provocative clothes, she examined them in the same fashion. She frowned.
'You're twins.'
Percy idly wondered whether all drunk people had an unnervinf tendency to point out the obvious. The twins, needless to say, didn't bother to dignify that with an asnwer. Although, judging from the stunned looks on their faces, perhaps they wouldn't have been able to utter a word even if they had wanted to.
Naoise's eyes widened as her eyes went from the boys to Percy.
'Hold on a sec… They aren't your twin brothers, are they?'
Percy sighed.
'As a matter of fact, they are.'
In a sudden, Naoise looked completely sober.
'Oh, crap!'
Percy thought he couldn't have found better words to describe the situation they've gotten themselves into.
'Who is she?'
Fred's tone was definitely hostile and, in Percy's opinion, unecessarily rude.
'Naoise happens to be our bass player,' he pointed out, his even voice trying to conceal his irritation. 'And my… well…'
Reaching this point, inspiration abandoned him. What should he say? Friend? Lover? Flame? He and Naoise had never bothered to label their relationship.
To his surprise, it was Naoise herself who solved the problem.
'Girlfriend.'
Percy gaped at her.
'Girlfriend?'
For once, Naoise looked unsure.
'Well… why not? We've been dating for a while now, I thought… But, if you don't want to…'
'Of course I do,' Percy hastened to say before she could change her mind. She beamed and he thought she'd never looked more stunning. 'She's my girlfriend,' he informed the twins, who were now looking at them with an air that suggested they feared for their sanity. Who would have thought I'd see the day I managed to shock Fred and George?
'Um, hi, nice to meet you, I guess.'
Naoise's words were received with a deadly silence. Suddenly, the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped several degrees. Percy decided to act before disaster took place.
'Nao, why don't you go to check on Laoise? I'll catch up with you later.'
She looked uncertain. 'Are you sure?'
Naoise was, along with Oliver, Andrew and Vi, one of the few people Percy had told the full story of the rift with his family. She'd even been the one who'd encouraged him to face Bill and Charlie. She understood perfectly what was going on… and probably that was the reason she didn't want to leave him alone. However, Percy thought he was the only one who knew just how ugly it could get and didn't want her to witness it. He'd seen that pale shade on Fred's face and the flashing anger in his eyes enough times before not to recognise the signs of impending doom. And he was certain that, as soon as George got over the initial feeling of shock, things would go downhill.
'Go, Nao. I'll join you afterwards.'
With one last quick kiss on Percy's cheek and one last apprehensive glance at the twins, she left. Percy still felt light-headed by the sudden revelation that he had a girlfriend… but that would not last.
'She's your girlfriend?' Was it awe what he heard on George's tone or incredulity? Or maybe both?
'I wonder what sort of brain damage she suffered as a child.'
Fred's chilly voice seemed to remind the other two where they were. To Percy's surprise, George looked a little uncomfortable.
'You should go, Percy. I… I'll arrange the payment with Wendell's cousin – it was a good show…'
Percy had the sudden impression that George didn't want to face this anymore than he did. Well, maybe I can get out of this halfway unscathed…
But you could always count on Fred.
'Yeah, don't worry, Perce, you'll get your money. After all, that's all you ever cared about, isn't it?'
Percy's eyes narrowed. 'What's that supposed to mean?'
George hastened to stand between them.
'Percy, just get out, okey?'
Percy folded his arms. 'Oh, no. It's evident that Fred's dying to say something and that he won't leave us in peace until he does, right? So, I say,' Percy continued as he circled George and sank into a dusty armchair, 'let him speak.' He crossed his legs and tilted his head to one side. 'C'mon, Fred. Fire away.'
Percy knew that what he was doing was unwise, but he also knew that sooner or later he would have to face his brothers, so he'd better do it in his own terms. Go on, lil' brother. Tell me what you think about me.
Fred snorted. 'OK.' He picked an oak chair, turned it and sat with one leg in each side, his elbows resting on the seat's back. 'Where should I begin? Oh, yes,' he said, his voice deceivingly calm, 'you're a prat. And a git. And, of course, a traitor.'
Percy had to make an inhuman effort to keep his face straight.
'That seems to be a good beginning.'
Fred forced a smile. 'Oh, it is, isn't it? Do you want to hear the reasons why I say you're a prat, a git, and a traitor?'
Percy made his lips curved into a smile as forced as Fred's.
'For some reason, I got the impression you were going to tell me one way or another.'
By the corner of his eye, he saw a silent George grabbing a chair and sitting down. Showtime.
'Well, as a matter of fact, I am,' Fred continued, his tone mockingly pompous. Percy grimaced. Fred had always been good at imitating him. 'See, Percy, you're a prat because you preferred to trust that cow of Umbridge and the idiot of Fudge instead of trusting your own parents. Blimey, how much of a moron you had to be to trust Fudge's judgement over Dumbledore's? As if you hand't seen the Dark Mark at the Quidditch Cup, as if your beloved Mr. Crouch hadn't been murdered! Of course that the last one was sort of convenient to you, wasn't it,' he added, silkily, 'With Crouch out of the picture, you had the coast clear to do what you always enjoyed – bossing everyone around.'
At this words, George winced... and proceeded to drain the contents of the three glasses of Butterbeer in quick sucession. Percy ignored him: his hands were grabbing the armchair so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
'Interesting theory.' He had a hard time trying that the voice that came through his gritted teeth didn't sound like a growl. 'So, what else do you have to say about me?'
Fred feigned considering the question, looking rather unabashed.
'Well, then I'd have to explain why you're a git. You're a git 'cause it wasn't enough for you to turn to Fudge's side, you also had to insult Dad about not having enough money and the right reputation.' Fred's gaze turned as sharp and cold as scissors. 'If I recall your words, you said something like because of Dad's reputation you had a hard time at the Ministry.' He tilted his head to one side. 'Let's see if I understand. You had a hard time at the Ministry because Dad preferred to dress us in second-hand robes instead of shamelessly accept bribes from people like Lucius Malfoy, just like Fudge did? You had a hard time because of Dad's reputation as a Muggle-loving fool – reputation he got by trying to do the right thing for helpless people instead of keeping busy by kissing the Minister's ass?'
At this point, George had grabbed the bottle of Butterbeer and glared at it, probably wishing it contained something stronger. Looking resigned, he finally placed it back on the table. Fred, who'd taken no notice of his twin, continued his monologue.
'Poor of you, what a shame. It must have been so embarassing for you to have a decent bloke for a father instead of an inscrupulous high-flyer. Or perhaps you would have preferred to have Crouch as a father; Crouch, whose own child was a Death Eater!'
Percy opened his mouth, but Fred didn't give him enough time to reply.
'So you insulted the whole family and had your dramatic exit. As if that hadn't been enough, you slammed the door right on Mum's face when she tried to get you back. Do you have an idea, a minimal idea of how much your hurt her? She spent the whole bloody summer crying whenever she heard your name! And then there was Dad's stay at St.Mungo's. You didn't even bother to send an owl asking how he was. He nearly died, and you didn't give a shit, did you? No, of course you dind't. You'd gotten a new family, hadn't you?'
Fred was panting, his face so red that it looked like his head would blow up in any moment. Sadly, that didn't stop him from talking.
'There was Fudge, who cared too much about power to do nothing to stop You-Know-Who from raising again and, of course, lovely Umbridge. Tell me, Percy, did you know the mad decrees she forced upon the school, like the one that allowed Filch to torture students? Or what she did to the students, to the children, during detentions?'
Percy noted that now his brother's face was completely devoid of colour, the only sign of life being the blazing rage in his eyes.
'Oh, she made them write lines, with no ink but a very special quill. A quill that cut through your skin and wrote the words in blood. What, you don't believe me,' he inquired in a colourless tone at Percy's horrified expression. 'If you see Harry, ask him to show you the back of his hand, where you're clearly see the words "I must not tell lies" that horrible cow made him write.'
Fred let out a humourless chuckle. ''Course, I doubt he would talk to you, after the way you lot tried to make him look like a nutter when he'd been telling the truth the whole time.'
'How could you, Percy? How could believe such things of Harry, whom you'd known so well for years?'
George's soft voice started both Percy and Fred. Before the first could answer his question, though, Fred interjected:
'That's the question, George: did he believe any of it? Or did he just play along so he could get a promotion and a payrise?' Fred arched his eyebrows. 'If you asked me, I'd say the real reason he did all those things, he inflicted our parents all that pain, wasn't because he really believed Fudge's rubbish – but because it was convenient. Am I wrong, Percy? Wasn't it your dream, getting promoted? Even if it meant pushing your own family aside?' Fred shrugged. 'Guess that you didn't care. Why would you? You were always a cold-blooded bastard, who cared too much about academical success to have any friends. Who cared more about money and reputation than his own family or the truth. And that,' he whispered, his voice as cold and scathing as a sharp knife, 'is what makes you a traitor.'
A heavy, electrifying silence took over the room. The sounds of the party seemed to have vanished into thin air, as it was taking place in another world.
Percy felt himself trembling from head to foot. Each one of Fred's words ached like a blow, each one of his comments cut through his skin like Umbirge's hellish quill. He was shaken by the cruelness of Fred's tone – but he was even more shaken because many of the things he'd said had been the very same things he'd reproached himself during those long evenings in the Hog's Head.
But he was Percy Weasley, and he did not show weakness that easily.
Instead, he pulled himself together in no time and managed to stand up without staggering. Towering over them, Percy shot each one of his brothers one long, detached look.
'That's what you think of me?'
Fred raised his chin, defiantly, and stood up. So did his twin.
'It is.'
The look on George's face was as cold as the one on his twin's face. Percy shrugged.
'Then there's nothing left to talk. I'm leaving now.'
'You do that.'
Percy had reached the door and his hand was turning the knob when he froze. What the hell am I doing? He spun around so quickly that he nearly fell over.
'I'm not leaving.'
The twins stared.
'What?'
'Yes! You've told me what you thought about me, didn't you?' He strode towards them. 'Then I'm not leaving until I have told you what I think of you.'
Fred looked startled. George, on the other hand, calmly said:
'Go ahead. Elighten us.'
Percy open his mouth, and closed it. His inspiration and his eloquence seemed to have gone on vacation. The twins looked up at him, both with their eyebrows arched.
And then, Percy opened his mouth… and words just seemed to burst out from it.
'OK, let's start right from the beginning, shall we?' He made an effort and finally his voice came out without shaking. 'You say I'm an idiot for trusting Fudge instead of Dumbledore. OK, perhaps Fudge was never the sharpest tool in the box, but I never thought he was stupid. Call me naïve, but back then I really believed that a person that had managed to become Minister of Magic had to be competent. And about Dumbledore -' Percy bit his lower lip, knowing that his words wouldn't be welcomed. 'I always thought he was brilliant – but even you have to admit that he'd made a lot of mistakes in the last couple of years. It's no wonder the Prophet could say he was losing his marbles and people actually believed it.'
Infuriated, George nearly jumped from his seat.
'How dare you…?'
'Think, George, think!' Percy urged him. 'When I was in my fifth year and you were in your third, a troll walked in on Haloween, a teacher tried to murder a student twice and our brother was nearly killed, all right under Dumbledore's nose. The following year… well, you know as well as I do what happened that year, including Ginny nearly dying!'
They all shivered, remembering the dreadful night none of them had been able to sleep, too shaken because of Ginny's kidnap. It had been, by far, the worst night of their lives.
This time, it took George longer to recover from the blow... but he was a Weasley, so he would never run out of words.
'That wasn't Dumbledore's fault!'
'Maybe not,' Percy conceded, 'but he didn't manage to put a stop to it either, did he? Let's move forward: next year, a mass murderer wanders around the school grounds as he pleases…'
'Sirius was innocent! Even the Ministry has admitted it!'
'We didn't know that back then, did we?' he pointed out. Fred fell silent. 'And again Ron and his friends were nearly killed when Lupin got loose, weren't they? Sure that Lupin was a great teacher, but obviously there weren't enough measures to ensure students' safety. And that takes us to the Triwizard Tournament –'
'Nobody foresaw it! It wasn't just Dumbledore's fault – the Ministry couldn't have prevented what happened either –'
Percy raised an eyebrow. 'By now, don't you think that quite many things – terrible things – happened under this great wizard's nose so that a lot of people could think his mind wasn't as sharp as it used to be? Does it sound so preposterous?' Percy tried to prevent his voice from shaking. 'Does it sound insane that the Minister of Magic might be right and my parents could be deluded by their loyalty to Dumbledore? You never, ever thought our parents could make mistakes? That they could be wrong and you right about something?'
'Yeah, but we didn't insult them like you did, did we,' George replied scathingly. Percy sighed.
'It's true I said terrible things that I shouldn't have. I've already apologised for them to Mum and Dad. I regret saying them – but I was angry. I really thought I deserved that promotion –'
'Despite not noticing that your boss was being controlled by You-Know-Who?' Fred looked incredulous. 'It was kinda a big screw up, don't you think?'
Percy bit his lip and made his best attempt at taking the blow gracefully.
'Yes, in spite of that. Which, I should remind you that back then I didn't know a thing about the Imperius Curse. I had worked hard, harder than anyone, so the promotion seemed only natural. When Dad told me Fudge was using me, I – well, I felt insulted and lost my temper.' Percy shot them a defiant look. 'You're telling me that you never lost your temper and let things get out of hand?'
'We've never deliberatly hurt them,' George blurted out. Percy narrowed his eyes.
'Oh, no, not deliberatly. But you did it. You did it every time you got in trouble and Mum fretted 'cause she was convinced you'd get expelled, you did it when you terrified Ron to death with your jokes – did you even know that he has arachnophobia because of your trick with his teddy bear, Fred? – you did it when you ridiculised Dad's hobby, not to mention when you almost made him lose his job because of that stupid car!'
George's eyes snapped open. 'It was Ron the one who was seen with the car, not us!'
Percy eyed him intently. 'Really? And who taught him to use the car? Which, it was not only reckless because of Dad's job, but also because Ron could've gotten seriously hurt-'
'Oh, sod off!' Fred snapped. 'As if you cared for Ron's or any of us' safety! The only thing that mattered to you back then and always was whether we ruined your precious reputation!'
Percy felt as though he'd been punched. He staggered backwards and stared at Fred's furious, sneering face. For a moment, he felt too shocked, too horrified to react. He'd never, ever, felt so insulted. Could his own brother think such a thing about him? Could anyone, really?
'You think that's all I cared about, don't you?' His voice was flat and lifeless. 'My reputation, my Head Boy badge?'
Fred raised an eyebrow, folding his arms. 'Wasn't it?'
Percy's eyes widened in disbelief.
'No, it wasn't,' he exploded, and both boys took a step backwards. 'Are you dim or what!' He started to pant. 'My badge was important to me, but it wasn't the most important thing, damnit! If I fretted over you, if I tried to watch over you, if I lectured you sometimes, it wasn't because of Gryffindor's points, but because I cared about what happened to you, morons! I told you off for playing pranks because I didn't want you to get in trouble or to be expelled, not because of what McGonagall could've thought of me, 'cause I knew she already esteemed me enough to ignore you,' he spat. 'When I got mad at Ron for sneaking into a girls' bathroom, it wasn't because I feared he would ruin my chances of being chosen as Head Boy, but because the bloody Chamber of Secrets had been opened!'
Percy realised he was hyperventilating. He tried to calm himself down but he felt his heart pounding furiously against his chest, both from rage, indignation and something else Percy could not identify. Fred and George were stunned into silence… for now.
'When in her first year, Ginny was so jumpy and you kept playing pranks on her –'
'We were trying to cheer her up,' Fred began, but Percy silenced him with a glare.
'Of course you were, but that didn't stop Ginny from getting paler and paler every passing day,' he hissed, 'that didn't stop her from crying until she had perpetually red eyes in the morning, that didn't stop her from looking sicker every day or from having nightmares all the time. Did you even notice all these things? Did you even realise how badly she was doing?'
'Don't you dare to imply we didn't care about her,' George growled. Percy merely shrugged.
'Sure you cared, and you tried to cheer her up. But sometimes making other people laugh isn't enough. Sometimes, being funny and witty and popular doesn't work. Sometimes you have to tell them off when they're screwing it up or to watch over them even when they don't want to or, to put it in your words, be a stuck-up git with no humour sense, just to help them out. And no, that doesn't make you popular, that doesn't make you their favourite person in the world – but you do it because you care for them, and you're willing to take the risk.'
Percy fell silent, his body trembling, his mouth completely dry. Once again, silence fell upon them like a rock… or a tombstone.
George's eyes were as round as Remembralls, even his mouth was slightly open. Evidently he'd never expected such outburst from his elder brother.
Truth to be told, Percy hadn't been expecting it either.
Fred, on the other hand, was shifting his weight from one foot to another. Something in his movements made Percy think of a panther getting ready to jump at its victim throat. Percy wasn't surprised. He'd always known that Fred not only was the most amusing and reckless of the twins, but he also was the one who fired up more easily and that could be infinitely nastier. No, Fred would not be convinced by mere words. He needed facts, things he could feel, and see and seize. Percy just didn't now how he would give them to him, or whether he would want to.
'For caring so much, you pretty much forgot all about us in the last year, didn't you,' Fred said scathingly. 'Except you count that awful letter you sent to Ron, with all that hideous stuff about Harry – because, when Dad was in St.Mungo's, you didn't even show up, did you?'
Percy closed his eyes for a moment, tired. Would they ever run out of reproachs? However, a nasty little voice in the back of his mind hastened to point out: You do know they're right, aren´t you?
'That letter wasn't one of my finest moments,' Percy admitted. 'Harry did not deserve many of the things written there – but, like I said before, back then I was naïve enough to fear those things everyone was saying could be truth and I didn't want Ron to get in trouble, like he'd done so many times just for following Harry Potter around.'
'And what about Dad,' George cut in.
'It's true I didn't show up – but that doesn't mean that I wasn't concerned, nor that I did not try to find out by other means how he was doing.'
'I don't believe you,' spat Fred. Percy shrugged.
''Course not. You never believed one thing I said, you never heard to one piece of advice I gave you, you never took me seriously. Why would you believe me now?'
'You never trusted us either,' George pointed out. 'How could we trust you?'
'And how could I trust you, when you were playing tricks on me the whole time?' he demanded. 'If you were constantly mocking every thing I said?'
'That was because you were nagging us all the time,' George defended himself. 'You were rather insufferable, mind you.'
'So were you, but people just found you funnier,' Percy replied. 'You played pranks on everyone, without giving a damn -'
'They were innocent –'
'Not always, George, and you know that as well as I do. You just took things too far, never stopping to consider what you were doing, never thinking about the harm you could be provoking – in short, you didn't care much about the rest, but everyone loved you, didn't they?' To Percy's horror, an acid, resentful tone of envy was staining each one of his words, but he simply could not stop himself. 'You were arrogant and inmature, you took many risks without thinking about consequences or how it could affect others, you were extremely selfish. And you were as ambitious as I was, and just as willing to do things that weren't precisely noble just to get what you wanted.' Percy grimaced. 'You just were better at pretending than I was.'
'How dare you?,' Fred roared. 'How dare you…? You have no clue of all we've been through or what we've done in this war, don't know us at all…'
'And neither you know me.' Percy sighed, suddenly devoid of resentment, of anger, of energy. 'And where does that take us?' Percy tilted his head and eyed Fred, who still looked ready to jump. Did he ever run out of adrenaline?
Percy had a sudden revelation. This wasn't going to be solved by talking. That just wasn't Fred Weasley's style. No, more drastic measures would be needed.
Well, let's just give the brat what he wants, shall we?
He eyed his younger brother, folding his arms. 'Do you want to punch me?'
'What?'
'Punch me, Fred,' explained Percy softly. 'Would it make you feel better? Would it help you to get over it? Because if that's the case, go ahead. Punch me and let's finish this once and for all.'
'What the hell…? Percy, you can't be serious… Fred, c'mon, don't be…'
Percy never knew what George was going to say next, because he felt a blazing pain in his jaw as Fred's right fist impacted against it. He staggered backwards, George yelped and Fred pulled back his arm to strike again – but this time, Percy was ready. When Fred launched himself forwards, he ducked and tackled his younger brother, dragging him to the ground. Once there he felt Fred's knee on his ribs in the very same moment Percy elbowed him as hard as he could.
Soon they were struggling so fiercely that Percy could neither tell where he was punching nor where he was being punched. It seemed like all the bottled up anger, frustration, and Merlin knows what had finally come out and Percy just couldn't stop himself. By the looks of it, neither could Fred.
'Stop it! Fred, Percy! Let it go!'
Percy was dimly aware of Geroge's bellowing, but he ignored it. So did Fred. Ironically, it was the first time they'd tacitly agreed on something.
'IMPEDIMENTA!'
Fred and Percy broke apart and, with a sudden and identical sense of doom, looked up to where the remaining twin's looming figure stood. George looked positively mad. His nostrils were flaring and his eyes burnt holes in his brothers'.
'WHAT THE SODDING HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?' he bellowed. 'ARE YOU FIVE OR WHAT? CAN'T YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM BY TALKING, LIKE CIVILISED PEOPLE DO?' He panted. 'No, Fred, shut up. You've already said enough, and that goes for you too, Percy. OK, so you're mad with us because we were prats, and we're mad with you 'cause you were a git. Got it! Now, get up from the floor and start to behave like human beings, do you hear me!'
Percy thought he'd never seen anything as scary as George in that moment. From the look on Fred's face, neither had he.
'Don't you realise what is going on?' George went on, in a lower but not less angered tone. 'There's a bleeding war out there, and you're bickering like when we were children or worse! Who cares if Percy was stuck-up or if we were careless? There're people dying out there, for Merlin's beard! Can't you take your head out of your butt long enough to see that next minute one of you could be dead? Whatever is wrong with you, get over it already!'
And with those last words echoing in their ears, he spun around so fast he nearly knocked a chair, pushed it away, swung open the door and disappeared. Percy and Fred exchanged a glance.
'Is he always such a charming boy?'
Fred shrugged, although he also looked a little shaken. 'Believe it or not, we have arguments every now and then – although he rarely fires up like this. He's supposed to be Dr.Jekyll and me, Mr.Hyde.'
With some difficulty, Percy pulled to his feet and, without sparing it a second thought, he stretched out a hand to Fred. After hesitating for the briefest moment, he took it and Percy pulled him to his feet. An awkward silence stretched between them.
'Well, maybe we should go and enjoy what's left of the party…'
That was when a high-pitched scream tore apart their eardrums.
---
Both the music and the lights were out. Screams, cursing, hurried footsteps, thumps, and all the usual noises that Percy associated with what Faith called 'deep shit' and Wesley, 'massive panic attack', reached his ears. This didn't look good.
'What's going on?'
Percy pushed Fred back, just in time to prevent him from being knocked by a running blonde lady.
'Is this… Is this a Death Eater attack?'
For once, the brave and careless Fred Weasley sounded scared. In spite of himself, Percy had to repress a snort. There you go, he couldn't help thinking, that's for throwing a party in the middle of a war.
However, as Percy's eyes scrutinized the surrounding darkness, he realised something was off. There was a piece of the puzzle that didn't fit with the others. Something's missing… but what is it?
And then, the missing piece fell into its right place:
'Nobody's throwing curses,' he whispered.
'What?'
Percy looked at Fred over his shoulder.
'If this was a Death Eater attack, you'd see curses flying in every direction, wouldn't you? But you don't see any… there are no sparks, no yelled hexes…' Actually, now he came to think of it, the only magic he saw people were using was the Lumos Charm. Nobody was attacking them… or, at least, they weren't doing it with magic. But then, what…?
And then he saw it. By the faint light of an ignited wand, he distinguished an inhuman face with now familiar ridges and eyes that flashed golden. The vision lasted an instant, as the creature moved too fast for Percy's gaze to follow it, but he'd seen enough.
'They aren't Death Eaters… they're vampires.'
Fred's eyes widened. 'But how can it be? They can't enter unless they're invited, can they?'
Percy frowned. 'Are you sure nobody could've invited them in by accident?'
His brother shook his head at once. 'Except for you lot, I knew all the guests personally…' His voice, though, tailed off. 'Oh, no… Isn't that Kenneth Towler?'
Percy followed Fred's horrified gaze and saw a vampire in bright blue robes chasing after none other but Black Eye's cousin, Wendell… something.
'Oh, shit… He was turned into a vampire? I can't believe it…'
Ignoring Fred, Percy aimed in Towler's direction.
'Incendio!'
The vampire roared as flames devoured him. Soon only ashes were left on the ground.
Fred's eyes were as wide as saucers.
'What… what…?'
Percy grabbed his brother by the shoulders and shook him.
'Listen up, Fred. There are only four ways of getting rid of vampires: beheading, sunlight, wood across the heart and fire. The one we've got at hand is fire, so this is what we need: light, fire, and calm down people before there's a bloodshed. Got it?' Fred nodded, very pale. 'And get George.'
Fred nodded one last time and, as Percy blended in the crowd, he heard his voice cry:
'Lumos Maxima!'
The room was lit up at once. Good. If people could see what was attacking them, they had less chances of panicking and getting killed. Besides, vampires would have a harder time to hide.
Percy saw one of them dragging a girl – was it the old Gryffindor's Quidditch player, Alicia-what-ever? – towards a corner, while she screamed and stuggled. Without sparing a second, Percy dashed towards them. When he was close enough he aimed his wand at the vampire, but the girl was too close – he couldn't set it on fire. Damnit.
'Impedimenta!'
He only managed to slow down the vampire a little but not much more. Vampires, like giants, were incredibly resistant to spells. Which was worse, now the creature was aware he had an opponent.
Smirking, the vampire twisted the girl's arm, who let out an ear- splitting cry, and put her against his chest, between him and Percy.
'C'mon, wizard. Shoot me now.'
He let out a nasty laugh, as one of his long nails traced a red bloody line on the girl's cheek. Percy gritted his teeth. Son of a bitch.
And he saw it. Somebody must have dropped it in the chaos that had ensued after the vampires had crashed in. Percy stopped himself from smirking.
'Wingardium Leviosa!'
The vampire winced, but nothing happened. He shot a quizzical look at Percy.
'Looks like your mojo backfired, huh?'
This time, Percy didn't try to conceal his smile.
'Accio wand!'
The wand, that somebody must have dropped right behind the vampire, rose to the air with the first spell… and then darted forwards, staking the vampire on his back.
As the girl fell to the floor in a cloud of dust, Percy caught the wand that flew to his hand.
'Are you okey?'
Still looking shaken up, the girl nodded.
'Here, you might find it useful.' He tossed her the wand… and heard a piercing scream that turned the blood in his veins into ice.
'Naoise!'
He spun round at lightspeed just in time to see Laoise's head hit the ground at her sister's feet, blood staining her face. A vampire in old-fashioned clothes with a terrifying smirk was turning in Naoise's direction.
Percy tried to run towards her, but she was in the opposite side of the room and there were too many people in between, all running and crashing against each other. Percy began to elbow, push and, if necessary, hex everyone on his way. When he craned his neck, he saw the vampire getting closer to Naoise, who seemed petrified.
'Fire, Naoise! Set it on fire!'
Naoise winced and her eyes found his.
'Set in on… ouch!'
Somebody had pushed Percy from behind, making him to trip and fall over, his face crashing against the floor. He felt a burning pain on his nose as blood rolled over his face and he would have bet his eyes were swelling, but there was no time to lose. He jumped to his feet and dashed forwards.
Not Naoise, please, not Naoise…He shouldn't have worried, though – as soon as he had a clear view, he saw Naoise ducking when the vampire tried to grab her neck, roll over and hit the creature with a well-aimed Fire Charm. That's my girl, he thought, delighted, as he run to her side.
'Percy,' she exclaimed, alarmed. 'What happened to your face?'
He waved a dismissive hand. 'Never mind that, how are you?'
'I'm fine, but Laoise-'
Percy pressed a finger on Laoise's neck.
'She's got pulse, don't worry…'
'Oh, thank goodness…'
Percy grabbed Naoise's shoulder. 'Take her to another room and stop the blood from coming out, if a vampire gets in your way, set it on fire at once.'
'What about you?'
Percy tried to look confident in spite of her concerned face.
'I'll be fine – this is my job, remember?'
She didn't look one hundred per cent reassured, but Laoise needed help inmeaditely and there was no time to lose, so she picked up her sister and disappeared from sight. Sighing from relief, Percy pulled to his feet – and heard a cold, feminine voice hiss in his ear:
'So, you're the Wiccan that works for the Slayers, huh?'
Before Percy could react, he felt her tight grip on his waist – the next moment, he was flying across the room.
His back hit painfully against the bar, the sound of shattering bottles filled his ears as he slipped and his body hit the floor. Air abandoned his lungs as an unbearable pain paralysed his muscles and bright stars seemed to dance before his eyes. He gasped for air and turned, just to see the female vampire jump onto the bar with the grace of a cat.
'C'mere, boys! Here's food for all,' her sing-song voice pierced Percy's ears and he felt his heart stopping when another two vampires appeared at each side of her, already transformed and growling.
My wand, Percy thought desperatly as shards of broken glass cut his hands, where's my wand?
'Oh, no, darling, I don't think so.'
She jumped from the bar and stomped on his hands. Percy let out a gasp of pain. Cackling, another of the vampires landed next to him and grabbed him by the collar of his robes.
'Let's have fun, shall we?'
His sharp teeth seemed to gleam in front of Percy's eyes.
I'm so screwed.
And then, suddenly, unexpectadly, he was released as flames danced before his eyes, only to be followed by ashes. Percy blinked and when he opened his eyes again, colourful sparks hit the female vampire, making her to burst.
'What the hell…?'
The third vampire never ended that sentence, because what eeriely seemed to be a Catherine wheel hit him, covering him in flames. Wait a moment. That didn't look like a Catherine wheel. That was a Catherine wheel!
Percy turned, and over the bar he saw the most bizarre scene yet: sparks, Catherine wheels and all kinds of fireworks appeared everywhere – and seemed to hit all vampires, as if they were being directed. His eyes widening in awe, he scrutinized the sight that appeared before his eyes... and saw Fred and George moving their wands as though they were leading an orchestra, making each firework hit its target. When he caught sight of his brother watching, Fred showed him a thumb up.
Well, that was quite unexpected.
---
'Those were quite impressive fireworks.'
Percy and George were sitting on a slightly burnt sofa, watching how some healers were taking care of the worst injuries and calming down some still hysterical guests. Helping with the latter was Fred Weasley, whose charm had once more come to the rescue as he tried to reassure his friends and colleagues that they were not going to be attacked anytime soon. Not without a little envy, Percy observed that Fred's jokes and witty comments did more to calm down people than the healers' potions.
George smiled tiredly.
'Thanks. To be honest, I never thought we could use our fireworks that way – we might include them in our line of defence products.'
One of Percy's eyebrows arched.
'Defence products?'
'Oh, yeah. We sell hats, gloves and cloaks with Shield Charms on them, Instant Darkness Powder from Peru, Decoy Detonators, etc. You wouldn't believe how many the Ministry itself has already ordered.' George's lips curved at Percy's stunned face. 'What, you thought we only had a jokes shop? What are we, senseless?'
Percy opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again.
'I think it's a brilliant idea.'
George tilted his head to one side, pensive. 'Funny, but I'm actually glad to hear you say it. I guess it's because I never heard any praise from you before.'
Percy shifted, uncomfortable, but there was no malice in George's voice.
'I was a little stuck-up back then.'
George nodded knowingly. 'And we were kind of a pain in the ass.' He let out a chuckle. 'You know what's funny?'
Percy frowned. 'Not really. Remember that I was always slow to get the jokes. What's funny?'
'That there were times we sort of envied you.'
Percy gaped, astonished.
'You've got to be kidding me!'
'No, really. I mean, most of the time we didn't, but sometimes, it really got to us how you seemed to do everything right and our parents swooned over you. It's annoying to be constantly compared to Perfection, y'know.'
It took Percy some time to realise his brother was talking seriously.
'C'mon, if you loved to do things wrong and unnerve Mum!'
'Well… yeah,' George admitted, smirking. 'But that doesn't mean that there were times – rare and far between, of course – that we'd have liked not to be the pair that only gave trouble and headaches. Just for once, we wanted to be the ones Mum and Dad felt proud of. Mad, isn't it?'
'No, I don't think it's mad,' Percy said slowly, once he'd recovered from the initial shock. 'Everyone craves for what you cannot have… For instance, even though I disapproved most of the things you did, there were times I wished I could've been so carefree, there were times I wished I could be so funny and relaxed.'
George raised an eyebrow in disbelief. 'Perfect Percy, feeling envious of Troublesome Twins?'
Percy bit his lower lip. Although he hadn't wanted to admit it for a long while, he'd actually felt envious of the twins. He'd tried to hide it, behind his perfect marks and behaviour, but deep down he would have liked to switch places, just for one day, and know what it felt like not to worry. He wondered how he could explain it to George… then he decided that plain truth would be enough.
'I envied your carelessness, and also your popularity. It's not like I wanted to be the King of the Ball – never liked crowds that much – but everyone seemed to listen to what you got to say, even though if it was stupid. But, above everything else –' Percy sighed. 'Above everything else, I envied the bond between you.'
George flinched, clearly surprised at his words. He stared at him and Percy held his gaze until dawning comprehension shone in his brother's eyes.
'You must've felt terrible lonely.'
Percy sighed and averted his eyes, fixing his gaze on a worried-looking healer instead. George, for once showing he had some tact, said nothing else. They sat in silence for a long while, until all the seriously injured people had been taken away to St. Mungo's. Fortunately, Laoise wasn't among them: she'd just been knocked out but she'd come around eventually. Percy thought he should go and check on her and Naoise – but that would have to be later. Now… now he just couldn't leave.
'You know, being twins isn't so great – not all the time, at least.'
George's soft voice pulled Percy out of his reverie.
'What do you mean?'
His young brother sighed. 'It's just… It's just that there are times that you fell like you're no longer an individual, you're no longer George Weasley… you are "Fred and George Weasley", nothing else… and did you notice how Fred's name always seems to come up first?'
Percy was definitely beffuddled.
'Is that a rethorical question?'
'No… well, I don't know.' He shrugged. 'Fred just seems to drag more attention than I do, and sometimes I feel like he casts a long shadow over me… Or perhaps it's just my imagination, I don't know. It's just a little tiresome, that's it.'
Percy looked at his brother, surprised beyond words. He'd never pictured that Fred and George's (or George and Fred's, why not?) relationship was anything but perfect. Sure, they fought every now and then, but usually they just seemed to complement each other. Percy would have never thought that George felt like his brother outshone him… and he would've never imagined that he would be the person George would choose to confide in. Percy couldn't help to wonder whether he really knew his brothers at all, and whether the idealized memories he had, in which his siblings were tight close whereas he was the only one left alone, hadn't been mere illusions.
'Don't tell Fred, okey?' George hastened to add. 'I don't want to upset him or anything.'
Percy assured at once he would tell no living soul, and once more he was surprised at the level of trust George showed towards him, after all what had happened between them. Now he came to think of it, Percy had never felt so close to George like in that very moment.
'I don't know if it matters to you,' he said softly, 'but I don't see you as Fred's shadow. I think you shine quite brightly on your own.'
George smirked, but Percy could tell he was pleased.
'How poetic.'
'Yeah, well, I'm an artist now. Musician and all.'
George laughed. 'Yeah, sure.'
There was a silence, again, but this time it wasn't awkward. After a moment, Percy put up enough courage to say what had been swirling in his mind for quite a while now.
'You've grown up.' George shot him a quizzical look and Percy saw he had to explain himself better. 'I mean, you're mature and… well, grown-ups. I didn't expect you to see you two like this.'
George seemed amused. 'You expected us to be children forever?'
He shrugged. 'I guess I thought you two would always be inmature, I'd have to perpetually lecture you, Ginny and Ron would always be the babies and Bill and Charlie would protect us all. But I guess that everything's changed now.'
His brother sighed. 'I guess.' He looked at Percy, thoughtful.
'You've grown up too, Perce. You've grown up too.'