Word Count: 1065


Percy freezes whenever he steps inside his home. It's dark, as it should be, but he has a feeling that he isn't alone. Somewhere in the shadows, he can feel eyes upon him.

Waving his wand, he quickly lights the room, and it takes every ounce of control not to scream when he sees someone at the table. After a moment of standing there with his heart hammering painfully in his chest, he realizes that it isn't an intruder. At least it isn't one who means him harm.

Charlie, who should still be in Romania doing whatever the hell it is that he does to dragons, sits in his kitchen, hands neatly folded and resting on the table. He offers Percy a grin. "Sorry, Perce. I would have put the kettle on, but I didn't want to plunder through your things."

Percy feels heat rise in cheeks. He stares at his older brother, a thousand thoughts rushing through his mind. For several seconds, he can't even speak. It takes a moment before he finds his voice.

"Oh, no, you won't plunder. You'll just break into my bloody flat!"

Charlie doesn't even try to look contrite. He shrugs and leans back in his chair, offering Charlie a grin. "You didn't even lock your door, Perce. What sort of madman doesn't lock up?"

Percy doesn't bother to answer. Irritated, he waves his wand, and the kitchen springs to life. Maybe he doesn't like to think about his parents, but his mother's lessons on domestic magic have stuck with him. In an instant, the kettle is on and cups arrange themselves by the stove. Another flick, and his cinnamon biscuits pile onto a tray. He doesn't want Charlie here, but he can at least be a gracious host.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Did you know Bill got married?" Charlie asks.

Percy squirms. Of course he knew. He had received the invasion, and he had actually considered going. He won't tell Charlie that.

"Best wishes to the happy couple," he mutters.

"It was a gorgeous wedding. Amazing food. Good wine." Charlie smiles wistfully. "Bill looked so happy. Sap that you are, you probably would have cried. Well, it was beautiful until the Ministry raided it."

Percy bites the inside of his cheek. He had heard talk of the raid at work. No one really bothered to whisper around him. Everyone seemed to praise him for being so unlike the rest of his family.

"I… I had nothing to do with that," Percy whispers, his mouth suddenly dry.

"I know. But the place you work did."

"Dad works there too." Dad. How long has it been since he's referred to the man as that. Guilt sours his stomach.

The kettle whistles, and Percy busies himself with preparing the tea. It's been years since they have sat together like this, but he still remembers that Charlie likes two sugars and no milk. It's funny how the little things stick with him.

"Dad doesn't work directly with the Minister. You do." Charlie closes his eyes and takes a deep breath like he needs to calm himself down. Next to Ron and Ginny, Charlie has always been the most fiery. Maybe he's mellowing out now that he's older. "You know they're targeting our family."

"Then perhaps you should follow the law."

"The law?" Charlie snaps, rising to his feet so suddenly that he nearly knocks the chair over in his haste. "Have you paid any attention to the law, Perce?"

"I'm well aware that it is unpleasant…" Percy swallows dryly and looks away.

He isn't blind. He knows exactly how bad things are. The doubts have been there, always in the back of his mind. Now that he has become completely disillusioned, it is too late.

"You remember Tonks, don't you?" Charlie asks. "Her father is a Muggleborn, and this is hurting her so much. You used to fancy her."

Percy squeezes his eyes shut for just a moment. He wishes he could block it all out and pretend that everything is okay. It isn't his fault. He wasn't the one who made this happen!

But he did sit back and keep his head down. Why should he act? Hasn't he spent years trying to wash his hands of his family? What right does he have to worry about them now?

"It kills you," Charlie says, his tone softer as his eyes widen with understanding. "You know how bad it is, and you think you can't do anything about it."

Percy forces his attention back to the platter. The tea has grown cold, but he doesn't care. He serves it anyway.

"It's not that I think I can't do anything," Percy says as he takes a seat. Charlie sits down again, seemingly much calmer now. "I know I can't."

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Is it?" Percy counters, defeat saturating each syllable.

"Yes. Go home," Charlie says simply before sipping his tea.

Percy shakes his head. He knows how unconditional his parents' love is. They would gladly welcome him with open arms. Maybe his siblings would give him hell for a while, but they would forgive him, and the hostility would fade into teasing.

But he can't. It isn't even about them anymore. He has tried to ignore the shame and guilt that have been building, but he can't anymore. The weight is there, and there's no escaping it. All the forgiveness in the world could never wash away the things he feels. He turned his back on his family, and he has no right to run back to them now.

"I think you should leave," Percy says softly.

"Perce, Mum and Dad worry about you," Charlie insists.

"Leave," Percy says, more firmly now.

"Perce…"

But Percy doesn't want to hear it. Maybe he needs to know that he is still loved, but he doesn't deserve it. He has done nothing to earn their love, and he will not accept it now.

Percy climbs to his feet. "Take the cup if you want to finish it," he says. "I want you gone by the time I start dinner."

He doesn't stick around to see if Charlie listens. Heart heavy, he heads to his bedroom and closes the door behind him. Tears sting his eyes, and only there in the privacy of his room, does he allow himself to cry.