"Thank you for coming to the Weasley sibling meeting, the topic of the meeting happens to be our favorite geeky brother, Percy," Ron said with good humor but it became obvious that he was serious about getting to the bottom of the anguish that Percy had let out in front of his family.
"You want me to fix your eyes up, Percy? They're very red and puffy" Ginny asked.
"Please" Percy nodded and Ginny muttered the spell and he felt a cooling sensation on his whole face.
"Much better" Ginny smiled and he smiled too.
"So start talking," George said.
Percy stared at the table trying to summon the same courage he managed with Oliver. He could always talk to Olly "since-..." Percy clammed up again then breathed in then out. "Since V-Voldemort returned and I left the family for so long I felt like an idiot. The moment I pulled my head of- well, you know, I wanted to come back. For the entire year, I wanted to come back but I kept replaying how it would go in my head, how much everyone hated me as much as I hated myself. For so long I just wanted to do something to…" his breath hitched and his eyes watered again.
He felt someone's arms around him, discovering long hair and slenderness of them he assumed Ginny but he didn't dare look up. "To end it all, I convinced myself that you guys wouldn't mind so much if you never s-saw me again" he sobbed.
"Like hell!" Charlie "everyone was torn up, mum in a million pieces, we-" Charlie paused, seeming choked up that Percy looked up tentatively. Bill looked destroyed and like he might start crying even though he, being the eldest, never cried. Ron looked sad and angry and like he may cry too but above all he was quiet.
"Keep going, he's not finished," Ginny said and Ron nodded.
"But when the battle was going on, I knew I had to go even if you guys hated me. I was so relieved when you took me back but then I felt more hopeless because Fred and-" Percy shook his head, determined to finish. "And I felt like I should have been there, then everything went back to business as usual and I felt like I needed to stay away. You guys didn't like me that much anyway," Percy said.
George looked pissed at that "we love you, Percy," he said firmly and Percy nodded.
"I know, I know everyone here loves me but for the longest time, I convinced myself you didn't. I hated myself so much but then I decided to quit being a slave for the ministry and it was like waking up. Then I fucked up and told Oliver everything, that I thought he was hot and… well, you know the rest. That's all" Percy added.
"We're Weasley's, we love and protect our own and Percy when it came down to it you came to fight with us," Bill said and Percy smiled, smiling tears that had collected again from his face.
"I know you think you're the only one that's felt like that but it may comfort you that I've felt pretty worthless too," Ron said "I mean for different reasons but you're not the only one who's turned their back on people they love," he said.
Percy hadn't thought about it, he'd never even considered that Ron would feel the same. That he, being the youngest boy, right before a girl that his mother had been waiting for would feel unwanted. "Ron, you never-"
"Ah let's not get into that, you'll make me start crying too," Ron said, looking away after his eyes started watering a bit "every single one us is important, okay? Because our parents love us and extend that love as many people as they can including Harry, Hermione, Teddy, and now Fleur. I think it's a Weasley thing that definitely needs continuing" Ron added.
"We tend to collect people, don't we?" Charlie laughed.
"A bit" Percy laughed "Gin, mind fixing my face again?" he asked.
"No problem" Ginny agreed "so this wedding is going to end up twice as spectacular as Bill and Fleur's. Ready for it? Your high profile now" she commented.
"Well, how was Bill and Fleur's?" Percy asked turning to his oldest brother.
Everyone paused and Percy slumped a little, he'd missed one of his brother's most important days of his life and for what? Pride. "It's okay, Percy, all in the past and it was spectacular. Now, mum and dad have lots of war compensation and dad's higher position at the ministry so money is no object."
Percy felt a bit drained for a moment "oh no," he said.
"Good luck," George said.
"I can't wait" Ginny beamed proudly.
Xxx
Percy was a little bored as he sat at the front desk in Ollivander's, he had his sketchbook in front of him with no ideas. He hadn't realized just how much of the business in Diagon Alley especially specialty shops like this depended on first years getting their things.
Most of the daily business they got was rare with a few broken or chipped wands that needing mending or replacing. But most of the time it was quiet which Percy liked but he also hated depending on the day.
So when he heard the bell he perked, he recognized Hestia Jones "hello Hestia," he greeted warmly and she returned his smile.
"Hello Percy, so rumors are true then? Ollivander finally took an apprentice?" she said.
"Yes and I am permitted to find or mend your wand, having troubles?" he asked and she looked behind her.
"Um, just a moment," she said walking toward the door "for goodness sake, Dudley, get in here," she said and dragged a man about Harry's age, 18 or 19 years old. He was tall and lanky like Ron is and his eyes were a piercing blue. He was wearing distinctly muggle clothing, jeans, a t-shirt and trainers that had a star on them.
The man was handsome too with blonde hair looking intentionally mussed but he looked nervous. "Hestia, I don't think this will help me," he complained.
"Then it won't hurt to test it, all hypothetical, Dudley here is probably a muggle" Hestia explained.
Percy raised an eyebrow "so you take him to a wand shop?" he asked.
"He can read our papers, he's seen dementors, cups have been broken in his presence" Hestia said.
"My mum can read papers too and Caitlin was with me when they broke too" Dudley pointed out.
"Yes but Caitlin wasn't nearly exploding with anger at her father now was she?" Hestia said.
"So you want to test if a wand will work for him?" Percy asked, intrigued.
"Yes," Hestia nodded.
"Excellent" Percy pulled out four boxes of a few of Ollivander's wands and one of his own. "Let's try it on the wand the least likely to explode on a muggle, this will tell if you're a wizard or not," he said offering the wand to Dudley.
Dudley hesitated before taking it gingerly "it's not a snake, Dudley, you've got to grip it" Hestia said and Dudley gripped the wand.
"Give it a wave," Percy said and Dudley waved it and the wand gushed out water that iced an entire shelf over. "Congratulations, you are a wizard," he said.
Dudley paled and stared at the shelf "I'm so sorry, I'll clean it up" he said setting the wand down like it bit him.
"Hey, it's okay" Hestia took his arm.
"Happens all the time, really, amazing that it made ice. You might be really good at charms, in that case, give this one a whirl" Percy said holding out one of his. It was his first ash wand, thin with a solid base and had ice like designs on it.
Dudley was more hesitant than the first time but took it and Percy smiled when it seemed to look just perfect in his hand. He waved it in a circle and his eyes widened as a blue light zipped out of his wand and sparkled beautifully.
"That's the one," Percy said, beaming "so what is your full name? I'd like to know the owner of the wand I created" he said.
"Oh, um Dudley Dursley," Dudley replied, looking not excited about being a wizard but was elated by the display the wand had displayed.
"Dursley?" Percy said tilting his head, that rang a bell and then his jaw dropped open as soon as he realized whom exactly he was talking to. If Harry, Hermione, and Ron had certainly grown into their skin eventually then Dudley had not only grown into his skin but seemed to shed his skin with a new body like a reptile.
"Strapping isn't he?" Hestia grinned pulling Dudley by the arm, Dudley stuttered a little.
"He could be on Witch Weekly" Percy commented then flushed "speaking objectively, of course, I'm getting married," he said showing her his ring.
"Really? I hadn't heard?" Hestia asked, Dudley similar to a tomato, somehow not used to the kind of attention he was being given.
"Yes, to Oliver Wood," Percy said, smiling broadly as he looked at his ring.
"Ooh, I'm happy for you" Hestia grinned.
"Thank you, I'll be sure to send you a wedding invitation," Percy said, "so um, what are you going to do about Dudley now that he's um not a muggle," he asked looking at Dudley.
"Probably give my parents a bloody heart attack, not that it would do much. I'm gay, quit college, and I'm a musician so why not make it official so they have more of a reason to disown me" Dudley said suddenly gaining a lot more personality than Percy expected.
"Dudley lives with me for now, he's a good roommate so I guess I'll have to teach him how to be a wizard," Hestia said.
"You just like to keep me around because you can walk around with just a bra and underwear and I won't bat an eye," Dudley said.
"A gay roommate has many benefits" Hestia shrugged "guess we better get some spell books, huh?" she looked to Dudley.
"I guess" Dudley said sighed.