Percy went to sleep that night feeling lighter than he had in years. The worry and fear that he'd carried around with him for months had just lifted away . It melted right off of him as soon as his siblings had joined him in a hug. And as he was squeezed and patted on the shoulder afterwards, with their faces contorted in an encouraging grin-or something akin to embarrassment in Ron's case-he realized that this was what he'd wanted most of all during his youth: acceptance.

Over and over, whether by his own family or others, Percy heard most often that he wasn't anything like them. It was difficult to brush it off when he'd began to feel like it , to become aware that despite there being seven of them, he never felt like he fit in anywhere. The rest of them had talents he could never achieve. So, he went elsewhere to find his own, where he could fit in with everyone else, without having his differences being shoved back into his face repeatedly.

Last night, once they all finished eating their dinner, the whole family and Harry sat around by the fire, staying up until the wee hours of the morning. They talked about anything and everything. Percy was an active participant, adding in his own stories or comments. The warm laughter that had haunted his dreams at times was back and it'd felt so nice to feel like he was apart of the family again.

His one true desire was occurring right before his eyes. Ever since he first came to beg for their forgiveness, he'd wanted nothing more than for things to turn around in the right direction, to get itself on the mend. Percy made an internal vow that he was going to do everything within his power to ensure that it would stay that way and keep going.

He'd long decided to push his pride aside. That moment was vivid; he'd been alone in his office one night, shuffling through paperwork when that pang of heartache hit him worse than ever. Even in the midst of wanting to push them to the side, he couldn't. It wasn't worth it anymore. Not even if he was offered the job of Minister for Magic. Not even if it was the most prestigious job in the world. None of that mattered anymore. His family was the most precious thing to him now, the way it should have been in the first place. He wasn't going to make that same mistake again of getting caught up in all the wrong things.

That was a promise.

Even with how late it was when Percy's head hit the pillow and he drifted off to sleep, he awoke rather early. The sun was just coming up over the horizon and the birds were chirping cheerfully to one another just outside his window. Perhaps it was in the spirit of the holidays or mere restlessness that kept him from enjoying a few more moments of his slumber. Or, and this was far more accurate, it might have had to do with pounding feet that zoomed past his doorway.

Percy groaned good-naturedly. Trust Fred and George not to let up even despite the holidays. They'd rushed past, making so much unnecessary noise and hollering that it was Christmas and that they needed to get up now . Honestly, they all should of been grateful that the twins hadn't used any of their products during their little stunt.

Still, as anyone would be, he'd been rather startled by the unexpected awakening, his heart thumping wildly when he jerked up until he became aware of his surroundings, relaxing a smidgen now that he knew he wasn't being ambushed by any Death Eaters.

The twins might wish they were attacked by Death Eaters once Mum gets through with them

Oh, they were going to be in for it now. Their mum had a set morning routine, one that she'd never strayed from since Percy could remember; she liked to enjoy the serneness of the morning before everyone else woke up, humming a soft, soothing tune. She would be seen cooking, typically so much that it could fit an entire table at Hogwarts, whilst sipping on a cup of tea.

She would not appreciate her quiet time being interrupted.

No doubt she ws going to be a bit peeved. Percy couldn't hide that wry grin, imagining his mum enjoying the peacefulness, then suddenly benign ripped away from it and jumping to her feet to scold the twins for disrupting and not acting their age. Although, by now, their antics were no surprise. She might even be resigned to them, but not enough that she wouldn't yell at them for it.

"Fred, George!" He heard their mum say, shrilly. "Now you let everyone sleep! I don't want to have anyone cranky because of you, two!"

"Aww, Mum!"

Percy chuckled as he reached for his glasses. He'd chosen to go back to his old bedroom to sleep in. The room where he'd found solstice in when Ron and Ginny decided he was no longer fun , as they preferred the company of the twins better. The room where he'd hidden in the corner, burying himself in a thick book with his then oversized glasses hanging down by his nose as he eagerly absorbed all the words that were before him. The room where he'd given a confident, yet apprehensive once over before he departed to Hogwarts for his first year. The room where he'd stormed into after that dreadful row with his dad, packing only the essentials and apparating away without a second thought.

You were selfish

You only cared about your feelings

Well, what about theirs?

Think it was nice, leaving your family like that?

They probably cried

All because of you

He winced when his bare feet touched the chilly floor. His slippers were left at his flat and due to when he'd gone to bed, it never occurred to him to conjure up new ones. Really, exhaustion had washed over him once he made it to his room and he promptly curled up after whisking away the clothes he'd worn and making them into pajamas instead.

His bedroom was mostly bare of any belongings. Back in the summer, he came to retrieve the rest of his things that he'd left, except for a few discarded books that were on his bookcase. He read those numerous times in pastime as a child.

He traced a finger over one of the binders of a book he'd read and reread to the point that, combined with the rough handling by the twins, it was starting to come apart. A faint smile came on his lips, remembering those fond days of his childhood. He was pleasantly surprised that his mum hadn't gotten rid of them.

For his own safety, Percy stuck his head out to cautiously glance both ways down the hallway, should his brothers come barreling down it again, not wanting to get caught in a collision. When he saw that everything was clear, he made his way downstairs to the kitchen. His mum and the twins were already there. She was placing some piping hot sausages onto Fred and George's plate, sternly instructing them not to do anything else and if they tried to spike Harry's drink again, there would be consequences.

He made a mental note to not let his own beverage out of his sight.

"Yes, Mum," they chorused, exchanging identical smirks. Percy knew they were up to something, a bit of holiday mischief that they'd most likely been planning on for ages.

"I'm serious you two," she gave them both that stern, mother look that she was infamous for. She pursed her lips at them, before her eyes descended on where Percy stood just outside of the room, sheepishly rubbing his forearm. "Oh, Percy. Good morning, Dear," she said, warmly.

"Morning, Mum," he said, shyly.

"Did you sleep well?" She was grabbing a plate for him, filling it with assorted foods. Warily, he eyed it as it became a small mountain right in front of him. He suspected that she thought of him as being much too thin , and was certain on fattening him up as much as could while he was there.

"Yes," he nodded, taking a seat in the same spot he'd sat at during dinner. He thanked her when she sat his plate down.

"Must have," George snickered beside him, playfully nudging Percy on the shoulder. "Snored loud enough."

Fred laughed as well.

"I do not snore," Percy protested.

George patted him on the knee in a you'll-learn-soon-enough sort of way. "Oh, you do. Worse than Ron. Actually, Ron's probably worse. I feel for Harry, sharing a dorm with him and all. How he sleeps is an utter miracle, I tell you."

Their mum simply shook her head. "Honestly, George. Be nice to your brother."

"I was," George insisted. "I could've mentioned how he tried to inhale the drapes once but I didn't ."

Fred sniggered and Percy rolled his eyes fondly.

"Not sure why you're surprised, Mum. Everyone knows Georgie, here, can't be nice if his life depended on it."

"Says you ."

"Oh, hush," she ordered.

"This is really good, Mum," Percy said after he'd taken a bite. He'd missed his mum's home cooked meals. He was decent at it, sure, having picked up some skill from observing her and taking part on a few occasions himself, but it wasn't anything compared to how she made things.

"Thank you, Percy," she beamed at him, leaning down to kiss the top of his head and a warmth blossomed in his chest.

"Is no one else awake yet?" he asked, making idle conversation as he cut his eggs up into smaller pieces.

"Miraculously no," their mum responded, shooting Fred and George a less than pleased expression. They smiled innocently-or, attempted to. "We'll give them a couple more hours."

"Aw Mum," Fred complained. "Why wait?"

"Yeah. We never wait this long."

That much was true. Sleep mattered to the Weasleys every other day except for Christmas. They'd wake at the crack of dawn, donning their Weasley sweater over their pajamas, eagerly awaiting to open their presents and dig into the feast their mum has prepared. It was simply unheard of not to .

"You'll open them when we say and I don't want to hear another word," she told them firmly.

"Mum," Percy said after some hesitation, "where's dad? Is he still sleeping?"

"Hmm? Oh, no. Your father's already up, he's in that shed of his doing Merlin know's what. He went out there early this morning."

I need to talk to him , he realized. As awkward as that might be .

He knew his dad forgave him, sparing no hard feelings toward Percy for anything he'd said or done, but his son felt that something more should be done. Once he'd grown older, closer to when he was to leave for Hogwarts, things between him and his parents hadn't been the same. They hadn't been as close, with Percy feeling much too old to be bonding with his parents; thus, their relationship suffered, him and his dad's especially.

It was impossible to take back all the hurtful things he said a few years ago in the middle of his ire. No matter what, he couldn't just forget the way his dad's face had clouded with incredulity and the pain of what his son had said without a care. Every once and a while, the memories of that night came back to him in his most vulnerable hours, when he lay tossing and turning in bed or by chance of him spotting his dad at work where he would send Percy a smile-of one that conveyed clear cautiousness.

His stomach would twist to the point that nausea crippled him, an overwhelming desire to hide or drop down to his knees in front of his dad to beg for forgiveness, dignity be gone. What was he to do now? Now that they'd gotten most of the thickness out of the air. His dad would say nothing, being far too merciful for Percy's taste. He'd never be able to convince the man otherwise-no one had to guess as to where Percy and his siblings got their stubbornness from.

" Mum ," Ron said in a winging tone, appearing at the doorway. "Tell Ginny she can't hog the bathroom. It's not fair that she's Harry and me wait."

Their mum sighed.

"Actually," Ginny slid by a dumbstruck Ron, shooting him a sweet smile. "It's just you. Harry's in there now."

Ron was doing a fabulous impression of a gaping fish. His gaze flickering between Ginny and back over his shoulder at nothing."Wha-but... mum !"

Their mum put her hands on her hips. "Honestly, you two. Ronnie, can't you act your age? You can use the bathroom after Harry gets done."

"But, Mum-"

"No buts," she told him. "Sit down and have some breakfast."

"Yeah, Ronnie," Fred snickered.

"Do as you're told," George wagged his finger at him like a disappointed mother, doing a terribly accurate impression of their mum.

A chuckle escaped from Percy, who couldn't hold back his amusement.

"Hang on," Fred said with a hand to his chest.

"Did we just-" George looked to his twin.

"I do believe we did."

"We just made Percy laugh," they finished together with a dramatic gasp.

"Oh, shut up," Percy blushed, but he was still grinning.

"You've never laughed at something we've said," George pointed out.

Percy shrugged. "You've never been funny."

The twins gasped, and George, being closer to him, reached out a hand to tickle Percy's side in retaliation. Percy yelped, having not expected it, and he squirmed to try and get away from the horrible sensations. Unfortunately for him, Ginny raced over to provide her assistance in and wrapped her arms around her older brother to effectively trap him. Poor Percy was stuck in dealing with George tickling him and being unable to move because of Ginny-which, if he'd of tried hard enough, he probably could have gotten himself free. However, there was concern that he'd end up hurting her if he did, so stayed put.

"Hehehe Mum ! Stopppp them!"

"Not until you say we're funny," George declared.

"Noooooo!" His laughter went up a notch when his brother began using both of his hands.

"Seems he's chosen the hard way, then," George shook his head mournfully.

"Georrrrrge," Percy was pleading with him through his laughter.

"I forgot how ticklish he was," Fred remarked.

"Worse than Ron, that's for sure," Ginny added in.

Ron's face reddened. "Shut up," he mumbled.

Percy was beginning to become breathless; luckily for him, perhaps unlucky for his siblings, their mum put a stop to it. "Alright, now. Let Percy go. Poor Dear is starting to get all red."

"Aww," the twins pouted.

George pulled his hands away from Percy's body and Ginny released her hold on him. Percy took the opportunity to inhale a big gulp of air. He didn't say anything to anyone while he also drank some juice to quince his dry mouth.

His siblings watched him cautiously, as if waiting for an explosion to occur. "You aren't mad at us, are you, Percy?" Ginny asked, frowning, misunderstanding his silence as a signal that his mood had soured.

"Yeah, Perce, we were just messing around," George tried.

"Oh, I know," Percy said, calmly. "And I hope you are aware that I will be getting you back."

George's frown turned into a broad grin. "I'd like to see you try," he said, challengingly.

"Yeah," Fred chimed in. Then, to his twin, he said, "I bet he's bluffing."

"You'll see, then, won't you?" Percy said, cryptically as he returned to his food with an air of mystery.

"Oooooh," the twins chorused. "Percy's got a dark side."

"And don't think you're off the hook either, Ginny," Percy told his sister when she began rubbing it in their faces that he would be after them and she wasn't going to help them. "Don't think that I've forgotten you were restraining me."

He smirked.

Playfulness was dancing in her eyes-it'd been a long time since they interacted like that with each other. If there ever was a time when they'd been like that. He couldn't remember. "Well, I agree with Fred; I don't think you will," she taunted.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Ginny said, confidently.

"You just wait, then," Percy spoke with a sense of mischief that hadn't been around in years.

Ginny didn't have a retort. "You should get Ron, too," she said. "Can't leave him out."

Ron's expression was priceless. "What'd I do?"

"Existed," Ginny and the twins deadpanned.

Their mum looked on with disapproval. Then, she said, "Ginny, is Harry in the shower?"

"I dunno, Mum."

She hummed. "I ought to put a warming charm on his plate. The poor dear needs to eat more. He's-"

"Much too thin?" Fred offered.

The silence that came from their mum indicated that was exactly what she'd been going to say.

"Say, Gin," George said. "Care to give us a hint as to what our present might be?"

"No," she said, simply.

"Oh, come on, Gin. Humor us. We're curious."

"Too bad," she said, flatly. "You can wait like everyone else."

"It better be good," Fred said.

"Yeah. Not like that bobbly thing that Ron got us one year."

"It was a bobble head and Hermione said you might like it," Ron said, embarrassed.

At the mention of her name, the twins began making kissy faces.

Hermione wasn't at the Burrow this year to celebrate. In the midst of everything going on, Percy honestly hadn't noticed her absence until it was time to head off to bed.

Percy frowned as he surveyed the room once everyone had gotten up to go to their respective rooms.

"Ron," he caught up with his brother at the top of the stairs. "Where's Hermione? I thought she was staying with us?"

"Oh," Ron seemed surprised at the question. Probably because it was so delayed. "She's with her parents. She said she'll visit us on Boxing Day."

"Mum! Make them stop!"

"You kids," she looked one more complaint away from brandishing her wand and using a silencing charm on all of them. "Settle down, all of you."

Percy decided the best thing would be to finish his breakfast without contributing to the overall chaos. The twins and Ginny went on to harass Ron about Hermione, while he just listened. Once he was done, he went back upstairs to brush his teeth, put on some clean clothes and grabbed a jumper off the end of his bed.

"I'm going to see Dad," he said to his mum on his way out. "I won't be long."

"Alright, sweetheart," she smiled up at him. "Do try to get him in eventually. I've no idea what he's up to but I'm sure it can be done another day."

"Yes, Mum."

The snow was crunching underneath his shoes. He shivered, crossing his arms over his chest as he made the distance from the house to the shed. The jumper he'd grabbed didn't feel nearly as warm enough now, not with the wind blowing worse than yesterday. It was going right through the fabric, biting at his skin. When he made it to the shed, he halted at the door.

Should he knock? Call for his dad to see if he was there despite knowing that he was? Walk in without an invention?

Oh, how silly he was being. This wasn't some stranger he was being forced to interact with. This was his own dad .

So why did his relationship feel more of that to something else?

Because of you

It's your fault

You did this

If it wasn't for you and your pride and ego, things would be different

He could well handle being around his dad when others were with them; he wouldn't feel solely responsible for the silence that was inevitably going to ensue. But when it was just the two of them, it was another other matter. And he hated how it was their reality.

Still, he straightened up his posture, summoning all of his Gryffindor bravery and knocked on the door as he opened it and stuck his head in. On the other side of the room was his dad. He hadn't heard his son come in at first. He was seated, but not working on some muggle trinket that he'd acquired from work or was given. Rather, his attention was on the photo album he was holding, flipping through the pages slowly with a fond, yet pained sort of smile.

"Dad?" Percy tried again.

This time, he did hear him. He met his son's eyes, immediately setting the object down onto the work table. "Percy," his dad looked quite happy at the interruption.

"Hi, Dad," Percy said, bashfully, his gaze going down to his feet. "May...May I come in?"

His dad readily accepted. "Yes, yes. Of course. Come right in and have a seat." He was wanting him to sit on the stool that was beside him. He did, walking over slowly as if giving his dad time in case he was to regret his offer. "I thought you would still be sleeping."

He looked curiously at Percy.

"Yes, well, I had a bit of an interruption."

His dad understood at what he was hinting at. "The twins?" he said, knowingly.

"The twins," Percy affirmed, chuckling, dispelling some of the awkwardness and nervousness he'd felt.

"Ah, I see. And what did they do this time?"

Percy told him. His dad shook his head, laughing. "Oh, those two. I take it your mother wasn't happy?"

"Not at all," Percy agreed.

They lapsed into silence.

"So, er, what're you looking at?" he asked, casually, despite not needing to. He was trying. Making conversation. Making an effort.

"Memories," his dad's voice was light, like he was a great distance away. He lifted up the album so Percy could take a gander at it. Right in the middle of the page, there was a picture of Percy, Bill and Charlie. They were all much younger, with childhood innocence and spirit. Charlie had Percy in a headlock, rubbing the palm of his hand on his younger brother's head, messing up his hair terribly. Percy was laughing, trying to wiggle away. Bill wasn't that far from them, yelling something that Percy couldn't tell just by the photograph. Probably egging Charlie on.

"You were so small as a child," his dad seemed like he was speaking more to himself than he was to Percy. Even so, his son listened attentively to every word. "Your mum and I were concerned that you weren't going to grow very tall. Seems that was for nothing, wasn't it?" he said while sparing a glance at Percy's lanky frame.

"I remember that day," Percy remarked, leaning over his dad's shoulder to take in the picture better. "Charlie used to pick me up and hold me upside down all the time when he wasn't keen on messing up my hair."

And if it wasn't Charlie doing it, it was Bill. His eldest brother used to snatch him up and throw him over his shoulder. Percy would whoop in delight. That was before he'd become too heavy and embarrassed by affection from his family.

"Yes," his dad was smiling. "Charlie had a way of bothering everyone, didn't he? I do remember a time when he surprised your mother by charming his stuffed dragon to breathe fire."

Percy laughed, too.

Their mum had been caught way off guard and her shriek of Charlie echoed throughout the house. Percy hadn't ever seen her face so red; although the twins had come close at times.

His dad flipped to another page. There Percy was at five years old; he was sitting on the couch, holding Ginny when she was an infant. He wore a proud grin as she curiously grabbed ahold of his finger.

Another turn of the pages.

Percy was helping his mum feed the twins, trying to spoon some mushy substance into one of their mouths.

Another.

He was curled up on the couch, sleeping. His arm was covering his face and he was still wearing his Hogwarts robes. He reckoned he was about fourteen or fifteen.

Another.

He was standing with Charlie and Bill just before they were to board the train. Their mum had ushered them to huddle close because she wanted a picture for the occasion. Percy was the only one who was cooperating. Bill was flicking Charlie on the back of the head, so Charlie was elbowing him in the stomach.

And another .

One that was taken by his mum. He and his dad were sitting in the shed, in fact. He was in his dad's lap, while he was being shown a muggle toy. His eyes were full of wonder and he was beaming.

Those pictures. All of them. They all included him somehow.

"They're all of me," he murmured, looking to his dad.

His dad's chair shifted, so he could better look at Percy. "This is your album. Your mum and I thought it would be nice to have an album dedicated to each one of you. Plenty of baby pictures for when you get a girlfriend."

The light teasing made him smile, unable to contain it.

"Unless you happened to have a lady friend now ?" his dad said, interestedly.

"Oh, no," Percy denied, truthfully. "Definitely not. Someday. Just...just not now. I...I don't think I'm ready yet."

"Of course," his dad nodded. "Well, when you're ready, I wouldn't mind-if you don't mind-giving you any advice like I did with Bill and Charlie. If you're alright with that, of course."

He was trying not to slip up. Trying to give Percy his space but also wishing to be included. He was doing his very best not to overstep any boundaries.

"I'd like that," Percy said, quietly.

His dad's hand clasped his own, giving it a squeeze.

"Son?"

"Yes?"

His dad seemed to struggle with his words. "You know I've always been proud of you, haven't you?"

"Of course," Percy said, but it didn't sound convincing to his own ears.

"I am," his dad said, firmly. "I...I have been."

"Even when I started working at the Ministry?" Percy dared to look at his dad's face.

"Yes," his dad said, simply, taking Percy aback.

"But I thought? You never..."
"I was upset," his dad admitted. "I'd always dreamed of you working alongside me, so when you didn't, I thought you were embarrassed by me."

"I was," Percy confessed and he hated to say it out loud. "A bit. I just...I just wanted to do my own thing. I felt like I was appreciated by Crouch and Fudge. I thought they were..." he trailed of.

"Proud of you," his dad finished for him.

"Yes," he lowered his head in shame. "I finally felt like I fit in. I never felt that way here."

"But why?" His dad looked so lost. "How could you ever think that?"

" Because everyone excels at what I don't. Bill was good at school and popular. Charlie played quidditch. The twins have their pranks; Ron's best friend is Harry Potter and Ginny is much more outgoing than I ever was!"

He let go of his dad's hands, getting up to pace around in the shed's limited space, arms moving around as he emphasized what he was saying. Then, he crossed them. Percy yearned to come up with something meaningful to say in that moment. Anything to convey how properly sorry he was and how he was willing to to do anything to mend the broken bridge between them.

He just couldn't.

His dad was looking over at him, waiting patiently for him to get the words out. To say something, anything . But his mind suddenly felt jumbled and nothing seemed right. "I felt lost. After our row. I...I what I mean to say is...I've, erm, I've given it a lot of thought and..." he just couldn't get it right. He'd rehearsed in his mind some simple lines of what he was supposed to say but words failed him.

"Percy," his dad's tone was soft and soothing. "You don't have to say anything, son. Your mother and I told you it was okay last night, didn't we? What more is there to say?"

So much more

You don't understand

I'm trying to make it all better

Please just let me

"Enough," he managed to keep his voice steady. His eyes were pleading with his dad just to hear him out, to let him get it all off his chest. "Please. Just listen. I...I have to say it. I've got to."

He ended the sentence with a whisper, sounding as broken as he felt.

Bless his dad, who picked up on the seriousness of it all. "Alright, son," he was whispering, too, giving his hand another tight squeeze. "Go on. Say what you need to say."

Percy gathered his bearings, trying to slow down his mind so he could put together coherent sentences. "After our row," he tried again, slower this time, "I felt lost. I was angry. I didn't want to think you were right-even though you were. No one seemed to care about my feelings; they just wanted a chance to point out how I'd been wrong. I was just tired of it. I was tired of feeling hurt and unloved."

A shadow of some kind of emotion passed over his dad's face. "You didn't feel loved? Not at all?"

"How could I have?" Percy said it without any animosity. "When the twins wouldn't leave me alone, Ron and Ginny wanted nothing to do with me and you and Mum seemed too busy about everything else to care about my accomplishments?"

"But never mind that," Percy abruptly inhaled, rather sharply, as if that was supposed to get him back on track of what he was supposed to be discussing. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I can't take back what I said, but I hope you know that if I could, I would do it in an instant."

His dad was rising from the chair. "Oh, Percy..."

"I'm still trying to forgive myself," he let out what was a cross between a humorless laugh and a sob. "It's just so hard . I let my ambition take over and I hurt everyone. Most importantly, Dad, I...I hurt you."

He was taken into his dad's strong arms, practically collapsing within them. Percy's face was pressed into his shoulder, his breathing becoming shuddered. "Oh, my son," his dad murmured. "There, there."

"I'm sorry," Percy's voice was barely audible. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm so bloody sorry for how I acted. I just...I want everything to be alright again, but I just don't know what to do !"

His voice reverberated off the walls.

"I know," and that was all his dad needed to say. "I know you are, Percy. I'm sorry as well. We've both made mistakes."

"I wanna...I...I want to fix this. Us. Somehow."

"You're already fixing it," his dad said, tenderly.

Percy gripped the sides of his jumper. "I love you, Dad," his voice was quieter now. A mere whisper.

"I love you, too, Percy," his dad whispered into his ear.


They didn't know how long they'd stayed there, standing in the middle of the shed in that tight embrace. The world had simply stopped, time had stood still and all that could process in his mind was how good it felt to have his dad hold him again.

When they let go, his eyes were misty but he was smiling the widest he had in years. He took off his glasses to wipe them. The ache that had been nagging him had evaporated and just like the relief he'd felt from last night, he felt like he could finally breathe again.

"Alright there, Percy?"

"Yes," he nodded, sniffling some.

His dad clasped a hand on his shoulder. "What's say we go back inside, shall we? I'm sure your mum and everyone else are eager to get a move on with today's activities."

With his dad's arm around his shoulders, he and Percy went back into the house, where everyone else was up, dressed and-in the case of the twins and Ron-waiting rather impatiently.

"Finally!" Fred and George exclaimed.

"We thought we were gonna have to come get you."

"By force if necessary."

"We're not really picky on how we do it."

"Well, we're here now," his dad said to everyone. "Who's going to open first?"

They were in the living room; his parents were on the couch, holding hands, Ginny was one of the armchairs with her feet tucked underneath of her, as were Ron and Harry. The twins and Percy sat on the floor.

"Oh! I've nearly forgotten!" their mum rushed off towards upstairs and came back down with everyone's jumper in her arms. She began to hand them out one by one. Percy's was a bright shade of blue with a large P in the middle. His fingers softly caressed the material, cherishing that he was given another one after what he'd done instead of being rightfully denied.

He took his glasses off, pulling the jumper over his head and pushed it down, then put his glasses back on and adjusted them just right. Once everyone had put their respective jumper on, they were finally ready to begin opening presents.

"Alright, who's going first?" their dad asked.

"Me!"

"You went first last time, Ron!"

"Yeah! We want our turn!"

"Then let Harry go!"

"Oh, erm, it's fine. I don't care..."

"How about," their dad's voice rose his siblings, causing them to quiet down, "Percy goes, eh?" He looked toward his son, as if silently asking for permission. "Is that alright with you?"

Percy's face reddened when the attention fell onto him. "Oh, yes. That's, erm, fine." His dad went to pick out one of them for him, pausing when he spoke again. "It's just that...I wasn't expecting anything this year."

"What?" his mum's face looked crushed. "How could you have thought we wouldn't get you anything?"

"Well-" he faltered. He hadn't meant to hurt her. He was only being honest. "I just didn't think anyone would think of me."

That admission made things worse . "Of course we thought of you," his dad was stricken with guilt-of which, Percy couldn't figure out why. "You're our son. We would never do that."

"I'm sorry," he looked down, only to glance up at everyone in the room. "I don't want to upset anyone."

"We're not upset," Ginny said thorough he wasn't so certain by the way her face was looking. As if, just their dad, she was racked with guilt. But that made no sense because if anything, he should be the one to feel that way. "Not with you ."

"Then who?"

"Ourselves," Ron mumbled.

Percy was baffled. "But you shouldn't," he argued.

"And you shouldn't, either," Fred countered. "Didn't we already agree last night that we're both at fault?"

"Yes, but-"

"But what? No offence, Perce, but you stay like this forever."

"Like what, exactly?" he asked, stiffly.

He was waiting for some snide remark. Something mocking. Anything that was going to take them back several steps.

But it never came.

His younger brother shifted. "You know, like this," he gestured. "All nervous. Even Ginny wasn't as bad when Harry first came over."

"Remember when her elbow went in the butter dish?" George chimed in, sniggering.

Ron burst out laughing whilst Ginny glowered at him. Harry looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"George Weasley, you said you'd never bring that up again!"

"I suppose I lied," George said, cheerfully.

Fred leaned in to whisper in Percy's ear. "Think we can split up George's gifts between ourselves. Looks like he won't be needing them" He pointed over to where Ginny had leaped on her older brother's back and was wrestling with him. Their dad was trying to pull them apart and their mum was scolding them for their behavior.

"I suppose," Percy's smile was only halfhearted.

Fred sighed. "What's it gonna take for you to get back to normal? Well, as normal as a ministry loving, family disowning, power hungry moron can be." He wasn't annoyed, wasn't sounding fed-up. He was genuinely curious, if a bit worried.

"I don't know," Percy admitted, keeping his gaze on the chaos that was still going on in front of them. "I keep telling myself things are different now, I felt like they were. I woke up happy for the first time in years. But things just don't feel the same."

Fred frowned.

"I told dad I haven't forgiven myself," he sighed. "I know you all keep telling me you have and I'm grateful for it. But I can't forgive myself for everything I've done. I've made terrible mistakes."

"We all have," Fred shrugged. "We've all done things we aren't proud of. It might shock you, but George and I aren't perfect."

Percy rolled his eyes with the smallest hint of a smile on his lips.

"I know, shocking. I can't believe I said the words, myself. But it had to be done," Fred said with an air of a sacrifice made by a war hero. Then he sobered up. "Look, I really don't know what to tell you, Perce, but you've got to forget about all that. Everyone's moved on. You're still our brother, no matter what."

"Even though I basically disowned you all?" Percy said, glumly.

"Even then," Fred patted him on the back.

"Thanks, Fred," Percy said, weakly. "I know I haven't told you enough, but I love you."

"Yeah, yeah," Fred playfully shoved him. "No need to get all mushy on us. And just so you know, between you and me, you may be the favorite if Ron's gifts for George and I are as bad as we think they are."

"What if mine aren't much better?" Percy smiled, this time it was more genuine.

"Can't be much worse than a bobbly head."

"Sit," their dad ordered Ginny. "And don't attack your brother again."

George was rubbing his neck. "I think she broke something. What if I go to bed tonight and never wake up? You'll feel guilty," he told Ginny.

"Wanna bet?" she retorted.

Their mum faceplamed. Their dad looked tired. "Percy, would you please open something?"

Percy glanced at the bundle of gifts that were sitting under the tree. "What should I open first?" He pointed toward one that was the nearest. "This one?"

"That's George and I's," Fred said.

"I suppose I can start with this-"

"Actually," Fred disagreed. "Wait until last."

"The very last," George said. "After everyone's done."

"If you insist," Percy blinked.

"Open mine!" That was from Ginny. She was pointing at the one wrapped in red gift wrapping. "You'll love it."

"I'm sure I will," Percy said, warmly. He wasn't as fast with tearing open the paper as his siblings would have liked him to be. They exchanged looks of exasperation.

When the paper was pulled away, his heart gave a leap. It was a framed photograph from when they'd been much younger. Ginny must not have been more than five years old; she was sitting on top of Percy's shoulder, beaming toothily and leaning down to hug him from behind. Picture Percy glanced his head up, puffing out his cheeks, causing his sister to giggle.

"Oh, Gin," Percy was touched by the sentimental gift. "Where did you find this?"

"Mum and Dad," Ginny said. "They have a whole album of pictures I've never seen before."

"Thank you," he loved it. Absolutely adored it.

"You really like it?"

"Love it," he assured her.

He went through several more things; a bundle of assorted sweets from his mum, from his dad there were tickets for his favorite quidditch team ("I wasn't sure if you'd be around for it," his dad admitted. "But I'd hoped you would be,"); a lengthy, seven part book series called The Chronicals of Narnia from Ron ("Hermione suggested it," he said, growing red when the twins awwed ) and a stationery from Harry, in Gryffindor colors, no less.

He thanked each giver profusely. It was all unexpected, most of all from Harry. He didn't consider that the boy would be willing to do anything for him after the rift that had come between them-not that there'd been much initially , as he was more a friend to Ron than anyone else's. But he had. An inkling told him that the stationery was a last minute decision, as Harry most likely didn't know the extent of Percy's interests.

Regardless, it was most appreciated.

"I ought to show you all yours now. My little bag is around here somewhere," Percy hummed, eyes skimming over where all of the presents were placed.

"Right here," George tossed it over to him, as it was still shrunken to miniature size. "I hope it's good."

"You should be grateful, no matter what it is," their mum scolded.

Percy took out all of the bags contents, placing it on the other side of him. It was a generous heaping. With all of the work he'd done to help the Ministry and what was given as a bonus by Kingsley to all of the workers who had stayed during the rein of You-Know-Who and his followers. It gave him the opportunity to indulge in some rather satisfying shopping that he hadn't been able to do before, which might have been another act of desperation on his part. He'd hoped by buying the right things, things that they would very much like, it would be another way of winning them over, as he most certainly didn't think they would be adamant on earnestly forgiving him so soon.

The eyes of his family and Harry went as big as supper plates when he kept pulling out things. Embarrassment washed over him, as did the feeling of self-consciousness. His face flamed pink, and for the first time, he wished he would have put a limit on his list.

"Whoa," that rather articulate whisper came from Ron.

His dad recovered first. "That's quite a lot of gifts, son. That's very kind of you."

Percy ducked his head. "Erm, well. I might have overdid it a tad."

"I'll say," George muttered to Fred. "Boy, is this what Malfoy sees at Holidays?"

Percy began distributing the gifts. He needed to do it, to busy himself and not sit there like some useless log. "If...if you don't like anything, you're welcome to return it."

He felt his dad tug on one of his curls. "Absolutely not," he said, firmly. "There will be no returning anything. You took plenty of time, it seems, to buy all of these nice things and we're going to enjoy them."

There was a chorus of unanimous agreement.

While the family and Harry began to open up their packages, Percy took the lid off of his container of sweets, opting for a piece of delicious looking and wonderfully creamy fudge. It melted right on his tongue.

"No way !" Ginny had tore open her present, holding up a Weird Sisters t-shirt. There were a few different types, all of which had been on the racks. He'd decided, after spending five minutes at the display, deliberating on which she'd like best, to just get them all.

"Look, Harry!" Ron excitedly showed him the newest Chudley Cannons poster he now owned. His youngest brother had been fairly easy. All of his were Cannons merchandise. "This is brilliant! What'd you get?" he asked offhandedly.

"Erm," Harry, like Percy, had been watching everyone else. Percy had gone more down a path of practicality, also from not knowing the boy quite as closely as Ron did. He was given a wand holster, a handful of books that would be useful when he began Auror training and a large quantity of treacle tart-that much he did know. He could vaguely recall during his time at Hogwarts when Harry would help himself to the dessert at every chance he got.

"Oh," Harry was surprised. "Thanks, Percy."

"Do you like it?" Percy's tone was laced with the smallest hint of anxiety. "I wasn't sure if you would. I know you aren't particularly fond of reading, but I thought those might help you."

"It's great," Harry said, honestly. "Really. I like it."

Percy relaxed.

His siblings and Harry swiveled their eyes over to where their parents were. They'd not yet opened anything and now they couldn't put it off any longer. "Oh, is our turn?" their dad said, happily. "Well, this is very exciting."

Their mum unwrapped one of hers first. "Oh, Dear," she held up a bright red jumper with the words Best Mum in the middle. He realized now that it was going to clash terribly with her hair, but she wouldn't mind, he thought- hoped . "This is wonderful. Wherever did you find this?"

"There's a new shop in Diagon Alley," he mentioned. "A whole shop for jumpers. It's nice. There's one for you, too, Dad-" he slapped a hand over his mouth, feeling upset with himself for spoiling one of the gifts.

"So there is," their dad wasn't upset. He held up his own Best Dad jumper in admiration. "This is very nice, son. Thank you."

"Yes," their mum agreed, as she reached over to pat his cheek lovingly. "Thank you, love."

He couldn't refrain from beaming.

His parents were thankful for the rest of the things they'd received, idly remarking that they didn't know where they were going to put it all. And once all of that was over, Percy had intended on taking out his wand to help pick up all the excess paper, but he'd forgotten all about Fred and George's gifts for him.

"What about ours?" they cried.

"Oh," he was startled. "Right." He began to reach for it when a thought occurred to him. "It's not going to explode on me, is it?"

"No," Fred pretended to back away and get behind George. " Definitely not."

"Just be thankful it's not a bobbly head," George added.

Ron groaned.

"Would you two let that go ?"

They looked to each other and shrugged. "Nah," they said.

"Go on, Perce!"

"Open it up already!"

"Yeah, we're growing old, waiting for you!"

"Fine, fine," Percy carefully tore off the paper. It was nice wrapping, no need to waste it. He expected a book; that was what he was often given. However, that wasn't what he received.

It was a collar.

A bright blue one. And it was tiny .

"Thank you?" Percy said, confused. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

Fred stood, stretching. "Stay here. Be right back."

"And close your eyes," George instructed.

"George-"

"Close them!" George screeched. Ron, Ginny and Harry covered their ears.

Percy complied warily.

"I'm still not certain as to why this is necessary," he said.

"You will in a moment."

He heard Fred's footsteps, instinctively braced himself, but his apprehension turned to curiosity when he felt something fluffy get placed in his lap. His eyes shot open, and he stared, jaw dropped, at the sight of the kitten that was staring back up at him with wonder.

"You got me a cat," he said, disbelievingly.

"Nothing gets past you, eh?" Fred grinned.

"No wonder you were Prefect."

"You got me a cat ," Percy repeated, unable to quite believe it just yet.

It was positively tiny , the perfect size for it's collar. It was a boy; brown and white fur and yellow eyes. He was purring, rubbing against Percy's stomach. The redhead's heart warmed and he used the back of one of his fingers to caress the feline's cheek.

Percy was utterly speechless. "How...why...you.. thank you . Thank you, both. This is...I've always wanted a cat."

"You have?" His parents were genuinely surprised by his statement.

"We thought you wanted an owl," his dad said. "That's why you got Hermes."

Percy shrugged unsurely. "I love Hermes. He's a wonderful companion and I didn't mind getting an owl, but I would have preferred a cat."

"Then why didn't you get one?" his dad asked, trying to understand.

"I didn't think we could afford it," Percy admitted. "And I didn't want to ask."

"Did you two know?" their mum addressed the twins. "That Percy wanted a cat?"

"Yeah."

"Weatherby, here, mentioned it before."

"Long time ago. Back when Fred and I were just a miniature version of the angels that you see before you."

Percy chuckled, but he was also a bit touched that they'd remembered. He couldn't even remember saying it to them.

Ginny scoffed.

"But you didn't even know I was coming," Percy furrowed his eyebrows.

"So?"

"What if I didn't show up?"

"We'd send him through the mail," Fred shrugged.

"Who knows, he might have enjoyed it," George said.

" Fred, George ! You don't send a kitten through the mail!"

"But where did you get him come?" Percy asked.

"Lee. He's a got a cat, you know."

"Loads of kittens. He passed one out to the whole quidditch team."

"Harrykins declined."

"And we didn't need one."

"So, just like the generous, handsome blokes we are-" They ignored Ginny's scoff. "We decided to give him to you."

Percy smiled softly. "Thank you." The kitten squeakily meowed. "Do you happen to know his name?"

"Doesn't have one yet," Fred said.

"Course, if you want our opinion-"

"Who would?" Ginny snorted.

"We'd be honored if you name him after ourselves."

"For our most generous gift giving, of course."

"Don't listen to them, Percy," their mum ordered. "You can name your kitten anything you want."

"Sure, sure. But Fred ii has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Actually," George piped up. "I quite like Geo, myself."

"What do you think, son?" their dad said.

Percy brought the kitten closer to his face, nose crinkling up in delight when it licked his nose with its scratchy tongue. "I think ," he thought about it, observing how the feline was turning its head every which way to get a good glimpse of the room and everyone in it. "I think I'm going to name him Ranger."

"Ranger?" the room echoed.

"Fred Ranger, right?" Fred joked. "Or Ranger Fred?"

"He's curious," Percy explained his choice, while ignoring his brother, which made him pout. "He keeps looking around. I don't know, I thought it was clever."

"It's very nice," their mum reassured him.

"Not the best name, but it'll do," George said, sighing dramatically.


Ranger turned out to be Percy's most favorite gift he got.

His attention zeroed in on the feline, cooing at it and grinning as it playfully nipped at his finger. At one point, Ranger climbed up on his shoulder, rubbing the side of his face on Percy, purring loudly and contentedly. They played and snuggled for an hour or two and he was a bit saddened when Ranger curled up for a nap.

Don't know about you lot, but I'm getting quite bored just sitting around," Fred said to them as he stretched and sat up, for he'd been laying on his back since they'd finished opening gifts. "I say we go outside and have ourselves a little fun."

"What sort of fun?" Harry said, suspiciously.

"Oh, Harry. You wound me. Nothing serious. Just a little snowball fight to tame our restless spirits. What'd you say, you lot? You in?"

"Alright," George, unsurprisingly, was the first to agree.

"Long as you don't shove it down my shirt again, fine," Harry muttered and the twins grinned.

"Fine," Ron eventually agreed. "But I'm on Harry's team."

"Seems we should get Ginny," George noted to Fred.

"Quite right, brother of mine," Fred went on to holler for their sister.

"What?" Gunny had gone back up to her room and came down wearing one of the t-shirts that Percy had gotten for her.

"Care to engage in our snowball fight?"

"Alright. But I'll sick a bat boogey hex on you if you shove snow down my shirt again," she threatened.

Her older brothers exhcnaged amused glances.

"How about you, Perce?"

All eyes were on him. For the first time in a long while, the twins were looking to him with genuine hopefulness. They actually wanted him to join in. Since coming back in, he hadn't planned on going back out; not after benign exposed to the frigid temperature.

The twins let out a whoop.

And that was how Percy found himself sitting directly behind a magically drawn up snow bank with Fred and Ginny sitting beside him. He was sure that his hands were going numb, despite the gloves he wore and his cheeks were aching.

But he was also having so much fun.

Once he let his guard down, telling himself that their request for him joining wasn't for another of their pranks, he remembered what it was like to play in the snow as a child, before everything got so serious.

From across the yard, Harry, Ron and George pelted their snowballs at their bank. Fred had been bent over, now was gathering up a few more balls, preparing to jump up and retaliate. "Wait," Percy said, yanking on his brother's pants. Fred paused, glancing down. "You'll get killed doing that. Why don't I help? We can both get them if we go at the same time."

"Genius," Fred said and Percy didn't think he ever heard that, other than in a mocking way. "I like the way you think."

"And Ginny," he turned to his sister. "You go attack Harry. Knock him down if you can get in a bit of a run.

Fred snickered. "Ruthless."

"Got it," Ginny nodded.

"Oh my lead," Percy said, just before they ambushed the two. "One, two, three! " Fred let out a defeaneing battle cry as they jumped out of either side of the bank. His brother lunged at Ron while Ginny went-successfully-for Harry.

As for Percy, he hadn't forgotten his promise he'd made to both Ginny and George. But for now, he'd attend to George. "Oh, George," he called, grinning wickedly.

Whatever his brother had been saying was muffled the snowballs that hit him directly in the face. Percy threw multiple of them at his brother. He was nearly out when he leaned too far forward, accidentally falling onto George, whom let out an oof . They fell to the ground, with most of Percy's body weight on him. Percy rolled off him, laying directly on the cold, wet ground.

"Fred!" George wailed. "Help me! Percy's heavy! I think I broke something-oi!"

Percy put a handful of snow right on George's face, making sure to really rub it in. "Oops," he said, impishly. " So sorry."

"I don't think you are."

"I'm not."

His brother flicked some back. So did Percy. And again, so did George and now they were involved in some kind of mini fight between them, nether wanting to be the first to give up. "Apologize!" Percy got on top of his brother to straddle him. Laughter was bubbling to the surface, out of Percy's throat in a way that hadn't happened for a long time. "You called me fat, so say you're sorry! Say it!"

"Did not!" George shot back, doing a horrible job of ducking out of the way. "I called you heavy !"

"Fat," Percy corrected, not letting up, "you practically called me fat and because of that, you will suffer the consequences." His eyes were sparkling with mischievousness.

They wrestled around for a few moments-and Merlin , Percy had forgotten how much fun it was to let loose and mess around instead of slipping into that role of a dedicated Ministry worker, where he had to keep up a serious attitude. This was far more enjoyable and momentarily, the anxiety, the thoughts that had contolled him since receiving his invitation to join them-it all went away.

And this, it was unlike him. His past self, back when he'd been stuck up with a permitent stick up his bum, wouldn't have done this. He wouldn't have agreed to come out, much less whatever this was he was doing with George.

Did they notice that, too? Could they see a difference in how he acted? He was sure they did. They'd have to be daft not to; and one thing was for sure, none of them were daft.

George thrashed beneath him, trying his hardest to wiggle out from Percy's grip, his efforts in vein as the red-head was physically stronger, despite being what his mother would deem to be far too thin.

"So," Percy drawled, unable to suppress the grin that was tugging at his lips, pinning his brother down with his hands pressed into the younger boy's forearms, "are you going to apologize? Don't think I've forgotten about this morning."

"Never!" George hollered.

Still keeping a firm grip and using his knees to help, Percy messed up his brother's hair, using both of his hands to make it stick up at odd ends

"That the-best you got!" George managed to get out.

"Oh, no. I have a better way of getting my revenge," Percy smiled innocently. He wasted no time in tickling any spot of his brother's that he could reach. George made a noise between a whine and a squeak and writhed beneath him, trying his hardest to escape. "And by the way, you're not funny."

"S-s-screw you !" George laughed.

Percy smiled cheekily, ruffling his hair before jumping to his feet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go find out sister."

Ginny shrieked happily, running as fast as she could to get away from him.

They all stayed outside until their mum stuck her head out to inform them that it was lunch time. By then, they were tired and cold and hungry. They piled into the house, the happiest they'd ever been in years .

And later that evening, when the sun had gone down and the family hovered by the fire place as it crackled, with Ranger laying in his lap and he simply listened to the calm voices of everyone, Percy thought he really couldn't have asked for more.

Fred turned away from his conversation with George and Ron to tap him on the shoulder. "Glad you came?"

"I am," he affirmed as he gently pet Ranger. "I really am."