Written for The Houses Competition.
House: Gryffindor
Class: History of Magic (Stand-in)
Prompts: [Character] Percy Weasley
Drabble
Word Count: 501
Percy suppressed a sigh as his mother counted her children. In his opinion, if you have to count, there are too many. One day, when he grew up and found a suitable wife, he would only have two children. Two was a nice, even, small number. Seven was a silly number – uneven and unhelpful.
They were in the middle of the yearly back-to-school outing to Diagon Alley. Percy didn't know why his mother bothered to bring all of her children on these outings. They always went the same way – a visit to the second-hand robe store, where they would purchase any robes that looked vaguely presentable, followed by a stop at the second-hand bookstore. The regular stores would only be visited if, and only if, there were items that could not be bought cheaply elsewhere. The hunt for second-hand school items was long and arduous, and inevitably a child would be lost, and a fight would break out among the siblings. Percy thought that it would be much more efficient for his mother to do the shopping herself, but he had long accepted that he was the most intelligent member of his family.
Her count complete, Percy's mother ushered her children back through the archway, through the Leaky Cauldron, and finally, through the fireplace to their home. Percy hurriedly gathered his wand and books, leaving his robes behind for his mother to alter as best she could to his size.
Safely in his room, Percy permitted himself another sigh. One day, he would escape all of this. The chaos, the noise, and most importantly, the poverty. Although now that he really thought about it, it wasn't even being poor that he wanted to escape. It was the fact that he knew they didn't have to be poor, but his parents just didn't seem to care. For one, they would have more money if they had less children. It was just basic maths. It was more than that, though. Percy had overheard Bill and Charlie talking, had heard them exchange information they'd picked up at school. He knew that his father was smarter than he came across, and he knew that he had chosen a job that he knew would be long hours for small pay. All because of his silly ideals and his unwillingness to play the political game.
Percy wasn't about to make the same mistake. Next week, he would be going to Hogwarts for the first time, and he was going to make the most of it. He would make strategic connections, and strengthen his social position. He already had plans to be a Prefect and Head Boy, and had researched what OWLs and NEWTs he would need to obtain a position in the Minister's Office.
One day, Percy would escape the shame of his parents' choices. He would become a strong political force, and people would beg to know him. He would be great, and his family would finally see it.
He just needed to finish school first.