The spider got closer and closer, but Ron couldn't help it. His fear and terrible memories associated with spiders kept him from moving. Already confronted with the inevitable, he closed his eyes and prepared for a painful death. Suddenly the boy felt someone tug at the collar of his old shirt. So much so that you could hear the threads breaking, then the dull thud and squeak of a spider. And then silence. It all happened so quickly that Ron didn't even have time to realize it.

Finally deciding to open his eyes, he saw directly in front of him two snow-white hooves, and under them lay a dead Akromantul.

"Silver…" is a lovely white unicorn that Charlie and Percy saved when they were in their third and first year, respectively. The one-year-old golden baby was attacked by several spiders. The young man was just walking through the woods at that moment and found this picture. Of course, they could not pass by and rescued the unicorn. Since childhood, Charlie loved to read books about fantastic creatures and knew well how to handle him. He cured the baby and returned the herd. Charlie knew that over time, the unicorn could begin to avoid him or even attack, so he began to come less and less. But Silver did not show any signs of aggression, but on the contrary, he remained for life, devoted to the Weasley brothers and sister.

Looking back, the teenager saw Percy, pale as death; he threw back his head and breathed heavily. Only now did the younger Weasley notice that he was sitting on the cold ground under a tree between the legs of his older brother. He tightly wrapped his arms around his waist and did not give a chance to get out.

"Let me go now, Percy!" shouted the boy, writhing in the hands of the headman, but he only tightened his grip on his hands.

"No, this time I won't let you go," Percy whispered in his brother's ear, "Until you calm down."

"Even if I bite you again?!"

"You can bite me as much as you want, I will not let go," the sixth year student also calmly answered.

It was only now that Ron noticed that he was trembling. Percy was trembling too, his palms were sweating and his heart was pounding. The boy's struggle immediately ceased.

"Coats memories," the younger Weasley said quietly to himself, unexpectedly. "What time is it? Maybe a third?"

"So you still remember?" The headman's breathing began to gradually return to normal.

"Not as much as we would like. Charlie and Bill told me most of it. I well remember how my beloved bear turned into a big, shaggy spider, but I hardly remember how you pulled me away from him before I was bitten. Or when the twins tried to get me to give the immutable lunch, I remember well how angry Mom and Dad were. But I don't remember at all how you snatched the wand out of George's hands before something terrible could happen."

There was a long pause. Silver was digging at a distance from the brothers. He didn't want to disturb their conversation. Percy loosened his grip a little, but Ron made no attempt to get out. He just kept on talking.

"As a child, you were a hero to me. Bill and Charlie spent most of their time at Hogwarts, the twins were only interested in jokes, and Ginny was still too young. It was you who read me books at night, taught me how to write, put me to bed, protected me from nightmares, encouraged me when I was sad, and made delicious sandwiches when my mother did not have enough time. I really wanted to be like you."

"And what has changed since then?"

"With age, I realized that I could never become the same. I am mediocrity. I have never had outstanding talents. I am not the firstborn like Bill, the head of the department and the school. I'm not Charlie, the Quidditch captain and one of the best catchers in Gryffindor. I am not you, the perfect student. And certainly not like Fred and George. Brilliant wizards and inventors."

"Perhaps you're right. You're not like us." Percy's words sent Ron shivering slightly, but he quickly suppressed it. Fortunately, he realized his worthlessness early enough, "But you should not be the same as me or anyone else. You are Ron, you are my little brother and that's enough."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course. You are definitely not mediocre. How about chess? Even Bill has never been able to beat you. You are an excellent strategist and you understand well the essence and structure of any spell. This is your advantage. Even if mom and dad don't always notice it. But we, your friends and relatives, see it."

Percy fell silent. His breathing was almost back to normal. The grip eased completely, but Ron was in no hurry to get out of his brother's embrace. He was still contemplating his words. He himself did not even notice how he completely relaxed and leaned back on his brother's chest. Silver snorted softly in the background.

"I'm sorry I bit you. It was painful?" The younger Weasley bent his legs and propped himself on his knees.

"Not at all," Ron looked at his brother incredulously, "Well, maybe a little. But believe me, George once bit me much harder."

"What's happened?"

"It happened when you were about five years old. You got sick and were treated in Mungo. Dad and I were left alone. He couldn't handle everything, and Bill and I, and Charlie had to help him. All six of us went for a walk and Ginny accidentally bumped into older Muggle children. They turned out to be quite rude and pushed her. Then Fred and George got so angry that they almost cursed these children. It was very difficult for the three of us to contain their ardor. Then the twins bit all of our hands, I even had a small scar. "Percy pointed to a small, long-drawn-out cut on the wrist."

"That's all the twins are in," Ron smiled. Percy nodded and smiled too. Finally, things are getting better between them.

"I'm sorry I didn't understand the situation and yelled at you. I shouldn't have done this. I should have listened to you first, I'm sorry. I really am a terrible older brother ..." before the elder Weasleys finished the last sentence, he received a strong blow in the ribs.

"Don't you dare talk like that anymore! I'm sorry that I said something like that. I was just very angry with you for not believing me. But we all make mistakes, even perfect people like you. Therefore, I forgive you," Ron turned sharply and now seriously looked directly into the terribly tired eyes of the headman. "But promise me you won't do that again."

"Haha," Percy laughed sadly, "I'm far from perfect. But ..." Percy carefully placed his chin on his younger brother's shoulder and said quietly in his ear, "I promise you, I will never doubt you again. Or jump to conclusions. I will always listen to you before I do anything."

"Thank you," the younger boy pressed against his brother's chest, and he tightly wrapped his arms around him. Finally, Silver approached them. He licked each Weasleys face and snorted softly in greeting.

"Hi, buddy," Ron ran his hand over the snow-white nose of the unicorn, Percy did the same.

"How did you find me? How long have you slept normally?" The younger Weasley asked, stroking Silver's shiny fur.

"I think maybe a few weeks ago?" Ron was not impressed by his brother's frivolity. Sometimes Percy was such a hypocrite. Constantly swears at his brothers and sister. Including Harry and Hermione for staying up late. And he himself studies day and night, sometimes even without days off or food breaks. His behavior resembles Granger, she, too, can get so carried away by reading that she does not even notice how the whole evening has passed. So Harry and Ron made it a habit to sneak into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat for the two. The elves did not really mind and were even glad when someone dropped in on them.

"I studied in an abandoned classroom on the third floor. When I looked out the window, I accidentally saw you heading towards the Forbidden Forest and decided to follow you. As you can see, it's not in vain. Silver probably sensed something was wrong, so he came. For which he thanks a lot." Percy took a large ripe apple from his robes pocket and handed it to the unicorn as a thank you. He happily whinnied and happily accepted the treat.

"Why did you study so late?"

"If I want a brilliant career in the Ministry, then I need to do a lot."

"Percy, I'm scared," the boy whispered, hugging his brother even tighter.

"Why?" the young man gently ran his palm through his tousled red hair in front of him.

"Power changes people, so dad says. And ..." Ron hesitated for a second, but when he saw his brother's slightly worried look, he continued, "Sometimes, Harry and Hermione and I have strange dreams. At night they are so realistic, and in the morning they become completely dull and quickly forgotten. But I remember one of them very well. In it you left us. All of us for a career in the Ministry. You quarreled with your father, your mother and your brothers, and Ginny. This is what I'm most afraid of." Without stopping, the younger boy sobbed quietly.

"It was just a dream, right? Dreams are unreal. So you have nothing to worry about. I promise I'll always be by your side. I will never leave any of you, no matter what happens. I promise." Percy gently wiped away a few tears from his younger brother's face.

"Honestly?"

"Of course," they sat in silence for a while. Silver sat quietly beside him, his massive head resting on the elder Weasley's shoulder. Apparently he forgot that he had not been a foal for a long time, but the teenager did not complain. Both children have already begun to fall asleep, "It's time for us to return."

"Yes ..." Ron was already half asleep. And the headman himself could hardly keep his eyes open for more than five seconds.

"Silver, can you take us to the edge of the forest?" The unicorn nodded. The brothers walked slowly behind the snow-white horse. True, they had not gone two meters when Ron stumbled, and Percy barely had time to catch him. Silver didn't like it at all; he whinnied in displeasure and thumped his hooves.

"What?" The unicorn waved his plush mane and crouched down, signaling that he wanted the Weasleys to climb onto his back. The brothers quickly agreed, most of all they wanted to return to their beds before falling asleep right in the middle of the forest.

But, unfortunately, Silver was not going to take them to the edge of the forest. On the contrary, he went deeper and deeper. Ron had been asleep for a long time, and as soon as Percy closed his eyes for a second, he found himself in a large green meadow surrounded by dense trees. At some distance, separated by a shallow stream, several dozen unicorns were sleeping peacefully. They never showed much interest in the people that Silver sometimes brought. Yet when Charlie and Percy brought the little unicorn back to the herd, the leader was very grateful, because they saved his son. Therefore, other unicorns did not show aggression towards them. They just ignored it.

"Silver, we need to go home. Hogwarts," the headman muttered. But the horse only snorted at him with displeasure. As soon as Percy descended with the sleeping Ron to the ground, Silver pushed them towards a large tree. It was the unicorn's favorite sleeping spot. He quit on his side and looked playfully at the older boy. He sighed in annoyance, but nodded.

"Well... Just today ... We can sleep a little together ... As if Bill and Charlie hadn't left ..." Ron snuffled for a long time buried in Silver's fluffy fur. And the half-asleep Percy conducted a quiet dialogue with an old friend, watching the stars twinkle in the night sky. The horse whinnied softly and licked the boy's bright hair, "Yes ... I miss him too ... Sometimes being the oldest is so hard ... Sometimes, I really miss my older brothers ... I know I'm not perfect at all ... I am far from being so the same good older brother as Bill or Charlie... I really try very hard, but… I constantly make mistakes... I constantly forget about something very important ... About friends, about family..." he glanced at his brother briefly, "I am glad that they are ready to forgive me, even when I'm wrong... But I am very, very scared... I am afraid that one day I will make the most terrible mistake in my life... I will give them, break the fragile bonds that we have ... I prefer a career to friends, family... And, in the end, I will be all alone..." a lone tear rolled down Percy's cheek, but it was quickly licked by Silver.

"But I have to be strong ... For all of them ..." the unicorn gently touched the tip of its horn to the teenager's temple. He nodded, "Yes ... You're right ... I should rest a little ... I didn't even notice how tired I was..."

In an instant, the clearing became quiet. All that was heard was soft snorting and snorting. In the distance, someone growled, sang and squeaked. But Percy didn't care at all right now. He was safe, no one would dare attack a whole herd of unicorns. Now he could not think about anything. He could just enjoy a sound sleep.