Chapter 9

The twins came to their house, their faces set in identical masks of anger and shock. How could anyone do that to their brother, even if he was an egotistical prick most of the time--all because he was gay? It was beyond stupid! And what Fudge had had done to him was nothing near what he should have gotten--Azkaban was too good for the man.

No words passed between them as they worked long into the night on the perfect revenge for what Percy had been forced to endure. And when they were done, they promptly sent a letter to Bill and Charlie.

Which Charlie picked up three days later, read and laughed until his sides hurt. Bill, hearing the commotion joined him in the kitchen and demanded to know what was so funny. So, Charlie told him.

"They didn't!" Bill cried with a smile.

Charlie nodded vigorously. "They did!"

"Oh yes! That bastard deserved it!"

Percy shuffled to the door of the kitchen to find out what was going on. "Who did what?"

Bill turned with a worried smile as Charlie answered. "The twins sent Fudge a box of chocolates…" he burst out laughing.

Percy's' eyes became haunted.

"That have a delayed reaction time. So he'll eat all of them and suddenly come down with a bunch of different ailments!" Charlie finished with an effort, again bursting into laughter.

Percy offered a small smile. Bill smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry 'bout it Perce, he can't do anything to you over it. Hell he can't even touch the twins."

Percy looked thoughtful. "Why did they…?"

"Why did they what Perce?" Charlie asked.

"Why did they do that? Was it a new product or something they needed to test?" Percy asked.

Charlie's jaw dropped in surprised at the words. Bill frowned in concern. "No Perce, they didn't do it to test them."

"Then… then why?" Percy asked, guarded.

"Because Fudge is a bastard who should have gotten worse than he did for what he put you through!" Charlie burst out.

"Did someone tell them to send it?"

"No." Bill replied quietly.

"Then why…?"

"Because you're their brother Perce, they care about you, and what Fudge did was inexcusable to all of us. They did what any of us would have done had we the resources." Bill said softly, worried at the pain in his brothers eyes.

"But they hate me…" he trailed off, hugging himself, confused.

Bill pulled him into a hug. "They don't hate you; I can guarantee that they're kicking themselves right now for all the horrible things they ever said to you. They never meant it to hurt you, not really."

"I… I know-but I let it hurt… I shouldn't have… I just… just like I shouldn't have let Fudge and… and M… Flint hurt me… I…"

"Shh," Bill soothed. "Shh, it's ok Perce, you'll be ok. It wasn't your fault; none of this was your fault."

Percy just cried.

Bill looked over Percy's shoulder to Charlie who was biting his lip, but whether to keep back his anger or tears of his own Bill wasn't sure, not with the majority of his attention focused on Percy. Charlie met his eyes and gave him a sad smile.

Finally, a week later, when Percy was feeling better, Bill had decided it was about time he see their mother. Of course, it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that his mother was badgering him to let her see Percy; it had taken all he had to make her promise to leave it alone for as long as she had.

"Mum!" Charlie called. "Dad!"

Percy stood fidgeting beside Bill; this was the first time he had been back here in about six years. Bill kept an affectionate hand on his shoulder. It served a dual purpose; it reassured Percy that Bill would be there with his throughout, while it also kept him from backing out and running.

"It'll be fine Perce." Bill whispered.

"Mum!" Charlie called again.

The door suddenly opened and their mother looked out, she didn't cry 'Bill!' or 'Charlie!' in fact she didn't say anything. Charlie stepped aside and Percy found himself enveloped in one of his mother's bone crushing, loving hugs.

"Percy!" she said fiercely. "My little Percy! Are you all right? Have you been eating well? Have they been looking after you?" she asked.

"Mum!" Bill and Charlie cried in unison.

"Sorry boys." She said, flushed. "You're father would have been here, but he was called away at the last minute. Oh Percy!" she hugged him again.

She didn't let go of Percy for more than a few seconds during the entire visit.

"Will you be staying tonight?" she asked about an hour later, no one else was there, and wouldn't be until Percy had gone, none of them thought him ready for it yet.

Bill glanced at Percy, who was becoming restless, unable to get back into the family banter, but then, he had always remained outside it before, and he looked anxious to get out. "No mum, maybe another night."

Percy cast a relieved look his way and he smiled.

"Ok." Their mother tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice; she refused to give her son any more reason to feel bad about what happened. "Next time then and maybe you could come for dinner?"

All eyes turned to Percy, who nodded meekly and looked down.

"Right." Charlie smiled. "We'd better get you home and ready to go out little bro." he got to his feet and pulled Percy up with him. "Bye mum." He waved and they apparated, leaving Bill to answer all the inevitable questions.

"Go out where?" Molly turned to her oldest son.

Bill sighed, shook his head and smiled. "Don't say anything mum, but Percy's got a date tonight, a proper date from what I hear."

"With who?"

"Do you remember Percy's roommate from Hogwarts?" Bill asked.

Molly thought about it. "Oh yes--we had him over a few times when Percy was in third year--Oliver… Oliver Wood I believe he was called, quiddich? Yes?"

"That's the one."

"And Percy's got a date with him?"

"Yep. Oliver works in the Romanian branch of Gringotts--he's up learning some stuff with me at the moment, he's going to do curse breaking down there."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I'm gonna head mum, before Charlie picks out a terrible outfit, their taste in clothes is a bad as each others."

"Of course dear. Do look after him for me. I don't want to see him hurt again."

"Don't worry mum. We'll look after him."

"I know, I just worry."

"He'll be fine mum." Bill smiled as he pulled out his wand and apparated.