chapter 7

BILL BLINKED when Percy smacked two notebooks onto the table in front of him. His brow furrowed as he lifted his head up to his younger brother, stood by him with his arms folded, shifting his eyes and body nervously.

"What's this?"

"It's something I've written. I just finished it the other day. I wrote a little blurb for it on the inside cover just to let you decide if you were actually interested in reading it, and if you are, don't read it in front of me and don't share it like you did my journal, yah?"

The ginger left it at that, turning on his heel and clomping back to his bedroom. Bill glanced down to the notebook then back to Charlie, who looked very confused. Bill had forgotten to mention that Percy apparently liked writing in his explanation of everything going on in the Burrow. He opened it up and read the "little blurb."

He was interested in reading it. Not only because it was the first genuine passion his brother seemed to possess, but because the story looked good. Maybe a little dark, but even the description was good. It was well-written and Bill almost wished he wasn't trying to catch up with Charlie about Romania.

Damn, having interesting brothers was exhausting.

LATER AFTER Charlie had told all the stories he had to tell, and his mother had crammed all the biscuits she could possibly cram down his throat—well, down his throat, Bill settled back against his bedframe and began reading the actual book, and it was downright incredible.

The characters were raw and real, yet vibrant and alive in their own respects, in contrast to a stark world Percy described. Years of reading had seemed to pay off, though Bill was unsure if it was the reading or truly just raw talent.

The descriptions were vivid and beautiful, knotting words together that would normally get tangled in close proximity to make a picture in his head. '

Bill was so immersed that when he got called down for dinner he was more than halfway through the notebook, with an aching back and arse and a sense of disappointment at leaving the books behind.

Not only was he recognizing his brother's talent, but over the next few days, Percy began opening up a little bit by bit. it was nothing major, but just enough to be noticeable. Now that Percy was becoming slightly less reserved around the family after each therapist's appointment, and Bill began to notice things. Little things he wouldn't have picked up on before. Like how Percy actually had a mouth (almost feminine ones at that). His lips had always been set in a thin, right line and before he wondered if they were even there. He also had a rather childlike laugh, and dimples surprisingly. Looking back, he could vaguely remember the dimples from childhood, but it had been so long he had completely forgotten.

Speaking of forgotten, Percy had seemed to be doing well. To the point where Bill—even with his younger brother's nearly daily therapy visits—had almost forgotten the issue until an owl with Percy's official medical diagnosis came along.

PERSISTENT DEPRESSIVE Disorder, Panic Disorder, Insomnia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. They were staring him in the face.

Four different states of disarray had been in his brother's mind possibly for years, and he only now knew. His mother was crying in the bathroom while his father went out to the shed to gather his thoughts. Percy sat with his arms crossed over his chest, not daring to show emotion while his elder brothers read the attached descriptions of each one.

Persistent depressive disorderis a chronic (ongoing) type of depression in which a person's moods are regularly low. But, symptoms are not as severe as with major depression. Persistent depressive disorder used to be called dysthymia… and so on.

Anxiety disorder is a mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one's daily activities. Examples of anxiety disorders include panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Symptoms include stress that's out of proportion to the impact of the event, inability to set aside a worry, and restlessness… and so on.

Insomniais a sleep disorder where people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, irritability, and a depressed mood… and so on.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)obsessionsand so on.

Bill wasn't sure how to react. How do you react to someone having a mental disorder? You can't just apologize, what good does that do? He ran a pale, thin finger over the ink on the parchment, going over it over and over again.

Very muggle-esque pamphlets had been sent along with it, offering extra forms of rehabilitation besides sit-down therapy. There was few variation in the options—group sessions and art therapy, etc.—but each one went back to one thing: medication. Pills. Bill wasn't sure if he wanted his brother on medication. Therapy and diagnosis were one thing, but pills would somehow make it all feel more real.

Bill glanced to his two younger brothers. Charlie rapidly blinking down at the pamphlets, as though he could blink them out of his eyes like dirt. Percy was still leaned back in the chair, arms crossed against his chest, only now his head was leaning on the chair, eyes trained on the ceiling.

"Percy…" Bill trailed still unsure of what to say. What was there to say? He guessed Percy agreed, because his younger brother shot out of his chair then and towards the back door.

"Kindly fuck off. Will you, Bill?"

He watched as his brother walked off across the yard, lighting up a cigarette as he did. Bill had half a mind to follow him—to convince him to put out the smoke and deal with his issues healthily, but decided against it.

Percy was doing better before the diagnosis. Surely he'd get used to it. He had to. His progress couldn't just curve because there was now an official name to it. Right?

He'll be fine. He'll be fine.

And Bill managed to convince himself that he was right.

Until a couple days later when the Weasleys woke up to find Percy gone.