Long fingers gripped the worn out frame, tracing over the face of his than much younger brother whose beam was bright and showing off the gap in his teeth. Bill's chest ached, thinking back to those simpler times when Percy had been whole, happy . It was almost unfathomable to believe this was the same person, his brother who now rarely smiled or laughed, a shell of who he used to be.

The sound of Charlie re-entering the living room had Bill placing the picture frame back down on the mantle but not turning away.

"You alright?" His brother asked quietly.

Bill closed his eyes, palms pressed into the edge of the mantle. "No."

"I'm not either."

He did face Charlie now, lips thinned out behind the hand that was covering his mouth. "I just don't understand. We should've noticed something sooner. We should've done something-"

Neither one of them acknowledged the crack in his voice.

Being the eldest, a good load of the responsibility fell on Bill when his mum needed assistance while Dad was at work, or they both needed a moment to themselves so someone had to watch over the others. From a young age, he'd changed nappies, given bottles, played imaginative games with his brothers and sister. And now that he thought about it, it dawned on Bill that the only one who never needed quite as much attention as everyone else was Percy.

Much more self-sufficient than the rest, Percy could be left to his own devices, as no one expected him to get into trouble as easily as the rest did. Bill didn't have to worry about him to the same degree. He did a little, though; that was his little brother, after all.

The silence in the room was heavy. Bill sighed, hands solved into the pockets of his trousers.

Charlie's lips moved again, the sound too muffled in his ears to properly hear.

He desperately needed something to stabilize him, keep his legs from giving out on him and making him tumble to the floor. All he could imagine was Percy; his brother scared out of his wits, pushed to the brink of his limits, truly believing there was only way out.

It made Bill sick. Bile rose to the back of his throat, now that he'd fully grasped how close they were to getting a letter or firecall from their parents to inform them about Percy's death.

A hand came to grip his shoulder. Bill lifted his eyes to meet Charlie's.

"I know," he said, without Bill needing to explain.

Back on the couch, he held the quill in his hand, a piece of parchment paper on the table. It didn't feel like it would be enough, not enough for what was going on. It felt silly, wistful. But they had to start somewhere, didn't they?

"Who are you writing to?" Charlie said, his voice hushed.

"Wood," Bill responded.

"Yeah? What're you saying?"

"I don't know." His hand lowered, shoulders deflating too. There were a million things he wanted to say, a million things that didn't quite seem right on paper.

Charlie's right foot lightly kicked the table. He was hunched over, as if trying to make himself smaller. "Wished he would've told us," he grumbled, and yes , Bill agreed but he also understood that it wasn't Wood's place to say anything.

"Well, he didn't," Bill glanced at him. "We can't change that."

"What does this change?" Charlie gestured towards the parchment paper. He slid his hands over his face, sighing deeply. "What do you think a bloody letter is going to do?"

They were both on edge. Bill heard the defeat, the exhaustion in his brother. Didn't he understand that this was affecting Bill too? Didn't he understand that he wanted to go out there in the wintery darkness to scream until his throat hurt because they'd both failed Percy in the worst way possible?

I don't know , Bill refrained from letting himself get snippy. It'd do neither one of them any good.

"We can do something," he eventually found his voice, finding some semblance of calm from somewhere . "All of us. We have to work together."

Charlie sent him a look of incredulity. "That's rubbish and you know it."

"It's not ," Bill said defensively. It couldn't be, because that was all they could do. Well, perhaps not all , honestly they really should involve someone else but Percy was already putting up a bit of a fight. It'd get tremendously worse if Bill went ahead and let another adult know.

And on that note, it got him thinking. How did no one else at Hogwarts have any bloody idea of what was going on with Percy? Surely they weren't that dense? It was obvious to them that he wasn't acting right. Was Wood the only one that noticed?

Were they that incompetent that no one was aware his brother had almost killed himself?

There it came; the anger that kept rising, steadily making the world sway and increasing his breathing. Bill could've gone there to Hogwarts right now, letting his rage take over until they're regretful and remorseful and feeling the full weight of the choices they'd made.

" Hey ," Charlie squeezed his forearm, and suddenly, his vision was clearing again, the warm atmosphere of the Burrow coming back to him.

"Sorry," Bill shook his head, as if that was enough to empty those intrusive thoughts.

"So am I."

"We just-" Bill took a second to string together his words, "need to be on the same page. Percy needs us. And if Wood can owl us about what's going on, it's something."

"Right," Charlie said. "Just wished he had someone else too."

Like a professor went unsaid but heard by both of them.

"Not sure what that's going to do when we're so far away."

Bill sunk into the cushion. "He'll know he has us," it wasn't a very convincing argument, given Charlie's expression showing his reluctance.

"Don't think he'll be too happy with that."

"Might not be," Bill said simply. That was fine. As much as he'd try to work with Percy, some action needed to be taken whether he was alright with it happening or not. "We'll deal with that later."

Charlie nodded. And when he thought Bill wasn't paying attention, his focus on the letter he was writing, he wiped at his eyes with the heel of his hand, clearing his throat.

Bill pretended not to notice, that or the red-rimmed eyes he was wiping tears from.

Minutes passed, and he kept writing. Charlie stayed where he was. Bill's thoughts drifted back to the conversation upstairs. Charlie might not have spoken in the best way, his misplaced anger only hindering things, but it was done out of fierce love. The confession came as a shock that was difficult to process. Unfortunately, just as most of the family, Charlie didn't have a good hold on his temper when it was necessary, so he lashed out when he was upset.

"I think I'm almost done," Bill announced just as he was putting the finishing touches on the letter. "I'll have Errol drop this off at Wood's. You've got anything you want to add?"

His voice drifted off, seeing Charlie aggressively rub at his eyes some more.

"No," his brother said, voice thick.

The quill was set back down. Bill smiled sympathetically. Charlie wasn't usually like this. He could be angry, yes, but this wasn't like him.

His brother took in a shuddering breath of air, trying to compose himself. He might have very well been an adult, not much younger than Bill himself, but that wouldn't stop Bill from feeling those old protective feelings from surging through him. It was simply instructional; Charlie was hurting, he was in pain , and he'd do anything to take it away.

It's just...well, this time he couldn't, could he?

"Hey," Bill scooted closer, giving Charlie a friendly nudge. "You alright?"

Charlie let out a humorless laugh, allowing Bill to see the tears that freely flowed down his face. "No."

"Me either."

/

It was late by the time he and Charlie finally went to bed. The letter was sent off, Bill's breath hitching, unable to tear his eyes off old Errol as he swept through the snow still heavily coming down, disappearing behind the trees. At last, he did go upstairs, crawling into bed, expecting to fall asleep but barely able to keep his eyes shut for more than a few minutes at most.

He wondered how Charlie was faring.

Sometime after six, he heard Mum clanking around down in the kitchen. Taking it as his cue, Bill slid out of bed to join her. It'd been a while since he shared a cup of tea with her, just the two of them. He was still peeved with her, but he'd try to put it aside just for today. It was Christmas, no reason they should all be sullen and grouchy.

"Morning, Mum," he greeted, grabbing a cup from the cupboard.

"Morning, Love," Mum smiled warmly, bustling about to get everything ready for breakfast. It was the one day of the year his siblings would venture out of their rooms this early, and soon the table would be full of all sorts of delicious dishes and treats.

"Do you need any help?" He offered.

"Oh, no," she said somewhat distractedly, "I've got it. You take a seat. I've got it."

"Alright," he took a long drink of his tea, the liquid taking care of his parched throat.

"Do you know if anyone else is up, Dear?"

"Don't think so," as far as Bill knew, they were all dead to the world.

He'd been unable to resist stopping by Percy's room, peeking in for his own reassurance, just to ensure that he was still there. And he was, sleeping soundly with his head burrowed into the pillow, long limbs sprawled out haphazardly. He was almost peaceful, Bill could have been fooled had he not known the truth.

The truth made that ache in his chest worse. To anyone looking, Percy was the same bloke he'd always been. No one else knew of the secret he kept close to him, no one had known much of anything because he was determined for that not to happen.

It simply wasn't fair . Why did this...whatever it was, have to plague Percy? Why must it happen to him?

And here Mum was, Dad too, oblivious to it all. They went about as usual; jovial, smiling. Bill's insides burned raw with indignation.

"Bill," Mum brought him out of his musings at once. He stared stupidly at her, blinking. "Are you alright?"

He'd clenched the handle of his cup awfully hard. Loosening his grip, Bill smiled slightly. "I'm fine. Just a bit worn."

"You're sure?" She pressed, glancing over her shoulder.

His heart squeezed painfully, the heaviness in his chest making it hard to breathe. He wished, more than anything, he could have spilled everything to her right then and there. For all of the complicated feelings this visit had stirred up, she was still his mother and he yearned for someone to make all of this better.

"Yeah. Charlie and I were up late last night."

"Well, if you're sure," Mum said.

Bill blew out a puff of air when she wasn't looking anymore.

Slowly, the house comes to life. The others slide out of their beds, coming down the staircase with rumbling stomachs and sleepy yawns. His cup of tea was cold by than, but he hardly cared anyway. Inside his stomach was a swirling mess of nerves that gnawed at him. The food that surrounded him, plates of sizzling sausages and fried eggs, made him queasy. Bill wouldn't be able to eat much of anything, but he scooped just enough so Mum wouldn't fuss.

Charlie came down after Ginny, meeting Bill's eyes immediately. He took a seat right next to him, waiting until he was sure that Ginny was preoccupied with talking to their mum that she wouldn't hear them. "Have you seen him?" He said quietly. "Is he awake?"

"Not yet," Bill murmured back. "He was still sleeping when I came down here."

Charlie nodded, shifting the contents on his plate with his fork. "At least he's sleeping."

"Right..."

"I didn't," Charlie said. "Not much."

"Me either."

"What's the matter with you two?" Ginny questioned, taking her place at the table.

"It's nothing," Bill said. "We're just tired."

"You should have gone to bed sooner," Mum told them, pointing her spatula at them.

"We will tonight," he promised her.

Mum couldn't help but notice their half-filled plates. "Have you two eaten already?" She frowned.

"No," Bill said. "We're just not hungry this morning, Mum. Sorry." He tacked on the rest to placate her, smiling apologetically.

"Well, alright...But do make sure you eat what you've got," she said, conflicted, as though she was itching to fill their plates up herself.

"We will," Charlie said.

"Mum, can we open presents after breakfast?" Ginny asked eagerly.

"Ginny, dear, you know the rules; we're not opening presents until everyone has eaten," Mum shook her head.

Their sister pouted. "But Ron's horrible to get up," she argued. "He takes too long!"

" Ginny... " Mum warned.

In order to avoid another fiasco from happening, Bill intervened. "He might not, Gin. He's got Harry here too, remember?

This managed to work. Ginny's frown loosened somewhat. Bill thanked his lucky stars that she still listened to them- for the most part. He'd expected some resistance still, for she was getting past the age of taking his or Charlie's word as fiercely and quickly as she did when she was younger.

Mum sent him a grateful smile, lightly whacking Fred and George upside their heads. They'd started to nod back off, faces resting on their forearms. "Wake up, you two," she said.

They groaned simultaneously.

"What time is it?" George mumbled.

Almost eight," Charlie said.

Fred yawned, stretching his arms. "Feels earlier than that."

"Yeah," George agreed.

Mum's hands were on her hips. "Did everyone stay up too late last night?"

Bill's eyes darted to Charlie and they were both thinking the same thing. His stomach twisted uneasily. There'd been no sneaking of presents or biscuits; neither of them had been giddy with Christmas cheer.

"Second...third year? I don't know!"

"Not me, Mum," Ginny piped up when no one else did.

Bill pushed away his coffee cup, standing abruptly. "Why don't I go see if the others are up?" He offered, already making his way towards the stairs before Mum could say anything.

"I'll come too," Charlie jumped to his feet.

"Oh, no, dear," Mum said. "I'd like you to taste something. It's for supper."

"Oh, I can do that later-"

"Not to worry, Bill's got it."

"Okay," Charlie said, resigned.

Bill spared him a shrug over his shoulder, going up the steps two at a time to get to the top. He wasted no time going into Percy's room first. His brother was still asleep. It'd be a shame to wake him, really. Something told Bill this was the best sleep he was getting in a while, given the dark circles under his eyes.

He gently shook him. "Percy, wake up."

Percy muttered unintelligibly but did not wake completely.

"Perce," he said, a bit louder this time. "Come on, you've got to get up."

So he shook him again, a sympathetic frown slipping on his face at seeing his brother groan.

"...What?"

His voice came out no more than a whimper. Bill hadn't expected that. It put him on alert.

"What's wrong?" He said instead of answering the question.

Percy's eyes were still shut, face screwed up like he was in pain. "S'nothing."

"Well, you're not doing a very convincing job if that's the truth," Bill said with a halfhearted smile. "Is it your head?" One of Percy's hands was on the side of his head.

He fell right into healer mode, just like when his siblings were all much younger.

"Yes," Percy whispered.

"How bad does it hurt?" Bill asked.

Percy still wasn't opening his eyes, and he was breathing softly. "Enough."

He was trying not to talk a lot, Bill deduced. He understood, of course, but he also remembered that Mum was waiting on them to be downstairs. And as far as he knew, there weren't any potions that could be given to Percy. Mum was running low and needed to make a fresh batch.

Sighing, he said, "I know you'd rather stay here but you've got to try and come downstairs. Mum's got breakfast waiting."

" No ..." Percy whined, shaking his head, only to regret it immediately. His eyes squeezed shut even more.

"Percy-"

"M'not hungry."

Bill licked his lips. He didn't want to be so cruel as to force his brother down there when he clearly wasn't feeling well. Mum and Dad would understand, surely.

"Alright," he said. "I'll let you sleep a bit longer but you've got to come down for lunch."

He moved on to Ron's room after that. He and Harry were awake already, but they hadn't gotten out of the bed yet.

"Morning," he said pleasantly. "Merry Christmas, you two."

Ron swatted at the air. "Go away," he said, voice slurred with sleepiness.

On the other side of this, Harry smiled shyly at Bill. "Merry Christmas," he said.

"Sleep well?"

"Err, yeah," Harry said. "Besides Ron's snoring."

This brought a small, genuine smile out of Bill for the first time in hours. He chuckled too, while Ron let out an offended oi at Harry's remark. "I understand."

"I don't snore," Ron protested, rubbing his bleary eyes.

"Yes, you do," Bill pushed open the curtains, making both of the boys hiss at the harsh sunlight that burst in. "Get up. Mum's got breakfast ready."

Even though he was still plenty tired, Ron perked up at the mention of food.

"Might want to go down before Fred and George eat it all," Bill advised, although he was pretty sure they were still falling asleep at the table.

"Alright, m'up," Ron threw the blanket off him, realizing that he wouldn't be able to salvage any more minutes to lay there as he pleased.

His heavy footsteps had Bill grabbing his brother by the shoulder to halt him. "Oi, cut that out."

"What?" Ron said, confused.

"You're walking heavy," Bill said. "Percy's trying to sleep."

"Why does he get to sleep?" Ron complained.

Bill exhaled through his nose. "Ron, don't start it."

His brother, however, seemed to be keen on doing just that. "It's not fair. Why do we have to be up, then?"

"He's got a headache," Bill told him firmly. "So, yes, I'm letting him rest for a little while."

Ron glanced longingly back at his bed.

"I'm sure you'll get a chance to have a nap later," Bill said, trying to appeal to him.

"I won't be tired later."

Bill ruffled his hair, which made his brother scowl and sweat his hand away. "Go on," he said, not wanting to engage in this line of discussion anymore. "Eat up. Mum's got eggs and sausages for us."

" Alright ," Ron sighed in defeat. "Move out of the way. I've got to get to the loo."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Lovely."

/

The house was bustling with activity. Once they actually got going, they were much more awake, a bit too much, though. The youngest two and Harry weren't so bad, but Bill had to shush the twins at least twice.

Mum had been less than pleased not to find Percy following Ron and Harry down the stairs to join them all. Bill managed to appease her, figuring that it was likely Percy would be down at some point later in the day once his headache eased up. She wasn't completely happy, but it was as good as things were going to get.

It also meant that opening presents would have to wait. Mum wanted the whole family there so they could do it all at once. The youngest four were unhappy that this was delayed, especially after having to get up out of bed so early.

"That isn't fair," Ginny protested.

They'd gathered in the living room, his siblings sitting nearby the tree in anticipation. Harry was a little more off to the side, though still close to Ron.

Bill glanced at them and then to his parents. Dad had strolled in sometime after breakfast, having been out in his shed to tinker on something.

"That's too bad," Mum said. "We're going to wait for Percy."

George sighed. "Can't we make him come down?"

" No ," Charlie and Bill said immediately.

George deflated.

"Would you want us to force you to come down when you weren't feeling well?" Charlie said sharply.

"No..." George mumbled.

"Did he say when he was going to come down?" Mum said to Bill.

"I'm sure it won't be long," Dad said to her, comfortingly.

"He'll come down for lunch," Bill said, hoping this would be the end of it. "I told him he has to eat something."

"Well, alright," Mum said with hesitation. "We'll open presents after lunch."

"What are we supposed to do until then?" Ginny asked, while her other brothers got up to their feet with a sigh.

Before either one of their parents could respond, Charlie beat them to it. "We'll go outside."

"Now?" Ron said, who was probably keen on going back up to bed.

"Yes, now," Charlie said with a nod. "Go on. Get dressed and we'll throw some snowballs around."

"We'll keep them occupied for a while," Bill told their parents.

"Ah, see, there you are," Dad said cheerfully. "That will work, won't it, Mollywobbles?"

"Well, it will give me a chance to finish some biscuits to send to Great Aunt Murel," Mum considered.

Bill smiled. "We'll be sure to wear them out."

After his siblings dressed themselves in their warmest clothes, they all set out into the harsh conditions. They trudged through the snow to get away from the house, pulling their scarves tighter around them to cover their mouths.

It was bloody freezing out here. Bill shivered. All these layers and it still wasn' enough to keep the cold from nipping at their skin.

"Couldn't have come up with something to do inside?" Bill muttered. The others walked ahead of them, now sounding upbeat as they coordinated their teams with one another.

"At least I came up with something," Charlie said, shrugging. He stumbled to the side when he was shoved roughly by Bill. "So, did I hear you right, that Percy's got a headache?"

"Yeah," Bill said. "Hope he's alright. He didn't look good."

"You think it had anything to do with last night?" Charlie said, hushed. Wasn't really necessary; Bill had trouble hearing him as is with how hard the wind was blowing.

"I don't know," Bill said honestly. It made sense, didn't it? Last night-err, this morning, he supposed- took a lot out of him . He didn't want to think about how Percy must be feeling.

They stopped walking. Charlie instructed them to divide up into teams of three.

"But one team will have four," Ron said. "That won't be right."

"I can stay out," Bill said before Charlie responded. "I'll be the judge."

"He's just saying that because he can't throw that well," Charlie told them with a grin.

"Really funny," Bill deadpanned.

The teams ended up being Charlie, Ron and Harry one one while the twins and Ginny were another. The two teams separated, leaving them with a large distance in between.

"Get ready-go!"

Snowballs began flying through the air. Some were poorly made and didn't make it to their target. Others hit just where they were supposed to-including in the face of Charlie, who then flopped to the ground dramatically.

"I've been wounded! Someone needs to avenge me!"

Bill was standing stiffly, trying to preserve some body heat. "You're just making it easier for them to get you again, you know that, yes?"

As if on cue, Fred came hurling towards him, smashing a snowball in his face.

Charlie sputtered, wiping it away. "This is your fault!" He said to Bill, who snorted.

Off to the side, Ron was trying to pelt Ginny with as many of them as he could. She was not able to retaliate as fast as he was, but that didn't really matter because she tripped him.

"Nice one, Gin!" Bill cheered.

"Come on, Ron!" Charlie said in mock disappointment.

It didn't get better for Ron. Fred and George tackled him just as he'd started to get to his feet, sending him back down to the ground. They rolled around, with George trying to keep him pinned so Fred could keep smashing snow in his face and hair.

"Oi!" Ron hollered. "Quit it, you two!"

Fred and George looked at each other. "Nah," they said simultaneously.

Bill kept an eye on them, glancing over here and there. Those three could get a bit carried away sometimes so it was safer to watch with the possibility of intervening rather than explain to Mum and Dad why someone was sporting a black eye or two.

He sighed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

Up ahead, Harry was watching what was happening with those three. Ginny had thrown a snowball or two at him but stopped, albeit feeling too shy to keep it going. She still massively fancied the boy, that was evident with the blush that crept up her face whenever they made eye contact or he addressed her directly. It was kind of cute, but at the same time, Bill found it difficult to realize that his baby sister was at that age where she fancied boys.

"You good?"

Charlie was still on the ground, staring up at him.

"Fine," Bill said.

"You didn't look fine."

"Just thinking," he said. It was hard to stand here, listening to the sound of shrieking laughter and playful yelling, while Percy was up in his bedroom, alone and believing he was better off dead.

How was he supposed to enjoy himself? Even just now, there'd been a slight smile from watching his siblings that almost immediately slid off, the guilt gnawing at him worse than the cold.

He should be up there, staying with Percy to figure out how to help him, not out here.

What right did he have to celebrate Christmas whatsoever?

"It's-" Bill's eyes flickered over to their siblings and Harry, who were none the wiser. "Just about Percy."

Charlie nodded, waiting exactly for him to elaborate. When Bill left it there, he asked, "Did Wood owl you back"

"Not yet. Don't think he will until later."

"Right," Charlie said, and Bill could discern that he wished Wood had. He did too, of course.

It'd taken him longer than he thought it would to properly write out his thoughts coherent enough for the letter. His brain had been scrambled, too many things running rampant at one time. That didn't stop even as he'd crawled into bed. Some part of him didn't want to sleep, didn't want to run the risk of letting his subconscious take over, imagining Percy's lifeless body at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower.

"So, what'd you say to him?"

"What?" Bill came back to it, blinking.
"Wood," Charlie clarified. "What'd you say?"

"It's not much," he said as a pre-warning, recalling Charlie's question of What do you think a bloody letter is going to do? "I told him we know and that we'd appreciate him checking in with us so we know how Percy's doing."

"That's it?" Charlie said.

"No..." Bill said. "I also told him he needs to tell a professor about all of this."

He might not want to. Percy was going to be against it. But that wasn't the point. This was too much for one person to carry, let alone a kid. Wood shouldn't have to deal with this alone, and now that he and Charlie were aware of the situation, they could help.

"Not sure who they'd talk to," Charlie was now on his feet again, looking thoughtful.

"I don't know either." Hogwarts wasn't exactly filled with helpful professors ready at their disposal. "Maybe Wood will know."

He had to know.

/

Percy didn't come down for lunch.

He'd gone up there to wake him, speaking softly so as not to further irritate his headache, and all his brother had done was roll over, clenching the blanket tighter.

It was conflicting, wanting Percy to rest, especially after the discussion early that morning, but also knowing that the others were waiting on him and there'd be hell to pay if he stayed up here.

"Look," Bill paused, "you've got to get up, Perce. They're waiting for you."

Percy groaned softly.

"I know you don't feel good but can you come down there for a little while?" He tried. "Just to open some presents?"

"No," Percy croaked out, face in his pillow.

"You're sure?" Bill said, now realizing he was going to have to do damage control down there.

"It-it hurts."

He was close to tears, and that made Bill reassess the situation at once. It wasn't worth Percy going down there while in so much pain, even if it was Christmas and Mum was keen on having the family all together.

"Okay," Bill said. He ran a hand through his hair, eyes sweeping over his brother in pity. "Okay, Perce. I'll wake you later."

He was nearly to the door when he spoke again, and this time it was hollow, resigned.

"Mum's going to be mad."

There was no denying it, so Bill didn't. "She will," he agreed. "But don't worry. I'll handle it."

How he'd do that, well, he didn't really know.

Mum was waiting for him to come down, standing by the back of the couch, wringing her hands. She'd been hopeful that Percy was going to trail right behind Bill, her face falling slightly when he didn't.

"Where's Percy, dear?"

"He's-" Bill hesitated, bracing himself, "he's not coming."

"What?" Ginny burst out. "But you said -"

Dad shushed her.

"What? What do you mean he's not coming?" Mum frowned.

Charlie was curled up on one end of the couch, looking straight at him. The others were around the tree, having taken off their numerous layers. And Dad was bringing back two cups of piping hot tea for him and Mum.

All of them were looking his way, and it was kind of making him sweat. For a fleeting moment Bill wondered if this was how Percy felt on the daily.

"He's not feeling well," Bill explained patiently. "He's still got a headache."

"Still?" Dad questioned.

"Yeah. It hasn't gone away."

"Well," Dad glanced at Mum, "that's strange. I thought a quick nap would do the trick."

"He's in a lot of pain," Bill felt the need to emphasize. "He can barely open his eyes."

"Perhaps he needs to eat," Mum said. "He hardly ate anything yesterday."

"I don't think that's going to help," Bill said. "He doesn't seem hungry."

"Nonsense. A spot of lunch will help," Mum set down her cup of tea, intending on going up there. Bill quickly blocked her access. "William!"

"Sorry, but you can't."

"Bill, let your mother through," Dad told him. By now, his younger siblings had stopped trying to guess what was in the packages, their attention on the two of them.

"I can't," Bill shook his head. "We need to let Percy rest."

"He's been resting for a while now," Mum said, unhappy that he'd had the audacity to do that to her. "He needs to come down with the family."

"We can just open our gifts now Mum," Fred said.
"Yeah, don't make us wait on Perfect Percy," George said.

" Hey !" Charlie barked. Bill shot him a sharp look, trying to convey that he needed to calm down now .

"What?"

"We didn't say anything!"

"You know exactly what you said!" Charlie snapped, throwing his legs off the couch and onto the floor. "Quit calling him that!"

"Why?" Ron said, puzzled.

"What do you mean why ?"

"Okay," Bill slid in between them, glaring daggers at Charlie. "Enough, all of you. We can open gifts now. Percy can open his later."

It was clearly not the response Mum wanted. Dad either. And to an extent, Bill understood. With them all being separated for so long during the term, of course she'd want them to be together as much as possible in the time they did have before they had to return to school and work.

Someone needed to be on Percy's side this time. Someone needed to advocate for him, because in the grand scheme of things, none of this mattered. This headache, this slight inconvenience, didn't matter when his brother had almost died . And he so badly wanted to tell them that. Honest to Merlin, he wished that he could. Anything to wipe away the complaint that was surely on Mum's tongue.

"Can we, Mum?" Ginny asked.

She didn't want to say yes, Bill could tell. "I suppose you can."

The younger ones didn't have to be told twice. They started unwrapping their gifts, while Charlie plopped back down on the couch, sharing a long look with Bill.

Mum was trying to smile for their sake, trying to keep her spirits up. Bill couldn't help but draw similarities between himself and her. He was having to pretend, too. He wanted to be happy, he really did, without this hurt and anger that was dragging behind him everywhere he went.

Then, came a question from Mum. Her voice was quiet, unshed tears brimming in her eyes.

"Do you suppose he's avoiding us?"

"What?" Bill had to keep himself leaping to Percy's defense.

Mum quickly wiped her eyes. Dad rested his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "It might be an excuse...this headache."

Bill could stare at his mother, flabbergasted that she'd eleven suggest that.

"What?"

"What do you mean?" Charlie's voice sounded muffled, like he was underwater.

You don't know, he thought, nearly shaking his head. You have no idea what you're saying .

"Neither of you were here when he said he shouldn't have come home," Mum said, heartbroken.

"He said that?" Charlie swallowed.

Oh, Perce . Bill's heart squeezed painfully. Did they even realize how much pain he was in to have said that? It was taken so personally, without knowing the real meaning behind it.

"I don't think he meant it like that," he tried to tell them.

"He didn't," Charlie said with conviction. He was ignored, however.

"And he knocked the tree over!" Ginny added, ripping the packaging off her new Weasley sweater.

"I'm sure it was an accident," Bill said carefully. "He wouldn't do it on purpose."

Ron scoffed, causing Charlie to shoot him a glare.

"He's...He's probably got a lot on his mind."

It was the only thing he could say. The only thing that wouldn't immediately raise suspicions.

"Well, regardless," Dad chose that moment to interject, "he's hurt your mother and that's not alright."

You guys have hurt him too , Bill thought but could never say. He'd never think it was intentional on their part, but it occurred nonetheless. Time and time again, Percy was hurt and no one else seemed to realize it. To them, this was simply another excuse to avoid them, and it couldn't have been further from the truth.

And it wasn't to say that he was any better because he wasn't, not after he'd been oblivious to the pain Percy was going through for years .

All those times of coming in and out of the Burrow, all those times he'd briefly wondered why Percy seemed to be a bit off, and not once had he forced his brother into sitting down and talking about it.

Bill didn't notice that his eyes started to sting a little, tears that he had to push back.

He cleared his throat, taking in a deep breath. "I'm going to get some more tea, if anyone needs me," he said, voice a little thicker than it had been.

He went into the kitchen without another word from anyone, hands pressed into the edge of the table, body halfway bent over as it shuddered.

No one heard him trying to stifle his anguish.