Percy Weasley

Sat alone out in the garden, Percy’s knees were tucked close to his chest, a slight frown on the boyish face as the sun set before him. The sky was flecked with color, vibrant hues of the late summer scattered across the darkening blanket above. The excitement rang through the Burrow, endless screeching and chatter since they returned from Diagon Alley. Another year at Hogwarts was fast approaching the Weasley’s household, three sets of requirements delivered by owl that morning, Percy’s own letter neatly tucked away in the pages of his book he took with him on their day out.

He should have been excited about it, just as excited he had been that morning when he opened his Hogwarts letter of acceptance. It wore off as the day went, one by one each sibling ushered into the many shops. Percy waited patiently as his parents worked through the lists, Bill’s things coming first followed by Charlie’s. When his own list came up in the first shop, Percy noted the scratches through some items along with the frazzled look on his mother’s face. He was old enough to understand what was happening, had been given enough hand-me-downs of Bill and Charlie’s things to know what his trunk would consist of. A part of him expected it but also knew that some things were impossible to pass down to him. Percy only hoped Charlie had the decency to keep the books intact.

He didn’t mind, never put of a fuss or an attitude to what was happening, at all the new things his older brothers were getting. There was only one thing he wanted, and the smile remained on his face as they neared Eeylops Owl Emporium. Percy loved owls, was giddy knowing that he would finally get one. He knew everything there was to know about them, took extra time the past few weeks reading up on proper care for owls. Bill and Charlie still needed their animals which meant that Percy would finally have something new, something that was his own. He brimmed with excitement when as they walked in, already knowing what owl he wanted. They left before Percy had a chance to even look, Ginny kicking up a fuss as her small legs struggled to keep up while Fred and George ran wild, trying to free any owls at their level. In a rush to leave, his parents promised they would return another day to give him a chance to look but there was relief on their faces that sent Percy’s heart sinking.

With a heavy sigh, Percy glanced down at his owl book. The wise eyes of the barn owl looked back at him, the corner of his Hogwarts acceptance letter marking the page of the owl he wanted. His owl.

The dried grass crunched a little, Percy’s eyes going wide as he sat utterly still in fright at the massive rat that made home on top of his book, small paws cleaning its whiskers. Slowly, he eased back. Terror instilled on his face, a shiver running over his spine as Percy held his breath. He hated rats, despised everything about the filthy little creatures. They were weren’t just horrible to look at, but the knowledge of where they had been, or worse yet, the lack of knowledge of where they had been, set Percy’s skin crawling. The small beady eyes landed on him, an almost human look to them that had Percy running headlong to the Burrow for his mother. Her name was there, the tiny screech silenced by the rough voices of his parents.

“We have to figure something out. He can’t go to Hogwarts without one.” His mother’s voice floated out the open window. It was wrong to linger, to remain listening, but he knew they were talking about him and Percy wanted to prepare himself for disappointment when they broke the news to his face.

“We can get him a toad and when Charlie leaves Percy can have his owl.” There was a deathly silence, a sharpness in the air until his father sighed. “Don’t give me that look, what else are we supposed to do?”

“Bill didn’t need that new fangled broom.”

“We agreed it was a gift for making Prefect!” Arthur replied defensively.

“Then we should have gotten Percy’s things first and the broom last! We don’t have enough to get the only thing he -”

Percy backed away from the window, hands covering his ears to block them out. His parents never argued, at least never in front of them and guilt washed over him that it boiled down to the fact he wanted an owl. Shoulders hunched, he made his way back to his favorite spot in the garden, a place of refuge from the noise that surrounded him. The fat rat remained on his book, fury exploding in his heart the moment he saw the chewed corner of his beloved book. “That’s my book, you blasted . . . ” Foot arched back for the kick, Percy’s foot jammed into the ground as he stopped himself just short of making contact.

Shame rushed his cheeks not just at what he had almost done to an innocent creature but the emotion he was feeling. Simultaneously, his heart broke and hardened, a sadness that was indescribable lost in him and Percy snatched his book back, hugging it to his chest for comfort. It wasn’t fair that he wasn’t going to get his owl while Bill and Charlie each got new things, things they didn’t need. But acting like a spoiled brat wouldn’t get him anything but trouble. If he kicked up enough of a fuss, Percy was sure he would get his owl but at the cost of Bill having to return his new broom, making his siblings hate him even more. And he didn’t want his parents to argue anymore, to be at ends with each other over him.

Chin lifted prominently, Percy’s mind worked quickly to the perfect solution, a way to prove to his parents he was mature and a worthy of their attention. His hands shook as he caught the rat that tried to scamper away, Percy’s book tucked under his arm tightly as he held the rat out at arms length to inspect it. “Disgusting.” He dreaded his next action, a decision that he could never go back on the moment his foot hit the back door until it opened.

“No need to kick, just use the - OH!” His mother jumped back, her hand at her chest as she looked from Percy to the rat with questions burning in her eyes. “Percy . . . darling, take that back outside. Now.”

“Actually, I was hoping I could keep him.” The words were as forced as the smile on his face. His skin crawled every moment that passed with the rat in his hands, it taking everything in his power to not drop it and run to scrub his skin raw. “I was hoping I could take it with me to Hogwarts.”

Percy didn’t understand the look on his mother’s face, the way her smile faded at his words. He thought she would be happy; pleased that their problem had been solved without tears or fighting.

“What about your owl?”

It was a way out, a simple way to get what he wanted but Percy kept the smile on his face. “Everyone will have an owl, no one will have a rat. This will make me different.” He observed the look his parents shared between them, his father’s shoulder lifting in a slight shrug. “Can I keep him?”

His mother’s hands shook a little as she held them up, a silent way of telling him to stay put as she walked away. It took a moment, Percy standing awkwardly with the thing that disgusted him to his core as far from himself as he could while his father stared at him baffled.

“Here we are!”

The box was set at his feet, Percy taking extra care as he placed the rat down. There was a small bed of grass in a nook, the remaining corners empty. He didn’t know what a rat needed, if it even needed anything really to survive. There was a sudden brush of unease through him, knowledge he didn’t have that put his mind in a state of panic. He didn’t even know what a rat ate.

“Are you sure about this, Perce?” His father asked, sensing the sudden hesitation in his son. “It’s missing a toe, might die before you even leave for - ”

“We’ll get you a proper cage for him.” Molly interjected, a sharp glare sent in his father’s direction. Her hand brushed Percy’s hair back, soothing away the sudden look of distress at the thought of the rat dying.

“And a book about caring for them?”

Her hand squeezed his shoulder as she smiled. “Of course, but only if you’re sure about this.”

Percy beamed at his parents, doing his best to hide everything happening in his mind, all the emotions that were tangled up inside him. “Thank you. Night.”

He felt better with the box in his arms, no longer having to feel the rough and grimy fur of the rat. It would get better over time, he’d adjust once as the rat was cleaned and not just dirty looking. Gingerly, Percy set the box down on his dresser as he peered over the edge through his thick lens’.

“I was going to name my owl Sir Galahad. You’re neither a sir nor a Galahad.” The sigh was lengthy and exasperated. The corner of his lips lifted into a small smile as the rat stood on its back legs, nose twitching against Percy’s. “I’ll call you Scabbers.”