Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 33

"You guys finally got together, didn't you!?" George repeated again so loudly that we had to hush him. "You're going out now!?"

     "Yeah," I said quietly.

     "I KNEW IT!" He yelled.

     "Shh!" Fred and I said together.

     "And about time, too!" George huffed. "Any longer and I would've dropped myself off the Astronomy Tower. I mean, having to hear Fred go on and on about 'oh, why doesn't she like me that way' or 'oh, I'm gonna die alone.'"

    Fred smacked him on the arm. "I was not that bad."

     "Oh, yeah?" George grinned, causing Fred to look away. "Wait here!" George abruptly jumped off the couch and Disapparated out of the small living room.

    "Where did he go?" I mused.

     "Who cares?" Fred shrugged, grinning as he walked closer to me. "Point is, we're finally alone."

     He wiggled his eyebrows teasingly at me and I laughed. He then tried to get me closer to him, but we were forced to pull away quickly as George reappeared next to us with a parchment in his hands, which only two words were written on.

     "I've been thinking about some awesome baby names for some while now," said George with a grin. "Wanna hear them?"

     "Not even at all." I said flatly.

     "Good! Cause I think they're awesome!" He cleared his throat and read it out loud. "I was thinking George if it was a boy, and Georgiana if it was a girl. Or Georgina, no pressure. How's that?"

     "No!" Fred and I yelled together, laughing as we watched him frown and scold childishly.

***

That night as we had all gathered around the dinner table along with Mr. Weasley, we waited impatiently for Percy to arrive, but he was later that usual.

     "Oh, good." Mrs. Weasley said brightly as Percy finally walked inside. "You're just in time for dinner, dear."

     Fred and George scoffed at that.

     "You won't believe what happened at the ministry today!" said Percy cheerfully, walking in the kitchen.

     "They finally learned your name?" Fred said sarcastically, making us all chuckle, but Percy glared at him.

     "No," Percy said sternly. "I got promoted!"

     "What? Really?" Mr. Weasley raised a brow.

     "Yes! By Fudge himself!" said Percy, looking more pleased with himself that ever. "I've been offered a position in Fudge's own office!"

     He was expecting everyone to cheer him on and congratulate him, but he frowned in confusion as he saw his dad remain quiet.

     "Aren't you happy for me, dad?" Percy asked, his smile disappearing.

     "Well... Percy..." Mr. Weasley sighed. "Don't you think that it was mostly because... Fudge wanted to have an eye on our family?"

     "Excuse me?" said Percy, looking highly offended.

     "Well, Fudge knows that we're rather friendly with Dumbledore," Mr. Weasley reasoned. "And he clearly stated that anyone who sides with Dumbledore can clear out their desks." 

     "Then you believe whatever Dumbledore says to you?" Percy scoffed

     "What's that supposed to mean?" Mr. Weasley asked, not as gentle as usual.

    "It means that he made everyone freaked out about that you-know-who nonsense. And now we have to work tiresomely at the ministry to hush it all down–"

     "–Nonsense!?" Mr. Weasley repeated, shook at those words. "You-know-who's back, Percy. Harry saw him return with his own eyes."

    "And you'd be taking his word for it?" Percy scoffed. "After what we read about him in the Daily Prophet?"

     "Since when do you agree with that awful Rita Skeeter woman!?" Mr. Weasley snapped.

     "Since she had said every right thing from the beginning! She was even right when she said you had caused us a lot of trouble last summer at the world cup by not cooperating with the Ministry! And she was right! The only reason I've been struggling at work is because of your lousy reputation! You've got no ambition, father, and don't deny that that's the reason we've always been living in such a poor state!"

     "Percy, please don't say that–" Mrs. Weasley whimpered with teary eyes, but Percy went on.

     "And now you're just being an idiot to side with Dumbledore–!"

     "–Dumbledore is the greatest man we can put our trust in!" Mr. Weasley yelled.

     "Dumbledore's only heading for big trouble in the Ministry and you will go down with him if you follow this path!"

     "How dare you!" Mr. Weasley shouted most unlike himself. "Your loyalty must lie with your family, Percy! Not the crap that the Ministry hands to you!"

     "Well, I know where my loyalty lies and it's with the Ministry!" Percy retored loudly. Now Mrs. Weasley was openly sobbing. "And if you're going to be traitors to the Ministry... then I will make sure that everyone knows that I don't belong to this family."

     "FINE! GO THEN!" Mr. Weasley roared. "LEAVE MY HOUSE AND CRUMBLE BACK TO YOUR PRECIOUS MINISTRY!"

     That was all Percy needed to hear as he ran upstairs, Mrs. Weasley following him as she cried.

     Everyone fell silent as minutes later Percy reappeared with a trunk in his hand, storming out of the house.

     "Percy! Please don't do this!" Mrs. Weasley ran after him in sobs, but it was too late, because Percy had already Disapparated through the dark.

     Well, that was intense, I thought bitterly.