Of Secrets and spirals

"Here, Molly, plate more up for Percy." Arthur took the spatula from her hand and loaded Percy's plate with food from his own. After the conversation he'd overheard last night, he was tempted to give his entire breakfast to his son. 

"Arthur, dear-" 

"He's not been eating properly, he needs this. Please, mollywobbles, trust me." 

"Okay, dear, alright." 

As the Weasleys (plus Harry and Hermione) made their way down the stairs and through to the kitchen, Arthur noticed the lack of his third son and a certain twin. Hoping they'd just slept in, he made his way up the stairs to wake them. 

"Stay another night, Perce. Please."

"I can't, I have to get back to work tomorrow. I need my uniform."

"Borrow dad's spare."

He heard the hushed voices coming from Percy's old room. Deciding it was probably best not to eavesdrop anymore than he already had, Arthur knocked on the door to announce himself. 

"Everyone decent?" He called as he let himself into the room. Taking a look at his third eldest, his heart clenched. His sunken eyes had a purple hue underneath them, and his sharp cheekbones and jawline made it obvious he wasn't eating properly. Arthur had nearly forgotten about the gigantic bruise covering nearly half his sons face. 

"Breakfast's ready, we've set a plate out for you." 

"Thank you." He mumbled as he nodded.

"Ask him, Perce."

Percy shot Fred a glare, though there was no real meaning behind it. 

"Is there any- by an- would mi- do you have a pare of shoes I can borrow? Just for a couple of days. I'll bring them straight back when I can." He rambled, looking at his shoes. 

Just a year ago, he wouldn't have had any trouble asking to borrow something. Hell, he'd have asked if he could have it but things had changed. Percy had changed. 

"Of course I do, son, Fred why don't you head on down stairs whilst I speak to your brother." He answered, hinting to Fred that he wanted to speak to Percy alone. 

"Yeah, hey Perce, don't be too long or I'll eat your share too." And with that, he heads off downstairs, gripping tightly onto the guardrails.

Arthur sat down on Percy's bed and patted the spot next to him. Percy sat and hugged his knees close to him. It seemed like that was the only way Percy knew how to sit, like he was scared if he sat normally, someone would do something. 

"Why didn't you knock on the door last night, son? You know we wouldn't have turned you away." 

Percy didn't answer, instead he looked away at the wall. 

"Percy? If something's wrong, you know we can help, right? You know that we're here for you? That we're happy to have you here?" 

He just kept staring at the wall, refusing to look at his father. 

Arthur reached out his hand and placed it atop of Percy's knee, stroking gently. He tried to soothe away the obvious anxiety that his son held but it seemed to only get worse with every passing minute. The trembling in his hands seemed to spread across his body as he buried his face into his knees. He was crying. 

"I didn't mean to come last night but-"

"But what, son? What happened?" 

He shook his head.

Arthur brushed his sons long curls back and cradled his face in his hands, forcing Percy to look at him. "What happened, son?" 

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I want to be happy"

"I'm not happy dad."

When Arthur and Percy finally made their way into the kitchen, it was obvious to everyone that they'd both been crying. Fred stared with obvious concern, while everyone else carried on eith breakfast. As Arthur sat Percy's loaded plate in front of them, he made an announcement. 

"Percy and Penelope are going to be joining us for dinner every night from now on." 

Ron rolled his eyes "What's up, can't your high and mighty ministry wages live up to mum's cooking?" 

Fred gave him a sharp kick from underneath the table.

"I'm actually resigning from the ministry." Percy mumbled.

Ginnys fork clattered against her plate as she dropped it. "You what?! You abandoned us for that place and now you don't even wanna work there anymore? The fuck?!"

"Language, Ginny." Molly reprimanded

"I'm applying for a licence to work as a private accountant." Percy's leg began to bounce underneath the table, something he did as child when he was nervous. "With Penny being out of work right now, we really could use a little bit extra." 

A quick, sharp knock at the door interrupted.

"I'll get it." Charlie said, eager to find an escape from the uncomfortable conversation at hand. 

"Percy, love, so this is where you've been all night, I've been worried sick!" Penelope was here to get him, to take him home. 

She smiled at everyone, until her eyes landed on Fred. 

"Weasley."

"Clearwater."

"Still haven't wiped that look off your face?"

"Still bumming off my brother?" 

Percy hid his face in his hands. This wasn't happening. 

"Still haven't seen a sickle back from them hospital bills we payed."

This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. Thiswasnthaphappening

"Go take your face for shite." 

Percy felt his girlfriend grab his wrist. 

"We're leaving. Thanks for the offer for dinner but we won't be coming back." 

And with that, she dragged Percy out of his chair and apparated, not giving him a chance to say goodbye. 

"You good Freddy?"

"I can't stand that bitch."

"So you really let your brother speak to me like that?! Huh?! You let him humiliate me in front of you entire family! Merlin, you fucking COWARD!" Penny screeched at him. 

He couldn't find the right words to say, couldn't think. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" She laughed. "Sorry? Oh you're gonna be sorry!" 

It all happened so fast, one moment they were at the top of the stairs, the next he was at the bottom with Penny running down them. He reached up, to ask her to help him stand, but instead she kicked him. And kicked. And kicked. 

"I'm so fucking sick of you! This is why I don't want you seeing them! Why I don't want you seeing him! See how he treats me! And you just let him! I mean, do you even love me?" 

"Of course I love you, Penny, please, I can't-"

"You can't what? Go on, say it, you can't breathe." 

He knew what was coming, he just closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was anywhere else. The pub maybe, he enjoyed the pub. 

What he wasn't expecting was for her to walk away into the kitchen. "Go to bed. We'll talk later." 

He knew better than to ignore her. 

It was four in the afternoon when he woke to Penny stood over him, a pot in her hand. 

"Penny? Penny, love, what are you doing?" He sat up against their pillows. The pot was steaming, something inside of it bubbling still, even after it had been taken off the stove. 

Then, a blinding pain seared across his body, his neck, chest and shoulders, splatters across his stomach. "Agh! Penny! Penny, please!" She was crying. 

"I wanted to make you something, to apologise, but I kept thinking about what happened, and I was still so angry," she dropped the pot and cradled his face in her hands "but you've learnt your lesson now? You won't do it again?" 

He couldn't think, he couldn't even scream, the pain was crippling. Whatever she threw on him was thick and rapidly cooling, settling into his skin. 

"I'm so sorry, baby, I'm- I'm gonna take you to the hospital now. Okay? I'm so sorry- I didn't- I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean it, I swear!" She was hysterical, he hated seeing her like this, so scared. 

With a crack she apparated them to the hospital and with another crack, she left him there, one the waiting room floor. He didn't remember much else, with the blinding lights and too many people surrounding him, Percy passed out. 

It was Ginny that answered the floo call, the Weasley family already gathered in the living room some boardgame or another. 

"This is the Weasley family residence, yes?"

"Yes how may I help you."

"This is nurse Blaney, from Saint Mungo's. I've a Mr Percival Ignatious Weasley in our critical care unit and his first emergency contact doesn't seem to be answering the floo." 

Fred's face went pale. "She's attacked him again, I know she has, because of this morning. She's attacked him because I couldn't keep my mouth shut." 

George placed a calming hand on his arm.

"We'll be there as soon as we can, may I ask what's happened to him?" 

"It seems that he's been sugared."

The Weasleys looked at each other in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? What the hell was being sugared? 

"Thank you, we'll be there in just a moment." 

Racing through the floo in pyjamas was not an easy feat, especially for poor Fred and his crutch. What the hell was being sugared?

"Hi, we're here to see Percy Weasley." Arthur said, nearly out of breathe. 

"Just in time, he's just come out of surgery, so he may be very drowsy. Room six in CC wing." Arthur gave a nod of thanks and started his way down the corridor. Surgery? 

Fred's heart was pounding as he tried to keep up with his father. He knew, he just knew she'd attacked his brother because of him. He'd made things worse between Percy and Penelope, again. He'd mucked up again. He was only trying to keep his brother safe and away from that bitch but once again he'd only pushed him towards her. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He knew what she was like, knew how vile her temper could be and that his brother was the only one on the receiving end of it. 

When they got to his room Fred couldn't do anything but let out a strangled sob. Percy had not just a large burn but a gigantic one, covering his, his chest, his shoulders and a few smaller ones across his arms, belly and face. They hadn't wrapped the burns. Why hadn't they wrapped the burns? 

Fred turned into his father's chest and cried. 

Ron turned to the nurse in his room. "Mind explaining what being sugared is exactly?" He spat, worry for his brother written across his face. 

"Oh, um, yes, well," she started, while wrapping a cast around Percy's wrist. "It's when someone mixes sugar and lemon juice into boiling water, and it's sort of like getting very hot caramel throw at you. It- it sticks so rather than just blistering it takes quite a few layers of skin from the body once it's removed." 

Ron turned practically green at the thought. "And you've called the auoras, right? To file a report?"

"Mr Weasley has decided not to press charges for a domestic dispute."

So Fred was right. She did this to him. He cried harder into Arthur's chest.