That's F-R-E-D-E-R-I-C-K
Percy refused to see anyone when he woke up. No one expect Frederick Gideon Weasley. "That's F-R-E-D-E-R-I-C-K Weasley."
Sure, Ron was hurt by that. Hell, the whole family was, but Percy had been quiet since the war. The only person he'd speak to normally was Fred and even then, Fred had to go visit Percy or floo call late at night, when everyone else was supposed to be asleep. Poor Fred's hip never really had the chance to recover.
Ron had been close to Percy at one point, he was the only one who had time for him. Time to teach him how to tie his shoe laces and spell his own name. Fred and George, before they calmed down and focused all their energy into their shop, they could be downright mean. He still had nightmares about the time they turned his teddy bear into a spider, yet it was Percy who comforted him and wiped away his tears and let him share his big boy bed. Bill and Charlie had been so much older, had already made their friends by the time Ron had learnt to walk and talk, yet it was Percy who took him to the side and taught him how to play chess, even when he had his friend over.
When Ron got older, Percy got boring. Bedtime stories and perfectly cut sandwiches weren't so cool anymore and instead of fighting him on it, Percy let him grow up. Granted, he still mothered him on things that really he shouldn't have been mothered about and remembered things that drive their mum mad. 'Mum, Ron doesn't like corned beef, you can't send him on the train with that. Swap his with mine.'
Percy also hated corned beef.
He remembered how after the battle, Percy never left Fred's bedside, how George had to force him out of the room to shower, how he had paid what must have been his life savings to get Fred the best possible care he could afford. He remembered when Fred had come out of the rehabilitation centre, after he'd relearned how to walk, Percy paid for his custom crutch, a custom wheelchair, a specially designed arm chair for both the burrow and the joke shop.
He remembered the screaming match he'd over heard between him and Penelope when Percy had wanted to pay for a stairlift. "He's my brother Penny! My little brother! It's my fault he's hurt! He needs this!" "And what about me?! I'm supposed to be the most important person in your life! You're supposed to be taking care of me!"
Percy hadn't been to the burrow after that and Fred never got the stairlift.
Thinking now, Charlie was right, Percy had changed after he met Clearwater. He had no clue Percy had a girlfriend until Ginny had snapped that photo of them, apparently they'd started dating in their second year. Their mother had pretty much started planning their wedding when she found out. Before he'd started dating her, Percy had been the epitome of soft and gentle. He was kind and quiet, charming in a way. If you caught him on a bad day, after they'd started dating, he could be downright cruel.
He didn't like to think about how long she must've been hurting him, if she ever hurt him in the beginning, if he'd ever hurt her. He doubted it, Percy couldn't stand up to the frog that had been terrorising the burrow a few years ago, let alone another person. Eleven years they'd been together, eleven years of his brother potentially being hurt by someone who was supposed to love him.
The Weasley family practically swarmed poor Fred the moment he came through the door, leaning heavily heavily on his crutch.
"There's no point, he's not pressing charges, he's not leaving her, he's not coming back here to recover. He will be let out once the burns start to heal, she's not allowed in to see him until he goes home."
He looked tired, did Fred. Like he'd spent years instead of hours trying to convince Percy to leave her. Ron had expected him to push back, what he hadn't expected was Fred to break down, sobbing, big, fat, ugly tears that ripped gasps from his throat.
Instantly, Molly had her arms wrapped around her son, stroking his hair and back. It always unnerved Ron, seeing the twins with any emotion other than pure joy or pure anger. Secretly, he thought the were somewhat Bipolar (until Hermione corrected him on what Bipolar actually is).
"She's going to kill him! She's going to kill him and he's going to let her!" He practically wailed, down their mother's ear.
Ron glanced at their dad, maybe he'd have an idea on how to handle this. No, Arthur himself was weeping, silently, brushing away every tear before it had a chance to roll down his face. Ron looked away, this was all too familiar. Too much like the nights they spent in the private hospital, begging Fred to wake up.
Fred managed to calm himself down, somewhat, after a few minutes. George grasped his good hand in his, a silent comfort from twin to twin.
"He's agreed to see us, while he's still in there, I don't think she'll let him see us again once he's out."
For once in his life, Ron didn't have anything to say.
"Oh my God! Hi dad!" Percy smiled widely, though his eyes were unfocused.
"How high did you say he was?" Arthur asked the nurse at his bedside.
"He's on a lot of pain potions right now, he's going to be a bit out of sorts."
Arthur nodded.
"Hello, son. How are you feeling?" He felt awkward. He shouldn't be speaking to son like this, he should be at home, wrapped up in blankets in the middle of his parents bed. Like when he got sick as a child. When Percy got sick, he wouldn't sleep in his own bed, he didn't grow out if that until he was nine.
"Dad they have the best potions here. You wanna try one?" He asked, a glint of mischief in his eyes. Arthur let out a chuckle.
"Not right now, son. Actually I wanted to talk to you." Percy let out a groan.
"Noooooo dad, I don't wanna talk." If it weren't for the circumstances, it would actually be rather amusing.
"Percy, why did you leave? Back in 1995. Why did you go?" Percy's face dropped, he looked at his bedsheets, picking at a thread.
"I was angry. Am angry."
Arthur was confused. He'd come back, he'd apologised right before the battle. Sure he was a little distant lately but everyone had forgiven him. "What do you mean? You're angry?" He asked, not unkindly.
"You thought I'd stoop so low as to spy on my own family. You really thought I'd do that? Even if that's why Fudge promoted me, you thought I'd spy on you? And even then, Fudge hadn't promoted me to spy on the family or the order. He gave me a promotion because I deserved it. You and mum, you pushed and pushed for me to be the ministry man, to climb my way up the ladder and when I did you got angry at me. I didn't even want to work at the ministry! I just wanted you to be proud of me..."
Seems the potions really did interfere with people filters. He thought that was just a myth.
"I came back I apologised, yet it's like I was the only one to be forgiven. Yes I was in the wrong for walking out but I was nineteen. I was still a teenager. I'd just stood trial after running an entire department by myself at eighteen. You were the adult, dad. You didn't even see what I was doing at the ministry, how hard I worked. You couldn't see past your own worries, and I get that now...but you're my dad, you were supposed to think about what you said. I never got an apology, from anyone! Not for how anyone treated me growing up, or being forgotten, or the mashed parsnips...nothing. I'm still angry..."
Arthur felt his heart clench at them words. He hadn't realised, Percy had always acted so grown up, he was still a child when they'd argued. He was right, he couldn't see past himself. He wrapped his arms around his son, as tightly as he could without squeezing his burns.
"I'm so sorry son. I'm so, so sorry." He whispered into his hair.
"You went into hiding and you didn't even think to take me with you." Percy whispered back, tears rolling down his cheeks, stinging the burns on his cheeks.
"Where did you go? After we fought? Penelope's?" Percy shook his head.
"I don't wanna talk about it." He whispered.
"Please, son."
Percy took a deep shaky breath. "Hyde park."
After they'd calmed down (and Percy had more potions administered) they simply sat in silence. A comfortable silence. Granted, every couple of minutes or so, Percy would burst into either giggles or tears and Arthur would jump.
When Ron walked through the doors, Percy had just chosen that moment to burst into a fit of giggles, scaring his poor brother half to death.
"Is he alright?"
"High."
Ron nodded in understanding as he inched closer to his father.
"I'm not high- oh hi Ron!" Percy giggled.
"Hey, Perce." Ron sat down next to Arthur, placing his bag down next to him.
Percy had never seemed so small to Ron, he'd always been the tallest sibling after that growth spurt he had back in 88'. Sitting there, chest and shoulders exposed through his hospital gown, Ron could see just what Fred had meant when he said Percy was starving. He really shouldn't be able to see his sternum so clearly. Percy's breathing was deep enough to flar his ribs and make him wheeze when he exhaled, he really should've snitched when he caught him with a cigarette as a teenager.
The bruising on Percy's face had started to recede, Ron didn't want to let him out of the hospital, wanted to have him committed to the psych ward. 'What's wrong with the patient?' 'Uh yeah he won't leave the psychopath that tried to kill him.'
"Can I just check these wraps, Perce? I think they're due a change." He said, not bothering to wait for an answer before getting up and checking his brother's dressings. He paled at the sight underneath them, that nurse wasn't lying when she said it took quite a few layers of skin, he could bloody well see his muscles! He could see deep, ugly scars marring his brother's body through the hospital gown. That bitch.
Ron's eyes locked with his brother's as Percy grabbed his wrist. "Come home, Percy, whatever you've done, you don't deserve this."
Percy shook his head softly. "Who else is going to love me?"
Ron felt his heart clench at the question, his eyes welled up with tears. How could he ask that? Of course other people loved him! "This isn't love, Percy, she's torturing you. You deserve better, you're perfect prefect Percy."
"No, no I'm not. Please, just let me be with her, I put her through so much."
"What could you have put her through to warrant this?"
"She still loves me, me, a drunk that can't give her a baby! She's the one that deserves better!" Percy broke down into tears.
Well that was unexpected, then again, everything about the past couple of days was unexpected and Ron didn't know how to react.