1. Shadows of the war
It was a dark night at the Burrow. The magical war had ended a couple weeks ago, the scars were still fresh. The walls seemed to murmur memories, and for the Weasley family, Fred's absence was a constant pain. George felt as though half of himself was missing. His laughter had vanished, and every corner of the house reminded him of his twin brother's empty presence.
Percy, on the other hand, had returned to the family, but guilt gnawed at him. The last image of Fred was seared into his mind: his fallen brother, his face lifeless, while Percy himself could only stand frozen in the heat of the battle. Since then, Percy had changed. He would get up early, leave without saying where he was going, and often return late, without a word to anyone. His face was more solemn than usual, and his eyes had a dull gleam, as if an eternal storm was consuming him inside.
One night, George was in the kitchen, sitting silently with a cup of untouched tea. Molly and Arthur were asleep, exhausted, and the silence in the house was almost deafening. Just as he was about to retreat to his room, he heard footsteps on the stairs. It was Percy, coming down with his coat on, apparently getting ready to go out again.
"Where are you going?" George asked, his voice laced with barely contained bitterness.
Percy stopped, surprised to see George there, he thought everyone was sleeping. The dull gleam in his eyes showed his exhaustion, but something in his expression seemed hidden, as if he was carrying a secret he didn't dare share.
"Work," Percy replied in a dry voice. "I know it's late, but there are things to do."
George let out a bitter, resentful laugh.
"Of course, always work. Don’t you get tired of using the same excuse?" he said, fixing his gaze on Percy. "You know, Percy? You’ve always been a terrible brother. Always. Even now, after everything that’s happened, you’re still the same workaholic, the same person who abandoned the family when we needed you most." Percy looked down, his shoulders tensed. He stayed silent, bearing George's words as if they were blows.
"It’s not that simple..." Percy murmured, his voice cracking.
"It’s not that simple?" George stood up from his seat and stepped toward him. "You have no idea what it’s like to lose someone, Percy. Someone who was a part of you. Fred..." his voice broke, and he took a deep breath to keep from crying. "Fred forgave you. We all did. But it seems you’ve never changed, you're still the same arrogant guy who only cares about the Ministry and himself."
Percy clenched his fists, holding back the anger and guilt that consumed him. He wanted to say something, anything to explain what he really felt, what tormented him every night, but the words didn’t come. He looked at George, his broken brother, and knew that any explanation would be insufficient. In the end, he simply nodded in silence and turned away, leaving George alone in the kitchen, as he had left his family so many times before.
The door closed behind him, and George felt his heart harden even more. In his mind, there was only one thought left: Percy would never change.
But what George didn’t know was that Percy wasn’t the same anymore. Under that rigid facade, Percy carried a secret, a big secret that made him leave night after night. Something in the war had changed him forever, something he couldn’t even control himself.
Hope you like the starts of this!! English is not my first language, sorry por any mistakes!!