Summer of '93 [PERCIVER]

3 - CALIFORNIA

"Boys! Ginny! Downstairs with your luggage now! We're going to leave soon!"

Molly's voice shouted over any talking that once was. The twins finally closed their suitcases, and the other three siblings return to their rooms to collect their own things. Despite the lack of conversation, the house was still incredibly noisy. The children's footsteps were loud and inconsiderate, uncaring of the atmosphere they contributed to. The parents paced in the living room, searching for anything else that they may need, clearing the room for the Portkey.

Fred and George sprinted down the stairs gleefully, laughing noisily. They dragged their luggage behind them and the wheels scratched each and every stair with a jarring scrape.

"Carry them, don't drag them on the staircases!" Arthur bellowed from downstairs, loud enough to be heard by everyone in the household.

The twins were too far down the staircase to stop and listen, so they continued. Every few stairs, their laughs progressively grew louder and louder until they reached the very bottom.

"What a ride that Georgie!"

"Indeed Freddie, what a ride that was!"

Percy rolled his eyes, and Hermes, who was perched on his shoulder, glared in the same direction. The owl was much like his owner, much to the former's amusement. Fred and George weren't capable of being quiet, it wasn't in their genetics. If they were quiet, something was wrong. When the house was quiet, something was deathly wrong or no one was in the house. Percy only wished he could tune it out better, sometimes, all he wanted to do was curl into a ball and muffle his ears using a large, fluffy pillow.

Percy lifted his luggage and heaved it down the first staircase. By the bottom, he was gasping for breath, he dropped the luggage and leaned against the wall. A minute later he carried it down the final staircase with much struggle and he dropped it as soon as he possibly could, wheeling it to the living room with great effort and exhaustion.

"Not very fit, Perce?" George taunted.

Percy glared at them sternly, and Hermes did the owl equivalent of a sneer. The twins chuckled and chattered amongst themselves on how that owl was 'vicious' and 'just like Percy'. Ron and Ginny were still upstairs, searching for Scabbers in Ron's room.

"Dad, do you know where Scabbers is?" Ron shouted from four floors above.

"No idea, sorry son." Arthur shrugged apologetically.

"Hurry up Ron and Ginny, or else we'll go to America without you!" George yelled, a wide grin across his face as he snickered with Fred.

"It'll sure be a better time without you!" Fred fired, grinning from ear to ear.

Molly huffed, reaching out to smack them both on the arm.

"Fred, George! Don't talk to your sister and brother like that! Be nice!"

"Ow, ow, okay, we're sorry!"

"So sorry! Ow, Mum!"

Percy sighed silently. It was so loud and so chaotic; he couldn't focus on his own thoughts. He wasn't paying attention, yet he wasn't quite zoning out either. He pulled out a small paperback book from his pocket. It was a muggle crime and adventure book he had found in a muggle bookshop the previous summer. He began reading from where he had left off, moving to sit on the couch. The front cover felt smooth against his harsh fingers and the pages were crisp despite it being second hand.

"Percy, ready to go?"

The words fell upon deaf ears as the boy continued to focus entirely on the words by his fingertips. Immersed in the pages, he was unaware of the slow agitation building in front of him.