Ginny

Percy

A/N: Hi all! Yes I know I haven't updated this story in over three years. I started writing this back in high school on my iPod touch and now I'm in college. This quarantine I was cleaning out my room and found my old iPod touch with the rest of the chapters I had written of this story. I don't know if anyone actually wanted an update but I figured since there is not much else to do during this social distancing time I might as well upload what I had, maybe I'll even write some more... who knows. Hope you all are staying safe and healthy. 

Ginny had barely slept at all that night, sulking in her room, she packed her bags by hand. She was only grumpier when the morning came.

Ginny had been told that she would be picked up by a ministry worker at sunrise. No one else in the house was up to see her off, so she clunked her suitcase down every step of the house, all 342 of them. Ginny was sure the whole village was up by now, but no one peaked out of their rooms to see her off. Frustrated and confused Ginny slammed the front door shut and slumped on the front step.

She could see a ministry car in the distance, slowly slinking down the path.

"This is it." She thought, a rotten mood consuming her. She resented her family for sending her away, and Harry for not defeating Voldemort already.

"Ginevra Weasley." A familiar voice spoke, from the driver's side of the car. Ginny was first confused about why they would be driving to Hogwarts but now was concentrated on the familiar voice. It was Percy, the absolute last person she wanted to see.

Ginny wasn't exactly sure what had transpired between her brother and mother when he came home recently to visit but by all accounts, it was not pleasant. Regardless Ginny hadn't spoken to Percy since he had left in a fury to start his very important job in the ministry, bashing their father's credentials on the way out the door. She knew Percy had said things he must regret now, but the air was still tense as everything said had been left unaddressed.

"Ginevra? Is that all I am to you Percy? Just another person you have to chauffeur off to Hogwarts? I can see your career at the ministry is going well, just driving kids around all day." There was a spitefulness in her tone as she threw her trunk into the back seat.

"Please don't make this harder then it already is." Percy spat.

"Hard for you? Percy do you have any idea what this family has been through, while you have been partying over with the Death Eaters? Do you have any clue?" She retorted, anger boiling over as she slammed the car door shut.

"Blood hell Ginny, you honestly just don't get it do you? Do you not realize how odd it is that out of all the ministry workers I am the one driving you to your possible death? They're testing me, Ginny. They want me to run away with you, get the hell out of here, want me to put one toe out of line, so they can kill me. Don't you see why I can't come running back? They'll kill me, and mum, dad, Charlie, Bill, Fred, George, Ron and you. I only said those things to Mum and dad to protect them, just like I'm protecting you right now. I have to stay at the ministry so the lot of you can stay alive." Percy was staring fiercely at the road now determined not to cry.

Silence consumed the car. Ginny had known, she had always known that Percy was good. Stuck up and arrogant but good. Yet she had never realized just how good Percy was. She knew her other brothers were judging him too harshly, she had to let them know that Percy was simply in too deep, and squandering his relationships to save them. It is what any of them would do, and yet he was being painted as a villain for it, and it wasn't fair.

"Sorry. Sorry, I yelled at you and said you didn't know what we had been through. I didn't mean it." She paused choosing her next words carefully. "Thank you for keeping us safe."

"Yeah safe, cute. I can't no matter how hard I try." Percy was breathing heavily now, his words falling like rocks.

"They know. They know I could never hurt you. They know I could never betray you. Everyone knows, from the janitors up to the minister himself. They know it's my weakness. Ginny, I know Hogwarts isn't safe, I know it. I know Snape is a death eater, I know Neville has been beaten senseless at least twice, and I know for a fact they are using unforgivable curses on the students. But I also know Mum and Dad aren't idiots. There is a reason they're sending you back, I have no clue why but I know Mum wouldn't send you back had there not been a reason. I need you to promise me something, Ginny. If I die or get killed before the family finds out that I never truly betrayed them I want you to let them know."

A sudden wave of sadness washed over Ginny. She knew all to well she too could be offed at any minute, and she had just stormed away from her family in anger. Would their last memories of her be the pounding of her suitcase? Or the tear-soaked pillow she had left behind?

"I will but you have to promise me the same. I know Mum and Dad aren't idiots, far from it, but I also know I have a target on my back and if what you're saying about Snape and Neville is true there is a chance I won't make it. I mean bloody hell there is no way I can take anyone even patting me on the back wrong at this point, my insides were on our floor less than a month ago and I just stormed out of the house without saying a proper goodbye to anyone. I was being so self-centered I hadn't considered this might be hard for anyone besides me. I'm the only kid left in the house now and I just left." Ginny's voice trailed off as the base of Hogwarts was seen in the distance.

The siblings both simply stared ahead, both not knowing what to say. Percy had become incredibly anxious. He knew there had been a dementor attack his family but the Ministry had only reported minor injuries. He thought they were sending him a warning, that next time something terrible would happen, it had not occurred to him that something terrible already had. He needed to get out of the Ministry and he needed to Ginny the hell out of Hogwarts.