The platform was a noisy, boisterous place. No one would notice his shaky hands or slightly paler complexion in the chaos as he pushed his trunk behind Bill and Charlie. They did not seem nervous at all. Quite the contrary - at the moment they were having a contest to see who could subtly knock the other's cart over before their father noticed. Though, he thought, they could probably knock their carts into some poor, unsuspecting Muggle before Dad realized what was happening.
Their father was hardly paying any attention to his children as he continued to take in the sights of the Muggle train station. In front, the sixth year and fourth year jovially walked towards the barrier. Percy swallowed the large ball of saliva that had come to rest in his mouth, though his throat seemed tighter now and it was difficult to swallow.
His father seemed to snap out of his fascination. "All right, come this way now," he instructed, motioning towards the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. Percy had yet to come to the platform with his brothers; they had always stayed home with his mother and the rest of his brothers. This year, he now had a brand new sister as well.
Charlie was pointing at something over Bill's shoulder, and as the older boy turned to look, Charlie barked out a laugh and took off running for the barrier. He disappeared through it, though no one seemed to have noticed.
Bill grumbled something, though he was laughing about being duped, and within a few seconds he too had disappeared, presumably appearing on the other side of the barrier.
Percy had waited for this moment for so long. He just knew that he would have his chance to shine at Hogwarts; where he would be appreciated for liking to read instead of wanting to play Quidditch, or be bullied by his brothers. He would be free to make new friends, to gain more knowledge…but as this moment was now upon him, he suddenly realized how terrified he was. And how much he was going to miss everyone. He almost snorted at the thought. Well, almost everyone. He was sure he could get used to living without fear of what Fred and George were dreaming up.
He jumped slightly when he heard his father say his name, and, smiling, nodded towards the barrier. Percy attempted to smile politely back at his father, and began walking with as much dignity as he could muster through the nerves now gripping his insides.
"Ah…Percy?" his father called. "As this is your first time, you should probably go at it at a run. To be safe."
He sighed, and eyed the barrier in front of him. Gripping the handle tighter, he closed his eyes and began to run.
As the barrier approached he shut his eyes and braced for an impact that never came. He was suddenly surrounded by different noises. There were still people from all sides except directly behind him, but the air felt…different. It was cooler, for one thing. But the voices were more excited than they had been on the other side of the barrier, and Percy opened his eyes, knowing that many of students here shared his expectant attitude.
His father had made it through behind him and was walking over to where his brothers had congregated outside one of the train car entrances. They seemed to be enthusiastically reuniting with some friends.
Percy made his way over. Charlie and Bill were both smiling at him when he arrived; his father was beaming.
"Percy," he said, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Here you are, boy. Excited?"
Nodding, Percy finally managed to pry one of his hands off his trunk to reach up to hug his father good-bye.
"Little Percy's finally made it to Hogwarts," Charlie said, the hint of a smile playing on his features. "I bet you really are excited, and about the classes even."
"Need any help from us, little brother?" Bill asked, looking down at Percy, whose right hand was still gripping his trunk firmly.
Percy shook his head. "No, thank you, Bill. I'm sure I'll manage."
As his father slapped a hand on his back and began giving him advice that his mother had already given him this morning, Percy failed to notice the look Bill and Charlie gave each other.
The older boys hugged their father quickly and then with one last look at Percy, who shook his head, they bounded off to a corner of the platform where a group of students were chatting with their parents still.
"Your brothers' will help when you need it, but feel free to owl us whenever you want," his father said one more time. "Oh, let me get this." He pulled out his wand and lifted Percy's trunk into the opening in the side of the train before smiling once more at Percy, turning, and then vanishing through the barrier.
And now - Percy was alone. He turned to the train car entrance his brothers had disappeared into, and which now contained his trunk, and peered inside. Like the platform, it was busy with excitement and chatting students. Sighing, he climbed inside.
Suddenly, his nerves were back in full force. He had managed to say good-bye to his father, his brothers had bounded off somewhere, and now he was standing alone in a corridor of a train. Your greatest journey is about to begin, he reminded himself firmly.
If he could just stop being so nervous.
Taking a deep breath, he began dragging his trunk down the corridor. All of the compartments seemed full. And not just full, but full of happy, laughing, carefree people who had friends and companions already. Bugger his brothers for leaving him! Oh, well, bugger himself for telling them he was all right.
The task of finding a compartment was starting to seem quite daunting as his progression continued down the corridor, but he wasn't going to let something like this overwhelm him so early in his journey. Standing up straighter, he continued his trip down the corridor.
As he despaired of finding any compartment that wasn't already teeming with loud, laughing students, he came upon a quiet room. There was only one student inside; a young brown haired boy reading a large tome that rested in his lap.
Percy sighed with relief and opened the door. Sticking his head in, he asked, "Do you mind if I join you?"
The boy looked up. "No, go ahead." He then looked back down and kept on reading.
Nearly giddy with delight at the prospect of another studious person, he dragged in his truck and collapsed on the seat opposite the other boy.
He stuck out his hand. "Hello, I'm Percy. Percy Weasley. It's very nice to meet you. And you are?"
The boy looked up. "Oh, sorry." He held out his hand. "I’m Wood. Oliver Wood. Exciting, isn't it?"
Percy nodded, and then gestured towards the book. "What are you reading? I was thinking of doing some reading myself on this journey; glad to know I'm not the only one!"
Oliver grinned at him, and flipped the book shut so the cover was showing: Quidditch Through the Ages shone at him.
Percy hoped that his face did not show his disappointment that he was sitting with another Quidditch fan. At least this one read books about it.
Suddenly he realized Oliver had been talking to him. "…and we were sitting right behind the announcer's booth! Can you imagine?"
"Er…" Percy started to stammer, when the compartment door opened, and his brothers came in, faces slightly red as they struggled to throw their trunks in the racks above the seats.
"Hey, Percy, thanks for grabbing a compartment," Bill said, leaning back and closing his eyes. "I'll be in the Prefect's stall for a while but I'll be back here after a while." With this statement, he got up and began digging through his trunk for his robes, pulling them on to head out to his meeting.
Charlie had noticed the book in Oliver's lap and had already introduced himself and struck up a conversation concerning its subject matter.
Throughout all of this, Percy stared. His brothers were sitting with him on the way to Hogwarts? Didn’t…didn't they have friends they'd rather sit with? And he'd already had a friendly conversation with a stranger who didn't seem to find him odd or pompous. His heart swelled as he listened to Charlie's familiar voice and watched his two brothers settle into their compartment. They were letting him branch out…but they were not leaving him. He suddenly grinned.
As Bill turned to leave the compartment, straightening his Prefect's badge, he stopped and looked at Percy. "Are you ready, little brother?" he asked with a teasing grin.
Percy nodded, his grin still on his face. He knew what they were doing, but he respected them for it, because he knew they respected him. A warm heat pooled in his chest.
He turned and, mustering up all his knowledge from growing up with his brothers, attempted to join the conversation on Quidditch with Charlie and Oliver.
~~
The train ride had alleviated Percy's nerves through pleasant and boisterous conversation with Oliver and his brothers; Bill had indeed come back to their compartment. But suddenly Bill was telling him it was time to put on his robes and that they would soon be arriving at Hogwarts.
His fingers only giving away the barest hint of his nerves, Percy pulled his robes on over his head. As the fabric cleared his eyes, he glimpsed the sunset over the rolling green hills, and the excitement he had felt all summer fluttered back into his stomach to mingle with his nervousness. He felt a silly grin spreading over his face again, but for once he did not care. There was no Ron, no Ginny, and thank heavens no twins. He did not have to be the responsible one, for once - at least, not tonight. He felt like running up and down the halls of the train with his arms stretched wide, laughing -
He heard a screech of brakes, and the train began to slow. They had arrived at Hogwarts, which meant he would have to face one more task tonight - the Sorting.
It consumed his thoughts through the next half hour. As he was herded off the train, he dimly realized he was in a group close to Oliver Wood, who was too excited to notice that Percy was not paying him any attention.
Percy's only break in thinking about Hogwart's houses was his first glimpse of the castle; it was awe-inspiring. Beside him in their little boat, Oliver whistled. Percy's own eyes widened at the castle he had read so diligently about, here, embodied in living history.
His thoughts turned against his will back to the Sorting. After reading all summer (he considered his most reliable source to be Hogwarts, a History), he found himself conflicted on several levels. What house did he belong to? What house should he belong to?
In no time at all he found himself standing outside the massive doors to what he would find out was the Great Hall, where students of all ages were peering, some impatiently, some eagerly, some with no interest at all, at the group of nervous looking first years waiting to be sorted. His brothers were sitting next to each other; Bill was listening to something the girl to his left was whispering. He caught Percy's eye, and winked.
Names were being called; Percy tried to listen to each one as they were called out, but gave up after he only made it to "Clearwater, Penelope!" who was sorted into Ravenclaw. He also heard a "Longshore, Mark!" who was sorted into Hufflepuff when Oliver startled him by coughing off to his left.
Then, "Weasley, Percy!" was called, and he started the walk forward. It was too soon…he had not made a decision yet about which house he wanted…
The hat was placed on his head, engulfing his world temporarily into darkness.
There was silence for a moment. Then the hat spoke to him.
"Another Weasley, I see. But you aren't quite as easy to place as your brothers."
Percy flinched, and then stammered, "I…I'm sorry I haven't chosen a house yet…"
The hat actually laughed, a sound that reverberated strangely throughout Percy's head. "You don't choose your own house quite that way, boy. Though of course, I don't entirely choose it for you, now, do I?"
Percy was utterly confused. "But, then, how do you sort me?"
"Why, magic, of course. I know you, Percy," the hat said softly. "Loyalty, yes, and ambition, they seem to work hand in hand. A hard worker, too, 'unafraid of toil'*. And quite studious, though I'm not sure that wisdom factors in…where to put you?"
Percy was gripping the edges of the stool as he had gripped his trunk earlier that day. He knew this decision would impact the rest of his education - where should he go?
The hat spoke again, even quieter this time. "You trouble yourself, Mr. Weasley, too much about what you already know. What does your heart tell you? That your family has always taught you to do what's right above all? To protect each other and fight for what you believe in? You would be good in Hufflepuff, or even better, in Slytherin, but above all, you believe in what's right, even when you haven't admitted it to yourself."
As the hat was speaking, Percy pictured his brothers as they entered his compartment this morning, and the warm feeling he had felt then pooled inside his chest again.
Unconsciously, he sat up straighter; his hands relaxed their grip on the stool as he heard the shout of "GRYFFINDOR!" ring throughout the hall.
He could feel himself blushing, but grinning ear to ear as he headed for the Gryffindor table, where his housemates were cheering, his brothers were smiling and clapping, and his future awaited.
*The Sorting Hat, quoting himself from Sorceror's Stone, page 118.
A True Weasley by ahattab33
Chapter Notes:A huge thank you to my beta, my cheerleader, my encourager, and my long-lost twin sister, Natalie / hestiajones. Without her, this story would not have made it to completion.
Chapter Endnotes:Thank you for the read; reviews are much appreciated!