Yellow (George Weasley)

72 - Nightmares

The roar of energy from the surrounding crowd was deafening for a moment. All of them surged from the Room of Requirement, wands at the ready as they ran down the halls to help. Their noise briefly drowned out the argument happening just behind us.

"No! I won't allow it—you're underage!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, a hand clenched around her daughter's upper arm. "You will go home to Aunt Muriel's at once!"

"I'm in Dumbledore's Army!" Ginny struggled to free herself from her grip.

"A teenager's gang!" Mrs. Weasley spoke, exasperated.

"A teenager's gang that's about to take him on, which no one else has dared to do!" Fred defended his sister.

"She is sixteen!" His mother hissed. "I can't believe the three of you brought her here in the first place."

I felt a wave of guilt rush over me, and from the look on Fred and George's faces they felt the same way. Though Ginny was one of the most talented members of Dumbledore's Army, a part of me hoped she would stay home. I don't think I would be able to go on if anything happened to her.

"I can't go home!" Ginny had angry tears pricking her eyes now, looking to me and her brothers for more support before she settled back on her parents. "I can't just sit there. My whole family is here. Not knowing if—" She cut herself off, choking back a small sob before straightening. "Fine. I'll just say goodbye then."

As Ginny turned back towards the tunnel, a loud clambering had all of our attention on a figure scrambling out of it. He stood straight, his curly red hair disheveled and his horn-rimmed glasses slightly askew. "Am I too late? Has it started? I only just found out—I—"

Percy stopped talking at once, his face flushed as he looked up to see his entire family standing in front of him. The silence was thick and the tension so heavy I felt the strong urge to step outside. Fred and George were both tense beside me, all of us looking to the estranged Weasley expectantly.

"So...'ow eez leetle Teddy?" Fleur must have felt as uncomfortable as I did as she quickly tried to remove herself from the situation. Lupin quickly joined in on the conversation.

"I was a fool!" Percy's sudden outburst had everyone in the room jumping. It was so loud that Lupin dropped the photograph he was showing to Fleur. "I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a—a—"

"Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron." Fred finished for him, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he eyed his older brother.

"Yes—" Percy swallowed. "Yes, I was!"

There was a brief moment of silence before Fred stepped towards him. "Well, you can't say fairer than that." He held his hand out to Percy, the corner of his lip quirking up in a smile. Before Percy could accept, his own smile on his face, Mrs. Weasley let out a loud sob and pulled him into a strangling hug.

His eyes found his father as he patted her on the back. "I'm so sorry, Dad." Mr. Weasley blinked back tears before rushing to join his wife in hugging their son. I found myself pushing back my own tears at the touching moment.

"What made you come to your senses, Perce?" George asked, wrapping an arm around me.

"It's been coming for some time." Percy mopped at his eyes from beneath his glasses. "I started to realize what side I had taken when I saw the way they were treating all of those poor Muggle-borns. I heard the plans Umbridge had for Leah before her trial and knowing that she couldn't have done anything wrong yet was going to be sent to that horrible, soul-sucking prison. I—I don't know what I'd have done knowing I was siding with the people who could do that. I had to find a way out of there but they were imprisoning traitors all the time. I got in contact with Aberforth and he told me what was going on, so here I am."