Categories > Books > Harry Potter > A Perfect Ten
Arthur Weasley stood in the bustling corridors of the Ministry of Magic, his heart heavy with a growing sense of unease. For weeks now, he had been carrying the weight of uncertainty, a gnawing worry that he couldn't shake off. He hadn’t seen Percy in so long, not even in passing, and the estrangement between them had taken a toll on both him and Molly.
They had both been hurt, deeply so, by Percy’s actions. The memories still stung;
How Percy hadn’t visited him in the hospital after his attack, how he had sent back Molly’s lovingly knitted Christmas jumper, unopened and unacknowledged. In the heat of that hurt, Arthur had told Molly that Percy wouldn’t be invited to any family gatherings until he pulled his head out of the sand and apologized.
But now, as nearly two years had passed, Arthur was beginning to feel the weight of those words. The silence from Percy was no longer just an act of defiance or stubbornness; it felt like a growing chasm, an absence that he could no longer ignore.
With a sigh, Arthur approached one of the Ministry clerks, a young witch who often handled administrative duties for the various departments. She looked up from her desk as he approached, offering a polite smile.
“Good morning, Mr. Weasley,” she greeted him.
“Good morning,” Arthur replied, trying to keep his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. “I was wondering…have you seen Percy Weasley around? I haven’t seen him in the halls lately, and, well, I’m a bit concerned.”
The clerk’s smile faltered slightly, and she hesitated before answering. “I’m sorry, Mr. Weasley, but I thought you knew… Percy quit the Ministry a few weeks ago.”
Arthur blinked, the words hitting him like a physical blow. “He… he quit?” he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.
The clerk nodded, her expression sympathetic. “Yes, he handed in his resignation. It was all very sudden. I’m not sure where he went after that.”
Arthur felt the ground shift beneath him, the weight of worry deepening into something closer to panic. Without another word, he thanked the clerk and quickly made his way out of the Ministry, his mind racing. Percy had quit? And he hadn’t told anyone?
The walk to Percy’s apartment felt like it took an eternity, his thoughts swirling with a mix of fear and confusion. What could have driven Percy to such a drastic decision? Why hadn’t he reached out, not even to let them know he was all right?
When Arthur finally reached Percy’s apartment building, he wasted no time in making his way up to the flat. His hand shook slightly as he knocked on the door, his heart pounding in his chest. But there was no answer.
He knocked again, harder this time, calling out Percy’s name. Still, nothing.
A sense of dread settled over him as he fumbled for his wand, casting a simple unlocking spell on the door. It clicked open, and Arthur hesitated for a moment before pushing it open and stepping inside.
The sight that greeted him sent a chill down his spine. The apartment was empty, completely and utterly empty. There was no furniture, no personal belongings, nothing to indicate that anyone had lived there at all. The air was thick with dust, as if the place had been abandoned for some time.
Arthur’s breath caught in his throat as he took in the scene. Percy was gone, and he had left no trace behind.
For a moment, Arthur stood frozen in the middle of the empty apartment, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. The son he had raised, the boy who had once been so proud to work at the Ministry, had vanished without a word.
A heavy silence filled the room, broken only by the distant sounds of the city outside. Arthur slowly sank down onto the floor, his heart aching with a pain that was almost unbearable. He had pushed Percy away, thinking it was for the best, thinking it would bring him back to his senses. But now, it seemed he had lost him for good.
He didn’t know where Percy had gone, or why he had left, but one thing was certain, he couldn’t just let this go. He had to find his son, had to make things right, before it was too late.
With a heavy heart, Arthur pulled himself back to his feet and left the apartment, the weight of his worry pressing down on him like never before. His hear weighed heavy as he made his way back home to the Burrow. The worry he felt for Percy had only deepened after finding his son’s apartment completely empty, with no sign of where Percy had gone or why he had left so suddenly.
The silence between them had been a source of pain for both him and Molly, but this was something far worse. As he walked through the familiar fields leading to the Burrow, his mind raced with possibilities, none of them comforting.
When he finally reached the Burrow, he found Molly in the kitchen, her hands busy with a batch of bread dough, her face softened by the warm glow of the kitchen lights. The sight brought him a moment of peace, a small reprieve from the worry gnawing at his heart. But the peace was fleeting as he steeled himself to tell her what he had discovered.
"Molly," he began, his voice heavy with concern. Molly looked up from her work, immediately sensing something was wrong.
"Arthur, what is it? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost."
Arthur took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "It’s Percy," he said finally, his voice trembling slightly. "He’s missing."
Molly’s hands stilled, her eyes widening in alarm.
"Missing? What do you mean, Arthur? Where is he?"
"I went to his apartment, but it was completely empty," Arthur explained, his voice filled with a mixture of worry and sorrow. "There was no sign of him, no belongings, nothing. It’s as if he’s vanished."
Molly’s face drained of color, and she quickly turned to look at the Weasley family clock, her heart pounding in her chest. The old, enchanted clock had always shown the locations of each family member, providing a small comfort in knowing where her children were, even if they were far away.
As her eyes scanned the clock, she saw that Percy’s hand was pointing to "Work" or occasionally shifting to "Traveling."
"But…he’s at work," Molly said, her voice filled with confusion. "Or traveling, according to the clock. How can he be missing?"
Arthur frowned, the mystery deepening. "I don’t know, Molly. But something isn’t right. He quit the Ministry weeks ago, and now he’s gone. The clock must be mistaken, or… maybe there’s something more going on that we don’t understand."
Molly’s heart ached with worry, her mind racing with thoughts of where Percy could be, what might have happened to him. "Arthur, we have to find him. We can’t just let him disappear like this."
"We will, Molly. I’ll talk to everyone I can think of, ask around. But for now, we must be strong. Percy needs us, wherever he is."
The two of them shared a somber look, their worry for their estranged son uniting them in a way that words could not. Molly felt a tear slip down her cheek as she whispered, "I just want him to come home, Arthur."
Arthur reached out, taking her hand in his, offering what comfort he could. "We’ll find him, Molly. We’ll bring him back."
They had both been hurt, deeply so, by Percy’s actions. The memories still stung;
How Percy hadn’t visited him in the hospital after his attack, how he had sent back Molly’s lovingly knitted Christmas jumper, unopened and unacknowledged. In the heat of that hurt, Arthur had told Molly that Percy wouldn’t be invited to any family gatherings until he pulled his head out of the sand and apologized.
But now, as nearly two years had passed, Arthur was beginning to feel the weight of those words. The silence from Percy was no longer just an act of defiance or stubbornness; it felt like a growing chasm, an absence that he could no longer ignore.
With a sigh, Arthur approached one of the Ministry clerks, a young witch who often handled administrative duties for the various departments. She looked up from her desk as he approached, offering a polite smile.
“Good morning, Mr. Weasley,” she greeted him.
“Good morning,” Arthur replied, trying to keep his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. “I was wondering…have you seen Percy Weasley around? I haven’t seen him in the halls lately, and, well, I’m a bit concerned.”
The clerk’s smile faltered slightly, and she hesitated before answering. “I’m sorry, Mr. Weasley, but I thought you knew… Percy quit the Ministry a few weeks ago.”
Arthur blinked, the words hitting him like a physical blow. “He… he quit?” he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.
The clerk nodded, her expression sympathetic. “Yes, he handed in his resignation. It was all very sudden. I’m not sure where he went after that.”
Arthur felt the ground shift beneath him, the weight of worry deepening into something closer to panic. Without another word, he thanked the clerk and quickly made his way out of the Ministry, his mind racing. Percy had quit? And he hadn’t told anyone?
The walk to Percy’s apartment felt like it took an eternity, his thoughts swirling with a mix of fear and confusion. What could have driven Percy to such a drastic decision? Why hadn’t he reached out, not even to let them know he was all right?
When Arthur finally reached Percy’s apartment building, he wasted no time in making his way up to the flat. His hand shook slightly as he knocked on the door, his heart pounding in his chest. But there was no answer.
He knocked again, harder this time, calling out Percy’s name. Still, nothing.
A sense of dread settled over him as he fumbled for his wand, casting a simple unlocking spell on the door. It clicked open, and Arthur hesitated for a moment before pushing it open and stepping inside.
The sight that greeted him sent a chill down his spine. The apartment was empty, completely and utterly empty. There was no furniture, no personal belongings, nothing to indicate that anyone had lived there at all. The air was thick with dust, as if the place had been abandoned for some time.
Arthur’s breath caught in his throat as he took in the scene. Percy was gone, and he had left no trace behind.
For a moment, Arthur stood frozen in the middle of the empty apartment, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. The son he had raised, the boy who had once been so proud to work at the Ministry, had vanished without a word.
A heavy silence filled the room, broken only by the distant sounds of the city outside. Arthur slowly sank down onto the floor, his heart aching with a pain that was almost unbearable. He had pushed Percy away, thinking it was for the best, thinking it would bring him back to his senses. But now, it seemed he had lost him for good.
He didn’t know where Percy had gone, or why he had left, but one thing was certain, he couldn’t just let this go. He had to find his son, had to make things right, before it was too late.
With a heavy heart, Arthur pulled himself back to his feet and left the apartment, the weight of his worry pressing down on him like never before. His hear weighed heavy as he made his way back home to the Burrow. The worry he felt for Percy had only deepened after finding his son’s apartment completely empty, with no sign of where Percy had gone or why he had left so suddenly.
The silence between them had been a source of pain for both him and Molly, but this was something far worse. As he walked through the familiar fields leading to the Burrow, his mind raced with possibilities, none of them comforting.
When he finally reached the Burrow, he found Molly in the kitchen, her hands busy with a batch of bread dough, her face softened by the warm glow of the kitchen lights. The sight brought him a moment of peace, a small reprieve from the worry gnawing at his heart. But the peace was fleeting as he steeled himself to tell her what he had discovered.
"Molly," he began, his voice heavy with concern. Molly looked up from her work, immediately sensing something was wrong.
"Arthur, what is it? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost."
Arthur took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "It’s Percy," he said finally, his voice trembling slightly. "He’s missing."
Molly’s hands stilled, her eyes widening in alarm.
"Missing? What do you mean, Arthur? Where is he?"
"I went to his apartment, but it was completely empty," Arthur explained, his voice filled with a mixture of worry and sorrow. "There was no sign of him, no belongings, nothing. It’s as if he’s vanished."
Molly’s face drained of color, and she quickly turned to look at the Weasley family clock, her heart pounding in her chest. The old, enchanted clock had always shown the locations of each family member, providing a small comfort in knowing where her children were, even if they were far away.
As her eyes scanned the clock, she saw that Percy’s hand was pointing to "Work" or occasionally shifting to "Traveling."
"But…he’s at work," Molly said, her voice filled with confusion. "Or traveling, according to the clock. How can he be missing?"
Arthur frowned, the mystery deepening. "I don’t know, Molly. But something isn’t right. He quit the Ministry weeks ago, and now he’s gone. The clock must be mistaken, or… maybe there’s something more going on that we don’t understand."
Molly’s heart ached with worry, her mind racing with thoughts of where Percy could be, what might have happened to him. "Arthur, we have to find him. We can’t just let him disappear like this."
"We will, Molly. I’ll talk to everyone I can think of, ask around. But for now, we must be strong. Percy needs us, wherever he is."
The two of them shared a somber look, their worry for their estranged son uniting them in a way that words could not. Molly felt a tear slip down her cheek as she whispered, "I just want him to come home, Arthur."
Arthur reached out, taking her hand in his, offering what comfort he could. "We’ll find him, Molly. We’ll bring him back."
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