Dream Deferred

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over-
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
Like a heavy load

Or does it explode?

Chapter 1

"Excuse me." Percy frowned slightly, automatically, as the figure bumped into him. The other morning he had noticed the permanent wrinkle beginning to crease his forehead, but he hadn't yet connected it to his habit of frowning with his whole face. It was the one show of emotion he had yet to completely conquer. Looking down to make sure the stack of papers he was carrying hadn't been mussed, he was unsettled for a moment by a pair of large, protruding eyes.

"You're Percy Weasley." She looked up at him, as if she was quite used to bumping into people in the halls. "You work for the Minister." Something about the way she was looking at him unnerved Percy. Her large eyes reminded him of a house elf.

"I'm sorry, have we met?" Percy asked with an almost imperceptible sigh. He was due for a meeting with the Minister, but manners could not be forgotten in the Ministry. Not even when some bug eyed girl ploughed into you, at least not when it happened in the hallway outside the Minister's office.

"Oh, I suppose you don't remember me." She paused a moment, though she appeared to be perfectly all right with this. "I suppose I have changed, although Father tells me I still look like his little pumpkin. It has been two years, and while you were Head Boy, I know you focused on only one person from our house. No one really notices me anyhow. I guess being friends with Ginny and Ron has put you on my mind. Still, you would be the perfect one to help me." She looked up at Percy expectantly.

Percy recognized now that this girl must be a Hogwarts student, third or fourth year from the looks of her. He brushed off the remark about her House. As Head Boy, he felt he had been entirely unbiased in how he looked at the various Houses. His mind was reeling at the mention of his siblings, however. Yet before questions and concerns could fully form in his conscious mind, they had been overwhelmed by contempt. His frown deepened as he reached his conclusion. She must be here, in the Minister's hallway, as a spy, one of the Order of Dumbledore, or whatever he called them. Obviously someone he did not need to waste his time or manners on. But wait, she wanted help from him? What could he help her with, here in the heart of the Ministry of Magic? What could she expect him to help her with? As it hit him, he chuckled inwardly over his previous paranoid assumptions.

"Are you lost? Just continue down this hall, turn right, and it will take you to the elevator."

"What? No, I-"

"I'm afraid that's all the help I can offer you; I'm terribly busy right now. You should ask at the Help Desk in the Atrium. Eighth floor. I believe they provide tours for visitors, if you're interested."

"Wait! Percy! That's not-"

"I have a meeting to go to. Good day, Miss." With that, Percy walked on at a brisk pace mentally checking off the meeting as finished and forgotten. Had he looked back, which he assuredly didn't, he would have seen the wide eyed wanderer walk to the end of the hallway and turn left.

Minutes later, Percy found himself sitting in the private office of the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

"Minister, here is the report on the economic downturn in the last few weeks. I might as well say right off the bat that it's obvious the market is apprehensive with the apparent return of -" Percy stopped when Fudge held up a hand. There was a weary look on his face. The look of someone about to do something that he had resigned himself to as inevitable.

"Percy, I didn't ask you here to talk about your report, son."

Percy inwardly cringed. Fudge's paternal way of treating him topped his list of irritating factors. Percy waited, wondering which aspect of his personal life Fudge was about to delve into. His love life? His recreations and pastimes? How he was dealing with the separation from his family? Fudge still tried that one every once and awhile, despite, or perhaps because Percy refused to budge and tell him anything.

"As I'm sure you realize, this is an election year." Percy nodded, surprised, although it didn't show. Fudge didn't often resort to the stand-in-father role for business. It did not bode well in his mind. "The last few weeks have vastly changed the political field from where it was when I initially began preparing for my re-election. The situation has become decidedly stickier." Only Fudge would describe the return of You-Know-Who as a sticky situation.

"I've begun to think through some changes to my campaign. I was hoping, now, to count on Dumbledore's support..." At this point, Percy choked, barely stifling a guffaw. Fudge was hoping for Dumbledore's support? Percy believed that the Ministry had been right to cut some of Dumbledore's oracle-like influence over the wizarding world from under him, but as crazy as the man was, he was still a genius. He undoubtedly knew what the Ministry had been doing, and Fudge expected support from him? "Or at least on his not showing open support for another candidate. A word or two in the ears of the right people would be all that was needed for appearances. However, this was passed across my desk today. I'm sure I don't have to explain the implications to you."

Percy read the piece of parchment Fudge passed to him. Halfway down the page, he dropped it. Eyes wide with shock, he was frozen. No. He'd never...It's impossible!

Fudge gave a little sigh. "I couldn't stop it Percy, you know that. Once it reaches this stage, it's really just a formality for me to authorize it. I don't know if you realize this, but this is not the first time he's been nominated. He's never accepted before now, however. I never expected him to. You and I both know that it didn't seem likely..."

Percy tuned Fudge's nervous banter out as he picked up the piece of paper to reread. He was trying to convince himself he'd misread, although he knew he hadn't.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Chief Warlock, hereby nominates, Arthur Conrad William Weasley, to the Grand Wizengamot Council this third day of July, of the year nineteen hundred and ninety-six. The following one hundred and forty-four signatures of registered witches and wizards affirm the nomination, according to the Wizengamot Constitutional Act, Bill fifty seven.

This time, Percy glanced through the names. Some of the names didn't surprise him at all. The very first name was his mother, followed by his four brothers. He was mildly surprised that the twins had so quickly registered themselves, but that wasn't half as shocking as some of the names to come. Amelia Bones? Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement? Kingsley Shacklebott? The Auror pegged to be the leader in the upcoming war? My Father doesn't have these types of connections...does he?

The implications of being nominated at this point in time were huge. On July 31^st, anyone wishing to be a candidate for Minister for Magic announced themselves in the summer meeting of the Grand Wizengamot. The final election would be held six months later, on December 31^st, with the new Minister taking office on the first of the New Year. Candidates had to be a member of the Wizengamot, be able to trace their wizarding blood back three generations on one side, and have twenty other members of the Wizengamot stand up with them and no other candidate. Looking through the list again, Percy knew that at least twenty of the people listed were members. Eleanor Longbottom, Alastor Moody and of course, Amelia Bones stood out as prominent members.

"You say my Father has been nominated before?" Percy said slowly, trying to absorb it all.

"Yes, he has. Half a dozen times over the years, I believe, by a few different people, even Dumbledore once before. I counted myself among the gross that time, but well, things were decidedly different at that point in the game." Fudge paused again, and Percy had the sinking realization that this wasn't all Fudge had called him in to talk about. "Now Percy, my boy, you do realize that this makes things much more difficult."

Percy nodded mutely once more. He hadn't yet quite found the words to react to the situation.

"There is a lot of fear in the people right now, and they're going to be looking at all the candidates very closely. I have to consider my staff very carefully. Those in my immediate circle will need to make a strong impression. The population wants faces they know they can trust to be loyal and hardworking. Now Percy, don't get me wrong. No one could doubt that you're hardworking, and I know your loyalty is firm. You won't jump ship just because Arthur is your father, but-"

"Why not?" Percy felt just as shocked to have said the words as Fudge appeared to be to have heard them. "How do you know I won't go and work with my father?" Once he started, it seemed as if a fuse that had been waiting for months had been lit. He hadn't yet acknowledged the part of his mind that knew where this conversation was going, but the notice about his father had shaken many of his mental walls. For perhaps the first time in his career at the Ministry - definitely the first time since Barty Crouch's death - he wasn't filtering what he was saying to Fudge through the protocol and proper parameters set in his mind. He felt a strange relief flood through his system. It was nearly a year since the last time he'd allowed this sort of outburst, and of all kinds emotions were now screaming to be let out.

"Well now, Percy." Fudge was obviously trying to deal with a situation he hadn't thought possible, something he had far too much experience with to be caught completely unaware. "We both know that you and your father share very different political views. You wouldn't honestly consider changing your stance to join him. You're too Gryffindor for that, my boy." Fudge let out a chuckle with that, not realizing that the proverbial straw had just been laid down.

"I am not your boy." Percy was standing now, his fists clenched at his sides, dangerously close to his wand. The motion had fluttered to the floor again. "I am not your son. I am not even your young protégé as you like to refer to me."

"Percy, now really..."

"You are not my father. The man who you now apparently consider a threat to your campaign is. There might have been a few times when I agreed with you over him, but don't flatter yourself into thinking that was because you influenced me." Percy paused for a moment, his mind beginning to organize itself again. His mental guards were now waging war with the freed emotions, slowly reining them into place. In the midst of the battle, the nagging thought that had been with him since the first twist of his stomach broke free to the frontlines. Ignoring the warning bells ringing through his mind at the idea of actually acknowledging it, it burst.

"Just answer me one thing, Minister." Percy managed to keep most of the bitterness out of his voice as he spoke. "After all your praises and tedious explanations of things I already know or could figure out on my own, were you going to get around to asking for my resignation?"

Fudge blinked once at Percy, then let out a relieved sigh. "You understand then? I don't actually want you to resign, just shift positions to something a little less visible for the time being."

The battle in his mind turned a corner there. Percy felt like he had been slapped across the face. It didn't matter that he had seen it coming, and not just in that hour. He still hadn't expected it to actually happen. Now that it had, all the other highly irrational thoughts he'd had when thinking about it seemed to have some chance of reason.

"Coffee boy, perhaps? Or maybe you want me to address your campaign brochures and send off the owls. No Minister, I think I'll take the other option." Still standing, Percy walked forward a step and reached to take a blank sheet of parchment from Fudge's desk. Pulling out his own quill, he wrote quickly and then handed it to Fudge.

"What is this supposed to be?"

"My resignation. Conflict of Interest. Two weeks notice, I believe, was what we stipulated in the initial contract. Unless you wanted to renege on that?"

"Now really, Percy, my-" Fudge floundered, "Percy I already told you, I have another position ready for you, and if the circumstances weren't so difficult right now..." Fudge trailed off, a look that almost resembled defeat in his eyes.

"Maybe you should consider that next time you create such difficult circumstances. Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I have another report to write."

*****

It took an afternoon of research on the new war tax for Percy to pull himself completely back together, during which he had plenty of opportunities to doubt the decision he had just made. Even as he fortified the mental walls once more, however, he became surer in the position he had taken. While Percy believed that the Ministry was generally right in its dealings, he had learnt while working for Barty Crouch that this was in spite of, rather then because Cornelius Fudge was Minister. The more he thought about it, the more Percy realized that aligning himself with Fudge, who was definitely not as strong a candidate as he would like to believe if he was considering Arthur Weasley as a serious threat, would probably not help him in his long term political career. He recognized now that despite everything he knew about Fudge when he went to work for him directly, he'd allowed himself to become pigeonholed in his viewings of the current Ministry politics. He would use the next two weeks to take a fresh look around, and see which steps would best help him. Any step had to be better then a step down in a falling government.

Percy's childhood dream of becoming Minister for Magic himself one day hadn't faded with his old Hogwarts robes, the way so many children's dreams die. Instead, it had become the driving force behind his every action. Some people chose love, some people chose money, Percy chose his ambition. He knew his family thought that all he was after was the power, and the thought of the power that came with the position did thrill him. What he wanted more than anything else, however, was to bring peace and order to the wizarding world. It was a naïve dream - a month into his first job at the Ministry had taught him that - but it was his still dream none the less.

Looking in the mirror, he was pleased with himself. After he had left the Ministry - pride had kept him there the full day, even though it had been his original intention to leave early - he'd needed to rush to be ready for the evening. Percy had been planning tonight for months, and there was no way he could put it off, even if many of his senses were telling him that would be the wise route. So he'd taken a quick shower, used every spell he could remember to dry and style his hair, taken the creases out of his best dress robes, and polished his shoes. After he'd finished, he'd cursed himself for not finalizing the details with the restaurant before, but a quick spell removed all the ashes from his head and shoulders. He was now looking in the mirror, trying to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Tonight had to be perfect, and short of that premature wrinkle, he was at least satisfied with his appearance. Convinced there was nothing else he could do, and knowing he was running short on time, Percy Apparated with a pop to the gates of the Meadowood Park.

"Who goes there?" The statue of a knight spoke when it sensed a presence.

"Percy Weasley, Sir Knight. Friend of the Lady Penelope." Percy repeated the words he had been told two years earlier when he first visited the Clearwaters. Satisfied, the stone guard let him in.

"Percy!" He was surprised when Frederick Clearwater himself answered his knock to let him in the front door. "Right on time as usual. Penny's just upstairs, finishing getting ready. Only for you would I let my little girl be stolen away on her twentieth birthday."

"Thank you, sir," Percy said, entering the large foyer. Percy's eyes immediately focused on the grand staircase at the other end of the room. He knew that Penelope would appear there first, from the right wing, and he didn't want to be delayed from seeing her even a second longer than necessary. It also kept him from having to look at the painting of the first Frederick Clearwater, which hung out over the doorway. It was a muggle painting, and he found its stillness jarring.

"Care for cigars in the library while you wait, Percy?" He was clearly in a celebratory mood. It felt preemptive to Percy, and was making him nervous.

"No thank you. Penelope hates the smell; I'd rather not have it lingering on me." Which was true. Moreover, Percy knew he would be questioned on how work was coming along. He wanted to avoid that subject with Frederick Clearwater until this evening was complete. Telling Penelope was absolutely necessary, but he felt it safer to keep it from her father for now. Now wasn't the time to lose his blessing.

"Isn't that caring of you, Percy. I wish Mr. Clearwater would still be so kind. If you remember, dear, I'm not fond of the smell myself." Constance Clearwater's voice floated overhead of the two men as she walked down the grand staircase, eventually joining them at the entrance. "Penny will be down momentarily, Percy. I heard your knock on the door and reminded her not to dally. It really is about time we looked at lifting the Anti-Apparation charm for you. After all, you're practically family now."

"That's very considerate of you, Mrs. Clearwater," Percy said with a small smile. And about bloody well time. Honestly, who restricts Apparation on the grounds to family? Percy realized that the duty to begin another bout of small talk was now in his court. Unfortunately, the growing unrest in his nerves was blocking topics of pleasantries from his mind. "How are the Aethonans these days?" Percy finally enquired after what in reality was only a short pause. He was relieved when Clearwater launched into a detailed report on the winged horses he bred for sport. He now only had to nod in agreement occasionally.

Percy was still being regaled with the bloodlines of the latest mare when he caught sight of Penelope at the top of the stairs. His breath caught in the back of his throat. Beautiful, was the only thought that came to mind. As she slowly walked down the grand staircase, unbidden, the image of a rosy cheeked teenager clutching a pile of books, dark curls blowing in the wind came to mind. Percy savored the image longingly for a moment, before shaking his thoughts back to the present and the woman in front of him. Elaborately styled crimson dress robes whose color offset her fair complexion had replaced school robes, and the curls were pinned back, until only a couple framed her face. She is not the young girl who I first fell in love with, but a beautiful, accomplished woman. Still, my beautiful, accomplished woman.

When she reached the bottom stair, he took her hand to guide her down that last step, before bringing it to his lips. At that proximity, the scent of her perfume filled him. It was the scent she'd worn as long as he knew her, the scent that Percy knew had a per bottle price tag similar to what his mother spent on clothes for his entire family in a year. Yet it was a beautiful scent and it suited her.

"More beautiful then the fair Lady of the Lake, as always," Percy said softly, and then moved to place a kiss on her lips. Penelope turned her head slightly so that it landed on her cheek.

"Percy, really now, I don't want to muss my make up before the evening has even begun." Pulling back, she eyed him appreciatively. "I do love the way you look in dress robes, they make you look so handsome and distinguished."

"Penny my dear, you do look lovely. Now Percy, I trust you'll have her home by ten o clock, and stick to well lit, chaperoned places tonight, and be aware that I've placed a charm on my daughter to track her location."

"Father!" Penelope exclaimed as Percy let in an involuntary gulp. The warning given to him three years earlier when he came by to pick Penelope up for the first time had scared him silly then, and to be reminded of it still shook him. He was reasonably sure Mr. Clearwater was joking.

"I'm only teasing, my dear. You're a grown woman now, no longer a teenager. Percy has proven himself to be worthy of your affections, and of good judgment to know what is best for you."

"Thank you, sir," said Percy solemnly at the same time as Penelope exclaimed,

"Now really, Father, as if I need someone to tell me what is best for me."

Soon after this they walked together back to the edge of the property to Disapparate. The wards set up around the house really were quite impressive, as they had been up less then thirty years. Before that, the Meadowood Park, like the Clearwater family, had been known only in the Muggle world. That all changed when young Frederick discovered he was a wizard, and when the early death of his father gave him charge of the estate, he quickly established himself within the wizarding world. When they reached the edge of the property, Penelope curled her hand in Percy's, and together they Apparated.

They reappeared in the restaurant district of Diagon Alley. Percy beamed at the appreciative looks a few of the people they passed by gave the woman on his arm, all the while making sure his arm was on her back as he led her to one of the most exclusive restaurants. Percy had made reservations months earlier to assure that they would have an opening for him. He'd started setting aside savings to pay for the evening around the same time.

"The Silver Pumpkin, Percy, you know it's my favorite. Thank you so much," Penelope exclaimed when she saw where they had stopped. Twisting around to face him, she reached up to give Percy a quick kiss. Percy, feeling very happy with himself, guided her inside the restaurant.

The main course to the dinner had just been served when Percy felt he couldn't avoid the topic of his resignation any longer. He wanted the topic fully discussed and put away before the dessert arrived, so he began.

"You know I hate to mix business with pleasure, Penelope, but something happened today that I really should mention."

"Important enough to mention on my birthday?" Penelope asked, eyebrows raised slightly. "I'm only joking, dear, if you feel it is important, I know it must be."

"Well, I had a meeting with the Minister," Percy began, and then paused. He really didn't want to bring up his father's nomination, but she was bound to hear about it soon anyhow. Yet it wasn't directly related to his resignation.

"Is that still such an important event to you, a year after beginning to work for him? I'm sure Fudge would be honoured to hear," she spoke after his pause, a gentle laugh in her voice. Percy ignored the teasing and continued.

"The meeting was in regards to the upcoming campaign period. Word has just come out of a potential candidate who looks to have some strong supporters. It became clear that Fudge felt I wasn't adequate anymore in my position, because of the threat of this new candidate, so I resigned."

"You did what?" Penelope's voice grew loud enough that the witch at the next table over glanced their way. Noticing this, she lowered it slightly as she continued. "Oh Percy, why would you do such a thing? Surely Fudge wasn't about to fire you after all the work you've done this year."

"No, he wasn't going to fire me, but he was going to demote me. I'd rather resign, with a good position in my history and find something else than be tucked away in some broom closet for the rest of my life."

"Percy, how foolishly Gryffindor of you," Penelope said with a sigh. "You're nineteen years old and we're entering a war. Did you really expect to remain so close to the Minister during such a critical period? I'm sure the position Fudge had for you wouldn't have been that bad. He likes you."

They ate in uneasy silence for a while, Percy trying to push back feelings of resentment against Penelope. She didn't understand the world of politics. Fudge likes you. Did he want a sympathy position from Fudge? No matter what his age or experience was, he'd worked hard over the last year, and the year before. As the silence grew longer, Percy realized he'd have to make peace. After all, it was Penelope's birthday, and it would be disastrous if she was still angry at him when dessert came. He reached across the table to hold her hand.

"I'm sorry for spoiling your birthday, love. Maybe I should have waited until tomorrow to have told you."

"No. Penelope sighed as she spoke, linking her fingers through his. "I'm glad you told me. You did what you thought was right, and I wouldn't want you to hide that from me. It's that ambition you have to change the world that first attracted me to you, and part of why I love you."

Percy held her gaze for awhile, glad that things looked to be smoothing out again. "And the way you stay reasonable when I act impetuously is why I love you." Wanting to take advantage of the current mood, he felt it was time to move the dinner along. "Ready for dessert, love?" he asked, almost certain she'd agree. She did, and Percy signaled to the waiter, who nodded his head in understanding. After their plates were cleared, Penelope spoke again.

"So now that you have the chance, what is it that you'd most like to do?" she asked, obviously in a better mood. "Run for the Minister position yourself?"

Percy smiled at her teasing, and decided to voice some of the thoughts he'd had that afternoon. "I'm actually wondering if I should look outside of the Ministry right now. Any position I get right before a government change isn't going to have much stability, and a lot of politicians benefit from having some outside experience."

"Really?" Penelope's eyes were shining. "That would make things so much easier. Father has so many more connections in the business world than in the Ministry."

Percy began to frown. "What do you mean? How does that make things easier?"

"Well obviously, Percy dear, it will be a lot easier for him to find you a job outside the Ministry. Fudge owed him a favour due to some support he gave for something or another last year, but you should know how difficult it is for a Muggleborn to gain influence within the Ministry. Outside of the Ministry, well, they just want his gold."

For the second time that day, Percy felt as if the world as he knew it was crumbling before his eyes. A betrayal from Fudge he could brush off in a few hours, but if Penelope was suggesting what he thought she was suggesting... "Are you saying that the only reason I got the position with Fudge was because your Father asked him to hire me as a favour?" Percy's voice was strained, he was hoping against hope that Penelope would laugh and deny what he had just said.

"Did he never tell you? Oops, I thought he had. Well, it doesn't really matter anymore. Fudge liked you, Father told me so. Said he'd come out on the better end of the deal. You did do well, too, so I'm sure it will be easy for Father to find a friend of his who could make a position for you. For that matter, Father has grown very fond of you. I'm sure, if you wanted, he could find you a position within his own company."

By the end of this speech, the shock Percy had first felt had turned to fury. "Daddy will make it all right in the end?" he asked sarcastically. Percy was rarely sarcastic, but then, he rarely had his entire world shaken. "Did it ever occur to you or your Father that I don't want handouts? That maybe I'd like to do something on my own rather than going through life living off of your Father and his friends?"

He noticed that Penelope looked shocked. "Do it on your own? You want to flounder around at low level positions for the rest of your life? Do you honestly think anyone in politics succeeds of their own merit? All Father was trying to do was get you established early on. He wanted you to be happy, he wanted us to be happy."

"Aha!" Percy snapped. "That's really the crux of the matter, isn't it? Daddy wanted to make sure his precious little girl was happy, and the poor little Weasley boy would obviously never be able to provide her happiness on his own."

"What are you implying Percy? You're talking nonsense."

"You're spoilt, Penelope. Percy laughed now, a small part of him realizing he was on the brink of hysteria. "I think I always knew it, but I thought there was more to you than that. Now I realize I was wrong." He pushed back the flood of emotions that were trying to tell him his heart was breaking. Right now, he needed to keep relatively calm and finish this off. "You're happy being spoilt. You expect it. It's all you've ever known. I've tried for years and years to give you everything I could, but it's never been enough. What I slaved over, you took for granted."

"I like being spoilt?" Penelope's voice had risen to match Percy's, and this time she didn't seem to care about the looks they were getting from other tables. "If you mean I take advantage of the things in life that come without hard work just as much as the things that do, then maybe you're right. I don't see the point in denying something just because it came easily. If someone wants to help you, why should you stop them? Don't let your pride ruin your life, Percy, or you'll end up just like your father."

Percy stood up, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the waiter was approaching with their dessert. "I am nothing like my father. I suppose I really should thank you. If you hadn't said anything, I might have made the biggest mistake of my life."

The waiter had arrived now. Apparently assuming Percy's stance was part of the planned activities, he placed the covered silver platters down on their table. Before Percy could stop him, he'd lifted the lid off of Penelope's to reveal a diamond ring. As the Chamber quartet he'd arranged began playing Penelope's favorite suite, Percy grabbed the ring. He was shaking slightly now with all the pent up emotions, but he couldn't set them free quite yet.

"Tell your father that I decided this was best for his little girl." With that, he threw a small bag of galleons down on the table, and Disapparated.