The Tie That Binds

The Tie That Binds

Chapter 1

Outside, the sun had long slipped below the horizon, giving the air a dusky glow. The night was pleasantly cool for July. A soft breeze ruffled the curtains, making the man at the desk glance up for a brief moment. He stared out the window at the beautiful night, and thought of the countless people who would be out enjoying a stroll. Shaking his head, he resumed his work.

The office was small and sparsely decorated. Thick and heavy looking books were stacked neatly in a plain wood bookshelf. Several filing cabinets filled to the brim stood along the peeling wallpaper. A simple desk and chair were the only other furnishings in the room. The one decoration, a glass case holding a badge that read "Head Boy" seemed oddly out of place.

Percy Weasley rose wearily from his desk and stretched. How long had he been at his desk? He couldn't even remember if he had eaten lunch or not. As he walked over to the window, he pondered how the days seemed to run into one another. As he ran a tired hand through his hair a breeze ruffled through it.

Anyone who knew Percy would have wondered at the changes in him. Dark circles framed his deep brown eyes. His gait was heavy, as if there was a weight on him that would not go away. He had always been slim, but due to his workload (and his propensity to forget to eat), he was positively skinny now. The trademark Weasley red hair was perhaps the only thing unchanged, though it was a bit more untidy than usual.

He sighed as he stood and looked out the window. It was a beautiful summer night, and here he was inside a tiny office, doing the same work he had been doing for hours. Most people were out enjoying themselves, eating, or relaxing. But not him. How had he gotten to this point? His mind flickered back to only a month before, when he had learned that his boss, Mr. Crouch, had been killed by his own son. Percy had looked up to Mr. Crouch and strove to follow in his Ministry footsteps. Hearing of his death and the circumstances that ensued had caused him to retreat into a self-protective shell. The magical world was in an eerie turmoil. Some people, like his family and himself, believed that Lord Voldemort had risen again, and were properly terrified. Percy shuddered at the thought. But the worst part were those who were acting as if nothing was wrong, people who couldn't or wouldn't fathom such an evil rising again. They were like lambs being led to the slaughter, he thought sadly.

*~-~-~*

Ginny looked expectantly out the window. Her mother was due back any minute now. She had gone to fetch Hermione who would be spending the rest of the summer with them. "It was always good to have another girl around," Ginny mused, especially since her brothers were acting weirder than usual. Fred and George, having discovered the opposite sex this past year, constantly annoyed her with girl questions.

She heard the doorknob turn and went over to open it. Before she could, a bright red head poked in the door and -

"Charlie!!!" she yelled in shock and happiness.

It was Charlie indeed. Out of her six brothers, he was the second oldest. Tall and muscular, you could tell by his deep tan that he worked outdoors. A more observant person would notice the shiny burns on his arms and legs; a result of his working with dragons in Romania. And of course, one could tell he was a Weasley by his bright red hair. Grinning, he came through the doorway and proceeded to lift Ginny up as if she were light as a feather.

"Eek! Put me down!" she giggled. "Just like when they were younger," Ginny thought.

Charlie put on a serious face. "Not until you tell me who your favorite brother is".

Ginny smiled mischievously. "Ah, that's easy. Percy!"

"Well, if that's your answer..." Charlie tipped Ginny upside down, so that her long red hair brushed the floor.

"Ah! Put me down you silly git!" Ginny screamed. Fortunately, she was wearing pants.

The noise attracted a third redhead. "Oy! What's going on down..." Ron trailed off as he saw Charlie at the bottom of the landing. "Charlie!" he exclaimed, bounding down the steps. "When did you get here?"

"Not two minutes ago," Charlie replied, upending Ginny. He gave his younger brother a quick man-hug and ruffled his hair.

"Hey!" Ron cried, attempting to straighten his hair. Giving up, he turned back to Charlie. "So what are you doing here, anyways?"

He shrugged. "I had some time off, and thought it would be good to come back to the Burrow for a bit of a rest. Decided to surprise you lot."

"You picked a great time. Hermione's coming today to stay for the rest of the summer. In fact, I thought you were her and Mum when you came in," Ginny informed him.

"Lovely. And how about Harry?" Charlie queried while dropping onto a sofa.

Ron's face fell. "Oh. Yes, well, he won't be coming for a few more weeks. Mum's spoken to Dumbledore, and he insisted that Harry stay at the Dursleys for a bit more. He does have a lot to sift through..." Ron trailed off as they all became silent in thought.

Suddenly the door flew open and they all jumped. Mrs. Weasley struggled in the door under the weight of several bags, and nearly dropped them all at the sight of her second oldest son. "Charlie!" she cried.

Charlie strode over and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Hallo, Mum. Thought I'd drop in for a few days, if that's alright with you?"

"Of course it's alright. We'll have a full house, but then, when do we not?" Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "Oh, and I found Hermione."

Hermione stepped from behind Mrs. Weasley and smiled at them all. Ginny immediately noticed how different she looked, even if it had only been a month since they were all together. Hermione's normally bushy brown hair now fell smoothly to her shoulders. She seemed a bit taller than usual. Her sophisticated clothing highlighted her slim figure. Ron, she saw, was goggling at her.

Not noticing Ron staring at her Hermione rushed over and hugged Ginny. Charlie nudged Ron, who came out of his reverie and hugged Hermione, though rather awkwardly.

"Now," said Mrs. Weasley, "Hermione you can stay in Ginny's room of course. Charlie...Hmm, we'll put you with Percy. He might be a little annoyed, but it should do him some good to have someone to talk to. He's been so distant lately..." Mrs. Weasley trailed off.

"Yeah well, all he ever does is work. Even more than before! Those buggers at the Ministry are daft, making him run the Department of International Magic Cooperation," Ron said, shaking his head.

Hermione dropped her bags. "They've put Percy in charge of the department?" she asked in disbelief.

Mrs. Weasley gave her a tired smile. "Yes, well, the Ministry is trying to keep it quiet. Don't want too many people sending howlers in. They needed someone for Mr. Crouch's position, after the...unpleasantness. And as his personal assistant, Percy seemed a logical choice. It's only temporary, though, till they can find someone to permanently fill the position."

Charlie whistled. "Old Perce must be going batty under that workload."

Hermione shook her head. "He must be under such stress. Though, if anyone can do it, I'm sure he can."

Ron snickered. "Yeah, and he's become even more sociable than usual. He'll be sending us an owl soon telling us he's decided to live in his office."

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley reprimanded him. "You stop that. Go and help Charlie with his bags. Ginny, help Hermione with her things. I need to start dinner."

They all trooped upstairs, Hermione still thinking about this latest revelation.

*~-~-~*

A knock at the door made Percy turn. It was Margaret, his secretary. A young witch in her late twenties, she had long blond hair streaked with pink, and wore cat's eyes contacts. Frequently she came to work in robes that were ripped at the bottom and on the arms. She called it "fashion".

She stuck her head in and frowned at him. "Percy, it's seven o'clock on a Friday night. Everyone is long gone, don't you think you should go home?"

Percy sighed and moved away from the window. "Margaret, I have an enormous amount of work to do. Surely you know that by now."

"Yeah I know. But I also know that Splintered Broomstick is playing tonight at the Leaky Cauldron, and I'm dying to see them," she said emphatically.

The tiniest of smiles appeared on Percy's face. "It's alright, go ahead. I was planning on leaving soon anyway."

"Great, thanks!" she exclaimed, and went back through the door. Percy sat down at his desk again and started putting away his papers when Margaret stuck her head in again. "Oh and don't forget Perce, let me know really soon who you're taking to the Ministry ball. They're really harassing me about getting your answer," she said as she started to leave again.

Percy jumped in surprise and hit his knee on his desk. "Ouch!" he yelled, but still managed to run to his door. "Wait, Margaret" he said breathlessly, putting a hand on her arm to stop her "What are you talking about?"

Margaret sighed, shook off his hand, and started to put her cloak on. "The ball, Percy, you know, the annual Ministry Summer Ball? I've left you notes for days reminding you about it. They're really getting on my case, they want to know who your date will be."

Percy looked at her as if she had suddenly sprouted whiskers and started playing with a ball of string. "Date?!?!? What do you mean, what..." he trailed off incredulously.

She shook her head at his sudden lack of cohesiveness. "Everyone is required to bring a date, especially someone of your rank. C'mon now, it can't be that hard to find someone..." she said slyly.

Percy hardly heard her. A date? For a ball? For all of the Ministry officials, no less. What in heaven was he going to do?

Margaret was heading out the door. "Let me know by Monday morning, or they'll have my wand! It's on Monday night!" And with that, she was gone.

*~-~-~*

Ginny sat on the floor of her room, looking over the usual truckload of books Hermione had brought with her for the summertime. Hermione sat cross-legged on the bed, absentmindedly looking through Ginny's copy of the latest Teen Witch Weekly. She had never been into makeup or boys much, seeing how it affected girls like Parvati and Lavender. However, she mused thoughtfully, a little bit couldn't hurt. Especially if I go about it reasonably.

Ginny soon tired of looking through the books and snatched the magazine out of Hermione's hands. "Hey!" Hermione cried, "I was reading that!"

The younger girl grinned. "Were you really, or were you just looking at the TWW Wizard of the Month?" she asked slyly.

Hermione blushed. "He is cute, but I was actually reading the article "Is Your Honey a Hero or a Dark Lord?"

Ginny laughed. "Yeah, but you don't have a honey, so that's rather pointless. How about..." she flipped through the pages, "Oh! Here we go! A quiz to tell what type of guy would be compatible with you."

"Oh Ginny, those are so silly..." Hermione started to protest.

"Well, if they're so silly, then there's no harm in doing one, is there?"

Hermione heaved a sigh. "Oh, I suppose not."

"Great." Ginny grabbed a quill and started reading "What would you consider as a fun date - A. Going to see a quidditch match, B. Catching the latest movie, or C. Having a butterbeer at and relaxing at Flourish and Botts?"

"Umm...relaxing at Flourish and Botts".

Ginny made a checkmark and continued. "Would you prefer someone who is - A. Very intellectual and a thinker, B. Well-rounded, or C. Not too bright, but bloody sexy?"

Hermione snorted. "That's easy, A. I have to be able to converse with the guy."

They continued on for several minutes until Ginny declared they were done and started adding up the scores. Hermione bit her lower lip while waiting for the verdict. Why was she so nervous over a silly thing like this?

"Okay" Ginny grinned. "Here it is. 30 to 33 points - You are intelligent and determined, and need a wizard who is the same. The studly, macho quidditch players aren't really your thing, you'd much rather have a deep conversation with someone who's intellectually your equal. These types are usually shy and withdrawn, so it may take some time to pry them out of their shell. But it will be well worth your while!" She finished and looked at Hermione, who was intently studying Ginny's hand-knitted quilt.

"So..." she prodded Hermione.

"So...what?" Hermione said, finally looking up. "I admit that's interesting. The bit about the deep conversations is very true. But really...I mean..." she seemed to be searching for an excuse, "I don't even know any guys that fit that description! And I'd have to know someone pretty well before I even considered anything with them!" she said a bit more firmly.

"True" Ginny mused. "There's not too many guys that fit that description around here. Definitely not at school."

*~-~-~*

It was a beautiful night, but Percy took no notice as he walked home. Immersed in thought he almost tripped over a tree root that happened to be protruding from the ground. He stumbled and caught himself with his hands, but still managed to tear his brand-new robes. "Great," he thought, "that's just bloody wonderful. Add on to a perfect day." He straightened up, dusted himself off as best as he could, then continued walking.

Off to the side of the road he noticed a small, dark hollow. From what he could see there was nothing special about it; in fact, it seemed quite dark and gloomy. A thin, dark stream flowed from behind a cluster of tired looking trees. A rock wall towered high above most of the trees, blocking any sunlight from penetrating the area. He found himself walking towards it, drawn by some unseen force. Sitting on a thick tree root, he stared at the stream gurgling its way past the rocks. Not a single living thing seemed to exist in this murky little river. A leaf falling to his side made him turn to look at the tree whose root he was sitting on. Tall and dark, it seemed stern, almost human. He leaned in closer to look at the base. Brushing aside the bark, he discovered a large, rotting hole in the center of the trunk. Whatever was killing the tree was spreading, however slowly, farther and farther up the tree. He pulled back and peered up at it. It appeared perfectly normal. But underneath, inside, it was dying a slow death.

He stared at it. Gods, what was happening to him? He had always been under a great workload, even at Hogwarts. But never had stress consumed him like this. No, he thought with a shake of his head, it wasn't just stress. The sudden death of Mr. Crouch had sent him on an inward spiral. And then Penelope, the one person he found relief in, had broken up with him. She came to him one night and told him that she was tired of never being able to do things together, and of his growing distance with life. And so, even before he could muster a response, she was gone. And he was alone. Completely alone.

After that, Percy had simply shut down. He automatically went to work in the morning, and came home at night, but nothing more than that. He spoke only when necessary, fearing his voice might falter and give him away. Immersing himself in work helped to numb the pain, but only temporarily. At night there was nowhere to run, to escape from his thoughts. He was lucky if he got 3 hours of sleep in a night.

That was several months ago. The pain in his chest had passed, but the thoughts still tormented him. He had told his family in brief words that he and Penelope were no longer seeing each other, and not to bother him on the subject. This distressed Mrs. Weasley greatly, who kept trying to pry out of him what had happened. She gave up after he refused several times to tell her, but he could tell she was still worried over him. The twins hadn't said much at first, but had made a few snide remarks recently. Percy shook his head. Insufferable gits. And then there was Ginny. With those shrewd, calculating looks she gave him, he had the uncomfortable feeling she knew what had happened. Somehow, growing up in a household of boys had given her wisdom beyond her years. But he couldn't even talk to her.

He came out of his reverie with a shake of his head. Back to his more pressing problems. He needed a date, and needed one fast. He couldn't think of anyone he could even ask, let alone anyone who would go with him. Why was this happening to him, on top of everything else? Making a decision, he stood up. There was only one person he could go to now. With a sigh, he started home.

*~-~-~*

That's it for chapter 1. Next chapter, Percy arrives home and has a heartfelt talk - but with who? Also, he and Hermione spend some quality time together. Could there be a possible solution to his problem? More than that, is there someone who can pull him back to reality? Tune in next time! :p Let me know what you thought, I'd really appreciate feedback!!!