otters-holding-hands

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I don’t know if it’s on here but I found this playlist you might like then lol

do you guys want to see a really random song i tend to associate with Percy?

yes?

cool

some lines in particular if you were curious c:

[otters-holding-hands]

Always iconic ✨

highlights

content warning: sexual innuendo / 16+ recommended.

listened to behind the wand and goblet of wine's draigcon podcast with chris rankin today -- here are some highlights (roughly transcribed):

auditioning

"Alright, I'm too old for the main characters, because they're looking for 11/12 year olds and I'm like. 16. And as a 16 year old school prefect in real life, who do I have the highest chance of being cast as? And I thought: Nobody's going to want Percy. So I went for Percy."

casting Penelope for CoS

"They had me help cast Penelope! So they basically took a socially awkward, 17yo spotty ginger kid and went and let him choose a girlfriend. It was basically like, 'So, which one do you like, Chris?'"

filming CoS (paraphrased)

apparently there was actual discussion on set about the logistics of "What was Gryffindor Prefect Percy Weasley doing in the Slytherin dungeons? Surely it would make more sense for him to be patrolling near his Common Room", and it just delved into jokes about how in the books when Ron and Harry go to the dungeons to find Draco they come across a blonde Ravenclaw (cough cough penny) not 5 minutes before they come across Percy, and then Draco says something like "yeah, he's down here a lot", which to me is just-- pfffffffffft HAHAHA

FANFICTION

Chris: Have I read Percy fic? Yes. Podcast: Do you wish you hadn't? Chris: Uhhh, it's been a while, if I'm honest. But there were some wonderful Percy/Oliver ones. Chris: And I say wonderful in the sense that I found them absolutely hilarious, and Sean Biggerstaff finds them just... deeply disturbing, and really quite worrying.

the misunderstanding (innuendo is here)

Random listener: If Percy went to a pub on a friday night, what do you think he'd order? Chris: I thought you said "if Percy went to a park on a friday night"(laughing) That would be a whole other scenario! "What would Percy be doing at a park on a friday night?" Chris, singson: Slash Fiction time~~ Oliver's wood. (table proceeds to die laughing)

actual answer: I think a gin and tonic? He's got a 1920s vibe.

cauldron leaks

Podcast: Any other topics you want to talk/discuss about Percy? Chris, in a very posh and haughty tone: cAuLdRon BoTtOms

[otters-holding-hands]

highlights

content warning: sexual innuendo / 16+ recommended.

listened to behind the wand and goblet of wine's draigcon podcast with chris rankin today -- here are some highlights (roughly transcribed):

auditioning

"Alright, I'm too old for the main characters, because they're looking for 11/12 year olds and I'm like. 16. And as a 16 year old school prefect in real life, who do I have the highest chance of being cast as? And I thought: Nobody's going to want Percy. So I went for Percy."

casting Penelope for CoS

"They had me help cast Penelope! So they basically took a socially awkward, 17yo spotty ginger kid and went and let him choose a girlfriend. It was basically like, 'So, which one do you like, Chris?'"

filming CoS (paraphrased)

apparently there was actual discussion on set about the logistics of "What was Gryffindor Prefect Percy Weasley doing in the Slytherin dungeons? Surely it would make more sense for him to be patrolling near his Common Room", and it just delved into jokes about how in the books when Ron and Harry go to the dungeons to find Draco they come across a blonde Ravenclaw (cough cough penny) not 5 minutes before they come across Percy, and then Draco says something like "yeah, he's down here a lot", which to me is just-- pfffffffffft HAHAHA

FANFICTION

Chris: Have I read Percy fic? Yes. Podcast: Do you wish you hadn't? Chris: Uhhh, it's been a while, if I'm honest. But there were some wonderful Percy/Oliver ones. Chris: And I say wonderful in the sense that I found them absolutely hilarious, and Sean Biggerstaff finds them just... deeply disturbing, and really quite worrying.

the misunderstanding (innuendo is here)

Random listener: If Percy went to a pub on a friday night, what do you think he'd order? Chris: I thought you said "if Percy went to a park on a friday night"(laughing) That would be a whole other scenario! "What would Percy be doing at a park on a friday night?" Chris, singson: Slash Fiction time~~ Oliver's wood. (table proceeds to die laughing)

actual answer: I think a gin and tonic? He's got a 1920s vibe.

cauldron leaks

Podcast: Any other topics you want to talk/discuss about Percy? Chris, in a very posh and haughty tone: cAuLdRon BoTtOms

[otters-holding-hands]

💭 ROMANTIC HEADCANNONS ABOUT PERCY WEASLEY!

these headcannons are things that i wholeheartedly believe in and will forever defend.

this guy hates nicknames, he will forever throw hands with anyone who tries to give him a stupid lil nickname. however, he will let his lover choose one nickname to call him while they're out in public.

as for when they're at home? 😏 he likes to be called all sorts of lil nicknames, especially when they're getting hot and heavy with each other.

percy is the type of guy who isn't silent about his lover or his feelings for his lover, he expresses them greatly in any form possible. he loves telling his friends about them and will show them off at any point in time.

he takes photos of everything that goes on around him when he's with his lover, he loves seeing them react to stuff like animals, babies, old people, plants, historical places, museums, etc. he keeps a little photobook just full of pictures.

pda is a big no no for percy, but he does allow a kiss here or a peck there. he doesn't mind small cuddles like when his lover burrows themselves into his side or arms bc they're overwhelmed or tired. but full on kissing moments are just very stressful for him to deal with.

when he finally finds himself in a good financial position, he will go all out for date nights and night ins. he loves taking his lover out on lil dates to celebrate just about everything and anything: birthdays, promotions, engagements of friends, weddings of friends, family outings, baby showers, baby announcements, etc

percy isn't a pressurer. he will not pressure his lover into doing anything that they aren't comfortable with doing. this also loosely translates to: if you try and force my lover to do anything they're uncomfortable with, i will personally throw hands or kill you with my bare hands.

percy's main love language is words of affirmation which means he loves being told when he's doing a good job and if he's doing things the right way. this heavily ties into sexy times which makes him the sub between him and his lover 😈. his next love language is acts of service, he absolutely adores doing anything that his lover asks of him and almost always does it perfectly. he takes his time perfecting his performance and his abilities to ensure his lover always is happy. his third main love language is quality time, while he does love having time to himself, he likes to enjoy his alone time with his lover as they're presence calms him down and keeps him grounded. he will go anywhere and everywhere with his partner to keep them happy and smiling.

percy really is a gentle lover, and even in the dominant position he will always make sure that his lover gives their consent before he does anything to them. he never wants to hurt or frighten his lover as he knows what anger can do to someone's psyche.

he is family oriented, yet he is huge on not making his lover feel obligated to meet his family or become close/friends with his family either. he also doesn't want his lover to feel obligated or forced to have kids if they don't want any kids.

percy weasley is a lover not a fighter, as stated above in a different saying. but this doesn't mean he isn't willing to throw hands, as also stated above.

this might be a bit controversial but i believe that percy looks for the level of intelligence when looking into a potential lover. while it isn't his main priority, it is definitely a big part in determining whether or not his lover and him would be able to have a life together. his main priority his personality, if they're personalities don't match or if they don't fit in with his family's personality, then he doesn't even dare consider them a possibility in his love life.

percy is the man who will always be the gentleman, and will go on to teach his children the ways of a gentleman ( irregardless of their given gender identity ), as he believes that all people should behave gentlemanly.

he will open doors for his lover, he will open car doors, he will lay down his jacket over a puddle, or lift his lover over a ledge. he will put his hands over the corners of tabletops or countertops to prevent his lover from hitting their heads. he constantly watches his lover's water intake cuz he knows that people frequently forget to drink water. he pays attention to what his lover orders and remembers for next time so that his lover always gets something to eat ( even if his lover tells him they're not hungry ).

he will befriend his lover's friends because be knows they aren't his enemy, but his only source for his lover's secrets and desires. he will always do what it takes to ensure his lover's happiness, and that means making sure that his lover's friends are happy too.

he always invites his lover's friends if his lover and him are going out for dinner or to an event, after becoming financially stable, he wanted to provide for his lover whenever he could.

he goes all out for birthdays and other big celebrations like holidays or announcements.

he's the typical roses, suits, and chocolates type of guy when it comes to celebrating valentines or easter or something like that.

he doesn't get overly jealous, he won't condemn his lover from having male friends or judge his lover for their choice of friends either. he will get involved if he feels like the male friend is getting too handsy or too aggressively flirty; this goes for old friends and newer friends.

percy doesn't judge. his lover can identify in any sort of way and he will always love his lover for who they are as a person, which also leads me to believe that percy is pansexual and demisexual; translating that he only goes for someone if he develops a true and deep emotional connection/attachment to the person he wishes to romance.

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Percy Weasley & the Weasley's Homophobia/Transphobia

I wrote about Percy having Oldest Daughter Syndrome in this post, but that got me thinking, and I realized something - out of all the Weasley siblings, Percy is the only one that doesn't fit into gender norms.

So I started going back and rereading to double check, and I was blown away by just how many traditionally feminine traits Percy has in the books that I didn't notice the first time I read them! 😱

It has me wondering if that was subconsciously - or purposely - a major contributor of why the Weasley children disliked Percy so much (given how homophobic/transphobic the Wizarding World is in general).

The Basics/Personality Traits

Percy doesn't play Quidditch (i.e. sports).

He enjoys Divination - a subject that is seen as silly by the popular characters & only people like Lavender and Parvati (i.e. "dumb" girls) enjoy it.

He's not great at chess: "He [Harry] suspected he wouldn’t have lost so badly if Percy hadn’t tried to help him so much." According to many studies, there is a stereotype that boys are better at playing chess than girls.

Percy is more organized and clean: ""Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet," said Percy, in a long-suffering voice. "He's dumped them on my bed."" This is a common stereotype for women, while men tend to be thought of as messier.

Descriptions/Word Choice

Percy is said to be, "fussy about rule-breaking and fond of bossing everyone around." Fussy and bossy are both sexist phrases that are commonly used to describe women who aren't accommodating enough.

Book 2 said, "Percy swelled in a manner that reminded Harry forcefully of Mrs. Weasley. “Get — away — from — there —” Percy said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping his arms." It's not a coincidence that the other Weasley brothers are never compared to their mother.

In Book 4, it stated, "“Mr. Crouch!” said Percy breathlessly, sunk into a kind of halfbow that made him look like a hunchback. “Would you like a cup of tea?”" He is portrayed as being quite submissive and eager to please in his job (traits traditionally used to describe the ideal woman, particularly in the religious sectors).

Later in Book 4, there's this conversation: "“Maybe Percy’s poisoning him,” said Ron. “Probably thinks if Crouch snuffs it he’ll be made head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.”" Poisoning is most often done by women, whereas men tend to kill someone in more aggressive ways.

His Job

Percy worked as an assistant/secretary to Mr. Crouch and then for the Minister of Magic - both of which are considered "women's jobs." This dates back to the Industrial Revolution, when more than 1.7 million women began working in this career, and it is still predominantly held by women (who make up almost 90% of secretaries and assistants).

Even his research was feminine:

“What are you working on?” said Harry. “A report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation,” said Percy smugly. “We’re trying to standardize cauldron thickness.

Cauldrons are generally associated with women because they were also used for cooking, and in paintings, it is almost always witches (women) depicted with cauldrons.

Then, there's this:

“I don’t reckon he’d come home if Dad didn’t make him. He’s obsessed. Just don’t get him onto the subject of his boss. According to Mr. Crouch . . . as I was saying to Mr. Crouch . . . Mr. Crouch is of the opinion . . . Mr. Crouch was telling me . . . They’ll be announcing their engagement any day now.”

A secretary falling in love with their boss and becoming obsessed... hmm, where have I heard this stereotype before? 🙄

Discipline

A research study on parental discipline found that, "“When it comes to disciplining the kids, there’s been a role reversal in the modern home,” the study concluded, with moms being more consistent in discipline than dads. The researchers found that dads are no longer the strict disciplinarians that they were in the ’50s and ’60s, and are more likely to let children get away with wrong behavior and less likely to talk through discipline issues with the kids.""

We certainly see that dynamic in the Weasley household with Molly & Arthur, and we continue that trend with most of the Weasley sons - Bill & Charlie definitely aren't disciplining anyone; they're the cool, "chill" brothers who contribute to the problem by smashing tables around in the air for fun.

Percy is the only one who disciplines the younger kids - especially at school and in the role of a prefect:

“Five points from Gryffindor!” Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect badge. “And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more detective work, or I’ll write to Mum!”

&

Fred and George were going the wrong way about cheering her up. They were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues. They only stopped when Percy, apoplectic with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs. Weasley and tell her Ginny was having nightmares.

Lack of Humor

“Yeah, well, Percy wouldn’t want to work for anyone with a sense of humor, would he?” said Ron, now starting on a chocolate eclair. “Percy wouldn’t recognize a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby’s tea cozy.”

It is repeated regularly throughout the books that Percy isn't funny and can't take a joke, which correlates to the sexist idea that women aren't funny (or that men are much funnier).

Mother-Hen Tendencies

Percy has so many instances of looking out for his siblings (or noticing when something is wrong) and worrying about them (i.e. fussing over them):

Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy.

&

Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I’m pale and I’m not myself. I think he suspects me…

& After the Second Task in Book 4:

Percy seized Ron and was dragging him back to the bank (“Gerroff, Percy, I’m all right!”)

Compare this to Fleur's reaction only a few sentences later:

Fleur had broken free of Madame Maxime and was hugging her sister.

(In fact, Percy & Fleur share a lot of characteristics, but that's a topic for a different time.)

Relationships

Percy had a girlfriend, but he still broke the gender norms by writing love letters to her all summer and keeping a photograph of her. This type of romantic personality isn't stereotypically common of most teenage boys (especially in these books), but it is common of characters like Lavender, who bought Ron a gold necklace (and Ron was appalled at the idea of wearing it).

His Brothers

To compare, the only other Weasley brother who shows any traditionally feminine traits is Bill with his long hair (and I guess his one earring, but that became very popular among guys during the 80's/90's). This is a physical characteristic as opposed to an emotional/behavioral one, and Bill doesn't get any negative reaction, because he is masculine in every other way - He had a dangerous, exciting job for many years; he has a career working with money (74% of people working in finance are men); he married a much younger, attractive woman (think about Leonardo DiCaprio not dating women over the age of 25); and he had a completely heteronormative marriage.

To Summarize

Percy has an abundance of traditionally feminine characteristics in the books, as opposed to his brothers, who definitely do not. Given how society is in the Wizarding World, it is very likely that this contributed to his strained relationship with his family. 😥

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to me, percy weasley is one of the most interesting characters in harry potter.

which shouldn’t be a surprise, sure, as he is one of my favourite characters, but -

he did not fall in line with the rest of his family and he is a character whose true characterisation, whose true self, shines when you reject his lousy creator’s poor portrayal of him, because as much as she likes to think otherwise, she thinks in black and white. her bias shines clear, and it is not good bias. she associates motherhood with purity, but femininity with impurity and frivolity. she sees family as a one way track. anyway -

percy weasley is grey, complex, and simply fascinating to unpack. oliver wood complements him well as a romantic partner (supportive, similarly passionate, similarly socially awkward but so devoted, so loyal).

I promote the headcanon (reality, if you ask me), that percy thinks in grey and nuance whilst simultaneously headcanoning him as autistic because those two things are far from mutually exclusive. percy is autistic coded, and I just think it’s neat, but also - I think he sees nuance really well, and that’s probably why I don’t often gel with his characterisation in fic, where he is portrayed as two-dimensional, flat, a ministry lover with no independent thought.

percy is full of independent thought, as evident by his breaking away from his family and distrusting dumbledore after decades of lavish praise. saying he was mindlessly loyal to the ministry is disloyal to his character and far less interesting.

one of percy weasley’s key traits is intelligence, and I wish more people would let that shine instead of pushing him into one category or the other, into ‘misunderstood boy under the imperius who has never done anything wrong ever!’ and ‘evil. personification of the evil. we all hate this weasley!’

nuance is neat.

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I’m definitely gay. Wow I love women damn

In other news

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Thoughts that just occurred to me about Percy Weasley

-the boy was def a victim of Parentification

-he was told is beloved pet was actually a grown ass man who also was a mass murder. I’m going to assume he didn’t take that well. Percy likely slept with that rat in the same bed; I can only imagine the mental toll that reveal took on him.

-his little sister was possessed and almost died. I feel like that’s not talked about enough lol.

-is told that his boss, the man he looks up to and who has mentored (?) him, sent an innocent Sirius Black to prison with no trial; and that everything that was done regarding the Death Eater trials was unethical and illegal? That’s a rip in your faith of government that he’s worked his own life to work in.

-was friends with Cedric; this is more of a between the lines read of canon, but they were neighbors and around the same age. Totally makes sense they would be friends, and so post the Graveyard, of course Percy would be confused and angry at why his friend is dead.

- Percy gets promoted at the ministry, he’s like 18-19, and is functionally running an entire department by himself. Only for his father to tell him that he doesn’t deserve it and that he only got the position due to his bosses wanted to use him as a spy. Of course that would hurt a normal person, but following all the things previously listed?

Percy being told he would easily betray his family would be a guy punch. Here is this boy who likely stepped in all the time to help raise his siblings, and looked after them at school. He put up with all of their antics, and still took care of them. He has done NOTHING to show that he disliked his family and would betray them beside take up a job position that was encouraged by his father (Arthur wanted his kids to work in the ministry).

Furthermore, it wasn’t public knowledge that Voldy wasn’t full dead post 1981 Halloween. Of course Percy would be questioning the events leading to Cedric’s death. You have Harry- who is a trouble maker and who breaks rules that are in place for safety purposes- who is tied to Ginny’s experience, and is the one who reveal his pet rat was actually a creepy man. Harry is the root of Percy’s blissful ignorance. It makes perfect sense he would be wary of everything.

I totally see how he could have seen Cedric’s death as being and accidental result of Harry’s rule breaking, and Dumbledore (who public ally favors Harry) covering for him by saying Voldy is back.

If Voldy is back, Dumbledore automatically gets more power in society since Voldy fears him- so there is the motivation of a lie.

Anyway, this is me basically saying that Percy def wasn’t the only, and really even the bad guy in his situations in canon.

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Controversial take but: In canon if any of the Weasleys had to choose between saving Harry’s life and saving Percy’s they would 100% all pick Harry. And that’s absolutely disgusting.

Ooh, I try not to bash characters (because I know things are rarely black and white), but you're bringing out my b&/chy side towards the Weasleys, so here we go with an angry rant...

Controversial/Unpopular Opinion: 

You are absolutely right (except for Molly), and it's not just because they "love" Harry. The Weasleys were also star-struck by Harry's fame, and here are some examples from the text:

“Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?”  Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn’t see him looking. “You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?” “Who?”  “Harry Potter!” Harry heard the little girl’s voice. “Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, eh please…”  “You’ve already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn’t something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?” “Asked him. Saw his scar. It’s really there — like lightning.”

& 

After the Sorting Hat placed Harry in Gryffindor:

...the Weasley twins yelled, “We got Potter! We got Potter!”

They didn’t even know him yet, and they’re bragging that they “got” Harry Potter.

&

Mrs. Weasley was clattering around, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she threw sausages into the frying pan. Every now and then she muttered things like “don’t know what you were thinking of,” and “never would have believed it.” “I don’t blame you, dear,” she assured Harry, tipping eight or nine sausages onto his plate. “Arthur and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night we were saying we’d come and get you ourselves if you hadn’t written back to Ron by Friday. But really,” (she was now adding three fried eggs to his plate) “flying an illegal car halfway across the country — anyone could have seen you —”

Molly being sweet and maternal to an orphan is not the problem - the problem is that she showed no such kindness to Luna, who: lost her mother, lived close by them, had a slightly crazy father who was likely overwhelmed by his wife's death, and was the same age as Ginny. There’s a definite double standard there. 

&

At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again.  “Ginny,” said Ron in an undertone to Harry. “My sister. She’s been talking about you all summer.” “Yeah, she’ll be wanting your autograph, Harry,” Fred said with a grin, but he caught his mother’s eye and bent his face over his plate without another word. Nothing more was said until all four plates were clean, which took a surprisingly short time.

That family has been in awe of The Harry Potter since the beginning, and they were a little too quick to “accept him” as part of their own. They certainly treated him better than they ever treated Percy.

Yet despite this, Percy was never anything less than decent towards Harry before he left his family (he answered Harry’s questions about professors and classes, tried to help him play Chess, kept a close eye on him for safety when Sirius Black was loose, etc.).

But ultimately, the Weasleys treated Harry like their 6th son while acting like Percy was the annoying cousin, so it’s not surprising that Percy finally got tired of it and became bitter and resentful. I would too! 

Thanks for the comment. 😊

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"Ginny's brothers didn't notice she wasn't herself" - debunked

This is not an attack on anyone, I'm simply disagreeing with your interpretation of this part of the books if you share the view expressed in the title. This isn't a criticism of Ginny, either, in case you were wondering; Ginny's my second favourite character after Ron and she was a child when this happened. I'm simply saying that the idea Ginny's brothers didn't see she wasn't behaving like herself is false, which doesn't make Ginny's time under the control of Voldemort less horrifying.

Ron

Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs. Norris's fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat lover. "But you haven't really got to know Mrs. Norris," Ron told her bracingly. "Honestly, we're much better off without her." Ginny's lip trembled. "Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts," Ron assured her. "They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking -" Ron added hastily as Ginny blanched.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

I really love this moment, because it shows many things about how Ron acts around people. As you can see here, Ron noticed that Ginny was decisively "disturbed" by what had happened to Mrs. Norris, and incorrectly deduced that it was because she loved cats.

Seeing that, Ron tried to console her, and in the span of one paragraph he changed tactics four times. First, he told her that Mrs Norris wasn't a great cat and that Ginny wouldn't have liked her, implying there was no reason to feel too sad about the fate of a cruel cat. Yet he caught sight of Ginny's reaction, and understood that this had done nothing to make Ginny feel better, so he "assured" her that this wasn't something that happened often and that the culprit would be caught "in no time". Then he tried to cheer Ginny up by making a joke, and immediately specified that it was only a joke when it had the opposite effect.

Just then, Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, and Harry noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap. "What's up?" said Ron, helping himself to more porridge.

Ginny didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face that reminded Harry of someone, though he couldn't think who.

"Spit it out," said Ron, watching her.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

Ron asked Ginny what was wrong because she looked "tense and nervous", and was ready to listen to her. The fact that she wanted to confide in Ron first out of all her brothers says a lot about their sibling bond.

Fred and George

Ginny Weasley, who sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, was distraught, but Harry felt that Fred and George were going the wrong way about cheering her up. They were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues. They only stopped when Percy, apoplectic with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs. Weasley and tell her Ginny was having nightmares.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

Also love this, Fred and George behaved in a way that was really true to their character by trying to cheer Ginny up with flippant pranks - something that can go really well or very badly wrong. They pretty much acted the same way when Ron lost Scabbers.

I'm also noting that Percy told them to stop, but I cannot be sure whether he told them to stop because he didn't think it was appropriate, or because he noticed Ginny's reactions to their joke - either is plausible.

Percy

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

Percy noticed (and potentially others) that there was something wrong with Ginny even before Halloween. He incorrectly thought she was ill, and caringly forced her to take a potion to get better.

"Get - away - from - there -" Perry said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping his arms. "Don't you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone's at dinner -" "Why shouldn't we be here?" said Ron hotly, stopping short and glaring at Percy. "Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat!" "That's what I told Ginny," said Percy fiercely, "but she still seems to think you're going to be expelled, I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of her, all the first years are thoroughly overexcited by this business -"

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

Here Percy is telling Ron that Ginny was very upset and that he tried to reassure her by saying Ron was innocent and wouldn't get expelled (so the truth is that when Mrs. Norris got Petrified, Ron thought she was sad because Ginny loves cats, and Percy deduced that she was sad because she feared Ron might get expelled). As you can deduce from that, there are a lot of conversations between Ginny and her brothers that we didn't get to see because Harry wasn't there to witness them.

Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me…

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

Even Ginny told her diary that Percy "[kept] telling [her] [she was] pale and not [herself]", which means Percy repeated over and over to Ginny that there was something wrong. Percy was the oldest Weasley brother at that point (so in some ways the most mature one), and considering that he watched over Ginny even more than the others did.

Conclusion

All the Weasley brothers thought that Ginny wasn't being herself because the Weasleys are a close-knit family, and they all tried to help her in their own awkward way. Ron tried to reassure her and to make her feel better about the situation, and was also ready to listen to her. Fred and George attempted to cheer her up by pranking her. Percy harassed her lovingly about the state she was in, forcing her to take potions and repeating over and over to her that something wasn't quite right.

You can't fault them for not having all the tools for dealing with that kind of situation. They were teenagers, for Merlin's sake. However, they still loved their sister, they knew she wasn't completely herself, and they all tried to help her.

The Weasleys are great.

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Guess what time it is? It’s rant about Percy Weasley time!

No one will ever convince me that Percy wasn’t a spy during the war. There’s nothing in the canon sources that disproves this theory (not that I’d really care if there was, because I would just ignore it, but that’s neither here nor there). 

The only “evidence” that he wasn’t a spy is two quotes from the text. This one:

“What made you see sense, Perce?” inquired George.

“It’s been coming on for a while,” said Percy, mopping his eyes under his glasses with a corner of his traveling cloak. “But I had to find a way out and it’s not so easy at the Ministry, they’re imprisoning traitors all the time. I managed to make contact with Aberforth and he tipped me off ten minutes ago that Hogwarts was going to make a fight of it, so here I am.”

I’d argue that this quote actually supports him being a spy more than not. I don’t think he was a spy in the beginning (when he initially left his family), but rather became one later when he realized his mistake and the ramifications of what was happening. The text above shows that he couldn’t get out of the ministry, so he had two main options: accept what was going on and do nothing about it (I’ll talk more about that later) or become a spy to help the cause. 

The quote also says that he made contact with Aberforth, but it doesn’t say when. It says that Aberforth tipped him off ten minutes ago about the battle, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t in contact before that (and in fact, it would be a very unlikely coincidence if the first time Percy reached out to Aberfoth just happened to be hours before the final battle). It’s vague about the initial contact date, so it’s highly possible that Percy has been feeding information to Aberfoth for months at that point. 

The other quote that people use to argue that Percy wasn’t a spy is this one:

“I was a fool!” Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph. 

“I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a – a –” 

“Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron,” said Fred. Percy swallowed. 

“Yes, I was!”

This doesn’t disprove that he was a spy. If he didn’t become one until later on (like I assume), then he would have still felt responsible for his choice to leave his family, so therefore, he still felt that the apology was necessary. Plus, they were about to fight in a major battle; they didn’t have an unlimited amount of time to discuss what they had all been up to, and that would not have been a quick conversation anyway. 

His family might not even believe him at first, and he had no proof of what he was saying (since spies usually only have 1 or 2 points of contact, and Aberforth was not in the same room at the time). He very possibly just wanted to reunite and mend bridges with his family before it was too late (because he knew he could die during this battle), and then he’d deal with the specific details later when they had time (if they survived). 

I also think it’s telling that Percy was able to keep his job as the personal assistant to the Minister of Magic even when death eaters took over the Ministry. Yes, Voldemort tried to keep the coup mostly silent, so he may have thought that keeping Percy as the assistant would help ease the transition, but it really wouldn’t have made a difference; no one was paying attention to whether or not the new Minister of Magic replaced the old assistant with someone he knew better. 

It’s also possible that the death eaters just didn’t see Percy as a threat, but that seems suspicious. They saw everyone as a threat, and as the assistant to the Minister, Percy’s position would have given him unique access to a lot of important information that Voldemort would not want to fall into the wrong hands. Percy may have been estranged from his family, but he was still related to practically half of the Order of the Phoenix, and the possibility that he would betray the death eaters by reconciling with his family and passing on sensitive information was an unnecessary risk, especially when they could have easily replaced him. 

So why did they keep him there if they didn’t have a good reason to trust his loyalty (in their minds)? I personally think it’s because Percy had to fake his devotion to the cause, and he clearly did so well enough for them to believe it. Earning your enemy’s trust is crucial for any spy, and it seems like Percy managed that. 

To touch back upon my earlier comment, Percy knew the death eaters had taken over the ministry by the 7th book - he even admitted it. He wanted out, but he couldn’t get out. So how do we know that he didn’t just stay quiet and keep his head down; that he didn’t just go with the status quo? Because that’s not Percy.

This is the same guy who took points away from his own house when someone broke the rules, because it was only fair and the right thing to do. It’s not just because he followed rules blindly (we know that he didn’t because he gambled over a Quidditch game in his 7th year). He was in a serious relationship with a muggle-born, and now the ministry is sending innocent muggle-borns to Azkaban, so there’s no way that he would consider that the “right” thing to do. 

Percy didn’t hesitate to run straight into danger during the Quidditch World Cup when there was an attack, despite the personal risk, and he clearly wasn’t hesitating to join the final battle against Voldemort either, even though he just said how dangerous it would be for him to be declared a traitor (in case the good guys lost). He is not a coward. 

Are you honestly telling me that he would just sit back and do nothing about the horrors being perpetrated because it was too risky? Nah, I’m not buying that.

In conclusion, I don’t care what JKR says - Percy was a spy, and she just didn’t bother to flesh out that storyline. 

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Percy Weasley was 19 and running an entire Ministry Department by himself (see doing literally everything for Crouch “Sr” and not getting a single complaint or disciplinary against him) as well as being errand boy number 1 for the Triwizard Tournament. 19. Fuck he might have been 18-19.

Man’s was intelligent and hardworking and Arthur demeaning that by saying Fudge ONLY chose him to spy on the family was so very wrong of him to do as a parent to an adult. He was treating an able, growing, intelligent teenager like an actual child and I’m still mad about that. I mean c’mon, actual children hate being treated like kids, why would a proud teenager sit back and take that sort of patronisation?

Like was Fudge using Percy? Probably. Did that make him any less capable of being a highly intelligent candidate for the position? Heck no. Percy might have been lacking in experience on years in comparison to other Ministry Workers, but he was also a competent Junior Secretary who deserved some recognition for his hard work. When I was 18-19 I would not be able to handle that work load. I spent those two years drunk at least 3 out of my 5 day uni weeks. I smoked through 2 packets of cigarettes a week and changed my degree twice. Percy might have abandoned his family, but he was also an overworked, under appreciated and constantly belittled character. And no one in his family liked him enough to try and understand his motives or character quirks.

In fact, his whole argument with his parents stemmed from him having an ego (which was rightfully earned tbh) and his parents (both of them) refusing to recognise and/or accept that he was grown with opinions that didn’t suit their own opinions, they called him naïve and a child without trying to understand his arguments or heaven forbid have a civil conversation with him to explain why he could be wrong. The whole argument can be summed up into ‘Percy you’re stupid for thinking your mediocre work deserves such a high promotion, you’re too young to really know the world of politics and you’re too grown up for us to need to explain why you’re wrong, you just are and if you want to be in this family you need to grow up and recognise that we your parents with more experience are right.’ And to a degree Molly and Arthur are correct. But neither of the two want to explain this to their son in any civil way. Arthur yells, Molly cries and the two let this huge lack of communication cause a rift in their relationship with their son for 3 whole years, while a war was looming.

At the end of the day, Percy was still a kid. Could he have reached out first? Obviously, 💯. But should he have? NO. He was a fucking child when he was kicked out by his father, still an angry and hurt child when his mother made her reconciliation attempt (through a gesture and not a conversation) like were the Weasley’s going through a lot during those years? Yes, they were, I won’t deny that. But they had also lived through a whole war before that and were grown adults with grown adult children. They should have tried harder, as adults, if they still wanted their child in their life (Arthur more than Molly but I mean— she really didn’t know her kid enough if she thought a gesture would sooth his wounded ego or even, affect him in any positive way)

Tldr; Percy was a kid kicked out of his family after making a very hasty, and stupid mistake. And that fact that he’s vilified for that makes me mad.

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Do you think Percy would ever blow up at the twins or his family for their past treatment of him? If my family treated me the way his treat him, I know I’d blow up before never speaking to them again

I had to think about this ask for a little while, so thank you for the challenge! 

While I completely understand what you’re saying (and respect your opinion about how you would react), I think it’s a little more complicated with the twins. Don’t get me wrong - they were definitely annoying and teased Percy the most, but they also clearly loved him, and I think even Percy knew that (see the quotes below).

Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized. 

 “P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we’re all wearing ours, even Harry got one.” 

 “I — don’t — want —” said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.

“And you’re not sitting with the prefects today, either,” said George. “Christmas is a time for family.” 

They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater.

&

“Percy’s been acting very oddly this summer,” said George, frowning. “And he has been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in his room…"

&

Five minutes later they were marching up the hill, broomsticks over their shoulders. They had asked Percy if he wanted to join them, but he had said he was busy. Harry had only seen Percy at mealtimes so far; he stayed shut in his room the rest of the time. 

 “Wish I knew what he was up to,” said Fred, frowning. “He’s not himself. His exam results came the day before you did; twelve O.W.L.s and he hardly gloated at all.”

They try to include Percy more than any of his other siblings (on Christmas, for a snowball fight, to play quidditch, etc.), they are really the only ones to notice when something is off with him, and they worry about him. I just don’t personally believe that Percy holds as much resentment towards them as many people tend to think. 

Aside from that, I ultimately think that Percy would blow up at his parents, Bill, and Charlie, but not at the twins, Ron, or Ginny.

Percy takes his responsibility as a big brother very seriously. 

Even though he got annoyed with the twins a lot, the only time he really went off on them is when they scared Ginny during CoS. Even when they made fun of him, he usually just ignored it:

“The Ministry’s providing a couple of cars,” said Mr. Weasley. Everyone looked up at him. “Why?” said Percy curiously. “It’s because of you, Perce,” said George seriously. “And there’ll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them—” “— for Humongous Bighead,” said Fred. Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding. “Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?” Percy asked again, in a dignified voice.

He didn’t take the bait or get angry at them. 

Then there’s quotes like this:

Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy.

Percy was clearly a mother hen who gave his pet rat to Ron, paid careful attention to how Ginny was doing when she started Hogwarts, and let the twins get away with far more teasing than most older brothers would. 

I think he sees his younger siblings as people that he needs to protect and take of. I just can't picture him blowing up at them for their past treatment of him, mostly because I don't think he blames the younger ones (even the twins).

Now his parents and older siblings? He absolutely blames them and is not afraid to tell them so. 

I tend to believe that Percy blames his father for the twins' behavior more than he blames the twins, because Arthur was the adult, and he never punished them or discouraged them (in fact, he did the opposite and generally laughed at whatever joke the twins put Percy on the wrong end of; see the quote above about the ministry cars). 

And he’s not wrong. The twins were kids who naturally started pushing boundaries; it’s a parent’s job to teach them when they’ve crossed a line, and Arthur failed at this time and time again (which Percy was well aware of). 

It’s clear that Percy held in a lot of anger at his father, which all came out during “the argument.”

“Dad reckons Fudge only wants Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family — and Dumbledore.” 

Harry let out a low whistle. 

“Bet Percy loved that.” 

Ron laughed in a hollow sort of way. 

“He went completely berserk. He said — well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he’s been having to struggle against Dad’s lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad’s got no ambition and that’s why we’ve always been — you know — not had a lot of money, I mean —”

This type of blow up usually doesn’t come out of nowhere. Percy probably wouldn’t have said so much terrible stuff over this one incident (though Arthur was clearly being insensitive); rather, this was stuff that had been festering just below the surface for a while, and that comment was the last straw before it exploded. 

Percy wasn’t as angry with his mother (because he didn’t have as much reason to be), but he was clearly upset that she sided with his father in the disagreement: 

“Mum’s been in a right state,” said Ron. “You know — crying and stuff. She came up to London to try and talk to Percy but he slammed the door in her face. I dunno what he does if he meets Dad at work — ignores him, I s’pose.”

Then there’s Bill. For the most part, Percy and Bill don’t have a terrible relationship, but we do see instances like this:

“That woman’s got it in for the Ministry of Magic!” said Percy furiously. “Last week she was saying we’re wasting our time quibbling about cauldron thickness, when we should be stamping out vampires! As if it wasn’t specifically stated in paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans —”

“Do us a favor, Perce,” said Bill, yawning, “and shut up.”

And Percy did shut up after that, which I don’t see as a positive thing. If one of Percy’s other siblings would have said it, then Percy would have ignored them (in fact, he’s done so several times in the books), but when Bill - his older brother - told him to shut up, Percy didn’t feel comfortable enough to argue with him or get defensive, which leads me to believe that he didn’t necessarily feel like they were equals (which they should have been at that point, since they were both adults). 

I’m also willing to bet that Bill didn’t even attempt to talk to Percy or reach out to him after the argument happened, because we literally saw Bill ignore Percy (i.e. not talk to him at all) when he visited during Christmas with the Minister of Magic and when he apologized before the final battle. 

So I’m not overly surprised that Percy didn’t check on Bill after he was attacked by Fenrir or go to Bill’s wedding. Granted, there were a lot of other factors going on at the time as well, but it seems to me like Bill was also pretty high up on Percy’s sh*& list. 

I personally think that this is because Percy feels more comfortable blaming his older siblings, because he doesn’t see them as someone he has to protect. If anything, he sees them as people who should have protected him (i.e. they should have been responsible for him the way he was responsible for his younger siblings), and therefore, they are people who failed him, and thus, deserve his ire. 

Now, it’s possible (and likely) that Charlie avoided Percy’s wrath because we don’t ever see any conflict between them in the text, and for the most part, Charlie just kept to himself, but I definitely think Arthur, Molly, and Bill received the brunt of Percy’s anger, because he saw them as the “adults” who let him down or hurt him; he looked up to them, and they disappointed him. In my opinion, it was the disillusionment that was the hardest part for Percy.

This ended up being a much longer rant than I intended, but basically I think Percy would blow up at his parents and older siblings but not his younger siblings. 

Thanks for the ask! 😊

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this is so percy and oliver animated and I'm living for it

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I'm back!

Hey sorry to anyone who was following me and saw me just dip off the radar a year ago. I decided to step away from it and ive decided to come back! Still the same old otter loving girl who loves Star Wars, poetry, Harry Potter, doctor, the lunar chronicles, captain marvel, and so much more!

I can't wait to see what everyone has been doing!

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why didn’t they bring max nonprogidy friends to hang out w in his quarantine. literally why