Brotherly Fight Part 2
…
N/A: sorry if this chapter ends up being a bit short. They are doing construction work at my house and, on top of that, one of the neighbors decided to cut the grass, while the other, apparently annoyed by the noise, turned his music up to full volume. So, well, you can probably imagine the situation.
Aaah… this is definitely not being a very fun day.
…
Percy walked into the Gryffindor common room, and there was Harry, as always, reading one of his magical tomes. Ron was sitting in the opposite corner, playing a game of wizard chess with Seamus and Dean, visibly excited because neither of them managed to beat him. In contrast, the expressions on the other two Gryffindors' faces were clearly irritated, since Ron kept shouting every time he made a move, without them being able to defeat him.
The common room was not very crowded. Most of the students were wandering around the castle, chatting with their friends about how they had spent the holidays and enjoying the last free day before returning to the continuous routine of classes.
Percy approached Harry slowly, scratching the back of his head with a hint of embarrassment, stopping halfway as if he were unsure whether he should continue or not.
Harry, sensing someone approaching, lifted his gaze from his book for a brief moment. When he realized it was Percy, he turned the page with a sharp motion, as if he did not care in the slightest that his brother was there.
Percy watched him for a few seconds, unsure of how to start the conversation.
"You're always reading that book, aren't you? You must already know it by heart," he said at last, trying to break the silence.
Harry looked up at Percy again, only to lower his gaze back to the book.
"No. Spells can change. And don't talk to me," he replied, using that serious and annoyed tone he had when he was truly angry with his brother.
"I… I came to apologize," Percy said slowly.
Harry raised his eyes once more and slammed the book shut. The dry sound echoed through the common room, and Percy flinched instinctively, his shoulders tensing. Ron and the others, who had continued with the chess game, turned to look at them.
Before Ron could tell Seamus and Dean to keep playing, making it clear that this was just a problem between brothers, Harry was already staring straight at Percy.
Their eyes met in silence for a few seconds.
"Well?" Percy asked when Harry said nothing.
"I don't forgive you," Harry said immediately.
"Huh? What?" Percy replied, completely confused, as if he had not expected that answer, while the sound of the magical chess continued in the background.
"What do you think? That you come here, say you're sorry, and that's it? Is that all?" Harry said, looking directly at him.
"Well… yes. I thought that's how it worked," Percy replied, earning a tired sigh from his brother.
"Percy, do you remember that day when Aunt Marge's dog bit my ankle?" Harry asked.
Percy remembered it immediately.
It had been several years ago. They had planned to go out and play in the backyard, as they did almost every day. But Harry, trying to hide in order to scare Percy, went out first and hid behind a barrel, in a corner of the fence that separated their yard from the neighbor's.
In that very corner, Marge's dog had been digging, trying to get to the other side. While Harry stayed hidden, the dog pushed its head through a hole Harry had not seen and suddenly bit him.
The pain was immediate. Blood began to flow as Harry cried, completely overwhelmed by the pain.
Percy ran out as soon as he heard his brother crying. When he saw the blood on Harry's foot, he tried to jump over the barrel to confront the damned dog.
But Harry did not let him. He grabbed Percy tightly while continuing to cry from the pain in his ankle.
It was not until Sally arrived that Percy managed to calm down. They took Harry to the hospital, where they cleaned the wound and, as a precaution, gave him a vaccine.
Remembering it, Percy felt irritated for a moment. After that, they had both ended up hating Aunt Marge's dog and Aunt Marge herself, even going so far as to think of ways to make her leave and never come back.
"Yes, I remember. But what does that have to do with this?" Percy asked, looking at his brother.
"Percy, you're my brother, and sometimes you do stupid things without thinking, putting yourself in danger over things nobody asked you to do," Harry said. "Back then, I just wanted you to stay by my side and help me take care of my wound. Like my brother, with me. No matter how much we fight, we always trust each other. We never betray each other."
Harry took a deep breath before continuing.
"So tell me how you think I feel when you go alone to a place that could be dangerous, just to look for a gift for me. Imagine what Mom would say. Imagine how I feel."
"Well… it wasn't that dangerous. The master was there, and Aunt Mor gave me potions to heal the bruises…" Percy replied softly.
But when he saw Harry's expression, he closed his mouth. He remained silent for a few seconds, clearly embarrassed, shifting his weight slightly from one foot to the other before speaking again, as if searching for the right words.
"I… I'm sorry, Harry. I won't do it again. And if I do, I'll remember to take you with me."
Harry rolled his eyes, though that was already a lot coming from Percy.
"So, do you forgive me now?" Percy asked carefully.
"No," Harry replied as he opened his book again and started reading, hiding his face behind it.
"Huh? Why?" Percy asked, genuinely confused, as he began to circle around Harry, apologizing over and over again. "Come on, Harry, forgive me. Forgive your little brother," he said, using his last resort, even though he always claimed he wanted to be the older one.
Harry did not seem to pay him any attention. However, if Percy had been able to see his face, he would have noticed a small smile hidden behind the book.
Ron watched the two of them and, as the youngest of many siblings, he smiled slightly at Dean and Seamus, as if to say, I told you so.
And so, the next day, the two of them were walking through the corridors together again, talking normally, as if nothing had happened.
Classes also began once more.