Chapter 1277: Brothers

Percy’s office, like himself, is filled with a sense of neat and tidy order.

Every inch of the room is meticulously arranged; the dark brown desk is polished to a shine, while the ink bottles, parchment, and pen holders are lined up in a row, and the brass desk lamp reflects a golden light.

The bookshelf next to it is filled with books, and Ron’s gaze can’t help but be drawn to those book titles he has never seen before.

A glance reveals various titles, which even from their names, suggest sheer boredom:

“Compendium of Wizengamot Cases”

“International Wizard Confidentiality Law Details”

“Auror Tactics Manual”

“The Art of Leadership”

“How to Make Your Voice Heard”

The books are arranged by color and size, looking like works of art at first glance.

Ron suddenly has a strange feeling inside — Percy’s office is like those showroom displays at a Muggle furniture store that you can view through a window.

Very clean, very tidy, but not a place where a “person” lives and resides.

While he was surveying his surroundings, Percy had already walked behind the desk and sat down, raising his chin to look at Ron.

“Speak.” Percy said coldly.

Ron took two steps forward, speaking in the same indifferent tone across the desk:

“That ‘Safety Regulations’ document, do you really think it can be enforced? Do you know it will cause great harm?”

“Harm to whom?” Percy said with a stern face: “Only those who don’t follow the rules and like to act recklessly will feel harmed!”

“If they are well-behaved students, they’ll only be thankful these rules fully protect their safety!”

Ron angrily said, “How does it protect? By having everyone monitor each other, report everything, no one can be trusted — is this the protection you mean? It’s not protection, it’s control!”

Percy looked at him unmoved, countering:

“When a baby is lying in bed crying for food, it is their parents who decide when they eat, when they bathe, is that control or protection?”

“When a child first learns to walk, being led by an adult, told how to step forward, told to avoid holes on the ground, is that control or protection?”

“At eleven, you must go to Hogwarts, attend classes daily, and complete a few feet of assignments — is that control or protection?”

“At eleven, you thought you knew everything, even casting silly Colovaria Spells on Scabbers — looking back now, what did you know at that time? You knew nothing!”

“Perhaps now you think you’ve grasped the truth, coming here to negotiate with me laughably…”

Percy’s lips curved slightly, letting out a sarcastic laugh:

“But in my view, at fifteen, you’re still a little fool, led by the nose.”

“Let me tell you, Ron, half of the documents I handle daily at the Ministry of Magic are because some people, in their muddled state, made decisions they thought were correct.”

He lightly tapped the desk, saying:

“Back to the ‘Safety Regulations’, you children who have not yet stepped into society lack understanding of the world and cannot make accurate judgments.”

“At such times, it takes smarter, more rational people to tell you what to do, to restrain your actions, to prevent you from learning hard lessons — this is not control, it is protection.”

He glanced at the time, took the topmost document from the desk, opened it, and casually said:

“If that’s all you have to say to me, then you can leave.”

Ron opened his mouth, his mind buzzing, unsure of what to say.

He also couldn’t grasp how long Percy’s words had been brewing inside him, now speaking them out in one breath, making Ron feel like he had been surrounded by a wall with no exit.

— He knows it’s not right, he knows that Percy’s self-contained logic actually has flaws as big as an unroofed top of the wall, full of leaks and drafts.

But he couldn’t articulate it.

Since childhood, Percy was the most pride-making son in the Weasley family — though Bill was too.

But Bill is ten years older than Ron, when Bill graduated from school, Ron was still crying his eyes out because his teddy bear had been turned into a giant spider by his twin brothers!

Since he could remember, the most outstanding son of the Weasley family, the pride of his parents, was always Percy.

Though Ron always said Percy was “the biggest fool in the world,” despising him for not being as humorous as Bill, not as reliable as Charlie, or as lively and interesting as the twins, but… but…

Percy tapped the table, impatiently looking at the rigid Ron, asking, “Anything else?”

Ron couldn’t sort out his thoughts, unconsciously blurting out: “Is this why you didn’t visit Dad?”

Percy’s eyebrows twitched.

“When he was injured and near death, you didn’t come even once.”

Ron’s voice was a bit hoarse, “Is this what smarter, more rational people do?”

“You think we’re a burden to you, that even sparing a moment to look at Dad is a waste, right?”

Outside the office, a series of footsteps gradually approached then gradually faded away, laughter and footfall disappearing together.

Percy was silent for a few seconds, then said, “I asked the Healer at St Mungo’s, they said Dad was out of life-threatening danger… and I have more important work to handle.”

“If Dad were in my position, he would understand my actions too.”

Ron didn’t hear the latter part, he was simply stunned, eyes widening: “You have time to ask the Healer, but not to leave Mom a message?”

“I don’t believe it… no matter how busy the Ministry of Magic is, you can’t tell me you don’t even have time to eat or sleep? Don’t tell me you’ve been working around the clock!”

“Even if you only took five minutes to stay in Dad’s ward for a while… even if you just showed up, Mom wouldn’t cry like that!”

He stepped forward, pressing Percy’s desk, almost roaring: “Are we really still your family? Are you so eager to sever ties with us?”

Yet, in the face of his agitated state, Percy’s only reaction was to frown slightly, using the quill pen’s tip to push at Ron’s chest, putting distance between him and the desk.

“Mind your manners, Ron.” Percy frowned: “Your spit is about to land on my papers!”

Ron’s mind buzzed, instinctively reaching out to tear apart those files Percy valued like his own eyes.

However, before he could act, Percy glanced up, swiftly waved his Magic Wand, and Ron’s whole body stiffened, unable to move.

Percy exhaled a breath: “Ever since you once tore my thesis when you were little, I’ve always guarded against you doing that.”

“Also,” he glanced at Ron’s flushed face, saying: “My stance was made clear in the last letter, although I’ve never held much hope for your wisdom, you shouldn’t have forgotten it all, right?”