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Percy wants to complain when Bill ruffles his hair as they arrive at King’s Cross, but strangely he finds it oddly comforting. He’s excited to finally be heading to Hogwarts with his brothers, but at the same time he’s terrified. He’s never been away from home before - what if he doesn’t like it, what if people don’t like him, what if he’s not in Gryffindor with his brother, what if he’s the worst in all his subjects. He’d be afraid of everyone comparing him to Bill and Charlie and not seeing him as his own person, but he’s already used to that happening.
He pretends to be annoyed when his mother hugs him goodbye, but he hugs her back longer than is necessary, so he hope she knows he’s not really annoyed. Bill helps him get his trunk on the train, and must have seen the panic on his face when he turns to leave, because he stops and hugs him, ignoring Percy’s half-hearted protests.
“I have to go do prefect stuff, but Charlie will keep you company until I can join you,” Bill says, ignoring the face Percy makes at being left alone with Charlie. It’s not that he doesn’t like his brother, it’s just that Charlie talks about Quidditch all the time, and it gets boring quickly. He also doesn’t understand Percy the same way that Bill does. Bill understands him better than anyone.
Percy scowls at Charlie when he realizes that he’s stuck in a compartment with almost the entire Quidditch team. When someone bumps him to him, he turns his scowl on him instead. Which considering the boy looks to be his age, means he’s off to a bad start already.
“Oh, um, sorry. I didn’t realize that you were standing and not walking and sorry...” the other boy babbles.
“It’s okay,” Percy says, realizing the other boy must be as nervous as he is. “I’m Percy.”
“I’m Oliver,” the other boys replies. “Um, do you maybe want to sit together?”
“I’m supposed to sit with my brother, but I’m sure you can join us.” It will be a little cramped, especially after Bill joins them, but it will be worth it to have someone he can talk to, as he knows that once Charlie and his friends get going about Quidditch, they’ll pretty much ignore him.
He almost groans when Oliver’s eyes light up at the sight of the broomsticks. He pulls out a book, expecting Oliver will no longer be interested in talking to him and instead would rather talk to Charlie and his friends. This is why he’s shocked when Oliver pulls the book out of his hands.
“I’d rather talk to you.”
“But why? I mean I saw the way you looked at the brooms. Clearly the Quidditch team is going to be better company than I am.”
Oliver gives Percy a you’re an idiot look. Or at least that’s what Percy assumes it is - he’s never been on the receiving end of one before. “Let me decide that for myself.”
“Um, okay. But I don’t really pay attention to Quidditch.”
Oliver laughs. “Considering you were planning to read, I guessed as much. I can talk about other things, even if my mother sometimes doubts that.”
Percy smiles at him. “I think mum feels the same way about Charlie sometimes. Says the only reason he gets good marks is because Professor McGonagall will ban him from the team if he doesn’t.”
“She can do that?”
“She the Deputy Headmistress and also the Head of Gryffindor, so I would assume so. That’s the house I’m going to be in,” Percy says proudly.
“How do you already know? I thought we didn’t get sorted until after we got there.”
“We don’t, but Bill and Charlie are both in Gryffindor, and my parents and uncles were Gryffindors. So I’m obviously going to be one too.”
Oliver looks between Charlie and Percy. “Don’t take it the wrong way, but you and your brother don’t seem that much alike.”
“I’m more like Bill. He’s in the prefect’s compartment but he’ll be back here later. He took twelve OWLs and got Outstandings on all of them. I hope I can do as well as him.”
“What classes are you most looking forward to?” Oliver asks, veering away from Percy’s obvious hero worship of his brother. “I’ve read the History of Magic text twice already - Mum kept checking me for spells because I was inside reading instead of outside on my broom.”
“It has the potential to be an awesome class, but Bill and Charlie say that Professor Binns is just dreadful. He’s a ghost and very boring.”
“A ghost? A ghost is a teacher?” Oliver asks incredulously.
“Or at least that’s what Bill and Charlie say. Though Mum and Dad say he wasn’t much more interesting when he was still alive.”
“My parents never really talk about Hogwarts. I know they went, but I don’t even know what houses they were in.”
Percy frowns. “So you don’t know anything besides what was in your letter?”
Oliver shrugs. “What is in the letter and that we’re going to get taught by a ghost.”
“You should watch yourself in Potions. Professor Snape is the head of Slytherin and incredibly biased towards his own house.” He looks towards Charlie and his friends to make sure they’re not paying attention before he continues in a low tone. “There’s rumors that he was a Death Eater, but I can’t imagine that Professor Dumbledore would hire anyone with the Dark Mark unless they spied for the light during the war.”
Oliver’s eyes widen. “Please tell me the other teachers are better.”
“Professor McGonagall is stern, but fair. And she can turn into a cat. Charlie more or less worships the ground Professor Kettleburn walks on, but you can’t take Care of Magical Creatures until third year.”
“That sounds like it could be fun.”
Percy shrugs. “I’m probably going to take it, but what I’m most looking forward too for electives is Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. I look a look at Bill’s notes, and they seem really cool.”
The two boys chatter on about classes and Hogwarts for the rest of the train ride. Percy is so engrossed in the conversation, that he doesn’t even notice when Bill joins them in the compartment. He also doesn’t see the fond smile that Bill gives him, glad that his little brother already has a friend.