A/N-I know, I know, I should be working on the next chapter for Billy-Boy instead of posting a new story, but I had to share it. The next chapter is already twelve pages long, it will be out on time...unlike the last three...I promise.

I hope you enjoy this little nugget, well it isn't one of my top priorities I've had fun playing with it, and more will come eventually. Percy is a fun character.

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Sometimes Bill hates being the oldest. Hated that they all turned to him, when things got bad, or Mum and Dad were being unreasonable. Even Mum and Dad seemed to think it was his responsibility to take care of anything they couldn't handle.

Looking through the doorway at his baby brother teetering on a muggle barstool, he couldn't help but think that this might be beyond him. Not that anyone expected him to solve this problem-no the rest of his family all seemed to be happy to forget that Percy existed, or was busy mourning him as though he were dead.

Only Bill couldn't forget.

So he'd gone to look for him, a few days after Dumbledore's funeral. He wasn't at his flat and the landlord said he hadn't been there for a week, hadn't paid his rent, and his lease was up next month anyway, so would Bill mind getting his brothers things out of there? He wouldn't ask, but if not he'd have to send them all to his parent's house anyway, be a pal, hey? Bill had rather thought the greasy looking bloke would have been more likely to pawn it all for the missed rent, and agreed instantly.

Bill had shrunk it all as far as it would go and placed them in a few cardboard boxes the landlord had provided. There wasn't much-the place had come furnished and Percy was the type to find knick-knacks "silly."

He'd been in shock really-Percy spend a night away from home, let alone not pay his rent? It hadn't sounded right and Bill had felt a pit of worry form in his stomach.

He'd gone to the Ministry and inquired after his brother, and had been at first soundly rebuffed. He was finally able to track down his brother's assistant, a rather annoyed young woman, who had told him that Percy hadn't been in for days now. They'd finally received a letter just that morning, with his resignation letter in which he had written that he planned to go to America to start a new life. No, he couldn't see the letter, that wasn't proper.

Bill had explained a bit to the flustered woman about overprotective and worried big brothers, and what they were likely to do, and had been given a copy of the letter in under five minutes. His mother would have had kittens, but right then he didn't much care.

He had then-and he was a bit ashamed of this, it was the sort of thing he'd been taught wasn't ethical-placed a tracking charm on Percy using the traces left of his magical signature on the parchment. It was an emergency after all.

It had led to the London airport-which really didn't make any sense at all, sure it was too far to apparate but it wasn't as though Percy didn't know how to make a Portkey, and Bill knew he had a license. The arse had been smug about it for a month when he got it, though not nearly as bad as the twins had been after they got their apparation licenses.

But he understood it now. For the past ten minutes he'd listened to an extremely tossed Percy tell a bunch of amused and equally tossed muggles all about how he was giving up magic and his family, and he was going to start anew without them in America.

"Of all the bloody stupid things!" Bill muttered grimly. Percy had only the most basic muggle identification, no qualifications, no one in America to turn to, no real savings. What, did the git expect the streets to be paved with gold, with free food and the offer of a roof on every corner? He wondered if his pillock of a brother had even bothered with a muggle passport.

Not to mention all the trouble he could get in if anyone saw him telling muggles about magic-alright, that was it, the blighter had pulled his wand out and was declaring he'd prove he wasn't lying.

Without even realizing he'd decided to do it, he crossed the room to his brother, only realizing it probably wouldn't go over well if he grabbed him by his ear and hauled him bodily away when he was right behind him. "Percy," he said softly, leaning in, "what in the blazes are you doing?" He stifled a chuckle when his brother jumped and almost fell off the barstool swirling around.

"Billius," Percy, drunkenly straightening his glasses, said in his best "I'm better than you", voice making Bill narrow his eyes, "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"First of all," he said nodding to the errant wand Percy had left on the counter, a curious muggle about to grab it, "Put that away, before I kick your arse."

Percy grabbed it in surprise, opening his mouth to speak, probably to tell his brother how appalling his language was, but Bill cut him off, "Second, you're leaving the country? Without a word to anyone at all! For god's sake, Perce! You left everything you own in your apartment, do you know what I thought when I saw that? I thought you were dead, or hurt somewhere!" Somewhere during his tirade, Bill had found himself looming over Percy, whose gaping mouth made him resemble a fish, "Dammit Percy!" Thwack! Bill smacked the counter making Percy jump, and hopefully getting his point across. The other bar patrons slowly cleared away, not feeling the need to interfere in what was clearly a family quarrel.

Percy stared, and started stuttering, "Bu-t you di-didn't care!" This statement seemed to give him some fire, and he sat up straight on his bar stool poking at Bill's chest. "I ran a whole department for a year, with Mr. Crouch gone! I got a promotion that I not only earned myself, but truly deserved, and Mum and Dad, MUM AND DAD," Bill found himself truly bewildered, how exactly had his nineteen year old brother wound up in charge of an entire ministry department? He'd known there had been some sort of problem with Crouch even before the debacle at the end of the Tri-Wizard, had heard the rumors, but frankly, no matter how talented Percy was, that was far too much to put on the shoulders of a teenage kid. What the bloody hell had been going on? "Say I only got it, because Fudge wanted to spy on them!" Percy's voice broke, and Bill felt his heart sinking.

"Oh, Perce," He sighed, running a hand down his ponytail, once again hating being the oldest. Where was his big brother to help him handle this, hey?

Percy sniffled, looking very young, "I wouldn't have done that Bill, you've got to believe me! I wouldn't have!" Bill felt his heart stop. Percy had thought they were accusing him of being a spy? No wonder he had reacted the way he did.

Bill's blood ran cold as another thought occurred to him-his mother, at least, had a tendency to say things in the heat of the moment, things she certainly didn't mean, but that didn't much matter when she was lambasting you. What if she had actually said that to him?

Percy continued to talk, drunk babble really, but Bill just stood there indulging in a surge of anger at his parents. How could they not have realized what was running through Percy's mind? Why weren't they here, stepping in where they were so sorely needed?

Alright, he knew why. And the war effort was really important, it was, he understood that. Bill had changed his entire life around for it, left behind the career he'd been planning for since he was thirteen. He even understood that his parents had tried to talk to Percy-but clearly they hadn't done enough. What was the point of fighting a war if your family wasn't there in the end to come home to?

Bill nodded his head; he knew what he was going to do. Percy probably wouldn't like the interference with his plans much, but oh well.

He quickly did a wordless notice-me-not spell, discreetly gripping his wand from where it hung down from the holster on his wrist, and then put his hands out grabbing both his brother's shoulders ("then I said such awful things Bill, and I know you're mad, but they said awful things too. Bill? Bill?") and with a brief flash of concentration, they were apparating out of the airport.

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"Hey Murray, where'd those ginger kids go?" The blond haired man with the red nose and nearly permanent tipsy smile plastered to his face, turned on his barstool in the direction his friend was looking.

"Must'a left, Petey." He took a sip off his mug. "Big one sure was mad."

"I dunno…didn't see 'em leave." Petey had a slightly suspicious look on his face as he peered at where the two had been standing. "They were standing there one second, and the next *poof* they were gone."

Murray gave his friend a dubious look, "Suuuure, they did Petey." He slid a container of peanuts over towards him. "If you're seeing people disappear, I think you should eat something."

"I'm not that pissed! They just disappeared!" Murray was getting frustrated now, but Petey just patted his shoulder and shoved the peanuts a little closer.

"Whatever you say, mate."