The Right-hand Corridor
A Harry Potter fic by Elise
Rating: Well, this particular chapter's a G...
Warnings: Um… chibi-Oliver?
Summary: Percy Weasley finally gets to go to Hogwarts. But can he
stand it, with the Slytherins, an exuberant roommate, a
mysterious disappearing hallway, and -worst of all- getting
points off?
Percy's school career, pre-Potter. What kind of trouble do future Head Boys get into? What did Oliver do before he could be on the Quidditch team? This particular story is Percy and Oliver's first year, where they start classes and try to have an Adventure without getting caught.
Chapter One is the Hogwarts Express, in which we meet some of the characters, the twins leave Percy a present, and Scabbers snores a lot.
Part 1- Hogwarts Express
Percy Weasley adjusted his glasses nervously. In front of him was Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and the Hogwarts Express. The red steam engine was exactly the same as it had always been. Only this year, it was HIM going to Hogwarts. Not Bill, not Charlie. Percy.
"Ready, Percy?" his mother asked. Although it was only the two of them today (a neighbour was watching the youngest four, and good luck to her!), they managed to get his trunk onto the train and into an empty compartment safely.
"Thanks, Mum," he said as he stepped off the train for a moment, to see her off.
Molly Weasley beamed at her young son. "Owl me as soon as you can," she said. "I can’t wait to hear which House you’ll be in!" She hugged him close and kissed his cheek before he could avoid it.
"Yes, Mum. I will." He hopped aboard the train quickly, before she could tell him to wash behind his ears every day or anything like that. He did catch her last comment, made to another parent.
"My third boy’s off. Oh, I could cry. Oh dear! I have to get home before the twins kill the sitter!"
****
Aboard the train, Percy settled into his compartment. He sighed. His mother may be proud of him, but she also expected the best. His older brothers had both been excellent in their fields. Bill had been Head Boy. Charlie was Captain of the Quidditch team. Percy was only fair at Quidditch and preferred books to brooms. So he had already decided to shoot for being the top student.
He checked his pockets. His pet rat, Scabbers, was safe asleep in one, and he pulled his Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) from another. It was never too early to start studying.
"Hey," a voice called from the door of the compartment. "Are, um, these seats taken?"
"No," Percy said as he looked up.
"Cool." The speaker was a young boy, probably his own age, with brown hair and an open smile. "Oliver Wood," he announced as he held out his hand. Percy set his book down on an empty seat and shook his hand shyly.
"Percy Weasley. Hello."
"Weasley? Wasn’t there a Weasley on one of the Quidditch teams at Hogwarts?"
"My older brother, Charlie," Percy admitted. If Oliver was going to talk about Charlie the whole time-
"Yeah, that’s it! I heard he could’ve played for England."
-he’d throw him out a window.
"What’s he doing instead?"
Percy ground his teeth, but answered, "He went to Romania, to study dragons."
"Wow. Almost as cool as Quidditch. Do you play?"
Do you shut up? Percy wondered, a bit cruelly. "Not really. I’m not very good."
"That’s too bad. I bet you could be. You look like a Seeker. Or a Chaser."
At least he wasn‘t talking about his older brothers anymore... Percy decided to be social. "When we played at home, I was a Chaser. We let Ginny be Seeker, because she’s the youngest, and whines if we don’t let her."
"Your family’s big enough for a Quidditch team?" Oliver’s eyes widened.
"There’s seven of us kids, when Charlie and Bill are home. Most of the time, we play two on two or something. But I’d rather read. Have you looked at the textbooks yet? They’re fascinating!"
"Naw. Although I did crack open the Fungus one, one night when I couldn’t sleep. I was out like a light spell."
"What did you do if you didn’t study?" Percy was genuinely intrigued. What DID people his age do when they weren’t reading? Surely not everyone made bombs or whatever it was the twins did when they weren’t wreaking general havoc.
"I flew mostly. You know, ‘cause first years aren’t allowed their own broomsticks. Monstrously unfair, that. So we can only fly in class." Oliver sighed heavily. "I miss my Comet already."
"So you really like Quidditch?"
"Like? It’s my favourite thing in the world!" He launched into a spirited discourse on Quidditch that made Percy grin. But when Oliver insulted the Cannons, it became more of an argument.
"You’ve got nothing, Percy. They haven’t placed higher than fifth in the last four years, and they keep getting worse."
"It’s not the winning, though! They’ve got more spirit than any other team."
"Spirit doesn’t catch the Snitch!"
"You don’t get it, Oliver-"
The compartment door slid open suddenly, revealing three boys. "Could you shout any louder?" the tallest snapped. "I’m not sure the prefects heard you up at the other end of the train."
"What do you care?" Oliver snorted.
"You’re disturbing Roland’s beauty nap," another giggled. He was skinny with a high-pitched voice.
"Shut up, Peter," the first said. He paused. "Marcus, look at this, will ya?" He gestured to Oliver and Percy.
The last boy came forward. He was, quite simply, huge, with a powerful build and long arms.
"A bloody Weasley!" he barked. "Is it true what they say?"
Percy flushed. He knew full well what this Marcus was referring to. "In my experience," he said bitterly, "what ‘they’ say is often a white lie at best, and a glaring fallacy the rest of the time."
Peter looked truly perplexed, but Marcus and Roland managed to look only slightly confused.
"C’mon," Marcus growled. "Let’s leave the nerd and his Quid-head friend to their tiff." He led his friends off, slamming the compartment door closed- but not before they heard Peter mumble, "I wouldn’t talk about Quid-heads if I were you, Marcus...."
Oliver immediately started giggling. "Classic! You really blinded them with big words, Perce!"
"Morons, the lot of them," Percy declared, brushing off one of his sleeves and looking pleased with himself.
"I have a question, though... What DO they say about Weasleys?" The redhead stiffened, and glared at Oliver through his glasses. Although his face was red to his ears, that look could have curdled milk, and was more than enough to make Oliver regret saying anything.
"Ah, sorry. It was bad of me to ask. Only idiots listen to rumours anyways," he muttered. "Just, forget I said anything...." He sank back into his seat as Percy turned to stare out the window.
He watched the scenery for a moment before he spoke.
"It’s alright, Oliver. You couldn’t know. It’s just that... even though my father works at the Ministry, we’re not... as rich as some other families. And all of us, down to the last cousin, is red-haired and freckled and from a huge family. We’re somewhat famous for it."
"Oooh. I see." Oliver looked thoughtful. "But I don’t see anything wrong with that."
"Well, some other wizarding families look down on us. Those jerks are probably from one of those families." He scowled.
"Yeah, I live near the Bulstrode’s. They’re convinced they’re Natures gift to wizarding. And that girl of theirs is the biggest snot to walk the earth."
"Sounds like Lucius Malfoy. He hates my father because he defends the Muggles."
"I’ve heard of him. Somebody’s got to, with people like him around." They snickered.
"So," Oliver started. "Did your older brothers tell you anything about Hogwarts?"
"A little bit. Nothing useful. ‘Mind the steps.’ ‘Don’t get caught in the hallways late at night.’ ‘Stay on the teachers’ good sides.’ Stuff like that, that anyone with a lick of sense would know."
"Oh." He sounded disappointed. "I was hoping you’d have some idea of what to expect. You know, for when we got there."
"No, My brothers thought it was funny to NOT tell me, and then tease me about it." Percy huffed at this. All summer it had been ‘Wait ‘til you see, Perce! Nope, can’t tell you. It’ll ruin the surprise,’ from Charlie. He’d almost been glad when he left for Romania. And Bill’s letters were just as bad. ‘Nothing as bad as curse-breaking’ indeed!
"What time is it?" Oliver asked suddenly.
"A little past noon, I think," Percy answered. "Why?"
He grinned sheepishly. "I’m hungry."
"Oh, well, my mother made me sandwiches this morning. We can split them now, if you’d like."
"Really? That’s great of you, Percy. Thanks."
Percy pulled the bag of sandwiches from his trunk. "I think they’re corned beef. That seems to be Mum’s favorite- Oh!" He’d opened the bag. Big Mistake.
"It stinks!"
"No kidding!"
"Quick, out the window!"
"Isn’t there a law against littering?"
"Who cares?! Just get that out of here!" Oliver opened a window and quickly threw the bag out it. "Ugh. What happened?" He waved the air in front of his nose.
"I don’t know. Mum’s a really good cook. She knows the difference between corned beef and skunk cabbage." Percy suddenly sighed. "The twins. Of course. How could it be anyone else?"
"The twins?"
"Fred and George. My little brothers. They think they’re funny." He made a sour face. Yeah, they thought they were funny. So did everyone else, except him. He was their favourite target.
"How many brothers do you have?" Oliver asked as he stopped fanning the air.
"Five. And a sister."
"That really is enough for a whole Quidditch team! That’s cool! Except the skunk cabbage part," he added quickly. "I don’t have any at all."
"Want a few? You can have some of mine."
"No thanks. From what I’ve seen, I don’t think I’d want yours."
"That’s the problem. Neither do I."
They laughed about that for a while. When the witch with the snack cart came by (wrinkling her nose at the residual skunky smell in their compartment), they pooled on Chocolate Frogs and a box of Every Flavour Beans. Fully half of Oliver’s Frogs came with the Morgana card, but he did get one with a Chinese witch, whose name he didn’t even try to pronounce, due to the large number of X’s in it. Percy got one that he’d had an eye out for, though.
"Medea! Ron and I have been looking for her!" He caught Olivers confused look. "My youngest brother. I taught him how to read, so I’ve been helping him with his collection. I’m going to owl this with my letter to Mum." And he slipped it into a pocket.
"Oh! Scabbers!" He pulled the old rat from his pocket and placed him on one of the empty seats. "Wake up, Scabbers! Here’s a Chocolate Frog for you!" Scabbers opened one eye and sat up lazily, but took the treat.
"Did he just yawn?"
"Probably. Scabbers likes to sleep, and I did just wake him up."
"My parents don’t trust me with a pet," Oliver said rather sulkily. "They said I need to prove I’m responsible enough before they’ll let me get an owl. Whatever that means."
"I don’t know about owls, but taking care of a pet is nothing after the twins."
****
The rest of the afternoon was quiet, just the sounds of the train and their voices as the boys talked. Mostly about Quidditch, which was Oliver’s area of expertise and really the only thing he cared about, although he was curious about what it was like to have brothers. ("Do they bite?" "Only sometimes.") The serenity was only interrupted by Scabber’s squeaky snoring and the occasional "Yech!" when one of them got a particularly nasty Every Flavour Bean.
They switched into their robes during another discussion of the Chudley Cannons. Percy desperately hoped that Oliver didn’t notice that his robes were taken up and in. It was all too obvious to him, but Oliver kept chatting happily.
"I’m telling you, Percy, they’re a lost cause...."
After the announcement that they were arriving at Hogwarts soon, Percy tucked Scabbers safely into his pocket and followed Oliver into the corridor to join the other milling students.