In the quiet, mahogany-lined study, the muffled sounds of the birthday party—Fred and George's boisterous laughter and the rhythmic thump of a game in the hallway—felt like they belonged to a different world. Percy sat on the edge of his leather chair, holding his glass of iced cola as if it were a delicate potion.
"So, the plan is to secure the Head Boy badge by seventh year, continue the courtship of Penelope, and then... the Ministry?" Sebastian leaned back, his eyes fixed on the young Weasley with an intensity that made Percy straighten his already impeccable collar.
"That's the vision, Professor," Percy said, his voice dropping into a serious, decisive tone. "I'm not the type to go chasing dragons in Romania like Charlie, or breaking curses in Egyptian tombs like Bill. They love the chaos. I prefer the gears. I want to be part of the machine that makes the wizarding world turn."
He took another sip of the cold drink, the ice clinking against the glass. "I like order, Professor. I like power. And I want to be in a position where I can wield it."
Sebastian didn't laugh. He didn't even raise an eyebrow. Instead, he gave a slow, measured nod. "Ambition is a rare currency in Gryffindor, Percy. Usually, it's buried under a mountain of 'bravery' and 'recklessness.' Why you? Why the Ministry?"
Percy looked away for a moment, his gaze landing on a shelf of ancient law books. "Expectation, mostly. My parents have always looked at the Ministry as the pinnacle of a wizard's life. They tried to push Bill and Charlie toward it, but my brothers were too busy being... well, Weasleys. They chose freedom. That left me to carry the torch."
A faint, somewhat bitter smile touched Percy's lips. "I'm the only one in the family who actually fits the mold. Fred and George? Making them sit at a desk for eight hours a day would be a death sentence for the desk. Ron? He's a good lad, but his grades... well, he'll be lucky to scrape into the Auror Office. And Ginny is still a child; she should do whatever makes her happy. So, it's on me."
Sebastian watched him closely. He had always felt the Sorting Hat had taken the easy way out with Percy just because of his red hair. Percy had the sharp, analytical mind of a Ravenclaw and the cold, driving ambition of a Slytherin. Gryffindor was just the coat he wore.
"But it's more than just a torch to carry, isn't it?" Sebastian prompted.
"It's the poverty," Percy admitted, his voice cracking slightly with a sudden, raw honesty. "The Weasleys have a 'good name,' sure. But you can't pay for new robes with a good name. You can't buy a wand with 'reputation.' Seeing Ron start school with a hand-me-down wand that was literally falling apart... it did something to me. It put a pressure on my chest that hasn't left since I was eleven."
Percy's knuckles whitened around his glass. "I want to change the fortune of my family. I want to be the one who provides the better house, the new clothes, the security. And the highest-ranking officials in the Ministry are the ones who hold the keys to that life. That's why I want the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Or International Cooperation. Somewhere I can be seen."
Sebastian took a moment to let the silence settle. He saw the boy's sincerity, but he also saw the trap waiting for him. Percy was thinking about changing his family's fate, but the Ministry had a way of making you forget why you wanted power once you finally got a taste of it.
"A noble target," Sebastian confirmed. "But tell me, Percy... have you looked at the math? Your father is a wonderful man, but he is a minor official in a minor department. In the Ministry, he is invisible. When you walk through those golden gates after graduation, you will be walking in with zero political capital. No connections. No patrons."
Percy's face paled slightly. The reality of the "old boys' club" was something he'd read about, but hearing it from Sebastian made it feel real.
"I'll work harder," Percy said, his voice desperate. "I'll be the first one in and the last one out. I'll make the Ministry my home. My managers will have to notice me. They'll promote me because I'm the best."
Sebastian gave a small, almost pitying smile. "In the Ministry, Percy, a promotion isn't a reward for hard work. It's a gift given by one person to another. What makes you think that gift will go to the 'hard-working Weasley boy' and not to the nephew of a Senior Undersecretary? Or the son of a man who just donated a thousand Galleons to the Minister's re-election campaign?"
Percy let out a long, shaky breath. The glass in his hand felt very heavy. "I don't know," he whispered. "I suppose I can't guarantee anything. I just... I have to try."
Sebastian stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the gardens where the younger kids were now chasing each other. "I admire you, Percy. Truly. In many ways, you remind me of myself at that age. The same hunger. The same clarity of purpose."
He turned back to the boy, his silhouette framed by the afternoon sun. "When you graduate, the world will try to swallow you whole. It will try to make you a clerk who disappears into the background. But I can change that. I can make sure you don't just 'climb' the ladder—I can make sure you're placed at the top of it."
Percy's head snapped up. "You... you can?"
"I have my own interests in the Ministry, Percy. I need people who understand order. People who are loyal to a vision rather than a bureaucracy." Sebastian stepped closer, his voice low and magnetic. "I can give you the connections, the patrons, and the power you crave. I can make you a high-ranking official before your brothers even finish their training."
He paused, holding Percy's gaze. "But there is a price for such a shortcut. You would be my eyes and ears. You would accept my guidance, even when it conflicts with the 'rules' you love so much. You would be a Swann man, before you are a Ministry man."
The room felt suddenly very still. Percy could hear his own heartbeat. On one hand was a lifetime of grinding, thankless labor with the hope of a promotion. On the other was the power to change his family's life tomorrow—if he was willing to pledge his loyalty to the man standing before him.
"Would you like to hear my terms?" Sebastian asked softly.
Percy didn't hesitate. "Yes. I'm listening."
Outside, the party roared on, oblivious to the fact that the future of the Weasley family was being rewritten in a quiet study over a glass of iced cola.