.Ron,.that.you.will
not.allow.family.ties.to.blind.you.to.the.misguided.nature.of.our.parents..beliefs.and.actions,.either..I.sincerely.hope.that,.in.time,.they.will.realise.how.mistaken.they.were.and.I.shall,.of.course,.be.ready.to.accept.a.full.apology.when.that.day.comes.
Please.think.over.what.I.have.said.most.carefully,.particularly.the.bit.about.Harry.Potter,
.and.congratulations.again.on.becoming.prefect.
Your.brother,
Percy
Harry.looked.up.at.Ron..
.Well,..he.said,.trying.to.sound.as.though.he.found.the.whole.thing.a.joke,..if.you.want.to.‐.er.‐.what.is.it?..‐.he.checked.Percy.s.letter.‐..Oh.yeah.‐..sever.ties..with.me,.I.swear.1.won.t.get.violent...
.Give.it.back,..said.Ron,.holding.out.his.hand...He.is.‐..Ron.said.jerkily,.tearing.Percy.s.letter.in.half..the.world.s.‐..he.tore.it.into.quarters..biggest.‐..he.tore.it.into.eighths..git...He.threw.the.pieces.into.the.fire..
.Come.on,.we.ve.got.to.get.this.finished.sometime.before.dawn,..he.said.briskly.to.Harry,.pulling.Professor.Sinistra.s.essay.back.towards.him..
Hermione.was.looking.at.Ron.with.an.odd.expression.on.her.face..
.Oh,.give.them.here,..she.said.abruptly..
.What?..said.Ron..
.Give.them.to.me,.I.ll.look.through.them.and.correct.them,..she.said..
.Are.you.serious?.Ah,.Hermione,.you.re.a.life‐saver,..said.Ron,..what.can.I.‐?..
.What.you.can.say.is,..We.promise.we.ll.never.leave.our.homework.this.late.again,...she.said,.holding.out.both.hands.for.their.essays,.but.she.looked.slightly.amused.all.the.same..
Thanks.a.million,.Hermione,..said.Harry.weakly,.passing.over.his.essay.and.sinking.back.into.his.armchair,.rubbing.his.eyes..
It.was.now.past.midnight.and.the.common.room.was.deserted.but.for.the.three.of.them.and.Crookshanks..The.only.sound.was.that.of.Hermione.s.quill.scratching.out.sentences.here.and.there.on.their.essays.and.the.ruffle.of.pages.as.she.checked.various.facts.in.the.refrence.books.strewn.across.the.table..Harry.was.exhausted..He.also.felt.an.odd,.sick,.empty.feeling.in.his.stomach.that.had.nothing.to.do.with.tiredness.and.everything.to.do.with.the.letter.now.curling.blackly.inthe.heart.of.the.fire..
He.knew.that.half.the.people.inside.Hogwarts.thought.him.strange,.even.mad;
.he.knew.that.the.Daily.Prophet.had.been.making.snide.allusions.to.him.for.months,.but.there.was.something.about.seeing.it.written.down.like.that.in.Percys.writing,.about.knowing.that.Percy.was.advising.Ron.to.drop.him.and.even.to.tell.tales.about.him.to.Umbridge,.that.made.his.situation.real.to.him.as.nothing.else.
had..He.had.known.Percy.for.four.years,.had.stayed.in.his.house.during.the.summer.holidays,.shared.a.tent.with.him.during.the.Quidditch.World.Cup,.had.even.been.awarded.full.marks.by.him.in.the.second.task.of.the.Triwizard.Tournament.last.year,.yet.now,.Percy.thought.him.unbalanced.and.possibly.violent..
And.with.a.surge.of.sympathy.for.his.godfather,.Harry.thought.Sirius.was.probably.the.only.person.he.knew.who.could.really.understand.how.he.felt.at.the.moment,.because.Sirius.was.in.the.same.situation..Nearly.everyone.in.the.wizarding.world.thought.Sirius.a.dangerous.murderer.and.a.great.Voldemort.supporter.and.he.had.had.to.lve.with.that.knowledge.for.fourteen.years….