"Percy!"

Percy turned his head to face the fence, seeing Oliver's head appearing above the fence with the help of Haslet. "Oi! Percy!"

"What are you doing?"

"We want to go to the beach and I want to take you with us!" Oliver said. "Come on, when's the last time you go to the beach?"

"Well, before my dad died-" Percy glanced at the mansion again. "Ok. I'll grab something first."

"Be quick, ok?"

Percy quietly ran inside, careful not to make any noise against the marble floor. He got up the stairs to his room, where Scabbers and Hermes are waiting for him on the table at his bedside. Percy quickly kissed his stuffed rat before kissing his stuffed owl, before running back to Oliver, who with his father's help, managed to push the gate wide enough for Percy to go through, and close it again.

"Hold hands!" Percy heard Katherine told as Percy held Oliver's, Scabbers tight between them. Katherine held Percy's hand whilst Haslet held Oliver's as they disapparated away, a feeling Percy hadn't felt since Livvy apparated him to his room.

Percy opens his eyes to the sight of yellowish grainy Earth occasionally getting kissed by the blue water. Oliver laughed as he grabbed Percy's hand, pulling him with.

"Come on!"

"Hold on!" Katherine yelled, causing Oliver and Percy to stop on their tracks, Oliver groaning fully. Haslet has spread the outdoor mat and the umbrella. "Apply sunscreen, wait until your father charms your clothes waterproof."

"But Mum! I want to make a sandcastle!"

"But the sand will still be there!" Percy interrupted, going back to Katherine's direction to ask for some sunscreen, applying it to himself. Oliver groaned but joined his best friend in applying sunscreen to himself. Once done, Haslet takes out his wand (with his wife trying to cover him) and charms their shoes and clothes waterproof. Percy learned that Haslet is a Muggleborn and Katherine is a Muggle a year ago when he did a project in Oliver's house.

"Come on!" Oliver grabbed two buckets and Percy's hand again before running to the sand near the ocean, Percy running with him as he holds Scabbers tight in his hand. "Let's make a sandcastle together!"

"Let's go!" Percy nodded as he sat on the sand across Oliver, using one of the buckets and filling a small bit with some ocean water before filling the rest with sand. Buckets of sand stack up on top of each other, dents were made to imitate a castle. "Perce, put Scabbers and Hermes on top! Let's make them kings!"

Percy complied and smiled, staring at their sandcastle together with pride. "I wish there's a camera to photograph the sandcastle."

"Oliver! Percy!" Percy heard Haslet called his name as he turned his back towards the voice, seeing Haslet and Katherine with a surfing board. "Do you want to surf?"

"Sure!" Oliver answered, running towards his parents. "Percy?"

"You go ahead," Percy says. "I don't want to get too wet in the ocean."

"Come on, Perce. My dad has charmed your clothes waterproof, anyway," Oliver persuaded. "Please?"

"I suppose." At the mention of those two sentences, Oliver kept pulling Percy's hand in his parents' direction.

"Who wants to go first?" Haslet asked.

"I do!" Oliver exclaimed as he ran to grab the surfing board, causing the ocean water to spray all over. Percy laughed, watching his friend's antiques as Haslet got Oliver to lay his stomach on the body of the surfing board. Percy felt a hand on his shoulders and looked up to see Katherine.

"Percy, you know that you're always welcome in our home, right?" Katherine asked. Once she sees that Percy nodded, she continued. "I know we're not as rich as the Rosiers, but we still want you with us."

"Why are you telling me this?" Percy asked. Katherine kissed the top of his head and brushed his hair away.

"I want you to know that it's not too late to get out of the house if you want to," Katherine continues. Percy nodded, not understanding where this is going. "You are born to an ungrateful mother who doesn't know the value of her son-"

"I was adopted, Katherine," Percy cuts. Katherine nodded.

"I'm offering you to be part of our family, all I need is your cooperation. I'm asking for your honest story of how does your mother treat you." Katherine continued. "I have spoken with Ms Songchuya and Mrs Clyde, I know what's going on."

"But I can't!" Percy shook his head. "My mum will be mad."

"Honey, your mother won't touch a single strand of your red hair," Katherine assured him. "I promise. I'm a Muggle Auror, remember? I've had Ms Songchuya's and Mrs Clyde's testimonies, and now I need yours along with a visum et repertum from you. Your secret will be safe with me."

"Oliver! Haslet!" Percy ran through the knee-length salty water, leaving Katherine behind. Oliver fell on his board as Haslet turned his head around to face the little redhead. "I need to go home."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah-" Percy nodded vigorously, looking at the other beach visitors who are preparing to go home already. "It's late, my mum will be mad if I'm not home by now."

"Want me to deliver you home, Percy?" Haslet offered, but Percy shook his head.

"No thank you, I'll just go home by myself," Percy answered as he quickly ran back to the beach, ignoring Haslet's and Katherine's yells. Percy quickly grabbed his stuffed animals from the sandcastle and tried to shake off as much sand as he could from his clothes before he continued running. Just because Haslet charmed them waterproof doesn't mean there is a charm to make them sand-proof. Percy ran the direction away, not caring that he came here by apparating and he's not familiar with that area. He has to return.

"Percy!" He heard Haslet called, but the running doesn't stop. When he felt a hand over his shoulders, he had to stop in his tracks. "Come on, let me apparate you home."

"No need, Haslet-" Percy shook his head. "Thanks for today, and thanks for offering. I can go home myself."

"Come on, it'll be much quicker," Haslet tried to assure him. Percy bit his lip as he sees Oliver being carried by Katherine, and nodded. He doesn't know the way back, anyway. Katherine drops Oliver and Percy held Haslet's and Oliver's hand, Oliver's holding Katherine's as they disapparated away to Rosier Mansion, opening the gate to find Camilla already waiting with her hands crossed to her chest, glaring. Percy gasped in horror, hugging Scabbers and Hermes tighter.

"Camilla, my apologies for today's escapade," Haslet said, slowly entering the mansion and ushering Percy to enter. "We wanted to go to the beach and Oliver insists we take Percy with us."

"It's alright, Haslet," Camilla smiled, secretly digging her nails on Percy's arm, making him whimper. "As a mother, I worry if he goes away for too long. Poor Percy will be lost, wouldn't he?"

"May we have a-"

"No, I don't want a mudblood and a can't-spell in my mansion!" Camilla interrupted. "Leave!"