"Scabbers is my friend, my first friend," Percy concluded, their tea long finished. Sirius nodded sadly. "It's so hard to see Scabbers as the Death Eater he is when all I ever see him was as a beautiful rat-friend."

"Even if there are proofs of him as Peter Pettigrew?" Sirius asked. Percy sighed, their fingers circling the brim of their teacup.

"You don't forget your first friend, Sirius-" Percy shook their head. "They hold a special place in your heart."

"I know-" Sirius nodded. "Sometimes, even after all these years, I still hoped that it was all a huge nightmare. That James was still with us, that Peter never betrayed us for You-Know-Who, that we became one big family, the Marauders and Lily and Harry and possibly more in the future."

"I always wondered why he's so smart and why he could live for so long, and he told me it's because he's part-kneazle-" Percy chuckled at their stupidity, Sirius chuckling with them. "I was so stupid for never questioning him, even though I knew it's impossible. Rats and kneazles have different genus, it's not possible."

"Was he your first thing that you have that wasn't a hand-me-down, why you loved him so much?" Percy nodded.

"I have tried forming that connection with Hermes, but I don't get it as I did with Scabbers," Percy said. "Hermes wasn't there since I was little, he didn't help me knowing that I was nonbinary or provide support for many other occasions. It's weird that I get so attached to a pet, but maybe I should've remembered from the beginning that a pet is just a pet. I should've questioned why he was able to do things a normal rat can't do."

"Maybe you should've, but does it matter, now?" Sirius asked. Percy looked up to him from their cup, their head still looking down. "If I can have an opinion here, it's terrible that your family are unable to make you feel like you're a part of them, making you have to find comfort with a rat. But does it matter, now? All that matters is that you did, and what are you going to do now that he's no longer your friend."

"I don't know."

"Is Corrie Wood still your-"

"Yeah, we're going strong," Percy licked their bottom lips before biting it, looking down their kicking legs, cracking their knuckles. Sirius sighed, remembering how James reacted this exact way, once a long time ago.

"I'm glad that you have found someone-" Sirius nodded. "What I want to say was that- your family loves you very much, Percy. That's rare. Your father told me himself that he regrets accusing you of a spy for Fudge. He was, and always am, proud of your accomplishments. He wants to apologise to you, but he's afraid of making you angrier."

Sirius held Percy's arms gently, making the young nonbinary look at him. "Will you let him apologise to you?"