Percy wants to go home.

They're currently in Hogwarts, a week ago they were just sorted in the house of Gryffindor. They should be proud, shouldn't they? But they're not. They're not happy here, in Hogwarts, far away from their parents. They miss them. This is not their home, their home is back in the Burrow with their mum and their dad and Bill and Charlie and the twins and Ron and Ginny. Yes, Bill and Charlie are here too, but they're here as their upperclassmen, not their brother, and they doubt they'd enjoy having their clingy sibling clinging onto them.

Scabbers ran on their hand, snuggling up to them.

"What do I do, Scabbers?" Percy asked, not realising a tear has dropped out of their left eye already. "I want to go home."

Scabbers did nothing but stay cuddled up on Percy's hand, letting them feel the weight of Scabbers' body on their hand. Percy pets Scabbers' body and sadly smiled, at least they felt less alone here. At least their friend is here with them, dear Scabbers. Even if they have to be chucked in the boys' dorm, even if they have to mask being one of the boys even more. At least Scabbers knew who they truly are. They're not alone, not with Scabbers. But Scabbers suddenly stood up, biting the sleeves of Percy's pyjamas to the direction of the door.

"What do you want?" Percy asked, wiping their tears with the other sleeves of another hand. Scabbers kept pulling them, and Percy sighed as they put Scabbers down the floor, getting up their bed.

"Fa ur ye talkin' tae, Percival?" Percy turned their head to see their roommate, Oliver Wood, looking up to them from his pillow. "An' whaur ur ye gonnae? Isnae it curfew?"

"Well, Scabbers wants me to go with him, so I want to go with him," Percy answered simply, internally cringing with their dislike of their full first name. It feels like their deadname. "And you can call me 'Percy', everyone calls me Percy."

"Ye can caa me 'Wood', Ah loch it better than mah first nam," Wood said, having his hand forth for Percy to shake it, and Percy did. "Where are you going?"

"I told you-" Percy shrugged. "Scabbers wants me to go with him, and I'm going with him."

"Scabbers?" Wood asked, cocking his head. "Who's Scabbers?"

"My rat-" Percy picks Scabbers up from the floor. "He wants to go and wants me to come with him, so I will. Don't know where we're going, but we'll avoid the professors, that's for sure."

"Can Ah come?" Wood begged. "Please?"

"I don't know, can he come, Scabbers?" Percy asked his rat so fondly, which ran on his fingers. "Scabbers said yes!"

"Rite, rite!" Wood grabbed his trainers and tied them on. "Ah cannae believe yoo're askin' yer rat permission tae hae friends, thocht."

"Wait, we're friends?" Percy asked back, only getting a shush from Wood, his fingers on his lips as he looked around for any professors or prefects.

"If ye want tae be mah friend," Wood shrugged. "Ah dornt want tae spend mah Hogwarts years aloyn an' we'll be roommates fur seven years, an' Erik an' Luis ur aye together."

Normally, the number of people in a dorm would be five each, but since the number of Gryffindor legally boys end with an even number, the last dorm had to be just four people, with Percy as one of them.

"Sure, I guess being your friend would be great-" Percy shrugged. "But my rat needs to like you first, though. Scabbers?"

Wood opened his mouth, not believing what he just witnessed. He can't believe he was being seconded by a rat. The rat ran around on Percy's hand, and Percy giggled before putting the rat down. "Scabbers say yes, you can be my friend!"

"Ah cannae believe Aam bein' seconded by a rat-" Wood shook his head in disbelief. "It's nae loch Aam askin' tae be yer lover ur anythin', Aam jist askin' tae be yer friend!"

"Scabbers' consent is important, he's my first friend!" Percy exclaimed, only to find themself in front of the fruit bowl painting in front of Hufflepuff basement. "Why are we here, Scabbers?"

Scabbers ran to the pear in the painting, and the painting giggled, before transforming into a handle. Percy widened their eyes, pushing open the handle to open it. They gasped as they widened their eyes, seeing a gigantic room with five identical tables, similar to the ones in the Great Hall. There were big pots and pans hanging around the stone walls serving as stoves, and a large brick fireplace at the other end of the hall from the door. Percy wondered if they can ask some post and pans to bring back to the Burrow, they look handsome.

"Mx Wheezy and Ms Wood!" As if magic, a house-elf appeared and just instantly knew their names. Both Percy and Wood are avoiding each other's eyes uncomfortably, shit. "What can Krafty does?"

"Umm, what can you do?"

"Anything!" Krafty answered Percy's question. "Krafty can does anything Mx Wheezy wants!"

"Umm, hot chocolate with marshmallows?" Percy asked. Percy lightly hits Wood's side. "Wood, what do you want?"

"Scottish milk tablit!" Wood exclaimed dreamily. "Percy, ye hae tae try some! it's sae guid an' sweit."

"Ok then, if you say so-" Percy shrugged, sitting on the empty seat, putting Scabbers on the table, Wood following. "Wood?"

"Hm?"

"Was Krafty wrong in calling you 'Ms'?" Percy asked. Wood looked down, pressing his lips together.

"Nae," Wood denied. "Aam genderfluid, Ah use th' pronoons she/her reit noo. Ah hope ye dornt min'?"

"Why would I be, I'm nonbinary who uses they/them-" Percy squeezed Wood's hand to give her comfort, and Wood smiled at them. "Wood, I'm so happy to find another person like me."

Percy pulled Wood into a hug, and Percy concluded that it feels great to finally have a human friend.