Percy Weasley

[Helen E Potter]

Dose any else think Percy is nothing like any of the Weasleys he never joins in with any thing that his younger Brothers do he would just sit his room on his own . Look what happened in his Brother's first year as the oldest Weasley Brother at Hogwarts also being Prefect you would have thought that Percy would have checked on his youngest Brother I mean when the Troll got in and Percy was taking the first years back Gryffindor Harry and Ron were able to get away from Percy to find Hermione now most older Brothers would have made sure their Youngest Brother and any friends they have are OK not Percy he treated Ron like the other first years . Look what happened when Ginny tired to tell Harry and Ron that she though she was thought she knew same thing about the Chamber of Secrets Percy though Ginny was going tell them about his secret Girlfriend .I think Percy is power crazy not wanting any of his Brothers or Sister doing any to stop him being Head Boy in his seventh year also being able to get a job in the Ministry of magic Percy is also a shamed that the Weasley are poor also Percy is embarrassed that Arthur works in the Mis- Use of Muglgle Artefacts

[Landon]

I have this weird thing about Percy. On one hand, his pompous nature was one of the things that never made him pop to mind when someone asks me who my favorite character is. On the other, I see so much of myself in him. Interesting thread! I have a lot to say, so sorry for the novel. 

Percy's role in the family -- Percy was always the oddball of the Weasley bunch. We know Bill was academically successful in Hogwarts and was also a Prefect/Head Boy, but Bill boasts a more "cool" nature about himself unlike Percy. Then there's Charlie/Fred/George/Ginny, all very athletic. And then there's Ron, also kind of in the background compared to his siblings, struggling as the youngest son living in the shadows of his successful or more popular older brothers. From the start, Percy is portrayed as hugely ambitious, taking his position as a Prefect very seriously.

Percy the Perfect Prefect -- When I was 6 years old and watched the Sorceror's Stone movie for the first time, I was in awe of Percy's position as a Prefect. Even at age 6 I felt like I would love to have a job like that someday. For years I struggled to get it. I was never popular enough to win a student government election until I ran unopposed in my senior year of high school, and even then it was a position I wasn't very passionate about. This past year, though, I was hired as a Resident Assistant in my college's freshman dormitory, and the experience was everything I could have hoped for, 14 years later. From experience, I can now say that what Percy did as a Prefect is a pretty tough job. It's a very round-the-clock position. Apart from your set hours that you have to be on patrol, you have to be ready to address a policy violation in the middle of the night, or on your way to class. We got to see more of this in action once Hermione and Ron were given the position in Order of the Phoenix. It's a very selfless position and you have to look after all of your residents. Since it seems that the 5th year Prefects are directly in charge of the 1st years, Percy had enough on his hands ensuring all of them got back to Gryffindor Tower safely when the troll got in. In the hustle and bustle of the evacuation, I wouldn't blame Percy for not noticing that Harry and Ron snuck off.

Percy and Power -- You're definitely right that Percy was power-hungry, and after all these years I'm beginning to see why, especially for the reasons you mentioned. Percy was in the middle of his brothers. Born during a time of war, growing up in the shadows of Bill and Charlie, and watching as four more children popped up beneath him. Growing up in a cramped household, where only one parent held a job and brought home the galleons, life had to have been hard. The books frequently mention the hand-me-down nature of the siblings. While most students are able to go get brand-new school supplies from Diagon Alley, Ron was sent to school with Percy's rat, Charlie's wand, and Bill's robes. I think Percy was the type of child who was smart enough to realize early on that the future he wanted was something totally different than the childhood he grew up with. He wanted a life of power and privilege, and as Percy got older, and started to obtain such power and privilege as a Prefect and Head Boy earning top-notch grades on his OWLs and NEWTs, quickly ascending the ranks at the Ministry, it got to Percy's head and he gladly chose that power over his family when Voldemort returned.

Though I would never turn my back on my family in the way Percy did, I'm very interested in the fact that I can identify with him so much more than I'm older and have experienced some of the things he has. I grew up always feeling inferior to my peers, because I wasn't an athlete, I wasn't popular, I barely even fit in with the "nerd/geek" stereotypes at school. But once I started to get involved with student government and this RA position, this newfound feeling of power and responsibility made me feel like I had something to work towards, and I think that's ultimately a driving force behind Percy being the way that he was.

I'm just glad that, like many of those who doubted Harry, Dumbledore, and the Order, Percy got a really good redemption in the final book and we can live comfortably knowing that he became part of the family again.

[wishes]

That was the most amazing in depth character review of Percy Weasley I've seen ever Landon !! I think in many ways Percy represents how children can go through a "rebellious stage" -- a phase(s) in their lives where they challenge authority, become a little more testy, more unforgiving, unwilling to compromise and push their boundaries to their limits. And I feel that is a natural phase that everyone goes through at various degrees in their lives and it makes us better people as a result once we mature past that stage. And Percy has been a perfect example of someone who went through such a rebellious stage and came out a better, more understanding person as a result. His rebellious stage is perhaps more extreme than the norm, but definitely not as extreme as some. But he is certainly a character I can relate to.

In short, I don't dislike Percy as a character. I find his character development relatable and I was super happy to see him kick ass in the Battle of Hogwarts.

[Helen E Potter]

I think that Percy is  a lot like Great Aunt Muriel  becaues she thinks is better then the rest of the Family because  she has money . Percy most his look on things in the same as Great Aunt Muriel I know all  Prewetts are not like  Great Aunt Muriel you only have to at Molly Weasley is one of the kindest people  in Harry Potter story her two Brothers Fabian and Gideon who were in the  Order Of The Phoenix in first war ageist Voldermort  and were both killed so were very brave. I hated Percy in the Order Of The Phoenix  when he wrote to Ron to tell him to stop being friends with Harry  also to spy for Umbridge as for  Arthur being  in ST Mungo's after being bitten by the snake he didn't even check to see if he was OK  sending  the jumper that Molly knitted him . Even after it came out Harry and Dumbledore had been telling the truth he still wouldn't make up with his family  .  He only came to the Burrow  Christmas because  the Minister  For  Magic wanted  try to get Harry on side so he use his get all the Witches and Wizards on  sideI know Percy came to help fight in the battle of Hogwarts I think Molly , Arthur will forgive Percy he is their Son, Bill  , Charlie , George   will try  to get a long with Percy for their Parents but I am not not sure about Ron and Ginny as they were both living at home they would have to watch Molly worrying about Percy also  the fact that Percy  worked the same place his dad and acted like his was not there ,    the fact that Percy  told Ron not be like the rest of the family  , to drop Harry as a friend  . As  for  Percy not notcing  that Ron and Harry had snuck when  the Troll got  in and Percy was asked to take the first year back Gryffindor Towers I am sure if would been Bill he would have gor hold of Ron and Harry and mad sure that they got by to Gryffindor Towers

[Landon]

On the topic of Bill, I do think maybe Bill, being the oldest brother and probably having a protective instinct, might have noticed that Harry/Ron had disappeared; however, we have to remember that there are at least 70 Gryffindors at Hogwarts. Percy and presumably 5 other Prefects had quite a task in evacuating all of them back to Gryffindor Tower safely, so in that sea of 70+, I don't blame them for not noticing that three first-years were missing.

And yes, throughout Order of the Phoenix/Half-Blood Prince, Percy's behavior was absolutely difficult for me to sit through. I really felt for Molly. I remember feeling outraged like Arthur. I remember glaring at the pages just like Ron as he read that letter and then tore it up. Like Pam/wishes said, it all made for a very extreme rebellious stage in Percy's life, but it made the redemption all the more... real, I would say. Because even for me, when we saw Percy show up at the Battle of Hogwarts. I remember reading it and being like, okay... Is he for real this time? Is he finally on our side? Do I even want him back on our side after all he did against us? But in the end, Percy's family, and he saw the error of his ways. I really liked that resolution. ^_^

[Helen E Potter]

One of the things that made me angry with Percy was when Ginny was taking into the Chamber of Secrets  he sent  his Parents  an owl tell what happened then shut himself in his Dormitory  like he was the only one up set  Percy should stayed with his three  younger brothers . The reason Percy wanted be on own was because he felt  bad  for not seeing what was going  he thought Ron would blame him because Ginny was trying to tell  Harry and Ron same thing .