Harry was coughing up his drink hard. The sudden spasm had surprised Percy, who was in the process of patting his back. “You all right, Harry?” he asked, giving him one more thump. “What got you spooked?”
Taking a deep breath, Harry asked urgently, “What did you say?”
“I asked you what surpri””
“Before that!”
“If you’re all right.”
“Before that!”
Now Percy looked really confused. “About us having a drink was actually a good idea?”
Harry grabbed the neck of his robes, and pulled him down so that his face was next to his. “Before…that,” he said more quietly, his teeth gritted. He already knew what Percy had said, but Harry was praying that he heard wrong. There was no possible way those words had come out of Percy’s mouth.
“That this was Henry Dempsher’s idea?” he asked, confirming Harry’s fears. “Why? What’s wrong?”
Harry breathing became more labored. He started turning around on his stool to look at the people in the pub”but that was it! Since when were there so many people having drinks at the Leaky Cauldron after Voldemort was exposed? Sure there must have been a handful of security from the Order and the Ministry, but there were too many people.
“But the Scrimgeour told me this was his idea!” Harry said, keeping his voice down.
Percy cocked an eyebrow. “No, I was in the Minister’s office when the idea was proposed to him by Dempsher.”
“When exactly?”
“It was before you came in today.”
Harry then remembered the note that Dempsher got, and how he left in a hurry. Could Dempsher somehow have gotten to speak with a Death Eater after leaving? Then something else came to mind.
He eyed Percy fearfully. He just couldn’t be, Harry thought horribly. “Percy…you called Dempsher an idiot, didn’t you?”
Percy huffed. “Well he is. Honestly, how he could have forgotten to send the Aurors to Godric’s Hollow is beyond me. Ever since then I’ve did everything in my power to get him to run a smoother operation. Dempsher seems rather annoyed, but it’s for the good of the people.”
Harry heart was now thumping so hard that it just might jump out of his chest. So all this wasn’t the publicity stunt that Scrimgeour thought it was! It was all a scheme of Dempsher’s to kill two birds with one stone: capture Harry, and do away with Percy. He grabbed Percy around the elbow, and tried with all his might to Apparate. But it was no use. And surely Tom wouldn’t put an Anti-Disappariation Jinx around the Leaky Cauldron since it’s already common courteously to Apparate a ways away.
“We have to go,” Harry declared, getting to his feet, and dragging Percy along. All around him faces started to look in their direction, and a few got slowly got out of their seats. How many of them were Death Eaters waiting to make their move?
“Despite our plotting, Harry, we can’t leave yet,” Percy protested quietly, unable to break the grip. “We’re being watched.”
Harry forced him to the walled courtyard, and closed the door behind them. “More than you know,” he said, taking out his wand, and pointing it at the door. “Colloportus!”
“What do you mean?” he asked, his voice cracking from the panic.
As Harry tapped the correct sequence of bricks, he said darkly, “Dempsher’s a spy for the Death Eaters.” Percy barely had time to react before Harry dragged him through the opening portal into the deserted Diagon Alley. Since it was getting dark the shops started to close early, and the stand operators were packing up. As they ran Harry kept on trying to think of a happy thought to conjure a Patronus to summon backup.
“But there’s no way”!”
“Avada Kedavra!” a voice cried out.
Harry pulled Percy out of the way, and they jumped over one of the stands that sold the Dark repelling amulets. The clerk then ran away in panic as the Killing Curse blasted away the sign of the stand.
“Believe me now?” Harry asked loudly, and catching sight of Percy’s red hair. That’s it, he thought. Raising his wand to the air, thinking of Ginny, and praying someone would see it, he shouted, “Expecto Patronum!” A silver stag erupted from the end of his wand, and lit the darkening sky.
“Get reinforcements!” a harsh voice ordered as the stag departed.
Percy pulled out his wand, got to his feet, and shouted, “Stupefy!” The jet of red light that blasted from it hit its mark. With a squeal the owner of the voice was brought down. Harry was about to say something, but Percy’s eyes widened, and dropped down yelling, “Get down!”
Five or six shouts of the same curse followed, and behind them the stand was blown to bits. Splinters falling all around them, Harry and Percy started to run.
“Reducto!” Harry kept on shouting, sending the spells towards the enemies. He and Percy had now taken refuge in the entryway of Quality Quidditch Supplies. Beyond that the Death Eaters kept on shooting curses and jinxes at them wildly. Percy took the liberty of providing Shield Charms. Just then back down the alley the back wall to Leaky Cauldron exploded in a cloud of dust and pieces of bricks.
A new barrage of spells issued from the cloud of debris, taking down some of the Death Eaters. The ones that still stood began to focus their efforts on the new fighters from the Order and Ministry alike. To Harry’s dismay the people that appeared through the dust first already looked tired and battle worn. The bit of the pub that he could see from his angle was practically demolished with bodies littering the floor. The wave of fighters had to first take out the Death Eaters stationed in the Leaky Cauldron.
What Harry was about to say next went against all he believed in. “Percy, we have to find a place that doesn’t have the Anti-Disappariation Jinx! We have to run!”
“But we can’t just run!” Percy argued, putting his back to the wall.
“Damn it, Percy, we’re the targets! Dempsher planned this so you could be killed and me captured! Stupefy!” Harry sent a Stunning Spell at a Death Eaters trying to sneak up on someone. “If the Death Eaters get us they win!”
Percy hesitated for a second, and then nodded. “On three, then,” he said. “One.”
“Two,” Harry took over.
“Three!”
The two of them then jumped out of their cover, and started sending spells and curses wherever they saw an enemy. Numbers on both sides were already dwindling. If they could just get a surge of fresh people, then the Death Eaters would face an early defeat.
Harry and Percy ran as fast as they could down the alley towards Gringotts. If they could get past that, then maybe they could Apparate away. But that was put of the question when sounds of Appariation erupted in front of them. There, twenty or so Death Eaters appeared, and one of them jabbed his wand up in the air. Now they surrounded with no hope for escape by Appariation.
Before even one of the new foes could fire a spell, Harry and Percy immediately skidded to a stop, and doubled back quickly. Then even more spells began to fire their way. Looking for some kind of cover to shield them until help arrived, Harry spotted Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.
“Reducto!” he shouted, blasting away the window along with the displays. Grabbing Percy by the collar, he practically threw him inside and followed.
“What do we do now?” Percy asked in a panic, crouching in the space beneath window display. Harry pointed towards the back of the shop, and keeping down the two of them scurried their way past all of the robes and mirrors.
“You, you, you, you, and you,” one of them ordered from outside. “Get in there, and get Potter. Kill the other. We’ll wait out here to make sure they don’t escape.”
Hiding in the shadows, they could see five enemies stepping cautiously through the broken window wands up. They all split up, and looked around everything that could be used as a hiding place.
Then getting an idea (it wasn’t the nicest but they had to cut down the enemy’s number before help came), Harry beckoned Percy forward. Staying as low as possible, they made their way around the shop trying not to touch anything that gave away their position. For once Harry was glad about who he was because that was the only reason that the Death Eaters weren’t throwing Killing Curses wildly.
Only with pure luck were Harry and Percy able to make it back towards the front of the store. Under the window display, Harry told him quietly, “Shoot at them outside when I give the signal.” Percy nodded, and Harry went to the other side of the window display.
Ever so cautiously, and hoping the Death Eaters would be foolish enough, he raised a bit of his wand over his head, and pointed it at the enemies outside. Levicorpus! Harry thought, which was followed by the cry of surprise of the one he got. “Now!” he shouted out loud to Percy.
Percy then got to his feet, and shouted, “Stupefy!” After he fired the spell, his eyes widened, and he threw himself back down.
First the Death Eaters in the store sent their own spells in the general area where Percy was, missing him completely. After that there were cries from outside of, “Avada Kedavra!” Numerous jets of green light then zoomed over his head and into the shop. And as Harry expected, he heard as some of the Killing Curses hit the enemies inside.
“Stop it, you fools! Stop it!” the leader outside yelled angrily. Harry figured that the distraction he caused at first caused confusion with those waiting outside. Then when Percy shot spells of his own, their first instinct would be to send a barrage of Killing Curses into the store, most likely hitting their comrades depleting their number by a quarter instantly.
But there was a flaw in his plan, since most likely all of them would come into the store to come after them. But then outside there were yells of pain, and spells being thrown. “Avada Kedavra!” they finally heard a Death Eater shout.
“Move out of the way!” cried a familiar voice. “Reducto!”
They both looked at each other, and stood up to see a spell shooting out of George’s wand. It then hit the enemy that had most likely shot the Killing Curse. And he wasn’t alone, either. Along his side were Fred, Ron, and even a few of his workers from their shop! On the ground were no less than four Death Eaters”most likely from sneaking up behind them for the first strike. And with those killed inside the store that made the two sides about even. Excluding Ron, it looked as if a special task force in magenta robes were called up. Whenever a spell hit one of them, the shield hats, cloaks, and gloves they were all wearing effortlessly bouncing them back.
The worker Harry remembered to be Verity was fighting especially hard. “Impedimenta!” she yelled fiercely. Verity looked over a Fred. “Mr. Weasley, look out!” She shot a curse at the Death Eater that almost took out Fred.
Not wasting another second, Harry and Percy got out from their cover, and helped in the fighting. Rightly, none of the other Weasleys gave Percy any sort of grief. There was a great danger to be dealt with, so all that mattered was that they were on the same side.
“Harry! Percy!” Fred yelled, throwing them some hats. “Put them on!” The second that Percy put on the hat, a spell hit him, but it was deflected back at the conjurer.
Then somehow finding himself teamed up with what was probably a new employee of the twins, Harry shot curse after curse, spell after spell in hopes of getting past their foe’s defenses. As the fight went on, Harry was thankful that he remembered some of the useful tips he got from Hermione’s Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven. His stance, timing, and incantations actually made a difference.
“Ferrous!” Harry shouted. His spell was able to hit the enemy in the stomach as if being punched by massive block of iron.
“Stupefy!” the worker in magenta yelled, finishing off the foe.
“Expelliarmus!” another Death Eater cried. The spell sent the worker’s wand flying out of his hand.
“Get it! I’ll hold him off!” Harry told him. But instead the worker pulled something out of his pocket, and threw at the enemy. The thing caught him completely off guard, and it exploded right in his face with a loud noise. The Death Eater then dropped his wand, and staggered around disoriented while cupping his ears. “Stupefy!” Harry shouted, finishing the job. He then looked at the worker curiously.
“Decoy Detonator, Mr. Potter,” he answered with a smile. “For far more uses than the name gives it credit for. Always keep one with me just in case.” The worker grabbed his wand, and went back to battle.
Before Harry could even ponder where that person got the idea of using that product in such a fashion, there was a gust of wind that blew off his hat followed by something hitting him on his left side. He fell over gasping for breath, and then someone said, “I’ve got him! Give me”oof!”
“Damn it, Harry, be more careful!” Ron told him harshly, helping Harry to his feet. He was hearing a coat, hat, and gloves just like the rest that protected him from serious injury. The worst thing he had was a small cut along his cheek. Around him the fight was practically a stalemate. But Fred, George, and everyone else were still fighting strong without giving up. Thanks to the Shield Charms they were able to hold their own brilliantly, and had the common sense to get out of the way of an Unforgivable Curse. It was then that Harry noticed someone missing by Ron’s side.
“Where’s Hermione?” he asked worriedly.
“After I saw you Patronus, I told her to get to headquarters and ask for help,” Ron answered. “But that was too long ago.”
“I’m sure”” He noticed a ball of green light coming up behind Ron, and Harry quickly threw himself and Ron to the ground. “Impedimenta!” The spell went for its target, but was blocked.
“Thought that was funny, did you, Potter?” the Death Eater said scathingly. “Tricking my men into killing their own?” He ripped off his mask to reveal the pale, twisted face of Antonin Dolohov.
“Halkous!” came two cries with the same voice. After the two spells were blocked, Fred and George stepped up looking angrily at Dolohov.
“Ready to get some payback for uncles Gideon and Fabian, George?” Fred asked his twin, wand at ready.
“Yeah,” George responded, readjusting his hat. “You know, I would’ve very much liked to have gotten to know them.” The two of them then simultaneously went on the offensive. They both fought with a vigor that Harry had only seen in the running of their business.
“You’re related to the Prewetts?” Harry asked Ron, after taking cover.
“Mum’s side,” Ron answered, taking off his scarf and putting it around Harry. “I’d get a little revenge too, but Fred and George already have Dolohov covered.” And that wasn’t a lie. The twins were putting up such a good fight that Dolohov barely had time to cast any nasty spells. He may have been good, but it still took him four others to take down the Prewetts, so two-on-one against him couldn’t have been his specialty.
Harry and Ron then went back to helping out the employees of Weasley’s Wizard Wheazes, and Percy”who surprised Harry with some fighting skill. Whether it was practice or just instinct he didn’t know.
Over the next five minutes, Harry began to notice that the fighting near the Leaky Cauldron seemed to heat up. When he left that spot only about a five or six enemies were left standing outnumbered by the security that was originally in place. More jets of light and screams of pain started issued from that direction, and Harry wanted to go there and see what he could do. But he was currently engaged in a duel with another Death Eater.
“When’s the Ministry going to send more people to help?” Percy wondered out loud.
Just then the fighting at the beginning of Diagon Alley began to get closer and closer. It seemed that the Ministry had already sent reinforcements to quell the fighting taking place, but they were just met by even more Death Eaters. Their fighting was going nowhere, and Harry knew it. And eventually the two separate battles became one.
He was starting to make out some of the familiar Aurors that he’d seen in his trips to the Ministry. Kingsley Shacklebot was fighting over by Flourish and Blotts, one Harry was introduced to only as Prangley was having a hard time with two foes, and another was in just as much trouble. They were greatly outnumbered, and help needed to some fast.
That was when he heard sounds of Appariation issuing from farther down the alley past Gringotts. And with that a surge of people without any sign of black on their robes came up to the battle to join the fray. Harry’s spirits soared! The Order finally came.
“Continue up the alley!” Sturgis Podmore ordered, leading about five people. “They need our help!”
Lupin could be seen helping out the worker with the Decoy Detonator, and Hestia Jones came out of nowhere to take out Harry’s opponent. Even Hagrid came to do battle, and started to toss around some enemies.
“All righ’, Harry?” he asked, knocking another out of the way.
“Better than ever!” Harry answered, sending a jinx another foe’s way.
But even though the arrival of a fresh wave of forces had given a boost in morale to everyone fighting, it didn’t change the fact how numerous the Death Eaters had become. If nothing was done, then the battle might go on for another day.
“Harry!” Hermione’s voice rang out through the fighting.
“What’re you doing back here?” Ron asked her loudly.
“Shut it, Ron. I wasn’t about to sit back and let everyone do the work.”
Ron took off his coat in a hurry, and shoved it onto Hermione. “Don’t take it off!”
“Sorry it took so long, but the Council was busy putting together a plan,” she explained after a word of thanks. “Harry, you have come with me and get safe. If they get you they win.”
“That’s only half”” Harry started to say.
“Tell me later,” she interrupted, grabbing his robes and dragging him along. “Ron, cover please?”
She then started to take Harry to the boarded off Florean Fortescue’s. Hermione blasted a hole in the wall, and dragged him inside with Ron making sure no one came in after them.
“That you, Hermione?” Trenton Perch then came into view with his wand raised.
“Yes…are you sure you want to do this?” she asked apprehensively. “You know what’ll most likely happen, and you’re still a great help to the Order.”
Trenton shook his head in remorse. “I drew the short straw.” Then from his robes he withdrew two flasks, and then suddenly plucked a hair from Harry’s head.
“Ouch.” Harry suddenly understood. “No!”
But Trenton raised his wand, and slammed Harry against the wall unable to move. “Sorry, but I have to do this.” He pinched Harry’s nose, but he wouldn’t open his mouth. Harry wouldn’t allow someone else to take his place. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before his lungs started to scream for air. He tried to hold out as long as possible, puffing his cheeks in defiance. But eventually his body took over, and Harry exhaled and inhaled loudly. That was when Trenton forced the foul smelling Polyjuice Potion into Harry’s mouth and down his throat.
After a minute or so of uncomfortable transformation, Harry once against saw the blond bags falling over his eyes. In front of him, Trenton added the hair he took into the other flask. The potion inside sizzled and went from murky brown to sludgy yellowish color. Trenton raised the flask, and downed it. He dropped the flask as he started to transform, but he eventually turned into another Harry.
“You can’t do this,” Harry said in a voice that wasn’t his. “We can win this fight!”
“We can,” the new Harry said, “but that’d take too long. And the longer you stay and fight, the more chances you have to get captured.” He then turned around, and passed a bewildered Ron to go back outside and fight.
“Sorry, Harry,” Hermione said, removing the charm placed on him. “But if they capture you the Death Eaters win. We had no other choice.”
But Harry barely listened to her. He just took off his glasses, and sprinted back into battle in hopes of finding Trenton and get him out as well as Percy. And who knows, the potion only lasted an hour, and maybe he could Trenton avoid being captured for that long.
“Wait up!” Ron called, emerging from the ice cream parlor with Hermione. “A sacrifice was just made, so leave before it goes to waste!”
“If you want to help someone, help Percy!” Harry shouted at him. “He’s been marked for termination by the spy!”
Both Ron and Hermione gasped. They both then nodded, and went off in a different direction. Meanwhile, Harry kept on looking for himself.
The battle around him had spread all over Diagon Alley by that point. He could see duels taking place inside of Flouish and Blotts, Quality Quidditch Supplies, and Magical Menagerie. Some bright lights from firing a wand were even coming from Knockturn Alley. On the ground were the bodies of both friend and foe alike. Harry wasn’t able to locate Trenton in the mess, but he did see Bethany taking on three on her own fiercely.
“Take that, you bastard! That too!” she shouted continuously, throwing spell after spell at her enemies. And just like when they took down Draker, she had two wands in her hand both firing different curses and jinxes at the same time. In short, she was giving them hell.
But Harry still dove in to give her support. “Stupefy!” Harry shouted, causing one to loose his balance.
And before Harry could deliver the finishing blow, Bethany already sent a curse to knock the enemy out, and summon a Shield Charm at the same time.
“Imedimenta!” she yelled, grazing a Death Eater. She turned over the wand in her other hand quickly to send a jinx behind her to get the other that was trying to be sneaky.
“Reducto!” Harry cried, blasting away the enemy.
And with that done, Bethany suddenly swept on Harry kissing him lightly on the lips. “Owe you one, Trent.”
Before she could go, Harry grabbed her, and said, “You should know something.” And as Harry began to explain the situation to Bethany, she began to shake.
“That idiot,” she muttered. “He’s noble, brave ‘n all, but he’s an idiot!” Bethany then ran off in look for Trenton in Harry’s form. The real Harry wasn’t far behind her. She looked even more desperate to find him than Harry did, so Bethany had a far better chance of finding Trenton. He just couldn’t let the Death Eaters kill him in spite just for switching places with the real target.
In hopes of finding him the two of them kept on running around all of Diagon Alley. Along the way they were able to help other in need of service, and with Bethany’s little trick, they were able to catch plenty of enemies off guard.
“How d’you do that?” Harry finally had to ask, after they successfully took out another.
“You know how some people can write with both hands at the same time?” she asked, breathing hard. Harry nodded. “Same thing.”
After maybe a half hour more of fighting, the two of them started to get worn down. The charm on the shield hat was wearing down as well, probably due to excess of curses that have been thrown at him. And if that was happening to Harry, then the same probably went for the others who had them. The battle had to be won before any of the employees could get seriously hurt.
That was when they spotted Ron, Hermione, and Percy dueling two enemies outside of Ollivander’s. They may have had numbers on their side, but those two Death Eaters were more than a match for them, and what made it worse was that they all lost their Shield Charms.
“We have to help!” Harry told Bethany. “Percy’s on their hit list.” She nodded, and they were about to help when more enemies snuck up on them blocking their path.
Since it wasn’t the two of them jumping in on the enemies, the duel lasted a lot longer than the others. Their best option for taking out a single one would be to fire three spells at one target, but that wasn’t an option. If they only focused on one, then the others would be free to attack.
“Pumalus!” an enemy shouted. The curse got past Bethany’s defenses, and hit her left arm hard.
“Ah!” she yelled in pain, dropping the wand in her left hand.
Another curse was shot at her to finish her off, but Harry got in the way, yelling, “Protego!” His Shield Charm was able to bounce back the curse, giving Bethany ample time to regain her composure.
She then retaliated with a spell from her right wand. “Stupefy!” Her left arm only hung uselessly at her side.
Out of the corner of Harry’s eye, he saw another Death Eater run up to where Ron, Hermione, and Percy were still fighting. He yelled, “We’ve got Potter!” Bethany and Harry gasped. They were too late.
“About time!” one said in a female voice. Just then she made easy of work of Hermione and Ron by blasting them aside. The Death Eater then made a slashing movement across Percy’s chest, yelling, “Dicorga!” Percy stood still there for a moment, coughed up blood, and toppled to the ground.
“PERCY!” Ron bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“Morsmordre!” the female Death Eater shouted, sending the Dark Mark into the sky.
“Reducto!” Ron shouted, sending the spell at the killer.
Laughing, she merely blocked it, and ran away. And she wasn’t alone. Nearly all the Death Eaters in Diagon Alley began to drop the duels they were engaged in, and ran away as well. Then a barrage of curses and jinxes began to follow them. A dozen or so were brought down, but the rest blocked them, and continued to run.
Many people including Bethany started to chase them before they got a chance to Apparate away. Harry, on the other hand, went over to where Percy was lying with Ron and Hermione over him.
“C’mon, Percy, hang on,” Ron said, holding Percy’s head up. Harry couldn’t take his eyes off the horrible sight, made ten times worse by the green light flooding the scene.
“Too…late,” Percy murmured, a little more blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. “Ron…sorry.”
“What happened?” Fred and George were those that were chasing the fleeing Death Eaters when they saw the scene in front of them. The two of them were battle worn, and seeing their brother in the verge of death couldn’t have made things easier.
“It’s not too late,” sobbed Ron. “All we have to do is take you to St. Mungo’s and they’ll fix you up there.” Somehow Harry knew that Ron didn’t believe that. Everyone that was present knew that.
Percy’s breathing became heavier, but that only seemed to be doing more harm to him. Harry could hardly believe what had transpired. He had just convinced Percy no more than an hour ago to come to their side”to reconnect with his family. But all that came crashing down because of Henry Dempsher.
Eventually the breathing stopped, Percy’s eyes closed, and there was nothing any of them could do about it. Ron then broke down and began to cry. Fred and George looked away in pain, tears flowing as well. They may have all taken their fair shot at Percy’s name, but that didn’t mean they stopped caring about him.
“We need another one who needs medical attention!” someone who spotted Percy yelled. Then a group of people ran up to them and got Ron to back off. They then carried away Percy from the Anti-Disappariation zone to take him to St. Mungo’s.
“Come here,” Hermione said, embracing Ron to give him comfort.
“What happened here?” a deep voice asked. Harry looked to see Kingsley Shacklebot running up to them. He had multiple injuries on him, but it seemed he declined medical attention to get things under control.
“Percy Weasley was seriously injured,” Harry answered.
Kingsley looked from him to the Weasleys and Hermione. “Get them to the hospital, Trent. I’ll alert the rest of the family.” Harry was surprised to find that he still looked like Trenton. He had completely forgotten about the Polyjuice Potion.
Harry nodded all the same. “Sure. And make sure you take good care of anyone in magenta robes.” The twins’ employees deserve some sort of reward for the effort they put up. Kingsley said he understood and left. Harry turned to the rest, and told them they needed to get to the hospital.
The reception area of St. Mungo’s was literally packed with injured people. Healers were running around everywhere doing their best to treat everyone who was injured. Many people were lying on the benches screaming in pain, some were just lying there in a blood curdling silence, and still others that needed immediate operation were taken to the upper floors.
“Where’s Percy Weasley?” Fred and George kept on shouting. “Where was he taken?” Ron was keeping silent, and didn’t look up from the floor.
They finally found someone who had the information they were looking for. Harry and Hermione were going to follow the twins, but stopped when they saw Ron sitting on a waiting bench in silence.
“Ron, don’t you want to see how’s he doing?” Hermione asked.
“I don’ wanna be there,” Ron muttered in agony, shaking his head.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, and he saw that she understood too. So, they both sat on either side of Ron trying to comfort him. As the minutes flew by the effects of the Polyjuice Potion finally started to wear off. His blond bangs receded, and his skin became less tanned. Now he started to sorry about Trenton. By now he should be turning back to normal as well. What were the Death Eaters going to do to him after they found out that “The Chosen One” they got was a fake in disguise? He didn’t want to think about it.
It was about that time when the rest of the Weasley family Apparated into the reception area. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Bill (Fleur was with him) spotted them right away. They asked for an explanation, it was up to Harry to tell them what happened to Percy. After he told them what operating room he was being taken to, they rushed away in a panic.
About twenty minutes later a Healer came up to where they were sitting looking sorrowful. “You here for Percy Weasley?” he asked. They nodded. “We couldn’t do anything…. Sorry.” After he let the message sink in for bit, the Healer left them to grieve in peace.
Ron was still sitting with his head bowed. Suddenly his hands began to shake, and he surprised Harry and Hermione by saying, “Percy was a git. He was git for turning his back on us, for making Mum cry, and trying to turn me against my best mate.” He then looked up looking livid, tears still coming. “But as soon as I found out he was to be killed none of that mattered. All that mattered was that he was my brother.” He stood up with a yell, and kicked the bench hard. “HE WAS MY BROTHER!”
Harry and Hermione were taken back by his outburst. “And then,” he continued in rage, “that foul woman came up and killed him!” Ron then broke down again and cried once more. “I failed Percy, and she killed him,” he sobbed, putting a hand over his eyes.
Hermione embraced him once more. “You’ll get through this, Ron. I’m sure she’ll get what’s coming to her.”
Then Harry remembered. The curse used on Percy was the same that killed that Order member back at Kartley. And that voice. She was the one that Dempsher gave the information to.
Dempsher, Harry thought scathingly. This was the fault of Henry Dempsher! And Harry wasn’t about to him go on with his treachery any longer. Forget ruining Rufus Scrimgeour”that was only an added bonus now.
He left Ron and Hermione alone, and made his way to the overwhelmed welcome witch. “Do you have mail service?” he asked, making sure she knew it was important.
“Uh, yes, we do incase we need to get messages to family members.”
“I’ll need your two fastest owls. It’s urgent!”
Harry Potter and the Secret Spell by Phoenix 86
Chapter Notes: as a heads up, chapter 23 is giving me some problems. i'll try not to take too long with it.