Child of Threes
By AthenaIsCool6, AKA me
Disclaimer: No. I don't own it. Any of it.
Chapter 1
The Dark Lord stands undefeated. He shall fall by his own hand. The child of threes shall be marked as his bane… third child, born on the third day of the third month… Born of parents who defied the Dark Lord thrice, he shall die and rise again… for neither can live while the other survives… The Dark Lord's undoing by the bane of his own hand… He shall mark the child of threes as his bane...
It was March 3; Percy Weasley's eighth birthday, and Percy's birthday wish was for an end to the war.
Molly had just brought the birthday cake to the family dining table when she felt the wards around the Burrow shatter. Voldemort himself flew into her front yard. They had only seconds to get out.
Arthur grabbed his wand and started casting defensive spells. "Run, Molly! Take the kids and run! I'll hold him off."
Molly had tears in her eyes as she thanked God that Bill, at least, was safe for now at the Ramaro's. Molly grabbed the twins' hands and told Charlie and Percy to run ahead to the nursery. She was hot on their heels, praying silently for a miracle of any sort to occur.
Voldemort blasted the door down, ghosting dramatically through the empty doorframe. The moment he passed the rotted threshold, though, a bucket of ice-cold water splashed down on him. In his surprise, he froze momentarily and escaped a Glacius Charm only by sheer luck. Voldemort saw red, unleashing a barely controlled wave of mass destruction. He looked up and cursed.
Arthur Weasley stood there, casting spells with a masterful speed that most Aurors spend decades perfecting. He threw his spells not only at Voldemort, but also at a variety of magical reflecting mirrors strategically placed around the room as well. The effect of the rebounding spells was like a multitude of people casting spells as well. It was very effective, except for one problem: This was Lord Voldemort he was dealing with, and Lord Voldemort wasn't about to be overcome by a dancing weasel and his magic mirrors.
He quickly compromised the nuisances with a Maso Destructo aimed at the mirrors. The mirrors were made for reflecting Light spells, and the Maso Destructo certainly wasn't light. Maso Destructo was a Dark spell more powerful than a Bombarda Maxima. Unfortunately, at least to Voldemort, it only affected inanimate objects.
Of course, the five-second recovery time distracted him from the second line of defense.
Arthur threw a spell out the front door. The target of that spell was confirmed a moment later by the garden gnomes crawling in threw every opening, door, window, of even a hole in the ceiling. They surrounded Voldemort and attacked him with a type of Gnomish magic that made Voldemort very uncomfortable, like needles pricking all over himself. Some held kitchen knives and sliced at him with that. Others threw fruits and the birthday cake in Voldemort's eyes. Arthur had to smile a tad at that. His son could not possibly find a better way to use that cake, aside from eating it. He shook his head and threw Stunning spells and other curses at the creature in the mob.
The Lake-Water clan of gnomes had always been on good terms with the Weasley family. It was only when rogue gnomes snuck out to pilfer cabbages (which was all the time) that the Weasleys had to swing them out. Although, relations were rather sore for a few weeks one time when Bill and Charlie had accidentally caught Clan-Master Hodgepodge Lake-Water's son, Fluffer Lunky Lake-Water, and magicked him into a Christmas Angel costume and set him on top of the Christmas tree.
Now, however, when the Gnomish Aid spell Hodgepodge had taught Arthur years ago flew by and burst into Green-Works (Gnomes don't like fireworks, so they use Green-Works instead), they didn't hesitate. They were in Arthur's garden almost immediately, ready for action.
Voldemort would grow to regret killing old Skyrocket Bluegrass.
Arthur conjured several large birds and made them attack Voldemort, and attempted to stun him again. Now, though, the gnomes he'd called for were getting in his way, with their unorganized approach.
Angry again, Voldemort Vanished all the gnomes and all the birds in one fell swoop, immediately using his momentum to catch the Stunners and fling them back at Arthur, who had the unfortunate luck of being hit by one.
Arthur, who recognized the end, had one last thought. Oh, crud. Goodbye Molly, kids…
Voldemort allowed himself a moment to gloat at the man now lying unconscious on the floor. Yes, he had underestimated the slight and portly man, and it had nearly cost him. Now, though, he wasn't going to make the same mistake with the Weasley matriarch. Toying with her, though, was always fun. It was a shame his Horcruxes had shrunk his testicles to the size of his nose-that is to say, non-existent. Coldly, Voldemort killed Arthur Weasley, stepped on his face, and then moved on.
Molly grabbed the Floo powder and turned, setting the door on fire (after setting up a Heat Ward, of course). She threw a handful of powder and the door-fire turned green.
The Floo-Portal was like an ordinary Floo except they didn't use fireplaces, they used windows or doors. Charlie, holding Ginny, jumped in first. With the blood-enchantments on the door, it should take them directly to Bill. The twins followed soon after. However, before she could push Percy and three-year-old Ron into the portal, a virtual wall of suffocating Dark water doused the fire. Molly, Percy, and Ron were left doused and spluttering. Ron shivered, holding his teddy bear, Terry.
Molly cursed herself silently for having given Charlie her wand, and tried to console herself with the fact that five of her children were safe.
But they weren't, Molly realized. None of her children were safe, as long as the bastard You-Know-Who was around, they weren't.
So, Molly, petrified in all ways except the literal way, mother of seven soon to be five, looked Voldemort in the eye and did the only thing she could do.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HUSBAND!" she screeched. Percy and Ron cowered and crawled under Ron's crib. Molly continued, "YOU MONSTER! YOU SHOULD DIE TWICE OVER FOR EACH INNOCENT HUMAN YOU KILL! KEEP YOUR-" her rant was cut off with a well-placed Silencio.
"Now, Molly. Be polite. Since you have amused me greatly, I will give you one chance. Sacrifice you child. Sacrifice him, and you can enjoy your life with six children. Who knows, you might even find a new husband! Step aside, Molly. Lord Voldemort is merciful." He should have known from the moment Molly broke her curse that something was indeed very, very wrong.
Molly laughed bitterly. "Merciful. You were ever so merciful when you killed Arthur. You were oh so merciful when your followers blew up Diagon Alley on Sales Day. You're even merciful to your own followers! What's this I hear about Severus Snape? I'm very sorry you lost your top potion brewer. Wasn't that just a slip of the wand?"
"ONE CHANCE, MOLLY!" Voldemort screamed. "YOURSELF OF YOUR CHILDREN!"
"KILL ME, THEN!" Molly shouted right back. She didn't have her wand, but she still stood tall and placed her wand arm on her heart. "I SWEAR UPON MY LIFE AND MAGIC THAT I WILL NOT VOLUNTARILY LET YOU HARM MY CHILDREN! I WOULD RATHER DIE THEN LET YOU HARM MY CHILDREN, YOU BASTARD!" And it seemed that a storm broke outside the house, for wind was blowing and rain was falling. A thunderclap shook the house, but Molly did not fall or falter. In fact, she seemed magnified, larger than life. "WITH MY DYING BREATH, I CURSE YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE UNIVERSE!"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort screamed, brandishing his wand.
Molly let out one last, high pitched scream before falling. She collapsed, on the floor like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
All was silent for a moment before Voldemort, cackling madly, Vanished the crib, leaving Percy and Ron exposed.
Percy had had enough. "You killed my mum," he whispered, still in shock. "You killed my dad." And suddenly he's pushing Ron back, defending the toddler the way Molly had defended him. "You will not take my brothers, NO! DO YOU HEAR ME-" Voldemort lazily waved his wand, and Percy's mouth snapped closed.
Voldemort studied the eight-year-old for a moment, and then stared directly into the boy's hateful glare.
"Percival Weasley, I know you're not stupid. I only need Ronald. Stand aside, like your idiotic mother should have, and I shall allow you life," he said.
Voldemort was right on one account. Percy Weasley wasn't stupid. He didn't have to look into Voldemort's inhuman red snake eyes to know not to believe a word the monster said.
"NO!" But it wasn't Percy.
In all this time, Ron had stayed silent. He had whimpered as Voldemort wreaked havoc, and had started bawling when he made Mummy collapse with the green light, but he had stayed reasonably quiet. Now, though, he was pulling at Percy's pant leg, trying to get his older brother out of the bad man's sights. Gently, Percy shook his leg free, and the red-headed boy was forced to watch his brother face his doom.
"Goodbye, Ron," Percy whispered as the green bolt of light left Voldemort's wand and hit Percy square in the forehead, leaving a scar in the shape of the number 3.
But then things started to go wrong. The bolt of light rebounded of Percy and embedded itself into Voldemort's chest, directly on his heart. Voldemort screamed, feeling exactly what Molly unknowingly and portentously foretold. He felt the agony of two painful deaths, withering and burning until all that was left was a set of black, menacing, smoking pile of robes. Downstairs, the screaming began.
Percy was somewhere, somewhere without color. He wanted to lie down on this blank surface forever, but then he remembered Ron, who was alone in a room with You-Know-Who. In seconds, he was on his feet, though not without effort.
Ron wasn't there. Of course, he never was there when Percy wanted him, so Percy set out to find him, before realizing he had no clothes on.
Naturally, being the eight-year-old boy he was, Percy wished he had clothes.
A little ways away, a set of dark red robes appeared. Percy spotted them and put them on, wondering just where he was. It looked a bit like the Atrium at the Ministry, with the Floo fireplaces ready to go. Percy had only been there once. He noticed that new details seemed to appear every second, keeping him looking around in wonder.
And suddenly he wasn't alone. Percy turned around once more, and there they were. Mum and Dad.
"Mum! Dad!" he cried, running over as fast as he could. He hugged them, and to his wonder, they hugged back.
"But…Aren't you…Aren't you…"
"Dead?" Arthur suggested brightly.
Molly shot him a dark look and continued, "Yes, I suppose we are dead, darling."
"But-doesn't that mean that I'm dead?" Percy asked. I shouldn't have asked, shouldn't be so surprised, he thought. Everyone knew what the green light meant.
The answer to his question surprised him more. "No, Percy. Not unless you want to," Arthur said, smiling brightly.
Percy blinked. "What?"
"You've been given a second chance, Percy, a chance to get rid of Voldemort for good," Molly replied.
The fact Molly used Voldemort's name was not lost on Percy.
He was silent for a while, hanging on to his last moment with his parents. Then he said softly, "I don't want to leave you, Mummy."
Molly smiled and ran her hand over his hair. "I don't want to leave you either, darling. But Ron needs you, your family needs you."
"But you are my family!"
Arthur put in, "Think of it this way, buddy. We'll be waiting for you, right here. Then, when you're older and ready, you'll come back, and we can meet as a family again. Damn, this is hard." His voice cracked a little. Molly slapped him on the back.
"Percy, when you go back, can you give everyone our love? Oh, tell Ron that it's okay not to follow tradition. Tell George that he doesn't need to be a follower. Make sure Ginny knows that she can come to any of her brothers at any time. And tell Bill that he needs to relax sometimes. We love you, Percy, and don't you ever forget that."
After a final round of hugs, kisses, and "I'll see you later"'s, Percy had just one more question.
"Is this real? Or has this been happening in my head?"
Molly and Arthur shared a look, smiled, and replied in tandem, "Of course it's in your head, but who says it's not real?"
Percy opened his mouth to reply, but the bright mist whisked him away. He was going, going…gone.
Review! Happy MLK day!