He stood, his back as straight as a soldier's, trying to stop himself from betraying fear. He was not going to die begging on his knees for mercy that would never come. He had done enough. Perhaps he deserved this. Penance for letting his own ambition tear him away from the thing that mattered most: his family. But if this was penance, then why were they condemned to stand beside him?
"You okay, Perce?" whispered a voice to his left.
Percy attempted a smile, but it fell into a hopeless grimace. Charlie had tried his best, but not even his favorite brother's eternal optimism could help them now. The Weasley family was doomed.
They were bound together, harsh ropes digging into Percy's wrists and chaffing them. Further down the line, Bill's fingers played absentmindedly with a loose thread from his bindings. Whoever had conjured the ropes had not been paying attention.
"I can honestly say I have had better days," he replied.
Charlie gave him a false grin. To his right was George, who seemed determined to not quietly accept his fate: he was insulting every Death Eater that went by in the creative way that only a Weasley twin could. Percy bit back a wave of grief for Fred, who was among those carelessly tossed to the side. Beside George was Ginny, her head held high and her eyes gleaming. It was only that Percy knew her so well that he could see the pain she was withholding. She had lost Harry today. Ron had too, but his head was bowed. He looked sad and forgotten without his two best friends on either side. Merlin knew where Hermione was now. Molly and Arthur-Mother and Father, Percy!-tried to comfort him. On Charlie's left was Bill and then Fleur. Percy felt a strange surge of regret for not attending their wedding.
"It is done!"
Percy still hadn't gotten used to the sight of Lord Voldemort, with that pale, noseless face and the red eyes that glowed like twin embers in a fire.
"So we can go now?" asked George loudly.
The Dark Lord whipped around and stalked towards George. To his credit, he raised one eyebrow patronizingly as Voldemort got closer.
"If you were not pureblood, boy," he whispered menacingly in George's one remaining ear, "you would be as dead as your twin."
George blanched, but it wasn't the threat that had done it. It was the casual mention that his other half was gone. Still, he managed to fire off a snappy retort.
"Well, I've been told that I'm half demon. Does that count?"
Voldemort made a fierce swing at George, backhanding him across the cheek.
George fell to the floor, dragging Percy and Charlie with him. Percy bit his lip to stop himself from crying out as his knees crunched on the flagstones.
"You will learn," he snarled.
"That's what they always say," George said theatrically.
The Dark Lord chose to ignore him, instead walking away to preach to his new kingdom once more. Using each other for balance, the three Weasleys got to their feet.
"He learns fast," whispered George.
"How are you doing this?" asked Percy. "Aren't you scared?"
"To death. But there isn't anything he can take from me anymore. My twin is dead, Angelina and Lee are hopefully long gone, my family is doomed anyway and my pride is about to be trampled on. He's played all his cards, so I might as well have some fun. Besides, would you rather be known as the stick in the mud that died nice and quiet, or that cool guy who decided that Voldemort needed some excitement in his life?"
Percy didn't answer that he'd rather be the stick in the mud.
"Kneel before me, accept me as your ruler and you will be spared!"
Percy's knees almost buckled of their own accord, but at the last moment he straightened them. No way, Perce. Don't give in.One by one, people dropped until only a few remained upright. George looked Percy square in the eye.
"Sorry 'bout this, Perce."
With that, he kicked Percy in the back of the knees. Already weakened by their previous encounter with the floor, his knees crumpled and Percy hit the flagstones again. Voldemort heard the sound of submission and turned.
"What is this?" he asked. "Does a member of the Weasley clan give up? What is your name, boy?"
Percy was about to answer with a word not befitting of a prefect, but George kicked him in the back.
"Percy."
He chuckled. "Percy? Oh, yes, I remember that name. The Weasley that went awry."
Percy felt a furious blush creep up his cheeks. Even He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had heard of his abandonment.
"You accept your fate, Percy Weasley?"
Percy was tired of cringing in front of Ministry toads and letting his own self-preservation get in the way of what actually mattered.
"No, I-"
"Of course he does!" bellowed George, masking Percy's declaration.
Charlie caught on. "He's always been a coward!"
Even though he knew that Charlie was faking, the pain from hearing him say that made Percy cringe.
"I don't have a son!" cried Arthur-Father.
"Dad!" cried Percy in anguish, using a word he hadn't used in years.
He couldn't lose his father. Not again.
"You can't do this to-"
George launched himself at Percy and struck him across the face. They tumbled to the ground together, causing a chain reaction down the row.
"No-George, stop!"
"Shut up!" snarled George. Then in a lower tone, he continued. "Fight back, Perce."
"No! Stop! He's fa-"
George hit him again, and Percy tasted metallic blood. Every time he tried to tell the Death Eaters that he had not actually bowed to Voldemort, that his family did not actually hate him, George would stop him. Finally, Yaxley appeared to wrench them apart.
"Why?" asked Percy in a hoarse whisper.
"I've gotta save somebody. You being a git gave me this opportunity."
Percy got to his feet, knees screaming and face dripping blood. He was fairly certain that George had broken his nose. Yaxley slapped him lightly on the back, as if to welcome him to this dark new world as he cut him free from his bindings, making sure to secure the rest of the Weasleys.
"George—"
"Shut it," George said warningly.
It was only that he knew his brother so well that he could see the smile almost playing behind his eyes. George Weasley had gotten his revenge, in the end, and Voldemort would never know it.
Percy silently walked across the no-man's-land between those still taken prisoner and the ones that had submitted. He tried to ignore the sullen faces of those that he'd betrayed, and the smirks of those he joined. Percy looked back, fleetingly, and his brother smiled.