Department Thirteen
by étienneofthewestwind

Disclaimer: I do not get royalties from the books, so I do not expect money from this.

Summary: In focusing on the war against Voldemort, what has the Order of the Phoenix overlooked? Pairings: BW/FD, PW/MF, RL/NT, RW/HG, past HP/GW, and possible FW/OFC. Be warned, this story contains a slash pairing, but no explicit scenes for any of the couples. The rating is for war-related violence.

Percy sat writing, his red head bobbing up and down as he concentrated on what he wrote. After several minutes, he sighed and set his quill down. He moved the long piece of parchment to the side. "If you require an audience with the minister," he said stiffly, "then say so. I'm sure you have better things to do than stand there." He looked up as the older redhead at the door started.

"I want to talk to you. I… didn't want to interrupt your report."

"Why?"

"I know how important your work is to you," the older man replied.

"Why do you wish to see me?"

"Percy..." the balding redhead swallowed hard. "Bill's getting married tomorrow."

"I'm aware," Percy answered shortly, his eyes unreadable behind his stern, horn-rimmed glasses.

"Will you be there?"

"No. You and Bill can rela--"

"When are you going to come to your senses?" the other man demanded.

"I could ask you the same, Father."

"Terribly sorry I'm such a disappointment!" the other man snapped sarcastically. He slid off his wire-framed glasses, and began polishing them. "You really think it's worth it? A couple missed Christmas' for your career is one thing, but your brother will only get married once. When you have nowhere else to rise, you won't be able to hide from what you lost."

"Nice speech. You just missed a couple points. You did not want me at those Christmases, and Bill doesn't want me at his wedding."

"If you'd just apologize--"

"Maybe if I thought I'd get one in return!"

"Fudge was proven wrong!" Arthur snapped.

"That's not the--"

"Percy," a man with tawny hair stepped out of the inner office. "I think we can--Hello, Art. It's been a while."

Arthur nodded at the man. "Minister," he said neutrally.

Percy stood, turning away from his father. "I'll be there in a minute."

"No rush," the Minister of Magic said casually. He walked past Percy and extended his hand. "It's good to see you again, Art. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Arthur answered the other man cautiously. His work in Magical Law Enforcement had often brought him into contact with Rufus Scridgemour. Still, Arthur had never called the other man friend. Nor had the former Head Auror ever acted this friendly to him.

"You sure?" Scridgemour pressed. "You look tired."

"Just a little. It's been busy lately."

Scridgemour's face darkened. "Dumbledore's death certainly revived all the panic we had managed to quell. It's a pity people don't place more trust in their own ministry."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, the Ministry did allow You-Know-Who's return to go unnoticed," he said, staring straight into Percy's eyes.

Percy stared right back, expression unreadable.

Scridgemour looked uncomfortable. "Yes, well… When this war is over, we'll have to shine a stronger light on Fudge's actions. Still, turning to someone like Dumbledore..." Scridgemour shook his head. "Anyway, forgive the interruption. What were we talking about again?"

"I was talking to my son about his brother's wedding," Arthur said coldly.

"One of your boys is getting married?" Scridgemour asked too brightly. "That's wonderful! Which one? When?"

Arthur stifled a scowl at the Minister's prying. He glanced over Scridgemour's shoulder to Percy. Not like the Minister won't just ask him, he thought bitterly. "Bill," he said flatly. "Tomorrow."

Behind Scridgemour, Percy's eyes attempted to burn Arthur's own out of his head.

Scridgemour turned to Percy. "Is that that why you wanted the day off?" he asked, seeming unaware of the glare the young man had aimed at his father. Percy blinked and refocused on the Minister. "You should have said so."

"You asked for the day off?" Hope and amazement welled in Arthur's chest.

"Yes," Scridgemour answered at the same time Percy said 'No'.

Silence rang through the room. For a change, Percy had the grace to look embarrassed. I'm sure it's just because he embarrassed the Minister of Magic, Arthur thought bitterly.

Percy cleared his throat. "Tomorrow's schedule is packed, and we don't have time--"

"It's Saturday," Arthur pointed out sourly. "Surely you can slip away for a couple hours."

"An excellent point!" Scridgemour exclaimed. "Though I never expected you to invite me!"

"Minister, I didn't intend--"

"You're not invited," Percy bluntly cut through Arthur's attempt at polite refusal.

"Oh, nonsense, Percy," Scridgemour replied dismissively. "Your father's giving you the perfect solution. We work together until the ceremony, and you get to enjoy your brother's wedding. Oh, you do have a point about all we need to do," the minister continued, as Percy opened his mouth to protest some more. "We'll just have to stay late tonight and come in early tomorrow. Everything'll be fine. Right Art?"

HOW DARE YOU!" Bill thundered. "Inviting that worthless git to my wedding!"

Arthur sighed and pushed his potatoes around with his fork. "I'm sorry Bill," he said. "Scridgemour made the assumption, and I couldn't think of how to tactfully refu--"

"NOT HIM! PERCY!"

Arthur's wife, Molly, stifled a sob. Arthur glanced at her before he turned to his son. Bill's long red hair hung loose around his shoulders. Fury made the fresh scars on Bill's face look more sinister.

"He's your brother," Arthur said simply.

Down by Molly, another tall redhead snorted. "Try telling him that." Across from him, his sister nodded in agreement.

"I know, Ron," Arthur said tiredly. "He's taking far longer to come around than I ever dreamed."

"Why should we care if he does or not?" his youngest son pressed.

Arthur surveyed the rest of the table. Between Ginny and Charlie, the normally jovial twins looked grim. Like the rest of their siblings, they appeared to agree with Ron. Across from them, Ron's best friends, Harry and Hermione looked uncomfortable sitting in on the conversation.

"Things are incomplete without him," Arthur admitted.

"You haven't tried to bring him back before now," Ginny said.

"I know. Whatever we miss from his absence, he loses more. I figured it served him right, and would drive the lesson further in."

"Fine with me," Bill said coolly. "What changed?"

Arthur reached out and pushed the hair on Bill's left side behind his ear. "You were attacked. It drove home that we're in a war." Someone abruptly choked back a laugh. "I realize it sounds silly," Arthur continued, looking round the table, "but in so many ways, the past two years are nothing like You-Know-Who's first rise. It reached the point where a day didn't pass by without the news of deaths. Muggles, Muggleborns, Halfbloods--and Purebloods. Not just the ones that opposed him, either. Sometimes You-Know-Who would leave the ones who angered him alive while he hunted down their friends and family. I remember one day, just after we learned to expect Ron. I was sitting in a meeting. This owl swooped in and dropped a round bundle of cloth in front of Connor McKinnon. It looked like a wrapped quaffle."

"But it wasn't?" Hermione guessed quietly.

"His three year-old's head."

Down the table, Ron--the only one of Arthur's brood to have continued eating since Bill's outburst--turned green and dropped his fork. Across from him, Ginny rolled her eyes. She muttered 'Pygmy Puff', and took a bite of potatoes. Ron turned greener.

"Security was frantic, trying to figure out how that package slipped through the wards. Ministry staff dropped, as people decided on 'safer' occupations. I was scared to go in to work too. But I was terrified to leave at the end of the day, for fear of what I'd find. You were all just children with no magical training.

"It's different now. You-Know-Who's forces aren't near what they were. It will take him years to reach that level--would have even if we were all unaware of his return. And you're not babies anymore. All of you have grown up tougher than the average witch or wizard. Even Percy, if not as much. And he is within the Minister's security. I believed--I allowed myself to believe you would all survive. I couldn't bear to think otherwise.

"But if Dumbledore... You..." Arthur swallowed hard. "We don't have the luxury of waiting for Percy to see the light on his own. Anything could happen at any time. And with Percy on his own, we wouldn't even know if You-Know-Who came after him--"

"Don't worry about that." Ron cut in. "He'd be too busy joining up to get killed."

"PERCY'S A GOOD BOY!" Molly wailed.

"DON'T JOKE LIKE THAT!" Fred snapped at the same time.

"Joke!?" Ron spluttered.

"Someone could take it the wrong way," Fred said. "He could wind up falsely imprisoned alongside Stan Shunpike."

"I wasn't joking!"

Fred's jaw dropped. "You can't believe Percy would ever join him."

"Why not? All he cares about is himself. If he thought You-Know-Who'd win, he'd try to get himself a top position under him."

"He'd never!" Fred protested.

"I never thought he'd leave us for the Ministry," his twin said. "And if his ambitions mean that much to him--"

"The rules mean more to Percy than anything. George, remember how creepy we used to think Perce was? We'd joke that he'd die if he broke the rules. Obviously, that's silly. But... You know how the Lovegoods are unable to tell fantasy from reality? I think Percy's incapable of breaking the rules. What set him off wasDad saying that he should go against the Ministry's position. Which is breaking the rules."

"Fudge was wrong!" Ron protested.

"He didn't know that," Harry said quietly.

"He should have!"

"Yeah," Harry answered sadly.

"Even if he did, I'm sure he would have felt going against the Ministry was the wrong way," Fred said. "Anyhow, joining You-Know-Who is also against the rules."

"Maybe," Bill said. Down the table, Ron and Ginny seemed less than convinced. "But there are unwritten rules that say you love and respect your family. He still chose the Ministry's rules over us. I'm sorry Dad, but Percy's no longer my broth--"

"DO YOU SEE THAT?" Molly abruptly quit weeping as anger filled her face. She pointed to the corner of the kitchen where she had placed her mother's clock in the dish rack. All hands pointed squarely at 'mortal peril'. "NINE HANDS! PERCY'S STILL YOUR FAMILY!"

"WELL HE SHOULDN'T BE!" Bill snapped, heedless of his mother's increasingly irate face. "He chose to abandon us. He deserves whatever he gets."

Percy still topped the conversation the next day as the family prepared for the wedding. "I can't believe we have to put up with that prat at the ceremony," Ron complained in his room as put he on his dark silver and gray groomsman robes.

"Try to let it go," Harry advised as he finished putting on his navy robes. "This is Bill's day."

George snorted. "I just hope Bill keeps that in mind," he said as he finished securing his silver tie and grabbed his outer robe. "I don't think Fleur would appreciate her groom yelling mid-vow."

"You reckon he would?" Harry asked.

Fred sighed. "It depends on what Percy does. Bill was at some goblin museum when the row with Dad happened. At first, he was like Mum--wanting us to reconcile with Percy. But as Perce kept being a prat... After last Christmas, he'd had it. And Bill's temper has gotten shorter since his run-in with Greyback."

"What did happen at Christmas?" Harry asked. "I didn't want to ask with your Mum so upset."

"That git said he wouldn't apologize!" Ron spat.

"He--If he couldn't bring himself to admit he was wrong, why bring it up?" Harry asked.

"Dad did," Fred answered quietly. "After Scridgemour dragged you out, things were... tense. Percy tried to speak to Dad. He told Percy to stuff whatever apology he had until it was genuine, not a Ministry ploy. Percy asked why he had to apologize."

"Yeah, then he had the nerve to say Dad's mental!" Ron grumbled.

"That's when we tossed the parsnips at him," George said. "Got him good, too."

"Wish you two had let me in on the plan," Ron said wistfully. "The look on his face..."

"Well Ginny picked it up without any trouble." George replied brightly. "Right, Fred?"

"Yeah." George turned to Fred with a look the older twin recognized, even as he felt George's concern.

"Why are you so glum?" Ron demanded.

"I'm worried about Dad," Fred admitted. "If Percy refuses to make things right with him... He's been different since Bill's attack."

"He does seem older," George replied.

"Well he suddenly realized we're at war," Ron said. "Eighteen months after You-Know-Who's snake bit him. Honestly! I don't know what goes through his head sometimes."

"Then explain it to me, Percy!"

"How? The way you think is a mystery!"

Fred blinked the memory of last Christmas away to find his twin staring at him. What? he thought. It's not like Percy had any right to say that.

"I don't think that's quite what he meant," Harry said somberly. "I think it just struck him what losing one of you would be like. Bill did nearly die."

"Come again?" Ron blurted indignantly. "What about me last year?"

"Well, once Madam Pomfrey saw you, we knew you'd pull through," Harry said quietly. "And--"

"Ron nearly died!" Fred blurted.

"Dumbledore's call said he was hurt--" George said.

"But nothing that couldn't be mended," Fred finished.

"It wasn't as near as Bill," Ron conceded, "but I could have died. And I didn't need the experience to tell me what could happen."

"We knew your Dad could get hurt," Harry said. "It was still a shock to everyone when Nagini attacked."

"We hadn't wanted to dwell over it," Ron muttered.

"Nor did your Dad."

"Fine. But what does that have to do with Percy?" Ron finished buttoning his waistcoat and grabbed his tie. "He's not fighting. All he does is fawn over the Minister of Magic."

Harry looked at Ron with a fed up expression. "What leader do you think Voldemort is most likely to target next?"

Fred froze as Harry's point penetrated. George's concern echoed through him. Ron shifted uncomfortably. "Well, as close as Percy is to Scridgemour, the Minister's Security will protect him. I mean, its not like Dumbledore was traveling with guards when Snape got him."

"What guards?" Harry asked, frowning.

"Exactly. Dumbledore was such a powerful wizard that he didn't think--"

"No," Harry interrupted. "What guards do you think Scridgemour has?"

"Its standard Ministry procedure in times of war," Fred told Harry as he adjusted his tie in the mirror. "The Minister and his top staff are accompanied by at least one, preferably two bodyguards."

"At all times?" Harry asked sharply.

"Yeah," Ron replied.

"Then shouldn't a guard have come with Percy and Scridgemour at Christmastime?"

Fred turned around sharply. "There wasn't anyone else outside?"

Harry shook his head. Fred could feel George's shock, and even Ron had started to look concerned. "He probably just had them invisible or out of the way," Ron muttered.

Fred gaped at him. "How effective can an out of the way guard can be?"

"Well, he wanted to convince Harry the Ministry was worth supporting, right?" Ron said. "He wouldn't to look weak or afraid. I'm sure he'll have someone at the ceremony."

"Yeah," Fred agreed, ignoring the uncertainty in his stomach.

"FRED! GEORGE! RON! HURRY UP AND GET DOWN HERE!"

Fred forced his face into a smile. "You heard Mum." He walked to the door and tapped Ron and Harry on the arms as he passed them. "Cheer up. This is a wedding--"

"Not a funeral," George chipped in as he followed his twin out of the room.

Thirty minutes later--and after their mother conducted a thorough wand-scan for the each of the twins--Fred stood between Charlie, the best man, and George. On the other side of George stood Ron. The brothers lined up on the groom's side in front of the orchard behind the Burrow. Opposite them stood the four bridesmaids in pale blue gowns: Fleur's ten year-old sister Gabrielle, Ginny, and Fleur's two best friends from school, Amanda and Tessa, the maid of honor. Despite still disliking Fleur, Ginny seemed to have become instant friends with Gabrielle.

Several rows of chairs had been set up on the grass, with space in the middle for an aisle. In the front row of the groom's side, Harry and Hermione sat with the Weasley boys' Mum, Dad and Great-Aunt Muriel. Mrs. Weasley alternated between dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and carefully eyeing the twins. Beside him, Fred could feel George thinking at him. He opened his side of their link. ...Still seems to think we're going to set Wheezes off mid-ceremony. Honestly, like we'd do that to our own brother!

Quite. Mum should learn to be more trusting. So, do you remember what to say? Fred asked as he surveyed the rest of the crowd. Various cousins and a few friends of Bill's from school or Gringotts sat in the rows behind the Weasley parents. Percy and Scridgemour sat in the last of those rows. Tonks sat on the other side of Scridgemour, with Lupin at her side. The werewolf kept throwing confused looks at Percy, Tonks, and Scridgemour. No faces Fred did not know sat around them.

Of course, I even--Fred?

Harry was right, the older twin replied. There are no guards.

Merlin! George mentally ran through several curses as seated guests turned to look over their shoulders. Mum and Dad are worried enou--Oh, way to go Ronnie!

What?

He's giving Percy death glares. At this rate, he'll be the one disrupting the wedding.

An enchanted flute began playing itself. On that cue, most of the guests turned to the front. Bill and Professor McGonagall, who would conduct the union in Dumbledore's stead, stepped out of the burrow. They walked down the aisle and took their places beneath the trees. The flute's song changed. Fleur emerged from the house, escorted by her father. She wore a deep blue gown and a lovely Goblin-made tiara sat on her blond head. As she joined Bill, Mr. Delacour sat next to his wife in the front of the bride's side. Fred turned with the rest of wedding party to face McGonagall. McGonagall opened her mouth to begin--

A loud, ear-splitting screech sounded as the anti-Apparition wards fell around them. Fred grabbed for his wand. The guests scrambled out of their seats. Several people in black robes and white skeletal masks Apparated between the house and the wedding. Out of the corner of his eye, Fred saw Percy face the Death Eaters as he pulled his wand and shoved Scridgemour behind him. Tonks kicked the chairs in front of her over as she pulled her wand. She stepped behind the Minister, her back to his. Lupin and several guests ran to confront the attackers. Ron ran to join them, while Charlie yelled to the rest of the brothers the importance of acting as a group. Several other guests ran towards the wedding party to escape the Death Eaters. More than a few collisions resulted.

As the group of Death Eaters advanced, curses began flying out of the orchard behind the wedding party. Tessa collapsed to the ground. Fred threw himself to the ground as McGonagall screamed. A green curse flew overhead as Fred scrambled to face the trees. George shouted a curse into the orchard. Charlie and Fred quickly followed with their own hexes. With the trees providing cover, none of curses hit target.

"Mum's not going to be happy," George muttered beside him.

Death Eater attack? Fred thought to himself. I'd hope not.

A spell shot from his twin's wand and ignited the nearest tree.

Oh. Fred quickly cast his own incindio. Another flew from the side.

"Go ahead," Bill's voice carried over from where he and Fleur crouched next to Charlie. "If we all survive for Mum to go spare, we'll let the twins face her."

Fleur lifted up and cast another fire spell before flattening herself back over her little sister. Bill and Charlie started firing their own flame hexes. Fred and George cast another round. Black robes scrambled away from their cover, more than one extinguishing flames on themselves.

"THAT BLOODY COWARD!" Ron suddenly screamed. Fred glanced his way. Somehow, he had managed to join up with Harry and Hermione to fight. A curse sailed over Fred's ear. He turned back to the grove. Apparently the Death Eaters had cast fireproof charms on themselves and resumed their advance. "PERCY! THAT SOD JUST PORTKEYED HIMSELF TO SAFETY! HE--ARRGGH!"

Fred quickly glanced over his shoulder. A curse had grazed Ron. A Death Eater ran past the trio batting at what looked like Ginny's bat-bogey hex--on a mixture of Skele-Gro and Muggle steroids. We'd better quit trying to piss her off when bored.

Fred felt a similar thought go through George's head. A sudden gust of wind blew the thick smoke of the burning trees over the wedding party and guests.

Fred had no idea how long the fighting had lasted. He had even lost track of his twin, and would not contact him for fear of distracting George at a critical time.

Fred cast a powerful sleep spell and knocked the Death Eater in front of him down. It would take more then a simply enervate to revive the fallen man--if another Death Eater even spotted him. A sickly green spell sailed his way. Fred ducked, then coughed. When the smoke settled over the battlefield, Charlie quickly cast a bubble-charm over his mouth and nose. He then made sure the rest of the nearby Weasleys and Delacours followed suit. Fred did the instant he saw Charlie cast his spell, but had all ready inhaled something that stuck in his lungs.

Cautiously, Fred headed the way the killing curse came from. Nearby, a Death Eater and a redhead faced off. Between the smoke and a black spell covering the lower half of the redhead's face, Fred could not recognize him. Not Ron or Bill. Not in that color with short hair. The build and stride are definitely lanky-Weasley, though. A cousin? The unknown redhead shot a silent spell at his opponent and then sidestepped as another Death Eater appeared and targeted him. The redhead returned that fire as his first opponent aimed at his side. Fred fired his own curse at that Death Eater. It bounced off a shield as the other redhead advanced to his opponent, dodging another hex. He fired a blue spell that Fred had never seen before. It took the Death Eater's arm off--a woman, Fred guessed from the screams.

Yet another Death Eater showed up and shot a curse at Fred. What ever happened to one-on-one duels? Fred hit the third Death Eater with a disarming spell. The wand sailed to him. He threw a sleeping spell at that Death Eater. He went to help the other redhead when a scream sounded behind him. Ginny! Fred turned and ran.

A few paces later he came across a pair of Death Eaters who had grabbed a hold of Gabrielle Delacour. Fred aimed his wand, but decided he would hit the girl. He ran up and seized the robes of the closest Death Eater. Fred pulled the man back with his left hand, and brought his wand up--

Pain flared through Fred's side, shoulder, and right leg. He fell to the ground, dropping his wand. Something discolored patches of his robe.

He looked up and saw a Death Eater several feet away. That Death Eater suddenly crumpled to the ground. The redhead from earlier stood behind him. He strode forward and levitated the Death Eater by Fred away from Gabrielle. The other Death Eater attempted to hold the girl, but she bit him. When his grip slacked, she ran off. The Death Eater grabbed his wand from inside his robes and aimed it at the unknown redhead. "Release him, or you're dead."

"Is that so?" asked a voice both familiar and foreign. With a snap of his wrist, he released the spell and threw another at the second Death Eater. The levitated Death Eater plummeted to the ground. His head slammed on a rock, and blood splattered up into the air. A quick exchange of curses, and the remaining Death Eater went down.

The unknown redhead came over and knelt on the ground next to Fred. "Did you get a look at that potion?"

Fred gaped up at him. The blackness in front of his mouth and nose wasn't a spell, but a mask made out of black dragon hide. He wore matching gloves. At some point, blood had splattered on the left side of his forehead and the horn-rimmed spectacles that covered familiar blue eyes. Wavy hair, usually combed smartly back, had come loose. "What the hell are you doing here?" Fred blurted.

The other man pulled back as if slapped. "Dad--"

"No! I thou--" Fred hissed as the pain grew stronger. "Ron said you portkeyed to safety," he spat out.

"I portkeyed the Minister to safety," Percy replied tightly. He reached forward, and ripped Fred's robe away from the wound on his leg. The material tore too easily for the quality of robe. "And alerted the Aurors while I was at it."

"Oh." Fred replied blankly, as Percy began to rip apart his trouser leg. "I haven't seen any--" Fred cried out as Percy's gloves scrapped against the wound.

"It takes time to gather a team the size of the attack force," Percy snapped. "Not to mention the Death Eaters cast their own anti-Apparition wards."

"They can't get here?"

"They'll walk from the edge of the barrier, just as..." Percy trailed off, going pale as he stared at Fred's leg.

Fred forced himself to sit up enough to look at it. When stars cleared from his vision, he saw his skin crumbling away like sand. His blood too, judging from the lack of it. "Merlin..."

Percy ripped the front of his robes open. More black dragon hide covered his chest and neck, contrasting with a silver medallion hanging over Percy's heart. "Hang on," Percy said wrapping one hand around his brother's ankle. He tapped the back of the medallion and muttered under his breath. A portkey jerked at Fred's navel, and the smoke-filled woods vanished.