All three young adults turned to Molly. She took a moment to savor just how small they all looked.

As she spoke, she realized that her 'war-voice' from the decade before had snuck back up on her.

"George, take Penelope to Charlie's. Then go to Aunt Muriel's and tell her we're going to stop by," Molly moved quickly to shrink the family clock and stuff it in her dress pocket, "We'll be going to Aunt Muriel's to get your father. And, George, please tell Charlie to be careful with setting his wards and that we'll be there as soon as we get your father."

Audrey was fully awake and George offered her his arm. They quickly entered the floo and were gone in a burst of flames.

"They're going to know Ron's not sick and Ginny's at school… Oh…" Molly's frustrated mutters filled the silence.

"I used to think this house was some sort of impenetrable fortress," Fred muttered to himself, "Now look where Perfect Prefect Percy has brought us."

Molly whirled around to face her middle child. "Do not blame this on your brother, it was bound to happen. Oh, he's being tortured, I just know it! My Percy! Tortured for information, on us!"

"Mum, I-.. I'm sorry," Fred noticed everything that was sacred had been vanished away, "You go ahead to Aunt Muriel's place. I'll do some damage."

Molly hugged him tightly.

"Be quick about it."

Audrey gasped as they exited the extravagant fireplace. Flooing took a lot more out of her these days. There would soon be a time where it would be impossible to do without fainting. Her arms were already developing bruises from where she'd wrapped them around to protect her protruding stomach. George's grip on her tightened and he led her to the largest area of the home.

"Charlie!" George set her near an open chair and started shouting around the house.

"Charlie!?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm right 'ere Georgie! What's the fuss about?" Charlie stood at the doorway between the kitchen and greatroom.

"We're becoming fugitives, what else? The Ministry has taken Percy. No clue why; but Dad says they're going to the Burrow."

Charlie peered further into the room and spotted the familiar figure. "Penelope?"

George blinked and looked between them in confusion.

"No one calls me Penelope anymore, Charlie. It's not safe... But it's... nice to see you again."

"Well… this is new." Charlie gestured to her protruding pouch. Audrey rolled her tired eyes. She was getting rather hungry… She was quickly reminded that the last meal she had was dinner the day before and even then they had had it around 5. The twins were getting needy.

"Mum wants all the wards up. I'm going to Aunt Muriel's to meet up with them and we'll all be back when things are settled," George stepped in front of Audrey, "I leave the lady in your less than capable hands, brother. She's lookin' a bit peaky."

George winked before stepping back into the floo and in seconds he was gone.

"Would you like to tell me why my goody-good brother is in Azkaban?"

Audrey turned toward the second eldest Weasley son. She nodded as her stomach released a moan of protest. Noisy babies.

Charlie chuckled, "Don't fret; we'll talk after we feed your parasite."

They quietly made their way to the kitchen and as she sat; Charlie peeled an apple and charmed a cucumber to slice itself on a plate. Audrey smiled softly at the familiarity Charlie had with his kitchen. He sat across from her and a coffee mug sailed into his waiting hands.

"So?"

She took a steadying breath. "You will not interrupt; else I might not be able to finish."

Charlie nodded slowly.

"Percy… When he got the promotion after that Crouch fiasco, he went to your family looking for recognition and when your father implied that Percy hadn't gotten the job for his own work, he got upset and said all those horrible things; came straight to my flat afterwards. He was in a rage… But I've never seen him so vulnerable. He felt sorry right after he said it! He didn't want to face your family. And when your mother came and he panicked and slammed the door; oh he didn't sleep until I'd drugged him! I calmed him down and he told me exactly what had happened at the Ministry and at your parent's house. I admit he did take it a bit too emotionally, so I let him stay with me. But he… was still moody and sad. That night was far from what he expected, so I didn't say anything. But I heard him mumbling to himself about being stupid. He was so sorry and he wanted to apologize the moment he realized what he'd done.." Audrey slipped a slice of apple into her mouth before continuing.

"But he didn't, and he wouldn't listen to me at all. I…", she lowered her gaze to the table, "I got tired of his moping and gave him an ultimatum. I told him if he didn't figure things out in a week, that I would break up with him. Then he goes off and tells me this ruddy plan he has! That- That-! Look how much good it's done!"

Her eyes watered but no tears fell.

"I've gotten off track. As soon as he started working, he knew something was wrong. That's when that awful Umbridge toad showed her ratty old hag face." Charlie raised a brow at the angry expression Audrey had taken on.

"She was putting on Fudge to dismiss You-Know-Who altogether. And he did. Well, tried. Percy didn't just follow his orders. He made notes. He would bring them home and we'd transfer them to a book in invisible ink. All about what the Ministry was planning to do. We spent most of our free time trying to decipher them. That's also when we got married…" Audrey stopped and Charlie could see her hands clenching and unclenching around her top. She sighed heartbrokenly and continued.

"They made no sense put together. Not at the time. When Scrimgeour was made Minister, there were small clues in the notes, people went missing, but nothing clicked. Not until Dolores raved to him one day about the school; something about centaurs, and where muggle-borns… belong… and how she would run the Ministry. That's when we found out I was pregnant a-." Again. Audrey looked as though she could not continue, so Charlie waited as she collected her wits, "Then months went by and Dumbledore was killed. Offed. And Percy's notes started taking shape. There were people, high up in the Ministry, who were there."

"You don't know how hard it was for him to keep up his act! Especially with what happened to Bill. He-… Percy's a bit emotional, you know…"

"On the day the Ministry fell, Bill's wedding day, Thicknesse started a register. Percy was to keep track of who was coming in and who was - already dead. Charlie, he was so brave! He managed to send over thirty people a day to France and America. We thought it was going well and he had a good vantage point from within the Ministry and- I think we got a bit careless. That woman personally requested that.. that I be brought in for questioning two months ago. She knew we were married! We couldn't think, for all our wit, of a solution. Until Percy, he.. moved my…," she thumbed a long scar on palm of her left hand, "People believe that once a person turns 17, they do not have the trace from the Ministry. But that isn't true. They have an entire underground department dedicated to putting special traces on all suspicious staff and every muggleborn who passes through. Percy only knew because Fudge was so careless and afraid."

"He moved it to a woman in the morgue. Umbridge sent her condolences to him. It was awful, Charlie. It hurt so much. Their records say I'm dead. I'm not Penelope Clearwater anymore… She died months ago. I had to use an alias after that. Audrey Weasley...I sort of went into hiding in our flat, and Percy had to act as though I were really dead. It's an awful thing, you know, to have to believe that your spouse is dead. Those monsters used legimency on him, more than once. I had to find a boggart for him so he would have the memory." Audrey pushed away tears and took another snap at her apple slice.

"He wanted me to get out of the country, you know…" Her voice lost its strength and the quiver had become pronounced, "But I didn't want to l-leave him all alone. He didn't take that well. We had a row and… He left. He disapparated on the spot! I didn't see him for a week."

Charlie couldn't keep silent, "How could he do that?! You're pregnant! A blatant target! That prat-"

Audrey interrupted him softly. "It was a stressful time… But I have to say, it did hurt. It was the worst week, and I kept having to forge his hand when the Ministry sent owls about him missing work. When he came back….I'm sorry, I just- it's too- just can't…" She held her breath before skipping the event.

"And then today, or was it yesterday, either way, I was trying to convince Percy to tell your family the truth of what he was doing. He was trying to keep them away from his job! To keep them safe and under no suspicion that they were involved with him undermining the system! But before we could even get out of bed, that monstrous woman appears in our bedroom, wand drawn! She flung a dagger at us and Percy damn well saved our lives. She got me across the chest and Percy dueled with her."

"She kept flinging our books at us and I got bonked on the head. Heavy, Hogwarts: A History. Blacked out. Woke up at your parent's house," Audrey fiddled with the last of the cucumber before placing it in her mouth, "And now my Percy is in Azkaban of all places."

Charlie sighed heavily and placed his forehead against the grainy table. Percy, you complete idiot. You should have just said something! He quickly charmed the plates to dance into the sink and began to set up the wards around the entire house.

Audrey watched carefully from the front door. She fingered the sleeves of the long jumper she transfigured from her shirt. Percy was going to have a fit when he heard that she had told Charlie, who would tell the rest of the family. Her fingers left the sleeves alone and swept through her thick dark hair. She moved her gaze over the yard. Charlie seemed close to finishing the last of the wards and she stepped back into the house.

The house was small-looking from the outside and extravagant on the inside. The layout was slightly Burrow-esque in the winding staircase but had an inviting feeling, willing her to climb every stair and reach the skylight on the fourth floor. Charlie was doing extremely well on the reserve. Audrey plopped down onto the couch in the great room and let out a heavy sigh. Her children were not agreeing with her worried pacing.

Charlie's mantle was full of pictures. There were a few of Molly and of Arthur, of Fred and George in their shop, of Ginny and Ron at Hogwarts, playing Quidditch.

There was even one of Bill and Fleur's wedding. She spotted a rowdy photo at the end of the shelf.

It was Percy, Bill, and Charlie all getting ready for Hogwarts. It seemed as though it was taken in Percy's first year. Bill had his trunk, Prefect badge almost hidden, Charlie grinning as Percy waved a book in his face, pouting about something.

There was a growing despair building inside her heart. Percy was in jail. He was with dementors. He was in big trouble. And she could not do a thing. She knew her worry was illogical, because he was ready for it. It was illogical to think she could have made a difference, illogical to endanger her children, but Audrey felt it illogical to leave him behind like she did.

He'd always stuck up for her.

The silence in the compartment was not comfortable but not actually awkward, as the girl with the short blonde hair evaluated the witch across from her. The curly haired girl was nose-deep into a book with torn pages and tens of little colorful tabs jutting out the ends.

"Did you know Rowena Ravenclaw was the founder who created the moving staircases? How exciting!" The curly haired first year looked awed and amazed while the girl across from her gave her a look of disdain.

"Are you- muggleborn?"

She blinked. The tone of the blonde girl had been immensely clipped. "Yes?"

Penelope didn't understand why the girl had taken her belongings and moved to another compartment. Had she said something wrong? She had been worried, when her aunt had told her that she was a witch. She didn't believe her until she levitated her aunt clear off her seat as she refused to accept her 'lies'. Her aunt-by-adoption was a witch. She had researched as much as she could before the summer was over. Her aunt had even brought her to Diagon Alley, let her have her pick of quills, and even got her a book about the school. She never put it down. It was always within reach and she would never be more grateful for her aunt. Aunt Belle had been a Gryffindor when she had attended school. Penelope hoped she would be a Gryffindor but as she read the book cover to cover, her hopes diminished.

She wasn't brave. She wasn't courageously reckless. She'd never fit in in Gryffindor. She sighed and swung her short legs onto the cushion. She felt tears pricking the ends of her eyes but she held them back.

So what if the girl hadn't wanted to be friends with her, if didn't matter. Was it because she was muggleborn? She thought with fear. What if all the purebloods were like that? What if everyone hated her?

She had left behind perfectly good friends back at her primary school. She felt her bottom lip pouting as it often did before she bawled. She pulled it back and busied herself with Hogwarts: A History.

The door to her compartment was opened slowly and she quickly removed her feet from the seat and back to the floor. A very tall boy with red hair and a prefect badge peered in and asked politely if his brother could join her while he was at his Prefect meeting. There was a skinny boy with thick glasses hiding behind him and she nodded quickly before shyly opening her book. A tense silence filled the cabin and she knew the boy was staring at her. She peeked over her the pages and saw he had been reading the cover of her book. He looked very interested.

"I'm assuming you've read this before?" She closed it and fingered the multi-colored tabs.

"Yes… I find it very interesting." He was awkward and his eyes darted around the small cabin, trying to look everywhere but at her. She smiled when a thought occurred to her. She didn't know his name.

"My name is Penelope."

"Percy Weasley. That was my older brother Bill." He looked at the floor as if mulling something over before continuing, "I have another brother here too, he's Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. His name is Charlie."

"Quidditch?" She had seen a picture of a pitch but the hoops made no sense to her so she had skipped that chapter entirely.

"You know, Quidditch, where there's a Seeker, Keeper, Chasers, and Beaters?"

She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready for wizard conversation. She settled on looking at him blankly.

"The Chasers try to get the ball in the hoop, Keeper tries to block it, Seeker gets the snitch and Beaters hit the bludgers? You know, Quidditch." He tried to explain but she was having a hard time deciphering his words. Oh why oh why, didn't she read about Quidditch?

"Like football?" She slowly pieced together similarities and hoped for the best.

"What's football?" It was his turn to be completely confused.

"Well there's a goalie, and the players try to kick the ball into the goal."

He didn't speak and she began to worry about the mad look he was giving her. As if she were crazy. His face lit up; he figured it out and reprimanded himself for not realizing it earlier.

"You're muggleborn?"

She frowned. "Does it bother you?" She snapped at him and he looked confused.

"Why would it?"

They had talked about that book and Quidditch until Bill returned right before the train had pulled to a stop. She had really gotten into what Quidditch was now that she actually knew some things about it. She couldn't believe it when the girl who had looked down on her tripped as she past the red headed boy on her way to be sorted. She was a Slytherin. Meredith Andrews.

Little Penelope had been happy to be in Ravenclaw until the nice boy with the red hair had been claimed by Gryffindor as he had predicted. Percy later told her that while the Sorting Hat had initially suggested putting him in Ravenclaw, his reckless act of chivalry had earned him a one way ticket to Gryffindor.

She bit her lip and acknowledged the tears slowly tracing lines down her cheeks. She couldn't find the strength to wipe them away. He was in prison. Almost 8 months earlier, Percy had said he was a martyr in one way or another. She hadn't let him out of the flat that day.

Audrey heard Charlie behind her, sniffled, and heard him leave again. She pondered about the world she was bringing children into.

They would be safe. This family was strong; they were built upon each other and never abandoned one another, no matter what certain people had thought. She ached for some reality; some sort of proof that her Percy was alive. She would not let herself believe that he was well. He must be far from it, and with every fiber of her being she cursed her Ravenclaw intellect for not allowing her to indulge in such a fantasy.

The floo roared to life and Charlie was quick to re-enter the room. Molly and Arthur stepped out before the flames rose again and again, bringing Fred and George with them.

Audrey paled at the sight of her father-in-law. What if he was still upset with Percy? What if he didn't like her?

She didn't have time to rationalize when he took one look at her and gathered her in a hug.

"Don't you worry, we'll get him back." He whispered and she could feel the family bond reaching out to her already. Her silent tears came to a halt and he pulled away with a weary smile etched on his face.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley."

"We're all adults here, call me Arthur."

Audrey smiled. She felt an arm wrap around her large waist and another over her petite shoulders. The twins led her up the winding staircase as Charlie filled in his parents about her husband.

"Now, dear sister, seeing as you are in such a state-" First flight.

"Transforming into a whale, and such-" She let out an outraged gasp.

"We're going to hold off-"

"At least-until it won't get us killed by Mum."

"On your family initiation prank." Second flight.

"Oh, Fleur got the best one, so don't fret-"

"Bedsprings are so maniacal. Moment she got in bed the whole thing-"

"Sprung up, like some sort of jumping charm. Lasted a whole week."

"Been saving that one for the longest time." Third flight. Door.

"Had to hide out from Bill and Mum for quite a while."

"It was too good to pass up."

"But for now, this'll be your room." George opened a white door and Audrey was glad to be out of their grasp. Her mind drifted to the pictures on the mantle and her face paled further.

"Ginny?"

The twins frowned simultaneously.

"You don't think they'd take her? Not from Hogwarts?" Fred glared at the air.

George made a disgusted face.

"We've got a rescue mission."

The twins retreated to the foyer and she slowly shut the door.

She let out a giant sigh and her teeth dug into her lip as she pulled at her hair. She pressed her back against the foot of the bed and sunk down to the floor.

It'll be alright. One hand rubbed at her eyes and the other was placed on the two inside her. Daddy loves you. He'll be fine.

She nodded off for an hour before waking up and heading downstairs to an almost

empty house.