Disclaimer: Harry Potter world not mine.
Rated T for bad language.
Chapter 3
Percy's body came alive immediately, every brain cell, every nerve, screaming one thing: fight. His arm shot out, reaching out to blindly grope for his wand, only to have it slip between his fingers and clatter to the floor. "Not so fast," the voice growled, disembodied in the pitch black flat. A pair of hands tightened around his neck, and his own flew there, trying to pull them off. Percy thrashed wildly, rolling off the bed and taking his attacker with him. The latter landed painfully on Percy's chest, knocking the wind out of him. Get off of me! He screamed in his head, unable to verbalize his thoughts.
Percy felt the tip of a wand being driven into his cheek and grabbed the wrist of the hand clutching it, trying to hold it off. He could hardly breathe; the weight on his chest was suffocating him, the wand of the man on top of him edging closer and closer to his face as he struggled and fought.
"AYDEN, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?!?" Percy gasped in relief as the man leapt off his chest, and he scrambled away and pulled himself to his feet. The lights suddenly flickered on, and Percy could barely see the blurry outlines of two people, one standing, the other crumpled on the ground. Damn my astigmatism! Percy fumbled his glasses on, snatching his wand from the floor. He whirled around to face the people in his flat.
"Lynn?" Percy panted in disbelief, gazing at his friend where she told, arms crossed, gaze murderous. But her focus was solely on his attacker, the young man on the floor smiling sheepishly.
"Ayden, what the hell?" Lynn snarled at the man, who Percy had brilliantly deduced was Ayden.
"I was just vetting him, Lynn!" Ayden said defensively, in an American accent. "Like I always do!"
What? "Lynn, what's going on?!" Percy shouted, and both Lynn and Ayden immediately snapped their focus on him. He felt suddenly uncomfortable, but there was no way in hell he was going to show it. "What—is—going—on?" He hissed in his best prefect voice.
"Percy, I'm so sorry!" Lynn said, hurrying over and throwing her arms around him briefly. "I didn't think he'd pull anything like this, not after he promised he wouldn't!" She raised her voice on the last few words, turning to face Ayden.
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Percy asked, completely befuddled.
"Oh, I—I'm sorry, Percy." She ran a hand through her hair. "This is Ayden—"
"No last names!" cried Ayden theatrically.
"—Carter." Lynn finished, gritting her teeth. "He works with Audrey White, remember, the woman I told you about?"
Percy blinked. So they were finally starting this. But, first things first. "Then why exactly did he break into my flat and attack me in the middle of the night?"
"I do it with all the all new recruits. Determine if they're fighters." Ayden stated importantly, flexing his fingers. Percy glanced at Lynn to confirm, and she gave a slight nod and rolled her green eyes. "And you, my friend, passed with flying colors. I very much approve."
Percy's chest was heaving, pure anger and annoyance that reminded him very much of his days with Fred and George rising inside him. "Oh," he hissed, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You approve of me? I'm so glad. What would have I done if the random man who broke into my flat it the middle of the night didn't approve of me?"
Lynn gave a small laugh beside him and, to his surprise and increased irritation, so did Ayden. "Ooo, sharp wit. I'm liking you more and more." Ayden tried to stand, only to slip on one of Percy's discarded quills. He collapsed into a heap, looking profoundly confused.
"For Merlin's sake," Percy muttered. He walked over to where Ayden was lying and offered him a hand to pull himself up with.
Ayden stared at the hand for a few seconds before taking it, allowing Percy to heave him up. "Seriously Lynn, where'd you find this guy? He some kind of angel?" Percy let out an exasperated growl.
"I need a drink," Percy grumbled, stumbling into his kitchen. He opened a cabinet, pulling out a bottle of scotch and glass. Lynn and Ayden followed him in.
"Okay, this is getting spooky. You're a drinker, too? Will you marry me?" Ayden sat down at his table, grinning shamelessly.
Lynn, however, didn't seem as amused. "I didn't know you drank, Perce. As I recall, you nearly had a stroke when your brothers snuck fire whiskey into the common room." A tiny frown tugged on the corners of her lips.
"Yeah, well…" She's worried about me again, Percy realized with an inward groan. He hadn't always been a drinker, in fact, until about a year ago the very idea had repulsed him. He remembered how pathetic his uncle Bilius acted when he got drunk, and had never wanted to be that guy. But, with You-Know-Who's return, and work piling up on top of him, papers to sign, meeting to attend, notes to take… well, it was no wonder that so many politicians were drunks. And most of them had families who were actually speaking to them. Percy polished off the glass in a single gulp. "Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" He asked, annoyed, pouring himself another glass.
"Audrey'll be here in a minute," Lynn said, watching him carefully. "She'll be able to explain better."
"Can you at least give me something, Lynn? I feel like a bloody idiot." Lynn started slightly. Percy never swore unless he really meant it. That should do it, Percy thought as Ayden began to wiggle his eyebrows.
"Well… have you ever heard about the Underground Railroad, Perce?" Lynn asked, taking a seat and gesturing for Percy to do so as well. Grabbing his bottle and glass, he obeyed; attempting to ignore the bizarre look Ayden was giving, knowing from experience that the man was just trying to mess with him.
"I believe I have," Percy said thoughtfully, stirring his drink. "Isn't that the string of houses in the States that were used to smuggle slaves out of the south, and to freedom in the mid 1800s?" Lynn blinked in surprise. Ayden gave a low whistle. Percy felt his face heat up, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "What? I read books, okay? Lots of books. I—I learn things, all right?"
"Duly noted," said Ayden seriously, and Lynn whacked him on the shoulder.
"Shut up, you prat." She snapped, and suddenly Percy was reminded of home at the Burrow. It was not an entirely unpleasant feeling. Lynn turned back to him. "You okay?" she asked, sounding concerned. "You look funny."
Percy adjusted his glasses. "I'm fine, thank you. Please continue," he said, retreating into stiff formalities, shutting himself off from the world.
Percy should have known better than to try that with Lynn. "Per—cy?" She said in a sing-song voice, leaning forward to look him in the eyes.
"Look, can you just keep going?" Percy mumbled, breaking his eyes away from her gaze. Ayden squirmed a little in his chair, picking at his nails.
"Sure, Perce," Lynn replied. Again with the worry, thought Percy. Lynn cleared her throat, raising her voice slightly. "Anyway, the whole idea of the Underground Railroad is what we're trying to replicate here. Only instead of slaves, we have muggle-borns and other people Death Eaters would like to see in Azkaban."
"Thing is, it's not very easy to get to these people, and get them to trust you, once they've been brought to the Ministry," Ayden picked up the dialogue. "Which is where you come in." Percy blinked, trying to process this.
"Hey," a voice said from the hall, causing them all to jump in their seats, hands flying to their wands. "Starting without me?" A young woman stepped into the kitchen. She waving her hand, flashing something that looked like a little metal spider. Lynn and Ayden immediately relaxed. Percy slowly lowered his wand, resting it on the table. He looked up at the woman. The first thing he thought was that she looked like she needed a good shower and change of clothes. Her face was dirty and cut, clothes ripped and torn. Her sleeves had what looked like fresh blood stains on them. The second thing he thought was: how did all these people get into my bloody flat?
"You'd be Audrey White, I presume?" Percy looked gazes with her, staring into her hazel eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking, get a read on this woman.
"You'd be right, Percy. I'm excited to see you. I've heard a lot of things about you." She walked over to them, standing by the table. She suddenly burst out: "Oh, is that scotch?" Audrey grabbed the glass, bringing it to her lips and taking a hefty swig. Percy blinked. He'd never seen a woman drink Scotch like that. Of course, she is an American, he thought, trying to suppress a smile.
"There are more glasses in the cupboard, help yourself." Percy said, gently pulling the glass back to him as she set it down. He pointed his wand at it, and several ice cubes formed on the bottom.
"A true gentleman," Audrey quipped with a wink, taking another glass from indicated cupboard. She placed it on the table, but didn't pour herself any more scotch.
"Do you want me to get you a chair?" Percy asked, remembering his manners.
Audrey shook her head. "Nah, I like to pace." She proceeded to do so. "So, I see that Lynn and Ayden have filled you in on the operation?"
"To some extent. I get the general idea. I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing."
"Well, you see…" Audrey broke off suddenly, brow furrowing as he stared at Percy.
"Er…what?" Percy turned his glass over in his hands, listening to the chink of the ice.
"Nothing… just the fire on your head." Audrey smiled at his confused look. "Nice hair."
"Same to you," he said, with a slight smile back. It was true; Audrey had the curliest hair he had ever seen, even curlier than Penelope Clearwater's. It was quite pretty.
Ayden cleared his throat loudly. "Um… should we leave you two alone together?" His lips were twitching.
Percy felt his face go scarlet, but Audrey just smiled wider, flicking back a ringlet of hair. "That won't be necessary." She said sweetly. "But I appreciate it." And then she was all business again. "What will you do? You'll find the muggle-borns when they're brought to the Ministry, get them to where we can find them and the rest of my team—there are more than Ayden, Lynn and me—will take over and bring them to safety, via our stations."
"And how will I do this?"
"We'll go over that some other time. At a more reasonable hour." Audrey glanced at the clock, which read 2:30. "I hope you function well on a small amount of sleep, Percy."
Percy allowed a smile itself on his lips. "Of course. I am a politician, after all."
There was a collective chuckle around the table. Percy blinked in surprise. He'd never been funny before.
"Anyway," continued Audrey, resuming her pacing with renewed vigor. "As I'm sure you know, Umbridge won't be bringing in any muggle-borns for hearing for a few weeks, until she can gather sufficient evidence, the old cow." She glanced at Percy for confirmation, and he nodded.
"So, what will I be doing until then?" Percy inquired, adjusting his glasses. He felt Lynn shift beside him.
"Trying not to get caught. It's imperative," she tapped the table, "that no one suspects you. In fact, it's the only way this will ever work. The reason I agreed to bring into our confidence at Lynn's request, after everything you've done, is because you're the one person the Death Eaters would never think of. Now Percy, I need you to answer one question for me." Audrey leaned in close to him, eyes locked on his. "Do you believe you can do this? Free these people, and not get caught? Do you believe you're skilled enough, brave enough?"
Percy felt his brain leap into action, trying to come up with some clever witticism. None came to mind, so he decided the only thing to do was to tell the truth. "I really believe so," he said slowly, his eyes not once leaving her hazel ones. "I really do. I need to. And that wasn't one question," he added as an afterthought.
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, Percy's heart beating so loud he was sure she could hear it, until finally Audrey smiled and straightened up. "You seem like a very honest person, Percy. We're gonna have to change that." She turned around so that her back was to him. "Can you perform Occlumency, Percy?"
"I—a little." Percy responded. It was true; he had studied the subject independently in 7th year, and had gotten quite good. Of course… that was four years ago. "I might be a bit rusty, though."
"We'll see. Ayden, do your thing."
Before Percy could inquire as to what Ayden's so-called "thing" was, the other man had grabbed his chin and yanked his head around, forcing him to look into his eyes.
"Legilimens," he heard Ayden whisper, and before he could collect the power to resist the room before his eyes began to blur and disappear. Memories were being tugged to the front of his mind against his will; Fred and George throwing bewitched snowballs at him in front of the Burrow; Ginny, crawling into his lap after having a nightmare; Penelope Clearwater pressing her soft lips against his in the library; he and his father, shouting at each other across the dinner table.
No. Ayden wasn't going to see that. No. Percy summoned all his will and, with one forceful wall conjured in his head he forced Ayden out.
Percy blinked rapidly, the room coming back into focus. He could see Ayden, across the table from him, doing the same. Lynn was glancing worriedly between them. Percy righted his glasses. "Apparently I haven't lost my touch."
"No kidding." Ayden was rubbing circles on his forehead. "He's good, Audrey. Really good. Shoved me out of there so quick I didn't have time to fight."
"Good, good, I'm glad to hear it." Audrey poured herself a glass of scotch and took a small sip. "However, being able to block an amateur"— Ayden made a noise of protest—"won't be enough. I heard that the Ministry has hired Randolph Havens."
There was silence in the room as the name resonated. "You know who that is, right Percy?" Audrey asked him.
Percy nodded, his mouth dry. Randolph Havens was one of the foremost Legilimens in the world. "So… they're using him to check the minds of the employees for thoughts against the Ministry." Audrey nodded. "This could be really bad," Percy mumbled. "I can do some Occlumency, but a surprise check by one of greatest Legilimens in the world?" Percy shook his head.
"You don't have to force him out completely," Lynn spoke up. "Just keep him away from any mutinous thoughts about the Ministry. And…" Lynn looked uncomfortable. "And from any loving thoughts about your family.
Absolute silence. Don't think about them, Percy told himself. Don't think about them, don't think about them.
"Anyway," continued Audrey awkwardly. "Don't worry about that yet. Havens won't be here for about a week. And we'll be doing everything we can do, uh, delay him. Meanwhile, I'm going to try to think of some undetectable magical shield you can put up to subdue him."
Percy swallowed. "And until then?"
Audrey cracked a tiny half-smile. "And until then, we'll be in touch." She picked up a handkerchief off the table, and using that, pulled a small item out her pocket, being careful not to touch it. "Hold out your hand." Audrey ordered. Hesitantly, Percy did so. She dropped the item in his hand.
"Ack!" It began to burn in his hand, painfully so. Percy moved to drop it, but Lynn quickly put her hand over his, stopping him. Slowly, it cooled, and she pulled her hand back, leaving Percy to inspect the strange article.
It was an owl, a little, meticulously cast, perfectly colored metal owl, surrounded by a nighttime sky and a few stars. On the top of it was a clip of sorts, as if it was supposed to be attached to a person's clothes.
"Flip it over," urged Audrey. Percy did so, seeing small words engraved in the metal. Squinting, he read them.
When the owl cries out in the night…
Percy looked up, confused. "What…?"
"We all have one." Audrey held out the metal spider she had flashed earlier. Lynn unclipped a little blue wave, outlined in gold, pendant from the front of her robes, offering it to him to inspect. Ayden pulled a golden chain out from under his shirt, revealing a silver moon hooked onto it. "They all have words on them," explained Audrey. "They'll disintegrate, temporarily, if touched by the bare skin of someone other than their original owners. They're near impossible to replicate, or to make a believable fake one. It's a way of identifying members of our team, who we can trust." Percy nodded slowly; it seemed a much better method then Dark Marks. He was just about to ask what kind of charm had been placed on them to make them operate so, when he caught sight of the inscription of Lynn's wave pendant.
…and the waves pound the shore. Percy blinked. When the owl cries out in the night and the waves pound the shore. Why did that sound so… familiar?
"You okay?" Lynn was watching him.
"The words… the inscriptions… where do you get them from?" Percy asked urgently.
Lynn smiled a soft, sad smile. "They're from an old poem, called 'Freedom's Breath?' I guess you've heard it before, then."
"I have," replied Percy slowly, rolling the metal owl between his long fingers. From where, though? I must have been pretty young… Audrey pulled something else out of her pocket, this time without the handkerchief. It was a strange black rectangle, rounded around the edges and very thin. "What is this?"
"It's called a 'cell phone'. I'm half-blood, you see, but I was raised by a muggle." Audrey explained. "Do you know how to use one?"
"I recall…some things from Muggle Studies." Percy snapped the phone opened, pressing the first speed dial button. He jumped slightly as he heard a harsh ringing in his kitchen.
"I'm one," Audrey said, pulling out her own phone and terminating the call. "Ayden's two, Lynn's three. Contact us if you're in trouble. You see, cell phones are one form of communication we know the Death Eaters aren't monitoring."
Percy nodded. "Makes sense." In fact, it was nothing short of genius. He slipped the phone into his pocket. The room fell into silence for a few minutes. Slowly, Percy picked the owl off the table and clipped it to his shirt.
Audrey smiled crookedly. "Welcome to the team."