Disclaimer: Harry Potter world is J.K. Rowling's, not mine.

Rated T for language.

A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed. I'm going to try to bring in a few more Weasleys. I've always wondered why all the Weasley brothers took Percy back so easily, though…

Chapter 7

Ayden crept down the alleyway, the only light leading his way the faintly green glow from his wand. Slowly, he moved out into the main street of Diagon Alley. It was completely deserted at seven o' clock, and eerily dark, too. Pitch-black at seven in late summer? There's no way that can be natural!

There was a sudden blast of light in front of him, and automatically Ayden reached for his wand. Several seconds later, though, he realized that it was just the signs in a store window. The store he was looking for, Ayden noticed with a small grin. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Hurrying down the cobblestone street, Ayden slipped inside the store, feeling slightly nervous at the distinct lack of customers. He wanted to pass by unnoticed, especially considering that this was owned by Percy's family.

Glancing around, Ayden saw an unbelievable collection of the most bizarre merchandise. He momentarily forgot his urgent mission, drifting over to a display of a reusable Hangman set, complete with wooden gallows and tiny, moving man.

Ayden felt the Audrey's Sneakoscope—which he had stolen from her apartment—twitch in his pocket as a dark group of wizards and witches swept past the shop. He recoiled, pulling into the shadows in the corners of the room. The other few customers in the joke shop did the same.

Ayden abandoned the toys he had been inspecting, that display reminding him of the little value such frivolous things had during a war. Catching sight of a dark curtain in the back corner, he hurried over, thinking that that's where he'd find the more serious products.

Ayden's search was abruptly halted as he crashed into a sturdy, red-headed body. He swore loudly as the list he had been clutching in his fist fluttered to the floor, along with the Sneakoscope.

"Sorry, mate," said the red-head (who had an unusual number of ears) as he stooped to pick up the paper. Snatching up the Sneakoscope, Ayden held out his hand expectantly, and was slightly irritated to see that the man was reading what he had written.

"Can I have that, please?" Ayden asked, unable to keep the edge out of his voice. Nothing on the paper was vitally important or condemning—just a quick scribbling of Audrey, Percy and Lynn's first names along with what supplies to get them—but still, he wasn't keen on prying eyes. Especially since—

"I have a brother named Percy. He would have loved to get all the quills you've put by the name." commented the man, looking up at him with a suspicious glint in his light brown eyes.

God dammit. "It's a common name," said Ayden dismissively with an unusually stiff manner, reaching for the list again. And again not receiving it.

"I think he knew someone named Lynn. She was a year older than me. I asked her to the Yule Ball and she said no."

Ayden gritted his teeth in frustration. "That's lovely. Now, I was wondering where you kept the Decoy Detonators—"

"Oi, George!" A second, near-identical red-headed man strolled over to them, an easy grin on his face. A rare thing in the current times. "Are you harassing the customers again?" He offered his hand to Ayden, who shook it. "Fred Weasley, co-owner."

"Ayden," he said automatically, and immediately kicked himself for using his real name. He took the momentary distraction of Fred to snatch the list back from the other twin. "Thanks. I'm just gonna grab some stuff and get out of here." He pushed into the dark back room, disconcerted by the fact the twins were muttering to each other behind his back.

Thirty minutes later, Ayden was slipping back into Audrey's building, weighed down with Shield Cloaks, Darkness Powder and several squirming Decoy Detonators (as well as, he was slightly ashamed to admit, various forms of magical candy).

Casting a quick Disillusionment Charm over himself, Ayden magically unlocked and pushed open the door of the supposed Death Eater's room.

"G' bye," Lynn grumbled to her fellow Healers, and without waiting for a response, she hurried out of the hospital and apparated to her flat.

Lynn stretched out on her bed, exhausted, having just spent hours healing Rookwood—a Death Eater—while far more deserving people were left unattended to.

Lynn reached over and plucked a picture off her bedside table, sighing as she gazed down at it, trying to immerse herself in happier times. The picture was of her and Percy, taken before her final year at Hogwarts and before he had started his job at the Department of Magical Cooperation. They were sitting beside a small pond near Ottery St. Catchpole, with Lynn's chin resting on Percy's shoulder so they could both read the thick book he had in his lap. The photograph hadn't been intentional, Lynn's camera had gone off of its own accord, and yet it was her favorite picture of her and Percy together of all their nine years of friendship. She smiled slightly, remembering how she and Percy had first become friends.

Nine years ago.

Standing in the deserted seventh floor corridor, Lynn clutched the potions essay, barely suppressing a shriek of frustration as her gaze swept over the grade, written in dark red ink. P. Poor. She was so stupid! Her very first assignment of her school career in Potions, and she had completely failed it! Snatching up her Potions textbook, she threw it with all her might against the wall.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing?" Lynn whirled around, shocked, to see a gangly, red-headed second-year with overlarge robes and revolting glasses far too large for his face. "It's against the rules to throw books, you know. I could report you."

Lynn felt a rush of anger towards this boy. How was it any of his business what she was doing with her books? Suddenly, Lynn realized who this must be, red hair and demeanor revealing it. Percy Weasley, little brother of Head Boy Bill and Quidditch team captain Charlie. And notorious for being a real tattletale. "Leave me alone," she snapped. As she pointed down the hall, towards the common room (a recommendation as to where to go), the infamous Potions essay fluttered out of her hand. Before Lynn could cover it up, Percy spotted it.

"You got a P? But that's awful!" he chided in a superior tone. Lynn practically spluttered in anger. Who did this boy think he was?

"Like it's any of your business, you horrible prat!" She snarled and, without further ado, swept around and sped down the hallway.

"What class was it in? Potions? Oh, I'm great at Potions. Best Gryffindor in the class!" Percy said proudly, swaggering after her. Lynn blinked in disbelief. What was wrong with him? Where did he get off being so judgmental and pompous?

"Habberdasher!" Lynn yelled at the Fat Lady, who gave her a reproachful look before swinging open. Lynn rushed inside, Percy following her. She immediately sat down in one of the less comfortable chairs in the corner of the common room, far away from where Charlie and Bill were sitting, laughing with their friends, hoping that Percy would leave her alone. She sent a silent prayer of thanks when he stopped talking to her and instead walked across the room, towards the dormitories. But then...

Lynn saw the foot long before Percy did, stuck out in the boy's way by one of his brother's friends, intended to trip him. Lynn had a split second to warn the gangly second-year. She let the moment pass, eyes wide and staring at what she knew would soon be a scene.

Percy tripped and smacked hard on the ground with a yelp, his glasses smashing on impact. The common room burst into laughter as Percy sat up, brilliant red, and groped for his glasses. Lynn glanced up at Charlie and Bill, expecting them to stand up for their little brother. But they didn't, they just laughed and hollered like it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. Lynn felt the anger and annoyance she had been feeling for Percy just a second ago evaporate immediately. She felt horrible for him! His own brothers just sat there and laughed while he was being bullied by their own friends!

And you let it happen, didn't you? A small voice said in her head, unbidden. You could have warned him. You're just as mean as any of them! As Percy scrambled to his feet, face so red he looked in danger of death by overheating, and stumbled back out of the portrait and into the hall, Lynn leapt up and hurried after him.

She caught up with him halfway down the corridor, and said: "Percy, wait!"

Percy swung around, blue eyes narrowed behind the sparkling cracks in the broken lenses. "What?" he snarled. "What do you want!?"

Lynn nearly started yelling at him again. She was just trying to be nice and he was getting angry! But, Lynn quickly reminded herself, it wasn't his fault. He obviously thought she was going to continue mocking him. "Nothing," she murmured awkwardly, shuffling her feet. "I just…" she searched desperately for something to say. "I'm not doing great in Transfiguration. We were changing matchsticks to needles and I just couldn't do it. Rebecca, a total snob from Ravenclaw, got it first and I remember McGonagall—"

"Professor McGonagall," interjected Percy, brushing off his robes.

"Right. Well, anyway, Professor McGonagall said that the only first-year who ever got it faster than Rebecca was you." She saw Percy stand up a little straighter, some of his embarrassment fading. "So… I was wondering if you could help me so I don't get another bad grade."

"Of course," Percy responded, looking happier. "I am excellent at Transfiguration. I'd be happy to help a first-year in need." Lynn smiled slightly, deciding that from now on she'd try to be amused at his pompousness, not offended.

"Okay, thanks. Um… should we go to the library?" Lynn asked.

Percy's eyes widened. "You want to practice magic in the library? Do you have a death wish?"

"What?"

"Madam Pince would flay us within an inch of our lives!"

"Oh…" Lynn shuffled her feet again. "I didn't realize she was that strict."

"Oh, believe me, she is. I can tell you some frightening stories." Percy took his glasses off and cast a quick spell, repairing them magically. "We can go to the Transfiguration classroom to practice. Professor McGonagall likes me, she'll let us."

"Okay," Lynn said shyly, surprised by how quickly Percy had gone from overly pompous and uptight to casual and even friendly. Maybe being Percy's friend wouldn't be so much of a sacrifice, after all.
They turned and walked down the corridor together. After a moment, she asked: "Can you teach me the Reparo spell, too?"

***

Percy was still feeling slightly dazed as he and Audrey were rushed down a dimly lit hallway by a couple of men (who Audrey exchanged quick, almost nonsensical greetings with) and into a large room with a glass ceiling, revealing the full expanse of stars shining above in the sky. Several people were already sitting in the room, crowding around tables and eating off paper plates. With a thrill of shock, Percy recognized one of the muggle-borns he had rescued from the Ministry. The girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen, turned and shot him a shy smile. Percy's mouth dropped slightly open and his eyebrows furrowed, unable to formulate a response. That girl, that child, had been down in the dungeons of the Ministry awaiting sentencing for something she couldn't help and now she was safe in a warm, inviting place. Percy was suddenly struck with the magnitude of what he was doing, the lives he was saving. To his surprise, it made him feel very small, as opposed to the self-important feeling all his other positions had given him.

He also noticed that all the refugees here were young, definitely none of them of age. A couple didn't even look old enough to have started school yet.

Percy jumped when Audrey whispered in his ear "The children with no families and no place to go are sent here. We try to take care of them." Percy nodded slowly.

Audrey walked into the center of the room, picking up a handkerchief and using it to wipe one of the younger children's chins, smiling benevolently at the little boy. As Percy awkwardly came over to help, she grabbed his elbow and whispered: "Come on, let's talk in the hallway. I don't want the younger ones to hear this." Percy nodded again and allowed himself to be steered out of the room.

"This is just one of the stations," Audrey explained. "There are lots more. I just wanted to show you this one because it's the place where the majority of homeless kids go and thus the largest and best protected."

"Meaning the dragon we saw out front was…"

"Protection! And damn effective, too." Audrey grinned faintly, folding up the dirty handkerchief and placing it on a small table.

"So, you have more than one dragon?" Percy asked, wondering how the hell she managed to steal so many dangerous beasts.

Audrey shot him a confused look. "What? That was Titus out there!"

"Really? But he was so huge! Titus was the size of a dog just weeks ago."

"That's one thing about dragons. They grow up so fast," she said, wiping away a fake tear. Percy just stared, flummoxed. "So anyway, you see, we have multiple stations, so that if one is discovered by the Death Eaters there will still be places to go. We send the muggle-borns on one safe-house at a time. Sometimes they'll pick one to live in, other times they'll chose to keep moving and try to find a safe place by themselves abroad. We give those ones muggle money and stuff and promise to contact them if they can ever come back. We also try to reunite spouses, children, and relatives so they can live together. You following me?" Audrey asked, for she had been speaking incredibly fast, and Percy was beginning to rifle through his pockets.

"I am," Percy responded. "I just feel like I should be taking notes or something."

Audrey snorted with laughter. "Not necessary. Anyway… it's what we do. Try to keep people safe." Percy gave his head a slight shake, and Audrey immediately (and loudly) asked: "What?"

"Nothing. It's just… this is a huge undertaking." Percy looked around the building, as if to emphasize his point.

"I know," Audrey sighed. She brightened quickly, however. "But it doesn't seem like it if you don't think too hard about it. Then it seems doable."

Percy returned her smile, wondering how on earth Audrey managed to keep her positive spirit all the time. "Can I ask you something?" He said suddenly, a question that had been floating around in his head for a while coming to surface.

"Shoot." Audrey replied and, when Percy blinked in confusion, she clarified with a laugh. "Go ahead, ask."

Percy nodded, tucking away that particular colloquialism for later use. "How did you meet Lynn?"

Audrey licked her lips and scratched her head, as if thinking. "Umm… let's see… oh yeah. It was about a year and a half ago, I was getting treatment for some bites (don't ask) at Mungo's. She was the Healer-in-training for the ward. We talked, became sort of friends… and when she thought I was asleep I heard her talking to one of her co-workers about what to do about at the Death Eaters hanging around the hospital and how to protect patients. This was before You-Know-Who was established by the Ministry as back again. A couple weeks later I asked her to join the effort." Percy nodded slowly. "She mentioned you, you know."

Percy looked up in surprise. "What, really?"

"Yeah," Audrey twisted her hands together, seeming embarrassed. "She mentioned that you were a bit… in denial about the whole situation."

"Oh, that." Percy dropped his gaze, trying to think of a suitable justification. He decided on the truth. "I was stupid, thick-headed, arrogant…"

"So, basically, you were a man?" Audrey joked feebly.

"I guess…" Percy sighed, gnashing his teeth. A bad habit he could never seem to kick. "In hindsight, I feel like a bloody fool."

Audrey gave him a toothless smile, shrugging. "Hey, win some lose soon." She caught his eyes with her own, the look in her hazel irises kind but oddly calculating.

After a few seconds, Percy found it too difficult to stand there and look into her eyes. Casting about desperately for something to do, he checked his watch. And did a double-take. "Oh no, I have to go."

"What, why?" Audrey asked, stamping her foot.

"I promised Travers that I would have a fire-talk consultation with him at nine. If you ask me, it's just a way for them to make sure I'm not off having clandestine meetings late at night."

Audrey smiled slightly. "Yes, well, this is quite clandestine, isn't it?" She glanced around the well-lit hall. "Go. You can disapparate from anywhere in here."

"You're going home?" he asked. Audrey nodded. "Okay, bye." Percy smiled at her.

"Bye." Audrey waved a little as Percy spun around and disapparated with a crack. Suddenly by herself in the hallway, she ran her hands through her hair, loosening the tight curls. Why was it that they could never spend so much as an hour alone together? With a sigh, Audrey prepared to apparate back to her own flat.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

One hour later…

A harsh buzzing woke Lynn up. She rolled out of bed, still in her Healer robes. She didn't even remember falling asleep. Lynn groped around on the bedside table, snatching up her cell phone and answering the call. "Hello?" she asked groggily, collapsing on the ground.

"Lynn?" Percy's voice crackled through the phone, sounding terrified and breathing hard. Lynn immediately felt wide awake, shooting up into a sitting position.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Automatically, she grabbed her wand, as if whatever was scaring Percy was in her flat.

"Audrey's building was destroyed!"

Lynn felt her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean I came to see her and her building—the whole thing—is completely wrecked. I, I don't know what happened!"

"I thought you were with her!" Lynn screamed. She started to pull off her Healer robes, changing into tighter-fitting black robes in preparation for a fight.

"I went home at nine and came back to her flat at ten and everything was just… it looked like there was an explosion!"

Lynn grabbed her clock and checked the time. 10:07. Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to her. "Where's Ayden?"

"I don't know!" Lynn could hear the distress in his voice. He sounded like he was near a full-fledged panic attack. And she couldn't blame him.

"But then they might both be—" Lynn broke off, finding the next words far too painful to say. "Are you there?" She asked him, fighting to stay calm.

"Yes!"

"Don't move." Lynn said, her voice shaking. "I'm coming."

Pulling on her shoes as she went, Lynn staggered out of the door and down the hall.

Review please!