A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been reading! I'm going to post the last two chapters together, so that you can have a nice read through to the end. I love to get your reviews - it's like a little present to hear reader's voices. Thanks again for your support and I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 7**
After the Ministry fell they decided to move-in together. It was safer not to live alone. Dreena disappeared and Fee cried a lot. The Daily Prophet was almost as bad as the Ministry and Percy worried that Fee would get herself killed. For the first week, he offered to let her have the bedroom every night and she refused, saying that she liked the sofa better. After a week, he figured she must be telling the truth and so he stopped asking. Their lives fell into a sort of quiet routine. Every day they would face work and then regroup at night, huddling next to the wireless and listening for Fred and George's reports.
Sometimes, they barely spoke to one another. Percy would make an excuse and shut the door to his bedroom. Fee would curl up on his sofa with headphones over her ears.
It was early October when the thing he feared the most happened. He saw her name on the morning list.
Penelope Clearwater Martin, Mudblood and Muggle Whore, exterminate on sight.
He calmly got up from his desk and walked to the men's loo and threw up. Sitting on the cold floor with his head against the toilet seat, he made up his mind. His life was worthless, and he didn't care if he lived or died. He had to try to save her.
He sucked the vomit into his wand then marched back to his desk.
"Good God Weasley, what on earth is wrong with you?" Thickness boomed at him as he leaned over into his trash can. The vomit coming out of the wand.
"I'm so sorry, Minister. I don't know. Must have been something bad in the cafeteria or maybe it's that Blue Hag Flu again."
"We can't have that! Clean up and get the hell out of here, for goodness sake. The Ministry practically shut down over that one!"
He took the phone booth lift out onto the street and hailed a taxi.
Wands could be handy things. The taxi driver seemed only too happy to wait on him as he ran into the Leaky Cauldron. It seemed to take forever to make his way down Diagon Alley all the way to Gringotts. He wondered if the goblins would find his actions suspicious and report him. He felt it was a chance he had to take.
The ride south to Penelope's village took almost two hours, but he knew it was safer than to risk an Apparition in an all Muggle village. The Ministry might track the magic. Penelope would know not to use magic. He was sure that was how she had lasted as long as she had.
The school was new and modern and, fortunately, not too large. He managed to slip by the distracted receptionist and wandered down the hall peeking in classroom windows until he finally saw Jim Martin standing at a blackboard.
The man panicked when he saw Percy, trying to ignore him at first and going over to his desk and shuffling papers.
"Mr. Martin, there's a man in the hall for you," a little boy called out.
"I see that, Andrew," he slipped out into the hall and closed the door behind him. "Why are you here? You need to leave immediately," he hissed at Percy.
"I've come to tell you that Penelope is in serious and immediate danger. You need leave the country, right now."
"What? Are you crazy?"
"No. You've got to listen to me. They're coming for her and they will kill her. You don't have time to waste. I brought you this." Percy handed him the envelope with the wedding invitation.
Jim was pale as he looked at what was in his hand. "There must be a thousand pounds in here. We don't need your money."
"Please take it, I know you do need it and you don't have time to worry about money. Go to that air place that you Muggles fly from and go far far away. They won't follow her outside of England."
Jim Martin looked at him and his eyes narrowed, "How do I know this isn't a set up? She says you work for them now. She says we can't trust you."
Percy felt as if he'd been hit in the face with a bat. He pushed Martin up against the wall. "You have to believe me, because I don't want her to die. She's right, I wasn't someone she could trust, I've made a mess of everything in my life and I didn't deserve her. You deserved her, now please, I'm begging you, please go and protect her." Percy reached in his vest and pulled out his wand, Martin opened his mouth to scream, but Percy quickly clamped his hand down over the man's mouth. "Take it. You take the wand," he said releasing his grip.
"What? Why are you giving me this?"
"It's absolutely imperative that you not use magic unless you have to. But…if you have to…use my wand instead, it will track to me and that might save you. Besides, Penelope will know I'm telling the truth when she sees it."
"Won't you need it?"
"Well, don't keep it!" Percy snapped. "Send it back when you are safe. She'll know how to get it to me."
A bell rang and students filed out of classes and into the hall. "Go, Jim, please. It might already be too late."
He watched from his cab as Jim Martin walked out of the school got in his car and drove away. He prayed for the first time in a long time that he had done enough.
When Fee came home that night, she found him sitting in the dark looking out the window of the flat. His wand was lying across his lap.
"Are you okay, Percy?"
"She's gone Fee. I let go of her and she's gone away." He grabbed her hand and squeezed. "It's real this time -- and it feels good."
**
It was some time after Christmas when he first began to suspect that something wasn't right. He had seen the fat black cat several times, before it registered with him that perhaps that was odd. When he glimpsed the cat in the hall outside the flat, he was sure. Someone was spying on them. He locked the door and paced over the wooden floors. It wasn't blood status; Fee was a pureblood too. Most likely they were coming after him to get at his family. He knew nothing of them and he made a point to know nothing.
He paced until Fee walked through the door and swung her satchel to the floor. "Has anything unusual happened at work lately?" he said.
She shrugged, "No, it's the same normal horrible with the same normal bastards."
He was trying to decide what to tell her when there was a knock on the door. He grabbed her by the arm and she had her wand in her hand before he could blink. The knock came again, he shook his head at her and they stood frozen with their wands at the ready. And then a small voice called out.
"Fee, open up. It's okay, it's me."
Her jaw dropped and she lowered her wand. Percy felt a mounting sense of panic. "It's Dreena, Percy!" She turned to the door. "Dreena? Is it you?"
"Yes. Open up quick."
"NO!" Percy yelled, but it was too late she was at the door and when it swung open there was no one there.
"Stupify!" Percy shouted, but it was too late, there was a loud bang and he was thrown against the wall, Fee was screaming and other voices were yelling. He yelled for Fee to get down and then she was screaming, "Stop! Stop! Everybody stop!"
He realized there were two other people in the room now. Fee was helping a huge wizard with jet black hair to the sofa and a waifish girl with tangled brown hair was cowering in the corner. He stood and watched her as she gently sat the man down and then crossed the room to the girl.
"Are you okay?" she whispered.
The girl nodded, her lip quivering and then they were in each other's arms and tears were pouring down Fee's face. "Percy," she said in a choked voice, "this is Dreena and that…" she nodded toward the man on the sofa who was mopping his sweating brow with a red handkerchief, "that's my dad."
**
"I don't understand," Percy stammered.
"Percy," Fee looked at the floor and bit her lip, "there's something about my family that I never told you. They're rich - like, big, American, Texas-sized rich. I never thought it mattered, to tell the truth, but I guess…" she shrugged and looked over at her father.
"Damnation, Felicia. I've been searching high and low for you. Took me forever and a whole pile of money to find your um…friend… there. This artic hell-hole is crawling with crazy people. Now you and your friends get your stuff and we're going to portkey out of here."
"No Daddy, I can't go, I've got to stay here."
"Stay here?! Are you nuts?! The damn evil bastards are out of control over here. They would have killed that little girl over there if I hadn't used a whole mess of magic to find her. You ain't got a dog in this fight over here, Felicia. You just need to get home."
"I thought I didn't have a home," Fee said coldly.
There was a long silence, Mr. O'Connor's face hardened for a moment and then he swallowed. "We were wrong, Felicia. I can't say I understand it, but you're my baby girl and your mom and I, we love you. Come home and bring your friends where they'll all be safe."
"Oh Daddy…" She threw her arms around him and he smiled and patted her hand. After a moment she turned and crossed to Percy, her face contorting helplessly as he took her hands.
"You know I can't go, but you've got to," he said.
She squeezed her lips together. Her nose was running and a hard sob caught in her chest as she nodded bravely.
Percy forced a smile. "You know, I have a dog – what was it your father said?'
She let out a wet and messy laugh, "A dog in the fight."
"That's right," he pulled her up against his chest, "Well, I have a whole pack of them."
"I know, but I don't want to leave you. I don't know what to do."
"I do. You have to go. Your father's right. I'll be okay, Fee. I promise."
"You promise?"
"Absolutely."
She looked up at him, "You really are brave, you know that don't you?"
He smiled and ran his fingers against her cheek. "And you really are beautiful," he answered, "inside and out."
They stared at each other and then they leaned together and gently brushed their lips together. He didn't understand how it could be right but somehow he knew it was. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too, Fee."
"I'm so damned confused!" Mr. O' Connor was on his feet. "What the hell is going on? Are you with her or with him? I don't get it!"
They all laughed and Fee took Dreena's hand. It's okay Dad. It looks more confusing than it is. Percy and I, well, we're just friends. We're 'forever friends'.
The portkey whisked them away. Fee was watching him, smiling and then in the blink of an eye, she was gone. He was alone - again.
And yet for the first time, in a very long time, he didn't feel alone. Somehow his heart was stronger. Fee O'Connor had made him whole.
**
