Need To Know

Sleep was an impossibility. Percy had known this upon returning to his flat in the middle of the night, and that knowledge filled him with dread. He desperately wanted to slip into a few hours of unconsciousness so he could escape the burning questions his brain fired unceasingly. He felt he would have preferred a coma, but any form of rest would have done.

Having gone his entire adult life dealing with (and sometimes encouraging) sleeping problems, Percy knew more than a few tricks to help expedite the arrival of his REM cycle. He switched out his tailored dress robes for a worn pair of striped pajama bottoms and a faded Chudley Cannons t-shirt; his favorite and most comfortable sleepwear. He drank chamomile tea with a touch of honey to calm his over alert body. He cast a spell that drastically dropped the temperature in his flat, leaving the warmth of his bed the only comfortable sanctuary available. He even pulled out a novel and began reading, as fiction writing was always something that placed him in a serene and tired state. None of it worked.

It was so late now it began to be early. Hermes had returned from his nightly hunting and sat on his perch, watching his owner stir curiously about. The hour made Percy desperate for results as his insides screamed for sleep. Succumbing to the notion that rest would not come naturally, he released himself from the comfort and futility of his bed and began to pace about.

Slowly he meandered to his kitchen, loosely pulled by a half finished thought. He was a fully qualified and undeniably talented wizard, and there was no reason for him to be denied sleep if he wished to procure it. He opened up his fully stocked and alphabetized potions cabinet and stared at the contents. It would be very easy to whip up a sleeping draught. It was quickly made and so simple Third Years mastered it in Potions. In twenty minutes he could be back in his bed with a goblet of the stuff and be out with barely enough time to put down his cup and place his head on his pillow. Yet Percy was always wary about using sleeping potions, as he found himself to be drowsy and more irritable then usual the next morning.

He closed the first cabinet and moved his way over to the second set of doors that held his food. Or at least it would if he had any. He was hardly ever home enough to eat and he took most of his meals either at the Ministry or the Burrow. This lead to his pantry holding a scarce assortment of teas, stale crackers, canned vegetables he didn't remember buying, and owl treats. He was about to abandon the vacant shelves when his eye was caught by a tall slender bottle it had originally over looked.

The label read "The Holy Grail" on top, accompanied by a picture of an over elaborate bejeweled chalice that glowed portentously. Below, completing the label, read "Sir Percival's Pinot Noir". It was a Muggle red wine George had happened upon and presented to Percy as a Christmas gift. It had been an amusing present, and Percy had meant to open it the next time he had company over for dinner. However, it was rare enough that he had dinner at his flat, let alone with someone to join him, and the gift had been quickly stored and forgotten.

He reached up to the top shelf to take a closer look at the bottle. It was still corked. Percy recalled how a couple of glasses of dry wine always left him in a dozy state. Hell, he thought, you drink enough of anything and you'll eventually conk out. He entertained the idea of wasting himself off the whole bottle. It was an enticing notion, especially given his tempestuous condition.

But he put the bottle back, recognizing the real reason that despite that the sun was soon to rise, he was unable to fall. He wanted something more then he wanted sleep, and this desire disabled him from being able to focus on anything else. Percy wanted answers.

Scenes from the night plagued his thoughts whenever he closed his eyes and steadied his mind. The sounds of tears, laughter and unanswered questions reverberated in his ears, causing his head to pound. His heart tugged at the words terrible and complicated. He had unfiltered desires to both help Audrey and placate his own intense curiosity. Percy hated being so emotionally torn on personal matters, and ever since his return to his family and his trials of reparations he had lost the ability to completely compartmentalize and block out all the frustration. Throughout the summer he felt like he had experienced more emotion then he had had in his near twenty three years, both good and bad. It had once been so easy to shut out distressing personal thoughts into remote areas in his mind and commonplace to shrug off emotions that slipped out. Recently however, he felt tremulous in his ability to handle the mounting pile of woes that continued to grow; his guilt for leaving, Fred's death, his family's acceptance, failure to attain the department head immediately, the stress of trying to acquire it now, Cordelia's incessant trouble makings, and Audrey. All the things he felt for her… no matter how brilliant and collected he may be, he could never sort that out. And it was all made worse by the fact that he was missing so much information. He felt that if he could just fill the gaps that remained void on her he would be able to calmly sort and settle his overwhelming feelings. Then he could sleep, focus more clearly on work, and who knows, maybe he could even help her out?

It was suddenly very clear what he needed to do. He already had the answers in his possession; he now needed only to seek them out. Her personnel file sat in the storage closet; a closet that remained accessible to him due to the hectic events of Friday afternoon. As her employer, he had every right to obtain those files for a background check. In fact, it was a tad irresponsible on his behalf that he had not already looked. Yes, he decided, he was fully in the clear and entitled to that file, and what better time than now did he have to read it?

_________________________________________________________________

The Ministry was deathly quiet. This was of course to be expected in the halls on a Sunday morning before sunrise; it was possible that Percy was the only soul there asides from the night watchwizard. He had gone to the Ministry in this solitary state before as he had worked at all times and conditions at one point or another, but this was the first time he felt a certain foreboding sense emanating from the empty silence. He had quickly dressed and left his flat full of unwavering determination, but now as he stood in the deserted corridor he felt inklings of apprehension, even guilt, trickling through his veins.

"No matter," he thought, "I'm already here."

He took the lift up to Level Five. He arrived at the corridor where he had discovered Seeley and the other workers attacked by Mundungus, and he received a second wind of determination to ensure some control. He passed the narrow hall leading off to his office and made his way straight to the storage compartments. Just as he had expected, the door still remained open to him, and he entered the low ceilinged stretch of room with no complication.

Thanks to he and Audrey's work, the compartment looked as organized and neat as it ever had, and he was able to make his way to the work table without fear of injury. The parcels lay exactly where he had left them, the small cube that should have held all the bottles of Delphinium Glaze sitting haphazardly open. Pushing his thoughts of that particular catastrophe out of his mind, he focused on the accordion style filing case that held what he was looking for. In his steadfast determination he had let the small package size lure him into thinking there were only a handful of files inside, and was therefore momentarily shocked at realizing it instead held hundreds. He shook his head at his mild alarm and told himself to steady so as not to let anything else catch him by surprise. He pulled his wand out of his robe and pointed it at the file case.

"Accio Larrabee file," he said determinedly, and held out his hand for the parchments to fly into. Seconds later he held a mauve colored file full of papers. The mauve indicated the personnel files of an entire family. Every witch and wizard had a profile sheet kept by the Ministry, indicating basic data like date of birth, occupation and family ties. They also carried additional information like criminal records or medical histories. It was through his own family's file that he had been able to keep subtle tabs on his loved ones while he stayed away. He had first read about Bill's scaring and confirmed his suspicions that his father was being watched during the takeover through such a file. He read the tab before opening.

Larrabee; C,L,A,D,A

So it did in fact hold information on her whole family. Percy felt another short wave of hesitance that broke into his committed stance on discovering personal details of Audrey's life she had specifically not shared with him, and for a moment he felt the urge to stuff the file back in the case, return home, and just sleep all day and night. But the file was hot in his hand, and without further pause, he flipped it open.

The first thing he noticed upon staring at the page was that the document had to be the original, and not Weiss's revised copies, as someone had written across the page in a bold and unlettered scrawl. The second thing that caught his eye immediately after was the picture. On first glace he thought it was Audrey, but on further inspection he realized it was someone else. She was older, mid to late thirties he judged, with darker, straighter hair and a deeper hued skin. But the resemblance was uncanny and the woman was undoubtedly Audrey's mother. He eyed the picture a bit longer, watching Mrs. Larrabee wave and dance about dreamily the same way her daughter did. She was beautiful.

He put down the picture and picked up the profile sheet that had been written on, and took in the information.

Legal Name: Lucia Marino Larrabee

Date of Birth: April 3rd, 1959

Place of Birth: Bari, Italy

Education: Hogwarts (Ravenclaw), Completed 1977

Occupation: Co-Owner of Larrabee Vinyl, Record Store

Family: Spouse of Christopher D. Larrabee; Mother of Audrey L., David B., Amaline B.

BLOOD STATUS: MUDBLOOD

Percy froze as he took in the last line. He had an unpleasant feeling that he knew the direction in which this file was going, and he hope for the first time in his life that he'd be wrong.

Record:

Trespassing on Private Property, 1976. Fine Paid.

Vandalism, 1976. Cleared.

THEFT OF MAGIC, 1997. GUILTY.

It was as he thought. Audrey had told him weeks ago that her mother had been a Muggle-born, but had yet to incorporate into his everyday line of thought what being a Muggle-born had entailed two years ago.

He shuffled to the next page which held a few attachments. These too were handwritten, but by a different quill. He noted vaguely that he recognized the writing, but was much more intent in following the story.

Magical Law Enforcement, Summary of Transcript:

Lucia Larrabee, after registering lawfully under the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, was called to trial December 26th, 1997. Upon failing to explain how she came to possess magic despite having two Muggle parents, she was found guilty under the new laws and was immediately sentenced by Dolores Umbridge to a life time in Azkaban.

Percy groaned. He and his family had gone through a lot, but he couldn't imagine what it would have felt like if his mother had been sent to that wretched, soul sucking place on the whim of a madman. No wonder Audrey never talked about this, it enraged him just thinking about it. He read back through it again. Her mother was taken the day after Christmas. It wrenched his heart to think of what that family must have gone through, believing they would never see their wife and mother again. Percy also caught another subtle emotion on his re-read; a certain tone from the author. Most people would not have picked it up, but as Percy had spent his adult life writing summaries and other paperwork, he knew how certain opinions and emotions could be slipped in through carefully chosen words in an otherwise straightforward official document. Percy felt a certain bitterness written by the official which signaled that he, unlike the bold and messy writer from before, had not supported the dark regime and most likely hated being forced to imprison innocent mothers. Percy's anger was slightly consoled by this, and was able to calm down slightly with the foresighted knowledge that less than six months later, Audrey's mother would be released with the other falsely accused Muggle-borns immediately following the downfall of Voldermort.

However, this comfort was short lived as he shuffled papers and came across the next document.

Request for Certificate of Death:

The Ministry has just been notified about the death of Lucia M. Larrabee, prisoner number MB396. She was found dead in her cell January 15, 1998. Autopsy spell reveals sudden heart failure. This Ministry Official notes that Mrs. Larrabee suffered from acute cardiac arrhythmia and appeared not to receive her proper medicinal care. This falls contrary to The Prisoner's Rights Laws of 1823. Further investigation is suggested.

Percy felt his heart stop. Dead? How could Audrey's mother be dead? Surely she had mentioned visiting her! But when he thought about it again, he realized that though she had talked about her father, siblings and grandmother often, she hardly ever broached the subject of her mother. He turned away from the desk, trying to find some sort of reason for the events. But as he stared into the dim corners of the poorly lit room, no logic came to him. It was far too unfair. Even the most heinous of criminals destined for the Dementor's Kiss were treated for their medical conditions, as legally their bodies were to remain whole. This never should have happened. The Ministry official in charge of Audrey's mother's case clearly agreed, and with Percy's learned reading on the subject matter the author could not have showed his rage more clearly than had he screamed it. He looked back to the desk in order to read back over the document, hoping he had somehow misunderstood or would be able to catch some reason behind such a calamity that he had previously over looked. And in fact, as he moved his hand from the bottom of the page, he realized that he had missed something. Written untidily at the bottom of the page in that messy and unfriendly handwriting from before was an added message:

FILTHY MUDBLOOD GOT WHAT SHE DESERVED.

Had his glasses not been on, Percy felt sure his eyes would have popped out of his head in anger. Without thinking he struck his hand out across the desk, knocking the accordion style file case to the floor. A whooshing sound echoed in the cavernous room as thousands of papers slid out of their places after the upset, mixing with another and moving out of order. Percy paid no mind. A red rage at the people responsible for this debauchery was focused at the ignorant fool who penned that sentence, and for a moment all Percy could think about was finding his sharpest quill and puncturing the worst pressure points on who ever reveled in Audrey's loss. But that thought was forced to fade, as Percy knew the rest of the file sat in front of him, and he wasn't even half way through.

Pausing to exhale and wonder what more could have possibly happened to this family after Mrs. Larrabee's death, Percy continued to flip through the documents. The next sheet was another profile list along with an attached picture. A man with sun beaten skin and shaggy sandy hair grinned back at him. Percy imagined that Bill would someday look like him; encroaching middle age while maintain the aura of a rock star. He wore a faded leather jacket and a t-shirt rendition of the giant Beatles poster pinned to Audrey's wall. And while Audrey definitely took after her mother in both looks and stature, there was something about the way her father smiled and his eyes lit up that was very reminiscent of his oldest daughter.

Laying the picture down carefully next to that of his wife, Percy turned his attention to Mr. Larrabee's profile sheet.

Legal Name: Christopher David Larrabee

Date of Birth: January 17th, 1959

Place of Birth: Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England

Education: Hogwarts (Ravenclaw), Completed 1977

Occupation: Co-Owner of Larrabee Vinyl, Record Store

Family: Spouse of Lucia M. Larrabee; Father of Audrey L., David B., Amaline B.

BLOOD STATUS: UNDER REVIEW

Under review? What the bloody hell did that mean? He specifically remembered Audrey saying her father was a half blood at the least. That should have been evident from the beginning, with no further review necessary. He quickly tore towards the next page, greedily seeking an explanation. He was disgusted to once again see that detested handwriting, this time writing out an entire sheet rather than simply making an ugly comment.

Muggle-born Registration Commission Review: DATED JANUARY 31, 1998

CHRISTOPHER LARRABEE HAS SPENT HIS LIFE PARADING AROUND AS A HALF-BLOOD. HOWEVER, UPON INSPECTION OF HIS MUDBLOOD WIFE, THE COMMISSION WAS UNABLE TO PRODUCE HARD PROOF THAT HIS FATHER WAS A WIZARD, AS CLAIMED. REGISTRATION SHOWED THAT AS AN UNDERAGE, HE WAS UNDER THE LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP OF DANIEL AND REBECCA LARRABEE, BOTH MUGGLES. LARRABEE PRODUCDED MUGGLE DOCUMENTS OF BIRTH AND ADOPTION CERTIFICATIONS, TRYING TO PROVE THAT HIS BIOLOGICAL FATHER WAS ACTUALLY A MAN BY THE NAME OF ERIC MUNCH. THOUGH THERE IS RECORD OF AN ERIC MUNCH, HE WAS KILLED ON DUTY IN 1996 WHILE ON WATCH AT THE MINISRTY. MUNCH NEVER REPORTED HAVING A SON. AS THE COMMISSION UNANIOMOUSLY AGREES THAT ALL MUGGLE DOCUMENTATION IS TO BE REGARDED AS AN INVALID FORM OF IDENTIFICATION, CHRISTOPHER LARRABEE CONTINUES TO BE PLACED UNDER STRICT INVESTIGATION.

THE COMMISSION ASLO DECREES THAT WHILE UNDER INVESTIGATION, THE LARRABEE OFFSPRING TOO BE REGISTERED. AS IT IS FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT BOTH THE FATHER AND MOTHER ARE MUDBLOODS, THEIR CHILDREN WILL BE TRIED UNDER THE PRETENSE OF STEALING MAGIC.

It was all beginning to be too much to take. Percy now remembered the rest of the story Audrey had given him about her father. His biological father was a wizard, but he had left before Christopher was born, and her father was adopted years later by his Muggle stepfather. Of course all of his documentation would be through the Muggle government then if his mother was left alone to bring up her son away from the Wizarding world! But such documentation, with a little background check, was always accepted in Percy's Ministry, especially as more and more witches and wizards married outside of the magical community. But such documentation would easily flag one's association with Muggles, and even if Audrey's father was telling the truth about his ancestry, the Commission would not be willing to believe.

Suddenly, the name Eric Munch rang a bell, and Percy realized with a shock that he had known the man. He had worked for years as the night watchwizard at the Ministry, and Percy could clearly make out the rough, sandy haired, unshaven face of the aging man who sat behind the desk at the Atrium. It was he who had found and arrested Sturgis Podmore, a member of the Order, as he searched around the Department of Mysteries. He had also been killed a short time later as the Death Eaters forced their way to that very department to apprehend Harry and the others to retrieve the Prophecy. Percy sank. The man had obviously been a wretched father, and even though he had died bravely trying to stop the Death Eaters from intruding, it seemed like his continuous absence from his family's lives continued to cost others even after he had gone.

Munch's negligence had spanned beyond just leaving his wife and unborn child, as years later it affected his biological grandchildren. It was a logical conclusion that if both parents were supposed magic stealers, their witch and wizard children would be too. Percy thought about how Audrey had said she was a good six and eight years older than her brother and sister, and that in 1998 she would have yet to be even two years out of Hogwarts. It was far too much for a eleven and thirteen year old to have their mother imprison and killed, with the father destined to follow before they themselves were tried, all within one month. He felt his stomach drop and his heart break as he turned to the next page.

Muggle-born Registration Commission Review Summary: DATED MARCH 1, 1998

AS CHRISTOPHER LARRABEE HAS BEEN UNABLE TO PRODUCE COURT APPROVED DOCUMENTATION OF HIS WIZARDING BLOOD LINE, IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT HE BE IMPRISIONED TO AZKABAN FOR FRUAD UNTIL HE CAN GIVE PROPER PROOF FOR FURTHER TRIAL.

AS FOR THE MUDBLOOD LARRABEE CHILDREN, THEY WILL BE PLACED UNDER STRICT MINISTRY WATCH UNTIL THEIR TRIAL DATES.

DAVID BOWIE LARRABEE (13) AND AMALINE BENNIEJET LARRABEE (11) ARE HENCEFORTH PLACED UNDER THE LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP OF ALECTO AND AMYCUS CARROW WHILE UNDER IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSION. THEIR HEARINGS ARE DATED FOR THE SUMMER OF 1998.

AUDREY LOLA LARRABEE (19) IS TO BE IMMEDIATELY IMPRISIONED TO AZKABAN WHILE SHE AWAITS HER HEARING, DATED FOR THE SUMMER OF 1998.

Percy didn't think he had much left inside him to give to this situation, and was numbly surprised that hot tears were able to form in his eyes and trickle slowly and silently down his cheek. Each sentence seemed more unjust and revolting than the last. The Commission placed an easily cleared man in prison as they rode the high of their clearing binge. They rejected all the proof he had, and there was nothing to be done for him while he rotted in Azkaban.

He could not possibly think of worse people to look after two children who had just been decreed Muggle-borns. Percy had heard stories of the torture the Carrows had laid upon students when the resigned as teachers, but even then they had held back in order not to spill too much magical blood. In their eyes, they wouldn't have to worry about that with David and Amaline.

But at least her younger siblings had remained at Hogwarts, and even while placed under the "care" of those two monsters, they were at least in castle surround by allies, many of whom he felt sure would have gone and tried to rescue the young Larrabee pair. But Audrey in Azkaban? That was not a picture he was prepared to view. She always seemed so pure in her own way, it was impossible to envision her in such a putrid environment. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more sure he felt it wasn't true. He had been around dozens of men and women who had been thrown into Azkaban, and even those who had spent only a few months time with in the walls carried a gaunt and haunted look about them. Audrey, though burden, never gave off such a presence, and as he flipped to the last pages of the file, he felt his first ray of hope. This was furthered slightly by the return of the neater, more friendly hand writing, and Percy read the parchment slowly, desperate to find some sort of peacefulness in the summary.

Magical Law Enforcement Report Summary: Dated March 7, 1998

March 1, 1998 at approximately 10:57 pm, three Muggle-born scouts, or "snatchers" entered the Larrabee home in order to "collect" Mr. Larrabee. It is believed they were not expecting the eldest child, Audrey L., to be present at the scene, as reports state that she had not visited the house in months. The scouts however all claimed to witness Mr. Larrabee pull his daughter in with him to the master bedroom. When the scouts arrived in the room, they were met with only Mr. Larrabee, who immediately began to fend off the intruders. While Mr. Larrabee was able to hold back his assailants for a considerable length of time, the scouts eventually managed to confiscate his wand. All three scouts take credit for casting the once unforgivable Cruciatus Curse on Mr. Larrabee as they worked to uncover the whereabouts of his eldest daughter. After a reported hour of interrogation, the scouts were unsuccessful at discovering the location of Ms. Larrabee, and brought the incapacitated Mr. Larrabee back to the Ministry to be placed in custody.

A dispatch team of Enforcers were immediately sent to the Larrabee residence in order to discover the whereabouts of Audrey Larrabee. A canvas bag containing her wand was found at the scene, which suggested she had not Disapparated. After a thorough search, Enforcers were unable to determine Ms. Larrabee's location. As the scouts had refused to turn in Mr. Larrabee's wand to the proper authorities in order to collect their gold reward, Ministry officials were unable to produce a Prior Incantato to help in their investigation.

March 4, 1998, three days after the original incident, Enforcers began to explore more extreme options in finding Ms. Larrabee. As soon as the proper paperwork had gone through, Mr. Larrabee was rushed to St. Mungo's, and deemed to be in critical and unstable condition. After much debate, with full consideration of Mr. Larrabee's medical status, it was determined that a Memory Charm would be cast to aid the investigation. I was able to procure that Mr. Larrabee had cast a Fidelius Charm over his bedroom closet, where his daughter remained. Though we were successful in retrieving Ms. Larrabee from her containment, the stress of the memory charm placed upon her father caused irreversible damage on his mind. He was moved permanently to the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungos.

During the investigation at St. Mungo's, I, the case's official, along with the help of Healer Toobin, came across old medical records of Eric Munch. Upon further examination hence denied the family, Healer Toobin was able to affirmatively prove Eric Munch's paternity to Christopher Larrabee. As medical records acquired from St. Mungo's are an approved form of identification to the Court systems, the Magical Law Enforcement office officially proclaim the validity of Christopher Larrabee and all his offspring's entitlement to magic. Legal guardianship of David and Amaline Larrabee is to be immediately transferred from the Carrow's over to Audrey Larrabee, and their files are to be closed permanently.

As Percy stared, disillusioned at how the file had wrapped itself up, he knew he could only be sure of one thing. He would not be getting any sleep.