Chapter Fourteen
July 27, 1997
This was by far the most difficult part of the plan. It required speed, coordination, perfect timing, and a heck of a lot of luck. Percy was flying a few hundred meters above Privet Drive. He could see at least six or seven Death Eaters doing the same, and knew that there were at least twenty more that he could not see. None of the Death Eaters could not see him; firstly because it was dark, and secondly because of the Disillusionment Charm that was once again in place.
The Harry replicas and their escorts all took off at once. Percy identified Lupin with one of Harry's doppelgangers and followed them.
Spells began to fill the air. Four Death Eaters had decided to make George and Lupin their target. George and Lupin fired their own curses back, and Percy had to take great care not to be hit by either side.
Percy muttered an incantation while pointing his wand at one of the masked men. He had to know for sure which one was Snape. The mask flew off of the man. Snape's greasy black hair and hooked nose were easy to identify.
Percy pulled his broom right next to Snape's. He had to be ready when Snape made his move. Luckily, Snape wasn't any better at broom flying than Percy was. In fact, if George and Lupin had not been sharing a broom, they probably could have out flown the former Potions Master a long time ago.
Snape and the Death Eater in front of him took aim with their wands at the same time, but Percy didn't even notice the other man.
"Sectumsempra!" Snape yelled.
As he did so, Percy used his own wand to cast a charm that pushed Snape's wand arm off to one side. Percy's heart leapt to his throat when he saw that the curse had still hit George. He wasn't close enough to see if the damage was any less than it had been before.
"They found him! The real one! Let's go!" the Death Eaters all around were yelling. They turned around to go chase Harry and Hagrid, but Percy stayed flying beside Lupin and George.
Without the Death Eaters around, Percy was able to get a better look at his brother. There was too much blood to be able to determine the full amount of damage, but one of his ears was definitely missing. Then Percy saw that George's chest was rising and falling. If Lupin managed to get him back to the Burrow fast enough, Mrs. Weasley would be able to save him.
They reached the boundary of Lupin's house, and Percy could not follow any farther. The current defenses prevented anyone who was not George Weasley or Remus Lupin from entering. From high above, Percy saw George and Lupin disappear with their Portkey. Percy turned in midair and Apparated back to his flat. There was nothing more that he could do that night. He was certain that his mother would write to tell him what had happened.
The next morning, after a sleepless night, he was not disappointed. Though the letter was incredibly vague, Mrs. Weasley seemed to have finally developed caution about what she put in writing, it explained that George had lost an ear, but was no worse off than that. The letter also pleaded with him to come to Bill and Fleur's wedding, which would take place in a few days.
Percy was sure that the twins would be making jokes about the missing ear for a very long time. After all, there is a whole wide world of ear-related humor. Percy was glad that George was there to tell those jokes with Fred.
George was alive.
August 1, 1997
Despite his mother's pleading and despite the fact that he really wanted to, Percy did not attend Bill's wedding. This was the day that the Ministry would fall. This was the day that the Death Eaters would ambush them. And, if Percy was there, this would be the day that four Death Eaters would grab his robes as he Disapparated with Charlie.
Instead, Percy sent his Patronus (a great-horned owl with markings similar to those of Percy's horn-rimmed glasses) to the wedding. While practicing this particular charm, Percy had discovered that not only was it possible to speak through a Patronus, but to see through one as well. Everything that the silver bird saw, Percy would see.
The wedding ceremony was incredibly beautiful, and Percy wished that it could have gone on forever, especially when Kingsley's Patronus came and warned everyone. The guests scattered and Disapparated as the Death Eaters arrived. Percy kept his eyes on Charlie, and exhaled a huge sigh of relief when Charlie managed to Disapparate without anyone following him.
Charlie was alive.