May 31, 1998 - continued
For several minutes, Percy stood on the front steps of the Lestrange residence, staring at the iron-bound oaken door Ginny had slammed in his face. He was not so foolish as to try and force his way into the manor, since he assumed that would negate his safe-conduct, but he held onto a faint hope that his little sister's temper would cool and she would respond to his soft knocking by opening the door.
When he realized that hope was futile, Percy turned and trudged down the gravel path that led to the Apparition point outside the wards, his shoulders slumped as Ginny's words replayed in his mind. Blood traitor. You're no brother of mine. Even worse were the words she had used to describe herself. A Lestrange fuck toy. There's nothing they haven't done to me. I'd better off if you would have let them Avada me.
"Oh, Gin," Percy groaned softly, pinching his nose between his fingers as he tried to think if there was any way to help her, even in the face of her bitter denial that there was nothing he could do. Her deliberate metaphor - that she would have to lie in the bed he had helped make for her with both Lestrange brothers - made his stomach churn.
Before seeing her today, Percy had been able to rationalize to himself that Ginny at least had a measure of protection as a Death Eater's wife. In this cruel new world, she was better off than a slave like Hermione, who lived utterly at Malfoy's whim, or Hannah Abbott, who Carrow shared with any Death Eater who had two spare coins to rub together. But now Percy had seen his sister, for the first time since her marriage, and that rational, comparative analysis had flown out the window. Ginny was hurt, and being hurt, and he was at least partially at fault.
Percy shoved his hands in his pocket, deep in thought. A one-wizard rescue mission would be suicidal, but even with Fred's death, Ginny still had five other older brothers. She might claim she only had four, having made it clear she renounced Percy, but he still would be there for her. Charlie was off in Romania, but Percy thought that he, Bill, George and Ron could take out Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange with careful planning - if only he could persuade his brothers to trust him enough to enlist their help.
"Time to rally the ginger army," he muttered to himself, squaring his shoulders. Instead of Apparating directly to his destination, since that might be traced, he closed his eyes and thought of the Burrow.
Percy landed just outside the wards and resolutely kept his eyes from the derelict structure that used to be a home. He also refused to look over at the old oak tree that marked his parents' and Fred's gravesite. Instead, he stared at the ground and dug deep in his left trouser pocket until his hand connected with a Muggle keychain. He pulled it out, squinting at the depicted roller coaster. Visit Blackpool, it suggested in garish colors. Ride the Big One.
His lips twisted in a smile at the message on the keychain, wondering if Audrey had caught the double meaning. She was undoubtedly a sharp witch, but also very sheltered. She had insisted on giving him the keychain - an unregistered Portkey, with the destination not yet programmed - even though it was worth her job if she got caught. Despite the magical safe-conduct the Lestrange brothers had given Percy, Audrey still had not trusted them. "Believe me, I know Death Eaters," she had informed Percy grimly. "I have two in my house, and you simply cannot trust them."
Perhaps, once this was all over, he would take her to Blackpool, and they could stroll along the piers with the other tourists, trying the arcade games and riding the Muggle amusements, even the massive roller coaster. Percy thought she would enjoy that - unlike many pureblood witches, Audrey had a genuine curiosity about the Muggle world, despite her conservative upbringing.
With a vague feeling of disloyalty, Percy recalled that Penny had taken him to a Muggle amusement pier once, not Blackpool, but one closer to her home in West Sussex. He had had a surprisingly good time, holding her hand as they walked along and stealing kisses that tasted not unpleasantly of fried Muggle snacks.
Percy grimaced at the unconscious comparison. Audrey was already a good friend, and someday might be more. Their now-daily meals and conversations in the Ministry cafeteria were the brightest spots in his grim existence, and he found her intelligence and sarcastic wit undeniably appealing. However, when Percy dreamt at night, his dreams were of Penny, either pleasant ones that left him achingly lonely when he woke, or nightmares where she was captured and he was forced to watch and even participate in her torture.
Percy took a deep, bracing breath and shook his head to clear it of all thoughts of witches, pureblood or Muggleborn. Looking around the Burrow's property, he made sure it was deserted and cast a few spells to ensure that he was observed by no living creatures other than some birds and a couple of curious garden gnomes. Then he tapped the keychain with his wand, thinking of the name of the fishing village closest to Bill and Fleur's cottage. "Portus," he recited. The keychain briefly glowed blue and Percy grabbed it, feeling the familiar but still uncomfortable jerk behind his navel.
He landed awkwardly on a deserted beach, his palms stinging from the sharp stones mixed into the sand. Percy looked around as he got to his feet, noting a rocky outcropping shaped like a Grim that he had noticed on prior visits to Shell Cottage, and set off towards the north, wand in hand.
After ten minutes of wandering in circles, he felt utterly frustrated and befuddled, but also relieved and impressed with Bill's warding skills. He knew the cottage should be nearby, in plain sight, but he could not see it or detect it with any of the spells he tried. Giving it up as a bad job, Percy shot red sparks in the air from his wand - a well-known surrender signal from childhood games with his siblings - and sat down cross-legged on the sand to wait for a response, his wand ostentatiously placed in front of him.
He did not have long to wait. "What do you want, Percy?" Bill growled from behind him. "If you're looking for absolution, you've come to the wrong church."
"I'm more of a proponent of atonement over absolution," Percy said, trying to maintain a level tone despite the prickling feeling between his shoulder blades that told him his eldest brother's wand was trained on his back. Still, he was fortunate to be dealing with Bill, who would at least hear him out. George or Ron would likely hex first and question after.
Percy stood and turned around slowly, keeping his hands up and his wand on the sand. "They're coming for you," he warned. "I don't know when, but the Lestrange brothers are planning a raid on Shell Cottage."
Bill shrugged, keeping his wand up. "I appreciate the warning, despite your new allegiance, but we're under the Fidelius. You and your Death Eater friends can wander up and down the beach for hours, right underneath the cottage, but you'll never find us."
"Can you trust your secret keeper?" Percy asked, urgently. "And they aren't my friends," he added in automatic denial.
"I'm the secret keeper," Bill grinned wolfishly. "Safe as Gringott's. Don't worry, little brother."
Percy relaxed fractionally. "Just be careful. They mentioned Fleur specifically."
"They'll touch her over my dead body," Bill snarled.
"Yes, well, I think that's the plan," Percy said dryly. "Stay behind the wards, within the Fidelius, no matter what the provocation, and it won't come to that."
Bill nodded sharply and lowered his wand, just a fraction. "Is that all?" he asked.
"No, Ginny needs our help. The Lestrange brothers - I think they're driving her mad," Percy blurted out his worst fear.
"Explain," Bill demanded, narrowing his eyes.
"The Dark Lord married Ginny to Rodolphus Lestrange at the revel following the Final Battle," Percy began.
"I know that," Bill said with impatience. "We have access to the Prophet. I read the official wedding announcement."
The two brothers' lips curled in near-identical expressions of disgust.
"Rodolphus beats her," Percy said bluntly. "He also shares her with Rabastan."
"Oh, Merlin," Bill said in horror. "Did they . . . did they break her?"
"Not our Ginny," Percy said with a perverse sort of pride. "She's not broken, but she's angry. So very angry, and teetering on the edge of insanity. There's something dark about her, and unstable, like she'd stop at nothing . . . . "
"Is it the Cruciactus Curse?" Bill asked, surprisingly matter-of-fact. "Repeated exposure would do that."
"No, I extracted a wand oath from Rodolphus that they can't torture her, at least not that way. He and Rabastan also are bound not to kill her, or inflict any damage they can't heal themselves," Percy replied, the words bitter in his mouth. There still was far too much the Lestrange brothers could do to Ginny, and had done.
"You didn't do nearly enough for her," Bill said.
"I know." Percy looked down, ashamed.
"But you also did something, which is more than the rest of us can say," Bill allowed.
Percy shook his head in disagreement, but raised his eyes from the sand. "I have monthly access and a safe-conduct to the Lestrange estate," he offered.
Bill's eyes flashed. "Can you pick the date of your visit, maybe time it closer to the full moon?" One upside to having been mauled by Greyback was that Bill's senses and reflexes were heightened at that time of the month.
"Probably," Percy said.
"Good," said Bill. "I'll send you a Patronus when we've come up with a plan to help Gin. You can do the same if you think of anything."
"I can't," Percy admitted. "I've never learned the charm. I've read about the theory, of course, but I had Gilderoy Lockhart as my DADA professor my NEWT year." He left unsaid his conviction that he would be unable to cast a Patronus now, due to the Dark Mark on his arm.
"Ah," Bill said with understanding. "Well, then, take a walk on the beach if you want to talk."
Sounds of shouting and scuffling on the path leading to Shell Cottage drew his attention. "Oh, bloody hell," he said in exasperation as George and Ron raced towards the beach. "You'd better take your wand and go. I'll try to talk some sense into these idiots, so they don't curse you on sight."
Percy nodded and picked up his wand from the sand.
Bill's direct gaze shifted to Percy's left arm, where he bore the Dark Mark. "I couldn't believe it when I heard you had become a Death Eater, but now I may have an inkling why."
Percy's throat felt tight. "No absolution, remember?"
"I remember," Bill said. "I also will tell you that I learned far more about goblins and their weaknesses when I worked at Gringotts. I expect the Ministry is the same, no?"
Percy nodded, not trusting his voice.
"Well, keep up the good work then, little brother. You've always been the most diligent Weasley."
Reaching into his pocket, Percy thought of his empty and soulless little flat. "Portus," he said, activating the Portkey.