Chapter 3 Wheezes
After the bad experience with Dawlish, Percy decided the best starting place would be an outsider's point of view. Did he dare approach someone in the family? He really had no choice but to try.
Fred and George had opened a new joke shop, "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." Diagon Alley wasn't far from the Ministry of Magic. He decided to walk to the concealed entrance in the shabby pub rather than use Floo powder this time, just in case. Floo traffic was being closely watched these days.
Students who hadn't had to take Owls this year were already out of Hogwarts for the summer. They, and many more children under eleven, were lined up halfway down the block waiting to get into the shop. It looked like the Wheezes was going to be a success.
Percy was about to join the line when he remembered what Dawlish had said: "Be really careful who you're seen associating with." He noticed a young Hufflepuff he had known in his prefect days.
"I say, Clancy. Would you do me a favor? I'd like to play a little joke on my brothers in there."
"A joke?" said Clancy, surprised Percy would think of such a thing.
"Yes. I've heard they sell a product in there called Extendible Ears. Would you buy a pair of them for me and hand the ends of them to George or Fred? Give them the Ear end of one and the earplug end of the other. Bring the other ends to me over at that cafe, and I'll talk to them from a distance," said Percy.
He thought this was a rather clever idea, a bit like the Muggle "fellytone" his father was always talking about. It took about half an hour for Clancy to get back with the Ears. Percy had bought a Daily Prophet. He held it up in front of him while he put the earplug part in his ear and held the magical Ear up to his lips.
"Hello?" he called into it softly.
The answering noise was like a loud whoopie cushion.
"Why should we talk to you like this?" said George. "For that matter, why should we talk to you at all?"
"I'm in trouble," said Percy. "I wanted to protect you from being picked up and questioned in case I'm being watched."
"You, Perfect Percy, in trouble?" said George.
"It couldn't happen to a nicer guy," said Fred. He was standing by George but he could only hear half of the conversation.
"Look, I know I haven't been the best brother in the world..." said Percy.
"That's an understatement!" said George.
"What did he say?" asked Fred.
"I think he's trying to apologize," said George.
"So he ought," said Fred.
"I'm in real trouble and I need your help," said Percy. "Someone I work with told me I'm being set up to take the blame for the break-in at the Ministry last night."
"What? That's ridiculous!" said George. George told this to Fred.
"It was nothing to do with you," said Fred.
"I know," said Percy. "But I need to know as much as possible about what really happened so I can protect myself. What was He Who.. I mean V-Voldemort trying to do there?"
"They didn't really tell us much," said George. "I gather that Voldemort tricked Harry into going there somehow, and that he was after a prophecy stored in the Department of Secrets that was about him and Harry."
"A prophecy? That's the first I've heard about it," said Percy.
"Are you sure you should be telling him all this?" said Fred.
"Well, he may need to know for his own protection," said George to Fred.
"So it wasn't Dumbledore who initiated the whole thing?" said Percy.
"NO! Who ever thought that?" said George.
"Well, Fudge seemed to think it was all a plot to discredit him."
"That's the stupidest idea I ever heard! Dumbledore and the others risked their lives to save Harry and his friends from the Death Eater's ambush. Sirius Black even died!"
"Sirius Black? So he was there with the other Death Eaters and he was killed in the battle? That's good news."
"No, you've got it all wrong," said George, "He..."
"You've said enough," Fred cut in. He grabbed the Ear away from George. "Percy, you're just spying for Fudge, trying to get Dumbledore in trouble, aren't you?"
"N-no, it's not like that," said Percy, but he couldn't keep his voice completely level.
"Congratulations on your career rise," said Fred. "You're now the world's biggest git."
Percy had to pull the earplug as they set off a loud series of fireworks into the Ear.
After the bad experience with Dawlish, Percy decided the best starting place would be an outsider's point of view. Did he dare approach someone in the family? He really had no choice but to try.
Fred and George had opened a new joke shop, "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." Diagon Alley wasn't far from the Ministry of Magic. He decided to walk to the concealed entrance in the shabby pub rather than use Floo powder this time, just in case. Floo traffic was being closely watched these days.
Students who hadn't had to take Owls this year were already out of Hogwarts for the summer. They, and many more children under eleven, were lined up halfway down the block waiting to get into the shop. It looked like the Wheezes was going to be a success.
Percy was about to join the line when he remembered what Dawlish had said: "Be really careful who you're seen associating with." He noticed a young Hufflepuff he had known in his prefect days.
"I say, Clancy. Would you do me a favor? I'd like to play a little joke on my brothers in there."
"A joke?" said Clancy, surprised Percy would think of such a thing.
"Yes. I've heard they sell a product in there called Extendible Ears. Would you buy a pair of them for me and hand the ends of them to George or Fred? Give them the Ear end of one and the earplug end of the other. Bring the other ends to me over at that cafe, and I'll talk to them from a distance," said Percy.
He thought this was a rather clever idea, a bit like the Muggle "fellytone" his father was always talking about. It took about half an hour for Clancy to get back with the Ears. Percy had bought a Daily Prophet. He held it up in front of him while he put the earplug part in his ear and held the magical Ear up to his lips.
"Hello?" he called into it softly.
The answering noise was like a loud whoopie cushion.
"Why should we talk to you like this?" said George. "For that matter, why should we talk to you at all?"
"I'm in trouble," said Percy. "I wanted to protect you from being picked up and questioned in case I'm being watched."
"You, Perfect Percy, in trouble?" said George.
"It couldn't happen to a nicer guy," said Fred. He was standing by George but he could only hear half of the conversation.
"Look, I know I haven't been the best brother in the world..." said Percy.
"That's an understatement!" said George.
"What did he say?" asked Fred.
"I think he's trying to apologize," said George.
"So he ought," said Fred.
"I'm in real trouble and I need your help," said Percy. "Someone I work with told me I'm being set up to take the blame for the break-in at the Ministry last night."
"What? That's ridiculous!" said George. George told this to Fred.
"It was nothing to do with you," said Fred.
"I know," said Percy. "But I need to know as much as possible about what really happened so I can protect myself. What was He Who.. I mean V-Voldemort trying to do there?"
"They didn't really tell us much," said George. "I gather that Voldemort tricked Harry into going there somehow, and that he was after a prophecy stored in the Department of Secrets that was about him and Harry."
"A prophecy? That's the first I've heard about it," said Percy.
"Are you sure you should be telling him all this?" said Fred.
"Well, he may need to know for his own protection," said George to Fred.
"So it wasn't Dumbledore who initiated the whole thing?" said Percy.
"NO! Who ever thought that?" said George.
"Well, Fudge seemed to think it was all a plot to discredit him."
"That's the stupidest idea I ever heard! Dumbledore and the others risked their lives to save Harry and his friends from the Death Eater's ambush. Sirius Black even died!"
"Sirius Black? So he was there with the other Death Eaters and he was killed in the battle? That's good news."
"No, you've got it all wrong," said George, "He..."
"You've said enough," Fred cut in. He grabbed the Ear away from George. "Percy, you're just spying for Fudge, trying to get Dumbledore in trouble, aren't you?"
"N-no, it's not like that," said Percy, but he couldn't keep his voice completely level.
"Congratulations on your career rise," said Fred. "You're now the world's biggest git."
Percy had to pull the earplug as they set off a loud series of fireworks into the Ear.