Chapter 7 Escape
Two Dementors glided into the pub room. Percy felt the hope draining out of him. Trelawney and Rosemerta were supposed to send back help, but with all the security checks and red tape at the Ministry he was sure they would be too late.
He had his wand but he'd never learned to produce a Patronus charm. He also knew that no-one could disapperate while near a Dementor because their draining fields suppressed that power. It was one of the reasons they had been used as Azkaban guards.
Maybe they weren't looking for him. If he just hid quietly...
The voices of the two Dementors echoed in his mind, quashing his last hope.
"Percy Weasley, where is the Trelawney woman? What did she tell you about the prophecy?"
"Percy Weasley, where is the note? Surrender it or die."
The Dementors turned to each other. He couldn't make out their mental messages to each other but they seemed to be arguing about which one should get him first.
With their attention distracted from him for a moment, Percy felt a little better. He found that he was still holding the rest of the chocolate biscuit in his left hand. He crammed it into his mouth and it gave him a fresh glimmer of sanity.
He remembered that the Three Broomsticks had three famous Quiddich broomsticks mounted above the bar. Would one still work after all this time? He was about to find out.
Percy leaped up and pulled hard at the lowest broomstick. It was stuck, and the handle snapped. He gasped in desperation and pulled at the second one.
"It's hopeless to try to escape. Stay and experience my Kiss," said one of the Dementors, floating forwards.
The Dementor was just about to grab him when the second broom came loose. It was active but wild from not being ridden in so long. Percy threw himself onto it. He zoomed over the Dementors' heads, straight for the front window of the pub. Covering his face with one arm, he smashed through the glass.
Outside, the street was deserted. Probably everyone had seen the Dementors coming and had hidden or escaped. Percy flew the broom out into the forest. As soon as he was out of the range of the Dementor's field he landed and caught his breath for a moment. He got out his wand, concentrated on the Ministry of Magic, and disapperated.
Percy arrived in the lobby, where Professor Trelawney and Madam Rosemerta were still trying to get through security checks in order to talk with someone with the authority to send help. He was pale as a ghost, bleeding from glass cuts on his left arm, and suffering the aftershock of disapperating right after a Dementor attack. He fainted in Madam Rosemerta's arms.
Two Dementors glided into the pub room. Percy felt the hope draining out of him. Trelawney and Rosemerta were supposed to send back help, but with all the security checks and red tape at the Ministry he was sure they would be too late.
He had his wand but he'd never learned to produce a Patronus charm. He also knew that no-one could disapperate while near a Dementor because their draining fields suppressed that power. It was one of the reasons they had been used as Azkaban guards.
Maybe they weren't looking for him. If he just hid quietly...
The voices of the two Dementors echoed in his mind, quashing his last hope.
"Percy Weasley, where is the Trelawney woman? What did she tell you about the prophecy?"
"Percy Weasley, where is the note? Surrender it or die."
The Dementors turned to each other. He couldn't make out their mental messages to each other but they seemed to be arguing about which one should get him first.
With their attention distracted from him for a moment, Percy felt a little better. He found that he was still holding the rest of the chocolate biscuit in his left hand. He crammed it into his mouth and it gave him a fresh glimmer of sanity.
He remembered that the Three Broomsticks had three famous Quiddich broomsticks mounted above the bar. Would one still work after all this time? He was about to find out.
Percy leaped up and pulled hard at the lowest broomstick. It was stuck, and the handle snapped. He gasped in desperation and pulled at the second one.
"It's hopeless to try to escape. Stay and experience my Kiss," said one of the Dementors, floating forwards.
The Dementor was just about to grab him when the second broom came loose. It was active but wild from not being ridden in so long. Percy threw himself onto it. He zoomed over the Dementors' heads, straight for the front window of the pub. Covering his face with one arm, he smashed through the glass.
Outside, the street was deserted. Probably everyone had seen the Dementors coming and had hidden or escaped. Percy flew the broom out into the forest. As soon as he was out of the range of the Dementor's field he landed and caught his breath for a moment. He got out his wand, concentrated on the Ministry of Magic, and disapperated.
Percy arrived in the lobby, where Professor Trelawney and Madam Rosemerta were still trying to get through security checks in order to talk with someone with the authority to send help. He was pale as a ghost, bleeding from glass cuts on his left arm, and suffering the aftershock of disapperating right after a Dementor attack. He fainted in Madam Rosemerta's arms.