Chapter 9 - The Plan
Harry caught Ginny on the stairs as she tried to sneak up to her bedroom unnoticed. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the first floor landing.
"Let go," she protested, "I was just going upstairs."
"Ginny, what're you planning? I can tell you're up to something."
"Nothing," she muttered, looking down. He could tell she was lying.
"Ginny, just tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone. You can trust me." He smiled at her.
"Promise?" she asked in a low whisper.
"Promise." She relaxed.
"All right. But if you're lying, I'll hex you into next week, and you know I can. I'm going to bring Percy home."
Harry goggled at her, "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" he asked her in a loud whisper, "The twins would skin him alive! And Ron too!"
"I know!" she said, "but they aren't thinking clearly. They're just angry because Percy is being a sot, which I won't deny. But like Dumbledore says, we're going to need all the help we can get, even snobby older brothers. Harry, he's really smart! You know that, and he's loyal, too, and I know he's not a bad person. He's just doing what he thinks is right. Besides, he's a threat to the Order. Have you ever thought about that? What would happen if he got in the way? What if something happened to him? Mum would fall to pieces. And he's very vulnerable now, he's Fudge's right hand man! But Fudge doesn't know what he's doing, so You-know-who could just snatch him up at any moment. That would weaken the Ministry as well as the Order! He's a huge liability, now. But, if we bring him back, we strengthen the Order. And since Percy is high up in the Ministry, that would probably be an asset, too. We have to be sensible. Me and Hermione discussed this. He probably wants to come back, but is too proud too, or too afraid, so we have to make the first move. And since the boys are too stubborn for their own good, it's going to be me and Hermione."
Harry just stared. She had a point. Several, in fact. She grinned at him.
"Bet you never thought of it that way, did you?" Harry shook his head. Ginny was absolutely right - they needed Percy bad. He was a loose end that needed to be tied in, or else, someone could just pull on it and everything would unravel.
"But how are you going to do it?" he asked. Ginny grinned fiercely, and her eyes lit with an expression suspiciously similar to Fred and George's before they pulled off a master prank.
"I'm his little sister," she said innocently, "He may hate the boys, but he'd never turn me away."
Just then Hermione found them on the landing. They had been whispering, and the situation looked fairly suspicious. Hermione's face found her prefect expression, and put it on.
"What are you two doing?" she asked, her eyes narrowed. Harry was at a loss for words, but Ginny smoothly said, "I've just explained about Percy to Harry."
Hermione relaxed, "Oh. Well, then, Harry, will you help us?"
Harry considered, then answered slowly, "What would that entail...?"
Hermione grinned, "Very diplomatic, Harry. Don't worry, it won't get you in trouble with Ron, if that's what you're worried about."
It wasn't what he was worried about. He was worried about getting caught in the crossfire of wizarding family feud, but he didn't say that. He said, "Oh. Right. Okay, then. I'm in."
Ginny and Hermione beamed at him, and they all went upstairs to the girls' bedroom to discuss the plan. Harry was to be the distraction. He was to make some sort of fuss so that the girl's could get away unnoticed. The girls were supposed to visit Percy at the Ministry, and extend a peace offering. If that was accepted, they would bring Percy home and have him speak to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Only Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry was supposed to once again distract the boys, so they couldn't interfere. If Percy chose to remain stubborn. Ginny and Hermione would jinx him and bring him home perforce. Because neither Hermione nor Ginny could work magic outside of Hogwarts, Hermione had planted the idea of "apologetic jellies" into the twins' minds. The twins, not suspecting a thing, had found it a grand idea and begun experimenting. Last week, the jellies had been perfected. Hermione had a bag of jellies, and if Percy proved difficult, she was sure the jellies would set him straight. It seemed to Harry that the girls had accounted for everything.
"Without your help," said Hermione, "we wouldn't had to wait for the next Order meeting, and even that would have been risky. Ron would've still been around, and Mad Eye with his magical eye. Plus it would have been at night... which would have been more dangerous. But now you're in on it, we could probably even do it this afternoon, at one o'clock, if that's okay with you guys?"
"Yeah!" said Ginny, nodding enthusiastically, "The sooner the better."
"Uh... sure," said Harry, who was now stuck with the task of finding a good distraction in the next few hours. It was harder in the Muggle world - no gnomes or dragons, or magical misfires... Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone pounding up the stairs.
"Harry! Gin! Hermione! Breakfast!" called Ron, passing their floor and continuing up.
"Ron! We're in here!" called Ginny, and they heard Ron stop above them and pound back down. He stuck his head in the door, uncertain about entering the girls' domain.
"What're you in here for?" he asked. He sounded only puzzled, and not suspicious, but Harry was worried that his expression might give them away. He glanced at the girls, who were both wearing perfectly placid expressions, as if their activities had been nothing more than casual chitchat.
"We were just talking," said Hermione coolly. Harry internally applauded her acting skills, and nodded as confirmation.
"Oh," said Ron, who now looked a little hurt at being left out, "Well, mum says breakfast is getting cold."
"Well, let's go, then" said Harry, trying to break up the awkward atmosphere that had just settled on them, "I'm starving," and they all tromped down to hearty breakfast.
Harry caught Ginny on the stairs as she tried to sneak up to her bedroom unnoticed. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the first floor landing.
"Let go," she protested, "I was just going upstairs."
"Ginny, what're you planning? I can tell you're up to something."
"Nothing," she muttered, looking down. He could tell she was lying.
"Ginny, just tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone. You can trust me." He smiled at her.
"Promise?" she asked in a low whisper.
"Promise." She relaxed.
"All right. But if you're lying, I'll hex you into next week, and you know I can. I'm going to bring Percy home."
Harry goggled at her, "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" he asked her in a loud whisper, "The twins would skin him alive! And Ron too!"
"I know!" she said, "but they aren't thinking clearly. They're just angry because Percy is being a sot, which I won't deny. But like Dumbledore says, we're going to need all the help we can get, even snobby older brothers. Harry, he's really smart! You know that, and he's loyal, too, and I know he's not a bad person. He's just doing what he thinks is right. Besides, he's a threat to the Order. Have you ever thought about that? What would happen if he got in the way? What if something happened to him? Mum would fall to pieces. And he's very vulnerable now, he's Fudge's right hand man! But Fudge doesn't know what he's doing, so You-know-who could just snatch him up at any moment. That would weaken the Ministry as well as the Order! He's a huge liability, now. But, if we bring him back, we strengthen the Order. And since Percy is high up in the Ministry, that would probably be an asset, too. We have to be sensible. Me and Hermione discussed this. He probably wants to come back, but is too proud too, or too afraid, so we have to make the first move. And since the boys are too stubborn for their own good, it's going to be me and Hermione."
Harry just stared. She had a point. Several, in fact. She grinned at him.
"Bet you never thought of it that way, did you?" Harry shook his head. Ginny was absolutely right - they needed Percy bad. He was a loose end that needed to be tied in, or else, someone could just pull on it and everything would unravel.
"But how are you going to do it?" he asked. Ginny grinned fiercely, and her eyes lit with an expression suspiciously similar to Fred and George's before they pulled off a master prank.
"I'm his little sister," she said innocently, "He may hate the boys, but he'd never turn me away."
Just then Hermione found them on the landing. They had been whispering, and the situation looked fairly suspicious. Hermione's face found her prefect expression, and put it on.
"What are you two doing?" she asked, her eyes narrowed. Harry was at a loss for words, but Ginny smoothly said, "I've just explained about Percy to Harry."
Hermione relaxed, "Oh. Well, then, Harry, will you help us?"
Harry considered, then answered slowly, "What would that entail...?"
Hermione grinned, "Very diplomatic, Harry. Don't worry, it won't get you in trouble with Ron, if that's what you're worried about."
It wasn't what he was worried about. He was worried about getting caught in the crossfire of wizarding family feud, but he didn't say that. He said, "Oh. Right. Okay, then. I'm in."
Ginny and Hermione beamed at him, and they all went upstairs to the girls' bedroom to discuss the plan. Harry was to be the distraction. He was to make some sort of fuss so that the girl's could get away unnoticed. The girls were supposed to visit Percy at the Ministry, and extend a peace offering. If that was accepted, they would bring Percy home and have him speak to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Only Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry was supposed to once again distract the boys, so they couldn't interfere. If Percy chose to remain stubborn. Ginny and Hermione would jinx him and bring him home perforce. Because neither Hermione nor Ginny could work magic outside of Hogwarts, Hermione had planted the idea of "apologetic jellies" into the twins' minds. The twins, not suspecting a thing, had found it a grand idea and begun experimenting. Last week, the jellies had been perfected. Hermione had a bag of jellies, and if Percy proved difficult, she was sure the jellies would set him straight. It seemed to Harry that the girls had accounted for everything.
"Without your help," said Hermione, "we wouldn't had to wait for the next Order meeting, and even that would have been risky. Ron would've still been around, and Mad Eye with his magical eye. Plus it would have been at night... which would have been more dangerous. But now you're in on it, we could probably even do it this afternoon, at one o'clock, if that's okay with you guys?"
"Yeah!" said Ginny, nodding enthusiastically, "The sooner the better."
"Uh... sure," said Harry, who was now stuck with the task of finding a good distraction in the next few hours. It was harder in the Muggle world - no gnomes or dragons, or magical misfires... Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone pounding up the stairs.
"Harry! Gin! Hermione! Breakfast!" called Ron, passing their floor and continuing up.
"Ron! We're in here!" called Ginny, and they heard Ron stop above them and pound back down. He stuck his head in the door, uncertain about entering the girls' domain.
"What're you in here for?" he asked. He sounded only puzzled, and not suspicious, but Harry was worried that his expression might give them away. He glanced at the girls, who were both wearing perfectly placid expressions, as if their activities had been nothing more than casual chitchat.
"We were just talking," said Hermione coolly. Harry internally applauded her acting skills, and nodded as confirmation.
"Oh," said Ron, who now looked a little hurt at being left out, "Well, mum says breakfast is getting cold."
"Well, let's go, then" said Harry, trying to break up the awkward atmosphere that had just settled on them, "I'm starving," and they all tromped down to hearty breakfast.