Percy waited for Penelope at the side of the road far down from the spot outside the tavern where they had met Lupin, a grassy area where the village fanned out into scattered buildings and more than a comfortable number of trees. He hadn't intended to run off, not really. But it had been Penelope's idea to speak to Lupin, to enlist him in whatever brainstorm she was messing with. Percy couldn't help but be impressed by her nimble thinking; she had been theorizing anew with every small clue she discovered. Percy knew and appreciated the importance of completing a project, but Lupin was a man he didn't want to be around.
Penelope appeared quickly, scarcely letting a few minutes separate her from Percy. She jogged to him, curls bouncing and eyes aglow. She stopped before him and, with a quick kiss on his cheek, said "You shouldn't have run off like that. It's considered rude."
"You and your lessons in protocol," he replied. "Lupin's no one deserving silly respect. He's no longer a teacher, and we are no longer Hogwarts students." He didn't hold much meaning for the words even for himself; they sounded foolish coming from his mouth.
Penelope studied his face, frowning. He could feel her disproval radiating like a blazing hearth. "You're impossible. He didn't even refer directly to Crouch."
Percy flinched. Of course that was it. How did she come to suspect it? He covered his guilt by rubbing his eye. "I don't know what you mean."
"You are so terrible at lying."
He sighed and reached for her hands, reluctantly enjoying the comfort of how perfectly they fit inside his own. "Lying is hardly a hobble act."
Her face lit with a short laugh. "There's a bit of prefect left in you yet. Remember those days, Percy? The prefect compartment on the train, the times wandering the halls? Those unchaperoned excursions to those empty classrooms?" She winked up at him. "And you always pretended to be so noble, the perfect prefect."
It wasn't an accusation coming from her, though he instinctively wanted to draw back. The same thing she had once dumped him for, now just a jest. She had managed to tug a smile from him, somehow. "Yes, I remember those. Not the best example of good prefects we could have been." He laughed. "I remember being so stupid as to try and hide us from my brothers. I was afraid they'd never let me live it down. Hm. Come to think of it, they never did."
"Mm." She snuggled her head under his chin, filling his nose with the scent of her shampoo. "Didn't want them to know you were only human."
"I guess that's it," he said, bewildered. It was a concept he hadn't put into words before.
"Remember that time your sister walked in on us?"
He laughed. "It was as if her birthday had come early. She couldn't wait to tell our brothers. I finally had to swear her to silence. Silence she never kept." Ginny. The humor of the memory gave way to sudden heartache.
"Percy?" Penelope looked up at him, her fingers now gently stroking his arm. "You miss her, don't you?"
He thought briefly of the letters he and Ginny had exchanged. Such small tokens, never very long. He had even felt them burdensome at times, reminders of what he no longer wanted or deserved. But where would he be without them? "More than anyone might think," he finally said. "You have a brother, so you might understand this somewhat."
"I'm intrigued already. Explain."
"I suppose there's this universal trait that is implanted in all big brothers with sisters. And you know my family. Seven kids, six boys and one girl. Ginny's the baby, besides. My eldest brother Bill was in his last year at Hogwarts when Ginny was born, and Charlie graduated a few years later. So I always felt more like the big brother to her." He smiled weakly. That had been a privilege he had really messed up. He didn't express that thought, but he felt it evident on his face. "And yet I abandoned my baby sister. I really am a git, aren't I?"
She hesitated, probably thinking. He suddenly realized he wouldn't care what she was thinking or what she might say in the end as long as she remained where she was. "yes," she finally agreed sadly. "You are the world's biggest git."
"I'm writing to her, if that improves my image."
"You are writing?" A smile of genuine happiness spread over her face, flooding relief. "That's the best news I've heard about you for a long time. Mention me to her. Unless. . ." Uncertainty filled her voice. "Unless you'd rather not."
"Ginny's gotten better at keeping secrets," he replied, raising her chin. It's you I'm worried about, Penny. But somewhat he couldn't voice that. And yet she herself was referring to something, he could sense that. But what? The moment called for something more. "Do you know what the most horrible experience of my life was?"
Her blue eyes widened, no doubt from the imaginings of all that went on in Death Eater society. He hated that look on her face. He hated it so much he could taste blood in his mouth, coppery and almost sweet. And to think he had caused it. Well, that was all over, and he had a story to tell.
"You were attacked by the basilisk. I felt so damn weak when I found out. I was your boyfriend, I was supposed to protect you."
"That's not. . . It was no one's fault."
He shook his head. "I know. But that's how I felt. I remember seeing you in that hospital bed, completely motionless and helpless. There was nothing I could do. I couldn't even protect Ginny. Even with you gone, I could have done that much. It was her first year. My mum had told me to take care of her. I was supposed to watch her. But I never noticed anything wrong, though she seemed practically a ghost. I just said she was sick, or upset by the attacks. I just blamed it on everything else. It's the worst feeling in the world, Penny, when you're supposed to be protecting someone and you fail. I remember Professor McGonagall telling me that my only sister had been taken into that damn Chamber of Secrets, as good as dead." The truth that had been explained to him rushed back with full painful potency. "The truth was even worse, when I found out. How come I didn't notice? And you weren't there, Penny. I thought I had lost both of you."
Penelope gazed at him for a long time, her face twisting with mixed emotions. Then she flung her arms around his neck. "You never spoke of that before."
He kissed her forehead, suddenly relieved. "I thought I was best just to forget it. Everything turned out well in the end."
"Yes, that might have been best, but I don't think you can ever really forget something like that," she replied. "It's probably best you don't even try." She drew back, tears clinging to her eyelashes. "Do you want to hear my confession? When we were. . . healed, I heard about your sister, and to be honest, I blamed myself."
That news stunned him. "What for?"
She shook her head, now grinning sheepishly. "I thought that maybe I had distracted you so you couldn't watch Ginny. I felt like I had taken up too much of your time."
"Not enough," he murmured. "I've never even thought of it that way. How on earth did you come up with it? I don't blame you. We were keeping our relationship so secret. . ." He noticed her blush in the darkness.
"I liked our little clandestine affair," she said with a giggle. "TI was fun, sneaking around like that."
"So did I ," he admitted. The one secret he had kept from his family. For a time, anyway. Perhaps he had liked secrets too much.
"And then you changed." There was no anger in her voice, just sad resignation. All playfulness was gone, leaving her dim. "I put up with it as long as I could, hoping you might go back to the way you were. It hurt me so much until I finally stopped. . ." She smiled bitterly, reddening. "Never mind. It doesn't matter now. You changed, you graduated, you went off to work for that awful Mr. Crouch. And I eventually got over it."
Dormand's face flashed through his mind, the face of three days ago. "At least I'm back with you now." The image again, twirling, twisting, converging with dozens of other faces torn from his memory. "Crouch was. . . a mistake. A big mistake. It was almost a relief when he died.." Even to Percy. No more repeating of what he instinctively knew in his heart to be lies and the final cataclysmic consequence of months of Ministry and media suspicion. Mr. Bartemius Crouch finally dead. Murdered, yes, but dead and out of the way. He didn't want to think about it. "Perhaps I had better walk you home now."
"Are you so eager to get rid of me already?" Penelope glanced up at the star-scattered sky. "I think you are right. No more late-night excursions for me." She slipped her hand back into his.
They walked in silence for several pleasantly long minutes. Percy enjoyed just being near her. It was nice when a girl didn't demand a conversation. But Crouch and Dormand still occupied his mind. As well did Lupin. He felt almost angry that they dare wreck this moment. But he wouldn't ruin it. And yet he was thankful when Penelope did.
"Remus told me something else after you left," she said simply. "His suspicions. His "theory" as he called it."
"Oh?" If it came from Lupin, he wasn't in the mood to hear it.
If Penelope noticed the influx in his voice, she paid it no mind. "Yes. It's a very. . . interesting theory."
"You mean to discredit it?"
She gave him a reproving cuff on his wrist. "You're being rude again. I was in a hurry to catch up with you, so he only gave me his outline. I know how you feel about Lupin, and I'm sorry if this bothers you, but I happen to agree with what he says."
She was going to egg him on until she was allowed to speak. "Okay, then. I'm sorry. Tell me what Lupin said."
She let out a long sigh, stopped, and pulled Percy toward her. "Dementors," she whispered in his ear.
He nearly choked on a quick intake of breath. "Those. . . those things." He had seen too many.
Penelope nodded, face flushed. "They suck souls. That's what Remus said they did to Mr. Dormand."
It made no sense. The Dementor idea had obviously been false. "But Dormand was. . ."
"I know. He was moving around. Just bare with me. The bodies, even without the soul, are alive. There are still minds, no matter how empty. And that means they are still susceptible to the Imperious Curse."
It felt as if iron cursed through his brain, pounding as his skull. "That's insane. How did he come up with it?"
"Lupin is actually very smart, even if you don't think so. Besides, he said he overheard something else. I didn't wait for him to tell me. But I believe him."
Percy was silent for a long time, thinking. It was insane. He wanted to reject it. And yet, the more it inflicted itself on his mind, the more plausible it sounded. And yet such a gruesome idea. Even a mere body wasn't sacred to Voldemort.
"They can implant personalities where there are none," Penelope continued, mostly to herself. "They can do whatever they want. It's like creating their own souls." She shivered. "I hate it. Hold me."
He obediently put his arm around her, feeling her shake. "But Lupin mentioned polyjuice potion. Like it was important. He said that was what Dormand had in his office. He seemed to think. . ." No. This is what he had completely rejected then. Again, Percy was not watching his superiors, and Lupin half-wanted to accuse him of such again. But this was it. He had known it himself, somewhere deep where he didn't to pull it out. Polyjuice potion. The morphing of Dormand's features. The familiarity. But he couldn't admit it even to himself.
"Percy? I thought you were going to take me home."
Thoughtlessly they resumed walking.
Penelope cleared her throat. "What are you thinking about?" It was a demand.
He shook his head, disbelieving.
"Tell me."
It was going to come out sooner or later. But it didn't feel like he was even speaking. "Penny, what do you know of Crouch?"
"What?" Her face twisted in near-rage. "What are you talking about?"
"What I said. What do you know of Crouch?"
She blinked, bewildered. "He's dead. His son murdered him. He. . . Percy, you can't be serious. He's dead, he can't be taking polyjuice potion."
Now for the rest of it. "I know he can't. I told you how I saw his face changed. That's what I understand happens as the potion begins to wear off. He looked familiar then. I couldn't place it until just barely."
"But Crouch is dead!"
"But what did they do to Crouch, Jr.?"
She gasped, clutching tightly at Percy's robe. "Fudge. . . Fudge sent a Dementor on him. Oh, hell."
Percy felt her excitement. Or perhaps it was his own. "At first I thought it was my old boss. But some things were wrong. But father and son can have similarities. It has to be him."
"Ugh."
"Do you know what was done with him after the Dementor kissed him?" he asked urgently.
"You were in the Ministry; I thought you might know." She stopped again. The tavern where she was staying was in front of them. "We're here."
"We are." All the excitement drained from him, leaving him lethargic and weak. "I guess. . ." At least he could get a good-night kiss out of this mess.
Penelope seemed to have the same idea and leaned toward him.
"Percy! Penelope!" A whirling cry jolted them both to their senses.
Valentine Munk ran up the road, waving a messy bunch of parchment in her hand. "I came up with something! We have to talk now!"
Penelope shot Percy a "not-my-fault" smile.
Percy had a sudden urge to kill Valentine. "What is it?"
Valentine's eyes were like flames as she flipped through the parchment. "Winston's been delving about that Jason fellow. . ."
"What's going on?"
Great. Another interruption.
Asa Cortez stood in the tavern doorway, smiling pleasantly if not with forced patience. "Senorita Clearwater, you should be in! You promised you wouldn't be late tonight, si. Muy late."
Penelope blushed deeply. "I'm very sorry, Healer Cortez. We just. . ." She gestured nervously at Valentine.
"Well, you had best say goodnight and get inside. We have lessons very early tomorrow."
"Um." She kissed Percy quickly. "Goodnight. I really must go in. Pearl's probably full of gossip."
"Goodnight," he replied. He didn't like the way the Healer was watching him.
"She shall see you both tomorrow once the day's training is complete," Asa said with a smile. "Goodnight."
Valentine gave a quick laugh and pushed a thick curl from her face. "I'm not very fond of that woman. She comes here with her students, ignores us for forever, then suddenly puts me in for an interrogation. Psycho. I'd like to set a dragon on her. So, Percy—or is it still John? Do you want to hear me out?"
"Tomorrow," he said dully. He Apparated back to his tent.
