Authors Note: This is a WIP. With work and what not, I can't guarantee how often I'll be able to update the chapters of this one. Please, bear with me in this.
Also, I do not own any of the characters or places in this story. The belong to J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I am making no money off this (would be nice though…laugh)
Sins of the Father
Chapter 7
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Harry and Minerva helped Molly settle in the children in the south tower of the school. Harry was fairly certain that they would be safe here. Away from the rest of the students was the safest bet at this point. He and Minerva had discussed it with Molly and all three voiced their concerns about that. None of the three wanted to take the chance that any of the students would divulge the location of the children to their parents.
Bidding Minerva goodnight, he headed off to his own quarters, eager to find his bed after the long day he'd had. Turning the hall, he quickly found the hidden door and whispered the password. Slipping inside he smiled when he heard the laughter of his daughters.
Walking into the den, he laughed aloud when he spotted his three daughters wrestling with a large black dog. The animal had Anne and Jun by the collars of their robes, shaking them softly while growling playfully. Lily was on it's back, with her arms and legs wrapped tightly around its midsection as she laughed with delight. The dog, tail wagging rapidly quickly bucked, knocking Lily to the floor and then dropping the other two girls, pounced on Lily and proceeded to lick her furiously.
Fighting to hold back his laughter, he saw movement off to his left. Glancing over, he spotted Cho standing next to Remus, both of them laughing at the display on the floor. Nodding his head, he smoothed his robes and stepped forward, clearing his throat loudly. "Ahem! Shouldn't the three of you be in bed? Not playing on the floor with that mangy cur?"
Harry had no sooner finished his question and quickly found himself toppled to the floor with three smiling, flushed faces and one fur covered one staring down at him. "Ok, I surrender!" Laughing, he climbed off the floor and hugged his children to him. "All right you three, to bed. You've had your fun with your uncle, now off with you!"
"Now, Harry, I don't think that was particularly fair," Sirius said. Glancing up, Harry saw that he was in human form again and smiling broadly. Releasing the girls, he walked over and hugged his godfather tightly for a moment.
"It's good to see you, Sirius." Harry said softly. "I could really use your advice right now."
"What's the problem? We arrived to find Minerva almost beside herself with worry. She tells me that a group of you went missing after finding some startling evidence of the Dark Arts. What's going on Harry?"
Before Harry could answer Sirius, Cho walked over. "Let me get the girls to bed before we start this, I don't want to frighten them."
Nodding at his wife, he grinned as Remus came up to join his best friend. "Why do I have this feeling that we've arrived in the middle of something bad, Harry?"
"You hit it on the head, Remus. We're not exactly sure what's going on but so we've found out…"
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Percy woke in the morning, disoriented for the moment at the strange bed he was in. It was much too small for the one that he and Oliver shared. It was in that moment that reality came crashing back down like a wave on the shore. Swallowing the lump in his throat that threatened to bring back the tears, he stood up, not seeing the picture until it slid from his lap to land with a soft thump on the carpeted floor.
Reaching down, he picked it up and walked over to the dresser, unconsciously dusting the frame as he set it in place with the other pictures. "There, perfect." Turning from the dresser, he headed into the bathroom and prepared himself for work that morning. Coming back to his room, he ran his wand over his Ministry robes, cleaning the quickly and removing any wrinkles.
Once dressed and ready for the day, he came downstairs, to find Arthur sitting in the kitchen drinking his tea. "Ah, good morning Percy." Arthur grimaced as he took a drink from the cup. "Blasted stuff, I can never get it right."
"Here Dad, let me get that for you," Percy said, smiling at
his father. Walking around the table,
he began preparing breakfast for the two of them. He talked as he worked.
"What would you like to eat this morning? I have plenty of time before I have to be at the office so I can
make you whatever you like."
"Just some bacon and eggs will be fine Percy," Arthur laughed. He was sitting behind his Daily Prophet,
just as he had every morning. Percy
placed a fresh pot of tea and filled his father's cup before returning to the
stove. Arthur reached out and picked up
the cup and sipped. Setting it down, he
sighed with pleasure. "Percy, I'm not
sure, but I think it may be better than your mother's tea."
"Thank you Dad."
Percy smiled at Arthur and then turned back to the stove. Waving his wand about the kitchen, he began
to cook. "How about some waffles? Oliver likes waffles, I fix them for him
every morning." As Percy finished his
sentence, the milk jug collided with a large batter bowl, causing both to
shatter loudly. "Damn!" Percy swore softly as he bent to clean up
the mess.
Arthur, watching from his seat, stood up and came around the table. Kneeling down beside Percy, he touched the
back of Percy's hand softly, making Percy flinch away from him and hide his
eyes, wet with new tears. "Son, we'll
get him back. Have faith in your
friends. Harry won't let you down, you
know that."
"I know," Percy whispered. "I miss him so much. This is the first night I've spent without knowing where he was. We always knew where the other was, ever since the handfasting. Now, I have no idea where he is and it scares me." Percy stopped, his voice breaking slightly. Shaking his head, he stood up quickly.
"I know, Percy," Arthur said. Rising, he put his hands on Percy's shoulders and smiled at his son. "I think waffles would be great."
Laughing softly, Percy nodded and turned to the stove. While he finished preparing the meal, Arthur cleaned up the broken glass and milk from the floor. Once everything was finished the two men sat down and enjoyed their breakfast, Arthur kept Percy talking through the meal, keeping his mind off of Oliver and the troubles still ahead.
After finishing off a second cup of tea, Percy nodded briskly and stood up. "Well, I've lazed about enough this morning. I need to be going. I'll see you this evening Dad."
"Have a good day today Percy," Arthur said around his paper.
"Well, I'll be off," Percy said, walking toward the door. He no sooner let the door close behind him than he realized that he had no way of getting to work. He still wasn't sure how he had apparated here from Hogwarts in the first place.
"Forget something son?"
Percy jumped at the sound of Arthur's voice. He watched his father walk out the door, his robes on and holding his wand. "I thought I might accompany you to the office today, maybe take a gander around Diagon Alley and join you for lunch? How does that sound?"
Smiling his thanks, Percy nodded as Arthur came up next to him and put his arm around Percy's shoulders. Raising his wand slightly, Arthur whispered the spell and the next thing Percy knew, they were standing in Diagon Alley. Thanking his father, Percy headed off toward the Ministry building and his work. Arthur smiled and waved to his son before heading down the street, whistling softly as he did.
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Percy threw himself into his work that morning. He was concentrating on the rough draft of a new treaty with the Asian wizarding world that he didn't even hear Millicent open the door and call his name. He jumped when she put her hand on his shoulder. Looking up with a gasp, he found himself staring into her concerned eyes. "Millicent, forgive me, you needed something?"
"I just wanted to inform you that you have visitors, Minister." Millicent waited for his nod before admitting the group to his office. He watched as Harry, Draco, Hermione, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin entered the room. Remus and Hermione seated themselves in the two armchairs directly in front of his desk. Harry and Draco started talking quietly, but quickly, with Sirius, firing questions back and forth rapidly. "Will there be anything else, sir?"
"Yes, could you arrange for some tea and sandwiches are brought up for us? I believe that I will be in here for the rest of the day, and most likely won't have time to break for lunch. Make sure we have enough to go around," Percy said with a smile. Nodding her head, Millicent walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Percy regarded the group before him. With the exception of Oliver and his parents, these were his closest friends. The ones he knew he could trust with anything. Hermione looked exhausted as she sat talking quietly with Remus. The older werewolf smiled easily, laughing at whatever she was telling him. Most likely some tale of the twins, Percy mused.
Looking over at Harry, Draco, and Sirius he could see their conversation was beginning to become a bit heated. Draco looked furious. He was pointing his finger back and forth between the two other men as he spoke. Rising from his seat, Percy was about to ask them what was wrong, when Hermione beat him to it.
"Draco? Whatever is the matter? You like about ready to skin one, or both of them." Hermione was standing next to Remus, confusion written across her face.
Turning to regard his wife, he stalked away from the two men, glaring at them. "No, and that's final. Don't bring it up again."
"Bring what up again," Hermione asked, her voice taking on a slight edge. "Draco? Harry?"
Draco shook his head. "Don't even think about it Potter. I said no."
"Draco, just a moment," Percy said softly. Walking around his desk, he regarded the gathered people for a moment. "Now, what was it the three of you have been talking about over there that has Mr. Malfoy somewhat miffed?" He leaned back against his desk and crossed his arms over this chest, waiting.
"I would like to know the same thing," Hermione told them. Walking over to stand next to Percy, she leaned back against the desk with Percy and stared at the three men.
"Well Sirius, Remus, Cho, and I were talking last night. We think we may have come up with a small solution to part of our problems," Harry said. He was looking at the floor, his brown knit in concentration.
"Agh! I already told you no!" Draco threw his hands up in the air, frustration showing.
"Draco, hush! Go on Harry." Hermione glared at her husband before motioning for Harry to continue.
"Well, we realized that while we can't discount all of the children on the list, but we have to accept the reality that our children would be in the most danger. Lily, Jun, Anne, Narcissa, and Phillip. Sirius and Remus suggested sending them to the Salem Academy with them. I know the Headmistress there, she and I have become fairly good friends since I took on Hogwarts and I think she would agree to house you, Cho, and the children there until we can get everything taken care of." Harry looked at Hermione as he finished explaining everything. Sirius was beside him, nodding his head as Harry spoke.
"What? I'm not hearing this? You expect me to pack up my children and run?" Hermione rose from the desk, her face coloring as she began to lose her temper.
Draco smirked at Harry and Sirius as he watched. Percy however, reacted differently. Reaching out, he placed a soothing hand on Hermione's shoulder, stopping her tirade before she started. "Wait a moment Hermione. Think about this. I like the idea. It's sound and makes sense. Remus and Sirius will be there with you, so you don't have to worry about the children not knowing anyone else besides you and Cho. Plus, the American schools accept the children at a much younger age then we do here. They could get a 'jump start' as it were, on their education. Plus, keep them out of harms way."
"Percy! I can't believe you're siding with them on this!" Hermione turned to stare at him in shock and mild outrage. "I thought you of all people would have agreed with me on this! I am not going to take my children and run with them and hide like some fugitive!"
"There's nothing wrong with hiding when the lives of your children are at stake Hermione," Percy said softly. Standing up, he walked over and placed his hands on Hermione's shoulders, making her look him in the eye. "My parents hid all of us as children so that we would be safe. Harry's parents did the same with him. I will concede that both situations had different outcomes but the desire to protect the innocent was the same."
Eyeing Percy for a moment, Hermione sighed, knowing that Percy was correct. She wasn't thinking about Narcissa or Phillip in that moment. She should have been ashamed of herself! Here they were trying to protect her children and she's throwing a tantrum because she thought they were doing this because she though they felt she couldn't defend herself. "You're right. I'm sorry Harry, Sirius. I wasn't thinking clearly. I assume Cho has already agreed to this?"
"Yes, she is getting the girls ready as we speak. Speaking of that, where are the twins?"
"With my parents," Hermione said. "Draco and I talked about it last night. We thought it would be a good idea for them
to hide in Muggle London while we figured out whether or not to send them to
Hogwarts with the other children."
"Hermione, Draco, are you sure that was a wise thing to do," Percy asked,
voicing the unspoken opinion of the four men.
"Of course! My parents moved recently and changed their names. They would be almost impossible to find," Hermione said with a grin. "With everything that happened to them during the war, being my parents and all, they thought it would be best to make a completely new life for themselves and finally were able to accomplish it, with Draco's help of course."
"I see," Harry said, eyeing Draco and Hermione through narrowed eyes. Finally, he laughed, shaking his head as he did so. "Makes sense though. Most of the people on that list wouldn't know their way around Muggle London enough to find them, much less anything else. I assume your mother and father both have protection?"
"The best my money can buy, after being exchanged to Muggle money at Gringots of course," Draco said with a grin.
Shaking their heads, the rest of the room laughed quietly. Percy broke the silence by clearing his throat as Millicent brought in the tea and sandwiches. "Thank you Millicent, that will be all. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"
"Of course, Minister, you have a nice day," Millicent said with a small smile. Turning to the rest of the group, she nodded at them and smiled, closing the door as she walked out.
After the door was closed, Percy regarded the group silently for a moment before speaking, the noticed all of them trying to be discreet while watching him closely. Realizing that they were watching was unsettling for Percy, then he realized why they were watching him the way they were. They were worried. After what had happened the day before and the way he had reacted to it, it was no surprise they were worried. The question was though, what were they worried about exactly? His mental health? His ability to lead them as Minister of Magic? "All right, I know what all of you are thinking. I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
Hermione walked over and hugged him tightly. "I know you are. But that doesn't mean we can't worry about you. After all, what are friends for?" Pulling away from him, she grinned devilishly at him. "But that still doesn't excuse the fact that I don't to leave. Can't I just send the children with Cho?"
"What? You want to do what? Hermione, I'll tell you the same thing I told them. No! And that's final!" Draco pulled Hermione around to face him, his face set in stubbornness and that good ol' Malfoy arrogance.
His outburst at her just spurred Hermione into anger. "You and I might be married Draco Malfoy, but that doesn't mean you rule me! I'm taking the children to the United States with Cho! This discussion is over!"
As Hermione turned from him and stormed across the room, the others stared after her in shock. Harry glanced over at Draco and saw him smirk to himself a bit. Realizing what Draco had done, Harry coughed slightly to cover a smile of his own. Turning back to the group, he saw Draco glance at him in confusion, not realizing that Harry had caught him at his ruse. The funny thing about it was that Harry couldn't believe that Hermione had fallen for it.
"Harry?" Hermione turned from the window and looked at her one of her best friends, her brow knit in concern. "Are you sure you can handle this without me? It took all three of us to defeat Voldemort. What if Flint, or whoever is behind this is stronger?"
Harry sighed as the tension in the room climbed a notch. He had thought about it, not wanting to accept the possibility. But, now that it was voiced openly and staring him in the face, he couldn't deny it any longer. "Well, we're a lot stronger now. Besides, do you really think Ron would join us again? After everything that's happened? Don't worry about it; I've got Draco and Percy with me. We'll stop them, whatever it takes."
Draco and Percy said nothing, only nodded their heads. Hermione smiled at Harry and nodded herself. "Well, if we're going to be making this trip I suppose I should collect the twins so we can get packed." Glancing around the room she gave them all a wary expression. "I assume we are going to be allowed to pack?"
"Of course you are Hermione," Remus said, stepping forward and sliding her arm through his. "Let's go and collect your children. I'm rather eager to meet them. I understand your daughter is a female copy of her father."
"Oh she is at that!" Hermione laughed at Remus's comment and walked with him toward the door. Pausing long enough to give Harry a quick hug, she told him to be brave and that she loved him. Turning to Percy, she pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly, promising that he would get Oliver back, alive and well, she just knew it. Then she turned and walked over to Draco, glaring at him for a moment before reaching up and kissing him. Deeply.
Stunned, Draco stood there for a moment before kissing her back, wanting to melt into her arms and never leave. It amazed him at the effect she could have on him. As she pulled back, he heard the snickering around the room and chose to ignore. In that moment, the only thing in the world that existed for him was his wife. "Take care of yourself as well as the hellions, understand?"
"I will. Watch over Harry and Percy for me? They both need you very much right now."
"I will. Love you, mud blood," Draco whispered, grinning as Hermione shook her head in mock dismay at him.
"Love you too, ferret." Leaning forward she kissed him softly on the lips before turning and walking from the room with Remus.
TBC