A/N: This chapter is much shorter than the previous one, but I hope that you all appreciate the quick update.

Chapter 13- The Prodigal Son Returns

After what turned out to be an extremely long day, Harry and Draco decided to take a walk in the crisp cool air. Remus had flooed back to Hogwarts after confirming that Harry indeed wanted to still come live with him this summer. Harry was surprised at the excitement in Remus's voice as he was not usually an excitable fellow. He reminded Harry slightly of his late godfather Sirius, who had tended to be over enthusiastic about things that concerned Harry. Hermione had also already left for the evening so she could continue to spend time with her family. Draco and Harry wanted to be alone for a while, and it also gave the Weasley family some time together as well.

They were strictly forbidden to enter the woods that surrounded the Burrow, which was an old haunt of theirs from this summer. They were only allowed to walk the perimeter of the woods where they could keep the Burrow in sight at all times. The Weasleys still had the wards in place that had been cast last summer, but they were still fearful of the Death Eaters, especially since the recent attacks around the world.

It was colder than they had anticipated so they didn't stay out very long. They had just enough time alone to sneak a few kisses before they retreated indoors where it was warm.

Draco was currently holding his Harry's gloved hand in his own, and he was swinging their arms playfully back and forth. Harry smiled up at him and snuggled against his shoulder as they walked. His snuggle was short lived because Draco had to stop to retie his boot laces which had somehow come undone. Harry walked ahead of him towards the Burrow.

"Hey, Harry…." called Draco from behind as he straightened himself up.

"Yes…" said Harry, turning back around.

"I have something to tell you before we go in," said Draco rather seriously, his hands hidden behind his back.

"What?" Harry was somewhat suspicious because there was an odd gleam in his pale blue-grey eyes.

"Gotcha!" yelled Draco as he pummeled Harry with two snowballs before running away.

"Oh no you did not!" said Harry sarcastically. He too began to pick up piles of snow and hurl snowballs in Draco's direction. "Get back here and take it like a man!"

"No way! You gotta catch me first!" said Draco as he sent another set of snow balls Harry's way. Draco's aim was much better than his and Harry found himself at the mercy of the larger boy.

Harry ran on ahead but stopped short when a shadowy figure in front of the Burrow caught his eye. Draco inadvertently ran right into him knocking both boys down. "Oops, sorry."

"Shhh…" said Harry, as they got up slowly. They each brushed the snow off of their clothing while they observed the shadow before them.

"Who is it?" asked Draco as they cautiously approached the figure on the front lawn. Apparently the trespasser hadn't heard their loud arrival.

"I don't believe it… it's Percy…" said Harry in wonder.

"Percy Weasley?" asked Draco, who only knew the red head from when he was head boy at Hogwarts during their third year. Harry nodded looking at him curiously.

Percy was standing in front of the Burrow staring up at his childhood home with a look of utter sadness upon his face. He seemed as if he wanted to go inside and see the others, but was too terrified of their reactions to move from his spot. Harry almost felt bad for the young man as he looked so forlorn, but then he remembered all of the hateful things he said about him last year and he felt resentful instead.

The two boys approached Percy who was completely unaware of their presence as he continued to stare up at the Burrow. "Percy?" called Harry who managed to startle the young man significantly.

"Harry? Is that you?" he asked looking at the young boy before him and Draco Malfoy who was standing rather closely to him.

"Yeah, what do you want? I thought you disowned your own family or something. Why are you standing out here in the cold?" he asked rather callously.

Draco looked at him somewhat surprised. It had been a long time since he heard Harry assert himself in this manner. In fact, Harry was treating Percy with the same cold disdain they had mistakenly used on each other for so many years. Draco, however, did not know about the letter Ron had received last year so he couldn't know about all the awful things he had said about Harry.

"Harry… it's complicated… I'm not sure what happened… I," Percy tried to explain but it was as if he was having trouble speaking and his voice was somewhat hoarse.

It was then that Harry noticed that he was not wearing an outer cloak and his clothing seemed soiled and disheveled. He did not look anything like the high and mighty Percy Harry had known for so long.

"Percy, are you okay?" asked Harry uncomfortably.

"I don't know…." he tried to explain again.

"Maybe we should go inside," said Draco taking control of the situation. "We can sort this all out where it is warm."

He led the two boys into the Burrow and out of the cold. They were immediately greeted by the rest of the Weasley family who had been hanging out in the living room. Only one person looked grateful to see the long lost family member. The others looked absolutely furious to have their festive occasion interrupted by the unexpected guest.

"Percy, oh my gods, look at you. What happened?" asked his mother, who had quickly crossed the room and enveloped her son in a fierce hug.

"I don't know. I don't remember…" he tried to explain but his voice was barely a whisper in the mad chaos that had ensued because of his arrival.

"I can't believe he-" began Fred.

"- has the nerve to show up here," finished George.

"He's not welcome anymore!" shouted Ron.

"Let's hear him out," said Ginny softly.

"What's the big idea you writing that letter to Ron?" asked Charlie furiously.

"Why are you siding with Fudge instead of your own family? Do you have any idea how much you hurt our mother when you sent back the Christmas gift last year?" yelled Bill angrily.

"He doesn't care!" yelled the twins.

"You act like I can't choose my own friends! Harry is the best friend I have ever had, and you wanted me to drop him like our friendship meant nothing!" yelled Ron furiously.

"What's going on?" asked Draco, looking at Harry who was rather alarmed by the situation.

"STOP IT! ENOUGH!" shouted Mr. Weasley who had magically enhanced his voice so that he could be heard over the dull roar that resounded through the living room. "Can't you all see that something has happened to your brother? He can barely stand on his own two feet. Let's hear what he has to say before we pass judgment."

The others looked at the Percy with a strange mixture of hatred, sympathy, and curiosity. Apparently they hadn't noticed the state that their brother was in when he first arrived. They were now feeling somewhat foolish for attacking him in that manner before they found out what had brought the young man to the Burrow in the first place.

Percy looked up at his father gratefully and swayed slightly on his feet. His mother led him the couch and sat him down by the fire, rubbing at his hands to warm them up. The others sat back down around the living room with their arms crossed over the chests and their faces an angry red that rivaled the hair on their own heads. Although they wanted to find out what had happened to their brother, they couldn't just forget all of the hateful things that Percy had said and done to the Weasley family over recent years. Harry and Draco hung back near the kitchen so that they wouldn't interfere with what was obviously a family affair.

"What happened dear? Why did you come here? I - I thought you hated us…" said Mrs. Weasley tearfully.

"I don't hate you. I never did. I don't know what happened," said Percy hoarsely. "All I know is that I had to get here somehow so I started walking."

"But you have no cloak or anything to protect you from the cold. Where were you walking from?" asked Arthur.

"I don't know, Dad. I am really scared. I can't remember anything anymore." Percy was now visibly trembling even though he should have warmed up enough near the fire by now to reduce the shivering. He was pale and thin as well, and he was acting nothing like the Percy they used to know.

"Dad, allow me," said Bill who was particularly good at problem solving. He rose from his seat and stepped in front of Percy cautiously. He then closed his eyes as he raised his wand. The tip of the wand glowed bright blue as he waved it up and down along Percy's body.

Bill stepped back his eyes wide with fright. "He's covered in dark magic!"

"What! Are you a bloody Death Eater now!" yelled Ron angrily. He stepped in front of Harry as if he could consciously protect him from his older brother.

"Ron, he didn't use dark magic. He is covered in it. I'll bet that someone has been manipulating him. And from the way he is reacting right now, he was probably tortured recently," explained Bill quietly.

"Tortured? Oh my poor baby," said Mrs. Weasley who had begun to rock her once favorite child back and forth in her arms.

Arthur kneeled down in front of Percy. "Son, tell us what you do know."

"I – I have been suspicious of the Minister of Magic for a little while now. The things he said and did were not just adding up anymore. It wasn't anything that I knew for sure, but things just seemed off somehow. D-documents that I had been in charge of at work disappeared mysteriously and no one even seemed to be concerned. I started having long periods of t-time in which I could not account for, but Fudge always seemed pleased with my work so I didn't question it any further. I didn't want to be removed from a job I had w-worked so hard to get. I-I have thoughts in my head that I do not think are my own…. I d-don't even know how I got here… I d-don't know where I have been the last few days… I am so confused… I'm scared that there is something wrong with me," said Percy as he stumbled to get through with his words.

"There, there now son. We will take care of you despite how you have treated this family. Charlie, go get a calming potion from the cabinet. Fred, George, gather something for him to eat." The brothers set out in different directions in order to carry out their father's order despite their own feelings about the situation.

"I can't believe all of you! Percy betrayed us! He turned his back on his own family and refused to see the truth," yelled Ron angrily as he walked toward his older brother. The youngest Weasley boy tended to have a hot temper and was slow to forgive, even when the truth was staring him in the face.

"Not now, Ron," said Ginny as she tried to calm him down by grabbing his arm," Can't you see that he is in no state to be yelled at?" He wrenched his arm free from his little sister and continued with his tirade.

"Don't you remember everything he said and did?" Ron yelled as he looked around the room. "He thought Umbridge was a truly delightful woman and that Dumbledore should be removed from Hogwarts! He thought Harry should have been expelled when he went before the Wizengamot. He said Harry was unbalanced and violent, and that the Order and Dumbledore were a dangerous crowd when all we are trying to do is save the freaking wizarding world! I am sure he said much more but I burned the damn letter he sent me I was so upset. What do you have to say for yourself Percy? Do you still think that our parents are still misguided or have you finally seen the truth!"

"Ron, I don't even know what the t-truth is. I am so s-sorry that I said all of those things. I don't know what I was thinking at the t-time. Everything Fudge had been saying had m-made sense to me then. It was s-sensible and rooted in fact, but now I d-don't know anymore."

Ron turned away from him and stormed into the kitchen. Apparently he was not satisfied with Percy's apology. Percy turned to where Harry and Draco were sitting. "I am sorry about those things I said about you Harry. I thought that the Daily Prophet only printed the facts, and I guess I was wrong. I am sorry."

Harry didn't really know how to react. Like Ron, he was still a bit miffed about the whole situation but he nodded in forgiveness just the same. He needed time to think all these things through.

"We should get him to a healer, mum," he heard Bill say. "There may be damage that we cannot see that needs treatment. If the Death Eaters captured and imprisoned him, there could be a number of things wrong."

"You're right. Can you and Charlie stay with the others? I think your father and I both need to see that Percy is alright," said Molly Weasley to her oldest son.

Harry listened to the numerous conversations that were flying around the room. Ron and the twins were discussing their brother's return in the kitchen, while Charlie and Bill discussed what the Death Eaters could have possibly wanted from him and how he could have escaped. Ginny was sitting near Draco and Harry looking somewhat distraught by the turn of events.

Suddenly, Harry felt his chest grow very warm. Recognizing the odd sensation, he pulled out the silver necklace Draco had given him from under his shirt. Its emerald eyes glowed dimly and it was quite hot to the touch. He looked at Draco thoroughly alarmed. The gift had really been an early warning system alerting Harry when danger was near. He rarely took the necklace off especially since it had warned him of the danger that came on Halloween night.

Draco saw his alarmed look and reached out to touch the dragon charm. Pulling his hand away quickly from the heat, he looked into Harry's eyes and said, "Oh gods… not again."

The blonde ran towards the family's patriarch and grabbed his arm in determination, "Mr. Weasley, we have to get everyone out of here…NOW!"

"Why? What's happened?" Arthur asked quickly.

Harry strode toward him holding out the necklace so that he could feel for himself. The tall man reached out and pulled his hand back sharply when he felt the heat radiating from the silver dragon. "Danger's coming?" he asked remembering what Draco had told Harry when he had given him the gift last summer.

Harry nodded, his eyes wide with fear. Ron had seen the whole conversation from the kitchen and said, "Bloody hell this can't be happening…."

"Ron language!" yelled Mrs. Weasley from where she sat still comforting Percy.

Charlie appeared to have noticed something that interested him outside. He went to the window and looked about carefully until he spotted something that made him become alarmed.

"Fuck!"

"Charlie!"

"Sorry mum, but you might want to know that there are Death Eaters outside!" said Charlie sharply.

"What!" everyone shouted at once.

Charlie looked at Percy coldly and said, "You fool! You led them right to us. They would have never found the Burrow again unless they had some idiot to point them the way."

"No, I didn't… I d-didn't mean to…. I d-didn't know… I am so s-sorry…." said Percy as he placed his face in his hands and began to shake his head back and forth.

There was a loud noise that sounded something like thunder. The house suddenly began to shake from the loud rumble that had occurred outside. Everyone grabbed one another in fear, wondering what was going on.

"They are trying to take down the wards," said Charlie still standing guard at the window.

"Oh no…" said Mrs. Weasley. "Those heartless bastards can't even rest on Christmas."

"Mum!" said Ron, who had rarely heard his mother ever curse.

"I am sorry dear I'm just so frightened right now. Arthur what should we do?" she asked turning towards her husband.

Harry took a chance to peer outside around Charlie's shoulder. In the darkness he could see spells being cast that were illuminated against the invisible dome of the wards that had been created to protect the Burrow. Flashes of red, yellow, and blue shone against the night sky. It reminded Harry of a fireworks display he had once seen.

"Well we need to evacuate immediately. Bill, Charlie, and I are going to get out there and try to fend off some of the Death Eaters while you take the children and floo to Hogwarts. It's the only way out of here since we cannot apparate or use a portkey because of the security of the wards. It's going to take some time to floo us all out of here and we may come under attack if the wards fail. You will need to alert Dumbledore so that he can send reinforcements."

"Arthur, no, you and the boys could be killed!" said Molly as her eyes began to fill with tears.

"Molly it's the only way, besides the wards will provide us with some protection for a while. Their spells cannot penetrate the shields, but we can fire our spells out at them. There is no time to discuss this honey. Just do as I say," said Arthur urgently.

Molly reached up and hugged her husband tightly. "You bring yourself and my boys back to me in one piece, do you hear me?"

Just as her husband was about to speak another rumble shook the little house once again. Dust fell from the ceiling and various knick-knacks fell from their shelves and onto the floor. Their spells are getting through, thought Harry wildly as he gripped Draco's hand.

"Bill, Charlie, let's go!" said Arthur. The two oldest siblings nodded silently and kissed their mother goodbye. The three left in determination out into the cold night air.

"Alright everyone," said Mrs. Weasley, who had found her nerve in this time of desperation. "Gather around the fireplace, we are going to do this as quickly as possible. This fireplace is connected to only one other right now. When you step into the fireplace, say Hogwarts clearly so that we do not lose any of you. Harry, you're first!"

"What! No! Get Ginny out of here first! I have defended myself against Death Eaters before. I want to stay and help!" Harry pleaded.

"Harry, they are coming here for you. Don't argue with me! You will do as I say!" said Mrs. Weasley firmly.

Mrs. Weasley was right. He was the reason why there was Death Eaters trying to storm the Burrow. Harry suddenly felt extremely guilty for placing these people in danger once again. No matter what he did, he brought harm to those that he loved. Time had proven that over and over again. He was vaguely aware of Fred and George roughly shoving him into the hearth. He reached into the bag of floo powder, noticing the worried faces in front of him as the house began to shake once again.

Not wanting to delay the safe return of the others, Harry threw the powder down and shouted "Hogwarts."

The dizzying sensation lasted only a moment when he found himself stumbling out of the fireplace in Dumbledore's office. The headmaster was nowhere to be seen. Harry bolted from his office and down the stone staircase hoping to find the professor before it was too late. The lives of the others depended on him finding the headmaster so that he could send reinforcements. He prayed as he pumped his arms and legs as fast as he could that the others were flooing in right behind. He didn't know what he would do if any of them had died. Running into the Great Hall he saw that the headmaster was still dining at this late hour with some of the other Hogwart's professors.

"Dumbledore!"

A/N: I know, I know the Death Eaters would have known where the Burrow was because of Peter, but in my story the wards around the home somehow disguised the location so that they couldn't find it unless they had followed Percy. We will discover more about what happened to Percy and the fate of the others. I know it was kind of a cliffie, but my mind is still recovering from writing that last chapter. I will try to update soon.

Many thanks to all my reviewers and readers! And a special thanks to my beta Drae.