Well it turned out a burrow, actually The Burrow, was a lot harder to find than the Ministry supposed. After spending an hour driving north Bria realized that the next part of her directions were south and then north again. This was rather pointless. By this time it was the middle of the night, low cloud cover keeping everything in barely there moonlight, and her passenger was still completely out of this world. He had shown one sign of life however; about 15 minutes ago he'd started snoring.

This defiantly wasn't working. "Hey, you, wake up," Bria said as she gently prodded the redhead beside her. He didn't budge. "Wake up!" Bria tried shaking his arm this time. He slept on with naught but a slight disturbance in his snores before burrowing down once more into the car seat. "Okay, that's it, I'm lost and you've probably slept enough of whatever you were drinking off by now, so WAKE UP!" This last part she hollered directly into his ear causing him to jump, smack Bria in the chin with a wayward elbow, and then strike his own head against the car roof with a resounding clunk.

Okay so now he was awake, and either incredibly hung over or he'd hit his head pretty hard on the roof judging by the way he was cradling it now. Actually maybe it was both. While Bria sat there staring and thinking to herself the man had overcome his pain enough to realize he was no longer in a bar, he had somehow ended up in muggle transportation, and there was a muggle staring at him like a loony.

"Where am I?" The man's voice finally stirred Bria from her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, well you met, well not really met, me at that muggle bar. You were mumbling all sorts of magical things and were creeping out the barkeeper. Then you started talking to me and then passed out so I said you were my friend and we brought you to my car. Then I called the Ministry and they told me a couple of places to look but I decided on the Burrow, but now I'm lost so I decided to wake you and…"

"Wait, stop talking so quickly, my head is throbbing too much to process it all. Who are you and where are we?"

"Well as for where we are we're in England but after taking those Ministry directions I really have no clue. And as for who I am I think I'll wait to share that information until you tell me exactly who I just tried to save back there?"

"Percy Weasley, at your service. I hope this doesn't make me the damsel in distress, just one more screw up on a long, long list." As he was saying this his head leaned back against the headrest and his eyes narrowed so he could just see enough of Bria to make sure she didn't turn out to be an unsavory character.

"Umm, actually I think raving lunatic drunk would be a better description for how I found you a couple hours ago."

"Sorry," he said this so flippantly, there was even a rather feminine hand gesture to match that Bria knew the only thing he was sorry for was partially inconveniencing her but the rest was all for him and how he'd ended up in this situation. He really was a depressing bloke. No wonder he'd been drinking himself silly, most likely he couldn't bear to face a wizarding bar, not if he was the Percy Weasley who was an assistant to the Minister of Magic. That simple title was not so simple; it carried a heavy load of responsibility with it.

Oh great now I feel sorry for him, damn my own intuitiveness Bria though as the words dragged themselves between her lips. "Is there anything else I can do? If we get – well, un-lost for one, I'll gladly take you to Burrow."

"It's THE burrow, and it's no more a home to me than you are He-Who-Must-Not-
Be-Named. Just let me out at a well-lit corner. I have no place to go for now."

"No place? No home? But the ministry machine said…"

"I know what it said lady! It's not true anymore! I can't go back..." this he exclaimed rather vehemently but it seemed his hate had only served remind him of the agony pounding in his head rather than scare off Bria's questions.

"Why?"

She had asked it so quietly and softly that Percy turned his head and finally gave her a good look. She was medium sized, with dark curls that reached just past her shoulders. But when Percy looked at her face he felt compelled to answer. Her light blue eyes seemed to peer straight into his soul like he'd known her all his life.

"I screwed up. I was so determined to look out for myself and be an independent adult that I forgot that home and family was the one thing I could trust. I was such a jerk…God I need another drink."

"You know if you keep resolving everything with shots you'll really turn into a drunkard."

"No one will miss me."

"Well then I guess I get to be your intervention," said Bria as she restarted the engine and pulled back onto the road, "so exactly which way is the burrow?"

"Huh? You're….what?" Percy could only look at Bria and shake his head, but it did him no good as she kept her eyes on the road and all he could do was point her back the way she'd come, back to his childhood home, back to the place he was wanted least.

"I don't even know your name."

"Bria."

The sun was just breaking over the horizon as Bria began her ascent up a sprawling hill in the English countryside. They'd gone past a quaint English village. This was exactly what Bria had imagined experiencing, well except for the nervous redhead in her passenger seat. He was currently staring at his nails, as if willing them to grow another quarter inch so he could gnaw them down to stubs again.

Suddenly over the next crest of the hill Bria could see a teetering home that seemed to be bursting at the seams. Forgotten toys and odd objects lay strewn about the yard and a few chickens clucking about. To one side lay a vegetable patch and beyond that a field. On the other side lay a small wood that continued disappeared behind the house only to reappear behind the field. Its small absence left just enough room for what was probably one of the few places where you could watch the sunset behind a small valley.

"Its not much." Her passenger suddenly spoke up stirring Bria from her musings.

"It's perfect. I can tell its someplace that deserves the title Home."

Percy looked at her strangely before continuing on in a melancholy tone, "Not for me anymore."

"Well then we'll just have to change that." Stated Bria as she pulled into the dirt driveway and parked the car. She got out and was enthused to see that although it was reluctant Percy had also gotten out albeit slowly and almost defiantly.

"It's too early, they won't be awake."

"Well then we'll have to go wake them." In all honesty Bria didn't know why she felt so compelled to help this man. He didn't really feel like a stranger anymore. Also meddling was never her thing, this was completely out of character for her. If she was herself she would have never taken on this challenge, she would have just found a nice motel or something for the night and then would've spent this morning actually planning her trip. Instead she was standing in a strange yard trying to convince a man who was ready to flush his life down the drain to make nice with his family; oh she'd defiantly made better decisions before. These were the kinds of things her Athenite sisters had influenced her into. Many of them were strong believers in fate, even in everyday life. Many of her lessons focused on the people you meet and how even the smallest person can later become a big impact.

Maybe she could blame this sudden lack of judgment on all of that. Blaming things on her tattoo was something Bria did often these days as she awaited the destiny that didn't seem to want to ever happen.

"You know what, you're a very nice witch and all but I can't do this. Thanks for trying." With that Percy slammed his door and walked quickly towards the forest path that seemed to head back towards the town they'd driven through only moments before.

"What!" Bria screamed, "You can't do this, you have to face them, you're losing whatever you have left."

"How the bloody hell would you know?" Percy turned around for a moment to scream back, "You've known me for all of 7 very hung over hours and you think can tell me how to fix my life? You can't so just leave, don't bother!" With that he turned around again, no longer a nervous man, but now a coward running away from the one thing he was too afraid to try for.

By now he was well away and Bria continued to stand there with her jaw open. Suddenly she snapped out of it. "Goddamn!" she yelled as she violently kicked the innocent tires of her car. "Ahh!" She finally said in defeat as the laid her head upon her arms and simply leaned against the car for support.

Now what, she thought.

"Excuse me miss, are you okay?" Bria turned to see a plump middle-aged woman standing a few steps from the front door in her bathrobe.

"No, I'm not. I'm sorry I couldn't bring him home."

"Who dear?"

"Your son." Bria whispered pointing over her shoulder at the retreating figure in the field.

All Mrs. Weasley could do was gasp.