A/N: Sorry for the delay, not a happy fall, but things are better now. Next chapter should be much, much sooner.

Chapter 20 – Lamentations of a Lackey

"Harry?" a dry, gasping voice called out, persistently, insistently, to the Boy Who Lived.

"Harry, please, you have to be okay."

It was a voice filled with resignation, dread, and pure and utter terror.

But most of all the voice was filled with a stunning amount of remorse for the actions the owner of that voice had taken, or not taken, for far too long.

---XXX---

"Percy, my boy, I have a special task for you," Cornelius Fudge said as he walked into the office Percy was working out of. Percy had taken to sleeping at his boss' desk recently, and looked very haggard. He hadn't slept much since the latest news that his boss, Bartemius Crouch, Sr. was dead had been released. "You see, this is quite a problem we have here, and I can't help but feel that you've let me down."

Percy paled at the implications laden in the Minister's voice and quickly rose from his seat. "Why Minister, you know I only want to help you as much as possible. And the Ministry of course," Percy said with a rush. Fudge, of course, smiled his greasy smile at the tremors in Percy's voice and started explaining what he wanted Percy to do for him.

It was a simple request, one that Percy didn't even view as a punishment, really. He was assigned to the Minister's office and his first assignment was to gather every scrap of information about the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter. Percy dutifully combed through Ministry record, the Daily Prophet, even the Quibbler, and cataloged each and every fact he could gather about the infamous boy wizard.

He had finished that project within a week due to tireless effort and a genuine fear for his future employment in the Ministry. When he presented it to Fudge, the Minister was overjoyed with the amount of information Percy had compiled. Fudge sat at his desk, carefully reading through Percy's summary of the life of Harry Potter, when he stopped and looked up at Percy with calculating eyes.

"It says here that Mr. Potter is very close friends with your youngest brother, Ronald. Is that still accurate?" Fudge asked.

"Well, yes sir. He and Ronald are as thick as thieves," Percy said with a sigh, convinced he was about to be dismissed. "They've been close ever since their first year."

Fudge pounced on Percy's tone with a delighted grin.

"Something tells me you are rather displeased with the friendship between those two? Perhaps Mr. Potter has made it more difficult for you and your brother to remain close?"

Percy regretfully nodded his head, easily accepting the Minister's insinuation. In fact, hearing it said out loud, Percy found that he believed it himself.

"Yes," he said. "Ever since they met Ronald and I have grown distant. He and I were very close growing up. I always felt the need to protect him from our other brothers, the twins. So when he met Harry and they developed their friendship, it was like I wasn't even there anymore. It is very upsetting, you know, to lose touch with family."

Fudge readily agreed. Thanking Percy for his report, he casually mentioned that there might be future projects aimed at determining whether Harry Potter was as heroic as the press made him out to be. Fudge asked Percy if he was interested in helping out with this project, and Percy jumped at the chance.

Over the next several days and early weeks of summer, Percy would meet with eager reporters, looking for a good story, or to curry favor with the Minister's office. At these meetings Percy would mention exaggerated and inaccurate versions of Harry's adventures during his school years, and would cast Harry as an attention-seeking, risk-taking, reckless and arrogant boy.

The strategy worked. Every other day or so a new story would appear, mocking the Boy Who Lived. Despite the bizarre circumstances at the end of the Triwizard Championship, even Percy started to believe the lies that he was spreading for Fudge.

Then late one afternoon Dolores Umbridge came striding purposefully up to Percy's desk, just outside of the office of the Minister of Magic. She was grinning feverishly and seemed to radiate glee.

"I think we need to make sure your friends at the Prophet will be available later this evening," she said with an oily smirk. "It seems that Mister Potter will be in trouble again today."

"Is it anything the Minister should be aware of Dolores?" Percy asked in a servile tone.

"No, my dear, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for Cornelius. Just get your contacts ready."

Percy nodded his head and returned to his desk to write a few, short notes to send out to his friends at the papers. He didn't really know what to say other than that they should expect news about Harry Potter sometime that evening. But that would suffice, Percy was certain.

---XXX---

"Harry, please be okay. Please, Harry."

It was a familiar voice, but not one that Harry had pleasant memories of.

"Harry, we don't have much time," the voice pleaded with him, tears in the voice. "I can't do this alone, and she's going to come after us any second. You have to be okay! We aren't safe without you."

---XXX---

Albus Dumbledore came crashing in to the office and Percy was truly scared for the first time in his life. The total fury emanating from the powerful wizard made the very air crackle with energy.

"Pr-Professor Dumbledore, what an unexpected honor," Percy stammered out as he jumped out of his chair, trying to get in the way of his former headmaster before the venerable wizard stormed into the office of the Minister of Magic.

"Percival," Dumbledore said with cool authority. "I will see him." It was not a request, Percy realized.

"There will be no interruptions." Dumbledore spoke with such absolute authority. Percy couldn't even move his brain to formulate a response. Percy found himself frozen in stasis, unable to move. Dumbledore hadn't even waved his hands, but Percy was trapped by the ancient wizard's power.

Not waiting for a response from Percy, the door to the Minister's office flew open, another impossible feat from the mighty Dumbledore. No one was supposed to be able to open those doors without knowing the password. Unspeakable wizards arrived once a week to place layers upon layers of wards upon the office, with only the Minister and his most trusted aides knowing the correct way to disarm the protection. Percy stared as the most powerful wizard in the world quickly strode into the Minister's office, his fury emanating from him in waves. A chair scraped on the floor as Cornelius Fudge jumped up at the intrusion.

"Cornelius, you disappoint me, yet again," Dumbledore said in a penetrating tone. "You know we have to protect Harry. We aren't safe without him."

The Minister started to splutter and Dumbledore waved his hand at the door, slamming it shut and casting an imperturbable charm so they wouldn't be disturbed.

---XXX---

The voice, or the person associated with that voice, started roughly shaking Harry, trying to wake him up, pleading with Harry to wake up.

"Harry, please, you have to wake up. Mum and Dad are still out, and you have to save us from Dolores. Please, Harry, please. I can't do it. I'm too weak. I'm too scared. I'm not the wizard you are. I don't know what to do."

---XXX---

Percy walked out of the Minister's office early in the morning, stunned by the news that he had just received. His father was terribly wounded the night before, victim of a vicious attack, and had been rushed to St. Mungo's in the middle of the night.

What was more bizarre than where his father was found was the fact that the life threatening wounds were caused by a vicious snake.

How the venomous snake got loose in the Ministry was not a question high on the list of problems to solve by the Minister of Magic when one of his subordinates was obviously in cahoots with Dumbledore. But it was important to Percy. Although he had orders to find out where Harry had disappeared to, Percy was also determined to find out what his father had gotten himself involved in.

Winding his way through the Ministry, Percy couldn't help but overhear the many whispered conversations as Ministry employees speculated openly about his father's fate. Eventually Percy found himself standing outside of the Department of Mysteries, the place where his father had been found.

The blood had yet to be cleaned up, and Ministry officials were scouring the area, gathering evidence as they tried to determine what could possibly have led to the series of events resulting in the attack on Arthur Weasley. Photos were being taken, and several investigative wizards were waving their wands all over the place, looking for any residual traces of magic and the trail of the snake that somehow had managed to get in to the Ministry.

One of the investigators approached Percy, recognizing him as one of the Minister's aides. And the son of the victim.

"Mr. Weasley, we haven't found much to go on," the investigator reported. "Somehow the snake got down here, but we can't figure out how. We're not even sure what KIND of snake it was. As for your father, we're not sure why he was here."

"What was he doing here?" Percy asked. "Was he trying to break in to the Department of Mysteries?"

"No, we don't think so. He seems to have been seated in this chair, under an Invisibility Cloak."

"An Invisibility Cloak?" Percy interrupted. "That's impossible, we don't own one, we could never afford it."

"Well, it's right here," the investigator said, picking the cloak up off a pile of evidence they had gathered. "And he was here for quite a while, waiting for something it seems."

The Ministry investigator looked at Percy closely, trying to see if there was any reaction from Percy. Percy stared blankly back at the man, completely unsure of what to say.

"Well, I think I need to talk with my father, try to find out what I can. I'll let you know what I learn. Would you mind if I took this cloak? It would be helpful in getting some information from my father."

"Go ahead, we don't really need it for the investigation, but I would appreciate any information that you can gather for us. The Minister was quite insistent that we figure out what happened, and why."

Percy nodded his head in acknowledgement, and tried to calmly walk away from the place where his father almost lost his life. He really wished they would clean up the pool of blood. Meandering his way through the Ministry, Percy returned to his office, his mind racing furiously all afternoon and into the evening. Finally, around midnight, he decided on a course of action, loathsome though it may be.

Flooing from the Ministry to St. Mungo's, Percy slipped on the Invisibility Cloak and made his way to his father's hospital room. Gathering his courage, he quietly slipped in to the room and gasped at the sight.

Arthur looked absolutely awful, pale as a ghost, gaunt from the terrible poisons and potions that were being used to preserve his life, and he was tossing fitfully in the bed. Percy almost faltered in his task for the evening, but screwed up his resolve, reminding himself that he was doing this for the greater good.

Picking up his father's water glass, Percy pulled out a vial from his robes and shakily put one drop of a clear, odorless liquid into the glass. He slowly swirled the water in the cup, mixing in the potion. Satisfied, Percy removed the hood of the Invisibility Cloak so that his head was visible and quietly shook his father awake.

"Dad?" Percy asked. "Dad, are you awake? Dad, we need to talk, please wake up."

Arthur groaned and his head lifted up from his pillow. "Percy? What are you doing here?" he said through dry lips.

"Dad, we need to talk. Would you like some water?"

Arthur nodded and took the cup from his son, quickly emptying the contents of the glass. Percy smiled while feeling a pang of guilt flash through his stomach.

"Dad, are you okay?" Percy asked.

"Well," Arthur said with a weary look. "I will be son, I will be. But I'm glad that you are here, that means a lot to me." Arthur's voice trailed off as his eyes welled up with tears and his breathing became heavier.

"Dad, don't, not now," Percy said, his voice thick with emotion. Shaking his head, he steeled himself for what he was about to do. "I know you're not well. But I need to ask you a few questions."

"Sure, son, anything you need," Arthur said "I'd do anything for you, or any of my children."

Percy clenched his teeth, loathing his actions, but convinced it was worth it.

"Dad, where'd you get this Invisibility cloak?"

"From Alastor Moody. It's one of his. Why do you ask?"

The potion Percy had slipped into his father's water was obviously working

"Why did you need it?"

"I was on guard duty, it was my turn."

"Guard duty? Who put you on guard duty? What were you guarding?"

Arthur's face screwed up in a contorted manner. "I can't tell you."

"Yes you can father, please tell me, it's important."

"I'm sorry," Arthur said after another moment. "I can't."

"That's impossible," Percy whispered to himself. "That's potent Veritaserum, he shouldn't be able to refuse to answer any questions."

While Percy was talking to himself, he didn't see the look of comprehension, and sadness, cross his father's face.

"Where's Harry," Percy suddenly asked. "Where would Dumbledore have taken Harry?"

"Somewhere safe."

"Where exactly? The Ministry needs to know where Harry is. Please father, this is important."

"Percy, you won't get any more information out of me. Did you think that Albus wouldn't have prepared for this eventuality? Veritaserum won't work. You disappoint me, son. You really disappoint me."

Percy's face paled and he suddenly felt very ashamed of himself. Backing slowly away from his father, disappointment etched in his weary face, Percy whimpered in distress.

"I'm sorry father, I'm not as strong as you are. I don't know what to do."

Arthur started to speak, but quickly stopped when he saw his son's shaking hand raise his wand and point at him.

"Percy, what are you doing?" Arthur hissed.

"I'm sorry father, very sorry. Please forgive me," Percy moaned. "Though you won't remember why."

With a shaky flick of his wrist, Percy waved his wand at his father.

"Obliviate!"

Sobbing, Percy put the hood of his father's borrowed Invisibility Cloak up over his head and fled the room.

---XXX---

As Harry struggled to regain consciousness, in the background he could hear a high-pitched voice screaming in anguish, lamenting a terrible loss. Harry groggily lifted up his head and grimaced as pain shot throughout his body.

He recognized the voice that had been speaking to him, and turned to the direction of that voice.

"Percy?" he croaked, momentarily confused as he shook away the pain in his head. "Wh-what happened?"

"Oh Harry," Percy said, tears welling in his eyes. "Dolores, she, well, she tried to kill you. She shot the killing curse at you, but I managed to knock you out of the way, I guess. But the spell..." Percy's voice faltered at that point.

"What happened Percy?" Harry asked, strength returning to his voice, but he noticed that it was harder than normal to breathe and pain was shooting through his chest.

"Her spell hit the Minister," Percy said with a groan. "He's dead, Harry. Dolores, she, well, she killed Cornelius Fudge."

With that statement Harry sat bolt upright in amazement, pain flaring across his face as his ribs protested the quick movement. Miraculously his glasses were still on his face, but his vision was still slightly blurred from when he was tackled to the floor.

"Where is she Percy?" Harry asked as he tried to blink away the stars in his eyes.

"She's over there," Percy said, grabbing Harry by the shoulders and pointing him in the right direction. Harry stood up shakily, grabbing hold of the desk and steadying himself as he looked across the room.

Dolores Umbridge was kneeling next to the lifeless body of Cornelius Fudge. She was wailing and moaning in anguish, tears pouring out of her eyes as her pudgy fists flailed in the air. Harry stood watching her, his hand on his wand as he stepped towards her.

Glancing over at the Weasley's, Harry quickly shot two spells at them, waking them up. He saw their slight movements as they slowly started to shake off the effects of the stunner, and he returned his thoughts and attention to Umbridge. Stepping closer to her, he accidentally brushed up against the desk, knocking a pile of parchments to the floor.

"YOU!" she shrieked at him, the noise of his movement drawing her attention. "This is your fault!"

Umbridge quickly scrambled to her feet, pointing her wand at Harry.

"You killed him, it's all your fault!" she screeched.

"Are you crazy?" Harry asked incredulously. "YOU killed him, you cast the Killing Curse, an Unforgivable. I don't know what happened, but YOU were trying to kill ME."

"You ungrateful wretch," snapped Umbridge, looking at Percy. "Everything we've given you, all the power, the responsibility, and you did this, to save HIM! You had to go and knock him out of the way and save precious Potter."

Weaving her wand in a complex pattern, she started to take aim at Percy when he shot up from the floor and charged at her. Distracted by his motion, Umbridge missed when she shot her spell and hit a chair which started to melt.

"Harry," Percy shouted as he ran towards Umbridge. "Tell my parents that I'm sorry. Please."

With those words out of his mouth, Percy crashed into Umbridge, knocking her backwards. The impact of his blow caused her wand to fly out of her hand, clinking on the floor, as the two of them stumbled backwards, away from the desk.

As Umbridge struggled against Percy's body, the two of them tumbled back into the large window behind Fudge's desk. It shattered against the impact of the two bodies crashing into it, and their momentum dragged them through the window frame. Harry rushed forward, wand aimed to try to save them, and a spell on his lips. But as he watched the two bodies tumble down the building, he heard a rushing sound and Percy and Umbridge disappeared before they hit ground, one of them having somehow activated a Portkey that whisked them away. But Harry hadn't the faintest idea where they could have gone.

Sighing and shaking his head, still trying to eliminate the stars in his eyes, Harry felt another twinge of pain from his ribs. From experience he realized that he had probably fractured several of them. He just hoped none were completely broken. Since he wasn't coughing up blood yet, he thought he'd be okay for a little while.

Turning his attention to the needs of others, he walked over to the Weasleys.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked with another cough as he helped them to their feet. "Mr. Weasley? Are you two okay?"

The two of them looked at Harry with dismay. They both shook their heads as they slowly stood up, grasping the desk for support. Looking around the office, they both realized that Percy and Umbridge were gone.

"Harry, what happened?" asked Mr. Weasley. "Where is Percy?"

"Where is my son," demanded Mrs. Weasley in frantic tones.

"I'm not sure," Harry replied with a sigh. "He, well, he saved my life, twice I guess. Umbridge, she tried to kill me, she used the Killing Curse. But Percy, he knocked me out of the way, and, somehow it hit Fudge instead."

"You mean Cornelius is dead?" Mr. Weasley asked incredulously. He followed Harry's head as the young wizard turned to look at the lifeless form of the former Minister of Magic. "Sweet Merlin," he breathed.

"But where is Percy," Mrs. Weasley asked again, more frantically. "Where's my son?"

"He pushed Umbridge away, she was going to try and kill us, and Percy jumped her. They struggled and fell through the window. Somehow one of them activated a Portkey before they hit the ground. I don't know who did it, or where they went. I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley nodded, her hands clenched together, wringing her fingers in anxiety. Looking out the window, staring off to the distance, she stepped closer to the hole in the window where her son had fallen through. As she stepped closer, her foot slipped and she almost lost her balance. Looking down, she saw a wand. It was short and stubby, and instinctively Mrs. Weasley knew who it belonged to. Picking the wand up with a snarl, she firmly grasped it on both hands and quickly brought it crashing down over her knee.

With a bright spark, the wand broke neatly in two and Mrs. Weasley dropped the two wand halves to the floor, wiping her hands on her robes as she stepped away from the window.

"Now that's one thing taken care of," Mrs. Weasley said in a determined voice. "Let's figure out where that foul toad is. And Arthur?"

"Yes dear?" Mr. Weasley replied.

"Minister's prerogative or not, when we find her, she's mine. Understand?"

Despite the mildness of her voice, Harry was amused to see that Mr. Weasley paled slightly and his eyes grew wide.

"Yes dear," he agreed with a nod of his head.

Mrs. Weasley threw her husband a grim smile and marched out of the room.

"I love that woman, Harry. I really do. But sometimes," he sighed. "Sometimes, she scares me."

Mr. Weasley chuckled at himself and, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, escorted Harry out of the office.

---XXX---

"Thank you again for coming and talking with me," Penelope said. "Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, it means so much to me that you came to help. I just hope that Percy comes home soon so we can talk."

Professor Flitwick levitated himself up in the air and placed a warm, fatherly kiss on Penelope's cheek.

"Patience my dear. I am pleased to have been able to help, know that you can always call on me, at any time."

"Myself as well," Professor McGonagall said with a kind smile. Despite the grim circumstances Penelope smiled to herself at the unfamiliar sight on the stern woman's face. "If you need further assistance to persuade young Mr. Weasley, please Floo either of us dear."

"I will," Penelope agreed as she opened up the front door for her guests. "I will indeed. Thank you again."

As Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick stepped out into the street, they paused to contemplate the distressing news that Penelope had told them.

"I will have to inform Albus of this right away," McGonagall sighed. "I don't believe any of us knew the lengths to which Mr. Weasley was willing to go to maintain his position. I knew the depths that Fudge would sink to, but I never would have imagined Percy would follow suit."

"I'm sorry Minerva," Flitwick said. "I know this is distressing to you. If you prefer, I will inform Albus."

Nodding her head, McGonagall quietly thanked her colleague. With a tiny pop the charms master disappeared, and she was left alone to her thoughts. Standing in the middle of the street, she was quickly brought out of her reverie by the sounds of horrified screams emanating from the house she had just vacated. Then a thunderous explosion occurred inside. Then silence.

Something was terribly wrong in the house that Penelope Clearwater shared with Percy Weasley.