Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling and is protected by copyrights. I am not JK Rowling so I can only hope that she doesn't decide to sue me. This story is written for pure enjoyment and is not intended to make me any money.

A/N: This is one of those chapters for the T rating (due to alcohol use) you have been warned. (Of course JK Rowling herself puts some alcohol use in the books… but it's better to be safe than sorry.)

A couple of hours later the storm that had been threatening to break since morning finally broke. Lightening streaked across the sky and thunder rumbled the empty beer glasses in the small seedy muggle pub where a young red haired man sat. His hair was untidy and his clothes were rumpled, but his face was the most striking thing about him. His red rimmed eyes shone with unshed tears and his brow was furrowed in sorrow.

Percy stared at a shot glass he held in his hand, debating whether to have another. He still needed to apparate home and he could only imagine the embarrassment if he accidentally splinched himself and had to have some of his colleagues at the Ministry of Magic rescue him and put him back together.

Former colleagues. He reminded himself bitterly. That thought made his mind up. Tilting his head back he downed the next shot, it burned his throat going down and settled, a little ball of fire just above his collar bone, making his eyes water, but he barely noticed.

He sat with no less than two empty beer bottles and three shot glasses in front of him. He didn't usually drink; a part of him was always worried that he would make a fool of himself and ruin his chances at the Ministry. "It's not like that matters much anymore." Percy thought sardonically. He had already ruined any chances he ever had of making it.

He raised his hand to signal the waitress to bring him another. Once he was sure she saw him he put his hand down and stared, moodily, at the table. He couldn't believe he had been wrong all this time. He couldn't believe that the Ministry, the authority…. The ones who were supposed to always be right…. had been so wrong. He winced as he remembered the words he said to his father, calling him a fool, telling him that the reason the family never had any money was because of his father's lack of ambition. He could still picture how his father's face had hardened in anger. Then he remembered that morning, his father tried to reach out to him and he practically spat in his face… he had been such a fool, a stupid mindless fool.

The waitress finally brought the next shot, breaking this particular bout of self-loathing, he immediately downed it. This one was stronger than the last, it flooded his system, making his head feel uncomfortably light, his eyes closed in a wince and an involuntary shudder wracked his body.

"Not used to drinking are you." A voice came above him.

Percy started and then craned his head around. "Hello, Gale." He said; still sober enough to be surprised that a man from the Misuse of Magic Office was in a muggle pub.

"Mind if I sit?" Timothy Gale motioned to the seat directly across from him.

Percy nodded.

"So, I'm guessing that you are not going to be going to the Centaur Office are you?" Gale asked casually, sliding into the seat.

"How did you know about that?"

"The entire Ministry of Magic knows, Percy. After Fudge named you this morning every employee there was wondering what would happen to you."

Percy gave a dry laugh, "I'm guessing most of them are just as happy to see me disgraced."

"Some… you didn't exactly make a lot of friends there." The other said unapologetically.

"I know." Percy frowned, "I heard all those people muttering when I got promoted and I am very aware that many of my colleagues think that I'm no more than a… oh how did one put it… an 'mindless sycophant.' I think that was the phrase you used?"

Gale at least had the grace to blush, "I didn't know you'd heard that." He muttered.

"What do you want?" Percy ran a hand over his eyes, suddenly tired.

"Just to know what your plans are."

"I don't know."

"So you're not rejoining your family then?"

"No." Percy stated flatly. He couldn't imagine going home, facing his father after acting the way he had. He knew that his family would accept him back, but he couldn't bear the thought of going back like a pauper; no job, no money, no friends. Not after everything he said. "No, I'm not going home."

"I have someone that you should meet Percy. Someone with an offer for you." Gale stood. "Are you interested?"

Percy considered, "Sure." He said, "It's not like I have any plans so far."

"Good." Gale held out a card, "Leave the pub and then apparate to this address, a man will be waiting."

Percy took the card and watched as Gale left. Leaving enough money on the table to pay for his drinks Percy followed him out into the storm.

The rain was coming down in sheets, Percy hadn't been outside for more than a minute before he was soaked, but rain was good. Rain meant that he didn't have to go as far to be out of sight of any muggles before he apparated, and thunder meant that he didn't have to worry that the sound of him apparating would be out of the ordinary. Percy only had to go a few feet from the pub before he apparated out.

Percy appeared in a very large room. Thick soft carpet stretched from one wall to the other and antiquely ornate chairs were arranged in a semi circle around a huge roaring fireplace. A man was sitting in one of the chairs with his back to Percy, he didn't even look around when Percy entered the room.

"Come around and take a seat." The man said, still not looking at him.

Trying to unobtrusively wipe the water off his face and shake some of the rain from his robes, Percy walked toward the chairs – as steadily as he could – and chose one. He was halfway into the seat when he suddenly froze. The man's face was now clearly visible and recognizable, Rodolphus Lestrange, wanted fugitive and Death Eater. With a gasp, Percy sprang back up and had his wand pointed at the man.

"I wouldn't advise that if I were you. This room has an anti-apparation charm that I placed on it as soon as you arrived and there are people waiting outside every door. You would never get out of here alive." Lestrange was perfectly calm.

"Why did you bring me here?" Percy demanded, "What do you want?"

"To make you an offer."

"What makes you think I'd accept an offer from you?" Percy snarled. "What makes you think I would want to anything to do with you? My family has fought against you. My uncles…."

"From what I hear you're estranged from your family." Lestrange cut it smoothly.

"Yes… but."

"Tell me, Percy. What are you going to do next?" Lestrange peered at him, "Your family and the Ministry have both turned their backs on you…"

"My family didn't turn it's back on me." Percy sat heavily in one of the chairs, suddenly weary again "I turned my back on them." He hesitated then put his wand away; "I'm guessing this isn't going to do me much good anyway." He muttered.

"Your family didn't turn it's back on you?" Lestrange looked at him, seemingly surprised, "Are you quite sure about that?

"Of course I'm sure; I'm the one who walked out…" Percy's voice trailed uncertainly as, despite himself, he started to remember; the twins pushing him in that pyramid, his father assuming that Percy was only being hired to spy on them, being shoved out of the way… being made the point of so many jokes and pranks. He tried desperately to push these thoughts away but they kept coming… being humiliated time after time by his brothers…. and even Ginny as she got older. He bitterly admitted to himself that he had been apart from his family for a very long time.

"We know what you want, Percy. Your family has never been very… influential," Lestrange said delicately, "You want power, you want authority, you want to be respected. There's nothing wrong with that. You were beaten today, you don't have to let that happen again. Percy the truth is that your father's lack of ambition and love of muggles has time and time again kept him from achieving power, or even advancement within the ministry." Lestrange looked at him steadily, "I'm sure that you don't want to make the same mistake and end up like him."

Percy made a little choked sound as he stared at Lestrange. He was beginning to feel lightheaded again. It was eerie to hear the things that he had always thought being spoken aloud by this man.

"We'll give you power, Percy." He was whispering now, his eyes glinting in the firelight as he leaned close, "Power beyond your wildest dreams, enough to make them all pay for what they've done to you." He stood up and offered his hand to Percy. "Join us."

Numbly Percy looked at the hand. He knew that to refuse meant death. Even as a part of him readied himself to refuse and accept his fate another part of him awakened. Dreams slowly beat down by the drudgery of his work and then killed by Fudge's betrayal blossomed. He imagined himself standing tall, walking among wizards who whispered with respect and awe at his presence. He wanted what all the Weasley children did, to stand tall, apart from the rest of the family, to be the best of them all.

His family. Percy felt the familiar embarrassment flood him, but now he felt his heart hardening in anger. They were the ones who betrayed him, who teased him and drove him away! They had never accepted him, never wanted him. Fury clenched his stomach and gripped his heart, the bloody Order! Bloody Dumbledore… They were the ones really responsible.

Suddenly he knew what he was going to do, what he now realized he was going to do all along. Slowly and deliberately he stood up and matched the man in front of him, cool gaze meeting cool gaze. "Sure," he said, "why not?"

A/N: I have to confess that a Star Wars novel titled "Traitor" by Mathew Stover directly inspired Percy's last line here. It is a wonderful book and I heartily recommend it, you'd probably have to read the rest of the series to understand it, but this book does have some wonderful philosophical ideas…But I digress. The point is that when I originally wrote this chapter I subconsciously copied it, but it fits so perfectly that I can't bear to write it any other way… so I hope you will all forgive me. (Actually if you've read that book you might have a hint to how this is all going to turn out.)

Actually as long as I'm admitting things I feel I must confess that I have read a lot of Percy fan fiction and many of those stories has inspired this piece, or at least set my mind on the right road to come up with this story. One of my favorite fan fiction authors that probably inspired me the most is Miss Piratess. Every one of you reading this should immediately (after leaving me a review ;) go read some of her stuff. It's great.

Well enough of my rambling… on to my responses….

Elena the Eccentric: Yeah… I thought that too. grin that thought was one of the beginning ideas for this story.

FallenShateiel: Thanks! But now I don't have much choice… my muses won't leave me alone if I don't continue this… :D

Miss Piratess: squeals and huggles back I'm so glad you're reading this! I love the tortured Percy angst too… don't worry, there'll be plenty of it to be had here. This fic is practically an excuse to torture the poor boy. grins

AngelicVampiress: Thanks for your review… I'm glad I caught your interest.

Thank you everyone for your reviews! They really mean a lot to me. I'm a bit worried about this chapter; I want what is going on in Percy's mind to be perfectly clear. Let me know if I succeeded.