I do hereby disclaim ownership of harry potter and the characters there in.

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Percy sat staring moodily into a glass of scotch. He was at The Sea Witch, a seamy pub in Worthing. It had been six months since the events that had driven him to his current location. Six months since that morning in June when he had arisen to the elated head of the minister of magic in his bedroom fireplace. Six months since he had resigned his post as junior undersecretary to the minister. Six months since he had felt anything but sheer unadulterated shame.

"Never figured you for this type o' place." Said a gravely voice behind him.

Percy turned and saw the grinning face of Eddie Dawlish.

"Thought you'd be more of a crumpets and tea kind of fellow." He continued.

"Go away Dawlish." Muttered Percy but without much feeling.

"Not much for manners either are we?" asked Dawlish complacently pulling up a chair.

Percy sighed. "What do you want Dawlish?" he asked bitterly.

"Got to talk to you." Said Dawlish in a low voice.

"So talk." Said Percy indifferently.

"Not here." He rose and glanced around furtively. "Follow me." He continued in the same hushed tone.

Percy rolled his eyes but complied.

They went into a small room at the very back of the pub. No sooner had the door closed than Dawlish swung around and hit Percy hard in the face. Percy went sprawling to the floor and his glasses flew to the other side of the room.

"You little shit!" hissed Dawlish furiously. "Did you really think that you would get away with it?"

Percy struggled to sit up. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked genuinely surprised.

Dawlish gave him a sharp kick in the side.

Percy groaned.

"You stole from me you good for nothing nancy!" raged Dawlish in undertones so as not to be overheard. "You tell me where they are or I'll kill you right now, I swear it!"

Percy was struggling to get his breath. "I…don't know…what …you're…talking about…" he gasped out. He rolled to the side narrowly avoiding Dawlish's foot.

"I'm talking about the Dorchester files!" hissed Dawlish. "You had us all fooled, thought you were Fudge's little pet. Little did we know that you were stealing top secret government files!"

Percy's mind was reeling. How was he going to get out of this?

"I took the papers..." he gasped out. Dawlish gave a low growl. "I took them because Scrimgeor told me too!"

Dawlish stopped short from the blow he'd been about to deliever.

"What did you say?" he asked dangerously.

Percy hurried to continue.

"It was the month before he left. Scrimgeor told me to take the papers and store them in a safe place and not to tell anyone…including him where I'd put them!"

"Why?" asked Dawlish, clearly not believing him.

"He told me that people would use them to spread anti-ministry propaganda and get him thrown out of office. He needed it to be absolutely secret. When he gave them to me they were magically sealed, I don't even know what they are!" he cried desperately.

Dawlish moved in again but Percy shouted for him to wait.

"Just check with Scrimgeor!" he pleaded. "Please, he'll corroborate my story…just check with him!"

Dawlish nodded but put one food roughly on Percy's chest so that he could not move. Dawlish pulled a small silver disc out of his pocket and muttered something under his breath. Percy knew that it was a communicator that put him in direct contact with his superior. He also knew it required concentration to work properly. He waited until Dawlish was fiddling with the dial on the rim and suddenly pulled his wand out and cried, "Stupefy!"

Dawlish flew back and hit a table sending it crashing on its side. Percy did not hesitate to shout "Expelliarmus!" but missed catching the wand because he could not see without his glasses. Dawlish was not knocked out; Percy had not expected him to be. Dawlish always wore a protective shield under his clothes to guard against stunning spells. He continued to hold his wand out to Dawlish's general direction.

"That was a big mistake boy!" shouted Dawlish. "I'm going to have you destroyed! I'm going to make you…!"

But Percy did not find out what it was that Dawlish was going to make him do as soon as his summoned glasses flew into his hand he disaperated.

Two hours later a young red haired man emerged from a store on a London street. He was dressed in gray pants with a navy blue blazer and a black and red striped tie and a black overcoat. He was carrying a small black briefcase.

He hurried through the busy streets head down, oblivious to everyone around him.

I have to get out of England was the thought pounding in his head as he began to cross the street.

He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice the light hadn't turned yet. He looked up and saw the car.

In the ensuing chaos no one noticed that the man's briefcase had flown open…and that a polished stick of wood had rolled away into the rushing gutter.

Percy woke up with a pounding headache. He slowly opened his eyes. The room was blurry. Percy instinctively reached next to him for his glasses. Instead of his nightstand his arm hit a metal bar. Squinting Percy tried to sit up but lay back immediately with a groan.

"Are you alright?" asked a feminine voice in concern.

"Where are m' glasses?" rasped Percy.

There was a slight pause. "I'm afraid they got broken." She told him

"Then fix them!" grumbled Percy. "What happened? Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in the hospital," the voice told him. "You were in an accident."

An accident? Thought Percy panicked. Was Dawlish making good on his threats already?

Percy struggled to rise.

"Where's my wand?" he demanded.

"Your what?" asked the voice anxiously.

"My wand woman! My Wand! Device used to concentrate magic and perform spells! Where is it?" he shouted furiously. He had to get out of there! If Dawlish was following through then St. Mungo's was the easiest place in the world to find him.

He was finding it extremely difficult to move. He realized that his leg was suspended in the air, and that the more he moved the more it hurt. He was also aware of a sharp pain around his rib cage, and significantly in his back.

"Where are my glasses? Let me up!" he ordered.

He continued to struggle and heard the woman with him calling for help. There were more voices and hand holding him down. Then there was the faint feeling of something entering his arm and then blackness…

The next time Percy woke up it was dark in the room. His head was no longer hurting, but it was cloudy making it difficult to think. His leg was still suspended and he found it difficult to move at all. He took several deep breaths. His throat was sore.

Alright Percy, wake up! He told himself firmly. He had a sudden flashback to the summer after his third year. He had been vacationing with his family in Wales. While out with his brothers in the surrounding fields he had walked into a patch of dragon's bane, a plant which addled a wizards brain and made him want to sleep. Charlie and Bill had helped him walk back to the house to get the antidote. With dragon's bane it is crucial that you don't go to sleep or you will never wake up. To keep Percy alert Bill kept asking him arithmancy problems. By having something concrete to do he had been able to keep his head clear enough to stay awake.

Percy took another deep breath and then picked a name at random. Arithmancy….Penelope Clearwater…character number first…P-E-N-E-L-O-P-E-C-L-E-A-R-W-A-T-E-R…7-5-5-5-3-6-7-5-3-3-5-1-9-5-1-2-5-9 added together equals eighty-three…reduce to eleven…reduce to two….I was in London. Percy remembered. I was crossing a street. Heart number…E-E-O-E-E-A-A-E…5-5-6-5-5-1-1-5…added together is thirty-three…there was a car…reduce to six…social number…P-N-L-P-C-L-R-W-T-R…7-5-3-7-3-3-9-5-2-9…I wasn't looking…fifty-three…reduce to eight…it was a muggle accident…not a wizard's accident. This is a muggle hospital…

The shock of this last realization pulled Percy from the remnants of his stupor. He swore quietly. No wonder that woman had been so confused! He had talked about magic to a muggle! That was in direct violation of the International Statute of Secrecy sub-section eight! He could be arrested! Why did these things always happen to him?

Calm down. He told himself. No one knows yet. If I can get out of this hospital without attracting suspicion then know one will ever know. It was true that Percy had already attracted attention, but he had just been through a major accident, perhaps they would let it slide. He settled himself more comfortably as he began his plans for the morning. Before long, his eyes were drooping once more, and he fell asleep thinking about lucky days for a 2…February 11, November 2…