They had mutually decided that avoiding Percy was the best option. With Dumbledore gone, and ignoring Harry, they had no luck in actually doing anything about the Death Eater in the school. The teachers would just chalk it up to paranoia. A 17 year old Death Eater attending Hogwarts? They would laugh. Not to their faces, no, but they would giggle and cackle while their backs were turned.

McGonagall was taken to St. Mungos a few days ago, and now there was no one left to help them. With her out of the castle, Umbridge was just waiting for the right time to strike against them, as hardly any authority figure could stand up to her now. So for now, they kept their head down.

Well, sort of.

Harry whipped his head around, as Umbridge burst into her office, where he had been trying to contact Sirius. She shrieked something, but Harry's heart was pounding too hard for him to hear her. Someone grabbed his arms and yanked them behind his back, forcing him to a chair. Magical restraints appeared, and he wiggled against the bonds. It was no use, he was stuck to the chair.

Umbridge's toad-like face appeared in his vision, and he swallowed, breathing heavily. "You were going to Dumbledore, weren't you?" She asked, the fake sweetness in her voice made Harry sick.

"No." He said firmly, staring into her eyes, trying to keep a sneer off of his face. The sound of the slap rang in his eyes, and vibrated through his cheek, as his head was forced to the side. He heard gasps to the side of him, and he turned back to face the old bat, angry.

Before she could say anything else, Snape entered the room. "You called for me?" He drawled, his monotone voice making him seem bored.

"Snape, yes," Umbride said, dusting her dress off. "Have you brought the Veritaserum?" She smiled thinly.

He raised an eyebrow. "You have used up my stores interrogating students, the last of it on Miss Chang." His eyes didn't leave Umbridge, and he refused to look at Harry. "I cannot help you."

Harry could tell that Umbridge was furious, failing to keep her emotions hidden as she stared at him. Snape turned to walk away, taking a step outside the door. "He's got Padfoot." Harry looked at Snape, more than a little desperate. "He's got Padfoot in the place where it's hidden." He spoke slowly and carefully, making sure to convey the hidden message.

Umbridge stared at Snape.. "What does that mean? Who is Padfoot? What is he talking about Snape?" She demanded.

Snape paused, and slowly turned to look at Harry. "No idea." He drawled, and left the room.

Umbridge huffed, turning back to Harry. Her rage bubbled over, and she no longer had time for pleasantries. She wanted answers. She turned her back to him, and fiddled with the cuffs on her dress. "You leave me no alternative, Potter. The Cruciatus curse ought to loosen your tongue."

"That's illegal." Hermione blurted out, as Umbridge turned around.

"What Cornelius does not know will not hurt him," she said softly, as she placed the framed picture of the Minister face down on her desk. She slowly moved in front of Harry, and stared at him.

Umbridge levelled her wand against Harry, and Harry's heart beat furiously against his chest. He leaned his head back, trying to get away, but refused to shut his eyes. His hands shook as Umbridge paused, about to speak the words.

"Tell her Harry!" Hermione yelled, desperation in her voice. There was a pause in the room, as Umbridge turned her nasty face to her.

"Tell me what?" She questioned, her high-pitched voice giving Harry a headache. Hermione didn't answer right away, and Harry could tell that the gears were spinning inside her mind as she tried to come up with an answer.

"If you don't tell her, I will." Hermione said, confidently. While she stalled, it seemed that she had come up with an answer.

"Tell me what?" Umbridge snapped, piercing Hermione's gaze with her beady eyes.

"Dumbledore's secret weapon."

Percy was training. It was well into the evening, and even though the sun was still shining, the thick trees of the forest made it seem that it was already night time. Percy did two more pushups, before rolling over onto his back to take a break. He was sweating, as the summer heat had finally arrived in Scotland, and he had been working out for a while now.

The sound of a branch breaking filled his ears. He jumped to his feet in a low crouch, his sword in his hand in pen form. His eyes darted around, and he looked for the intruder.

A large centaur came out from behind the trees, holding his hands up in peace. Percy relaxed, and stood up, putting his pen back into his pocket. He was quite friendly with the centaurs, as they were far more civilized than their kind that ran wild in America. They also knew he was a demigod, and not a wizard, and respected him, as they have heard his name whisper across the lands.

"Perseus." Firenze started, bowing his head. Percy returned the gesture. Firenze was always the kindest to him. Although they respected him, he was still a human, and that came with its own set of issues. "The stars and planets are giving us great messages." He said.

Oh, right. Their fortune telling. Percy strongly disliked that, but he approached it with respect. He hated the lack of clarity their messages had.

"They told me that I need to inform you of what has been happening in the forest."

Percy raced through the woods. Twigs and branches snapped at him, scraping across his skin, but he didn't pay it any mind. He leapt over a low-hanging branch, hitting the ground on the other side with a thud. His heart raced as he kept his legs moving. He had no idea how long ago it was, but it was clear that the ball was starting to roll. He had to catch up to Harry and Hermione before it was too late.

Percy skidded to a stop on the dirt, wildly looking around. He saw evidence of a fight: broken branches, trampled grass, and blood covered the ground. But no one was there. He cursed loudly, and looked up to the sky, seeing movement out of the corner of his eye. He blinked, and squinted. Under the setting sun, he saw faint wings flapping, on what seemed to be the body of a horse.

"Thestrals," he whispered. He had first learned of them when he had seen them in the forest, and a centaur nearby had explained what they were, and why he could see them.

He placed two fingers in his mouth, and did the best taxi whistle he could manage. He needed a ride to follow them, and knew that his beloved mare could no doubt keep up. While he waited, he needed to talk to someone. He fumbled in his pocket, finally wrapping his fingers around a gold coin. He pulled it out, and clenched it in his hands.

Percy reached out beside him, feeling the water in the lake nearby. He felt the pull in his gut, and water soon came sprawling towards him. He focused, turning the water into mist, and allowing a dazzling rainbow to appear in front of him, as the sunlight beamed through the water.

"Oh Fleecy, do me a solid," he muttered under his breath. "Show me Albus Dumbledore, Order Headquarters." He said firmly, although he wasn't entirely sure if that was where the man would be. The image wavered, but finally stabilized. Sirius, Dumbledore, and Snape were talking furiously, and even Percy could tell the air seemed tense.

"Harry left the grounds!" He shouted, and heads immediately turned to face him. "I'm following him. I don't know where he's going, but you need to get there."

"The Department of Mysteries." Dumbledore said softly. He seemed exhausted, already, and his face was slumped. The war was taking a toll, and it had hardly begun. But Percy could tell he had the fighting spirit left in him, he just didn't know if that spirit would be enough. "Watch over Harry, and protect him until we can get there." He instructed. Percy nodded, and swiped through the message, ending the call. He heard the familiar drum beat of wings flapping, and he knew that Blackjack had arrived.

"Hey, Blackjack. We've got some urgent business we need to attend to." Percy threw his leg over his trusty companion, and pulled himself on top of his pegasus.

"Yeah, yeah, boss, I heard ya." Blackjack snorted. "Then can we get donuts afterwards?"

Percy chuckled softly, and shook his head. "Let's just get this over with first, then I'll get you some treats." He said, and urged him to the skies. He had to make sure he didn't lose Harry, otherwise his blood would be on his hands.

edit: added actual linebreaks