Percy was wrong. Two incidences - two visits - would, unfortunately, bring Penelope back into his mind in the next few years.
Magical Britain fell deeper in to turmoil as Voldemort increased his influence. As summer turned to autumn, attacks on both muggles and magical folk increased, as did the frenzied response from the Ministry of Magic. Percy, like most ministry employees, could feel the strain building palpably but could only hope to lie low. He maintained the the same solitary routine he always had - go to work, be cautious of his surroundings, stay out of the line of fire, avoid any possible run-ins with the family - and told himself that the Ministry had things under control. That he himself would be watchful to make sure the Ministry stayed in control. His routine was interrupted on a Tuesday in late October 1996. Percy was on his way into work and picked up a copy the Daily Prophet as he always did, feeling the now-usual frown set into his face as he looked over the front-page headlines of yet another "mysterious" attack - when a name in the bottom left corner caught his eye and sent his heart into his throat. Clearwater.
Penny and her parents, both of whom Percy knew to be Muggle-born, were the latest of families to be attacked by Voldemort. Percy stood with his eyes glued to the Prophet and feet glued to the ground in front of the newspaper stand, as he read about the first muggleborn attack whose victims he personally knew. He almost sighed in relief when he saw there was only one casualty from the onslaught, before it registered in his head. Mrs. Clearwater, found dead by her husband when he arrived home Monday evening, her daughter severely-injured and hiding in the wreckage of their home. Mrs. Clearwater, who had sadly turned him away from their home back when Penny had been refusing to speak to anyone, who had been the one to finally encourage Penny to retake control of her life. Mr. Clearwater, the steady-spoken schoolteacher who called him "lad" and gave Percy much less hassle than Percy had expected as the boyfriend of an only child and daughter. And Penelope, his old sweetheart, whom the paper could only reveal was in St. Mungo's, stable after a night in critical condition. Percy, snapped back into reality as another Prophet-grabber jostled his stationary form, groaned. He knew that, over his ex or not, he needed and wanted to stop by St. Mungo's after work to see for himself that Penny was alright, to make sense of what had happened, and to offer condolences. He only hoped this time, as a friend, Penny would see him.
That evening after Percy had finished his work, he flooed to St. Mungo's before he went back to his flat for dinner. As he passed by the gift shop he almost bought a get-well bouquet of flowers for Penelope, before he remembered the simple muggle daisies that were her favorite and conjured a few. When he walked into her room she was laying facing the opposite wall, but she turned her head and rasped, "Percy! What are you doing here?" when she saw him.
Percy blinked, and tried to hide his shock at how pale she was, how fragile her voice sounded. "I came to see you," he answered, mentally chastising himself for stating the obvious, before continuing, "I was shocked to hear about your family, Penny. I care about you. I'm so sorry." He stammered, uncharacteristically, "I wish I knew what to say in this situation, but it's so utterly bewildering...I'm just glad you are safe now."
"My mum's not," was the reply. There was that bluntness, that Percy wasn't used to hearing from Penelope, that she seemed to be defaulting upon when something bad happened. He wanted to ask what exactly had happened, what the attackers had done, but felt that curiosity was wildly inappropriate and did not know what else to say.
As if Penelope read his mind, she proceeded, "I'm sure you want to know what happened - you're like me, always thinking. I wish I could stop thinking, Perce, because I was there and I hardly know what happened. Mum and I were home, just finishing clearing up after lunch, and all of a sudden it was cold...but in my head, not in the air. And loud, unimaginably loud. Like my mind had been invaded by noise and stabbed with an icicle. I could see the same in mum's eyes, for a split second, and then they were there. Those horrible masks and all, cackling so loudly I though that part was inside my head, too. One of them shot a spell and this hideous smog came out of the end of his wand and I dove, trying to avoid the gas - it was this awful green-purple and smelled like death, Percy - but through it I saw the flash of green light. I couldn't see mum so I hoped it missed, but I just kept dodging and rolling and moving because I knew there would be curses flying at me as well. I don't know how long it went on. It felt like forever, but I guess the Death Eaters must have gotten impatient, because all of a sudden it was quiet outside. Not the noise in my head, or the ice - that was still there - but the noise of the attackers and the smell of the poison smog were gone. I stayed down - the best I could manage was an engorgement charm on a cupboard and I curled my body inside - until dad found us. I hardly remember that part, only a voice that instinct told me was his, and then I woke up here. They say it was only a couple of hours before we were found, and it may have been only minutes that we were truly under Death Eater siege, but every single second I could feel the pounding in my head and the bits of that smog that had seeped into me. Like it was eating up every bit of energy I put into staying alive and staying quiet. I don't know why I'm still here, Percy..."
Percy sat, his eyes sad and lips pursed. He could feel the cloud of sadness hanging over her, turning her normally-thoughtful and analytical mind to sarcasm and melancholy. He wanted to reassure her, to restore a spark of the confidence he had known from her back in their school days, but didn't know how.
"You're here because you have more life to live, Penny," he told her, "You have always been so focused and driven, for as long as I have known you. Fate has truly thrown you through the loop this year, but you fought to stay alive through this attack and you will keep fighting to get better."
Penny's eyes narrowed, Percy couldn't tell whether from tiredness or in disbelief of his words. "I won't be able to do hardly anything. The healers have said that after my treatments I'll have "functional lifestyle capabilities", but they doubt a complete recovery. I'll be able to take care of myself, supposedly, but they don't know whether I will have another five or fifteen or fifty years. What kind of life is that? The poison the Death Eaters used was something the healers are not familiar with, but they say it's altered my organ function so I'll always be physically weaker than I was. They say I should not be working with dangerous substances, which pretty much eliminates my career in preparing potions ingredients. All that to waste. They say my body likely will not support bearing a child...I will never have another chance at that, Percy. They say it may have even damaged my magical core. And I will still be a target, so long as this war is happening. I have lost my vocation, my family, my life as a knew it, yet I am still alive and the more I think about it the less I want to be!"
Unsure of what to say to this, Percy attempted to reach for her hand. He wanted to reach her, to help her, not as a romantic partner but just as a human being. He felt a sense of déjà vu when she withdrew; she curled up further into the hospital bed before their hands touched. Eventually he said his goodbyes and departed, knowing that he still was not wanted in Penelope Clearwater's life. Even as such, he hoped that his old friend would eventually use the mind and spirit he had always admired in her to forge herself a new pathway in life.