Falling Steps

AN: I'm rather annoyed… I had this mostly done on my docs app and when i tried to sync to my computer this morning it crashed. You know the worst bit about a good dream? When you try and write it down and for some reason you just can't get it right a second time.

All the best, Kait.

Mundungus' eyes kept darting between the three of them. Hermione felt ill. It had been much easier to think Dung had died with Mad Eye than it was to know he had in fact lived and survived the ordeal, only to have splinched off his arm below the elbow. She would be the first to admit she had made changes to the timeline but always it had been with the attempt to do no harm. And yet, here was the fruits of her labors-a half crazed man who had been brought into their hideout-is he still friend or is he foe now, she wondered, staring at the scene.

"Why didn't you come back to the Burrow after the accident?" Harry asked, his words anchoring Hermione to that present moment, her eyes darting from the missing hand to Harry's expression. Calm and collected. What she usually was.

"Why do you think?" Dung asked harshly, rocking back in his seat. "I got away; Mad Eye didn't. Doesn't look too good when the lion's been killed and the snake survives."

"But it wasn't your fault, was it?" Ron interrupted, leaning forward on the table. " I mean-" he looked to Harry and then herself, "If it wasn't your fault, you'd have no reason to be avoiding the Order-who knows maybe they could have-"

Hermione knew what he was trying to say. If he had come to the Burrow anyway, if he had come to the group, it wouldn't have looked as though he was the traitor. Maybe they would have been able to save his hand somehow.

"I'm just as well off being a ghost," Dung sneered, all four legs of his chair crashing to the ground. "Enemy can't hunt you if they think you're dead. Can't get looped into anymore suicide missions with the Order if they think you're dead. I can just live on the underbelly of London in peace until they finish each other off."

"So that is then? You're just going to sit out the war and do nothing?" Hermione asked, her words hot, "Dumbledore trusted you, that's why he let you in the Order and-"

"Dumbledore's dead love," Dung interrupted, his voice clipped and quick " Yous saw the body same as I did. He's dead and the rest of the Order might as well be with the way things are going now. Ifs I were you I'd do the same thing. Fake your death and carry on somewhere else."

"Did you do it on purpose then?" Harry asked, standing up from the chair, his hand in a fist. He didn't move towards Dung but Hermione felt he had the sudden urge to strike him.

"Do you think I'd just give m'hand for dramatic effect?" Dung spat, "Nah. I tried to apparate and couldn't. I kept trying and finally do as Mad Eye tumbles off the broom. When I realized I'd been splinched I tried to go back but couldn't find m'hand in the dark. After that I did the same thing I always do-found an opportunity and take it."

"We wanted to ask you about something else you took," Harry said, looking over Dung's head to the House Elf that stood behind his chair. Kreature made what Hermione thought was an attempt to smile. It looked more like a threatening grimace Bellatrix would have taught him.

"When you were here last, you nicked a lot of Sirius' old things-"

"We talked about that boy-it was-"

"One of those things you took was a locket, Silver with an S on it" Harry continued on, "We need to know where you put it or who you sold it too."

Dung looked up at Harry in such a way Hermione could hardly recognize him. The last month had taken the loveable thief as Fred and George had called him and turned him to an bitter shell. He had always been friendly to Harry, perhaps liked having him close so he'd miss certain Black Transactions. But that man was gone and Hermione wasn't sure what to expect.

" I sell a lot of trinkets boy, can't expect me to remember all of them."

Harry looked over again to Kreature who made a step towards the fire place and the poker stand. Hermione lurched forward, here eyes on Harry, her hand reaching for his. "Harry no-"

Dung was also paying attention to the scene; and suddenly the shell seemed to crack and she saw Dung's self preservation shine through, the reflection of the poker shining in his eyes. "Lucky for yous I remember that trinket," he said quickly, the words tripping over each other as he tried to spit them out. "The S was made out of emeralds right, chain and charm clear of tarnish?"

Kreature, sadly, turned around, his back to the poker and the fireplace.

"Who has it now?"

"That Frog Face lady that works for the Ministry," Dung answered, his face twisted sour at the memory, "You know, the one who taught you lot a couple years ago. Bleeding gave it to her to avoid charges."

Ron groaned, leaning down and placed his head on the table, his hands laced over his neck as though he was bracing for a crash. Harry looked over to her with a face of dread and she nodded, knowing one of them needed to say it. "Umbridge has the locket," she said as a statement more than a question. "She has it and we need to get it."

The crackling from the fire was the only thing that told her this was real, that they weren't just locked in a dream. Harry's mouth was pinched shut, his expression grave and gaunt. She knew he was trying to think up a plan, but each seemed less likely than the last.

"Do I get payment for my little tip?" Dung asked, breaking the silence, "Informants give more when they're getting something in return."

Hermione stood up quickly, ruffling through her purple bag. Harry looked up and shot her a quizzical look, as though he was surprised she was going to give in that easy. But before anyone could answer drew her wand and bellowed "Obliviate"

"Bloody Hell," Ron swore, looking at Dung who now had a peaceful expression on his face as he closed his eyes in sleep, "Hermione what the-"

"He knows where we are and that we're going to be looking for Umbridge," she said quickly, putting her wand away, "I don't know about you, but he didn't exactly give me warm fuzzies and a promise of protection-I don't want anyone know we're hiding here, least of all someone who could sell us out to the enemy out of bitterness."

Hermione looked to the elf who was gazing at her with contemplative awe. "Kreature, can you please return Dung to his hideaway? I don't want him here when he wakes up or we'll have to do this all over again."

"Certainly Misses," Kreature said with another grimace smile. Hermione turned back to Harry and Ron, reaching for Harry's hand, she squeezed it and said, "Now, let's come up with a plan to get that locket."

((*))

Fred straightened up his tie as he walked out of the Ministry Loo-gates. It was early in the morning and the Ministry of Magic was already operating at a steady hum with each new flush sending a flustered employee through it gates, some having to stop and syphon off water from their lower trousers.

He walked towards the map just to confirm he needed to head to Level 1. Dad had told him Percy now worked on the Minister's floor with the rest of the Support Staff. Fred tightened his grip on the plotted plant and headed towards the elevator's doors.

In full honesty, Fred was at the Ministry today because he thought there was the faintest chance they would also be here. When he had gone through her journal for the umpteenth time after the Lupin revelation, he found there was a note not long after the wedding. It wasn't detailed, or near as fleshed out as some of her other entries. It simply read "Ministry of Magic-Locket-Cattermoles-Mafalda." He wondered if this had anything to do with the locket she had written about in relations to Umbridge in the Hospital Wing, but it was as good a guess as any. They weren't coming to the Ministry of Magic for some measly trinket-this had to be something special-something he could help with.

As for the Cattermoles, Fred had kept an eye on the lists of Witches and Wizards listed in the Prophet who were scheduled to meet with the Muggleborn Registry and this morning he saw that a certain Mary Cattermole was scheduled for such an appointment. Who this poor Mary was, and what she had to do with the mysterious locket Fred wasn't sure yet. If they weren't letting Remus join them in the hunt, he doubted they'd adopt a stranger, so perhaps she did have something to do with the locket, or the quest Dumbledore had left them.

Fred didn't know what Mafalda Hopkirk had to do with any of the other things, but he knew her office was directly above Percy so it wouldn't hurt to pop in and see her. Besides, she was the one he usually worked with in regards to joke shop products and getting licencing for the seasonal lines. If anything he could just pop in, see if she was alright meeting later in the week, and pop out to continue his oddball mission.

There was a chance, he wasn't sure how slim or how far reaching, but there was a chance at least one of them would be at the Ministry today. And if they were, Fred was convinced they'd need him for something or another. Because if he knew those three, they'd be doing something reckless-which just happened to be his specialty.

But there was another reason he wanted to be here today. He wanted to see her again. He didn't know what he would say-he wasn't quite sure what could be said-but just to see that she was doing alright. To hear her tell him things were under control. Maybe brainstorm, fill in gaps from the journal-he had no idea what the note about Malfoy Manor next spring was about, she hadn't left much there-Just that they were there over Easter.

Selfishly, he wanted the reassurance that only ever seemed to come from Hermione Granger. And he hoped that perhaps he could give her some reassurance too. That he was still frustrated, still angry she had lied-but that he still had feelings for her. That as complicated as everything was, he couldn't deny her safety and happiness were still at the top of his concerns.

It was a lot to put in an impromptu rendezvous at the Ministry of Magic.

But he had been lucky at coming up with a reason to be there.

It all started with the idea to put a plant with the prat.

Percy's Birthday had come and went a few weeks ago. Aside from Mum keeping to herself most the day, it had gone without any celebration or proper observance, as the guest of Honor continued his now three year streak of avoiding the family. But he and George had been brainstorming with Ogden's Firewhiskey a few weeks ago and thought that perhaps they were under utilizing the expendable ears. They had turned one into a transmitter that would send a recording to the shop. The ear itself could be transformed and easily camouflaged; so long as the cloaking device worked, no one would know the better.

So the little plant, disguised to resemble a sprig of Baby Bunny Belly his mother kept in the garden, was actually a transmitter that Fred hoped would give them some idea of what exactly was going. Percy may not be the hot shot in the Ministry he thought he was, but he was on the first floor and perhaps he would overhear something that could be useful for the Order. Especially in regards to the Muggleborn Registration Commission. They hadn't heard much other than what was told in the Daily Prophet; Muggles came in for interviews regarding their abilities. Some had been arrested, but usually with charges fabricated and unrelated to their blood status.

He had a pretty good idea what was happening just from interacting with Hermione the last year, she had let a good bit slip. The Order figured they'd have either incarcerated or otherwise remove all of the British Muggleborn population by Christmas. Who will they go after that, he wondered, who will need the passports next?

So, squeezing the plant close, he was hoping Percy could fill in the blanks.

"Level 1, Minister of Magic and Support Staff" a dreamy voice said as Fred stepped off and entered the offices.

The various support offices lined the hall leading to the Minister's Council Room. Three from the council room itself, located on the left Fred saw the golden letters etched on glass, "Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic" with " Percy Ignatius Weasley" written in the same golden font under it.

Fred sighed, hoping hope against hope his brother wasn't behind the door, and entered.

The Office was empty. There was a small reception area that was kept very much to Percy's liking. The seating was neat and there was a selection of dry books sitting on a book case against the wall. Directly in front of the door was a desk where a witch with brown curls sat typing away.

"Oh, hello," she said as she realized someone had come in, looking up with a smile. She took off her own horn rimmed glasses and Fred noticed how she had lovely blue eyes that seemed to sparkle when she talked. Fred hadn't guessed Percy would be one to choose an attractive receptionist. He looked down and saw a name, Audrey Woodman etched on a plate in front of the desk. "Can I help you?" she asked, still smiling.

"I was wondering if I could see Percy?" Fred smiled, "I-er, Missed him on his birthday and told my mum I was going to stop by and she wanted me to drop off his gift."

Audrey looked at the plant and then up at Fred quizzically. He wasn't sure if it was something he said but again, a smile flashed.

"You're his brother," she beamed, as though she thought this was the best thing she'd learn all day. "I can see the resemblance, the hair naturally but," she stopped as though she had already said too much. She looked at the door behind her desk and the slightest shadow of a frown appeared. "He's down in the courtrooms today I'm afraid, I don't think he'll be back again till lunch-"

"Oh no worries, figured as much," Fred shrugged, his eyes resting on the door. "Busy lad our Percy. Would there be any way I could just drop this off for him? Let it be a surprise?"

Audrey grinned and Fred wondered if she had any other emotion. "That would be lovely, I'm sure he'd be thrilled." She got up quickly and walked to the door unlocking it and allowing Fred in.

The Office was similar to the front. A neat, orderly desk sat at its center. An in and out tray sat on opposite corners. On Percy's desk there was a jar of uniform quills, a bottle of emerald and black ink. There was one photograph in a small, golden frame of their mother, who raised her eyebrow at the sight of him. This caught Fred off guard, he hadn't expected to see any trace of the family in Percy's inner sanctum. He put the plant in the "In" Tray, a trendle of the fern falling directly in front of Mrs. Weasley's face. Fred raised a finger to his lips, looking at mum and winking as he made his way out.

"Thank you Audrey, I appreciate the help," Fred said as he closed the door behind him, "I'll just be on my way-"

"Wait what brother should I say stopped by?" she asked, "He hasn't told me all your names yet, just that there's quite a few of you-"

"Bill," Fred lied, knowing Percy would be less likely to toss it if it came from the eldest. There wasn't a family photograph for her to compare against, and it would only be if Percy launched an inquisition would he learn it was one of the twins.

"Perfect. Thank you again Bill, he will be pleased to see it."

Fred highly doubted Audrey knew anything about the family dynamics because he was sure that regardless of if the plant came from Bill or Fred or even Ginny, there was a good chance it would be in the trash bin by the end of the day.

But it was an excuse to come into the Ministry, he told himself as he waved and walked over to the stairs, climbing up to the next level, Magical Law Enforcement.

The floor was much busier than the one previous. A good amount of ruckus was coming from the Auror Department, but he supposed that was as it should be. Tonks had mentioned there was a bit of division since Scrimgeour's death as not everyone believed the lies Thickness had spread at the wedding. She wasn't sure who was buying into the new regime but had said it had become more important than ever to keep a low profile and personal sympathies close to her chest.

He still had his eyes on the Department when he felt himself walk into a tiny woman with dirty blond hair fanned out like a helmet. "Oh I'm so sorry-" he said, getting up and offering a hand only to realize when the woman's face turned up this was exactly who he was looking for.

"Mafalda! I was hoping I'd see you!" He said with a grin, trying not to read into the look of terror on Mafalda's face. It was as though she was seeing a ghost. Maybe she knows you're not long for this world too, he thought.

"S-Sorry?' Mafalda asked, her voice tight, "Can you make an appointment, I'm afraid-"

"Just really quick," Fred tried, "Won't take more than five minutes. Just wanted to make sure George and I had the green light for some of our winter line items before we submit a supply order."

Mafalda looked again at him and then the office door they stood in front of. "Very well," she seemed to sigh and opened the door, waving past the receptionist as they entered her office.

" I must say Mr Weasley, this is very, irregular," Mafalda huffed, haphazardly walking around the desk as though she was unfamiliar with the room's layout. She looked down and plucked a folder from the top of the "out" trey, skimming its contents before looking up to him. "Please, let me set up something with my secretary, you can come in next week and-"

"It's not about the Winter Line, actually," Fred said, fixing himself to that spot on the floor. He was trying to find a way to fish out of Mafalda any information that could help him find them. He tried sewing any sense together and hoped it would be enough. "I saw your name on the list of people down in the Courtrooms today and-I have a friend, Muggleborn-she's supposed to go before the Registration Commission in the next couple days and she's a bit nervous," Fred lied, trying to read her expression. He had honestly only met Mafalda twice before but she had seemed more together then, not raddled as she was now. "I was wondering if you could give me something to help her not worry?"

It was a lie and he knew it. He was half convinced Mafalda did too. Although she wasn't acting herself, her expressions softened for the slightest moment and then turned bleak, "You should tell your friend to not come in for questioning. But to leave the country and come back when Ministry Policy has changed and there's a new Minister."

Fred stared at Mafalda and he was sure he had seen her expression before, but on a different face. Her brow was knit together and she was biting her lip, like Hermione did when she was thinking hard about something.

Mafalda came back to the moment and looked at Fred, somewhat annoyed. "What are you looking at?"

"You remind me of an old friend, that's all," Fred said stepping back, his hand gripping the chair. No, she wouldn't do something this foolish. She's reckless but not this reckless.

"Friends with quite a few middle aged witches Mr Weasley?" Mafalda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No-but-" That smirk. She had Hermione's smirk, he reached out for her wrist, still unsure of himself. If it wasn't her, he was about to earn a one way ticket to a closed ward in St Mungo's. "What are you thinking?" he asked quietly. She snapped her head away from view, brushing her hair to the side.

He felt his stomach drop, reaching for her hand, "Hermione?"

Mafalda looked at her hand and then up at him. At first shock, and then a glint of rage as she raised her free hand and smacked him atop his head.

"You said you weren't going to meddle," She swore, swotting at him again this time with Mafalda's purse. He dodged it this time, but just barely. "You promised. Not to rush into things, not meddle. Nothing. But after a broken heart," she huffed, breaking her wrist free from his grasp, "What's a broken promise too?"

"What are you thinking?" he asked again, surprised by his own rage. He took her wrist again, tightly, "Hermione they're shipping every Frankie First Year Muggleborns to Azkaban, hell, for you they'd probably have you where ever You-know-bleeding-who's is by dinner time," he fumed, setting his hands square on her shoulders, standing between her and the door."You're leaving. Now."

"I can't! I-" she said, breaking free of his touch, turning around and taking a couple paces before then turning back to face Fred. "Listen. In forty-five minutes, Harry, Ron and I are going to be racing into the atrium, jinxes flying with thirty muggleborns behind us breaking out of here. I don't have time for this Fred."

"Harry and Ron are here?" Fred asked, his eyes drawing wide. "Do you three have a Death Wish or are you all really that barmy?"

"We have to get a locket," Hermione said calmly, "Umbridge has it. So I need you to leave so I can go get it from her. I need you to go home so you're not called in for questioning or something like that. They'd have a field day if they knew you were here when we-"

"Hermione-" Fred said, gingerly walking her way, "Hermione, please. If I help you, perhaps you won't need to show yourselves. I'll go down to the Courtroom with you, make some sob story about wanting to see Percy, you go in swipe the locket and we take as many Muggleborns with us as we can. Say we need them for processing or something like that-they have thirty people we could say another Courtroom opened up."

She glared at him and it didn't matter that Mafalda had icy blue eyes, he recognized that death stare anywhere. "There's too many moving parts Fred. Something could get wrong, one of us could get snatched-"

"Like you said yourself, I'm Fred Weasley. And if I'm good at anything it's breaking things," he sighed, the words stinging as he spoke them, "Especially Breaking out of things."

He watched as her eyes narrowed and she began pacing again. How had he never noticed she paced when she was annoyed? He was having flashbacks to her fifth year where she had been in a constant state of pacing. She stopped so sharply Fred thought perhaps she had tripped. And then she turned around and walked towards him with fury on her heals.

"No," she said firmly, pointing her finger into his chest. "I absolutely forbid it Fred. You promised you wouldn't meddle. You promised you'd be smart. And this is about as close to stupid as you can get."

"This coming from Undesirable Number two," he spat, "Come on. I'm here, let me help-"

"No dammit," she snapped, pushing her finger a little harder in his chest, to the point it actually hurt. "Do you have any idea what the repercussions would be if they saw you were here when we were?" she asked, a mad glint in her eye. "Your family's already being watched, if you're this close to the epicenter they're going to think you were in on it. They'd come and get you."

"I-That's a chance," Fred waffled, taking a step and watching the madness take hold of her, "But I'm in the Order. I said I'd take that chance and-"

"What about George?" she seethed, "What's going to happen to George when his idiot brother gets carted off to Azkaban? Have you gotten a letter from Ginny? The way Hogwarts is this year I wouldn't be surprised if they carted her away too."

Fred could feel his face go flush. "What do you expect me to do, huh? Just walk away and pretend I didn't see you?"

"That's exactly what I need you to do," Hermione said, crossing her arms, "If you ever loved me like you said you did, do this for me now," Fred noticed the slight wobble in her voice, "Dammit Fred, please. Just go. And let me go too."

His words seemed to die in his throat as he looked at her. If you ever loved me-

But what about him? If she had ever loved him, wouldn't she realize she was asking the impossible?

"Good-bye Fred," she said, passing him and walking through the door. He could hear her speaking to the secretary asking to put Fred on the calendar for next week to discuss winter product licensing, and then the door close again to the hall.

Was this what it felt like? Fred wondered, as he stood in the office. He had left her on the dock near the pond. And now she had left him in a Ministry Office as she carried on to complete some mission that could get them killed, or better yet arrested.

When he walked into the Ministry today it was with a near bubbling optimism that they would be in a better place once he saw her. Now, he felt like they had jointly put in one of the final nails in the casket of what had been.

Thirty Muggleborns in forty-five minutes, he thought looking at the clock. She couldn't do that alone. She was good, but not thirty unarmed muggleborns in the heart of the Ministry. She was going to need him.

He blustered through the door, ignoring the secretary who had an appointment card ready for him. He threw open the door and felt the whack that comes from hitting someone. "So sorry," he said, shutting it to realize his unlikely victim was none other than Dolores Umbridge, bent at the knees as Mafalda-Hermione looked on petrified.

"Oh Dolores," Hermione cried, reaching down and lifting Umbridge up, "You must be careful around the doors, people never look anymore do they?" she tutted, throwing Fred a dirty look.

Umbridge looked up to see her attacker and seemed to go pale before she went red in the face. "Mr Weasley, what-" she paused, taking a moment to hold her shoulder, "What is the meaning of this?!"

"I'm afraid Mr Weasley and I had a brief meeting this morning to go over licensing for his shop's winter collection," Hermione sighed, "Very good ideas, there had been a scheduling hiccup so I left him to set up a follow up with my secretary and he must have been in a hurry to get back to his shop and thundered through the door."

"Licensing?" Umbridge said, as though that was the only word she picked up, "Are any of those devil products actually endorsed with a Ministry License?"

" I should be leaving now, Ms. Hopkirk," He said, nodding to Hermione, "Professor," he said with a smirk leaving them as Umbridge went out of her way to loudly advise Hermione to cease all endorsement and licensure of anything pertaining to the Weasleys.

He turned the corner to the stairs and stood behind the wall as he heard their voices disappear towards the lifts. As he heard the gentle ring of the bell and the click of the door, he knew they were on their way down to the courtrooms.

Fred stood there and ran the scenario through his head. Harry, Ron and Hermione had snuck into the Ministry to get this significant, yet ordinary locket from the devil incarnate. In the 30 seconds from Hermione leaving him to Fred throwing the door open, she had found Umbridge.

By Hermione's calculations they had about 40 minutes of Polyjuice left before shit hit the ceiling. He looked at his watch and made a note that 30 minute was probably more accurate, give them a bubble. He had half a mind to go track down the other two- after all, how hard could it be to find two idiots pretending to be people they aren't-but it made much more sense to track down the person who had already found what the mission was searching for.

Cautiously, Fred walked to the elevator and closed the doors before anyone could join him. One thing Hermione had said kept ringing in his ears, what would happen to the family if they found out he had helped them. Using the reflection from the wall of the elevator he raised his wand to his head and dark brown hair replaced the natural red. He pulled out a set of spare specks he kept in his pocket for occasions like this and transfigured a necktie out of string from his pockets. If anyone looked at him close there was a possibility he would be discovered but he was too confident to think that was even remotely a possibility.

The elevator doors stopped the Main Atrium as the courtrooms didn't have lift access, he'd simply take the stairs and come up with a plan along the way. He was half way there when he felt water on his arm and saw he had been run into by bloke who looked as though he was drowning, muttering something or other about setting umbrellas over the cubicle.

Insane place, the Ministry, he thought to himself.

As he descended the stairs, Fred felt the air begin to chill. He could see the occasional puff of breath and he knew exactly what lingered down here. Dementors hovered at the end of the hallway and also at the sides of the door to the Courtroom. Long pew benches lined the walls and each side was stacked with Muggleborns. He knew he didn't have enough passports for all of them. There were a few school aged kids, ones they must have missed-his hand reached for his pocket and sensed the lump would be enough for some of them, just not all of them.

"Excuse me" a man said behind Fred, pushing him out of the way as he approached the doors and entered in. Fred recognized him as Runcorn, someone his dad had warned the family about. Had a knack for making even the oldest Wizarding family appear more Muggleborn. "If it wasn't for the fact everyone knows we're blood traitors, ol'Runcorn would have us in Azkaban by the day's end."

Apparently, that's what he was off to today. For someone else. For the Cattermoles perhaps.

One of the human guards started walking towards Fred. There was no plan, he knew that. He was operating off the cuff. Exactly the type of plan that would anger Hermione the most if she knew.

But he lived for this sort of performance.

"Who are you?" a guard asked, walking towards him. "Did Suzette send you?"

"Yes," Fred lied. He looked down the hallway, the worried, anxious faces of the Muggleborns looking back at him, "Oliver James, just got assigned to the Commission last week from Magical Law Enforcement. Is it-normally this busy?"

The guard looked relieved for him to be there, "Typical day we do 12 cases; but they've been going double time the last week. Mean's we have to be down here with them longer than I'd like."

Fred thought she was shuddering towards the Dementors and not the Muggleborns but he couldn't be quite sure.

"Seemed to be an issue upstairs with the kid's wands," Fred started, looking at the few lining the walls. "Suz wants me to take them up and see if they can shed light on it. Wands aren't Ollivander's, thinks they're fakes," he whispered.

The guard's eyes were wide, "Why wouldn't they just use that as evidence in their tribunal?"

"They want to freak them out first," Fred said, keeping his voice even while he inwardly raged. "Rattle their cages. Besides, maybe we could find out if there's an underground Muggle Wand Buying ring, you know? People selling stolen wands to Muggleborns. We won't be more than twenty minutes," he said with a wink, again hoping the confidence would be enough.

The guard still seemed uncertain but she nodded hesitantly, "Alright, One of them's all nervous chatter, need to get her out of my hair already-" she explained before turning around and facing the students. "Oy, you Puffs and Ravenclaws, come up here," she called. About seven teenagers came forward. The nervous chatter letting out a nervous laugh as she rose.

"Something's wrong with your wands and the security team needs you," she said, "They're all yours Mr. James."

He nodded and lead them up the flight of stairs, silence their surprise companion. Before he reached the atrium he shepherd them into a storage closet and locked the door.

"Is he going to kill us Lou?" a boy asked and older girl his eyes wide, " Is this a trap?"

"No, but you need this to work," Fred said, taking off the glasses, "My names not Oliver, it's Fred. And I'm going to try and get you out of here alright?"

"But we can't leave, we have our appointments-" a younger girl, maybe a third year, started. She reminded him of law abiding Hermione and he smiled. "Not today you don't. Expecto Patronum" his fox darted out of the wand, weaving between the kids legs before turning and facing him. "Tell George I need him to meet me at Caffe Nero across from the Ministry. We have a delivery for Essex."

He turned to the kids "When we get to the Atrium, we are all going to take the loo-gates and head to the Caffe Nero across the street and around the corner," Fred said, "It's not safe for any of you to be here, my friends are going to get you to Beauxbatons, you'll sit through the war there."

"We're going to France?"

"This is mental-"

"You're sure this isn't a trap?" the little boy from earlier asked, his eyes wide as he glanced at his sister.

"Not in the slightest," Fred said, "But we need to move quick. My friend's are going to be breaking through in a moment with some more people from down stairs-but I need you seven to go first," he looked over their faces, finding the oldest of the lot, a girl with long black braids twisted into a bun, "What's your name?"

"Mallory," she said, her eyes not leaving his. He could feel her trying to determine if she could trust him or not. He tried to offer his best, most convincing smile.

"Mallory, I need you to take this group across to Caffe Nero. You'll meet someone with Red Hair who looks just like me, only he's missing his ear. His name is George, give him this," he said, pulling out the DA Galleon Hermione had made them those years ago, "And tell him Fred sent you."

"You're not coming with us?" one of the kids asked, "Lou this is a trap-"

"No it's not," Fred said, running his hand through his hair with mounting frustration, " I told you, my friends need help. I need to get back down to the dungeons and help her. You lot know Harry Potter? It's him. I need to go help him."

The murmurs and mumblings stopped in that instance and Fred recognized in Mallory's eyes that she at least trusted him more than she did five seconds ago.

"Right then," she said, standing a little taller and looking over her young charges, "You heard him, we're going upstairs and we're getting out of here."

Fred looked her way with a smile as he opened the door and returned to the stairs, leading the way to the Atrium.

The room was busier than it had been when Fred first arrived, something he thought would help them in the escape. From where he was standing, he couldn't see anyone guarding the way to the fireplaces or the toilet drops. There were coins to come in but as far as he knew they just had to stand, one by one, in the fireplace and they'd come out in a toilet.

He watched as Mallory and the six other kids head towards their fireplaces, watching, at the ready to come up with a ludicrous excuse if needed. But all seven of them disappeared under his watchful eye, disguised in the mix of witches and wizards still coming in for a day of work.

His mouth was dry. Getting the kids out had been easy. He didn't know if he'd be that lucky a second time with the adults.

But there was a sudden grumble that seemed to come from the underbelly of the Ministry. A slight shake to the floor that made Fred's insides clench. He looked at his watch. The thirty minutes had come and gone. Their hour was nearly spent.

He took his wand and flicked it towards the new statue where the former Magical Brethren had once stood. The marble cracked, and amid the screams coming from the crowd began to list to one side before crashing to the ground, broken rock scattered across the walk ways, a gentle plum of dust settling in the air. A second flick of his wand and the water pipes burst sending a pummeling storm round about them.

Under this chaos, Fred could see Hermione, followed by Runicorn and the confused janitor running up the stairs. Several of the adult Muggleborns at their heels, including one woman who was glued to the arm of the janitor. The Muggleborns rushed to the fireplaces, grabbing floo powder as though it was a lifesaver and throwing it into the fire before blurting out their destinations.

"Stop them!" a voice thundered and Fred could see the gaunt face of Yaxley. Hadn't his father said he was doing something for the Ministry now? Some high position that really served supervising the Muggleborn commission?

"Duck!"Fred yelled to Hermione as he whipped out his wand again and sent a shards of the broken marble towards Yaxley.

Hermione dodged the marble daggers just in time, pushing Runcorn towards a fireplace and reaching for the janitor. It must be Harry and Ron he thought. The woman at the janitor's side didn't seem to understand what was going on, was refusing to leave him, even as Hermione begged her to go fetch her children and leave.

The woman pushed Hermione away before throwing her arms around the janitor and kissing him soundly on the mouth, as his hair grew longer and red.

The broken water lines and blocked path from the statue seemed to be doing its part in keeping the guards and others who would try and block their escape away. But Fred knew it wouldn't be enough if this woman kept hindering their escape.

Yaxley was moving forward and Fred now likewise making strides towards the four misplaced people. He reached into his pocket throwing out two decoy detonators, and a wizard cracker full of Peruvian instant powder. Those were the last of his tricks, they needed to get out, now.

Noise echoed through the atrium as Yaxley was lost in a cloud of the instant powder, lingering like a curtain between them and the dungeons. "That's going to buy you seconds not minutes," he said to the four of them, "I'll take care of the Missus, you three need to leave, now," he said his eyes locking on Hermione's, putting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing it, "Run dammit. And don't you dare stop."

She looked as though she had quite a bit she wanted to say in that moment. The polyjuice was gone. Her face was more tired than it had been when had seen it last, but her eyes still had their spark. That reassurance that even if the two idiots with her didn't realize what was going on, she did. And she had a plan. She still had that fire that made up Hermione Granger.

She nodded, placing her hand over his before breaking away, "Come on," she said, grabbing Harry and Ron's hands, "Let's go-"

"Was that Fred?" he could hear Ron ask in the distance, "How did he know-"

The woman who had been kissing Ron now looked at him confused, whimpering that she needed to go with Reg, who looked more like Ron than her husband. "There has to have been a mistake," she sobbed, " I needed to go with him and get the children."

"Come on, I'll take you home and we can get the kids ready, yeah? Go on a nice long Holiday," he said, striding to the nearest fireplace, "I bet you Reg meets us there-"

But in that moment Fred heard a scream that rooted him to that spot. Yaxley had broken through the powder and stormed the fireplace Hermione, Harry and Ron had gone to. They disappeared suddenly, Yaxley with them, and Fred could only watch in horror as the green floo powder fluttered like dust into the crevices of the empty fireplace.

She was gone, he thought as Mary Cattermole shouted her home address in his ear, green flames swallowing them up. She was gone, and so was Yaxley.

AN:

Again, sorry for the delay. I recently changed sites for work and while I really like my new one it tends to be a bit more time consuming and I'm unable to write as often as I'd like.

So they're reunited (for five minutes) and it's still complicated. I promise this won't be the last time they cross paths before the Last Battle, still plenty of time there. I will say expect to see more of Fred and George's War Efforts in the coming chapters...and while Fred see's that reassurance Hermione has, our poor girl has more bumps in the road ahead of her and she is going to find all too soon, some secrets can't be kepts.

I am going to try my damndest to get the next chapter out next month, if not sooner. Thank you for all the love this peice gets. I feel like a PBS commercial, but it really is readers like you, who give feedback and encouragement that makes my heart soar. I could not have reached this point in my story without you so please, clap yourself on the back and hear me say "Thank You."

Until we meet again,

Kait