Percy hated being undercover, monsters could still smell him from miles away. They stood before the new statue, analyzing it closely. It was a disgrace that wizards think of themselves like this superior being.

He straightened his back and pulled at his tie a bit. His great-grandfather would have loved to see that building stand so proudly. The man wouldn't even have to call his banners because everyone in the ministry is somehow involved in the scheme ever since they 'purified' it.

Percy was undercover as a fairly high-ranked auror, his leather jacket was itching his collar and he cringed. "Let's go, we shouldn't hang around for long." He said and they all walked over to an empty elevator.

"How long did you two say that the potions would last?" Harry uncomfortably asked.

The two looked at each other and Percy tilted his head, "About two hours? I believe, at most four." He answered and Hermione nodded. Before they closed the elevator a man stopped them.

Ponytail started to threaten Ron, or well, Cattermole. Percy frowned at the man, "Why don't we slow it down a bit?" He said sweetly, "We've got enough people to question their status. Besides, my office is being fixed up first. I'll be seeing you down there, on time."

Ponytails looked behind Cattermole to see Percy, his face dropped slightly, "Yes sir."

Percy smiled and clapped Cattermole's shoulder, urging him to close the door. He breathed out in relief as he leant back against the wall. Impersonating someone was easy for him, the hard part was getting to this specific auror.

He had to go out and talk with Hermione's disguise to even learn about his schedule. Ron stepped off, Percy quickly slipped him a thumbs up. Ron was shaking. They continued and the elevator stopped, thanks to Percy's dinner with Mafalda. They've gotten a lot more information about the trials that they have to go through.

"Travers?" Umbridge greeted him, slightly confused. "I see you've decided to join Mafalda down to the trial, aren't you busy?"

"Special orders." Percy replied shortly. He recognized Travers as a death eater who he fought against in the department of Mysteries.

Umbridge hummed happily, a bit curious. He shared a look with Hermione and quickly started straight ahead at Harry as the disguised man looked back at them. He winked and quickly put his poker face on.

They sat down and started questioning Alderton, their breath hitched when they found him guilty. Before Umbdirge could interrogate Mary Cattermole, his anger was eating at him, at how nonchalant Yaxley was acting, lazing around in his chair. Whilst innocent people were taken away to Azkaban.

He banged his fist against his chair and glared at the man. "Sit up straight!" He lectured, he swallowed subtly, "You know who we represent." He said shortly and the death eater with the ponytail sat up straight. Afraid to misrepresent his master.

Hermione quickly fell into action, she smiled at her former headmaster. "Where did you happen to get that locket?" Mafalda asked, "I've been entranced by it since you walked into the elevator."

Umbridge smiled politely, "I'm afraid that they don't sell lockets like mine anymore considering it was a Selwyn family heirloom." She bragged. Percy questioned how she did it in such a polite way.

Mafalda smiled, "I would love for my kids to have a family heirloom. I've been thinking about finding a Grindelwald." She hummed and Percy's eyes subtly widened. He then realized that Hermione was putting a few feelers out.

"Just not that Perseus." Umbridge shook her head, "That boy is a disgrace for the whole family line. Getting in a relationship with that mudblood." She spit out and he watched as Hermione held back a wince. "But that power the boy has," She stared out in front of her. "The pain tolerance, he didn't even wince with the quills that I gave him when Harry Potter was nearly crying ten minutes in!" She exclaimed gleefully.

Now Yaxley was listening closely. Hermione gave him a concerned look, she knew of it but they never really talked about it. Then Harry and Ron walked in, Percy clapped his hand and motioned for Umbridge to continue.

"Right." She said and smiled at the woman out in front of her, she continued to speak. Yaxley leant over to Travers, Percy.

"Now I know why Bellatrix wants him so badly." The man said amused, "Having him as her toy would make all of her torturing fantasies come true."

Percy huffed out a breath in amusement, it was actually a nervous one. "With how much she talks about him…" he trailed off.

"Bloody every meeting, 'If you see Perseus Grindelwald, he's mine.'" He mocked her and Percy heard enough. He looked over at Harry who had gotten his wand out.

"One mustn't tell lies." Harry said and his face started to transform slowly. His breath hitched as he looked over at Hermione and saw it happen as well. Just Ron and him weren't transforming.

"Stupefy!" All hell on earth happened and Percy quickly pushed back Yaxley.

"Stay with Umbridge, our lord wants to have utter control." He ordered and he pulled his wand out and quickly ran after his friends. Yaxley the dutiful death eater nodded and walked over to her.

Soon the dementors were released and they were running away from them. Percy quickly casted his patronum. An otter swam through the light beam and shot back the dark creatures.

Their chests were heaving from the running and Percy found himself getting stared at by everyone else. "You have an otter?" Hermione asked.

He frowned, "Yeah."

"Hermione has an otter as well." Ron said, "How come we didn't see your patronus at DA?" He questioned.

Percy shrugged, "I don't remember practicing the charm with you three, I might've been tutoring the kids." He answered and Mary Cattermole looked like she was going insane. He put a hand on her shaking shoulder.

"We're here to help." He motioned at Ron.

Ron, still disguised as Cattermole, told her to leave the country for her safety. The woman nodded and quickly kissed Ron as he transformed back. Percy frowned as he saw it and the elevator stopped.

"Let's go back." He said and they disappeared with a crack.

—

The polyjuice quickly worked out for him and Ron. He immediately walked over to Hermione and pulled her in for a hug. He knows how much the word 'mudblood' has an effect on her. The girl smiled and hugged him back.

"It's fine." She said quietly and they turned back to look at the locket in her hand. "What are we going to do with it?"

Percy took in a breath and his ears perked up as he heard scratches against the door. Slowly he walked over, wand in his hand and he opened it. A dog came running in and at Harry.

"Sirius?" Harry questioned and squatted down to look at the dog. "Have you been in this shape since the wedding?"

The dog whined and Percy held his wand out. He used the reversal spell on the animagus and blue light came off of his wand. Slowly but surely the dog turned into Sirius Black.

The man looked like he was in rough shape and Percy gagged at the spell, quickly summoning water around his mouth. Not wanting to smell it at all. "Oh god, Sirius." Percy said. "I'm drawing a bath up for you in the guest room."

Percy quickly walked up the stairs.

—

They were outside in some forest where nobody went. It had been a shared idea to do so because Sirius was at his home, recovering from being an animagus for a complete month without transformation.

They had their huge tent where they slept in, Hermione and Percy had a corner while Ron and Harry just slept in their separate corners. Percy watched as they casted spells on the locket.

He had already tried to pry it open with his sword but was surprised that it didn't work. He looked over at Harry, panting over the locket, he supposes that it is from all the anger he was feeling. "Harry." He called out.

Wild eyes turned to face him. "Let's take a break." Percy said calmly.

"A break?!" He exclaimed, "How can I take a break when people are being sentenced to Azkaban, when innocents are being murdered!"

Percy clenched his jaw, "I don't like the idea either, but you need a clear head to think." He said with a no nonsense voice. He held his thermoflask out for him, "Drink some tea and regather your thoughts." He said.

Harry looked at the locket, dejectedly before he picked it up and put it around his neck. The Chosen One walked over with his feet dragging over the floor. Percy huffed out a breath and handed over the thermoflask.

He could feel the tensions getting high, but for some reason he didn't feel the same desperation that Harry feels, nor the hopelessness that Ron felt. The only person that was in a better mood was Hermione.

They laid on the small bed together, Hermione with her head in his neck and his arms around her waist, keeping her close. "How are you feeling?" He asked quietly. The tension caused arguments and he knows Hermione likes to keep it peaceful.

He could feel her frown, "I don't know." She said, "I don't like the way everything is going." She whispered.

Percy started rubbing her back in circles, "We have no clue where to start." He whispered back.

"None." She replied, "It's getting to everyone's head."

"Not yours." Percy hummed.

"I-" She faltered a bit, "I think I was a bit more prepared with how taxing this all could be." She answered. "But you weren't letting it get to your head either."

"I've been in two wars, this'll be my third." He said and let out a breath, "I have built some type of resistance to the stress."

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Of what?"

"Of what this war could take from us, lives."

Percy sucked in a breath and let out a shuddering one, "That's all I could think about." The second titan war went through his head, "I've lost a great deal of people, Hermione. I could barely cope already as it is. I can't imagine losing you."

She pressed a kiss against his shoulder and buried her head back into his neck.

"War takes a lot from everyone." Percy said quietly, "You won't be the same person that you are now than after the war."

"Right now I like to be in the moment." Hermione said, he reached over and wiped away a stray tear.

"Then let's stay in the moment." He said and closed his eyes. The warmth from Hermione pressed against him and the chirping of all the animals outside. His breath evened out and he fell asleep.

—

Percy was nearing the edge, he was paranoid. After he fell asleep in the tent, death eaters had found them alongside Bellatrix. The woman had gone manic in glee when she saw Percy.

He had done some damage to the other death eaters before he was hit with a curse from her side. She must've been desperate for a distraction.

She had crushed him with an unforgivable, the torture curse. White-hot knives then pierced his skin and he had screamed out in pain. When Hermione was getting closer to Bellatrix, the woman saw and shouted at her fellow death eaters.

With the last curse flung at him, they quickly apparated away.

Percy was still laying on the ground, bleeding out as Hermione was putting whatever left over of medical potions on him while the rest was scrambling around to gather their things. It was something so done in panic that Percy had passed out from the bloodloss.

The next thing he knows they were by the beach, setting up camp. Hermione had ordered for Harry and Ron to drag him over to the water. His wounds had worsened from the apparating but it was still deemed as manageable on demigod standards.

The ocean healed him up quite a bit but he still needed to wear his bandage around his chest and he was forced to rest. Hermione kept pushing him back in bed if he even tried to reach for something.

He sat out in the water, staring ahead of him wondering if giving up his invulnerability was the best option he had ever made.

"I need him to turn off that damn radio." Harry seethed through his teeth and Percy stopped paying attention to the crashing waves. His head turned to the sound of an angry Harry.

"He won't turn it off." Hermione argued back.

"What is he going to hear, good news?" Harry exclaimed.

Hermione continued to argue with Potter. "He doesn't want to hear any bad news, Harry."

"How long before we can travel?" Harry ignored. Percy moved to stand up but winced as he did so. Magical medical care was great and all, but sometimes he would prefer to worry about not ripping any stitches rather than having to make a whole healing and stamina potion like his girlfriend was.

Percy was walking over, grunting silently as he watched Harry huff and looked away from Hermione. "I'm doing the best I can." Hermione replied.

"Well, you're not doing enough!" Harry shouted and Percy took out his wand. How dare the boy say that while he was just casting the same spells over and over at the locket rather than think about his sessions with Dumbledore. Hermione was making two different potions at the same time, she was taking care of them all and she took care of Percy.

"Take it off." Hermione said, calmly. She repeated herself and Harry took it off. She finally saw Percy walking towards them. Her eyes widened and she jogged over to him, "What are you doing?" She questioned and stopped him.

"He can't just-" Hermione looked at him and he stopped talking. He clenched his jaw and glared over at Harry.

"It's the locket." Hermione said quietly, "I'm not sure yet." She answered. "You're bleeding again." She led him inside and he looked down at his bled-through grey shirt.

"Oh." He said under his breath. The radio was getting louder now and Ron looked up, looked at Percy and then back down. She took his shirt off and took off the bandages. The wounds weren't healing all too well.

"You're going to get an infection." She muttered, her eyebrows frowning in concern.

"I've asked Sirius to send my ambrosia and nectar." He said quietly, trying to listen to the names they were listing on the radio. His heart went out to the missing wizards. "I hope that he'll send an owl back."

"Still." Hermione shook her head and walked over to the bucket with water. She gently pressed a soaked towel against his abdominal region where the wounds are.

He leant his head back and took in a sharp breath, "I'm fine with it if it scars, love." He said, "Just more to add to my list."

Hermione took in a shuddering breath now. "I need to tend to my potions." She said and swiftly stood up. She was quick to leave the tent to Percy and Ron.

"She doesn't like the thought of anyone hurt." Ron said quietly as he tinkered with the radio. "Especially not you."

"But I'll be fine." Percy argued.

"In her eyes, you won't." Ron said and continued to play around with the radio.

A/N: I've been getting my migraines again, so slow updates! Very slow because I can barely look at a screen :)