July 1, 1997

I feared that I had developed a habit at this job of walking in late to insane situations holding coffee. If I had a sickle for each time it happened, I would have two sickles and frankly I should not have any if I was working for a functioning effective government.

I was expecting the usual quietly busy morning but instead there was chaos. All of the department heads were in the office, I quickly noted that Percy's father was not there, quickly picking out his deputy head's distinctive robe collar and matching trim. Somewhere in the center of the mass of people was Scrimgeour's voice, ordering them all to be quiet and stay calm.

Percy? Where was Percy? I glanced at his desk, which sat empty aside from his stuff on the corner of the desk. I saw Umbridge standing off to the side with a smug expression as she had cornered Nobby Clark Senior, the head of accounting who looked desperate to escape whatever conversation she was having with him. I sipped my coffee and made my way over to my desk, my eyes scanning the crowd for a familiar shade of red hair.

"This is madness!"

"How did they get in?"

Was there another Ministry break-in? This place really needed better security. I had a drink of coffee as I stood over my in-tray and examined the contents.

"Dumbledore is dead!"

I froze, the mug resting against my lips as my hand began to shake. The talk I had with the kind, wise old man several months ago ran through my head. He helped me find Alex by somehow getting me in touch with Thalia. Now he was dead?

I put my coffee down and gripped the corner of my desk to stay upright.

"How did the Death Eaters get into Hogwarts?"

"It was Snape! The professor!"

Hogwarts and all magical schools were a kind of fortress of knowledge and protective enchantments. Centuries of knowledge spelled on top of on another to ensure that the students would be protected from harm and enemies who would lay waste to among the most vulnerable members of wix society.

"Is it true Greyback savaged some poor man?"

Wait? Was last night a full moon? I wasn't sure. I never paid it any mind before.

"How do we tighten security to protect the children?"

Maybe actively hunting down your dark wizard problem? Maybe having competent management who know how to do their jobs without having a series of senseless meetings before doing even one useful thing.

I needed someone borderline reasonable to discuss this with. I glanced around for any sign of Percy. His stuff was on his desk, I knew he was here somewhere on the floor. He would not be far away from this mess in case the Minister needed him. Tea. I bet he was making tea, it was too early for Agatha the tea witch to come to our floor.

I stole another look at the crowd of people around the Minister and made sure Umbridge was occupied before leaving the room with my coffee mug in hand.

The hall was both too long and too short to be real. The noise behind me was fading to low murmurs and panicked noises that were occasionally audible and distinctive over the low discussions.

I turned into the break room and found Percy making tea. He was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet with his back to the doorway I was standing in while the office emergency kettle tried to begin to boil on the stove.

"You okay?"

Percy's head nodded, though he did not turn to look at me. I peeked out into the hallway to make sure there was nobody coming before stepping quietly into the break room to do something that I knew was stupid.

When my hand came to rest in the center of Percy's back, it moved in quiet, comforting circles upward where I could brush my fingers over the back of his neck. The tension I could see lessened under my hand.

"Talk to me."

It's a heady thing, to feel someone exist and breathe under my hands. I could feel Percy breathe in slowly before heaving a quiet, heavy sigh.

"I was told this morning that my brother was badly injured at Hogwarts."

"It's not Ron, is it?" From what little Percy had told me about his family, Ron might have been my favorite of the bunch. Also, the one most prone to getting in the thick of situations that were not fit for school children.

I took my hand off his back and pulled out my wand to load the coffee press with a flick of my wand while Percy reached for his steeper and a tin of the fancy tea. Oh, he's bringing out the fancy stuff, that is not a good sign.

"No, for once it's not."

I got my coffee press started and glanced over at Percy's hands, they were shaking as he measured out the tea leaves for the steeper.

"It's Bill. He… The Minister told me…" I could see his lips press together as he collected himself. "He's in the hospital."

"Was he at Hogwarts?"

Percy nodded, "When the Death Eaters broke in, they had Greyback with them-"

An hiss of air was sucked through my clenched teeth. I knew how that story ended. Isolt's panties, Percy looks understandably wrecked!

"Do you want to go see him?" I kept my voice low, barely over a whisper and put my hand on his arm, just under his elbow. "I can handle things here if you want to go."

"I…"

It was rare to see Percy at a loss for words. He seemed genuinely torn about going to see his brother in the hospital and perhaps the rest of the family by proxy. I knew the last encounter had not gone well, maybe this one would be better if there were no vegetables within reach. If it were my sister in the hospital, would I go see her? Yes. I had faced my father already and cleared the air in some ways. I felt I could perhaps ignore Vanessa to tend Annette if the situation was the same, but this conflict Percy had with his family had so many different layers to it that I no longer felt there was anything comparable to my own issues with my own family.

"Is my father here?"

"Hm? No, I didn't see him. His deputy head is here though so I assume he's with your brother."

"I'll stay here then."

I did not ask if he was sure, he sounded full of shaky conviction.

He finished making his tea and squeezed my hand before leaving to return to the office.

I added sugar and creamer to my coffee and took two minutes to sip it in silence as I gathered my thoughts. I would go to Annette, or Alex in that situation, of that I had no question, but facing two people I had angered was a far different animal then facing eight. That was a lot of eyes. A lot of judgment. A lot of witnesses who, I gathered, would not be restrained in their opinions. Jack and Vanessa were manageable, it was easier to hold my tongue around two people then it would be for Percy with his own massive immediate family.

I could not judge Percy for his choices, even if I would make different ones.

Oo0Oo0

July 3, 1997

Attending what was essentially a state funeral was an exercise in nodding and smiling and looking less bereaved than I actually felt. Dumbledore was an astounding loss, it felt like a turning point for this war and not a very favorable one. The Minister had gone to Hogwarts within the first hours of him receiving word of Dumbledore's death, he had arranged to come handle the international aspects of the funeral on behalf of the school with select members of the Ministry at hand. Scrimgeour took Percy with him because he needed an extra pair of hands, leaving me alone with Umbridge to manage the chaos in the Ministry.

It was easy to distract myself.

The grounds of Hogwarts were beautiful. They were lush and green that made me want to lay down and soak in the bits of sunlight coming through the thin layer of clouds. I could see a large, dark lake in the distance where something that appeared to be a… is that a tentacle?

Don't look at the tentacle. Don't think about what is living in that lake with the merpeople.

I could see the castle, looming against the pale blue sky and felt my breath catch. Oh, it was beautiful! The ancient stonework and moss that threatened to climb the outer walls of this old fortress gave it a gentle feel to contrast the piercing height of the towers. A castle that had stood as a monument to education for literal centuries and very much laid bare that Ilvermorney was only around three hundred and fifty years old. An imitation of a building that had stood for a thousand years that had been built by a lonely girl and the family she eventually made there.

Percy had talked enough about Hogwarts that I could match his descriptions with what I was seeing before me. He told me about the general history of the school. I thought the ominous Forbidden Forest was stunning, clearly dangerous, but there was something about it that I found both scary and enticing. It was home to one of the only centaur herds in Britain. I thought I saw a young one peering through the trees with a child sized bow in hand. I stole a glance at Umbridge who was looking at the forest with trepidation and suppressed rage before she turned her attention to the lone centaur in the crowd.

There were more people arriving from where the carriages had been parked nearby, unloading more visitors who had arrived at the Hogsmeade entrance to pay their respects. The carriages were pulled by an animal I had only seen sketched in books. We did not have Thestrals in America, if we did, they were not a native species and were probably in a zoo or something, though the difficulties caring for an animal that could only be seen by those who had seen and accepted death was sure to cause complications in their care.

The Thestrals were beautiful in an ugly way, all bones and pulled taut skin.

I stopped to look at them when I stepped out of the carriage, I was not sure when I would get another chance to do so. The Thestral looked at me with a gentle expression, its white eyes like sun bleached bone as it pressed its nose into my hand for a scratch that made passersby look at me like I had escaped the Spell-Damage Ward at Saint Mungo's.

There were hundreds of chairs set up for visitors and students who had yet to arrive. The students would be coming last, I imagined it was a large affair to get all of the students lined up and assembled for a massive event like this. Dumbledore was not just a headmaster, he was a renowned international figure. I could not imagine being newly in charge of Hogwarts and having to arrange all of this on short notice, though I was sure there was a plan in place for the inevitable event, Dumbledore seemed the type to know his importance in the world, no matter how humble he was on the matter.

I exchanged a quick hello with Cornelius Fudge, who still wore his green bowler hat. I saw no reason to be impolite, he had always been kind to me.

There was Pius Thicknesse, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement with his usual stern expression with a heavy brow that reminded me of a crab peering out from under a rock. I saw him in the Minister's Office a lot giving personal reports on the hunt for Death Eaters and Voldemort. He was a distant sort of man, consumed by his work and all it entailed these days.

I could see Oriana Peregrine, the Head of International Magical Cooperation. She was a slight woman in her late forties with dark hair and eyes. She worked with Elihu a lot and he really had no complaints about her or the people under her who managed the sub departments. She was speaking with Orson Turlington, the Head of Magical Transportation who was leaning on his cane with a grimace.

I turned slightly away from the chatter of the Minister and the other officials to look at the crowd.

I could see Elihu Weathers in his official office regalia, a white stool with the MACUSA emblem on it over black robes. He was speaking with Valencia Talbot who looked grim and contemplative as strands of her short, boyish hair flew in wild directions to escape her attempts to make it look nice for this grim historical event. My cousin Quincy was nearby with Cassandra, both on duty and appearing both polite and stern despite the warm smiles at passersby and Ministry officials who wanted to speak with Elihu. I looked back at Valencia and Elihu for a moment, I was beginning to wonder if they were a little more than friends. I would never ask about it, it was not my business, but I think they would be good for each other if it was something they both wanted. An instinctive need to call people out on being wrong could be a very uniting factor for people. It was always nice to know other people saw the same weird things you did.

There was a head of white hair not far from Elihu speaking with Auror Chief Hanlon and Auror Mankiller alongside an Auror who wore the distinctive emblem of Presidential Protection. I moved slightly behind an exceptionally large woman with a French accent to stay out of my father's line of sight. I gathered her name was Madame Maxime from the conversation she was having with someone who I recognized as the French Minister of Magic.

This was the funeral of the century, I swear.

I made sure to keep someone between my father and I at all times, I did not want to deal with him today.

I turned my attention to the rest of the assembling crowd, the arriving students and professors, clad in black to make them appear like a murder of crows against the green grass of the lawn. The rest of the crowd was beginning to drift towards their seats. I saw Scrimgeour and the small Ministry delegation, including Percy and quietly made my way over when Percy locked eyes with me. I greeted the Minister, feeling less awkward now that I was with people I knew. Scrimgeour paid me no mind, his eyes were skimming the crowd of students and the rest of the crowd.

I looked around as well as seats began to fill, taking in the sight of a man with wrappings over most of his face. I could see the corner of his mouth tighten in pain as a radiantly beautiful blonde woman who spoke encouragement with a heavy French accent helped him into a seat. The man had long hair pulled back in a ponytail and it fully clicked that this was Percy's brother. Phil? No. Will? No. Bill! That was it!

I exhaled through my teeth. Savaged by Fenrir Greyback on a night where there was no full moon. Insanity! I couldn't think of any other case like that. Would he be a full werewolf after this? That was a question for wiser people. I knew Greyback was dangerous, but to attack an adult wizard and take the time to seemingly enjoy the brutality of the process was a staggering implication of how far gone he truly was.

The beautiful blonde woman took the seat next to Bill and put her arm through his and shot a nasty look at someone who had been staring at Bill for too long.

I could feel Percy tense next to me as he stole a look at his brother before turning away. I did not imagine he wanted to open the door to his family right now.

A low growing chorus of whispers from the flock of Ministry workers caught my attention. I whipped around as the name Harry Potter crossed an old woman's lips.

A child could not look the part of a supposed chosen one. Harry Potter had, I didn't want to say he looked boyish, his wild black hair and clear expression made him look both older and younger than sixteen, but there was something burdensome on his shoulders that seemed to be more than grief that made him look like a man. Expectation seems accurate, the expectation of others to be their savior now that Dumbledore is gone, but children should never feel that way.

Some part of me wanted to ask about it. If he believed in this prophecy the way the rest of Britain did? Did he have the power to kill Voldemort? A warlock of such power that people feared to even speak his name long after he was defeated for a time by an infant.

Another, more roguish, part of me wanted to ask if it was true he could speak with snakes the way I could, but all of these questions were for another time in another place, not to be posed to a clearly grieving, burdened boy.

Someday, maybe, if the opportunity ever came.

A mane of red hair moving next to Harry Potter caught my attention. It was a similar enough shade to Percy's that I knew exactly who had just wandered into my view. That was without a doubt Percy's sister. She was a pretty girl, slightly built and a bit on the short side with freckled cheeks and seemed prone to a bright countenance in other circumstances. Nearby was an exceptionally tall red haired boy in school robes, that must be Ron. He looked remarkably like Percy in a lot of ways. Next to Ron was a girl with a cloud of bushy brown hair.

I saw Arthur Weasley was not far away talking with some people who I assumed to be the teachers. The small, soft woman next to him had dulling red hair that was pulled back from her face. That was definitely Percy's mother. She had a soft, round face and just looked like someone who would hug you if given half a chance while giving you little confectionaries. There was something in the shape of her eyes that reminded me of Percy.

Oh no, I can see the Terror Twins. I'll be fine if I don't make eye contact, I really did not want to explain how I knew one of the twins to Percy. That would be very awkward.

The call was finally made for everyone to take their seats, I took a seat next to Percy behind Mafalda Hopkirk as Scrimgeour moved to the front row with the Hogwarts staff. Percy told me the names of the professors that came into view and what subjects they taught. He distinctly pointed out the new Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall.

The merpeople who lived in the lake sang their own tribute from the water, a mournful dirge that spoke of loss and despair and I did not have to speak Mermish to understand the sentiment.

Dumbledore's body was carried out to the entombing platform by the man called Hagrid, a professor at Hogwarts, who was weeping. The body in his arms was wrapped in purple velvet with golden stars and within was the same Albus Dumbledore that had helped me find Alex all those months ago. I watched Hagrid blow his nose and weep on his way back up the aisle to sit next to… a runty giant who patted the weeping man on the head with such force that his chair legs sank into the ground. I turned back to face the marble table, biting my lip to suppress a laugh that threatened to escape. Percy pressed his leg against mine as the Orator began to speak.

The funeral itself was a beautiful affair. Funerals in America were more like a religious ceremony, ornate magic to entomb the dead in a coffin by a church official or rituals to honor the ashes if cremation was chosen. A dinner to celebrate the life of the deceased usually followed. Cousin Martin and his sons who ran a funeral home, owned a large cemetery and also had bought a crematorium and mausoleum twenty years ago to be more well rounded for the funeral business. Graves by Graves was also ordained to do these rituals for the dead for families who did not want a religious ceremony. Shawn, Martin's grandson, gave me a whole lecture on the preservation spells to help slow decomposition, the heavy herbs that were used traditionally on bodies who had died of dark curses or contagious diseases, a combination of old magic, safety and superstition.

I thought back to Elizabeth Fudge's funeral, it was a very simple, almost No-Maj affair for it, aside from the spells used to carry her to the nearby cemetery and fire sparks to honor her life. I was due to visit when the flowers bloomed at Thornell I intended to bring some for her grave.

The Headmaster was encased in a white tomb that would be left out to the air as a kind of place of pilgrimage, to honor a headmaster who died defending his school. Hogwarts was by all of the accounts I had heard in the last few days, his greatest and proudest accomplishment among a lifetime of many lesser wix would consider greater in the grand scheme of things.

The screams when the fire was lit for the entombing spell offered me a smidge of dark comedy in the trying moment. Percy jumping and grabbing my hand made it funnier.

The centaurs fired arrows in tribute from the edge of the Forbidden Forest which fell short of the crowd, causing more screaming and made Umbridge flinch violently a few rows in front of Percy and I, giving me another moment of private amusement under the dark circumstances of the assembly. Really, it was not a good funeral with some other reminder of mortality.

In short, the ceremony was a beautiful event.

The crowd began to dissipate, a clear nervousness in the air as the finality of the greater significance of Dumbledore's death truly began to sink in. I stretched and ambled away from Percy who was speaking with Mafalda Hopkirk. I had seen Lucinda and Tavish not far away and was hoping to bother them to help avoid my father.

There was a low whistle somewhere below me to get my attention, stopping me from getting to my destination. I looked down to see Thalia Rannulf leaning on her cane and taking quick glances at the half mummified Bill Weasley who was speaking with his parents while leaning on his girlfriend for support. I suddenly felt the need to ask a pertinent question.

"Will he be a full werewolf if he wasn't bitten on a full moon?"

"I don't think he'll be a full-blooded werewolf," Thalia's voice was low, "But like our bite scars, he'll never heal to be like he was." She shifted slightly on her bad leg. I held out my arm to steady her on the uneven ground, which she took with a quick smile. I caught a glimpse of two rings that were hanging on a chain around her neck.

"When did you marry my brother?"

"We haven't," Thalia gave me a grim smile. "Dumbledore getting murdered put a stop on it." She paused and glanced around, lowering her voice. "Alex says something is brewing and he took off in a hurry. We have the paperwork together, I just…" She glanced over where my father was speaking with his security detail and Auror Mankiller. "If we get married now, with the simmering werewolf drama in the states, even if we're well hidden, how long would it take for the press to find and pester us? If we're lucky, that would be after You-Know-Who is dead and gone, if we're not lucky, then there's a bigger target on Alex's back and puts a target on me by Greyback and his supporters."

Alex had taken off again. I wondered how deep he was in this? I was not sure he could get any deeper into Voldemort's cult but… Ugh. I wish he would stop doing this. It wasn't just hurting me anymore and as much as Thalia claimed they both liked their alone time and independence, there was a sadness in Thalia's eyes that I understood.

"He wanted you at the wedding. I think he's starting to realize he's not been an attentive brother."

Oh! That would be nice. I felt myself smile. "Then I'll call you my sister anyway, because I've always wanted another!"

Thalia looked up at me with wide eyes. "You're sweet. Just don't expect to be an aunt to human children," Thalia's smile widened, "You'll be a fantastic dog aunt."

"I'll do my best. Toys and fancy treats then?"

"Just for birthdays and Christmas, or they'll get spoiled."

"I can do that."

Thalia was good for my brother. Steady, intelligent and maybe helpless in a way Alex liked, he always liked an underdog story. Though Thalia would never see herself as a victim of circumstance or fate, she had too much pride in her accomplishments and herself to allow herself the option to wallow that way.

We would have time to celebrate together and plan on how to manage the private lives Alex and Thalia wanted to lead.

"How are things with your social club?" I chose my words carefully, not wanting to bluntly use the words werewolf or pack in public.

"Fine. Mostly. The kids are cagey, I get why. There's a couple of orphans the older folks are looking after. I heard about one who left the community entirely and is hiding with people who live outside the community itself." Thalia paused. "I heard the kid's in Knockturn Alley, they might be old enough for school next year. I doubt the school or Ministry would allow them to attend even with the potion after what happened here."

I was not sure either, I knew there was a werewolf instructor at Hogwarts a few years ago, though Percy said the laws had tightened considerably since that came out. I imagined that would impact students with the condition as well as it did in America, where my understanding of the werewolf issue was that the children were as much pariahs as their adult counterparts. It was part of the reason the packs had organized themselves.

I could see Percy making his way over after his conversation with Mafalda Hopkirk from the Improper Use of Magic Office came to an end. I knew she was the Deputy Head of the office, she was getting ready to take over the office properly when Wendell McKay retired, which he was set to do next month.

Thalia released my arm. "I have some appointments to check on. I'll let you know if your brother reaches out."

"Please do."

Thalia took a look at Percy and slipped into the crowd that was meandering away from the funeral.

"Who was that?"

"A friend of my brother's. She's a potioneer, wanted to know if I knew anyone who could send her some goldenseal and sassafras from America."

"Oh, I've never heard of those."

"They're not British plants, they're traditional American herbs." It was why I did not bother to make potions here, I was used to different ingredients for similar results. I would like to grow some American herbs here someday in a greenhouse in my own backyard. That would be nice. A little cottage out in the country, a garden, that nice greenhouse I thought about on occasion.

Percy and I were far away from other lingering parties. I could see the Minister speaking with Harry Potter by the lake.

Percy looked around before peering down at me, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose, his brow knit together in stress as his eyes roamed over me. I watched his lips press together in thought as he shifted his weight on his feet and moved back and forth in a barely visible manner.

"Move in with me?"

I felt my eyes grow to the size of dinner plates.

"What?"

Idiot response Audrey.

Percy inhaled slowly, seeming to find his footing before speaking again to explain his logic. "I worry about you living alone with everything going on, I think we're safer together."

I wanted to tell him that I could take care of myself, but that was a snappish answer. How would this work? Would we share a bed? I didn't mind, but that brought a new level of intimacy to the equation that I was not opposed to, would go far beyond making out on his couch and I needed to talk to him about a whole host of things before any of that happened. I had a plan for this dammit, and he's screwing it up! My father is literally thirty feet away! Oh, by the Twelve, my father is looking at us!

I backed away slowly, curling a finger to get Percy to come with me. He did without much prompting, I led us away from the funeral site and out of my father's sight, taking a longer route along the lake back to the carriages that were not due to begin departure for another half-hour. I could think better without Jack's eyes on me.

"I'm not opposed to the idea," I started slowly as Percy looked at me with a glowing, puppy-like expression that was making this very hard. "But-"

"I can clear out my office! Whatever makes you comfortable!"

Good to know, not what I want, but that was a kind offer.

"Can I have some time to think about it?"

Percy smiled, nodding slowly as I grappled with a deeply rooted desire to kiss him, but not being impulsive enough or dumb enough to do so publicly and would have to save that for later.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, of course." He adjusted his glasses and was about to say more when Umbridge called him over in her saccharine, sweet way that made me want to gag.

I looked out over the dark water of the lake and let the reality of the war I had been ignoring wash over me. The one restraint on Voldemort was entombed here on Hogwarts grounds and a teenage boy was, according to a prophecy I was not sure I believed in, destined to finish the most powerful dark wizard in a generation. Whatever Scrimgeour thought Dumbledore and Potter were up to, I hoped it would at least do something.

I took one last look at the castle, enjoying the resemblance to Ilvermorny and the unusual sense of peace that the grounds provided. I wonder if this war will go on as long as the last? Decades of death, murder and senseless bloodshed?

With a resigned sigh, I wandered towards the rest of the departing crowd to return to the Ministry. Perhaps if there was true diligence, maybe the lives of thousands would not have to rest on a teenage boy.

Oo0Oo0

Author's Note: That's the end of book 2 folks. I'll be off through December working on the 5-6 chapter mini arc that opens Deathly Hallows and it looks like it just goes through July and August (evil goatish laugh). Updates will start January 1st and every two weeks going forward.

I'm also moving overseas officially for grad school in mid January. I will touch a fancy highland cow or die with regrets.

See you in a month! Happy Holidays!