In A Time Of Uncertainty

Part Four, Chapter One

Oliver had said that the thought of selling The Emerald Cloak had made the war real to him, and Percy had agreed. Now, sitting in one of St. Mungo's many corridors and staring at a wall so white that it seemed dead, one of the rare thoughts to penetrate the numbness of his mind was how unknowing he had been. It had made things real in that it had provoked feelings of hopelessness and desperation. The destruction of his brothers' shop had transfigured the war into an all-pervading harsh, brutal truth.

Mundungus had broken his leg in two places, and the Healers were having difficulty mending the bones.

Fred had deep burns across half his chest.

The lower half of George's right leg was being removed. His bones could not be mended, as they lay in shards strewn across Diagon Alley; they could not regrow his bones because there was no longer any skin or muscle to incase them as they grew.

Arthur approached Percy and sat down next to him on the floor. "Where's Oliver?"

"Went back with Remus. Something about wanting to be there with him." Percy shrugged. The friendship between Oliver and Remus was something he had not given much thought to.

"We're all sleeping at headquarters tonight," said his father in a barely detectable whisper. "Your mum and I are going to leave in about an hour or so and come back in the morning. I think you ought to go back with the rest of the family."

Percy stared at him. How were they supposed to leave, knowing that Fred, George, and Mundungus were in agony?

"Percy," said Arthur gently, "there isn't anything you can do by sitting here. The Healers are taking very good care of them. Things are going to be very chaotic in the next few days, and I want you to get some rest while you still can. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," he whispered.

His father rested one hand on his shoulder. "Perce, before you go, there's something I need to tell you."

Instantly his body sprang into alarm. His eyes widened, his hands clenched, he could feel his neck and shoulders tense up. "What?"

"There were some other people hurt in the accident," Arthur said. "It's taken the Ministry and St. Mungo's until now to fully assess the damage and identify everyone that was there. Perce - your friend Theo is dead."

"That isn't possible," he answered at once.

The hand resting on his shoulder slid around to encompass the top of his back. "A large piece of glass from one of the windows hit him in the chest. The Healers say he died very quickly."

"Flourish and Blotts isn't anywhere near Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," Percy said. "Why would he have been there? I saw him, damn it, I saw him - "

"He'd just gotten off for lunch when the explosion happened. Mr. Flourish said he liked to eat at a café that's across the street from - "

"Flourish is an idiot." Percy could hear the desperate note in his own voice. "He acted like a prat to Ol, he doesn't know what he's talking about." To his horror, tears began to burn his eyes; one slid down his cheek. "Theo was going to write to Lane, Lane's my other old roommate, he and his wife are having a baby. Theo was going to write to him and - "

"Percy - "

A sob rattled throughout his body and finally escaped. How could a person be dead, when he'd just done something as ordinary as complain about his job? When he'd just smiled at old friends from school? How could a life stop existing on earth if there were still things a person had to do, if -

"I'll take you back, Perce."

Charlie was standing over him, one hand extended to help him up. "Come on."

"Does Oliver know yet?" he asked bleakly.

"Bill's gone on ahead to tell him. We'll go back with Ron and Ginny. Come on."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ron looked as though he was in the dazed mind of a person who had just woken up; Ginny's eyes were very red. "Mrs. Figg was here," Ron said to Percy once he and Charlie reached one of the many fireplaces. "Wanted to see Dung, but they wouldn't let her. She's going to bring Harry when she comes back tomorrow."

Percy swallowed. "How is he?" Harry Potter - he had forgotten about Harry throughout all of this.

"He's...Harry. Doing as well as he can, I guess."

The animosity between them was either dormant or destroyed, but Percy didn't have the strength to ponder it. Listlessly, he watched Charlie throw floo powder over the fire; in a matter of seconds they had returned to Grimmauld Place.

They arrived in the sitting room, where someone had conjured several spare beds complete with thick azure blankets. Oliver sat on one. Upon seeing Percy he dashed to the fireplace and pulled him into an embrace so fierce that Percy was lifted a good three inches off the ground.

"Baby, I love you so much - "

"Darling - "

"I - " kiss " - love you always - " kiss " - don't ever - "

"Ol - "

Ginny burst into tears. They immediately tried to comfort her, but she seemed unable to speak and curled up on one of the beds, sobs shaking her body. When Ron attempted to console her she cried for everyone to leave her alone and buried her face in the pillow.

Ron looked over at Bill and Charlie. "I don't suppose anyone is going to tell us why the Death Eaters attacked?"

His two oldest brothers exchanged glances. "I don't know if we're supposed to tell you - " Charlie began.

"Damn it, you'd better tell me, or else I'll floo straight back to St. Mungo's, blast open the doors, and ask them myself! I've probably fought more Death Eaters than the two of you have, just because I'm sixteen you don't treat me like I'm a bloody child. George is having half his leg taken off. D'you mean to tell me you really expect me not to find out if you don't tell me?" His face was scarlet.

"They were keeping the headquarters of the Defense Department in the cellar of their shop," Bill said slowly. "The department's them, Mundungus, and Tonks, only she's out on an assignment and couldn't be there. Around noon they closed up the shop so they could have a meeting. Somehow the Death Eaters found out."

"They may not have actually found out," Charlie interjected. "It could have easily been a good guess. Dad's friends with Dumbledore, Ron and Ginny were at the Department of Mysteries. Stands to reason that they'd suspect the entire family."

Bill nodded and continued. "We aren't exactly sure yet how many Death Eaters were there, but one of them's dead. Chimeran Malfoy. Lucius's brother. From Priori Incantatum they've figured out that he's the one who burned Fred."

"Wait a minute," Percy said. "So now...the entire Defense Department - the physical part, I mean, weapons and stuff - is destroyed?"

There was a silence. "Yeah," Charlie said.

"Who killed Chimeran Malfoy?"

"We don't know yet."