A/N: Here's my excuse for the lateness of this chapter: I was lazy.
Enjoy!
**********
Percy wondered if the others had already figured out that it was him. How many were out looking for him?
It was a risk. He didn't know how bright his plan was, but he made his way over to his house anyway, careful not to use any magic at this point.
When he made his way up to his house, he came across what he wanted. There were Aurors out on his front lawn, talking. Apparently, they weren't afraid of being heard.
"I never would have guessed it was him," one of them said, and Percy knew it was Jim Treevy.
"Why would you? He was your boss," another one said, and because of the darkness, Percy couldn't tell who he was.
"Well," Jim said, "according to Terry, Percy is…" he looked around, almost as if he was afraid to say the next thing. "They say he's crazy."
Percy heard the surprised murmurs between his men. They were all thinking the same…Crazy? Percy Weasley?
Ha! He thought to himself… They had no idea about anything…they were just a bunch of idiotic wankers…
"Yeah…and he was killing the wives because of some kind of grudge between the husbands…something like that," Jim told them, looking as though he was proud that he knew so much of something so important.
Percy almost had the nerve to laugh out right there. Prats…
"But Harry Potter has been able to save himself and his wife all those times," another voice said with admiration.
Percy felt his insides turn with disgust. They thought Harry was so great - everybody thought that he was so great.
Jim nodded. "He is something…being able to defeat Who-Know-Who at seventeen, and now this too…"
"Where is he anyway?" the awed man asked.
Percy leaned a bit closer. This is what he wanted to know.
"I overheard Fred telling Terry…" they all leaned a bit closer. "He's staying at Minister Bones' old mansion…"
If Jim said anything more, Percy wouldn't know. And if any of the men had looked over to the left side of the house earlier, they would have seen a figure of a man. But now there was no one.
**********
"Why do you have to go?" Hermione asked Harry, panic rising in her voice.
Harry sighed at the question his wife had asked for the fourth time in the last ten minutes. He looked to Fred and signaled with his eyes for him to explain this time.
"Hermione," Fred said. "We want Percy to think we're somewhere else."
Her eyes became wide with alert. "You mean Percy knows we're here?"
"No, but we don't want to lead any reason for him to ever find us here anyway. So that's why we're going back to your store… and let him come to us there."
"But how would he know you're there?"
"Percy was the head of the Auror department. He's always known a few tricks to find out what Aurors are planning," he said. "It's kind of like a Muggle police scanner, only we decided to use the name "Tracker." We'll let it slip on there that you two are staying at the shop."
Harry smiled at Hermione, and reached over to her hand and pulled her down onto his lap. "It will be okay," he assured her. "Just trust us."
She looked into his eyes, and saw them filled with love - a love that she knew had always been there for her. "I know," she whispered, her forehead falling down onto his.
Fred rolled his eyes behind her. Just a week ago, who would have thought he'd be seeing this scene playing in front of him by Harry and Hermione. He hated to interrupt them…
"Harry?" He did so anyway.
"Yeah?" he asked absently, still looking at Hermione.
"Are you coming?"
After what looked like a struggle for him, Harry finally tore his forehead and gaze away from Hermione. "Oh…yes."
Hermione got off his lap, though her hand was still holding his. "I want to go too."
Harry looked at her. "No way. You're staying here. I'm not letting you near him."
"And I don't want you anywhere near him."
"It's too dangerous for you."
She folded her arms. "Dangerous? After everything I've gone through in the past while we were at school…You never had much of a problem with me being involved then."
"Yes, I did. You just never listened."
"So why do you think I'll listen now? We're both adults-"
"Actually," Fred cut in. "Harry's right. You shouldn't come."
"Why not?"
"Percy's looking for you, Hermione. Not Harry, you. He's desperate, he wants you dead."
Harry and Hermione both winced. It was still too weird to think that it was Percy who was trying to kill her.
"And," Fred continued, "we're trying to make Percy think that you're somewhere else. So, if we're trying to do that, you coming with us wouldn't make any sense," he finished off with an amused smile.
Hermione just glared back in mock annoyance.
Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and led her to the window. She looked at him while he just stared out the window, his face unreadable. The men behind them were still talking to each other, but Hermione didn't pay attention. She knew Harry needed to talk to her.
Suddenly, she found Harry's arms around her, her head against his chest. "I know you may not understand right now," he whispered into her soft hair, "but I'll do anything to keep you safe. And if there's a chance we can stop this madness tonight, I'll take it."
Hermione felt her heart soar with love, and held on more tightly to him. Closing her eyes, she was taken back to a night that was similar to this one…
***Flashback***
"You have to let me go, Herm," Harry said urgently to his best friend, who was holding onto him with all her might.
"But- but what if you don't come back?" she croaked out through her tears.
He pulled away slightly to look her in the eyes. "Don't think that. I need you to be strong for me." His voice was filled with emotion, his mouth quavering as he looked at her.
She took her hand and moved it up to his cheek. She knew he had to go. She always knew. Ever since he had told her about the prophecy, she knew he was the only one who could defeat Voldemort. But now that the time came, she didn't want him to leave her.
"I need you to believe in me," she heard Harry's voice through her thoughts. "You always did before. I won't be able to do this if I don't know that you're believing in me every step of the way."
She couldn't be selfish…not now. He was doing this for their friends…for her. She pulled her hand away slowly. "I will. I'll believe in you," she said softly, but firmly. "And I know you'll come back."
He smiled softly, taking a loose strand of her hair and putting it behind her ear. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a few seconds, then abruptly pulled away.
She watched him make his way away from her. She wanted to call him back to her. But he had to go on…Almost before he was out of eyesight, Hermione shouted the words to him that she had wanted to say almost all year. "I love you, Harry James Potter! I love you more than anything else!"
At first she didn't know if he had heard her. The sun was just about gone, and she couldn't see anything in front of her. When a few minutes had passed, she slowly turned around and started making her way home.
After a few steps, she felt her arm being pulled back. Spinning around, she found herself staring into the green eyes of Harry.
Cupping her cheeks between his hands he leaned down and - to the surprise (but delight) to Hermione - he kissed her. The kiss wasn't long, but it was amazing to Hermione. Harry's hands had moved from her cheeks to around her waist, while Hermione moved her hands around his neck, bringing him down closer.
Hermione was just about breathless when it ended. She had to cling to Harry to keep from falling. Staring into his eyes, she knew the answer to what she had yelled to him…
"I love you, Hermione," he said, eyes sparkling. "I wanted you to know that for so long."
She smiled. "Cool."
***End of Flashback***
That night had been one of the best nights of her life, yet also the scariest. When Harry had walked off the second time, she knew he would come back. He just had to.
And that's the way it will be tonight. He'll come back!
**********
Hermione bit her lip while in the living room an hour later. She looked over at Neil, Ashley and Carrie, who were walking around the house, keeping an eye on things.
Was she the only one who was getting tense? Harry, Fred and a few others had been gone for almost an hour, and she hadn't heard anything. Did they find Percy? Had he fallen for the trap that still made no sense to her?
Carrie seemed to sense what Hemione was feeling and walked up to her. "I'm sure everything is okay, Hermione. Sometimes these things just take longer than we'd like." She sent her a smile and walked away.
But that hadn't helped Hermione. For some reason, she had a feeling that Percy wasn't going to walk into any trap…in fact, it seemed more that she had walked into the trap.
Suddenly, as if someone had been reading her thoughts, the lights flickered a few times, and then went completely dark.
**********
At that time, Harry was getting more and more frustrated as the minutes got longer at Hermione's shop. "Why hasn't he come yet?"
Hermione's decoy, Susannah, sighed. The plan had seemed well in the beginning. If Percy had been listening to the Tracker, he would have heard about where they were going.
But now, where was he?
**********
All was silent in the big house after the lights went black. The scene was all too familiar to Hermione, who remembered Harry telling her how the lights went dark right before the fire…
Oh no…oh please no…It wasn't supposed to happen this way.
Hermione instantly went for her wand, as did the others. Hermione knew there was no way for Percy to apparate straight into the house, because Fred made mention about Anti-Appparting charms placed on the house that the Minister had conducted a few years before. But that also meant she couldn't apparate out.
"Get into the back room, Hermione," she heard Neil's voice say to her right.
She didn't move. She smelled smoke…
**********
Ginny Malfoy stared straight in front of her, almost as if in a daze. Draco held onto her hand still, wishing that she wasn't in so much physical and emotional pain…
"I can't believe it was him," she finally said in a hushed voice. Tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks. How could her brother have tried to kill her?
"Gin," Draco said softly. "Honey, understand that he's not thinking clearly when he's doing this. He's gone crazy."
She didn't answer, and Draco couldn't blame her…She just realized her brother had tried to kill her and her friends. What was she supposed to say?
Draco sighed. He was tired and worn out. He glanced at the clock, which read 11:15…He didn't want to leave, but he needed to see Shannon, although she was probably asleep. He hadn't spent much time with her ever since the attack. And he knew Ginny wanted to be alone.
Looking back at his wife, he squeezed her hand softly and kissed it. "I'll be going now," he told her.
She nodded absently, but didn't look at him. After a few seconds, he got up and went for the door.
Right before he made it out, he heard her voice. "Draco?" He looked back. "Yeah?"
She gave him a smile to let him know she'd be all right. "Thanks for telling me…give Shannon my love."
He nodded. "I will." And then he left the hospital.
**********
The smoke Hermione smelled gave her a nauseating feeling in her stomach. The others were now smelling it too, which made Neil grab Hermione by the arm. "Get into the back room."
Right then, the door flung open and lights from the wands began flashing everywhere, all three of the Aurors shouting. Neil pushed Hermione backwards, urging her to get away.
She started running to the back, and almost made it to the door when a spell hit her and knocked her down. Still conscious, she got up and sprinted to the door, closing and bolting it behind her, though knowing it wouldn't keep him away.
She knew she should try and get out of the house, but she didn't know where to go…how to get out. She heard a thud in the other room, and since the fighting continued, she knew it wasn't Percy.
Soon she heard two more thuds, and then quiet. Her heart pounded as she heard slow footsteps come to the door. She reached for her wand that was in her pocket - no, she had taken it out; right after the lights had gone out.
Hermione's eyes widened in horror. When the spell hit her from behind, when she fell she must have dropped the wand, which meant…the wand was on the other side of the door with the killer. The door opened…
**********
Harry sat up straight, all alert. Something wasn't right…
"Harry?" Susannah said. "Are you alright?"
"He's there."
"What?"
Harry didn't answer…Susannah caught on. "You mean he's there, right now? But how-"
"It doesn't matter how, but he is," Harry almost yelled.
"But how do you know?" she asked desperately.
He stared straight at her. "Have you ever been in love?"
She blinked, and opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She understood.
But Harry didn't have time to chat. He went for his wand-
"No, Harry," Susannah said suddenly. "Wait."
"I don't have time!"
"You need to tell Fred first." She shoved the Tracker into his hands.
**********
Percy knew his time was almost up. Harry and the others would probably figure out that he didn't fall into their trap and come back. He had Hermione right there with him. He could finish her off then, but what about Ginny?
No…no he needed to do this the right way this time. He needed to get rid of them together…
"Percy?"
Percy jumped slightly at the sound of Hermione's voice. There she was, standing there helplessly, just the way Percy had needed her to be days ago. And now - now he couldn't do it because then he would never get to Ginny…
"Percy, don't do this," Hermione said gently.
He shook his head. "You won't feel a thing, Hermione. It will be over in an instant."
"Penelope wouldn't have wanted you to do all this," she said. "She was a good person."
"You don't know what she wanted," he spat angrily. "None of you do. I knew her better than anyone. She was the only one that really cared about me, and she's gone. She was taken away from me…" Percy was starting to feel weak again…the charm was wearing off.
"And I'm sorry about that," she said, trying to bring him back. "We're all sorry about that, especially Harry and the other four. But killing me won't bring Penelope back."
He wasn't listening. He was still trying to figure out what to do now. He couldn't apparate out of the house. The only way to apparate away would be stepping outside, where he knew the others would be. He still had to get to the hospital…He couldn't let one of them go…
"Percy, please!" Hermione cried, but it wouldn't do any good.
Percy yanked her by the arm. "You're coming with me."
"Where?"
"To the hospital. We have to pay my sister a visit."
**********
Everyone seemed to appear in front of the Minister's house at the same time, and they were all met with the same smell… Smoke…But they couldn't see any fire.
Harry ran his way up to the front door, but Fred stopped him. "It won't do any good."
"What?" Harry spun around and tried to push Fred off. "He's got Hermione in there. Who knows what he's done!"
"There's no way to get out of that house except through the front door, and when he does, we'll catch him."
"But the smoke-"
"The smoke is from the side of the house. Apparently he tried to set it on fire, and it wore off…The Minister has many charms on this house apparently."
"But Hermione-"
"If I know my brother, then he won't kill her here if he can't set the place on fire. He would feel he's not avenging Penelope the right way."
**********
Out in the bigger room where the light from the moon was shining in, Hermione noticed her wand lying on the ground. Now if she could only reach -
"Don't even try," Percy hissed in her ear. "You'll never get it."
They reached the door, and Percy peeked out. Sure enough, he saw his whole team out there, ready for him. He smiled, but not a smile that Hermione found inviting. "Good old squad," he said sarcastically. "Always at the scene of a crime."
He pushed her in front of him. "As long as I have you here, they won't touch me. Especially that hero husband of yours," he said, his voice filled with a malice Hermione had never heard before.
"Percy, please don't do this," Hermione pleaded, "We've trusted you these past few years. You were our friend!"
"Shut up!" He put the gun to her head, wand still in his other hand as he wrapped his hand around her chest. "Open the door."
**********
Harry almost bolted to the door as soon as he saw it open. Hermione, he thought with a wave of relief as he saw her figure. But his heart pounded in his chest when he saw the gun to her head and Percy right behind her.
"Nobody do anything, or she's dead!" Percy yelled across to them. His wand was out; Harry knew he must have some kind of charm placed on him anyways…Did he just expect to walk out of here with a bunch of trained Aurors if he didn't?
Harry looked at Hermione, whose face was strained and pale. When she found Harry's eyes, she looked as though she was going to open her mouth and say something, but Percy pushed the gun into her head more, causing Hermione to close her eyes in pain.
Harry couldn't stand it. He took his wand and pointed it right at Percy. "Let her go!"
Percy smiled evilly. "Oh, so noble of Harry Potter." Percy and Hermione took one more step. "But I can't. I have an appointment and I can't be late." As soon as he finished the sentence, he and Hermione were gone.
Harry rushed up to where they were standing. "Dammit!" he yelled. He looked back to Fred, and saw that Fred's eyes were wide, but not with shock, but with…horror.
"He didn't kill her," Fred whispered, but loud enough for Harry to hear.
Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, it hit Harry why he hadn't killed her. And looking at Fred, he knew that the older one knew too. "Ginny."
**********
Percy was getting weaker and weaker, and it wasn't going past Hermione. If only she could somehow get his gun away…but he was so much stronger than she was.
She wondered if Harry and the others would ever figure out where they went. She couldn't imagine how they would, but they were known to surprise her many times.
The hospital was dark, and quiet. She tried to talk to him…to make him stop. "Percy, why do you have to do this? You have to know Penelope wouldn't want this."
"I have to redeem myself to her."
"But she's dead…" Hermione saw him stiffen, and knew it wasn't working. How could she make him see? "Listen, Percy. I know that you loved Penelope. And I know you went through pain when she died, and I'm so sorry you had to go through that…but I don't understand…"
He closed his eyes. "I'm not doing this to give you pain. It will be quick and you won't feel a thing." He opened his eyes and a new light shined in them. "But this hurt is for Harry."
"Percy-"
He looked at her with remorse, as if telling her he was sorry. "I have to finish the list."
Her heart filled with pain anyway. He wasn't going to let her go.
**********
Harry knew his time was almost up as he made his way to find Ginny's room. He didn't know if Percy had shot them both already, and just the thought of Hermione lying on the ground, lifeless made him run even faster.
**********
Hermione wanted to wake up and find out that it was just a bad nightmare when she finally saw that they were on Ginny's floor. She couldn't let this happen.
He was leaning on her now for support, but his hand was still clenched around the gun.
The hall was still dark, and looking down she saw the Percy didn't have his wand with him anymore. Where had he dropped it?
She was about to turn around and look, when all of a sudden, there was an impact on her right side where Percy had been standing. "Hermione, run!"
It was too dark to see anything, but she heard Harry's voice and took off. She could hear the struggling of Harry and Percy behind her, but ran to the end of the hall anyway. Right before she made it to the stairs, she heard a gunshot behind her.
**********
A/N: Oh, wow…I give you all permission to make fun of this chapter if you want to. Honestly, why didn't Harry just use his wand and his magnificent magical powers and use the Stunning Curse or the Killing Curse on Percy right there? Why did he have to play rough and jump the guy? So much for the trained Aurors, they all left Hermione and her three bodyguards alone…And I've had no luck in convincing my beta that this was a bad chapter. Thanks for the beta work Nitya!! *hugs* Hopefully, the next chapter shall be the last chapter. If it isn't…I'll sit on my bed and cry into my pillow. Please…now REVIEW!!! Reviews make me smile and my ego likes them. My ego has been pretty low lately, so anything will help! Gosh, I make long Author's Notes…