Prologue:
Angelina Johnson adjusted the collar of her finely starched shirt. She carefully slung her favorite diamond necklace around her neck, making sure it sat perfectly centered above her chest. She began slowly tying back her braided hair as her wand tapped against her wireless and she whispered "Moody."
Fred Weasley's voice began to waft through her elegant London flat. She closed her eyes, grateful for the sound of a familiar friend in these frightening times.
"The word from Diagon Alley's underground, and the activities of The Chief and his Deatheaters is that Florean Fortescue has in fact been murdered. As most of you know, our favorite sweets seller has been missing for some time. We have it from an unnamed source that his body was found, tortured to death. Of course, our pals at The Ministry, saving you, Royal, of course, are covering it up. Let us all have a moment of silence for Frotescue and his fantastical frozen foods."
Angelina closed her eyes and was taken back to her first trip to Diagon Alley. She had been so nervous. Despite the fact that her mother was a witch, having a muggle father meant that they had made very few forays into the Wizarding World. She remembered that even though they had been on a very strict schedule on that first outing, her mother had bought her a treat from Mr. Fortescue. She could almost taste the strawberry sparkle trickling down her throat.
"How about you, Royal? What's the word on the war against Muggleborns?" Fred asked.
"At this time, the situation is far beyond just reporting your parentage. They are now taking Muggleborns AND halfbloods and putting them in prisons such as Azkaban. I must stress extreme caution. If you have any reason why they may be after you, please go into hiding. It is not safe in our world at the moment." Kingsley Shackelbolt's voice boomed out of the small speakers of her wireless.
Angelina shuddered with fear as she slipped on her best pinstriped skirt and heels. Fear gripped her. Her parents were pretty well hidden, but Angelina felt that as the lead chaser of the HolyHead Harpies, she was able to live alone and unscathed. Now, she was sure what she had to do as she heard George Weasley deliver the usual messages.
"Raconteur here with our muggle to Muggleborn messages of the day. Penelope Clearwater, while your taste in men is still horrifying, your mother would like you to know all is well, and she hopes you are safe.
"Collin and Dennis Creevy, your parents are well.
"Once again, if you need to know of someone, contact Potterwatch and we'll see what we can do. You know where to find us," George said softly. Angelina laughed at the irony, as the people she was most worried about were Fred and George.
"Romulus here. As always, there has been no sign of Harry Potter. But remember, there are so many out there with you, Harry, wherever you are. Keep faith. Keep Safe. The next password is Fawkes," Professor Lupin said. A flash of static took over her sitting room before Angelina turned her radio off. She sighed, pulled on her finest robe and apparated to the entry of the Ministry of Magic.
After going through the awkward and disgusting security procedure, she made her way down the long Ministry corridor to Ludo Bagman's office. She opened the door and gently smiled at Gwenog Jones and Ludo as they offered greetings to her.
"Oh hullo Johnson. It's great to see you, though I'm a little confused as to why you needed to have a meeting in the off season, with Bagman," Gwenog spoke gently at first but spit out the last part in disgust.
"Yes, darling. What's all the fuss?" Ludo asked, red faced and still jolly, though Angelina noticed that her two associates were exchanging tense glances with each other.
"I've come to tender my resignation," Angelina said quickly, holding her breath.
She was surprised to see Gwenog nodding resignedly. It was a little more than odd she wasn't fighting it, or even asking for an explanation. Angelina was not arrogant, but she knew that her leaving would hurt the team. Even more surprising was the exchange that occurred when Ludo left to get the paperwork.
"Angelina! You have to get out of here right now!" Gwenog whispered frantically, grabbing her robes. "The Ministry has been asking about the bloodlines of my players. Bagman knows! I bet you anything that oaf is getting a squad to take you away right now!"
Angelina understood, but panicked nonetheless when she heard footsteps approaching the office.
"When the door opens, run. I'll distract them," her captain said as Angelina felt the cold trickle of a disillusionment charm drip down her back.
The door crashed open and Ludo was flanked with two horrifying looking men. Gwenog screamed and grabbed her knee.
"My ACL!" Angelina heard her yell as she slipped through the open door. Moments later, she was well on her way to the exit before she even saw her would-be captors. She silently thanked something for her strong and athletic legs. Once she spotted the doors, she grabbed a flyer with a list of names on it, and she was out and had apparated to Weasley Wizarding Wheezes before her charm had even worn off. Angelina had no idea why she chose to go to Fred and George, but it seemed like the safest place during her moment of truth.
Fred and George Weasley were some of her best friends, even if she and Fred had once been an item. She knew they would take her in until she could find a better place to hide. Angelina also knew their wide grins and humor would help to eliminate the sting of fear and uncertainty that currently weighted down her chest. She realized that it was raining, and her ponderings had quickly allowed time for her to become soaked to the bone, so she took a deep breath and walked through the shop's front door.
"Ahhh finally! A brave soul who will risk loosing her neck to slip a Deatheater some U-No-Poo! Let me tell…" George stopped short when he came upon Angelina. "Oh Angie! You're soaked! What brings you here in this weather?" George asked, removing his maroon robes and wrapping them around Angelina's shoulders, letting his bare arms linger around her and his naked chest press up against her body for warmth until her shaking died down. Angelina didn't want to pull away, as George's sweet smell and heat soothed her and made her feel happier than she should feel in her current situation. A tear fell down her cheek.
George pulled back to meet her eyes when she let out an involuntary sniffle. George was the same height as she, and he met her eyes immediately as he brushed the tear from her cheek. Angelina inwardly chastised herself for getting so weepy, and immediately jutted her jaw out to assume her normal tough façade.
George flashed her a grin that clearly said "I see right through you," before guiding her to the doorway leading up to their flat.
"Fred is in the stock room, I'll get him and we'll close up early. Just make yourself at home, do what you would normally do. Take off your shoes, coat, skirt…anything!"
"You're quite brave considering I can kick your arse, Weasley," Angelina said, feeling lighter as she climbed the stairs.
"Anything to see that perfect arse walking away!" George shouted, and scuttled back into the shop before she could retaliate.
She served herself some tea, and prepared cups for Fred and George as well. She smiled as she generously lumped sugar into each cup, and then sighed contentedly as she added cream to George's. She sat at their small kitchen table and ran a finger around the rim of her teacup until she heard Fred and George traipsing up the stairs.
"Oh Gi Gi!" Fred exclaimed, his long arms coming around her. Angelina cringed slightly at the nickname, but was content at its familiarity. She let Fred's warmth radiate through her much as she had with George.
"Well, they're after me now. Though I shouldn't be so surprised, with the way the world is now. I was fucking ridiculous to think Quidditch would keep me safe!" she cried, fighting tears as she handed Fred the Ministry list. "Here's a list of everyone who hasn't reported for questioning and should be considered wanted."
"Blimey! Granger is on here…"
"No surprise," answered George.
"And Dean Thomas…"
"Hardly shocking."
"The Creevy boys..."
"Obviously."
"Penelope Clearwater…"
"But of course…wait! They are going after…"
"Halfbloods? Obviously. That is why the lovely Ms. Johnson is seeking shelter here," Fred finished, grinning and touching her hand reassuringly. He turned to look at George, and touched his hand too.
"Oh my stars! You are my hero, Fred Weasley!" George proclaimed in a feminine voice, batting his eyelashes. "Please take me with your massive and throbbing…biceps!" George threw a hand over his head and feigned fainting.
Angelina had to chuckle. Leave it to these two to lighten even the heaviest of loads.
"I'm going to give this to Romulus, as I'm sure he'll see people who can better spread the word," Fred said, winking as he disapparated with the list clenched in his hand.
George immediately began tinkering around the kitchen. "I reckon I could warm up mum's stew while we wait for him. Are you hungry?"
"A little. It's been a rough day, and my stomach is a little queasy. Now I'm worried about Fred being out this late with that list, which isn't helping."
"It's a wonder you two never lasted past Hogwarts. You were such a catch. I was jealous," George exclaimed, blushing.
"Oh we had fun, and I'll always love Fred, but permanent companionship isn't his thing…and to tell the truth, we wouldn't have worked anyway."
George shoulders slumped uncharacteristically before turning to her. "Why's that?"
"Well…he's not…he's just…it wasn't like love. It just didn't make my heart flutter. Oh bugger! I sound mental. Sorry about that."
George turned away from the stove and laid a warm bowl of stew in front of her. As if on cue, Fred's ermine patronus appeared at the table.
"I found Remus and gave him the news. He seemed distracted, but oh well. I'm at the Leaky Cauldron. Lee is out and about and Spinnet's tits are practically falling out!" the ghostly figure sang.
"You can go down if you'd like. I'll be fine. I'm no delicate flower, you know," Angelina said, popping a stewed carrot in her mouth and trying to look mildly happy and at ease.
"You don't need to tell me that! You weren't exaggerating when you said you could kick my arse. But I like that in a woman anyway," George smirked, giving her a sparkling look that made her heart speed up. " I'll keep you company, I don't feel much like going out…though if your tits happen to…"
"Don't even think…oh sweet Merlin!" Angelina suddenly shrieked. George drew his wand and began spinning in all directions.
"What! Where! Get Down!" he said, his normally carefree eyes wide and determined.
Angelina rose and walked over to him. "What happened to your face," She said, barely able to speak at the site of a scar that ran along his jaw and up into the depths of his shoulder length hair. He sighed and told her of the night they all went to get Harry. Her stomach dropped at imagining the kind of danger and death her dear friends all faced. She had known little about the night Moody died, and this made the danger even more real.
"I'll be fine. I like long hair anyway," George said, turning his serious look into a grin.
Angelina bit her lip and reached up, brushing his hair away from his face. She let her dark fingers caress the long expanse of white scar tissue where his ear should be. He placed a hand over the one on his face, and pressed his lips to her palm.
"I'll be okay. We'll be okay. I promise," He whispered, closing his eyes and turning his face further into her touch.
Percy Weasley placed the headphones of his Muggle wireless over his ears to catch the tail end of Potterwatch. He felt a smug sense of satisfaction at being able to magically manipulate this Muggle device, followed quickly by a sinking feeling in his stomach at the thought of how excited his tinkering would have made his father. He sighed, turned up the volume, and began the short walk to his flat, just blocks from The Leaky Cauldron. Fred's voice echoed with familiarity inside of his head.
"We've just gotten word that in London, near the Leaky Cauldron, Death Eaters have started setting fire to all the Muggle dwellings. They appear to by trying to gain more wizarding territory. There is no doubt this incident will go unnoticed by all of the important sources. If you happen to live in the area, especially if you are a pompous and big-headed git…please…PLEASE, beware and keep yourself safe."
Percy's heart raced slightly. His brothers knew where he lived, and they gave a damn about him on top of. He had a moment to feel a little less alone in the world.
Just then, a shriek could be heard to Percy's left, just across the road from his apartment building. Thinking quickly, he lifted the hood on his dark cloak and snuck into the bushes near the spot where the fire was worst. While trying to plan a way into the house to help the screaming woman, Percy inwardly kicked himself for the mess he'd made of his life. He was working for an organization that was despicable, with no way out that wouldn't draw attention to his family. He was alone, stuck in some sort of limbo and now he was being ridiculous, operating under the achingly Gryffindor assumption that he could do some odd penance by helping this poor woman. His mind was muddled to say the least.
Suddenly, the intense heat invading the building burst forth, clearing the glass almost completely from a large window. Percy cast an impervious charm on his clothing, and a bubblehead charm on his head before entering the smoking, flaming room. The screaming had stopped, and Percy feared what he might stumble on. He skulked through the small flat, keeping his keen ears perked to listen to the shouts of Death Eaters in case they decided to come back.
He heard an absurd, high-pitched whimper coming from the hallway and darted there quietly, casting an Aguamenti Charm as he went. He found the woman there in the smoke, unconscious and clutching a notebook, while her black and white cat mewled to try to get her attention. The cat turned its large green eyes on Percy and backed away as if giving him permission to approach her. He knelt down and felt for a pulse, and was happy to find that there was one.
Percy stood back up and frantically looked around for something else to carry her with, not wanting to use a spell on a Muggle. He found none, and decided as the Death Eaters could be heard approaching, he had better just Apparate to his flat. He took the not very petite woman, who looked almost young enough to be called a girl, in his arms and she stirred.
"Why are they here? What's…what's…who…" she whispered wearily before fainting again.
He pulled her close to prevent splinching, all the while repeating "destination, deliberation, and determination", in an effort to calm his nerves. The strange cat tapped its paw on his arm as if comforting him, and then leapt into the unconscious woman's arms as he apparated.
When he arrived in his living room, he quickly collapsed under her weight while her cat turned its tail and began to unabashedly explore Percy's home. Percy gently laid the girl down on the floor and began to try to shake her awake. After a few attempts, her eyes fluttered open to reveal a pair of forest green eyes blinking up at him.
"Where am I?"
"You're okay for now."
"What happened?"
"A fire. You're safe, but you've ingested a lot of smoke. If you can walk, I'd like to take you to my room to rest."
Percy knew she would have protested, but she was too exhausted by the looks of it. She rose carefully, and he threw her arm over his shoulder, guiding her to his bed.
Percy knew he should have taken her to a hospital, but where could he take her? He had no means to get her to a Muggle hospital, especially not in the Muggle way, and he had no idea how to call an am-bo-lance…as it was obviously not like calling the Knight Bus. And to bring a Muggle into St. Mungo's? Perish the thought.
Percy sat in his favorite leather chair by the window, dimming the lights to keep watch; to make sure the Death Eaters were finished with their tirades. Eventually, with the warm cat purring in his lap, Percy drifted off to sleep.
"Lucy…" A strained whisper rang through Percy's sleep, as the warmth left his lap. Realizing his injured victim was awake; Percy quickly leapt from his chair and straightened his robes.
"I must know how I ended up here. The last I remember, there was a fire, and smoke was coming under my front door," she spoke tersely and assumed a dignified position, despite being very sleep-worn and covered in soot.
"I've pulled you from said fire, madam. I did not know of your condition, so I brought you here to observe."
"Why didn't the firemen come?"
"That I cannot say."
"Well you've saved me, and you've saved my cat as well. I am not dead or harmed. I shall call my mother and arrange to stay with her. I will say that I am still highly suspicious of this whole situation," she said, looking around Percy's flat.
"I…ummm… I…moo byle is at work," Percy shouted frantically as she began to look for a phone.
"Your mobile you mean?"
"Right, sorry. I inhaled a lot of smoke last night," said Percy, covering up his error with a loud cough.
Her stern face seemed to turn a little warmer at his sorry sounding throat. Percy finally got a chance to really look at her then. She was tall, though shorter than his wiry form. Amongst the soot, he could make out long, honey brown hair highlighted with blonde strips. She was larger … a little round in the middle … but she held herself elegantly. In addition, Percy thought that her curves looked enticing, even while she eyed him with so much doubt and a slight bit of fear.
"I would hate to be a bother, what with you having already risked your gorgeous hair to help me…" She paused, blushing at what she had just said.
Percy felt his cheeks heat up too.
"Well…," she continued, "I seem to have lost my glasses in the fire, and I would like to hail a taxi, but may need some company to make sure I don't hail a mail truck. Would you mind?" She laughed nervously, her impressive composure faltering slightly.
"Not at all!" Percy smiled, bowing slightly, and pulling on his own glasses.
She grinned again.
"Well, let me fetch my dissertation and we'll be on our way!"
Percy was confused, as he had no idea what sort of Muggle nonsense a dissertation was, but he had no time to contemplate, the answer because she soon reappeared, bound notebook in her hand. Percy opened his door and she walked out, head held high, despite her squinting. Lucy sat hesitantly at the door.
"Well come on then, Lucy, you can't very well stay here!" Percy said. Never having had a cat for a pet before, he snapped his fingers and hoped that worked, as it often did with Hermes. She trotted along behind them, and they made their way to the curb. Percy thought her almost too intelligent for a mere Muggle pet.
"I feel as though I should thank you properly, now that I see my building is damaged and you are not some sort of serial murderer," she said, the absurdity of her words not affecting her commanding demeanor.
"Well not that you know of!" Percy exclaimed, attempting humor in what was quickly turning into an awkward situation. She looked shiftily back and forth, laughing awkwardly and reaching for the handle to the cab door. "I am merely kidding," he managed to mumble out through is embarrassment.
"Well, then barring any other slips of the tongue by either one of us on this very strange morning, let me offer to buy you dinner. Say, Friday night? I can be here to meet you at seven o'clock," she said as warm smile stretched across her face causing Percy to get a little bit weak. She had a mysterious sort of heat about her and an obvious spark of intellect that drew Percy to her. She also seemed quite capable of keeping him there, lost in her soft features and caring eyes.
"Sounds lovely," Percy said as she got into the cab, Lucy jumping in after her. "I'm Percy."
"I'm Audrey!" She shouted as the cab drove away.