Nexus (The Demigod Wizard) Part 2

The Break-In

"The Ministry?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione asked in unison.

Percy nodded grimly. "Around the neck of our favorite person." He turned to show them the scars over his ribs that wrote I am a filthy degenerate.

"Umbridge."

"And you happen to know this how?" Hermione asked skeptically.

Percy smiled. "You-Know-Who talked a lot during torture. He didn't expect me to survive, after all."

"Shit," Harry breathed.

"How the bloody hell are we supposed to get into the Ministry?" Ron demanded. "Harry is Wanted No. 1, and You-Know-Who literally has control of the bloody Ministry!"

"We don't have a choice, Ron, unless you know where she lives," Hermione snapped.

"What if we didn't go in as ourselves?" Harry proposed.

Hermione looked at him. "You don't mean—"

"That's brilliant! Like in our second year, except done properly this time," Ron sniggered, smirking at Hermione. She turned red.

"I'm lost," Percy said, crossing his arms.

"We used Polyjuice Potion in second year to infiltrate the Slytherin common room."

"What?" Percy exclaimed. "Why—"

"Never mind that," Hermione said quickly, her cheeks still pink.

"We could impersonate Ministry members," Ron suggested.

"Good idea. Which ones?"

"They've got to be close to Umbridge."

"Do we know what department she's working in?"

"Wait, wait," Percy interrupted, holding up his hands.

They all turned to look at him.

"I—I don't know if Polyjuice will work on me," he revealed.

Hermione frowned. "Why not?"

Percy's face looked like a mix between embarrassed and surprised. "Well, wizard magic affects me different."

"The bloke did have an Avada Kedavra bounce off him," Ron pointed out. "And didn't he jump in front of you, 'Mione, to save you from that hex?"

Both Percy and Hermione blushed. Why did Ron have to use that specific example, from a point when Hermione still cared for him?

The demigod shook his head. "The point is, I might not be able to disguise myself."

"Maybe you should stay back then," Harry suggested.

"Not an option!" Percy snapped angrily, getting to his feet.

They stared at him.

"I'll be damned if I let you go in alone. Do you seriously think I'd be okay with that?" He demanded.

"Well how are you supposed to go without blowing our cover?" Harry inquired.

Percy hesitated.

"We could try to magically alter your experience," Hermione tried. "You're pretty tall, so we could make you shorter."

Percy looked horrified. "No. No."

"Well then what, mate?" Ron interjected. "You can't have your appearance changed and you can't give us away."

"My cloak. He can take my cloak," Harry declared loudly.

-----

A couple of weeks later, that was exactly what was done. Harry, Ron, and Hermione took the Polyjuice Potion and morphed into three hgih-ranking Ministry officials. They'd come up with a plan to isolate and temporarily dispose of them. Ron had bent down and pretended to tie his shoe as a cover for lookout while Percy stepped behind the official and clocked them so hard they were knocked out.

The three of them got separated pretty early on, much to Harry's worry. He had no idea where they were, although he was pretty sure Percy was still with him, invisible. He felt a powerful presence lurking in the room with him when he went through Umbridge's desk and when he was brought down to the interrogation room.

Harry's eyes widened when he saw Hermione--or the witch she was masquerading as--sitting at Umbridge's side. She looked back at him, clearly terrified. Harry watched as an invisible something seemed to brush back her hair and whisper something in her ear. Her shoulders relaxed.

Then Ron came in with his wife, which wasn't something Harry had ever expected to see. And all hell broke loose from there.

"GO!" Harry yelled as they sprinted down the hall, the dementors released from stunning Umbridge bearing down. There was a huge swarm, over fifty of them.

They sprinted towards the elevator, filling in and packing against the back wall. Percy threw off the invisibility cloak and jumped in front of them all, arms splayed wide.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" He bellowed, and a silvery patronus burst forth, knocking the dementors away to allow the lift to go. Harry watched as the patronus pegasus chased them down.

The lift hurtled upwards frighteningly fast and spilled them all out on the main floor.

"AY! That's Potter!" Someone yelled.

People started screaming as Harry's group started pushing through the crowd. A group of Ministry officials began chasing after them. They just had to get to the fireplaces.

But already, alarms were blaring and the closer fires were closing their gates. And the Ministry wizards were closing in.

"Go! I'll cover you!" Percy yelled. He stopped at the edge of the fireplace hall, feet planted.

Harry sprinted past him, and watched over his shoulder as he ran. Percy threw his arm forward and a huge wave of water exploded from the fountain in the center of the room. He guided his hand in a circle and the wave wrapped around, snatching the officials in a tidal wave and sweeping them off their feet. He threw the wave into a whirpool and then started sprinting down the hall after his friends.

"You'll drown them!" Hermione screamed.

"I've got the water circulating around their feet!" Percy yelled back. "But I don't particularly care either way!" He bounded forward and grabbed Harry's hand, who had taken Hermione's, who'd taken Ron's, and then they were bending into time and space.

Harry's feet slammed into the ground and he fell over, tumbling and rolling. Beside him, Ron and Hermione were groaning on the ground as well. Percy, who had tumbled and rolled to his feet, ran over to them.

"Where is it?" Percy gasped, falling over Harry's still-groaning figure.

Harry pushed himself up, bonking his head against Percy's, and searched around. "There!"

Percy jumped off him and quickly snatched it up. He held it in his hand, mesmerized. It was a large locket, and clearly old. Something about it was enticing, enchanting.

"We've got to destroy it," Ron said, pushing himself to his feet.

Harry took the locket and threw it to the ground. "Confringo!" He yelled, pointing his wand at it. "Diffindo! Reducto!" But each blast tossed the locket around without denting it.

"You won't destroy it," Hermione said, approaching his shoulder. "Not like that. It's a horcrux, it'll only be destroyed by something really powerful."

"Well then," Percy said, bending over and picking it up. "I guess we'll just have to keep a close eye on it in the meantime."

And he placed the horcrux around his neck.