The End-Part the Second
A/N: Okay, this is good, people liked the first part..I think. So on we go to Part the Second...we find out WHY Percy is in the Death Eater camp...along with umm...more stuff. (Note: My muses has taken a leave of their conscious and that's how this story came about) Oh yeah, also, Hugs, snoggles and a lolly to Mary and Alicey whom correctly guessed who He is...though I can't tell them that without spoiling the ending. Also many thanks, hugs and Snoggles to Dru-chan for posting the next part of "The Most" and keeping me from killing my muses. (can you kill non entities?) Anyway! On to the story!
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Percy. A simple name, sweet and light. A name that rolled off you're tongue like chocolate. Too simple a name for such a complex man. Percy Weasley had spend his life trying to be perfect. And when the realization came that he couldn't be, that he'd never be...well saying he snapped didn't quite cover it. Lost his mind was more apt to describe what occurred.
He still remembered the day the owl came. A small, simple looking owl, no real distinguishing features had landed in front of him, a small piece of parchment tied to his leg. He had taken the letter with shaky hands, confusion coursing through him as he read the words. One sentence, one line, no explanation and thousands of questions. 'I've gone to join You-Know-Who.' it had read. Simple, plain and yet that one sentence had changed his life forever. Or would it have just changed his life for this night...who knows.
He was torn out of his thoughts by the sound of crying. He followed the harsh sobs, wondering who was left on the Dark Side to make such a sound. These weren't the cries of a child who had lost their parents, nor were they the sound of a spouse whom had lost the love of their life. These were the anguished cries of a soul that had done something terribly wrong and just realized it.
He walked around the tent he had been standing next to and saw them. One boy and a girl, huddled together. Not far from them lay the body of their friend, his face barley recognizable with all the injuries. The girl was crying, no, sobbing into the chest of the boy who held her. Crying to cleanse her soul of what she had done. He knelt next to them, putting a hand on Crabbe's shoulder. Crabbe looked up, tears staining his own face. They stared at each other for a long moment before Crabbe shifted, allowing the other boy to take Pansy from him. He stood, the girl tucked safely into his arms. He stared at Crabbe for a moment before offering as much a hand he could to the bigger boy whom accepted it, pulling himself up. Crabbe then slung his best friend's body over his shoulder and the group slowly made their way out of the darkness of the camp, into the light of the bonfires. People stared as their hero carried one of the enemy to his tent, but a handful understood. Sometimes it wasn't a choice of Right or Wrong you were allowed to make, but a choice of when you died.
Draco waited for them inside the tent, still nursing a broken leg, but more then ready to help those that had been his friends. As he took Pansy from the man carrying her, he looked at him, unsure of weither to ask.
"Go on Malfoy, ask you're question." He said, laying back on the cot that had served him well these weeks.
"D...did you find him?"
"No. But I know he's out there, I watched him fall."
"Mr. Weasley wants you to take care of the burial, said you would have had a better idea of what he wanted."
He nodded, closing his eyes. "Tomorrow I will look again, be sure Albus knows we found three more students, and that their not to be arrested."
Draco nodded, pulling a blanket up around the younger man. Draco sighed softly, watching him fall asleep, his hard expression melting into the familiar youthful face. He turned to see to his former friends, ignoring the questions in their eyes, though he knew he couldn't ignore them much longer.
As it happened, he was more right then he knew, for no more had he thought the thought then Crabbe found his voice. "You're working for them."
Pansy hit him weakly, indicating he had topped his record of stupidest comments.
"Yes." Draco said simply, splinting Pansy's leg.
"Why?"
Draco paused in his work, looking up at the large man. "Because they offered me something my father and Lord Voldemort couldn't."
"What's that?"
"My life."
That silenced Crabbe. He knew what Draco had meant by that. He had seen so many die in this war, many that had no place in it to begin with.
"What will they do with us now?" Pansy asked softly, voicing the concerns that had been on many of the found Slytherin's minds that night.
"You will stay here in camp while the Resistance clears out the lingering threats and then we will all return to our lives."
"What?! They can't...they wouldn't...they should imprison us or kill us or something..."
"Do you wish that much for death?"
Pansy lowered her head. "We hurt so many...killed some..."
"And none of us did it by choice. We were born into this war, we did not have the luxury of choosing sides."
Pansy grew silent, mulling over Draco's words. In the silence that enveloped them they could hear the sounds of celebration and morning outside. If given the choice, would they have fought the good fight? Or would they have still been where they were, carrying the Dark Mark for their master. Maybe it was better that they had never had the choice, maybe it was easier to live life, not knowing the awnser to that question.