Second Place - Romance

Percy waited patiently for the other remaining occupants of the Burrow to settle down for the night. Fred, George and Remus Lupin had left for their apartment in Diagon Alley and Bill had returned with Narcissa Black to her place. Draco was staying in Ron's room and Hermione was bunking in with Ginny while Snape and Potter were staying in the twins' old room. Percy was sure that his performance tonight had been flawless and that no one had suspected his true motives for returning to the fold.

As the night hours wore on, Percy finally decided that the time was right to sneak in and dispose of his master's enemies. Personally, he thought it was too bad he hadn't been authorized to deal with Lucius' ex-wife and son. The younger Malfoy had always been a prick at school and Percy would have gladly dealt out some well-deserved justice there.

Silently creeping up the short flight of stairs to the bedroom currently housing the mated men, the young man again checked to see that the vial of potion was in place. He had been told that just a drop on each man's tongue would be enough to do the job. Although he wasn't sure, Percy suspected that it was the same potion used to kill Brighton Smythe. Stupid man, he thought disgustedly. Too stupid to complete the job he was given. Percy puffed out his chest as he thought of the praise that would be given to him once his mission was completed.

He reached out a hand to gently grasp the door handle, and holding his breath, Percy slowly turned the knob and pushed open the door. Quiet and steady breathing assured him that his victims were sleeping. Percy smiled in the darkness and silently closed the door behind him. Soft footsteps brought him closer to his quarry and soon Percy was standing next to the bed where Harry and Snape lay. The estranged Weasley son sneered as he regarded the lovers. How appropriate, he thought, that they would die in each other's arms.

Bringing the vial out of his pocket, he carefully uncapped the potion. Leaning over slightly, he tipped the vial to deliver the poison to the open mouth of the youngest occupant of the room.

The liquid was easing its way out of the vial when a shouted �Stupefy!' rang through the air. Harry quickly rolled out of the way, neatly avoiding contact with the potion and he pointed his own wand at the stunned invader. Severus sat up in the bed, his heart racing at the thought of what he had so narrowly prevented.

Harry waved up the lights in the room and went over to where Percy now lay on the floor. Carefully he picked up the vial and he managed to save some of the contents and capped the container for evidence. Finishing with his task, Harry looked over to see his mate shaking with the force of the realization of what could have happened. Harry crawled back into the bed and enfolded the older man in his arms. "It's okay, Sev. Your instincts were right. You saved me, you saved us." Harry brushed a shaking hand through the silky hair.

Both men turned when pounding erupted at the door. Harry called out to the frantic cries that they were all right and to enter. Arthur burst through the door, wand drawn, with Molly following closely behind him, a heavy frying pan in her hand. Ron and Hermione could be seen peering over their shoulders behind them. Harry could hear the others crowding in the cramped hall, but they couldn't be seen.

Molly gasped, seeing Percy lying on the floor and demanded to know what had happened.

"It is very simple, Molly," Severus began, having composed himself. "Percy just tried to poison us in our sleep. Unfortunately for him, we were both wary of his motives in being here and had decided to maintain vigilance in the event of an attack. Evidently we were successful in that Percy obviously believed us to be asleep and he attempted to pour this poison down Harry's throat."

Harry held up the vial as his husband spoke, and Arthur stepped forward to gently take the potion from him. Turning the vial over in his hand, Arthur asked, "When can you tell us for sure what this is, Severus?"

The potions master held out a hand and retrieved the bottle from the man. Uncapping the vial he sniffed at the contents, being careful to not touch the liquid. "I would have to run tests to be absolutely certain, but off hand I would say that this is likely to be the Praefoco Potion. As the name implies, it is a potion that causes the victim to choke to death, usually within moments of ingestion. It is also most likely the same potion that was responsible for the death of Auror Brighton Smythe."

Harry looked up to see tears streaming down Molly's cheeks. He knew how much she had wanted to believe that Percy had truly returned to the family, and now to see that instead, he had been planning murder must be horrifying. His heart went out to the woman who had gladly taken him into her family. Even though Harry knew that he was not responsible for Percy's actions, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for upsetting the big-hearted woman. Severus clasped his hand and pulled him to him as he tried to silently reassure his mate. Having never been part of a loving family before, he was at a bit of a loss as to how to comfort Harry. Severus was glad, though, that Harry knew that he was not at fault for the situation.

With his face set into a determined scowl, Arthur waved his wand at his wayward son and levitated the still stunned young man out of the room. Ginny and Hermione hugged Molly as she continued to sob for her son. Ron and Charlie followed their father down the winding stairs while Draco hung back uncertainly on the landing. Ron knew that they would have to contact the ministry and turn Percy over to their custody. Charlie shook his head as he tried to understand how his brother could have tried to do such a horrible thing. The dragon handler was at least glad that he was here to lend his support to his family. He knew that his mom would take this very badly and she would need all the love and support they could give her.

Harry sat miserably in his husband's arms on their borrowed bed. He had been uneasy about Percy's appearance at the Burrow, but he still had not wanted to believe that he was capable of murder. Once again, Harry was thankful for his husband's ever-watchful eye. He didn't think he could count the number of times Severus had saved his life over the years.

Ginny and Hermione gently pulled Molly out of the room and Draco stepped forward to close the door. Smiling wanly at his godfather and his mate, the young man pulled the door closed and followed the women down the hallway. Hesitantly, he stood at the door to Molly and Arthur's room while the girls sat with the crying woman. Unsure of how to help, he simply watched and waited. After several minutes, Hermione looked up and quietly asked if Draco could get some tea for Molly. Grateful for something to do, Draco nodded and turned to go down to the kitchen. Reaching the downstairs, Draco saw Ron sitting forlornly at the table. His father and two brothers were nowhere in sight.

"Uh, you okay, Wea � Ron?" Draco cautiously asked.

Ron looked up and frowned. "No, I guess not. But you know... Dad and Charlie took Percy to the Ministry." Running a hand through the wavy strands of hair, Ron sighed. "I always knew Percy was a git, but I never thought he would try to hurt anyone. And Harry. Harry never did anything to Percy."

Draco could think of nothing useful to say, so instead he began preparing the tea he had been sent down for.

Ron watched his former adversary moving around his kitchen and had to laugh softly in spite of the situation. His face fell as he continued. "The worst part is that Harry will blame himself for this. Of course it's not, but that's the way Harry is."

Draco thought for a moment, silently agreeing with the red head's view. "Well, at least Severus is there to help him through this. Sev won't let him blame himself for your brother's behavior." The blonde placed everything on a tray and turning to go back upstairs, he paused. "I am sorry, Ron. I know what it's like to have a family member who makes a bad decision. If you need to talk, I'll be around."

A quietly spoken "Thanks," followed the young man up the stairs.

Draco reentered the bedroom to find that his girlfriend and Hermione were still trying to calm the distraught Molly. He poured a cup of the steaming tea and added sugar and cream like he had recalled seeing the woman do for herself earlier that day. Ginny smiled up at him as she took the cup from him and gave it to her mother.

Molly looked up with a tear-streaked face and smiled wanly. Even in her grief she could see the care and concern on Draco Malfoy's face. Taking a sip of the hot liquid, Molly gratefully accepted the comfort the three young people were trying to give her. It felt odd, as she had always been the one there for others, but Molly knew that she needed this right now and wasn't going to argue.

Severus held Harry as he felt the waves of misery wash over his young husband. True to form, Harry was more concerned about his adoptive family than about the fact that Percy had just attempted to murder him. Severus smiled slightly as he silently acknowledged that that was probably one of the things he loved so about his mate. Harry always put others before himself, and his heart was as large as any Severus had ever known. Of course, that selfless behavior was also responsible for the young Gryffindor rushing into dangerous situations in his quest to aid others, but Severus understood that that was simply Harry. It was what he was; it was what he did. And the older man could not help loving him for it.

Harry silently accepted the love and comfort washing through the bond. Never had he been so thankful for his husband's strength and support. Closing his eyes, Harry sensed the feelings of love and admiration that his mate felt for him and he smiled. That Severus understood exactly why Harry was upset meant a lot to the young man and he contentedly leaned into the strong arms of his lover. Harry knew that no one understood him better than his husband. And as he felt the love radiating through the bond, Harry thought that was just the way it should be.

Arthur and Charlie tiredly stepped through the fire and entered the kitchen of the Burrow. Ron looked up to see lines etched on his father's face and getting up, he pulled out a couple of chairs so that the two men could sit. He thought for a moment, and then decided that the situation called for something slightly stronger than tea. Moving quickly, Ron went into the other room and then brought back a bottle of firewhiskey.

Charlie smiled when he saw his younger brother's offering. He knew that his mother wouldn't approve, but well, it had been a trying night. Waving his wand, Charlie summoned three glasses, which Ron immediately filled and handed out.

Ron pushed a glass of the golden liquid in front of his father. Arthur looked up wearily and nodded his thanks. The older man took a sip and sighed as the liquid fire trickled down his throat. Normally he wouldn't have succumbed to such a temptation, but he had just had to take his son in to be arrested for attempted murder. Where had they gone wrong with the boy, he wondered tiredly.

It was a silent affair in the kitchen of the burrow that night as three men mourned the fate of one of their own. That the family name would be disgraced was oddly not one of the concerns at the moment. No, for the Weasley clan, family was the important thing. And they had lost one of their members this night.

The Flipside of Sanity - Chapter 30

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