Annabeth's POV

The door crumpled in on itself with a loud scraping noise. Hazel stepped back, letting me lead. "Let's go." The eleven of us crept up the stairs. Luna staying near the rear with Ollivander and Griphook. A door opened above us, stopping us in our tracks. A short, whiskery faced man stared down at us in shock.

"Wormtail!" Harry snarled, pushing aside of me, followed by Ron. "Petrificus Totalus!" The man went stiff as a board.

"Give me that." Ron snatched the wand away from his prone fingers, seeing as he was unarmed.

"Where are they keeping Hermione and Percy?" Harry prodded the tip in the man's face. "Wormtail! Believe me, if you don't cooperate, I will kill you."  Wormtail's watery grey eyes widened.

"Their keeping the girl in a closet off the main hall, the boy in the entrance hall." As soon as the words left his lips, his silver hand reached up and closed around his throat.

"Stop him!" I called out to Frank and Jason, who leapt into action and tried to pin his arms. The silver fist smacked Frank in the face and pushed Jason into a wall. A loose brick fell out and dropped on his blonde head, knocking him out. Piper yelled in anger.

"Stop!" Everyone in the vicinity stopped in their tracks. "Hazel," Piper continued, "Break the fist." The silver appendage wrapped around Wormtail's thick neck released it's hold. Wormtail gasped for air, a hand shaped welt on his throat steaming. The molten silver metel formed a ball and flew into the wall, smashing into pieces.

Wormtail sobbed quietly. "Th-thank you... Please, I'll h-help... Just don't k-kill me.."

Harry pulled Wormtail up, pointing his wand at the bloody stump. "Episky." The skin stitched itself back together. "Alright Wormtail. Help us and maybe we can get you out of here too."

A loud pop sounded from behind me, I spun around holding my dagger to his face. A scared house elf stared up at me with large tennis ball green eyes. "Who are you?" I growled, holding the Celestial Bronze blade to his throat.

"Dobby, Miss!" He cried in a loud squeaky voice. "I'm here to get you out of here." Harry turned at the sound.

"Dobby!"

"Dobby is here Harry Potter, sir! I can get us out of here!"

"You can dissaparate out of here, right? Grab Luna, Griphook, and Ollivander, bring them to uh-"

"Shell Cottage. Bill and Fleur's house." Ron interjected.

"Then come back in five minutes for the rest of us. Thanks so much, Dobby." The house elf dissaparated, bringing Luna, Griphook, and Ollivander. We marched up the stairs, right when we reached the heavy wooden door, Percy's screams started again.

I burst through, throwing the dagger at Tartarus, which sank up to the hilt in his back. I grabbed another dagger at my thigh, as the rest of them burst after me. Harry, Ron, and Wormtail brandished their wands screaming spells. Ron broke off to pursue a blond boy his age, screaming Hermione's name.

Jason had woken up again, bringing the winds with him. Furniture swirled through the air, knocking wizards over. Piper, Hazel, Frank and Leo made quick work of them. I ran straight toward Tartarus, Harry following close behind me. "Petrificus Totalus!" Tartarus' form stilled, giving Harry and I enough time to reach Percy.

His wrists were wrapped in chains, and he was hanging from them limply. "Relashio!" The chains broke, and Percy collapsed into my arms.

"Percy! Please, c'mon we gotta go." I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. Harry supported his other side.

The chandelier fell from the ceiling, and crashed to the ground, trapping Tartarus in the metal embrace. "Thanks Dobby!" Harry yelled as we joined the rest of our friends. Something caught my eye.

The tall, long haired blonde death eater was pressing on his left forearm. Black ink peeked from beneath his pale fingers. I threw my last dagger, where it cut through the man's wrist and pinned it into his other forearm beneath it. He screamed as blood poured over the grievous wound. His wife glared at me viciously. The Son pointed his wand at me, about to utter a spell.

"Expelliarmus!!" The short black wand flew into Harry's hand. The boy was blasted backwards.

I held up Percy, blood dripping from the torn skin on his back. He had gone white, his eyes had rolled into his head. Dobby appeared next to us.

"Grab on!" Everyone latched onto his outstretched arms, even Wormtail who had done his part. Ron was supporting a weak Hermione, as I was doing to Percy. The world swirled around us, but not before Bellatrix Lestrange stood up wobbily and threw a silver dagger. Tartarus and Voldemort's identical screams of rage were the last thing I heard.

***

We reappeared on beach, the seaside breeze blowing through my blonde hair. Percy lurched out of my arms. He coughed, holding his ribs. Blood dribbled from his mouth in steady streams. The others were crowded around a still form on the sand, but I couldn't focus on them now. "Percy, Percy I'm here." I whispered to him as he emptied the contents of his stomach.

The surf was only meters away and I brought Percy up gently. He shook in my grip and tears were threatening to spill over my eyes. How dare Tartarus do this to him! As his feet touched the surf, life started to trickle back into his murky green grey eyes. Percy dropped into the waves and I stepped back, leaving Percy to heal. He had disappeared already from sight though streams of blood still washed onto the sand, staining it red.

I walked back over to my friends, confident now that Percy would be fine. After all, he was in his element now, nothing would be able to touch him. I peered over Hazel's shoulder. Harry knelt beside Wormtail, holding his remaining hand. The silver dagger Bellatrix threw embedded into his chest, over his heart. I could just faintly hear Wormtail's last words to Harry.

"I'm sorry... I never meant to betray... Lily and James.. Please... Forgive m-me." His chest rose slowly and fell slowly, his last breath hitching in his throat before being released. Harry looked into the man's murky grey eyes. To everyone's surprise, he nodded.

"I forgive you." Harry brushed a hand over his lashes, shutting his eyes one last time. Everyone stood silently for a moment. Harry finally stood and looked over at me. "How's Percy?"

"He's in the ocean healing. I'll wait for him here, you guys can go ahead." They nodded solemnly. Someone who I presumed to be Bill Weasley walked up and exchanged a few words with Harry and Ron, who was still supporting Hermione. Bill and Harry separated from the group, Wormtail's body levitating between them.

I turned back toward the ocean and sat down, anxiously waiting for Percy. I whispered Greek prayers to Apollo, Poseidon, and Athena, hoping for Percy's recovery. The sun had set and the stars were twinkling overhead when he finally emerged. Piper and Hazel had come earlier to drape a blanket and tell me not to worry. Wormtail had been buried earlier. Harry had insisted that he be buried with a gravestone enscribed Peter Pettigrew, Friend and Betrayer. I wasn't quite sure what it meant, the words were complete opposites of the other.

Percy limped toward me and sat just a few inches away. I draped the blanket gently over his thin shoulders. "How are you?"

"Fine," He sighed, staring at the stars. His eyes were lingering over Zoë's constellation. "I could have killed you," He said, not meeting my eyes. I sighed.

"Percy, it wasn't your fault. You were just trying to get away. We all understand. What Tartarus did to you... It was horrible." I hesitated. "We- we all heard your screams Percy. It's alright." He stared at me, tears brimming in his dulled green eyes.

"It... It almost broke me, Annabeth. All the things I saw..." Sobs racked his body. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." I wrapped my arms around him as he buried his face into my neck.

"I'll never let that happen again. We'll kill Tartarus and Voldemort, then we can go back home. I promise, Seaweed Brain." I pressed a kiss to his forehead, sealing the promise.

I finally updated! Sorry about the long wait... I'll be able to update a little more over the summer, but this book will probably end soon. Quick question, do you want Carter and Sadie Kane in the next book?

New cover is made by Potterhead_Harmione Thank you so much! 💜