To Thwart The Darkness {Book 3}

One Hell of A Coffee Break

Tottenham Court Road

After Percy and Annabeth had changed out of their bloody clothes, the group made their way towards somewhere were they could discuss where to go in reasonable lighting. They found a small corner cafe at the end of the road and ordered three hot chocolates and two cappuccinos.

"So where to?" Ron asked when they were seated at a table on the edge, far enough away from the kitchen that the waitress couldn't hear them and close enough to the door so that if anything happened, they'd have an escape route. "Leaky Cauldron?"

"Too risky," Hermione said. "If Voldemort has really taken over the ministry then all the old places aren't safe anymore."

"We need somewhere out of the way, someplace that the ministry doesn't know about," Annabeth said.

"The only place I can think of is Hogwarts but..." Percy trailed off. There was something very wrong about the two guys that had just walked in. They were standing at the counter, seemingly waiting for the waitress to come back, but they were as still and silent as wraiths, and they dressed like ghosts of death: all black with loose jackets and pants. Almost as if they were wearing robes— The moment Percy realised who they were, the Death Eaters spun around almost in response and fired synchronised spells at the group.

"Get down!" Percy yelled and they hit the floor. Harry, Hermione and Ron scrambled for their wands and Percy uncapped his sword, even if it would be pretty useless. The wizard trio returned spells to the Death Eaters, who blocked with a flick of their wrist. The glasses behind the counter exploded.

One of Ron's spells hit one of the Death Eaters, sending him flying back into the frozen display of cakes and biscuits. He didn't get up. The other Death Eater sent a spell in Hermione's direction after she popped her head above the table, but she ducked in time and shot back up again in a second, yelling "Pertrificus Totalus!" He hit the shelf on the wall behind him and disappeared behind the counter.

The silence that followed made Percy's ears ring. He retracted Riptide into pen form and stood up slowly, not daring to make a sudden movement lest one of them wakes up. The waitress came back in and stopped, frozen in shock and fear at the mess of the cafe. It looked like a bomb had gone off.

"Go home," Percy commanded and snapped his fingers. He prayed that his limited ability to use the mist would work. The glazed look followed by the shrug seemed to tell him that it had, and the waitress walked back into the kitchen.

"What—" Ron started.

"Lock the door. And get the lights," Harry instructed. Hermione hurried to the doors and drew the blinds. Ron clicked his Deluminator and the lights went out. Harry walked over the broken glass to the first Death Eater.

"This one's Rowle," he said, "he was on the astronomy tower the night Dumbledore died."

"And this one?" Percy asked, kicking the second one.

"'Dolohov," Ron replied, walking closer. "I recognise him from the wanted posters."

"What are we supposed to do with them?" Annabeth asked. "They're not dead." And none of them were keen to kill them. Percy and Annabeth were used to killing monsters, and even though Death Eaters came pretty close, they didn't feel completely comfortable with ending mortal lives.

"If we kill them they'll know we were here," Harry said.

"They already seem to know where we were, based on the attack," Percy said.

"It's better we wipe their memories," Harry said in a tone that no one could argue with.

"Hermione, you do it," Ron turned and walked away from the body. "You're the best with spells." Hermione held her wand out to Dolohov and Percy expected there to be some sort of shake, but her hand was completely still.

"Obliviate," she twisted the wand. Dolohov's eyes glazed over.

"That spell..." Percy breathed, his mind twisting into one terrible thought. "It makes you forget?"

"Yes, if cast correctly it can wipe specific memories," Harry replied softly as Hermione moved to Rowle.

"And if cast incorrectly?" Annabeth asked, on the same page as Percy.

"It can wipe your entire memory," Harry said, "or mess up and take big chunks of memory."

Percy looked at his fiancé. "Nico."

She nodded. "Luke must've. He apologised on the astronomy tower."

Percy's gut twisted. "Oh gods."

"I know," Annabeth sighed. "But there must've been a good reason—"

"Not that," Percy hushed her and pointed at a gap in the blinds at the front of the cafe. Her stomach dropped. She was in no condition to fight, her shoulder was killing her. And yet, the glowing blood-red eyes of the hellhounds screamed a battle.

"We need to go," she said.

"Why? What's..." Harry followed their eye-line. "What's wrong? There's noth— holy merlin!" He leapt back into the wall behind him.

"Don't move!" Percy hissed. "They haven't noticed us yet."

"That's— what the—"

"Shut up!"

"Everyone out the back exit," Annabeth instructed.

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Just do it!" Percy snapped quietly.

Thankfully, Ron didn't argue, and lead the group through the kitchen and out the staff exit. They broke into a rushed walk as soon as they hit the humid autumn air.

"We need somewhere were monsters can't find us," Percy said. He could hear the phantom paws on the concrete behind him and started walking faster.

"Where have we gone where we weren't attacked?" Annabeth thought out loud.

"Grimmauld Place!" Hermione exclaimed. "You guys went there the first year you came and weren't attacked. It's guarded with magic."

"Then that's where we'll go," Percy nodded. Harry grabbed his arm and he flinched away. "Oh hell no, I am not letting you teleport me with your demonic magic—"

"Don't argue," Harry snapped. "Unless you want the actual demon thing out the front of the cafe to catch up to us." Hermione took Annabeth's hand.

"I hate magic," was the last thing that came out of Percy's mouth before he was apparated away for the second time that night.