"I don't understand you." Percy shook his head, his brow furrowed in consternation as he watched the girl in front of him.

"I know you don't." She flashed him a quick but warm smile and then resumed her task of watching and waiting.

He sighed. "How do you know he will come? How do you know he's not leading the Death Eaters straight here?"

"I don't know, Percy; all I can do is hope. I promised I would be here, and I will keep my word."

"What are we waiting for?"

"I told you, Percy. Whoever this is tells me he has information that will help us expose Thicknesse."

Her words were firm and full of optimism. Still, Percy didn't have the hope she did. He didn't have the faith in people that he once had. He'd seen too much corruption. He'd really had a hand in the corruption himself, if he were honest. But he didn't want to see the role he'd played. There was hardly a choice. It was better to just keep your nose down and go with the flow these days. If you didn't, you ended up dead. Or worse.

And honestly, that is why he had come with Audrey here tonight. He wanted to start putting things right in some way, but he also wanted to make sure she didn't end up at the mercy of any Death Eaters.

She...

Well, confusing as she was, as much as he couldn't understand her, and even at the times when he thought her idealistic ways were ridiculous, he couldn't deny that she was the most unique person he had ever encountered. Having her pass into his life was a stroke of sheer luck. He didn't know quite what to do with this luck yet, but he found he couldn't turn away from it, from her.

He shook his head, sighing again.

The night was quiet around them as they stood among the dark trees in the London park. Dew was collecting on the grass, and the darkness was pressing around them like a light summer blanket. They would be able to hear the moment anyone approached.

"Did he say what time?"

"No."

It was quite a while before either of them spoke again in their hushed voices.

"I think I should be a lot more scared than I am."

"Probably."

"And I think you're right, Percy. There's every possibility I could be wrong."

There was so much he could say to that, but he didn't want to say he'd told her so. Not to her, for some reason. Instead, he wanted the question that had been gnawing on him for weeks to be answered. "Why would you leave your family and friends in America and come to fight a losing battle in England?"

"I heard you left your family." She paused and looked to the ground, knowing the weight of her words.

Her point was proven, and as much as he hated to admit it, the accusation stung him a little. It stung because of what she said next.

"Maybe some people will think I'm a fool because I'm fighting for something; something that doesn't seem like my fight. But it is, Percy," she said, looking at him again. "It is my fight. It's to everyone's fight, but not everyone will fight it. Since they can't or won't, those of us who are fighting have to fight harder, be bolder, stronger. We have to take risks because it's worth fighting for.

"I don't want to live in fear. I want to live in a world that's free of fear, and more, too. I want the safe, creative, innovative world to flourish like it did when You Know Who wasn't around. There's no reason we should be denied that world." Her face was determined, her whole body radiated the passion behind her words. "And it may be groundless hope, but what is left if there's no hope? Despair? If there's no hope, he wins, and there's no point in fighting; and if he wins this fight, here in the British Isles, no one will be able to stop him. My home will be next."

She resumed her anxious lookout. Her words stirred strong feelings inside him, and he had to stand there for a moment to take it all in. The things she said worked within him, and he felt the beginning of something more. Something like hope.

But there was something else he still didn't know, something he'd been puzzling over all night. "Why did you trust me over everyone else?"

"You've asked questions, but you've never questioned me, and my instincts tell me to trust you."

"I might let you down," he said. He couldn't help the uncertainty that crept into his voice.

"I trust you anyway. You've never given me a reason not to," she answered without looking at him.

And when she said she trusted him, it felt like something else as well, but he didn't ask her about it.

"What now?"

"We wait." Audrey sighed and turned her face slightly toward Percy. "Will you still wait with me, crazy as I am?"

Even without her poignant words, the fire in her eyes alone would have convinced him to stay. "All night."

"Good," she said, smiling. It was a tired smile, but one that still held warmth and gratitude. "I'm glad I have you."

"You do have me," he affirmed. He moved half a step closer to her and took her hand.

She studied his face for a moment before speaking again. "Always?" Her question was simple. Again her eyes conveyed more than her words. This might be love. This was probably love.

"I think so," he said softly, squeezing her hand. She smiled truly, a different smile than her previous smiles, and they continued to wait.

"Then I've put my trust in the right person, and that's all I can do."