Our Destinies Entwined:

1st Volume, Quill to Quill

"This is so much better than Yancy Academy," Perseus Jackson breathed, as he tried to take it all in. "No Nancy Bobofit, either," he muttered under his breath, remembering with a shudder the red-haired fiend at his old private school. He sighed, his shoulders relaxing, as he glanced out of the small compartment window every now and then. There was beautiful scenery – rolling green hills and crystal blue rivers, little red specks (farms, he supposed) occasionally dotting the otherwise completely green plains. For Perseus (or Percy, as he was called by mostly everyone except his snobby teachers at Yancy Academy), this whole thing had happened in a rush. Only three days ago – was it three days ago? – he had been living – if you could call it living – in a small apartment with his mother and his disgusting stepfather, Gabe.

Flashback

To get away from it all, Percy and his mother, Sally, had been driving to Montauk Beach in New York, which was pretty much the only vacation spot they could afford. Percy loved it - every bit of it, from building sand castles to collecting pretty shells for his collection. But the best part was the water. For some reason, Percy had always been connected to water, had a special place in his heart for the element. He loved it's crystal blue or in rare cases, metallic green color. He loved the way the sun bounced off the water and created a metallic sheen. He loved how he could stay underwater for minutes at a time, when other children would gasp for air at the first twenty to thirty seconds. It was his secret hideout underwater, where he felt all his worries melt away. At some times, Percy felt like he had power enough to control it – but he had always pushed away his fantasies. Until the letter from Hogwarts came, he never knew what he was actually capable of.

When Percy finally surfaced from underwater, Sally handed him a yellowed envelope, complete with a ridiculously detailed stamp. The stamp was red, yellow, blue and green, with a gold outline. There were also animals – a lion in the red area, a badger in the yellow, an eagle in the blue, and a serpent in the green. But that wasn't what startled Percy most. What startled him most – well, three things actually, were (1) his mother was looking shocked and kind of frightened, (2) a extremely haughty looking tawny owl was perched on the sand, next to his face (3) an even more haughtier looking woman with green robes, a pointy witch hat, and glasses was standing next to the owl. Another thing to wonder about was that the letter's neatly written address said:

Mr. Perseus Jackson

Montauk Beach, NY

Underwater

Percy tried to take this all in unsuccessfully. "Mom?" Percy stuttered, looking at her carefully. "Umm.." Percy tried to speak, but no words came out. "This is – " Sally gestured toward the witch, but the witch cut her sharply. "Excuse me, Ms. Jackson, if I may. Mr. Jackson, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardly." The witch began tartly. "Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1st, and we await your owl by no later than July 31st. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall."

"In the envelope is everything you need, your supply list and a typed copy of what I just said, in case you are impertinent and were not listening."

"You, of course, will get everything at Diagon Alley in London, assisted by Hagrid. This is your owl," Professor McGonagall indicated the tawny owl, who immediately proceeded to ruffle his feathers and look mighty. "Err," Percy finally spoke, and Professor McGonagall stopped for a split second. "Yes?"

"Where's Diagon Alley? Who's Hagrid? And what do you mean? I'm going to attend some weird, crackpot old school for witches and wizards? I'm not a wizard, if that's what you mean." Percy said in a rush, crossing his arms while Professor McGonagall's face became redder and redder. "You're lucky I can't take points away from your house because the Sorting Ceremony hasn't taken place yet, but I assure you, your house would be losing a lot of points if you – " Professor McGonagall's rant was drowned out by a roar. "DO – NOT – INSULT – ALBUS – DUMBLEDORE – OR – HOGWARTS - IN – FRONT – OF – ME!"

Percy immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "Who – what – "Percy's mouth was extremely dry. "TURN AROUND, YOU BIG LUG!" Percy turned around on his heel, extremely slowly, preparing to run. He was just about to faint when he caught a glimpse of a boot bigger than his head. His eyes traveled upward until he saw a giant standing next to a motorcycle. Sally gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. The giant's eyes were wrinkly with smiles (which he was relieved by) but right now, his eyes were full of malice. Percy gulped. That umbrella of his sure looks pointy. Percy thought as the giant slowly raised his umbrella and pointed it at him. "APOLOGIZE!" the giant shouted, prodding Percy's chest with the umbrella.

"Hagrid, don't murder the child before he even arrives at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said dryly. Hagrid looked skeptical, but he lowered the umbrella reluctantly and stomped toward his motorcycle. "Haha, yeah, so, is that the Hagrid that's going to take me to the so-called Diagon Alley.. not going to happen, right?"

"Diagon Alley? Yes, he is. Besides, he's the gamekeeper at Hogwarts, so you'll probably see him again next year. And the year after that. And the year after that –" Professor McGonagall said, a smug smile on her face.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'm stuck with him!" Percy raised his hands in defeat. Hagrid snorted. "Then off you go." Professor McGonagall swished a long, thin stick in the air three times before muttering a silent incantation. Suddenly, Percy was lifted off his feet and twirled around and around in a large black hole. It was a dizzying feeling that made Percy want to hurl, but right before he hurled he was on solid ground again, swaying. He turned around. There was the giant oaf Hagrid, standing next to trash cans and the back wall of a shabby building. In front of him was a very solid-looking brick wall (well, for the most part, because it was crumbling on one side.) He was "trapped."

"Look, I know we got off to a bad start," a booming voice belonging to Hagrid echoed behind him. He felt a very large hand placed on his shoulder, and it was warm and comforting, like his mom's chocolate-chip cookies. "But if yer don't insult Hogwarts again, I think we can get along just fine. What do you say, Percy?" Percy knew Hagrid was a good – er, giant – at heart, and smiled. "I think so too."

Hagrid brandished his huge pink umbrella and tapped the brick wall with it three times. Percy stood there, watching carefully when, to his shock, the wall split open. "Don't tell anyone about that at Hogwarts, not supposed to use magic," Hagrid told Percy, but Percy didn't answer. His mouth was hanging open. "What's that? And that. And that and that and that!" Percy pointed to so many things at once Hagrid's eyes had trouble following. "Well, the firs' on our list is Flourish and Blotts, where you get all your spellbooks on all your subjects. But I think you might be a lil' more interested in Gringotts and Ollivander's."

"Before you ask, Gringotts is the wizarding bank. Ain't no safer place to keep your money than Gringotts, I said to Professor Dumbledore. Except maybe Hogwarts. But it's guarded by goblins – nasty creatures. There's an even nastier dragon near the vaults with the more valuable jewels and whatnot, so keep by my side since that's where we're going." Hagrid said, with a flair of having told the same thing to hundreds of other young first years. "Is anything in my vault?" Percy asked Hagrid, nervously. "Why, you don't think your dad left you nothing, did you?" Hagrid chuckled. "My dad was a wizard?" Percy asked in wonder. "One of the finest," Hagrid smiled broadly, remembering old times.

"Then why hasn't he come back?" Percy asked, lowering his eyes. He was prepared for the answer he had known all along – his father was dead. If he was alive, he would have come back and not left Percy and Sally in the crummy situation they were in now. "He's not dead." Hagrid said, causing Percy to stare at him wide-eyed. "At least, I hope not. He went missing eleven years ago, but it was dark times, Percy. Dark times." Hagrid sighed. "Whatever. I don't want to think about it." Percy muttered, and he stalked off toward the direction of Flourish & Blotts.

Fast-Forward one Hour

"Are you absolutely crystal-clear you've got everything on the list?" Hagrid asked one more time, skeptically. "Yes, Hagrid. I've got all the spellbooks, all the astronomy charts and stuff, and all the icky eyeballs and stuff for potions. Geez, you don't need to ask that many times, I'm not a weirdo who can't take care of himself." Percy snapped, fed up.

"Never said you were," Hagrid replied, rolling his eyes. He brought his hand out from behind his back. In his hand was a beautifully crafted silver cage, with exquisite details and a little golden cage "door." But what was even more wondrous was the owl fluttering in it. She was a light brown, like his mother's cookies, and had little chocolate-colored wings. She was hopping around her cage, and had wide, inquisitive blue eyes. "Like the ocean," Percy breathed. "I'll name her Ocean," Percy said, still gazing into the owl's eyes. "Well, that's good and jolly. I figured you'd like a birthday present now that you're eleven and all. Never got a proper one since you were in "a crummy situation."

"Ocean's the best birthday present I could ever wish for," Percy gently fingered the cage. "Don't get sentimental," Hagrid said, taking a step back.

"Are we going to Gringotts or not?" Percy's brilliant blue eyes were sparkling mischievously. "Let's face that dragon!" he said, jabbing his finger in the direction of the huge marble building, glistening in the building.

A few hours later

Percy emerged out of Gringotts, extremely shaken. Hagrid tromped after him, hands in his large coat pockets. "So what was in that top-secret vault you wouldn't tell me about?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Jus' something for Hogwarts, nothing you would want to know about," Hagrid said, with an air of secrecy. "What does Ollivander's sell anyway? I think the only thing I haven't got yet is a ten-stringed mandolin or something," Percy laughed. "It's obvious. You need a wand."

A few minutes later. Characters Missing: Rubeus Hagrid

Percy pushed open the dusty door of Ollivander's, which triggered a small but ancient bell to ring. "Ah. And who might you be?" a cracked voice called from the back of the room. There was a small whoosh as someone quickly climbed down a ladder, and landed right next to Percy's ear. "Good evening, Mr. Perseus Jackson," Mr. Ollivander breathed, which gave Percy a slightly creeped-out notion. "Good evening, Mr. uh, Ollivander," Percy ad-libbed. "I knew your father, you know. It felt like just yesterday he was in here in his own set of robes, purchasing his wand. The wand chooses the wizard, you know."

"Um, what wand did he have?" Percy blurted out. Mr. Ollivander sighed dramatically, and said, "I was just getting to that part, dear boy. It was cypress, eleven and three-quarters inches, and as twisty and bendable as the great open sea. Probably the most flexible and most breakable wand I've ever sold, I believe. He was very independent, you know."

Percy had the slightest feeling that Mr. Ollivander knew more about his father than he did, and finally met Mr. Ollivander's eyes. They were a bit like the moon – wispy white, yellow, very hollow and yet mysterious. His cheeks were hollow and sunken too, and his whole body sagged down a bit. He looked very tired. "Yes, I've been keeping the family business alive for a while, you see, so I'm a bit tired. I think I'll close early today.. But back to your wand, Perseus."

Oh, great! Now I think he can read my mind too. Percy thought, forcing his mouth to smile. A measuring tape was measuring busily from his right arm to his left arm to his armpits to his legs to.. well, mostly all around his body. He then realized the measuring tape was moving on its own. "Which is your wand arm?" Mr. Ollivander mused. "Your right or your left?"

"Er – I'm right – handed, if that's what you mean."

"Excellent," Mr. Ollivander dreamily replied, as the measuring tape rolled itself up after it was done measuring. The measuring tape zoomed away and landed in a neat heap on Mr. Ollivander's small, mahogany desk, piled high with papers. The paper floating on the top was very rusty and smelled like lemons, and the big script read.. "Come now." Mr. Ollivander looked curtly at Percy, and Percy knew that he had been caught spying. "What are those?" Percy asked, cautiously. "Oh, just wand orders, nothing for you to worry about," Mr. Ollivander said, in a suspiciously airy voice. While Mr. Ollivander was in his store-room, Percy saw Hagrid knocking, as gently as he could, on Mr. Ollivander's display room. With a extremely loud tinkle, Hagrid burst in, and mouthed a quick, "'Ello again, Percy," before sitting on one of Mr. Ollivander's delicate benches. The bench promptly snapped in two, and Mr. Ollivander came rushing out, arms piled with various wands.

"Rubeus Hagrid, is it?" Mr. Ollivander nodded sharply in Hagrid's direction, and Hagrid stood up anxiously, dusting his coat. "Yes, sir," Hagrid said in a gruff voice. "Oak and sixteen inches – the largest wand I have sold and probably the largest one I will ever sell. Snapped right in two, didn't it? During your years at Hogwarts?" Mr. Ollivander kept questioning Hagrid, his tone of voice growing louder. "Mr. Ollivander! My wand, please," Percy begged.

"Oh. Yes, indeed," Mr. Ollivander said, with another murderous glance at Hagrid. "Try this one," Mr. Ollivander said, removing a wand from it's wandcase and setting it in Percy's hands. Percy felt stupid just standing there, so he desperately waved it around. Suddenly, all the neat, organized wand-cases in Mr. Ollivander's store-room was heard collapsing. "Oh, no, not that one!" Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand away from him and set it gently again in the wand-case. "Try this," Mr. Ollivander, again, placed a huge wand in Percy's hands. "Looks even bigger than mine," Hagrid chortled. Mr. Ollivander, his face pale and beaded with sweat, knocked it out of his hands. "No, no, what was I thinking!" Then, Mr. Ollivander tiredly dropped a case at Percy's feet. "Go on."

Percy meticulously started lifting the cover of the wand-case off, until Mr. Ollivander snapped, "Wands are not that delicate, Mr. Jackson. I have things to do and matters to attend to, so if you wouldn't mind terribly – "

"Got it," Percy said as he ripped off the cover. "Not quite that hard!" Mr. Ollivander sighed and slapped an ancient hand to his forehead. Percy grabbed the wand in its case and felt a strange warmth creeping up his arm. He closed his eyes and swished his wand. He heard a gargle of water behind him and turned to see a marble fish fountain shooting out water in spurts and blue sparks popping around him. Hagrid's eyes were like fireflies in the evening, they danced and sparkled, and he proceeded to shake Percy's hand. "Bravo, Percy!"

"Very interesting, indeed," Mr. Ollivander murmured, stroking his chin. Percy turned around in a flash. "What's – interesting, Mr. Ollivander?" Mr. Ollivander took a deep breath and began his tale. "Once, I was a little boy, just like you. I worked in my father's shop, as his assistant, and during that time I took a particular interest in wand woods. Wand woods were the most fascinating subject, and I studied for nights with only the light of my small candle.."

"I – kind of have to go soon, so can you speed it up?" Percy said, bluntly, checking his watch. "Yes, yes, of course," Mr. Ollivander said irritably. "Anyway your wand is the exact same as your father's. I studied for years and learned that never, in the history of wands, had two wands been exactly the same. But today, this was the case. Just yesterday, there was a boy named Harry Potter who –"

"Wait, my wand is the exact same as my dad's? This must mean something.." Percy bit his lip. But Hagrid was already paying the seven galleons and rushing Percy out the door. "Good-bye!" Mr. Ollivander shouted after Percy as Hagrid hurriedly slammed the door. "Percy, Percy, we lost track of time," Hagrid said, checking the timepiece. "What time are we supposed to be at Platform, uh.." Percy retrieved the folded-up train ticket from his pocket. "Nine and three-quarters?" he gawked. "Hagrid, I don't think there's a Platform 9 and 3/4.." Percy said, worriedly, while Hagrid basically dragged him through the brick wall. Soon, they arrived at the station. "I've got to get this to Professor Dumbledore!" Hagrid looked around twice, then shouted a hurried, "Good luck getting on the station! Good luck at Hogwarts - Gamekeeper, remember?" Hagrid hopped on his motorcycle, then disappeared through the thickening crowd.

"Hagrid? Hagrid!" Percy yelled for several minutes, before searching the crowd one more time and heading in the general direction the crowd of people were moving in. He quietly petted Ocean on the head while he scanned the crowd for any "wizards." He noticed a family of red-heads right away, who all had owls and trunks like he did, but they were extremely far away and it was almost time for the train to depart! Percy looked to his left, then his right, and almost threw up his hands in despair, until... Percy felt someone tapping on him. It felt like.. hooves.

"Need a hoof – I mean hand?" a goat-like guy who looked a little older than him, with a wispy beard and a cap pulled down really low, smiled at Percy. Percy grinned back, and shrugged, "I guess."

The goat dude stared at Percy until Percy relented. "Okay, fine, I don't even know where to start – how am I supposed to get onto Platform 9 and 3/4 anyway?"

"Oh. Here you go," the goat dude plopped Ocean on top of Percy's trunk. "So what you got to do is walk into that wall over there."

"Okay." Percy started to doubt Goat Dude's sanity. "Yeah, it might seem crazy. But hey, you're a wizard now. Crazy's what we do best."

"Here I go," Percy breathed as he wheeled his cart around and very slowly started to roll the cart toward the wall between 9 and 10. "Keep going if you want to make it to the Hogwarts Express! Come on, faster!" Goat Dude shouted after him. Percy started to run faster and faster. As he went closer and closer to the wall, he waited for the crash that would come. He waited for Goat Dude to hysterically laugh, and say, "Oh, man, I can't believe I tricked you!" But none of that came. He kept running and running until he opened his eyes.

He was standing beside a huge train, emblazoned with the colors of scarlet, gold, and black. "Oh my gods," Percy whispered, feeling tiny beside the giant. He glanced around and he saw a sign saying in bold letters, "9 & 3/4." He had done it – and more importantly, this whole thing wasn't a dream after all. As he walked around, he saw a tarantula waving at him through a box, a bejeweled turtle, and a scrawny boy with a scar and glasses being gawked at by everyone passing him. "Is he some kind of wizard king?" Percy whispered to a person walking casually next to him. "No, but close. He's Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Dark Lord's worst enemy, the Chosen One. Shall I continue?"

"Goat Dude?" Percy questioned, recognizing his voice. The person turned his face toward Percy. He had the beard, the cap, and a slightly surprised expression. "Yup, it's me. How you doing, man? You made it!" he pulled Percy into a bear – uh, goat hug. "Dude, we met five minutes ago," Percy wheezed. "I'm Grover by the way. Grover Underwood."

Grover Underwood handed Percy a small business card with his name and his address (Camp Half Blood, probably his summer mansion or something.) "Dude, that's got to be the lamest name, like ever. I'll still call you Goat Dude when I feel like it – or maybe even G-Man!"

The Present

Percy was still taking in the enormously amazing view when there was a small knock on his compartment door. "Sorry, there wasn't any room in the other compartments, so can I please sit here?" It was none other than Grover Underwood. He was looking upward toward the compartment ceiling, waiting for the inevitable, "Go away, nerd," he had heard in all the other compartments.

"Sure, dude." Grover looked down and saw the grinning face of Perseus Jackson. "Percy! Should have gone to you in the first place!"

"Welcome," Percy said, giving a Chocolate Frog to Grover. "You can collect the cards, you know," Grover said with excitement. "Ugh, it's a Dumbledore." Grover muttered. "I have like, 500 of these."

"Are you excited?" Percy asked Grover. "To go to Hogwarts?"

"Sort of. I'm afraid I won't have any friends when I get there." Grover confessed.

"Same. But hey, we could be best friends or something! And share the same dorm and stuff." Percy said with excitement.

"Great." Percy and Grover smiled at the same time.