Annabeth looked up as she heard someone come into her room as quietly as possible. This would be normal if it was on of her 5 roommates she'd slept beside during her time at Hogwarts, not a 4th year she didn't know very well. It also could've been normal if they had come in after a class had been let out, or maybe during lunch to get help with an essay, but not at two in the morning. No, this was certainly quite unusual.

"Annabeth?" They whispered, not wanting to wake any of their other fellow Ravenclaws, who were currently sleeping around them. She put her book down in response. "There's a Gryffindor boy that's been trying to solve a riddle to get in for the past 20 minutes.

Had it been any other house, she would've handled it as a prefect. But she knew better. She knew exactly which Gryffindor would be outside her tower at such an ungodly hour. God forbid he use Athena to send her a message that wouldn't wake any of her house mates.

"I'll be down in a moment to deal with him, thank you for letting me know. The fourth year nodded before leaving to continue working on their charms homework in the common room below.

Annabeth ran a hand through her hair before grabbing her wand, mentally preparing herself for what her boyfriend had planned for them tonight.

"Student's shouldn't be out in the corridors at this hour," she said when she saw Percy standing outside the entrance to Ravenclaw tower.

"Technically, we won't be down her before long. Besides, I won't tell if you won't," he responded, unfazed by her lackluster reprimanding tone.

"I swear if you drag me under the lake again I swear I'll feed you to the squid."

"Relax, Wise Girl. I want to show you something in the forest." "The Forbidden Forest,' her mind supplied. Of course he did. She tightened her grip on her wand before closing the door behind her. "I knew you'd come around," he smiled. Percy wrapped an arm around her and led her out of the castle.

To Annabeth, it felt like they were walking deep into the Forbidden Forest for eternity. Perhaps it was because she knew an acromantula, and therefore an endless stream of spiders lived here. Or maybe because it seemed like Percy had no idea where he was going, that he was wandering. He of course denied that when Annabeth voiced her concerns, but some of the flora they had passed on their little excursion was starting to look awfully close to what they'd passed 10 minutes earlier.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" She tried again.

"Shh." He froze and held up his finger in front of her lips.

"Percy, what-"

"Shhhhhh," he interrupted. "I found it." He had brought his voice down to a whisper.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow in question, partly so she wouldn't have t hear him shush her again.

Percy reached out and pushed some of the plants in front of them away to reveal a small creature. It looked like a skeletal pegasus, at least to her. "What is it?" She asked curiously.

"I think it's called a thestral."

"A thestral?" Annabeth echoed. It wasn't common for her to have never heard of something. Care of Magical Creatures was never her strongest subject, and this wasn't the first time Percy had shown her some new creature in the middle of the night, but he'd always shown her creatures related to the water somehow, like the merfolk in the lake.

"Aren't they cool? Apparently, they're only 'visible to those who have witnessed death'." His voice took on the uncharacteristic tone of someone reciting from a textbook, just as she found herself doing from time to time. "Nico showed me them last night." That explained it. Percy's cousin was just as obsessed with death as the Gryffindor was with water.

"Yes, they are. However, I feel like I'd appreciate them more had my sleep not been disturbed."

"You and I both know you were just reading." She couldn't say anything, he was right. 'He knows me too well,' she thought with a smile. She leaned on him a bit more as they watched the bizarre hybrid between a bat and a horse for as long as they could before retiring for the night. The exited the Forbidden Forest (to Annabeth's relief so they didn't risk running into an acromantula) and made their way back to the castle.

"Good night Wise Girl," Percy said once they stopped in front of Ravenclaw tower.

"Good night Seaweed Brain." He kissed her goodnight and left her to answer a riddle to get back inside.

AN: Yes, loyalty is Percy's fatal flaw. I even used that argument to defend the fact that he couldn't be anything but a Hufflepuff. But, since recent evaluation, I believe he's a Gryffindor. Besides, Slytherpuffs are such a strong iconic duo, I wanted to show that Gryffinclaw could be just a amazing. And if you really want Percy to be portrayed as a badger instead of a lion, let me know. Not all of these stories in this series, not even all the HP au's have to be in the same universe.