Disclaimer: I'm Asian, enough said.

A/N: A short chapter (it's actually my usual length but still a short chapter compared to other stories), but hope you guys enjoy~! ^^

The interaction between Voldemort and Wormtail's a bit lacking, so maybe I'll go back and edit next time but yeah, currently too lazy to. ^^ Oh and thanks to the people who pointed out my mistake in spelling Madam Pomfrey's name! I think I got confused with the spelling because I recall her name being spelled as Pomphrey in some cases. ^^" It should be edited out by now. Many thanks to all the reviewers, favourites and follows! I appreciate all your love! (And I'm hoping to get more aka shameless begging)

Strange C08:

"Madam Pomfrey! Percy's awake!"

The son of Poseidon could identify the voice of Hermione, and when his surroundings registered, Percy could only wonder why in the name of Hades was he in the Hospital Wing?

-0-

"Move over! I need to check on him!" Madam Pomfrey fussed, waving her wand over the boy in question. Percy could only remain where he was, still trying to process what happened. Catching his confused expression, Hermione, thankfully, started explaining why he had ended up here.

"…and you wouldn't wake up for a week! I…," Hermione paused, as if to gather up her courage, while in the background Percy could make out the blurry form of the blond Slytherin, having shuffled backwards to escape the brunette's tirade.

"I was so scared you wouldn't wake up," she finished.

Ignoring the spells being cast on his body as well as Madam Pomfrey's stern reprimand of "Stop moving young man!", Percy reached a hand out to clasp Hermione's trembling ones. "I'm fine," he reassured the witch, "probably just some spell gone wrong or something."

The lie sat heavy on his tongue; Percy hated lying to the people he cared about and Hermione had fast become one of his closest friends here excluding Draco (but come on, no one was as close to him as his blond best friend). However, he couldn't just blurt out the fact that he had a cousin he never thought he'd see again in his head and that he may have found a way to get home, though he was still conflicted on that manner.

At this thought, Percy's earlier dilemma returned with a vengeance. He tried not to think too much on it, but he couldn't ignore that niggling thought at the back of his mind. He wanted to go home, gods, that was his only wish for the past two years, but he'd finally found himself a place in this world, carved his own very space to fit in this strange new environment. He had Draco, Ollivanders, Hermione and the Slytherins as well as a tentative acquaintance with Harry. Percy didn't want to just up and leave them, they were his family too.

A sudden pain that flared on his forehead jarred him from his thoughts. Grey eyes smirked at him. Percy gapped in shock, eyes making out the figure of his best friend with his hand dangerously close to his forehead.

"You flicked me! Why did you flick me?" Percy squawked indignantly, hand moving up to press against his forehead.

Draco shrugged, though a smile played on his lips. "You were thinking too hard. You're going to hurt yourself if you do that."

"You…" Percy couldn't say anything back, though he made a movement to get out of bed. A hand pushed him back, and the son of Poseidon realised that Madam Pomfrey was there, insisting that he didn't get out of bed until she was certain he had made a full recovery.

Feeling a bit annoyed, he settled down nonetheless. His mood picked up when the nurse suddenly whirled around and gave Draco a lecture on how he should not agitate her patients when they are still sick! The sullen expression on the blond's face was priceless.

In the background, Hermione took in the whole exchange with a calculating expression (and just a hint of awe).

None of them saw the small form scurrying away.

-0-

"I'm fine! Really! You don't have to monitor my every move like I'm some kind of invalid okay?" Percy snapped, finally fed up with the coddling Draco was putting him through. The blond just huffed and continued his ministrations; that is, making sure Percy got to wherever he needed to be safely. If he wasn't there, one of the Slytherins would do it in his stead instead.

"If I wasn't here, you'd be completely helpless! Now stop fighting me on this!"

It had been a day after the son of Poseidon had woken up and Madam Pomfrey had deemed him fit enough to leave the Hospital Wing. That did not, in any way, deter his friend from coddling him, something Percy abhorred. The half-blood had gotten used to his independence with the year he'd spent travelling with nothing but the clothes on his back and whatever could fit into his duffel knapsack. Sure, he had his bottomless bag now, but he didn't really use it because he had gotten used to having very little possessions plus the fact that it brought up memories he didn't want to remember. Also, while he was physically fifteen, going on sixteen, mentally, he was still two years older (not that it was much of a difference but still), which meant that he was older than Draco. It was a bit (lot) embarrassing to be mollycoddled like this.

"Percy, here, have a blue cookie. They're blueberry-flavoured."

The soft voice that spoke up jarred him out of his furious rant, his eyes focussing on the blue – completely blue – cookie. The sudden wave of nostalgia wanted to bring a wave of tears to his eyes, but he stubbornly held them back. Percy suddenly stood up.

"I'm leaving," he announced before packing his bag and stomping off to the dorms, heedless of the sudden silence across the Slytherin Table.

Draco's eyebrows rose, along with several of the other's as well.

"Is he on his period or something?" Pansy asked, as their eyes followed the angry form of their friend. The boys just shrugged.

After a minute or so, Draco sighed before packing up his bags as well to chase after his friend. This was the first time he had ever seen Percy blow up. Yeah sure, the blond had seen bouts of irritation and this shroud of sorrow that clung on his friend and stubbornly wouldn't let go, but never so angry that he would blow up like that. Maybe it was time to get some answers.

Because he was so deep within his inner thoughts, he never noticed that one Hermione Granger and her two best friends were trying following him inconspicuously.

-0-

"What do you have for me Wormtail?" A silk-like voice hissed, tone practically promising a fate worse than death if his servant did not deliver. His red eyes narrowed at the cowering form in front of his throne, as he lounged in his seat, one hand idly twirling his yew wand.

"M-M-Master, t-t-that boy seemed to h-have been p-put under s-some k-kind of s-spell, because h-he fell u-unconscious f-f-for a w-w-week."

"That'sssss all you have for me? I sssssent you to spy on the boy for over a two months and this is all the information you could get? What use do I have for you, you useless rat!" Voldemort yelled, his magic shaking the room and sending multiple priceless vases crashing onto the floor. After a moment though, the Dark Lord seemed to calm himself down, though a measure of fury lingered behind his eyes. On his face grew a dark smirk.

"Someone call Lucius here. Maybe it's time for me to find a use for the Malfoy spawn," he mused.

His voice sent Wormtail scrambling for the door, desperate to fulfil his master's orders.