Chapter Ten

It was a beautiful hot day when Mrs Weasley sprang the trip on them. She had been hinting at something for days now, but never let slip what she was planning. In fact, she had somehow managed to convince everyone that they were going shopping in London for clothes. Wizards barely even wear normal clothes, so what was with that?

Percy was sitting under a tree, fanning himself with a branch broken off from a tree while Ron, Ginny, Fred and George lay in a heap, piled on top of each other and moaning from the heat. Hermione was staring distastefully while reading a book that was somehow different from the one she was reading two days ago.

"Why is it so hot?" Moaned Fred.

"Its's, like, Autumn," continued George. "Why is it so boiling?"

"If you are too hot to do your twin-speak then it is far too hot," complained Ron.

"I couldn't agree more," said Ginny with a sigh.

Harry turned over onto his front and pressed his face against the grass. "What I don't get this how Hermione and Percy aren't overheating. They're just coolly sitting there!"

Hermione glanced up from her book with an incredulous expression. "Are you a wizard or not?"

"I don't know a spell to cool myself down," Harry replied. "But what about Percy? He hasn't been complaining half as much as we are."

Percy shrugged. "I get it from my dad. Something about the sea in my veins. But, then again it could just be Ap- Fred being nice."

"Hey! I'm always nice!" Fred said indignantly.

"Not you," Percy said. "It's another Fred. This Fred is a big flaming ball of gas."

If it was possible the air around Percy seemed to heat up, even though he was sitting in the shade of the tree. Percy winced.

"Yup, probably shouldn't have said that."

Harry shrugged, too hot and bothered to question what he was talking about. He jumped as red shoes came into his view. He yelped as he looked up at Mrs Weasley.

"Mrs Weasley!"

"Yes, that is me," she said with a twinkle in her eye. Ron sat up warily.

"Mum...are you planning something?" He asked. "I've seen that look before."

"Where?" Asked Fred. "Surely-"

"-it's not on us?" George continued. "We would never even dream of making mischief."

"Not even a single stink bomb-"

"-or firecracker."

"I dream of that reality," Hermione quipped. "Though, I suppose Fred and George must get their mischievous streak from somewhere."

"If you can believe it, I was the mischief-maker of our year when I attended Hogwarts," Mrs Weasley told them.

"No...really? You?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Yes, but I grew out of it," Mrs Weasley replied, slightly sad.

"Does this mean that Fred and George will grow out of it?" Ginny hopefully questioned.

"Not on your life!" Mrs Weasley laughed. "Anyway, I have planned for us to go for two days to a rather beautiful beach in Cornwall. We can apparate there and spend the day on the beach."

Percy jumped up. "Awesome! I can show you how to surfboard."

"What's surfboard?" Ron asked.

"How do you not know?" Percy sputtered in outrage. "Everyone should know what it is, and how to do it."

"I think it would be better just to explain," Harry suggested.

"Yes," agreed Percy, "that would be best. Basically, a surfboard is a long, thin board made of polyurethane or polystyrene foam and covered in layers of fibreglass cloth and polyester or epoxy resin. You stand on the board and the waves will carry you on the ocean."

Hermione frowned. "How did you know that?"

"The great Hermione I baffled," whispered Fred to George.

"Never though I would see the day," George whispered back to Fred.

"I am not baffled!" Hermione replied hotly, "just wondering how Percy knew that. Even I can barely pronounce most of those materials."

"Just think what poor Ron is going through," Ginny smirked, nudging her gaping brother, "he hasn't a clue."

Percy shrugged. "I wanted to study surfing at Uni, but my girlfriend said it wasn't an actual subject. Anyway, shouldn't we be going?"

"Oh, yes of course," Mrs Weasley said, hauling everyone to their feet and telling them to find their swimming trunks and swimming costumes because they were leaving in half an hour. Everyone scrambled to their feet with cries of: "Yes!" "This is gonna be great!" and "We can finally cool down!"

"I'll get the beach umbrella from the garage!" Fred called.

"Why do you even have a beach umbrella?" Harry asked.

"Did you forget that we used to have a flying car? Who knows what else Dad has in there!"

"I'm gonna go grab Bill, Charlie and Pinhead Percy!" George said, running into the house.

Hermione closed her book and took out her wand. "I'll find some sunscreen to stop us burning."

Ron cocked his head. "From where?"

"If there isn't any in my handbag or in my room then I'll apparate outside the nearest village and visit the pharmacy," She said, disappearing with a crack.

Everyone ran from the garden, going off to carry out their own tasks. George apparated away, presumably into Percy (W)'s room, judging by the rather loud shriek coming from that direction. Fred took off in the direction of the garage while the others ran towards their own rooms to gather whatever they wanted to bring.

Ten minutes later, they had all assembled outside the front of the Burrow, Fred dragging behind him a beach umbrella, three spades and a couple of buckets. Obviously there had been more in the garage than he had anticipated. Hermione had returned with four bottles of sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a wide brimmed sun hat.

"Why can't you just cast a spell to keep us all from being sunburnt?" Ron asked.

"There's not a spell that I know of to do such a thing," she replied haughtily, "wizards aren't exactly known for being outdoors type of people."

"Some are," Harry countered.

"But I cannot base the entire population of wizards on those select few."

"Now you definitely sound like Annabeth," Percy laughed.

Harry frowned. He didn't really know much about this Annabeth character, only that she was like Hermione and was Percy's fiancé. He made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"Now, come on everyone," Mrs Weasley called. "Ginny, you'll apparate with me as you haven't had your exam yet."

"So unfair," Ginny muttered, taking hold of her mother's arm.

"The place we're going is a small bay which is exclusively for Wizards, meaning it has been made unplottable and has a very strong notice-me-not charm on it," Mrs Weasley instructed. "It's called Wizards' Beach. Boring name, but what can you do?"

"Yeah, she's right," Percy agreed. "I also asked Kym to brew up a huge storm last night, so there will be a lot of driftwood to make a fire when it gets late."

"Awesome!" The twins replied in unison.

"Everyone ready?" Mr Weasley called. Everyone nodded their heads. "Let's go!"

Everyone disappeared in a series of loud cracks. Harry lingered for a second before vanishing too.

Harry stumbled as he landed, falling face-first in the sand. Hermione helped him up, having (unsurprisingly) landed perfectly. He looked around. He was standing on a large sand-dune. In front of him was the ocean, glittering quite close below him. At his back was a myriad of sand paths behind which was a forest.

He was distracted from his surroundings by a shriek of pain. Ron had managed to apparate himself into the middle of a particularly thick patch of spiky dune-grass. He was cursing the spikes while heaving himself up with a grumble and picking his way out of the grass.

"Stupid pointy plants. How are they sharp? It's just grass? And, it was poking me," he complained heatedly as soon as he reached Harry and Hermione. "I kinda just want to cast a vanishing charm on them. Then no-one else will have to worry about it."

"No!" Hermione cried. "The Marram grass is essential to the ecosystem. It is protection against the wind, which would otherwise blow the dunes away, and the stabilisation it offers encourages the growth of other plants."

"Oh. Okay then. Good for the dunes. Doesn't stop it poking me though."

"There are the others," Harry called. "They all managed to land in the same place. How? Wait... I don't see Fred or George. Where..."

"BOO!" Shouted the twins, jumping out from behind a rock onto Ron, who let out a rather unmanly shriek. He slapped his hand over his mouth even as the twins erupted into peals of laughter.

"It's not funny!"

"Aww, is wittle Wonniekins afwaid?" Fred cooed.

"Did us big bad wizards scare the wittle guy?" George asked.

"You didn't scare me."

"That's strange, because your squeal indicated otherwise."

"Maybe it was all the spiky grass that you landed on!"

Ron growled under his breath and lunged for his brothers. They dodged in opposite directions like matadors, sending Ron tumbling head-over-heels down the dune, where he landed in a heap at his mother's feet.

"Hi..." He said weakly.

Mrs Weasley shook her head as Fred and George, still laughing, apparated down to them, earning a glare from Ron. Hermione skidded down the dune at full speed, apparently not bothering to teleport as the twins had done.

"Ron! Are you okay?" She asked. "That can't have been a nice fall."

"Went over some of that grass that you're so fond of," Harry butted in, joining them at the bottom of the dune.

"Hardy har har."

Harry left Hermione to fuss over Ron and walked towards the rest of the Weasley family, who were setting up the beach umbrella and windbreak. Bill was drawing in the sand with his wand with a look of utmost concentration on his face and his eyes closed. Suddenly they snapped open.

"There seems to be a lot of metal washed up on the beach," he said. "I think at least one of them is spelled... Hey, Charlie, d'ya wanna go treasure hunting? I think there may be some awesome stuff."

Charlie shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."

"Great! Then let's go!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

The two brothers picked up their wands and walked off, leaving the rest of the family, plus Harry, Hermione and Percy, to their own devices. Ginny looked around.

"I'm gonna go rock pooling. There are loads of them by the cliff," she said, picking up a bucket and walking off. Harry looked over at his professor and saw his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Look at those waves," Percy J. murmured.

"I would really prefer not to get wet," the other Percy decided, picking up a rather thick novel and clutching it to his chest.

"Why not? The sea is wonderful today!"

"I prefer to stay here with my books."

Percy J. shrugged. "Your loss." He dived behind the wind break, and in record time changed into a pair of swimming trunks. He grinned widely as a gust of wind ruffled his hair. He turned around and grabbed his wand, waving it around excitedly. A surfboard sprang up out of nowhere as he scooped it up and carried it under his arm, running full-pelt down to the water.

"I'm gonna get changed too," Hermione told her friends. "I haven't been swimming in a while and I rather enjoy it. Besides, surfing sounds like fun. I wonder whether Percy can conjure up a surfboard for me..."

"You like swimming?" Harry asked. "I wouldn't have guessed that."

"There are many things you don't know about me," Hermione huffed, moving behind the wind break and started to change into a wetsuit.

Harry shook his head in puzzlement and turned to watch with admiration as Percy rode the waves with skill and dexterity, almost as if the sea was bending under his will and pushing him faster. Ron whistled in appreciation.

"Wow. That is amazing."

"For once, Ronniekins, you are right," George admitted.

"'Ya know, I think so too," Fred agreed. Then his face lit up. "Hey Forge, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

George's face lit up too. "I think I am."

"The pranks we could play while we're here..."

"Surrounded by sand, water and rock pools... The possibilities are endless..."

They glanced once at each other before taking of in the direction of the cliff, armed with a bucket and spade. Ron shivered. "I dread to think what they are planning."

"Hopefully nothing dangerous," Hermione said, emerging from behind the windbreak, clad in a long-sleeved black wetsuit.

"Can't you just wear a swimming costume 'Mione? After all it's bloody hot," Ron pointed out.

"The sea is cold," Hermione replied. "And I don't want to catch a chill."

She turned away and marched down to the sea where she joined her gleefully splashing professor. To everyone's surprise, she took to water like a fish and was very soon surfing alongside an impressed professor.

"You're doing great!" Percy complimented. "You have great balance, you'd be great at horse riding. Or Quidditch, for that matter. You could easily make the team if you would just loosen up."

"I don't particularly like flying," Hermione replied. "That's why I'm so cautious. But surfing on the other hand... I love it."

"I'm glad to hear."

"Ready to go again?"

"You bet!" Hermione grinned joyfully and followed Percy back out to catch the next wave. They laughed as they surfed next to each other like pros. Hermione whooped in glee. "This is amazing!" Suddenly a wave rose out of nowhere and engulfed her. "Not so amazing!"

The wave sent her hurtling off her board and into the sea below, where she was spat up, coughing and spluttering. She glanced to her right, where Percy was and instead of seeing her unusual teacher, she saw...a horse? A rainbow fish horse and a rather large one-eyed man riding it.

"Brother!" The man shouted.

"Brother?" Hermione coughed. "What?"

Percy looked confused, then realisation dawned on him. "Oh...Right, you haven't met yet. Hermione, this is my half-brother Tyson, and Tyson, this is my friend and student Hermione Granger."

"Hello Hermione," Tyson called loudly. "This is Rainbow-" he pointed to the rainbow horse "-and this is Ella." Tyson moved to the side to reveal a red, feathered girl.

"I'm Ella," she said. "Ella likes books. Books, books, books. Words. Ella likes words."

"Hi, Ella, Tyson...Rainbow," Hermione greeted cautiously. "If you don't mind me asking...what are you?"

"I am a Cyclops," Tyson said. "Brother met me when he was thirteen. We fought dodgeball giants together."

Hermione shook her head. "I won't even ask. What about Ella and Rainbow?"

"Ella is a harpy," Ella replied. "Ella used to be stuck with Phineas, but Phineas was nasty, he wouldn't let Ella eat, so Percy challenged him. Percy drank gorgon blood."

Hermione looked at Percy. "Isn't gorgon blood deadly poisonous?"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "Hehe... I was a bit reckless. And ADHD. But Miss H cast some spells on me, so it's fine. Besides, only blood from the left side is deadly. I had two vials, Phineas took one, I took the other and we drank up."

"Isn't that a bit of a risk?"

"Phineas was the only one who knew the place where we needed to go. Besides, I couldn't just leave Ella and the other harpies. Once Phineas was dead they were free. And Rainbow? She's a Hippocampus."

"A hippocampus?"

Tyson beamed. "A fish-horse!"

Percy turned to look at Rainbow, only to see that she had left. "She must have decided that she didn't want to stay this close to land." Tyson pouted.

"Aww, don't worry big guy," Percy said. "She'll come to pick you up at dusk. Anyway, come on, I need to introduce you to my friends!"

xXx

By the time Tyson and Ella had explained who and what they were, Mr Weasley had lowered his wand and Fred and George had thoroughly made fun of Ron for shrieking at the sight of Tyson's one eye, it was lunch and Mrs Weasley produced sandwiches from nowhere like magic. Of course, she didn't actually because it's impossible for wizards to create food.

Fred sidled up to Tyson. "So...you're a cyclops then?"

Tyson smiled jovially. "I am."

George came up and stood next to his brother. "Can you do any special tricks? Have any talents?"

"I am a general in my father's army! I have a stick!"

Fred glanced at George. "Who exactly is you're father?"

"He lives by the sea. I was a blacksmith in his forges and I was the best out of all the cyclops!"

"You can build?" George asked curiously. "Anything in particular?"

"Anything!" Tyson beamed.

Fred looked behind him at the pitiful beginnings of his sandcastle. "Hey, Harry, Ron and us are building a castle."

"We are?" Harry asked from where he was chatting with Ron.

"Yes, we are."

"Would you like me to help you?" Tyson asked, staring at the castle.

"Yes!"

xXx

As dusk fell upon the beach and the sky was bathed in reds and oranges, Percy pulled his surfboard in from the sea, Hermione right behind, and laughed with her about a wave that had completely wiped him off his board. He grabbed a towel and threw it to Hermione before getting one for himself and rubbing himself down.

"How was the surfing?" Fred asked without turning away from the now fortress that he, George, Ron and Harry had made with great assistance from Tyson. "Catch many waves?"

Percy grinned. "So many. It was great."

"So great," Hermione agreed.

"You were really good at surfing," Percy complimented, "are you sure you've never done it before?"

"I'm sure."

"Ella saw Hermione and Percy surf," Ella squawked. "Kelly Slater. Tom Curren. Best surfers. California. Hawaii. Percy and Hermione should visit."

"Are they surfers?" Percy W asked.

Ella nodded. "Percy should visit Hawaii. Ella likes Sherlock Holmes."

She then launched back into her conversation with Percy W about great novels of the nineteenth century. Percy, apparently, was a big fan of the Bronte sisters. Interesting, if nothing else.

Bill and Charlie had come back from their treasure hunting laden with old coins and amulets. Bill said that a ship carrying enchanted items could have been shipwrecked in a storm centuries ago, and the cargo had been washed up on the beach. He then spent an hour going through them and seeing what their enchantments were and if their were any curses that he needed to break. Charlie had gotten bored in five minutes and instead started to draw caricatures of everyone in the sand.

It was then that Ginny returned from her rock pooling, holding a small plank of driftwood over the top of her bucket. She walked slowly up to Fred and George. They, naturally, asked what she had found. She smiled, she held the bucket out to them and took great pleasure in releasing four crabs that she had collected onto the twins.

"That was for pranking me," she said with a smirk. "I also cast a speed spell on them."

"Aaah!" Screamed George as one came up to him and nipped his toe. "That hurts!"

Ginny put her hands on her hips. "Man up George. It's only a tiny, little crab."

"A tiny little crab that you cast speed spells on!" George clarified.

"Personally I think you should go to Azkaban for cruelty to animals," Fred said, hopping on one foot to avoid the little animals.

"Actually," Ginny said. "As soon as they have nipped each of your toes they will automatically reappear in their own rock pools. No harm done."

"Are you saying that if we let them hurt us they'll go away?" George asked, horrified.

Ginny nodded.

"How could you do that!" Fred shouted.

"You're our favourite sister!" George added.

"Well..." Ginny said. "I'm your only sister, so by that logic I'm also your least favourite sister, meanest sister, nicest sister and most horrible sister."

"Nooo!" Fred and George wailed. Hermione went to stand next to Harry, having just changed out of her wetsuit.

"I never thought Ginny could be this evil," Hermione said.

"Well, there's a reason she's my girlfriend," Harry stated.

"After all, we all know that you could never be downright cruel."

Ron patted down the sand in his bucket. "I'm hungry" he complained.

Percy J perked up from where he was drying his hair. "Why don't we make a fire? Kym made it storm last night so there'll be loads of driftwood."

"I like that idea!" Mr Weasley said. "But, you're not allowed to use magic. Let's do this the muggle way!"

Fred and George groaned from where they had finally managed to get rid of the crabs. "Do we have to?" George asked, looking down at his red feet.

"Yes," Mrs Weasley replied. "This is a lesson to you. If you go around annoying people, they will find a way to get back at you. Now, off you hop."

The twins groaned and got to their feet. Ron mumbled complaints about his rumbling tummy, but got up as well. Bill and Charlie immediately hopped up and ran towards the cliff.

"They must have found some wood by the cliffs while they were treasure hunting," Hermione said, walking off too.

"Hey, wait up," Ginny called, joining her. Tyson smiled widely and jumped up, going along the high tide mark to look for wood, Ella flittering close behind.

Half an hour later, everyone returned carrying piles upon piles of sticks. Unsurprisingly, Bill and Charlie had the most, but the girls had a fair amount too. Ron was just clutching a few small twigs. Fred and George were carrying a pile of thick logs between them and Percy W was holding one or two branches.

"Nice!" Percy J said, walking up to them, Tyson following behind with Ella. "You found loads! Go put them besides mine, just over their."

"Knowing him, he probably found more wood than Bill and Charlie combined," Harry said, walking up to Ginny. To their surprise, it wasn't all that much. In fact, it was less than Harry's pile.

"What were you doing Percy?" Asked George. "You have less than us and we were bitten a thousand times by crabs before we started."

"Yes, but I spent a while looking for and building this," Percy said, showing them a curved stick that had a piece of rope stretched between the ends and another stick that was straight.

Harry was unimpressed. "What's that?"

"Ooh, ooh, I know!" Hermione said, waving her hand around in the air. "It's a bow drill, used to make fires if you don't have matches or lighters."

"Or wands," Harry added.

Percy looked impressed. "Well done Hermione, not many wizards know that."

Hermione blushed. "I did a survival camp a few years ago. It was really interesting, so I learned all that I could."

"Sooooo, how does his work?" Fred asked. "Is there a spell in the wood or something?"

"Basically, you loop the string of the bow around the stick - like this - and get a plank of wood - Bill, can you pass me that one, just there? Thanks - and use it to create enough friction to make fire," Percy explained. "I thought it would be interesting to show you how to make fire if you're alone and without a wand."

Percy put the end of the stick on indent on the plank of wood and started moving the bow side to side, creating friction and a light smoking. He got some dead leaves and dried plants and put them by the base of the spinning stick where a small spark set them aflame. He then made a small nest of twigs and put the smouldering leaves there so the twigs would catch alight. Then, once the twigs were burning, he started to feed in larger and larger logs.

"How do you know this?" Harry asked. "Do you lose your wand a lot?"

"You have no idea," Percy laughed, putting in a stick. "It's much easier to make fire when you have Leo around though. He's usually literally on fire. Plus, where I live most of the monsters aren't affected very much by spells, so the primary defence against them are swords and the like."

"When can we eat?" Ron asked.

"When the fire is burning properly," Percy told him.

"When's that?"

"About...five minutes?"

Ron groaned. "That's too long, I'm hungry!"

Percy shrugged and took out his wand, conjuring a packet of burgers and buns. Hermione frowned. "That shouldn't be possible," she muttered. "Exception...Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration..."

Percy conjured up a grill too and started cooking the burgers. When they were done everyone attacked them with gusto. Ron moaned.

"This is so delicious!"

Fred and George looked at each other. "Agreed," they stated in unison.

"Hey Tyson," Percy called. "D'ya want some peanut butter? I conjured some!"

"Yay!" Tyson shouted. "Peanut butter!"

Hermione looked at the jar in disgust. "Do you even know what's in that?"

Tyson looked at her. "Peanut butter."

"...Never mind."

Suddenly Tyson perked up like something was calling him. "Brother, Daddy's telling me to go back now. I'm sorry." He looked really cutely at Percy with that big brown eye of his and Percy just melted.

"Okay, big guy. I'll see you when return at the end of the year. I'll miss you though!" Percy said, giving Tyson and Ella a hug each.

Ella wrapped her wings around Percy. "Ella will miss Percy too. Ella will go back to Rachel and Ella will talk about books! Rachel is making the Sibylline Books. A half-blood of the eldest gods...A hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. Rachel thinks that the old lines will give way to the new ones. Goodbye Percy."

She fluttered up to sit on Tyson's shoulder. Tyson laughed and ran down the beach into the waves and waded out until the water was up to his chest. There he met Rainbow, who had come to pick him up.

Ron whistled. "I wish I could pull of that puppy face like Tyson."

Percy turned to him. "He's had lots of practice. Annabeth says that when I do that I look like a seal pup. Oh, speaking of, I was gonna IM Annabeth. You wanted to meet her, didn't you?"

"Annabeth is your fiancé, isn't she?" Harry said.

"Yup," Percy replied happily. "We were going to get married around now, but then Miss H called on me to take up this job and I couldn't refuse, so it's postponed until the summer."

"I must say, I admire your bravery," Bill complimented.

"Why's that?" Percy inquired.

"People say the Defence Against the Dark Arts position is cursed. No-one ever lasted more than a year since...Harry joined Hogwarts. I truly cannot remember a professor before Quirrel. And he died."

"Don't be worry. I'll be fine," Percy assured. "Annabeth tells me I have an uncanny luck about annoying and irritating more powerful beings and surviving." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"It's a drachma," Percy replied. "An ancient coin that we use to communicate and pay for things where I live. Kinda like your Galleons, except we don't have an equivalent of knuts or sickles."

He waved his wand and created a fine mist. Then he cast a lumos charm that created a rainbow through the mist.

"What are you-" started Ron, but was shushed by Percy. He tossed the drachma into the rainbow and called:

"Oh Fleecy, do me a solid, show me Annabeth Chase. Probably at Camp."

"What does this do?" Harry asked. "Is it like Skype?"

"What's Skype?" Percy asked as the rainbow cleared to reveal a beautiful blonde girl sitting in the middle of a green lawn with a laptop on her lap. Fred wolf-whistled. She looked up and had obviously heard Percy.

"Skype is a software application that is used to communicate with people over the Internet," she said, brushing hair out of her face. "Where've you been? It's been weeks Seaweed Brain."

Percy smiled fondly. "Sorry Wise Girl, but I've been busy. I wish I could come and visit."

"I wish I could teach," Annabeth said. "I honestly cannot believe that you were sent. I thought Chiron would convince her to send Lou, or Hazel. In fact, I thought she would send anyone but you."

"Oh, so let's set Leo loose in a school for witches and wizards. Brilliant plan. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Haha."

Harry tapped Percy's shoulder. "Care to introduce us?"

"Oh, sure. Everyone, this is my fiancé Annabeth. Annabeth, meet everyone."

"That is not very helpful, Percy," Annabeth told him.

"Okay, are you ready for this?" Percy took a deep breath. "Meet Ron, Ginny, Fred and George - they are basically the equivalent of the Stolls back at...school - Bill, Charlie, Percy, Mr and Mrs Weasley. This is Hermione, I think you'd be good friends, and this is my almost doppelgänger, Harry Potter."

Annabeth looked sharply at Harry. "So you're him, huh."

Harry looked confused. "What?"

"The Boy-Who-Lived. That's you, isn't it?" Annabeth asked. Harry nodded. "Hazel hates you 'cause her patron won't shut up about you and your adventures. And she wished that she could have gone instead of Seaweed Brain over here. Other than being taught by Ms H - and Percy, Hazel says that she did not like being referred to as 'Miss Mystical' - Hogwarts is the greatest institute of magic in the world."

Harry didn't quite know what to say to that.

"Annabeth, stop intimidating my new friends," Percy chided. "Just because you can gut someone as easily as you can solve Pythagoras Theory does not mean you need to show it."

Hermione perked up. "You know Pythagoras Theory?"

"Yeah, it's quite easy really."

Hermione laughed. "It is, isn't it? I tried to explain it to Ron, but he couldn't grasp even the basics."

"Hey! It was difficult!" Protested Ron. "All the triangles and brackets were confusing!"

"I'm with you on this one," Percy J agreed. "We definitely got girlfriends way out of our league."

"Don't you mean fiancé?" Asked Annabeth slyly.

"Correct again Wise Girl," Percy laughed. "I wish I was with you now."

"So do I," Annabeth replied slightly sadly. "But our family is our family and there's nothing we can do about it. Let's just hope that we can live the rest of our lives." Suddenly a long note sounded from behind Annabeth. "I better go," she said, "it's lunch time. Goodbye."

She blew Percy a kiss and slashed her hand through the mist, making the image disappear.

"You're really cute together," remarked Charlie. "How long have you known her?"

"I dunno really. It must be eight...nine years? But we started going out just after I turned sixteen. Then my aunt-who-hates-me kidnapped me and it all went to Tartarus," Percy said, chuckling almost bitterly. "Literally."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Your aunt kidnapped you?"

"Yeah...my family is messed up."

George adopted his twin brother's facial expression. "You don't say..."

"Soooo, why didn't you propose sooner?" Bill asked. "I knew Fleur for only a few years before I married her. Of course we were attacked at the wedding but every relationship has its ups and downs."

"Well...it's complicated, but her mom doesn't approve of me and my dad doesn't approve of her because her mom and my dad are arch-enemies," Percy tried to explain. "Then I went missing for eight months and she spends every single day looking for me. Then she finds out that I'm in San Francisco." He smiled fondly. "D'ya know what the first thing she does after not seeing me for eight months?"

"Kisses you?" Harry guessed.

"Well...yes, but only after she judo-flips me in front of the entire camp. That just decided that I should be their leader." He snorted. "They should be incredibly glad that Frank took over. I dread to think what would've happened otherwise."

"You have a crazy life," Harry said. "I mean...even for a wizard."

"You don't know the half of it."

"Well...what's the other half?"

Percy tensed up. "Uh, it's complicated."

"How complicated exactly."

"Um, well..."

"Lay of him Harry," Charlie called, sauntering over to the pair of them. "They're a cute couple and I think that Percy'd better not be killed or they'll never get married, and that'd be a shame."

"Too right," George agreed. He opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by Mrs Weasley calling him over to help pack up.

"You know," Harry commented as the two others left them, "you looked really happy when you got to talk to Annabeth."

"And I wasn't before?"

"There was a certain...underlaying sadness or- or torment about you before, but taking to her really just...lifted it away."

Percy sighed and turned away, making Harry almost miss Percy murmur quietly: "A war will do that to you."

As the family packed up and left, Harry dwelt on what he had heard from his professor. The war against Voldemort had been the only Wizarding War for a long time, besides the first time he rose to power. So where and on what side did Percy fight? And what reason did he have to be sad? A lot was missing, the puzzle was far from complete, but eventually he would put it together and he would show his true colours, so to speak. It only took time.

And while the group of wizards apparated back to the Burrow, not one of them remembered four crabs that had a speed spell cast on them. Let's just say that they became the terror of the rock pools...

Uhh...I don't really know what to say.

This really isn't the greatest chapter and I feel like I've really let all of you down by not posting earlier. Sorry. So, so sorry.

But, I just wanted to say again that I am British, so I do spell differently. So expect trousers instead of pants and aeroplanes instead of airplanes. = )

I will attempt to post the next chapter relatively quickly. The key word here being 'attempt'. Thank you to every single one of you who read and review, especially Guest Girl who has constantly been reviewing to tell me to update! Thank you!

Star, xoxo