Chapter 10

Percy's Monday started in a normal way.

He woke up with the sky still dark, but one look at his wall clock told him it's just 10 minutes after four in the morning, giving him ample amount of time to prepare before his day officially starts. First thing in his agenda is to clean the Owlery, which is not his favourite chore, but someone has to do it every day, because anything less would result to the place having a smell of apocalyptic proportions. Owls may be the creatures symbolizing wisdom, but there is a reason why they are not known as animals of good hygiene.

After taking a shower and wearing clean clothes, his wand strapped into his left arm, he proceeded to boiling water for some tea. The castle kitchen, unsurprisingly doesn't serve coffee, only tea, so if Percy wants to have one, he would have to make it himself, for the house-elves have enough chores to worry about without having to add caffeinated beverage to the menu because of only one American. So, until he found the time to buy some coffee, he would have to make do with tea. Thankfully, despite the unavailability of instant coffee, he was able to nick some slices of bread from them, and just a little Heating Charm will make it as good as new. He also nicked some eggs, knowing that food won't be available from the kitchen when he wakes up.

He summoned water from the air, taking care not to mix any impurities from the air along with it, and collected it in his mug. Then whipping out his wand, he muttered another Heating Charm on it, a little stronger this time, then put a teabag on it. He then proceeded to make some scrambled eggs. Once he's done, a little sunlight is already peaking from the treetops. He took a sip from his tea, giving a groan of pleasure as the hot liquid warmed his throat, it is not coffee but it is something hot. Then, he unceremoniously dumped a helping of scrambled eggs on a slice of bread, and then topped with another slice of bread. He was about to take a big bite from it when the peace and quiet atmosphere was so rudely interrupted by a series of loud, angry sounding knocks on his door.

Great. What the hell does Filth want with me this time, Percy wondered. There is no one but him who would most likely be at his door at breaking dawn, and this is the second consecutive day the man will be here to bother him at the start of the day.

He replaced his scrambled egg sandwich back to his plate, making a promise to eat it no matter what before going out to start his job, then strode into his front door, a scathing remark ready in his mind. He opened to door to face the unwelcome visitor, but instead of an insult, a groan of frustration escaped from his lips. It is not Argus Filch who decided to pay him a visit, but someone more problematic. His first visitor of the day is Harry Potter. And he doesn't look happy.

Harry opened his mouth, but Percy quickly raised a finger, silencing the angry welcoming remark that is surely on the way. Percy immediately opened up his mind and searched if there is anyone who's focused on them right now. He searched the entire castle, because with magic, one doesn't have to be in the vicinity to eavesdrop on them. Only when he's 100% sure that they are alone, physically and magically, that he brought down his finger.

Harry opened his mouth once more but Percy beat him to it. "You shouldn't be here," he announced simply.

Harry snorted. "Why?" he demanded. "Afraid that I would blow up your cover?"

"Because I am busy," Percy corrected. "Hagrid's job is not a walk in the park, you know? And you're interrupting my most important meal of the day. But, yeah, also because you might blow up my cover."

Harry opened his lips to answer back, but was once again interrupted by Percy's finger, which visibly irritated the teen to no end. He was just about to tell Percy what he thinks about people who keep interrupting him, when Percy stepped aside from barring his view of the inside of his cabin, an obvious gesture of inviting him in. "Why don't you come inside and have something to eat?"

Harry seemed to struggle between coming inside and saying his piece right there and then. After a moment of silence, he stomped into the cabin, rounding back on Percy once he heard the door close. He opened up his mouth once again, only to be interrupted once more by Percy. "Take a seat," he said gesturing towards his dining table. "I'm pretty sure you haven't eaten anything yet. I prepared scrambled eggs and got some slices of bread from the kitchen."

Harry's stomach gave a very loud hungry sound, but he refused to sit, his jaw clenching stubbornly. "I'm not hungry," he finally said.

"Oh, is that so?" Percy asked sarcastically. "I didn't know anger can do that on someone. I should try to be angry every time I feel hungry, then. Imagine how much money I'll save that way."

"I am not here to eat your scrambled eggs," Harry started heatedly. "I am here to –"

"I know why you're here," Percy interrupted him, returning to his previously abandoned chair. "But I refuse to deal with you, at least until I had my breakfast." He reached his scrambled egg sandwich. "And I know that the castle kitchen won't be serving food until seven, so I'm offering you some food because it's the hospitable thing to do."

He took a big bite from his food, groaning at the taste. He mentally patted himself in back, for a food well done. The scrambled eggs were made fantastically, if he do say so himself. "Now, the way I see it you have two choices, since I know you wouldn't be leaving until you get what you came here for." he said to him, while chewing his food. "One, sit and have some food while you wait, or two, just keep standing there and try to ignore your hunger and anger while I fill my stomach." He took another bite from his sandwich, looking Harry in the eye. "Your choice."

Harry just clenched his jaw stubbornly and crossed his arms in response, looking back at Percy, not breaking eye contact.

Percy can't help but give out a sigh at what he is seeing. I will move the Owlery cleaning for later, he decided. He's got something more exciting and educational for the teen.

Percy took out his wand. With one flick, he Vanished the chair he was offering to Harry. With another flick, he Conjured a chair, the same replica of the one he Vanished, right behind the teen. With another flick, the chair moved towards Harry, tripping him behind the knees, forcing him to sit just before the table. He Levitated a plate from the kitchen counter into the table before Harry.

"Eat," he insisted, his tone of voice leaving Harry no doubt that it isn't a request. "You'll need the energy for later, trust me."

"I am not hungry," Harry insisted again. "I am not here for a meal. I am here to –"

"Nonetheless, eat," Percy interrupted him calmly. He waved his wand threateningly. "Don't make me force the food down your throat."

Harry didn't say anything for a while. He glanced at the wand Percy is holding, then back at him, gauging if the threat is true or not. With one last look at the wand, he served himself a helping of scrambled eggs. Looking angrily at Percy in the eye, he took a small bite of it.

Percy smirked when he saw Harry's eyes widen at what he tasted, momentarily forgetting his anger. The teen obviously didn't expect cooking to be included in Percy's skill set. "Yeah, I know," he told him.

Seeing Percy's smirk, the angry glint in Harry's eyes returned immediately. He continued to eat silently, quickly finishing his meal.

Percy wanted to punch him, then. It's a great scrambled egg, the least Harry could do is give his compliments to the cook. The both of them finished their meal in silence. Once they are finished, Percy Charmed the dirty dishes into the sink, casting a Scourgify Charm on them at the same time.

As soon as Percy returned his wand to its strap, Harry started his rant. "Now, I want to –"

"Not here," Percy interrupted him for the nth time, standing up.

Harry leaped from his chain in rage, knocking it violently to the floor. "WILL YOU STOP INTERRUPTING ME!" he yelled.

"Someone could be eavesdropping," Percy calmly explained, although he knows full well that there's a few people in the castle can penetrate the wards he built in his cabin to eavesdrop. "Come with me, I got something to do in the forest."

Percy went out of his cabin through his back door, towards the forest. He didn't look back to see if Harry is following him. He knows he's following him.

He led Harry deep into the forest. Once they reached the part of the forest with a canopy so thick, only little light penetrating to give the forest floor illumination, as if the place is in eternal twilight, that he faced Harry. "Now, say your piece."

Harry took a deep breath, and Percy suddenly felt a sense of dread. The teen brought a lot with him this morning. "Hermione, Ron, and I have our suspicions about your presence here at Hogwarts," he started, giving Percy a little hope. Maybe this conversation will be civilised after all. "But I want to hear it directly from you. Are you here in Hogwarts to keep an eye on me?"

"Yeah," Percy answered back. "Among other things."

"So after months of watching me in Privet Drive, you also have to watch over me here in Hogwarts?" Harry demanded angrily.

"Yeah," Percy answered again. "I'm surprised you didn't expect it."

"OF COURSE I DIDN'T EXPECT IT!" Harry exploded. "What I expected is that, finally, after months of being spied upon like a suspected serial killer, you people would have the decency of giving me back my personal space. You watched me every move every day for two months like a group of creepy stalkers, while you are all holed up in Grimmauld's Place. Now, I am back in Hogwarts, under the watch of how many teachers and Dumbledore, the only wizard who Voldemort feared, and now I have you doing that too?"

"Don't yell at me like all of this was my idea," Percy defended himself. "I was offered a job, since my job as a diplomat to the centaurs is practically over, those guys are smart but very private by the way, they want to have no business with wizarding affairs, even everybody knows that they are next once all wizarding resistance against the Death Eaters are destroyed, and I was staring at month after month of boredom, then Dumbledore requested a meeting with me, offering me the game-keeping job, which is really loaded by the way, I didn't know Hagrid have this high salary, he doesn't look like it, so if there's anyone to blame it's the Headmaster. So talk to him."

Harry was silent for a while. "I don't want to talk to Dumbledore," he finally muttered.

That made Percy curious. From the rumour he'd heard, Harry is the headmaster's favourite student, and the feeling is mutual. "And why is that?" he asked. "You can go talk to him, you know. The headmaster is one of the most approachable men I know."

"He's a very busy person," Harry explained. "With running the school and the Order, plus the Ministry of Magic."

"Mmm, hmm," Percy hummed, unconvinced. The kid is not a very good liar. "Well, you married couple should work things out. But I would be very grateful if you leave me out of it."

"Well, it's a little hard to leave you out of it if he's got you having me under surveillance," Harry remarked scathingly. "Are you also going to watch me take a bath, or go to the toilet?"

"Hey, kid," Percy tried to reason with Harry. "We're only doing this because it is necessary. With Tom Riddle on the loose plotting heavens knows what, you'll gonna need all the protection you can get."

"I don't need protection," Harry insisted angrily.

Percy's eyes narrowed at Harry. "Is that so?"

"You seem to be in the assumption that you can protect yourself," Percy whispered dangerously. "Then maybe you'll have no problem dealing with these guys here."

He gestured at something behind Harry.

/line break\

Harry turned to where Percy gestured, finding something he didn't wish to see again: a horde of giant spiders. He looked up, and saw a few spiders hanging down on strands of web towards them. He whipped out his wand from his back pocket, glancing towards Percy for help. But Percy is just watching the spiders calmly with an amused smile on his face, as he's looking at a group of cute puppies and not a group of giant, poisonous spiders.

Percy glanced at him. "Didn't Pervy Moody warn you to never put your wand in your back pocket?" he asked him. "One of these days you'll definitely lose one of your butt cheeks."

"Forget about my butt cheeks and bring your wand out," Harry snapped at him.

"Oh, chill down, will you?" said Percy, taking his wand out. A burst of fire erupted from the end of his wand, taking the form of a large stallion, and galloped through the air towards the hanging spiders above them, making them burst in flames when the fire horse touched them. "The six in front of the horde are all juveniles. Since you insist so much that you don't need protection, I'm sure you can take care of them on your own. I'll take care of the rest."

Without warning, Percy's body dissolved into mist. The mist moved towards the incoming horde of spiders, reforming into Percy's original body, behind the first six. Two spiders rushed eagerly into him, but out of nowhere, the fire stallion from before leaped down and set them on fire. The fire horse rose into the air once again before diving once more and setting a few more spiders on fire, sending the closest spiders into panic. Percy waved his wand, and a shimmering dome appeared around Harry, trapping him within it along with six spiders.

"Hey," Harry shouted indignantly. Without touching the dome, he knew it was made to keep the things inside from getting out.

"What?" Percy asked through the wall of the dome innocently, as if he can't see what's wrong with the situation he put him through.

"What's with this dome thing?" Harry demanded, as he raised his wand defensively between him and the six spiders currently stalking him with their beady eyes. He turned his eyes to glare at Percy, the magical wall giving him a distorted view of the man in question.

Percy flicked his wand and another fiery stallion burst from the tip of his wand, and joined its brethren in the spider toasting happening outside. "Well, I don't want to let those six escape while I deal with the others outside."

"I am trapped here with them," Harry shouted in infuriation.

"Oh, you're absolutely right," Percy exclaimed, as if he only realized Harry's predicament just now. "Hakuna matata," he dismissed Harry's rage aside with a lazy wave of his hand. "I'm sure you can handle them."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. A spider leapt at him, and he sent it back with a few red sparks from his wand. "Did you just quote Lion King at me?" he demanded.

"Oh," Percy said, sounding surprised. "Is that from Lion King? I thought it was from the Jungle Book." Harry can't see him clearly through the dome, so he's not sure if he's really surprised or just being sarcastic. "Anyway, forget about that and focus on your spiders."

Thanks to that reminder, Harry was able to catch two spiders in the act of leaping at him. He shouted, "Stupefy!" at one, but was force to leap out of the way to avoid the second one. He knows that acrumantulas have fatal venom, but what he didn't know was if only the adults have or the young ones have it as well.

He quickly rolled into his feet and raised his wand defensively before him, sending out red sparks to ward off the spiders. He knew though as he watched the sparks bounce of their backs and legs that it will not be effective for long. From the trainings he did last year with Ron and Hermione in preparation for the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, he learned that acrumantulas, along with having fatal venom dripping from their fangs, also have tough exoskeleton, impervious to normal spells. If he wants to defeat them with his personal arsenal of spells (none of which are strong enough to penetrate the hard exoskeleton of giant, venomous, magical spiders), he would have to somehow find a way to fire at their soft undersides.

One spider (the once he Stunned earlier, from the smoke rising from its back) leaped once again at him. Harry aimed carefully at the now exposed underside and shouted "Stupefy!" It spell flew straight into the spider's underside, getting thrown back a few away. It landed roughly into the ground, not moving, thankfully.

But Harry's relief was short, as two more spiders advanced at him while he is distracted. One scuttled towards him with an alarming speed, while the other leaped at him, exposing its weakness. He once again shouted "Stupefy!" at the airborne spider, striking it like the other one. Then, he summoned all the strength his leg can muster and aimed a kick at the one scuttling towards him just as it reached him.

As he turned to face the rest of the group, he found himself face to face with a spider. It had leapt at him while he's kicking the other spider. With a surprising feat of agility, he twisted his torso and avoided the spider with centimeters to spare. He could practically the fangs go pat him as it hissed in the air. As he gained his bearings, he found himself in the middle of the dome, with four spiders surrounding him.

Harry almost groaned in despair. His situation just turned from bad to worse. He's surrounded in all directions by giant murderous spiders, and the two Stunned ones won't stay down forever. Percy's outside killing the rest of the horde, so he would have to find a way to kill these things before they kill him. But none of the spells he knew can kill these things.

Then, he suddenly remembered the spell he used during his second year, when he and Ron were being chased down by the same horde of spiders, wanting to have them for dinner. Also, Percy outside is killing these things with fire. Sure he only had one fire spell, and it doesn't turn to a fiery stallion like Percy's do, but it just might do the trick.

Going to the offensive for the first time, Harry aimed at the spider directly in front of him and shouted, "Arachnia exhumae!" a burst of blinding light erupted from his wand, striking the spider squarely, throwing it towards the dome wall, where it bounced and crushed into the ground, not moving, hopefully for good.

He heard a crackle of dried leaves behind him, and he ducked instinctively. The spider passed above him where his head used to be. As it crashed into the ground right next into its fallen brethren, he pointed his wand to his left and shouted "Incendio!" The spider burst into flame, and scuttled around in a vain attempt to save himself.

Harry suddenly felt a sharp pain on his left shoulder. He flailed his arms behind him in panic, and felt a large, hairy, hard something latched on his back. With a yell, he yanked it off him, making the pain on his shoulder spike up from what he deduced as due to some skin and fleshed being forcibly torn from his body, and threw the offending animal over his head. Luckily, it struck the spider he avoided earlier, and they both fell down in a heap.

Harry clutched his shoulder in pain as he struggled to stay on his feet. He could feel the venom running through his veins, making him weak. The two remaining spiders untangled themselves from each other, and menacing crawled towards him. He raised his wand with shaking hands, though he's not sure how he can evade them this time. He can barely avoid them earlier when he's not bleeding and poisoned, how will he evade them now?

Without warning, one leaped into the air towards his face, and the other one scuttled towards him on the ground, just like its siblings had done before. Harry aimed his wand once again and shouted "Arachnia exhumae!" and backed up at the same time, trying to avoid the spider on the ground. The spell hit the leaping spider, but on his haste to back up, he tripped on his own legs and fell to the ground. The last remaining spider didn't waste the presented opportunity, and hastily buried its fangs on his right leg, sending another shot of venom into his blood. Harry tried to kick it off, but the exertion and poison had finally taken up his strength. His vision is darkening, and his limbs were slowly not obeying his will.

Suddenly, the spider was yanked from his legs by an invisible force into the air. A fiery stallion caught it in the air, making it explode in flames.

Harry followed the stallion with his eyes as it descended on the ground, and found Percy with six fiery stallions behind him, lighting up his hair, making it look like it was on fire, and hiding his face in the shadows. His eyes are also glowing brightly, as if it was filled with green fire. The dome that caged him disappeared without his knowledge while he was fighting the last pair of spiders

To Harry, with his mind delirious with the pain and poison in his veins, Percy Jackson looks like an avenging demon rising up from the flames of hell.

With a wave of his wand, the stallions dissipated into nothing, making the nightmare-like vision to end, before stashing it back into his left sleeve. He calmly walked towards him, and knelt to assess his injuries.

"Can you sit up?" Percy gently asked. "Come on, I need to see the bite at the back of your shoulder," he commanded.

"Now, he wants to help me," Harry muttered, though he obediently obliged.

Percy touched the wound on his shoulder, making him wince in pain. Then he felt a tugging sensation from his wound, as something was being pulled out of it. He looked over to see what Percy is doing, and he saw his hand hovering over his wound while a dark grey fluid seeped out of the broken skin, collecting just beneath his palm. When the wound stop leaking the creepy fluid, Percy moved to the wound on his leg, just like the wound on his shoulder, Percy hovered his hand over the wound. Harry watched in sick fascination as dark grey fluid seeped out of the wound, just like it did on his shoulder. Once Percy is done, Percy took out his wand once more, and Conjured a dark vial, hiding his wand once again when he's done. With his hand, he guided the floating ball of grey fluid into the bottle, capping it tight when all of the sick looking fluid was inside.

"Was that acrumantula venom?" Harry asked in amazement. The weakness and pain he felt has considerably lessened. Before he felt like the wound is sucking the life out of him, now he just felt a right amount of pain and weakness; like the time when Oliver Wood made him stay two hours late on Quidditch practice.

"Yeah," Percy answered calmly, laying the vial down on the ground then raised his palm out. Harry watched curiously as tiny droplet of water appeared on the surface of his hand, getting larger and larger, joining together until it looked like Percy is wearing a glove made up of water.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked once again, his level of amazement reaching another level. He's never seen anyone do what Percy is doing, and without a wand at that.

"I collected water dissolved in the air," Percy explained, as if what he just did is something that can be seen every day on the sidewalk. "Now, stay still," he commanded once again while covering his leg wound with his water covered hand.

Harry immediately felt the pain on his wound disappear, getting replaced by a weird, almost pleasurable feeling. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of contentment. When Percy removed his hand from his leg, Harry was even more amazed to see that his wound had healed. There's not even a scar in sight.

"How did you do that?" Harry repeated like a broken record. Percy is just showing him surprises one after another. He reached towards his leg to touch it, wanting to inspect it.

"Stay still," Percy commanded again, restraining him as he pressed his water covered hand over his shoulder wound. Harry felt the weird feeling again.

Once Percy is done, Harry felt almost as good as new. He turned to Percy and repeated his question, "How did you do that?"

"I used water to heal you," Percy answered simply, the water on his hand turned into mist and dissipated away he stood up and wiped his hands on his pants. "You can stand on your own, right?" he asked. When Harry nodded, "Come on, then. We gotta get back to the castle. The sun's already up."

Harry looked at his surroundings. The lighting of the place hadn't changed after the spider attack: it still looks like its twilight. But he just has to take Percy's word for it. He stood up, struggling a little. His injuries might have healed, but the fight took a lot out of him.

He followed Percy silently through the woods. "I didn't know you could use water to heal people," he said, trying to start a conversation. "I've never seen anyone do it, and yet you can do it without a wand."

"Well, you're lucky I know how to do it, or you would be dead by now," Percy said bluntly. He stopped walking and faced him. "Another lucky thing for you is that all six of the acrumantulas you fought are juveniles. Their venom isn't that strong yet. If it were fully-grown acrumantulas, you would have died in seconds, your insides would have turned into fluid by now, being sucked by a hungry giant spider. Once the sun is fully up, there would have been nothing left of you but a bag of skin with bones."

"It was six acrumantulas," he defended himself. Sure, Percy fought way more than six acrumantulas, but hey, not everyone can be the Order of the Phoenix's second most powerful wizard.

Percy snorted. "Even Mundungus Fletcher would have escaped that situation, unscathed." He stared at him. "You can't survive a few young giant spiders that can do nothing more than spin webs, jump around the place, and bite things, how do you expect to survive a fully grown dark wizard who can do way worse?"

Harry glared at Percy, stung and offended by his words. "I know that it's hard to believe, especially after what happened back there, but I have survived much worse."

"Oh yeah, I have heard about what you have done since you arrived here," Percy said condescendingly, glaring back at the teen. "You got past obstacles meant for dark wizards during your first year, killed a thousand year old basilisk during your second year, fought and survived a hundred dementors in your third year, and finished impressively all three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament last year."

"But guess what," Percy continued, with an evil glint in his eyes. Harry braced himself, if he didn't like what Percy had just said, he's got a feeling that he's gonna hate what's coming next. "When you entered that obstacle course in the third floor, there's a sleeping dog, a flying key with a broken wing, and a dead troll. The only way you got past McGonagall's chess board was because of Ron, and there's no way you would have got past Sprout's Devil Snare and Snape's riddle without Hermione. And at the end of it, it's not skills that saved you, but your childish innocence and your mother's protection."

"When you entered the Chamber of Secrets, you only got out alive with the help of a mangy old hat and a phoenix. I'll give you third year, that Patronus casting is all yours to take credit for. But during your fourth year, you wouldn't have survived all three tasks without the help of a psychotic impostor. And the only way you survived confronting Voldemort is because of your wand's core."

Harry balled his fists at his sides in fury at what Percy just said. He wants to whip out his wand and curse the man before him until he looks like a slug. But when the truth of what he just said sank into him, he couldn't help but look down at his shoes in frustration.

He heard Percy sigh, and suddenly felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. "Hey, I'm sorry," Percy apologised. "I didn't mean to say that in a savage way."

He glanced up at Percy, who is now wearing an apologetic expression. "Well, how did you intend to say it?" he asked ruefully.

"What I wanted to say is that you need protection, even if you've got undeniable talent in getting out of danger," Percy explained. "All of the things you've done for the past four years are amazing, and shows off your undeniable skill in combat, but remember that you are only able to get out of them alive is because there is someone's help."

It just sounds like what Percy said to him before, Harry thought, only covered in kind words.

"It may sound like you can't do anything just by yourself, but there's nothing wrong with that. All of us need help sometimes," he hastily explained, seeing Harry's expression. "But even though you've showcased innate talent and good instincts, you've also shown your immaturity, lack of knowledge, and experience. There are moments when you move with your heart, not with your mind, and that could spell the difference between life and death."

"You are the one who almost destroyed Tom Riddle more than a decade ago. No one would be surprised if there's at least a dozen of Death Eaters waiting in line somewhere for a chance to get a piece of you. And the way you are right now, you will have no choice but to run."

Seeing Harry's unconvinced face, Percy hastily changed tactics.

"Look, I know it makes you furious, being protected like a child, and not being allowed to help in the Order, but we're not doing it because we think you lack skills. On the contrary I think you're quite a talented one."

"Talented one," he snorted, still not forgiving Percy's hurtful words earlier.

"You are," Percy insisted. "You couldn't have survived basilisks, dementors, dragons, gryndilows, and a maze filled with monsters in your age with natural talent. Sure, you got help, but you are the one who faced them, you are the one who survived them. Doing that at fifteen years of age is really impressive."

Harry tried to stop himself, but didn't quite succeed as a hint of a satisfied smile crept into his face.

"But," Percy added. "You can't deny, with that fiasco back there in the woods, that you still got a lot to learn."

"Yeah," Harry agreed hesitantly after a moment. "I guess you're right."

"Good," said Percy, removing his hands from his shoulders. "Then you know what you need to do, right?"

Harry nodded. If he really wants to protect the people important to him, he would have to do way better than his performance this morning. "I need to get stronger."

"Yeah, doing that would be great," Percy said, resuming his walk out of the woods. "And luckily for you, you are conveniently staying in a prestigious school of magic right now, being taught by very competent teachers."

"I really hope the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be good, then," Harry said, mostly to himself, following Percy.

"Don't focus on Defense Against the Dark Arts alone," Percy advised. "Charms and Transfiguration will always be helpful too, you know."

Harry groaned. He has always been good at Defense, but his Charms and Transfiguration needs work.

"You can do it," Percy comforted him. "And I'm sure you'll find time for other more enjoyable activities."

Instead of being comforted, Harry felt even worse. "Of course, you want me to greatly improve my Charms and Transfiguration skills without neglecting Quidditch," he whined.

"Actually, I was thinking about dipping your toes a little into the dating pool," Percy corrected.

"You're crazy, you know that," he said, shooting Percy an irritated look. "By the way," he tried to veer the conversation away from uncomfortable waters. "What's that spell you did out there? I've never seen a fire spell like that."

"Fiendfyre," Percy said promptly. "Very pretty to the eyes, relatively easy to cast, extremely hard to control, difficult to extinguish, and has a potential to be deadly weapon. A very dangerous combination. If the caster doesn't have a very solid hold over his mind and emotions, the spell can easily get out of control, which can kill the caster and anyone in the vicinity. What's more, the spell can survive for several hours after the caster's death. You don't see it very often, the risks are usually isn't worth it."

"Oh," Harry exclaimed, disappointed. The spell was indeed nice to look at, as beautiful as a Patronus, and the way Percy used it, it can certainly be of great help in a deadly fight against deadly giant spiders. But from what Percy said, it can kill him as easily as it can kill the spiders. "There's got to be something wrong in your brain, using a spell that could easily turn on you."

"What can I say," Percy said with an arrogant smirk. "I've got a pretty stable mental and emotional state. And where's the fun in using a perfectly safe spell? The danger factor makes it really exciting, don't you think? I should warn you not to try it though; it's a big boy spell. You're just not ready yet."

"Don't worry," Harry said, trying to remove a vision of himself getting killed by his own spell from his mind. "I have no suicidal intentions of doing so."

"Good," Percy nodded. "Now let's get back to our previous topic, before you so slyly changed the topic. How can you call me crazy? This is the perfect time and place for guys your age to start mingling with the opposite sex. You know," he wiggled his eyebrows obscenely at Harry, "get to know them better."

Harry snorted. "I've got not time for that."

"Ohoho," Percy exclaimed, looking at him closely. "Is that so? So you don't have a certain someone that you would very much like to impress lately?"

A certain Ravenclaw girl immediately came to Harry's mind. "Of course not," he denied.

Percy just laughed at the blush that traitorously crept to his cheeks. "Oh look at that, little Harry boy's got a secret crush!" he said loudly, making Harry's blush deepen.

"Who is it?" Percy pressed, with a troublesome smile.

"It's nothing," Harry insisted. Percy may look like a good guy, but he's also a dangerous guy. Who knows what things he can do with this explicit information.

"All right then," Percy said, making Harry scowl in suspicion. He's letting it go quite easily.

"You don't need to tell me," Percy said, his troublesome smile not fading one bit. "I'll find out about it soon enough."

Harry opened his mouth to tell Percy what he thinks about him, but the guy interrupted him. "Oh, look we're back."

Harry looked in front of him and found out that they were out of the woods, in Percy's backyard.

"Well then," Percy said cheerfully. "I'd like to spend more time with you, but there's an Owlery that needs to be cleaned, so see you later. I've got my Defense class with the Gryffindors this afternoon."

Percy waved at him as he walked on the direction of the Owlery. Harry watched for a few seconds as he walked away, before walking towards the castle. Ron ad Hermione must already be on their way down into the Great Hall.