Percy's PoV.

"Come on, Johnathan, get up. Class starts in fifteen minutes." A voice above me said, sounding annoyed.

"Ten more minutes." I grumbled at them.

"That's what you said almost an hour ago when I tried to get you up for breakfast." Now I was able to identify the voice to be Draco's. "Get your lazy bum up or I won't give you your schedule and you'll have to figure out what classes you have by yourself and where they are."

"It's too early."

"No it is not and if you don't get up you'll be late and Slytherin will lose points and everyone will hate you." He said and I sighed in defeat.

"Do I have to wear the ridiculous uniform?" I asked him, dreading the answer.

"Yes."

"Ugh."

"Cheer up, Percy. It's only the first day." Tia said from her basket that I stashed under my bed. I smiled a bit and rolled out of bed onto the floor and slowly got to my feet.

"Now get changed and hurry, your first class is at the top of the north tower. Alice said she'd show you the way there but she's not going to wait for long. You have Divination and Transfiguration before lunch." Draco said and put a piece of parchment on my bed as I started getting changed.

"Thanks." I told him and I pulled on my robes. "Whose bright idea was it to have dresses as the school uniform?"

"They're robes and it's a tradition." The blonde boy replied.

"Well some traditions could be done without." I pulled on my sneakers and then grabbed the text books that I needed and put them my new side bag along with some parchment, an ink bottle and a few quills. Then I grabbed the paper Draco set on my bed and made sure that I had my pen and wand. "Kay, let's go." He led me down to the common room where Pansy and a few of the other third year Slytherins were waiting as well as the sixth year prefect I spoke with last night.

"See you at lunch, Johnathan." Draco said as he started to leave with the others in our year.

"Hey, Draco, call me Percy." I told him and he rolled his eyes at me and they were gone.

"Come along, we don't have long to get you to your first class." Alice said as we exited the common room and she led me though the dungeon hallways. "Though, if you had gotten up with the rest of your dorm mates we wouldn't have to hurry. Since this is your first time here we are going to give you a pass but if it happens again points will be taken and you'll be giving a detention. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." I told her as I tried to keep up with her quick pace. Neither of us spoke for a few minutes. "Why couldn't Draco show me to my class? I mean we are in the same year, so same classes, right?"

"Usually, but your schedule is different from theirs. Most likely because you're just coming in and you were just put into the classes that had a spot open. You do have most of the same choruses just at different times, but you do have some classes with them so don't worry too much."

"So, divination is fortune telling, yes?"

"Yes and the class is a complete waste of time if you ask me." She said, slightly out of breath from climbing several flights of stairs. I was feeling out of breath as well and we had just passed the fifth floor.

"Why is it a waste of time?"

"You'll see." We walked the rest of the way in silence. Eventually we came to be at the bottom of a ladder leading up through a trapdoor. "This is where I leave you. Think you'll be able to get to your next class without me?" I nodded.

"Thanks for the help." I told her and she left after giving me a slight smile. Taking a steadying breath I climbed the ladder. At the top I was greeted with the sight of a strange classroom that looked like a kid had tried to set up a tea shop in an attic and the rest of the class sitting around the tables they somehow managed to cram up here. Everyone turned to look at me when I came into sight. "Umm, hi."

"Well don't dolly about, come and sit down. The future awaits." Said a woman with glasses that magnified her eyes, tons of necklaces and draped in a gauzy shawl. "Come, come, we haven't got all day." Looking around I only saw one open spot and it was with my brother and his two friends. Without a word I went and sat down with them and the Professor went on to explain what we were going to be doing in her class. I zoned out after the first few sentences and instead scanned the rest of the room. In the dim crimson light it was a bit hard to make out colors but I could see well enough to see the red color on their robes. Well that's great. I'm a snake in a den of lions. I had to stifle my laughter at that thought but a chuckle still escaped me. "Is there something you find amusing, my boy?" The professor asked and I focused my attention on her again.

"Not really." I told her. "I'd say more pathetic than amusing. But don't mind me; go back to what you were saying."

"Come on, dear, don't be shy. Tell us what is on your mind." She insisted.

"If you don't like it, it's your fault for insisting that I tell." I told her and she just waved me on. "I was just thinking that it's rather pathetic that you have to suffocate and give your students heat stroke in order for you to teach your class. The amount of incense your burning in here is way too much, I mean seriously, are you trying to kill us. And the heat, we are not food so there's no need to roast all of us alive. I get the whole 'trying to set the mood' thing but you have gone a bit over just 'setting the mood'. Plus, from what I've heard so far you're just playing to people's fears and saying random dates, not actually seeing the future. But at least this class is mostly Gryffindors and according to my housemates most of them are pushovers anyway." For those in the class who haven't been glaring at me since I walked in were glaring at me now and the Professor looked a little annoyed.

"Might I see your hand?" Instead of waiting for me to answer she grabbed my left hand and examined it. "You have a short life line, your new to the world of magic, not much power either, my boy. Don't write off that which you don't understand." She turned away and went back on to explain that we were going to get into groups of two and read each other's tea dregs. My attention drifted off again and I noticed Harry glaring at me more so than the others.

"What?" I asked him in a whisper.

"Was that necessary?" He demanded in an equally quiet whisper.

"Yes because I didn't want to say what I was actually thinking." I answered him.

"So you insult our teacher and my House to avoid being honest?" He looked angry and hurt.

"I was honest with what I said. It just wasn't what I was thinking." We stood up to get our tea cups with everyone else and sat back down.

"So what were you thinking, snake?" Ron demanded harshly.

"I will not tell you if you ask me with that tone." I told him just as harshly.

"Both of you play nice." Hermione snapped at us. "Johnathan, will you please tell us what you were thinking?" She asked in a softer tone.

"One condition," they raised their eyebrows at me, "call me Percy. Johnathan may be the name I was given when I was born but I was raised as Percy. I'm not about to start going by a different name just because someone says it's my real one." They exchanged looks before answering.

"Okay, Percy." Harry said carefully, I could tell he was still angry though. Noticing the Professor looking our way I started to drink my tea and the others followed my lead when they saw the teacher looking our way as well. My brother set his cup down first. "Brother, please tell me." That got me to almost tell him then and there but I was still hesitant because I really didn't want Ron and Hermione to know. Then I remembered a talent we both shared.

Gryffindor and Slytherin are rivals. That much is easy enough for me to understand, I told him in parseltongue and I saw him tense up a bit at the change of language. I'm a lone Slytherin in a class with only Gryffindors. I could tell from the moment I arrived in the classroom that most of them didn't like me. I haven't even been here a day and only spoken to a handful of people and yet people who I haven't talked to yet judge me by the colors of my uniform.

"English mate." Ron said giving me a slight glare. "Me and Hermione can't understand parselmouth."

"I think that was the point Ron. And it's 'Hermione and I'" Hermione told him, but looking at me like I'm a problem she was having trouble solving.

"Well he's not going to be making many friends if he keeps speaking the snake language." The redhead pointed out.

"Insulting our House doesn't help him in that department either." A boy from one of the nearby tables interrupted.

"Technically I didn't insult you guys." I told him and he glared at me.

"Sure sounded like you did." Another boy said coldly.

"I said 'according to my housemates' so really they are the ones that insulted your House, not me. Though, if you want me to insult Gryffindor House, I will." I replied evenly and they turned back to their tea cups and textbooks. "We should get back to the assignment." Both Harry and Hermione nodded while Ron moped. Finishing our tea and doing the other stuff as directed we exchanged cups, Hermione with Ron and Harry with me. "You go first." He rolled his eyes at me.

"Ok, there's a...I think it's a flying horse...which means that you will 'obtain nobility, or great power' good for you...also a skull looking blob, 'danger'...a horseshoe looking thing...this one isn't in here." Harry paused as he searched for the symbol in his textbook. Unfortunately Trelawney overheard my brother and took my cup from him.

"Ah, yes, very rare to see a flying horse in the dregs." She commented as she turned the cup in her hands. "The skull, and, oh my, that is a strange symbol. I don't believe I've ever seen that one before."

"What does it look like?" I asked her but she ignored me.

"It looks like a horseshoe but more circular like an 'O' with wings on the bottom." Harry answered. I thought for a moment while Trelawney continued to examine the cup, then I ripped a piece of parchment from one of my rolls and pulled out my ink and a quill. I got a few weird looks as I drew a symbol on the parchment.

"Like this?" I showed him and he looked surprised.

"Yes, exactly like that. Do you know what it means?" He looked back up at me.

"It's omega, the last letter in the Greek alphabet." I told him just as our teacher gasped and quickly put my cup back on the table.

"The end and a trident...keep away from the water my boy. Your end awaits you there." She said to me, going a bit pale. It was hard to not laugh at that prediction.

"I'll keep that in mind. My turn." I snatched up Harry's cup before the Professor could.

"Are you sure you're able to?" She asked none too happy. "You also might want to get your book out."

"You're the one who said that textbooks can only take us so far. Besides, the book probably only has one meaning for each symbol. This way I can make my own interpretations." I grinned as Harry rolled his eyes at me. "Ok, a bird...a bit hard to make out which type."

"Does it matter?" He asked me.

"Yes because if it's a dove that means love is in your future, an eagle for nobility or strength, or a sparrow for freedom, etcetera. Then we have a skull, you know what that means. A baseball bat, I got nothing for that one unless you're thinking of taking up the sport. Lastly, a dog, I think...You do look like a dog person so you're going to get a dog."

"I doubt that." My brother said and he glared at the table.

"Or it could mean a new companion, like a person rather than an actual dog." I amended with a smile. "A brother for example." He looked up at me at that and after a moment smiled back.

"Let me check the cup." Professor Trelawney snatched the cup from me and did the same thing that she did with mine. "The falcon, a deadly enemy."

"Everyone knows that." Hermione told her and her two friends looked at her in surprise and the Professor sent her an annoyed look. "Everyone knows about Harry and You-Know-Who." She clarified for those giving her confused looks. "That's not really seeing the future."

"The club...an attack. Not a very happy cup." Our teacher muttered. "Yes, the skull." She paused than screamed, nearly dropping the cup. "The Grim." Most everyone gasped in horror.

"I take it that the Grim is bad. Like the Grim reaper." I said with a chuckle.

"It's the worst omen of - of death, it is not a matter to chuckle at." Someone told me sharply, I didn't see who. "Especially since it's for your brother."

"I refuse to believe that it means my brother is going to die tragically at the tender age of thirteen." Harry gave me a slight smile when I said that. If it does come true then heads might end up rolling, specifically the heads of three old ladies.