Percy PoV-
The book was curious. It was worn in the sense that it was old, but I could tell when it was in use, it was well cared for. There were notes next to brewing instructions, corrections and tips, enough for me to feel whoever this used to belong to was quite the potions master. I traced my finger over the words written inside the cover 'Property of the Half-Blood Prince.' That inscription bothered me, hitting too close to home for comfort. Though Triton was heir to the throne, I was still a prince of the sea, and Half-Blood was another name for demigod. Dumbledore mentioned that it was the name given to wizards and witches with a muggle and pure blood parent, or a half-blood and half-blood parent, so it was probably not what I thought it was.
Harry was sitting next to me, working on his potions homework. To be completely honest, I didn't need the potions book belonging to the Half-Blood Prince. I was surprisingly good at potions and it was probably Hecate doing something with magic to tie in me being a son of Poseidon. Harry on the other hand, wasn't exactly bad, but he could use a leg up. That's when I made my decision. Tapping him in the shoulder, he turned to face me with a look of surprise on his face.
"Yeah?" I slid the book over to him.
"Here, I don't need it. It has some really good information and tips for potions, I figured you'd want it to help out." He took the book and rifled through it.
"Who's the Half-Blood Prince?" I shrugged, just as stumped as he was.
"I don't know, I asked myself the same question." He nodded in understanding.
"Thanks, mate, I really needed this. You sure you don't want it?" I shook my head no.
"I figured you needed it more than I do, no offence." He laughed and shrugged, as if to say, "What can you do?" He thanked me again and stuffed it in his bag, returning to his homework. I stood and left the common room, the portrait door shutting silently behind me. For some reason, a strange feeling came over me when I handed Harry the book, but I shrugged it off as nothing. I wandered the halls until I reached the double-doors that led outside. It was a Saturday and the sky promised a sunny game. Today was our first game of Quidditch, the first two having been cancelled due to weather. At 11:45, Gryffindor was playing against Hufflepuff, and later in the day at 2:00, Slytherin would play against Ravenclaw.
I walked outside and started stretching, preparing myself for the jog. I wanted to do a quick jog before getting ready for the game. Nothing too much since I didn't want to sweat and take another shower before the game when I'd be taking a shower afterwards. I could feel a slight breeze ruffle my hair while I ran, my feet almost silent against the grass. My arms pumped in a familiar motion and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. It'd been a while since I last went running, in fact, I hadn't gone on a run since I'd arrived at Hogwarts. I did other things to keep up stamina (as a demigod I couldn't afford not to be in shape), running in place, high-knees in place, jumping jacks, burpees, etc.
None of it compared to running though. When it's just you the ground beneath your feet, and the oxygen filling your lungs. It was calming and helped with all the stress, my mind blank and relaxed. All I had to worry about was keeping my legs moving and arms pumping. Unless of course I was running from a monster, but this wasn't the case. I didn't think about my unofficial quest, didn't think about Snape or about stopping Draco from dying. Nor did I think about the missing campers, not Annabeth or Jason. I didn't think about anything, I just ran. Eventually I could feel a little sweat beading at my temple and I stopped, walking to cool down. Going back inside, I followed instructions from a painting to the kitchens. A bottle of water sounded amazing right now.
The house elves weren't what I was expecting. I thought they would look more like the eleven from The Hobbit, but I was clearly wrong. When I entered through the portrait, all the attention snapped to me, several of them rushing towards me. I was bombarded with a hoard of "sir"s and "Master Jackson"s, which creeped me out that they knew my name. It felt like talking to sea life and Pegasi all over again.
"Oh, um, hi. Uh, I was just wondering if I could have a bottle of water, please. If it's not any trouble." One of them snapped their fingers and a bottle of water appeared. He, or at least I thought it was a he, handed it to me and bowed, staring at me.
"Thanks." I uncapped the bottle and took a sip, slightly unnerved at their unrelenting staring. "So um, what's your name?" The elf looked at me in surprise.
"Master Jackson wants to know Dobby's name?" I paused. Didn't that question defeat the purpose, he just told me his name.
"Yeah, uh, you kinda already know my name so..." A smile broke out on Dobby's face but he didn't elaborate. I shifted uncomfortably. S.P.E.W. popped into my mind and I figured now was as good a time as any to ask. "So, um, do you like working here? I mean, are you being forced or is it voluntary. Are you here against your will?"
"Dobby's likes it here, all the house-elves like it here. It is shameful if Dobby's not working, Dobby likes work. Master Jackson kn~"
"Please, just call me Percy, I'm no one special. I just wanted to make sure you were happy since Hermione- you probably know her-but she made it sound like you weren't." The house-elves huddle closer to me and looked up at me in some kind of awe.
"Percy Jackson cares about us, Percy Jackson is being just like Harry Potter. If Percy Jackson is ever needing something, we is always helping the Son of Poseidon." I tensed, my mind racing.
"How do you know that, how do you know who I am?" I demanded. Dobby seized a pan and started hitting himself on the head with it.
"Stupid, stupid Dobby. Dobby has made Percy Jackson upset. Dobby need's punishment, stupid, stupid~" I grabbed the pan from his hands, taking a hold of them so he wouldn't be able to grab anything else.
"No, no, I'm not upset, you didn't do anything wrong. Stop trying to hurt yourself, please." He looked at me as if doubting my words. I smiled at him and he relaxed, his hands slacking in my grip. "I just want to know how you know, sorry if I acted upset, but I'm not, I promise." Dobby nodded slowly and I let go of his hands.
"House Elves is knowing everything. House Elves is hearing other House Elves talk who is all around the world, even in America. We is talking to each other and we is knowing about the Gods, we is knowing magic came from Hecate. We is knowing about you because you is very famous and a legend. Do not worry, we is not telling humans, no, no, no humans and no wizards or witches. You is like Harry Potter and we is never telling on Harry Potter." It would take some getting use to knowing that the House Elves knew my "secret identity," but as long as they didn't talk.
"I'd really appreciate that. Listen, I have to get going, I have a Quidditch game and I need to get ready. Thanks for the water bottle and it was nice meeting you." I left awkwardly as they all stared at me. I headed back to the common room, walking in only to see Harry and Ron pacing.
"Percy, where have you been, mate? The match starts in 30 minutes and you're not in gear and I doubt you ate already." Ron blurted out the second he saw me. I think Ron was genuinely starting to warm up to me, but Hermione still seemed suspicious though the other two might not notice it.
"Sorry, I went on a run, was gone longer than I expected. Breakfast isn't over yet so I'll just put on my gear and grab an apple."
"Ron, what are you talking about? You haven't eaten yet, which isn't a sentence I ever thought I would say." Hermione reprimanded him lightly. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. I laughed before heading up to the dormitory, taking my gear out of my trunk and putting it on. It was heavier than I expected, but not exactly heavy per say- Greek armour on the other hand. I shook my head, chuckling at the image of flying on a broom in Greek armour. That would be a sight to see. At first the straps were confusing. My detentions with Snape were still ongoing and as a result, I'd been able to attend very few practices, so it was still a little new to me. Though, like most things, I figured it out. Bounding back downstairs, Harry jumped up at the sight of me.
"Thank Merlin! Ron's been driving me crazy, he won't stop panicking about the game!" Ron blushed, his cheeks nearly the color of his hair and his freckles almost disappearing. Hermione huffed, shaking her head; I simply laughed, Ron's face getting redder if possible.
"It's okay, Ron, I used to get jitters before a meet sometimes." They looked at me curiously and I waved it off. Though illogical -considering I couldn't drown and was a Son of Poseidon- it was true. Sometimes, these irrational bubbles of nervousness emerged in my stomach, and my heart pumped just that much faster, the sound echoing in my ears. I understood how Ron felt. I had more laughed at Harry's dramatisation (a word only in my vocabulary due to the one and only Drama Queen) and Ron's red face than at Ron panicking because of the game.
We left the common room and headed to the Great Hall, Hermione trying to comfort Ron by telling him all the ways one could die playing Quidditch- which in my opinion wasn't very comforting. But maybe it was just me. All the talk of dying from falling from great heights didn't settle right with me. Though this was technically Hecate's domain, Zeus was still Lord of the skies and we weren't exactly besties. He was too much of a Drama Queen and I was too Persassy. Gods, I would never live it down if Thalia ever heard me call myself that. Once we arrived, true to my word, I grabbed an apple, a Granny Smith from the looks of it (though you could never know with magic). Ron, however, didn't touch anything.
"Ron, man, I know you're nervous, but trust me, you don't want to go out there on an empty stomach." He shook his head and moaned in exaggerated anguish.
"I have no appetite. If I eat anything, it's just going to come back up. I'm going to suck, I don't even know how I bloody made the team." I furrowed my brows. Surprisingly, Hermione's words of comfort didn't make me fear for my life.
"Hey! Ron, if you made the team, then that means Harry saw something in you." Ron lifted his head from where he'd buried it, staring wide-eyed at Hermione, who's face began to redden under Ron's gaze. I quirked a brow.
"Yeah, mate, Hermione's right. You're on the team because you're good and have a lot of potential, not because you're my best mate." Ron hardly heard his words, too busy staring at Hermione- Harry didn't notice. Finally he snapped out of it.
"Thanks guys, but I know you're only being nice." As he slumped over the table, I had a feeling he was more referring to Hermione than Harry. Out of nowhere, Harry pulled out his vial of Felix Felicis, pouring just a little bit in a cup of something (smelled like coffee) and handed it to Ron. Astonished, Ron stared at the drink in his hands and smiled, drinking it all in one go. It probably wasn't coffee considering he would've burned his throat and mouth and no one liked cold coffee.
"Thanks, Harry! You really are the best mate ever!" He grabbed an apple of his own and walked off, a slight bounce in his step. Hermione smacked Harry's arm, hard.
"Harry!" She reprimanded him loudly.
"Ow, 'Mione. You're abusive you know that. By the time we graduate, Ron's going to have brain damage from you hitting him with all those books, and I'm going to have nerve damage from all your abusive hitting." Hermione flushed before straightening, her head tilted up.
"It's against regulation to use the Felix Felicis potion in anything athletic or academic!" Harry winced at her high volume, looking around nervously. Thankfully, no one but us had heard her.
"Relax, Hermione, it's only a little. What's the worst that could happen?" Harry asked rhetorically. Hermione blubbered, flabbergasted. Finally she huffed, furious.
"I cannot believe you see nothing wrong with this!" She hissed, absolutely livid. She snatched up her satchel and stormed out of the Great Hall, her back rigid with anger. Harry sighed. I frowned, because Hermione was wrong, Harry didn't give Ron Felix Felicis. From their angle it looked like he did, but he never uncorked the vial, only tilted it. I didn't understand why he didn't tell Hermione.
"Why didn't you tell Hermione?" Harry blinked, not knowing he wasn't as discreet as he wanted.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I stared at him, long and hard, but he was unyielding. Despite his efforts, I knew he knew what I was referring to. Finally, he got up and left, leaving me to my apple. Spotting a sugar cube, I picked it up, fiddling with it. I sighed. I wish Blackjack was here, then I wouldn't be alone in this confusing world of witches and wizards. Plus, I'd have someone to talk to about everything. Crushing the sugar cube in my hand and finishing my apple, I walked off to the Quidditch pitch.
I was greeted with a calmer situation than I'd expected. Everyone was chatting happily, seemingly not at all concerned about the oncoming game. I guess they weren't too worried about it being the first actual game of the season. My eyes flitted around, trying to spot Harry or Ron. Ron was talking to Cormink, Harry up at the front checking to see if everyone was here. Our eyes met briefly, but I looked away casually. There was no point of an awkward staring match that would yield nothing but eye aversion. Unlike the others, I felt a little jittery. I was only introduced to quidditch two and half months ago, the end of November fast approaching. From where I was standing I could here Madame Hooch talking to the crowd. Harry started his pep talk.
"Okay, today's the big day, our first game of the season. I can see some familiar faces from previous years, and I can't tell you how happy I am to be standing here with you guys by my side right now. As for those of you I don't know yet, I hope that by the end of the season, you'll consider this team as much of a family as I do." A few of the senior ( I'm assuming) quidditch players cheered,
"Hear, hear!" Harry laughed.
"Alright, alright. Now let's start this season right and go kick some Hufflepuff butt!" The team cheered and I smiled. Re ran out onto the field, the stands erupting into and uproar of cheers and shouts, flag waving and foot stomping. Mounting our brooms, we rose into the air until we were level with the Hufflepuff team. Swiftly everyone got into position, me directly behind Harry as Center forward Chaser. Madame Hooch briefly went over the rules, talking about no violence and wanting a "nice clean match." Finally, she blew the whistle and we were off.
Hufflepuff started off with the Quaffle, making swift smooth passes. I zoomed forward to intercept a pass, rearing back to avoid a bludger to the gut. I looked up to see an apologetic Hufflepuff beater. Turning around, I saw the opposing team quickly advancing towards the goal posts. Racing back to defend, I successfully intercepted a pass, shooting it to Cormink, he raced off with the Quaffle, Rider and I close behind to help if needed. Another bludger zoomed pass me, narrowly missing my temple. Cormink reared his arm back and launched the Quaffle towards one of the opposing team's goalposts' their Keeper diving to save the goal. The Gryffindor side of the stadium Ed "awwed" in disappointment when their Keeper caught the Quaffle, rising back into the air, Hufflepuff supporters cheering.
The game went on far longer than I expected, the snitch still not captured. I could see the players tiring, their flying slowed. We were tied at 40:40, both Keepers only having missed 4 goals each. At this point, we were waiting for someone to catch the snitch and hoping that it was our respective seeker. The crowds rose and fell in a crescendo each time a team attempted to score. The Quaffle would be shot, and one crowd would rise in excitement, while the other rose in uproar. When the Quaffle was caught by the Keeper, the crowd that rose in excitement would fall in disappointment, while the other fell in relief. There would be a hush, then it would start all over again.
Turning my attention to Harry, I saw him racing forwards, eyes set on something. Following his eyes, there was the snitch, meters in from of him. The Hufflepuff Seeker was racing after him, her eyes frantically searching for the snitch. She knew Harry had spotted it, but still couldn't see where. Rearing upwards, Harry doubled back over the Hufflepuff and dove, hand outstretched. Go, Harry, go! The Hufflepuff seeker was too slow, not having predicted Harry's movement and before I knew it, the Gryffindor stadium erupted into to deafening cheers, some of Hufflepuff clapping politely. Finally, the match was over and we descended to the ground, lining up to shake hands. I couldn't help but notice how similar this was to mortal sports. As we headed into the castle, Gryffindors were shouting and celebrating, clapping us players on the back and congratulating us.
In the common room, Ron recounted all his saves proudly, everyone listening animatedly, besides the players that is. Smiling at the merry spirit, I headed up to take a shower, wanting to wash of the surprising sweat. After showering, I headed down to the Great Hall for lunch. It was 1:23 and the Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw match started in 37 minutes. Normally, Lunch was over by now, but they postponed due to the Quidditch match. I sat at the table and filled my plate, a goblet of water next to my plate. Ron was downcast and I frowned, expecting him to be happy after our win.
"Hey, what's up? How come you don't look happy?" He shrugged stabbing at his plate.
"Nothing, just... I guess I realized those weren't really my saves. The only reason why I saved the shots that I did was because of the potion." I frowned, understanding what he was saying. My eyes cut to Harry.
"Well I'm glad you're feeling the repercussions of your actions! You should have never accepted drinking it." Hermione jabbed at him, reminding him she wasn't happy. Wow, she's really terrible at comforting. But, I knew she was only looking out for him, in her own Hermione way. Gods, I ship it so hard. Harry pulled out the vial, shaking it to show how it was still filled to the brim.
"Actually, you saved those shots all on your own, I never actually put any of the potion in that goblet. I knew you were just lacking confidence, so, I pretended to put some in the goblet so you would think that nothing would go wrong. I knew that would give you the confidence you needed and you'd be the talented Keeper I knew you were. All those saves, that wasn't any potion, that was purely Ron Weasley." Ron shocked face slowly morphed into a beaming smile and he pulled Harry into a swift hug, ruffling his already messy hair.
"Harry, you sly dog!" Harry laughed and Hermione blushed, fiddling with her fingers regretfully.
"That was one smart trick you pulled there, Harry." Hermione complimented. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you guys, I didn't know it was a trick. I'm really sorry." They sat stoically before breaking and pulling Hermione into a hug, her laughter muffled. I shook my head, smiling at the sight. We descended into a loud chatter, Ron back to in a cheery mood. By the time we finished lunch, the Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw game had already started and we headed back to Gryffindor common room. Harry continued his homework from this morning and Ron and Hermione set up a game of Wizards Chess. I headed up to the dormitory and collapsed on my bed, taking a short nap.
When I awoke, it was 3:12 and there were more people in the dormitory. Going downstairs, I saw Harry still at the table.
"Are you still doing homework?" He jumped at the sound of my voice and I chuckled lightly.
"Merlin, Percy, you don't just sneak up on people like that!" I smiled cheekily.
"What can I say, it's always so amusing." He smiled himself, shaking his head.
"Yeah," he said, referring to my earlier question. "I'm almost done though, just a couple more paragraphs." He motioned to the open potions book, flexing his hand afterwards. I winced, imagine how much writing he'd done. Looking at his paper, I counted 22 paragraphs. I whistled lowly. My eyes were once again drawn to the potions book. It was the one I gave him this morning. For some reason, I felt weird seeing him with it.
"Hey, can I see that real quick?" He nodded, flippantly waving his hand at the book. I picked it up and thumbed through, seeing what I saw before. I flipped through casually, not really knowing why I was so interested in it. Stopping on a page, I squinted at the word at the top of the page. I couldn't read it because of my dyslexia, but it gave me an uneasy feeling. I turned the book towards Harry,
"Hey, Harry, can you read that for me." He looked away from his painfully long paper and at the word on the page.
"Sectumsempra." I froze, my eyes widening. A chill ran down my back, and I snapped the book shut.
"What?" I chocked out. Harry looked up at me confused.
"Sectumsempra."he repeated, thinking I hadn't heard him. My face pales and I turned away, walking towards the portrait. I needed to think.
"Percy?" The portrait slammed shut behind me. I started walking. This is bad, this is really, really bad. I messed up, Gods, how could I be so stupid! Now, if Draco dies it's my fault. I mean, it would have been my fault anyway because that means I would have failed, but now... Gods, gods, gods, gods, this is so bad. Why didn't I find this sooner, why did I have to give Harry the book? Taking away the book won't solve anything, he already knows the name of the spell, I just... argh! I don't know what to do. What am I suppose t- A body slammed into, interrupting me from my thoughts.
"Bloody hell, watch where you're going!" A slightly familiar voice shouted from the ground. I winced from where I fell, knowing a bruise would most likely form. Looking up, I was met with the sight of platinum blond hair, angry grey eyes, and a sneer. Draco Malfoy. I quickly stood and reached out my hand, surprised when he took it, but not at all surprised when he wiped his hand on his robes afterwards.
"Don't you have eyes, Jackson, I was clearly walking." He sneered, but all I could do was stare at him, images of him bleeding out on stone floor flashing before me. The scene replayed in my head repeatedly, 'Sectumsempra,' I could hear Harry whispering. Malfoy clapped in my face and I zeroed in on his hands. He smirked. He was still in his Quidditch gear and I assumed his match had ended only recently.
"Malfoy, I'm not Harry and I don't want us to spit insults at each other every time we meet. I don't hate you and I don't want to. I'm sure you don't consider Crabbe and Goyle actual friends and I feel like you're more than just the facade you put on for people. I don't know you, but I want to." He snorted.
"I'm sure Potter's put you up to this. Tell him~" I shook my head.
"Harry didn't put me up to anything. In fact I think he'd rather if we were on two opposite ends of the world, but, you've never wronged me. I'm sure you'd like to be able to talk to someone with more depth and is more open than those you surround yourself with." Malfoy shrugged, noncommittally.
"What's in it for you?"
"I don't know, I feel like we're more alike than either of us realize." And also it means that I'll be able to protect you from a certain doom, is what I didn't tell him. He squinted, staring me at me.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. See you around, Jackson." He walked away.
"I prefer Percy!" I shouted after him. I heard his snort and shook my head. I headed back to the dorms. If I couldn't stop Harry from shooting the spell, then maybe I could prevent Malfoy from getting hit by it. Besides, he didn't seem nearly as bad as he made himself out to be. Gods I hope this works.
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