Summer break passed quickly for Percy. The school board had officially accepted his mom's substitute textbook for Muggle Studies, and she had been commissioned to help choose a replacement Professor and create a new curriculum for the course. She was ridiculously happy about her new job. She wasn't going to be the Professor of Muggle Studies, but she got to review their proposed syllabi for the different years and make 'suggestions' for the course content.

Percy spent most of his summer visiting with his younger cousin and feeling more exhausted each day as Draco became increasingly excited about going to Hogwarts for his first year and chattered all day about all the fun things he'd get to do at the magic school. Percy was happy for him, but his enthusiasm and energy made him feel old. It had also become more difficult because Draco had taken to parroting his father, which meant that he was acting like a pretentious little brat. He had the sneer down though. Percy was impressed that he had mastered it even though it looked weird on the eleven year old.

The rest of his time was spent at the beach.

Well, technically he was at the beach, even if he was much further out in the water than his mom probably thought. There was a lot he wanted to know about his other side of the family. So far, he had found out for sure that he could breathe underwater in the ocean, had had a few conversations with some local fish and could move a little bit of water around if he concentrated.

When Percy got dropped off at the platform for his third year with Draco the new first year had quickly run off with some of his new year mates and said something about going to find Harry Potter who was also rumored to be going to Hogwarts this year. Percy sighed and was about to go after them when Narcissa pulled him off to the side before he could and passed him a wrapped box.

"What's this?"

"Consider it a mutual present."

Percy's curiosity got the better of him and he quickly opened the present. It was a camera. One of the high quality magic ones that captured half a minute of imaging.

Percy whistled appreciatively and noticed that there was already a cartridge in the camera.

"I'll be sure to send you some of the best pictures." He said with a grin and jokingly saluted Narcissa before she gently pushed him toward the train. Percy started walking over with his luggage and the camera in his other hand.

After putting his bag away with Lee's help, Percy settled down in the compartment figuring out how to work the camera and doing his best to keep Glinda's interest in Lee's new pet to only interest. The spider was lucky that Percy thought it was cool and was against Glinda nabbing it for a snack. When she got too close to Lee and his new pet Percy decided it would be safer if he took her and his new camera to see where Draco got to.

As he was leaving, he bumped into Fred who was complaining to his twin about the older Percy, who was apparently now a Gryffindor Prefect and being incredibly annoying about it.

"You won't believe it Perce! We caught him polishing that damn badge this morning!"

"He's turned all smug! It's unbearable!"

The two were being suitably dramatic over the whole thing. Percy shook his head with a laugh and pushed them into the compartment before their whining summoned their older brother to harp on them for making a spectacle in the hall.

"I'm going to find where my cousin got off to. See if I can get a few interesting pictures." Percy held up his camera with a grin that was shared by the other three who wished him good luck and insisted he share the funnier ones with them later.

The Hogwarts express was already on its way and most students were settled in for the journey. The halls were fairly empty with just a few stragglers, so Percy was pretty free to wander with Glinda on his head and the camera held at the ready in his hands.

He didn't get too far down the hall before he was nearly bowled over by a pair of first years.

The two were very embarrassed to have run into him. Especially the boy. The girl on the other hand while embarrassed didn't seem as worried as her friend.

"Sorry!"

"No harm done."

The girl cleared her throat and straightened up with a determined look in her eye.

"You haven't seen a toad, anywhere have you?"

"Only my own." Percy informed her pointing to where Glinda was sat on his head.

The boy gasped.

"How'd you get her to balance right?"

"Glinda knows what she's doing." Percy said with a grin. He was beginning to recognize the boy as yet another distant cousin.

The girl hid a laugh behind her hand.

"You named your toad Glinda?" She asked incredulously.

Percy's grin stretched wider.

"She's a good witch, don't you think?" She grinned back catching on to the joke.

"Who are you?" The boy the blurted out.

"Percy Black. Nice to meet you two." He held out a hand before realizing he was holding out the camera and then switched to the one not holding the device for a handshake.

"I'm Hermione Granger." The girl declared.

"Uh, Neville Longbottom." Just as he thought. Another cousin.

Percy was quickly convinced to help them look for Neville's toad, Trevor, and was walking down the other end of the train from the two first years on the search for another toad and still looking for his other way ward cousin.

Percy eventually caught up with Draco as the blonde spun on his heel away from the compartment, he and the two other boys had been visiting with a pompous air and baleful look he could have only picked up from Malfoy senior.

Percy had never been so thankful for Aunt Narcissa and managed to catch the moment all in magical photo. The whole moment all the way through to the horrified look his younger cousin made as he caught sight of him holding his camera and the sharp grin he wore as he looked through the lens.

"Percy!" Was whisper shouted at him in aghast.

"Draco!" He responded far more cheerfully.

"Now what is my esteemed little cousin doing wandering the train?"

"If you must know, I was looking for Harry Potter. It's been a waste of my time." He said with a huff after walking up over and eyeing the camera in consideration. He was likely plotting how to get rid of it so Percy couldn't take any more embarrassing pictures of him.

"Oh? Well, first impressions don't always last. Why don't you three go back to your compartment and share all the rumors about Hogwarts I'm sure I've never mentioned during breaks."

Draco didn't look very happy, but after getting a promise to stop by their compartment later from Percy left with his entourage.

Once the three new first years exited the hallway Percy gave in to his curiosity and knocked on the compartment door his cousin had visited. He received a hesitant answer allowing him in.

"Sorry to pop in like this, but I wanted to apologize about my cousin." Percy told the two other first year boys Draco had no doubt been bothering earlier.

The two boys looked between each other and didn't seem to know what to say to that.

"Uh… alright?"

Percy felt an amused smile spread across his face.

"Don't worry one day he'll realize the value of being nice to people and feel bad about whatever it is he said to you."

"How do you know?"

The boy who spoke was drowning in an oversized sweater and had a telling lightning scar under his messy black fringe. He had taken to staring up at where Glinda was still perched on top of Percy's head, so it seemed he was talking more to the toad then him.

"Because, I will have embarrassing evidence!" Percy's smile stretched into a crooked grin as he held up the camera.

The two boys stared for a second before meeting each other's eyes and bursting into laughter.

"You're Ron? Aren't you?" Percy asked the red haired boy.

"How'd you know?"

"Fred and George mentioned you."

"Ahh."

"Who are you? And why do you have a toad on your head?" the boy who could only be Harry Potter asked.

"Percy. As to Glinda. I'm not really sure myself why she's up there."

"Huh. I'm Harry." Harry looked at Percy with a blank look, but he had a grimace in his eyes. Like he expected some kind of reaction and was dreading it.

Percy bit his tongue to keep from answering 'Yes. Yes, you are.' It wouldn't help.

"Nice to meet you." Harry seemed to let out a breath and relaxed in his seat.

"I should be getting back to my compartment. Try not to spoil your appetites ahead of the welcome feast." Percy left after staring pointedly at the candies piled on the seats.

By the time the train pulled into Hogsmeade station Percy still hadn't had any luck finding Trevor the missing toad. He hoped Neville had found the familiar. He had spent most of the remaining time on the train answering any question Draco and his friends had about Hogwarts and then heading back to the compartment he had been in originally with Lee and the Weasley twins to change into his robes.

Percy smiled and waved at the first years he had run into on the train before turning to the carriages with the rest of the older students. He begrudgingly sat with the other Slytherins in his year as they did nothing but gossip about the arrival of the Boy-Who-Lived to Hogwarts, and watched in bored disinterest as they tried to involve one of the Slytherin Prefects in their discussion from where she sat in another carriage.

Percy cheered when Draco was sorted into Slytherin and the blonde sat next to him when he joined the table, all puffed up with pride and attempting to interrogate the Percy and the other older Slytherins that sat around him about the innerworkings of the house.

Percy snuck the camera into the dinning hall and had got a pretty decent picture of his younger cousin sitting on the stool with the sorting hat obscuring the upper half of face. Aunt Narcissa would love that one.

As the other first years he had meet on the train were sorted into Gryffindor, Percy found himself a little bit disappointed that Neville wasn't in his house. Having a toad was uncommon now a days. Everyone else wanted a cat or an owl. Percy would have liked to be able to more easily pass on what he'd learned about caring for a toad to Neville. Oh well. Maybe he could get Gryffindor's pranksters to carry a message for him.

He wasn't surprised by Hermione or Ron's sorting. All the Weasleys he knew of had been sorted into Gryffindor, and that girl had gumption.

Harry didn't really come as much of a surprise either. Percy wondered why the hat had taken so long to sort him. He had only interacted with Harry once so far, but he already got the feeling that the kid was strong-willed. Percy wasn't sure why he got this impression, though he was fairly certain that Potter was behind the reason Draco had 'taken his leave' of the compartment back when Percy had found his cousin on the Hogwarts Express.

It was sure to be an interesting year.

Bonus scene:

The remaining spirit of what had once been the Dark Lord considered the pros and cons of his current minion and transportation.

While useful for his purposes the man was almost unbearably petty. He had some ridiculous grudge against the House of Black for some perceived slight having to do with his previous job in Hogwarts.

Muggle Studies, he believed the man had mentioned. The Dark Lord could see why whoever it was in the prominent wizarding family had taken exception to the course leading to his minion's ousting from the position and a complete reworking of the subject's curriculum. From what he remembered of his school days, others had often complained about how dull the class was.

The spirit of Lord Voldemort rolled his eyes in his spot on the back of the idiot's head as said man laughed manically as he explained his "evil" plot to give Perseus Black only failing grades in his class.

With any luck he'd have a form of his own and be rid of this ridiculous moron soon.