Chapter 4: To Go or Not to Go
Recap: A new up-and-coming event that will take place to the nearest place to my yet-home. However, the news only put a scowl on my face.
The talk of SCOWL didn't stop after that night's banquet. By the time I got to my dorm, all my other roommates had already begun to talk in earnest. They were more excited at the thought of going across the sea than actually making an effort to join the convention. It went on for most of the night, so none of us slept well.
Though for me, it was a different reason. Even though it's a given fact that going to the US wouldn't be home for me while I'm stuck in the 70s, at the same I wanted nothing but a glimpse of the place I used to know.
This was the reason for my sorry sight, dragging myself to the Hall with heavy-bagged eyes, and not even the smell of pancake could wake me up. I didn't even have the wit to catch the letter thrown on my face.
"Who is that letter from?"
I almost jumped, not expecting Lils and Sev to be sitting across from me with their breakfast half-eaten already. I must have dozed off worse than I thought.
"I don't know," I told them honestly. I checked who the sender was, but there was no name on the back, so the only way to find out was to read it. I opened the latter and read the first line:
How's it going, Wiz Kid?
Wiz kid— no way— MONICA?! How did she manage to send this? She doesn't have an owl.
You're probably wondering how I'm sending this. The answer is I don't know because I'm not even sure you'll get this. If you're reading this, make sure you send me a reply so I know this works! If you're some random schmuck reading this then go jump into a river and die. What kind of sicko reads other people's letters, perv?
She… she's pretty violent on paper.
Anyway, where was I? Soooo I know you guys have your wands, pointy hats, and all the bippity-boppity-boos. So how does that work? You make potions and summon familiars, right? Do you have a favourite subject or spell? Do we, and I mean muggles, have anything in common with you guys? Like proms or a student council? Are there any weird foods? It'd be interesting to know what's similar and what sets us apart—
I skimmed through the words or skipped them entirely after reading the first few lines from each paragraph. Her letter is basically Monica word-vomiting her thoughts as a way of small-talking. Her handwriting was neat and curved so I was a bit jealous when compared to my chicken scratch. I offered the letter to Lils and Sev so they would know whose letter I was facing.
"So she figured out sending normal muggle letters was enough to get it to Hogwarts," Sev grumbled, not happy that our muggle friend knows how to contact us.
"Do you think she'll freak out if Monica found an owl by her door if we send a reply?"
"Don't encourage her, Lily."
"But I'd feel horrid if we ignored her."
Lils and Sev began to debate the pros and cons of replying to Monica or not. All the while I was munching on my sandwich and wrote on a spare empty parchment I had on hand. There was grease and a few inkblots, but it mattered little as I reused the envelope. The spell I used had the ink wiggle around like little worms before "Monica Hall" and her address replaced the recipient's name. Then I borrowed the floating candle to let the drips of wax seal it shut.
By the time I whistled for Sophia, Lils and Sev gawked at my already finished letter. The latter tried to stop me, but Sophia came in the nick of time, landing on top of him, and had Sev eat a faceful of cream pie conveniently placed there.
"Looks like you finally have other jobs to do than being Lily's mail carrier," I said as I handed her the letter. "Fly safely out there, Sophia." My owl cooed before leaving with a flutter of her feather.
Severus looked up, glaring with failed menace when his face was full of cream.
"Don't look at me like that, we promised to be her friend, and being friends means answering each other's letters. "
"I still think it's a bad idea."
"What's bad is your idea of makeup."
Sev tried a more menacing glare, but that only made me chuckle harder. Lily finally took pity between giggles before helping clean up his face.
"So, are you guys excited for the event or not?" Lily finally brought up this year's elephant in the room. The reminder put a damper on my mood which didn't escape her keen green eyes. "Percy, what's wrong? I thought you'd be interested."
"Err, no, it's, I, err," my tongue felt tied like a knot. These two know how much I missed home, so there's no point in hiding things from them anymore. But how am I supposed to explain that the home they think we're going to isn't my home yet?
It's not like I could outright tell them, 'Oh, well the US isn't really home because no one knows me, and my friends haven't been born yet.' There's a lot of awkward and complicated emotions that I can hardly put into words.
Sev even looked at me with that glaring concern of his, "Don't you want to visit?"
"I do, but, but it's not like the event takes place in New York, right?"
"I'm pretty sure there's a floo network there that we can use."
"Well, is it a given thing that we're going?"
At this, Lily grinned and vibrated from her place. "A chance to visit another magic school from across the country? Why wouldn't we go?"
Sev nodded, "And a chance to show off how much of an idiot other people are is a plus too."
"Sevvy, you're starting to grow a nasty personality there."
"Don't call me Sevvy."
"Percy," Lily started, seemingly nervous, "Are you… do you not want to join SCOWL? Don't you want the chance to see your friends again?"
It took effort to keep a straight place after hearing that ridiculous sentence. "Not that I'm not interested, it's just… I don't think that event is for me. I don't do sitting still well."
"That's what we're here for! You don't even have to do anything if it means you can visit your friends from back home."
Lily… that's the sweetest thing you've ever said but you're not making this easy for me.
"What's the hold-up, Percy?" Sev asked, "We thought for sure you'd be most excited."
"Yeah, haha, everyone seems to think that way but—"
"Well, well, well, look what we have here boys. The beauty, the beast, and the spaz together again." Four unwanted boys took seats between me, Lily, and Sev, literally interrupting us with their presence. I wasn't sure if it was a blessing in disguise, but it runs with my usual rotten luck that it was James and co that would distract my friends from the subject of home.
I turned to Sev and Lils who were looking just as unappreciative of their presence before glaring back at James, "Thanks for noticing my face, but I don't appreciate calling my friends a spaz and a beast."
James sputtered and Sirius had to force down his mouth that threatened to twitch up. James made a pointed gesture at me. "Who would compliment your ugly face?"
My girlfriend, for one. Though she's not here to defend my honor, unfortunately.
"He has a better face than you'll ever have, Potter." Nice, Lils defended me. "And who said any of you could sit with us?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this a reserved spot we're not supposed to sit in? Seeing a fellow Gryffindor and a snake sitting here, I thought for sure it was a free for all table," Sirius pointed out our ignorance to the unwritten rule.
Sev frown's gone deeper, "So? Doesn't mean you're welcome near us."
"James, can you pass me the butter?" Remus piped up from beside Lily. James waived to his request and slid the plate of butter while purposely shoving me to the side as if I was in his way. An annoying move by an annoying prick.
I thought at this point, I'm better off ignoring them and getting back to my breakfast. But then I looked down to an empty plate before me. I blinked a couple of times, thinking it might reappear. But then I heard munching from my other side and glared at the mousey boy who swiped my sandwich from under my nose.
Bear with it, Percy. Don't go berserk and smash a kid's face because you felt like it. Remember what Rhea said; be like the ocean that cares not for the stones thrown into them…
"Oh Merlin, guys check this out!" Sirius had gone and pulled down the hood of Sev's robe, revealing the new haircut he had tried very hard to hide. "Snivellius has a new haircut, suits him too." Sev tried to pull back his hood but Sirius had a strong hold on it while the rest of them laughed without a shred of the kindness we had when doing the same thing.
...screw the ocean, I'm gonna bash those pebbles to where they belong!
I never got the chance to act on it before Lily had pulled out her wand and silently shot out a hex so quickly that even I had a hard time catching what spell she used. The boy toppled down from the chair, and his friends rushed over to his side.
"Sirius!"
"Sirius, are you okay?"
"What the bloody hell did you do?"
Lily twirled her wand, and had she watched any western shows, she might have blown off the tip just to show off. "Good luck navigating the rest of the first day, blind. Don't worry, it's only temporary so best of luck to you boys."
Man, she's gotten way cooler over the years.
James looked up at her in awe, his face burning, possibly humiliated after being one-upped. But then Sirius laughed, like being hexed in the face was a funny thing he usually encountered, "I'll give points for that, Evans." The Rowdy-Ruff Boys then helped him up before they went off to get a peaceful breakfast elsewhere.
Sev got to finally pull his hood back up, but he didn't continue his breakfast. His nose pointed down at his plate while his spoon played with the mashed potato.
Noticing his mood, Lily tried to cheer him with a scoff, "Those boys sure don't know when to quit. At least that will keep them off us for a while."
If possible, Sev seemed to hunch even further as he looked away from us. "You didn't have to do that. I was fine."
That made her bright green eyes blazed further, "No you weren't! Those knuckleheads deserve more than a few hexes."
"Yeah, Sevvy. Besides, you'll grow out your iconic, glossy hair in no time."
"It's not funny, Percy! And I could have taken them!"He began to glare at both of us.
"You shouldn't have to!" Lily said hotly.
"Woah, woah, time out." I called a timeout with my hands, "No shouty voices among friends." They huffed in equal stubbornness without a word of apology. Now wanting to leave us in a strained atmosphere, I pulled the unwanted subject back. "At least if we're going to the Convention, we won't see their ugly mugs for a month."
Lily's head flicked back at me, eyes wide in apprehension, "So you're joining after all?"
I opened my mouth to agree half-heartedly, but then I remembered my Quest stipulated watching over not just Lily, but Lily and James. I can't do that if the two are an ocean apart. That would invite trouble of the Circe-kind, so I ended up saying, "Maybe."
Lily pouted while Sev scoffed at my indecisive reply. They might have prodded further, hadn't the schedule for the first day of Hogwarts passed around as I took it like a fish being pulled from a fishline.
"Oh, look. I have transfiguration now. Don't want to peeve McGonagall on the first day." I pushed the rest of the sandwich into my mouth and drank a goblet of water. I coughed and hacked but managed to swallow everything down, "Sorry, gotta go. Bye!"
"PERCY!" But their call was left deliberately unheard. I thank my rarely given luck that I have transfiguration with Ravenclaws. I looked back at the schedule and gulped as I would next have double DADA class with the Slytherins, and Sev isn't the type to forget and move on when asked to.
Professor McGonagall explained that the coursework for the first term would review transfiguring animals into inanimate objects and different species. While Transfiguration is one of the practical subjects I find doable, turning animals into objects has always been the most difficult for me.
The class was more rowdier than usual, the collective whispers of the Ravenclaws hardly hid their excitement for an event that really lets them shine. The Transfiguration Professor seemed to understand that and was less strict than usual so her students could stew in their eagerness. I noticed the slight twitch of her mouth whenever SCOWL was mentioned before reminding them to keep their attention to the blackboard.
The next class that came around was Defense class re-introducing the new teacher, Professor Fajr. He was a mild-mannered man who looked eager for his time in Hogwarts. He humbly asked us to call him Mr. Fajr instead of Professor since he found it improper to be called as such when he doesn't have an actual degree.
Other than that, our first lesson together included introducing the curriculum and learning how to quickly recognize the most common curses, jinxes and hexes and how to counter them.
"The only three kinds of curses that are uncounterable; the imperius, the cruciatus, and the killing curse. It's one of the reasons why they are called the Unforgivables. But we won't be covering that this year." Distinctly, I could see the green-tied students voiced most of the complaints.
The lesson with the new Professor of Ancient Runes was much more memorable in comparison. Right as all the students came to class, the new teacher wasn't there, and most chalked it up as a lucky break since this was a sign for a laid back teacher.
That illusion was swiftly broken when at 11:20 on the dot, she came with a kick to the door that I bet gave half the students a heart attack. I would've too if I hadn't heard the heavy steps from her boots. She wore a unique getup; deep azure coat that reached the floor with numerous glittering runes instead of a traditional robe while wearing a mesh of muggle suit and dress underneath; a blue tie and white shirt underneath a grey waistcoat followed with a flowing white skirt that reached below her ankle.
Her tanned and lean figure gave her a more androgynous features. The only reason I could tell she was a she was because of the name 'Barbara' the Professor wrote on the chalkboard. And after taking a long and closer examination, she looked way younger than I imagined a Professor would start teaching.
"Alright, brats. Here's how this is going to work. My class, my rules. If any of you talk during my lesson, you're out. If you ask questions before I permit it, you're out. If you make me repeat myself more than once, guess what, you're out. I'm not here to hold your hand and cater to your every whim, so keep up with my lessons or else."
That was her introduction that was more like a threat given to the class. Most of the students reasonably stiffened at her harsh words and strict demeanour that would even make McGonagall a run for her money. I heard Lily gulp with clenched fists from my left while Sev looked unshaken and bored to my right. Despite her strong presence and harsh words, her lesson was clear and precise enough that I didn't find it unreasonable to follow. Her teaching was fast paced, but I didn't mind since it left no room for my mind to wander in her class.
Then I had Herbology with the Gryffindors. Professor Sprout was way too cheerful on the first day of school, but that's not new. As usual, she waited for us at the greenhouse, but unlike last year, she didn't have us equipped with gloves and aprons.
"Hullo children, I hope most of you look forward to today because we will approach today's class differently than the last few years." Sprout ushered us out of the greenhouse and guided us to the Forbidden Forest. For those not named me, who ignored the first word of its name half the time, they were reasonably nervous just by treading the edge of the woods.
"Oh, good afternoon Hagrid." Our Herbology Professor greeted the Gamekeeper, "Thank you again for escorting us this year."
"It's meh pleasure, Professor. 'Em always eager teh help teach teh chil'ren." Good ol' Hagrid, always up to help others without question. How can there be such a wholesome guy at Hogwarts?
As we followed the Half-giant deeper into the woods, Sprout began explaining the Plume Tree while pointing out a tall, thick, straight tree that reminded me more of a pole than anything. Despite its appearance, it is the lightest tree in the world, and that was why it was used as the main component for broomsticks for the last thousand years. It was so light that Sprout demonstrated it by pulling a small branch from a young tree, and we watched it float away as if it was a balloon. The class perked up, and they had their parchment ready to take notes on what she said.
It was nice after being cooped out inside the class, sitting on our butts for so long that a walk outside was a refreshing change of scenery. The cool fall weather and warm cloudy sky made it a perfect time for a small hike that none complained about.
"What's that there, Professor?" Lily pointed out a moss clearing that had a circle of red mushrooms like the one from the game Mario. For some reason, my instinct was flaring to tell me I should stay away from the area despite looking at a serene, picturesque scene that you often find in those framed paintings in home furnishing shops.
"Oh, that's a fairy ring. Please be wary, those fairies like to pull dangerous pranks for anyone who crosses it."
"What does it do?"
This time, it was Hagrid that answered, "Oh nothin' serious fer yeh little heads to worry about, ye only get stuck there fo' a couple o' weeks if yewere alone. Some may copy yer looks and go aroun' with yer face on. Or simply have yeh dancing… Yea those fairies love teh party after all and the more the merrieh."
Err, Hagrid, two of those instances sound plenty serious to me.
"They're like mystery boxes, you never know what you're going to get until you cross the ring. It doesn't have to be in a circle of mushrooms, it can be in the form of tree stumps, rocks, or flowers," Sprout clarified further.
"Ha!" Sirius' scoff took everyone's attention to him before sliding down the mossy trek, "Those are bedtime stories. Everyone knows fairies are no different to flies."
Lily rolled her eyes as Sirius ignored the warning cries. Even Professor Sprout gave up halfway and kneaded the bridge of her nose as she murmured 'Every single year.' Lily crossed her arms as she watched her fellow Gryffindor basically daring himself to jump in the ring of mushrooms, shaking her head with annoyed resignation, "He's just flirting with disaster at this point."
"I know," James leaned in between us, waggling his eyebrows as it was supposed to impress her, "I can't see the appeal when we've got you in our eyes."
Lily, predictably, did not look impressed and thought tripping him off his feet would be a good idea. James fell forward, rolling on the side until he got tangled with Sirius. No one helped them as both cried out while slipping and sliding down the slope. There was no stopping the train wreck unfolding before our eyes as they promptly fell right into the Fairy Ring and vanished from sight with a woosh leaving only glittering dust.
"Oooooh," Hagrid winced, "They've caught a nasty one at that."
"What do you—" The question was barely out before we heard screaming. The students whipped their heads for the source, but I noticed Hagrid and Professor Sprout had their eyes up. I followed their gaze and gaped to find the boys falling from a distance before hitting the ground only to disappear once more. The cries didn't stop as they kept endlessly falling. The class laughed at their helpless sight, and if you listen closely, the trees rustled with a timed rhythm as if laughing alongside us.
"What would I give for a camera right now," Lily whispered in glee.
"Too bad Sev has it, he would have loved to capture this moment."
"PROFESSOR!" James and Sirius cried as they fell past us, "PLEASE-" again, "-HELP-" again, "-US!" and again.
Instead of responding to them, Professor Sprout turned to us with a tired smile as if used to this sort of scene. "And this is why you don't mess with fairies. Their magic, like house-elves, are unpredictable and quite hard to counter. Fairy Rings are also a gateway to their homes so anyone who is not a fairy will certainly not be amused by what they've had in store for you so always be cautious."
"Err… so is there any way to help them?" Peter started looking at the falling duo with pity.
Sprout sighed even more tiredly, "The fairies here know not to be too hard on the students, they'll eventually release Mister Potter and Mister Black once they forgive or get bored of them, unfortunately."
Well, that won't be happening any time soon because even I haven't got tired of their screaming faces.
A flicker caught my eye, there was the familiar flapping noise of bug-like wings before noticing the fairies zipping over us. There was no telling how many of them were hiding from the corner of our eyes, but the sight made me call out to a friend regardless.
"...Teafey?"
As if summoned, one glowing figure broke from the group and zipped right at me, glomping my face in her outstretched hug that felt like a small slap. She chittered incomprehensibly, but I don't need to know her language to know she missed me.
I chuckled at her enthusiastic greeting while Lily jumped at Teafey's sudden appearance, "Percy… is that..."
"Oh yeah, I haven't introduced her to you. Teafey, this is Lily. Lily, Teafey. I, uhh, kind of got to know her last year."
She covered her gaping mouth. Staring with shining eyes and flushed cheeks at the fairy that was cuddling my face, "You're friends with a fairy?!"
Lily's indignant tone put me in a spot since I wasn't sure what she was so peeved at that moment.
"You befriended a fairy and didn't tell me? Does our friendship mean nothing to you? When do you even have the time?"
"Hold on there, Lils. To be fair, I never told anyone about Teafey."
"Oh, good for you, Percy. Your fairy is back," Doc came out of nowhere with perfect timing. Gwen beside him and feeding Teafey her stash of butterscotch cookies swiped from the Great Hall like she's used to doing so.
Lily turned her glare to Doc and hissed, "Back?!" Inwardly, I was hoping she would chill a little bit because Doc gets anxious from the smallest sign of aggression.
Cross did not help her mood as he scoffed at the sight of Teafey, "Yeah, the glitter-bug kept hanging around the Common Room whenever Percy was around. She acts more like a stray cat with everyone cooing and feeding her stuff in there. Not that I blame them since it's pretty rare to find a fairy cozy up with people."
If possible, his words only further made Lily look dismayed. Then it hit me that she was jealous of me having a fairy companion. The boys were still screaming up a lungful but that was becoming more easily ignored.
"Err, you can hold her if you want?" It was a placating gesture, hoping it would serve to ease the red-head's crackling fuse of a temper. Faced with my best friend, Teafey tilted her head and scrutinizing her with narrowed eyes. It was a curious look that I missed Doc's eyes widened and made a cutting motion on his neck to ask me to stop.
Lily smiled, not hiding the anticipation as she tried to greet the small frowning face with a wave. "Hello, it's nice to meet you–" Teafey cut her off with a sneeze that shot sparkling magic on Lily. Turning the ends of her bright red hair into thousands of bells, irritatingly ringing, even the ones on her eyebrows and bangs. Lily screamed from the shock to which the fairy laughed at the sight.
"TEAFEY!" I scolded, but the fairy only giggled and smugly thumbed her nose.
It didn't help that sensing the owner's distress, Cory the Rock decided he must defend her honor and tackled the small flying creature with its signature and only move. Letting everyone witness the bizarre mob fight between a fairy and a charmed rock.
Doc pulled me to the side and whispered to me, "Fairy are vain creatures, remember? They don't like facing someone prettier unless they compliment the fairies first."
Well sorry if I forgot— read: never knew— about Fairy Etiquette. I never had to struggle getting caught dead by them yet.
All in all, the class was a disaster. But at least I wasn't the reason for it for once.
. . .
"Yes, Mister Jackson? Is there something you'd like to ask?" Sprout asked, watching me be left behind as the others got ready for their next class. Her tone was kind and perceptive as she usually is with her other students.
"Sort of…" I couldn't stop clenching and unclenching my fist at the thought of acting so uncharacteristic, but I kept a steady birth before my brain decided it was a good idea to push it off for another day. "I, err, I just want to know what we might need if someone were to be interested in, uhh, joining SCOWL?"
The plump young woman widened her eyes at the question before followed suit by her smile. "Oh, OH— of course! You can ask anything! I'm so glad you're interested— hold on— hold on— wait one second." She considerably brightened as she pulled out a couple of stools for the two of us to sit.
"I'm still not sure I'd be joining or anything—"
"That's fine, it's good as it is that you are interested. You've always shown to be a bright boy, it's only a matter of course that we support you in your education and brighten your horizons."
Her eyes practically gleamed in excitement, and I felt the pressure of expectation already weighing on me.
"Since this is a first-ever convention, I'm sure most of you children are unfamiliar with writing papers for conventions. It might seem intimidating at first glance, but it's simply some longer essays, and the teachers will help you every step of the way. First, you'll need to decide who you'll be teaming with. Of course you are more than welcome to do it alone, but from one 'Puff to another, I recommend splitting the workload to make it easier on yourself. Your group will choose the general subject you want to research and observe the current state of the field before coming up with a problem question... But I must say it's easier to simply come up with a magic spell or item you want to display and think of what you can do with it after—"
Professor Sprout tried her best to explain as concisely and simply as she can, but there's no way I caught on half of what she said before my brain decided to fly out the coop. So basically, I just need a team, come up with a magic-like idea, and make it make sense of the whys and hows to the crowd.
The very idea sounds like a nightmare.
Only people like Annabeth would get a kick out of this event. I'd rather stick with my pen-sword and go another round with Ms. Dodds while doing my math homework.
Professor Sprout must have noticed my mind going elsewhere because she stopped her explanation and smiled wistfully, "You know, Mister Jackson. I do hope you believe me when I say we want what's best for you. I admit, I haven't done my best to be a reliable Head of House for you, and I'm sorry that you would find me lacking. You've shown the mark of a diligent, remarkable student with a small penchant for trouble, but nothing out of the ordinary, as well as a great potential for becoming one of the best wizards of your generation."
Her compliment came way out of left field and struck the words out of my mouth. Not that it wasn't nice, just… I wasn't exactly fishing for it either. That, and I'm curious about which part of me does the word 'diligent' pop out.
"That's why, please let me remedy my past actions. There's no shame in doing what you want for your own good, Mister Jackson. I have a feeling nothing is impossible for you. And if you're planning on joining, I will support you however I can."
'Doing what you want, huh?' I've forgotten how it feels to do that.
"...I'll think about it, Professor Sprout." I took my leave soon after, inwardly deciding not to join. I would rather waste my time convincing Lily not to take part in the Convention. Only the will of Fates would ever press me into joining.
That, I guarantee.
AN: Okay, guys. For those of you who keep asking for my update schedule. Please, no more. My update schedule is sporadic but I always try to at least get the newest chapter at least once a month. Please be mindful that I have a life outside of writing this fanfic and not badger for chapters when you don't know I have the time or not.
Thank you as always everyone for your lovely reviews and being mindful. Time for the QR&A where I answer your questions and thank you again for the luvs.
WildMan98: Is Percy gonna be attacked? Obviously. Is it by monsters? Now that would be telling. Is James going to drink his Percy Respect Juice? Yeah, unlikely. Thank you for the luv!
Patolemus: His blessings are allowed to not be noticed by the gods except for Hecate so don't worry about that. All your other questions shall be answered in future chaps. Thank you as always for the luvs, my friend. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Scl04: Just the thought of a British Royal and Wizardkind drama makes me cackle like an evil mastermind. The juicy potential that can arise from them is exhilarating. As a Lit Nerd I find it hurtful there is no Magic Convention for students so I decided to make my own. And yes, going to the state is just a recipe for disaster for Percy only for much more than even he could predict.
Thank you as always for the luvs and I'll look forward to you enjoying my next chap
The Monarch 12: You need to recount your math dear, at this point of time, his mom is in her 20s.
Akshaya: YES, I'm Indonesian! I'm looking forward to you enjoying the future chapters :)
Pjolover: Your words warm my heart, please keep it coming wkwkwk. I firmly believe that the foundation of a good story is a good dynamic between characters so the Disaster Trio are my lynchpin in this case. I also take a bit of pride in understanding Percy's mental thought because while I don't know I have ADHD, I kind of sympathize with what he's going through so it helps writing him in character.
The chb necklace isn't hidden but his tattoo is. He never wears anything short sleeves nor bathes with the other boys from his House. If push comes to shove he can take a bath at the lake XD.
Dumbledore is not aware of the pact because he has renounced the godly side of him to live in the wizarding world so he doesn't keep up to date while working to keep the divide. Any demigods acknowledged as wizards are given basic facts by him but nothing more unless they go to camp.
Yes, there are 2 Circes but they can't meet otherwise the world may get destroyed. Circe wants to destroy the wizarding aspect of the world and not take out a few of her vacation spots in the process.
Your headcanon, while I can't promise anything, indeed brings me ideas. What happened to Kronos Scythe?
CelestialTitania: OmG Thank you! It's one of the greatest compliments to find my story worth re-reading. And Marlene is in her 7th year in this current Act.