Chapter 5: Your Lucky Item is...

Recap: There is absolutely no way anyone is going to convince to SCOWL. No way Jose.

It is wisdom passed down from ancient times that Lunch is a sacred period that freed the masses from obligations for the sole purpose of survival through fueling our body with rest and food. In simple terms, it's supposed to be a stress-free hour where nothing can come between me and my beef. To do so is tantamount to treachery punishable by Hades himself.

Nobody seems to get the memo.

"Percy, heard you're going to the states."

"I never said that."

"Percy! What's Ilvermory like?"

"Don't know, never been there."

"Hey, Jackson! Do you know any good spots for sightseeing?"

"What am I? A tourist guide?"

So I may be exaggerating a bit, but sue me. It has been like this since yesterday. My peers have yammered on about 'SCOWL, SCOWL' for so long that I wear the name on my face. I can already say the coming week will be a long one before the commotion dies down.

"Why not just join the convention and make their assumption come true?"

I glared at Sev's unhelpful advice, which he returned with that amused smirk of his.

"But seriously, Percy. Are you really not going to join?" Doc asked at my side with those puppy eyes of his.

"You'll be fine even without me along for the ride, Doc. I'm sure you've got this in the bag–" I stopped short as I felt a gaze from across the table, turning to lock with intense green eyes before the person buried her nose back in the newest issue of Witch Weekly.

Lily seemed focused on her conversation with Gwen about the best colour for her lip with the charm they learned together from it. This wasn't the first time I had seen her gushing and laughing with that magazine on hand… but this might be the first time it occurred to me that Lily, my witch best friend of the 70s, was growing up before my eyes, and I was unfortunate to consciously realize this.

"Your mouth is open, Percy." Sev took note without looking up from the Daily Prophet. The newspaper was opened for me to read the very first page, which made me snatch it out of his hands, much to Sev's protest, and my appetite lost.

MUDBLOOD'S BLOODLESS AFFAIR

Written by Josh Hail

On the 2nd of September, Monday, the Head of Department of Wizarding Welfare, Margarett Babbling was met with masked sorcerers known to be part of the growing group of Death Eaters (DE) upon the doorsteps of her house, expressing their discontent for the mudblood witch for proposing the new Muggle Things Assimilation Act that will allow more muggle inventions to be introduced in the wizarding community.

Her family and she were pulled out of their home before being forced to watch the group tear it down with magic. All of them were apprehended by the Aurors. The DE's violent behaviour was an unfortunate backlash that came from lidded outrage that was left unchecked for too long. Alas, for the Babbling Family to be hit by the brunt of their anger because one of the members had not foreseen her insensitiveness of dredging the backwater muggle culture into our society that led to this tragedy—

Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. A newspaper had the gall to victim-blame a higher-up of ministry? The group tore down a house for Pete's sake! And a slur in the headline? Really?

"Excuse you. I was still reading this." Sev snatched it back.

"I recommend subscribing to a better newspaper, Sev. If the front page is garbage, I doubt it'd be worth reading."

Sev shrugged and kept munching on his fries on one hand while holding the news with the other, "You'd have better luck finding a four-leaf clover than a decent news media, Perce."

Gwen nudged my side and offered the Ghostly Whispers she had been reading. "Then how about supporting your local school paper and having a better time reading this."

"Doesn't that mainly cover gossip, fortune-telling, and random spells being featured every month? I don't see how it's any different to Witch Weekly or whatever weird magazine Lily's reading."

I didn't notice the girls giving me the stink eye before Lily pulled out her wand and shot a hex, which made all the bacon and fries jump and run away from my plate.

"Stop complaining, and just take it already. The others would leave you alone if they see you busy reading."

So you mean me, eating, isn't busy enough for others? But I accepted the magazine with a grumble and skimmed through the content. Though surprisingly it had decent content; like how to properly take care of your wands, an interesting read of Hogwarts legends including the Secret Vault, general tips for studying magic, and the best vacation spots that are magically hidden from the muggles eyes. I wonder if I can take Annabeth to one of them— hmm?

"What's this?" A whole two pages in the middle of the magazine was different from the others. A half globe glass was between the two pages, and there were golden letters floating around in the pages with a starry backdrop.

Curiously, I poked the glass globe to see what was up and then the letters began gathering around to create a few lines.

EYE OF THE SEER

You, who hold the name of peace, won't find peace of mind any time soon. What you think doesn't matter even when it's wanted. Trying new things is inevitable.

You, child of the lion, shall rain gold among foes. Avoid the flame of crowds or buy their hearts. Don't be stingy with your money.

You, follower of the badger, trust is your virtue but trust not the guise. You're finally meeting your fated enemy! Make sure to gear up, a death duel might be in your near future.

You, with the ocean flowing in your blood, let your heart stop and an ally awaits beyond the gate.

Your lucky item: Snakewood

Fair warning! First come, first serve. If you don't take it first, then only death awaits you

No…

There's no way right?

"Don't make such a scary face," Gwen nudged me with her shoulder, "Those divinations are bogus."

"Eh? But isn't there a Fortune-Telling class in Hogwarts? Why would it be bogus?"

"Lately, they've been, err, a bit on the morbid side. Predicting things like your neighbor's pet dying, break-up or love affairs, or being cursed with bad luck. Because of that, there've been more and more complaints lately."

"How would you know that?"

"Because I'm in the club working on that weird magazine you were complaining about." Gwen narrowed her eyes at me, and I could only laugh awkwardly through the newly found foot in my mouth.

"Re-really? You never mentioned that."

She leaned forward and whispered, "I got a lot of inside info from being in the News Club. It's fun pretending I know everything with the others, so don't blow my secret yet."

I wanted to comment on her poor taste in hobbies, but I asked in lieu instead, "Then you know who wrote the one doing the divination?"

She nodded. "Yup, a fourth-year 'Claw named Trelawney. She's weird, even by wizard standards, and always had a crystal ball by her side and would randomly divine our future. Sybil has got the spirit, but she should at least ask for our consent."

"Why would you even have her work on that section anyway?"

Gwen sighed as if she had this argument many times over, "Because strangely she has the best Divination score in her year."

"So her predictions do come true."

"In a way… it's just… her divinations are so vague, they could have been a coincidence for all we know. If she wrote that everyone has the shadow of death around them, there is no way of telling if she's wrong."

Looking back at the prophecies I've been involved in, hers sounded cuter. "Well, death is an inevitable thing, so it's more concerning if one doesn't have a shadow of our impending doom."

"Well, no one is interested to know how they'll die, so it's been bad for business." She leaned forward and took a glance at my fortune, frowning at the words, "Strange though, I've never seen one with the 'ocean blood' thing… is it some new stuff I haven't heard of?"

"Talking like a true entrepreneur— AAAAH! WHERE ARE MY FRIES?!"

"Oh, you just noticed? The bunch ran away long ago." Gwen pointed at the bacon and fries playing with my food utensils like they were in an amusement park. I went over to get my food back, but they seemed to be that much more eager from being in a merry chase as I tried to get my breakfast back while my classmates laughed at my predicament.

Quite another normal day at Hogwarts.

. . .

"Alright, you guys, listen up!" Marlene began before our morning roll call. "This will be my last year as your captain, so as a going-away present for being such a great leader to all of you, I demand the Quidditch Cup and nothing less than that."

"There she is again, asking for the unreasonable," Chris whispered among his teammates.

"Oh... and if we don't win this year's tourney, I swear to Merlin, I'll die just to come back as a ghost and haunt every single one of your arses. So don't screw this up for me!"

I can audibly hear every single one of the members gulping at her words. Since this is Marlene, it's not a far-fetched possibility that she might come back from the dead out of spite just to keep raving for us to practice.

That would be a nightmare come true.

Our Captain continued her speech, "I know this year there are more exciting things about conventions and foreign schools. "HOWEVER," her sudden volume made everyone flinch, "that's no reason for any of you to slack off and get distracted.

"Look at Jackson!" She suddenly pointed at me, and I had the sudden huge urge to hide behind my robe. "Take his example. The teachers were excited he's finally 'calming down' and joining FROWN or whatever to represent Hogwarts. Yet he denied that and instead is dedicating his heart and soul to Quidditch!"

Cap. Please. No. You're overselling this. It's embarrassing. Oh crap, Chris and Gideon are snickering for sure.

"We should all follow Jackson's admirable example!"

I made a conscious decision to keep my face forward, not daring to look at the sharply pointed gazes I felt on my back and kept my flushed face hidden from the others.

Marlene, on the other hand, nodded in satisfaction. "With that out of the way; Rivers-Prewett will practice Catch and Bat with me and Vizeth, the amount either of us let the Quaffle fall is equal to how many laps we'll do, Jackson will help Kamala on her blocking, and Howey will target 15 Snitch catches for today. The rest of the members should do basic training, any questions?"

"I have one!" A voice enthusiastically called out, but no hand shot out among the crowds and the familiar timber wasn't one from the team.

Our captain groaned like she was suffering from a headache… or, well, a headache was coming from behind.

"Are you free next weekend to go to Hogsmeade together? I heard there's a new menu from the Three Broomsticks I'd like to try together with you."

"Damien…" every syllable of his name was hissed like his name was a curse to be said.

"Marlene…" in contrast, the Slytherin almost crooned with his lilting baritone.

The two locked eyes with a growing tension between them that no one wanted to interrupt. Chris had enough sense to push the members out of the way before they were swept up in Hurricane Marlene. But… well… our members are much too nosy to leave them be.

"Come to spy on us, you little snake? Not doing a very good job, aren't you?"

"My, my, mink. I do so admire that confidence of yours, especially when you think your team is worth putting surveillance on. It's adorable."

Err, Damien… I'm not a dating expert, but I don't think insulting your crush is the way to go.

Predictably, Marlene looked ready to punt the older boy with her broom. Seeing the usual pair wasn't around to corral her, I resigned to physically stopping my captain from possible suspension.

Damien didn't seem perturbed by her violent reaction. Heck, he seemed amused. I had half-a-mind to sick Marlene on him and see if he's still smirking by then.

"I think you should rein in your temper for the foreseeable future, you wouldn't want to get in trouble for hitting the Head Boy now, do you?"

"Huh?!" Marlene practically shrieked, "Head Boy? You?!"

"Yes, me. The Headmaster deemed me an appropriate leader for my house. I commend the man for his keen judgment."

"More like it proves how mad the old coot actually is," she pointed accusingly at him, "What part of you screams appropriate leader for any sane man?"

"Hmm, is that so? I think I have leadership potential running in my veins. Don't you agree, Jackson?"

Don't involve me in this, you crazy jerk! Or rather… why the hell am I tense when it's his secret he's dragging out.

Captain shook my hand away, "Forget it! If you have nothing important to say, get out of our sight!" She exclaimed before turning her glare to her team, "Everyone else, go train instead of standing like a bunch of lemmings."

"Actually, I do have business with Jackson. Mind if I borrow his time?"

"I do mind…" but Marlene seemed to consider his request and quickly added, "Finish your business in five and no more. Got it, Damien?"

"As you wish, Marlene."

"So…" I interrupted, "Don't I get to have a say in this?"

Predictably, I was ignored and left to be with the Prince of Magic. I narrowed my eyes, "What do you want?"

"Percy, my friend, have I warranted anything to gain your distrust?"

I deigned that question needn't a response and hoped my wolf stare said it all.

"Smart, but this is purely student business. I was asked to hand this over to you by the teacher after signing up for the upcoming convention."

"You're joining SCOWL?" I didn't see that coming. Somehow I never saw the guy as a book nerd.

"Indeed, not to brag, but I am among the top ten from my grade."

I whistled, impressed. So far as I know, Damien is a Head Boy, a Quidditch Team Captain, one of the smarties, and now he's joining one of the international top events among magic schools. This guy got his plate full.

"Moreover, I wouldn't want to miss the chance to spread connections among the magic folks from overseas. Wizards being wizards, rarely busy themselves with foreigners of their own kind apparently." He said the last sentence softly as if he were sharing a conspiracy.

"Ooo… kay… Good luck to you then. I'm sure you'll have fun over there."

"Wouldn't you know since you'll be joining us?"

"What are you—?" But then Damien gave a small pamphlet book, the calligraphic word SCOWL boldly written on the cover.

"I was surprised since it's been made known that you were not initially interested in the convention. But it is good to see you changed your mind. This book has all the terms and conditions and even guidelines on how to write your paper. Any further questions and you can ask the teachers directly at any time outside of their normal hours."

"Hold on a minute there– why are you giving this to me?"

I never thought I'd see Damien's face cracked into looking clueless. "Didn't you sign up for them? You were among the listed students."

"WHAT?!"

. . .

Marlene might kill me for skipping practice after all the hype she made for the team to follow my example, but I didn't care. For one, I was never a good role model anyway. Two, someone's about to get smack because who in Gaea's name signed my name for this stupid convention!

According to Damien, my name was put up in a team. So finding out who's behind will be a quick job.

"No need to be uptight. It's not like this is the Fire Goblet. Pulling out your name isn't going to risk your life." I remembered Damien's words that I had so many questions about but couldn't get into at the moment.

The Slytherin also pointed out to Professor Flitwick, being the counselor for SCOWL, if I wanted to quickly resign from the convention, learn who put my name in, and get this whole debacle behind me.

"PERSEUS JACKSON!"

"Itwasntme!" I instantly blurted out before registering the voice. But the panic didn't subside once I turned and spotted the flaming red-head walking like an Amazon on a mission. I pinched my arm, to quell the immediate urge to ride and hide from the sight.

Her emerald eyes shone dangerously, and Lily looked like she was ready to explode. "YOU ABSOLUTE TRUNK LOOSE LIAR—"

"Before you say another word…" I cut her off with a hand to her mouth, and before she had half a mind to bite it off, I hastily said, "...I have no idea what you're talking about so let's address the issue calmly before explaining."

"Oh, so you're conveniently telling me you have no idea about joining the very convention you brush me and Sev off, multiple times I might add, only to sign up behind our backs?!"

"YES! Exactly! You get it, Lils!"

"Bull!"

"For real! Why would I even lie about joining a Magic Nerd Fair?"

"How should I know?! It's not the first time you go say one thing before suspiciously going behind our backs doing god-knows-what!"

Our voices were getting louder by the second that we started attracting unwanted attention. Students paused in their steps, poorly pretending to mind their own business while sneaking a peek at our argument.

"Err, Lils, maybe this isn't the best place for us to talk–"

"No! I'm not moving one step until you explain yourself! We're friends and you lied to our faces this whole time, how am I supposed to react?!"

Even though a huge misunderstanding was digging a chasm between us, her pointed words did not fail to stab my chest because of the truth that was still putting a wall between us. It felt like everything that's keeping me together in this life was breaking apart before my eyes and it was getting harder to breathe by the seconds.

"I thought it was nonsense, but Potter was right. You really–"

I sighed, "Screw this."

"Huh?" Before Lily could get another word in, I picked her up by the leg and carried her like a sack of potatoes. I then resumed my stint to Flitwick's office, hoping the small guy was there and he doesn't have a class to teach. "What are you– PERCY! PUT ME DOWN!"

"Yeah, no. You weren't listening so I thought this is faster than plainly explaining anyway."

"People are looking!"

"They were already looking."

"Where are you even taking me?!'

"You'll know when we get there." A minute of walking with Lily on my shoulder that I halted in my steps, "Completely unrelated note, but do you remember where Flitwick's office is?"

The dope slap given was entirely warranted.

. . .

The office for the Head of Ravenclaw took us to the seventh floor near the Owlery. I had to give credit to the Charms Professor. Why is the shortest teacher in Hogwarts working on the highest floor?

"Come in!" We only needed to knock once before we were Flitwick's peppy voice allowed us in. Not surprising. The guy had always been eager to answer any questions the students asked him, I wouldn't be surprised he never got visits from being high up in the building. "Oh, Mister Jackson, Miss Evans. What brings this pleasant visit?"

"Good morning, Professor Flitwick. I just heard my name was among the students registered for the magic convention. I think there was some sort of mistake so is there a way to retract my name?"

Lily was silent at my side, letting her connect the dots as I explained my circumstance.

"Hmm, I see, I see, a mistake." Flitwick opened up a drawer and began searching inside it. "Well that can easily be fixed, but just to be sure, you should confirm it with your teammate to have your name off. Otherwise, I'd feel bad that she doesn't have a team."

Urgh, I already feel a headache coming.

"So who is my teammate exactly?" Because this person deserved some well-placed aggression for doing this without my consent. I can still forgive them if this was someone's weird idea of a joke.

My knuckles cracked in anticipation as Flitwick flipped the forms on his desk until he reached the one with my name on.

"Ah, here it is." He slipped the parchment to my side, both Lily and me then leaned down to etch the name to our heads.

Nayela Ochi - Ravenclaw

One name, one glimpse at their information gave me one reaction:

Who?!

AN: Thank you so much for patiently and supportively waiting for the newest chapter. Things have been hectic in my real life. Not to mention with the rainy season, there's been fear that my home might get hit by a flood again. So it'll be another late making for the next chapter.

Please don't worry and that I'll make sure to keep on writing this fic still so now on to the QRA where I answer your questions and thank your luvs :D

Scl04: Thank you as always for your kind words :)))

Who Monica is honestly up for debate at this point. Percy just wants to relax for a year without shenanigans for once. While Snape's pride is indeed getting bigger, I hope I can portray as well how influential the people he hung out with influence his opinions in the future. And yes, magic class shenanigans is honestly a requirement at this point for this fic XD

And no, Percy's luck is going down the drain this year as well (See what I did there? :P)

Patolemus: Close encounters with his past he might have hehehe. Thank you as always for your luvs as always, but sadly for you once Percy goes to the states, there won't be Teafey for a while.

FolkLuz21: AAAAAAAHAAAHH it's been so long! How are you? Hope you've been well! Your university life should be starting by now, it must be a pain during a pandemic like this. Thank you as always for the luv and kind words. Don't stress out too much and simply do the little things that matter to you first, okay?

And I said it before and I'll say it again, the requirement to write Sirius and James is to make them charmingly annoying. And I was researching a good fairy name when Teafey simply came to me and I adored the name as well! So thank you for the compliment :)

Screen time for Professor Sprout… I doubt that. There's a lot of new characters introduced because of the setting so giving her an appropriate screen time is doubtful. And I can't say much about the labyrinth because sssshhhh, spoilers ;)

Anyway, hope you enjoyed what I've written for this chapter. Your supportive words are invaluable. Please be safe. Sampai jumpa, teman :)

DreamCatcher06: YEAH PERCY IS GOING TO NEW YORK!

Akshaya: DUDE! FOR REAL! WE'RE IN THE SAME CITY?! THE COINCIDENCE IS UNREAL OMG?! After careful consideration, I have written in this chapter that Percy is going to the states not because of the fates but because of pure bad luck hehehe.

Black Victor Cachat: James and Sirius have impulsive issues, together they throw away their last brain cells and simply, boldly, act first and think later. Also, I cannot simply forgot my ride-and-die rock, Cory. If Percy has his fairy, Lily won't lose with her rock XD

The Monarch 12: Well, I doubt Kronos' scythe would make an appearance anyway but you mentioning it does give me ideas. Thank you for reading :)