I cannot believe none of you ever notice that the last Chapter had such on the nose title chapter, being Chapter 99 and Percy got 99 Problems, and not comment on it!

Because I wrote that title on the spot, and did not realize I was at my 99th chapter either. So I had a moment where my mind was fucking blown by my own writing because OMG I DID NOT MEANT FOR THAT COINCIDENCE TO HAPPEN! THAT'S AWESOME!

But you know what else is awesome? WE'RE AT THE 100TH CHAPTER BABY!

SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY LOYAL READERS THAT STUCK WITH ME FOR 5 YEARS BECAUSE I DID NOT THINK I GOT THIS MUCH FOLLOWERS AND LOVES.

AND YES, I'M WRITING THIS IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE THAT'S HOW MUCH I'M EXCITED ABOUT ALL THIS.

Now, on to the story...

Chapter 14: The People Have Their Eyes on You

Recap: Strikingly were the words written on the chalkboard. Not with a chalk, but like it was scratched to make the reminder all the more permanent on everyone's mind.

'MUDBLOOD'

There was really no right way to react to the sight.

Mr. Fajr looked like he was in the middle of a reboot with his jaw hanging open, and the increasing number of students were crowding by the door. Some were evidently disgusted, others were horrified, and then there were the few who muffled a snicker as if the display was just one giant joke to them.

But the DADA teacher was surprisingly quick to act and cut the view off by shutting the door before more people could gawk.

"Okay!" He smiled, sounding his usual cheerful self and showing his usual smile, but anyone with eyes would know the strain of someone gritting their teeth. "So that was an awful mess. The good news is that we have an outdoor class again, so let's go straight to the Quidditch Pitch."

There was a mixed reaction from the sudden shift in tension that, while brief, was distinctly palatable to the rest.

But then the class had a total blast finding legit reasons to start a fire for us to extinguish — which is valid, and you can't find that in any other class unless you have a funky chemistry teacher. The incident was put behind us.

When class was over, I stayed behind and asked him, "Do you need help cleaning up the class?"

Mr. Fajr gaped a second time in surprise, but a bit of delight shone in his eyes. "Thank you for the offer, Mister Jackson, but there's no need to deviate your schedule for me. I know how to handle it, so chop-chop, young man, your next class awaits."

My instinct told me that he shouldn't be left alone for a blatant number of reasons… but then again, to him, I was one of his students, and there was no reason my presence would make a difference. So I nodded and turned my back away.

"Wow, what a shock," Doc finally found his voice, though it quivered a bit, "I didn't think there was anyone brave enough to prank a teacher."

"That wasn't a mere prank, Caradoc!" Gwen strangled out the words like she was in pain, incensed, "That was outright harassment! I can't believe the nerve of those Slytherins."

"Hey, now, we don't know if it's them."

She scoffed, "Who else buys the Pureblood superiority nonsense than them? It's practically their whole schtick."

Well… can't argue with that. Salazar really screwed over his House's image by turning the school into his pet snake's personal buffet.

"Just don't point fingers without a cause, Gwen. That would only make things worse, and you'll get hurt in the process."

That managed to mollify her a bit. "I'll try, but if I get a hand on the punks who did, I'll make a whole article crapping over them just so you know."

"As you should."

However, the day went on as usual, which was weird. It didn't dawn on me until dinner time, but neither the Headmaster nor the teachers mentioned the "prank". That raised some concern, as I know Albus isn't one to stay silent for a matter like this.

Bear in mind that putting it behind us by no means meant any of us forgot. The news spread like Leo with a Molotov: a slur insulting a teacher is no small thing. The hushed undertone made it evident what they were talking about without shouting it to the world.

Maybe that was the odd part. No one was calling it out. Wizards are fundamentally gossip mongers, so the fact no one was raising their voice at the obvious scandal happening today like it was a sort of silent taboo was a bit of a shocker to me.

It was like they were hyper-aware that they were balancing on a precarious thread. As if a single decision, a single word could dictate what school life in Hogwarts would be like in the future.

. . .

Over time, it wasn't a problem at the forefront of my mind. Not with SCOWL, and looking out for James and Lily. But the situation became impossible to ignore when it was a day before the Quidditch match against Slytherin.

Marlene's style was to drill the basics into our heads before "doing nothing" together. And when I meant nothing, we just sat down in a circle and talked about everything and anything NOT quidditch.

It eventually became a bit of a group therapy session at some point, but that's not my story to tell.

When the team reached our locker room, the first thing we saw was utterly trashed. The locker doors were knocked off the hinges, the back wall was vandalized with the word 'mudbloods' smeared brown across it, and most of the brooms' ends were frayed with the handles scratched.

Only my broom was left untouched.

Well, more like they might have tried to mess it up, but a goddess-made broom isn't so easy to break by a bunch of wizard children.

But the most devastating must be the only two brooms snapped in half. You may not be aware, but in Hogwarts, having stick-like magical items break in half is a silent code for 'Get out!'

Watching Howey and Marlene being made known there are people in school who want them out of their sight and see them as unwanted was not an experience I recommend to anyone.

The young third-year kneeled by his broom. Tears and hiccups broke out as he held the shattered remains in his hands.

Captain held a brave face, but it was apparent to those who looked for tightness in her eyes, the whites on her knuckles, or the held breath she took to keep her temper checked.

"That better not be sh— IT IS!" Everyone had their own way of showing distress, but Alice was the first to explode. She paced around the room like she wanted to punch something. I should know. Clarisse looked like that half the time sh— not the time me. "Somebody better go get ready for a funeral cause I'm going to kill this knob when I find him! "

"Calm down, Alice."

"None of us are calm right now, Mckinnon. Who would even— bloody hell, I'm getting a teacher here."

Alice was about to run out the door when Marlene held her back by the arm, "I know you're frustrated, but letting the whole school know about this isn't going to fix our problem. For now, we need to quickly borrow the school brooms."

"Those old things?! My great-grandmother could fly faster than those things, and she's dead!"

Howey shuffled his feet like it pained him to admit, "They're sort of heavy too. I don't know if I could maneuver for the game with them, and not without injuring myself, at least."

"You used it fine last time, though?" I questioned.

"Because I used the good ones then. The rest of the house teams are already using them, so now only the garbage ones are left. I don't think they're even safe to ride."

"Well, you guys have to ride something. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to compete!"

The conversation devolved into an argument amongst each other. I rubbed the headache brewing at the forefront of my head before throwing Pegasus at our designated Seeker for this game.

"Howey, you can use this."

The boy fumbled the spotless white broom for a moment before gawking, "What? But– but Percy–"

"Zip it. You're using it. End of story. Now me and Captain just need to borrow brooms from other students, and we'll be good to go."

"Sorry to burst your bubble," Fabian interjected, "But we're only allowed to use our own brooms or the school's to prevent any broom stealing. It's in the Hogwarts Quidditch Rulebook."

Well, that's a stupid rule. "Fine, go get literal brooms used for… brooming, and we'll have someone charm it into an adequate flying one."

"Err, Percy, Hogwarts doesn't have a broom."

There was a moment I registered the words and thought I had stopped hearing English. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Hogwarts doesn't need brooms. We're a magic school. Usually, the caretaker just magics the dust away with cleaning spells."

"But, but Filch uses a broom!"

"Yeah, because it's Filch's broom. Do you honestly believe he'll let you borrow it?"

"But what about mops? Heck, any cleaning supplies, for that matter, I don't care!"

"Mops aren't allowed for use in Quidditch even if Hogwarts has one."

"Fine! What can we fly with outside of brooms?"

Fabian promptly gave an answer he didn't think would make a difference to the situation. But then I could feel my eyes lit up from the idea, as well as teaching those pranking us a lesson on why they shouldn't mess with my team.

. . .

[—and here come the players from the Hufflepuff Team for their second game in the Quidditch Tournament! Their opponents, the Slytherin Team, are already cracking necks and ready to rumble. The spicy tension between the Captains is heating up this winter weather–]

[Don't you go off tangent, Mister Tinishiere. This isn't the gossip column.]

[Just stating my observation as per my job, Professor. I know you're just as invested in the gossip– oh, look what we have there. It seems like not all the Hufflepuff team are present.]

[Strange. From what I'm hearing, some of the players are having technical difficulties with their brooms and are on their way with new ones.]

[Oooh, bad luck already from the Badger's side. There isn't going to be a game if they don't manage to buy themselves new brooms in the last— WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE THOSE?!]

McGonagall even forgot to chastise his language because Preto Tinshiere's shocking cries were shared by everyone as two players from the Hufflepuff Team came down to the field while flying on top of a thick, elongated, dry perennial plant. Its branches and leaves were still intact at the back of our ride.

[THAT CAN'T POSSIBLY BE ALLOWED!]

[Technically speaking, it is.]

[WHAT THE FU–]

[That's enough out of you, Tinshiere.]

Nothing could be done with the rules allowing what was allowed. The Slytherins looked paler than their already white skin tone from what they were up against. I could give you guys more details about what happened during the game, but you only need to know three things.

The game was complete chaos.

Hufflepuff won (barely).

And this is the game for why Hogwarts banned the use of Flying Trees, updated their school brooms, and allowed broom borrowing as long as the owners gave explicit written permission.

You're welcome.

. . .

Tiffany hadn't stopped laughing since she decided to sit with Lily and me for lunch the next day. I had an inkling of why that is.

"It's not that funny," I deadpanned.

"It… kind of is," Lily couldn't help but share her two cents.

"Et Tu, Lily?"

In response, she smirked, "You went around the whole field flying on a tree. Talk about a barking mad idea!"

"The game was a complete disaster! Marlene and I could hardly fly with those giant logs we had. Thankfully we were good at improvising, and the Slytherins were just as clueless on how to face tree-riding players."

"You must admit, that story will go down in legend."

"Fine, fine, the game was legendary. I get it. How about we talk about a more concerning topic? Like our lack of progress in SCOWL," I tried changing the subject and only realized belatedly that it was a worse subject to discuss.

"It's less about any lack of progress and more you skewing our results, Jackson."

Oh boy, here we go again. "Look, I didn't know the potion wouldn't work on me, okay?"

"Oh, it works on you, Percy," said Lily, "But it says a lot that you need a potion to turn you into an average wizard."

I groaned at the reminder because, yes. Nae's potion was supposed to make me unable to use magic for our research study, but we were surprised to find I could still use magic. Just… not… as naturally as before. It took a bit more effort to conjure water than usual, and a single Wingardium leviosa only managed to levitate one table instead of floating up the whole furniture in the classroom and crowding the ceiling before inevitably crashing down, and requiring McGonagall to fix the desks over and over again.

I vividly remembered the look on Nayela's face as if she was ready to bite my head for single-handedly ruining our project for being… well… me.

Tiffany chuckled again, "At least you found a way not to wreck the class anymore, Jackson."

"He shouldn't be able to do magic at all!" Lily reminded us.

Yeah, it's not like I could tell them the potion could wholly suppress my godly gene.

But I'm pretty sure that potion also managed to erase whatever godly scent I had on me because I managed to sneak up on the house elves for the first time, and they always knew when I came around. Honestly, I'm taking this like a pro since I officially have a way to become a peon in the eye of the monsters.

"I've never seen Nae look as frustrated as she did," Tiffany giggled, "You're tearing up all her hypotheses for this study."

"Well, maybe I'm an anomaly like her, so I'm not a good subject to abuse." Then I grinned and made a pointed look at the girls. "Guess this means you'll be the test subject."

Lily and Tiffany groaned in unison before glancing distastefully at each other for simply being in sync.

The school bell rang for the next lesson to start, and everyone got their bags ready as the student body walked out of the Great Hall to their respective class. Having the same Defense Class, Tiffany and I decided to walk together. We weren't in a hurry as we waited until the bottled door gave enough room for us to be on our way without pushing against other kids.

Then on our way there, Tiffany turned to me curiously as she observed my demeanor, "You know, you're oddly composed for somebody I kissed before."

"I'm sorry, but I literally have zero interest in you romantically or otherwise," I shot her down, quick and clean.

"Oh, I know that. But usually, they would be a bit flustered."

"You're what? Fourteen? I don't think you're old enough to kiss a lot of guys." Great gods, I sound old in my own ears.

"Not just guys, though," she said with a twinkle in her eyes, "Besides, it's just two mouths smooshed together. I don't see why people make a big deal out of it."

"You know what, let's stop this line of conversation. We're almost at class anyway." I thought of the last class I had with the Defense Teacher and winced from recalling the past few incidents that were blatant attacks on the muggle-born teacher.

"You're thinking about the vandal attack on Mr. Fajr, aren't you?"

"How'd you know?"

She rolled her eyes, "It's written all over your face, Jackson."

Was I that obvious? I touched my face subconsciously, trying to find what tipped her off.

"I still can't believe someone's brash enough to attack a teacher, though."

"It's not that surprising. Mr. Fajr hasn't done anything to hide his muggle background."

"Why isn't the school doing anything?"

"You're implying that our Defense Teacher would go out of his way to tell the faculty that a group of children may be bullying him?" She shook her head like the idea itself was unfathomable. "I doubt any adult would want to shame themselves that way."

"But leaving it alone isn't going to solve anything."

Tiffany only grew more annoyed by my words, but I hadn't expected she would pull me into a corner — right where the Defense class was in sight — and slam my back into a wall as she cornered me. I wasn't sure if she was trying to be intimidating when she was a full head shorter than me.

"Let me tell you a story, Jackson."

"Err, Tiff, I don't think this is a time for—"

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl and her happy family. Her parents love her very much. All her life, she'd only known her family as the three of them."

"Uhhh…." Inwardly, I wasn't sure where this was going but had a hard time tamping down the curiosity from Tiffany's sudden storytelling.

"The girl lived with everything she ever wanted. The prettiest dolls, the fairest clothes, the tastiest meals, everything. And the girl loves making them happy by being pretty, polite, and did well in all of her studies. Especially in magic where she could hold miracles in the tip of her fingers. But there's only one rule she was asked to follow, and that was to never go up the attic in the house. But you see, the girl never knew they had an attic until they told her. And since the spoiled child never experienced denial in her life, she snuck into the attic late at night.

"Step by step, wary of every creak in the wood and whistle of the wind, she opened the door to the attic. The little girl didn't know what to expect but whatever was inside wasn't anything she imagined; Dry long hair that curtained its face, nails so long it looked more like claws, chains on its wrists and legs, dirty oblong undershirt. The girl gasped at the sight of the creature, and it must be a creature because what human would like that otherwise?"

I gulped, "I assumed she was wrong?"

"Bingo. Though the girl wouldn't know that at first. How could she? But curiosity is human nature, so she asked for its name, and it told her to go away. The little girl didn't like its tone and went closer to be contrary."

'She must be the type that laughs during a horror movie watch,' I thought.

"Ever since then, night after night, the little girl would climb back up to the attic and persist in talking with the creature. She told it about how she spent her days, shared the sweets, and talked about what magic she learned. The creature barely said anything as she rambled throughout their shared time. Still, it would split the cupcake into two to eat together, patted her head whenever she accomplished something and played whatever inane games came up at the top of her head without a single complaint."

"That's… that's heartwarming, and that's genuinely a wholesome thing to hear."

"She didn't know much about the creature; all she knew was that it couldn't cast magic, and the housekeeper would always be the one to bring food up. The little girl came to care for the creature and felt pity for him, who never stepped foot out of the sunlight. So in a moment of weakness when she lets her sweet naive mind believe that her parents won't punish her too hard. She admitted to her nightly venture to the attics, believing that her words held weight when she wanted to bring the poor creature out and be a part of the family."

"Sweet girl, I like her," I said. "It's not often you find a person inviting a squatter to be part of the family."

Tiffany scrunched her nose, annoyed, "The family was shaken. The girl couldn't quite grasp what they were saying afterward, but there was a lot of angry shouting before she was sent to her room. It only took a whole day before they unlocked her room, and the father and mother went down to hug and apologize to her. The girl cried for the first time but didn't ask any more questions.

"That night, she snuck back to meet the creature again at night, and she was not surprised to find it gone. She was an intelligent girl, after all. But left behind in the attic was a picture that the creature often held on to. With a trembling hand, she picked it up off the dusty ground and let the full moon shine on it. Her breath went shallow to find the picture of what was unmistakably not her family of three, but a family of four, with her as a baby carried by her brother.

"That night, she discovered she would never see her brother again. And what terrified the girl most upon that discovery was whether or not her parents truly loved her or her magic if they were willing to go that far on their son."

That last part got me gawking in horrified silence. It took me a while to grasp the right words because I wasn't even sure how to react to that, "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that wizards have lived their lives hiding what others don't want to see." Her sharp fingernails dug into my chest as she glared, "It's how they learn to survive. So think twice when trying to make noise that isn't appreciated."

Then Tiffany turned away, her light curled hair flipped sharply as she made her way to the class until I stopped her.

"Wait." I said, and she paused, "Why did they bother to lock their child? Why didn't they–" give him up? Which is a really messed up question to ask, but even the Goddess of (failed) Family threw Hephaestus off the mountain. What led them to keep their child in that condition for so long?

"You know what, Jackson? I ask myself that question a lot of times too."

There was a somber air over us that lingered throughout the class. Mr. Fajr had been first in the class, welcoming his students like nothing had happened. But as the class continued, it felt like the things often brushed off as benign — the snickering, the whisperings, the split-second glances — became all the more noxious.

The hour went by without a hitch, and Mr. Fajrs looked visibly relieved to have his lesson dismissed at the end of the schedule. He didn't consider someone sneaking some lit exploding snaps in the pile of homework he collected. He jumped away in shock, and dread crossed his face. I was the first to act as I doused the flames before they could spread further.

Doc quickly went up to clean up the mess, and Gwen was right behind to do the same as she knelt down to collect the scattered and burnt-end parchments. Snorts, whispers, and snickers mixed between all the other students, but no one else helped.

Only stared…

And suddenly, it became clear why the parents in Tiffany's story never threw their child out despite being clearly unwanted or why the muggleborns didn't raise their voices.

Because the moment word gets out, they've set their eyes on you.

. . .

"Thanks for what you did back there, Doc, Gwen."

"Of course! I say, there really isn't a need to thank me for doing what's only right."

My blonde friend shrugged, "If you two hadn't stepped up, I don't think I would do something to stand out. You two deserve more credits than me."

"Still, I bet Mr. Fajr appreciated it."

The three of us were about to go our separate ways for our elective class, but I held back Doc for a moment to tell him to meet me after school. Doc was trusting enough not to question me, but he obviously wanted answers from his curious frown.

I led him to the back courtyard, where a corner of it had barely any people and where Nayela, Lily, and Tiffany were waiting for us to meet up that day. They didn't expect the company I brought.

Tiffany tilted her head, "Who's your friend, Jackson?"

"Guys, this is…."

"Dearborn," Doc cut in to introduce himself with a bit flush on his cheeks and wide eyes like he couldn't believe he was here, "Caradoc Dearborn, nice to meet you, girls."

Lily, who recognized him as her first-year potion partner, gave a friendly wave. Tiffany smiled politely, but her eyes showed an apparent disinterest to anyone who knew her. Nayela was the friendliest. Though she wasn't one for the crowd, she never said no to greeting new people.

"Hullo! I'm Nayela Ochi. So nice to meet a friend of Percy's. I read the abstract for your research paper. I'm sorry it didn't get chosen; it would have been cool to discuss more the application of magic through other means outside of wands and numbers."

There was a second or two where Doc simply gaped at the girl, then pointed eagerly, "That's what I've been saying! Clearly, different wizards have different talents, and it'd be a waste to just limit them through the same old spells that've been preserved for hundreds of years!"

"I know, right! I mean, we've got tea leaves reading here and stick reading from the east, simply for divination. There's got to be more ways we could learn magic that may suit students with different needs."

"Oh no," Tiffany breathed out with pained eyes, "She found a kindred spirit. This might go on for a while."

Nayela must have heard her because she then blushed and went, "Sorry, sorry, got side-tracked again."

I looked to Doc, who looked awestruck as if he had just found an oyster full of pearls at the bottom of the ocean, who then whispered at the side, "Percy, I think I'm in love."

I blinked, thinking I would have liked a moment to properly digest this new bit of news of my friend's discovery of his first love, but I knew I had to address my teammates' questions first and foremost. "So… girls… since we decided to write me off as 'margin of error,' I would like to propose Doc here to help us with our paper."

"Err, not to be the bearer of bad news, but we can't add another member at this point."

I grinned, a knowing glint must have lit up in my eyes, "That's the best part, he won't be a member. He's the test subject."

The three girls plus Doc looked dubious at me, but Nae seemed to have a eureka moment, "Oh, do you mean making him the research subject we'll show as part of our presentation without making him a member of our team?"

"So…" Tiffany started, "What you're saying we're sort of smuggling a person in by taking advantage of a loophole? How rebellious… how uncouth… I love it. Let's do it."

Lily just looked between her teammates and realized this was a decision she couldn't and didn't want to change before shrugging, "Alright then, welcome to the team, Caradoc Dearborn."

Doc was still looking heart-struck at Nayela, and the girl had no idea.

Readers: Oh no, but Percy's a demigod. There' going to be a weird reaction if he takes the potion!

Percy in my fic: FUCK YEAH I'M NORMAL!

...

AN: In Pottermore, I remember that in the Japanese Quidditch was supposed to use trees instead of brooms. I don't try to make it canon in this verse because then the Japan Team can't compete well in the Quidditch Tournament as international team.

But then I figured, if broom isn't usable, maybe there could be centuries old rule where trees are acceptable replacements and I can't stop laughing at the image.

Also, it was a fucking trip trying to create that horror story by Tiffany. Because I really want to express who Wizard Society have been putting pin in secrecy as part of their culture, that when you have something to hide? Their first instinct is to look away, hide, and stay quiet.

And be honest, who here forgets Doc's real name?

Now it's time for the QR&A where I answer your questions and thank you guys for the luvs.

Pjolover: Rhea is Titanness of Motherhood baby, gotta play that card while she can, and I summon Rhea and Hecate as characters and I would be a shitty writer not to have them interact while they have the opportunity and means for it. There was also a few comments about the lack of Percy's badass scene so I thought I threw it in there and make sure no one forget the Marauders are there.

And Doc's going to the States, baby! They ain't being left behind. Percy badass moment for this act won't be blood-bending, but maybe in the future.

I love talking to you too. FFN is kind of inconvenient to talk with me, so you can check out my AO3 account to send comments or go to my tumblr marisandini-chu to send an ask or chat with me.

iHateFridays: No shit, it's a mood killer XD

Black Victor 'Cachat: Occlumency is a long way, buddy. That includes, Annabeth.

Percy being a good students makes people forget he's secretly a badass. Also, Fajr can remove it. But he'd be way too stunt to think straight.

I'll take your advice in consideration.

Patolemus: Somebody has to be decent among the pantheons other than just Hestia.

Preserve your heart, my friend. They'll achieve their redemption.

Thank you for the luv as always.

Folkluz21: HELLO MARIO! wkwkwkwk

Oh boy, you're gonna love what I have in plan for in Severus' head. The Sev angst isn't finish and will soon come to a climax in the states. Also, I might just add a tag on my AO3 account for that because you're right, Sev do needs a hug. And so MORE DRAMA here in this chapter, but we leave the chapter with more humor in them as Percy will not let the circumstances took control of their lives. Though I didn't expect that you'd love with more drama as conflict than the battles but, everybody has their preference. I'm so happy with all the luvs you're giving in this long-ass review, because I'm loving it bestie.

HAHAHAHAA a Bi awakening for Sirius for that altercation? Bestie, I did not have that on mind but now you're giving me ideas. I've been raising hints for Mr. Fajr since the introduction of his character and could finally use it. Every review you've given me is a gem, and I'm sorry I can't reply in spanish to show how much you mean to me because I'm writing all these comments in a time crunch currently. Love you bestie, hope you enjoy this chapter too.

Artyky04: You know what? I just checked and you're right. So I guess I'll have to edit it for another hybrid creature. Hagrid do love experimenting with creatures. Thanks for pointing it out.

scl04: I can't wait to explore what Sev was really thinking because, oh boy, all of you are in for a wild angsty ride. And Percy is already a badass when handling monsters, he doesn't need much help in that regard. Just more on the social part that he's not handling well. Also, I believe that a good story should have a bit of advice, here and there, that could be helpful to readers who might have relationship problems and Rhea is such a good medium for that.

How Marauders will get their redemption... I have a vague idea but I'm most likely going to make it up on the spot. Inspiration can come from anywhere. And boy, oh boy, the blood began to thickens as the plan I've been cooking from the start of the Act is about to bloom. Thank you for the luv, and tune in until Sev and Percy will come to reach an understanding during the climax because as the comment goes, most of you guys don't realize the main source of Severus' conflict