I just posted a poll it'd be super helpful if you vote! It's on my bio, it's about a new story I might post.

o0o Chapter 14 o0o

A weight plopped into his robe's pocket as an empty glass bottle clinked against one full of Felix Felicis. Harry smiled as he watched Ron slip his 'spiked' pumpkin juice, grinning with a sudden confidence. Hermione looked on, and as far as the wizard could tell, she was not too happy about what had just transpired.

"Harry," Hermione hissed, "you can't-"

She was cut off by someone bumping into her. "Oh my, oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to knock into you! I'm just looking for someone. Do you happen to know where Percy Jackson might be?"

The three of them stared at her for a second, her blue lined robe and tie marked the girl as a Ravenclaw, she even looked around a year or so younger than them. Harry thought it and had a feeling his friends did as well—why would she be looking for Percy?

They hardly even knew him, he told her, 'no, he did not know where Percy was,' and then she left to continue her search. Even as they walked out to the pitch, Harry still was wondering where Percy actually was. The curtains around his bed were always pulled shut now.

It was hard to tell, but it didn't seem like they'd been moved in a while. In addition, Harry hardly saw Percy in the common room, and even more rarely did he see his fellow Gryffindor in their dorm.

Harry shook his head, he had a Quidditch match to win. He couldn't be thinking about Percy Jackson when Slytherin needed beating.

:-:-:-:

This time, Percy, accustomed to her light footsteps, looked up when Olivia approached him. Oh, he realized, whoops. He had just remembered he said he promised to come to the Great Hall for breakfast today. Well, he hadn't been getting much sleep so his memory wasn't at its best.

"Do you even eat?"

"I, well yes, when I'm hungry. Sorry, I know I said I'd come to the Great Hall today but, um, in all honesty? I forgot. Sorry, I'm kind of tired."

"Well, looks like you're going to a Quidditch match with an empty stomach."

"A what now?"

"Oh, right. So I didn't tell you I planned to drag you there by your ear because I knew you wouldn't agree. But… we're going to go see some sports and I'm going to drag you out of this library."

"Hey, I'm doing Flitwick's essay right now. Plus, you don't want to bring me, I'm a general downer."

"Nope! You're coming my friend. C'mon I'll be bored without you."

"If you really want me to come I will. I just don't see why. You have much better people out there to talk to, who have fun-"

"You woeful piece of shit, let's go watch some jocks fly on sticks."

"Thank you," he said as they walked out the door and onto the grass together.

"No problem, I know I have to pull you outta that room every now and then to let you sea light."

"Whale, I guess I have to agree. I do get a bit caught up in everything sometimes. So, how does this game work?"

"How do you knot know what Quidditch is? Like at all?'

"Dude, I'm from America. Quad… something is what we play, I've never cared that much to watch it."

"Well, there's four balls, fourteen brooms, seven players on each side—on the brooms. There's a quaffle that the chasers pass to each other and try to use to score. There's the two bludgers which attempt to knock the players off their brooms. And then the snitch which the seeker tries to catch. I'll explain the rest when the game starts."

"I will admit that didn't make a whole lot of sense but I can roll with it."

:-:-:-:

The match was, well it was easy. Without much competition for the snitch it wasn't hard to grab. As always, it took a little while to catch the snitch. In that time, Gryffindor scored two goals, while Slytherin didn't get a quaffle through a single hoop—although not without an effort.

Harry, although he disliked them, wouldn't say the Slythrien chasers were bad. It just so happened, they were no match for Ron. Without the normal doubt that plagued him, he was unbeatable.

Again, as much as Harry hated Draco Malfoy, he still had to admit he was a good seeker. However, within the first fifteen, he'd caught the small golden ball without a problem. The reason—his real oppnet wasn't there.

The Slythrien's had found a replacement, an unprepared and unskilled kid who seemed to know the basics of flying. No one special, and no match for Harry. Even as he touched down to the ground, fellow Gryffindors surrounded his mind wandered. Where was Draco, and what was he doing that he deemed more important than a Quidditch match—against Gryffindor no less.

Harry was sure Malfoy'd been behind the necklace and the attack on Katie Bell, so what was he up to this time?

:-:-:-:

Percy just sat in the stands and watched as the team was flooded onto the pitch as the team landed. The Gryffindor team was surrounded; he would've hated to have been them there in that moment. It was already too loud from high up in the stands, how could they ever deal with it, he wondered.

"So," she poked him, "what'd'ya think?"

"It was, well it was a shorter game than I thought it'd be. It was fun to watch though."

"Yes, yes, well they can last pretty long. One lasted around a year at some point."

"One lasted how long?"

"Meh, it was professional and jocks are jocks."

"Well holy crap. I'm going to try not to let that ferment for too long—imma go down by the go lake—want to come?"

:-:-:-:

"Hermione, I'm telling you, Malfoy's got to be up to something. Look at this—he's not even on the map!"

"Harry, Draco's a top tier piece of trash, but I can tell you he's not a murderer. No, not an attempted one either, Ron."

"He's a Death Eater for Merlin's sake; we saw him get initiated. He's got a goal," the Weasly rebuked.

"Malfoy's always been suspicious, but he's not—he can't be behind this."

"Why not!" Harry exclaimed. "His dad is a Death Eater, he probably is one now as well. You don't just think Voldemort's," like clockwork, his two friends shuddered, "going to let some kid in for no reason? No, he wanted someone in the school—and who's going to deny a rich kid his education. Especially with the power position his dad has. Again, and it's not like he's let in for no reason. Malfoy has a mission."

"Harry, that's a—it's just a guess."

"No! It's not. I've lived this life for long enough, something's going on here. I know enough about Voldemort to guess this and have some idea! You have to admit, it makes perfect sense."

"Harry's right, Malfoy is up to something and it's not simple as bullying as would be the usual—that necklace was deadly. I mean even if you were to try and pass it all off as Quidditch sabotage… it doesn't make sense, he wasn't even at today's game."

"That's… that's hardly even bias. I mean I know we all hate him so we're probably looking for the worst but… I have to admit. That's logical. I mean it's not all fact but… I can't- I can't fully disagree."

"The best I can do is watch him over the map, and well, as you can see—no Malfoy."

"Well, brainstorm. What's off the map?" Ron suggested.

"Anything off school grounds of course, but I doubt he'd know a way to get out of this place. And, then there's the Room of Requirement. And… I think that's it."

"So," Harry recapped, "he's in the Room of Requirement or off grounds?"

"Sounds like it mate."

"What do we do now then?"

"Well, Hermione, we watch him. I don't think there's much else possible."

:-:-:-:

Percy sat beside Olivia, their backs against a tree, facing the lake. He stared up at the leaves as they swayed in the wind, creating an ever-changing light pattern upon the grassen floor. The two had sat there for a while in a comfortable silence—well, the demigod was never any good at keeping time.

Normally being left at the mercy of his thoughts result in everything less than pleasant, but this somehow felt nice. He was relaxing, he let his guard down. He stopped thinking, he simply just let the rustle of leaves lull him. Not reading, not writing, not practicing, not stressing—just being.

After so long sitting in silence, Olivia's voice surprised him. "Why do you do it? Why do you research so much. Why do you work so hard? Where do you disappear to? Where do you go when you say you want to practice? What are you practicing? And why?"

Percy startled at the onslaught of questions. He hadn't even really processed them—he'd gotten the gist though.

"I-"

"I'm sorry, that was crass. You don't owe explanations, I'm just—I'm curious. Well, that and Percy, I worry about you. Something's not right."

"I do owe you some explanations, but…." he scratched the back of his neck. "I'm going to be honest here, I didn't process a single thing you had said a second ago."

Olivia let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah, well um… why do you do all that research?"

"Oh well, I'm from America, I don't know everything that has gone on here. I, well, I really hate being ignorant. The only way I can figure out what's happened is from the facts. My…" Percy trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Even thinking of Annabeth—it was so bittersweet. The happiness it brought him to see her face in his mind's eye always quickly crashed him back down to reality.

"My love has always said something similar. Whenever introduced to something unknown she hits the books. Facts first. I know not to trust everything written, but I can piece the truth together somewhat.

"If I'm being honest, I also feel closer to her in a library; surrounded by books. The smell, the atmosphere, the feel I get with my nose in a book—it helps."

The demigod's face soon turned red as Olivia started at him, "You probably didn't want to hear about that—I uh, I just really miss her."

He flinched as she tackled him with a hug, "Why are you even here? You seem so sad and now I think I get it. What's her name?"

"Oh-oh, her name is Annabeth."

"And you love her?"

"Y-yes I do."

"Then why in the ever-loving hell is she not here?"

"She couldn't come."

"Is she the reason for all of this—for how hard you work, for all of that practicing, for all your long faces."

"Annabeth isn't the only reason, but thinking about the distance between… it's hard sometimes, yes."

"Then why else do you work so hard—you never do anything but research and practice and your homework."

"I guess I just really feel the need to do well. My magic, it's weak. Now, well me getting home depends on me getting stronger."

"What do you mean? How could that possibly-"

"Forget I said anything. What's another question?"

"Why don't you ever eat?"

At that Percy snorted, he could never imagine his mom asking such a question—only ever how he could eat so much. The smile soon fell off his face, in hell there never was much food, "I don't have that big an appetite, besides just because I don't come to the Great Hall doesn't mean I don't eat."

"Where do you eat then?"

"The kitchens, it's just too loud in that big hall; too many people."

"You're allowed in there?"

"Oh, I have no idea if I'm allowed. I've never been caught though."

"Well, then if you hole away in there, follow up question: where else do you disappear to? Like when you say you're going to practice."

"Well, where I go? I have my dorm, the library, the kitchens,and the forest."

"The forest! That place is really dangerous!"

"It's also very deserted."

"Can—can I come with you sometime?"

"Where?"

"Anywhere, you seem so sad and lonely. I mean, I get it now, it's sweet and all but it's not very healthy."

Percy hugged Olivia, she seemed startled at the sudden movement, within a second though, she squeezed back.

:-:-:-:

"You've been researching… the dark lord?"

"I don't know too much—I certainly used to know less. It's weird to explain, but it's important to me to know who's… if there's someone going around murdering for fun. I just, I can't stay ignorant. People here have already made the first mistake. They weren't careful enough. They've ignored what was under their noses, they let this wizard gain power. Only now, now that it can't be denied do they accept him as a threat. He's got a huge upper hand and I…. I'm rambling, that's what I'm doing."

"What do you mean, the first mistake?"

"In war. Keeping something quiet until it can no longer be ignored… it can set you up for defeat. And the time he's gotten to prepare, plan, regroup. Oh it could have been quick. But, the bloodshed will be great."

"First mistake in… war? Why would you, how do you-"

"Oh crap, um, I read a lot. Yeah, my friend's dad was in the military, and um, his dad gave him the Art of War—it's a muggle book. He didn't want it so he gave it to me. I had nothing better to do so I read it."

"It doesn't sound like you just read a book and-"

"Why don't we get back to homework?"

"You're avoiding the subject."

"It happens to be something I'd rather not talk about, yes."

She left it alone from then on.

Idiot, idiot, idiot.

The words reverberated inside his head. People outside of the camps don't just… converse about war. He'd said far too much, and he knew it.

But he felt closer to his only friend here. She needed to know sometime, the full truth. He could I tell her now, but then, would he lose her?

:-:-:-:

"People doing work on the weekend? I was sure I'd be the only one in here."

"It is surprising how few people are willing to just get it out of the way."

Percy was surprised how quick Olivia was to respond to the stranger's voice, he couldn't even see who'd spoken. He supposed it was no big deal, although he did like to know who he was speaking with.

"Wait a minute—Percy?"

The aforementioned demigod turned around, finding himself face to face with another Gryffindor.

"Hermione, was it?"

"People hardly see you around the castle, is this really where you go to?"

"Yeah, sometimes. You wanna sit with us? What'd you come to do—I'm stuck on Sprout's homework right now."

"I… well I don't see why not," the witch said as she pulled up a chair.

"I haven't even started Sprout's essay yet. I forget what it's about honestly, but I did bring it—you want to work together?"

"Oh I'm sure he does, he's been groaning at that paper for a while now."

"It's not my fault that when I'm tired or distracted I can't read."

"What?"

"Dyslexia," Percy explained.

"Do be quiet though, I have my own crap to get through."

"Excuse me, but I don't believe I've seen you around much."

"Olivia, I'm a fifth year—you're Hermione I've gathered?"

"Nice to meet you."

:-:-:-:

"You know the way to get in?"

"I might? I mean, he changes it, but it is always a candy; you know every single candy under the sun—I'm confident we'll get in."

Harry mumbled to himself for a second, before announcing, "Ice Mice," after his words rendered no effect, Ron gave it a shot.

"Pepper Imps?"

Harry followed with, "Cockroach clusters."

They stood in the hallway for around ten minutes, taking turns, naming every candy they could recall—Harry even trying some Muggle ones—until the large eagle slid aside, allowing them passage.

The two hurried to the stairs, once at the top they stalled, gathering their breath, before knocking.

"Harry, what a surprise. What is it you wish to talk to me about—and you Mr. Weasley?"

"We're here to talk to you about a fellow student we're… concerned about," Harry said slowly, hoping to weave his words in a way Dumbledore might take him seriously.

"Is that so?"

"He… he's been, thought by others that he might be behind recent events."

Harry, not wanting to spell it out, was followed by Ron, who did that exactly, "Some people blame him for the incident with Katie. People say it could have been a Quidditch sabotage that got out of hand—but we think it was on purpose."

"Why would a student do such a thing—I couldn't imagine; what brought you to this thought?"

"It's still just a suspicion but we think Vol- The Dark Lord may have recruited him due to lineage and previous actions. And he might have received instructions which he carried out."

"Must I remind the two of you the mail is all checked."

"Well it could be coded!" Ron burst out, "or maybe given before school even started."

"These are very serious accusations the two of you are making, I hope you realize this."

"They are less of accusations than… dangerous thoughts, although they could be very wrong, we bring them here seriously, and hoping you might give consideration to at least investigate some to insure safety."

""I should thank you, I suppose for your caution in these trying times but you've yet to give me a name."

"Draco Malfoy."

A look Harry couldn't quite read flashed across Dumbledore's face, but it quickly faded back to serene calmness, "I'll make sure to keep it in mind. However, my day is busy and I have heaps of paperwork to attend to, thank you boys, for sharing your cautions but I really must get back to working."

He turned his wizened and aged head down towards the desk and Ron and Harry walked out, the door clicking quietly behind them.

:-:-:-:

Allowing Olivia to know some of the things he promised himself he would never say a thing about—it strangely helped. This was a strange thing to think though, for his brain to bring up while he was sitting, perched in a tree. Spiders the size of leaves to cars were scurrying down below.

In the canopy it was peaceful, the white noise from the spiders was strangely calming, the wind brushed against his face and he felt sleepy. This, he saw, might be the perfect time to get some shut eye.

The forest. He could make a proper place here. Where he could sleep without worrying about others finding him in a fit. The room of requirement was amazing but he still worried sometimes, he was still in the castle but not out here. No matter how loud he screamed… nothing would hear him in the heart of the forest.

First order of business was to find some fallen trees, and although this forest was healthy, it was also very large. Logs weren't an uncommon occurrence. It would take night after night to build any sort of structure, but he knew he could do it.

Nothing he made would ever be nearly as beautiful as his love's work. Percy had learned from her though. He knew about supports and beams and the balancing of stress, he knew about the four walls and the roof. He could never pretend to be good at it. Something though, any place of his own, would be a miracle.

Sitting in that tree, Percy pictured the small place he would build himself. He understood Annabeth's joy when she built something, and maybe one day the two of them could share that joy together. One day, one day they would be together again.

In that tree, as his grasp on consciousness faded, it was to her his unconscious mind fled. It was her he saw, in the center of a nightmare he'd never seen before. A nightmare, he knew in his gut, was anything but fictional.

()()()()()()

Well, hell. It's been a while. I can't wait to write the next chapter so I hope it'll be out soon enough—no promises though. Not too proud of this chapter but hey, there's finally an update, so that's a thing.

Hope you're enjoying this story if you're still here, and a huge thank you if you still are. It means a whole lot.

-BBB (12/9/21)