"Okay," Remus said as soon as Hermione closed the book. "What just happened?"
"Well we know that Percy is a half muggle," Ginny said thoughtfully. "We just don't know what the other half is...yet."
"His teacher turned into a murderous monster," Harry said dryly. "Hello, irony, my old friend."
Hermione snickered at the variation of the muggle phrase, while everyone else looked confused. Snape, the only other one that was raised in the muggle world, smirked slightly but hid his reaction from everyone. 'Where is the arrogant Potter brat with an ego the size of the school Quidditch field?' he thought to himself.
"Percy defeated the evil teacher/monster-"
"-by using a pen that transformed into a cool sword," the twins commented with pouts on their faces.
Molly frowned slightly. "It seems that Mr. Brunner helped Percy out but is denying any involvement," she said.
"Grover seems to be in on it too," Neville said.
"Yes he does," Remus said proudly as he stared at Neville, who ducked his head in embarrassment. 'The events at the ministry a few months ago has done wonders for his confidence, but he still gets shy sometimes.'
"What about the water?" Luna asked airily.
Ron looked at her. "What are you on about?"
Hermione slapped the back of his head. "Can you ever say something that doesn't sound mean or offensive Ronald?"
"Oi, what'd I do this time?"
Hermione huffed a breath and didn't answer.
"You were saying, Ms. Lovegood?" Snape said irritably.
"The book mentioned something about water," Luna said in the same tone as earlier.
"And what about the weather?" Harry asked. "I've never been to the states before, but I'm pretty sure that the weather isn't like that."
"Things just aren't adding up," Hermione said with a furrowed brow. "How does all this figure into what Percy is?"
"To know the answer to that Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said, "we must continue reading. Who'd like to read next?"
"I'll do it," Neville volunteered, raising his hand shyly.
"Okay, then here," Hermione said as she slid the book across the table.
Neville picked it up and read the title. "Three Old Ladies Knit The Socks Of Death."
There was confusion evident on everyone's faces (sans Dumbledore). "I know mum sometimes knit tight sweaters," Ron said slowly, ignoring the grinning faces of the twins and the slightly red face of his mother, "but how can socks kill you?"
"Well if you stuff them down someone's throat you can suffocate them," Harry said thoughtfully.
"...it's kind of morbid that you thought of that Harry," Hermione said as she stared at her best friend.
Everyone silently agreed with her.
I was used to...teacher since Christmas.
"Hold on," Ginny interrupted. "There's actually another person there to take Mrs. Dodds' place?"
"I wonder where she came from," Remus wondered. "You can't just get a random stranger off the streets to be a teacher."
"Maybe Mr. Brunner put her on standby just in case something happened with Mrs. Dodds?" Ginny suggested.
"Unlikely Ms. Weasley," Snape said, unable to help himself. Trying to figure out how everything fit was frustrating - and he was liking every second. Slytherin though he may be, he had many Ravenclaw traits, including a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn. "This 'Mrs. Dodds' character had been treating Mr. Jackson disdainfully ever since she showed up at that school. The teacher couldn't have known that Mrs. Dodds...that thing would do anything out of the ordinary on that specific day."
Everyone stared at him in slight shock. He's never spoken that much in one breath before. "An excellent idea Severus," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling.
Every so often...like I was psycho.
"I know the feeling," Harry muttered, thinking back on his second year when everyone thought he was the heir of Slytherin and just last year when most people that he was a crazy, attention-seeking brat who murdered Cedric Diggory.
Ron and Hermione were the only ones who heard him and gave him sympathetic looks.
It got...never existed.
"Did you hear? He said almost," Ron pointed out.
Almost.
Ron's face turned red in embarrassment as everyone except for Dumbledore, Snape, and Remus laughed at him.
But Groover...he was lying.
Fred and George stared morosely at the book in Neville's hands. "Someone obviously never taught that poor boy how to lie," Fred said sadly.
"If he still isn't better by the end of these books, we shall teach him when we meet him," George said determinedly.
Snape rolled his eyes.
Something was...at the museum.
I didn't have...a cold sweat.
Harry shivered slightly. During the summer after the Triwizard Tournament, he always had nightmares about Voldemort and Cedric's death.
Ginny was feeling uncomfortable too. This reminded her about the summer after she was possessed by Tom Riddle and the nightmares that she had.
Molly noticed her daughter's reaction and pulled her to her side in a hug. Ginny smiled and sank into her mother's embrace.
The freak weather...Atlantic that year.
"Another mention of freakish weather," Snape commented quietly to himself.
"What are 'air panes'?" Ron asked in confusion.
Harry and Hermione laughed at Ron's pronunciation of the muggle word. "Ron, they're called aeroplanes," Hermione said after getting her giggles under control. "And they're an invention by muggles that allow them to fly higher than a wizard on a broom could."
"Whoa," Ron said in awe.
I started feeling...almost every class.
Molly frowned. "I understand his frustrations but he shouldn't have let it interfere with his schooling."
"Well to be fair Mrs. Weasley, Percy does have ADHD," Hermione interjected. "That makes it hard for him to concentrate on a daily basis. When you add in the fact that something weird is going on that he doesn't know about, it makes it even more hard for him to stay focused."
Molly frowned. "Oh, well I suppose…"
Finally, when our...but it sounded good.
Hermione let out an unladylike snort.
"What's so funny?" Ginny asked her.
"A sot is someone who drinks a lot," she explained. "Percy basically called him an old drunk."
The other teens laughed. Molly frowned in disapproval but didn't say anything.
The headmaster sent...to Yancy Academy.
Fine...Just fine.
I was homesick.
Every person at the table felt a pang go through their chest, having felt that feeling before. Even Harry and Snape, who've hated going home for the summers, felt that feeling for Hogwarts.
I wanted to...stupid poker parties.
Harry and Snape both narrowed their eyes in unison.
Remus frowned thoughtfully. "I don't like the sound of Percy's stepfather."
"Neither do I," Molly stated worriedly.
And yet...next year without me.
"He really is loyal," Luna said as she gazed at the ceiling.
"It'd be nice if we had more people like that," George said, thinking back to his older brother. Fred understood what he meant and nodded in agreement.
I'd miss Latin...I could do well.
As exam...I studied for.
"The only test he studied for?!" Hermione screeched in outrage. Even Luna was looking slightly upset, her Ravenclaw side showing.
Molly looked furious. "He should at least make an effort on the other ones!"
Harry and Ron scootched away from Hermione and her fury. They did not want to be around an angry female thank you very much.
I hadn't forgotten...to believe him.
The evening before...riding skateboards.
"What is a-"
"It's a type of muggle transport object," Hermione interrupted smoothly. "Mostly teens and young adults use them."
Fred and George laughed at the look on Ron's face.
There was no...Forget it.
"Who are those people he mentioned?" Ginny asked. "I don't recognize them."
"I'm pretty sure those people are in Greek mythology," Hermione said thoughtfully. "But I don't recognize them. What about you Harry?"
"I only skimmed the books at the library the few times I was there," he answered. "Chiron sounds familiar but I can't remember details."
"Blimey Harry," Neville said, "I didn't know you were such a bookworm."
He blushed slightly. "I like to read about some things if they interest me," he said.
Snape arched a brow in surprise.
I paced the...inside my shirt.
Fred and George shuddered. "Not a good feeling mate," Fred said.
Molly narrowed her eyes at them. "And why do you know that?" she asked archly.
The sat with their backs straight and their hands folded on the table, looking like perfect obedient angels.
Again, no one was fooled.
I remembered Mr. Brunner's...Percy Jackson.
I took...mythology book.
I'd never asked...I hadn't tried.
Snape couldn't help but scoff. "You say Mr. Potter and Mr. Jackson are similar, Headmaster," he said. "But it seems Mr. Jackson actually tries to achieve a good grade."
"Now Severus," Dumbledore chided as Harry and Ron glared at him. "There's no need for comments like that."
I walked downstairs...the hallway floor.
I was three...worried about Percy, sir."
I froze.
"Why would Grover be talking to Mr. Brunner?" Neville interrupted himself.
"He said he was worried about him," Ginny pointed out.
Harry shook his head. "Yeah but I don't think that's what he meant," he said.
"What do you mean Harry?" Remus asked him.
"Well Percy said he almost believed that Mrs. Dodds didn't exist," he imputed. "But that Grover didn't fool him. Maybe Grover is worried about Percy finding out the truth of what's going on."
"That's a very interesting theory, my boy," Dumbledore commented.
I'm not usually...you to an adult.
The twins shook their heads. "That's a bet we'd automatically lose," they grumbled. Everyone else silently agreed.
I inched closer.
"...alone this summer...they know too-"
"What's a Kindly One?" Harry asked.
"I'm not sure," Hermione said, her brow furrowed in confusion. "It sounds slightly familiar but I don't know from where. I do want to know is what are they talking about though."
"We would only...mature more."
"But he may...summer solstice deadline-"
"Will have to...while he still can."
"Sir, he saw her…"
"His imagination...convince him of that."
"Sir, I...would mean."
"You haven't failed...alive until next fall-"
"Okay, hold up," Ron interrupted quickly, a bewildered look on his face. "What was all that about? What is summer solstice? What deadline are they talking about? What does he mean about mist? What duties were Grover talking about? And why the bloody hell do they need to keep him alive?!"
"Ron! Calm down," Hermione said soothingly as Molly glared at him about his language. "We're just as confused as you are."
"It seems we were right," Remus interjected. "Mr. Brunner and Grover are responsible for everyone not remembering Mrs. Dodds."
"But why?" Luna asked, uncharacteristically serious. "Why is it so important that Percy thinks that what happened was just his imagination?"
"Like I've been saying Ms. Lovegood," Dumbledore said, "if you want the answers to your questions, we must continue reading."
All the teens sighed. They were getting really sick of that phrase.
The mythology book...with a thud.
The twins groaned.
"What's wrong dears?" Molly questioned them.
"You're never supposed to reveal your location during a stakeout," George complained.
"It's, like, the number one rule," Fred said in agreement.
"But he wasn't staking anything out," Ron said.
They waved their hand dismissively. "Details."
Mr. Brunner...silent.
My heart hammering...down the hall.
The twins started nodding vigorously. "Good, leave no evidence that you were ever there."
"Cut it out you two," Molly scolded them.
A shadow slid...like an archer's bow.
Snape narrowed his eyes in contemplation.
I opened...slipped inside.
A few seconds...outside my door.
Everyone held their breath, so sure that Percy would be caught.
A large, dark...moved on.
Sighs of relief came from the teens. "Good, he wasn't found out."
"Personally, I would've confronted them myself and demand to know what was going on," Remus admitted.
"And if they altered your memory like they did everyone else?" Snape asked with heavy sarcasm.
Remus frowned but didn't say anything more.
A bead...my neck.
Somewhere in the hallway...the winter solstice."
"Mine neither...could've sworn…"
"Go back to...exams tomorrow."
"Don't remind me."
"Merlin help them," Harry said mournfully with Ron, Neville, Fred, and George nodding in agreement.
Luna and Ginny let out giggles while Molly, Remus, and Dumbledore let small smiles cross their faces.
Hermione and Snape both rolled their eyes.
The lights went...office.
I waited...like forever.
Finally, I...the dorm.
Grover...been there all night.
"Now he's a good actor?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Hey," he said...this test?"
I didn't answer.
"You...everything okay?"
"Just...tired."
I turned...getting ready for bed.
I didn't...learned downstairs.
"Us too," Luna said as she stared intensely at the book.
I wanted to...thing.
But one thing...kind of danger.
The next afternoon...three-hour Latin exam,
"THREE HOURS!" all the teens - sans Hermione and Luna - shouted in horror.
"That sounds like a fine idea," Snape said with a smirk. Remus chuckled at the terrified looks Harry, Ron, and Neville were giving him.
my eyes swimming...me back inside.
For a...the problem.
"Percy...for the best."
"Ouch," Remus winced. "He's not going to take that well."
His tone was kind...little kissing motions with her lips.
Ginny fingered her wand. "I'm starting to wish that girl was right here," she said wickedly, Molly nodding firmly in agreement.
Ron, Fred, and George looked at them warily. Knowing how angry they can be separately they shuddered to think about their combined anger. One angry female is bad enough.
I mumbled, "Okay sir."
"I mean…matter of time."
My eyes stung.
Harry winced. He knows what it's like to think your favorite teacher is disappointed in you.
Here was my favorite teacher...to get kicked out.
"I don't think Mr. Brunner meant it in the way Percy thinks," Molly said thoughtfully. "He probably just doesn't know how to say what he wants to say."
"Right," I said, trembling.
"No, no...That's nothing to be-"
"Thanks...for reminding me."
"Percy-"
But I...gone.
"Poor boy," Molly said softly. "He misunderstood what he was trying to say to him."
"But Mr. Brunner didn't make it easier with him having no tact," Neville pointed out quietly.
"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you Ron?" Hermione asked with a smirk.
"Oi! What is this, pick on Ron day or something?"
On the last day...clothes into my suitcase.
The other guys were...nobody from a family of nobodies.
"I'm sure that's not true," Luna said airily.
They asked me what...going back to the city.
What I didn't...to school in the fall.
"Oh...That's cool."
They went back...I'd never existed.
"Well that was rude," Hermione said indignantly.
The only person...heading into the city.
"Well that's not convenient at all," Snape said sarcastically.
Harry snorted, then wondered why he found that funny.
During the whole bus...tease him on the Greyhound.
Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore.
I said...Kindly Ones?"
Grover nearly...do you mean?"
I confessed about...night before the exam.
Fred covered his face. "Why would you confess?" he whispered sadly, George shaking his head next to him.
Grover's eyes...did you hear?"
"Oh...not much...summer solstice deadline?"
"So he heard everything then."
He winced...demon math teachers…"
"Grover-"
"And I was telling...Mrs. Dodds and…"
"Grover's a really, really bad liar isn't he?" Ron said with a brow raised.
"Grover...really bad liar."
Ron's face went red again as all the teens, his mother, and Remus laughed at him. "You have a funny habit of repeating things Percy say, little brother," George teased, making Ron's face go even redder.
Dumbledore smiled at the scene while Snape remained stoic.
His ears turned pink.
From his shirt pocket...need me this summer."
The card was in fancy script...finally made out something like:
Grover Underwood
Keeper
Half-Blood Hill
Long Island New York
(800) 009-0009
"Here's another mention about half-bloods," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"So does that mean Percy isn't the only half-muggle?" Ron asked.
"We already knew that," Harry said as he looked at his best friend with a grin on his face. "Didn't Dumbledore say he found a group of people to help us?"
"Shut up Harry," he muttered petulantly.
"What does being a 'Keeper' mean?" Neville asked.
"What?" Remus asked.
"On the card, Grover gave him," Fred pointed out.
"It called him a Keeper," George concluded.
"Does it have to do with Percy being a half-blood?" Harry wondered.
"Keep reading Neville," Hermione instructed. "We'll figure this out."
"What's Half-"
"Don't say it...summer address."
My heart sank... others at Yancy.
"Okay," I said...your mansion."
He...you need me."
"Why...you?"
Molly frowned. "That was a little rude."
It came...I meant it to.
"Oh."
Grover blushes...to protect you."
"But why would he need protecting?" Hermione groaned. "This is all too confusing!"
Snape, still keeping silent, was thinking through everything.
I stared at him.
All year long...who defended me.
"Aw, how sweet, he protected his friends from bullies," Molly cooed.
"I want to know why Grover needs to protect him in the first place," Snape muttered to himself.
"Grover," I said...protecting me from?"
"We'd like to know that too!"
There was a...smell of rotten eggs.
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Gross."
The driver cursed...side of the highway.
After a few minutes...everybody else.
We were on...an old-fashioned fruit stand.
"Wait," Remus interrupted. "Didn't Percy just describe that road as unnoticeable? Why would there be a fruit stand there?"
No one had an answer.
The stuff on sale looked really good...biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.
'Three old ladies?' Harry and Hermione thought in unison.
I mean these socks...basket of electric-blue yarn.
All three women ...bleached cotton dresses.
The weirdest thing...looking right at me.
"Why don't I like that sentence?" Fred asked nervously.
"Probably because none of us like it either," George concluded, looking around at everyone's nervous faces and the narrowed eyes of Snape. Dumbledore was the only one with a poker face.
I looked over...His nose was twitching.
"Looks like Grover doesn't like it either."
"Grover?... Hey, man-"
"Tell me...aren't they?"
"Yeah. Weird, huh...would fit me?"
"Not funny Percy...at all."
The old lady...I heard Grover catch his breath.
Harry and Hermione let out gasps.
Everyone looked over at them. "What's wrong?" Ron asked. He then took in the looks on their faces. "You know who those old ladies are, don't you?"
They glanced at each other. "I think so," Hermione eventually answered.
"Well? Who are they?"
"I don't want to say anything in case I'm wrong," Harry said quickly.
"Yeah, me too," Hermione said shyly.
"There's only a page left," Neville said. "Maybe you two can tell us what you think in the end?"
They glanced at each other again. "I guess that's okay," Hermione said reluctantly.
"We're getting back...Come on."
"What?" I said...in there."
"Come on!...but I stayed back.
Across the road, the...snip across four lanes of traffic.
Harry and Hermione nodded to themselves.
Her two friends...for - Sasquatch or Godzilla.
At the rear end...back to life.
The passengers cheered.
"Darn right!...Everybody back onboard!"
Once we started...I'd caught the flu.
Grover didn't look...his teeth were chattering.
"Grover?"
"Yeah?"
"What are...telling me?"
"We'd like to know too."
He dabbed his forehead...at the fruit stand?"
"You mean the old ladies?...Mrs. Dodds, are they?"
His expression was hard...what you saw."
"The middle one...cut the yarn."
He closed his eyes...something almost - older.
He said...snip the cord."
"Yeah. So?...it was a big deal.
"Merlin's beard, this nerve racking," George muttered.
"This is not happening...like last time."
"What last time?" Ron asked.
"What last time?"
Fred and George snickered "Again Ronnie? Gonna go for the hat trick?"
"Always sixth...get past sixth."
"Grover," I said...talking about?"
"Let me...Promise me."
This seemed like...I promised he could.
"Five sickles he doesn't keep that promise," Fred said to George.
He grinned. "You're on!"
"I want in too," Ron interjected with a smirk.
"Okay," Fred looked around at everybody else. "Does anybody else want to get in on this?"
In the end, Fred, Neville, Luna, and Harry bet that he wouldn't keep his promise, and George, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny bet that he would.
Molly disapproved of gambling of any sort, Remus didn't really like betting with the little money he had, Snape thought it was juvenile, and Dumbledore already knew how it would go.
"Is this...I asked.
No answer.
"Grover - that snipping...going to die?"
He looked at me...I'd like best on my coffin.
"And that was the end of the chapter," Neville said as he closed the book and set it on the table.
"Alright," Ron turned to look at Harry and Hermione. "Start talking you two."
