Percy's day began by sitting in the Headmaster's office.
He was starting to get bored with this pattern. He preferred to stay away from Dumbledore as much as he could. Despite the heebie jeebies he gets from the man, spending too much time with him could be a red flag for other students. Especially Harry.
Percy has been called oblivious, sure, but he's not oblivious when it comes to missions. At least, not now. He can tell Harry distrusted him, and he wasn't sure if it was just from Hermione's suspicion or his own.
At a predicament like these, he couldn't help but curse that blasted hat and Dumbledore's insistence on "tradition." They wouldn't just let him join Gryffindor, but insisted that he was to be sorted as it was "proper." He knew that being in Slytherin would completely derail his quest. He had pleaded with the hat, practically begging him to at least put him in Hufflepuff.
No, the hat insisted on Slytherin. Now he was stuck in the House known for being Death Eaters, the exact opposite of what he wanted.
"I called you here, because I fear that I am going to be leaving very soon." Dumbledore began calmly.
Percy sat forward in his chair. "What do you mean you're going to be leaving?" He asked, eyes narrowed. Things would get a hell of a lot more difficult if Dumbledore was gone, even though he didn't exactly like him.
"Harry Potter has assembled a club in order to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts. As you might know, Professor Umbridge has banned all organizations without her permission, and you also may be able to conclude that Harry does not have such permission. I fear that they will be revealed soon. If they are, I will be taking responsibility for them. Harry is already under tense scrutiny from the Ministry, and I cannot let them have a reason to expel him."
Percy settled back in his chair, frowning. "If you left, am I correct in assuming Umbridge would be named Headmaster?"
Dumbledore remained silent, but gave a small nod. Percy cursed softly in Ancient Greek. He was smart enough to keep his head down around her, but that might not keep him safe forever. If she even disliked him in the slightest, she could do whatever she wanted.
"Two professors at Hogwarts have been informed of your existence and duty. Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. They are both part of the Order and I have the utmost trust in them. When I am gone, you will be able to go to them for any assistance." Dumbledore said.
Percy hummed, taking in the information. He was going to have to be a lot more careful than he had been previously. In the process of getting Harry to trust him, he could set off Umbridge's alarm bells. He thought about the Order, and the two professors in it. "You've mentioned before that you wanted me to attend an Order meeting. What's your reasoning behind that?" He asked, curious.
"If you agree to attend an Order meeting, only my closest few will be in attendance. I will leave you the decision on telling your identity to them, but it is vital that they know of you. They can help your quest, and they are among my most trusted." Dumbledore peered over his glasses.
Percy gave a short laugh. "It's not really up to me if I'm allowed to tell them. The Gods are fickle-" Thunder boomed in the distance, amidst the clear skies. "They tend not to allow many mortals to be opened to our world. I'll have to wait for a clear sign from them." Dumbledore nodded at this. "Regardless, I'm open to meeting the members of your club, but it has to be only those you truly trust. No rats." He warned.
Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, only those that have my fullest confidence" Dumbledore settled into his chair. "I would also like to discuss matters of you perhaps joining the Order?" He questioned, tilting his head.
Percy raised an eyebrow, surprised. "You don't think that a supposed Seventh year at Hogwarts joining the Order is suspicious?" He said.
Dumbledore gave a small smile. "Ah yes, I would prefer for you to wait for your graduation before you were introduced to the rest of the Order, but we are not far from the end of the school year. There are but a handful of months left. I do not foresee this conflict ending any time soon, and I would like to secure you as a trusted member in our ranks."
Percy pondered the idea. "You don't have any sort of initiation ritual or anything?" He asked, rubbing the tattoo on his left forearm. He was well aware of the Death Eater mark, and it was an awful coincidence that the Roman legion tattoo rested in the same place.
Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes filled with mirth. "Nothing of the sort. Just a pledge of loyalty to our purpose."
Percy nodded. "I'll join, I suppose. I'm here until the end, aren't I?" He let out a short, humorless laugh. If Dumbledore was unnerved by that, he didn't let it show.
"Thank you, Perseus, for your contribution to our fight. Now, I believe that breakfast is about to start. I think you would do well with a nice meal before your day of classes." Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling.
Percy gave him a nod, and stood up. He stretched a tiny bit before exiting, jogging down the stairs. Great, more classes to attend, he sighed. Time to get them over with.
Percy was sitting in the Slytherin common room, in front of the fire. He was doing homework, surprisingly. He had to at least turn in some work to make the teachers non-suspicious of him, but he still barely knew what he was doing. However, he figured that some of the stuff he learned would be useful, even if he didn't really know much of what he was doing. Hecate's training was more focused on fighting and performing spells, and not what any of this stuff was about.
He perked up when he heard Draco start talking. Specifically, what he was talking about. He pretended to work on his homework, as he listened in.
"Have you all heard that ol' Dumbledore got himself in trouble again?" Draco smiled, leaning back on the leather couch. "Umbridge wanted us to expose Potter's little club. Caught him red-handed. Although that blasted man took responsibility for it, letting Potter go free." He frowned, upset at the thought. "No matter though, Fudge issued Dumbledore's arrest. Umbridge is filling in for him."
A girl next to him sniffed. "A terrible excuse of a professor, let alone a new Headmistress. I fear the upcoming months."
Draco looked at her sharply, but settled back into his seat. "She's foul, for sure, but at least she makes those Gryffindor lives hell. It's about time us Slytherins get a break. I quite fancy the new chances around here."
"Oh, please, Draco, would you sacrifice our OWLS just to make sure the Gryffs get hell for a while? Personally, I would rather deal with a semi competent professor and Headmaster than that oaf Umbridge." Another kid said, and Percy struggled to remember his name. Blake? Blaine? "All the Ministry does is ruin everything they touch." The boy scowled, crossing his arms.
"The Ministry won't even accept that You-Know-Who is back because of their cowardice, do you think that they are competent enough to do anything else?" Draco laughed.
A sharp silence fell across the room. Quills stopped scratching across parchment, chess pieces no longer moved across the board. The only sound in the room was the fire that crackled away. The room felt thick and suffocating, and it was hard to breathe with the tension in the air. The kids stopped pretending to do their work, but instead listened to the conversation.
"We all know he's back." Draco defended himself, looking around, desperate for someone to take his side, but trying to appear confident. "There is no denying that."
"And how do we know he's back?" Another girl, perhaps a bit older than Draco, calmly said. "The only proof is Potter's word. Even the Minister denies any claims of that."
"Potter," Draco scoffed. Draco paused, trying to find the right words, well aware of the entire room's attention on him. "Regardless of our affiliations, it would be unwise for any of us to deny his return. The war is only going to continue, and faking blindness isn't going to be very beneficial."
The silence continued, and even Percy felt the slightest bit uncomfortable sitting by the edge of the room. A few scattered lights scarcely illuminated the common room, casting shadows across the student's faces. The fire seemed subdued, and hid in the corner of the room.
"I think all of us are aware of each other's family's view." The same girl began. "Most of us are in the same position. However, with that being said, I would advise all of you to remain tight-lipped. We're Slytherins, we know better than to paint a target on our backs, and we all know the rest of Hogwarts is prejudiced against us. Let us not give them a reason to act upon their beliefs. Even in the common room, I ask that you keep your opinions to yourself. You never know who is listening." She finished, and Percy began to realize that she was a figure of authority for the Slytherins, maybe even Head Girl.
Her words seemed to be the end of the conversation, and slowly the chatter and noise became louder as everyone returned to what they were doing. Draco looked around the room, staying silent. His eyes locked with Percy.
Percy figured that he should go talk to Draco. Even though he was dreadfully annoying, stuck up, and a bully, he knew the basic background info on him. Only son to a wealthy family with pureblood views, who are confirmed Death Eaters. While he wouldn't make any excuses for the way Draco bullied Harry and his friends, he knew that he had a certain image to uphold. Even if Percy couldn't get anything useful out of Draco, it would still probably be a good idea to at least converse with him a little.
But as he stared at the boy, not really participating in the conversation around him, he figured not now. He didn't even know what to say, and it would be better to get him alone.
Percy turned back to his work, scratching his quill across the parchment as he wrote about Defense Against the Dark Arts theory.