Holla, chapter five is up and well, it starts nice and normal and then... I'm sorry I like a bit of angst. Plus it's Colin Farrell... Just be warned okay.

To the guest reviewer who and I quote called the first chapter a 'wall of text', you do not need to paragraph everything. Paragraphs indicate a change in place, time, or narrator. None of those happened so I did not feel the need to paragraph. I do, however, apologise if it is off putting or makes it difficult to read. I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: Yeah, if I actually owned the series/universe a lot of things would be different and there'd be a whole lot more angst.

Chapter 5:

Adriana and Percival were settled on a comfy sofa, each holding the others file.

"Okay. So, you were sorted into Wampus." Adriana prompted. "How does that work? What does that mean?" Percival felt significantly less awkward talking about school. School was a safe topic.

"We stand on this Gordian Knot and there are four carvings. One for each house. So when the house wants you it does something."

"What if more than one house wants you?" Adriana interrupted.

"Then you pick." Percival said. He paused. "I had a choice. Wampus and Horned Serpent both reacted to me. I went for Wampus."

"Why?" Adriana asked.

"It just... felt right." Percival said. He didn't tell her that it was his attempt to be slightly independent from his family. He was the only Wampus. He hadn't enjoyed the summer holidays that year at all. At least not until he blurted out that he'd chosen Wampus because Aurors were warriors and that's what he wanted to be.

"So Wampus favours warriors and Horned Serpent favours scholars." Adriana said. She was frowning. She tried to compare the houses to Hogwarts. Maybe Wampus was Gryffindor and Horned Serpent was Ravenclaw? Maybe they couldn't be compared.

"Yes." Percival said. "Thunderbird favours adventurers and Pukwudgie favours healers." Adriana realised that they couldn't be compared to Hogwarts houses at all. They just weren't the same thing. Percival glanced at her file.

"What's a Gryffindor?" He asked. "I've never heard of a creature like that before."

"It's not a creature." Adriana said. "It's one of the four founders. Each of the houses is named after a founder. Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin." She paused. "In our first year, we try on a hat, it's called the sorting hat. And it's picks our house for us."

"So, Gryffindor is the house of?" Percival asked.

"The brave, bold and nearly reckless." Adriana said with a smile. "We sort by character traits. So, Gryffindor's are mostly brave, daring and chivalrous. Ravenclaw's are witty, creative and intelligent. Hufflepuff's are loyal, hardworking, honest, tolerant." Adriana paused, had face wrinkled with distaste. "Slytherin's are cunning, ambitious and pure bloods. Maybe half bloods."

"I get the feeling you don't like Slytherin." Percival said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's an old rivalry. They think we're reckless. We think they're conniving little... we don't get along." Adriana stopped herself. Percival almost smirked. Almost. "Are you really not allowed to keep your wand until you turn 17?"

"No. We have to leave it in school." Percival said. "I assume you can take yours?"

"Yep." Adriana said. "So, you were a chaser and captain of the team. I'm impressed."

"Was there a question in there?" Percival asked. He looked at Adriana's file. She'd been a seeker. Not captain though. She'd been a prefect but not head girl. She did however have excellent grades in both OWLs and NEWTs.

"No." Adriana said. "How did you manage your last year? Head boy, Quidditch captain, exams and you were practicing all that wandless magic."

"With little sleep and a lot of luck." Percival said. "You were a prefect, seeker, had exams and you did some wandless magic practice." He pointed out.

"Only some." Adriana said with a shake of her head. "Quidditch season is over before exams." Percival felt odd. He was not accustomed to someone being so interested in him. She didn't need to know that much about him. She was doing it anyway. She was one of the few people who hadn't asked about his family. When he met people the first thing they said was 'you mean that Graves family'. It was said with reverence. Envy. The Graves family probably weren't as big in Britain as they were in America. Maybe she really didn't care. He figured he should ask.

"When most people talk to me, they want to talk about my family." He said slowly. Adriana gave him a puzzled look. "You don't want to ask about them?"

"I want to get to know you." Adriana said, stressing 'you'. "Your family isn't you." It was one of the few times in his life that someone had put Percival on a separate playing field to his family. He felt... happy about that.

"Why did you become an Auror?" He asked, changing the subject. Adriana seemed to think long and hard. Which gave Percival the same chance.

"When we had our careers meetings, with our heads of house, I had no clue what I was going to do with my life." Adriana admitted. "I sat in front of Dumbledore for a good five minutes and finally told him I had no clue. So, he asked me all these random questions. Like little problem solving things. He suggested that I should try to be an Auror. So I tried. And I haven't regretted it since." She smiled at Percival. "Your turn."

"I wanted to be in law enforcement." Percival said slowly. "That much I knew. I didn't know if I wanted to be regular law enforcement or an Auror. I guess I just sort of ended up being one. But I didn't agree with some of my boss's methods so I decided I wanted to take charge."

"So you did." Adriana finished for him. She stretched. It was getting late and it had been a long day. "I don't know about you but I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed." She got up and snapped his file shut. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." She disappeared upstairs. Percival sat there for a moment. He read her file. Her Auror work was exemplary. She seemed to specialise in undercover work and hunting down corrupt wizards and witches. He slumped back on the sofa. Sleep in a nice comfortable bed seemed like a great idea. He closed her file and put it in the cabinet against the wall. He extinguished the lamps and went to the guest room. It was welcoming. The bed was soft. Comforting. The blankets seemed to cuddle him. He drifted off, barely realising how tired he'd been.

Pain. Pain. It hurt. It hurt. Blood. Screaming. Pain. It hurt. Stop. No. It hurt. Please. Stop. Percival sat bolt upright in bed. He was drenched in sweat. He clamped a hand over his mouth, someone would hear him. He couldn't let anyone hear him. He tried to get his breathing under control. He needed. He needed something. He sprang from the bed, gripping his wand tightly and made his way downstairs. Water. Water was good. He grabbed a glass and filled it to the brim. He took shaky gulps of the clear liquid. It cooled him down. Calmed him. He felt something run down his face. Water. No. Tears. He wiped them away furiously. The Graves family did not cry. Tears were for vulnerable, emotional, or weak people. He wasn't vulnerable. He wasn't emotional and he definitely wasn't weak. He couldn't cry. He couldn't cry. There was the swish of fabric and a hand on his shoulder. He flinched at the touch. It burned his skin. Touch hurt. People hurt. He found himself staring into silver wells.

"Percival." She said softly. He could barely register her. She was there. She could hurt him. He wanted to be away. Away from her. From everyone. "Percival, you can take a glass of water to bed, I don't mind." She filled the glass again and handed it to him. "Percival. It's okay. You don't have to go to sleep if you don't want to." The softness. The gentleness. It helped him focus. He was staring at Adriana, who was in a red, silk robe over her night gown. He was in his pyjamas. Right. He was at her house. He wasn't in danger. He was safe. He took a sip of water. It was refreshing. Adriana was taking his arm, pulling him back upstairs. Back to the guest room. His hands were shaking again. She took the glass from his hand and put it on the bedside table. He sat on the bed and she lit the lights. She smiled at him and handed him a book. "If you don't want to sleep. Then read something." He watched as she practically glided out the room. He opened the book. He needed a focus. He needed something to do. He read until dawn.