Gabrielle sniffed.
Again.
Jude rolled her eyes and continued reading her book – Hogwarts, A History was even more boring than she thought it would be . . .
Gabrielle sniffed again.
"What?"
The small blonde gave the demigod an imperious look. "I do not know what you mean,," she said in French. Jude raised an eyebrow.
"I sincerely doubt that, Gabrielle, not tell me what is wrong, or I will get Fleur."
"So? She's not happy with you either,."
"What did I do!" Jude practically shouted, waving her arms as she accidentally slipped into English.
Gabrielle snorted at her friend. "Oh nuzzing,, Jude. I should 'ave expected ze celebrity to wish to be in ze lime light. Why, I am zerprized zat 'oo do not just – just go and ztay wiz zem! Wiz Camp 'Alf Blood!"
"Gabrielle! What the flamin' Hell're you talking about!"
" Oh, like 'oo do not know, Judida Potter! We 'ave been bezt friends for – for years, and when zese people zhow up, 'oo completely ignore me, my zizter, and your zchool! Leave me alone, I am ztaying wiz Fleur." Jude stared in shock as one of her best friends in the world stormed out of their room. What was Gabby talking a . . . oh.
"I guess I did ignore you, didn't I, Little Duchess?" Jude whispered to herself.
She'd talk to the Delacour sisters in the morning. Gabby wouldn't listen until morning, anyway.
"For she's a jolly good fellow, for she's a jolly good fellow . . . "
Jude kicked her bed slightly as she passed it after waking up. "That everyone can deny."
Hurrying, Jude pulled on her Beauxbatons uniform, ran a brush through her cropped hair, slipped her wand up her sleeve, shoved on her boots, stuck her ceramic knife in them, and took a deep breath before walking out her and Gabby's bedroom door. As she stepped toward it, he winced. She'd forgotten to sheath her knife. Again. The demigod pulled out the small blade and set it on the dresser, then looked around for the blasted case. No, not on the . . . there it was! Jude snatched the sheath from the floor and slipped the knife in, then shoved it back in her boot.
Now she could go.
It took less than a minute to go down the relatively short hall and knock on Fleur and Marie Desmarais, Fleur's best friend's, room.
"'Oo eez et?" came Marie's voice.
"S'Jude, Maire. Can I talk to Gabs and Fleur? Please?"
The door cracked open to show Marie's . . . eye. And a strand of her hair. "Zety do not want too talk to 'oo, Judida."
Jude stamped her foot. "Oh, come on! Marie, you know I didn't mean to! I was just excited that my family – the people I grew up with – were here, that I got to see them again, before Christmas, or Easter, or whatever. And I know that ignored you guys, and I'm sorry, and just really, really stupid, and . . . Please, Marie, just let me talk to them?"
The light brunette sighed. "Fine. But eef zey get mad – 'oo get ze blame."
Jude grinned as the door opened. "Deal."
Once Marie was out of the way, Jude rocketed past her toward the bed by the window – the one with loads of long blonde hair sprawled on it. There were dual screeches from the Delacours when Jude pounced on the bed. Fleur herself shot up and pointed her wand at Jude, blasting her backward.
"OW! Fleur, I just wanted to talk to you two!" At the blonde sisters' disbelieving looks, she elaborated. "Look, I was an idjit, I know, I shouldn't have ignored you, and there's no excuse for just leaving you two high and dry for the whole weekend. Please, would you just give me another chance?" Green eyes darted between her best friends in all of Europe. "Please, you guys, I'm being honest here. I'll – I'll introduce you to everyone at Camp, from my adoptive family, to Clarisse, to the Stolls . . . Please . . . "
Gabby peeked over her sister's shoulder and blinked. Stepping around the older girl, the tiny blonde leaned over her friend, her hair falling into Jude's face. "A chance," she said bluntly, holding out hand. Jude grinned.
Gabby and Fleur grinned back.
"Oh, and Jude?"
"Yeah, Fleur?"
"Eef you eh-var cauze my leetle zizter zo much diztress again, I weell 'appily gut 'oo like a peeg."
Jude nodded seriously at the half-Veela. "I would expect nothing less from a Champion."
"Gabs, Fleur, Marie, I want you to meet . . . "
" . . . Everyone. Everyone from the Camp delegation, that is," Jude grinned to her friends. "This is Katie Gardner - " the Demeter's child nodded to the French girls. " - and these are Austin Brett and Kayla Aaron." the Apollo siblings smiles brightly. "That's Lorelei Zednik - " the semi-heavy-set girl waved and turned back to her plans. It looked vaguely like the layout of timepiece, crossed with . . . something. Jude gave the girl a wan smile. " - these are Connor and Travis Stoll – no, they aren't twins, but they're the only ones that know which one is older, so they may as well be."
"Hey!" the twi-Stoll's said indignantly.
"Oh, get over it, you two," Pollux Winship snapped. When did he get Mr D's temper? And why? He was so much less annoying without it . . .
"Thank you Pollux. Girls, this is Pollux Winship" Smiling, Jude turned to Clarisse and gave her a good morning hug. " And this is Clarisse La Rue, my first ever friend. Everyone, these are my friends from Beauxbatons. Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour, and Marie Desmarais." Most of the kids nodded appraisingly at the French students, but Clarisse scowled. Jude nudged her. "Be nice," she hissed. "You'll all get along fine, whether you like it or not." Clarisse scowled some more.
"Judida," Marie began, pointedly ignoring Jude's scowl at the use of her first name, "You didn't introduce us to zoze zree," the brunette scolded lightly, gesturing toward Percy, Nico, and Thalia.
Jude smiled tightly. She liked Marie, she did, but the girl just pushed her buttons on purpose.
She was glad she hadn't grown up with an older sister like her, even if the light-haired girl was her friend. "If you would let me finish Ree-Ree - " Marie pulled a face at the old nickname, and Jude smirked " - You would know that I saved family for last. These are my siblings. Percy Jackson-Ambrosiadis - " Percy stood up and gave the girls a small bow. Thalia whined at Jude, mouthing 'Annabeth.' Of course. " - Nico Di Angelo-Ambrosiadis - " Nico made a slight face at the long name, but stood up anyway, giving a slightly more formal bow than Percy had. Always outdoing each other . . . Or trying to one-up the other, more like. "And my big sister, in all her annoying glory - " Thalia raised an eyebrow. Gods, she looked like Father . . . "Thalia Ambrosiadis." Thalia just smiled cheekily and sent a small shock to Jude from her place beside her. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to tease Thalia while standing next to where she sat, but oh well, Jude thought, as she flicked some air towards the other girl, mussing her hair. Thalia scowled. Jude smirked. Her: 1. Thalia: 0.
Shoving Pollux some, Jude made room for her and the other three Beauxbatons girls to sit. Once they had, she glanced around.
"Okay, who ate all the eggs?" Eggs appeared on her plate. Scrambled. "Gods, I love House Elves."
"What?"
Jude tried not to groan. She recognised that voice.
Hermione was starting her House Elf kick this year. The Half-Blood witch made a quick prayer to her fathers and turned to face the bushy haired banshee. "Yes?"
"How can you approve of the enslavement of an entire race? House Elves should be free and equal to humans! Not enslaved for their whole lives and forced to serve us!"
Jude raised her eyebrows. "And why is that?" she asked with forced calm.
"Just take a look at them! They have no choice in anything, they're completely brainwashed, and - "
"How do you know? Maybe some people treat them well, and some badly – just like with human servants."
"They aren't servants, they're slaves."
Jude rolled her eyes. And this Hermione hadn't even met Dobby, as far as she knew. "I'm Jude, you are?"
"Hermione Granger, and I would have expected better from a Champion – let alone the Girl Who Lived."
"Well than I guess you'll have to live with disappointment. Now buzz off." She turned around in her seat to face her friends and family. "What?"
"Jude," Clarisse began, "What the fuck has you in such a bad mood? I haven't seen you like this since . . . "
"Right before Chiron first tried sending me to regular school?"
"Yep."
Jude shrugged and tried to ignore the stares that her spat with Granger had caused. "The girl just rubs me the wrong way. And Percy, if you open your mouth, I will have you repeat the toilet incident with you on the other end of it. Capiche?"
Later, Jude and Gabby began Poisons and Antidotes in Potions with Madame Maxime, and joined in the dance lessons with the other Beauxbatons students.
Jude decided that she hated the Waltz. The Minuet was fun, though.
After learning about Glamours in Charm, Jude joined the Half Blood kids for Archery with Chiron, and Monster Assault Techniques. It was off having only one Hermes kid teach it, but Travis made it really fun. Maybe he should be a teacher . . . Jude shook her head viciously, trying to derail that thought. Travis + Impressionable school kids = NO. They did a few laps in the freezing Lake, and then went through Sword & Shield practice. Jude was pretty happy with that – She was able to knock Clarisse into the Lake without using anything but her own sword.
And she was horrible at sword fighting. Maybe she was getting better.
Tch. More like lucky. She was far better with a knife and a place to jump than a sword and shield. Though the shield was really good for knocking people out . . . As Percy would attest, were he not in denial. Just a river in Egypt – sure.
Afterwards, Jude grabbed Clarisse and Gabby and asked if they wanted to go wall climbing with her. Clarisse looked at her like she was out of her mind. "Where, Jude? And can she - " Clarisse jerked her head toward Gabrielle, " - Even keep up?"
Jude smiled. "Yeah, Clarisse, she can. Now c'mon, I saw this one wall before that'll be great for climbing. Loads of vines, jagged edges, really spaced apart footholds . . . "
Gabby gulped.
"Scared, Frenchie?" Clarisse snarled.
Gabrielle lifted her chin. "I mozt zertainlee am not. I weell do pear-fect-lee well on zre wall, and I will beat 'oo to ze top, La Rue."
"Wh you cheeky little - "
"Guys, stop! Since when am I the level headed one, eh? Cool it."
"Fine," the two girls said together, crossing their arms. They glared at each other before uncrossing their arms and walking stiffly by Jude, apparently trying to pull her in half.
"Such a perfect life," Jude snarked to herself.
On the 8th of November, Jude's fathers and Madame Maxime told her (all seperately – couldn't her parents at least work together?) that there would be a weighing of the wands. Jude panicked, Ollivander would wonder why her wand was so strange – and yet so like his wands . . . Oh damn. It was a free weekend, though . . .
"Dad, Father, Daddy?"
Jude gulped as her fathers looked up, one by one. "What is is Jude?"
"Yes?"
"Who got hurt?"
"No-one's hurt, Dad. But . . . you know how when I got my wand, no-one was with me?"
Hades raised an eye brow, "Yes . . . " he drawled as his brothers nodded.
"Well, I didn't. You see, when I was, I dunno, seven or something – it was during my fantasy phase. You remember me plucking people's hair to see if the fairytales were true about wands and all that – I wanted to make a magic wand. Well, I did. I cut a really straight branch form a white oak – non-dryad!" she added hastily, "tree. I polished it using water from the fountain you gave me Dad, and shoved some of the Stygian Iron you sent me for my birthday that year, Daddy, in it as a core. I've been . . . Well, I've been using it ever since." Seeing that at least Father would argue, Jude hurriedly continued. "When I found out I'm a witch, I was so excited – I didn't want to give up the wand I made though, so I pretended that I'd bought one. I'm not even sure it it works like a real wand though, so . . . would I please, please, please be allowed to go to the wandmaker over here to get one? I know I should've told you sooner, but . . . "
"Fine."
Jude's head snapped up to look at Zeus.
"If it works, but otherwise you'll use the one you already have."
Jude's head turned to Posiedon, only slightly less surprised.
"I won't complain if you win."
Honestly! They were giving her whiplash!
Still, a grin broke her face. "THANK YOU! Oh, you're the best dad's I could ever ask for!"
"I'm off to see the wizard . . .
"The wonderful wizard of Oz," Jude hummed, strolling into Ollivander's. She'd be getting her old Phoenix wand back. So why was she sad?
"Hello, Miss Potter. I must admit, I am quite surprised to see you today."
Jude clenched her fist, willing not to whirl around. "Mr Ollivander?"
"Why of course, Miss Potter! Who else would be greeting you in my shop?" the old man said, walking around her to the counter. Lord Voldemort, maybe? Jude thought, remembering the dream where the Dark Lord had done just that. It had come when she was two. She hadn't slept at all well afterwards. She'd been afraid that the red-eyed monster would kill her if she fell asleep. "Now what can I do for you today, my dear?"
"I need a wand, sir . . . "
"At your age, miss? Surely you already have one?"
"Well that's the problem, sir. I don't know if mine quite fits me. I didn't get it from a certified wandmaker. None of the ones worked, other than it."
The old wandmaker nodded. "As I have always said, 'the wand ch-'"
"'ooses the wizard,' sir." At Ollivander's inquiring glance, Jude blushed. "Apparently you've said it to almost everyone who walks through your doors. The Hogwarts students were quite loud about it."
Ollivander nodded, not quite looking as though he believed her. He began measuring her. It was a semi-novel experience for the teen. Judida hadn't gone into much detail of this in the dreams. Just of the actual Phoenix wand, when she got it. The sibling to Voldemort's. The tape measure checked between her nose!
Soon, she was being handed wands and having them snatched away again. Finally, she was given a very familiar one . . .
Nothing.
How – but – oh, DAMN!
Ollivander shook his head. "I'm afraid that that is all I have, my dear. Not a single wand would . . . I wonder . . . "
"You . . . you wonder what, sir?" Ollivander had always been 'slightly' theatrical by nature. Just as the ocean was a tad damp.
"Well, Miss Potter, you very nearly had a reaction to this wand, and I suspect it to be the core that's doing it. "
"Yes . . . " Question him, further his explanation . . .
"I wonder, Miss Potter, if I take the feather from this wand, and put it in another, would it work for you? Perhaps in the wand you currently use?"
Jude sagged with relief. She'd still have the protection from Fawkes' tail feather. "If it works, sir. And if it doesn't, well, then we will have both learned one way not to make a wand work for me."
Ollivander gave a hearty laugh. So like the one he'd had in Judida's time, before he was killed and his shop taken over by the Death Eaters . . . "I may just have to take you on as my apprentice, Miss Potter! You quite remind me of myself at your age – an old soul, one might say. Now come, come, let me see the wand you've been using. That way I can mend in the Phoenix feather, and check it over, make sure the craftsmanship will last. If I may?"
Jude nodded and slid the wand out her sleeve. Oh, she hoped that Ollivander wouldn't notic-
"My stars . . . Miss Potter, where did you buy this wand?"
"Er . . . I didn't, sir. I made it, when I was younger, I had an obsession with witches and wizards, before I fully realised that I was one. I was growing up at Camp Half Blood, and didn't quite understand that everything we did there . . .that all of us were – are – magic. I wanted to make a wand, like the ones I'd seen and heard of and read about, so . . . I did. It fits me, but it's not quite . . .right, sir?"She couldn't lie to him. Damn Judida for focusing so much on her Apprenticeship.
Ollivander nodded seriously. "Well, that settles it. I won't add the Phoenix feather."
"But sir - !"
"You will."
"I – wait, what?"
"You will mend in the feather, Miss Potter. I know fine quality work when I see it. You'll do well as a wandmaker, my dear. Now let me see you at work."
An hour and a half later, Jude ran into the Ancient Greek-style building that the Camp had erected near the Lake – just a few yards away from where Judida had cast the Patronus that saved Sirius. Jude shook her head at the thought. Irony – did it even have a god? Did it need one? Jude shot inside and grabbed Clarisse and Nico – they were her best friends at Camp. Dragging them over to where Percy and Thalia were squabbling outside, Jude sat them all down and began her story, telling them all about what had happened at Ollivander's. Once she had finished, Clarisse gave her a hard look. Jude gave her a small, nearly imperceptible nod.
Clarisse had figured it out when Jude was eleven. She had pieced it together with all the little clues. Jude's refusal to go to Hogwarts had confirmed it for the girl. She had cornered Jude before she left with Madame Maxime for Beauxbatons and got her to spill. Clarisse had been shocked, but took it in stride. The only real difference in their friendship was that Clarisse became more protective of her, forcing her to get better at defending herself no matter the consequences – Jude's clothes had been practically torn to ribbons every time they sparred until halfway between summer vacation after first year.
To this day, she was the only one that knew, though Jude suspected Chiron and possibly Percy's Mom suspected something was . . . off . . . about her.
"Did you . . . "
"I didn't tell Oleander, Clarisse. No-one but you knows."
"Why don't you just tell your fathers?"
"Why don't you tell yours when you want him to bugger off because he's a jerk?"
Clarisse didn't say anything.
"Exactly."
"But they wouldn't kill you, Jude. Even if they don't let themselves care as much as they would for a real godling, they wouldn't smite you – you're to strange, unique. You're odd, and until they figure out everything about you, well, I seriously doubt they'll let you die. You're their favourite in a long time. I'm just another daughter of Ares."
"Don't say that!" Jude almost snarled. "You're one of the best fighters your father has ever sired, and don't you dare think against that! He should be proud to call you his!"
Clarisse gave her a cool look. "He's a god. I'm a Half Blood. What'll stop him when I make a big enough mistake? You're a witch, have three godly parents and a witch mother, plus that blood adoption thing by James Potter . . . you're special, Jude, and you know it. You're a walking powerhouse."
"Which leads to smiting."
Clarisse snorted and ruffle Jude's hair. "Not always."
"They took a vote on whether or not to kill Percy. They took one on me. Thalia became a Hunter to keep the from taking one on her. Nico and Bianca were locked away for a lifetime to hide them from the gods. Eventually, there's smiting. Percy almost was, remember?"
"I'm surprised Annabeth didn't kill him afterwards."
"True, true . . . "
"So will you tell them?"
Jude kicked a rock. "No. Yes. Maybe."
"Clear answer. Really nice."
"Oh, shut up! I . . . I already told you I'd tell them at 17, at the latest."
"You're procrastinating."
"You bet your boots I am."
TBC