"Fleur?" Percy asked, as he pushed through a crowd with a huge smile on his face. He had recognized the familiar face and the straight posh posture.
"Percy?" She turned back to look at him and she squealed, throwing her arms over him. "I've missed you." She admitted, "Beauxbatons is a bit boring without you." She said.
Percy laughed and hugged her back, "Let's go to my room." He suggested as he saw a group of people walk his way with cameras in their hands. "I think I noticed some journalists."
Fleur let go of him and nodded, together they walked through the bustling halls. They tried to go unnoticed but a few heads turned nonetheless.
Fleur laughed and was slightly out of breath when they finally arrived at his room, the two laughed as they plopped down on the seats. "Oh gods." Percy gasped out and laughed, "You've gotten famous, haven't you?"
Fleur raised her eyebrows, "That's coming from you," she said, "You're literally on every news paper, youngest duelist!" She giggled.
Percy shook his head, "Only a few printed that." He said humbly.
"Nearly all." Fleur said, "Even our newspapers."
Percy let out a breath, "Oh wow, okay."
They talked and caught up to whatever they were thinking and Percy smiled at her. "I've missed you, Fleur."
"I missed you too, Percy." Fleur smiled a bit, "More than I thought I would."
It was the quiet moments that she had missed between them, the soft conversations and the tired ones in the morning. The morning, the time that she misses him the most. Everyone is always talking to her or trying to flirt with her, in the morning Percy would just stuff his face with toast and small french delicacies that she forced onto his plate to eat.
Most of the times she missed him was in the garden. The lovely garden with the fountain, she still sat there sometimes, not as a refuge against people but rather as a place to find comfort in. Sometimes she'd activate the mermaids and let them sing their song, a few times she had also caught herself humming the tune in class.
It wasn't until a boy dropped from his desk, fully enamored with her, is when she realized she was humming the tune. She grinned as they continued to talk. Percy complained about some of his assignments but gushed about the teachers.
Fleur would complain about her powers once again, but eventually said that life doesn't stop for anyone. They talk about the tournament and how she had received traction in France due to being part veela and a winning duelist at their age.
"Now that they've seen us together." Percy sighed and leant back into his chair. "Imagine the titles of the articles." He scoffed.
Fleur rolled her eyes, "Yours would be praising, mine would be just bashing." She complained.
"Then we'll give an interview." He argued, "You're a duelist, fighting for the national title. They need to treat you as such."
Fleur looked over and smiled, "I forgot how motivating you can be."
Percy laughed, "I can be very motivating." He hummed and the door opened. His head snapped towards the sound, hand over his pocket.
"Calm down, Perce." Atticus said as he walked through the door, he casted a brief glance at Fleur, "I'm gone for a few minutes and you already have a girl in your room?" The young adult dryly teased.
Percy and Fleur blushed, "No! It isn't like that." The son of Poseidon retorted.
Atticus just chuckled as he wiped his glasses down before walking over to introduce himself, "Atticus Jackson, Percy's brother."
"Are you brothers by blood?" She asked boldly.
Atticus smiled, and shook his head. "No, we're not. Adopted siblings though." He answered the bold question. "I like her Perce, keep her around."
Percy laughed, "I don't think she can get rid of me now."
Fleur rolled her eyes, "We'll see."
—
There wasn't much to see, she stuck to his side and he stuck to hers. Their goals were the same and they showed up to one another's matches if they could. Finally it all boiled down to the one match that would make Fleur battle against Percy for, what they believe is tenth place.
The two have been apart more now, not even showing what book the other is reading. Nothing revealed to give one another even a small edge. Atticus watched it all unfold in silent amusement. "Funny," He snorted and went back to reading his book.
Despite their match being that day, they still had breakfast and lunch together. Atticus forcing them both to eat more lean proteins for their fighting and for their use of brain power. They talked about school, not about dueling. Anything but dueling.
From what Atticus could see was a fury of flashes of light upon one another but Percy eventually came up victorious. The two kids shook hands and Fleur swiftly walked away. The son of Enyo watched as Percy got swallowed by journalists and Fleur walked away.
'The one that got away.' Atticus mused as he walked off of the elevated balcony and down the stairs to save his little brother from the swarm of pests, called journalists.
—
Percy had gone out of his way to win the international contest for the both of them. He had called her upon the stage to celebrate holding the cup together.
The pictures showed his shouting gleefully while Fleur stood there holding it with a proud smile, mostly looking at Percy.
At the moment he laid his eyes on the moving newspaper picture, Percy had transfigured the closest thing to him into scissors and cut it out, to put into the small pocket of his shirt. It wasn't going to not be on him.
Their goodbye's were mournful, especially since they've spent the two weeks together again. Something they hadn't done at beauxbatons, since it was only a single week. Of which Fleur had spent the first two with a slight dislike towards Percy.
"I'll write to you." Fleur said, "But you must reply, regardless."
Percy smiled, "I will write to you no matter what situation I am in." He said with a grin and held his pinky finger out. "Promise."
Fleur linked their pinkies and smiled, "Promise." she repeated and let go after another beat. She walked over to her aunt who had brought her and followed her with the small bags levitating after her.
Percy snorted and kept waving until she was out of sight. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at Atticus who gave him a questioning look. He tightened the hold on his bags and nodded.
They disappeared with a crack, none of the journalists have taken pictures of their goodbye's.
—
Something about camp that he'll miss is running away with Grover from a wedding. As if it were something out of a movie. What he won't miss is being a guinea pig.
Gods, if he ever was going to be an animagus, he will not be a guinea pig or he will literally reject the form. Absolutely not. He hated having a craving for hay.
However, he missed being home the most, the runes that were carved and placed by Lou were life saving as it alerted them of monsters trespassing on their grounds. Instead of the typical America, Percy ran outside with a sword instead of a gun to kill the monster.
Most of the time he'd be the only one awake to be up and running but sometimes he'd arrive only to see Atticus having killed it already, blowing away the dust with his wand.
The summer had been one of their better ones, Percy thrived on the good vibes and amazing cookies that his mother bakes. A few graduated students would visit every few days and he'd get to catch up with them as well.
"Yeah, we're opening our doors again." His mother nodded as she told an old student of hers the news. Percy looked confused, "You know of the treaty, especially within the political system."
The young adult nodded, continuing to talk about the political state of the American Wizarding System.
Percy just felt confused and he eventually wandered into the living room where Lou was throwing around with a small ball of fire. Percy crashed into the couch and sighed heavily, "You know, you act eleven for a fifteen-year-old." Lou sighed as she dissolved the ball of fire.
Percy chuckled, "Mom is being cryptic again."
Lou cringed and continued to throw her fire ball around as if it was some kind of fidget toy. Their mother had random moments where she would be talking mid-sentence and then stopping eventually.
Percy assumes because she started dating Paul, in secret. That he is not supposed to know, but yet he does.
But what happened just now had nothing to do with Paul, or maybe it did, the treaty? Treaties are old, they could be talking about some part of history. He poached the idea to Lou who just scoffed and shook her head, "Don't think so." She said and continued throwing around with the ball.
"Fine." Percy sighed and pulled water out of her glass to throw around with, "Don't tell me anything then."
The daughter of Hecate was a great secret keeper, actually. She sometimes even messes with the mist to confuse him, how it has an effect on him is some weird wonder, or she could just put some kind of obeying potion in his drink.
"Hey!" She started to complain, "That's my water!"
Percy shrugged, "Our water?" He said and made a few shapes out of the water, definitely nearly twisting his wrist badly with how much he is contracting them together. "Are you nervous to go to school tomorrow?" He asked.
Lou shook her head, "I think that I'm more nervous about going to camp than school. At least we don't get maimed at school."
Percy snorted, camp is a very violent affair, he kind of thrives on it. He loves fighting in the forest alongside the Athena cabin. "Have you already packed your bags, kids?" A voice called out and the two scrambled up to get to their room.