WTF Annabeth

Chapter 21

Harry

It was the best weekend ever and I hated that it was drawing to a close. The way I figured it, between quidditch practice, SPEW training, and actual classes, the coming week had absolutely no free time for me until I collapsed to sleep.

Selina and I spent the evening cuddled up on one of the couches in the girls side living room, making small talk, trying spells and planning when we would be able to mist in the coming week, and it appeared there would be little time for it if I followed the schedule. So screw the schedule. I would leave training a half hour early and it would be morning her time, right after breakfast, so that would work. She might be in class with Chiron if I misted too late, but that would be, well okay, if not perfect. I could catch Chiron up and at least get to see Selina. Just being around her made me happy, and the thought of her being gone for a week was just breaking my heart.

The four of us misted Chiron that night, if only to tell him Selina would be arriving at the main fire pit instead of the Poseidon one as we didn't figure to fit Lemur through the fireplace at Poseidon. It wasn't deep or wide enough for a unicorn.

He suggested that Selina return in the late morning our time so as to avoid the other campers, and I explained that she and Lemur would be staying at Poseidon cabin owing to the need for warmth and space. He was okay with the arrangement as no other Poseidon children were there, and it was temporary.

"I sacrificed at dinner for that purpose at dinner and didn't get any bad push back so I think my father is okay with it." Percy said.

"One can never tell with the gods but I suspect you are correct. The pantheon seems busy with other concerns at the moment, concerns that you brought to light. By the way, it was lovely meeting Professor McGonagall. Give her my regards."

I didn't want the night to end but at nine I kissed Selina good night and went, along with everyone else back to the boys side. I went straight off to bed hoping to wake early and spend a little more time with Selina, but an hour or so later I woke with an apparition of the cutest pink unicorn in my room.

"I'm sorry I can't visit tonight like I did last night Harry, but when I turned invisible and tried to leave Lemur freaked out and wouldn't stay in my room without me. So I'm misting instead. Kind of a waste with you only being a hundred feet or so away, but I... I can't see you enough." Selina giggled.

"What are you wearing?" I smiled. I really wondered about it truthfully. It was a pink jumper with a big white spot on it, a hood and atop of it was a short golden unicorn horn. It was like a small child's pajamas, but on Selina looked just so freakin' cute!

"I know, not as pretty as last night but"

"But it is wonderfully adorable and so... Selina. I love it!"

"I was feeling playful." She smiled. "I think Lemur likes me in my unicorn onesie. I found it in the trunk under my bed."

We talked and cut up a few minutes then the mist began to fade and we knocked off to go to sleep.

Of course a half hour later I heard "What the fuck Annabeth?" just like an alarm clock.

Breakfast was both wonderful, as I got to have it with Selina, and sad because she had to leave but a couple hours later. I gave her the book of spells that Chiron had passed on to me and made sure she knew the translation spell so it would be easy to read and follow. She was ecstatic that she would be able to learn spells at camp, but I told her she should only work on them after hours when alone, and she agreed that would be best.

We spent those few hours together and even Annabeth gave us space, saying that she really needed to study. She didn't really but her, Hermione, Percy and the gang stayed at one end of the living room in the boys side and we at the other. We chatted about everything and nothing, and I knew I couldn't wait to see her the next weekend. Finally, when it was time for her to head back, hugs were distributed all around. Percy spent that time whinnying and chatting with Lemur that morning as well, it was really their first opportunity to talk as Lemur had to always be near Selina. Then Selina and I went to Dumbledore's office owing to it being on the flue network and it having a fireplace big enough for a unicorn.

Then it was lunch, and afternoon of SPEW training and quidditch practice. A quite miserable week began.

In spite of quidditch season beginning the professors poured on the homework. In spite of the homework, Woods demanded hours of quidditch practice, and despite all of that, Annabeth and McGonagall demanded perfection in SPEW. When I could mist with Selina I was exhausted, but just seeing her gave me renewed energy.

"Rue, I know you're beat but could I have a word?" Percy asked me on Wednesday evening as I was about to collapse. It was the first we had been alone, without Annabeth or any of the first years in some time and I was anxious just to hang out and not study, practice or spar. Annabeth and the girls were across the room along with most of the boys. Ron and Hermione were a bit closer sorting some sort of playing cards on a table.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well Sunday morning I was talking to Lemur and asked if he could remember anything about his attacker. Well of course he told me again he didn't see him, but I pressed him for any detail and he said that all he could recall after being stunned was a cloth being lifted and the smell of garlic."

"Garlic?"

"Yes, actually he said Italian food, but we worked out garlic. Apparently they can move spatially and his parents took him to Italy when he was a yearling, Anyway, the only garlic I know of around here is in the kitchens obviously, and"

"Quirrell, Aphrodite said it was a professor that was trying to kill Lemur. Did I mention that before?"

"No."

"Sorry, I guess I've been distracted."

"Right. Me too, it has been a busy few days."

"Hey, remember when we fought the troll, one of the girls, Hermione I think asked Quirrell if he was wounded? He said no, but... I know I hit whatever, whoever, attacked Lemur with an arrow that night, you don't think..."

"I do. I think we know who now, but not why."

"We can't accuse a professor without more proof than that. So how do we get more proof?"

"We should bring Annabeth in on this. She's the strategist."

On hearing her name she came over. Apparently she had been waiting for Percy to either join her or call for her.

"Sup?" she giggled as she took Percy's arm.

We caught her up with what we knew and she was convinced as well that Quirrell must be the guy that attacked Lemur.

"So we need to know what he is up to, what his end game is, to figure out why he wants Lemur dead. One thing that has been bothering me, and it might be related, is the whole dog guarding the third floor corridor thing. I wonder if he needs unicorn blood to get past it somehow."

"What would you need unicorn blood to get past a giant dog?" Percy asked,

"I don't know. What do we know about unicorn blood?"

"Well Fireze, the centaur, it might have been after you took off, said it keeps alive someone who is between life and death, or something like that. Didn't they say Quirrell had spent the summer hunting vampires? Maybe he got bit?" I suggested.

"So the thing, whatever it is, between Dumbledore and this Nicholas Flammel guy might be unrelated."

"I have about four of him." Ron said, not looking up from his cards.

"Four of him what?" Annabeth asked.

"Four Nicholas Flammel cards, they aren't as rare as Merlin, he's not as interesting historically I guess."

"Show us!" Percy nearly shouted.

Hermione picked up a card and read it. Apparently Nicholas Flammel is an alchemist about 600 years old that invented something called "The Philosopher's Stone."

"But what is that?" Annabeth asked.

"Its a stone that can turn base metal into gold, and with it you can create an elixir that prolongs life indefinitely, if you keep taking it." Ron said, as everyone stared.

"What? I read."

"That's,,, that is very impressive Ronald." Hermione said.

"So he's trying to cure himself of vampirism, and also live forever?" Annabeth asked. "That seems counter productive."

"Maybe we are still missing something." I said.

We talked for some time but made no more progress. Eventually I had to stop as it was time to mist Selina. She would be at Poseidon with Lemur just after training and before dinner, and this was one of the times we had scheduled so we could talk alone. I went over what we knew and she had no ideas either, but did ask if it had anything to do with who she called "this Voldemort guy." That was an angle I had not considered and something more to bounce off the gang. But it would wait until tomorrow. When the mist broke up, I needed sleep.