Chapter 16: Opening the Door

Percy

"Let's go! Keep moving!" Percy yelled. The 'challenge' that he had concocted for the D.A was giving them some trouble, as he had anticipated. They had all lined up, awaiting their turn to face up against the three automatons Percy had brought over from camp. Well, he hadn't brought them over personally. He had propositioned Leo for three of his creations and had him strap them to Mrs. O'Leary to quickly transport them to Hogwarts. As soon as he made the decision to help the students learn to defend themselves, he knew exactly what he was going to need.

They stepped up one at a time, a test to see how long they could continue to dodge spells without their wand. It was Percy's idea of a worst-case scenario; they had lost their wand and were surrounded by enemies who wished them dead.

A few students had already taken their turn, none having lasted very long without receiving a stinging hex somewhere on their person. One of the Wesley twins was the current challenger, and he was faring slightly better than those previous. No doubt his history with quidditch was giving him an edge at the moment... reflexes and all that.

That was, until he stumbled after getting his own feet tangled up and taking a strong stinging hex to the thigh. He let out a very manly yelp and threw his hand on the location the spell had impacted, giving his leg a quick rub. But, to his credit, he sprang right back up and into a crouch, ready to continue. Unfortunately, that's not how the exercise worked, and the automatons stood unmoving as soon as the spell hit - as they were programmed to do. Leo really knew what he was doing.

"You're dead. Next!" Percy yelled, motioning with his arm for him to leave the area. But the twin didn't move.

"I'm still good to keep going." He insisted.

"That's not how this works." He still refused to move.

Percy sighed and gave him a deadpan stare.

"C'mon mate, I tripped." He pleaded, desperate for another chance.

"Listen, Fred-"

"George." Welp, he had a fifty-fifty shot and he chose the wrong twin.

"Listen, George. This is supposed to simulate real life, you only get one shot." Percy explained. "It sucks that you tripped but that happens and you have to work on it. In real life, it won't be a stinging hex."

George eventually hung his head and shuffled out of the area. Neville was next in line and Percy didn't really expect much out of the shy boy. He was right, as a stinging hex smacked him in the chest almost immediately after the automatons began to move.

"Next!" Percy ran a hand down his face. They had a lot of work to do.

It continued much the same for the majority of the class; the majority falling between Neville's short time and George's decent run despite tripping over his own feet. The club was definitely having a tough time 'surviving' without their wand, but Percy had also anticipated that many of them had never actually worked on or thought about the scenario in their short life. Of course, Percy didn't tell them that the automatons weren't programmed for Wizards, but we're programmed for Demigods. So, they were facing three automatons that were much quicker and much more accurate than your average wizard. It could only help their training to be facing something better than what they would ever encounter for the most part.

Finally, it came time for the two people who he had the highest hopes for. Katie was next and Harry was the last one in line. The rest of the class had gravitated towards leaning on the walls after their attempt, or sitting on the ground for those who had taken their turn at the beginning of the line.

Once Angelina Johnson had taken a stinging hex to the abdomen and cleared the area. Katie sauntered in between the three automatons with a confidence that the previous students had all lacked. The sort of confidence that comes with long hours of practicing for something that has finally arrived. She walked over to Percy, handing him her wand hilt first. Percy had started to hold their wand for the duration of the exercise after Zacharius Smith had utilized his to try and fight back. Spoiler alert, it didn't go well.

"Good luck." Percy whispered as he grabbed the wand for safe keeping. She nodded, her features hard and determined to score the best out of everyone else who competed.

She fell into a relaxed, athletic stance that they had worked on for many of those early mornings by the Black Lake, ready to spring into action. She inhaled a deep breath and slowly released it, opening her eyes to focus on the three automatons who would be firing on her any moment.

She spun out of the way, a hex from the middle automaton whizzing right by her ear. She quickly recovered, leaping over a low spell from the other. The difference between Katie and the others was the amount of movement she utilized. Her motions were only enough to get out of the way of each spell, nothing more wasted getting prepared for the next spell in succession, no fancy movements. This approach allowed her to conserve more energy, giving her more longevity than the others, regardless of their conditioning level. Advantages of training almost every day with the person who designed the test.

The remainder of her turn went much of the same, Katie bobbing and weaving over and around spells fired by the automatons circling her space in the middle of the room. Percy could tell she was tiring, however. Her movements were getting a tad sluggish, her once sharp movements not avoiding the spells as cleanly as before.

She was able to dodge one more spell and Percy watched her back foot land a bit further than it should have, causing her to slightly slip when she pushed off it in an attempt to dodge the incoming hex. She wasn't able to lift her leg high enough to clear, and she took a stinging hex in the calf. The automatons froze as she fell on her rear, muttering curses under her breath. When all was said and told, Katie posted a time of just over one minute - George held the previous best with thirty-three seconds.

"Next." Percy said. "Nice work, Katie."

She smiled and confidently walked towards where Harry stood among a polite applause, waiting his turn to face the automatons. She bumped her shoulder into Harry's as she passed, giving him a cocky look and whispering something in his ear.

Harry rolled his eyes and stepped forward for his turn, the last of the night. He began much like Katie, dropping into an almost identical stance, only more upright and bouncing on the balls of his feet. His arms were relaxed at his sides; it reminded Percy of himself when preparing for one of the many fights in which he had been an unwilling participant.

He began strong, dodging spells and moving with the same efficiency as Katie had before him. Twisting around every spell, he passed the thirty second mark with no signs of slowing down. He ducked under a spell and rolled to the right, only to be forced to hop to his feet and avoid a spell that was aimed at the very spot he had ended the roll. He continued strong, and Percy glanced at where Katie watched on. She seemed nervous; one arm crossed over her abdomen with her opposite hand held in front of her mouth. Was she nibbling on her fingernails?

Percy watched as the second ticked by, and Harry finished strong, just barely passing Katie's mark by a few seconds. His natural seeker reflexes allowed him to avoid flying spells for the last few seconds while his energy was gone.

Percy glanced at his watch, pausing dramatically before announcing Harry's final time. Katie smiled at him as he made his way back over, gasping for breath and wiping sweat off his brow. Percy spotted a quiet good job from Katie before both turned towards him for the announcement.

"And Harry finishes with…" He felt the collective intakes of breath awaiting the time. "… one minute and seven seconds!" Congratulatory cheers arose from the crowd, loudest coming from the Weasley twins, along with a smattering of pats on Harry's shoulder. He shoved Katie's shoulder with a triumphant expression, muttering something Percy couldn't decipher. Probably a response to what Katie had said earlier. She crossed her arms and put on a show of her displeasure, fake pouting with the best of them, but she had a wide smile on her face all the while.

Percy stepped forward, their exercise and meeting concluding for that night. "Good work everyone-"his praise was met by some unbelieving scoffs and muttering of those that under-performed their own expectations. "This is something we'll be doing at the end of every meeting, so I want everyone to keep working. I don't want Harry or Katie having the best time every meeting, understand?" Enthusiastic nods and determined faces answered his question. "Exercises like that can mean the difference between life and death, I don't want anyone half-assing it."

"Next time I won't slip!" Percy could only assume it was George who shouted, followed by a chorus of chuckles.

"I like the optimism." Percy pointed him out in the crowd. "But it's time to go, so everyone get in your groups."

Percy kept that way for a time, training nearly every morning with Harry and Katie at the crack of dawn, running laps, working on reflexes and building strength. All essential if they were to be prepared, and Percy was determined for that to be the case. There had been a marked improvement on all three aspects for the both of them, a fact Percy was immensely proud of. They still weren't even close to the level of Percy himself, but that goes without saying. He watched them, especially Harry, grow more confident in their abilities, their training, their capabilities. Harry began to believe in himself, that he was able to make it through this whole ordeal, and that mattered a whole lot more than one would think.

Of course, confidence only helps amplify your abilities that are already there. They still had plenty of work to do before the real conflict arrived.

But Percy was still proud. It reminded him of when he would teach young demigods, watching them grow into their own and take on the world. The growth was very evident with Harry, his confidence had grown spades, and Percy was always filled with joy watching him stand up in front of the D.A and teach them magic to an extent Percy never could. It was like watching your kid grow into a man, even if he was only a few years older than Harry. Well, he assumed that's what it felt like anyway. He and Annabeth had talked about the possibility, but that had been a pipe dream at best.

Still, Percy felt as if his life once again had a purpose.

Of course, he still ran class, teaching the students about the various creatures that littered the magical world, and some that resided in the mythological world, of course. However, that wasn't his top priority any longer.

Umbridge continued her witchy ways as best she could, declaring an educational decree what seemed like every other day, taking away freedoms as if she were a plantation owner in the states, or a dictator of a third world country. One could hardly see any stone on the wall of the entryway with how many decrees were nailed there. Filch was forced to procure an extra-long ladder to keep posting them. One thing after another, it started with outlawing unapproved groups or organizations, and it just kept escalating into an all-consuming wave of restrictions.

Restricting sweets from 'unauthorized' sellers, namely the Weasley Twins. And later, even named them specifically, referring to their joke products. No flying on brooms, no music during study hours, restricting their options for dress, screening of owl post and so on. Even banning professors from teaching any information that fell in any subject beyond what they were hired to teach. Percy couldn't help but think that one was directed at him.

The ministry was enacting all these restrictions because they were worried about an uprising that would form against the Fudge administration. Percy knew that. But, taking away that many freedoms is as bad as not doing anything at all from their side. Excessive restrictions and controlling rules incited just as much rebellion as it quelled.

The only thing they did was make the convictions stronger in those that made up the D.A. They were that much more eager to improve to a point where they'd be able to make a difference. It made Percy's job easier, truly. He no longer had to worry about motivating the members, only teaching them how to survive.

Ever since those decrees had been enacted, and still are being enacted, there had been a noticeable improvement in everyone's time during the exercise with the automatons. It was their last meeting before winter break, about a week before they would be dismissed for the end of term. Nearly everyone had added about ten to fifteen seconds to how long they were able to survive without their wand, which was remarkable progress in Percy's eyes.

He had just sent away the Hufflepuff group down the hall, and he waited until they had turned the corner safely before going back for the next group. Tracey and Daphne were the first to go, probably having made it back to their common room by then. All that was left were the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors. The Gryffindors were separated into two groups, seeing as they had the largest representation in the D.A by a decent margin. They would attract too much attention if they all went as one.

Percy made it back to the room of requirement, slipping back in the door quietly. The remaining students were huddled together, most excitedly discussing their plans for the upcoming break; they only had to make it through one more week. There was a smaller group over to the side in a heated discussion. About what, Percy didn't know.

"Alright, who's leaving next!" Percy asked loudly when he reached the group.

"I think it's us, Professor." Luna said, stepping away from the group. "Cho is missing, however."

"Anybody seen Cho?" Percy raised his voice over the chatter. Percy saw every pair of eyes swivel towards him, but no answer came. "Anybody?"

Only the shake of some heads answered him, until Ginny spoke up from her spot in the back next to the twins. "Haven't seen Harry either."

Percy ran his hand down his face, an exasperated sigh followed. They needed to get everyone out before the nightly patrols began in earnest. They had found a sweet spot when there was minimal traffic in the corridors, and now those two were currently messing up their carefully planned timing. "Katie, go find Harry please."

"Can do." Katie nodded at him and wandered off in search of her training partner.

"Well we have to get moving. So, Weasley twins, Jordan, Johnson, Spinnett and Thomas. You're up! Let's go, you know the drill." Those that were named scrambled to the door, lining up in the normal position, preparing to navigate the halls in secret. Percy drew out the map that Harry had allowed him to utilize for the conclusion of meetings. Percy had to admit, the map was mighty useful for getting places undetected. Well, not as useful as Annabeth's cap, seeing as how he apparently doesn't show up on the map when he's wearing it. But then again, there most likely wasn't too many folks strolling around Hogwarts wearing an invisibility cap made by a Greek goddess.

He observed the map for a moment, allowing some time for sudden appearances near their area, making sure the coast was clear. One name stood out from the others wandering around the map quite vigorously. The nameplate not wasting any steps curling around corners or darting through doorways.

"Umbridge is lurking on the fifth floor." He advised them. "Be careful down there." A few more seconds passed with no unwelcome surprises, and he cracked the door, allowing the group to slip out and into the dark corridor. Percy kept his eyes on the map, tracking their progress until he was content with their success. He watched the group pass the Umbridge nameplate, scurrying down the hall opposite her direction. Umbridge paused for a moment, forcing a breath to catch itself in Percy's throat. An agonizing moment later, the nameplate continued on its previous path with a just as ferocious a pace.

Seeing no more obstacles in their path, he folded up and stowed away the map until the next group was ready to roll. Unfortunately, there were now three students missing from the room. He threw up his hands in frustration. "Where are they?"

He got no answers, only shrugs. However, Luna did point towards the back of the room in her deliberate, dreamy style. He sighed and set a brisk pace across the absolutely massive space, towards the room in the back that they had been utilizing as storage. He finally turned the corner, the doorway coming into view before him.

Not just the doorway, but a familiar head of slightly messy brown hair standing stock still, slightly leaning so that her head was the only body part visible from the other side. "Katie?"

She jumped, obviously unaware of his presence prior to him saying anything. She whipped her head towards Percy, and he definitely was caught off guard. She was distressed, wiping her sleeve over her face before swinging to look inside the room. Percy saw her shoulders move up and down sharply and she pushed off the doorway, spinning and stomping her way over to him. She kept her eyes on the floor as she moved, and Percy realized it wasn't distress, but anger, annoyance that showed on her face.

"You alright, Katie?" He tried to ask, but she gave no indication that she heard him. She kept her pace going without falter, arms rigid and hands stuffed in her pockets, beelining past him and even bumping shoulders on accident, Percy hoped. He stumbled at the force of the collision, but her anger kept Katie going straight through him. She didn't stumble and Percy spun to watch her, puzzled as she rounded the corner back into the main room and out of sight.

He had never seen Katie upset, at least, not like that. And he had seen her almost every morning at a time anyone would find themselves a bit crabby.

His curiosity peaked, Percy reached the doorway Katie had been sneaking glances in. He took one step further, fully standing in the empty space where a door had stood at one point. There, at the opposite end of the room, standing in front of a mirror that Percy had no idea was even there, stood the two missing members he had been waiting for.

Harry stood, back straight, hands stiff at his sides and a face that could rival a ripe tomato. Percy couldn't see his face, but he could imagine the awkwardness that exuded from his posture, most likely caught off guard with some sort of intimacy. Something that Percy had noticed Harry doesn't handle well - curse those Dursley's.

Cho, for her part, was a little more relaxed, though only slightly less awkward than her counterpart. Her neck was slightly outstretched towards him, slowly retracting her head to sit back in its normal position above her shoulders.

And was that a… mistletoe? Where the Hades did that come from?

Now everything made perfect sense. The shifting, almost reluctant to meet each other's gaze, the awkward short wave from Harry, Cho tucking her hair behind her ear shyly with a sly glance as she left him standing there, rooted to the spot.

She refused to meet Percy's raised eyebrow, shuffling by with her eyes on the ground, rubbing her arm and drawing it into her chest. He watched her go, not really believing what he saw. He never noticed anything between the two of them through any of the meetings, at all. Of course, he wasn't privy to Harry's private life, he only knew what he was told. Not that he was a relationship expert anyway. He shook his head, deciding not to worry about it. It wasn't really his business anyway.

"Let's go, Harry." No response.

He walked a little closer to where Harry was standing and raised his voice. "Harry." Still nothing.

Percy moved next to the boy, tapping him in the shoulder. He yelped and jumped, placing a hand over where his heart would be. "Oh! Hey, Percy. Didn't uhhh, didn't see you there."

"You don't say…" Percy mused. "C'mon Romeo, time to go."

"Huh? Oh yes." Harry breathed out, shuffling by Percy with still wide eyes. "Of course." Percy could hear his labored breathing as he passed by, almost as if he had just finished a lap around the Black Lake. Percy watched as Harry walked towards the exit, eyebrow raised. Percy didn't look like that after his first kiss with Annabeth. He couldn't possibly have, right?

Percy's vision blurred, and he could remember a smile slitting his face as he broke the water's surface, an identical splash beside him. Forming an air bubble, blonde curls cascading down her shoulders, framing her radiant smile. He felt body tense with anticipation as she leaned closer, and closer-

Percy shook his head violently, his own hair shopping himself in the face, snapping himself out of the memory before it could fully take hold. A sniffle escaped involuntarily, and he urgently wiped away the damp track one rogue tear had left running down his cheek.

"C'mon Perce, keep it together." He implored himself. A deep breath soothed his quickly fraying nerves, and he set his shoulders to the exit. He had a job, to make sure the students made it back to their dorms without harassment from Umbitch. Percy exhaled, releasing his deep breath slowly, and marched towards the doorway.

Percy

"Umbridge is getting worse." Percy was sprawled out on the couch, hands poised behind his head. Firelight danced across the room, illuminating his figure enough for him to be visible to the set of eyes on the other side of the cloud floating over his head. "Soon enough these kids won't be able to leave their rooms."

"The days of a quick shag in the broom closet are over, huh?" Tonks joked from the other side of the miniature cloud, matching his pose on the sofa in her apartment - flat. Percy still had to get used to some of the dialects across the pond.

"Speaking from experience, are we?"

"Wha-no!" Tonks stammered, face lighting up red. "Okay, maybe…" her voice has gone soft, attempting to shrink in on herself before she could admit it. "…once." She finally squeaked out.

"Woah, alright then. That's one more than me." Percy joked. Tonks didn't get the memo, however, as a concerned look spread across her face and she propped herself onto her elbows. Gravity washed any pink strands of hair from her face as they were dragged towards the cushion head and shoulders had just vacated.

"You don't think any less of me for it, so you?" Her voice was timid, unsure of herself after admitting to the act.

"'Course not. It was a long time ago." Percy put on his most convincing face, dropping the smirk that seemed to be ever present. Tonks sat still, her eyes searching his own. She must have found what she was looking for, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. Combined with Percy's serious, reassuring tone, she suddenly relaxed, plopping back down on the cushion.

"Good. I still regret it." She picked her fingernail absentmindedly. "Wanker didn't care 'bout me. All he cared about was getting his rocks off. Never talked to me again."

"Must've been terrible."

"You're tellin me." She snorted. "His name was Keith."

"Yeah." Percy mused. "Sounds like something a Keith would do."

"Wish I knew that back then." She shrugged, dropping her hands and drawing them into her chest in the same motion. "But I was stupid and naive, and I just wanted to be accepted. Turns out that wasn't the way to go about it."

"I can imagine."

"Bet you've never had a problem with being accepted."

"You'd be surprised." Percy chuckled, mind racing back to his first day at camp.

"I think you're lying." Tonks propped herself up again, except this time, her expression was not one of worry, but of curiosity. "You're the coolest guy I know."

"If you say so." Percy shrugged. "Didn't start off like that."

Hmppf. Tonks huffed, flopping back down, making an audible thump on the cushion. "I still don't believe you." A comfortable silence passed briefly between them.

Your time is up. Please insert more payment.

Percy rolled his eyes, rolling over slightly to the end table next to the couch. He rustled around in the drawer until his fingers closed around the cool metal. He flung the drachma into the grayed out cloud, and Tonks' worried face appeared once again with her hair splayed out around her head resting on the cushion.

"I was stuffed into a toilet on my first day of school." Percy said suddenly. Tonks sucked in a breath, Percy didn't know if it was his sudden reappearance or the contents of the sentence that startled her. Either way, her eyes were wide, attempting to withhold her mirth.

"A toilet?" Tonks choked out after taking a moment to compose herself. Percy slowly nodded with a smirk and a smile erupted on her face. She wrinkled her nose after her moment of amusement, however. "I don't think I even want to know."

"I'll spare you the shitty details then." Tonks snorted at his pun and another silence fell between the pair, though both their smiles remained. Percy felt himself getting lost in her warm, lighthearted eyes. The eyes that made him feel welcome when he had first entered this new world, the eyes that had always looked upon him with kindness. Eyes that had made him feel something again after all this time, but they also scared him… a lot.

"Perce." Tonks broke him out of his musings. Hmm? He prompted her to continue. She looked nervous again, picking at her nail, something Percy had come to realize meant she was unsure of herself. "How many women have you been with? Besides me, of course." She furrowed her eyebrows and drew her shoulder in, almost as if she was bracing for his answer.

"Two." Percy answered simply. It took him a while to answer, unsure if he even wanted to. He had left Tonks hanging, waiting on his answer with a nervous energy. The tension left her body once she registered what he had blurted out.

"Really? Only two?"

"What? Did you think it would be more?"

"Kind of." She looked sheepish, unwilling to meet his eyes again. Ashamed she had even asked the question to begin with.

"I'm not that kind of person, Tonksy."

"I know, I'm sorry. I should've known - it's just…" she trailed off looking somewhere else in her flat that wasn't the small cloud floating above her head. She took a deep breath and exhaled, before looking him in the eye for the first time since she asked that question. "What were their names?"

Percy raised a questioning eyebrow, unsure of where her line of questioning was leading. And certainly not sure if he wanted to follow whatever path it took. "Why?"

"I'm curious." She explained. "And if I know you as well as I think I do, then those two must be special."

He paused for a time, debating his options. Tonks was nervous again, worried she had pushed him too hard. He wasn't a fan of how nervous she was with topics about his past. He had kept his guard up when it came to that subject matter, his only defense of getting sucked back into his grief. He'd had lapses, moments of weakness that nearly spilled over the edge. But, he was able to reel them in at the last moment.

It's not that he didn't want to tell her, he just refused to make himself vulnerable again. But, he also hated how she had to tiptoe around the subject as if he were a landmine, as if one wrong move would set him off. He wasn't that bad, was he? Friends shouldn't have to do that around each other, especially with - well, whatever he and Tonks were at the moment.

His mind made up, he met Tonks' gaze through the Iris message. "Her name was Annabeth." He struggled, but he managed to get it out there. He didn't miss the way Tonks' eyes lit up with that one, small sentence. His loyalty to his friends beat out self-preservation, as it always had. In Percy's eyes, that was worth it. "We were, uh, together for a few years, but we'd been friends since we were twelve." Percy explained, keeping it vague on purpose. He wasn't ready to explain everything.

"Where is she?"

"She-" Percy nervously gulped. "Well, she uhh-"

"Left?"

"Yeah. Yeah, she left." He readily agreed to Tonks' wording of the situation. Though she had no idea what truly had happened.

"Ever try and contact her?" Tonks asked innocently.

"Couple times." Percy shrugged. "Never heard back though..." That was a fact that Percy was ashamed of, even if she didn't know it. He was just so desperate to see Annabeth again… it was not his proudest moment to say the least.

"What about the other one?" Percy was relieved at Tonks' change of subject. It had been getting increasingly difficult, talking about Annabeth, even as little as it was. Reyna, however, was a much easier subject. Perhaps Tonks has noticed his struggle and urged him to move on.

"Reyna." He answered. "She's one of my best friends nowadays. After Annabeth…left… Reyna was one of the main reasons I was able to pick up the pieces."

"How'd you meet her?" Tonks' attention never wavered while he was talking, she was fully invested. It made sense, this was the most he had talked about his past since he had arrived in the country.

"Funnily enough, I met her when I got enrolled in the wrong school for a year."

"Wro- How does that even happen?" Tonks exclaimed.

"It was my aunt's doing." Percy waved it off. He had long since accepted Hera's meddling. Tonks clearly wanted further explanation on that front, but settled for what she had and decided not to press him. "Anyway, she was… well, she was essentially the Head Girl, you could say."

"Ah, a goody-two-shoes I reckon." Tonks winked.

Percy contemplated Tonks' statement, thinking back on what he knew about Reyna, cocking his head back and forth. "Most of the time. There was always one girl and one boy, like Hogwarts. Except, they were elected by the students, not appointed."

"That's interesting." Tonks contemplated. "I think I would prefer that."

"Both methods have their merits." Percy stated in response, before continuing his tale. "However, the 'Head Boy'," He utilized air quotes for that. "Had not returned that year and the spot was vacant. Turns out, a few months later, the spot was apparently mine."

"You got elected by the other students?" Tonks questioned, almost not believing. "After only being there for months because of a mistake?"

Percy shrugged, he couldn't very well tell her the exact reason he had been raised on that shield, and he didn't have an explanation ready. He hadn't really prepared anything, not anticipating ever talking about his past for the duration of his time here. But speaking with the woman on the other end of the call, it was just… easier. She didn't pity him because she couldn't know what truly happened, she just listened. "Couldn't tell ya why. Never thought I really deserved it to be honest, but it happened anyway."

"Well if it happened, you had to have deserved it." Tonks reasoned. "Must've been a reason."

A non-committal sound came from his throat. "Regardless, I worked closely with Reyna for a time, and we became friends. She did actually bring up the two of us at one point but, I still…"

"Annabeth?"

"Yeah, Annabeth." Percy sighed, releasing the sudden tension from his shoulders. "After uh, after she left, Reyna was an enormous help and we grew quite close during that time. Even gave it a shot for a few months."

"How'd that go?"

"Reyna's one of my closest friends, but that's all we'll ever be."

Tonks nodded in understanding, most likely having had a similar experience at some point. Well, the 'better off friends' part, that is. "What's she like?"

"Reyna is… Reyna's one of the toughest people I know. She's pretty… well, rough around the edges, but she cares deeply for her friends, if you're lucky enough to worm your way in."

"She sounds like a good person, would've liked to meet her. Especially if she helped you that much."

"I don't see why you can't, she's still around. Back in America." Percy hadn't spoken to her since he left, but it was something that he had been meaning to do, and he was planning to take a trip back during winter break to see everyone - Grover, Reyna, Nico and Will, Piper, Frank and Hazel, it would be good for him.

Tonks smiled at him, and boy did it reach her eyes. "I would like that." She said simply, but Percy could hear how happy she was that he had mentioned it. They fell into another silence, both content to be around the other. Percy hadn't intended to reveal that much, but his words had just flowed out. There was something about Tonks that had made him comfortable enough to talk, much more than he had ever considered revealing. And yet, there was so much more he had kept secret - he had barely scratched the surface.

Despite his reservations initially, their conversation had left him feeling almost relieved, and much of the recent stress had temporarily been lifted from his shoulders. Percy had no doubt that it would quickly return, however. Maybe he should IM Reyna, let her know he was alright. She was the one who nudged him to do this after all, said it would be good for him to get away. And so far, she was right.

"Perce?"

"Yeah?"

She swallowed audibly before beginning. "The ministry is hosting a ball during winter break. Scrimgeor wants all the aurors to attend, something about showing support in these trying times."

"I'm sure that'll be a great time." Percy couldn't mask his sarcasm any less. Apparently Tonks agreed, judging by her expression.

"Exactly. So can you go with me? Make it a little less terrible?" She asked with bright eyes.

"There's no other aurors you'd rather take?"

Tonks looked taken aback, scrunching her eyebrows together. "They're all much older than me, or don't know left from right. I swear I have no idea how some of these aurors passed the exams."

"Sure." Percy shrugged. If that's the case then I'll go."

"You will?" Tonks beamed. Percy swore it almost blinded him. "Thanks, Perce."

"How's it going over there in the auror department, anyway?" Percy asked. With all that was happening in this world, it was always good to keep track of the goings on - especially with the corruption he had been told ran rampant in the ministry. Plus, it'll give him something else to do besides guard duty, or whatever monotonous task Dumbledore could come up with. Dumbledore insisted watching Harry was imperative, but it was also not very compatible with his ADHD.

"Not much, actually. Some Wizengamot member went missing the other day, had to track him down. Found him with three limbs in Diagon Alley."

"Only three limbs?" Percy asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Turns out he splinched himself trying to get away from his wife. Kept rambling about her nagging." She shrugged with a smirk.

Percy barked out a laugh at the image that popped into his head. A well respected member of the government missing a limb, recuperating in a side alley of the wizarding downtown; all because his wife asked one too many times if he had taken out the trash.

"By the way, what happened earlier when this message grayed out for a minute?" Percy had forgotten that they had reached the time limit once already, and were most likely quickly approaching another one.

"Ran out of time. Had to go find another coin for payment." He explained. Tonks must be used to the concept of a pay phone, her dad being a muggleborn.

"What, do you just throw galleons into it or something?" Her words held a comedic edge, but she didn't know how correct she was.

Percy shortly nodded his head with a shrug. "Yeah, pretty much. Except it's not galleons, it's a special kind of coin. And we're probably nearing our limit again."

"Alright." Tonks sighed, sitting up on the couch, Iris Message following her movement. "I should get some sleep anyway. Big day tomorrow!" She finished with an obviously false cheery attitude.

"What's going on tomorrow?"

"Dunno." She deadpanned. That got a snicker out of Percy. "Probably just loads of bloody paperwork." She gave him a tired smile. "Goodnight, Perce."

"Goodnight." He returned the sentiment. They remained a moment longer, warm brown locked with sea green, neither having the willpower to pull away.

"How do I hang up on you?" Tonks broke the stalemate, and Percy's signature smirk returned.

"Just swipe your hand through it."

"Really? That's it?"

"Just like that."

"Huh." She raised her eyebrows. "Good to know for any future scenarios." She gave him one last smile that Percy was certain would show up in his dreams. "Goodnight." Percy saw her arm move, and the message was gone.

Even with the roaring fire, the room felt colder without Tonks' face smiling back at him. He kept his gaze on the spot for a moment longer, before rising from the couch and groaning as he stretched out his legs and back, reaching towards the ceiling. It was about time he got to bed as well.

The whole brief foray into his past left him in a much more whole state than he anticipated. Was that the calming effect that Tonks seemed to have on him, or would it be that way for everyone that he opened up to - not that he was planning on bearing his soul to many people in the first place.

Oh well, it was a thought better left for another time, he was too tired at the moment; after the meeting and his semi-deep conversation.

He stretched one more good time, feeling a few pops roll down his back. Releasing a groan for good measure, he headed towards the bathroom for his bedtime routine. After that, he was headed towards a nice, deep, hopefully dreamless sleep.

Harry

"So, she just went for it?" Harry was back in the common room, reclined in the armchair so that his posterior barely remained on the couch. His hand covered his eyes, blocking out the flickering lights of the fire. He was still reeling from his encounter with Cho after the last meeting for the semester, and the subsequent embarrassment from Percy's intervention. He could only imagine the looks Ron and Hermione were throwing his way after informing them of what had transpired.

"Yup." Harry refused to look at them. "She was just thanking me for helping everyone. Next I knew it, she was kissing me!" He removed his hand from over his eyes to throw it up in the air to accentuate his point, but kept his eyes towards the ceiling.

"Bloody hell, mate."

"Ronald!"

"What?" Ron side-eyed the bookworm for a moment before turning back to Harry. "Right, how was it, then?" Harry heard an exasperated sigh and saw Hermione flop back onto the chair, seemingly defeated. It brought a smile to his face.

"Well… it was wet."

"Wet?"

"She was crying." Most of the event was a daze in his memory, but he could recall her mentioning something about Cedric. If that was the case, Harry didn't blame her. The tragedy was still fresh in all their minds, most of all Cho's he could imagine.

"I'm not an expert, mate. But I reckon that's not a good sign."

"Agreed." Hermione chimed in. It must be a sign when those two so readily agreed on something. "I'm not so certain about this, Harry."

"She was talking about Cedric right before."

"Cedric? Before she kissed you?" Harry nodded in Hermione's direction to clarify.

"Didn't you fancy Cho last year, or something?" Ron asked from his spot lying on the sofa.

"He asked her to the Yule ball. You would know that if you didn't throw a tantrum." Hermione answered for him before Harry could even take a breath. Ron looked sheepish, shrinking in on himself at Hermione's reprimand. Harry had forgiven his friend, apparently Hermione wasn't quite ready to forget those events. "Harry, if she's using you to get information on what happened to Cedric, that is deplorable behavior."

"Rubbish, mate." Ron backed up her stance.

Harry sighed, running his hands through his hair and down his face. He didn't answer, just kept his eyes on the dancing flames. His gaze was only broken by Ron standing, groaning as he stretched out. Hermione followed, rising from her chair. "Why don't you sleep on it, mate. It's late, and I need my beauty sleep." Ron gestured to his face with his hands.

"It isn't working." Hermione chirped from beside him with a short. Ron's eyes widened and he threw a hand over his heart dramatically.

"You wound me, 'Mione." Hermione just rolled her eyes at his antics, turning around and marching for the stairs. Ron sighed and shuffled after her, feet slightly dragging on the carpeted floor. Harry stood, intending on following his two friends up to his soft, warm bed.

He took one last glance at the fire, the post-meeting encounter that was burned into his brain flashed before his eyes. She leaned slowly closer, eyes closed until their lips gently met with a soft touch. Except, something was wrong. Cho didn't have brown hair, and why were her robes accented red?

Shaking his head, Harry broke himself out of the memory. He must be too tired, he was remembering details wrong. He finally looked away from the flames, following in his friend's footsteps out of the common area, and up the stairs, mind yearning for the soft embrace of his pillow.