As always, thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. Extra long chapter for the longer wait.
Chapter 8: New Friends and New Enemies
The next morning the main gossip was still Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Percy almost felt like he should thank these guys because their stunt meant less attention on him, the strange, new guy who came a year late. Apparently, they hadn't been expelled, so Percy was pretty sure he wouldn't get expelled here unless he really, really tried. Even then, it would be hard to beat crashing a flying car.
Ernie was one of those kids who was super excited for the first day of school, so he had dragged them all up to the Great Hall early. As more students trickled in, Justin would tell Percy their names and what he knew about them if he could. It seemed like Justin knew over half of the school.
Finally, Percy just asked, "Who should I look out for? I know the teachers already because they reviewed with me, and I've been warned about Peeves, but are there any students who could make life difficult?"
"Well that's Percy Weasley," Justin pointed out a tall boy with red hair and glasses. "Like Smith said last night, he's a prefect and a really big stickler for the rules." He gave Percy a knowing glance, "So if you are doing something you shouldn't, keep an eye out for him."
"There're a lot of Weasleys here, Percy, Ron, and that girl at the sorting. Is that a common name?" Percy asked.
Ernie laughed, "Not exactly they're just a really big family. All the ones at Hogwarts right now are siblings, but you left out the twins."
"There's more?"
Justin smiled, "Yep Fred and George Weasley. They're two years above us in Gryffindor, of course, and Hogwarts' resident pranksters. It's like they feel like they have to make up for all of Percy's seriousness. So be suspicious of anything they give you, and never eat any food from them," Justin warned. "For the most part, they're harmless pranks and make for a good laugh, but I prefer to watch from the sidelines instead of being an unknowing participant." After camp, Percy had learned a lot about pranks especially thanks to these two particular sons of Hermes.
"And then there's Draco Malfoy and his two goons, sorry I mean friends, Vincent Crabbe and Greggory Goyle," Hannah pointed out a pale, slender boy with slicked back, white-blonde hair whose facial expression made it look like he had just gotten a whiff of Smelly Gabe's socks. Right behind him were two boys that looked more like gorillas than boys. Percy watched as they headed to the Slytherin table.
Justin paled, "He can be quite nasty. It's just best to avoid those three when you can." Percy was surprised. Coming from someone like Justin, nasty was practically a curse word.
Ernie patted his friend's back, "Hey, I was getting the hang of that Jelly-Legs-Jinx, last year. I'll help you practice it, so you'll be ready."
"Yeah, but Crabbe and Goyle are always there too. Last, time one of them put me in a headlock before I could grab my wand." Justin admitted.
Percy hadn't even officially met them yet, but he already didn't like those three. "Don't worry, I can take them."
"You?" Zacharias snorted. "Take Crabbe and Goyle before they punch the daylights out of you?"
Percy shrugged. He'd beaten Ares kids that were bigger and probably better trained. Even without Riptide, it would be easy. He realized that Crabbe and Goyle were only scary to his classmates because, like Chiron had said, most wizards weren't trained for physical combat. They relied on their wands. "Trust me, you're the one to go to for brutal honesty, I'm the one you want by your side if you're in a fight."
"I'm sure with Gilderoy Lockhart teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts, we'll learn lots of new tricks to stop Malfoy," Justin said eagerly.
"Gilderoy Lockhart?" Percy asked.
"Yeah, haven't you read his books? They were on our book list this year. I read them all over the summer, even got my mother to read them too." Now that Justin had mentioned it, Percy remembered all those books sitting on the bottom of his trunk with the funny titles. But, he'd been so busy catching up on the first year material, he hadn't even looked at the books for second year.
Just then, the sound of hundreds of wings filled the air and owls swooped down with packages, letters, and newspapers. Susan had a newspaper delivered, and Ernie had a letter from his mother. At this point, Percy had avoided owls. Tentatively, he extended his hand out to Ernie's owl, "May I?"
"Sure, he's friendly," Ernie replied as he opened his letter.
Percy went to stroke the owl's feathers, but quick as a pit scorpion it turned and bit him.
"Zeus!" Ernie reprimanded, "that was not nice."
Percy winced as much from the name as the bite, "Dude, your owl's named Zeus?"
"I don't know why he did that."
"It's okay," Percy tried again despite that the owl was named after his most annoying uncle. This time he used an owl treat he had gotten from Hagrid after talking to Annabeth. She said owls were smart, so they shouldn't hold a grudge over getting food. Sure enough, Zeus took the treat and let Percy stroke his feathers while he chewed on it. Maybe he could start sending letters to his mom after all.
Suddenly, a woman's voice exploded from the Gryffindor table, "STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY EXPELLED YOU." It was so loud it made the plates shake on the table.
"Weasley got a Howler," Zacharias said with glee. Everyone turned to look as Ron Weasley's face turned the same color as his hair and the envelope in his hands. He sank lower and lower in his seat as the shouting continued. When it stopped, the hall filled with a mix of laughter and looks of sympathy. It made Percy extremely glad that his mom hadn't been able to use those when he had done all those stupid and foolish things at his old schools.
As breakfast wrapped up, Professor McGonagall moved around the table handing out schedules. "Wonder where Sprout is? She usually hands out our schedules, but it looks like we'll see her soon because we've got double Herbology with the Gryffindors," Ernie announced. Percy just took his word for it because he didn't feel like having to pull out his glasses to check.
They discovered where their Head of House had been a few minutes later. As they waited outside the greenhouses, Percy spotted her heading towards them from across the lawn carrying lots of bandages. "Looks like she was treating the Whomping Willow that Potter and Weasley crashed into," Ernie observed. "I wonder what Professor Lockhart was doing over there."
"That's Lockhart?" Percy asked. It was the same wizard he had noticed at the Welcome Feast except today he had turquoise robes with a matching hat trimmed in gold on top of perfectly styled hair. If Percy didn't know better, he would have thought the wizard was a son of Aphrodite.
Susan nodded, "Isn't he amazing?"
When Lockhart told them that he'd been showing Professor Sprout how to doctor the Whomping Willow, Percy couldn't help it. He snorted which earned him a glare from the new professor. As they filed into Greenhouse Three, Percy asked, "That's the man who fought vampires and werewolves?"
"And Banshees and Trolls!" Justin enthusiastically added.
Percy was about to argue, but for once in his life thought better of it and kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to fight with the closest person he had to a friend here. Next to him, Zacharias whispered, "I'm with you Jackson. If Lockhart has ever fought anything more than a hangnail, I'll snap my wand." Now, Percy understood why Dumbledore had said it was a good thing that Lockhart had not been able to come early to help Percy. Percy had a feeling he'd learned more in his two lessons with Dumbledore than he would in four years with Lockhart. But why had Dumbledore hired him then?
Before Percy could think any more about it, Professor Sprout started the lesson on Mandrakes. Unlike most of his lessons at his old schools that always seemed kind of pointless, Percy had a very relevant application for Mandrakes which could apparently restore someone who had been transfigured or cursed to their original form. Percy felt like he should have a whole garden of these ugly baby plants with all the threats he had from gods to turn him into various animals, assuming Mandrakes even worked on godly power.
The Hufflepuffs had to split up for the repotting, so Justin and Percy joined a tray with three Gryffindors. He recognized the tall red-head as Ron Weasley which meant the scrawny boy with messy black hair, green eyes, and glasses must by this Harry Potter guy he'd been hearing so much about. He was smaller than Percy with a strange scar like a lightning bolt on his forehead. Immediately, Justin introduced himself, called each Gryffindor by name as he shook their hands and said something nice about them which was how Percy learned that the third Gryffindor was Hermione Granger and the top student of their year. It did explain how she knew the answers to Professor Spout's questions. Percy had a feeling that she'd get along very well with Annabeth.
"And you're the new bloke?" Ron asked him still blushing from Justin's reminder about the flying car.
"Yeah, I'm Percy Jackson," Percy extended his hand, and Ron shook it.
"It's a bit weird, you coming all the way over here for school you know." Ron stated.
"Ron don't be rude," Hermione chastised.
Percy shrugged, "It's okay. It is pretty weird. I ran into some family trouble, and Dumbledore was nice enough to let me come here away from it all."
"So, you're from a wizarding family?" Hermione asked eagerly, "What is wizarding culture like in the States?"
"Not exactly, my dad's family is magical, but they have some seriously messed up issues." It had been Annabeth's idea to use the dysfunctional family excuse for his backstory. She also figured it was safest to just keep letting the wizards assume that magical automatically meant wizards. "Kind of a bad environment to raise a kid, so I lived with my mom to try and stay away from all of that. My mom isn't magical, though we did just find out that her birth mom was actually a witch."
"Your mum's a squib?" Ron asked.
Percy grimaced, "I don't like that word."
"What's a squib?" Harry asked.
"It's sort of like the opposite of a muggle-born. Someone who doesn't have magical powers but has at least one magical parent," Ron answered. "It's pretty rare."
"It is a rather degrading name though," Hermione agreed.
"So you grew up like a muggle?" Justin asked.
"Yeah, I thought I was just a normal, unlucky kid who kept having really weird accidents."
Justin laughed, "Me too. Though both my parents are muggles, so they didn't know what was going on either. Mother was originally disappointed because she wanted me to go to Eton, but I think she's starting to get used to the idea of having a wizard in the family, especially after reading Lockhart's books."
Fortunately, for Percy it was time to put the earmuffs back on, so he didn't have to answer any more questions or hear about how wonderful Lockhart supposedly was. At least it seemed like everyone was buying the story he and Annabeth had crafted with half-truths. The rest of the class was spent wrestling with evil baby plants to get them back into dirt. Despite how hard it was, Percy would take this any day over sitting in a desk learning Pre-Algebra.
The next lesson, Percy literally slept through. He didn't think anything could be more boring than having to read his History of Magic textbook, but he was wrong. Somehow their teacher, an actual ghost, managed to make it worse by constantly droning on in a monotone voice. Ernie and Susan tried to keep him awake, but it was a lost cause.
After lunch Hannah dragged them all to the courtyard, so she could catch up with more friends and get the latest gossip. Justin introduced Percy to several Ravenclaws in their year, before waving to someone across the courtyard and walking over to him dragging Percy along, "Hi Neville! I didn't get to speak to you during Herbology. Did you have a good summer?"
The short, round-faced boy, Percy vaguely remembered seeing in his morning class replied cheerfully, "Hi Justine! It was pretty good, though Gran was a little disappointed in my grades, especially Transfiguration and Potions." He finished with a weak smile.
Justin patted Neville on the shoulder, "I don't know how anyone manages to get good marks in potions with Snape breathing down their necks, but maybe I can help some with Transfiguration."
Neville beamed, "That would be great!" His eyes found Percy, "You're the new student!"
"That's me," Percy replied trying to smile even though it felt like the hundredth time he introduced himself that day, "Percy Jackson." He held out his hand.
"Neville Longbottom," the boy replied and tentatively shook Percy's hand with his.
"Neville's the best in Herbology," Justin explained. Neville tried to disagree, but Justin just continued, "Granger might have the better marks, but you were the only one last year that got their Dittany to bloom."
Just then, a loud voice cut through the chatter from the courtyard, "Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?" Justin winced at the voice, and Neville suddenly looked extra pale as they turned to the other side of the courtyard where Malfoy and his goons towered over Colin Creevey. Instinctively, Percy started to head over there, but Justin latched on to his arm. "Everyone line up!" Malfoy continued to shout, "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos."
"No, I'm not," Harry angrily denied. Percy could barely see him and his friends between the hulking shapes of Crabbe and Goyle. "Shut up, Malfoy."
Then, of all people it was tiny Colin who called Malfoy out, "You're just jealous." Well, at least Percy knew why the Sorting Hat had put him in Gryffindor though it would likely end with him getting crushed by Malfoy's goons. But, Malfoy just continued to make fun of Harry's scar which he must have gotten when Voldemort tried to kill him. When Ron defended his friend, Malfoy turned his taunting on him, imitating the Howler. Egged on by the laughter of a few older students, Malfoy mocked Ron for being poor which in Percy's mind was just plain wrong. There was a reason he'd learned to hide that he wasn't rich like his classmates had been at his old schools. Percy had just broken free from Justin's desperate grip making a beeline for the obnoxious jerk when he was stopped by a flash of turquoise that made him freeze in his tracks.
Confronting Malfoy was one thing, but dealing with Lockhart was not something Percy wanted to do. Lockhart made an even bigger deal of the signed photos, and Harry looked like he wanted to turn invisible. Honestly, Percy was starting to feel sorry for the guy.
Justin grabbed him again just as the bell rang for class to start, "That was a close one," Justin said. "Trust me, messing with Malfoy is just trouble."
After a surprisingly good first day of school, one of the only ones Percy could remember, he allowed himself to feel optimistic for the rest of the week at least until Ernie reminded everyone of their schedule for that day: Defense Against the Dark Arts and Double Potions all before lunch. Word had quickly spread about Lockhart's first disastrous class with the Gryffindors. Most of the Hufflepuffs were nervous because they thought the pixies must have been some kind of test, and none of them wanted to be suspended by the ears like Neville. At the very least, Percy figured it would be an entertaining class. He couldn't have been more wrong.
The class started with the most ridiculous test Percy had ever taken, 54 questions all about Lockhart. After Percy skimmed the first ten, he just started writing, 'Braccas meas vescimini' for all of the answers hoping that Lockhart actually didn't know much Latin. If anything, the next part of the class was even worse because instead of letting them battle pixies, which actually had sounded kind of fun to Percy, Lockhart reenacted a part from his book Travelling with Trolls. He insisted that Percy play the part of the troll because his harsh New Yorker accent would make it more barbaric. Of course, Percy out right refused.
"Come now, Mr. Jackson, don't be shy. You'll get a proper understanding of how to handle trolls from a professional."
"That's okay, Professor. I know you just hit them with their own club," Percy replied with a smirk. "I hear it's so easy a first year can do it." Several of his classmates laughed which only seemed to aggravate Lockhart more.
"Now Mr. Jackson if you do not participate, I will be forced to take points from Hufflepuff," Lockhart threatened with a bright grin still plastered on his face. Percy felt his Housemates tense, so he swallowed his pride and stood up. He didn't want to purposely lose his new House points this early in the year, especially since he knew from experience that he'd probably lose lots of points without trying. In the end, it just involved a lot of grunting and growling. Whenever Zacharias looked like he was going to snigger, Percy gave him a glare that would have made Annabeth proud, and the annoying boy magically stopped. By the time the class was over, Percy was almost looking forward to potions even if it was with Snape.
Clearly, his housemates weren't feeling the same. They all took the tables at the back of the dungeon classroom. Percy hesitated but figured after what happened the last time, he needed to make a statement. So, he headed towards a seat in the very front. "What are you doing?" hissed Hannah.
"Snape kind of kicked me out last time I was in here," Percy explained. "I need to show Snape that I'm not afraid of him."
Ernie shook his head looking exasperated and slightly impressed, "No wonder the Sorting Hat tried to put you in Gryffindor. You're sure you want to do that?"
"If everything goes well, it will just be for this lesson. You guys can stay in the back if you want. I should be okay. Hopefully, I don't lose too many points or get detention."
"It's okay. Snape takes points away from all of us for no reason," Susan reassured him. "He really only favors the Slytherins. He seems to tolerate the Ravenclaws, but he hates the Gryffindors and thinks Hufflepuffs are all dunderheads."
Snape swept into the classroom not long after the Ravenclaws took their spots though none of them had joined Percy at his table. "This year will be much more difficult than the previous as we will focus more on actually brewing potions. I imagine many of you" his gaze swept the back of the classroom and then fixed on Percy, "will have trouble keeping up." Percy grinned. "We will start with a simple Sleeping Draught." With a flick of Snape's wand, the instructions appeared on the blackboard.
Percy only glanced at the instructions to know what ingredients he needed before taking off his glasses and adding the water to start his potion. Everything else faded away as Percy focused in on the liquid in his cauldron, crushing the wormwood and stirring the potion until the aura changed. He did have the sense to at least pretend to use a stir rod though really, he used his powers to optimize the mixing. At one point, he thought Snape was hovering nearby, but by the time he brought his focus back to the classroom, the professor was already three rows behind him. Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention to him, he picked up his flubberworm and held it over his cauldron. Narrowing his focus on the liquid in the slimy worm that had the same light green aura as his potion, he extracted just the right amount of mucus.
Once again, when Percy finished the last step of the potion, he felt like he was waking up from a dream. Hecate had said that it was probably a side-effect of focusing so much on the potion. He felt a little tired, like he had run a few miles, but in front of him was another perfect potion. Looking around at the rest of the class, Percy noticed that they were still hard at work with varying levels of success. He glanced down at his watch and realized that he still had a good 45 minutes left in class. Not sure what to do Percy just sat and watched.
It wasn't long before Snape stalked towards him, "And why Mr. Jackson have you stopped working?"
"Because I'm done," Percy answered with a smirk.
"I'll be the judge of that," Snape snapped. He picked up a ladle and inspected Percy's dark purple potion. Snape didn't have to say anything. Percy knew his potion was perfect, and Snape did too by the way his lip curled into a grimace when he couldn't come up with anything insulting to say. Finally, he said, "How were you able to brew this so quickly when not even a week ago you struggled with the simplest potion?"
"I don't know Professor," Percy said sarcastically emphasizing the title. "I guess I must have had a really good teacher."
"Five points from Hufflepuff. There will be no sarcasm in my class, Mr. Jackson." Now, Snape was the one smirking almost daring Percy to make another outburst. Remembering Hecate's threat to turn him into a Tasmanian Devil if he lost his temper again, Percy managed to bite his lip just in time.
Percy spent the next 15 minutes trying not to die of boredom while the Ravenclaws kept sending him annoyed looks, like they were offended someone else had finished the potion before them. "Idiot boy!" Snape snarled from the other side of the dungeon as he scooped up a thick grey sludge from Justin's cauldron. "A muggle could do better, but I guess that should be expected from a Hufflepuff." Justin looked like he was trying hard not to cry, and next to him Susan looked like she wanted to help but didn't know how.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Percy asked loudly.
"Another ten points lost, Jackson, for talking out of turn," Snape smirked again. "And in case you haven't noticed, those in your new House tend to lack certain qualities, like talent. You should fit in nicely."
Before Percy even knew what he was doing, the words just fell out of his mouth, "That's because Hufflepuffs know there are more important things than talent, like integrity and loyalty and helping each other. We know we're stronger together." Without even realizing, Percy had repeated Diggory's fancy speech from the other night.
"And how exactly do those wonderful qualities fix a failed potion?" Snape sneered.
Out of the corner of his eye, Percy saw a Ravenclaw girl snigger behind her hand. Even though he was new to Hufflepuff, Percy didn't like how the others picked on his House. "I think they could," he challenged, "because I can help Justin."
Snape raised his eyebrows in mocking surprise, "You think you can help Mr. Finch-Fletchly fix his potion, without starting over?"
"Yes."
The satisfied smirk Snape gave him should have made Percy reconsider, "Then by all means, Mr. Jackson, let's see how Hufflepuffs work together. You have until the end of class to fix the potion. If you do not, you will receive a detention for pointlessly disturbing this class."
"Fine," Percy retorted as he brushed past Snape to get to Justin and Susan's desk. At this point, he didn't care. He just wanted to help his new friend.
Snape clearly didn't appreciate how easily Percy brushed off his threat of punishment, so he added, "And Mr. Finch-Fletchly can join you in detention since as you say Hufflepuffs stick together."
Those words made Percy hesitate. It was one thing for him to get detention. It was another to make his housemate get one too. Percy looked at Justin, "It's your choice?" he asked.
Justin glanced at Snape before seemingly gathering his courage and nodding, "Let's show everyone what Hufflepuffs can do."
Percy had to admit that Justin's potion was in really bad shape. As soon as he got there, Susan muttered, "Sorry, I usually try to help Justin, but I had so much trouble extracting the mucus from my flubberworm that I wasn't able to do much."
Percy nodded his head in understanding. "It's okay," he tried to reassure them and himself, "We can fix this." He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the potion, but he could barely sense it. "Okay, first thing, we need more water." So, Justin rushed over and brought a large beaker full of Standard Potioning Water. As soon as he added it to the potion, Percy felt that now familiar connection and narrowed in on it.
He ignored Snape hovering over them and instructed Justin to heat the cauldron and then stir it clockwise seven times then counterclockwise once and then another five clockwise followed by two more counterclockwise. While Justin was stirring Percy still used his powers to speed up the heating and ensure it mixed properly. When it came time to add the ingredients, he just continued following the colors not bothering to glance at the instructions. He only opened his eyes once when Justin was taking too long to chop the needed Valerian. After he showed Justin how to hold a knife properly, things went a lot smoother. With five minutes to spare, Percy, feeling utterly exhausted, opened his eyes again and saw another perfect purple potion in front of him.
The Hufflepuffs broke into applause. Snape looked speechless, but it didn't last. "Why did you start with that specific stirring pattern?"
Percy winced. He had no idea. He doubted that Snape would accept his answer that the potion had glowed gold when it needed to be stirred clockwise and silver when it needed to be stirred the other direction. Justin was clearly just as clueless as Percy, but Susan stepped in and saved them, "Well based on how the potion responded, I would assume that the stirring pattern must have reset the potion, making it more accepting of the new ingredients added, Professor."
"No, one asked you Ms. Bones," Snape retorted.
"But that's the point," Percy reasoned. "I didn't know why, but thanks to Susan, now I do. We must have discovered a way to reset the potion. And that's why Hufflepuffs are stronger together."
"Don't flatter yourself Mr. Jackson. You did not discover anything new," Snape scoffed. "It seems you accidently used Golpalott's Second Law which is not covered until NEWT level. I suppose you thought you could show-off. Twenty points from Hufflepuff!" Snape spat as the bell rang for the end of class. The Hufflepuffs all gasped in outrage and even the Ravenclaws looked sympathetic. It was a good thing Percy was too tired to even lift a sphere of water otherwise all the potions in the classroom might have exploded on Snape.
Justin just patted Percy's back and whispered, "It's okay mate. It was totally worth it seeing you prove Snape wrong."
Percy was the last one to leave the dungeons since he had to clean up his desk at the front. On the way out, Snape blocked Percy before he could join his classmates eagerly waiting for him at the door. "How did you do it Jackson?" the professor asked, glowering down at him. "Only the most precise potioners can successfully use Golpalott's Second Law, and it requires a different stir pattern for every potion. I doubt you figured out the complex formula on your own. Look me in the eye and tell me how you knew what to do, especially after your terrible performance not even a week ago?"
Too exhausted to come up with a better answer, Percy looked into those cold dark eyes and shrugged, "The potion sang for me."
Snape's eyes widened in surprise at Percy answer, but Percy just walked past him to his Housemates who gave him a hero's welcome. Hannah and Susan gave him hugs, and even Zacharias Smith clapped his back and said, "Well done, Jackson." They didn't care that he had lost Hufflepuff over 30 points in one lesson. They cared that he had stood up for them.
With how everyone was treating him, Percy felt like he had completed a quest. "No, one's ever really gotten away with challenging Snape like that," Hannah explained for him. "I think he only agreed to let you try because he was certain you would fail and wanted to embarrass you. That's why he took so many points off."
Word of Percy's potions class had quickly spread through the rest of the school, so that when he left Transfiguration later that day, older Hufflepuffs were congratulating him in the hall.
"Jackson, right?" a voice called to him.
"It's Cedric," Hannah practically squealed.
Sure enough, when Percy turned to the voice, there was the popular fourth year, holding out his hand for Percy to shake. "Yeah, Percy Jackson, and you're Cedric Diggory," Percy replied reluctantly shaking the older boy's hand.
"Nice to meet you," Cedric said with an easy smile. "I heard you quoted me to Professor Snape?"
Percy shrugged, "It was the first thing that came to mind after he said Hufflepuffs didn't have talent."
"Well thanks. I know it must have taken a lot of guts, but you did good standing up to him" Cedric commended. "Snape's been subtly and not so subtly criticizing Hufflepuffs for as long as I've been here, so thanks for showing him what Hufflepuffs can do."
Percy forced a smile on his face and nodded, but Cedric must have noticed, "Is everything all right, Percy? You seem . . . tense."
"Yeah, just got to go and get to studying," Percy lamely answered.
"Oh, okay, see you around then," Cedric seemed confused as Percy turned around and walked away. The rest of his year following after several enthusiastic waves at the older Hufflepuff.
Percy knew he was being unfair to Cedric, but he couldn't help it. Even though Cedric was several years younger and looked completely different, Percy couldn't help seeing Luke whenever he saw Cedric. They both had the same sort of easy confidence that drew others in and made them noticed, particularly by girls. After Luke's betrayal, Percy was wary of a cool, popular older kid suddenly taking an interest in him.
Ernie clapped him on the back again, "You're becoming quite the Hufflepuff hero." But Zacharias was the only one that seemed to notice Percy's less than enthusiastic interaction with Cedric. The other boy cocked an eyebrow questioningly at Percy as if to ask: What was that? To Percy's surprise he didn't see any judgement in Smith's eyes, just curiosity and a hint of concern, so Percy just responded with a small shrug.
The next day in Herbology, even Professor Sprout found a way to congratulate him. She had left her dragon-hide gloves on the back table and asked Percy to go fetch them for her. When he gave them to her, she beamed at him and said, "Fifty points to Hufflepuff, Mr. Jackson, for demonstrating what it means to be a true Hufflepuff." She gave him a wink and everyone in the greenhouse cheered, even the Gryffindors.
As he returned to his spot next to Justin and Susan, Ron muttered from across the table, "Wish I could have been there to see Snape's face."
"Me too," Harry said wistfully.
"What I want to know is how you did it, Percy?" Hermione asked. "Recovering a potion without knowing exactly what went wrong is really advanced work."
Percy shrugged, "I'm just good at potions. Well at least brewing them. I'm kind of lousy with the theory, so I guess it's just instinct."
Hermione pursed her lips together, clearly not satisfied with his answer, but before she could ask any more questions, Professor Sprout started the demonstration for the lesson.
The following evening as Percy searched through the tall shelves in the Hogwarts library for the book they all needed for their potions essay on the uses of flubberworms, he realized that one drawback to being in the House known for hard workers was that all his new friends actually did their homework when it was assigned. While not exactly lazy, Percy had always been more of a procrastinator when it came to his schoolwork. He usually goofed off until the night before the assignment was due. Usually he didn't care if he was by himself, but unlike most of his classmates at his other schools (Grover excluded), Percy actually liked his fellow Hufflepuffs, well most of them. They had welcomed and accepted him in a way he hadn't felt outside of camp. So, when Ernie, Susan, and even Justin and Hannah had insisted on doing homework now, Percy with some encouragement from his Housemates had decided to come with them. Well at least, he figured Hecate would be less likely to turn him into a miniature horse if his new friends kept this up for the rest of the school year.
Finally, he found the musty old book and pocketed his glasses. He hoped Hannah and Susan had an easier time finding the books they needed for Transfiguration as he headed back to where Ernie and Justin were waiting, except they weren't alone. That Draco Malfoy guy and his two gorillas were leaning on their table. "But we want this table don't we boys," Malfoy said in a smug tone.
"It's okay, Ernie, I think I'd rather work in the common room anyways once the others come back with the books," Justin claimed with only the faintest hint of a quiver. "It's more comfortable." Percy saw Ernie hesitate. Clearly, he didn't want to move, but for some reason he wasn't telling Malfoy off either. Percy realized that for whatever reason Ernie must be afraid which made Percy mad. He hated people like this Malfoy guy that threw their weight around and made other people do things for them just because they could. No one bullied his friends.
With a loud thump, Percy dropped the book on the table, "I think we should stay here. We might need more books." Percy glared at Malfoy to get his point across.
The other boy seemed to size him up before smirking, "Well, well, well if it isn't the Yank Hufflepuff. I guess we'll have to show you how things work around here."
"Leave him alone, Malfoy," Ernie said. "You can have the stupid table."
Just then as if she could smell trouble Madam Pince, the librarian, appeared, "Any trouble, boys?"
Remembering Malfoy's stint in the courtyard earlier that week, Percy was struck by a great idea. Before Malfoy could say anything, Percy answered in a loud voice that carried throughout the large, quiet chamber, "No mam, our buddy Draco here just wanted help with Transfiguration from my friend Justin." Percy smirked at Malfoy whose mouth fell open in horror.
"Shhh, Mr. Jackson," Madam Pince instantly corrected. "While I am pleased that you are working together, there is no need to shout about it."
"But. . . I'm not," Malfoy tried to get out.
But Pince just said, "Please work more quietly boys. It's a library not a Quidditch field. Don't make me remind you again," before she turned around and disappeared behind the shelves.
The glare Malfoy tried to give Percy was ruined by how embarrassed he was. "You're going to pay for that Jackson, better watch your back. Besides, my father's a Hogwarts' governor, so I wouldn't get too comfortable here if I were you. Let's go Crabbe, Goyle, as if we would want to sit at a table were a Mudblood has been." Percy only understood about half of what Malfoy had said, but Ernie jumped to his feet at the last part with clenched fists. Percy's not sure what he would have done, but Justin desperately grabbed a hold of his friend to stop him.
"What was all that about? Justin helping Malfoy with Transfiguration?" Hannah asked as she and Susan sat down with a stack of books. The drama had even drawn Zacharias away from his Ravenclaw friends.
Percy shrugged, "Malfoy was being a bully, so I embarrassed him. Then he threatened me, and I think he said something bad."
Ernie grimaced, "He called Justin a Mudblood." Both Susan and Hannah gasped, but Justin seemed just as confused as Percy.
"What does that mean?" Justin asked.
Ernie glanced at Susan and Hannah who both gave him encouraging nods. He sighed before explaining in a hushed whisper, "It's a terrible slur for a muggle-born. No decent wizard would ever say that."
Percy snorted, "Malfoy's clearly not a decent wizard."
Ernie nodded his head in agreement, "Everyone knows the Malfoys are a bunch of blood purist." He frowned then, "As brilliant as it was to see you utterly humiliate him, I'm not sure if you should have done that, Percy. He wasn't joking about his father being a governor. Lucius Malfoy could make you leave Hogwarts if he convinced enough people. My old man says Malfoy has a lot of pull at the Ministry, and I'm sure not everyone would be glad that Dumbledore brought in an American."
Percy considered it for a moment before shrugging, "I'm not too worried about it. My dad's family is pretty important too, and a lot of them want me here. They have a tendency to get what they want." He figured that as much as Zeus didn't like him, his uncle would like it even less if some smug, arrogant mortal interfered with his orders. At the very least Hecate would probably step in and do something. The thought of Malfoy meeting his family made him laugh. "Let's just say if Malfoy or his father ever met my Uncle H, they'd be dead."
Ernie let out a low appreciative whistle, "So your dad's family is in government?"
"No, not exactly," Percy replied.
"They're influential criminals?" Zacharias suggested.
Percy shrugged thinking of Hermes and Ares, "Some of them are."
"Your family's real, magical American gangsters, aren't they?" Justin guessed excitedly which made Percy grin.
Magical American Gangsters. Percy liked how that sounded. "You said it not me," he replied with a wink.
"So, this dangerous Uncle H is the reason you're here?" Susan asked.
Percy shook his head, "No, though I'm sure he's glad I'm gone right now, but I had to leave because of my Uncle Z. He's the main boss."
Zacharias snorted, "Do you always refer to your family by letters? Seems kind of stupid to me."
Percy just smirked, "That's because if I told you their full names, I'd have to kill you." With that he bent over his parchment and tried to start his potions essay.
Across the table he heard Justin whisper to Ernie, "He's joking right?"
"I think so," Ernie replied, but even he didn't seem certain. Magical American gangsters really was a great cover for the gods. Percy would have a lot of fun with this.
By the time Friday morning came, Percy was used to the daily owl post, but he wasn't expecting one to almost land on his plate. It had a letter tied to his leg and looked at him expectantly. "You got a letter, Percy," Hannah stated excitedly. "Is it from your mom?"
Percy wasn't sure who would have written to him, so he gave the owl a treat and safely untied the letter. The handwriting was so messy he had to put on his glasses, so he could read it properly:
Dear Percy,
Would you like to have tea tomorrow morning around ten? I have some good friends coming over that I think you should meet, and I want to hear all about your first week. Plus, Fang wants to play more fetch. Send us an answer back with the owl.
Hagrid
Percy grinned. It would be nice to see Hagrid and Fang again, a good break from all the schoolwork his Housemates had managed to convince him to do. To answer his housemate's curious glances, he replied, "No, it's from Hagrid. He wants to have tea tomorrow." He quickly wrote his reply, folded back up the paper and reattached it to the owl after giving it another treat.
"Hagrid, the groundskeeper?" Zacharias scoffed.
Percy glared at him, "Yeah, he's a friend. Is that a problem?"
"No," Hannah quickly interjected. "It's just that he's a bit. . . odd," Hannah hesitantly admitted. "There were rumors last year that he tried to raise a pet dragon," she quickly explained at the dark look Percy gave her. "He just seems kind of dangerous."
Percy raised his eyebrows. He'd have to ask Hagrid about that one tomorrow. "Look, I'm going. You guys don't have to, but Hagrid's a pretty cool dude. His cooking is really terrible though," Percy admitted.
"Well then, we'll see you for breakfast," Justin said with a wink before quickly changing the subject, "Who wants to play Quidditch this afternoon?" In no time, everyone was talking about their favorite Quidditch teams, what brooms they had, and Smith was of course boasting how he was sure to make the House team next year.
They didn't have enough for a full game of Quidditch, so they ended up playing 3 vs 3. Even then they had to beg Hannah who didn't really like flying. Finally, Percy understood why there was really only one sport in the Wizarding World. Quidditch was really great, and they only had the Quaffle out. It had to be even more fun with the other balls. It was like a faster version of basketball even if Percy's borrowed broom from the school was supper slow compared to Zacharias' Comet 260. Percy had been surprised that there was actually a lot of truth to Zacharias boasting. He was good, and together they made a pretty good team, a little too good for Ernie, Justin, and Susan, so after their seventh straight goal, Percy and Justin switched teams to make it more even.
As they all headed back to the castle for dinner, Zacharias walked next to Percy, "Not bad Jackson. You've got good reflexes." After knowing Smith for almost a week, Percy knew that was probably the best complement he'd ever get from the other boy. "You should come out for the annual Huffleclaw match."
"What's that?" Percy asked.
"It's a sort of scrimmage between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, Halloween weekend, but no one from the actual House teams can play. It's practice for future years. Usually whoever will be the next captain puts the team together and calls the shots, so they get practice too. I can't promise that Diggory will pick you, but you should still go out for it. Plus, Pierce and McGowan are seventh years, and Diggory will finally be able to switch over to seeker. They'll need at least two more chasers next year. I think it should be us."
Percy blinked in surprise, "Umm thanks."
Zacharias snorted, "Don't let it go to your head Jackson. You're good with the Quaffle, but you need to get used to flying. You looked like a fish out of water until you started to relax up there." If only he knew, Percy thought.
The next morning Percy headed down to Hagrid's after breakfast. It was sunny, and he could just make out several people in red flying around the Quidditch pitch, probably the Gryffindor team. Percy had to admit that it would be cool to be on the House team, and if Zacharias really thought he had a shot next year then maybe he would try to do that scrimmage match on Halloween. Percy was about to knock on Hagrid's door when he caught a glimpse of pale purple robes and golden hair through the window. There was only one person that could be.
Instantly, he dove for the nearest bush hoping no one from the cabin had seen him yet. Seeing Lockhart in class was bad enough. Percy really didn't want to see him on the weekend too, so he hid behind the bush peeking out every once in awhile to see if the coast was clear yet. Finally, after what felt like ages but was probably only a few minutes, Percy heard the door open. He risked a look when Lockhart continued to talk which was why he didn't notice the three kids on the other side until one of them stepped on his foot.
"Ouch!" Percy hissed barely remembering to keep his voice low.
"Jackson?" It was Harry Potter wearing red robes in a much more maneuverable style than the normal black ones. His two friends Ron and Hermione were with him. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you, avoiding Lockhart," Percy muttered. "Last thing I want is him telling me how to better act like a ghoul for his next class."
Harry nodded his head in understanding, and they waited until the annoying professor was out of sight before standing up. That was when Percy realized that something was wrong with Ron. His face was extremely pale, and he leaned on Harry while clutching his stomach.
"What's wrong?" Percy asked.
"Curse backfired," Harry explained. "We hoped Hagrid could help."
As Harry dragged Ron to Hagrid's door, Percy took Hermione's place and supported Ron's other side while she urgently knocked.
Once Hagrid realized that they weren't Lockhart returning, he was quite happy to see them. Percy and Harry managed to get Ron in a chair just in time for him to throw up slugs in a large copper bucket Hagrid had given them.
Percy winced, "Yuck, that's a nasty curse to get hit with." He remembered this one from his assignment for Dumbledore. "There isn't even a counter-curse, but one book suggested eating treacle tart, I think." Ron's face turned a nasty shade of green at the thought of eating something, and he shook his head spewing more slugs.
"I think it will eventually stop on its own," Hermione suggested. "That's a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand –"
Percy tried to hide his smile. Right then, Hermione reminded him of Annabeth whenever he did anything stupid though she lacked the intensity Annabeth always had.
"Guess yeh already met this lot, Percy?" Hagrid asked as he made tea.
"Yep," Percy answered, "we have Herbology together."
Hagrid nodded his head, "Yeh know, I figured yeh'd be sleepin in the same dorm as those two." Hagrid waved his hand towards Harry and Ron. "Had yeh pegged as a Gryffindor."
"The hat tried to put you in Gryffindor, didn't it?" Hermione asked. "It doesn't usually change its mind like that."
Percy nodded, "Yeah, I asked it to put me in Hufflepuff. I'm sure Gryffindor's great and all, but Hufflepuffs just more welcoming and accepting. The hat also said something about well roundedness and character development."
Everyone in the room looked at him in shock. "Wait, you chose Hufflepuff over Gryffindor?" Harry asked shocked.
"That's right you weren't there," Hermione huffed. "The hat stopped mid shout."
"Who'd in their right mind pick Hufflepuff instead of Gryffindor?" Ron managed to get out between slugs. Suddenly, Percy was feeling a lot less sorry for him.
"Me," Percy answered, "because clearly Hufflepuff is the better House." Harry opened his mouth to argue but instead just shook his head like Percy was a lost cause. "And that's why I'm in Hufflepuff because I think it's the best House. Besides, I have a thing for underdogs, and you have to admit that Hufflepuffs are the underdogs."
"Aye," Hagrid agreed. "As much as I'd like to see yeh in my ol' House, I suppose yeh'd be good for Hufflepuff." Then quickly changing the subject before anyone could continue the argument over Houses, Hagrid asked, "Who was Ron tryin' ter curse?"
"Malfoy called Hermione something – it must've been really bad, because everyone went wild," Harry answered. Malfoy again. Percy was getting sick of that guy already, and he hadn't even known him for a week.
"Malfoy called her 'Mudblood,' Hagrid," Ron said before returning to his bucket.
"That's what he called Justin in the library earlier this week," Percy chimed in. "I wasn't sure if Ernie was going to punch Malfoy or curse him, but Justin stopped him before he could do something and get kicked out of the library. Ernie said it's a really rude name for someone with non-magical parents."
"It is," Ron said bringing his head back up from the bucket. "It's disgusting. There are some wizards, like the Malfoys who think they're better than everyone else because they're pure-blood which is crazy we all know it doesn't make a difference."
"Magic is magic whether your Muggle-born or pure-blood," Percy repeated what Dumbledore had told him. Now understanding more what he meant. Hermione was the best in their year, so clearly it didn't matter that her parents were non-magical.
"Exactly," Ron agreed. "That's why the whole thing is ridiculous calling someone Dirty Blood. Most wizards these days are half-bloods anyways."
Percy jerked at the familiar name, "Half-blood?"
"Yeah, not sure what you call it over there in the States, but it's when you have a magical parent and a muggle parent or a pure-blood parent and a muggle-born parent," Ron explained.
"So I'm a half-blood?" Harry asked. Ron nodded.
"What would Percy be considered?" Hermione asked. "Since his mom's a sq– I mean had magical parents but isn't magical."
Ron frowned, "Suppose he'd be a half-blood too, but like I said his case is rare and none of this matters anyway. It's just stupid labels pure-blood families use to feel superior." It seemed like the Fates indeed had a wicked sense of humor. Percy was a double half-blood.
The conversation shifted to Lockhart and signed photos before Percy remembered what he wanted to ask Hagrid, "Hey Hagrid, I heard a rumor that you had a pet dragon?"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione groaned. "It was terrible," Ron said. "It bit me, and my hand got supper big and started to turn green."
"Norbert was only a baby," Hagrid defended. "He didn' know any better."
"Wait, you really had a dragon AND named it Norbert?" Percy asked in disbelief. He hadn't been sure since he knew school rumors had a tendency to be exaggerated, but to call it Norbert! That was like a grandpa's name.
Harry and Hermione launched into a very long explanation about how Hagrid had gotten the dragon from their old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who was being controlled by that Voldemort guy (literally on the back of the professor's head) to steal some super powerful stone that could let someone live forever. And in the end, they along with Ron had stopped him. Ron added some stuff too in between slug vomits. For most people, the whole story would have seemed crazy, but after Percy's own adventures this summer, he was a lot more open minded and actually believed them. Somethings were just too crazy to make up.
After a quick game of fetch with Fang, Percy headed back to the castle with the three Gryffindors. Even though they weren't in his House, Percy felt like he could be friends with these kids. Until Hermione asked, "Percy, what does your father's family do? Are they why you're here?" Harry quickly elbowed her. "What? You know you're curious too."
"Sorry, she's like that sometimes," Harry explained. "If she has a question, she just keeps badgering you until she gets an answer, but sometimes family stuff should be private." Harry shrugged, but the haunted look in the other boy's eyes made Percy wonder if Harry's family life wasn't the best.
"It's okay," Percy tried for a smile. "One of my best friends is like that too. But yeah, they are why I'm here, but trust me, it's for the best if you don't know any more about them."
"But surely someone could help," Hermione sounded exasperated. "Dumbledore –"
"Dumbledore already knows enough," Percy cut in, "and he's doing what he can. As long as I stay here, everything's fine, and with luck, I'll be able to go home for Christmas." He could tell Hermione still wasn't satisfied, but it seemed like she would leave him alone, for now.
Professor McGonagall was waiting for them in the entrance hall or more specifically she was waiting for Harry and Ron to give them their detention assignments. That was when Percy realized for the first time in years, he hadn't received a detention during his first week of school. Maybe he really would do okay here. Before Percy headed to the Hufflepuff table where his friends were already eating lunch, he turned back to the Gryffindors, "Well, it was fun. See you around."
Percy spent the rest of his day playing various wizard games with his friends in the Hufflepuff common room. He was lousy at wizard chess, but he figured Annabeth would've loved it. Exploding Snap was much more his style, and they played long into the night. They finally stopped near midnight when Susan accidently fell asleep on her cards. Luckily, Hannah poked her awake before her eyebrows got singed from an exploding card.
In the quiet hallway leading to the boys' dorms, Percy heard a strange, cold voice that made the hairs on the back of his head stand up: "Come . . . come to me. . . . Let me rip you. . . . Let me tear you. . . . Let me kill you. . . ."
"You guys heard that right?" he asked. It didn't sound or feel like Hecate, so he assumed the voice had come from outside of his head.
"What?" Justin asked in concern.
"That creepy voice talking about ripping and tearing and killing," Percy answered feeling uncertain now.
Even Zacharias stopped to look back at him. Ernie forced a chuckle, "Good one Jackson, you really had me going for a second there."
Percy's heart sank. They hadn't heard the voice which meant it must be a family problem just when he thought the gods had finally given him a break. He tried to smile though it probably came out more of a grimace. "Yep you got me. Just a little scare before bed, good for your heart and all," he tried to cover. He didn't want his new friends realizing how not normal he was yet. Even Hufflepuffs had limits.
Lying in his comfy bed, Percy desperately prayed to Hecate, "Lady Hecate was that you?" But he never got an answer. Percy just hoped that it didn't have anything to do with Kronos. The voice didn't sound like that cold evil one Percy had heard in his dreams, but maybe it was one of his underlings. What if Luke had found him and sent something after him? But if it really was a monster and not something more godly then why was he the only one who could hear it? He'd have to keep an eye out and be ready. Luke and Kronos didn't care who they had to hurt to get what they wanted. Percy would have to start training again. Luckily, Hufflepuff's common room was close to the entrance hall. It shouldn't be too hard to sneak out the door and into the forest a few nights a week.
It will probably be at least another month before I update again. I need to focus more on my other story.