Chapter 4
Harry was in the main hall eating breakfast with Hermione. Ron was in deep slumber, a norm for him. It was Saturday, and there were no classes, so it was no wonder his friend wouldn't wake up for at least a few more hours.
And he wouldn't admit it, but he was glad. He was getting tired of his and Hermione's spats about their pets. Over and over again, they couldn't stop fighting. It was funny at first, but now it was just tiring.
At least classes were fun, well most of them. DADA has turned out to be a wonder. Professor Lupin knew what he was doing so it was no surprise that his class had become a favorite for all students. Well most students, Malfoy still didn't waste an opportunity to make fun of the Professor.
However, he had to admit that at the start of the year, he had noticed that some Slytherins didn't follow Malfoy blindly. Maybe it was because of Percy that he had noticed this but either way, he saw that Malfoy wasn't as loved there as he once thought.
But back to the classes, Charms and Transfiguration were fun as always, and Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were entertaining and knowledgeable as always. Potions… well Snape was vindictive as always. But after learning about Neville's boggart, he dialed it up to a hundred. And now he was insufferable.
But even that didn't compare to the two letdowns of this year. Care for Magical Creatures and Divination. He loved Hagrid to death but after that first class, he had lost his confidence and had just left them to take care of these creatures called Flobberworms which were huge-sized worms. They were the most boring creatures he had ever seen.
But still, that class was more enjoyable than divination. He was getting tired of her constant prediction of his death. It was getting annoying. Maybe that's why he joined Hermione this early.
He was asking her about her other electives, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. He had to admit it when Percy had explained them to him he was interested and now hearing Hermione's experience had given him resolve to his decision.
"Hey Hermione," Harry said interrupting her for a moment "Think you can help me convince McGonagall to let me change electives?" He asked and Hermione's eyes grew wide.
"You want to change electives? Why?" She asked and Harry scratched the back of his head.
"I'm getting tired of reading my death over and over again," He said as Hermione was starting to get excited "And creating your own spells sounds kind of cool," He said and Hermione gave him a huge smile.
"That it does," Harry heard someone say behind him and turned around. It seems Percy had approached them mid-conversation and had heard the last sentence. "Can I join you guys?" Percy wondered as Harry looked at Hermione in uncertainty
But not because he didn't want to but because he didn't know if that was against the rules or not "Um sure, but can other house students sit at the Gryffindor table?" He asked as Percy took a seat next to him.
"Well it's not against the rules, only in the great feast and the final one do we need to sit with our houses," Hermione offered before looking at Percy in curiosity "Though not many do that," She said and Percy gave her a small smile.
"I like to break the mold," he said a bit cheekily, to the amusement of the other two. "Besides, I don't need a reason to be with my friends, do I?" he said, and Harry and Hermione beamed at him.
"So, you want to change electives?" He asked as Harry nodded his head "Well good for you, though perhaps I would advise that you speak with Professor Vector first before McGonagall," He said, and Harry looked at him in confusion.
"He's right. Professor Vector is a bit strict and has sway over who gets into her class. If you convince her, convincing McGonagall would be easier," She said agreeing with Percy and Harry looked at his plate in deep thought.
"Could you help us?" Harry said and Percy tilted his head in curiosity "No disrespect Percy, but you're slier than us. You know what to say," He said and Percy gave him a sly smirk.
"Well, thanks for the compliment," He said as he grabbed the utensils and breakfast appeared before him "Just let me eat first. Then we'll visit Professor Vector in her office," He said and both Gryffindors nodded as they changed topics and started talking about something else.
Then, in the middle of the conversation, Harry felt Percy slip a piece of paper into his hand. He quickly read it, and it said, "I found another one." His excitement went through the roof. He quickly glanced at Percy away from Hermione's sight, and he saw the white-haired teen giving him a small smirk.
Percy finished his breakfast and then the trio walked up to Professor Vector's office. The trio of students struck up a small-talk conversation as they arrived at the castle's fourth floor. Where Professor Vector's office was located.
They entered the office and found Professor Vector talking to someone else, Professor Babbling, the ancient Runes Professor. Professor Vector saw Harry and the others in the doorway and let out a small smile when she saw Percy standing there.
"Percy, what brings you to my office so early?" Professor Vector asked leaning forward as Percy led Harry and Hermione inside.
"Sorry to bother you, Professor. We've come to ask you something," Percy said before glancing at Harry and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Or rather, he has something to ask of you," Percy said, pushing Harry forward without much force.
Harry gulped swallowing his fear a bit before looking at the curious eyes of the professors "I wish to change my electives Professors," Harry said as Professor leaned back on her seat.
"And you wish to join our courses? Or only one in specific?" Professor Babbling asked as Septima narrowed her eyes at him making Harry gulp a bit again. He glanced at Percy who whispered to him telling him that Babbling was the Ancient Runes professor.
"Both ma'am," Harry said as Babbling glanced at Septima who seemed to be in deep thought.
"Why?" she asked after a few moments of silence, and Harry found reassurance in his friend's nods.
"Because I made the mistake of not researching the courses well enough before choosing," Harry said a bit ashamed "It took a friend's new perspective for me to see that to be the best version of myself. I need proper fundamentals, Professor," He said clearing his throat at the end of that sentence.
Professor Vector leaned forward, put her chin over her hands, and gave Harry a small smile. "I see Percy's been rubbing off on you," she said before glancing at Percy. "Just don't listen too much to him," she said before standing up as Percy narrowed his eyes a bit.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Percy asked confused but then blushed and looked down when Septima gave him a knowing look.
"Have you thought about what you want to be when you grow up, Harry?" She asked as Harry frowned in deep thought for a second.
"I haven't given much thought, to be honest Professor," Harry said as Septima gave him a curious look before glancing at Babbling.
"Then it will be up to us to help you decide," Babbling said before taking a paper out of Septima's desk.
Harry looked at both Professors with big, wide eyes and felt ecstatic. He was totally ready to be turned away, so their accepting this decision brought a smile to his ear. "Thank you, Professors. I promise you won't regret this," Harry said as Septima looked over him with a small smile on her face.
"We shall see. We'll be expecting nothing but the best from you Harry," Septima said as Harry beamed at her before glancing at his friends who gave him a thumbs up conveying how excited they were as well.
"Take this to McGonagall, it should speed the process a bit," Babbling said before glancing at Hermione and Percy "And ask your friends for help catching up, it's been only a week but it would be a shame for you to join us a bit behind," Babbling said as Harry gave her a nod.
"Don't worry professors, we will make sure he's up to par," Percy said before glancing at Hermione who nodded her head vigorously. Harry could practically see all the ways she was thinking of how to help him catch up with the rest of the students.
They left the professor's office soon after and headed toward McGonagall's office. On the walk towards McGonagall's office, Hermione kept theorizing ways and plans on how to get Harry caught up with the courses. And even Percy had trouble following Hermione's train of thought.
So both male teens just gave each other a look and decided right then and there to leave the planning to Hermione. Much to Harry's dismay. There will be a lot of studying for him in the near future.
They got to McGonagall's office and sometimes Harry had to admit that traveling the school grounds felt very tiring. Like going on a long hike.
They found the Professor going through some papers on her desk. She let them in and Harry noticed the look of confusion on her face. And he couldn't blame her. Most of the times they visit her it would always be Him, Hermione, and Ron. So not seeing the redhead and seeing Percy instead must be a bit confusing for her.
"Is there something I can help you with?" McGonagall asked in curiosity and a bit of a stoic demeanor in her voice.
Harry stepped up swallowing his nervousness and putting on a brave face "Professor, I'm here to change electives. I've already spoken to Professors Babbling and Vector and they've said yes," Harry said passing the forms to McGonagall who looked at them in curiosity.
"Seems you've gone through most of the process," She said before looking at Harry in the eye "Before I agree I want to know your reasons, Harry," She said and Harry nodded fully expecting this.
"Divination is good to know for those who have the gift," Harry started saying noticing the small nod on McGonagall's face "And since I don't have it then I thought it be best if I learned something I could use. Besides predicting my death every week," Harry said finishing the sentence with a bit of a cheeky tone much to the amusement and annoyance of Percy and Hermione respectively.
"That's fair," McGonagall said before leaning forward "But what about your school supplies for those subjects?" She asked in curiosity and slight worry. She fears that missing books from those classes could hold Harry back.
"He can order via owl mail," Percy offered from the sidelines "Meanwhile he can use mine's or Hermione's till he gets them," Percy said as Hermione gave the Professor a nod agreeing with Percy's statement.
"Very well then," McGonagall said before giving Harry a serious look "Our school's policy grants only one change of electives per year, so I want you to be sure about this Harry," She said and Harry gave her a look of conviction.
"I'm sure Professor," He said as McGonagall smiled at him. Then she signed both forms and put a stamp on them.
"Then I wish you good luck," She said putting the approved forms away and Harry turned around to his friends with a huge smile of excitement on his face.
But that excitement of changing classes was nothing compared to the excitement he was feeling right now. Again he was surprised by the ways Percy managed to think out of the box.
He thought that teleporting or apparition, as Percy clarified, out of Hogwarts was impossible. And to a degree it was. But that statement only applied to wizards not to house elves.
So with the help of Teeky, Percy's house elf, here he was. In the middle of south England looking at an open landscape of rainforest trees and bushes. A huge anomaly in England. He already had the shield wrist attached to him and the longsword lay just next to him ready to be used.
According to Percy, a small landscape of trees turned into a full-blown rainforest. Locals went to the authorities to report this, but once again, people turned around without any previous recollection of why they were entering the forest in the first place.
So here he was, looking at the forest in deep thought. It didn't help that Kuro, Percy's familiar, was looking at him with curious eyes. He was guarding Percy's stuff with Kuro's help. And he was trying hard to resist petting the small black cat. He nervously adjusted the cap Percy had gifted him while waiting for the other teen.
But he didn't have to wait much further as Percy appeared in front of him shortly. He noticed Aurora wasn't with him but he figured he didn't want to risk his familiarity with such situations. "Sorry about that. I forgot the testing device back home but that's been resolved," Percy said as he took a seat next to Harry.
"Now, I do have to ask, are you sure you want to know?" Percy asked as Harry looked at him in confusion "There's nothing wrong with remaining as a wizard. Sticking to the status quo you could say," Percy said and Harry huffed.
"I'm in too deep now Percy. Literally," He said pointing at the forest in front of them "Might as well do it now," He said and Percy nodded agreeing a bit.
Then out of a bag, he took out a simple crystal ball and gave it to Harry "Process is simple. Just pour a bit of magic on it and it will show a specific palette of colors to let me know what kind of arcane you have," Percy explained and Harry nodded while looking at the ball.
Then a look of confusion invaded his face "Um, how exactly do I do that?" Harry asked and Percy blinked a few times.
"Ah, right," Percy said as he put a hand under his chin. "How can I explain this?" Percy wondered for a second. "When you make a spell, there's the intent behind it, right? " he asked rhetorically, and Harry nodded. "Sure, there's the proper incantation and movements, but there's a moment when you need to put power behind your spells. Same process," He said as he took a bit of tape from the bag that Harry was guarding.
Harry looked down at the crystal ball and closed his eyes. He focused on the ball and started sending a bit of Magic to it. And waited for Percy to tell him when he should stop.
"That's okay you can stop now," Percy said as Harry opened his eyes. He looked down and saw the crystal ball glowing white.
"Give it a moment, it's processing your magic," Percy said wrapping his hands in bandages. Then the crystal ball started changing into a deep dark color hue. Harry looked at Percy for answers but the white-haired teen kept looking at the ball in deep thought.
He wondered why Percy was doing that but then his attention was caught by how the ball started changing and a cloud of storm appeared with some lighting blasting here and there.
"Oh my," Percy said leaning forward "A Storm-born sorcerer, no wonder you're so good with flying," Percy said with a smile on his face.
"Storm born sorcerer? What's that?" Harry asked in confusion while giving Percy the crystal ball back.
"Like I told you Sorcery is something innate. There's no studying or accessing it other than by bloodline," Percy said as he concentrated, and a flame appeared on his right hand "It makes who we are and lets us manipulate it in ways no other can," Percy said as two bolts of fire shoot out from his hand and landed on a rock nearby.
"Now, within those branches of magic. There are sub-branches, subclasses if you will. Storm-born being one of those," Percy said as Harry paid close attention "Now, as you can guess, I haven't met many sorcerers in my life, haven't met any, to be honest," He said as Harry snorted in amusement.
"So, what I know it's what I gather from books and journals," Percy said putting a hand above his knee "They say that Storm-born sorcerers are masters of the sky. Flying is second nature to them and lighting and wind magic. They also say that they are people who follow their emotions to the end. Conviction is a key value to them, it really suits you, Harry," Percy said as Harry smiled very brightly at him.
"And what kind of sorcerer are you?" Harry asked in curiosity and Percy hesitated for a second. A thing that wasn't lost to the black-haired teen but decided not to dig too much.
"Draconic bloodline," Percy said, and as soon as he noticed Harry's confusion he continue talking "I got my powers from a dragon basically, either an ancestor of mine made a deal with one or fucked one, my money is on the latter," Percy said standing up leaving Harry behind feeling shocked.
"Fucked a dragon!? You can't be serious!" Harry said taking up the bag and putting it on his back.
"Well, dragons that age were different. Books said that they could transform into humans but still maintain the regalia of being a dragon," Percy said as both teens entered the forest "And that can be alluring to some people," Percy said and Harry still couldn't fathom that someone would do something like that.
"Either way, you should start practicing sorcery. The more you do the more of an expert you will become," Percy said "Just try sending magic to your hand. But not too much, don't want you electrocuting yourself right now," Percy said with a slight smirk as Harry snorted.
"Yeah, that would be bad," Harry said, concentrating his eyes on his hands. Then after a few moments, small sparks appeared from Harry's fingertips.
He looked up and showed to Percy with such blinding excitement that Percy had to shield his eyes away for a moment "Holy, look at it," He said as Percy chuckled for a bit.
"Addicting isn't it?" Percy said with a knowing smirk and Harry nodded with his excitement still up in the air "But let's stop for now mate," Percy said as Harry looked up confused.
"Why?" He asked as Percy pointed up ahead.
"We're here," Percy said as both teens looked forward. There in front of them stood a small entrance to a cave blocked by deep green vines that sprouted out a big pink tulip that was on the middle top of the cave.
"What is that?" Harry asked in confusion as Percy crossed his arms.
"A plant of some sort, maybe magical," Percy said tilting his head "But I don't recognize it," Percy said as Harry looked at him.
"So, what do we do?" Harry asked in curiosity, as Percy was in deep thought. "Can you throw a fire bolt at the vines, perhaps? " he offered, and Percy shrugged his shoulders.
"It's worth a shot," He said throwing a small flame at the vines. A small explosion of fire occurred right at the blockade that soon covered the vines in dark smoke.
But when it cleared the vines hadn't moved but what did happen is that the tulip started growing orange "Oh shit, move!" Percy shouted as both teens jumped out of the way just in time to avoid a fire bolt heading their way.
Both teens looked at the scorched earth next to them with big eyes "Okay, any other ideas?" Percy asked letting out a huff of air as Harry threw himself to the ground.
And what followed next was a series of, unsuccessful, tries to enter the cave by Harry. He tried slashing, ripping, and even crashing into the vines but nothing seemed to work. "Save your strength Harry is pointless," Percy said as Harry looked back and saw him drawing something on a paper.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" He asked as he took a seat next to Percy and saw him drawing the plant on the paper.
"It's still early, we can go and research what type of plant it's and come back later," Percy said finishing the drawing "Like looking through books and that," He said as Harry frowned not liking the idea.
"That could take too long," He said as Percy sighed and nodded. He didn't like it but he agreed completely with Harry.
"I don't have any other ideas," He said before looking at the drawing "Other asking an expert. But I don't want to ask Professor Sprout, that would only get us into trouble," He said.
Harry crossed his arms, trying to think of a plan, and then he blinked as an idea formed in his mind. "You know asking someone isn't a bad idea," he said as Percy looked at him confused "We just need to ask the right person. And I know just the perfect guy," Harry said cryptically with a smirk on his face, much to Percy's confusion.
"This isn't going to work," Percy said as he and Harry walked to the Hogwarts Library. The black-haired teen had a huge smile on his face and was walking with a purpose.
"It will. Have some faith in me, Percy," He said as the white-haired teen held back a groan.
"I have," Percy said getting Harry's demeanor to rise a bit "But I still think this won't work," He said as Harry rolled his eyes.
They entered the library and Harry quickly scanned the area. There he found the short blonde hair he was looking for. He tapped Percy's arm and led him to the right side of the library "Neville! Hi!" Harry said excitedly before the librarian shushed him.
The short and plumb boy was no longer that. He had hit a growth spurt in the summer or something as he was a bit more muscular than plumb and short wasn't something that could describe him. His features were more defined Harry noticed and he clearly noticed that they were more handsome, he looked different.
"Hey Harry," Neville said and Harry noticed that while the physical features had changed his attitude stayed the same. And Harry was a bit glad about it, he liked the way Neville was. A kind and soft boy.
Neville glanced at Percy with uncertainty but didn't comment on why Harry was hanging with a Slytherin. Percy and Harry's friendship was something most of the school knew already and with Harry being as famous as he was, nothing ever stayed quiet. So befriending a Slytherin was a big deal for the Gryffindor population but Neville would never tell him that unless someone else made it an issue.
But having both of them approaching him made him curious and he couldn't help but voice his curiosity "Is there s-something I can help you with?" He asked as Harry tapped Percy's shoulder.
"Come on, show him," Harry said much to Percy's exasperation. But the white-haired teen took a seat next to Neville and put the drawing from before in front of the blonde teen.
"We were exploring, me and Harry that's it, and we found this plant guarding a cave," Percy said as Neville leaned forward "We threw a spell at it but it just threw it back at us," Percy said as Harry took a seat looking at Neville who had this look of concentration on him.
"We were wondering if you had any idea what it was," Harry asked as Neville looked up with a look of shock and wonder in his eyes.
"It's a dragonfly tulip, but they are pretty rare," Neville said leaning forward "They only appeared to guard magical items in a rainforest. Where did you say you were exploring?" He asked in curiosity as Percy and Harry shared a look of uncertainty.
Harry shrugged telling Percy Neville was alright if he decided to tell while the white-haired teen grumbled and looked back at Neville "I'll tell you later. Do you know of a way to get through it?" Percy asked as Neville crossed his arms.
"Well, they are protected by magic so any spell would only be thrown back," Neville said as Percy nodded having experienced that for himself "You need to feed it," Neville said and Harry blinked in confusion.
"Feed it?" Harry asked as Neville gave him a nod.
"Just as its name suggests, a dragonfly tulip needs to feed on dragonflies," he said as he traced his fingers along the vines of the drawing. "Once it's satisfied, the vines retreat, letting you pass," he said as Percy leaned forward.
"Dragonflies huh? Wonder where we can find some?" He asked out loud and after a few moments of silence, Neville cleared his throat.
"I have some," Neville said as Percy and Harry looked at him in shock "I was saving them for a project but I could give you some," He said as Harry smiled at him while Percy narrowed his eyes at the blond boy.
"Really? Neville, thank you so much. This is a huge help," Harry said as Neville smiled nervously at him but then looked at Percy's narrowed eyes.
"I don't buy it," Percy said as both Gryffindors looked at him in confusion "You're willing to give us the dragonflies freely? Without asking anything in return? There has to be a catch," Percy said as Harry frowned at him.
"Hey, not everything needs to be an exchange, Percy. Some can do things out of the goodness of their hearts," Harry said with a bit of a bite Percy was taken aback a bit and was about to apologize but Neville stopped them.
"No Harry he has a point. I do want something in return," Neville said as Harry blinked while the blond boy looked at Percy "Some of our housemates don't trust you, Percy," Neville said as Percy raised an eyebrow showing his confusion.
"A Slytherin suddenly befriends the Boy-Who-Lived without any hidden agenda? Some people have become suspicious," Neville said as Percy nodded seeing where those people came from.
"And you're one of them?" Percy asked in curiosity as Neville shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm not saying anything. I just want to know why Harry decided to befriend you," Neville said as he narrowed his eyes at the white-haired teen "And see for myself if you're a threat or not," He said and Percy hummed in deep thought.
Harry looked at both teens trying to figure out how to break this tension or how to get both of them to like each other in a sense but he didn't have time to do anything as Percy spoke up before he could say anything.
"Fair enough," Percy said rubbing his neck "Then why don't you join me and Harry on our exploration?" Percy asked as both Gryffindors blinked in confusion.
"What?" Both of them asked at the same time but Percy only answered Neville's question.
"You wanted to know why me and Harry became friends. I could tell you but you will never believe me," Percy said with a shrug "So it's better if I just show you," Percy said as Neville looked at Harry confused as the black-haired teen just shrugged his shoulders.
"Okay then," Neville said as Percy gave him a small smile "What do I need to do?" He asked as Percy thought for a second.
"Just bring the dragonflies and change into more comfortable clothes," Percy said as Harry put a hand on Neville's shoulder.
"Let me give you a hand," Harry said but before anyone could stand up they saw Hermione and Daphne approaching the trio.
"What are you doing guys?" Hermione asked in curiosity as Percy and Harry's eyes winded and the black-haired teen scrambled to hide the drawing.
"I'm just asking Neville some questions about Herbology's homework," Percy said, giving Neville a side glare and telling him to keep it quiet. "Nothing major," he said as Harry smiled.
Both girls looked at each other in confusion but decided not to comment on their clear misdirection. "So, I was wondering if you guys could help us with our Arithmancy homework," Hermione said as both girls took a seat across from the boys.
Harry wondered what Hermione was doing. He knew her well enough to realize that she didn't need any help with homework. So this was something else, clearly, and it seems that Percy realized that as well. But while Harry didn't know why, Percy clearly did.
"So, you're just gonna pretend like nothing happened?" Percy asked the blond girl, and Harry, in the short time he had known him, had never seen him more annoyed.
"I'm not," Daphne said while looking at Percy "I'm just trying to get things the way they used to be," She said as Percy leaned back and crossed his arms.
"They can't. You made sure of that Daph," Percy said as Daphne's eyes widened while Hermione tried to say something but a slight glare from Percy shut her up.
"What do you want from me, Percy?" Daphne said tiredly as Percy rolled his eyes "What can I do to make it up to you and Tracy?" She asked almost with a pleading tone.
Percy leaned forward and glared at the blond in front of him "Then why did you spend all summer giving us the cold shoulder huh?" Percy said as Daphne was left out of words "Ah, no words for that huh? You truly are your father's daughter," Percy said as he stood up annoyed.
"That's not fair. You know what my duty is!" She said stopping from going out and before the librarian came here to shush her Percy glanced back at her with pity eyes.
"That's the thing, Daphne, no one asked you to do that," Percy said before turning around "Have you ever asked Tory what she thought of that?" He asked before leaving the library leaving a group of shocked and silent students behind.
Daphne had her hands tightened in a closed fist of frustration before steeling down "I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to bring our troubles out to the public," Daphne said to the trio of Gryffindors who looked at her confused.
"It's okay Greengrass," Neville said being the only one familiar with pureblood customs to offer her a response.
Daphne then turned to Hermione and offered her a small smile "Thank you for your help, Hermione. I'm sorry it didn't turn the way we expected it," She said before standing up "If you excuse me," She said heading out of the library.
The trio sat there in quietness before Harry spoke up "What was all that Hermione?" He asked as Hermione looked at the table a bit frustrated.
"I underestimated their issues. I was just trying to help," Hermione said as both teens looked at each other with uncertainty.
"Perhaps it did help," Neville said as both Harry and Hermione looked at him in confusion "Rumors were that they weren't speaking to one another. And now they did. Baby steps," He said and Hermione smiled softly at him.
"You're right. Thank you, Neville," Hermione said much blond boy's slight embarrassment. But Harry wasn't paying attention to them. His eyes were filled with worry and focused on where Percy had left. He recognized those eyes from Percy. He was hurting and the fact that he didn't know why was killing him.
Percy was sitting on the fountain at the main entrance of Hogwarts looking at the sky in deep thought. His previous encounter with Daphne left him with a lot to think about. He hated being this mean to her but what else could he do to make her see that being trapped was not the answer?
That was the train of thought that was plaguing him right now but it was cut when he felt a soft hand on the back of his neck "The nargles are plaguing you a lot dear. Is something bothering you?" Luna's soft voice hit his ears before he turned around to meet her beautiful grey eyes.
"No, I'm alright," He said as Luna tilted her head not believing him "Okay I'm not," He said as she started touching his hair softly.
"Wanna talk about it?" She asked as he sighed and shook his head.
"Not really," He said as Luna nodded. She looked at him with kind eyes and kept stroking his hair softly "What are you doing here anyway?" He asked as Luna shrugged her shoulders.
"I was up for a walk. Nargles stole my shoes and I wanted to see if I could find them," She said showing him her bare feet.
"Again?" He asked as she nodded her head. Then he looked around trying to see if anyone was looking at them. And when he found no one was his eyes quickly turned red and glanced at her "You know they aren't been stolen by nargles right?" He asked rhetorically.
Her eyes turned rainbow-colored in a flash of a moment and narrowed at him "I know dear. But what can I do against them?" She asked as Percy narrowed his eyes.
"We can speak to Professor Flitwick," He said and Luna scoffed while looking at the fountain.
"To what end Percy? Wizards still look at the unusual with hatred. And whose more unusual than Looney Lovegood?" She said with a bit of hatred in her voice.
"Still," He said grabbing her hand "There's has to be something we can do," He said as Luna put her hand on his cheek.
"Don't bother dear. Human behavior shouldn't be a concern to us," She said as both their eyes returned to normal.
"If you say so," He said in resignation before noticing something she had said "Dear? Where did that come from?" He asked confused and Luna gave him a small smirk.
"Just a preview of what's to come I'd say," She said cryptically much to the confusion of Percy "Of the destiny you seem so eager to run from," She said and he frowned in confusion.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked as she tilted her head and her eyes grew big as if they were mocking Percy. Or perhaps he was reading things wrong.
"Have you forgotten about the jewelry that Gringotts gave you already?" She asked as his eyes grew big in shock and he couldn't help but swallow a gulp of saliva in slight fear.
He wanted to ask her how she knew about that but couldn't as Neville and Harry got there before he could "Yo Percy. Are you ready mate?" Harry asked excitedly before noticing Luna and how close they were.
Percy turned around letting go of Luna's hand while the platinum-blond girl kept her hand on the back of Percy's head for a moment before letting go "I am. What about you Nev? You can back now still," He said in concern but Neville just shook his head.
"What about you? Want to join us?" Percy said turning to Luna who gave him a huge smile.
"I'd be honored, Percy. But I'll wait till the rest join," She said cryptically confusing the trio of males there. Then she stood up but not before putting a hand on Percy's cheek "Good luck dear," She said before leaving the trio of teens there.
"Dear?" Harry asked a bit teasingly and Percy gave him a playful glare.
"Don't," he said before standing up and getting a chuckle out of the other two. Then he looked at Neville with focus. "Harry filled you in?" he asked as Neville looked at Harry confused.
"I gave him a vague idea. Figure you could explain it better than I," Harry said as Percy nodded.
"Then follow me, gentlemen," Percy said as he led the other two to the outskirts of the school where Percy's own house-elf was waiting for.
Neville was flabbergasted. He never used that word lightly, but this situation required it. This had to be an elaborate prank from Percy and Harry. There was no other way.
Because this couldn't be possible, it had to be a joke. "You kidding, right? " he voiced his doubts as Percy and Harry shared a look.
"We're not," Percy said as he pointed behind Neville. And Longbottom turned around and stared at the endless rainforest trees "Magic is vast Nev, and in that vast space, magic creates these places. They're called dungeons," Percy said before flicking his hand and creating a flame on it.
"After all, magic is all about intention," He said as Neville leaned forward lost for words. He looked at Harry with big eyes.
"Impressive isn't it?" Harry said rhetorically and Neville had to nod his head "So, shall we go or what?" Harry said adjusting his cap.
"Not yet," Percy said taking the crystal ball out once more "Since we're here might as well know what kind of arcane magic you're more attuned to Nev," He said passing the ball to Neville.
"Arcane Magic?" Neville asked and Percy glanced at Harry seeing if he would take the initiative.
"There are multiple ways to practice magic other than the one we're been taught," Harry said as Neville looked confused "Magic, arcane, whatever you want to call it. It's not linear. It's unbound and by being that way it can be tapped in various ways," Harry said creating sparks in his hands.
"And every arcane individual has a singular attunement. A way to practice magic," Percy explained as he pointed at the crystal ball "Sometimes they're born with it or their experiences mold it. And by knowing what attunement you have, then you can practice the arcane the way you've always meant to," Percy explained as he looked at his hands.
"Me and Harry are sorcerers," Percy said as Neville looked at him in curiosity "Our arcane powers came from our bloodline. Passed from generation and generation," He said as Neville frowned in deep thought a bit.
"Like family magic?" He asked as Harry looked confused but Percy nodded.
"Sort of, the difference is that only our bloodline can practice it. It can't be taught to someone else," Percy said as Neville nodded in understanding.
"And you think I could be a sorcerer as well?" Neville asked and Percy shrugged his shoulders.
"Perhaps, but I don't think so," Percy said as Neville tilted his head.
"He thinks you might be a druid," Harry offered as Neville glanced at Percy looking for an answer.
"Druids are attuned to nature. And can tap to their primal instincts better than most," Percy offered a brief synopsis "And since you're terribly good at Herbology," Percy said with a shrug.
"I see," Neville said and then looked at the ball in his hands "And this will let you know what magic I possess?" He asked and Percy nodded.
"Yes, just pour magic into the ball and it will do the rest," Percy said as Neville nodded. He closed his eyes and focused on his magic a bit.
Then after a moment he opened his eyes and looked down at the ball. It started changing from a transparent color to a golden one. Harry then noticed that Percy's eyes winded when the golden color started gaining a bit of black and red highlights here and there.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked Percy causing Neville to look up at Percy in confusion.
"What? Did I break it or something?" Neville asked ready to apologize but Percy quickly stopped him with a shake of his head.
"No, everything's fine I just got surprised that's all," Percy said taking the ball from Neville's hands "I really thought you were a druid but I was wrong," Percy said grabbing the bag of items closer.
"So, what am I then?" Neville asked as Percy looked at him with a bit of serious eyes.
"A Paladin," Percy said, and before Neville could voice his curiosity Percy put his hand up stopping him "A paladin is a type of knight. But they can use magic through their pacts and bonds. They make a promise to something and that grants them powers to manifest that bond," Percy explained and Neville nodded in understanding "But what's curious is your subclass, Nev," Percy said before putting his hands close and forward.
"My subclass?" Neville asked as Harry explained how the subclasses work to Neville who nodded following the thread of information the raven head supplied.
"You're an Oath of Vengeance Paladin, Nev," Percy said and could see the intrigue behind Neville's eyes "A Vengeance Paladin's Oath is simple, they seek justice for those who have done evil. It's their mission to persecute those who have avoided the law by any means necessary. And considering why you wanted to come here it's not surprising," Percy said with a smile on his face.
"But," Harry said in confusion as both teens looked at him "You said that paladins make an oath. When did Neville make his oath?" Harry asked in curiosity but regretted it immediately when he saw the sorrowful look on Neville's face.
"Lestrange?" Percy asked simply and Neville nodded slowly and that was enough for Percy "That's his secret Harry," Percy said and Harry nodded in understanding.
"Still, I'm glad you're a Paladin. There was something I wanted to test, but I never could," Percy said, opening the front zipper on his bag. Then he put his hand inside, trying to find something. But he groaned when he couldn't. "Excuse me a bit," Percy said, opening the bag to incredible degrees before putting his head into the bag.
Neville looked at Hary confused as they both glanced at Percy with a raised eyebrow. The white-haired teen had the upper half of his body inside the bag and he seemed to be struggling.
"Um guys, could you help me a bit?" Percy's muffled voice sounded as Harry sighed and walked forward.
Neville had to hold back his laughter when he saw the scene before him. He saw Harry trying to take Percy out of the bag with great struggle. Then with a final push, Harry managed to bring Percy out but stumbled back nonetheless.
"You guys okay?" Neville asked the two fallen men who only put a thumbs up. Then he looked to the right and saw what Percy was trying to take out of the bag.
There on the ground lay a golden Warhammer. Its handle was rusty and mechanic-looking. But the most noticeable part was the hammer itself. It was huge and it had this glowing blue orb right in the middle of it.
Neville knelt down and passed his hand over the hammer "What do you think?" Percy asked standing next to Neville.
"It looks intimidating," Neville said looking up "Where did you find it?" Neville asked as Harry looked at Percy with the same question in his mind.
"I made it," He said much to the shock of Harry and Neville "Saw it on a videogame. Then I tried to replicate it with magic," Percy said as Neville grew confused "I tried it but it was too heavy for me, so I just put it away," Percy said with a shrug.
"What's a videogame?" Neville asked confused as Harry and Percy looked at him with a deadpanned stare for a moment.
"Muggle technology," Harry explained simply and Neville nodded in understanding. Then he grabbed the handle and tried to lift the hammer up but it was too heavy for him.
"Ah we have a problem I see," Percy said as he started looking for something in the bag.
"I'm too weak, sorry," Neville said being hard on himself as always before Percy looked at him as if he had grown a second head.
"What?" Percy asked looking at Harry in confusion "Neville, we're fifteen years old. Anyone would have problems lifting it," Percy said taking a necklace out of the bag, a necklace that Harry instantly recognized.
"Strength has to be built up it's not something that one gets out of nowhere," Percy said tapping his shoulder "And I have no doubt you'll get there someday. But for now, use this," Percy said giving the necklace to Neville.
"What's this?" He asked curiously.
"A magical necklace. In simple terms it will make you a bit stronger," Percy said before looking at Harry "We found it on our last exploration," Percy said as Neville glanced at Harry.
"Sure did. This huge lion-humanoid creature had it, kicked the shit out of Percy," Harry said as Percy rolled his eyes.
"Did not," Percy mumbled as Neville put the necklace on. Then, after a few moments, he felt much lighter than before. And with power, he didn't know where it came from. Then he grabbed the handle of the hammer and unlike before he lifted it quite easily "Much better isn't it?" Percy asked as Neville looked up at him.
"Yeah. So how does it work?" He asked as Percy moved closer.
"Well it's simple, you grab it from below and here," Percy said pointing to another handle much closer to the front of the hammer "Then you bash forward. Your goal is to push and hit enemies with the hammer. You'll be a bit slower than Harry and me but your job is not to do damage but to push forward," Percy said as Neville nodded in understanding while he adjusted his grip.
"But, that doesn't mean you don't have any power to rely on. You see this handle?" He said pointing at the handle closer to the hammer "It works similar to the crystal ball. You grab it and pour magic through it. That will charge this sphere in the middle and it will send a ray of magic to wherever you wish to," Percy said as he placed himself behind Neville "Why don't you give it a go?" He said as Neville nodded and aimed the hammer to the right side of the forest.
Harry placed himself next to Percy as he watched Neville pull the handle down and saw the sphere glowing blue. Then, a small ray shot from the hammer into a tree, creating a medium-sized explosion on it.
Percy and Harry had to shield themselves from the light and breeze created by the impact before sharing a shocked look. "The hell was that? You said small!" Harry said as Percy stared at Neville in shock and slight fear.
"It's supposed to be!" Percy said before looking at Neville "How much magic did you put in there Nev!?" He asked in slight fear as Neville kept his amazed eyes stuck on the small explosion.
"Not much, um, I'm sorry if I did something wrong," Neville started saying but Percy shook his head interrupting him.
"No, no you did nothing wrong Nev," Percy said before letting a small amused chuckle "It seems you have a ton of magic in you Nev," He said while squeezing his shoulder.
"Thanks," Neville said a bit ashamed "So, we should get going no?" Nev asked trying to move the topic along.
The other teens nodded agreeing with the blond teen. Harry went to the bag and put it on his back before the trio set forward as Kuro, Percy's familiar, led the way for the teens.
They got to the obstacle from before and Neville's wonder couldn't grow further. He had read about them sure but seeing one in person was a different deal.
"So, how do we do this?" Percy asked in curiosity at Neville who got out of his spunk by that question.
"Ah right," Neville said reaching for something on his jacket. That something turned out to be a small jar containing fireflies "We just need to get close and feed it," Neville said as Percy shared a look with Harry before addressing Neville.
"Well the honor is all yours Nev," Percy said as Neville tried to hide how grateful he was for that. Though by the smiles that Harry and Percy had it was clear he wasn't hiding it that well.
Neville stepped forward and lifted the jar. The tulip started to open itself as a small golden vortex appeared at the center of the flower. Then as Neville opened the jar that same vortex started swallowing all the fireflies.
Then after a moment or two the vines started retreating and only the tulip remained giving them a clear path into the cave.
"Well done Nev," Percy said patting Neville's back before entering the cave. Harry then gave him an encouraging smile before following Percy inside.
Neville couldn't feel any better. Here he was for the first time not screwing things up it made him feel so great that he felt he could take on anything that crossed his path.
Neville followed the other two into the cave and quickly caught up to them. He looked around at the black stone that covered their surroundings in awe. Percy and Harry had given him a general overview of how this worked, but he underestimated how beautiful it looked.
Then he stopped when he noticed the other two stopping in front of him "Something wrong?" He asked moving to the left to get a better view.
In front of them stood a small wooden elevator. However, an elevator wouldn't be the way they would describe it. It looked more like a shady platform that functioned like a lift.
"It looks man-made. Why would something like this be here?" Harry asked in confusion as the two Gryffindors looked at Percy in curiosity.
"Good question," Percy said as he put a hand under his chin while noticing how Kuro just jumped over the small door in front of them "In the couple of years that I've been exploring I sometimes encounter things like this," Percy said as he looked at the elevator quite thoroughly.
"And have you found a reason?" Neville asked as he too was curious about why a man-made structure would appear in something magical created.
"No," Percy said opening the front door of the elevator "I have a couple of theories but I have nothing concrete or any proof for that matter," Percy said entering the elevator as the other two followed him inside.
"What kind of theories?" Harry asked as Percy had his eyes transfixed on the lever next to them.
"Well, just three to be honest," Percy said before looking back to the other two while grabbing the lever with his right hand "Be ready. This lift doesn't look secure enough so grab onto something," Percy said as the other two boys grabbed onto the rails of the lift.
Then Percy pulled down the lever and the lift rocked back and forth for a moment before it started slowly descending "The first one is that magic is powerful enough to recreate real human spaces to fit whatever item it holds inside," Percy said crossing his arms and leaning on the rail behind them.
"How so?" Harry asked in curiosity while tilting his head a bit. Neville looked at Percy as well, he didn't know when it started but he began to notice Percy's natural ability to explain things in a way you could easily understand.
"Well, take our house common rooms. They fit a certain theme and aesthetic depending on which house they belong to. For example, yours. While I haven't been inside I doubt there are green, silver, or black colors around am I right?" Percy said as the other two boys nodded "It works the same way for these magic items. They need a home to survive on. So they use magic to recreate a space they can live in," Percy said as Harry hummed for a moment.
"It makes sense. Just like the mandrakes, they need to be in pots to survive but if you take them out," Neville said as Percy nodded agreeing with Longbottom's logic.
"But you don't think that's the case right?" Harry asked and Percy did a so-so nod with his head.
"No, the items are too random for that theory to work," Percy said rubbing the back of his neck "Take the necklace for example," Percy said pointing at the necklace around Neville's neck "Sure it boosts the user's strength but thematically it has nothing to do with gnolls. And one time I found a Greek totem in a desert pyramid, one did not fit the other," Percy explained "That and the fact that these dungeons don't disappear right after I take the item from them," Percy said as the other two nodded in understanding.
"What about your other theories?" Neville asked as Percy hummed and looked up.
"I think these places come from a specific place. A kingdom of some sort," Percy said as the other two looked at him in curiosity "In every single dungeon I have found the same drawing. A drawing of a white oak. And me and Hermione think it may be a sigil or something like that," Percy offered as the other two boys' eyes grew a bit.
"Hermione knows about these places?" Neville asked in curiosity beating Harry to the punch and Percy just shook his head.
"No, I told her that I found those drawings in my mother's stuff. Which technically isn't a lie but is not the truth either," Percy said and Harry narrowed his eyes a bit.
"It's that why you started exploring?" Harry asked in curiosity as Percy grew quiet for a moment and looked to the right.
"More or less," He responded cryptically and Harry wanted to dig further but a look from Neville stopped him from doing so. So he just went with another question.
"So, what's the third theory?" Harry asked in curiosity and Percy thought for a moment.
"Aliens created them," Percy said before glancing at the other two who met him with blank stares on their faces "Not my best one I admit it," Percy said with a bit of a blush on his cheeks as the other two sighed in amusement.
Then they felt the elevator stop and the trio had to hold on to the rails to not fall on their faces. Once the turbulence was over Percy opened the door and led the other two forward.
Then after a moment of traveling a rocky corridor, they arrived at a landscape that took their breath away.. The first thing that hit them was the breeze of the waterfalls that surrounded the area and served as the walls of the space. Below them, a platform of gold served as a floor. It was trapped on the ground and that ground had grass all around. It vibrated with greenness.
But that wasn't what took their breath away. No, that was the trio of gigantic totems that stood around the golden platform. An Owl, Deer, and a Bear totem stood there looking down at the trio, and at their feet, a small door could be seen.
"Whoa," Neville said out of words as he started looking around. Harry was doing the same as well next to him and the two Gryffindors couldn't be more excited "Look at this place," Neville said in wonder.
"I know right!?" Harry said excitedly as he looked around with a bright smile on his face "What the hell is even this place?" Harry asked with a chuckle as Neville smirked at him.
"It's pretty," Percy said with a little less excitement and he received booing from Harry as a response that only served to get a chuckle out of him "We should look around. See where we need to go," Percy said as the Gryffindor duo nodded and started looking around.
After a few moments of looking around and finding nothing but the doors under the statues, the Gryffindor house duo regrouped with Percy who was looking at something on the floor in the middle of the area.
"Found something?" Harry asked as Percy looked up and looked at them for a moment.
"Perhaps. Look here," Percy said as the other two kneeled down and looked at the ground where several symbols were written there but it looked like time had gotten rid of most of what was written.
"Do you understand what it says?" Neville asked in curiosity but Percy just shook his head.
"No, but it's the same symbols on those drawings," Percy said before looking up and standing up "Perhaps they are some sort of instructions but we can't know for sure. I have a hunch on what to do but it may be a bit risky," Percy said facing the other two.
"Risky how?" Harry asked as the Gryffindor duo stood up and looked at Percy who had crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, sometimes, in games and books, the characters often find themselves in places like this," Percy said as he looked around at the statues "And they usually get out by undergoing tests or solving puzzles," Percy offered with a shrug, and the other two looked at each other in confusion.
"And you're thinking we need to do the same here?" Neville asked as Percy shrugged his shoulders for a moment.
"Like I said, it's a hunch," Percy said before scratching his head "I will know for certain after we enter a totem. But we're going in blank, that's the risky park," Percy said and the Gryffindors just took a deep breath.
"We're okay with that Percy," Harry said as Neville nodded, agreeing with Harry. Percy nodded and then looked at Kuro who was waiting in the middle of the area.
"Wait here Kuro," Percy said as he walked up to his familiar "If you feel something is wrong pull us out," He said and immediately received a meow as a response.
"Pull us out? Can it do that?" Neville asked in curiosity. Never had he heard of a familiar's ability to do so.
"Kuro's smarter than he let's on," Percy said cryptically and Neville had to look at Harry for answers but he just shrugged his shoulders and told Neville to ignore it.
"So which one first?" Harry asked and Percy looked at Neville.
"It's Nev's first dungeon. Honor should go to him," Percy said with a shrug as Neville gulped a bit of saliva at being put on the spot. And as he looked around the totems Percy told Harry to leave the bag with Kuro just in case.
"How about the owl one? It looks the least intimidating one," Neville offered and the other two shrugged not having any problems with that.
So with a totem chosen the trio walked up to the owl totem. Harry couldn't help but fix his wristband that contained his shield in nervousness. But that nervousness went away when Percy placed a hand on his shoulder.
Harry gave him a small smile in thanks and then the trio stepped into the archway. And suddenly they were in a separate room. One that was wrapped in darkness.
But that darkness didn't last long as several torches lit up instantly revealing the details of the small room. It was a room with a dark bottomless pit in the middle of it. It also contained three pillars. One right near the start of the pit. The second was just in the middle of it, more specifically on the left side near the left wall. And one at the end. But the one at the end had this blue orb that seemed to be glowing brightly.
The duo of Gryffindors looked around trying to figure out what they had to do but Percy just kept staring forward. At the blue glow more specifically. "So, what are we supposed to do?" Neville asked as Percy glanced back.
"I think we have to grab that blue orb," Percy said before looking at the pillar on his right "Perhaps the pillars could offer a clearer path," Percy wondered scratching his chin as the duo of Gryffindors looked up to the pillar.
"So we need to climb it up?" Harry asked as Percy looked at him with a bit of amusement behind his eyes "Yow want me to climb it up?" Harry asked a bit of shock behind his voice.
"Well, you're the athlete amongst us. Isn't that right Nev?" Percy said cheekily and Neville had to hold his chuckles back and decided just to nod in agreement.
Harry mumbled and grumbled something about the other two as he walked up to the pillar in front of him. He strapped his sword on his back before he started climbing up the pillar. And once he was there the only thing he noticed was a pair of binoculars shaped in the form of owl eyes.
"Found anything!?" Percy shouted from below as Harry looked down at them.
"Just some binoculars!" Harry said before he tried them on. Then he looked at the pit and his eyes winded by what he saw "Guys! I see a path!" Harry shouted and the duo below looked at him in surprise.
"That's it! That's the test! You have to guide us forward!" Percy said and then Harry noticed something concerning.
"But I only see half of it! The path leads to the other pillar!" He said and Percy looked forward trying to see what he had missed. But this time Neville had the answer.
"The next pillar must have another pair of binoculars," Neville offered and Percy gave him a look before nodding at his train of thought.
"Sounds solid enough," Percy said before looking at Harry "You'll have to guide us, Harry! You're ready!?" Percy asked as Harry put a thumbs up.
"Just be careful guys! There are parts where the path cuts off!" Harry said as Percy and Neville nodded. They both gave each other a nod and moved forward.
They followed Harry's direction very carefully but both Harry and Percy couldn't help their shouting match against one another. Perhaps Percy was just trying to make the situation less stressful. At least that was what Neville was thinking.
They got to the next pillar without a hitch. Except for that time when Neville took a wrong step and Percy had to pull him back but other than that they had no trouble getting here.
Percy was about to climb up but Neville offered to do so. Percy gave him a confused look but let him do so nonetheless. Neville strapped his hammer on his back got up there and quickly grabbed the binoculars up there.
He led Percy carefully to the end and it took almost no time for the Slytherin to get to the blue orb. He would lie, having people here made things easier than when he was exploring these dungeons alone.
He looked around for traps before grabbing the orb. And once he grabbed it the trio started floating upwards as a blue-ish glow surrounded them for a moment. And before they knew it they were dropped outside the room and below the statue.
The trio stood up as Harry groaned and cracked his back. That drop really did a number on him and he still wasn't used to teleportation magic. But then his displeasure disappeared when he saw the blue orb starting to fly up.
The trio saw the orb fly up to the totem and get stuck on the owl's neck. Then, the statue's eyes started glowing blue, sending a bright blue light into the golden platform in the middle of the area.
"So, it worked?" Harry asked after getting rid of his discomfort. He looked at Percy searching for answers but the Slytherin teen had his eyes fixated on the ray "Percy?" He asked getting the white-haired teen out of his stupor.
"Huh? Oh right," Percy said before turning to the other totems "I guess if we complete each trial we can move on," He said before looking back at the other two.
"Fine by me," Harry said, cracking his shoulder. "But I get to choose which one next now," he said as he quickly approached the deer totem. Percy and Neville gave each other a confused look before walking up to Harry.
They entered the deer totem and immediately saw something entirely different from the previous room. This room was simple. It was an obstacle course, but it seems to be missing several parts. They knew this because they could see the after-images of the missing parts.
These after images had these color hues to them—green, yellow, red, and blue, to be specific. So maybe that had to do with how to get the blue orb that was on the other side of the obstacle course.
"Hey, check this out," Neville said as the other two looked at where he was pointing at. There were four plates on the ground two on the left side and two on the right side.
The ones on the left were Green and blue and those on the right were red and yellow. Percy looked at the plates on the floor and carefully stepped on the blue plate. Suddenly the parts that had the blue became solid enough to use.
"It's an obstacle course," Harry said, as he was the only one staring ahead. "So, we need to synchronize each other to be able to cross, right?" he asked, and Percy nodded.
"Want to cross it?" Percy asked him. He wouldn't force him to but knowing Harry he would want to do it.
"Yeah, I trust you guys not to let me fall," Harry said cheekily and both Percy and Neville snorted at him. Percy's was a bit louder than Nev but the sentiment was the same.
Harry positioned himself at the start of the course while Neville walked to the right. The trio looked at each other and gave each other a thumbs-up before Harry started running forward.
His quidditch exercises came into play here. Oliver was a slave driver and he had built a bit of a muscle. Muscles that let him parkour and climb the obstacles with little to no trouble.
The only time he hesitated was when there was a part that had to be timed absolutely right by him and Nev. Nev had to change platforms and that would make the one he was on currently disappear.
So both Gryffindors took a deep breath and to avoid any nervousness Percy offered himself to do a countdown. So, when Percy ended the countdown both Gryffindors moved at the same time and Harry managed to grab the handle necessary to climb to the end.
His face had this excited smile to it once he got to the blue orb. He grabbed it carefully and once again the trio was transported outside once again.
This time it was Harry who stared at the floating orb and saw once again a blue ray hitting a piece of the golden platform "One more to go, huh?" Harry said to the others feeling the trepidation in their chests. They could take on any task by how powerful they were feeling.
So they walked up to the Bear totem and this time Nev led the charge. He opened the door and this room was the simplest of them all. There was a huge block of ice formed on a cubical form in the middle of it. This cube had the orb right in the middle of it. So the task was simple. Take the orb out of the cube.
"Think you can take this on Nev?" Percy said as Nev looked at him confused but Percy just looked at the hammer on Neville's back and Nev just made an oh sound before walking up to the cube.
"Hey can ask you a question?" Harry asked walking up to Percy who looked at him in curiosity "Why are you giving Neville a lot to do?" Harry asked as Percy crossed his arms and looked forward.
"Nev is more powerful than he believes. He just needs a confidence boost," Percy said and Harry nodded in understanding. He had to agree. To be honest, he didn't think much about Neville like the rest of the school. But the Longbottom heir had been proving him wrong since they started exploring today.
And did again when Neville took a big swing and broke the ice cube in that same motion. Even Percy was surprised, he clearly didn't expect Neville to break it on his first try "Remind me never to piss him off mate," Percy whispered to Harry who nodded feeling the same way.
Nev looked at them a bit surprised at the feat he had accomplished and Harry as well as Percy gave him a thumbs up. So, feeling super great, Neville grabbed the final blue orb carefully and same as the others it teleported them outside once more.
And now it was Neville's turn to watch how the orb floated upwards into the Bear totem. And just like before a blue ray struck the golden plate once more.
But this time the rays started moving in a counter-clock circular motion all around the borders of the golden plate. The trio quickly jumped on the plate in case anything happened and they were glad they did because once the rays ended their lap the plate started descending further down the cave.
As they were going down, they started looking around, noticing how the landscape changed from lively and colorful to dark and large, almost gigantic. But even if it wasn't colorful, that didn't mean it wasn't as beautiful as the other areas.
The roof and walls were filled with small blue lights that seemed to mimic the stars of the night sky. They gave an eerie glow of beauty that was impossible to recreate.
But the most beautiful thing was these iris flowers that were floating on this lake that surrounded the whole cave. It wasn't that deep it didn't cover their ankles. But the glow of the lights made the reflection so bright and beautiful. It almost felt like they were floating in space.
Their sense of wonder and simple awe was so big that they didn't even want to continue exploring. They were content with just looking around. But that stopped when Neville noticed something in the distance.
Something caught his attention long enough for him to walk forward. Walk to where this thing was. And this thing, it was a skull that belonged to a deer. You could tell by the formation of its nose and the space where the antlers could grow.
He was in a trance, sort of speaking. He didn't know what caught his attention so much, but he felt like he needed to grab the skull. But just as his fingers touched it, the skull started to shake violently.
Suddenly an ethereal blue specter of a deer started forming from the skull and onwards. Like a ghost of the animal. It kept growing to enormous sizes and once it was done growing it stared at Neville with hostile intentions.
But before it could attack Neville felt someone grabbing his collar and suddenly his vision was surrounded by a white mist. Then he found himself far away from the ghost.
He looked behind him and saw Percy standing there looking at the phantom deer "You ok Nev?" He asked without looking at him and Nev nodded his head.
"Yeah, thank you," Nev said as Percy helped him up. Then the trio gather together as they watch the deer specter growling at them. Then before anyone could react the dear started jumping into the air.
Then they had to quickly dodge out of the way as the deer sent blue flames at them. Neville was out of his depth. Being his first adventure he wasn't prepared for this fight.
But unlike him, Percy's experience showed up as he quickly threw two simultaneous fire bolts at the deer to stun it. And then he made a silver dagger appear out of thin air and went to stab the deer. But the deer shook its head before Percy's hit could connect and suddenly the deer sped through him and the two Gryffindors sending them all flying away.
The deer then put its eyes on Percy as it started charging an attack and Percy had to react quickly putting a shield in front of him blocking a blue ray that came at him.
He held back the projectile long enough to give Harry an opening to strike the deer in its face. Cracking the skull a bit.
The deer stagged backward and that's when Neville entered the fray by pushing the deer back with his hammer. The deer growled at them but couldn't stabilize itself as a force of air pushed it back a bit.
Nev and Harry looked back and saw Percy with his palms together facing the deer "I have a plan," Percy said getting both of their attention "Nev, me, and Harry will create an opening. Then you shoot it with your ray," Percy said as Neville tightened his grip on the hammer and gave Percy a nod.
"Let's go and kill the bastard," Harry said with an excited smile on his face. Adrenaline was kicking through his system. He was really glad about coming here.
Then Neville saw both of them explode towards the deer. Harry stayed closed blocking its strikes while trying to hit it on its legs.
And Percy was running around the deer throwing a magic rope around the deer's feet in hopes of tying it to the ground and he was succeeding. And Neville knew what he had to do.
He pulled the lever on the hammer down and started focusing his magic on the orb while pointing the hammer at the deer. And once he felt he was ready he shouted for the others to move out of the way.
Percy then grabbed Harry's shoulder and teleported them both to where Neville was. Then the blond Gryffindor let his attack out and a gigantic blue ray struck the deer on its stomach and split the phantom deer into two.
The ray practically disintegrated the deer leaving nothing but its face there. Then as the boys took a breath to gather themselves the mist started to disappear and the blue-ish hue that surrounded the area changed into a golden one as the area got surrounded by an endless sea of treasure.
Jewelry, scrolls, coins, and even three Greek-looking statues appeared of all a sudden and Neville couldn't help but stare at the treasure in dumbfounded wonder. And his mouth was open in an endless gasp "Oh my god," Neville couldn't help but say anything else to show his amazement.
"Impressive isn't it?" Harry said slapping Neville's back playfully as Neville gave him a nod "Come on, let's go and pick our spoils before I leave you with nothing," Harry said rushing forward as Neville gladly followed him into the treasure.
Both Gryffindor boys were happily rummaging around the treasure taking everything they liked or that caught their interest. Crowns, collars, and coins, Harry even grabbed a golden cup. They were celebrating but then Neville noticed that Percy was not celebrating with them.
He looked around and found him in the middle of the three statues looking at them with intense focus. He walked down from the pile of gold to where Percy was. He noticed he had the head of the ladder in his right hand but decided not to comment on it "What are you looking at?" Neville asked as he heard Harry stumbling behind him.
"You don't recognize them?" Percy asked as Harry got to where they were with several chains around his neck. He clearly was having fun but he wanted to see what the other two were doing.
Percy then noticed that neither Neville nor Harry knew who the men represented by statues were "Right," Percy said before looking at the statues "These are Greek heroes. Characters of great mythology and history," He said as he pointed at the statue in front of Harry.
"Achilles, the greatest warrior Greece has ever seen. And the hero of the Troyan war," Percy said as Harry looked up at the sculpture in wonder "We even have a body part named after him. The Achilles' heel," Percy said as Neville looked at him curious not familiar with muggle mythos.
"Why?" Neville asked as
"Why?" Neville asked as Percy looked at him a bit confused "I mean, why is our heel named after him?" Neville asked and Harry also looked at Percy feeling curios himself.
"Because of how he died. The myth tells us that Achilles was invincible. His mother bathed him in the Strix river making him invulnerable except for one place. The place where she was holding from. His heel," Percy said before looking at Neville "And he died at the hands of Paris of Troy with a perfectly placed arrow at his heel," Percy said and Harry again looked at the statue in front of him.
"That's sick. How do you know all of this?" Harry asked in wonder as Percy gave him a small smile.
"I like to read," He said cryptically before looking at Neville "It's all in Homer's Iliad remind me to tell it to you later," Percy said as he looked at the statue in front of Neville "Actually all of them from that Iliad. That one, that's Hector prince of Troy, son of Priam, and brother of Paris. The most loyal man that city has seen," Percy said as Neville looked up at the statue.
"And how did he die?" Neville asked in wonder as Percy looked at him for a moment.
"At the hands of Achilles, just outside of the walls of Troy," Percy said as Neville's eyes winded "He was an unfortunate man. He was loyal and smart but he was born into a dangerous period," Percy said with a melancholy tone in his voice "He had the misfortune of having to take responsibility for his brother's actions," Percy said and Harry spoke up in curiosity.
"What did his brother do?" He asked and Percy looked at him.
"He stole a wife from a Greek general. An important one and threw Greece into a ten-year war against Troy," Percy explained, and Neville grew curious.
"Sorry for asking. But why are you so knowledgeable about these men? I don't think just reading does the trick," Neville said as Percy scratched his head.
"Well, I like the Greek mythology very much. It is vast and immense. It has moral stories all around, but," Percy said turning to the statue in front of him "If I'm being honest it's because of this man," Percy said as both Harry and Neville looked at that statue.
"The king of Ithica himself, Athena's champion, And the unsung hero of the siege of Troy. Odysseus," Percy said, and while they couldn't see his face they could hear his deep-rooted fanatism in Percy's voice. Odysseus clearly was his hero "I could tell you what his life was like but I wouldn't do it justice nor would I have the time necessary to tell you everything. But if I could describe him it would be like this," Percy said taking a moment before speaking once more.
"A man forced to become ruthless in the desperation of returning home to his wife and son," Percy said turning around to face them "A lot can be learned from his life and experiences," He said with an excited smile.
"Sounds great, but why are these statues here?" Harry asked in curiosity and Neville nodded his head feeling the same as Harry.
"It's obvious don't you see?" Percy said as both Gryffindors looked at each other confused "These places are pulled out from somewhere and these people just helped me narrow the search," Percy said as each individual looked at the statues in front of them.
Harry stared at Achilles' statue, Neville at Hector's, and Percy at Odysseus' one. Each with different expressions on their faces with Percy being the most excited one of them all "The answers I've been looking for lie in one place and one place only. Greece," Percy said as his excitement was felt all around within the other two boys and someone else entirely.
Far away from the cave where the trio of young explorers were. On a beach miles away from the cave stood a majestical creature looking straight into the cave's direction. This creature was a snowy white owl with blue stripes on its feathers but the most noticeable feature was its big wide eyes that kept looking ahead with satisfaction behind them. It was keeping a close eye on the explorers there even that far ahead. And what it was seeing pleased it to no end. Then a blue/purple-ish mist started surrounding the creature as what it had seen was enough to move ahead.
And as the creature disappeared you could almost read its thoughts about the situation it was seeing. That, all of it, was going according to plan.
End of Chapter 4