Hello all I'm back once more with another update. Hope you are all well and happy. Anyway on with the show…

Disclaimer: Alas I own nothing…

Chapter Twenty Two:

By Rosa241

Percy POV:

I couldn't help but sigh as the note landed on the desk in front of me. That makes four so far in ten minutes. Oliver's been trying to talk to me for three days now but I'm still so angry. Why won't he tell me what the fight was about? Glaring at the side of his head I shove the note underneath my book and attempt to focus on the lesson.

To be honest I haven't got the faintest idea what Professor Moody is talking about. He could be describing his plans for world domination and I wouldn't know it. Between Oliver's fight with Cedric, my non-existent plans for the second task which I still know nothing about and this stupid bloody headache…I've got no room left for lessons today.

That egg is supposed to contain the clue to the next task. Neither myself nor Harry have been able to figure it out and we've not got all the time in the world. I'd love to be able to just open that thing and know exactly what it was trying to tell me but I just can't stand it. I really wish someone could just tell me! My thoughts are interrupted as another note finds its way onto my desk. Sighing I finally take pity on him and open it.

I'm sorry. Please talk to me.

It takes a few minutes before I send my reply.

You know how much I hate violence. Why won't you just tell me what the fight was about?

I can feel the relief coming off him when I push the reply back in front of him. It doesn't make any sense; we don't have secrets from one another so why keep this from me?

I know you don't like fights, especially with everything that happened with Flint. I'm sorry. Things just got out of hand.

Flint. No, stop. Don't think about him right now. I've got no spare room in my head to give some over to him.

What things? Just tell me.

This time his reply takes even longer to come back but when it does I almost feel like I could reach over and smack him.

It's not important now. How's your headache?

It was important enough to start a fight but not important enough to tell me about.

My heads fine, now stop changing the subject. Fighting is bad enough but now you're keeping secrets as well.

We don't do secrets. Ever since Oliver found out about Flint and the bullying he made me promise I would never keep any more secrets, he promised me the same thing. We've never broken that promise so why start now?

I'll tell you but not yet. The truth is I don't really understand what happened myself. When I've worked out what went on I'll tell you I promise.

That gets my attention. What does he mean he 'doesn't understand what happened'? Turning to face my best friend I can see the confusion on his face. Whatever that fight was about there's something he's still trying to make sense of. Something he's not sure about.

Okay. No more fights.

I promise. I never told you my amazing idea about the egg.

As we settle back into the familiar routine I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. I hate fighting with Oliver, he's my best friend and it feels like something's missing when we don't talk. As much as his fight is worrying me sometimes it's best to let something go.

Another pang between my eyes stops me completely. If only I could let this headache go as well.

Oliver POV:

My heart sinks as Percy slides the note under his book. It's the fourth one I've sent him and he just keeps ignoring me. Not that it's surprising of course. He's never liked fighting. Watching the tension in his face I can tell how bad his headache must be. He's always been prone to getting them ever since he was a kid but right now it's killing me knowing that I'm part of the reason he's got one. Taking out another sheet of parchment I try once again.

I'm sorry. Please talk to me.

The few minutes it takes for him to finally decide to read it are so painful but to my amazing relief he finally reads the note. His eyes flicker to me for a moment before he picks up his quill, scribbles something down and slides it back over. It always amazes me that no ones ever picked up on the fact that we pass notes to each other. We do it all the time. I'm sure McGongall clocked us once but she didn't say anything about it. Since Percy's so well behaved I think they just over look it.

You know how much I hate violence. Why won't you just tell me what the fight was about?

How can I?

How can I tell him what Cedric had written? He can claim it was his friends from now till the end of time but I know it was him. Cedric has a crush on Percy. It shouldn't bother me, he can date who he likes after all but for some reason I just can't stand the idea.

I know you don't like fights, especially with everything that happened with Flint. I'm sorry. Things just got out of hand.

I hate mentioning that piece of work. The things that he did to Percy, not the physical stuff (that was bad enough), but the mental stuff…it makes me want to kill him just thinking about it. He's still trying to work his way through it now, still trying to piece himself back together after the bullying. Thankfully he slides the parchment back my way before my thoughts grow too dark.

What things? Just tell me.

I can't, telling him would cause more problems than it would solve.

It's not important now. How's your headache?

Despite not being able to see his face I can just envisage the eye roll he's giving to my note. It's a poor attempt at changing the subject.

My heads fine, now stop changing the subject. Fighting is bad enough but now you're keeping secrets as well.

Those words stop me in my tracks. Keeping secrets. After I found out the truth about just how physical things had gotten with Flint I'd made him promise never to keep secrets from me again. Naturally I'd responded the same way. Since that day we've always told each other the truth, about everything, but now…

He's right. I am keeping it a secret but I really don't understand what went on myself, how can I explain it to him when I'm still trying to make sense of it all. Making my decision I scribble down the note and shove it towards him before I have chance to chicken out.

I'll tell you but not yet. The truth is I don't really understand what happened myself. When I've worked out what went on I'll tell you I promise.

He turns to face me and I can tell he's examining me. He's trying to work out whether this is another lie or whether I've decided to tell him the truth.

Okay. No more fights.

Reading the note sends a wave of relief washing over me. Until I tell him what happened he'll keep wondering, he won't let it go, but at least we can let it go for now. As the relief flows through me a thought suddenly pops into my head.

I promise. I never told you my amazing idea about the egg.

Moody POV:

Watching him now I can see the tension in his shoulders from here. He doesn't know that I'm watching him of course (thanks to the eye) but I am. I've been watching him all lesson. From the dark circles under his eyes I'll bet the nightmares have started now and judging from the way he keeps rubbing between his eyes the headache is there as well.

It wasn't easy getting the potion together. Stealing the ingredients from Snapes store was hard enough. That man has eyes like a hawk. Of course he'd worked out now that someone was stealing from his stores which meant he probably knew that whoever was stealing was making poly juice potion. Taking it to this level was risky. If I'm not careful someone will get suspicious.

There are few who have the capabilities to brew the potion I've been slipping him. I don't have to worry though, I doubt that pathetic potions master knows enough to work out what these missing ingredients have been used for. Still…I must be careful.

I can't work out why the boy threatens me so much. He's just a boy, he'll make no difference to our plan by the end of the year I'm sure but it's not worth the risk. Most kids in this school, and most staff, have accepted my position as Alastor Moody. There are only a handful of people who have suspicions about me. The Malfoy boy for one, although that's more to do with the fact that Moody is responsible for his Aunt's incarceration. He's too much of an idiot to work out who I really am. That half giant keeps giving me strange looks but he'll never know. But that boy…

That boy keeps looking at me like there's something he's trying to work out. He didn't see my true self at the world cup but he heard me. Putting him in the cup was supposed to distract him, maybe even kill him, but if anything he's growing more suspicious by the day. The more he looks at me the more I wonder if he really does know something. He can't, I'm sure he can't but it's a risk I won't take.

Better to take him out before he takes me out.

Oh no!

What exactly is the imposter planning? What potion is he slipping our dear Percy? What is it going to do to him?

What exactly is Oliver's theory about the egg? Will it work?

Will I update before you all grow old and wrinkly?

Who knows!

Stay tuned and you'll find out…eventually…at some point...maybe...

Until next time, bye bye!