Chapter 33

Percy's Point of View

Despite the month remaining of our summer holidays, we didn't actually do much. Our morning fell into a normal routine of exercising before breakfast then reading for a couple of hours afterwards. We did get our homework done, and successfully managed to hide it from Charles when he went looking to copy it. Our afternoons were spent seeing friends or sneaking away into the forest to look for potion ingredients or practise our sword fighting or archery.

Oh. And we had to explain our holiday to our parents. Namely over dinner the night we had gotten home. I must say, that isn't one of our fondest memories…

There was an uncomfortable silence filling the dining. In the grand fireplace a fire was merrily burning, filling the room with the sweet aroma of wood smoke and the sound of spitting sparks. We fidgeted nervously in our seat, occasionally glancing up at James or Lily. We moved our food around our plate, pretending to eat it.

"Care to explain to us why you failed to send any letters during your first week away?" James demanding, adding after we opened our mouth, "And the truth this time, if you please."

We groaned. "Well… See, Lord Zeus-" We flinched as thunder rumbled above us – "had managed to accidentally leave his bolt by his throne on the Winter Solstice, and one of the demigod who had been visiting Olympus at the time stole it. For some reason he blamed Poseidon and, being his son, we were the ones sent to go find it.

"Uncle Hades summoned us to him first, after we had escaped Medusa, and explained to us that it wasn't him as we had previously assumed, and if possible he would also like us to return his Helm of Darkness to him. As our choices were pretty much obey or die in the Underworld, we chose the obvious choice and agreed to find his helm for him.

"Electro – the Fury we killed in the park – dropped us off at a nearby hotel, which turned out to be a monster trap and –"

"Ah… yes." James and Lily were pale at this point, although Charles looked fully engrossed in our story. "So you were sent on a potentially fatal quest, am I right?"

"Well, not exactly. See, Lord Zeus had threatened to kill us if we didn't find his bolt, so the quest was obviously the right option to take." I chatted happily.

If you didn't get the clue yet, we really didn't know how to tell our parents that we just risked our lives without getting grounded. Alright, so we weren't exactly grounded, but James certainly wanted to. Especially after he saw our hands…

"Harry and Perseus James Potter! You are far too young to have a tattoo!"

We stared down at our hands, noting that the unicorn blood stain was currently in the shape of wings for some reason. Rubbing our palms together, we searched for the right answer. Charles luckily got there before us.

"What? That's not a tattoo Dad!" Charles laughed. "Didn't Harry and Percy tell you that they healed a unicorn last year? It was really cool! Except there was quite a lot of blood from the unicorn, which dried on their hands staining them. And then it likes to change shape a lot as well so…"

"Why weren't we informed of this incident?" Lily demanded.

"We asked Madam Pomphrey not to tell you." We admitted. "It drained us, and we were unconscious for a few days…"

James was laughing as he took in the unusual circumstances. "Are you sure you're a Slytherin?"

"Harry most certainly is." I assured him. "I, most obviously, am a Gryffindor!"

"Yeah, but you always stay in Slytherin…" Charles grumbled.

"And what kind of welcome did we ever receive setting foot in your common room?" We sneered back.

"Boys!" Lily glared at us all, scaring us into silence. "I have another bone to pick with you, mister. I said no weapons. So pray why were half the swords in the gym missing when you were away?"

We paled. "That… we… We were learning how to sword-fight and use weapons anyway at camp! It was to teach us how to survive in a world that is full of monsters trying to kill us! Why should it matter that we wanted to take a few blades that we were comfortable with?"

"And the new bow and quiver of arrows in you room?" Lily's glare intensified.

I grinned however. "That was a gift from our friend Will at Camp. He's a son of Apollo and was there when Chiron was teaching us to shoot. We accidentally hit him – it was fine though, the arrow heads had been removed – so he made us promise to practise so that next year we won't hit him again."

Charles was giggling now. James was trying to look stern, but we could see his Marauder peeking through as he struggled to keep a straight face. We flashed them a grin.

"You what!" Lily exclaimed.

We scowled as we remembered how Lily had decided that, after our trip to Diagon Alley, we weren't allowed to leave the house for two days. She also banned us from the Gym and Library. For two whole days! Blasphemy I tell you. Keeping us from our rightful places in the house…

Someone bumping into us reminded us of where we were. Kings Cross station was just as busy as we remembered last year. Full of muggles running round, and a few of our classmates weaving through them with their large trollies. We grinned at our new addition – a beautiful snowy owl whom we had named Hedwig. She was observing her chaotic surroundings with large amber eyes, as if she was above all this mess. As a bird, we had little doubt that she quite possibly was.

Before we could reach the barrier, we ran into the Weasleys. As Ron and Charles chatted, and Lily and James caught up with Mr and Mrs Weasley, we couldn't help but watch as the minutes hand on our watch grew closer and closer to eleven.

"Um… Guys." We spoke up. "We're going to miss the train in a minute."

Ron's older brothers ran thought the barrier first, accompanied by their sister Ginny and their parents. Lily and James went next. However, as Charles went to run at the wall, the strangest thing happened. The barrier sealed shut, and his trolley crashed into the wall. The muggle ticket conductor shook his head disapprovingly at us and sighed.

"Kids these days…" He muttered.

"But… the barrier!" Ron exclaimed. "Does that mean our parents can't get back through?"

We sighed, rolling our eyes. "It'll sort itself out. Or if it doesn't, our parents can apparate anyway, so they'll be fine."

"What about catching the train?"

We rolled our eyes and Harry groaned at our brother's narrow mindedness. "It's fine. Our parents can just apparate us to Hogwarts once they get back here. Failing that, we could always floo to school."

When an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of our parents, Ron and Charles came up with their own plan to get to school, involving Mr Weasley's flying car. Harry tried to warn them that it was a very bad idea, with hundreds of flaws, but they ran off anyway.

"Look, just wait a while longer. Rushing into things is how you get hurt!" Harry argued.

Ron sneered at us. "Well if you want to waste your time here then fine! But we're going to get to Hogwarts, one way or another!"

"Then use the floo!" Harry begged.

Charles shook his head. "Do you see any fireplaces round here? Cause I don't! Especially none connected up. And besides, it's not as if we just carry floo powder around with us at all times, is it? And, you can't take luggage with you either. It's this way or not at all. You coming?"

"No! You two are such Gryffindors!" Harry snarled. "Really. Lily and James will be back soon."

Ron and Charles just shook their heads. "I'm sick of waiting!"

We watched, forlorn, as they ran off back outside. Sighing, we glanced at the barrier again.

'We could try and apparate ourselves.' I suggested. Harry frowned at me.

'We don't have a license, remember?'

'But it's wandless, so…'

I argued with Harry until he eventually agreed to give it a go. We grabbed the stuff off our trolley, and stood up, moving to a dark quiet spot. We concentrated hard on our school, filling our body with the want to be there. With a small crack, we disappeared, moving a great speeds down what felt like a tight rubber tube.

Then the tube ended, and we were standing in the middle of Hogwart's Courtyard. We heard footsteps, and shortly Severus came running see what the noise was. He stared at us in amazement.

"Harry, Percy. You know only the Headmaster is supposed to be allowed to apparate into and around Hogwarts, right?" Severus muttered. We blinked.

"Ops."

'See, I told you we shouldn't do it…' Harry growled.

I shrugged. 'Yeah, but he said 'supposed'. Consider it us checking the wards. They suck.' I stuck my tongue out at him.

Severus coughed and we realised he was waiting for a better answer.

"Yeah um… Maybe the wards broke?" We suggested.

"Why did you even apparate here in the first place – aren't you meant to be on the train now?" Severus demanded.

"Oh yeah! The barrier shut down so we couldn't get through it. Then we waited an hour for Lily and James and Mr and Mrs Weasley to come back, but nobody did, so after an hour Ron and Charles decided to take Mr Weasley's flying car – we did tell them this was a really bad idea – and fly to school. We waited a while longer then decided maybe we could try to apparate. And hence – here we are!" We grinned.

Severus paled. "A flying car. What if muggles see them?!"

We looked at our feet, mumbling about how we had tried to warn them only… they hadn't listened. Of course they hadn't. They were Gryffindors to Merlin's sake! And Uncle Hades only knows how much of a death-wish Gryffindors have.

Severus groaned, but ordered an elf to move our luggage into our dorm and then took us to see Dumbledore and explain things to him. We sighed, but still followed our godfather like the good little students we were.

We explained everything again, and the Headmaster sighed, but didn't seem overly worried about our reckless brother and his best friend. Rather, he seemed amused by their efforts to get to school. He looked slightly worried about how we had managed to apparate into Hogwarts, and decided to check the wards. He returned half an hour later, very puzzled, only to claim they were fully functioning and therefore Hogwarts herself must have let us in. She was a sentient building, after all, from all the magic she had absorbed over the years, making her mysterious in many ways.

While we waited for the other students to arrive, the Headmaster sent us with Severus to the Great Hall to both eat lunch and find something to do to pass the time. We ended up challenging the other Professors to a mini Chess tournament. As good at chess as we were, we were still beaten most of the times.

Finally, five hours later, the students arrived, filling the Hall with chatter as they entered and sat down. We spotted Draco as soon as he entered the room, and weaved our way through the throng of students to his side.

"Hey Draco." We flashed him a grin.

Draco slapped our cheek, narrowing his eyes at us. "Where were you? Do worry me like that, Potter. I thought you weren't coming this year. Your brother wasn't anywhere either!"

"Oh." We quickly outlined our problem with the barrier, and how we had gotten here. Draco sniggered when he heard about Charles' and Ron's solution.

"Oh, sweet Merlin. They actually thought that was a good idea?" He smirked. "Looks like Gryffindor's going to be behind on points from the beginning."

"Yep." Harry nodded with a grin. I pouted slightly, but didn't comment on how that technically Gryffindor was my house. "And we told Severus, so he'll be watching out for them. I mean, as much as I love Charles as my brother, he needs to learn this lesson."

I nodded slowly in agreement, realising that Harry was right. Charles really did need to learn not to go running into things. I mean, look what happened with the Philosopher's Stone last year?

Slowly the hall settled down. As we waited for few minutes for the first years to arrive I admired the Hall just like I had last year, taking in the starry sky and floating candles and the shaped torch holders. A snake, and griffin, a raven and badger, each holding a hanging bowl of fire from their mouths. For grotesques, they were actually pretty cute things.

When Professor McGonagall started calling out the names of the first years, there was one in particular that caught my attention;

"Luna Chase!"

Camp Half-Blood, Shortly after Harry and Percy had left…

Annabeth and Luna Chase were sitting quietly at the Athena table, thinking about their little friends, the Potters. Harry and Percy were quite the conundrum, despite being quiet open with people. They would answer her questions about the Wizarding World, only to create new ones. What was the Floo? Or a portkey for that matter? And how did the wand choose the wizard? Did they really have to write on parchment using a quill?

As they pondered on such questions that had been left unanswered, Annabeth and Luna missed the large tawny owl swooping down to sit in front of them. The rest of her siblings stared in awe at the majestic bird. Annabeth blinked, looking at the bird in a sort of dull confusion.

"Percy and Harry have left, what are you doing here?" She asked rhetorically.

Luna gently nudged Annabeth away, and unbound the letter she had spotted tied to the bird's leg, addressed in spidery green ink to one Luna Chase.

'Annabeth…' Luna murmured. 'It's addressed to me!'

Cautiously opening the letter, Luna read its contents. And then she abruptly fainted, leaving Annabeth to catch their body before they fell to the floor. She squinted at the loopy letters and silently cursed her mother for her dyslexia. Eventually she managed to make it out:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Chase,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of necessary books and equipment.

Term starts on 1st September. We await your owl by no later than 31st July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

"What?" Annabeth mumbled, looking up at Chiron, who had moved to stand beside her. "Can I go?"

Chiron paused, reading the letter. He nodded slowly. "I hope that owl can carry a reply back faster than it must have taken to get here. You need it back by today. Perhaps explain the circumstances of where you live."

Annabeth nodded, poking Luna. 'Luna! Wake up. We need to write a reply, and you know I can't. Not in English, anyway…'

Luna smiled as she regained consciousness, having received a mental image of her pouting sister. 'Ok. What should I write?'

Luna picked up a pen and her notepad from her pocket, and sketched out the note that Annabeth dictated to her before giving it to the owl to return. Looks like she'd be seeing the Potters a lot sooner than expected.

Leo let out a dramatic wail. "No fair! You get to see our little Harry and Percy! And you get to learn magic! I want to be a wizard!"

"You'd have to wait another two years to find out if you're a wizard anyway." Luna pointed out. "Schools only send out letters when you turn eleven."

Leo pouted. "Meanie. Leaving me here alone!"

"Hey!" Beckendorf called. "Stop moping. You've got us, haven't you? And the forge."

Leo immediately cheered up. "Hey Annabeth. I'm going to make you the coolest armour before you leave!"

Percy's Point of View

Harry and I stared in shock as the blond girls we had befriended over the summer walked to the front of the hall and sat on the stool, ready to be sorted. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head, then silence reigned once more.

I sat waiting with baited breath while the hat talked with Annabeth and Luna. Finally it called out, "Ravenclaw!"

We clapped heartily with the rest of the Hall, but still stared at our friend in shock.

"She was asking for you, you know." Draco told us. "She knew both your names as well. So, spill. How do you know her?"

"She went to camp with us at the summer. She was a year-rounder, but it looks like that just changed." We explained.

To us, the feast couldn't end soon enough. It wasn't that we didn't enjoy the roast beef and fried potatoes and all the other wonderful food on the table, but we wanted to talk to Annabeth and Luna. Almost as soon as we were dismissed for bed we got us and ran through the crowd to find her, Draco hot on our heels.

"An- Luna!" We called, unsure if they were going to go by both names or not. Draco frowned at our slip, but didn't comment, presuming it to be some silly nickname no doubt. Our blond friends turned their head, and grinned at us.

"Harry, Percy!"

We hugged each other warmly, much to the rest of Ravenclaw's shock. Being mainly Slytherin, we didn't often show this much emotion.

"How have you been?" I demanded. "How's Leo? Is he ok? You didn't leave him alone did you?"

"Hey!" Luna laughed airily. "The little fire-imp's fine. He's got his siblings doesn't he, and the rest of camp?"

We blushed slightly. Opening our mouth's to say more. Then Luna caught sight of Draco behind us, and her eye's narrowed, sharpening as Annabeth took over.

"You're the rude boy from the train."

"So I am. Are you Harry and Percy's girlfriend?" Draco retorted.

Annabeth blushed slightly with anger. "No w-. No I am not. Goodnight Harry, Percy. We should go find our dorms. See you tomorrow?"

"See you, Wise-Girl." We grinned.

She shook her head in exasperation. "Seaweed-Brain."

Draco teased us all the way to the dorm, but we didn't care. This year looked like it was turning out good. Luna and Annabeth were here, along with our usual crew. What could possibly ruin it?