live, laugh, rage

Perseus Jackson learns that he is not of the human world when a letter from a mysterious, elite school shows up at his home. Wishing his adoptive mother goodbye, Percy leaves home to attend Hogwarts and learns that there is much more about his life that he doesn't know... And he'll only learn all of it with time. Meeting two friends for life, Piper McLean and Annabeth Chase, Percy must learn to navigate a world of new bullies, monsters, and magic, as a mysterious foe threatens to take Percy away from this new world and turn him into something he's not. Join Percy as he discovers Secrets of Hogwarts and learn the identity of the Prince of Slytherin House.

(I say "new" fanfiction series, but I wrote the original version of this 5 years ago, when I was in high school. My writing has greatly improved, and I'm excited to restart and properly finish this series! The original draft of this is still on my Wattpad page, @secrets_hogwarts, but I won't be posting that here or on Ao3. I will be posting all chapters of this version here and on Ao3, once the book is finished! I have BIG plans!)

Promotional Banner: It reads " Secrets of Hogwarts: The Prince of Slytherin. Written by Ace_Of_Cups "

Book Cover:

It reads " A Percy Jackson / Harry Potter Crossover Series. Secrets of Hogwarts: The Prince of Slytherin. Ace of Cups. "

Chapter Seventeen - Going Home

Percy woke up far from where he’d fallen asleep. His head still felt foggy, but he was warm and bound in blankets. When he opened his eyes, he was in the Hospital Wing. Annabeth and Piper were sitting on either side of his bed, either asleep or staring off into space.

“Guys?” Percy whispered. Piper jumped, but Annabeth didn’t budge.

“You’re awake! Madam Pomphrey! Madam Pomphrey, he’s-”

“I heard you the first time, girl.” The matron scolded, brushing Piper aside. “How are you feeling, dear? Can you sit?”

Percy whimpered softly, before sitting up. Annabeth groaned and raised her head as Madam Pomphrey inspected his head. She tsked softly as she leaned back. “Well, you’ve got one nasty bump there, but there’s no lasting damage. Only a simple, mild concussion, but it should be cleared up before supper tonight.”

Percy nodded, breathing out slowly. “Did- Were they-”

“Try not to overexert yourself.” Madam Pomphrey said, “Oh, Mr. Potter. Do calm down.”

Percy looked over to see Harry Potter in a bed nearby, pointing towards the door. Madam Pomphrey huffed and hurried over to see what was the matter.

“Did Snape find them?” Percy asked. Piper nodded. 

“They were both fine, but they’ve been expelled. The girl was furious, claiming they were under some kind of curse.” She shook her head, “The Seeker, though, he called her out. She was lying through her teeth!”

“Of course she was,” Annabeth sighed, “If you’d tried to kidnap someone and failed, wouldn’t you also lie about it?”

Piper shrugged, “Yeah… Still.”

“Why’s Harry here?”

“Oh, he’s had his own adventure.” Annabeth sighed, “He stopped Professor Quirrel from stealing the Sorcerer’s Stone. Nearly died, though.”

“And Quirrel?”

“Dead as a doornail. Also, did you hear about him having You-Know-Who sticking out of the back of his head?” Piper said, shuddering. “If I ever get possessed by anything… Kill me. Instantly. I don’t care.”

“Oh, hush.” Annabeth said, “You’re being dramatic.”

Piper stuck out her tongue and Percy laid back down, listening to the bicker, finally able to relax with the knowledge that he was completely safe.

The end-of-year feast was one Percy almost missed. He and Harry were both being held up, and left to run to the Great Hall in hopes of making it before Dumbledore’s speech. When they arrived, the Great Hall was full, decorated with green and silver, announcing the House Cup’s winner. Percy waved to Harry before jogging over to the Slytherin table and sliding into place beside Annabeth and Piper. Piper hugged him, pointed up to the banners, but he could barely hear her over the voices of the others at the table, asking if he was alright, how he’d gotten away from his attackers, and even if he was going to need a permanent guard to prevent getting kidnapped in the future.

Percy tried to ignore it, but the noise only quieted when Dumbledore stepped up to his magnificent podium.

“Another year gone!” He said cheerfully, “And I must trouble you with an old man’s wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were… you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts…

“Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six; and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two.”

The whole Slytherin table, Percy, Annabeth and Piper included, began cheering and stomping in celebration. Draco banged his goblet, which made Percy’s excitement dim only a little.

“Yes, yes, well done, Slytherins.” Dumbledore clapped politely as the cheering died down, “However, recent events must be taken into account.”

“Oh, shit.” Percy whispered. Annabeth choked and gaped at him.  Piper grinned gleefully.

“I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes…”

“First – to Mr. Ronald Weasley…” Percy shared a horrified look with Piper, who was sinking in her seat, probably regretting not getting more points in classes. “For the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House fifty points.”

Percy relaxed a little, despite the roaring cheers from Gryffindor. He wasn’t the best at maths, but surely they couldn’t catch up with only 50 points, right?

“Second – to Miss Hermione Granger… For the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House fifty points.” Percy felt nauseous. Who else was getting points? Harry for sure, but surely 50 would only tie them…

“Third – to Mr. Harry Potter… for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points.”

Percy was about to cry. 

“We’re tied.” Annabeth whispered, “What- What do they do for a tie? Piper?”

“I don’t know! There was nothing in the book about it!” Piper threw her hands up. Percy barely heard them over the screaming Gryffindor’s across the hall. Dumbledore raised his hand, the room gradually grew silent once more. 

“There are all kinds of courage,” Dumbledore said with a broad smile, looking across the room. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom.”

It was like a cannon had gone off. Percy’s ears rang like he sat next to the barrel as it exploded. He’d never heard a group of people yell so loudly, and it made him dizzy. Or, maybe the vertigo was a result of the hope that had been so coldly ripped away from his hands. 

“Which means,” Dumbledore called over the thunderous applause and cheers of “Longbottom, Longbottom, Longbottom” coming from 3 of the 4 tables in the hall, “We need a little change of decoration.”

Percy could have fainted, and he would have been better off than he was seeing the green and silver banners over the tables ripple and change to scarlet and gold. 

On one hand, he was proud of Neville for standing up for himself. On the other hand, he was supremely jealous. Not even for himself. Annabeth had successfully stunned someone, saved Percy’s life, and ran to get help all without hesitating or getting stopped. She fought off a 7th Year girl for however long it was before Percy regained consciousness, and then Piper had risked pissing off Snape by running to get him, alone, at 11 at night. Percy didn’t even care about justice for himself. What about his friends? Without them, he would be off who knows where with some dark, evil wizard that might’ve killed him!

It just wasn’t fair.

Percy was so absorbed in the loss of the House Cup that he entirely forgot about the exam results. His potions grade didn’t surprise him, nor did it shock Annabeth or Piper. They’d also both done well, Annabeth matching him because she was his partner for it. Percy’s worst subject was History of Magic, which was supremely hilarious because Piper had gotten the second best grade out of all the first years in the school. Only after Hermione. 

Percy was going to make her pay him back for all those long nights of sharing notes one way or another. He just didn’t know how yet.

To their dismay, Crabbe, Goyle and Draco all passed with flying colors, despite Crabbe and Goyle’s stupendous stupidity. 

Anita also did well, but Percy really did not care. She just decided to flaunt it around the common room before they left to board the train. Minerva screamed in her carrier as Percy walked out of the castle with all the other first years, sitting with Piper and Annabeth on the boat across the lake.

They boarded the train and found a compartment with their things together, and a still screaming kitten. The ride back to London was long, but far from boring. Annabeth lectured them at first about using magic outside of school, before starting to toss a ball of string around for Minerva to chase. When they finally reached the platform, Percy took his time gathering his things, helping Annabeth and Piper first before getting his own stuff.

They were the last three off the train, and the last three to head for the wall that led back to the rest of Kings Cross.

Beyond the barrier, Percy could see hundreds of students greeting their family, hundreds more muggles bustling from train to exit and exit to train. He stood on the tips of his toes to try and see Muriel or someone that could be related to Piper or Annabeth.

He was beginning to lose hope when he heard a small voice yell out.

“I SEE HIM! PERCY! PERCY, OVER HERE!” Percy turned around to see Muriel with Bianca at her side, and Nico sprinting towards him. He had exactly 10 seconds to rest his things on the ground before Nico nearly tackled him to the ground. 

Piper yelped and Annabeth laughed as Bianca rushed over to try and pull Nico off of Percy. 

“Nico- Nico, let go!” She sighed, “Come on!”

“Who are they?” Nico asked, pointing at Piper and Annabeth after he finally released Percy.

“They’re my friends,” Percy shrugged, “Piper and Annabeth. Guys, this is Bianca and Nico. Muriel’s been fostering them.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Annabeth smiled. Piper waved awkwardly.

“Wait!” Nico pointed at Piper, “I know you! You’re Tristan McLean’s daughter! I saw his new movie with Bianca last week!”

“Uh-” Piper laughed nervously, “I- Um-”

“You two run awfully fast.” Muriel huffed, gently pushing Bianca out of the way so she could hug Percy. “Oh, how I missed you, love… I’m so glad you’re home safe.” She kissed his head a few times before releasing him, smoothing out his curls. “You’ve grown taller.”

“Hi, Mrs. Black.” Annabeth said.

“Oh, no, no, no.” Muriel waved a hand, “Don’t even. Call me Muriel, I insist.” She smiled widely. “You must be Annabeth and Piper. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Annabeth!”

“Oh-” Annabeth looked ill. She turned as a tall, dark skinned man walked up to her. He was smiling. “Dad.”

“There you are! These must be your friends-” His smile fell and he stared at Muriel for a moment, “I- Muriel Black? Is that you?”

“Hi, Frederick.” Muriel smiled, “Long time no see.”

“I didn’t know you had a child- Three children?”

“Percy here is mine, these two are my fosters.” She put her hands on Bianca and Nico’s shoulders. 

“Ah!” Frederick laughed, “Well, I’m glad to see you. It really has been some time.”

Annabeth gestured for Percy and Piper to follow her as Frederick and Muriel spoke. Percy didn’t hesitate to follow after them. 

“Promise you’ll write?” She asked, “Both of you. I don’t want to go a whole summer without talking to either of you. Okay?”

“Like you had to ask. Let’s try to meet up at Diagon Alley. All three of us.”

Piper nodded, “Definitely. I’ll be happy to get away from my dad’s assistant."

“So, next year, then?” Percy grinned. They both nodded, before pulling him in for a hug. 

It was the first time Percy left a school year with hope for the future. It was also the first time that he looked forward to the next year more than the summer ahead of him. He couldn’t wait for August, and he was dreading the chores that awaited him when he returned home.

(( Final Chapter!! I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope you all look forward to the second installment.

I don't have a set date for release, but I am aiming for no later than August 18th. If you would like updates, I will be sharing them here occasionally, or you can follow me on Wattpad at ( @secrets_hogwarts )!!

Chapter Sixteen - The Prince of Slytherin

After their less than safe visit to the tunnels, Annabeth refused to speak to Percy, and he didn’t blame her. Even through exams, she only addressed him as ‘Jackson’, and only during classes where they had to work together. Although, Percy was so anxious about whatever Quirrel was planning that he didn’t care all too much how Annabeth felt about him. 

It was a miracle he made it through most of his exams at all. On top of his mountping dread, the written exams were dreadful. Sitting in a hot classroom, struggling to remember everything they’d been taught, and hoping the anti-cheating quills wouldn’t mistake something they did as a mistake as an intentional attempt at cheating. It was nerve wracking.

They also had practical exams, but Percy greatly preferred those. Professor McGonogall watched as they tried to turn mice into snuffboxes, something Percy did not do a good job of. His snuffbox, though it looked like it was carved from sea glass and was quite pretty, still had a tail. 

Then came Potions. This was the exam he was partnered with Annabeth for, and the exam where she refused to call him by his first name. It was stiff, and awkward, but they got through with a passing Forgetfulness potion. 

The night before their last exam, Percy watched Piper desperately try to cram as much information about the History of Magic into her brain as she could, alongside a plate stacked high with glazed buns. Percy was impressed by her dedication, even if she wouldn’t let him snag any of the aforementioned buns. 

Of course, when Professor Binns told them to set their quills down and roll up their parchment, Piper was hyperventilating with fear. Meanwhile, everyone else cheered in relief. Percy was among them, as was Annabeth. 

As they walked down to the lake, Piper was practically in tears. “I totally screwed myself! Why didn’t you just tell me to study? I mean- How could you do this to me?”

“I did!” Percy said, “You wouldn’t listen! You kept falling asleep!”

“You could have woken me up!”

“I did!” Percy laughed as they neared the water’s edge. “I tried so many times. You kept hitting me!”

“So you keep trying?”

“Y’know, what…” Percy nodded, “You’re right. Next year, I’ll just hit you until you wake up.”

“That’s not what I mean!” She whined, stomping her foot. “I might not even make it into next year!”

“Oh, come off it.” Annabeth puffed, “You can’t have done that badly.”

“Yes, I could have!” Piper whined, “You were no help either, Miss Chase!”

“Why you-” Annabeth growled playfully, before jumping forward and pushing Piper into the lake. She gasped, sitting up right from the water.

“You-” Piper began, hauling herself from the water. “I’m gonna kill you!”

“You better-” Percy started, but Annabeth had already taken off, giggling like a maniac with Piper at her heels. He smiled and sat down at the water’s edge, facing the lake. He crossed his ankles and laid back, eyes closed as the sun warmed his face. 

They had a whole week of rest and relaxation before their results were released, and Percy planned to enjoy it. No stress, no worry, no pressure to excel in classes each and every day. He didn’t even care if he had to worry about Quirrel. 7 days of peace and quiet… 

“Where’s your girlfriend?” 

The peace and quiet lasted exactly 7 minutes, unfortunately, but that was just Percy’s luck.

“Off with her other girlfriend.” Percy said smoothly, covering up his laugh with a long yawn. 

“What?” Draco yelped. 

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” Percy tilted his head back to see Draco turning even paler than he was before. “I figured you of all people would’ve figured it out first.”

“That’s- What’s wrong with you three?” He scowled and stomped off. Percy sighed in relief and dozed off.

He woke up some time later to something landing on his stomach. He opened one eye to see the sun setting in the distance, faintly illuminating the owl that had landed on him. He groaned and sat up slightly, finding Annabeth on his right, curled into a ball under his arm, and Piper on his left, splayed out like a cat. He reached for the owl and pulled the letter from its claws. It nipped at his finger gently, not hard enough to draw blood, before fluttering off into the sunset.

He laid back down, careful not to bump Annabeth as he tore open the letter.

It was from Muriel. He hadn’t heard from her since Christmas, but, in his defence, he also hadn’t written to her. As he scanned over the letter, he felt a warm feeling bloom in his chest.

Gabe was gone. Muriel, Nico and Bianca were home, and he could come home to a safe house for the summer. He was nearly in tears when he finished it, tucking it into his robes and staring up at the gradually darkening sky.

They didn’t sleep for much longer. Percy carefully woke Piper and Annabeth and led them up to the castle for dinner, and then they trudged off to the common room. Piper took a detour on the way, leaving Percy and Annabeth alone again.

He sighed as they reached the door, “I’m sorry. About the last time we went in the passages. I didn’t… I didn’t expect an army of-”

“Please don’t say it.” She’d turned ashen, her deep brown skin seeming to lose some color at the idea of what had happened. “I- I can’t. I have a very… Bad history with… You know.”

“Okay.” Percy nodded, glancing around to make sure nobody could hear. “I get it. I just wanted to apologize for making you come with me when you didn’t want to.” She shrugged. 

“It’s okay. I… I looked into some of the history of Hogwarts, the book Piper mentioned. It says there’s hundreds of tunnels throughout Hogwarts, but it doesn’t mention anything about magic walls, or apparitions that aren’t ghosts, or murals suddenly appearing. Just that they lead in and out of the school, and are hard to find.”

“So there’s nothing about the ones we found?” Percy leaned against the wall, “That doesn’t make any sense. How could no one have found them? It’s not like it was hard. All you had to do was push me into a wall.”

“Finding the right walls is the hard part.” Annabeth shrugged. “We got lucky… Lucky isn’t the word I’d use, actually.”

“Me either.” Percy said. He tried to say more, but Piper appeared on his right with 2 baskets full of sweets. A glazed bun was in her mouth, and she held up the baskets with a grin. Annabeth laughed and took one, letting Piper take the bun from her mouth.

“Curtesy of the cute boy from Hufflepuff… Turns out I didn’t need to borrow that mind-reading necklace of yours to find out if he likes me.” Piper giggled, “Who would’ve thought?”

“I could have told you the answer to that!” Annabeth swatted Piper’s shoulder, “Considering he steals sweets and snacks for you nearly every night, I’d hope he likes you.”

“Wait, that’s how you get food from the kitchens!?” Percy jogged after them as they finished the walk to the common room door. “That’s not fair! I thought you were getting them yourself!”

“It’s called charm,” Piper grinned at him and batted her eyes, “You wouldn’t understand, Perseus.”

“No, it’s called cheatin’.”

“How have I never noticed that you sound distinctly more Scottish when you’re angry?” Piper leaned in, scrunching her face at him.

“What the hell’s that s’posed to mean?” Annabeth snorted.

“I’m sorry, but she’s right.”

“No, I don’t!” Percy said, then snapped his mouth shut. He sounded like Muriel. “Shut up. It’s from my mum.”

They both cackled and turned to open the common room door, leading him inside. He sighed and shook his head, stomping over to the couch and dropping into an open seat beside Gemma. She gave the three of them curious looks. 

“What’s got all of you in such a mood?”

“Percy’s Scottish!” Piper squealed.

“No, I’m not! My mum just-”

“Oh, I hear it.” Gemma grinned.

“I’m not!” Percy tried to defend himself, but the three of them just laughed at him. He folded his arms and glared at Piper as she stuffed her face with another sweet roll. Gemma reached over and snagged a handful.

“Prefect tax.” She said when Piper tried to argue, “Unless you’d rather I tell Snape on you.” Piper pouted. “And don’t feel bad about sounding Scottish, Percy. I guarantee you, the rest of us Scots are proud to be.”

Percy sighed. He hadn’t noticed the lilt to Gemma’s voice before, but she did sound a lot like Muriel. Maybe that was why he was so quick to like her. She reminded him of his mother, of home.

“Thanks.” He sighed, “But really, I don’t think I’m Scottish. I know Muriel was born in the countryside, but I dunno about my other mum.”

“Other mum?” Gemma asked, turning towards him. “You have two mums?”

“Muriel adopted him,” Annabeth said quickly. “She raised him. His other mum, Sally, she… Well… Everyone’s pretty sure she died.”

“Oh…” Gemma whispered. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”

Percy shrugged, grabbing a couple of cookies from one of Piper’s baskets. “It’s fine. I never knew her, so there’s not much to miss…” 

“I’m still sorry.” Gemma rested a hand on his shoulder, “If you need it, next year, you can talk to me. If you need an excuse to avoid detention, I’m sure I could find a way to help… For a price… But I’m happy to be there for you. All three of you.”

“Thank you.” Percy smiled at her, before taking a bite of his cookie.

“Hey, Gemma! Can you help me with this?”

“Yeah, coming!” She said, patting Percy on the shoulder as she stood, her sweet buns in hand. 

Percy stared at his hands as he finished the cookie, nibbling slowly. He kept track of his progress in time with the fire as it slowly died. Eventually, the cookie was gone, and the fire was nothing but embers. Piper and Annabeth had fallen asleep in the arm chairs, and the other Slytherins had headed off for an early night so they could enjoy the next day. Even Gemma had gone. 

For the first time since he arrived at Hogwarts, Percy felt entirely and hopelessly alone. Even with his best friends sitting so near, he felt hollow. It was wrong. 

Percy got to his feet, dusting the crumbs of his trousers and headed to the door of the passageway. He knew he shouldn’t, not after last time, and not when he knew Quirrel would be coming for him soon… But he wanted to go back to the Quidditch room. He had the picture of his mother, but he wanted to go back. See her smile again, alone, where he was safely squared away and no one could sneak up on him and take a peak.

So he went in. With his wand lit, he walked the tunnels until he found the trophy room, opened up the door and turned to look at his mother’s trophy. Her photograph was still there, smiling and waving, looking as happy as any one person could.

He’d told Gemma that there wasn’t much to miss about a dead woman, but… That was a lie. 

There was a lot to miss. Knowing her voice, knowing his heritage, his history, knowing what her laugh sounded like, what food and games she liked. Hearing her tell stories or tease him for little things. All the things Muriel had done. It wasn’t that he lacked the warmth, love, or comfort of a mother. He just wanted to know what he came from. Who he got all his quirks from.

The ADHD, the dyslexia, the favorite foods and favorite songs. The color of his hair, color of his eyes. His smile, the dimples at the corner of his mouth, the freckles that only came out when he was in the sun for too long. It felt wrong that he didn’t know. Like some injustice had been committed, but… He would never get rid of that feeling. That need to know, and the questions he had would never get answered.

Yes, Muriel could answer a few of them, but not all. Not the personal ones. Not the secrets.

The door to the trophy room swung open and Percy jumped, spinning around to see Annabeth and Piper coming in.

“What are you doing?” Piper hissed, “It’s so late, and Quirrel could be anywhere.”

“What- I thought you weren’t going to use the passages anymore?” He asked, and Annabeth frowned.

“We didn’t. We came through the hall.”

“That door leads to the-” he cut off when he got a look at the door. It was different from the one he’d come through. He turned around to see a blank wall to his right. That was where he’d entered from. “I’m getting really sick of this.”

“Come on, we have to get back to the common room.” Piper whispered, “Now.”

“She’s right, we don’t-” 

Something outside the room made them all go silent. They all faced the door, backing up to the wall. Percy reached for his necklace, listening.

‘Where is that little twerp?’

“Will you hush! If he knows we’re coming, he’ll run away, and then we’ll never catch him.”

‘God, she’s such a bitch.’

“I didn’t mean to. Now, shut up. The professor said he liked to hang out in the trophy room, so-”

The door swung open. Except, it wasn’t the one they were facing. Percy barely had a chance to turn before something hit him over the back of the head, knocking him out.

Percy woke up on the floor, head spinning and throbbing. His hands had been bound and tied and he was pushed into the side of one of the trophy cases. As he looked around, he saw Piper across from him, a dark bruise on her cheek, and Annabeth on her feet, tussling with a large girl who must’ve been a 7th year. 

“Annabeth-” Percy groaned, trying to sit. A hard shoe found its way onto his side, digging into his ribs.

“Shut it, Jackson.” A hard voice hit his ears and he flinched, looking up to see the Slytherin Seeker glaring down at him. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

“Get off of him!” Annabeth screamed, before the bigger girl hit her in the face. She whimpered and crumpled to the ground, holding her face. Percy squirmed, managing to knock the boy off balance. He grabbed at his shoe and pulled, making him fall onto the ground.

“Can’t you do one thing right!?” The girl snapped, “Get up, you oaf! We need to get him to the top of the Astronomy tower before midnight, or we’ll lose our chance to get him out!”

“What about them?” The Seeker snarled, pointing at Piper as the girl tied up Annabeth’s hands. 

“We’ll…” The girl started, then huffed out a breath. “How should I know?”

 “They’re no use to the Dark Lord, he’ll just… Kill them. Let’s just leave them here.”

“And risk them telling a professor?” She smacked the Seeker upside the head, “Are you truly such an idiot that you can’t see them doing that? Grab the girls, I’ll deal with Jackson.”

“But-”

“Do it!”

The Seeker’s lip curled and he pulled Annabeth and Piper to their feet by the ropes around their hands. Percy pushed himself up into a sitting position. 

“Wait, wait-” He said as the girl reached for his ropes, “Leave them here. Leave them here, and I won’t fight.”

“Percy, no!” Piper struggled against the Seeker, but he swatted at her head and she nearly dropped to the ground from the hit.

“Please!” Percy yelled, “Just leave them, don’t hurt them! I’ll do whatever you say, just- Don’t hurt them!”

“The Dark Lord will be furious if his little prince is hurt.” The Seeker said.

The girl looked back at the Seeker, and their eyes met for a moment. She sighed and shook her head, “Fine, your highness. But no funny business, ya hear me? If you try anything, I will come back here and torture these girls until they pass out from the pain. Understood?”

Percy gritted his teeth, but nodded. 

“Tie them up better,” She said as she dragged him to his feet, “Then hurry up and meet me at the tower.”

“Got it.” The Seeker said, pushing Annabeth and Piper back down, even as they tried to fight him. Percy followed the girl out into the corridor, doing his best to keep up with her. She was all but jogging, clearly in a hurry. Every once in a while, she’d pull him behind a statue or a suit of armor to hide from a passerby. Percy was tempted to call out, ask for help, but he was worried about Annabeth and Piper. If he got saved, but this girl got away… 

He couldn’t let her torture them. He’d rather die than live on knowing he’d let it happen.

They were at the base of the astronomy tower before they heard footsteps running up to them. The girl turned around and they spotted the Seeker sprinting to them, he was breathing hard, with a bright red sore on top of his head.

“They- That black girl- She-”

“Did you let them go!?” The girl shrieked. “I swear, I’m gonna kill you-”

“They knocked me out! One second, they were tied, the next she was on my back!”

“Oh, you miserable little-”

“STUPEFY!” Annabeth’s voice shouted from Percy’s left. He turned his head, but she wasn’t there. When he looked back, the girl had dropped his ropes and was on the ground, unconscious. “Catch!”

Percy threw his hands up and felt his wand slip between his fingers. The Seeker roared as Percy blindly pointed his wand at him and repeated what Annabeth said. “Stupefy!?”

The Seeker looked dumbfounded, stumbling for a few seconds before crashing to the floor and twitching. Badly. 

“Come on.” Annabeth appeared in front of him rapidly pulling at his ropes, “We have to get a Professor, or a prefect- Hell, even Filch would do!”

“Where’s Piper?” Percy asked.

“She went to find Snape, but I don’t know if she’s had any luck!” She pulled the ropes off, and began tying up the girl. “I’m glad I did that right, I’ve never done it before- I don’t think you did, though.”

“I don’t even know what I did,” Percy said as she finished tying the girl and the Seeker’s hands together. 

“It’s a stunning spell. Come on, we need to go. Now.”

Percy stopped asking questions. The two of them began sprinting back down to the first floor, glancing in every open door or hallway for a teacher or Filch. Somehow, they made it all the way to the Potions classroom without finding anyone. 

Thankfully, as they pushed open the Potions room door, they heard Piper in the back office, desperately trying to convince Snape that she didn’t need Madam Pomphrey, she needed his help. Annabeth ran forward and threw open the door, “Professor! I found Percy-”

Snape pushed her aside and appeared in the classroom, sweeping over to Percy and looking him over. His wrists were red and sore, and there was a lump on the back of his head. His ribs ached, too, but that wasn’t visible.

“Miss Chase, get Prefect Farley. Now.” Annabeth nodded and darted out of the classroom. “Jackson, tell me exactly what happened.”

So he did. He was only halfway through when Annabeth returned with Gemma, who caught the tail end of the story, and looked positively horrified at what she heard.

“Miss Farley, escort them back to the Common Room. Do not leave their side until I return.” 

“Yes, sir.” She nodded. Piper limped over to Gemma, whimpering as she stepped. 

“Jackson, you said they were taking you to the Astronomy tower?”

“Yes, Professor.” Percy said, “We were at the bottom of the stairs when Annabeth showed up.”

Snape nodded and disappeared from the classroom door.

“Come on.” Gemma said, “Let’s get you all in front of the fire. I’m not letting the three of you out of my sight until Professor Snape returns.”

Percy was not going to complain about that, following Gemma to the common room. As soon as the door was sealed shut behind them, Annabeth flung her arms around his neck in a hug. He froze, stumbling backward a little. 

“What are you-”

“That was stupid!” She said, pulling back and hitting him. “So, so stupid! You don’t know what they wanted you for! What if they killed you!?”

“I don’t think they would have.” He said, “But they said that you would be. I wasn’t going to let you two-”

“She’s right.” Piper said, “That was incredibly stupid… But Annabeth, if he hadn’t done it, we wouldn’t have been able to get free and help.”

“I-” Annabeth tried, then groaned. “I want to be mad at you! Let me be mad at you!”

“Come over here, you three.” Gemma said from the fire. Annabeth shook her head at him and marched over, sitting down on the couch. Percy sat down opposite her, looking over at her as she glared at the fire. There were tears on her cheeks, tears she wiped at each time they fell. Tears she didn’t want him to see. 

Chapter Fifteen - Apparitions in the Dark

(The image above is a work in progress I'm doing, inspired by a piece of AI art I found that ticked me off very much.)

Their detention was bearable, if a bit tedious. Snape put them to work in his classroom, making Annabeth sort his potion supplies according to a very strict, very strange system he’d laid out just for her to figure out. Meanwhile, he set Percy to preparing his newest stock of potion supplies, from cutting up plants to learning to pickle animal parts. None of it made him feel particularly confident in his enjoyment of potions, but he was trying to keep an open mind.

It was his best subject so far, even if he hated the one teaching it.

They were so focused on avoiding further trouble that Percy forgot to ask about the article Annabeth had mentioned.

He tried once or twice to talk to Annabeth throughout the period with Snape, only for Snape to sharply cut him off and scold him for trying to make light of a punishment. Percy was really not liking Snape by the time they were finally released, well after dinner was finished. It was a relief that they were so close to the potions classroom, and they walked in to find it quiet and somewhat empty. Percy sat on the couch, and Annabeth dropped down beside him, flopping onto her side so her head was on his leg as she yawned. If Percy had been less tired, he might’ve been a little embarrassed, or at least tried to distract himself by asking about the article, but he was nearly asleep already.

He had no idea how much time passed before he was woken up by someone’s annoying laugh. It wasn’t any old someone, though. It was Draco. 

“I knew they were dating!” He pointed at them, “How quaint. Don’t they make the perfect couple? A loser and a n-”

Annabeth was on her feet before Percy even knew she was awake. Draco cried out as she pointed her wand at him and hexed him. He began screaming as the same blisters he’d inflicted on her began breaking out across his skin. Annabeth hummed.

“I thought you were so brave and strong, Malfoy?” She said, “Surely you can handle a silly little hex.”

“Just you wait-” He tried yelling, but his face was swelling. “Until my- My father-”

“Best run along now, Draco.” Percy said, staying in his seat, “Unless you want your friends to see how lousy you look when you’re in your natural form.”

Draco was trying to glare, but the blisters were getting worse. He, along with a stunned Crabbe, left the common room in an attempt to reach the Hospital Wing before Draco’s vision went entirely.

“I didn’t even know you were awake.” Percy yawned as Annabeth sat back down, smiling proudly.

“I woke up when I heard them come in.” She said, “Ranting about detention with Harry and Hagrid. What a loser.”

Percy laughed and yawned, glancing towards the passageway door. “D’you think we have time to-”

“We are not going in the passageways.” Annabeth shook her head.

“Why not?” Percy frowned, “And how did you know what I was going to say?”

“We’re not going because they’re dangerous, and I knew because I saw you look at the wall.” She gave him a look, one he had a feeling he would become all-too-well acquainted with throughout their years at school. 

“Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you’re not curious.” Percy said, “They’re not as scary as you think.”

“Your mum said she lost a friend in there, and didn’t specify if she meant literally or not. I’m going to take that at face value and accept that they died.” She huffed, “I don’t plan to join them.”

Percy sighed dramatically, “Can I at least show you one thing? We don’t even have to take any turns, we can go straight in, then straight back.”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him, before sighing. “Fine. But we need to be quick.”

“We will.” Percy promised, jumping to his feet. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the wall, pushing it open. Annabeth groaned as he lit his wand and led her down the tunnel to the mural. She stopped just behind him and sighed. “See?”

“I don’t get it. What am I looking at?”

“This.” Percy pointed at it, “I found it before Christmas.”

She stepped closer, lighting her own wand and stepping close. She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. “It’s a mosaic, but… This wasn’t here before.” She reached up to touch one of the tiles, “They’re old, though. I don’t like this.”

“The tunnels don’t close off,” Percy said, “It just looks like it. It was probably hidden by a fake wall.”

“Percy, these are still dangerous.” Annabeth sighed.

“Well- I- What do you think of the mural, at the least?” He asked, “Could it mean something?”

“Probably, but I don’t know what.” She shrugged, “It’s two people by a wall.”

“It’s not a wall.” Percy shook his head, pointing to the top, where the crest of the wave sat. “It’s a wave. They’re on a beach.”

Annabeth sighed, “I- I don’t know, Percy. I guess this could be…” She pointed to the red figure. “Maybe Ares, the Greek God of War. His colors are black and red, but I don’t know why he’d be on a mosaic in Hogwarts. Not to mention, there’s so many others it could be.”

Percy frowned. It felt important, somehow.

“Look, we should get to bed-” Annabeth cut off and screamed. Percy turned to look behind him just as a pearly-white apparition ran through him. He gasped, jumping backwards, but it just felt like he’d been showered with mist. “What was that?”

Percy looked after the apparition. It was Sally. He was sure of it.

“My mum. I- I’ve seen her before. A few times- It's not a ghost.”

“Percy-”

“I know it’s not a ghost,” He said, “She’s not old enough to be a ghost-”

“PERCY!” Annabeth yelled, pointing behind him. He turned back around and saw hundreds of little shapes scuttling towards them. Percy stretched out his arm to shine light on them, and felt a chill on his spine.

Spiders. Hundreds upon hundreds of little spiders, marching towards them, in such a thick sheet that there was no stone to be seen between them.

“Run!” Annabeth screamed, releasing Percy’s hand. He stumbled and turned to chase after her and the apparition. She was faster than him, driven by pure terror and adrenaline, but she was also panicking so much that when they hit a dead end she began to hyperventilate.

Percy nearly slammed into her when he caught up, reaching out for the wall to catch himself. He hit a solid wall. Annabeth backed into it, breathing heavier and heavier as the wave of spiders grew ever closer.

“What- What do- We do-” She gasped, shrinking into the corner. Percy pushed his hands into the wall. They should’ve been at the door to the dueling room, but the wall wouldn’t budge. Tears were streaking down Annabeth’s face. Percy turned around, stepping between Annabeth and the blanket of spiders, hoping to try something.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to. The apparition returned at his right side, standing a foot taller than him, gesturing for him to follow. She didn’t wait before disappearing into the wall to his right. Percy reached out, and what had been a solid wall vanished into mist. 

“Annabeth, come on!” Percy took a step forward, but she was frozen on the ground, her head buried between her knees. “Annabeth!”

Growling, he grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, pushing her ahead of him. She whimpered, but let him push her after the apparition.

They turned left, then left again, then right, then left once more, then spilled out into a stuffy, dusty closet. Percy slammed the door shut behind them as Annabeth collapsed against the wall between a broom and an old mop. 

“I am… never going in there again!” Annabeth heaved, tears still rolling down her cheeks. She pushed off the wall, “You’d be smart to do the same.”

Chapter Fourteen - Dark Thoughts

Thankfully, whatever Quirrel’s plans were, they seemed to be reserved for the end of the school year. Either that, or he was having particular difficulty getting past this beast Harry had told Annabeth about. Percy didn’t care which, so long as he didn’t have to deal with Quirrel one on one. Though, he did still have to attend Defence Against the Dark Arts, and through those, he couldn’t help but notice that Quirrel was growing thinner and paler by the day.

Percy secretly hoped he was ill, so ill, in fact, that he’d have to leave school early and never return. Gemma had said that the Defence Against the Dark Arts position was cursed, after all. 

But, that would’ve been far too easy for his luck. 

As it was, Quirrel was not bedridden, and not being shipped off to a hospital off the grounds. Percy did take classes as an advantage to listen in on Quirrel’s thoughts, and learned what Annabeth meant.

Behind the lengthy lectures about vampires and other dark creatures, there was a second voice in Quirrel’s mind. It was high pitched, like nails on a chalkboard, but somehow slimy and slithering like a snake all at once. It made Percy’s skin crawl. The first time he touched his necklace in Quirrel’s class and heard that voice, he nearly screamed and fell out of his chair. He barely held it back, it was a miracle, to be honest.

It was talking about him and Harry, but never at the same time, and only when Quirrel’s back was turned to him. It was like there was something in the back of Quirrel’s turban, watching him through the fabric. Percy wanted to warn Harry, but how could he explain it? On top of trying to figure that out, he had no time. As soon as Potions ended, Harry was running off after Hermione and Ron, and since they shared so few classes, Percy had no idea where Harry was for most of the week. 

Then, when they weren’t busy with classes or making sure Percy was never alone with Professor Quirrel, they had to study.

10 weeks until exams, and Percy felt stupidly unprepared for everything. Even with Annabeth’s help, he was certain he wouldn’t make it into the second year with all the stress of Quirrel and that creepy voice on his mind. He was glad, though, that he didn’t have to do any of it alone. He had Piper and Annabeth at his back, for school stuff, for Quirrel-related stuff, for nightmare stuff.

Yeah, his nightmares were worse. There was a pattern though, the more anxious he was before bed, the worse the nightmare. One night he dreamt that he was dangling from a cliff, hanging over an abyss, desperately trying to pull someone up with him. It ended as his hand slipped, and he fell onto the floor of his room. Annabeth walked him to the Hospital Wing to make sure the lump on his head was nothing more than a swollen bruise. 

They were on their way to potions when Draco ran up to them and started making fun of Annabeth’s braids, which had been freshly done over winter break. 

“Oh, shut it, Draco.” Percy said.

“I don’t have to listen to you, just cus you’re the… Prince of Slytherin or whatever Quirrel wants to call you!” Draco crossed his arms triumphantly. 

“Just leave us alone!” Annabeth said.

“You shouldn’t even be in Slytherin, either of you. You’re both so horribly untalented, I’m shocked you’re not both in lousy old Hufflepuff.” It infuriated Percy so much that he was about to tackle Draco down the stairs and take out all of his frustrations on the twerp. Unfortunately, Draco’s verbal abuse wasn’t the only thing he had planned. 

The moment Percy took a step forward, Draco whipped out his wand and hexed Annabeth. He sprinted off down the stairs with a short cackle as Annabeth began whimpering. Blisters were breaking out across her cheeks and hands, tears welling in her eyes. 

Thankfully, Professor Sprout happened to appear at the top of the stairs.

“What on Earth happened to you, girl?”

“Draco hexed her!” Percy said, “He ran off towards Potions-”

“Head on to class, Mr Jackson.” Professor Sprout said, “I’ll escort her to Madam Pomphrey and have a discussion with Snape once she’s all fixed up. Go on, now.” Percy hesitated. He wanted to go with Annabeth… He also wanted to turn Draco into a pile of tenderized beef. He nodded and turned to go down the stairs, “Now, now, child. Try not to cry, it’ll only hurt worse. Madam Pomphrey will make it all better.”

When he reached the Potions classroom, Draco was snickering in the corner. Percy stormed over to him, ignoring Crabbe and Goyle and grabbed him by the collar.

“MR. JACKSON!” Snape yelled, “LET HIM GO! NOW!”

“He hexed Annabeth!” Percy said, not taking his eyes off of Draco, who was trembling. 

“Release him! Now!” Snape was yanking Percy off of Draco, putting himself between them. “I will deal with it. Get in your seat. NOW.”

Percy nearly snarled as he stormed around the table to sit in his usual spot. Anita was in Annabeth’s spot. One steely glare was enough to make her back off and go back to her seat beside Piper. Piper abandoned her though, switching into the spot beside Percy.

“Is she okay?” She whispered. 

“Professor Sprout took her to the Hospital Wing.” Percy said quietly. “She’ll be fine.”

“I thought you were going to kill him, if I’m honest.” Piper whispered.

Percy didn’t say it, but he’d been about to do just that. As class continued, the desire to strangle someone moved from Draco to Anita. She was busy mouthing off about how Percy was doing everything wrong, or how Annabeth couldn’t handle a simple hex and was a cry baby. It took every ounce of strength, and some of Piper’s will power, to keep Percy from dumping the contents of his cauldron down Anita’s robes. 

When class ended, he ran straight to the Hospital Wing instead of going to lunch. Piper was too hungry for that, and promised to steal him something later if he missed all of lunch. He didn’t plan on that happening, but he was too focused on getting to Annabeth.

She was still midway through Madam Pomphrey’s treatment, and she was very sour about it. Not that Percy blamed her at all. He promised to see her after dinner and went off to lunch. The rest of the day was thankfully uneventful, even if Percy maintained the desire to throttle Anita or Draco. Or both. Both would be nice. 

Percy went back after dinner, as promised, and found Annabeth back to her usual self. Minus the smile, anyway. She looked tired, mostly, but she did crack a small grin for him when he showed up.

“Ready to go to bed?”

“Very.” She yawned, “It really does not feel like I’ve been sitting here since breakfast. It feels like I've run a marathon.”

“I nearly killed Draco.”

“WHAT!?” Annabeth shrieked as they left the Hospital Wing. “You didn’t!”

“Yeah, I did.” He smiled bashfully, “Snape had to pull me off him before I hit him.”

“Oh, gods…” Annabeth sighed, “You’re going to get yourself expelled.”

“I wasn’t thinking. Really. Though, we should definitely be thinking about what he said before he hexed you.”

“Right.” Annabeth winced, before freezing in her tracks. “Is that-”

Percy nodded. He’d heard it too. A voice. They shuffled off towards the corner of a hall, peering around the edge. Quirrel was pacing nervously outside his classroom door. Annabeth shook her head.

“We shouldn’t. He’ll see us.”

“But-”

“No. We can’t.” She whispered. “If he catches us, you’re screwed.”

“I have to.” Percy grabbed his necklace, and felt a shiver down his spine.

‘Get the boy. Now.’

“B-But master, I have no way to get him away. And I still have to fetch the Sorcerer's Stone. You won’t be strong enough without it.”

‘The prince is more important! We cannot lose him!’

“I understand, master. But we must be discreet. If we’re not, our plans will fail. I do not want to fail you again.”

Percy was so focused on Quirrel’s conversation with the voice in his head that he didn’t hear the footsteps coming up behind them, or feel Annabeth tugging on his sleeve. Not until Professor McGonagall’s smooth, cold voice broke past Quirrel’s voice. 

“What are you two doing out of bed?” Percy turned slowly around to face her. She looked furious. “And spying on a teacher? What on earth were you two thinking?”

“Professor Quirrel wants to steal the Sorcerer's Stone.” Percy blurted out without thinking. Maybe it would save him… probably not. 

McGonagall blinked at him. “I’m sorry, what? How do you even know about that?”

“He was just talking about it.” Percy said, “He also- He-”

“I think he only applied for the teaching position after learning Percy would be coming to Hogwarts this year, Professor.” Annabeth cut in, “In May, there was an article about his mother, and it said he would be attending Hogwarts this year. Professor Quirrel has been acting very strange and creepy around Percy, and I’m worried he-”

“I do not want to hear it.” Professor McGonagall waved a hand. Percy was almost too bewildered by what Annabeth said to hear McGonagall’s next words: “Detention for both of you. This is completely unacceptable! First, out after curfew, then spying on a teacher, and now accusing that same teacher of wrongdoing? 20 house points each. Off to bed with you. Now!”

Chapter Thirteen - A Riddle Solved

Percy didn’t go back to the trophy room. He didn’t need to. He now had 2 photographs of his mother, when only a few months ago, he’d had none. The dreams didn’t stop, though, but they did get… Strange. A snake whispering to him, ,a ghostly, reaper-esque figure looming over him, an angel statue with a deadly scythe, a burning tunnel, and finally, the night before Annabeth returned to Hogwarts, he dreamt of Hogwarts. Burning.

It was all horribly unsettling, and he woke up from each nightmare with a start. The last one, he woke up screaming, and was found by the male Slytherin Prefect, who’d just returned that morning. Explaining that he was fine and didn’t need to go see Madam Pomphrey was a feat he didn’t think he should’ve been able to overcome, but he did.

Of course, Piper dug into him for answers. Why was he screaming? What was the nightmare this time? Was he losing his mind and in need of a straight jacket? Okay, she hadn’t said that one out loud, she thought it, but… He was pondering the question himself when Annabeth flopped onto the couch beside him later that day and put her feet in his lap like he wasn’t even there.

“Thank you for the socks.” Percy said. She just hummed. Was she still upset? She was reading something, so she could’ve just been uninterested in him at the moment. “I found out who Quirrel was talking about.” She lowered her book a little, just enough for Percy to see her eyebrows over the top. “You want to see?”

She didn’t answer, just sat up, closed her book and looked at him expectantly.

He got up nervously and walked to the boys dormitory, returning with both pictures of his mother. He passed them to her and watched her eyes widen and jaw go slack.

“Your mother was Sally Riddle!?” She shrieked, the first words she’d said to him since she’d left the Hospital Wing before holidays. “No wonder she changed her name! Stay here!”

Percy didn’t have much choice, as she ran to the girls dormitory. Piper walked over to the arm chair by the couch and sat down. “Is she still mad? I bet she’s still mad.”

“I told her about my mum.” Percy said, and Piper nodded, but that clearly didn’t clear anything up for her. Annabeth returned and sat close to Percy, opening a book up between them. She pointed to the top of the page.

Sally Riddle.

“The brightest of her age, Sally Riddle was often named the kindest student at Hogwarts, in spite of her house placement in Slytherin. Descended from a long line of wizards known for their wealth and skill in dark magic, Miss Riddle was the first of her family to forsake her family and forge her own path in the Wizarding World.” Annabeth skipped a couple paragraphs to the end of the page and continued.

“Sally changed her last name in her final year at Hogwarts to distance herself from her family. She was reportedly killed nearly a year after the devastating attack on the Potter family, dispelling any beliefs that her death was caused by You-Know-Who or his followers.”

Percy knew there were more important things in the book, but all he could focus on was the time she was killed. Nearly a year after the Potter family was attacked? That would be Harry’s family. How old had he been then? A few months? Maybe a year?

That would mean that his mother had tried to keep him for 2 years before she took him to Muriel’s.

“It says her father was named Tom Riddle, and I guess he was famous for something at school.” Annabeth shook her head. “Her mum was… Leticea Black. One of You-Know Who's followers. She… She turned others in to avoid punishment.”

“That makes sense.” Percy said, “Muriel told me that my mum lied about her parents. She told everyone they were dead, that she was an orphan, because her parents were horrible… She was bullied for her name, because everyone thought she changed her name to Riddle for school. Probably because Tom Riddle was known at Hogwarts.”

“Why would they think she’d do that?” Piper scoffed.

“So she’d be more popular, I guess… I don’t know.” Percy shrugged, “She also said Quirrel was one of the kids who bullied her. I really wouldn’t expect that from him, of all people.”

“He’s talking to himself and being creepy as hell.” Piper said. “I absolutely would expect that from him.”

Percy reached up for his necklace. It had become a habit, but he’d gotten so used to being alone with just Piper, that he’d almost forgotten what the necklace did.

It was hard to forget today, though, when his mind was instantly filled with a dozen voices.

‘I think Gryffindor’s put too much money on that Potter kid. He’s got no training, they’ll never win the cup.’

‘I hope I can find my Charms book before class tomorrow.’

‘What kind of name is Perseus, anyway?’

‘I can’t wait to see the look on Potter’s face when he sees Snape refereeing the next Quidditch match.’

‘I hope Gerald asks Tina out already, they’re so damn annoying.’

‘Is it okay for a Gryffindor to date a Slytherin, or is that… Like… Sacrilidgeous?’

“My necklace.” Percy hissed. Piper gasped.

“You could listen in on Quirrel! Make sure he’s actually talking about you!”

“Wait, what?” Annabeth asked, “We’ve already eavesdropped on him before.”

“My necklace,” Percy lifted it for her, “I can hear people’s thoughts.”

“No you can’t.” Annabeth shook her head, “Can you? I thought that magic was… Nearly impossible? Who gave it to you?”

“I… I don’t know.” Percy shrugged, looking down at it. “It was with my Christmas presents. There was no sender on it. Just my name.”

“Not even a note?” Percy shook his head and she sighed, looking around for a long moment. “I don’t know how you plan on being close enough without being noticed. Maybe during classes, but he might notice you messing with the necklace.”

“Damn.” Percy hissed, to both of their surprise. While they were rather loose-lipped with their cursing, Percy hated saying so much as a self-censored curse.

“We’re wearing off on you.” Piper snickered.

“Oh, shut up.” Percy sighed, “I need a way to get close to Quirrel, but… I don’t know how.”

Annabeth looked like she wanted to say something, but held her tongue. Piper just shrugged, “Maybe we could find a passage that leads to his office? We could listen in while he’s alone.”

“That could work… If he was ever in his office.” Annabeth shook her head. “It took me so long to find him when I went because he just never stops moving. His office? It’s empty. No personal belongings, just paper after paper of homework. Some are graded, but he’s not too focused on actually making sure we get the essays right.”

“Well, what do we do, then?” Percy sighed, “I can’t just wander around in there until I find him. Muriel said someone died in there.”

“She what?” Annabeth gasped, “Did she say who?”

“No.” Percy shook his head, “Just that they… Lost a dear friend?”

“Maybe she didn’t mean literally?” Piper shrugged, “Maybe they just fought because of the tunnels, and stopped being friends.”

Percy nodded and sighed, closing his eyes. This was all too much.

“Wait. This says Sirius Black… They were friends with Sirius Black?”

Percy shrugged. “So?”

“Sirius Black turned the Potter family in to You-Know-Who.”

“Actually, I don’t know who that is, by the way.” Annabeth groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Dark wizard, evil, killed a lot of people, including Harry Potter’s parents.” Annabeth waved a hand in the air, “Sirius is the reason Harry’s parents are dead. He was friends with Harry’s dad in school, I think. They were both in Gryffindor.”

“Why was a Gryffindor friends with two Slytherins?” Piper asked. “Like, I get we’re friendly with Hermione, Ron and Harry, but that picture makes them seem pretty close.”

“They were all related,” Annabeth whispered, staring at the back of the picture of the three of them. “Muriel and Sirius have the same last name, and Sally's mum was a Black. The Black family is big, and I mean big. There’s probably… A dozen branches of it. Sirius’ family, Muriel’s probably his cousin, there was another branch with… 3 sisters. They would’ve been Muriel’s age, maybe a few years older.”

“How do you know all this?” Percy asked, lifting his head.

“My dad thinks out loud a lot.” She said, “And he’s not just interested in muggle history, despite what Draco Malfoy wants to think. In fact…” She sighed, “He was strangely interested in your mum. I think he was even writing with Muriel over the break. But why?”

Percy reached out and took one of the photographs from Annabeth, looking at the picture of his mums and Sirirus Black. He had no idea why her dad would want to talk to Muriel, or know about Sally. It didn’t make sense to him either way.

“I’m going to bed.” Percy said, grabbing the second photo. “I’m exhausted…”

Annabeth tried to stop him, but he didn’t listen. His limbs felt like lead and his brain was struggling to keep up. He needed to sleep before he could be of any use for this discussion.

Unfortunately, classes hit them all hard. They had maybe 10 minutes during breaks to try and talk about anything other than classwork, and it was always pointless, because Piper kept forgetting what they’d said last time and needed a refresher, which left them with very little time to talk past where they left off. Then, when classes were over, they were all so tired that they just went straight to bed.

Percy wasn’t too upset about not being able to talk to his friends about his dead mother, but he knew they cared. He was certain he saw Annabeth sneaking off into the tunnels every other night to do… Something. It wasn’t until she asked to borrow his necklace that he knew something was up.

“Why?”

“Well, I- I just-”

“Annabeth.”

“I’m trying to listen to Quirrel.” She sighed, “He’s hanging out near that off-limits hall, and I really want to know what he’s thinking. He said he wouldn’t be going to this Quidditch game, so I figured if you let me borrow your necklace while you went to the game, I could sneak up and listen to him.”

“How do you plan on getting close to him?”

“I- Well-” Annabeth hesitated, wringing her hands together. “I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“I just can’t. I could get in trouble, Percy. Please.”

“Can I come with you?”

“No.” Annabeth shook her head, “I can get close unseen, but you can’t.”

“What do I get?”

“Answers.” She sighed, “Obviously. Now, can I please borrow it?”

“You best give it back after the game.” Percy reached back to unclasp the necklace and motioned for her to turn around. She did so, and he put it around her neck. “Please don’t lose it. I don’t even know who it’s from-”

“I promise I won’t.” Annabeth spun around and grabbed his hands, “I will give it back as soon as the game is over.”

Percy nodded. He trusted her, but he felt… Naked without the necklace. Like he’d been stripped of some invisible shield. She released his hands and scurried off, disappearing into the crowd. Percy turned and walked until he found Piper.

“Where’s Annabeth?”

“Spying on Quirrel.” Percy sighed, “With my necklace.”

“Aww? You’re just lending it out? Why didn’t you tell me, first? I could finally find out what that one Hufflepuff boy thinks of me.”

“I’m not lending it out,” Percy shook his head, “She talked me into it.”

“Uh-huh.” Piper nudged him with her elbow. They followed the rest of the students out to the lawn and the Quidditch Pitch. Percy wanted to be interested in it, but he was too busy thinking about Annabeth. What if she got caught? What if she got in trouble? What if his necklace got taken from her? How would he get it back?

“Oh! Look!” Piper shrieked suddenly, grabbing his arm. Percy instinctively looked up towards the players, spotting Harry going into a dive. But that’s not what Piper was pointing out.

Only a few rows away from them, Ron had leapt on top of Draco and was wrestling him to the ground. Neville was helping, by swinging clumsily at Crabbe and Goyle, narrowly avoiding getting clobbered himself.

“They’re kicking his ass!” Piper squealed, “Oh, I love it!”

“What’s Harry doing, though?” Percy asked. Piper looked up and gasped as Harry shot past Professor Snape, who was refereeing, and pulled out of the dive, hand raised in triumph over his head. The stands erupted. Percy wondered if anyone had ever caught the Snitch so quickly in Hogwarts history. He was sure Annabeth would know.

“Ron!” Hermione screamed, “Ron, where are you? The game’s over! Harry’s won! We’ve won! Gryffindor is in the lead!”

“And Draco’s gotten his nose broken again!” Piper giggled, “I can’t believe it! Are we sure today isn’t Christmas? Cus’ it sure feels like it!”

Percy shook his head, but joined in on the celebration. If it annoyed Draco Malfoy, he’d happily participate, even if he got nasty glares from most of the Slytherins for it.

When Annabeth met them back in the common room, she was breathing hard and panicked. She instantly grabbed Percy and Piper and dragged them out of the common room, into a tiny broom closet, which just so happened to have a door on the other side. It opened into the passageway, and Annabeth only stopped yanking Percy’s elbow when they were inside and about 20 paces from the door.

“I ran into Harry,” she panted, taking off Percy’s necklace and all but throwing it at him. “He was spying on Quirrel and Snape, in the woods. I- I never want to hear that man’s thoughts again. He is fucking derranged.”

“Quirrel?” Piper asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, for starters, he isn’t talking to himself. There’s a whole different person in his head. I don’t know how, I don’t know what magic did it, but it has to be dark. And then- There’s this beast Snape was asking about. Getting past it. Harry said it’s guarding something, something big… He thinks Snape’s after it, but he’s not.”

“Slow down,” Percy said. Annabeth took in a slow, heavy breath and then let it out slowly. “Did you tell Harry that Snape isn’t after this… thing?”

“No.” She sighed, “I didn’t have a chance. Snape nearly caught us. I barely got away by the skin of my teeth, and Harry took off on his broom. I didn’t try to find him in the castle, he was probably back in his common room by the time I ran all the way back.”

“What was Quirrel thinking?” Piper asked, “Was it about Percy?”

So, I am planning on building a mostly life-size Apex Clawstrider from Horizon Forbidden West as a cosplay. I know people have done Watcher cosplays before, but I haven't been able to find any Clawstrider ones to take tips from. This idea sparked from someone's cosplay of Sekriet from Monster Hunter (Youtuber is TrineKN if anyone wants to check them out, it was cool af), but they don't go into detail on most of their process - completely fair - so I have to wing it on mine. I've only done one cosplay in the past, it was Aloy, made with on-sale fabrics, cardboard, and pleather I bought years before for a completely different project, hopes, and dreams, so I'm making a massive jump here, but I'm great at making props and not good at sewing, so I figured this was more attuned to my skillset.

Any tips or suggestions for me on where to start? Or a video/creator who has done something similar and has an in-depth look into how they made it? Thx <3.