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He walked down towards the long tables in the Great Hall as soon as he was dressed and ready. The big room was packed full of students, way more than usual for a morning during the holidays.
Almost everyone wore normal, everyday clothes jeans and warm sweaters, colorful tops, not the usual black school robes. It looked strange but friendly, like a different place almost.
Because it was the start of the Christmas break and nearly everybody stayed behind for the big dance the night before, the hall buzzed with talking and laughing.
Percy let out a big yawn as he walked between the rows of tables, looking for friendly faces. He noticed his Hufflepuff friends Susan, Hannah, Ernie weren't at their usual spots yet.
They were probably all still sleepy in bed, or maybe just taking their time getting up after the late night. But lucky for him, it looked like Harry Potter was already awake and eating.
"Harry!" Percy called out cheerfully, sliding onto the bench next to the other tournament champion at the Gryffindor table. "How are you doing, man?"
Harry looked up and managed a small smile. "Good, Percy. And you?"
"Can't complain," Percy smiled back, reaching for some toast. He looked Harry over more closely now. The boy looked rough, really tired.
He was still wearing those baggy, ugly clothes Percy guessed belonged to his mean cousin, but it was more than that. His eyes had dark circles under them, like he hadn't slept much at all last night, even after the fun of the ball.
"What's wrong?" Percy asked, his voice a bit softer now. "Didn't get much sleep last night?"
Harry let out a sigh, pushing his scrambled eggs around on his plate. "Yeah," he admitted quietly. "It's... it's that dream again."
"The one Voldemort keeps sending you?" Percy lowered his voice way down, leaning in so only Harry could hear. The happy noise of the Great Hall felt far away for a second.
Harry nodded, his eyes looking troubled. "Yes... are you sure it's really him doing it, though?"
"Trust me, mate," Percy whispered back, keeping his voice low but sure. "It's always the crazy bad guys with no nose. They can't help themselves, it's like their main hobby, messing with people's heads. Anyway," he added, trying to sound helpful, "have you managed to remember anything new from the dream this time? Anything at all? Even tiny stuff?"
Harry sighed again, looking frustrated. "No. Sorry, Percy. Nothing that makes any sense, anyway. Just feelings and quick pictures that disappear."
Percy shrugged, taking a bite of toast. "Yeah, didn't really think so... Maybe you should try learning some mind arts. It could help you focus better, maybe even block him out when he tries this vision stuff."
"Mind arts?" Harry asked, looking confused. His fork stopped halfway to his mouth.
"Oh, right, guess you wouldn't know," Percy said, chewing thoughtfully. "Well, you might not know this, but some wizards can actually read minds."
"What?!" Harry gasped, his eyes wide.
Percy chuckled quietly. "Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction too when I found out. Anyway, yeah, they can. But not all wizards can do it, okay? It takes a lot of brain power and focus to look into someone else's thoughts. So usually only really strong, top-level wizards can manage it... or someone who's just naturally crazy good at it without trying."
"So... there are people here, at Hogwarts, who could read my mind right now?" Harry asked, looking around the hall nervously, like someone might be listening to his thoughts that very second. Fear flickered in his eyes.
Percy nodded slowly. "Yeah, probably. But don't worry too much about it. Like I said, it's super rare. Maybe Professor Dumbledore could do it, he seems like the type, but that's just me guessing. But listen, the important thing is, there's a way to block people out. To protect your mind."
"How?" Harry asked quickly, leaning closer again.
"Well, you see, in mind arts there are kinda two main sides..." And Percy started to explain, using simple words, about Legilimency (the mind-reading part) and Occlumency (the mind-blocking part).
He talked about how one was like breaking into a house, and the other was like locking all the doors and windows tight.
He answered Harry's questions as best he could, telling him about shields and clearing your thoughts, but he was honest too, saying, "Look, there's stuff about it I just don't know, I'm not like a professor of it or anything."
"This is just... one big headache after another," Harry sighed, rubbing his forehead. He looked tired just thinking about it. "Percy, could you… could you teach me? How to block it?"
Percy let out a slow breath. "Sorry, bro, but I really can't. Remember what I said? Only the really strong wizards can pull it off properly, or someone who's just born stupidly good at it. Me?" He tapped his own head.
"I'm one of the naturals. It just kinda... happens for me. I never really had to train hard at it, so I wouldn't know how to teach someone else step-by-step." He paused, thinking.
"But hey, if you really want to learn, you should ask Hecate next time you talk to her. She knows everything about this magic stuff. I bet she would be happy to help you out."
Harry looked a bit disappointed but nodded anyway. "Right. Okay. I'll... I'll try asking her then."
"Good plan," Percy said, turning back to his breakfast with more energy now. "Now that that heavy stuff is settled, tell me something fun. How was the rest of your night? After the dancing?" Percy asked, a small, knowing smirk playing on his lips.
Harry's face immediately started to turn pink. "It was... it was amazing," he mumbled, looking down at his plate but smiling a little.
"Did you and Susan have a good time? After you left the main hall?" Percy pressed, enjoying this much more than talking about Voldemort.
"Yeah," Harry nodded, the pink on his cheeks getting brighter. "We danced a bit more, like you saw. Then... then I took her out to the gardens. It was quieter out there." He glanced quickly at Percy.
"Don't think I didn't notice you and Fleur slip out there too, by the way. We saw you guys head towards the lake, we just... didn't want to bother you. We found our own bench near the greenhouses and just sat there, talking and enjoying the quiet."
"Huh... nice," Percy said. "So... did you kiss her goodnight?"
"Percy!" Harry yelped, his whole face turning bright red now, like a tomato. He looked around quickly to see if anyone heard.
"What?" Percy asked innocently, taking another bite of bacon. "It's a perfectly normal question to ask after a date like that. Did you kiss the girl or not? Simple question."
"Not so loud!" Harry hissed, burying his face in his hands for a second.
Percy just raised an eyebrow, waiting. "Well?"
Harry peeked through his fingers, his face still flaming red. "Y-yeah... I did," he admitted in a very low voice.
"Aaaand?" Percy prompted, leaning in with a grin.
Harry finally dropped his hands, a huge, slightly embarrassed but incredibly happy smile spreading across his face. "...It was the single most amazing night of my entire life," he confessed, his voice full of wonder.
Percy grinned wide, feeling pleased with himself. "See? You're welcome."
"Don't you dare pretend this was all your doing, Jackson!" Harry shot back, though he was still smiling.
"Oh, yes it absolutely is!" Percy declared loudly, puffing out his chest playfully as he dug into his sausages. "If I hadn't dared you to ask Susan Bones out in the first place, none of this beautiful romance would have ever happened! Face it, Potter," Percy announced with a dramatic flourish, "I'm basically your pimp."
Harry choked on his pumpkin juice, spitting some of it back into his goblet with a spluttering cough as Percy burst out laughing. They spent the next few minutes just talking easily and eating, the awkwardness gone, replaced by friendly jokes.
Until she walked in.
The chatter in the Great Hall seemed to quiet down just a tiny bit as Fleur Delacour entered. Heads turned, conversations paused.
Percy noticed right away she wasn't wearing the special ring he'd given her, the one that hid her Veela nature.
Good, he thought. He didn't want her to feel like she had to hide who she was, especially not because of him or anyone else's dumb ideas.
She looked around, her eyes scanning the Hufflepuff table first, probably looking for him there. A small frown touched her lips when she didn't see him among the badgers.
But just then, her gaze swept across the room and locked onto his, sitting there at the Gryffindor table next to Harry. Her frown disappeared instantly, replaced by a warm, bright smile that made Percy's stomach do a little flip.
She started walking over to them, weaving gracefully between the tables. Her silvery-blonde hair seemed to bounce with each light step she took.
Boys nearby still turned their heads to watch her pass, even though her magical Veela charm didn't really work strongly on them anymore, thanks to the protections Percy helped put up. She just had that way about her.
Percy smiled back as she reached their table. "Morning, pretty bird," he greeted her softly. "How did you sleep?"
"Well enoug'," she smiled back, her voice like soft music. She slid onto the bench right next to Percy, leaving absolutely no space between them.
Her shoulder pressed warm against his arm. She pulled an empty plate towards her and started filling it with fruit and croissants from the platters on the table.
Noticing Harry on Percy's other side, she nodded politely. "Morning, 'Arry. 'Ow waz your nig't?"
Harry blinked, maybe a little surprised she remembered his name or asked. He shrugged slightly. "Can't complain," he answered, sounding much happier than when Percy first sat down.
The Veela smiled knowingly. "Good. I zaw you and Zuzan 'aving a very fun time together near ze end. Iz it becoming zeriouz between you two?" she asked kindly, her blue eyes curious.
Harry fidgeted a bit. "Well... I'd like that," he admitted, glancing towards the Hufflepuff table where Susan was now sitting. "I mean, we haven't really talked about it properly, not in those words. But I think she likes me that way too, so... you know, maybe? Maybe I can call it serious soon."
Fleur nodded wisely, like she understood completely. "Zat iz good. Open talk iz very important in any relationzhip," she finished, pointedly turning her gaze directly to Percy as she said the last few words.
The demigod rolled his eyes slightly, catching her meaning loud and clear. "Really subtle there, Fleur," he muttered, leaning a little closer so only she could hear. "Do you want to talk about last night right now?"
Fleur looked right back into his eyes, raising one delicate eyebrow in challenge. "Really? You t'ink we z'ould? Here?" She paused, then leaned in just as close, her voice dropping to a whisper only he could catch.
"You do realize I 'ad to explain away theze thiz morning, non?" she asked, and with a quick, subtle movement, she pulled down the collar of her casual silk blouse just enough to show him her neckline. It was covered in several faint, purplish marks. Hickeys.
Percy felt his own face flush bright red. "Ah..." he stammered, suddenly finding it hard to look her in the eye. "Right. Well... uh... in my defense," he mumbled, trying to sound smooth but failing, "you tasted really good."
"And that's definitely my cue to leave," Harry announced suddenly, scrambling up from the bench. He grabbed his bag. "Think I see Susan waving me over." He gave Percy and Fleur a quick, slightly awkward look, then hurried off towards the Hufflepuff table.
Susan did indeed wave him over with a smile. They sat down close together, heads bent towards each other, though Percy caught them both glancing back towards him and Fleur a moment later, probably wondering what secret things the older couple were talking about now.
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If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.
http://patreon.com/SageOf016