It was an awkward walk across the train. The Hufflepuff leading us couldn't wait to get there. On the way, I leaned in to Harry.
"Who's this professor? A friend of yours?"
"He's hoping to be," Harry said. "The Headmaster took me to recruit him earlier in the summer. He used me as bait to get Slughorn to come back. Dumbledore said something about him, that he likes collecting 'talented people'."
"Horace Slughorn," Daphne said. "He's the former head of Slytherin House and the school's prior Potions Master. He surrounds himself with exceptional students in a group he calls the Slug Club. At least he did, prior to his retirement. If he's back, it seems the Slug Club is coming back with him."
"But how can I be an exceptional student?" I said. "I haven't even taken a class yet."
"Who you know or who's in your family counts as a skill. He must have been interested by someone you're close to."
"We're here!" said the Hufflepuff.
He bowed, which seemed over the top, and ran off to join his fellow third years. Before any of us could touch the door it opened on its own. A guy with the workout routine of Mr. D pushed a student into the hallway.
"—is there a problem, Professor?"
"None, none! It's just, Marcus, that I believe I went overboard. Hogwarts Express cabins are much smaller than I recalled. Strange how that works. There's just not room for everyone, so sadly someone must make the sacrifice."
"But there's four open seats right there—"
"Those are for these folks," said the guy, who I guessed was Professor Slughorn. "I'll see you at the first meeting, Marcus. Second week of school, classroom sixteen in the dungeons. You'll have to tell me everything your Uncle has been up to, so make sure to be there."
Marcus' eyes lit up. "First meeting!" he said. "Second week of school. Classroom sixteen."
He left, walking down the hall doing his best Echo impression, repeating what Slughorn had said with a grin on his face. He was in pretty good spirits for a guy who'd just been tossed out.
"And look who it is!" Slughorn turned to us. "Get in here, you four. I can't wait to make your acquaintance."
He shook each of our hands profusely as we went past. "Harry! Great to see you, my boy. Daphne! I've heard only good things. Traaacey. Your mother was one of the best witches I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Lovely to lay eyes on you, Percy!"
"Sup," I said.
There was space for three others in the cabin. I saw an older boy with red and gold on his robes, a dark-skinned kid who gave Tracey and Daphne a nod, and…
"Ginny?" Harry said.
"You do know each other! Perfect," Slughorn said. "Yes, that's Ginny Weasley— Who wasn't on the original guest list, but I happened to glimpse casting a perfect Bat Bogey Hex— Wand skills like that don't come easily— And of course this is Blaise Zabini— Son of that Sofia Zabini— And good old Cormac McClaggen— you wouldn't believe how many things his uncle is involved in at the Ministry!"
Slughorn was so excited to show off his guests that he spoke in this weird, slaloming way that didn't so much have periods as short gasps to squeeze in breaths.
"Nice to meet you," Cormac said, smiling.
I didn't say it back because he wasn't looking at me. Only at Daphne.
Harry pulled me to sit next to him with Ginny on his other side. Daphne and Tracey went to the opposite end of the cabin, next to Cormac and Blaise Zabini.
Slughorn tucked a velvet bib into his collar and pulled out a tray with a full lunch on it. He glanced around the room before tucking in.
"The food on the train… When I was younger I could handle it like nothing! But these days, I find that my palate needs something a bit sturdier. Care for some pheasant, Harry?"
"I'm alright," Harry said.
"Your loss. It's quite divine," Slughorn said.
He cut a slice of pale white meat. Even on a moving train, balancing a tray on his lap, he moved with perfect manners.
"So, Cormac!" Slughorn said. "How is old Tiberius doing?"
"He's a bit worried that rheumatism is creeping in, but I think he's fit as a fiddle. He just likes to complain."
"Quite right," Slughorn said. "Rheumatism already? He's far too young for something like that. Leave it for old men like me! It's our specialty, so if you take that from us, we'll have nothing left. Do you see much of your uncle?"
"I was with him just last week," Cormac said. "He took me to hunt Nogtails at the start of summer. I think I did a little bit too well— caught more than he did. He's been bringing me on every trip since. Rufus came with us on the last one."
Slughorn took a bite of pheasant and shivered with pleasure. "By Rufus, you of course mean…?"
"Scrimgeour. The newest Minister of Magic."
Slughorn shivered again. He'd already known who Cormac meant, he just wanted to hear the title. I realized that it wasn't his food making him vibrate but the close connection between Cormac and someone so powerful. Cormac's value was skyrocketing by the second.
"Have you ever hunted Nogtails?" Cormac asked Daphne. He leaned in as he talked.
Daphne shook her head, giving him the silent treatment I'd gotten in our cabin. I didn't feel like commiserating with Cormac. He was tall, athletic, and good looking, and it seemed like he knew it. He reminded me of the worst traits you sometimes saw in heroes— but there was no way this guy had ever fought anything bigger than a pig. You could tell by the look in his eyes.
"Harry, are you and Cormac acquainted?" Slughorn asked.
"We've seen each other in the common room," Harry said, "but I wouldn't say we know each other."
"That'll be changing this year," Cormac said. "Now that Wood's gone, you're looking at Gryffindor's new Keeper. Sorry, girls, but Slytherin won't be scoring a point on us."
"There'll be tryouts," Harry said. "I suppose I'll see you there."
Cormac didn't let the noncommittal answer dim his smirk.
"Good, good! Get along," Slughorn said. "It never hurts to have more friends. Especially of the right sort. Tracey, how is your mother doing?"
"As well as can be expected," Tracey said.
"She has such a bright mind," Slughorn said. "She aced my potions courses like they were nothing. In all my time teaching, there were only a handful of students — just two or three — that could rival her. I'm certain she'll achieve great things. She's still young, after all, compared to an old man like me."
Tracey was digging her nails into the seat upholstery on either side of her.
"I'll make sure to tell her," Tracey said.
"Oh you must," Slughorn said. "Daphne!"
He switched targets as seamlessly as Apollo wielding a bow.
"Although I haven't been teaching, I've still kept up a bit with the happenings of Hogwarts. Imagine how my eyebrows climbed when I heard about the heiress of such a notable family with your kind of grades." Slughorn lowered his voice. "First in your year, eh?"
"First in some subjects. Second in others," Daphne said.
"Modest, too!" Slughorn chortled. "I like you already."
"Wow," Cormac said. "So you have brains to go with that beauty."
Daphne looked at him from the corner of her eye, like that was all he was worth.
"I've actually been in the market for a tutor. What do you say? Just a warning, I learn best with private lessons and a personalized touch."
"And in the first grade, my teacher said red crayons were the color of ketchup, so I ate three."
Everyone in the compartment stared at me.
"What?" I said. "I thought this was show and tell."
Slughorn laughed, trying to move the conversation along. "This is our first time meeting, Percy. From what I've heard, you're a relative of Dumbledore's?"
Everyone in the cabin looked at me more intently. I started to pick up on it over summer, but Dumbledore was more than just a person here. People looked up to him the same way they looked up to me after I was credited with saving Olympus.
"Distantly related," I said. I was as related to everyone in this cabin as I was to Dumbledore. "My… I guess I should just call her my aunt, brought me to stay with him before school."
"Oh? An aunt who's close to Dumbledore?" I could practically hear Slughorn salivating. "What might her name be?"
"Hecate," I said.
Slughorn's fork slipped from his fingers.
It clattered on his plate and bounced off onto the floor. He hastily bent down to get it, laughing and muttering an apology.
"Just Hecate? What's her last name?" Harry asked.
"She doesn't use one, from what I can tell."
"Styling oneself after a goddess of magic is a bold choice," Daphne said.
I almost laughed. "I guess you could call her a bold person."
"If anyone has the right to call herself a goddess, I'd say it's you, Daphne." Cormac had recovered his persistence, and it seemed like he wasn't happy with how far his efforts had gotten him so far. As he buttered her up, he leaned so close to Daphne that it looked like he was going to kiss her. Tracey almost grabbed her wand.
"If she isn't interested, at some point, you should give up," I said.
"Quite right!" Slughorn said. "Cormac! You should know that kind of behavior is unacceptable! Your uncle would accept better out of you."
Cormac was bewildered. "But you didn't say anything before—"
"Why don't you leave for the day and cool off your head?" Slughorn suggested. "Now."
Cormac glared at me, sensing this was my fault but unable to figure out how exactly I'd done it. He stormed out.
"...Thank you," Daphne said.
I shrugged. It wasn't something I thought I needed to be thanked for; just something anyone should have done. What was more interesting to me was Slughorn."
"You'll come to the first meeting I'll be holding, right Percy?" He was almost begging. "There will be all kinds of powerful people present. It'll be a true party, perfect for making connections. The food will be to die for as well. You must come."
Harry looked shocked (but not unhappy) to see Slughorn focusing on me to the point of forgetting about him. I was starting to get curious. It was almost time for everyone to head back to their own cabins, so after giving a couple of noncommittal answers to Slughorn's offers, I waited until it was just the two of us in the room.
Suddenly, Slughorn seemed nervous.
"Why don't you go with Harry?" Slughorn suggested. "It seems like he's waiting for you outside."
"You know about the gods, don't you," I said.
Slughorn yelped, accidentally stabbing himself with his fork.
"I'll follow Harry soon," I said. "First, tell me how you know Hecate."
Even though she loved her legacies, the Wizarding World was completely different from anything I'd seen before. Almost all of them were totally unaware of how they fit into the world. When I told Tonks Hecate's identity, she laughed it off as a bad joke. Meanwhile, Slughorn broke into a sweat and started treating me like royalty.
Slughorn glanced at the door. He grabbed his wand and cast a couple of spells for privacy. Once they were active, the noise from other compartments dimmed to murmur.
"I've never met her," Slughorn said. "However… I'm aware of her. She appears like a ghost and disappears twice as fast. They say that originally, we all came from her, and she still watches over us. When a witch or a wizard shines particularly brightly, she appears before them. Most only ever see her once. She'll have a conversation with them. This part is simply a pattern I've noticed, but such conversations are usually followed by a breakthrough in their work. As if these prodigies have been coached to see magic in ways we can scarcely imagine."
"Does that happen a lot?" I asked.
Slughorn laughed. He liked the sound of his own voice so much that he was quickly calming down. "Goodness no! I'm uniquely situated to notice these things, being an acquaintance of so very many exceptional people. She might take an interest in one person a decade… or maybe it's more? Despite my efforts, I won't pretend that I know all the talents that are out there. And of course I can only speak about Europe, and Britain in particular."
"So you know about Hecate. But do you know what she is?"
Slughorn pulled on his collar. "I admit, I've done research. Over time, I started to notice a peculiar thing. The geniuses she was approaching tended to have only one recorded parent at a rate much higher than could be purely coincidence. Not all of them were like this! But… too many. So I traced it. It was eerily similar to the myths of Ancient Greek heroes, which aligned with the name I believed she had chosen for herself, and over time it began to make me wonder… If perhaps among us there were…"
He looked hopefully at me, eager to see his hypothesis proven correct but too nervous to say it out loud. Part of his extravagant healthy lunch was a tall glass of water. I pointed at it.
When I lifted my finger, the water floated into the air.
No wand. No magic. Just natural ability. Slughorn nearly passed out. "Oh… My…!"
"My name's Perseus Jackson," I said. "I'm a son of Poseidon. Hecate hired me to make sure that Harry Potter doesn't die an unfair death. I'm here to protect him and help him however I can." I flicked my hand and sent the water — which had been floating around the room as I spoke — shooting back into his glass. "Can I expect your cooperation with that, Professor Slughorn?"
It was all so much for him that he looked ready to faint at any second. But I already had a read on the guy. If there was one thing Slughorn cared more about than staying in his comfort zone, it was keeping exceptional people close.
"Of course!" Slughorn slapped a hand against his chest. "Feel free to reach out to me at any time, Percy!"
I smiled. "Thanks Professor. I'll make sure to take you up on that."
I finally got up, stretching and getting ready to leave. Right in front of the door, I stopped.
"That reminds me," I said. "You mentioned that Hecate usually only appears to someone once… Doesn't that mean there are some that she visits multiple times?"
"Of course it happens," Slughorn said. "One of my pupils saw her at least five times!"
"Oh yeah? Who was that?"
The proud look on Slughorn's face disappeared. He looked frustrated, then troubled. "That was… Well it was…" He looked helplessly at me. "I don't remember. I must be older than I thought!"
He laughed, scratching his neck.
"Thanks anyway Professor," I said. "I'll see you in school."
I went back to the cabin we'd been sharing and found it empty. Daphne and Tracey had taken their things and left, but Harry's stuff was still there. I sat down and waited for him.
I waited so long that I ended up napping. After that, I changed into the robes for school. I liked how they felt. When I swung my arms, they whooshed like a cape.
I still had time to kill. I took my wand out and swung it around, but couldn't force any magic to come out. I did some pushups. Eventually I checked the time and saw that we would be getting to Hogwarts soon. Harry still wasn't back.
Something was wrong.
"Time to look for him," I decided.
I left our stuff and started wandering the train. It was hard to get around. Compartments were opening up and people were entering the hallway, positioning themselves to get off.
I ran into Ginny standing with a boy who must have been Dean. "Have you seen Harry?"
"Not since Slughorn's lunch," Ginny said. "What was up with that, anyway? It was so—"
"Yeah, it was weird." I backed off, moving past them. "I haven't seen Harry since it ended, though."
"He's probably with Ron and Hermione. I doubt he's in trouble."
That was possible… But then why had he left his things? His snowy owl, Hedwig, was still in our compartment. He would've grabbed her at least. Harry loved his pet.
I was right to think something was up. We weren't close enough to talk, but I spotted Ron's lanky frame and bright hair down the hallway. Squinting, I saw the top of Hermione's head on one side of him and Luna on the other side. No Harry.
"Where'd you go?" I mumbled. "I thought this was supposed to be the safe part."
By chance, I was walking by when a compartment opened and Draco Malfoy stepped out.
I stopped, and he stopped too when he saw me. There wasn't enough room for him to move out of the doorway, so he kept the door slid open.
"Move."
"You haven't seen Harry Potter anywhere, have you?"
Draco sneered. "I thought you had nothing to do with him and his friends?"
"Oh, what I said back in Diagon? I lied." I shrugged. "The two of us are friends now. So have you seen him?"
"I haven't. And you won't be seeing him either— you, or anybody else."
Draco barged past me. Well, he tried, but throwing all his weight into me only made him bounce off. He stumbled and barely caught himself from falling, smirking to save face as he left.
He knew something. There was definitely a clue in what he'd just said. Plus, even if it was faint, I could smell something. Blood.
I sniffed the air, following my nose into the cabin Draco left. This was definitely where the smell was coming from. I closed my eyes to focus on the scent and paced around the room. Then I tripped.
"Oof!"
I thought I had kicked a seat because my eyes were shut. But looking back, I had tripped over nothing.
Nobody will be seeing Harry. That was what Draco said. I reached out and whipped away Harry's invisibility cloak like a tablecloth.
"Shit," I said.
Harry was in an awkward hunched position, his entire body frozen stiff. The blood I smelled was all around his clearly broken nose. I could sense the anger and frustration radiating off of him.
"I… What do I do?" I realized.
The train had stopped moving. People were getting off behind us. Some sort of spell had been cast on Harry, but I of all people didn't know how to cancel it.
"I'll be back. Give me one second," I swore.
I ran outside. I wanted to find Ron and Hermione, but they were already gone. Ginny had been ahead of them in line. I didn't recognize anyone, and I couldn't imagine Harry wanting me to pull just anyone in to see him like that. Still, if it was between that and letting him ride all the way back to London, we'd have to hurt his pride a little more.
My luck turned in an instant. Fighting against the disembarking crowd, I spotted a shock of pink hair boarding the train.
"Tonks?!" I said.
I couldn't quite believe it. I waved my hand to get her attention.
"Wotcher, Percy! I told you you'd be seeing more of me! I— Where's your school stuff?"
"No time. Follow me."
I dragged her into the compartment we'd come from. When she saw Harry, her jaw dropped.
"Hold on," Tonks said. "I've got you."
She cast a spell that loosened Harry's body. He stood up fast, trying to hide how sore his body was.
"Thanks for finding me," he muttered, blood still coming from his nose. He glanced at me, looking like he was trying hard to keep his emotions down. "You could've unparalyzed me before running off, though."
"I couldn't have," I said. "I don't know how."
Both of them looked at me. "But Petrificus Totalus is a first year spell!" Harry said.
"And I'm a sixth year. That's a totally different year."
Luckily, there wasn't time for them to judge me for my lack of magic.
"Do you two have your stuff?" Tonks asked.
"No. It's all back in our compartment," I said.
"I'd advise you to run then," she said.
Harry and I raced through the train. By the time we had our things and got back to the exit, we had to jump off of a moving train. We both stumbled when we landed, grateful that we hadn't been a few seconds later. The Hogwarts Express thundered out of the station on its way back to London.
Tonks was waiting for us on the platform. "Who did it?" she asked Harry.
I had a pretty good idea, but I let Harry answer himself.
"Draco Malfoy," he spat.
Tonks nodded. "Hold still," she said. "Let me fix your nose."
"Hold on," I said. "I'll do it."
Harry stepped back. "Tonks has more experience, let's let her…"
"It'll be fine, I promise," I said. "Tonks, can you summon some water? A bottle's worth is fine."
She had a little bit more of an idea of what was happening after our mission. Tonks conjured a stream from the tip of her wand. I controlled the angle of it and directed it onto Harry's face, putting my hand on his shoulder at the same time. One second of focus was all it took to pop his nose back into shape.
"You really did it." Harry touched his nose. As a bonus, I'd cleared away all of the dried blood. "It didn't even hurt. What kind of magic was that?"
"The only kind I'm good at," I said. "By the way… They aren't going to kick us out for being late on the first day, are they? Because that happened to me once. It's not fun."
"You'll get detention at worst," Tonks said. "Don't be a baby. Harry and I have to head to the Great Hall. Dumbledore wants you to go with the first years for the sorting. If you run, you can probably catch up to them."
"Say no more. Catch you later, Harry."
Fortunately, I could carry all my things pretty easily. I ran along a path away from the train platform. When I saw that it was leading to a lake, I felt like things were looking up. Especially when I realized that I knew who was leading them.
"Hagrid!"
I waved as I ran. He waved back with a cyclops-sized hand.
"Percy!" Hagrid bellowed. "Good ter see yeh. Dumbledore told meh to look out for yeh, but I couldn' see yeh at the platform."
"I got held up," I said. First years were boarding little rowboats under Hagrid's supervision. "Do we sail to Hogwarts?"
"It's tradition!" Hagrid boomed. "'Course, students usually start in firs' year. Not normal ter have somebody transferin' in."
I climbed into one of the last boats. The three first years I was sharing with gave me funny looks.
"Aren't you a little big to be here?" a girl asked.
"I hit a big growth spurt over the summer," I said.
"...No," said a boy. "That's not possible."
I tried to look shifty. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah! You're making that up!"
"You got me," I said. "I'm a sixth year. I'm just a special case."
Two of the kids laughed while the last one smiled. We started to row. I whispered to them, "Wanna see a trick?"
They nodded. Without moving the paddles, I sped up our boat, propelling it to the front of the group.
"Careful there!" Hagrid called from the back. "Don' get too excited now!"
"How are you doing that?" asked one of the first years. "Is it magic?"
"Let's call it that," I said.
There wasn't any harm in showing them this much. Besides, I was happy to be on the water. It felt like being home even though I'd never visited Scotland.
"Look out!" Hagrid bellowed.
Something broke the surface ahead of us. Tentacles shot into sight like a Kraken bursting from the depths. Two of the first years screamed.
My hand immediately went to Riptide, but the tentacles weren't out to hurt us. They reached down with a gentleness deceptive for their size. I reached back. Stroking the pink suction cups felt like petting a moist, sticky dog.
"'E likes yeh!" Hagrid yelled from the back. "Tha's just the gian' squid! He don' mean no harm!"
I willed the animal to return to the depths. This wasn't the time for a lengthy introduction. Best believe I would be back, though. He — and I could tell it was a he — reminded me of some of the friendly beasties that my dad kept down in Atlantis.
Not a lot happened after that. The first view of Hogwarts was gorgeous, but less captivating than gazing at Olympians palaces. We entered through the depths where Hagrid passed us off to the Head of Hufflepuff House. Pomona Sprout was squat and broad with a friendly demeanor that put all the kids at ease.
"Is the transfer student among you?" she asked once we were outside the Great Hall.
It was purely a polite question. The tallest kids came up to my shoulder.
"Right here, Miss." I stepped forward.
Sprout smiled at me. "Your situation is a bit unusual, but don't let anyone make you feel out of place. There might be a lot of eyes on you. Just shrug them off. You'll do fine."
I was already used to attention. I didn't say that, though.
"Thank you," I said. "I'll do my best."
We walked into the room beyond the double doors with me at the head of the line.
The Great Hall was loud. It had a ceiling that actually looked like the sky, stars and all. There were four long tables for each of the houses, and a fifth shorter one for the staff. Sprout led us to a corner of the room to wait, pointing me toward a stool in the center of the room.
It had a hat on top of it.
"Just place the Sorting Hat on your head," she said. "It will do the rest. Whatever house you end up in, I'm sure you'll do wonderfully."
Every once in a while, you run into someone so nice they make you want to cry for no eason. Professor Sprout reminded me of Hestia.
Almost everyone was looking as I went to the stool. Transfer students weren't just rare, they were unheard of. Luckily, I wasn't exaggerating when I said I was familiar with this.
I gave the room a chipper wave before putting the hat on my head. At a blue-themed table, Luna Lovegood waved back.
Hmmm. What's this now? When Dumbledore asked me not to sing this year citing that 'wartime mood' nonsense, I thought they had it out for me. But to think! They've given me such an interesting mind to sift through. Make yourself comfortable, Percy. I'll be taking my time with this one.
"Are you the hat?" I asked.
No need to talk out loud. This is, as the kids like to say, all inside of your head. Yes, I'm the hat. You didn't think I was just a bundle of thread, did you?
I knew there would be more to it, but I hadn't counted on a telepathic conversation.
Oh, I can do more than speak. I can see to the core of your being. Now, let's see what you're made of.
The hat started to hum and grunt. It was hard to tell time underneath its brim, but it didn't talk for the next few minutes.
I'll begin with what we can rule out. There's not a drop of Ravenclaw in you.
Fair enough. Studying was never my thing.
After that… It gets a bit complicated. You've got a crafty side to you, Percy Jackson. You break the rules, and some of the tricks you've pulled are devious. That bedmaker in Los Angeles? Or that underground arena, goading your half-brother into fighting you, just to string him up with chains. Clever and then some.
I didn't like where this was going. Daphne and Tracey were fine, but I was not going to share a room with Draco Malfoy.
Don't get your swimming trunks in a bunch. I'm not finished yet. You're clever, yes, but there's no ambition in you. Every great thing you accomplished was because it had to be you when no one else would step up. Any rule you broke was to help others. You lack the ability to think of yourself as the center of the world— a must, in Salazar's house.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Now the hard part…
I could hear the sorting hat deliberating.
You would sacrifice the world to save those closest to you. Loyalty is so rooted within you that it's become your Fatal Flaw. As a child, you faced down deities as old as time. When you set your mind on something, no threat of death can make you back down. You fell into hell for the one you loved, and walked out unbroken. Loyal to a fault, yet brave without fault. Do you see my conundrum?
Hufflepuff and Gryffindor were both perfect fits. So perfect that the hat couldn't figure out where to put me.
But you have one that you would prefer, don't you?
I do, I admitted.
Sprout seemed wonderful. If I had to pick one, I valued my loyalty to my friends higher than my own bravery.
But I was here on a mission. Harry was in Gryffindor. For Hecate's task, I knew where I had to go.
Hecate. Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while. The sorting hat chortled. How is she doing these days? I'd ask her myself… If she ever visited.
It occurred to me that the hat hadn't been surprised about anything it saw in my head. It even used the phrase Fatal Flaw.
Of course I know that business. Don't you know? I thought you would, since you're one of their kind, but if it falls on me to enlighten you so be it. The founders were demigods.
Harry's friends (mostly Hermione) had filled me in on the creation of Hogwarts. The four founders worked together to make a school that had lasted centuries. Each of the houses was based on one.
Helga Hufflepuff was Demeter's daughter. She had the greenest thumb I've ever seen. Rowena Ravenclaw was, predictably, one of Athena's brainchildren. And Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, the perpetual rivals, were just continuing a rivalry far older than either of them. Godric was a son of Zeus— might explain why he always hogged the limelight. Salazar, of course, was a child of Poseidon. Like you.
Maybe I should have been upset about that connection. Everyone said Slytherin was the source of blood purity. Voldemort had claimed to be a descendent of his.
The thing is, I have plenty of half-brothers, and it's nothing new for them to not be the greatest people. Polyphemus tried to marry — then eat — my best friend, and Antaeus used Annabeth and Rachel as hostages to force me into a pit fight. Every child of Poseidon was their own person, including me. I quit trying to make it anything deeper than that a long time ago.
Wise, most likely. Although Salazar was absolutely brilliant on his day. All four of them were taken in by our mutual acquaintance. Hecate aided in the creation of me… and most things around the school. Not to say that she did it all! Quite the opposite. All she ever did was nudge her legacies when they got stuck. Everything the founders achieved was because of their own efforts.
I was starting to hear chatter from the Great Hall. People were getting antsy at how long this was taking.
I've said all that I needed to. Maybe more. Go on, and head over to— "Gryffindor!"
The top of the hat flipped open, the voice from my head yelling one word to the onlookers. Gryffindor cheered and clapped, led by Ron and the others around him. When I took off the hat and made it to the table, Ginny opened a spot for me between her and a pretty blond.
"Funny," the blond said. "You look a little big for a first year."
"You know, that's the first thing the first years said too."
"Percy, that's Lavender Brown," Harry introduced us from the opposite side of the table. "This is Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Parvati Patil…"
Pretty soon I was caught up on everyone in our year. In particular, Lavender stuck out. It wasn't just that she was pretty with an impressive chest. She was looking at me like she wanted to eat me up. Some of the older Aphrodite girls I'd met were like that— when they wanted someone, they didn't let inhibitions get in their way.
"You're from America?" Lavender asked. "I like your accent."
"Thanks," I said. "I've been working on it for nineteen years."
"Do you play Quidditch?" Parvati asked. She was looking at the muscles on my forearms from across the table.
"Don't get me started," Ron groaned. "He's more bloody athletic than my brothers, but he won't get on a broom!"
"Percy stayed with us for part of summer," Ginny said, heading off the questions that might be coming. "Dumbledore brought him."
Speaking of the headmaster, he stood up as the last of the first years were sorted. Clearing his throat (a sound that carried over the entire room) he dove into his welcome speech.
"Look at his hand!" Lavender said.
It was blackened and warped, like the hand off a corpse. The hand was attracting a lot of attention from all corners of the room. Dumbledore assured the students that it was nothing and covered his hand, moving on to Quidditch tryouts.
While the other Gryffindors wondered why the headmaster hadn't healed the wound, I stayed quiet and kept my face from giving anything away.
The biggest surprise was when Dumbledore revealed that someone called Professor Snape would be switching from Potions to Defense Against the Dark Arts, with Slughorn taking over for him. That made Harry shout out loud. A lot of students looked upset. To me, who just got there, I didn't really understand what it meant.
Before the end of his speech, Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"As I'm sure you're all aware, Voldemort and his followers have returned," he said. "These are dangerous times. Dangerous— but not yet hopeless. For the duration of the school year, I urge you, now more than ever, to adhere to the restrictions we have placed. Do not be caught outside of your beds after hours. If you see anything suspicious, inform a member of the staff. For the next year, this castle is our home and our stronghold. It is up to each of you to keep it as it was meant to be: as a place of learning first and foremost, and of safety in trying times. Thank you… and I wish each of you the best of dreams tonight."
Prefects started to organize each house, gathering first years and ensuring everyone headed for the dorms. Ron and Hermione helped. Instead of going with the first years, I followed the rest of the sixth years and did my best to memorize the way.
Near the top of a moving staircase, Lavender grabbed the forearm that Parvati had been ogling at the table.
"You don't mind if I hold onto you, do you?" she batted her eyes. "These staircases still make me nervous after all these years."
She had the subtlety of Cormac McClaggen, but I didn't actually mind her advances.
"Hold on as tight as you want," I offered. "I'll be grateful for the company if I fall."
We got to the top and stepped back onto level ground. The two of us were in a red-and-gold precession toward the dorms. At a fork in the hall, Lavender briefly stopped.
"If you wanted, I could show you around some time. Even… right now."
I had to admire her spirit. We'd just listened to the headmaster urging us to stay in our beds, and it sounded like Lavender was willing to break that rule before she even reached hers. It's not like I was a stranger to breaking the rules…
But my close brush with tardiness was enough trouble for one day. I hadn't forgotten that in less than twenty minutes away from me, Harry managed to get his nose broken and nearly not made it to school. I was going to be keeping an even closer eye on him than I planned to.
"How about tomorrow?" I offered.
"That works." Lavender brushed my chest with two fingers. "As long as you don't forget."
Oh, I wasn't. The way her blouse was stretching would have made Drew Tanaka go red with jealousy. Some invitations, you can't refuse. They just have to wait for the right time.