ϟ ψ ΡΣΓCY JΔCΚSΘΝ GΘΣS ΤΘ ΗΘGΨΛΓΤS ψ ϟ

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕚𝕩𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟- 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕖𝕒 ℙ𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕖

It didn't take long after school recommencing after the Christmas break for many to notice the sudden disappearance of Percy Jackson.

The paper-thin story that was spread as a mere precaution naturally contained little truth. How could they explain a student being murdered by a teenager, who was walking the corridors free an apprehended? There were too many secrets at play, too many complications to revealing the wrong thing to the wrong person, to many possible misunderstandings. The Order were forced to do the one thing that benefitted the Death Eaters all too well; cover for Draco Malfoy.

It drove Hermione insane. Harry and Ron had to restrain her any time they set eyes upon him; she was more than willing to repay his dark deed with a similar one of her own. This was a side to Hermione nobody had ever truly taken a glimpse of before; crazed with anger, revenge being her only agenda.

"I know how difficult it is Hermione, but you have to keep your cool," Harry stressed to her after every encounter. "Nobody else knows what happened, and your going to raise people's suspicions. Draco deserves to suffer for what he did, I understand that, but you can't hurt him, no matter how tempting it might be."

He deserves much more than just to die, Hermione thought, but said nothing.

To say Liam and Jessica were suspicious was an understatement. There best friend had suddenly vanished into thin air, and didn't even have the curtesy to contact them at all.

"He had to stay in America," Harry had told them, trying to sound casual and failing miserably. "It was a family emergency, he didn't give any details. He doesn't know when he'll be back. A few months maybe." Or perhaps never, that haunting voice in the back of his mind added, the truth of the statement stinging.

"How come he contacted you and not us?" Jessica demanded, unwilling to drop the matter with only such vague details. "We're his friends too."

"He texted me," Hermione came to the rescue, sensing his distress. "Its a muggle thing," she added at the sight of their confused faces. "He didn't have an owl, obviously, so its another way of contacting someone. I gave him my phone number before he left."

"Phone number?" Jessica muttered, before sighing and dropping the matter. Thank you, Harry muttered to Hermione, admiring her quick thinking; there was no way to stop wizards prying in matters than confusing them with muggle terminology.

Hermione was relatively good at keeping up the calm facade during the day, hiding the pain she felt every time someone mentioned his name. It was at night that she couldn't keep it in any longer, spending hours sitting in the corner of the bathroom, tears streaming down her face, keeping her sobs just muffled enough to be inaudible to the dormitory next door. Nobody really paid her enough attention to notice her slightly puffy, red eyes in the morning, which quickly faded through the course of the day, much to her relief. Well, nobody except Harry and Ron. Neither of them ever knew what was the right thing to say, but they were there for her, and in the end that was enough.

After a week or so of his absence the house-elves began to clear out Percy's belongings from his space in the dormitory, to 'send them to America for him'; he hadn't brought the trunk with him when he had left, due to his intention of returning. Hermione was surprised to find a letter at the foot of her bed one afternoon at lunchtime, accompanied by a note.

"This letter was with Mr Jackson's belongings, and it seems to be addressed to you. We thought it might be best for you to have it."

She studied the white envelope. Sure enough, on the outside in Percy's familiar, haphazard scrawl was written "Please give to Hermione Granger." That piqued her curiosity; Percy couldn't have known what was going to happen when he left for America, and if he had simply intended on giving it to her himself, he would've just wrote her name, no instructions necessary. It felt as if her heart stopped for a beat as she tore open the sealed flap, sliding out the piece of paper inside. For a second disappointment filled her at the lack of writing, until her mind processed the words, and she realised there was more to come.