Strange Ties--Percy Jackson/Harry Potter

Chapter Twenty Two

Percy

The next day Percy spent the night time training. For what? He wasn't sure, but he was determined to make himself stronger, more resistant. Now that he wasn't sleeping, as soon as curfew for students started, he sneaked out of the castle and headed to the training grounds. After he was done, he took a moment and read a book. It was one of the rituals that regulated his days. Though the book never made him tired or even seemed to do much to calm his mind, it still signaled to his body that the day was over and nighttime was about to begin.

As soon as the sun lit up his window, he got ready and headed for the library to meet up with Hermione to finish their project for transfiguration. To his surprise, Hermione was already waiting for him at a table.
"Hey" he said as he sat down.
Hermione looked up and smiled, "Good Morning" she said, "Im mostly done with my part, did you do what i told you to?"
Percy nodded and gave her the papers. They began to work on the project for what felt close to an hour until they finished.
"I'm so glad this is done. I have so many things coming up" she complained.
"What things?"
"You know like the OWL's, exams and don't even get me started on the Yule ball."
"What's the Yule ball?"
"Well it used to be a traditional ball following the Triwizard Tournament, but after they canceled it I guess now it's just a ball."
Percy shrugged, "Why did they cancel it?"

Hermione shifted in her seat, "Well... in the last tournament there was this boy, Cedric Diggory. He got selected as the Hogwarts Triwizard Champion and after two weeks, he tied up with Harry. Cedric and Harry completed the Third Task together. Both took hold of the Triwizard Cup, which transported them to the Little Hangleton graveyard, where Cedric was murdered by Peter Pettigrew with the Killing Curse, on the orders of... well, you know who."
Hermione continued, "It's not something people here at Hogwarts talk about casually. He was loved by so many people; especially Harry."
The more Percy found out about all the hurt and pain Voldemort caused the less he wanted to be associated with him. It infuriated him to think people thought they were alike.
"So are you going?" Hermione asked.
"Going where?"
"To the Yule Ball. It's tradition that everyone goes."
"Balls aren't really my thing"
Hermione frowned, "But didn't you go to the Sandhurst ball?"
"Yeah but that was a favor"
"Well what if I ask you for the same thing?"
"Sorry, I'm not going"
"Why not? You'll have fun I promise, please just go" she urged. Percy was surprised to see how much she actually cared if he went. After all, they weren't that close to begin with. At least Percy thought so.
"Fine, but with one condition" he said.
"Sure! What?" she chirped with a smile.
"You have to come with me"
Her smile faded just as fast as it appeared. "But...I'm already going with Ron. I can't not go with him, we're together."
"Damn, then I guess I'm not going" he smiled.
She huffed, "You are unbelievable"
Percy shrugged. "Are we done here?" he asked.

Hermione nodded, and he made his way onto Hagrid's Hut, but to his surprise, the old man wasn't there. He looked around the hut, he had never been inside alone. There was a ton of clutter and weird looking things he didn't even want to know what they were. Knowing Hagrid, it wasn't anything normal.
He took a bag of some bruffles he found on a shelf and left to find Willy. He was entering the forbidden forest, when suddenly Dumbledore appeared.
"Skipping lessons again Mr. Jackson?" He said, his voice as stern as ever.
"So?"
"If you do not attend your classes right now, I will personally make sure to lock you up in Askaban" he threatened. Out of all the wizards he has met, Dumbledore had to be the worst of them. Just the look of his face makes percy want to uncap riptide and slash him. He stared at Dumbledore for a second, contemplating on whether he should do it but he obviously didn't. He dreaded going to Snape's class more than anything. Gods he'd rather go to flying lessons and have Zeus bolt him to death.
As soon as he entered the room he took a seat next to Audrey and began to eat the bruffles.
"What's that?" she asked.
"Bruffles. Want some?" he offered.
Audrey took a hand of them, "Are those the popcorn things Hagrid is always eating?"
Percy nodded, "It's kind of weird, they're usually a different color"
"Maybe they are different flavor" She shrugged.
Valerie entered the room and took a seat behind them, "Whats that?" she asked.
"Urfrs" Audrey said with a mouth full.
"Bruffles," Percy repeated. He passed the bag to Valerie who took a fist full of them.

As soon as the class ended, Percy wanted to go back to his room, but Valerie dragged him to the library again to find a specific book she was looking for.
"It's called 'Brave New World', by Aldous Huxley. It was published in 1932 and it talk about a society grown too used to artificial comfort built on exploitation and was found to be too unpalatable for the censors of the un-brave old world. So, some countries banned 'Brave New World' for what they saw as it comments against religion and the traditional family."