When Myths Meet Magic || 5

35|| Percy

Percy ran through the corridors, shoving past students and ghosts alike. He heard many shouts of, "hey!" but ignored them and ran on.

He sprinted out of the castle, making a beeline to Hagrid's hut where he knew no one would interrupt his I-M there. A rainbow quickly formed from his wand and Percy patted his pockets for a drachma, but before he could find one, the door was wrenched open and a spell was directed at his back, making his knees lock as he collapsed, stiff as a board.

"Hey, Jackson!" A voice sneered. Malfoy. "Where d'you think you're off to? Making a shrine for that oaf at his shack?"

The pale boy's eyes were gleaming as he seized Percy's hair. Percy couldn't move anything except his eyes, which were glowering at Malfoy with every inch of his might. Malfoy, wisely, decided not to make eye contact and instead focused his gaze on Percy's nose as his wand conjured a gag which tied itself around Percy's mouth.

"Let's see what Professor Umbridge has to say about this," he said, dragging Percy behind him with some difficulty as Percy was a head taller than him and was heavy with muscle.

"Have you got the rest of them?" Malfoy barked to someone else Percy couldn't see. The spell was beginning to wear off and he moved his jaw with some difficulty.

"Yep," another voice said. There was a sound of electricity crackling in the air and Percy spotted in the reflection of the windows, Thalia and Jason with the same full-body bind curse and gag, hovering in the air. Their captors, Millicent and Pansy, had very static-looking hair and were levitating them some distance away. Nico was nowhere to be seen.

Percy tried to focus on the lake outside and felt the familiar tug on his gut but then Malfoy shifted his grip to Percy's neck and all concentration was lost as his windpipe was nearly crushed.

They hurried back in the castle, back up the corridors Percy had just sprinted by, and into Umbridge's office.

"Got 'em all," said a gruff voice, another Slytherin. Percy, from his angle, spotted Ginny, Luna, (surprisingly) Neville, and Annabeth all in tight clasps of several Slytherins, and all gagged. Ron and Hermione were both pinned to the wall and two hats and a cloak were lying discarded in the corner, hidden from view. Surprisingly, Piper was merely standing to the side, her face unreadable. She met Percy's eyes and shook her head in a silent message.

Still, no Nico. Percy felt a flicker of hope.

"This one," said the Slytherin holding Neville in a headlock, "was trying to stop me from taking her," he nodded at Ginny. "So I took him too."

"Marvelous," Umbridge said, her eyes gleaming. "And these three?"

"Jackson was running out of the grounds," said Malfoy.

"Grace and Grace were on the opposite side of the castle but they didn't have a chance to do anything," said Pansy and Millicent.

"And you?"

Piper put her hands up. "I was just passing and wanted to talk to Annabeth," she said. "I had no idea what they were doing."

The force of her words was so strong almost everyone in the room started nodding in agreement. Umbridge seemed satisfied and settled down in a flowered armchair.

"So, Potter," she said. "You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent these two," she nodded at Thalia and Jason, "Who tried to shock the Inquisitorial Squad into unconsciousness. Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone..."

Malfoy and a few of the other members of the Inquisitorial Squad laughed some more at that. Malfoy's thumb pressed deeper into Percy's neck and his vision was beginning to tint black and red with rage.