Always Protect

Chapter 13

Percy walked through the stone hallways as though he couldn't hear the whispers. As though he didn't see the furtive glances people shot at him.

By the time dinner rolled around, his anxiety was almost through the roof and he was trying not to be sick. This was also causing his trembling to start up earlier.

His shaking fingers gripped his fork tightly and he stared determinedly down at his plate as he tried to take a bite of mashed potatoes.

His head throbbed so he took a deep breath and reached into his pocket.

Normally he tried to wait until it was almost time for desert but he felt so frustrated with all of this that he knew he couldn't last till then.

Shivers wracked his body and he cursed under his breath as he failed to open the bottle. Cedric carefully took it and opened it for him but his golden brown eyes widened as he saw the one little pill sitting at the bottom of the bottle.

"Percy-" he breathed, concern clear on his face.

"I'm fine," the Potter boy hissed. "I'll be fine. Just give me the pill."

Cedric handed it over, glancing over to the Slytherin table. Luke Castellan had become a sort of unofficial guardian for Percy. Sure enough, the Slytherin was frowning in their direction.

<><><>

As Percy was walking out of the great hall, Fred and George appeared on either side of him. The pair quickly dragged him down a couple corridors that he didn't bother to keep track of, only stopping once they were in an abandoned classroom.

"So, we were in detention with Filch-" George started.

"Again-" Fred cut in.

"And we found something very interesting-"

"In a drawer of confiscated items."

They exchanged mischievous looks before Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out an old piece of parchment.

"We figured it was special so we nicked it but whenever we try anything, it insults us."

Percy gasped and moved forward, gently taking the parchment from the twins.

His eyes grew slightly misty.

"My father used to tell me about this."

He pulled his wand out and tapped the parchment, whispering "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good", and watched as ink bloomed on the page.

Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders' Map.

Fred and George's faces lit up, undoubtedly thinking up ways to use the map for pranks, as their year mate started unfolding the parchment to reveal all of Hogwarts. They could see all the students still in the Great Hall and those who were heading back to their common rooms.

"Wicked."

Percy looked up at them.

"Say Percy-"

"We know that this was your dad's-"

"So he'd presumably want you to have it-"

"But do you suppose that-"

"Just once in a while-"

"We could borrow it?"

Percy smiled at them.

"I may only remember bits and pieces about my parents, I know that my dad was a troublemaker. He'd be happy you can use the map for such a 'worthy' cause." He said with a small chuckle.

The twins high fived excitedly.

"So, to activate the map, tap it with your wand and say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good'. To deactivate it, tap the map and say 'mischief managed'. If you don't deactivate it when you're done and someone finds it, that would not end well."

The boys promised to be careful with the map before they all went back to the entrance hall. From there, they said goodnight and the twins went back upstairs while Percy went to the dungeons to go to the Hufflepuff common room.

When he passed through the common room and into his dorm, Cedric sat on his own bed and watched the skinny boy move around the room with a knowing gaze until Percy disappeared behind his bed hangings.

With a sigh, the brown eyed boy pulled his own bed hangings shut and went to sleep.

<><><>

Percy woke up the next morning with his head already throbbing.

When he checked the time, the numbers were slightly blurred and it took a minute for him to register the fact that it was only 6 in the morning.

With a groan, he rolled off his bed and stumbled to his trunk.

He took a moment to run his fingers over the plaque with his name on it before opening it and rummaging through.

Before school started, Minerva had taken him to a pharmacy so he could get more of his pain medication but it seems he'd run out.

He let out a shaky breath, his already trembling hands gripping the sides of his open trunk, before shoving his thoughts away from the pain and grabbing his robes to get dressed for the day.

The throbbing got worse as he packed his bag, making him feel a bit dizzy but he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. And if he had to use the wall to keep himself upright, no one would be the wiser.

Exiting the common room, he got a sharp pain up his back and to his head. His legs nearly gave out and he paused to rest his head against the cold stone wall. His eyes fluttered closed from the small bit of relief.

He slid down to the floor as his body was wracked with pain. He barely registered the sound of someone approaching him.

Luke had woken up from a fairly disturbing dream and decided to go to breakfast early. It's a good thing he did because he saw a figure on the floor just past the stairs.

The only movement was slight jolts and twitches.

Concerned, the blond boy quickened his pace and crouched by who he discovered to be Percy.

"Percy?"

The boy groaned in pain, visibly struggling to open his eyes.

He was white as a sheet, his body curling in on itself as it attempted to escape the pain.

"Percy what's wrong? I can't help if I don't know what is wrong."

"Hurts." Percy panted out faintly. Luke could see the agony swimming in his eyes.

"Well,  where's your pain medication?"

"'S gone." Percy replied, tears starting to flow as the pain overwhelmed him.

Luke cursed under his breath.

"Alright, don't worry Perce. I'll get you to the hospital wing."

The third year dropped his bag on the floor, no need to carry extra weight, and stooped down to remove the raven haired boy's bag from his shoulder before lifting him.

Even after nearly three months of proper nourishment, the lack of it for several years was evident in how light he was as Luke carried him up from the dungeons and towards the hospital wing, his grip tight so that he wouldn't drop the trembling boy.

"You'll be alright Percy, we're almost there."

Luke kept up this constant stream of reassurances as they traveled through the school.

Luke finally burst into the hospital wing, calling for Madam Pomfrey. His younger friend had passed out about three minutes before they reached their destination.

Upon seeing the Potter boy's condition, the Matron pointed at a bed for Luke to put him down on before he was pushed out of the way.

Resigned to the fact that there was nothing more he could do, the blond boy sat in a chair nearby to wait.