LEGIONS IN LEGENDS [PJO X HP]

TWELVE: THE OUTCAST'S PAST

ON THE SECOND OF SEPTEMBER, Annabeth woke up early. She tried to get Nico to wake up as well, but the boy seemed too determined to stay in bed, unwilling to wake up.

"What time did he sleep?" Annabeth muttered to herself, shaking her head before making her way to the Great Hall, where her roommates had already gone to have their breakfast.

Upon arriving, the only friendly face she could spot was Katie's and, unbothered by the whole 'each house sits on their own table' rule, she slid in a seat next to the Daughter of Demeter.

"Sup, Gardner?" she grinned, helping herself to a few slices of toast. "Sleep well?"

"No." Katie yawned. "My roommates insisted on staying up. They said we should play games to get to know each other better."

"Ew, socialising," Annabeth empathised. "Well, at least your roommates are friendly. Mine thought it was okay to be bitches just because I'm new."

"So they're basically Drew?"

"Yup."

"Gods, good luck."

Annabeth snorted. "I'll take it. Anyways, we seem to be an odd pair right now."

"What do you mean?"

She nodded her head at the direction of some Gryffindors that sat down the table. "Apparently, a Slytherin's presence at the Gryffindor Table is a big deal."

"I think this school in general just doesn't like Slytherins," Katie said. She stirred her tea, staring at the mini beverage whirlpool. "And Malfoy? No one likes him here. My roommates were nice enough, but they made it clear that he isn't popular amongst the other students."

"Did they ever say why?"

Katie shook her head. "No. I think it's a sensitive topic- no one really wants to talk about it."

This piqued Annabeth's interest. She knew from day one that Draco Malfoy was different from the other wizards, but the way Hogwarts unanimously hated him was a shocker. What could he have possibly done to earn such a bad impression?

"We should ask Draco about it," the Daughter of Athena decided. "If he isn't ready to tell us, then we don't question him any further. But if he's hiding something for his own gain... we'll see."

"You mean you don't know?"

The two demigods turned around, alarmed by the girl who seemed to be listening in on their conversation.

"Hermione Granger, right?" Katie said. The Brightest Witch of Her Age bobbed her head, acknowledging her name.

"That's me."

"How long have you been eavesdropping?" Annabeth inquired, raising an eyebrow. She understood being nosy, but to poke into a conversation that didn't involve you was just bold.

"A minute or two." Hermione shrugged. "You guys are the talk of the town at the moment. I wanted to see if you're as bad as everyone says."

"Bad? We haven't done anything wrong," Annabeth frowned. She couldn't really think of anything that would lead to people disliking them- they'd barely arrived at Hogwarts, for gods' sake.

The bushy-haired brunette drummed her fingers on the table, contemplating whether or not she should reveal these secrecies. "I suppose you wouldn't understand why, but being friends with Draco Malfoy is like a red flag. You defend him, and everyone turns on you. He isn't the kind of person you think he is."

"He's an outcast," Katie insisted. She always tried to see the best in people- though, she had to admit that she did not know Draco's past and what cruel things he could have done. "You can't shun him just because you don't like him—"

"How new are you to the Wizarding World?" Hermione interrupted calmly.

Annabeth opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "We know the basics. In America... We didn't get our letter as early as everyone else."

"Then you've heard of the Second Wizarding War, no?" Hermione said. When Annabeth and Katie nodded their heads, she continued, "There was the good versus the bad. Hogwarts fought for the good side. Maybe you won't agree with my views, but Draco Malfoy fought for the side that chose death and destruction."

"War, no matter good or bad, always ends up in hurt," Annabeth said. "You can be deluded into thinking you're doing the right thing."

"There are Muggleborns, then the Half-Bloods, then the Pure-bloods. Those three are the scales of how much magic runs in your ancestry. Draco Malfoy believed that those whose blood weren't 'pure' deserved to be killed, and he didn't just think that. He acted on those beliefs as well."

Now Hermione was serious. She took it upon herself to explain the situation to the demigods, for she did not know if they truly understood Draco's prejudicial ways. However, if they disregarded her words and decided to stay friends with him, then she'd know where they stood.

"So I guess I have to ask: do you still think Draco is an outcast?"

The three war heroines fell silent, all of them pressed under the heavy weight of truth.

Hermione pushed herself up. "I'll let you think about it. He has blood on his hands, you know."

A/N: hope you guys liked this chapter! i would also like to say that, if you have any constructive criticism for my books, please share them!! while i'm currently happy with how legions in legends is turning out, i still want to hear from you guys so i can improve on all aspects of my writing :-) once again, thank you for reading <3