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Percy blinked, still standing in the middle of the hula hoop. "I did...? Well, damn..." He looked around, then back at the hoop, then at Mr. Twycross's astonished face.
A small, slightly disappointed frown crossed his own. "...That was surprisingly anticlimactic." He had expected more of a struggle, more of a challenge.
The demigod was actually a bit depressed for the rest of that week because of how easy it had been. He still had to attend all the Apparition classes, though; them were the rules set by the school.
So, he spent most of that time just going through the motions of teleportation, not really pushing himself, but instead learning different, more subtle ways he could pop from one place to another.
He experimented with speed, with distance (within the Great Hall, of course), and with appearing silently.
He stubbornly refused to call it "Apparition," no matter what the snotty-nosed, stuck-up wizards called it. In Percy's mind, it was, and always would be, plain and simple "Teleportation."
He quickly managed to make the action of teleporting feel like second nature to him, as easy as breathing. He could even do an advanced version he made up where he would run and then teleport mid-stride, the added momentum from the run should have made it harder, more dangerous even, but Percy's sheer determination and willpower bulldozed right through any hurdles or difficulties he had in his way.
Though, he did once foolishly try to teleport when the school's powerful anti-Apparition wards were fully up around the castle grounds. That attempt just resulted in him getting really, really dizzy and almost throwing up.
And after one very long, very stern lecture from Professor McGonagall, who explained in great detail just why that had been an incredibly stupid and dangerous thing to do, he promised himself (and her) never to try it again. Lesson learned.
That coming Sunday, though, Percy did get a rather pleasant surprise. Harry Potter approached him after breakfast with a big, excited smile on his face. He quickly, and a bit mysteriously, ushered Percy into an abandoned, dusty classroom on the third floor.
After carefully making sure no one else was around and that the door was closed, Harry spoke out, his voice filled with a chipper, happy tone.
"Sirius just wrote to me! He is safe! He made it to your place! Hecate was there to pick him up from the edge of the wards, just like you said! He says he is fine, and he is eating proper food again, not just scraps!" Harry said all in a rush, his words tumbling over each other.
Then, he did something that really surprised Percy: he jumped forward and hugged Percy tightly. Percy was a bit taken aback, as Harry had never really been the hugging type of person before.
"I-I am glad," Percy said, a little awkwardly, patting Harry's back a couple of times before quickly, but gently, breaking the hug. "Anything else important in the letter?"
Harry blushed a little, suddenly looking a bit embarrassed by his outburst of affection. "O-oh, ah, yeah. Well, Sirius also might have... um... tried to seduce Hecate. Almost as soon as he got there."
Percy just chuckled, raising an amused eyebrow. "And? What happened?"
"She apparently fed him a whole box of extra-strength laxatives and then threatened to neuter him with a rusty spoon if he ever tried it again."
Percy smirked, a familiar fondness in his eyes. "That is my girl Hecate... always so subtle." He paused, then his expression turned more serious. "Anyway, you know this means we can finally tell people now, right?"
Harry blinked, looking confused for a moment. "Tell people... tell people what?"
Percy rolled his eyes dramatically. "Merlin's beard, Harry! 'Ave you already forgotten what we talked about in the cave? We can finally tell people that Sirius is innocent! That 'e was framed!"
Harry's eyes went wide with sudden realization. "Oh! Oh yes! Of course! How could I possibly forget that?!"
Percy sighed, shaking his head. "Bloody Gryffindors. Always brave, rarely thinking ahead. Come on!" he said, grabbing Harry's arm.
"It is almost dinner time. I am sure the Great Hall will be packed with students! It is the perfect time to make a big, dramatic speech!"
Harry gulped audibly and nodded, looking suddenly very nervous. Percy and the Boy-Who-Lived walked together out of the abandoned classroom and down towards the Great Hall.
When they reached the huge oak doors, they paused, peeking inside. The vast hall was indeed filled with students from Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons.
They were all here, chatting loudly with each other, the noise a dull roar.
"Remember," Percy said quietly to Harry, taking out his own wand, "the main goal here is to tell people 'e is innocent. That is it. Do not tell them you are in contact with 'im, or where 'e is. Just tell them everything that 'appened in your third year with Pettigrew, do not leave anything important out."
Harry sighed, nodding again. "Right. Got it."
"Nervous?" Percy asked, glancing at Harry's pale face.
"Yes. Very," Harry admitted, his voice a bit shaky.
"Oh, please," Percy rolled his eyes again, trying to sound encouraging. "You out-flew a Hungarian Horntail dragon. How can just talking to a bunch of students make you this scared?"
"Yeah, yeah... I know," Harry mumbled. "...What exactly should I say? How should I start?"
Percy shrugged. "Just be blunt, I guess. Get straight to the point." He then quickly cast the Sonorus charm on Harry's throat, amplifying his voice. "Good luck, mate."
Harry nodded one last time, took a deep, fortifying breath, and then stepped forward into the doorway of the Great Hall. He cleared his throat loudly.
The magical amplification caused the sound to boom through the hall, and many students perked up, looking towards the entrance, though a few groups still ignored him, deep in their own conversations.
Harry took another deep breath, and then, in his loudest possible voice, he yelled at the absolute top of his lungs, "SIRIUS BLACK IS INNOCENT!"
The entire room went completely, utterly quiet. Instantly. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Nobody even seemed to breathe. They all just stared at Harry, their forks halfway to their mouths, their conversations cut off mid-sentence.
Over at the teachers' table, Professor Dumbledore's eyebrow shot up so high it nearly disappeared into his hairline. Professor McGonagall's eyes went wide with shock and surprise.
Professor Snape, predictably, had a deep sneer permanently etched on his face that did not seem like it would ever come off, but even he looked a bit taken aback. The rest of the teachers just looked completely stunned.
Hermione groaned loudly from the Gryffindor table and slammed her head down onto the wood, murmuring under her breath, "Oh, Harry, you idiot! You absolute idiot!" Ron, on the other hand, just looked incredibly proud of his best friend.
The room remained in pin-drop silence for what felt like an eternity. And then, it exploded. Suddenly, everyone was talking at once, shouting questions, demanding to know what Harry meant.
The last Potter sighed, a look of weary resignation on his face, and then he walked further into the room, ready to try and answer all the questions they undoubtedly had for him.
Percy, watching from the doorway, just smirked to himself. 'Sucker,' he thought, amused.
April first: April Fool's Day...
"Wake up, George! Get up!" Fred Weasley cried out, shaking his twin brother's shoulder vigorously.
"Don't want to," mumbled the other twin, George, his voice muffled. He grabbed his pillow and pulled it completely over his head, trying to block out the noise.
"Wake up, you lazy git!" Fred yelled again.
"No."
Splash!
A large bucket of icy cold water suddenly drenched George. He came up sputtering and shivering, immediately wide awake, and glared at his grinning twin. "Why in Merlin's name did you do that?!"
"Look where we are!" Fred yelled, pointing down dramatically. George did as he was told, looked down over the side of his bed, and gasped in pure shock.
The twins, still in their pajamas, were floating peacefully in the very middle of the Black Lake, still tucked snugly in their own four-poster beds.
The sun was just starting to rise, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange. It was morning already. And standing on the coast of the lake, waving cheerfully at them with a big, innocent smile on his face, was Percy Jackson.
"This guy... this guy is a bloody god," George muttered in awe as, suddenly, his bed lurched forward. Both their beds began to float smoothly towards the coast, as if being pulled by an invisible rope, while Percy just waited for them on the shore, still smiling.
When their beds finally reached the muddy bank, the twins jumped out quickly, their pajamas dripping wet. They walked over to Percy, who was trying, and failing, to look entirely innocent.
"How on earth did you do that?!" Fred asked, completely bewildered. "We had set up anti-prank wards all around our beds last night! Strong ones!"
Percy nodded, looking thoughtful. "Yeah, zey were pretty good wards, for amateurs," he admitted. "But kind of basic, really. For a master of runes like me," he puffed out his chest slightly, "it was nothing. Who taught you those simple ones anyway?"
"Our older brother, Bill," George supplied, still looking around in amazement. "So, what is with the sudden, elaborate prank? It is not even our birthday."
Percy just shrugged, a mysterious glint in his eyes. "I do not know. Just felt like doing something fun. Come on," he said, motioning for them to follow him as he casually levitated both their wet beds to float along behind them.
Fred grumbled under his breath as he pulled his soggy night robe tighter around his shivering frame. He started walking along the stony pathway leading back up to the castle, his feet squishing in his... wait a second.
"Hey!" Fred exclaimed, looking down at his feet in horror. "Did you turn my favorite slippers into bright pink, fluffy bunnies?!"
Percy just nodded, his grin widening. "Yup!"
They quickly reached the huge castle gates. The school was quiet at this early hour, most students still asleep. "I still do not get it," Fred grumbled again, shivering slightly.
"Why did you prank us? We did not do anything to you! Plus, you do realize that we are now totally obligated to prank you back even harder now, yes? It is the Prankster's Code!"
Percy stopped right before the massive doors leading into the Great Hall. He turned back to look at the twins, a very strange, unreadable expression on his face.
"What makes you think," he asked softly, "that the prank is over yet?" He then pushed the heavy doors open wide and casually walked away, whistling a jaunty tune.
"SURPRISE!" a loud, joyful cheer suddenly rang out from inside the Great Hall. The twins looked in, their mouths dropping open in awe.
All their closest friends, their girlfriends Angelina and Alicia, and even Percy's own veela girlfriend, Fleur, stood before them.
There was a large table laden with breakfast foods and a huge cake in the middle. A colorful banner was strung up over the table, with the words, 'Happy Birthday, Fred and George!' written out in bold, Gryffindor red letters.
Percy suddenly reappeared, throwing his arms around both the twins' shoulders from behind, a huge, triumphant smirk on his face. "Happy birthday, you morons!"
George's confused expression melted away into a wide, delighted smile. "This is the best-"
Fred grinned from ear to ear, his earlier annoyance completely forgotten. "-Prank-"
"Ever!" they shouted together, laughing, as they jumped eagerly into the small, surprise birthday party.
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If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.
http://patreon.com/SageOf016