"What?!" Percy repeated, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"I am going directly to the Ministry to get this sorted out and stop the expulsion," Dumbledore said rapidly, already striding towards the center of his office. "You go to Surrey. Make sure he is safe, Percy."
Percy was already on his feet, his mind racing. "I'll take the Floo network to the Leaky Cauldron in London, then I'll Apparate the rest of the distance to Little Whinging. It's the fastest way."
"Good," the old man said. He held out his arm, and Fawkes the phoenix immediately swooped down, latching onto it with his golden talons. In a blinding, spectacular explosion of red and gold flames, both Dumbledore and the bird vanished from the office.
Percy blinked, momentarily dazzled. "Okay, that's cool," he muttered. He grabbed a pinch of glittering Floo powder from a pot on the mantelpiece, threw it into the fireplace, and stepped into the emerald green flames. "The Leaky Cauldron!" he shouted clearly.
He came flying out of the grate on the other side, stumbling slightly as he landed in the bustling, dingy pub. Tom, the toothless bartender, greeted him with a wave, but Percy was far too busy and panicked to reply. He ran straight out the front door, slipping seamlessly into the Muggle street outside Diagon Alley. Finding a shadowed corner, he twisted on the spot and Apparated away with a sharp crack.
He appeared instantly inside his own living room at Number 7, Privet Drive. Percy didn't pause for breath. He rushed out of his front door just in time to see Uncle Vernon's car tires squealing as the Dursleys sped away down the quiet suburban street, looking like the literal devil was on their tail.
Percy sprinted across the immaculate street and pounded on the door of Number 4 several times, loud and urgent. A moment later, the door swung open, and Percy was immediately met with the glowing, red-hot tip of Harry Potter's wand pointed squarely between his eyes.
"Who…Percy? Is that you?" Harry blinked, his eyes wide behind his glasses, his hand shaking slightly.
Percy nodded, keeping his hands visible and away from his pockets. "Yeah, Harry, it's me. Dumbledore told me what happened. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Yeah, I'm… wait! No!" Harry said quickly, his grip tightening on his wand, refusing to lower it. "Tell me something only the real Percy Jackson would know!"
Percy blinked, thrown for a second. "Ah... okay. I'm a child of the sea. And you still owe me five galleons from that bet about Ron and Hermione."
Harry let out a massive sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping as he finally lowered his wand. "Thank Merlin. I thought you might be... someone else. A Death Eater using Polyjuice."
Percy nodded understandingly. "Oh, right. Well, I guess that makes perfect sense, all things considered. Good instincts. Can I come in?"
"Right, yes, please," Harry said, stepping aside quickly and letting Percy into the hallway before slamming the front door shut behind him and throwing the deadbolts.
"What exactly happened?" Percy asked as they walked into the pristine kitchen. Harry picked up a mug from the counter and took a shaky sip of what looked like hot cocoa, a common, effective remedy for the lingering chill of a Dementor encounter.
"I... Dudley and I were walking down the street, near the underpass, when two Dementors just showed up out of nowhere," Harry explained, his voice still trembling slightly. "The cold... it was everywhere. I managed to fight them off with a Patronus, but... but then I got an official owl from the Ministry explaining how I was expelled from Hogwarts for breaking the Statute of Secrecy by doing underage magic in front of a Muggle. I-I was literally about to pack my trunk and run away when Arthur, Ron's dad, sent me another letter explaining that Dumbledore was heading to the Ministry and taking care of things for me. He told me to stay put."
Percy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Damn it. Fudge is really going off the deep end. Where are the Dursleys now? I saw them speed off in their car looking terrified."
"The hospital. They've gone to get Dudley checked out," Harry sighed, leaning back against the counter. He looked up at Percy, his brow furrowing. "Wait a minute... where were you today? You're wearing a suit."
"I... I was at a very important meeting with the Board of Governors for Hogwarts," Percy smiled, a hint of pride breaking through his worry.
Harry blinked, thoroughly confused. "The Board of Governors? What for?"
Percy grinned broadly. "Well, you see, Mr. Potter, you are currently speaking to the brand new Potions Master for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
Harry's jaw practically dropped to the kitchen floor. "No way! You're our new Potions Master?! You're replacing Snape?!"
Percy grinned, popping the collar of his suit jacket. "Yup! Got my Mastery and everything. Why else do you think I locked myself in my house all summer studying like a madman?"
"Well, I... I thought it was because you were avoiding me," Harry mumbled, looking down at his hot cocoa, suddenly looking very small and vulnerable.
Percy blinked, his grin vanishing instantly. "Avoiding you? Why in Hades would I avoid you, Harry?"
"Because... because of what happened to Fleur in the graveyard," Harry whispered, his voice thick with guilt.
Percy groaned, stepping forward, and lightly, but firmly, slapped the back of Harry's head. "Hey! That hurt!" Harry cried out, rubbing his head in surprise.
"You idiot," Percy growled, though his voice was completely devoid of anger toward Harry. "I wouldn't ignore you for something you didn't do! The only person I blame for that night is Peter Pettigrew. And Voldemort. His rat ass is mine. Not yours."
Harry blinked, looking up at Percy, searching his eyes for any hidden resentment. He found none. "R-right... so... what now?"
Percy sighed, looking around the aggressively normal kitchen. "Your house isn't safe anymore. If Dementors can get here, who knows what else can. We can't stay here long-term, but Dumbledore said to wait, so we can't leave for Headquarters just yet either. Hmm... fine. I'll stay here on guard duty with you, just in case anything else decides to come after you tonight. Did you have dinner yet?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I didn't get the chance."
Percy nodded. "Fine. You stay here. Keep your wand ready and on you at all times. I'll go out quickly and get us both something decent to eat, and I'll be right back. You still have the Zipline ring I gave you, yes?"
Harry pulled down the collar of his overly large t-shirt to reveal a silver chain around his neck, with the metal ring Percy had given him before the Third Task hanging from it. "Yes, I do. Never take it off."
"Good," Percy nodded approvingly. "I'll be right back, Harry. If anything happens, if you even hear a weird noise, call out the phrase."
"Right," Harry said, walking Percy to the front door. He locked it tightly again once Percy was outside, then headed upstairs to his room to finish packing his trunk, just in case they had to leave in a hurry.
The demigod stood on the sidewalk and looked around carefully. The coast seemed completely clear; the street was quiet and empty. He quickly slipped into the Dursleys' shadowed backyard. As soon as he was out of sight from the street, he transformed smoothly into his Animagus form and took off silently into the darkening evening sky, flying low and fast towards the center of Little Whinging.
He landed in an alley behind a local pizza place, transformed back, and walked in. He ordered a large pepperoni pie for himself and Harry. He was told it would take about ten minutes. While the wait did make Percy a little nervous, he hated leaving Harry alone right now, he knew that if anything had happened, Harry would have used the ring to summon him instantly.
As Percy leaned against the counter, waiting, his foot tapping an uncontrollable, nervous rhythm against the linoleum floor, a loud group of teenagers walked into the pizzeria, laughing raucously about something. Percy ignored them, stepping aside to give them room to access the counter.
But just then, a girl in the middle of the group stopped, stared at him, and called out, "Percy?! Oh my god, is that actually you?!"
Percy blinked, looking at the girl. She had choppy black hair with bright blonde streaks running through it. Her frame was very thin, almost unhealthy-looking, but she looked happy and energetic enough. She wore a pair of tight-fitting jeans, a black blouse, and a bright red varsity jacket with the name 'Cassy' stitched in cursive on the arm.
"Cassy, right," Percy said, slowly recognizing the girl from around the neighborhood. He had seen her a few times when he was staying at Number 7.
"That's right!" she giggled, stepping closer. "Where have you been hiding, Mister? I haven't seen you around the neighborhood all summer! Big D… Dudley, tells me you just locked yourself in your aunt's house like a hermit! What's up with that?"
"Oh, well, you see, I had a very important exam I was studying for," Percy smiled politely, trying to be friendly but wishing his pizza would hurry up.
"An exam? In the middle of summer? Who does that?" asked another girl, Jenny. She was Cassy's best friend, a girl with brown hair that also had blonde streaks in it.
"Yeah, I had to. I'm starting a new job in September, so I needed the qualifications," Percy explained vaguely.
"Oh, a working man, are you?" Cassy giggled again, twirling a strand of hair. "What's the job? Stacking shelves at the supermarket?"
"Actually, I'm going to be a teacher," Percy explained.
"A teacher? You? Seriously?" Jenny snorted loudly, looking at his sharp suit. "You look a bit young to be a teacher."
"Hey Cassy, Jenny, who's your fancy new friend?" asked a young teen, stepping out from the gang of teenagers. He had a harsh, pink mohawk and wore a studded leather punk jacket over a ripped band t-shirt. He swaggered forward and stepped right between the two girls, throwing a heavy arm around both their shoulders. Judging from the quick looks of disgust they both shot him, they didn't appreciate the gesture at all.
"This is Percy, Brad. He's a neighbor from Privet Drive," Cassy explained, rolling her eyes slightly. "Percy, this is Brad, he's…"
“…her boyfriend," Brad interrupted smoothly, stepping forward and puffing out his chest aggressively. He looked Percy up and down, taking in the tailored, expensive-looking suit. "What are you supposed to be dressed as, mate? A bloody butler?"