Camp 9 3/4 [A HP x PJO/HoO Fanfiction]

17 - ALBUS POTTER

I rolled out of my bed and checked my schedule. History of Magic. With the Gryffindors.
Scorpius will be happy. He relishes any chance to be in the same class as Rose. Gross. She's my cousin. Really gross. But if it had to anyone with my cuz, I'm happy it's Scorpius. At least I know he won't hurt her.
Why am I talking about this? I have no idea. I should be talking about those news kids that we met on Platform 9 3/4. They were weird. They acted like all this was new to them. Only it shouldn't have been... Should it? I mean, they were from Ilvermorny, apparently, so that must mean that they know stuff about magic. The only problem is they didn't seem like they knew anything about magic at all.
They would look around in wonder at all the things that would look normal to any witch or wizard. They looked like they were about to explode when they saw the train. Their eyes bulging out of their sockets.
It was so strange, because no one should be that surprised about the Hogwarts Express or Platform 9 3/4. They also look like they've seen more than they should have. Like they've seen and fought things that shouldn't be real. Like as if their stories weren't all laughs and smiles.
They had that look in their eyes. The same one I see in my Dad. The look that looks like they've faced their demons, fought the monsters worse than nightmares and been through hell and come back in barely one piece. Their eyes look like they're tired of being forced to do things that no one should have to do. They look like their lives are messed up and the only thing keeping them together is each other.
They each had that same look, but they also looked incredibly different. The boy, Percy, I think? He had windswept black hair and green eyes. Eyes that remind me of the green-blue of the ocean. Sea-green? He had a tan and wore an orange tee-shirt with thin, grey pants and dirty, black jogging shoes.
One of the girls, she was blonde. I think her name was Annabeth? Well, she had really curly blonde hair and stormy grey eyes. Her eyes looked liked they were calculating whether we were friends or foes. Like they could kill with a single glare. She wore the same orange tee-shirt as the Percy guy, with jeans and blue sneakers.
The other girl, she had short black hair, cut in an interesting way and had electric blue eyes - like they could take you out any second with more power than in a wand. Very scary. She wore a denim-blue coloured shirt with a black leather jacket over the top. She, too, had jeans and was wearing black sneakers.
All three of them looked like they were powerful - I immediately decided not to mess with them. You just get that feeling around them - that you're completely inferior compared to them.

Their appearances weren't even the strangest thing about them - nor was it when my Dad shared a glance with Aunt Hermione when we saw them, communicating something with a glance. It was when they were being sorted. They were transfer students, so they were sorted last, and we were told they were going to be in 5th year. My year.
I mean, anyone could tell that they weren't 15 - they were clearly older than that. By about a year or two, maybe? But maybe in Ilvermorny, they were going into 5th year and therefore had to do so at Hogwarts - I probably won't ever know.
The sorting hat freaked out, though. He must have looked through their memories and saw some pretty horrid things - for they got sorted into Gryffindor. I almost wanted them to be Slytherins, because then I'd be able to get to know them easier - maybe figure them out, even. When the Percy guy had finished with his sorting, the sorting hat actually jumped off his head and started hopping away! It was SO weird! I couldn't believe it! All three of them made it into Gryffindor - and for all three of them, the sorting hat screamed something meaning they weren't your average witches and wizard. They were something more.

These were my thoughts as I walked to History of Magic with Scorpius. My best friend. We saw Rose already seated up the front of the classroom, her hands on a quill and parchment already in front of her. We took our usual seats, somewhere near the back, but not too close. We just sat there, both lost in thought when our pondering session was interrupted by those three transfer students came into the classroom, talking animatedly between laughs. Percy had an arm around Annabeth's waist and Thalia looked like she might die right then and there from serious laughing conditions. Then, surprisingly, Annabeth slapped Percy on the shoulder and shook her head, like she couldn't believe he would say something like that.
When everyone was seated and class began, you could see Annabeth scribbling notes at a furious pace - quicker than Rose - while Percy and Thalia were just whispering. Soon, both of them were chuckling and Annabeth glared at them - I was seriously surprised when they didn't spontaneously combust right then.
I think Scorpius was watching them too. At least, that was why I asked him whether he thought we could trust them.
'I don't know.' Scorpius said. His gaze trailed over them. 'I think we should. Trust them, I mean.' He looked back at me. 'I do think we should be able to trust them, but somehow, I just can't. I don't know how or why, but I just can't trust them so easily!' He paused. 'What about you?'
'I want to trust them too. I really do. It's just... I don't, for some reason. I just don't.'
'Yeah, that's me too.' He looked back at them. 'They look really cautious, like anything could happen and they need to be prepared.' He sighed. 'Oh, maybe we should try and make friends with them. To find out more about them?'
'Yeah.' I said, 'maybe we should.'

.......

After class, Scorpius and I walked out after the rest of the class, keeping an eye on the three transfers. We had a free period - so we decided to go up to them.
I was suddenly nervous. I had no idea how this would play out, how it would end up. No idea what would happen. I felt like so much could wrong. And it could. It most definitely could...
But would it?