Intertwined || Percabeth Hogwarts AU

Chapter 10

Annabeth ran faster than she ever had before. The howler clutched in her hand was heating up to the point that it was starting to burn her. She ran out into the grounds and stopped in a clearing in the forest, holding onto a tree for support and taking deep breaths.

If I don't open it, Annabeth thought, biting her lip. It'll just explode anyway.

The thought of destroying the letter crossed her mind and she shuddered. If she did that, her mother would probably come up here and yell at her in person. She shook her head and grasped the lip of the envelope and tugged, bracing herself.

"ANNABETH CHASE, I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT I'M HEARING. OF ALL THE JUVENILE DELINQUENCY GOING ON AT THAT SCHOOL, I NEVER EXPECTED YOU TO BE INVOLVED IN IT. DO YOU HAVE A SHRED OF RESPECT FOR YOURSELF? OR FOR ME? YOU HAVE A REPUTATION TO MAINTAIN AS THE MINISTER'S DAUGHTER AND THE HEIR OF THE HOUSE OF CHASE. DOES THIS MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?

"IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF THE COMPANY YOU KEEP. THOSE ROWDY BUNCH OF GRYFFINDORS, ESPECIALLY THAT MUDBLOOD, PERSEUS JACKSON. HE'S THE ONE CORRUPTING YOU THE MOST. I'VE TOLD YOU COUNTLESS TIMES TO STEER CLEAR OF SUCH VERMIN. BUT TIME AFTER TIME, YOU DISOBEY ME. I'M SICK OF IT!

"I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED WITH YOUR BEHAVIOR. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER OR I'M PULLING YOU OUT OF HOGWARTS!"

A ringing silence fell. The red envelope burst into flames and curled into ashes as Annabeth stood stunned, as though a freezing tidal wave had just washed over her. A small tingle nagged at her mind making her eyes glaze over for a second before going back to normal.

She fell to her knees and stared blankly at the remains of the letter. Her body momentarily felt hollow before anguish tore at her. She sniffled as tears began to slip down her cheeks and sobs wracked at her chest.

Her mother had a talent for breaking down someone's spirit.

◆ ◆ ◆

Annabeth went about the rest of that day without uttering a single word. Her emotions were far from stable; she didn't have the energy to entertain any conversations but at the same time she felt like she would explode at the first person who irked her. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened.

She rounded the corner of the corridor, heading to her next class when she locked eyes with Percy. He was talking to a pale boy who she recognized as Nico di Angelo, a fourth year friend of his from Slytherin.

"Wise Girl, hey," Percy greeted, running up to her.

Annabeth shoved past him mumbling, "I'm late for class."

"We have the same class, and it's not for twenty more minutes," Percy said, walking beside her. "Is everything okay? I haven't seen you since breakfast."

"I'm fine," she muttered. "Can you leave me alone? I have work to do."

Percy recoiled as if physically struck. But then a thought crossed his mind and he laughed a little. "Oh! You're on your period right now, aren't you? My bad."

Annabeth's face burned with embarrassment as she shoved him aggressively against the wall. "No! I most certainly am not. Don't be such a guy!"

She walked off again but Percy was persistent. "So... what is the problem?"

Annabeth swallowed her annoyance and picked up her pace, hoping he'd give up. But she should've known better. This was Percy after all. For the moment, he stayed silent but he stayed by her side, matching her pace.

"Go away, Percy," Annabeth hissed through gritted teeth. "I don't want to talk to anyone right now."

Red alarms blared through Percy's mind when he saw the look in Annabeth's eyes. They masked an unnerving amount of sadness with white hot anger. He was frozen for a moment before he snapped out of it and reached out to grab her wrist.

"Annabeth! Please! Tell me what's wrong. How can I help you if you don't talk to me?" Percy pleaded.

She rounded on him and jerked her arm out of his grasp, her eyes flashing with anger. "What makes you think I need your help?!"

Percy faltered, opening and closing his mouth several times. "Wise Girl... Annabeth, please, just talk to me. We'll get through this. We're a team. That's what we do..." Percy's voice was soft and comforting, but there was also desperation in it.

She scoffed in exasperation. "Just leave me alone, Percy. This isn't something you can help with."

"Then help me understand—"

"You'll never understand!"

"But why?!"

"Because!" Annabeth threw down her arms in frustration. "Because you just won't, okay?! This is a personal thing. So just leave me alone for a while."

Percy let her go for a moment, too stunned to move. There was something very wrong. And he knew that if he kept prodding her, it would only make her more angry. But that's just how she got before she calmed down. Annabeth had always helped and worked him through all of his angry episodes. Merlin knew he had a fair share of them with his short temper. And if it were anyone else, he would've just let them be, but this was not anyone else. This was Annabeth.

So he ran after her, catching up before she could disappear into a corridor, and took a hold of her shoulder. He turned her to face him, eyes turning soft at the redness in her eyes.

"Listen, Beth. I need you to talk to me—"

Annabeth wrenched away from him. "Why can't you just get away from me?!"

"Because I can't! I care about you way too much and it kills me to see you hurting—"

"Shut up, just shut up, Percy! This isn't something you can talk me through, or—or do your stupid little saving people routine." She knew her words were harsh. But she didn't care right now. "It's all your fault I'm in this mess anyway! You and the stupid fucking Stolls."

Percy clenched his jaw and tried to keep his voice level. "Is this about the prank? It's just detention, Annabeth. That's not that big a deal—"

"Of course, that's all you think it's about," Annabeth groused with a shake of her head. "You never had to worry about your image or anything remotely close. You don't have to worry about being the Minister's daughter in every single thing you do."

She wanted to say more. She wanted to say that it must've been nice for him to have a mother like Sally who cared about him as her child and didn't put her job before every single fucking thing. But she held her tongue lest she broke down crying in the middle of the halls.

"Since when have you ever cared about your image?" Percy retorted. She almost winced. "Did... did your mother say something? I don't understand..."

"How many times do I have to say it?!" Annabeth viciously spat. So much anger and rage at her mother had her wound up and she just couldn't take it anymore. "You'll never understand, you daft, inconceivable little mudblood!" 

As soon as the slur escaped her lips, her hand came up to cover her mouth and all the anger left at once, instantly replaced with regret. Her eyes widened considerably and her thoughts ran a mile a minute, aghast that she had said such a thing.

Any words Percy would have retorted with escaped him as shock and hurt lined his features. The slur that escaped her lips was one that Percy had been hearing since his first year from the rest of the Pureblood bigots in Slytherin house.

But he never would've imagined his best friend would call him that.

Percy blinked rapidly when he began to feel the familiar burning in his eyes. A lump began to form in his throat making it feel like he was suffocating. Audibly swallowing, he staggered backward before turning around and running in the opposite direction.

He refused to let her see him cry.

Annabeth stood in the same spot, immobile as she stared at the billowing black robes of Percy's retreating figure. She whispered his name once, wanting with all her heart to call out to him but the magnitude of her words seemed to have caught up with her. Percy's pained expression was now engraved in her mind. And then a realization struck her more fiercely than a bolt of lightning.

She had just lost her best friend.