Intertwined || Percabeth Hogwarts AU

Chapter 11

Sixth Year

Annabeth had it all planned out.

She would get him in a compartment by himself and lock the door so he would be forced to listen to her. And she would plead, beg, do whatever for his forgiveness. This was Percy, she thought. He was never one to hold a grudge for too long.

She shook her head and felt like screaming. What is wrong with me? she berated herself. This wasn't something that could be solved. It wasn't an equation or an assortment of runes or something else completely irrelevant. This was Percy.

"I went too far," she mumbled, her eyes welling up tears. She quickly wiped them away before her father could see.

"What was that, dear?" Frederick asked, looking at Annabeth through the rearview mirror.

"What? Nothing, just wondering what classes I'll be taking," she said quickly.

Frederick chuckled and shook his head.

From the passenger's seat, Athena cleared her throat and spoke in a clipped tone. "I expect you to work on Potions more rigorously. You fell short of an Outstanding last year."

Annabeth swallowed the furious words she actually wanted to respond with and settled for, "Yes, mother."

Of course, her other achievements did not hold any merit. In the five OWLs she took last year, she received an Outstanding in four of them and an Exceeds Expectations in Potions. But nothing short of perfection was enough for her mother.

"Lighten up, Athena," Frederick chastised lightly. "Annabeth will be fine. If I remember correctly, she did better than—"

She cut him off. "Eyes on the road, Frederick."

Frederick pressed his lips together and he smiled mischievously. His eyes met Annabeth's again through the rearview mirror and he winked at her. Annabeth smiled slightly and faked a small laugh to not worry him. She could always count on her dad to relieve the tension whenever her mother got in one of her moods.

They arrived at King's Cross Station moments later and passed through the entrance of platform 9¾.

"I'll be fine from here. Thanks for driving me," Annabeth said.

But Frederick was having none of it. "Come on, sweetie. We're only going to be able to do this two more times."

Annabeth shook her head. "You say that every year, dad."

"Only because it's true!" He whined.

She rolled her eyes and pushed her trolley to where they were collecting the luggage. As she handed the boy Cole, her eyes wandered down the platform and after a moment, her shoulders slumped.

There he was. Percy Jackson. He stood with his back to her as he handed over his trunk. He was here with his mother like always. A brief sense of panic shot through Annabeth. What would Sally think of me now? she asked herself.

She became overcome with sadness, guilt, and longing. The dull weight that had been pressing down on her chest since last year transformed into an onslaught of sorrow hitting her all at once.

She bit her lip anxiously. They've never gone this long without talking to each other. Surely, Sally would question this and if Percy told her what happened... Percy already hated her; Annabeth couldn't bear the thought of Sally hating her too. She and Percy were cut from the same cloth—one made of kindness, loyalty, and a fierce love for the ones precious to them. Sometimes she thought Percy should've been in Hufflepuff.

In the past, they'd exchange letters every few days over the summer and now... now, Percy couldn't even stand to look at her. The rest of their fifth year had been hell for Annabeth. She tried so desperately to get him alone and apologize but Percy had become annoyingly adept at avoiding her.

During the classes they had together, his gaze was firmly locked on to the Professors. She would try to catch his eye but he'd never turn in her direction. A shudder went through her body when she remembered the instances where their gazes had met. The pleading looks she'd send him were greeted with a cold, unfeeling one. His beautiful, vibrant sea green eyes had dulled, mirroring his demeanor. And the smile that was almost always on his face was hardly ever seen again.

Annabeth's thoughts were interrupted by Sally waving excitedly at her. She grabbed Percy's arm and dragged him over to her. Annabeth concealed the sad smile on her face and put on a friendly façade. If the situation had been normal, Percy would be the one dragging Sally over.

"Annabeth! Hello," Sally greeted, pulling her in for a hug. "I haven't seen you in so long."