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(4.6) Percy

Nico did a good job getting us to Harry. He did a little too good of a job actually. We fell out of Harry's shadow and tackled him to the ground.

A bunch of sticks, no sorry, a bunch of wands were pointed at us as we tried to untangle our limbs from one another.

"Ah! Neeks, your foot is in my ear!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! That's my hand, Percy!"

"Someone's knee is in my stomach! Wait, Percy?"

We eventually rolled away from each other and stood up again. I was a little dizzy, but Nico looked ready to pass out. Harry was rubbing his shoulder.

The people around us either remembered me from that little apartment fiasco with Sirius or Harry told them about me. They put away their wands, though it always confused me where they went. Like some forearms are not that long and a pocket cannot be a comfortable place for it.

Speaking of wand length, I had a field day rubbing it in Harry's face that although England uses the metric system, wizards use inches to measure wand length.

Then he pointed out that wizards don't really understand muggle science, so they would, he argued, use an outdated, odd, arbitrary system.

He had smirked at my sulking the rest of the day.

Anyway, I had just stood up when I nearly tipped over again. Harry ran into me and strangled me to death. Not literally. But his hug could rival Tyson's. Nico paid no one attention as he drifted off into sleep on the Weasley's couch.

"Percy! You're here! Are you staying for a while?" he asked, pulling back to get an answer.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What are you talking about? I came to see if you were alright. You just disappeared on us. Mom's been worried sick, Paul asked everybody and their mother if they'd seen you, and I had to drag Thalia out to help track you down!"

I noticed Harry grow more guilty as I ranted on, but I didn't care to stop. He should know how he made us feel, I argued in my head.

"You're lucky Nico found you by accident and I realized you were safe at Ron's or else I would've torn apart the entire gods' damned Wizarding World to fucking find you!"

"Er, sorry?" he shrugged with a sheepish smile trying to calm me down.

I facepalmed.

"Gods of Olympus, help me."

Thunder rolled in the background. Guess that's a no.

"Look, Dumbledore said he needed my help and that he'd contact you to let you know I was safe after. I didn't think it would take so long, but it was late by the time I got to the Weasley's. I thought you knew, honest!"

Did I want to scream in frustration? Maybe.

Did I want to slap Harry upside the head for not bothering to call, knowing the Weasleys had installed a phone? Perhaps.

Did I want to punch old Dummy in the face for not contacting us before practically kidnapping my cousin? Absolutely.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. There was nothing to do about it now and Harry was safe, which was the most important thing.

"Fine, but let's call my mom to let her know you're not dead in a ditch."

As if on cue, an Iris Message popped up with Mom holding a letter looking angry, yet relieved.

"I received a letter just now by owl. It seems as though Harry's headmaster isn't capable of making a phone call."

"Hi, Aunt Sally," Harry waved sheepishly as he stepped up beside me.

Mom's face immediately softened. "Oh, Harry. I'm so glad you're safe. But please, please, please call us yourself next time."

"I will, I promise. Sorry for worrying you all. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble."

"It's no trouble," I told him. "We care about you, that's all. It's our job to worry."

Harry got a little red but smiled through it. "Still, thanks."

I swung my arm around him and pulled him into a joking headlock while ruffling his hair.

"Anytime, little cuz."

"Also, I don't know how much Dumbledore told you, but I'll be staying at the Weasley's until school starts. He thinks it would be easier since August is ending soon anyway. My stuff can be magically transported. Through the floo system? We'll figure it out."

Mom got a little sad but if you didn't know her like I did, you wouldn't be able to tell. "That's ok, honey. You're in good hands with them. We'll see you soon, yeah?"

"Yeah, of course," Harry agreed, not wanting to upset her. There was an awkward silence before Harry spoke again. "So are you going to stay for a bit?" he asked me.

I looked over at Nico completely spent on the couch. He wouldn't be up for a while, so I didn't see the harm. I faced the IM again.

"I'll be home late tonight, Mom. We'll take Mrs. O'Leary so Nico doesn't push himself."

She smiled in a way I knew meant she was proud of me. She gave the same loving look to Harry before saying goodbye and ending the call.

Harry properly introduced me to his friends and showed me his broom and how to play quidditch. We played some magic games and joked around for the whole day. It was nice to finally see the dark cloud around Harry disperse, pushed away by the laughter of family and friends.

Just as we said, I called for Mrs. O'Leary once Nico woke up and ate some of Mrs. Weasley's delicious food (not as good as Mom's, no offense). We said our final heartfelt goodbyes (followed by last-minute pranks) before I disappeared into the shadows. I had no idea that, after this, everything would change.

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A/N: The song referenced in (4.4), (4.5), and (4.6) is "All Too Well" by Taylor swift. To fans of hers, I guess that choice was not surprising. Congratulations if you guessed correctly!

This is the end of part 4! I'm beginning to write part 5 and have yet to decide when it will take place. I'm debating following Harry through the Deathly Hallows or skipping over it and following him post-Battle of Hogwarts. We'll see where my writing takes me. If it's the former, two more parts are to come. If it's the later, part 5 will be the final section. Updates will be on pause until I finish part 5, so stay tuned! Thank you for reading and voting and commenting!