Chaos Rising |BOOK 2| Harry Potter x PJO |Alexandra Marine|

ANNABETH CHASE

"Seriously, I can't comprehend this decision of yours," Jason argued, shouting so that everyone could hear his voice.

"Dude, it was not my decision," Bill said. "Besides, we already talked this over. You are apparently not mentally fit enough-"

"Don't you dare, Weasley," Jason glared.

"Alright, alright."

"Enough, girls," I pointed. "We're landing."

Sure enough, the Thestrals had started to fly downwards, ready to land, and I tightened my knees, waiting for the impact that I knew wouldn't come. So smooth was the flying of the animal.

With a deafening roar, we reached Number four, Privet Drive, clutching each other's hands and slightly trembling from the impact. Moody waved his wand, and with a pop, the Disillusionment Charm lifted, and our figures began to appear to the naked eye.  Dominating the scene was Hagrid, wearing a helmet and goggles and sitting astride an enormous motorbike with a black sidecar attached. All around him other people were dismounting from brooms and, in two cases, skeletal, black winged horses.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, stop looking at those Thestrals like they're Death Eaters in unicorn costumes. Now, where's that git Harry?" Ron said, looking around.

As though we had just spoken about the Devil, Harry hurtled into our midst from the back door. There was a general cry of greeting as Hermione flung her arms around him, Ron clapped him on the back, and Hagrid said, "All righ', Harry? Ready fer the off?"

"Definitely," said Harry, beaming around at us. "But I wasn't expecting this many of you!"

"Change of plan, thanks to Grace," growled Mad-Eye, who was holding two enormous bulging sacks, and whose magical eye was spinning from darkening sky to house to garden with dizzying rapidity. "Let's get undercover before we talk you through it."

Jason flashed a grin at the old man before stepping into the house and following Harry into the kitchen.

"Kingsley, I thought you were looking after the Muggle Prime Minister?" Harry called across the room as we settled in, looking around the tidy house.

"He can get along without me for one night," said Kingsley, "You're more important."

"Harry, guess what?" said Tonks from her perch on top of the washing machine, and she wiggled her left hand at him; a ring glistened there.

"You got married?" Harry yelped, looking from her to Lupin.

"I'm sorry you couldn't be there, Harry, it was very quiet."

"That's brilliant, congrats-"

"All right, all right, we'll have time for a cozy catch-up later," roared Moody over the hubbub, and silence fell in the kitchen. Moody dropped his sacks at his feet and turned to Harry. "As Dedalus probably told you, we had to abandon Plan A. Pius Thicknesse has gone over, which gives us a big problem. He's made it an imprisonable offense to connect this house to the Floo Network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out. All done in the name of your protection, to prevent You-Know-Who getting in at you. Absolutely pointless, seeing as your mother's charm does that already. What he's really done is to stop you getting out of here safely."

"Second problem: You're underage, which means you've still got the Trace on you."

"I don't-"

"The Trace, the Trace!" said Mad-Eye impatiently. "The charm that detects magical activity around under-seventeens, the way the Ministry finds out about underage magic! If you, or anyone around you, casts a spell to get you out of here, Thicknesse is going to know about it, and so will the Death Eaters."