Secrets of Hogwarts and the Slytherin Prince

SLUGHORN

They came out of the passages through a new entrance. Snape's potions supply cabinet. The moment Annabeth saw it, she gasped. "We can't go there!"

"What!?" Piper gasped for breath. "We ran all this way for nothing!?"

"If Snape catches us in his supply closet, he'll give us all detention for a month!" Annabeth said, sounding panicked. Percy knew she would never admit it, but Annabeth was afraid of Snape... He didn't blame her. Even though he'd lent Percy the Latin copy of the potions book, which was really handy, and kind of suspicious, he'd been nothing but a jerk to Annabeth, even though she wasn't helping him as much. She'd done what Percy was doing, observing other people's failures and successes to find the best way of doing things.

"But Percy and I are Slytherin-"

"Piper, Snape doesn't care what house we're in. If he thinks we're stealing, we're in trouble." Percy promised. "Come on, let's get out of here." Percy took a step back, hitting something. He froze. Annabeth and Piper both had wide-eyed looks. "P-Percy..." Piper stuttered.

"He's right behind me, isn't he?" Piper shook her head. "He isn't?"

Percy turned around to see the ghostly apparition from the first time he'd entered the passageway. He gasped softly. "It's her again..."

"How do I get out of here?" She asked. "Slughorn may be friendly, but... There's no way he'd be happy with me in his supply closet..."

"Slughorn? Whose Slughorn?" Piper asked.

"Shh..." Percy said. The girl turned to walk away, and Percy followed after her. "Come on."

"What-"

"Don't ask." Annabeth sighed, sounding annoyed. Their voices echoed as they followed Percy and the apparition.

***

It led them to a new door, to a safer door, far from where they could be found. So far, in fact, that they weren't even in the school anymore. The image of the girl faded once the door opened, and Percy stepped out, frowning. "What's this?"

"Good question." Annabeth huffed. "If you would move and let me see, maybe I could tell ya!"

"Sorry!" He put his hands up in surrender. He could smell flowers again but the smell gave him less of a confident feeling and more of a calm one. He stepped out of the door and into a stone circular, tower-like room, with stone stairs over their heads, going around the walls in a spiral, upwards. Annabeth and Piper followed him out.

"Oh, it's the owlery."

"The what?" Percy scoffed.

"It's where the owls sleep, Seaweed Brain." She scoffed. "But how is this any better than Snape's supply closet? Now we're outside of the school"

"I don't know... There must be a reason we're-"

"Students fighting a troll. How ridiculous!" A familiar voice snarled. Percy sucked in a breath through his nose. The girls ducked back into the passageway, but Percy was curious. "I am sorry, Master. I have failed you this time, but I promise you... It will not happen again."

Before the speaker could see Percy, Annabeth pulled him back into the passage, cursing colorfully under her breath.

***

Their first flying lesson was eventful. Several kids from both Slytherin and Gryffindor had troubles getting their brooms up. Draco got it quickly. Harry's flew into his hand immediately. Ron's hit him in the face. Something happened with Neville that Percy hadn't seen. Piper and Annabeth both got theirs up on their third try. Percy had his up on his fifth try, though, a little like Ron, it almost hit him in the face.

They were told to mount the brooms and wait, but poor Neville seemed to have a bit of a wonky broom. Without him kicking off, the broom shot off the ground, taking him with it. Madame Hootch, the flying instructor, called for him to come back down, but Percy knew he wouldn't be able to. Neville wasn't the one flying, and soon, that was literal. he was thrown off the broom, and in a quick few seconds, was on the ground, groaning and crying. "Poor guy..." Percy said quietly, glancing at Piper.

"I hope he's okay..."

Madame Hootch ran over to Neville and picked him up. Percy's eyebrows shot up. She was strong. He didn't hear most of what she said, other than "...Shall receive detention!" His eyes widened.

"What did she say, Piper?"

She shrugged. "I dunno."

Draco pushed between them, smirking. Percy scowled, reaching out to pull him back. Goyle pushed him roughly to the ground. He heard everyone take a sharp inhale of breath. Percy stood up and pointed his wand at Goyle. "Locomotor Mortis!"

The spell hit the larger boy as he moved towards Percy threateningly. Goyle's leg locked, and he fell forward. Percy jumped out of the way, smirking as Goyle's nose hit the ground. "Look at what Longbottom left behind."

Percy looked up as Draco spoke, holding up a clear ball, with red smoke in it. "What's that?" Percy frowned.

"It's a remembrall," Annabeth said, making Percy jump. "Drop it, Malfoy, it's not yours!"

"What's it to you, Chase?" He scoffed. "Why don't you run back to your loser father, half-blood?" She looked angry. He mounted his broom and kicked off the ground

"Give it to me, Malfoy," Harry said, holding his broom. Draco smirked.

"You want it, Potter? Go catch it!" Draco threw the remembrall into the air. Harry kicked off the ground on his broom and shot after it. Percy hesitated, before getting ready to follow after him. Annabeth caught his arm.

"Don't be stupid, Percy! You'll get in trouble."

"And? I'm sick of Draco's nonsense." Percy pulled away from her and kicked off the ground, following Harry's lead. Percy watched as Harry started to struggle a little with the broom, going off in the wrong direction. He leaned farther forward on instinct, reaching his hand out. He caught the remembrall, which glowed a vibrant shade of red when he touched it. Harry had managed to get control of the broom. "Harry! Catch!"

Percy, who had always been pretty decent in baseball, threw the remembrall towards Harry. "It won't be that easy, Potter!" Draco snarled. A spell shot towards Percy after the remembrall left his hand. He quickly dived lower, avoiding the stunning spell, looking up as a second shot hit the remembrall, sending it over the roof of the school. Harry shot towards it, and Percy watched him as he zoomed towards one of the windows, catching it in his hand quickly. Percy cheered, not paying attention to the people on the ground.

"Percy, look out!" Percy turned his head just as another spell hit the broom, throwing him into the air. Annabeth yelled something, he didn't quite hear it, but he stopped mid-air for a few seconds, inches off the ground, before dropping. "Oh, god, Percy!"

He felt Annabeth and Piper pull him up into a sitting position. "Are you okay!?" Piper said, eyes wide.

"Yeah... Wouldn't have been if Annabeth hadn't done... Whatever spell it is you casted..." Annabeth shrugged, a little shyly. Nobody was paying them any attention.

"I don't remember what it's called..."

"Well, whatever it was, it was bloody brilliant. Probably saved every bone in my body." Percy chuckled, still wincing.

"Thanks..." She huffed. They helped him stand up, and they watched, just in time, as Professor McGonagall and Harry Potter walked towards the school, neither one looking back.