Potter Watch [a HOO/HP fanfic](finished) [Demigods at Hogwarts]

Chapter Six: Introductions

Piper looked apprehensively at the brightly colored store in front of her. It was a joke store. A magical joke store. Which meant that whoever owned the place had to be ten times as bad as Leo. Maybe she could avoid it, if... She looked over at Jason.

"Want to go someplace while they check out the joke store? That Florean Fortescue ice cream place looks neat."

 Jason groaned. "Piper, for once in your life just leave me alone! Your pestering is driving me nuts."

Percy and Annabeth stepped out of nowhere. Percy grabbed Jason's arm in a vice-like grip and whispered something angry, and Annabeth pulled Piper to the front of the group. Before they reached Hazel, Reyna, and Calypso, however, Annabeth stopped abruptly.

"Dump him. Now," she said, looking furious. "He can't talk to you like that and get away with it."

 Piper sighed. "Annabeth, he's all I've got. I can't dump him. Besides, I'm sure he's just tired, and-"

"How long can he be tired?" Annabeth asked exasperatedly. "According to you, he's been 'just tired' for the past two years. I can't just sit back and watch you get hurt. I'm the one who's tired- of doing that! And he is not all you've got. You've got me, Percy, Hazel, Calypso..."

 A tear trickled down Piper's cheek. "Annabeth," she whispered, "I feel just like I did when I found out the beginning of my relationship with him hadn't happened. Sometimes I catch myself thinking, 'what if the rest was a trick of the Mist too?'. But Annabeth, I can't give up on him- on my dream! I can't. Not yet, anyways," she added, another tear falling as she listened to Jason try to shrug off responsibility for hurting her.

 Hermione dropped back. "I heard what happened," she said sympathetically.

 "And you know I'm a weak idiot?" Piper asked miserably.

 Hermione smiled. "Of course I don't. Some of the things Ron used to say to me..."

 Piper sniffed. "Really?"

 Hermione nodded. "But I didn't give up. We weren't actually dating, but I could have said no when he finally asked me. I suppose what I want to tell you is that if your heart tells you to stay, then stay. Only leave when your heart tells you to. And if you truly need to end things, that's what it'll tell you."

 Piper felt freer, suddenly. Lighter. If she needed to end things, her heart would tell her so. That was comforting. She didn't need to worry anymore. She smiled, then all-out grinned.

Annabeth gasped slightly.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, a bit confused.

 "She hasn't smiled like that in at least six months."

 Hermione hugged Piper. "Just you wait. Things can always get better." Then she winked. "And don't worry," she whispered, "the joke shop is brilliant. You'll love it."

 Annabeth smiled gratefully at Hermione. Then all three jumped as Leo yelled "Whoa!" They were at the entrance of the shop now. And it was almost like walking into Hephaestus' workshop.

Which Piper had done.

It was full of whizzing, popping, fizzing things that hissed, smoked, and clattered. Everything was amazingly interesting. Everything was wonderful. She grinned like Leo, walked forward- and then suddenly she was sitting on her rear on the floor.

She'd bumped into something- well, actually, someone. She looked up to see a guy with dark, rusty red hair and a sprinkle of freckles on his nose looking down at her, smiling in a kind of crooked way, only using half his mouth.