Strange Ties--Percy Jackson/Harry Potter

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Percy

"Did you do your part of the project?" Hermione's voice brought Percy back to reality. He blinked, realizing he was in Transfiguration class.

"Huh?" he mumbled, still trying to shake the remnants of his thoughts.

Hermione gave him a look, half-annoyed, half-exasperated. "The project, Percy. Due tomorrow? Have you finished your section?"

Percy furrowed his brow, confused. "Wait, what project? Isn't that due in February?"

Hermione's eyebrows shot up, and she leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Percy, it is February. It's the twelve already."

That hit him like a brick. "What?" He sat up straighter, glancing at the calendar on the classroom wall. Sure enough, it was February. "How did—" he muttered, more to himself than Hermione.

Time was slipping by faster than he could grasp, leaving him disoriented. The days had blurred together, caught up in the chaos of the monsters, his constant worry about Valerie, and everything else that had been happening lately. He rubbed the back of his neck, the weight suddenly feeling a lot heavier.

"I didn't realize..." he trailed off, feeling like the past few weeks had flown by in a haze.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Are you okay? You look... distraught."

Percy blinked, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Distraught? No, I'm fine. Just—" he waved a hand vaguely in the air, "you know... life."

Hermione didn't look convinced. "Right. Life."

He wasn't going to admit that his mind had been stuck on the monsters and Valerie for the last... well, who knew how long? Valerie had crept into his thoughts like an uninvited guest and refused to leave. He could still picture her standing at the edge of the Astronomy Tower, the moonlight casting shadows across her face.

"Percy." Hermione's voice cut through his thoughts again, sharper this time.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening." He tried to focus, his gaze reluctantly shifting from the parchment in front of him to Hermione's skeptical face.

"You're not," she sighed, crossing her arms, "And it's painfully obvious."

Percy ruffled his hair, leaning back in his chair. "Alright, fine. Maybe I'm a little... distracted. But I'll get the project done. Promise."

Hermione softened slightly, but her brow remained furrowed. "If you're sure you're okay... But you know, you've been out of it for a while now."

Percy wanted to laugh at how ironic that was. Out of it? He felt like he'd been trapped in his head for weeks. Between the monsters, the murders, and Valerie—always Valerie—his mind was spinning faster than a snitch.

"I'm fine," Percy repeated, more for himself than for Hermione. "Just... things I've got to figure out."

She watched him for another moment, eyes narrowed like she was dissecting every word, but finally nodded. "Alright. But don't disappear on me when it comes to this project. I'm not about to pull all-nighters because you've got your head in the clouds."

He shot her a grateful smile. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Hermione slammed a couple of papers in front of him, "Here, read this"

Percy looked at her, "What's that?"

She looked at him dumbfounded, "You're kidding, right? That's our project. My part on the effects of Transfiguration on living beings. You were supposed to focus on the ethical considerations!"