Relatives

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

I jumped up and rushed to the door of the drawing room, only to be stopped by Mr. Weasley, who put a strong hand on my shoulder and pulled me back abruptly.

"I'd assume those are your, ah...demigod friends?" He asked nervously, saying the word 'demigod' as if it were a dangerous thing to say.

I nodded, "We usually call them half-bloods, and yeah, that's Percy and Annabeth."

George snorted slightly, half-glancing at his brother Percy, who had been silent until now.

"What are you going to tell them?" Asked Ron,

"They can't know about the Wizarding World," added Charlie, "that's been kept a secret for...I dunno' how many years."

I bit my lip apprehensively, "I don't know. I really can't lie to them... Are you sure we can't just tell them? They can keep secrets, I swear!" I looked desperately from face to face, but Mrs. Weasley just shook her head sadly, and Bill sighed.

"I'm afraid that's out of the question." He said, "You're going to have to tell them something else." He said this with an air of finality, and I felt another panic attack coming on.

What would I tell them?! I couldn't just say I had told the Weasley's willingly, Annabeth would see right through my lie. And if they did believe me, they would hate me for spilling the secret. I might be banned from camp, or have the spirit of Delphi revoked...I couldn't let that happen. The knowledge of the Greek world was the only thing that kept me from going crazy from my father's constant orders and scolding, not to mention it was the only thing that kept me going at Clarion Ladies Academy.

I couldn't tell them the truth, the Weasley's wouldn't allow me to speak of the Wizarding World, and I respected my family's secrets.

I could tell them the Weasley's had forced me to talk, but no, Percy and Annabeth would hate the Weasley's for that, and who knew what could happen when two demigods attacked a family of wizards?

I gripped my face in my hands, and tried to hold back the forming tears. I was at my wits end; there wasn't anything I could do.

"Oh, poor dear." I heard Mrs. Weasley say. A pair of motherly arms gripped me as Mrs. Weasley hugged me tightly, and I smiled slightly, positive that I would never meet a more caring aunt. Or...not an aunt, a mother's half cousin...I shook my head. Better not to think of the technical terms.

As Mrs. Weasley released me, I took a deep breath, and stood up straight, steeling my nerves.

"I'll just have to tell them I can't say anything about what happened, and that everything is under control." I said, trying to keep sadness from creeping into my voice.

Ron snorted, "Mate, that's not gonna' work. They saw how panicked you were when you sent them that...weird rainbow thingy-"

"Iris message." I corrected,

"And they'll want to know what happened." Finished Ron.

I shrugged, "It's just a temporary fix, but it'll have to do for now."

"Rachel, knowing something is a secret will just make them more suspicious." Said Ginny.

"Well what else am I supposed to say"? I snapped, "I don't care how secret this is, I'm not going to lie to my friends!"

"I don't think-" Percy Weasley was cut off by the doorbell ringing again. This time, more urgently.

"It's the best I can do right now!" I said desperately, before running out of the room to answer the door before one of our maids did. Before I was halfway down the hallway, I heard the whole 'Weasley Clan' thundering after me, and I sighed. I hadn't wanted all of them to present when I explained to Percy and Annabeth that I couldn't say what was going on. That would just make them suspicious.