The Sword and the Wand

The Difference Between Truth and Fairytale

Harry POV:
Percy slowly turned to face me, and the crippling grief etched onto his face took me aback. He looked older in the dark lighting, and haunted, as if he had seen horrors beyond my imagination. For the first time, I noticed a grey streak in his hair, standing out against his raven wing hair. (an: I know the streak is gone in the books. You'll see later how this pertains to the story) "Harry," he spoke, piercing the nighttime stillness. I flinched, not expecting the interlude in the silence. He spoke gently, as if I might run away if he wasn't gentle. "Why did you follow me here tonight?" His tone was so coaxing and comforting, as if I were a friend who had just betrayed his trust. Against my better judgment, I felt the words pour out. All the words about my distrust of him, and how he had this dangerous aura to him, and then realizing what I was saying and promptly trailing off in the middle of a sentence.
      Then, Percy did the most unlikely thing. "Sit by me," he said. I blinked, partially surprised that he wasn't trying to kill me, but settled down onto the damp grass by the lake with him. "Harry," he intoned, "you have to understand that I've experienced horrors like no other, and given up everything for the people who I deemed as my family." Percy then began weaving a tale of a boy named Percy Jackson who discovered he was a son of the Greek god Poseidon. This was a tale of friendship and pain, and loss. I almost believed a happy ending was in sight, but the shards of glass in Percy's eyes told me otherwise. Then, he told of painful, heartwrenching deaths. The likes of which made me want to both cry and throw up, and I saw Percy finally let go of tears as he gave into gutwrenching sobs.
     Once he wiped the tears from his worn face, I tentatively stuttered out my only question. "D-did that really happen to you?" I queried. He nodded, "every bit of it."
        My face must have been amusingly awestruck, because he chuckled and then helped heave me to my feet. "C'mon, let's get back to the common room. We have classes today."
    "Oh, Percy?" I asked, "one more question, why are you allowed out past curfew?" Percy didn't answer. He just shook his head and smiled to himself.