The Exchange

8- Percy Goes For A Swim

Percy sat in bed looking out of the window. In particular he was looking at the lake. He slid out of bed and decided to go for a walk. He wandered out of the Griffindor common room with its plush arm chairs and roaring fire. He climbed through the portrait hole and tried to remember which way he should go to get outside.

He decided that the best option would be to go down.

After climbing down thousands upon thousands of stairs he made it to the big wooden doors that he had entered through originally.

He walked out and hurried across the grounds towards the lake. He sat down on the damp grass, looking across the water.

He suddenly felt the urge to go for a swim. It was stupid, but he really, really wanted to go swimming.

So he did. He took his shoes of and plunged into the lake. The water was cold, but it didn't bother Percy. He came to the surface to take a breath. Before diving again. The water made him feel at ease. After his dream he was very shaken up, but the water cooled his nerves and gave him a feeling of power.

He drifted in the water feeling at peace. He couldn't help it. He drifted off to sleep.

This time his dreams were much nicer. Visions of Annabeth filled his mind. Along with other people who he could recognize but he felt like he should know. There was a war ship with a golden dragon for it's figure head.

There was a long beach upon which he and Annabeth had a picnic and she scolded him for spilling coke all down his front and he laughed and called her a mother hen, before Annabeth rolled her eyes and kissed him.

He didn't remember anything that he dreamt about, it was as though they were from another life that was so far out of his reach that he couldn't even see it anymore.

He woke up slowly and with the sun. It was only when he was fully awake that he realised that he was drifting fully submerged in the lake. And he wasn't dead.

He was extremely confused, but at the same time it felt right. Like he should be able to breathe. He took a breath and inhaled some lake water. It felt no different to breathing oxygen.

He has somewhat of a powerful auror, that's what McGonagall had said. However he was doing this, however he was breathing under water, he had a feeling that McGonagall might have an idea about what was going on.

He kicked his feet and propelled himself towards the surface.

He climbed out of the water and, dripping wet, began to make his way back to the Griffindor common room.

As he walked towards the tower he bumped into Ron and Hermione on the stairs.

"Percy what are you doing!" Hermione gave him a funny look, "you're dripping wet!"

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Percy rolled his eyes, "I need to speak to McGonagall. Now."