James Potter and the Half Blood Hallway

Twenty

"Should we take him to the Hospital Wing?" James asked Neville, who only laughed.
"No," he said. "He's actually perfectly sane. Not the sharpest chip off the old block, but nonetheless still sane...somehow or another." Percy laughed at this.
"I am awesome," he said, then frowned thoughtfully. "I think I'm hanging out with Apollo too much..." James stared at him.
"You're still going with it," said James. "Seriously, what's the truth."
"I am being as Sirius as your middle name, James....wait. Never mind. I heard Sirius wasn't actually all that serious... But Seriously! I'm half god!" rambled Percy. Neville rolled his eyes.
"Stop joking!" yelled James, jumping up. "What the bloody hell is going on!?!?!"
"Did I need to bring out the introduction video?"
"The what?"
"To explain things."

"I still thing you're bonkers," James told Percy. "Both of you actually, but there was writing on the wall near the Hospital Wing. Scorpius thought it was Ancient Greek and translated it too 'Heroes Through the Ages'."
"Yeah," said Jackson, as if it hadn't come off as a surprise to him. "That's the halls the prophecy I gave you was talking about, but you'll have to figure the rest out. It's apart of your 'quest'" he flexed his fingers when he said quest. "But sense you're not actually leaving Hogwarts I don't think it can be considered a quest. That was a minor prophecy. My friend Rachel, the one that predicted the Great Prophecy, predicted that also."
"Mhm," said James unbelievingly. "And I suppose she predicted all those other little prophecies too? And all the ones in the books?"
"Actually, she didn't predict all of the ones that are in the book," said Percy. "That would be impressive, but those are the prophecies that have been predicted throughout the ages. None of them being anything too good. "

"Now I'm confused." James stared at the seventeen year old professor with a new interest in his eyes. "Are you trying to protect me or make me run away and cower in fear behind that old witch statue on the third corridor?"
"Both," said Jackson, as if clearing everything up. "Personally, I think you should be scared. I wouldn't blame you if you were. No. Actually, if you weren't I'd envy you for all of time, because that would be the most impressive thing I've seen in all of my short miserable life. And trust me, I've seen some impressive things."
"Like?"
"If I tried to list them all then we'd be here for about ten years," Jackson said solemnly, though grinning.  James sighed. He didn't believe him.
"Fine," he, James, said finally. "I'll go along with it. What's this task?"
"You're about to find out," Jackson told him. "Neville, can you pull Albus and Scorpius out of class? Bring them to the headmistress's office."

Neville nodded before standing up to leave.

     ~***~                              ~***~                              ~***~

Up at the headmistress's office James sat waiting with Professors McGonagall and Jackson (Or whoever he really was) Madem Pomphrey, and some other guy that James did not know - he looked like a seventh year, but James thought he might have been mistaken - for Neville to show with his brother and Scorpius Malfoy. Finally, he, James, stood when the silence became unbarable.
" Is being int the precence of the portrets of my brother's name sakes suppose to make me change my mind? And who's he?" he said, pointing at the man - er, boy? - who's name he did not know.

"That's Apollo," Percy (Jackson) told him. "And yes." At first James thought he was being serious, but after a quick glance reconized the sarcasm on Percy's face. Before James could come up with something just as witty and sarcatic to shoot at the seventeen year old 'professor' Neville entered the small circular office with Albus and Scorpius trailing behind him.

" What did you do this time, James?" asked Al. " It looks serious..." James grinned.
"Well," he said. "They don't call me James Sirius Potter for nothing." Al rolled his eyes.
"Seriously? You're making Sirius puns?"
"Ha! Serious puns!" The boys looked at each other, then burst into laughter.
"Guys," said Percy. "Stop with the dam Sirius puns."
"Damn?" said James quizzingly.
"No. Dam, like dam, not dam like damn."
"Oh. So, dam not damn?"
"Yeah. Dam."
"Alright, that's enough," McGonagall inturpted sternly.

"Dam," muttered Percy one last time. She glanced at him scoldingly. The Albus Dumbeldore porrtret chuckled.
"Now,I think you all know why you're here," he said, then looked at Al, Scorpius, and James. "Well, most of you that is."
"Yeah," agreed Scorpius. "Why did Professor Longbottom have to fetch us from class?"
"I presume you've been learning Greek and Roman myths?" The first year boys nodded, confused.
"They all seem to think they're real," James told them.
"Real?" frowned Al.
"But...how could that be?" asked Scorpius.

There was a dangerous light in 'Apollo's' eyes.
"Uh, guys," said Percy. "Remember? Don't insult the gods."
"But if they're myths what does it matter?" asked Al. Now 'Apollo' really looked angry.
"Do I look like a myth to you?" he growled. Percy and Madam Pomphey tensed visibly. They had never seen this particular god this angry before.
"You're a god," said James unbelievingly. "Right. Coarse you are."
"James..." Percy warned. But James ignored him.
" Why don't you prove it then?" Percy and Poppy's eyes widened.
"Oh no..." said Madam Pomphey softly.
"I knew that was going to happen," muttered Trelawney.
"Fine," said the 'god', wearing a smug sort of look. "But only because you asked." 'Apollo' snapped his fingers. Nothing seemed to have happened.
"What?" said James.
"Oh you'll find out," said 'Apollo' challengingly.
"Nothing happened!"
"Yet. Nothing happened yet," 'Apollo' corrected him. ", But don't worry. It will."
"mhm," said James boredly. "So, are we done here, or..."
"Sit down," ordered McGonagall.

Scorpius and Al sat down obediently. James, however, remained standing.
"Why don't you just tell us what's really going on?" he demanded.
"Sit down," repeated the head mistress. " Or -"
"Throw me in detention?"  asked James. That was probably not the right thing to say to the headmistress!
"Owl your mother," she said defiantly. " And - "
"Expel me?"
"And I'll owl your grandmother as well."

James sat down.

After a moment, Snape's painting said, "If they do not believe you, why have you all failed to use the Truth Serum?"
"What's a serum?" asked Percy.
"Potion," explained Neville.
"Oh."
"Good point," McGonagall told the painting. "Longbottom, Poppy will you go get Professor Slughorn?"
"Right," said Neville and he and Madam Pomphrey exited the office. The rest of the group waited in silence, the 'sun god' now in a bad mood, which Percy found a bit disturbing.

When Neville and Madam Pomphrey had finally returned with Slughorn, the potions master handed a small green vial to Percy. "Now, you'll want to drink that of coarse, then you will only be able to tell the truth." For a moment the 'son of Poseidon' only looked at it, as if he thought it might Transfigure him into a rodent or something. He eventually drank it. Slughorn turned to the three boys sitting in the chairs near McGonagall's desk.
"Ask anything."
"Who is he?" asked Al, pointing to the supposed god.
"Apollo," said Percy easily. "God of the sun, prophecies, music, healing, and archery."
"How are you doing that?" asked James.
"Doing what?" The seventeen year old looked generally confused.
"Lying through the serum!"
"I'm not!" he insisted.
"Liar!"
"Look, I ....would you rather somebody else do it? Like Neville? He's a family friend, right?" James hesitated.
"Sure," he decided. So, Slughorn quickly whipped up another vial of Truth Serum, handing it off to Neville this time, when it was finished.

Neville drank it reluctantly.
"Well?" he said, waiting for one of the three boys to ask a question. It came as a slight shock when Scorpius pointed at Jackson and asked,
"Is he telling the truth?" Neville smiled a little before answering. Without hesitation he said,

"Yes."