Demigoddess in a Wizarding World: Half-Blood

9

Ron, Harry, and Hermione had been walking down a long, silent corridor past the Prefect bathrooms and, of course, Ron was complaining about Potions.

"I just don't get how daft Snape is to think I'm going to be able to finish a 12 page assignment on Zygmunt Budge and the Doxycide potion by tomorrow," growled Ron.

It was only two months into their second year, and already Snape had given them 5 ridiculously long assignment previously that were impossible to finish in the set amount of time. Harry felt as though his legs would give out under the weight of all of his assignments, the added detention from the incident with the flying car, and the thought that someone didn't want him at Hogwarts and would stop at nothing to get him kicked out. First Dobby with the stunt at the Dursleys, then the barrier to the Hogwarts Express being sealed, and then the rogue bludger at the Quidditch game earlier that week.

Harry wasn't sure how much more he could take and with the new Potions assignment due tomorrow, Harry was about to burst. Ron was still complaining when Harry tuned back in. "Slimey git knows we won't finish it by tomorrow. He just wants to give us bad marks," he concluded. Harry nodded along with him as they continued walking.

Suddenly they heard a loud door slam shut followed by incessant giggling and talking. The noise startled Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they snapped their heads around to locate the source of the disruption. Harry eyes found a boy with shiny, wet golden hair and black and gold robes pinning a girl with dark, raven hair and Gryffindor robes against the wall just outside the Prefect lavatory. The boy was leaning into her, talking into her neck, holding her arm lateral to her eyes against the wall and gripping her waist. The girl had her head thrown back in a fit of laughter with her free hand wound in his robes. They looked older, maybe 15 or 16.

Hermione nudged Ron. "Ron, isn't that..."

The Weasley boy's eyes seemed to light up and his face broke out into a wide grin. "Perci! Oi, Perci! Over here!" He called, waving his free arm. Perci. It clicked in Harry's mind. This was the Perci that was on the Quidditch team with Harry—the chaser, the Perci that hung out with Fred and George, the one that Ron talked about all the time. Perci Jackson.

Perci pushed the Hufflepuff boy off of her slightly to look around for whomever called her name. Her eyes met Ron, and she grinned back and without any hesitation, she gracefully slipped out from underneath her companion and pulled him along toward the second years.

When the two finally were a few steps away from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, she let go of the boy's hand. "Ron! Hermione! Harry! How's it going?" Her lop-sided grin was so infectious, Harry felt himself smile back at her despite his mood, worries, and never speaking to her directly.

"Eh, alright. Did you read about the match between Puddlemere and the Cannons?" He asked puffing out his chest a bit and smirking. The Cannons, also known as the Chudley Cannons, was Ron's favorite Quidditch team. They had played Puddlemere United, another team, two nights ago.

Perci rolled her eyes, but still grinned down at the three. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I'll pay up when I get back to the Common Room."

Harry frowned. "'Pay up'?" He asked. Perci turned turned toward Harry, her always-intense green eyes burning. Harry noticed Perci's hair was wet.

"Being the idiot I am, I bet Ron 4 galleons Puddlemere United would destroy Chudley Cannons," Perci admitted. She crossed her arms. "And we lost," she glanced back at the boy behind her. Now that he was closer, Harry kind of recognized him; the boy was on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, a seeker like himself. Harry couldn't remember his name, though. "Just by a bit," she added indignantly.