Harry Potter and the Altered Destinies

Chapter 65: The Hidden Minion

I do not own Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire or the Percy Jackson series/characters.

Quotes from book

"How did you handle it? The weight of the world?" Harry asked one night as his father was putting him to bed.

"Are we talking metaphorical or physical? Cause let me tell you, the physical was easier to manage than the metaphorical one," Percy said as he tucked the blanket around Harry.

"Metaphorical," Harry helpfully added.

Percy leaned back, seeming in thought as his hand started to gently move Harry's hair out of his face before running his hands through the what-appeared-as-a-tangled-mess-but-wasn't.

"It wasn't easy. So many believed in what I could or could not do. Half the time I didn't even know what I was doing. I was stressed and believed no matter what I did was going to be the wrong choice that was going to end the world. It wasn't easy, always second-guessing yourself, what you believe in, the people around you that could just as easily betray you as you, them. I think the thing that got me through it, was the friends I made along the way. I relied on them to help me not second-guess myself. To not make choices that didn't seem like me. Yes, sometimes I contradicted what they thought and what they thought I should do, but when you're put in the position of power, sometimes you have to do that," Percy explained carefully.

"But there isn't an easy way to handle it. Many through history could not, and sometimes I couldn't either some days. I might tell you these stories in the show of heroism and that nothing really went wrong, but there were days I wished I would die. Days I hoped my next battle would be my last, that I would finally be able to finally rest. If you take anything out of this though, it's never go down without a fight in some way. Keep fighting with all you have, and if you cannot, then at least make your death a good one. Giving in to the urge to die, is not handling it, it's just running away. While never fully a bad thing, there are certain times and places where you should and shouldn't run away. Does that answer your question?" Percy asked as his hand kept the soothing motion of running through his son's hair.

"Not really," Harry said with a slight frown, "I didn't really understand what you just said."

Percy smiled softly even as he shook his head. "Maybe one day you will. But I hope that day never comes," he said as he bent down and kissed Harry's forehead. "Now, get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Okay, Daddy," Harry muttered as he let his father's soothing motion on his hair lull him into a soft steady sleep.

Harry felt himself slam flat into the ground; his face was pressed into the grass; the smell of it filled his nostrils. He had closed his eyes while the Portkey transported him, and he kept them closed now. He did not move. All the breath seemed to have been knocked out of him; his head was swimming so badly he felt as though the ground beneath him were swaying like the deck of a ship.

He felt as though he would slide away into the blackness gathering at the edges of his brain. Shock and exhaustion kept him on the ground, breathing in the smell of the grass, waiting . . . waiting for someone to do something . . . something to happen . . . 

A torrent of sound deafened and confused him; there were voices everywhere, footsteps, screams. . . . He remained where he was, his face screwed up against the noise, as though it were a nightmare that would pass. . . .

Then a pair of hands seized him roughly and turned him over. "Harry! Harry!"(- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Page 670-671)

His eyes opened to come face to face with his father's scared face. "Dad!" Harry shouted and instantly let go of the cup to jump into his father's waiting arms. Though exhausted, his feet crumpled under him as he gripped his father.