Demigods at Hogwarts 2 (Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince)

Chapter 14

Percy POV

Harry had to go to another meeting with Dumbledore, and the rest of us settled down in the common room. Not much was going on, but all of had an excessive amount of homework. We had to write essay after to essay and go through a million reference books. Hermione had picked out the most relevant, but they still made my head spin.

Why had a bunch of dyslexic demigods been forced into attending school?

We worked for hours, and then upon Harry's return, we went to bed. He had to stay up and do the work we had finished.

The next morning was the day of the Quidditch game. Ron had to play, and he was panicking. We were eating breakfast and he looked like he was about to throw up.

"You alright?" I asked, even though I knew he wasn't.

"He's just nervous," Hermione said.

"He's going to play well, he's great in training," Harry said.

I suspected both of them had their misgivings, but their faith in their friends was encouraging. I knew Ron had had some issues with Quidditch nerves over the year. My favourite way to avoid nerves was just to go ahead and do something. If Annabeth had faith in me, then I knew I'd do fine.

"You'll do great Ron, Harry's seen you train, and he thinks you're great."

"No I won't, I'm useless."

"Ron, eat some sausages, you need to have something," Hermione begged.

"No, I feel sick."

Hermione continued her argument, switching between demanding and begging Ron eat something.

I saw Harry's hand move over Ron's glass, and watched him take a sip. I glanced at Harry, and he gestured to me to be quiet.

"Harry what did you just put into Ron's glass? Was that the luck potion! That's illegal in sports!"

"It's fine Hermione," Ron said, "besides, I feel great."

Hermione looked furious, but kept quiet. Ron left to get ready for the game, Hermione followed irately.

"That was against the rules of Quidditch and you knew it. Are you going to win by cheating?" I asked Harry.

Cheating didn't strike me as the kind of thing Harry Potter would do.

Harry held the bottle up. It was completely full.

"You tricked him. That's brilliant."

"He just needed to think he was going to do well. You watch him, he'll play perfectly."

I was impressed with Harry. If Ron thought he would win, his nerves wouldn't be an issue. I'd never really thought about how smart Harry was, he was always eclipsed by Hermione. I suspected he was a lot smarter than he let on.

I watched the game from the stands. Ron was every bit as good as Harry had promised. All he had needed was a bit of confidence. The game lasted for a while. Annabeth and Hazel were reading books on teleportation in the magical world, and discussing their findings with Hermione. They hadn't stopped since Hogsmeade. Thalia and Nico had decided they were going to be permanent fixtures in the forest, and only came into the castle for classes and some meals.

The game finished with a victory to Gryffindor, and Ron was carried back into the common room by a cheering crowd. The party afterward was wild, and Ron seemed to be getting a lot of attention from Lavender Brown, which clearly irritated Hermione. Halfway through the celebrations she stormed out, followed nervously by Harry.

None of them returned until everyone had gone to bed. Harry walked in, collapsing into the chair next to me with a sigh.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"It's just Ron and Hermione. Ron was running around with Lavender, and Hermione's furious. You would think he'd be a bit more aware about how much she liked him."

"They'll figure it out at some point. Romantic issues are just par for the course. Just wait it out."

"You and Annabeth are so happy, how did you get together?"

"She started off absolutely despising me, the son of her mother's biggest enemy. Then we went on a few quests, and realised we liked each other quiet a lot. It's been an uphill battle, but we've stuck together through thick and thin, through everything the Gods have thrown at us."

"I hope they decide they like each other and cease this arguing."

"It'll happen."

"I'm going to go to bed and ignore this."

"I'll come too."

We walked up the stairs and into the dorm.