The Golden Wand [Harry Potter/Percy Jackson]

Chapter 62: This Is Not A Happy Ending

Hermione POV:

"And she'll try to claim that she said it first!" Draco chuckled. "But no - I did indeed pick up the courage to tell her... even though I had meant to tell her for months."

"You got there in the end, that's all that matters," Frank laughed.

I smiled over at Piper, knowing she was a hopeless romantic herself. She wasn't smiling, though, like the rest of us were. She stared at me through eyes I could not read, and I wanted to reach out to her. 

"I love you so much, Hermione," Draco whispered in my ear. I turned away from Piper and smiled at him. 

"I love you more, Draco, you-"

I heard the snap of a twig from the forest edge and we all turned around to look at where the noise was coming from.

A man approached us from the forest. Behind him floated Annabeth, clearly petrified. All of us stood quickly, raising our wands. I held the Golden Wand in my hand, hoping it looked menacing and powerful.

"Ah, no, that won't do," the man said. He sounded American. "Lower your wands or I kill her."

I saw that his wand was pointed at Annabeth already. Quickly, I lowered my wand, forcing Draco to do the same.

"Let her go," Piper said smoothly. 

"Your charms won't work on me, girl," the man replied. Piper blanched and took an uncertain step back.

"Who are you?" Hazel asked, a tone of confidence still present in her voice. This clearly wasn't the first time she had been in a situation like this. "What do you want?"

The sun had set completely now, casting his face in a shadow. But as he approached he stepped closer towards the light of the fire, and I saw the scar across this forehead. He smiled at me. 

"I think she can answer that," he nodded at me. 

"A-Agilbert Fontaine," I said uneasily. "He's here for revenge."

Fontaine's grin was evil. He looked nothing like the actor we had faced during the eighth trial, who had been slightly chubby and well-shaven. This man looked gaunt and unwell, as if all his bones were cutting against his skin. This was a man who had spent time in Azkaban, wasting away to skin and bone, unable to wash or keep himself well. This was a man who had been on the run for months, hiding from Aurors and Dementors and never staying anywhere long enough to eat or sleep properly. This was a man who had once been a fanatic, but was now more delusional than ever. 

"Yes, that's right, revenge," he laughed. His voice sounded raw, as if he were on the verge of losing it. "I had everything once, now look at me-" he waved his arms up high and pointed at himself -"I'm nothing."

Percy stepped forwards slowly. "I don't care, give me back my girlfriend."

Fontaine sneered and spat at Percy's feet. "My daughter is in prison because of your girlfriend. My school was taken from me because of her. My reputation diminished because of her. I spent months in Azkaban because of her! And YOU!"

He pointed at me then, moving with such rigidity that I knew he simply was not sane. He was crazy. 

Draco stepped slightly in front of me. "How dare you-"

Fontaine groaned and twitched his free hand. Draco was shoved backwards onto the pebbled floor, where he grunted but did not rise. I looked down at him with worry, but he gave me a reassuring smile to let me know he was alright. 

"What are you doing here, then?" Frank asked levelly. "Hurting us gains you nothing. You can't free your daughter from here, you can't regain your reputation from here. You ruined that yourself."