Two Different Worlds, Two Heroes : Percy Jackson and Harry Potter [EDITING]

Chapter 28: The Prophecy

Percy’s POV

We were now in some kind of room that was kind of … sparkling. When my eyes had adjusted to it, I noticed that clocks all of types hung between bookcases or standing on desks. Large clocks, small clocks, grandfather clocks, carriage clocks … You name it, they had it. Busy, relentless ticking filled the room as I stood there, staring around with wide eyes. The source of the dancing, diamond-bright lights seemed to be coming from a towering crystal bell jar that stood at the far end of the room.

“This way!”

I snapped out of my daze as Harry shouted, leading the way down a narrow space between the lines of desks.

“Oh, look!” Ginny exclaimed, pointing at the very heart of the bell jar as we approached closer towards it.

There was a tiny, jewel-bright egg drifting along the sparkling current inside. As it rose in the jar, it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged. However, as it was carried to the very top of the jar ad fell on the draught, its feathers became bedraggled and damp again. By the time it had been borne back to the bottom of the jar it had been enclosed in an egg once again.

“Keep going!” Harry snapped irritably as Ginny slowed down.

“You dawdled enough by the old arch!” she huffed crossly but sped up.

“This is it,” Harry repeated, sounding breathless. “It’s through here –“

Everybody drew out their wands warily. Copying them, we pulled out our weapons. Harry, after glancing anxiously back at us, pushed open the door.

The ceilings rose magnificently, as high as a church and towering shelves stretched out endlessly, filled with small, dusty glass orbs. They glimmered dully in the light radiating from candle-brackets set at intervals along the shelves. The flames burned blue yet the room was freezing.

Harry edged forward silently and cautiously, peering down one of the shadowy aisles.

“You said it was row ninety-seven,” Hermione whispered.

“Yeah,” Harry breathed, looking up to squint at the silver figure fifty-three glimmering beneath the branch of blue-glowing candles.

“We need to go right, I think,” Hermione murmured, looking at the next row. “Yes … that’s fifty-four …”

“Keep your wands and weapons ready,” Harry said softly.

Creeping forward silently, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. It was extremely nerve-wrecking, sneaking around like this and trying not to attract any attention from possible Death Eaters, not to mention Voldemort. The further ends of the shelves were in total darkness. Yellowing labels were stuck under each glass orbs on the shelves, some of them having a weird, liquid glow whereas others were as dull and dark within.

We were now passing row eighty-four … eighty-five … I was craning my ears for the slightest sound.

“Ninety-seven!” Hermione whispered.

All of us stood grouped around the end of the row, gazing down at the alley. There seemed to be nobody there.

“He’s right down at the end,” Harry said, a touch of uncertainty in his tone. “You can’t see properly from here.

As we neared somewhere towards the end of the alley, my heart gave a leap. There was a dark shape on the ground, unmoving. Harry broke into a run but as we neared it, I started to frown. It seemed a little too … small to be Sirius. Slowing into a walk, I held my breath as Harry crouched down, gently turning the figure onto its back.