Strange Ties--Percy Jackson/Harry Potter

Chapter Twenty-Four

She looked over at the Slytherin table in hopes to catch a glimpse of Percy, since she hadn't seen him in almost two days. But he was nowhere to be found. Does that boy ever leave his room? She thought to herself. Once she realized Elyse and Audrey were leaving again she followed them to the hallway.
"Did you guys hear Weasley got out of the hospital wing?" Elsyse said.
"Really?" Audrey doubted.
The last time Valerie saw Ron he didn't look like he would be okay so soon. "Damn Madam Pomfrey is a really good nurse."
Elyse jeered, "Yeah they saw him leaving with Hermione"
Out of nowhere Maddison appeared behind her "I'm surprised they are still together"
Elyse jumped, "Jesus, since when were you behind me?"

Maddison didn't answer her question, instead she peered intently to the left hallway, making the other girls follow her gaze. Ron was in a wheelchair, being wheeled in by Hermione. His nose had a cast, which looked a lot more bloody than Valerie remembered. One of his eyes was bloodshot red, following a giant purple bruise around it. His head was wrapped around in a cloth and one of his arms was broken.

Valerie felt Audrey's body tense up next to her, "Percy did all that?"
"Damn," Elyse said with wide open eyes, "He looks horrible." At that point everyone in the hallway were staring at him in awe, most feeling bad for him, others...not.

In perfect timing, Valerie spotted Percy walking down the hallway, about the same time as the others did. They waited to see what happened, if Ron would say something, or if Percy would apologize. But as Percy passed Ron, their eyes briefly locked. Ron's gaze held a mixture of defiance and anger. But whatever message he was trying to send, it seemed to pass Percy right over. To everyone's surprise, Percy's lips curled into a twisted smile, and he let out a derisive chuckle as if finding amusement in Ron's visible injury and disappeared into the hallway again.

"Did he actually laugh?" Elyse asked, her eyes still focused on Ron.
Audrey chuckled in disbelief, "Yeah..he did"

"What did you expect? He's a Riddle" Maddison said.

Percy
The only reason Percy came out of his room in the first place was because he got called into Dumbledore's office. He had a pretty good idea it was because of the whole Ron thing, so whatever lecture he was about to receive he felt he was ready for it. He strolled into the office, his footsteps filled with a sense of familiarity. The room seemed almost welcoming, despite Dumbledore glaring at him. Thankfully, McGonagall was standing next to him, so he hoped this time was better than the last. Dumbledore glanced at him and Percy took a seat in the chair opposite of his desk.

"Well Mr. Jackson you seem to find trouble quite easily, don't you?"
Percy shrugged, "Looks like it"

McGonagall chimed in, "You must understand the consequences of your actions. Your behavior is disruptive and it needs to stop. Hogwarts is a place for learning, not brawling."

Percy nodded, acknowledging her words, though they had no meaning to him. "I was just defending myself Ron was the one who punched me first"
Dumbledore chuckled in disbelief, "Defending yourself?! You almost killed the poor boy"
Percy leaned forward, "I didn't-"

McGonagall interrupted, "What I think Professor Dumbledore is trying to say is that at some level, it stops being self defense. I think we can all agree on that."
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed, "Given your repeated offenses, it's clear that traditional punishments aren't having the desired effect. So we need to find a solution that will make an impact."

Curiosity sparked within Percy. He wondered what he had in mind. Perhaps he would finally expel him, he thought with a hint of excitement. Though he was pretty sure Hecate would kill him.

After a moment, McGonagall's expression softened, and a small smile played at the corner of her lips. "The upcoming school dance is just around the corner. And you, Mr Jackson, will be attending as what we call a watcher."