Waves of Magic and Memory

The Fragment

She found a quiet spot near the staircase, where the walls didn't groan as much and the portraits were too faded to whisper. Kneeling slightly, she flicked the coin into a shallow dish of water they'd been using for Iris-messages.

"Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me Percy Jackson."

The mist shimmered—and there he was, standing outside the Big House, arms crossed, looking tired but alert.

"Annabeth?" Percy's expression softened. "Hey. Everything okay?"

"We're still searching," she said. "I just wanted to check in. How's your side?"

Percy shrugged, brushing a bit of dirt from his shirt. "As okay as they can be. We updated Chiron and Rachel—told them everything about the Death Eaters and the whole Lady Morgana situation. Nico's trying to track some Underworld activity we picked up."

Then, without skipping a beat, he asked, "Where's Hermione?"

Annabeth hesitated for only a moment. "She went to the library. With Harry. They're searching the Restricted Section for anything related to Avalon."

Percy blinked. "She's with Harry? Alone?"

She nodded. "They thought it would be faster. And safer."

Percy's mouth opened slightly. "Isn't that dangerous?"

Annabeth studied him. "You sure you're not more worried about her being with Harry than the actual danger?" she asked dryly.

He didn't respond immediately, but the shift in his face was unmistakable—barely a twitch, but it was there. Annabeth didn't need to be a daughter of Athena to read it.

"You really like her," she said.

He exhaled slowly, then nodded. "Hmm. Yeah."

Annabeth watched him uncomfortably, then asked, "Anyway... has Rachel delivered any new prophecy? Or anything useful?"

"No, nothing," Percy replied. "Rachel's been getting headaches again, but no visions. Chiron's worried. He thinks the Mist is blocking her."

Annabeth gave a slow nod, her gaze drifting. "We'll figure something out."

Percy sighed. "Yeah, well. Nico and I will be back soon."

"You do remember you can't just walk into the wizarding world like it's Camp Half-Blood, right?" she reminded him, folding her arms tighter.

"We'll find a way," he said with quiet determination. "We always do."

The mist flickered and faded.

Alone again, Annabeth stared at the empty space where Percy had been. Then she turned, rejoining the quiet tension that had settled thickly over Grimmauld Place.

After some time, the quiet in Grimmauld Place was broken by The sound of Apparition.

Ron spun around, wand raised. Annabeth stood, her pulse quickening.

Harry stumbled in, cloak torn and face pale, Hermione right behind him, clutching something tightly against her chest.

"You're back!" Ron rushed forward. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine," Harry said, out of breath. "But we were nearly caught. Malfoy walked in as we were leaving the Restricted Section."

"Wait, Draco Bloody Malfoy?" Ron's voice rose.

"He's the DADA professor now," Harry muttered. 

Hermione gave a small nod. "Harry covered for me—barely. I don't think he saw me, but it was close."

Ron muttered, "That git never could mind his own business."

Annabeth stepped forward. "Did you find anything?"

Hermione unrolled the parchment and laid it on the table. "A map fragment," she said. Hidden behind a cursed page in an old book on pre-Arthurian relics."

Ron leaned in. "Is it Avalon?"

"We think so," Harry said. "It shows part of the path... but not the full route. It's a piece of something bigger."

Annabeth studied it for a moment, then nodded. "Percy and Nico will be here soon. They'll want to see this."

Hermione frowned. "Wait—how can they come here? From Camp Half-Blood?"

"That's what we need to figure out next," Annabeth said.

Harry stepped closer, shaking his head. "Bringing you here was already dangerous enough, Annabeth. We can't just bring more demigods into the wizarding world. It's not built for you."

Ron nodded grimly. "Especially now. With Death Eaters resurfacing, Aurors on edge, and Morgana's name showing up in ancient texts... One wrong move, and every wand in Britain could be pointed at them."

Annabeth didn't flinch. "You think I don't know that? I wouldn't risk Percy or Nico unless I thought we had to. But if this map leads where we think it does, we'll need more than spells and wands to survive what's coming."

Hermione laid the parchment out on the table, her voice quiet but steady. "The old magic tied to Avalon—it's older than Hogwarts. Older than wands. We'll need both sides to understand it. Wizards and demigods."

The room fell into a thoughtful silence.

Then Luna, who had been quietly studying the parchment from the corner, spoke. "We might not need to bring them here at all," she said dreamily, tilting her head like she'd just remembered something curious.

Everyone turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked, wary but intrigued.

Luna tapped the map fragment lightly with a finger. "The riddle never says Avalon is inside the wizarding world. It only says, 'seek the shore where no tides reach.' That could be anywhere—magical or not. Maybe it's somewhere that exists between."

Hermione's eyes lit up. "She's right. If Avalon predates modern magic, it may exist outside the Ministry's influence. A forgotten place. Neutral ground."

Ron frowned. "But how would we even find that kind of place without tripping every magical alarm in the country?"

Luna smiled softly. "That's the fun part, isn't it?"

Harry met Annabeth's eyes. "If we can match the terrain—lake, trees, archway—we might find somewhere isolated enough. Somewhere Percy and Nico can reach without being detected."

Annabeth nodded. "Then let's start narrowing it down. Before someone else finds it first."

Hermione leaned over the parchment again, fingers tracing the silver star near the edge. "If Avalon is real... then this is the closest anyone's come to proving it in centuries."

Harry's voice was quiet but certain. "Then it's time we followed the trail."