Harry Potter and the Lost Half-Bloods. *1*

Percy

Jason thought for a moment.

"Fine, you can be our...friend, I guess. Only because I feel like you're going to blackmail me into it anyway. You know my secret and you'll use it against me so I can treat you like some Slytherin prince." Jason wasn't in the happiest mood this morning.

"Sweetie, I don't need your pity to remind me that I'm royalty, I already know. And I have better things to do than blackmail you, I'm not that low. Do I really seem like the villain here? I tripped while putting on my socks this morning. Is that something that a villain would do?"

"To be fair, you did sort of stalk me and accidentally set the shrieking shack on fire. Stalking seems like a suitable trait for a villain." I pointed out. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Villains don't accidentally set things on fire." Leo added.

"Touché." I agreed.

"Wait, back up. When did you accidentally set the shack on fire?" Jason asked.

"When you went all Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on us, minus the '-gang Amadeus Mozart' part. I found Percy doing his water things, and he surprised me. So, I accidentally sort of did my fire thing. That's when the shack was on fire. I heard you screaming from the inside, so I ran to get you, not realizing that you were--you know--Mozart." Leo explained. Jason looked confused.

"Back up. What fire thing, and what water thing?"

It was then that I realized Jason hadn't been completely caught up with everything. He only knew that Leo and I had accidentally discovered he was a werewolf. He had no idea that I could somehow control water, and Leo could make fire appear out of his hands. While I did feel bad that Jason was out of the loop, I didn't think the middle of potions class would be the right time to bring him up to speed.

I simply pointed to my tattoo, and Jason understood.

"So you think that Leo may be a part of this, whatever it is?" Jason mumbled. I shrugged and started stirring the potion to make it at least seem like I was paying attention to whatever it was that we were making.

"He doesn't have the tattoo, I've checked. But maybe we just aren't looking right. You know, mine reappears and vanished all of the time. You told me yours does the same. Maybe I just haven't checked at the right time." I shrugged.

Jason and I had woken up with strange tattoos last week. I had somehow gained the ability to see thestrals and control water. Leo was suddenly fireproof, around the same time. It couldn't be a coincidence. I believed that he was somehow a part of this, whatever it was.

"Damn it, now we have no choice but to trust him." Jason whispered. "And what is this water thing Leo was talking about?"

Our potion began to bubble over. Leo was too busy bothering the Gryffindor girls to notice anything or help in any way. Jason was simply shocked, he stepped back and instinctively brought out his wand. Students shrieked as out potion bubbled out, onto the floor.

"You're about to find out, Jason." I murmured.

I pointed my wand at the potion, making it seem like I was simply levitating it back into the cauldron. But my other arm was doing the real magic. With my free hand, I ushered the potion back into the pot. It obeyed, slowly sinking back into its place. Controlling the potion felt different than controlling water. It was like I could feel it seeping through my veins. It hurt, god it hurt! But I had to power through, and I did.

Students stared at me. Luckily, they hadn't noticed what I'd really done. They all laughed, mocking my scared expression. They thought I'd done it with my wand, thank Merlin.

Jason on the other hand, wasn't mocking or laughing. He was staring at my fingers extended towards the potion. He then looked back up at me in alarm.

"How did you--" he mouthed, he wasn't able to finish that though, however. Professor Snape strutted towards me with a grimace.

"Thirty points from Gryffindor, since you lack the basic skills of listening to directions! This is a standing potion, meaning you. do. not. stir. it! I specifically gave those instructions at the start of class, Mr. Jackson! Standing potions are mixed by simply adding the ingredients as the intrusions direct, stirring them causes reactions that can--well, let me just say that you are lucky you're still alive!" He lectured. "I would give you detention, but you so obviously need it, I'm assigning you a tutor after your classes today to give you extra help and you can remake this potion, as well as clean all of the cauldrons!"

"While I'm at it, want me to clean your hair as well? That can sure use some work, and I'd be doing you, and all of the students a favor." I couldn't help it. I was impulsive. I spoke my mind during high-pressure situations. It was a defense mechanism of mine, I guess. I couldn't control it!

Snape was fuming. He peered at all of the gawking students.

"BACK TO WORK!" He shouted.

He then stared directly at me, his eyes piercing through my skull.

"I've have come across insubordinate people in my time, Mr. Jackson. Most of those people being students at this school. Insubordination is your choice and I cannot change that," He glowered. "But not once have I let egotistical attitudes slide. You are arrogant and that is your choice. But if you use that know-it-all attitude to me ever again, I promise you will be cleaning every single beaker in this room, reorganizing the potions closet, wiping down every last desk, and dusting every last particle out of this room until you turn into a new ghost on these grounds, and you can spend the rest of your days sobbing into a toilet beside that miserable Myrtle. Do you understand me?"

"Loud and clear, professor Snape." I replied. Maybe a bit too clearly, seriously. Has the guy never heard of a breath mint? He scowled after that thought. I hadn't said it out loud, had I?

Seriously, though. It's obvious he doesn't like kids. It's not like he was being forced to work here. Why didn't he just quit? It's not like anybody would stop him. Nobody would protest! None of the students, or professors for that matter really liked him. As I thought this, Snape still glared at me like our conversation was continuing.

"Back to work, Mr. Jackson. You will be receiving no credit for today's work, and you will be here after your classes with a tutor to make up that time."

Who would my tutor be? Please don't be Chase, please don't be Chase. After all our encounter with the boggart in dada, I couldn't face her. Gosh, Jason too. What would we even say? Jason had just as much questions about Chase as I did. She probably had even more about me. If us three were to come in contact again together, that couldn't be good.

As I was turning back to my table to help Jason and Leo clean up, Snape spoke up one last time.

"And Mr. Grace, don't think you're off the hook. You were assisting with the potion and failed to correct Mr. Jackson's mistake. You will also go to tutoring tonight." Snape continued. "I'll inform Miss Chase this afternoon, she will be your tutor."

Great, great! The one thing that I didn't want to happen just had to occur. Why did the world hate me?