SEA GREEN [PERCY JACKSON X HARRY POTTER]

#29

A/N: I almost said that tonks greeted harry first. needless to say, I am crying rn.

"There they are!" Arthur hollered. He squeezed Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny into a hug, before scooting away so that Molly could envelope them in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh, you don't know how much I missed you!" Molly beamed. "How is school? You didn't write to me much."

Harry tried his best to avoid Molly's stern gaze. "It was great... uh, we learned some pretty cool stuff."

"That's good," Molly smiled. She craned her neck, looking over the crowd at the King's Cross. "We're having a early Christmas party with your friends, so that's something to look forward to! You can invite Neville and Luna, and your other friends. Percy, Annabeth, Travis, Katie and Nico, wasn't it?"

"Sounds amazing," Ron grinned distractedly. He pretended not to hear the part about inviting the demigods. The rest stayed silent.

"Is something wrong?" Arthur questioned, sensing a wave of discomfort over the group.

"Nothing!" Hermione yelped. "Nothing at all. Let's go home."

Molly and Arthur exchanged worried glances, probably wondering why the teenagers were acting so odd, but ushered them towards the barrier nevertheless.

Back at the Burrow, the atmosphere around the dinner table was back to usual. Molly poured food into Ron's plate while Hermione told him not to eat so quickly. Arthur asked endless questions about the things he read in the Muggle newspapers, and Harry explained what he knew to him, Ginny laughing at the ridiculous names of some of the topics.

"Who creates a searching engine called 'Bing'?" Ginny snorted. George shrugged.

Although the family wasn't fully present, they seemed content with the company of each other. Percy Weasley was working with the ministry, trying to solve a few problems that had risen ever since Umbridge had taken charge. Bill and Fleur still lived in Shell Cottage, though they promised they would visit for Christmas. Charlie had been forced to come back home, so he'd told his family that he'd arrive on Christmas Eve.

"Time for dessert! I'm only letting you all share one bowl, so how many scoops of ice cream do you want?" Molly asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Four," Harry said sensibly.

"Two!" Hermione shouted, earning glares from her friends. "What? It's bad for your teeth!"

"Five!" Ginny insisted.

"Six, I'd say," Ron said.

"Oh, just give us ten scoops!" George exclaimed.

Even Ron's jaw dropped. "Are you crazy-"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Curiously, Molly rose from her chair and walked to the door, muttering, "The guests came earlier than expected."

Turning the doorknob, the sight of the four behind the door caused Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny to gasp.

Percy stepped forward solemnly. His sea green eyes were fuelled with fire. "I am terribly sorry to interrupt, but we need your help. Please."

"No."

Percy's expression didn't budge. He didn't seem surprised at all, really. "We knew you'd say that, but you don't understand-"

"What don't we understand, Jackson?" Ginny growled. "That you're trying to use us again?"

Molly inhaled sharply at her daughter's venomous tone. Katie tugged at the hem of her shirt. "We weren't using you for anything. We told you about the prophecy. We came to Hogwarts on a mission to save the world. The time to start saving everyone's lives is now."

"Why would we help you?" Hermione inquired. She was slowly inching towards Ron, her hand extended as if she needed him to hold her hand to keep her from lashing out on the demigods.

"Good question," Annabeth said. "We don't know either."

"But the thing is," Travis interjected, "Nico's kidnaped, and we can't save him with you guys."

Ron snorted. "You expect us to believe you? After all those times you lied to us?"

"And you also basically admitted to wanting to use us," Hermione added grimly. She slipped her hand into Ron's, feeling calmer now that she could feel his warmth radiating off of him.

"We really don't know what to say. We know we're horrible people who shouldn't have kept such a big secret from our own friends. But Nico is kidnaped. His life is at stake," Percy said. His tone wasn't filled with impatience or frustration. It was overridden with guilt. Something told Harry that Percy was truly sorry, and that if they failed to save Nico, Percy would never forgive himself. Harry almost laughed at that. He still couldn't manage to forgive himself for all those deaths he caused in the Second Wizarding War.

Molly spoke up first. "Okay, all of you, explain what is going on right now."

Gathered in the living room of the Burrow, both Molly and Arthur were silent as they tried to process what their children and the demigods explained to them. George seemed fine, like the news didn't shock him. He was sitting on the couch, drinking a glass of water calmly.

When the story was told, the demigods fidgeted nervously, afraid of how Molly and Arthur would react. Discomfort washed over the group. There was still some anger left in the wizards, and that rage was renewed once they relived the memory of the demigods confessing.

"Though it is fascinating that you lot are children of the gods," Arthur said, "I'm sorry to say that I'm conflicted."

"Of course, you shouldn't have lied," Molly stated. Then she turned to her children. "But you shouldn't have been mad with them for so long. I understand your reasonings, but the demigods are kind people."

George nodded. He made eye contact with Travis. "They helped me. I couldn't be more grateful. You guys had one spat over a major thing, but couldn't you work it out?"

"But-"

"Please. If not for us, for Nico," Katie pleaded.

"We can't lose him," Percy croaked. "Not again."

"Stop trying to guilt trip us!" Ron demanded, but his eyes showed just a hint of sympathy.

"We need your help. Please," Annabeth begged. The words tasted sour in her mouth. She wasn't used to asking for help, but she knew it was necessary. They couldn't save Nico without the wizards. "After all of this is done, you can continue hating us."

The room stayed silent. The younger wizards seemed to be clueless as to what to do. They wanted to continue hating the demigods, but they knew it wasn't reasonable anymore. Besides, Molly, Arthur and George trusted the demigods. They'd come to love them, even though they'd only known each other for awhile, barely spending time together.

Harry shifted uneasily, glancing at his friends. Ron and Ginny seemed to be having a silent conversation with their eyes, their expressions doubtful. Hermione's eyes zeroed in on the demigods, as if she was thinking carefully whether she could trust them.

Harry took a deep breath. He hated that he was always the one speaking for his friends, but it seemed to him that no one else would voice out their opinions. His eyes swept across the room, where Molly and Arthur were huddled together and George was staring sadly at Travis. He caught Ron's eye, and Harry understood the message he was sending him.

It's okay. We can trust them.

"Fine. We'll help you," Harry relented. The demigods were visibly relieved, and Harry found it surprising that he, too, felt at ease with his decision.

Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad, after all.