Hermione's POV
"Hey," Percy greeted Lavender Brown as she passed him in the hallways. He received nothing but a stern glare from the girl, who rushed towards the dungeons for her Potions class. The Son of Poseidon was completely unfazed by the other students shunning him until he reached Neville, who didn't say anything back.
He turned to me, extremely confused. "Hermione?" he asked slowly, "Does anything seem off to you?" I rolled my eyes. I knew he could be oblivious, but this was a whole new low for him. "You mean the fact that everybody is ignoring or glaring at you?" I asked him innocently, "No."
He bit his lip. "I need to ask someone." He caught up to Neville, who was going to Transfiguration a couple steps in front of us. "Neville?" he asked, tentatively touching the other boy's shoulder, "Is everything alright?" Neville gave an uncharacteristically bitter laugh.
"You think that I don't know you killed Trevor?" he asked angrily, "I was waiting until after classes to confront you about it because I didn't want to make a scene, but apparently we're doing this now." He spun around, his face a complete mask of anger. "I've had Trevor since my first year! Granted, he was always getting lost, but he was my first friend. You don't see me killing your blue elephant! How would you feel waking up in the middle of the night and seeing a glowing sword hacking off the head of your pet? Now back off, Percy. Harry was right about you."
Percy was so taken aback that he didn't defend himself or stop Neville from stomping down the hall. He stood there, as still as a statue. I waved a hand in front of his face, and he blinked once before looking at me again, his mouth agape and even more confused than last time. He couldn't get any comprehensible words out of his mouth, finally setting on, "Huh?"
I gently pushed his jaw closed with a hand and smiled. "Get to History of Magic, Percy. I'll figure out what's up with Neville." I left him in the hallway, not even bothering to look back and make sure he was following me. I was sure he wasn't, and frankly, it was probably better that he was as far away from Neville as he could be while I talked to him.
"So," I started, drawing the attention of the Gryffindor boy, "Percy killed Trevor, huh?" Neville nodded stiffly, saying nothing. "And you're sure it was him?" He nodded again, this time letting out a furious torrent of words. "It was definitely him," Neville spat, "I saw it as plain as day... er, night, you know, since it was night time. Moonlight was on him and everything. His sword, his hair, his eyes. I would know them anywhere. Not to mention after he was done, he went straight back to his bed."
I opened my mouth to speak again, but he cut me off. "I can't believe you're still friends with him, Hermione. Harry was right! If you don't trust your best friend since first year, then I don't expect to be able to change your mind. But Percy means trouble, and right now you're throwing away all of your oldest friends for him. I hope you understand that."
I probably looked exactly the same as Percy had only a few moments ago. He was really serious about this. Percy didn't even have his sword anymore. The thief. The thief apparently looks exactly like Percy. As much as it could have easily been Polyjuice Potion, Harry also saw Percy's name on the Marauder's Map, something that can't be tampered with.
I decided to talk to Harry during History of Magic. Percy would understand if I didn't sit next to him for one day. And besides, he usually slept through it all anyway.
"Harry," I whispered as Professor Binn droned on about the Pixie-Nymph war, "Did you hear that Percy killed Trevor?" Worried that Harry might yell in anger, I quickly continued. "But Neville said that he killed him with Riptide. Percy doesn't have Riptide anymore.
"That's what he wants us to think, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, "Just get off that Death Eater's side and accept it. I know that you don't believe me because of earlier this year, but what about Neville? What about Dean? Even Lavender, for god's sake!" I pursed my lips, trying to think of a solution.
"Look," I said, searching for a compromise, "If you were right, then Percy would never let anyone know, right? So the way we do this is to get inside his head. And who better to do that than the Sorting Hat?" Harry let a smile split his face. "'Mione, you're a genius! I knew you'd come around." I poked a harsh finger at his chest.
"I still don't believe you. But if this is the only way to get you to stop acting like prick, I'll do it. After class, I'll go and see Dumbledore. Meet you in the Common Room later?" Harry nodded, still smiling.
<*~*~*~*>
Whispering the password to the Gargoyle, I knocked tentatively on the door, afraid of what might happen in Dumbledore's office.
The wizard opened the door with a warm smile, his eyes twinkling behind his half moon glasses. "Hermione, come in," he said cheerfully, "Always a pleasure."
I smiled softly in return. "Professor, I need to speak to the Sorting Hat." He raised a slim eyebrow at me. "This can't be because of a certain Perseus Jackson, can it?" I walked past him and sat in one of the chairs.
"No," I replied nonchalantly, "More like a certain Harry Potter and the rest of the Hogwarts student body." Dumbledore sat across from me, intertwining his fingers. "Ah, not this again. I was worried he would lapse back into his old ways, and now it seems he has. And he's managed to drag all of his peers along with him this time. Go ahead, Ms. Granger, I know you will do what is right." As he left his own office to give me privacy, he turned in the doorway. "I expect great things from you, you know."
I smiled as I looked around the room, startled by a voice in the corner.
"Ah, Hermione Granger," crooned the Sorting Hat's crackly voice, "Come to see me, after all of these years?" I nodded in spite of myself, knowing that this was only delaying what needed to be done now. "I need to know everything you know about Percy Jackson."
The Sorting Hat split into a craggly smile, and if possible, I heard a smile as it spoke. "I know you do. You should know that I never divulge the inner thoughts of a student, however. Think of it as... Student-Hat confidentiality." I felt my spirits drop, and I was about to shuffle away, when the Hat continued.
"For you, I will make an exception. Because I know your intentions are pure. For the sake of the school, and more particularly, Perseus Jackson. But first, you should know a little something about yourself." I raised an eyebrow, wondering what the Sorting Hat could possibly know about me that I didn't.
"Do not think that I do not know of your escapades with the Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, Ms. Granger, because I do. And never let it pass through your mind that you may not have been suitable for Ravenclaw." I bit my lip. I had wondered about that at first. "By the gods above, you may have even fit in quite well with Slytherin." That surprised me, but I let the Sorting Hat continue.
"You are by any means a genius of a girl. You study hard, work harder, and if you are not already, you will become a hero to many. But what lies in Ravenclaw is not only a studious demeanor and perfect grades. Here you are, in this moment, choosing an American boy you have not even known a year over your dearest friends, who have stuck with you since your first year, the ones that have had your back through all of your hardships, traumas, and decisions."
"You and I are smart enough to know that that is not the first move of an even remotely intelligent person. No, I put you in Gryffindor because when it came down to it, you were brave enough to follow your heart in the face of rejection from every other student in this entire school. You put your entire future on the line for this one boy who you believe to be worth protecting. Why? Because inside you know that everyone else is wrong. And everyone else must be wrong because, well," the Sorting Hat let out a stiff creak of a laugh, "You are smarter than all of them!"
I couldn't resist a smile. I wasn't all that, and I knew it. But what the Hat had said was actually true. "And Percy Jackson?" I prodded. "Oh, yes, the American boy," the Hat said, drawing itself back into focus.
"Perseus Jackson is an enigma by anyone's standards. Brave, cunning, wise, and loyal. He is everything that the founders wanted in a student. And yet, I put him in Gryffindor above all other Houses." I nodded. I knew all of that already. But the Hat was getting at something. Something bigger than just what he was saying.
"He would not have belonged in the Ravenclaw house. He is smarter than he wants us to know, but that should not worry you. He may be smart on the battlefield, a natural born leader, but that boy really is kind of dense, isn't he, Ms. Granger?" I nodded again exasperatedly. The boys were expecting me in little over five minutes and I still had nothing new. "What Perseus Jackson is, is a brave boy who holds friends and family above all else. His bravery stems from his loyalty, and in all honesty, I should have put him in Hufflepuff."
"But never would I have considered, even for a moment, putting him in Slytherin. Not because he is a hero, because plenty of heroes come from Slytherin. But because he has no ambition. He never wanted to be a hero. At the age of twelve he was thrown into a destiny he never could have dreamed of. As time went on, he was held in higher regard in his camp of heroes as his achievements grew to surpass Heracles's. But he didn't go out and save the world because he wanted to. It was because he needed to in order to protect his family. He had a world, a home, to protect, and he would do anything, even jump into the depths of Hell, which he's done by the way, to save it. Even now, all he wants to do is settle down with his girlfriend. He never wanted to come to Hogwarts. He never wanted to fight a war. And yet we can all feel the aftereffects of what he's done and see him beside us in our school of magic."
I closed my eyes, thinking through what the Hat was telling me. To my surprise, it still had more to say. "I put Perseus in Gryffindor because that's where he needed to be. He needed to become close to the famed Harry, Ron, and Hermione, in order to combat the ever-looming darkness that does naught but swallow our would-be-peaceful year. He is no threat to anyone but your enemies. He has a powerful aura and a strong mind. What he's been through would break a normal man. But he is no normal man. As I said, he is an enigma, and one that may be fun for you to solve."
As I walked out of Dumbledore's office, I called back to the Sorting Hat. "Slytherin?" I asked it jokingly. I didn't have to look back to see that the old hat was smiling again. "Never forget, Ms. Granger," the hat replied, "That Slytherin is a House of Ambition and Cunning. And if you are not ambitious, well, then that is to say that you are also dumb."
I strode into the Gryffindor Common Room, satisfied with myself. The boys were waiting for me eagerly, already certain of my answer. "The hat said he isn't a threat to anyone but our enemies," I told them, "It said that Percy would have even been a better fit for Hufflepuff than Gryffindor because of his never ending loyalty."
"Is it sure?" Harry asked worriedly, "You're sure that there is no possible way that Percy can be a Death Eater?" I nodded, grinning to myself. Just when I thought all of this had blown over and we could all be friends again, Harry frowned, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Well, now I just can't believe you. How do I know you're not lying to me? How do I know that that's what the Hat actually said?" I couldn't understand the words coming out of his mouth for a second. Then the meaning came slamming into me with all the force of an angry troll.
I couldn't help but blow up at him. "What?" I screeched, "After all of this, you don't believe me?" He stood his ground, staring at me defiantly. "I've done nothing but try to help you, Harry. That's all I've ever tried to do! We've been best friends for six years!"
He glared at me, his eyes flashing in twin green flames. "And then this Grandson of Voldemort shows up and suddenly I don't matter! Perseus Jackson is not who he says, and apparently neither are you. You told me you'll always have my back! You told me that I was the hero, that I was doing the right thing! And here you are lying to my face. For who? Percy Jackson!"
He appeared more hurt than angry. Our fight was the kind that we both knew was wrong and fueled by raw emotions. The kind that neither of us what back down from but would both regret in the distant future. One that might destroy our friendship irreparably.
"Then maybe I should just should just go back to Percy," I said softly but harshly, tears stinging my eyes, "He's always believed me. He wouldn't fight me the minute I stopped thinking his way."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
I stomped out of through the portrait hole, not even bothering to look back. My best friend and my boyfriend refused to let go of their pride, and I knew I was the same. But I also knew I was right.
I got all the way to the Black Lake before someone noticed and stopped me. "Hermione!" The voice called. I literally have the worst luck ever.
"Percy," I said tensely, trying not to cry, "How are you doing?" I felt his hand on my shoulder, spinning me around to face him. "Are you crying?" He asked.
I shook my head furiously, but by that point there was no use. I sat and cried, hugging my knees and not caring that anyone saw me. Another voice came from behind us as Percy wrapped his arms around me. "Hey, Percy, have you seen-"
"WHAT IN THE HADES DID YOU DO TO HERMIONE, JACKSON?!?"
I knew it was Sophia without even looking, but I didn't bother to greet her. She wrapped her own arms around me and pulled me away from Percy. Thank the gods for Sophia. I cursed myself for my tears, for showing this much vulnerability in front of two of the strongest people I knew.
As my sobs subsided, I could see the blurry figure of Percy looking out onto the Black Lake. "I think I might have ruined a friendship," he said slowly to Sophia, "This was Harry and Ron, wasn't it?"
I nodded slowly against Sophia's shoulder, feeling her squeeze my shoulders. "It's going to be okay, Hermione. If you want I'll go up to those Gryffindor boys and beat their sorry-" I cut her off, fearing for the boys.
"No," I said shakily, "This is what they decided. I had a talk with the Sorting Hat today, and I think... I think I'm doing the right thing by letting them have their space for a while."
The era of Harry, Ron, and Hermione had ended.
But next to the two demigods, I could feel a new one beginning.