A/N: sorry for the number of author notes I'm adding, but which is better: a fanfic with leo and piper before jason arrived, percy jackson waking up from a coma or a girl in the marauders era? cheers xx
Despite having slept for so long, Harry still felt tired the next day. He woke up that Saturday, feeling as if he had aged decades.
He hopped off his bed, quickly changing and leaving the dorm. He didn't want to speak to Travis.
The Son of Hermes was wide awake as well, facing the window and away from Harry. As Harry left, he glanced at Travis. The anger from the previous day had yet to dissipate.
Once he was out of the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry walked. He didn't know where he was heading, but he needed to go somewhere to clear his thoughts. He was still fuelled with fury, his emotions and mind a mess.
Harry paced the corridors, aware that it was still early in the morning and most students were still asleep. He wished he could've been able to relate to them, enjoying the cold weather under their warm duvets, but his mind was simply not at rest. He had too much to think about.
"Are you okay, Potter?"
Harry fell back in shock at the worried voice of his teacher. He hadn't realised that she was there, watching him in concern. "Yes, Professor McGonagall, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" she frowned.
"Perfectly sure," Harry said, lying through the skin of his teeth. McGonagall raised an eyebrow.
"I am!" Harry insisted.
"Potter," McGonagall warned.
"Sorry," he apologised quickly. He tried for a reassuring smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "I'm fine, Professor. I've just been through... a lot, recently."
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
Harry hesitated. "It's- it's about the newer students... and Luna."
"What happened?" McGonagall questioned. She seemed to already know the answer as she waited patiently for Harry's response.
"I'm not sure if it's my place to tell you," Harry said uncomfortably. He suddenly realised how stupid he probably sounded.
"Where were you lot yesterday? I didn't see you all of after class," McGonagall said, changing the topic.
Harry also didn't know how to answer that. "Uh... It's a long story?"
"Potter, are you sure you're okay?"
"I..." Harry's voice wavered. "I'm not okay."
McGonagall's frown deepened and she directed him to her office, which was right around the corner. "Tell me about it."
"I just had a spat with the dem-" Harry cut himself off as he took a seat opposite of McGonagall. He quickly corrected himself. "The new students. I had a spat with the new students."
"Were you about to say 'demigods'?"
"Wha- no! I mean- uh- how did you know?!"
"I'm a demigod too, Potter. That's how I know," McGonagall sighed.
Harry was most likely gaping like a fish.
"What?! A-are all of you demigods?!" he spluttered, waving his hands around hysterically. "Next thing I know, Ron's a demigod, too! Is he? Actually, no, don't answer that-"
"Mr Weasley isn't a demigod," she said kindly, smiling tiredly.
Harry slouched and sank into the chair, relief clear on his face. "Why did you bring me here?"
"They recently told you about the whole demigod fiasco, didn't they?"
"Yes," he confirmed bitterly, his features shifting into a scowl. "Miserable liars, they are."
"You must not be mad with them, Mr Potter. If you are," she continued, "it is as good as accusing Ollivander, Miss Lovegood and myself as liars as well. Although, there is no denying that there."
Harry's expression softened. "Professor, I-"
"No need to apologise, I understand," McGonagall said, raising her hand so as to stop him from explaining himself. "You value trust. You are angry at the demigods for supposedly lying about themselves, but have you not considered their actions for anything more? They value loyalty. They would not lie to their friends unless it is to protect them. You must understand that."
"But they could've told us!" Harry insisted, his hands curling into fists. "Besides, they aren't protecting us of anything! They kill, Professor."
"But didn't you kill too?" McGonagall said. Harry winced at her statement. "Sometimes killing is necessary. You know that."
"It's different! That thing, that Cyclops could've been good! It deserved a chance at life! It-"
"There was a Cyclops here? No one alerted me of it," McGonagall grunted. "Anyway, the Cyclops isn't dead, Potter. Well, not exactly. Monsters revive after time, you see."
"So it'll live again?" Harry said. He didn't fail to notice that McGonagall had classified the Cyclopes as a monster. Werewolves were considered beasts, and Remus Lupin was anything but that.
"Unfortunately."
"If it's given a second chance at life," Harry started, noticing McGonagall scoff, "maybe it'll be good again, Professor. It can be good, right?"
"There are monsters who fight for the gods, and there are those who fight against them. However, those monsters that fight against the gods and their children do not change most of the time. They are bitter after centuries. They live to kill demigods and they die trying to."
Harry seemed a bit more disturbed by that. "That doesn't change the fact that they lied to us. They didn't tell us anything about being demigods when they were our friends."
"Perhaps," she reasoned, "they didn't want to tell you for a bigger reason? Say, they weren't allowed to, or telling you would result to horrible things, Potter. What would you do?"
"I- I don't know! Why would telling us result to that?"
"Because telling you would expose you to another world. It would mean you had so much more to handle. They didn't want to burden you with that kind of information. Knowing you're a child of the gods... it can be stressful."
"How do you know what they think?" Harry asked, his voice low.
"Because we told her."
The demigods revealed themselves. The veil that covered them disappeared, and they were visible again.
"What are you doing here? How long have you been here?" Harry questioned them. He felt a pang of guilt when he saw Luna among them. Then he also felt pain. He was worried she would distance herself away from him because she had heard his thoughts being spoken aloud.
"Hecate helped a little. Invisibility magic isn't hard for her," Annabeth said. Her expression was dark, as if she couldn't tell if she wanted to strangle, hug or feel sorry for Harry. "We heard the whole thing."
Harry looked at McGonagall angrily. It wasn't his intention to appear mad at his professor, he was angry that the demigods had heard his conversation. He was angry they had eavesdropped.
"Why were you listening in?!" Harry demanded.
"We did it in order to hear your real thoughts about us," Luna said, her expression dazed. She didn't seem offended by Harry's words or tone.
"W-why?!"
"We wanted to see if you truly didn't want to talk to us," Katie explained. She ran her fingers through her hair unconsciously. "If you really hated us, we... Well, we'd leave you alone."
Harry didn't know why that had sounded like such a terrible idea to him. He wanted them gone. He was angry just by the mere sight of them. He hated them... didn't he?
However, Harry realised the truth. He didn't hate them. He treasured their friendship and he knew he needed them. That was why it had hurt so much in the first place. If he had truly hated them and felt disgusted by their actions, he would've told Katie so in a heartbeat.
But that wasn't the case.
Harry found himself missing them even though it had only been a short while. He found himself balling up his fists at the sight of Travis that morning not because of anger but because of how conflicted he was.
He wanted them by his side again, but that didn't blind him from their actions. He still thought they were in the wrong.
Then McGonagall's words came replaying in his mind, and he suddenly didn't know. He didn't know if he should forgive them or not, because while their reasons were understandable, Harry still couldn't bring himself to accept the fact his friends were demigods.
He didn't want to accept the change that was brought into his life, though it was inevitable.
Harry took a deep breath. "Please... don't talk to me ever again."