Chapter 10: Under the Lion
His sorting was one of the best things Percy Jackson remembered about his first year at Hogwarts.
"Jackson, Perseus!" Called Professor Mcgonagall, after a guy named Cedric was sorted.
When he changed his lastname, Moony wrote a letter to the Headmistress telling her the situation, so she would also change it in the school's documents. That way, the only ones that knew about his real identity were Professor McGonagall, Hagrid and, sadly, Dumbledore.
When hearing his name, Percy walked slowly to the stool, not without recieving a few pats on his back and a "good luck" from his friends. Upon sitting there, the Professor placed the hat into his head.
Mmh, let's see what we have here.
Percy, suddenly hearing the raspy voice in his head, almost jumped out in surprise.
Quite interesting you are, with your tragic past and your...race. Really powerful, you will accomplish great things, which need to have the right amount of ambition to be fulfilled. Slytherin could be good for you in that aspect.
You are also quite smart, although it isn't shown in the conventional way. Your mind can adapt easily to new circumstances, and the way you analize life is worthy of a Ravenclaw.
Hufflepuff would be a great candidate too. With extreme loyalty to those precious to you, you aren't afraid to sacrifice yourself if someone you love gets to be safe for that. Your selfless personality would fit excellent with the badgers.
Also, you are quite the brave one. Not afraid to face your deepest fears if it is to do the right thing. Gryffindor would be quite pleased to have you, seeing as you are so daring, to the point of sometimes being reckless too.
I can see we should expect great things from you, Percy Jackson.
"So, what house will you place me in?" Percy asked the hat through his mind.
How about I let you choose? Tell me, In which house do you want to be?
"Mmm, while Slytherin and Ravenclaw seem promising, I don't really think I'd be happy there. I mean, from what I've been told, most of the Dark Wizards are in Slythering, so I would be in constant fear of being discovered as a Potter" he said to the hat "Also, while Ravenclaw sounds kind of cool, I'm not the type to constantly study, and I would feel left out being so... Me"
Well, it leaves it between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, then. I already see you are more inclined towards one of them, and I will fulfill your desires. Before I say it, however, you must remember that opposite of the common knowledge, your house doesn't define who you are, Perseus. The fact that you will be there doesn't mean you don't have other traits.
After that being said, I'll say you belong in
"Gryffindor!" The hat shouted the word aloud, making the table under the lion symbol stand up and cheer for their new member. While normal sortings lasted from 2 to 4 minutes, his went on for about 6, and everyone in the Great Hall was expecting anxiously the result. His sorting took longer than the one of Minerva McGonagall.
Getting greeted by some people, he sat down at the table, waiting for his friends to be sorted.
Eventually, after some words from Dumbledore, dinner started with Percy Jackson, Lee Jordan and Fred and George Weasley talking enthusiatically to each other. Not before long, some other red heads joined them. From how similar they looked, Percy guessed they were the twin's brothers.
"Tell me, why did the sorting hat take so long with you?" said Charlie Weasley, after the introductions were done.
"The sorting hat was letting me pick up the house" replied Percy.
"Really? Well, you chose the right one" said the other red head, Percival Weasley "You'll never be bored, especially being the twins friend, though, for the school's sake, I hope you try to contain their destruction a little" he finished, laughing.
Continuing the talk, the feast eventually finished, and all of them walked to their common room. Percy, amazed by Hogwart's beauty and being the ADHD kid he was, kept looking in all directions, only snapping out of his daze when entering through the Fat Lady's Portrait.
When the prefect finally finished explanations, he quickly went to his dorm. He was feeling really sleepy.
So, with a smile in his face, he went to rest, thinking that maybe- just maybe- he could find happiness in Hogwarts.
***
His first day started bad.
Percy sat in his bed, grumpy. The sun hadn't even come up, but he couldn't get back to sleep. He had nightmares haunting him.
First, they were about That Night, when his parents were killed. He remembered the death of his mother, the cruel face of the murderer and the green light that sealed his fate. Then, it turned to one of Vernon's worse punishments.
Deciding against returning to sleep again (not that he could, even if he wanted to), Percy Jackson prepared himself to face his first day at Hogwarts.
After carefully getting ready in his robes, making sure his more ugly scars from years of abuse were hidden, Percy then decided to explore the castle a bit, noticing that the sun was just starting to go up.
"Where should I go first?" he asked himself aloud.
Remembering Hogwarts: A History, he left for the best place he could think of: The kitchens.
The only problem? He didn't know exactly where they were, but it was a good way to spend his time. At least he wasn't destroying the school or something... Not yet.
Walking through the halls, he suddenly got an idea.
"How can I go to the kitchen, Mister?" he asked one of the portraits. It was that of a man with an old armor riding a horse.
"Mmm, why should I tell you, brat?" asked the man. Percy flinched at the word, remembering Vernon.
"I w-want to visit the elves, sir" he said.
The man in the portrait watched him carefully, pondering whether it was the right choice to tell him or not.
"If you go to a door in the entrance hall" said the man, deciding that a first year boy was harmless "you'll find a painting of a bowl of fruit" he finished.
"That's it? What do I do then?" asked Percy.
"That's for you to figure out, boy" the man replied. Before Percy could complain, he desappeared, riding his horse to who-knows-where.
Deciding that it was worth a try, he followed what the man had told him, easily discovering the painting he talked about.
"Well, now what?" he asked himself.
After watching the painting for a while, he saw that the sun was already high, so, deciding to return later-maybe with the twins and Lee- he headed to the Great Hall, where some students were just arriving.
Sitting down under the Lion, he smiled to himself.
His first day at Hogwarts was about to begin.