Draco
Draco hadn't been sure if the chilling sensation he felt crawl down his spine was correct when it overcame him. He hadn't felt that feeling in years and years, and he wasn't exactly sure how it's meaning could be happening at Hogwarts.
The chills meant monsters, and no monster had ever set foot inside Hogwarts in all the years he had been there, and neither had his scent ever been strong enough to attract them. So, he figured it had to be a mistake, just a trick of his mind and the overactive mind that plagued him since the end of the war. Even so, he had made quick work of finding Percy and Annabeth, and had not been comforted at the reactions of them that he beheld. It had been true. A monster had breached the wards, which put all of them, and many others, in danger.
Now, the three raced towards the spot in which they had first heard the scream that rent the air like lightning crackling in the night sky. Breathlessly, Draco kept pace with his sister and Percy, his knife fitting into his hand just as well as he remembered; the memory of the calluses that had formed again and again on his hands floated around his head; his heart thundered in time with his steps on the marble floors below him as the three exploded into the hall of Gryffindor tower.
What they beheld was not a comforting sight.
The lack of activity unsettled Draco; he looked on at the empty hall, his stomach in his throat as his eyes pinned on a shredded tapestry, a cracked tile, and a bloodstained handprint on the wall.
"No," Percy murmured, his face paling. "Where are they?"
The three fell silent as they strained to listen for the tell tale signs of a struggle, but silence echoed all around them, louder yet than the previous screams.
"We should split up," Draco said quietly, scared to alert anyone else to the situation at hand. "I can't believe no one else heard the scream or the commotion. It's like it didn't even happen except for the evidence on the walls and floor. All of the Gryffindor students are – "
"No," Annabeth said, horror coloring her voice. "They aren't in there. They're all at lunch still. We always eat in our Common Room so I forgot. There shouldn't have been anyone in the halls."
"Bloody Hell," Draco moaned. "This is so bad."
Percy and Annabeth locked eyes and did their no-talking-communicating-with-their-minds thing that Draco could not read at all. He raised a blonde eyebrow at them in question.
"First is all, if this situation was not dire, I would be making fun of that British slang so much," Percy said offhandedly, as he flipped his sword in his hand. "But there is no time for that. So, instead, I'll interject a quick 'wow' and move on. Next, I don't think we should split up. This Minotaur is one nasty monster; it'd be better if we work together."
"Fine," Draco huffed, annoyed by the needling, but also secretly loving it. "And if you say anything more about my developed accent, or Britishisms, I may impale you with my knife. So tread carefully."
The three set off in the direction of the signs of struggle, bickering quietly so they could still hear any signs of a fight. "You didn't just develop some British slang here, you developed a mean streak too, Draco!" Percy persisted, wrinkling his nose in disbelief. "I thought your sister was the meanest person I knew, but you sure are rivaling her."
Draco imagined that Percy regretted those words as soon as they left his mouth, as he very quickly had two children of Athena smacking him. Percy shrank into himself, retracting to a shorter height as he winced. "That comment was in poor taste considering my audience, I will admit," he declared, "but every other cabin would have thought it was hilarious."
"Be that as it may," Annabeth commented lightly, "but it doesn't change the fact that it was an airhead remark and you deserved what was coming for you. Now, for the love of the gods, will you please shut up for just one moment so we can listen?"
Percy's lips zipped shut almost immediately, and the three craned their ears, nervous at the sudden lack of blood, ripped walls, and any other signs that would point them in the right direction. It was as if the monster and demigod had just disappeared. How –
Draco straightened, his heart skipping a beat. "The Room of Requirement," he whispered to himself. He wheeled around and surveyed the wall, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration. He felt a pull in his gut and heard a shift within the bones of the castle.
Percy and Annabeth were looking between each other and Draco as if deeply worried for his health. Annabeth opened her mouth but Draco silenced her with a stern look. "No questions right now; I'll explain later," he said as the doors to the mysterious room appeared before him, a wizard in need of assistance. "Come on."
Draco swung the door open, and had his knife back in his hand in seconds, which was good because a large piece of sharp wood immediately flew towards him at full speed. He yelped quietly and batted it away with the flat of his knife, sinking into a fighting stance, cursing the robes that he was required to wear. "For Zeus's sake," he mumbled to himself, shucking them off as quickly as possible. Not that the dark suit beneath was any better for fighting.
Behind him, Percy and Annabeth drew closer to flank him. "There," Annabeth said, pointing to the opposite of the room where the great monster was upending piles of useless items, throwing them in their direction.
"Scatter," Percy murmured to them. "It can only move fast in one direction, so if we come at it from multiple directions, it should confuse it. Aim for the heart."
Draco felt adrenaline burst open inside him like a cracked glowstick. This was his first monster fight in ages, and he would not let it be his last.
He had not seen any other sign of life when entering the giant room, but there had to be as no one but a wizard could summon the Room of Requirement. That was yet another thing to worry about, and what a story they would have to tell upon finding the, most likely, wounded potential demigod.
Just as Draco made to sneak towards the Minotaur though, it let out a great roar that shook the floor beneath his feet, and sniffed the air once more. It slowly turned in Draco's direction and Draco dove into a pile of old couch cushions, narrowly avoiding being seen. How had this demigod hid from the Minotaur for so long? He wondered if the castle's wards were messing with its sense of smell. If so, it would explain why it hadn't detected Percy, Annabeth or Draco yet, let alone the new demigod.
Taking a deep breath, Draco peeked around one of the cushions he had dove behind, trying to locate the monster. Another growl from the Minotaur drew Draco's eyes to his left, towards the doors back to the hallway; Draco's stomach dropped at the thought of the monster venturing back out into the castle. Of course, monsters weren't supposed to bother mortals, but wizards weren't really mortal, were they?
Draco rolled silently out from behind the cushions but stopped short at the sound of whispers and sharp breathing coming from where the Minotaur had been just moments before.
"Protego," a voice said breathily, "Inpedimenta – "
All the breath left Draco's chest as he recognized the voice. Rounding the corner quietly, Draco clamped a hand around their mouth to quiet them, listening once more for the monster. A sudden roar ripples through the Room of Requirement and Draco closed in eyes in panic.
How did he protect this demigod and help Percy and Annabeth at the same time?
* * *
Percy
Percy had only a few moments to admire the room that which Draco had led them to, which was not near enough. The room was spectacular in size and vastness, and he imagined it would be beautiful if not for all of the piles and piles of abandoned items and relics. Dust seemed to hang in the air, suspended in the very few rays of light that filtered into the room. When Percy looked up, the ceiling was so high that he could barely make it out. Turning to Annabeth, he could tell that she thought the same thing.
But just like that, the peaceful silence and tranquility of the room burst like a child popping a bubble when a roar ripped through it once more. Percy nodded to Annabeth and squeezed her hand before the two split. Percy spied Draco's blonde head diving into a pile as he rounded the other corner to close in on the nasty beast.
If Percy had to see the Minotaur one more time, he was sure that his head would explode (which, if you asked Annabeth, she would say probably already happened a long time ago); it was just his luck that he had to meet the exact same monster (which seemed to be holding a grudge) three times now. Had he not done enough for the Gods so that they may bless him with at least some good fortune? Or, even just not bad fortune?
Rolling his eyes, he crept around a pile of old lounge chairs and signaled Annabeth to go around the other side and attack from behind. Percy might as well distract the thing considering it seemed to love him and his looks. If Percy didn't hate the thing so much, he might have been flattered by its obvious attempts at catching Percy's attention, because, clearly, that was what this was. Why else would it come back to him again and again?
Too bad, Percy thought cheerfully, I'm taken. With that thought, he said a quick prayer and leapt into the Minotaur's path, trying to locate the demigod it was after as he did so. No such luck so far. Hopefully Draco had found him or her and was keeping them out of the way.
"Hey, ugly!" Percy shouted up at the beast. This time, the monster was wearing a speedo, which was even more awful than the tighty-whities. And he seemed to have picked up a stronger scent of death and decay, which didn't exactly bode well for Percy but he had to say that he had learned a thing or two since their last meeting too. He didn't have the time to doubt himself either, for as soon as he had jumped in front of the Minotaur, it growled in recognition. "Yeah," Percy continued. "I'm glad to see you too. Except not really."
The Minotaur roared in what Percy could only assume was sadness over the rejection, but he didn't have all that much time to consider as it quickly got over the rejection and charged at Percy. Percy dodged easily the first time, waiting until nearly the last second to jump up and out of the way. Unfortunately, the dumb thing seemed to have learned some new tricks. When he tried to dodge it again, it caught the sleeve of his shirt and ripped it away, dragging a claw down his arm too. Not too deep but enough to sting. The expression "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" came to mind, and Percy frowned, because this dog had learned for sure.
Percy hacked at the Minotaur's arm with Riptide and was satisfied when part of it crumbled away, but it had snagged his sword arm, which made the swing much weaker than he had wanted. "Schist," Percy said quietly, wondering where Annabeth went. But just as soon as he thought it, he saw movement in the top right corner of his vision, and he quickly looked to the source of movement. He saw Annabeth climbing a precariously piled stack of dusty books and desks, and he immediately knew what she meant to do.
"Hey! Pea brain!" he yelled out to the giant monster, calling it towards him and away from Annabeth. Sending a jet of ice cold water at its face, he stepped to his right and back to prepare the forming plan. Foolishly, the monster followed his steps, even angrier than before, but also ever stupider.
As it stepped into the spot Percy had drawn it too, Annabeth leapt from the tower of things and landed (not ungracefully) on its shoulders and held tight. Before it could even get a sense of what was happening, Percy rolled up close and stuck Riptide right in between its ribs. Giving a raucous roar, the Minotaur fell to its knees and then exploded into golden dust before them. Letting out a yelp, Annabeth fell right on top of Percy, creating the effect of logs falling on top of another after a fire shifts and crackles.
"Ugh," Percy said, wincing at the scratch in his arm and the aches already forming in his bones.
Annabeth pushed herself up quickly. "Sorry," she replied, not sounding all that sorry. She offered him a hand and he narrowed his eyes at her; but he still took the extended hand, admiring her smile as he did so. Annabeth's smile quickly dropped when she spied the blood trickling down his exposed forearm. "Gods, Percy the stupid thing got you? Thank all the gods it doesn't have poisonous claws."
"I'm fine," he hedged, though he was beginning to feel the sting even more acutely after the battle adrenaline wore off. "Where's Draco and the demigod?"
Annabeth gave him a quick look that he couldn't read and then sighed at him. "How am I supposed to know? Do you think I was just lounging around this whole time?"
"Haha, Wise Girl," he remarked before ripping off his other sleeve and wrapping it around his arm to staunch the bleeding. "Let's find them."
"Working on it," she snipped as she eyed his handiwork (or not so). "Draco."
"Over here!" he shouted back.
Percy and Annabeth hurried over and both gasped.
"Hermione?"
* * *
Hermione
Hermione wasn't sure what was happening but she thought she was about to pass out. There was so much blood, and she couldn't even be sure it was her own. She felt numb from the shock and panic of it all.
When she had been walking the halls sullenly during one of her free periods, she hadn't expected for anyone else to be wandering either, which was what made her stop and check in with them. But when she had rounded the corner, she got the surprise of her lifetime — a great beast, that looked like an oversized bull that was standing on its hind legs, was sniffing at the portrait hole for Gryffindor tower. At that point, it had been too late to run.
Now, she was shivering feverishly, tears slipping down her cheeks as she shoved away from Malfoy once she realized she had been leaning into the circle of his arms. When he had snuck around her and clamped her mouth shut, she was sure that she was dreaming. Some terrible nightmare. Because why had Draco Malfoy come to save her?
He was looking at her with sad gray eyes right then, as if he hadn't tortured her for seven years and called her filthy names. What changed in the summer between their final year? Nothing, she thought viciously. Absolutely nothing. He had mocked her just the other day after Ron had left and she had been crying. Of course he had.
"Hermione," he said steadily, yet on a whispered breath. That shocked her out of her thinking — him calling her Hermione and not Granger.
She turned her wide eyes on him and blinked hard to snap out of the pathetic state she had fallen into. It didn't matter if she didn't know the situation — she could control herself and how she handled it, and that's exactly what she would do. "What is that?" she asked shakily, referring to the beast.
"It's a long story," he murmured back, his eyes flicking nervously over to where he had come from. "But its the Minotaur. If that means anything to you. Which I know it doesn't – "
Hermione gasped quietly. "As in from the Labyrinth? The Minotaur?"
Shock rippled across Malfoy's face before he composed himself. "How do you even know that? Percy and Annabeth haven't even gotten to that part of mythology yet."
Hermione frowned. "First of all, I'm Hermione Granger and I know things, not just things professors teach us. And, second of all, Percy and Annabeth? Why do you call them that?"
Malfoy leveled a hard look at her. "Listen, like I said, it's a long story. And we do not happen to have the luxury of time on our side at this moment in time. We need to – "
A loud roar sounded. But then the sounds of struggle screeched to a halt.
"On second thought," Malfoy continued, running a pale hand through his blonde hair (that he had neglected to slick back this year). "Never mind."
With those words, Professors Chase and Jackson rounded the corner, bloody and tattered.
"Hermione?"
"Uh, yeah," Hermione said dumbly. "Can someone please explain to me what is happening?"
Before anyone could open their mouth though, something shone bright in the Room of Requirement, illuminating the room in an orange tinge.
"She's being claimed!" Professor Chase said, her voice sounding faraway.
Hermione had no clue what she was going on about, but she soon realized that the glow was coming from above her. Confused, she glanced up in time to see two crossed torches fading away.
Hermione looked between the three people surrounding her in alarm. "What was that?"
"Hecate," they all said at the same time.
"The goddess of magic?" Hermione questioned, still wondering as to why all of them kept saying such odd things.
Malfoy nodded. "The one and only." He bit his lip and Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.
"Is this some kind of trick, Malfoy? I'm already tired of this and had a rough day, so you better tell what you're on about – "
"Hermione – " he tried to interrupt.
But Hermione wasn't taking it. "You have tortured me all these years and I thought you were starting to change but here we are – "
"Hermione!" Professor Jackson said. "This isn't a trick. But it is a long – "
"Yeah, a long story. So, I've been told," she said, glaring at Malfoy. "Spill."
"Well," Professor Chase began. "We know you know a lot about Greek mythology. But what if we told you all of it we real?"