Secrets of Hogwarts: The Prince of Slytherin
Chapter Eight - The Chase Girl
Fanart by @yuls.art on Insta
The poster appeared magically on the Common Room notice board during the second week of lessons. Percy had walked past it at first, just trying to get to breakfast and Charms class, but was pulled back to the board by a vibrating Piper. He had to admit, he was curious, even if flying on a broomstick seemed a little too cartoonishly Halloween for his tastes.
Not that he disliked Halloween. In fact, he loved it. Dressing up to be someone else for a night was fun, even if most of the adults in the neighborhood had stopped giving him candy when he turned 9. Muriel encouraged him to go out anyway; better that than picking fights and breaking the law.
He supposed he wouldn’t get to do that anymore, anyway. He’d be too busy with school.
On the way from the common room to breakfast, Piper filled Percy in on news about Annabeth. He wanted to say he didn’t care, that if she didn’t like him, why did it matter if he knew how she felt? But he did care, for some unknown reason. And so he listened to what Piper said.
After Potions the Friday before, she’d been crying about her dad. Anita was a liar, because Annabeth had burned any letter she got from her dad without opening them. She was afraid of something, though she didn’t outright tell Piper what it was.
“Her dad was in Ravenclaw,” Piper whispered as they walked to the Great Hall, “Like Anita said, and so was her gran and grandad, so she’s convinced he’s furious with her. I tried to convince her that it was worth looking at the letters, but she wouldn’t listen to me. She just shuts down and glares at the wall, or her book.”
As they sat down, she gave him a pointed look and he ignored her. Eventually, she huffed and pushed his shoulder. “Try.”
“No.” Percy scoffed, “She already doesn’t like me. D’you really think she’ll enjoy my company more if I budge my way into her family problems?”
“If she won’t open up to you, we’re out of luck.” Percy said. “So have fun with that.”
“Oh, screw you.” Piper huffed and shook her head, “You could at least try and help me.”
“I’m good.” Percy grabbed some toast. Annabeth sat down across from Percy, pulling a goblet of orange juice towards herself and taking a sip as she put her head in her hand.
“Are you okay?” Piper leaned towards her. Annabeth nodded, drank all of her orange juice and snagged a slice of toast, before standing and leaving. Piper frowned and sighed.
“I don’t think she wants to talk about it.”
“No, duh.” Piper scoffed and got up, “C’mon. It’s almost time for class.”
The week passed relatively uneventfully.
At 3:30 on Friday Afternoon, he and the other first year Slytherin’s marched out to the grounds where they were met with the less than enthusiastic faces of the Gryffindor first years. A week ago, they only had two classes together a week, and those classes were often disastrous. Now, they had three, and Percy’s patience for Draco’s nonsense around the Gryffindor’s was wearing thin.
If Draco kept up his crap, he’d end up in the Hospital Wing… And Percy would likely end up with detention. It’d be worth it though, if it meant wiping the smug look of Draco’s face.
Percy fell into line with Piper on his left and Annabeth on his right. Hermione stood across from him, looking about as nervous as one could feel. A few steps from her was Neville. He looked beyond nervous… Terrified was a more accurate descriptor for the way Neville was gripping his sleeves, pale as a sheet, and likely about to hurl down the front of his own robes. Everyone seemed to have made a mental note to keep their distance.
Percy looked down at his feet. He, Piper and Annabeth had stood between some of the brooms in the grass. Gemma had given Percy and Piper a heads up about them: They were rickety, and far from the best broom one could use. If they intended to join Quidditch in second year, they’d need to get their own brooms. As she put it, if you flew too high on a school broom, it began to vibrate like a puppy who’d just seen a child it could tackle. That was a discomforting notion, and Percy kept it in mind as the Professor, Madam Hooch, came to stand at the end of the line.
Madam Hooch had short grey hair and eyes so yellow they reminded Percy of the sunset. She looked strict, like McGonagall, but not unkind. “Well, what are you all waiting for?” She barked, crossing her arms. “Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up.”
Once everyone had come to stand beside a broom, some of which looked worse for wear, Madame Hooch raised a hand at her side and said, “Stick out your right hand over your broom and say ‘Up’!”
“UP!” Everyone shouted at different times, making an unpleasant cacophony of voices ring across the lawn.
Harry’s broom launched into his hand like it was made specifically for him, as did Annabeth’s. Everyone else struggled. Hermione’s rolled over like a limp noodle, and Neville’s didn’t budge. It was like they could tell who was afraid and who wasn’t, because on Percy’s third try, the broom was in his hand, and Piper was still struggling when Anita managed to catch hers. Ron’s broom flew up and hit him in the face, making Draco laugh and drop his broom again.
Once everyone, even Neville, managed to get their brooms to rise, Madam Hooch taught them to mount them without sliding off, and walked up and down to correct their grips. Percy needed 3 passes before she was satisfied, but Annabeth and Piper got no criticism and a nod of approval. He was a little jealous… Until Madam Hooch told Malfoy he was doing it all wrong. That made him happy.
It also made Harry and Ron happy, judging by the grins on their faces.
“Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard.” Madam Hooch surveyed the class to ensure everyone heard her, “Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three – two –”
Neville, nervous as he was, jumped the gun. He pushed off before the whistle even touched Madam Hooch’s lips.
“Come back, boy!” She called, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork. 10 feet, 15, 20. Percy watched in mounting horror as Neville tried, and failed, to grip onto the broom for dear life. And then, he slipped and plummeted.
A loud, nasty crack echoed as Neville hit the ground. It nearly made Percy throw up. He dropped his broom and joined Madam Hooch and Piper in the run to Neville’s side.
“Is he okay!?” Piper asked as Madam Hooch bent over Neville, her face as white as poor Neville’s.
“Just a broken wrist,” she said, clearly training to keep her cool. Percy was sweating just at the thought Neville’s wrist had made when he landed. It sounded far more serious than just a broken wrist. “Come on, boy, it’s alright. Up you get.”
Percy and Piper helped Neville to his feet as Madam Hooch turned to the rest of the class, who weren’t far behind her. “None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are, or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say ‘Quidditch’. Come on, dear.”
Piper and Percy stepped back as Madam Hooch began leading Neville towards the school. Piper was biting her nails. She looked like she was going to be sick.
“What if that was me?” She hissed to him as everyone else behind them began muttering to each other. “That could’ve been me!”
“It only happened because he was scared,” Percy said, but he understood her fear. He was almost hesitant to continue participating in Flying Lessons after that. What if it had been worse? Could Neville have… died? “But what kind of school willingly puts their students at risk for sports?”
“All of them.” Percy jumped about a foot in the air and whirled around to find Annabeth behind him. She was staring up into the sky, probably looking for Neville’s broom since it had never returned from its journey into the air. She looked at him and Piper. “What? It’s true. Football, American Football, basketball, baseball… Wrestling, running, swimming. You’re lucky if you spend your life playing those games and never get an injury. I thought you went to muggle school.”
“I’m not exactly the sporty type.” Percy said, “I was usually the one getting shoved into walls and pushed down.”
“Look!” They all turned to see Malfoy kneeling in the grass, holding a glass orb. “It’s that stupid thing Longbottom’s gran sent him.”
“Give that here, Malfoy.” Harry hissed. Percy and Piper shared a nervous look and took a full step back from the two of them as they glared at each other.
“I think I’ll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find- How about up a tree?”
“Sod off, Draco!” Percy yelled, “Leave it be, you twat.”
Draco sneered at Percy over Harry’s shoulder. “Y’know, Jackson, at least Potter’s done more than just yell at me to stop.”
Percy took a full step forward to give Draco a piece of his fist, but Annabeth grabbed his arm to stop him. Draco laughed and leapt onto his broom, rising into the air quickly. As full of crap as Draco was, he could fly well afterall. “Come and get it, Potter!”
Harry angrily grabbed his broom, but Hermione tried to stop him.
“No!” She yelled, “Madame Hooch told us not to move! You’ll get us all into trouble!”
Harry wasn’t listening. He mounted the broom, kicked off the ground and rose up into the air – higher, higher, and higher until he was half his normal size from Percy’s perspective.
“Oh, boy.” Piper hummed, “This can’t end well.”
“At least it’s not one of us.” Percy said, then turned his head towards Annabeth. “Hey, next time, let me punch him.” Annabeth scoffed and walked off to stand alone. “What? If I’d just punched the brat, they wouldn’t be up in the- Oh, no.”
Malfoy had just chucked the ball he’d found in the grass, and Harry had zoomed after it like a bullet. Draco returned to the ground, highfiving Crabbe and Goyle as Harry tilted his broom down into a nearly vertical dive.
“I can’t watch!” Piper squeaked and pulled Percy’s arm up to hide her face.
“Hey- Let go!” Percy tried to pull away, only to freeze as Harry pulled up from the dive a foot from the ground, the ball in his hand. He rolled off the broom, panting and heaving, and grinning. “He’s down, you can let go-”
“Oh, he’s so screwed.” Percy huffed.
Professor McGonagall was storming down the lawn, raging with the fury of a thousand suns. Percy was glad he was so far away, because he was sure getting too close to her in this state would singe off his arm hair. As she began digging into Harry, Ron and one of the Patil twins tried desperately to defend Harry, only for McGongall to drag Harry back up to the castle.
“He’s done for.” Piper shook her head, “Poor kid. He was just helping poor Neville.”
“Poor Neville?” Draco guffawed. “Have you seen the nitwit try to do magic? He must be a squibb, because I’ve never seen someone so horridly bad at magic while also being so afraid of the magic he can’t use!”
Suddenly, Draco was on the ground. Everybody around them gasped or yelped as Draco stared wide eyed at his attacker.
For a heartbeat, Percy thought his spirit had released from his body and he’d run forward and punched the rat in the face… Until he looked up to see Annabeth standing over Draco with a clenched fist. Her eyes were wide, hands shaking, breath staggered and ragged. She had punched Draco. Not Percy. Not Piper. Not even Ron, who looked to be about 30 seconds from doing the same thing Annabeth had.
There were also tears on her cheeks, Percy noticed, as she turned and stormed past him and up to the castle. He and Piper both turned around to watch her as she disappeared, then stared at each other. It was the last thing Percy expected from Annabeth, especially after she’d stopped him from punching the twerp.
When Madam Hooch returned to the lawn, she noticed the two missing students and turned to Hermione, who quietly told her what happened. Hooch did not favor Draco like Snape did, and sent him on up to the castle to await punishment. Percy was surprised she didn’t also want to punish Annabeth.
At dinner, Annabeth was quiet. Her fist was bandaged and she stared into a goblet for most of the meal. Piper tried to make friendly conversation, but she seemed determined to stay entirely silent. She barely even seemed to breathe.
Harry sat at the Gryffindor table, either having his last meal at Hogwarts or celebrating the fact that he got spared by the skin of his teeth. Percy figured he’d know the answer in the morning, when Harry was either eating with Ron or missing.
When Annabeth gave no further response to Piper, she gave up and turned to Percy. “Don’t expect me to try Quidditch next year. Neville’s still in the hospital wing, and I’d like to keep my neck intact.”
“Hurrah to that.” Percy said, “It’d take a damn right miracle to get me to play at this point.”
Piper tilted her head and looked him up and down, “No, I think you’d make a good seeker.”
“Ha-ha.” Percy said cynically, “That’s not happening.”
Piper laughed and got up, stretching. Percy stood as well, spotting Draco at the other end of the table. His cheek was bandaged, and he was glaring across the room at Annabeth. Anita was beside him, laughing and seemingly flirting with Blaise Zabini. Percy was just glad she wasn’t flirting with him.
“Annabeth, maybe you should head to the common room with us,” Piper bent down to talk to her, “Draco looks like he’s gonna come up and rip your head off.”
Annabeth looked up from her goblet, turned to find Draco and shivered. She didn’t speak, but stood and nodded at Piper. She was still looking at the ground as she followed Piper out of the Great Hall. Percy followed after her, sparing a glance back at the table to see Draco following them with his eyes.
The walk back to the common room was quiet, only interrupted once by the screams of Peeves as he zipped by, chased by a furious Bloody Baron. All three of them shivered once the Baron was gone, and Percy jogged to match Annabeth’s pace.
“So…” Percy started, and instantly felt himself flailing. What did he ask about? What did he say? “Why are you so quiet?”
“What?” She turned on him like he’d asked why her skin wasn’t the same color as his. He instantly felt like the bad guy for asking.
“Sorry, I just- I-” Percy looked away, “I wasn’t sure if you’re just… Not a talkative person, or if something’s bothering you, or-”
“Why do you care?” She huffed, “You don’t know me. We aren’t friends.”
“We could be.” Percy shrugged, looking at her. Her eyes were piercing, and he was suddenly afraid to ever meet her parents. If she was this intimidating, how bad were her parents?
“We’re not.” She said and hurried her pace to get ahead of him. Percy nodded and sighed.
It had gone about how he expected it to. Piper had slowed down to listen, and had now been surpassed by Annabeth.
“I told you I shouldn’t have tried.” Percy said as he caught up to her. “She doesn’t like me. There’s no hope.”
“It’s been a week. And you’ve only tried once.”
“Twice. I gave her a cookie our first night here.”
“Oh, wow, one cookie.” Piper rolled her eyes, “How do you manage with such generosity?”
“Food may be the way to your heart, but other people need a little more than that. ‘Kay?” She patted his shoulder condescendingly. He glared after her as she skipped to catch up with Annabeth. He felt like a third wheel. He wished, suddenly, that he was in the same house as Hermione. At least she had been open and friendly from the get go. Annabeth was about as welcoming and warm as a cave wall, and she was just as sharp and jagged, too.
Percy had never been good at making friends, and it was really showing now, as he trailed after Annabeth and Piper. The girls may as well have been skipping arm in arm while Percy trudged through a lake of mud, leaving him behind to wallow alone. Piper held the door when they reached the common room and Percy flopped down on one of the couches. Minerva was instantly in his lap, purring and kneading at his stomach. He stroked her back as Piper sat in one of the armchairs, and Annabeth sat on the floor by the fire.
“Try again,” Piper hissed, “Ask about her dad.” Percy glared at her, and she pointed at Annabeth, like he was stupid. She pointed at him menacingly when he did nothing, “Do it, or I’ll tell her you have a crush on her-”
“What is wrong with you?” Percy swatted at her hand and she jerked it back.
Percy rolled his eyes and looked at Annabeth. Was there a gentle way to approach the subject? Surely prodigy about her family life wasn’t going to earn him any favors? Maybe they could bond over Anita’s weird, mean behavior? Or maybe they could bond over charms. She was good at Charms already, and Herbology, and Transfiguration…
“Hey, Annabeth?” She didn’t answer, but he saw her head turn fractionally in his direction. “How’d you get so good at Transfiguration already?”
She was tense, but turned her head fully and shrugged. “My dad. It was his best class when he was at Hogwarts.”
Short and sweet. That seemed to be the only way Annabeth spoke. But, it gave him an opening. Kind of.
“Was he in Slytherin, too?” The way her head whipped around made him concerned that she’d snapped it.
“No.” She growled. “I’m surprised you didn’t already know that. I figured Anita would have told the whole goddamn school by now.”
Note to self: Do not tick off Annabeth. He was pretty sure she could kill someone if she just looked them in the eyes.
“She sounds like a…” Percy hesitated, glanced at Piper, then swallowed. “A bitch.”
Annabeth’s laugh was cold and bitter. She got up and turned around, “That’s an understatement. She’s a cold, soul sucking cu-”
“Ah!” Piper laughed and stood up. She looked nervous. “Professor Snape! Hi!”
Percy turned his head to see the Professor at the door to the common room. Annabeth squeaked and sat back down, facing the fire again. Percy felt mildly nauseous as Snape walked toward the couch. Minerva looked up at him, her purr softening until she was silent. She sat on Percy’s lap and glared up at the Professor, who paid her no mind.
“Miss Chase. Is it true you punched Draco Malfoy?” Annabeth whimpered, and nodded.
“You do know the punishment for fighting is… Severe, yes?” Snape drawled.
“Good. 10 points from Slytherin.” He sounded like the act pained him, but only because it added to the risk of losing the House Cup. “If it happens again… Well, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to disappoint your father further, now would you?”
Annabeth nodded stiffly. Snape looked down at Percy and Minerva. “You’ve made a good choice of pet, Mr. Jackson. I expect you to do the same when choosing your… Friends.”
Percy glared at him. He felt pretty confident in his choice of friends, and it did not include the likes of Snape and Draco Malfoy. But, he managed to hold his tongue. Snape turned and left, leaving the three of them alone again. Percy only breathed a sigh of relief when the common room door shut behind the professor.
“Where is everybody?” Annabeth snapped, “Shouldn’t they have finished dinner by now?”
“You want Anita and Draco down here being jerks?” Percy asked. “And what did Snape mean by ‘disappoint your father further’?”
“That’s none of your business.” Annabeth stood up again, glaring at him. He stood from the couch, shifting Minerva off his lap.
“Why are you being so damn stand-offish? I’m just trying to be your friend!”
“I don’t need any friends!” Annabeth threw up her hands and marched towards the girl’s dormitory. Percy laughed.
“Oh, yeah, run away! That’s one way to make sure nobody ever likes you.” She stopped in her tracks and turned slowly to glare at him.
“Guys-” Piper tried, but Percy was walking towards Annabeth.
“Y’know, when a person is nice to you, you’re usually supposed to be nice back!” Percy had to fight himself to keep from yelling at her, “Not an icy wall with no emotion!”
“Fuck you, Jackson!” Annabeth rushed forward and slammed her hands into Percy’s shoulders.
She was stronger than she looked. The push sent him flying backward into the wall. He flailed with his arms as he fell, trying to catch at the stone. That didn’t happen, though. His fingers scraped on the corners of hard stone and he fell down to the ground, right through the spot where the wall should have been.
He stared up at the ceiling for a long, frightening moment. He could still hear Annabeth and Piper’s breaths from a few feet away, as well as his own, but he felt like he was a world away. The ceiling above him was low and arched, made of uneven black rock. If he tilted his head back, he saw upside down torch holders… Sconces? That seemed like the right word.
“Did I hit my head and I'm dreaming right now?” Percy asked.
“Nope.” Piper replied. He lifted his head to see her and Annabeth at his feet, at the edge of the passage entrance. Annabeth looked curious, but also kind of terrified, and Piper was leaning into the entrance.
“Oh.” Piper shook her head and reached for his hand, pulling Percy to his feet. “Are you okay?”
“Pretty sure. I heard those Weasley twins talking about… Secret passages, but I thought they were either delusional or… Spreading rumors.” Piper nodded. Annabeth shook her head.
“Not delusional.” Piper said.
“Right, well…” Percy turned towards them, “Anyone wanna come check it out with me?”
“Are you insane!?” Annabeth glared at him. “It’s nearly curfew! Not to mention, we have no idea what’s in there! What if we die!?”
“Oh, please, do you really think this place has things that can kill us?”
“YES!” Annabeth waved into the darkness. “There’s all manner of things in this castle that could kill or maim us. Why do you think we aren’t allowed to go in the forest? Why do you think the 3rd floor corridor is out of bounds? It’s not because they’re trying to keep some cool, interesting creatures from us. It’s to keep us ALIVE.”
“Fine. Don’t come.” Percy shrugged. “I’ll go alone.”
“No, you won’t.” Annabeth jumped in front of Percy, putting her arms out. “I can not in good conscience let you go in there alone.”
He leaned forward to get in her face, “So come with me.”
“I’m going.” Piper grinned, “Better than History of Magic homework.”
“See? Not alone.” Percy grinned and pushed Annabeth aside. “Bye.”
“I-” Annabeth began as Piper joined Percy in the passage. She groaned and he heard her footsteps stomp after them. Then, without warning, all light from the common room vanished. Piper shrieked. Percy turned, but his eyes struggled to adjust to the dark.
“The wall closed.” Percy said, “It’s fine.”
“Fine?” Piper said, “We can’t see, Percy.”
Annabeth growled and stormed up to them, and “Lumos.” A bright light appeared, illuminating her face. She was holding her wand up, and the light was affixed to the tip.
“We haven’t learned that yet.” Piper tilted her head. Annabeth rolled her eyes.
“It’s a second year spell. My dad taught me it.” She looked rigid. She probably wanted to kill Percy right now. “It’s easy. Just flick your wand like this.”
She demonstrated with her off hand. Percy mimicked her and said “Lumos” like she had. Like magic, because that’s what it was, his wand tip glowed brightly. Piper smiled.
“We really shouldn’t.” Annabeth sighed. “We don’t know where we’re going.”
“Yeah, but… D’you really think we can go back through the door we came in from?” Percy shrugged. “I doubt it.”
Annabeth glared at him. “This is your fault, if you’d just left well enough alone-”
“If you weren’t such a jerk for no reason-”
“Oh, will you two shut it!?” Piper yelled. “To think, the only thing I wanted an hour ago was for you two to talk to one another, and now I just want you to shut up!”
“Y’know what,” Percy nodded, “You’re right. Annabeth and I shouldn’t be fighting… Because this is your fault. You kept telling me to poke and prod where I wasn’t wanted.”
Piper’s eyes widened. “What? No.”
“You threatened me to get me to talk to her in the common room.” Percy pointed his wand at Piper and she squeaked, stepping back, further into the passageway.
“You what?” Annabeth groaned, “I told you, I just want to be left alone!”
“I was just trying to help!” Piper argued, “And honestly, you cry yourself to sleep every night. That’s not healthy.”
“All of the girls in Slytherin do. We can hear you through the walls, Annabeth!” Piper threw up her hands. “You sound absolutely miserable! I was just trying to help!”
“By threatening Percy into talking to me?” Annabeth rolled her eyes, “Great job, Piper. Instead of becoming friends, I pushed him into a wall, and he fell into a secret passageway with no way out!”
Piper’s back hit a wall. Percy hadn’t realized it, but he and Annabeth had been gradually pushing Piper deeper and deeper and deeper into the passageway. They all paused their argument to look around. The passage had ended at a T-junction, splitting off to the left and right. Behind Piper was a mossy mosaic on the wall, covered so thickly it was nearly impossible to tell that it was even there.
“How far have we gone?” Annabeth whispered.
“I don’t know.” Percy turned around and held out his wand. The light only went so far, and beyond the edges was a thick, unrelenting darkness. “Let’s just go back and try the way we came.”
“It’ll be full of students by now, though. How will we get out unnoticed?” Annabeth and Percy looked at each other. She looked… Scared? No, no, that couldn’t be right. Scared did not fit in with Annabeth’s whole… Existence.
“Right.” Percy nodded, “Well… Left or right, then?”
“I…” Annabeth whimpered, turning around in a circle. Piper did the same, but without a lit wand, there was little she could see.
“Well, we were at the right side of the common room, and we went in a straight line, so…” Annabeth looked around again, “If we go right, we should find ourselves near the old dueling room.”
“Right it is then!” Piper said, forcing a smile. “Any arguments, Percy?”
“No.” Percy said. He was beginning to feel uneasy, too. Something about this passage just made him… Uncomfortable. Was it the moss covered walls? Or the thick darkness? Or the unsettling quiet? Or maybe it was the soft skitter he’d just heard in the left tunnel? Either way. He wanted to get out. Now. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, please.” Piper turned Annabeth toward the right tunnel and pushed her forward, using her wand as a guiding light. To Percy’s relief, Annabeth was right. They found a stone door at the end of the tunnel and pushed it open to reveal an old, dusty room covered in scorch marks and old stains. Some looked green, likely a spilled potion, while others were a reddish brown color… Like dried blood.
“Well, we’re out. What now-”
“Shh!” Annabeth hissed. She was at the door, ear pressed to the gap. Percy crept forward and listened as closely as he could. Voices. Just beyond the door. They were hushed, so it was hard to make out, but Percy could just barely understand what was being said.
“You stay away from him. Or else.”
“I-I-I’ve done no h-h-harm.”
The stutter was unmistakable. Professor Quirrel was out there, talking with… Someone. But who?
“Do not make me repeat myself, Quirinus. Steer clear, or you will regret ever coming to teach at this school.”
“I u-u-u-understand, S-S-Severus.”
Annabeth held up a finger as Percy opened his mouth to ask. Piper stood behind them awkwardly, twiddling her thumbs. Footsteps trailed away, one set hard and sharp, the other quiet and shuffled. When they were certain the speakers were gone, Annabeth let out a breath.
“That was Professor Snape and-”
“Professor Quirrel.” Percy said. “Who were they talking about?”
“Beats me.” Annabeth sighed, “But why would Snape threaten Quirrel? He’s harmless. He’s scared of his own shadow, for Merlin’s sake.”
“And vampires.” Piper said. “What’s going on, by the way?”
“Snape told Quirrel to stay away from someone. Then… Threatened him if he didn’t do what Snape said.” Piper hummed.
“Great. Lovely. Can we go now? I’m pretty sure I’m standing on dried blood.”
“Then why not move?” Percy asked.
“Can we just go?” Piper said through gritted teeth. “Please.”
Annabeth nodded and pushed open the door, peering out. When they were sure the coast was clear, they snuck to the Slytherin common room door and slipped inside. The common room was full, but thankfully, nobody paid any mind to three first years sneaking in after curfew.
None of them spoke to one another. They just split off to their dormitories, planning to never speak of this event again.
