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The whole of Hogwarts castle had been absolutely buzzing with nervous excitement for over a solid week leading up to the final task.
When Percy walked into the Great Hall for breakfast that particular morning, he noticed that people kept sending him quick, worried glances.
Percy understood they were concerned for him, really, he did. But one would think they might have a little more faith in him after seeing all the frankly insane things he could do, like fighting dragons and turning into a flying horse.
He was just about to sit down at the Hufflepuff table for his usual breakfast when Professor Sprout, his Head of House, quickly walked up to him.
Her usual bright, cheering smile was firmly in place on her round, rosy face. "Mr. Jackson! Good morning! Come with me, please. We have a rather lovely surprise for you!"
Percy blinked, a little suspicious. "A surprise? This... this is not because you somehow found out that I might have accidentally put super glue under some of your talking flower pots, is it?"
"You did what to my prized Mandrakes?!" Professor Sprout's smile faltered for a second.
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Percy yelped, jumping quickly to his feet. "Lead the way, Professor! I love surprises!"
Professor Sprout just rolled her eyes, though a hint of amusement played on her lips. "I knew you were going to be trouble the very day you joined my house, Mr. Jackson. Sigh. Well," she continued, her gaze drifting upwards towards the giant hourglasses that displayed the house points, "at least you have earned us more than enough points this year to put Hufflepuff firmly in first place for the House Cup." She pointed towards the yellow hourglass, which was indeed nearly filled to the very brim with shining yellow gems.
Percy smiled, a little sheepishly. "Oh yeah, I kind of forgot about that whole House Cup thing. Now, what is this wonderful surprise you wanted to show me?"
"You will see soon enough, Mr. Jackson," she smiled mysteriously as she led Percy towards the familiar door at the back of the Great Hall the same room where he had gone after he was unexpectedly selected as a Hogwarts champion, all those months ago at the start of the school year. It honestly felt like a completely different lifetime ago now.
Just as they approached the door, Percy noticed Harry Potter coming towards them as well, with Professor McGonagall following closely behind him, her expression as stern and unreadable as ever.
"Harry is coming too?" Percy asked, curious.
"Indeed he is, Mr. Jackson," Professor Sprout smiled again as she opened the door, motioning for both boys to go inside.
Percy walked into the side chamber and immediately noticed that Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum were already there, waiting. And they were not alone.
Krum was standing with a man and a woman, both of whom had strong, butch features and looked remarkably similar to the young, brooding Bulgarian seeker.
Percy immediately realized they must be his parents.
They were speaking in hushed, serious tones in one corner of the room, completely absorbed in their own conversation, not bothering with the rest of the world at all.
Percy guessed Krum's famous silence was probably both genetic and a learned behavior from his rather stoic-looking parents.
Next, Percy turned his attention to Fleur. She was talking animatedly to an older man with a slight pouch stomach, distinguished dirty blonde hair, and a neatly trimmed French beard.
Standing next to this man was a woman who looked like she was around Percy's own impressive height, which was quite an achievement considering he was well over six feet three inches tall.
She looked like an older, more mature version of Fleur her beauty not tarnished at all by the few fine age lines she possessed around her eyes and mouth, but rather, somehow enhanced by them, giving her an air of elegance and wisdom.
And Percy did not even need to look down to know that little Gabrielle, Fleur's younger sister, was also there, chatting away excitedly with her older sister, who was simply nodding and smiling indulgently at the little girl's chatter.
Almost as if she knew he was looking at her, Fleur turned her head towards him and smiled warmly, waving gently in his direction.
Percy gulped, suddenly feeling a bit nervous, and waved back. He made brief eye contact with her family.
Her father's eyes narrowed slightly, a look of guarded contempt, or perhaps just intense scrutiny, in his gaze.
Her mother and little Gabrielle, however, both smiled brightly and waved back at him cheerfully.
Fleur called Percy over, her voice soft and inviting. But before he could even take a step in her direction, he heard it a familiar, delighted shriek: "PERCY!"
Hecate, his aunt, looking as flamboyant and ageless as ever, suddenly jumped into Percy's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as she practically spun him around in an enthusiastic hug. "I missed you so much, you little brat!" she exclaimed, squeezing him hard.
Percy grinned, genuinely happy to see her. "I missed you too, Hecate," he said, hugging her back just as tightly.
"Woof! Woof!" came a loud, happy dog's bark. Both Percy and Harry turned to see a giant, shaggy black dog wagging its tail furiously as it leaped joyfully into Harry's arms, barking excitedly as it snuggled close to his legs, nearly knocking him over.
"Ah, Harry, my dear boy! I see you have finally met Foodo! The amazing, super-intelligent mutt!" Hecate said with a loud, booming laugh, gesturing towards the dog.
Percy rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face. "Foodo? Really, Hecate? That is the best name you could come up with for Sirius?"
"What? Foodo is a great and noble name! Much better than something silly like 'Hoothoot'," Hecate snorted dismissively.
"Woof!" the dog barked again, then it turned and growled playfully at Hecate.
"What is that, Mr. Foodo? Are you saying you want another special bubble bath when we get back home?" Hecate's smile suddenly turned downright evil, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, I am absolutely sure that can be arranged for you, my furry friend."
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If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.
http://patreon.com/SageOf016