Heroes at Hogwarts

sixty-four | big house meetings and separated brothers

harry

Surprisingly, Harry didn't see much of Percy. 

Even though they were both at the camp, in the same activities (although Percy was instructing most of them), and at the same dinner table, Harry only ever really saw his brother at night, when they told each other stories while falling asleep. Percy had a knack for missing meals and keeping out of the way, even when the younger kids all wanted to spend time with him. 

Another surprising thing was the little time he spent with the others from Hogwarts. Bianca, Ethan, Beckendorf, Silena, Zoe, and even Michael seemed to avoid him. Harry knew that wasn't true, but the lack of words spoken between them weighed him down. 

He missed how easy things were back at school and around wizarding towns. Sure, everyone knowing your name and your history was a burden, but it made it easier for him to do whatever he needed to. No one questioned him. Here, no one knew the name 'Harry Potter' as a legend. To them, he was the kid that got into camp differently, and later than most. He wasn't used to going unnoticed. 

Jason and Frank tried to stop by every day, but they didn't always make it. Piper, Hazel, Reyna, and Rachel were good about smiling to him and offering reassurances, but they had other things to deal with; their cabins, leading their own camps, teaching activities, and being the oracle. Nico, Will, Leo, and Calypso were on a trip with some Roman kids, checking out the university in New Rome. Annabeth had wanted to take Percy, but both of them agreed they needed to stay here. Luke stayed around Chiron and Rachel mostly, helping out around the camp but also still keeping to the shadows. There were still some faces not comfortable with seeing his. 

The people Harry did see daily and without fail were those that worked in the background. He got along better with Will's siblings, Austin and Kayla, the Hermes kids, the Demeter cabin, and the Hecate cabin. Most of these kids had been coming to Camp Half Blood since they were able to do multiplication. They were amazing at all the camp activities- and still the only ones Harry was good at were the ones that involved water. 

Luke had taken over the swordsmanship class to give Percy some stress relief, though Percy wouldn't tell Harry why he needed it. Harry had a hunch it had to do with Percy's new addition to his parental list, but didn't mention this to the older boy. The bags under his and Annabeth's eyes were enough to tell him the question wasn't wanted.

Piper and a Hephaestus girl named Nyssa had given him his original tour of the grounds, but he felt like he was missing out on everything. He still had no idea where most of the older kids disappeared to every Thursday night, where the Hephaestus kids went every day, who the Hypnos kids talked to in their sleep, or how to stop the Hermes cabin from praying on his pockets. His older brother wasn't being to helpful in his learning, either. 

Instead, Percy and Annabeth spent their days either in the big house, where Chiron and Mr. D slept, or out by the beach. Once or twice a week, Frank, Hazel, Jason, Piper, Reyna, and Rachel would join them. Harry could only assume they were debriefing or interviewing Voldemort. He didn't understand why that didn't include him. 

"Hey, Harry." Percy walked into the cabin. He pulled his soaked shirt off and flopped onto his bed. 

"I thought kids of Poseidon didn't get wet unless they wanted to?" Harry regarded the shirt on the floor with raised eyebrows. 

"Annabeth pushed me into the lake. I let her believe she caught me off guard," he explained, "How was your day?" 

Harry sighed. "Good, I guess. Luke destroyed me in swordsmanship, I rocked the canoe lessons, and Michael destroyed me in archery. Same as normal." 

Percy smiled apologetically. "Yeah, about that...what do you say you come to the big house with me tomorrow? Give you a break from your lessons." 

Harry laughed. "Normally I would jump for the opportunity, but this is crazy, Percy. I helped catch Voldemort. Why am I not automatically involved in whatever is happening in there?" 

Percy ran a hand through his hair. "It was a tough decision for us. In the end, I take complete credit for it."

Harry motioned for him to continue. 

"Look, you're right, you deserve to be in there. But Harry, you also deserve a few normal weeks. It's what we've given you. I must say, you look better. More relaxed, less worried at every little sound. That's what being a demigod is. Going crazy for a few months, getting a little time off, then doing it all over again. We needed to give you some time. We'd already ripped you from your life back home. We didn't want to make this place horrible for you." 

Harry studied his hands. It made since, and he knew it, but he didn't want to agree. He'd been angry for the last three months because they had completely disregarded him. Like nothing. Like he hadn't been important at all. 

"So what happens in the big house?" He asked instead of commenting on what Percy had just said. 

Percy chuckled. "Nothing much. Voldemort isn't there, if you're wondering. He's with Hades right now. That's where Calypso, Leo, Will, Nico, Gwen, Dakota, and Reed went." 

"Wait, you guys said they went to check out the university..."

"They went to the Underworld. Hades has Voldemort there, and the seven of them are trying to get as much out of him as they can. The Underworld will suck the Ancient Greek right out of him. There won't be much left with they're done."

The thought comforted Harry, though it chilled him. He'd hate to be one of the seven who went down there to do the job. Of course, it was probably like home to Nico. "So, when you and Annabeth were debating going...?"

"We almost went. Then we decided we had other business to tend to." 

"Like?" 

"Well, first of all, we've established a better working relationship with the gods. That was the first month of work. Annabeth and Piper had a big part in that. Then, Jason and Reyna got us working with the Roman gods as well. It's easier to talk to them now, which we've needed for years." 

"A better working relationship for what?" 

"Bridges." Percy smiled. "You'll like this part. Hecate, the others, and I have been meeting with Zeus a lot recently. We've all decided that the wizards will be a great ally for future conflicts. Contact will be made shortly. We got the news this afternoon."

Everything in Harry caught fire. He'd lost hope in seeing his friends, his family, again, despite Percy's promise. The agreement was that as soon as Harry was ready and prepared, he could visit. He'd forgotten about trying to be 'ready and prepared' after the first week. He didn't even know how to hold the bow right, even with Frank's teachings back at Hogwarts. 

"Ginny," he muttered under his breath," Gin. And Ron...Hermione..."

Percy laughed. "Yeah. Ginny." 

Harry couldn't think straight. Annabeth had kept in touch, he knew that much, but he hadn't been allowed to. He knew Ginny had been angry at him, he knew she'd cried for days, but that was all of Hermione's letter he was able to read before Annabeth caught him with it. He didn't want to hurt her even more by jumping back into her life. What if she'd forgotten about him? 

"So...what do we do tomorrow at the big house?" He asked Percy. 

Percy kicked off his shoes and flicked one of Tyson's metal figures. "We go to Olympus and propose a crazy, stupid idea. We may get thrown off the mountain...or we'll settle eons of hatred."