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She, Rita Skeeter, had even gone all the way to the Ministry of Magic and somehow talked to that weaselly little wizard, Fargus Fawcett. He was the Ministry worker Hecate had supposedly "convinced" (Percy suspected more like "threatened with unspeakable horrors") to keep his mouth shut about Percy's unusual Animagus registration.
Well, apparently, Hecate's persuasion hadn't been strong enough, or maybe Rita Skeeter's was even stronger, or perhaps Fargus just couldn't resist the chance to see his name in the paper.
The man had sung like a canary, spilling all the beans. He told Rita everything. He told her everything he knew, and probably a whole lot more made-up stuff too.
The article quoted Fargus Fawcett at length: 'This young man, Mr. Percy Jackson, was quite extraordinary, you see! He is not only the eighth Animagus to be officially registered in this past century, a remarkable feat in itself, but he is arguably the youngest as well, showing a prodigious talent.
His prowess in complex magic is simply phenomenal and is truly a gift to be praised and celebrated by the entire wizarding community! I wished to tell everyone I could about this amazing discovery the very moment I found out about it, of course, but upon his polite request, I kept the matter quiet.
The boy does deserve some privacy, after all. But now that it is all out in the open, I see no good reason why I should keep my silence any longer...'
The slimy git went on and on for several more paragraphs, gushing about how great and important Percy's "gift" was, and about what this incredible discovery could mean for the future of magic itself.
It was generally accepted, an unspoken rule in the wizarding world, that wizards and witches couldn't become a magical creature as their Animagus form.
That long-held notion was now completely thrown out the window, thanks to Percy.
Fawcett never once mentioned Nymphadora Tonks, who Percy knew was also a very special kind of shapeshifter. Thank the gods for small miracles, at least Tonks's secret was still safe.
Fawcett, in his quotes, made it sound like he had single-handedly discovered Percy's amazing powers, like he was some wise guide who had recognized Percy's genius, rather than just the bumbling moron who had simply filed the paperwork without asking too many questions.
Percy tossed the newspaper aside onto the table with a disgusted noise. He looked up. Just like before, people were all looking at him, their eyes wide, staring at him and whispering amongst themselves.
Again with the damn whispering. It was like a constant, annoying buzz. Fleur was by his side, her hand resting gently on his arm.
She looked sad for him, her brow furrowed with concern, but she wasn't crying this time. This article, at least, hadn't exposed any of her secrets.
"Percy," Gordan, a fellow Hufflepuff, asked hesitantly, his eyes wide, "are you actually… you know… what the paper says?"
"Shut it, Gordan!" Juan hissed, smacking him lightly up the side of the head. "He doesn't need this kind of questioning right now! Can't you see he's upset?"
"I'm zo zorry, Perzy," Fleur whispered, her voice soft and full of sympathy as she squeezed his arm. "I zwear to you, I didn't tell 'er anything. Not a word."
"I know, Tweety. I know you didn't," Percy replied calmly, though inside he was seething at Skeeter and Fawcett.
He looked around the Great Hall again. Everyone was still looking at him, their faces a mixture of curiosity, awe, and maybe a little fear. Percy sighed.
He didn't need this right now, all these eyes on him… there was only one thing to do to stop the whispers, to take control of the narrative.
Percy stood up slowly from the Hufflepuff table and stepped away from his seat, into the open space between the tables.
Everyone in the hall watched his every move. He reached up and unclasped his familiar dark, flying cape.
Instead of letting it fall, he pushed it away from him slightly, and it hovered obediently in the air beside him, a silent, waiting companion.
Percy then turned and walked calmly towards the nearest tall castle window.
With a quick, silent wave of his wand, he made the thick glass of the window vanish completely, leaving an open, empty frame looking out onto the grounds far below. And then, before anyone could react, he leaped out.
"Stop him!" one of the teachers cried out in alarm. Chaos erupted. Everyone in the hall rushed towards the now-empty window, some students even pulling out their wands, though they didn't know what they would do.
Dumbledore and the other teachers McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Sprout all ran towards the window as well, their faces etched with sudden fear and concern.
They were fearing the worst, fearing that the constant gossip and the relentless whispers had finally gotten to the young American boy, pushed him too far.
"Percy!" Harry Potter cried out, his voice full of panic. He pushed people roughly out of his way, shoving through the crowd to get to the window, looking out frantically.
His heart skipped a beat, then hammered in his chest. His friend, his brave, powerful friend, had just thrown himself out of a high castle window! He leaned out, searching the ground below, but he saw nothing. No sign of a body, nothing.
"Where's the body then?" Draco Malfoy asked from somewhere in the crowd, his voice laced with a disgusting hint of sadistic glee.
Snape, of all people, turned his head sharply and glared daggers at Malfoy, making the blonde boy gulp loudly and mutter a quick, terrified apology.
"There!" someone in the crowd suddenly cried out, pointing up towards the sky.
Almost as one, the entire school and all the visiting students and teachers turned their heads to look where the student was pointing.
They saw a fast-moving black blur fly up towards them from below the castle walls, before taking a sharp, graceful turn and soaring high above the ancient castle battlements, disappearing over the roof.
A moment later, they heard the distinct, powerful sound of large wings flapping, coming from inside the castle, somewhere near the Great Hall entrance.
The flapping sound was then quickly replaced by the rhythmic clicking of hooves on stone.
Everyone turned towards the main doors of the Great Hall.
And then, a magnificent black horse, its eyes a startling, intelligent sea-green, its mane and tail flowing like dark silk, trotted proudly into the stunned silence of the Great Hall.
People all gasped at the sight of the beautiful, powerful creature. And then, when it spread its majestic, feathery black wings wide, filling the space with their impressive span, they were rendered completely speechless.
Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore were the first to approach him, walking slowly around the stunning pegasus, inspecting the transformation with expert eyes.
Dumbledore ran his long fingers gently along Percy's sleek, black coat, humming thoughtfully to himself, a curious light in his eyes.
Professor McGonagall, a renowned Animagus herself, had her eyes completely stuck on his perfectly formed wings, her expression one of utter disbelief and professional fascination.
"When… when did you complete this astounding transformation, Mr. Jackson?" Professor McGonagall finally asked, her voice a little shaky with awe.
The black pegasus shifted its weight, then, before anyone could blink, where the magnificent winged horse had stood, Percy the demigod stood in its place, looking perfectly normal, if a little windswept. Percy patted down his clothes casually.
"I finished the full transformation before I came to Hogwarts," he explained. "A little while before the Quidditch World Cup, actually."
"You were only sixteen then?" Dumbledore asked, his eyebrows raised high.
Percy frowned, trying to remember exactly. "I don't really remember the exact date, sir. But I believe I was seventeen when I finally got it all down perfectly. I think I began the actual process when I was sixteen, though. It took a while."
"Incredible," Dumbledore muttered, shaking his head slowly in amazement. "You truly have an extraordinary gift, Mr. Jackson. It is… it is thought to be impossible for any Animagus to take the form of a magical creature, least of all one as powerful and legendary as a Pegasus."
"Why did you not tell me about this sooner, Mr. Jackson?" Professor McGonagall asked, fixing him with a stern glare that made Percy involuntarily gulp down a lump in his throat. Even as a powerful demigod, McGonagall's 'disappointed teacher' look was terrifying.
"I-ah," Percy stammered for a moment. "I didn't really think it was that big of a deal, Professor. Just… my Animagus form. Plus," he added, looking down a bit sheepishly, "I really didn't want all the attention and fuss that would come with it." And slowly, thankfully, McGonagall's stern glare softened. Thank the gods that woman still had a heart under all that tartan.
"Well then," Dumbledore called out to the still-silent hall, his voice cheerful again. "Thank you, Mr. Jackson, for that truly wonderful and enlightening treat! Please, everyone, let us all get back to our breakfast. Classes will be starting soon enough!" He motioned for all the other teachers to return to their duties and prepare for their classes.
Percy calmly put his floating cloak back on and sat down at the Hufflepuff table. Fleur quickly sat down right next to him, her eyes shining with pride and a little bit of worry.
Just then, Harry came rushing over to him, and judging by the furious glare on his face, Percy was in for a very long day of being yelled at by his best friend.
"You absolute ass!" Harry cried out, his voice a mixture of anger and relief as he reached Percy. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, you complete idiot!"
Percy chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, Harry."
"Don't you 'sorry' me!" Harry exclaimed, still looking shaken. "You jumped out of a bloody window, Percy! A high window!"
"I said I'm sorry," Percy repeated, lowering his head a little, trying to look suitably repentant.
"Without your flying cloak on!" Harry continued, his voice rising.
"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly need it," Percy pointed out.
"Head first! Towards the water!" Harry was practically shouting now.
"Technically," Percy said, trying to be logical, "even if I didn't transform into Blackjack, I probably would have been fine. The Black Lake was right there below. I'm pretty good with water, remember?"
"You could have died!" Harry insisted, his face pale.
"I know a spell that could cushion the fall, or I could have just-" Percy started to explain.
"-You could have DIED!" Harry cut him off, his green eyes blazing.
Percy whimpered softly, feeling genuinely bad for scaring his friend so much. "Sorry, Harry. Really."
"Damn, mate," Juan snorted from nearby, trying to break the tension. "Looks like Fleur's not the only one who has him completely whipped." Everyone around them suddenly exploded into laughter, and Percy couldn't help but smile too, feeling the tension ease.
Just like that, with a bit of friendly teasing, everything felt almost back to normal again.
That evening, after classes were finally over, Percy and his group of friends Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fleur, Juan, Susan, Hannah, and Cedric walked around the castle grounds for a while, enjoying the cool air.
Juan then had the "brilliant" idea to have Percy carry them all for a ride in his Pegasus form. Quickly, everyone else jumped on the bandwagon, their excited pleas and begging making it absolutely impossible for Percy to say no.
For over an hour, Percy was in his magnificent black Pegasus form, ferrying groups of his laughing, cheering friends around the sky above Hogwarts.
The very first person on his back, of course, was Fleur. And when some of the others started to argue that she had already had a turn flying with him on Valentine's Day, the French Veela just glared at them haughtily and replied, with undeniable finality, "I am 'iz girlfriend. 'E belongz to me. I go firzt." Honestly, if Percy wasn't currently a horse, he would have blushed redder than a Weasley at her possessive, confident declaration. He kind of loved it.
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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