Percy's POV

The weeks following up to the start of DA was brilliant. Even seeing Umbridge's face every now and then didn't do anything to bring me down. In fact, I felt smug every time I see her toad-like face, knowing that we were going against everything she tried to teach us and she didn't even realise it.

I couldn't say the same for Ron. The Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was fast approaching and he was a nervous wreck. Harry seemed calm enough with the insults and attacks piling up on all sides but his best friend wasn't used to it and couldn't contain his nerves..

When the morning of the match came, he didn't look any better. Sweaty and pale, he sat at the Gryffindor table, frozen to the spot as Harry tried encouraging him into eating something. I noticed that every single Slytherin was wearing some sort of crown on their robes. Frowning, I squinted my eyes to take a better look and was so close to making out the words when Luna's roaring lion hat made me jump. I hadn't even noticed that she had approached our table. "... Good luck, Ronald!" I caught the end of her sentence as she gave us all a dreamy smile and drifted off.

Ignoring the fact that we were being invaded now by Angelina, Katie and Alicia, I turned back to face the Slytherins again. My breath caught when I realised the words imprinted on the badge were Weasley is our King. Swallowing an uneasy feeling, I turned back towards the table just in time to see Harry and Ron rising from the table.

Giving them a lazy grin, I said, "Good luck out there. Thrash that idiot Malfoy."

Harry smirked and the both of them walked off.

Moments later, all of us were waiting impatiently in the stands. Seeing as it was our first Quidditch match, it was needless to say that all of us were rather excited to see how it would turn out. I half wished I was part of the game myself but since I was a newbie, I'd rather not jeopardise their chance of winning the Quidditch Cup.

When the Slytherins started singing, my blood boiled with anger and my hands clenched into fists. I had no idea who started this stupid suggestion of singing a song about Ron. Frankly, the lyrics were just plain rude and I was so mad that I wanted to kill the whole lot of them. As the teams emerged, shouts, cheers and jeers began to fill the air. I joined in until I glanced over to my friends. All of them were doing the same ... except Thalia. Her brows were furrowed, her mouth pulled down into a frown and her expression troubled. I was about to ask her what was wrong when the whistle blew and the game started. Unable to help myself, my attention was pulled fully towards the match.

I tried not wince as Ron seemed to realise the lyrics of the song and his face turned green, his hands visibly shaking even from where I stood. I looked helplessly at him, unable to do anything but hope for the best that he would pull together. My hopes were dashed as he let in three goals all at once. Harry, who I had noticed hovering in the air watching Ron anxiously, seemed in a hurry now to find the Golden Snitch. Thankfully, Gryffindor found a reason to cheer later when Angelina finally scored. I yelled along with the rest and could barely keep a lid on my excitement when Harry suddenly dived down, with Malfoy streaking down next to him.

"C'mon Harry. You can do it," I muttered, trying to give myself reassurance that we would have the smug pleasure of winning and not those bloody Slytherins. My heart raced as the two fought against each other, both struggling to win for their houses. I could barely breathe when both of them stretched their hands out. Closer ... closer ... and Harry got it! The Gryffindors exploded into cheers and shouts which soon turned to angry yells when a Bludger slammed into Harry's back and sent him crashing to the ground. I saw Angelina landing next to him and hurrying over to check on him. A wave of relief crashed over me when I saw Harry standing up, seemingly unhurt and he exchange words with Angelina.

I caught a fleeting glance of Thalia slipping away from the stands as Madam Hooch zoomed over towards the offending player, which was Crabbe. Unable to keep a lid on my curiosity, I followed Thalia as she crossed over to the Forbidden Forest. Trying not to be noticed, I trailed behind her from a distance as she went deeper into the forest. When she came to a sudden halt, I quickly ducked behind a tree, my heart pounding in my chest

"How is it over there?" She spoke out of nowhere.

My heart nearly stopped in my chest and I sighed softly, resigned myself to the fact that she caught me. I was about to reply when she said something again. "That's good. Don't worry, I'm heading back soon. Just wait patiently for now."

Peering around the tree trunk, I noticed to my relief that she hadn't seem to notice me but it was soon replaced by confusion, because if she wasn't talking to me, who exactly was she talking to? A cold wave of fear washed over me. Had someone casted the Imperius spell over her like they had done to me? Peeking out further and trying not to be noticed, I focused on the image hovering in the air. Iris-messaging. Of course. Satisfied, I hid back behind the tree until she was done. I was pretty confident she hadn't noticed me.

"Come on out, Percy. I know you're there." I could hear the amusement in the voice. Well, guess I was wrong.

"Guess I'm not such a good spy after all." I grinned sheepishly, emerging from my hiding spot and scratching my head awkwardly.

"You can say that again." She smirked.

I laughed but it faded after I recalled the conversation she just had with gods-know-who. "What do you mean you're heading back soon?" I frowned, concerned.

"The Hunters are impatient, Percy." She sighed, looking directly at me. "I know this mission is important but I need to be there with them. They're restless and want to get out there recruiting demigods too instead of just sitting around at camp doing nothing."

"So you're leaving? Just like that?" I asked, feeling a little upset.

"Aren't you forgetting one small little important fact that Chiron told you when you took on this quest, Seaweed Brain?" She challenged me suddenly.

I tried to recall back the conversation we had but couldn't remember anything of importance besides coming here and finding the wizards which we had already accomplished. I struggled for a moment before shrugging. "Nope, what was I suppose to know?"

"That you're only supposed to bring five people with you?"

"Yeah, and?" I asked, confused.

Thalia rolled her eyes, looking amused and exasperated at the same time. "Count again, Percy."

I ticked the names off my finger before realising and my mouth dropped to an 'o".

"Exactly, now how exactly did you forget to tell us that and mess it up?" She folded her arms, glaring mockingly at me.

"Uh, I guess I hadn't counted on you showing up even after I contacted, seeing as you were away for so long." I said sheepishly.

She snorted at my words and shook her head. "Well, I'm already breaking the rules by being on this quest so I'll take my leave. Don't worry; I'm sure you guys will be perfectly fine on your own. IM me if you need any help though."

I was a little sad to see her go but I gave her a quick hug. "I'll see you back at camp when we return." I smiled.

"Good luck. Now go on back to the rest. I'll be gone by the time you get back to the castle." She gave me a little push.

"Wait, how exactly are you getting back to camp?"

"I'm going to ask for some Floo Powder from McGonagall. If she refuses, I'll just walk out of the castle until I reach some public area, then call camp to pick me up." She shrugged like it was no big deal.

"What if monsters attack you?" I asked dubiously, a little anxious.

"I'll be fine, Percy. Don't you know me at all?" She smirked. "Now go."

I nodded, unable to shake off the little uneasy that I felt but left. Thalia was strong and never backed down easily in a fight; she'll be fine. Feeling more reassured by that fact, I headed back to my friends who were still in stands along with rest of the school. I got there just in time to hear Annabeth hissed as she stared down at the pitch.

Following her gaze, I saw Harry punching Malfoy in the stomach, along with George, both their faces a mask of fury. They fell to the ground and continued to struggled just as Madam Hooch yelled "Impedimenta!" and they were thrown to the ground, away from the little coward lying on the ground, whimpering and clutching his bloody nose.

The jeering of the crowd drowned out Madam Hooch's scream but it was obvious she was furious. She yelled something at Harry and George, who got up and without a word to each other, began to stalk off towards the castle, their bodies stiff and expressions cold.

"Wow," Tyson stated, still looking down at the pitch.

All of us nodded. There was nothing else we could do besides punching Malfoy in the face the next time we see him, something I swore I'd do, even at the risk of getting expelled. No way was he getting out of this without some justice.

"Hey, where's Thalia?" Annabeth asked, looking around frantically.

"She's going back to camp." I announced to the whole group.

"What? Why?" Nico demanded to know.

I recounted my whole conversation to them and when I was done, Clarisse snorted.

"Just like you to mess up." She sneered at me.

Rolling my eyes and brushing off her insult, I turned towards the crowd who was beginning to leave the pitch. "We should head back in, at least to check on Harry and George. They're really going to get it this time."

"Yeah, you're right. Lets go," Grover sighed.

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Umbridge sure knew how to push someone's buttons. I was ready to storm over there and get the job done and over with when Hermione stopped me, bringing up the fact that I may not be able to hurt her at all. Cursing and swearing under my breath, I had no choice but to sit down next to Harry, George and Fred, all who looked glum and furious at the same time.

The whole team was slumped around the fire, looking shell-shocked and dejected. Ron still hadn't returned from his walk and the mood was miserable. Everybody was in shock and even after talking about it, it still hadn't sunk in and one by one, everybody headed for bed, unable to say anything else.

"Have you seen Ron?" Hermione finally asked in a low voice.

All of us shook our head in response.

"I think he's avoiding us." Hermione sighed. "Where do you think he-?"

Just that moment, the portrait swung forward and Ron clambered in. Snow covered his fiery red hair and his face was pale, his whole body shivering from the cold. When he spotted us sitting and waiting for him, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Where have you been?" Hermione said anxiously, pulling him down to the fire.

"Walking," He muttered, still in his Quidditch outfit.

"You look frozen, come and sit down." She ordered.

Obeying, Ron headed over to the fire but sunk into the chair furthest from Harry, avoiding from looking at him. "I'm sorry," He mumbled.

"What for?" Harry asked wearily.

"For thinking I can play Quidditch. I'm going to resign first thing tomorrow."

"If you resign, there'll only be three players left on the team." Harry replied irritably. "I've been given a life-time ban. So've Fred and George."

"What?" Ron yelped.

I could only stare at them in sympathy as Hermione explained the situation and Ron and Harry fought it out, playing the blame game with each other. While they were arguing, Hermione got up quietly and stood by the window, staring out.

"This is the worst I've ever felt in my life." Ron said dully.

"Join the club," Harry replied bitterly.

"Well," Hermione said, her voice trembling slightly. "I can think of one thing that might cheer you up."

"Oh yeah?" Harry said sceptically as all of us turned to look at her.

"Yeah," Hermione said, turning to us with a wide smile spreading across her face. "Hagrid's back."

********************

Five minutes later, all of us were ready to leave. The invisibility cloak was definitely too small to fit all of us and Hermione had to cast a spell that would make us blend with the background. It wasn't the most effective but it would do for now.

I admit that creeping through the castle in the dead of the night was a little creepy but it was thrilling all the same. All of us were used to getting in trouble so it wasn't so bad but there was still an air of nervousness as we sneaked past sleeping portraits, out of the entrance and into the cool night air.

The hut which had stood dark and empty on the grounds for ages now looked cheery with light blazing in the windows and smoke rising from the chimney. I was a little anxious at the thought of meeting a half-giant, but since the three trusted him, I would too. I trusted them enough to know that they had a good judge in character and wouldn't be taken in so easily. Besides, Dumbledore trusted him and if we don't trust Dumbledore, who could we trust?

As Harry knocked on the door, a dog started barking loudly from inside.

"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry called out.

"Should've known." I heard a gruff voice replying and the door opened.

I wasn't as shocked to see his size considering that the gods in their godly form were still way taller but I couldn't help but let out a gasp at the state of his face. Hermione too let out a scream.

His long hair was matted with blood and his left eye was swollen, reducing to a puffy slit. Purple and black bruises covered his face and there were many cuts on both his face and hands, some of them still bleeding. He was moving around carefully and gingerly, making it seem like he had broken something, possibly ribs. When he walked, he had to limp.

"Merlin's beard, keep it down!" Hagrid said frantically, staring wildly around. "Under the Cloak, are yeh? Well, get in, get in!"

The three piled into the room and pulled off the Cloak. We attempted to get in but the door was shut in our faces. We stood there, stupefied for a moment before realising that Hagrid didn't know about us and unable to see us didn't help in that matter. Stiffling smirks and laughter, we waited for Harry to announce our presence, stamping our feet at the cold. When that didn't happen for awhile, I finally spoke up. "I think it would rather awkward and cramped if we go in now, don't you think?"

There were murmurs of assent and sounds of sniggers going around. I grinned to myself; it was pretty funny. "Let them catch up with Hagrid. They'll remember us sooner or later and explain our situation. We can get to know him tomorrow, let's just go for now." Annabeth said, sounding calm but amused.

"Yeah you're right," Nico agreed and all of us were turning around to head back to the castle when we all froze.

"Umbridge," I hissed under my breath as the toad emerged from the castle and started heading our way. "Quick, hide our tracks and head for the Forbidden Forest. She's not going to go that way."

I quickly wiped out my marks and padded gently through the snow towards the eerie looking trees. Sounds of shuffling sounded from behind me as they followed my lead. Once we got to the safety of the trees, I squinted at the ground, trying to spot any sign of us being there. What I saw made me want to kick myself. "We forgot to wipe out Harry, Ron and Hermione's prints!"

Quiet mutters started up but there was nothing we could do now. Umbridge was already getting closer, close enough to detect a movement if one of us head out now. I cursed under my breath. "Let's just hope Hagrid can come up with an excuse." I breathed out.

When Umbridge rapped loudly on the door, peering suspiciously at the tracks on the ground, I heard a crashing sound from inside the cabin. There was a moment of silence before the door opened and Umbridge entered without so much of a greeting. The door was shut behind her and after waiting cautiously for a moment, just to check that we safe, I whispered, "Let's go. They'll know how to take care of themselves."

Without waiting for a reply, I quietly started walking back to the castle. Everything was silent behind me and I didn't know whether they were still following but at least they were being quiet about it so that we wouldn't be caught.

It was nerve-wracking knowing that Umbridge could come out at any moment. We were on high alert, not only looking out for her, but also for Peeves, Filch and Mrs. Norris. Every gust of wind and every little sign made us flinch but to our ultimate relief, we were able to get back to the common room without encountering anything.

"Thank gods we made it back alive." Grover gasped, collapsing onto a chair. "I thought my nerves were going to explode from all that tension."

Tyson looked nervously at Grover but said nothing. Even he seemed a little shaken up, which was strange for the big guy.

"Yeah, we made it back. But Harry, Ron and Hermione are still stuck there." Clarisse pointed out a little grimly.

"I hope they make it back without getting caught. If they do, Harry will be expelled for sure this time." Annabeth said, nervously chewing her lip.

"Then let's just hope that they make it back safely." I said grimly.

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A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is a little boring but I still wanted to follow the order of the book and this was what happened next. I also rushed this because I knew you guys wanted me to update so enjoy :)

It's not proof-read so any mistakes please point them out. Thank you :D

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