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"Run, Fred, run!" one of the red-haired twins yelled, ducking low as a sizzling ball of fire flew right where his head had been a second before.
"Fred? I am George!" the other twin shouted back, also running fast.
BOOM! Another fireball hit the ground near them, sending up sparks and smoking grass.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake, this is not the time for our usual jokes!" the first twin yelled back. They did not stop running, zig-zagging away towards the castle like frightened rabbits.
All the other teenagers the Gryffindors, the Hufflepuffs, the Beauxbatons students scattered too, shouting and disappearing quickly, leaving Percy standing alone on the grass with the group of veela cheerleaders.
Percy let out a long, slow breath. He watched the last student vanish behind a corner. "Well, thanks for that," he said, turning back to the girls. "I do not think zey will be bothering me with that silly song again for a little while now."
The fiery glow around the veelas faded. Their part-bird looks melted away, leaving them looking like normal, pretty girls again. But their faces still looked very mad, and their eyes were hard.
"We are not sluts," Amanda whispered, stepping close behind Percy so only he could hear. Her voice trembled just a tiny bit. "Zey 'ave no right to sing things like that... we are not just toys for zem to joke about."
Percy turned around fully to face them. He could see the hurt clear on all their faces now, mixed with the anger. He felt a pang in his chest.
"Look," he sighed, running a hand through his messy black hair. "I am really, truly sorry about this. About the song, about zem being idiots."
"Non," Catherine stepped forward, shaking her head. Her face was serious. "It is our fault too, Percy. We are the ones who told zem... about, you know." She looked down for a second. "We should not 'ave."
"But-" Percy started to argue.
"-Oh, shut it up, oh mighty king of studs," Ebele interrupted, but her voice had a small smile in it now. She leaned in and planted a quick, soft kiss on Percy's cheek. "We do not blame you for zeir stupid song."
Percy sighed again, feeling a little better but still awkward. "Yeah, okay. I guess."
"It does 'ave a nice sound to it though, does it not?" Ula asked, a small, teasing smile finally appearing on her face. "Ze 'king of studs'."
Percy just shrugged, a faint blush rising on his neck. "I still like 'Pudding' better."
"Well, I like 'Horsey' best!" Amanda declared suddenly. All her sadness seemed to vanish in a blink. She leaned forward again from behind him, playfully squishing her soft chest against the back of Percy's head. "Now fly, Horsey! One more time?"
Percy let out another long-suffering sigh, but he was smiling now too. "Alright, alright, if you really want to," he gave in. He took a step forward, then leaped lightly into the air.
In mid-jump, his body shifted and changed shape smoothly, and suddenly the strong, black pegasus was there again, powerful wings already beating the air.
Amanda whooped with joy, holding on tight around his strong neck as they lifted off the ground.
It was maybe half an hour later, after five more short but fun flights around the grounds, that Percy found himself back in his human form. He was walking side-by-side with his veela friends towards the big front gates of the school grounds. The sun was starting to get lower in the sky.
"I am glad you all came today," Percy spoke up quietly as they walked. "Really glad. I am just sorry you cannot stay for longer."
"We would love to stay, Percy," Catherine replied, her voice soft. "But we 'ave a big Quidditch game tomorrow back at Beauxbatons. We need to leave today to be ready. But," she added, smiling warmly at him, "it was very, very nice seeing you again."
"Yeah," Ebele giggled, nudging his arm playfully. "Especially seeing you in zat pair of very tight swim trunks earlier."
"And ze horse animal-shape thing... it kind of makes sense now, if you think about it," Amanda giggled too, remembering the power she felt flying.
Percy groaned good-naturedly. "Ha, yeah, I guess it does fit," he admitted. "When I was learning how to be an Animagus you know, turn into an animal I 'ad to practice changing each body part by itself first. Turn it into the pegasus part, zen turn it back to normal. One day, I 'ad to change my... uh... my private parts." He coughed, looking a bit embarrassed. "Well... let us just say it was really, really 'ard to walk straight for the rest of that day."
"So, wait," Chanel asked, her eyes wide with interest. "You can do part transformations? Change just one bit of you?"
Percy nodded easily. "Yeah, sure. No problem at all."
"So," Ula asked, looking thoughtful. "Like, in your head, could you just make your back change? Just grow the wings, but keep the rest of you human?"
Percy smiled, a little spark in his eyes. "Watch." He closed his eyes for just a second, focusing hard. The back of his black school cloak seemed to ripple.
Then, the fabric seemed to melt away or change, becoming smooth, dark skin for a moment. Suddenly, with a soft whoosh sound, a pair of large, beautiful black wings burst out from his shoulder blades.
They stretched wide, catching the light, each feather looking sleek and strong. The girls all gasped, stepping back slightly in surprise.
"Whoa... cool," Amanda breathed, stepping closer again to carefully touch one of the soft feathers. "Zey are beautiful. It is like... like you are our very own angel, Percy."
Percy chuckled, flexing the wings slightly. "I am pretty sure angels are supposed to 'ave white wings, Mandy."
"Ah, but angels are also not supposed to... you know... 'ave sex," Chanel pointed out, giving him a very cheeky, playful wink. "So, let us just say you are a fallen angel instead. One who fell for a reason."
Percy laughed again, liking the sound of that. "Okay, I can work with that," he agreed. With another moment of focus, the black wings folded neatly and then seemed to sink back into his skin, disappearing completely. His cloak settled back normally. He sighed softly. "Though, I still need to get used to doing just parts. A partial change like that feels so... I do not know... empty? Like something is missing."
"Hm, zat makes sense, I think," Catherine nodded, understanding. "Like your body is not all in balance." She smiled. "Well... anyway, it really is about time we must go now. We will catch you at the next task, Percy! And you better win this whole tournament, you 'ear me!"
Percy chuckled, shaking his head. "Sure, Cat. I will try. No promises though!"
"Oh, please," Ula rolled her eyes playfully. "Like anyone else 'as a chance against you."
"Oh! Wait," Percy said suddenly, stopping them just as they reached the gate. "Before you all go, I actually 'ave got something small for you." He reached inside his cloak, feeling around in small pockets he had secretly sewn into the lining. He pulled out five simple, shining silver rings. "Here," he said, holding them out on his palm. "Zese are for you."
"Are you... are you proposing marriage?!" Amanda asked, letting out a high-pitched girlish squeal of pure delight. "Yes, Percy! Yes! A thousand times yes, I accept!"
Chanel blinked, looking shocked. "Percy," she whispered, glancing around nervously. "What would Fleur think about zis?"
Percy groaned, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "No, Mandy, it is not that kind of ring," he explained quickly, picking one up to show them. He pointed to tiny, strange marks carved into the silver band.
"See zese? Zey are runes, magic marks. It is something I kind of invented. A pattern of runes that blocks a veela's allure you know, the magic that makes people stare and act stupid around you." He looked at them seriously. "Just wear it, and poof! No more accidental mind control."
"W-what?" Ebele stammered, her eyes wide with disbelief. She looked from the ring to Percy's face and back again. "Truly?"
Percy shrugged, looking a little shy now. "Fleur mentioned to me 'ow bad it can be sometimes out there," he said quietly. "I mean, I knew it was bad from seeing it, but hearing her talk about it... yeah, anyway. I made one for 'er first, and it works just fine. She does not wear it all the time, of course, but she did wear it today. I bet you noticed a lot fewer people were staring at 'er like idiots, yeah?"
"Zis... zis actually works?" Amanda asked, her earlier excitement replaced with awe. She carefully picked up one of the rings and slid it onto her finger. She blinked a few times, looking down at her hand. "Whoa. It feels... odd. Quiet."
Percy nodded. "Yeah, it takes some getting used to. It is not a perfect fix, I know. But if you are ever in a situation where you really do not want all that extra attention, well, then just pop it on. But," he added, looking at each of them seriously, "you must remember this too: being a veela, allure and all, is part of who you are. You should never be afraid or ashamed to be yourselves. So, use the ring when you need it, but do not hide who you are, okay?"
Before he could say more, Chanel suddenly threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Merci, Percy," she whispered against his shoulder, her voice thick with feeling. "Thank you."
Percy smiled, hugging her back gently. "Hey, it is not a problem. Really."
"ARGH!" Amanda suddenly cried out, a sound of pure rage and frustration.
Percy immediately tensed up, worry flooding him. 'Oh no, did I make a mistake? Is the magic hurting her?! Is there bad feedback?!' "Amanda! What is wrong?!" he asked urgently. "Does it hurt?"
"This SUCKS!" the veela cried out, stomping her foot hard on the ground. "You are hot, and smart, and funny, and sexy, AND you are so damn CARING! And you are TAKEN! It is just not fair! Fuck you, God! Yes, I said it! You heard me up there, you stuck-up, condescending twit!" She glared up at the sky.
Percy just rolled his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips despite himself. "Never change, Amanda. Please, never change." The other veelas quickly took their own rings, sliding them onto their fingers.
They all had similar reactions a moment of surprise, a strange feeling, but then looks of deep thankfulness spread across their faces.
Each of the girls gave Percy another big hug, and each planted a kiss on his cheek. Catherine, Ula, Ebele, Amanda... Chanel was the last one.
Her hug lingered a little longer, and her kiss landed just a tiny bit too close to the corner of his lips.
As she pulled back, Percy thought he saw a flash of deep sadness in her eyes, like she might cry. But before he could ask, or even think about what it meant, they were all waving goodbye and walking quickly through the gates, disappearing down the path. He watched them go, and for some reason he could not quite understand, he felt a little bit sad himself.
He turned around, shaking off the feeling. And there she was. Fleur was standing a few feet away, smiling softly at him. She had pulled her own dark blue school cloak tightly around her body over her swimsuit.
He walked straight up to her, gently wrapping one arm around her shoulders and rubbing it softly. "Everything okay with your parents?" he asked quietly.
"Papa could not be 'ere today," Fleur sighed, leaning into his touch just a little. "Work. But Mama could come. Z'e took Gabby 'ome just now. Z'e said... zey will all try to come next time, for ze next task. Z'e promised zo."
Percy smiled down at her. "That is good," he said softly. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.
"Now," he added, his voice teasing lightly, "as much as I really, really love looking at you in that blue one-piece swimsuit... I am sure you must be getting cold out 'ere now."
"Actually," Fleur tilted her head, a small smile playing on her lips, "after zwimming in zat freezing cold lake earlier, zis little bit of wind feels quite... pleasant."
Just then, a soft breeze blew across the grounds, lifting strands of her silvery-blonde hair and blowing them across her face.
Percy could not help himself; he reached up with his free hand and gently tucked the stray hairs behind her ear, revealing her beautiful face fully again.
She smiled up at him, her blue eyes soft. Then, she leaned up towards his lips and pressed a warm, slow, searing kiss against his mouth.
Percy hummed softly into the kiss, melting into it. When they finally broke apart, both a little breathless, he smiled down at her. "What was that for?"
Fleur smiled back, her eyes sparkling. "For zaving Gabby," she whispered simply.
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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