Percy Jackson was having a weird day. And that was saying something, considering his life was basically one big series of weird days. He’d been at Camp Half-Blood, minding his own business, practicing sword drills with Annabeth, when suddenly the ground beneath him opened up. Before he could even yell, "Not again!" he was falling through a swirling vortex of light and shadows.
When he landed, it wasn’t in the middle of a monster fight or even in the ocean (which would’ve been nice, honestly). No, he was standing in the middle of a grand, torch-lit hallway lined with moving portraits. The people in the paintings stared at him, whispering to each other. Percy blinked. "Where am I now?"
"Who are you?" a voice demanded. Percy turned to see a boy with messy black hair, round glasses, and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. He was holding a wand, and behind him stood a girl with bushy brown hair and a redheaded boy who looked like he’d just seen a ghost.
"Uh, Percy Jackson," Percy said, raising his hands. "And I’m really hoping this isn’t some kind of monster trick, because I left my sword back at camp."
The boy with the scar frowned. "You’re not supposed to be here. This is Hogwarts. How did you even get in?"
Percy shrugged. "Honestly? No idea. One minute I was at camp, the next I was here. Happens more often than you’d think."
The girl stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "You’re a Muggle, aren’t you? But how did you get past the wards?"
"A what?" Percy asked. "Look, I’m just as confused as you are. But if you could point me to the nearest exit—or maybe a phone—I’ll get out of your hair."
The redheaded boy snorted. "A phone? In Hogwarts? Good luck with that."
Before Percy could respond, a loud bang echoed down the hallway. A group of students in green robes rounded the corner, led by a sneering boy with pale blond hair. "Well, well, Potter," the boy drawled. "Who’s your new friend? Another Mudblood?"
Percy raised an eyebrow. "Okay, first of all, rude. Second, what’s a Mudblood?"
The blond boy’s sneer deepened. "Ignorant and uncultured. Typical."
Harry stepped forward, his wand raised. "Back off, Malfoy."
Percy sighed. "Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but if this guy’s causing trouble, I can handle it." He reached for Riptide, only to remember it wasn’t there. "Uh, never mind. Maybe I’ll just… stand over here."
Malfoy smirked. "Scared, are you?"
Percy grinned. "Nah. Just don’t want to embarrass you in front of your friends."
Malfoy’s face turned red, and he raised his wand. "Expelliarmus!"
Percy ducked just in time, the spell whizzing over his head. "Whoa! What was that?"
Harry stepped in, firing a spell of his own. "Stupefy!"
A duel broke out in the hallway, spells flying everywhere. Percy, without a weapon, decided to improvise. He grabbed a suit of armor’s shield and used it to deflect a spell aimed at him. "Hey, Hermione, right? Any chance you can tell me what’s going on?"
Hermione, who was busy dodging a hex, shouted back, "Later! Just try not to get hit!"
Percy shrugged. "Got it. No getting hit. Easy."
The fight escalated until a loud voice boomed, "ENOUGH!" Everyone froze as Professor McGonagall stormed down the hallway, her expression furious. "What is the meaning of this?"
Malfoy pointed at Percy. "He started it! He’s not even a student!"
Percy held up his hands. "I literally just got here. I don’t even know where ‘here’ is."
McGonagall’s eyes narrowed. "Mr. Jackson, I presume? We’ve been expecting you."
Percy blinked. "You have?"
"Yes," she said, adjusting her glasses. "It seems you’ve been… misplaced. The Headmaster will explain everything. Follow me."
As Percy followed McGonagall down the hallway, Harry, Ron, and Hermione fell into step beside him. "So," Harry said, "you’re really not a wizard?"
Percy grinned. "Nope. But I’ve got a feeling this is going to be fun."