Cousins

Title: Cousins

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians,  Harry Potter

Disclaimer: All rights goes to Rick Riordan and JK Rowling. I only own the plot and the possible original characters.

Relationships: Percy Jackson & Harry Potter,  Harry Potter & Sally Jackson,  Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson,  Percy Jackson & Poseidon,  Minerva McGonagall & Harry Potter,  Rubeus Hagrid & Harry Potter,  Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley,  Albus Dumbledore & Harry Potter,  Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood

Story Note: This is a canon-divergence AU story. Neither Harry OR Percy will be OP, and neither of them will be ‘hybrids’ or ‘Mary Sues’ or anything similar. THEY WILL NOT BE INVOLVED WITH EACH OTHER’S STORY (I had to add that in after a guest gave me a lengthy review about what I could do next). Dumbledore has his canon, slightly manipulative but well-meaning personality, Sally is the best and Poseidon is slightly more involved in Percy’s life later on and Harry is way more smarter than in canon, because why not?

CHAPTER 2

“Single file!” Mrs. Clarkson shouted. “Everybody, I want a perfectly straight line for this field trip!” Everyone, including Harry and Percy, the latter of which was known to seldom follow instructions, did as told, forming a straight line. Mrs. Clarkson turned to the tour guide, a man with stringy red hair and muddy brown eyes that always looked angry. He was dressed in a crisp white outfit of pants and vest with a bright red waistcoat on top. In one hand, he carried a rusted rifle that looked like it could’ve been from the American Revolutionary War. Despite the angry look that the man had, he was nice, although strict.

“Listen up, everyone!” the tour guide, Mr Raymond, called out. “I want all of you in a single file line. Absolutely no one will touch anything unless given explicit permission. Any questions?”

Tavina Larcroft raised her hand up. “Mr Raymond, what does esplicet mean?”

“Explicit,” Mr Raymond said, then repeated it again slowly. “Ex-pli-cit. It means when something is said clearly or in a way that is easy to understand.”

Tavina had a pleased look on her face, whipping out a notepad to start jotting down what was probably exactly what Mr Raymond had said. Harry didn’t mind Tavina, in fact she’s a rather good friend of his, although she tended to overdo things.

“Good,” Mr Raymond said, nodding in approval as Tavina continued to write. “Taking notes is an important thing in life.” But then, he looked at the red-haired girl wryly. “But if you want space in your mind for something else, little lady, you might want to slow down that note-taking business of yours.”

Tavina paused, “That doesn’t make sense.” But she pocketed her pen and notebook anyway.

The tour guide clapped his hand, “Alright, everybody, attention please! As you all know, this is the Saratoga Battlefield. This place is where the Battles of Saratoga happened, the first important American victory in the American Revolutionary War.”

Mr Raymond led them through the fields, explaining more along the way. “In the year seventeen-seventy-seven, the Americans made their first important victory here, against a major British army.”

Harry listened intently as Mr Raymond went on, but besides him however, Percy was zoning out, and not at all listening to Mr Raymond.

“Percy,” Harry hissed over to his cousin. “Listen to Mr. Raymond!”

Percy rolled his eyes and switched between hopping on one foot and the other, before switching to walking on an imaginary tightrope.

“Percy!” Harry hissed again.

“What?” whined Percy moodily. “I’m bored, Harry.”

“Percy, just pay attention!” responded Harry. “You know what the principal said! If anything out of the ordinary happens on this field trip, then we’ll be suspended! You know how hard it is for Aunt Sally!”

Percy pouted, but the guilt trip worked, mostly because Aunt Sally was mentioned. “Fine,” he said sullenly, controlling himself. Harry sometimes wished that Percy would always be like this, but he knew that it’s impossible, due to his ADHD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

“The American Revolutionary War, as some of you might know,” Mr Raymond says, “Started due to the American’s desire for freedom from the Britains. Thanks to the Battle of Saratoga, the French were forced to recognise the Americans as a legitimate force, and became America’s ally in the war.”

“Are you even hearing anything?” Harry questioned, leaning over to Percy who replied with a no.

“Are you serious?” he continued.

“It’s boring,” Percy whined. “I wish we’re at an aquarium instead. At least I’m not bored. There’s a bunch of colorful fish there!”

“Yeah, but you remembered what happened the last time we visited an aquarium,” Harry said, being reminded of the catwalk falling, and dumping them into the shark tank. “You pulled the lever and dumped us into the shark tank and got us pulled out of the only school that we ever enjoyed.”

“You just have to remind me of that all the time, don’t you?” Percy asked.

Harry grinned and looped an arm around Percy. His mood was easily brightened. Yet Harry didn’t give Percy a proper answer. “Can you blame me?” he said instead.

Percy shoved him away, “Get off, Hairs.”

“Oi!” Harry exclaimed in exasperation, mostly wishing that Percy would stop calling him Hairs, a nickname that Harry had earned recently, when his hair kept growing back whenever he tried to cut it. It was his magic, no doubt, that made it like this. Normal people’s hair don’t just grow like that. At least, according to Percy, which Harry didn’t take to heart because Percy isn’t normal- he might be human, but no one can convince Harry that his cousin is absolutely normal. “I told you not to call me that!”

As Percy opened his mouth to answer, Mr Raymond called them both out, “You there!”

Everyone parted, to look at the back, and Harry found himself having Mr Raymond point at both him and Percy.

“Me?” Harry said at the same time as Percy.

“Yes, you two there at the back!” Mr Raymond replied. “You got anything better to do than talking with each other?”

Harry shifted uncomfortably as all eyes fell on the pair of them. He wondered if this counted as anything remotely interesting- If it does, then Mrs Clarckson would report to the principal, who’d suspend them. Then Aunt Sally will get mad at them.

“No, sir,” admitted Harry, before Percy can say something stupid.

Mr Raymond gave them a critical look, and told them, “You two. To the front. Kindly don’t make an outburst again, okay?”

Harry and Percy trudged to the front. At the corners of his ears, he heard Victor Abrams whisper: “Losers.”

“Suck it,” Percy whispered back as they passed by him.

The tour guide soon led them to a field of mostly grass, where foldable tables and chairs were set up to hold food, and blankets laid out on the grass. Harry, as usual, took his place with Percy, the two of them snacking on sandwiches, which were prepared by Aunt Sally. It was PJ&B today, with a side of breadsticks and saltine crackers, with nutella as a dipping.

Harry suggested that they try to guess the clouds, the same way that Aunt Sally, Percy and he did whenever they went on trips to Montauk. It was easy to convince Percy, who’d do anything if it meant doing something.

They pointed out a few shapes, until they got stuck on a cloud that Harry swore to have seen at least five times before.

“That’s a fish,” Percy insisted, pointing to a cloud that looked more like a kite-looking blob. It didn’t count, as Percy insisted that all the clouds are either fish, coral or anything else marine-related.

“No, it’s not,” Harry clapped back, “It’s a kite.”

“Then it’s a shark then,” Percy said grumpily.

Giving up, Harry throws his hands up in the air. “Oh, fine! Whatever, you win! It’s a fish!”

Percy grinned and threw his fists into the air.

__________

Before the trip ended, the class was brought to the long-awaited part of the trip, the part in which they’ll get to see an actual cannon. Everyone clambered around the cannon- which had flaking metal-like red paint on it, giving it an old-rusted feel.

“So cool,” Percy whispered, stepping closer, pushing through their classmates in front of them.

“Percy,” called out Harry, trying to stop him from going further. A sickening, dawning feeling fell upon him. Harry’s heart started to pound, beating as fast as a hummingbird flaps its wings. He felt uneasy, skin crawling as if waiting for something terrible to happen. Harry shook the feeling off. It was nothing. Just a short scare. “Percy, come back.”

Percy looked at him concernedly for a moment, and pulled his hands away. “C’mon, Harry. I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like anything bad is going to happen right now.”

“Alright, enough, everyone!” Mrs Clarkson called over, ordering everyone to gather around. “It’s time to go back!”

Everyone groaned, but did as told and Harry made his way along with everyone else, at least, until he noticed Percy still hanging around the cannon.

“Oi, Percy!” Harry said loudly enough for Percy to hear as he jogged over. Percy was closely examining the cannon, something Harry never expected to see, as Percy, and anything to do with learning did not mix well. “What are you doing, we have to go now!”

Percy pulled him over to look at the cannon. “I have to see the cannon for a bit,” Percy explained, looking over it carefully. He was fingering the outer shell of the cannon, which Harry found to be odd.

“Don’t you see it?” Percy blurted out suddenly. “Those tridents?”

“Tridents?” Harry repeated agitatedly. Mrs Clarkson was counting students now. It wouldn’t be long until she notices that they’re missing. “Percy, what’re you talking about? The cannon’s junk. There’s no tridents!”

“But there is!” insisted Percy, pointing at the rusted thing. “Just touch the cannon, if you don’t believe me!”

Harry rolled his eyes, and carefully placed his hand on it.

BOOM!

It was sudden. Something neither Harry nor Percy expected. The boys placed their hands on their ears, their ears ringing from the blast. When it faded, finally, the pair looked up to see a wide whole in their yellow school bus, faint, faraway-sounding screams of fright —screams that were awfully alike to that of the ones from the shark tank incident— and screams of panic.

The cousins shared a look. They are in big trouble.

__________

The ride back home was silent. Aunt Sally was passive-aggressively driving the rented-out Toyota.

“I’m sorry,” Harry said quietly, his voice barely a whisper. They had gotten to the apartment, their bags and luggages disposed next to the couch. “I didn’t mean to do it. I’m sorry, I really sorry.”

Aunt Sally sighed, and pulled both him and Percy into her arms. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it.”

Harry brightened, ever so slightly. “Really?”

“Really,” Aunt Sally confirmed. “Now, why don’t we discuss how long you’ll be grounded?”

“But mo-om!” Percy whined. “You said you know that we didn’t mean it!”

“But you still did it young man.” But Aunt Sally was smiling and the room was no longer quiet and that’s all that matters.