Chapter 148: Try Harder!
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"Really?! That'z amazing," Camille gasped, "what type of flying horse waz it? A Theztral? Oh, waz it a Aethonan?"
"No, none of those things," Heather continued, her voice filled with excitement. "It was a winged horse—a real, actual flying horse!"
"You mean a pegazuz?! But t'at'z impozzible!" Fleur exclaimed, her eyes wide. "T'ey are just a myt'!"
"Not anymore, they're not!" Gordan said with fervor, pointing to the twins. "Fred and George both swore they saw it!"
"We did!" Fred and George chimed in unison, their faces lighting up.
"We were out late that night, enjoying the company of our lovely ladies," George said, wiggling his eyebrows toward Angelina.
"And we saw it fly right past the window!" Fred grinned, clearly delighted by the memory.
"Did you two see it?" Hugo asked, turning to the Gryffindor chasers.
"No, not really," Alicia admitted, looking slightly sheepish. "We were… distracted."
"Yeah, you were," Fred snickered, exchanging a high-five with his twin.
"Oh, come on, Gordan," Miguel groaned. "You know these two are a couple of pranksters."
"Hey!"
"We take offense to that!"
"Why? It's the truth," Percy deadpanned, rolling his eyes.
"Oh yeah," Fred and George blinked in unison. "Never mind."
"Fine, fine," Gordan pressed on, undeterred. "But what about Lee? He might joke around, but he wouldn't lie about something like this! And even Cho said she saw it!"
The group quickly devolved into a spirited debate about the legitimacy of the flying horse sighting. Percy, meanwhile, tried his best to fade into the background, keeping silent and avoiding any attention. But his silence only served to make him stand out more.
"Perzy," Fleur called, her sharp blue eyes narrowing as they landed on him. "Why 'aven't you zaid anyt'ing? I t'ought t'iz would be zomething you liked."
"Ah, well… I mean, it's interesting," Percy shrugged, doing his best to sound indifferent. "But there isn't really proof it exists, is there?"
"Zen we should try and catch it!" Juan declared enthusiastically.
Percy snorted. "Are you mad? How would you even begin to do something like that?"
"Well… we could use your board!" Juan suggested with an almost mischievous grin.
"Yeah! We can use that to chase down the flying horse!" Heather and the others quickly jumped on the idea, nodding in agreement.
"Hell no!" Percy shot back, his voice firm. "You're not using my board for anything!"
"Come on, Percy, please! We really need it," Gordan pleaded, joined by a chorus of similar requests from the others.
"No." Percy's glare was unwavering.
"Pleaze, Perzy," Fleur interjected, her voice taking on a sweet, lilting tone as she stepped closer. She ran a delicate finger down his cheek, gently turning his face toward hers. Pouting her lips, she added, "We really want to zee t'is 'orze. Won't you lend uz your board?"
Percy met her gaze, leaning forward slightly as his tone dipped into something husky. "Fleur," he began, his voice soft. The French veela's confident smirk grew, sure of her victory—until Percy grinned.
"No."
"Merde!" Fleur cursed, pulling back with a huff, crossing her arms in frustration. "Why did you 'ave to be immune?!"
Percy chuckled, crossing his arms. "Sorry, Tweety Bird, but you're going to have to try a lot harder than that to convince me."
"Zimply amazing," Camille whispered in awe. "I 'ave never zeen anyone rezist Fleur before."
"Same," Hugo nodded, clearly doing his best to block out Fleur's lingering allure.
"It's okay, Fleur," Gordan stammered, stepping forward like a knight in shining armor. "If you want, you can use my broom. You can even have my trunk if you need it."
"Yeah, I'll lend you mine too!" Juan added, both of them gazing at her with a glazed-over look.
Percy sighed and rolled his eyes before smacking them both on the back of their heads. "Snap out of it, you two. You look like a couple of love-struck street dogs."
The two boys flushed red, rubbing their heads as they muttered embarrassed apologies.
"It'z okay, you two," Peter chimed in. "We do ze zame. It'z difficult being around Fleur, but… worth it," he added with a sheepish smile.
Fleur gave an uncomfortable nod, but her companion Anna looked furious, smacking Peter in the stomach and whispering something sharply into his ear.
The group continued to chatter animatedly about their plans to capture the mysterious flying horse, their excitement filling the air. Percy, however, remained on the sidelines, sipping his pumpkin juice and trying to look disinterested. Despite his efforts to avoid getting too involved, Fleur had managed to extract a reluctant promise from him to help with their little venture.
Setting his goblet down, Percy turned to the group. "By the way, where's Margaret Kristine? Didn't she want to join us today?"
Kristien shook his head, sighing. "She wasn't feeling well, so she decided to stay back."
"That's a shame," Percy said with a shrug, returning to his meal. After a moment, he glanced up with a casual grin. "Anyway, anyone interested in buying some Quick Quills? I made a few last week, but I haven't gotten around to selling them yet."
Camille tilted her head. "Iz t'zat one of t'ose fazt-writing quillz I 'ave seen Fleur uzing?"
"Yup!" Percy replied, his tone almost proud.
"Wait, you made them?!" Peter exclaimed, his jaw dropping. "That's some of the most advanced rune work I've ever seen!"
Percy grinned. "Yeah, and they're all yours for just one galleon."
"A galleon?! That's it?!"
"Uh… two galleons?" Percy attempted, but the table erupted in laughter at his weak negotiation.
"Fine, I'll take one," Peter said, sliding a single galleon across the table. Percy sighed in mock disappointment before pulling out a Quick Quill and handing it over.
Fleur raised an eyebrow, amused. "Do you alwayz carry zpare Quick Quillz wherever you go?"
Percy shrugged. "Business is business. You never know when a customer might pop up."
"Perzy, may I 'ave one az well?" Anna asked sweetly, offering her own galleon. Percy handed over another quill, soon selling more to Hugo, Fred, George, and even Alicia.
Camille leaned forward with a playful pout. "Perzy, I forgot my purze. Can you give me one now, and I promize to pay you back later?"
Percy rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Camille, I said no to Fleur. What makes you think you can convince me?"
Camille huffed dramatically, earning a round of laughter from the group.
As the conversation shifted to lighter topics about school and studies, Percy's eyes drifted across the inn. In one corner, he spotted Harry, Hermione, Susan, and Hannah Abbott seated together. They seemed to be chatting comfortably until Hagrid and Moody approached their table.
Percy watched as the two adults leaned in to whisper something to Harry before hurrying out, leaving the young wizard looking startled. Hermione and the others appeared equally confused.
Curious, Percy whistled softly to catch Harry's attention. When Harry glanced over, Percy raised an eyebrow and nodded toward Hagrid's retreating figure. Harry nodded in understanding, silently promising to fill him in later.
After finishing their lunch, the group left the cozy inn and continued exploring the magical town. This time, Fleur and Percy stayed with the group, not out of choice but because their friends—both from Beauxbatons and Hogwarts—had formed an unyielding barrier around them. It was as though they refused to let the pair slip away for another solo adventure.
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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