Chapter Three: Undecided

Hi everyone! All of the reviews so far have asked for Harry to have a POV, so that's what I'm going to do. Sorry if I completely butcher it. I've been reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to try and get a better grip on his personality. I also noticed that Harry's trial takes place on the 12th, not the 18th, so for the sake of this story we're just going to pretend that his trial was actually later. This will cause some things in the original storyline to speed up, not to mention the changes that will happen due to Percy being a part of the story. Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favorites, it is very much appreciated. Sorry about getting this chapter out so late, It's been a really busy couple of months.

I own nothing. All rights go to Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling.

Harry's POV:

It was two days after Harry's trial and he still couldn't shake the excitement that he was cleared to return to Hogwarts. The trial had been confusing, to say the least, and Harry was almost positive that he had been only a step away from being expelled. Thankfully, Professor McGonagall had reminded Fudge that he had no right to any disciplinary matters involving Hogwarts. The Minister of Magic had almost done his Uncle Vernon proud in the violent shade of magenta his face turned every time McGonagall or Mad-eye Moody said anything that helped Harry's case. Everyone at Number 12 Grimmauld Place shared in his excitement, especially Ron and Hermoine.

One person Harry had hoped to share the news with was his godfather. Unfortunately there was still no sign of him since he left to go on a mission with Dumbledore and Tonks. It was yet another thing for Harry to be angry at Dumbledore. To him it seemed that any care or attention that he had received from Dumbledore in previous years had disappeared over the course of his stay with the Dursleys. Harry hoped to have seen him at the hearing but instead it had been Professor McGonagall and Mad-eye Moody who showed up. Harry enlisted the help of Fred and George to see if they could figure out where the three had left to, but the adults at Number 12 Grimmauld Place were unusually tight-lipped about anything to do with where Dumbledore was.

Living at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix was not half as exciting as Harry would have expected it to be. Mrs. Weasley made sure that they were well out of earshot for any important meetings or goings on and none of the other adults had felt it necessary to inform him of anything other than what he was told on the first day of his arrival.

He was sweeping out Hedwig's cage when Ron entered the room, holding two envelopes.

"Booklists finally came," he said, tossing up to Harry his letter since he was standing on a chair. "It's about time, they're usually a lot earlier in sending these out."

Harry hopped down from the chair, tearing open the envelope in the process. As usual, there were two letters; one was a reminder that the Hogwarts school term starts at the beginning of September, the other listing out the needed school supplies. "There's only two new ones," he said, quickly skimming the list, "The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, by Miranda Goshawk and Defensive Magical Theory, by Wilbert Slinkhard."

There was a sudden Crack as Fred and George apparated next to Harry. He was so used to it that he didn't even flinch.

"We were wondering who assigned the Slinkhard book," Fred said casually.

"Because it means that Dumbledore found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," said George.

"About time," said Fred.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked.

"We overheard our parents talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks back and apparently Dumbledore was having a hard time finding a replacement to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts," Fred told Harry.

"I mean, just look at what's happened to the last four: one dead, one's memory removed, one sacked and one locked in a trunk for nine months," George said.

"Right," Harry muttered. He looked over to Ron, who stood in the same place he had before, his mouth hanging wide open as he stared down at his letter.

Fred, following his gaze, looked over at his younger brother. "What's up with you Ron?" He walked over to him and peered over his shoulder at the letter. After a few seconds, his mouth dropped open too.

"Prefect?" he said, then looked harder. "Prefect?"

George rushed forward and snatched the letter from Ron's hands. Tipping it over, the red and gold prefect badge for Gryffindor slipped out of the envelope onto George's waiting hand.

"There has to have been a mistake," Fred said disbelievingly. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect!"

The twins turned in unison to stare at Harry. "We thought it would be you!" they exclaimed.

"Especially winning the Triwizard Tournament and everything." said Fred.

"Probably all of the crazy stuff counted against him." observed George.

"Yep! You've caused too much trouble mate," Fred said, "at least one of you has their priorities right." He strode over and clapped Harry on the back, glaring at Ron. "Prefect. Ickle Ronniekins is a Prefect. Mom is going to be completely revolting."

George shoved the Prefect badge back into Ron's hands as if it was contaminated.

Ron, who still hadn't said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment before handing it to Harry as if he could prove that it was actually real. Harry reached out and took it from Ron. A large letter P was stamped on the middle in front of the Gryffindor lion, just like the badge Percy had worn on Harry's first day of Hogwarts.

At that moment the door slammed open revealing Hermoine carrying a matching badge. She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and said "I knew it! I knew you would be Prefect! There was no way Dumbledore wouldn't make you Prefect."

Harry heard Fred and George's snickers and hastily shoved the badge back into Ron's hands. "It's not mine, it's Ron's" he muttered.

Hermoine adopted a very confused expression, "Oh. But..."

Thankfully for Hermoine, a huge crash downstairs prevented her from an awkward confrontation with Ron. Sirius' mother could be heard clearly shrieking "Get this filthy half-blood out of my house! You do not deserve the honorable name of the Black household! How dare my own flesh and blood bring this creature here!"

Harry glanced at Ron and Hermoine before rushing out of the room. There was only one person who could incite a reaction out of the portrait like that. Sirius. Harry almost felt giddy with relief that his godfather was back from Merlin knows where. He could share the good news with him about his hearing and everything would be alright. He could already hear his voice by the time he reached the top of the stairs. "Blasted woman! Will you shut up for once! I swear, one of these days I will find a way to unstick you from that wall and finally be done with you!" Harry watched from his point halfway down the stairs as Sirius yanked the curtains close.

Sirius turned and gave a sheepish look to the people standing next to him. Judging by the bright pink hair, the person to his right was Tonks, who seemed to be disentangling herself from the coat rack. The man to Sirius' right was not Dumbledore however. He was laughing at Tonks as she finally removed the last coat from on top of her and stood up, giving the boy a rueful grin. It was hard to tell since he was facing away from her, but he looked to be not much older that Harry himself. He hard hair as dark as Sirius, and it looked as if he hadn't combed it in a few days. He was tall as well, almost two meters with a golden bronze tan. Harry thought he looked fairly built, at least from what he could see through the baggy muggle clothes.

"Wow," the boy said with an American accent, crossing his arms as he looked at the closed curtain, "so that's your mom. She seems-"

"Dreadful? Awful? Horrible?" Sirius supplied.

"I was going to say quite pleasant. It's a shame I never got to meet her in person. I bet she would be really proud to be related to me," the boy replied, and even though he was facing away, Harry could hear the grin in his voice.

"Careful Sirius," Tonks said, grinning as well, "if you don't watch it he'll become just as sarcastic as you!"

"Just as? Cousin, I was born sarcastic. You can't learn skills such as these," the American boy huffed.

Tonks looked like she was about to reply when she caught sight of Harry from his place on the stairwell. "Wotcher, Harry! It's been awhile!" she said, raising a hand in greeting.

"Hello," he grunted. Something about how comfortable the new boy was with Sirius and Tonks irked Harry. It was his godfather yet the boy acted as though they were best friends. Was the boy the whole reason for the mission? What was so important about him that Dumbledore missed Harry's hearing and risked Sirius being caught by the Ministry of Magic? The thought made Harry's blood boil. First Dumbledore ignores him all summer and leaves him with the Dursleys, then risks his godfather's life on an American boy, misses Harry's trial and finally gives Ron the Prefect badge instead of him! It was him, not anyone else, who destroyed Voldemort in his first year at Hogwarts. It was him who defeated the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry even won the Triwizard Tournament and dueled Voldemort in the graveyard!

Sirius and the boy spun around. "Harry!" He exclaimed, beckoning Harry down from his perch above them. When he reached the bottom, his godfather clapped him on the back and said, "It's good to see you! I heard the good news concerning your hearing. Good job showing them up! You must be excited about heading back to Hogwarts."

"Hey! Getting expelled isn't that bad!" the American boy said indignantly.

Tonks laughed. "Only you would say that Percy."

Before Harry could make sense of everything, a thundering sound came from above them, moving to the stairs where it revealed Hermoine and all of the Weasleys in the house. Fred and George led the charge down the stairs as they all rushed to meet the newcomers. Harry looked back at the American boy. His earlier prediction seemed about right-the boy looked no older than sixteen, and had startling green eyes that observed everything going on with a hint of amusement.

Mrs. Weasley pushed past her children to the front of the herd. "So you finally made it back. Lucky you weren't caught by the Ministry Sirius! I still cannot believe that Dumbledore thought it was a good idea to bring you along," she said with a look that bordered between relief and reproach. Harry couldn't help but selfishly agree. She then turned to Tonks, "It is good to have you back dear. I know Kingsley said you were sorely missed these past few days. I would check in with him soon because I know he had an update about something he knew you were looking into." She gave a sideways glace to all of the children before directing her attention to the American. "And you must be Sirius' nephew. My, you look younger than Dumbledore portrayed you to be. Why don't we all get settled in the kitchen. You all must be famished from travelling all that way.

She walked towards the kitchen, gesturing for him to follow. Harry watched the boy glance over at Sirius nervously. His godfather chuckled and patted him on the back reassuringly. He returned a rueful smile before leading the rest of the group into the kitchen.

Once everybody was settled around the table, Mrs. Weasley started asking the American some questions. "So what is your name dear?" She set a cup of tea and some of the leftover food from lunch in front of him.

"It's Percy, m'am. And you must be Mrs. Weasley," At the questioning looks given to him the boy, Percy, added with a blush on his cheeks, "Sirius was trying to catch me up to date on everything on our way here." He picked up the tea in front of him and sniffed it before placing it back on the table.

Mrs. Weasley's face faltered at his name. No doubt she was thinking about her son Percy Weasley. She cleared her throat before giving the American Percy a smile. "Well, it's lovely to meet you. Has Dumbledore told you what he has planned for you to do this year?"

Percy hand drifted down to his pocket, no doubt where he was keeping his wand. "Um, yes Mrs. Weasley. He offered me a place at Hogwarts as a fifth year as well as giving me a crash course on the magical world." Crash course? Why would the boy need a crash course Harry thought.

So Percy, I know all of this must seem quite strange-"

"Don't worry about that m'am, I've seen much weirder," Percy replied, chuckling darkly. "So I know now that you're Mrs. Weasley, but what about the rest of you? I thought that the Order would be more adults."

Harry glanced at Sirius. Had his godfather told the boy everything? Even if the boy was his nephew (which Harry still didn't understand how that was possible) that didn't necessarily mean he was trustworthy. A lot of the Black family had been caught up with Voldemort. Who was to say that this boy wasn't as well?

Mrs. Weasley seemed slightly put off by the American Percy's change of conversation, but managed to quickly compose herself. "Ah, yes. These are my children, Fred and George," the twins raised their hands in mock salute, "Ginny," a blush crept on her cheeks as the boy's attention changed to her, something that made Harry oddly irritated. "Ron," Harry's best friend managed a grunt in the American Percy's direction, and Harry noticed that he was still holding his Perfect badge tightly in his hand. Mrs. Weasley continued after a sharp glance in her son's direction. "The last two are not actually my children but close family friends. They will be in your year at Hogwarts, as well as my son Ron. They are Hermoine Granger and Harry Potter." As soon as she said his name, Percy's attention focused in on Harry. Harry tried his hardest not to squirm in his seat as the American's eyed bored into his own. Unlike most of his first encounters with people where people look at him with awe or fear, Percy couldn't seem to care less about Harry's feats. Something in his eyes told Harry that this boy from across the Atlantic was not all he seemed.

Thankfully the boy looked away when Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat. "As for the Order of the Phoenix, you can introduce yourself if you would like tonight before our meeting, although I have to say, no children are allowed at the meeting-"

"What do you mean 'no children'?" Percy asked, sitting up in his chair.

"The Order is for adults only," when it looked like Fred was going to protest, Mrs. Weasley cut him off, "You children are too young! You should try to retain your innocence for as long as possible."

Percy mumbled something under his breath that Harry couldn't quite catch. Sirius shot his nephew a look before patting him on the shoulder in sympathy. Jealousy boiled under Harry's skin. It should be him that Sirius comforts, not the boy that everyone had just met! Again, the question that surfaced in Harry's mind was what is so important about this boy?

"Actually, Dumbledore brought him over to be a part of the Order, Molly," Tonks interrupted. "His mom has given him permission to join and left his guardianship while he's out of the country to Sirius and myself." She shot the boy a grin that he easily returned.

"But," Mrs. Weasley stated, at a loss for words.

"Yeah, sorry about that Mrs. Weasley, I don't want to make you uncomfortable when I just arrived, but I have to be a part of the Order of the Phoenix," Percy said, an apologetic smile on his face. "Besides, don't worry about me, I'll be at the Hogwarts school all year, just like your kids."

Mrs. Weasley still didn't look pleased, but looking at Sirius and Tonks' determined expressions, she knew she couldn't say no. "Alright then, but know that the Order is dangerous for someone as young as you."

Harry couldn't tell what exactly it meant, but Percy's expression was an unpleasant one. "I'll be fine m'am." Percy's voice clearly conveyed the finality about his choice, and that he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Why don't you tell us how your trip here went? I hope you didn't run into anything unpleasant," Mrs. Weasley said, changing the conversation.

Sirius and Percy burst out laughing, leaving the rest of the table confused and Tonks fuming. "Unless you count a freezing Tonks in Greenland unpleasant, then no," Sirius said, still chuckling.

"That was not funny," grumbled Tonks, crossing her arms like a little kid. When it looked like Sirius was going to elaborate, Tonks slapped a hand over his mouth. "Don't you dare say another word about it if you value your freedom," she hissed.

Sirius held up his hands in surrender, and sure enough when Tonks removed her hand he didn't utter a word about what happened in Greenland.

"Wait, why were you in Greenland?" Hermione asked, curiosity burning in her eyes.

"Portkey malfunction," Tonks replied, "And everyone wonders why I prefer to travel by broom."

"Well, now that all of that is settled, Ron dear, why don't you and Harry show Percy up to your room?" Mrs. Weasley's voice cracked a bit on the American's name. "He'll be sharing it with you until it's time to leave for Hogwarts. I am just going to go over some things with Sirius and Tonks before the meeting tonight." It must have been clear to everyone the clear dismissal in her voice, because when he and Ron led Percy out of the room, Fred, George, Hermoine and Ginny all followed them.

When they reached the stairs, Percy bent down to pick up a trunk that Harry had not seen before. Harry was about to step in and help when the American almost effortlessly lifted it onto his shoulder and gestured to the rest of them to 'lead the way'.

Once everyone reached the room that Percy would now be sharing with him and Ron, everyone looked to Percy, waiting for him to say something. Whether or not he noticed the attention, Percy calmly placed his trunk at the foot of the only empty bed before carefully observing the room. The silence soon became awkward, and it was only a matter of time before one of the twins did something crazy to break it, when Percy finally spoke. "So we head to Hogwarts tomorrow?" he asked, looking at Harry.

Percy's eyes seemed yet again to bore right into him, making Harry extremely uncomfortable. "Er, yeah," he replied, trying not to stutter under his gaze.

Before he could continue, Hermione jumped in. "So Percy, did Dumbledore explain everything about Hogwarts to you? I know the magical schools in America must be completely different-I mean, I only guess from what I have read about them in books. Did Dumbledore tell you about the Houses? I wonder if he will make you get sorted along with all the first years or just let you choose. Or maybe he'll have you get sorted in private. Maybe you will be in Gryffindor with us, I know that a lot of the Order came from our house. And why did Dumbledore want you to be a part of the Order? You seem to be a little young for our headmaster to travel all the way to America just to bring you here."

Harry felt sorry for Percy as Hermione continued to ask him question after question without giving him a chance to respond. The American's expression became more and more confused until Harry finally decided to step in. "Hermione, give him a chance to answer," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She blushed a tomato red before looking at the boy who her questions had been directed towards. "Uh," the boy started, not seeming to know what question he should answer first, "I actually didn't know I was a wizard until a couple of days ago when they showed up at my door. I was supposed to be starting my junior year in " His face seemed to be creeping up to match the bright red that Hermione's was. He ran a hand through his black hair but it seemed to do nothing to tame it. The comfortableness Percy had shown around Sirius and Tonks appeared to be completely gone. "Most of the time that I spent with Dumbledore was just learning about magic and how to use it or him explaining what exactly I was to do for the Order of the Phoenix. He didn't explain anything about Hogwarts at all."

Percy hadn't known about the wizarding world until a few days ago? Again, the question that came to the front of Harry's mind was what did Dumbledore want with a boy who hadn't held a wand a week prior? Not to mention insisting that he join the Order of the Phoenix when Harry wasn't even allowed to. What was so important about Percy?

"Oh," Hermione said, her cheeks still stained red, "Well, I'm sure this must all seem pretty weird to you-"

"Like I said to Mrs. Weasley, I've seen much stranger," Percy kindly reassured her, and Ron grunted from his place next to Harry. "But what sorting were you talking about?"

Hermione quickly pounced on the chance to answer the boy's question, "Hogwarts is separated into four houses, based on qualities the person possesses. Hufflepuff for the loyal, Ravenclaw for the smart, Slytherin for the ambitious and Gryffindor for the brave. Usually first years are sorted before the feast the first night, but since you are joining the school as a fifth year I'm not sure what Dumbledore will have you do. If you don't mind my asking, how are you Sirius' nephew? I don't remember Regulus having any children."

Percy seemed hesitant to answer the question, running his hand through his hair again. "It's actually through my mom that I'm related to Sirius. She was his older sister but when their parents found out she was a Squib, they removed her memories of the wizarding world and gave her up to a mor- muggle family. Apparently there was confusion between whether or not I should attend school here because of my family heritage or there because I live in America so I ended up going to neither until Dumbledore came to my apartment a couple of days ago."

"Your mom is a Squib?" Hermione asked. "Is your father a wizard then? It's rare for magic to just skip a generation like that."

Percy's face immediately closed off when Hermione mentioned his father. "I've never met my father," Percy responded, his voice low and flat.

Harry had to stop himself from taking a couple of steps back from the boy. It was very clear from his tone that his father was not a topic to be discussed. It seemed everyone else was just as uncomfortable as Harry because Ron mumbled something about showing his mother his badge before almost running out of the room.

Another awkward silence settled around the room, and Harry desperately searched for something to say to ease the tension. He almost thanked Percy when the boy sat down at the foot of his bed and asked, "So you guys are all in Gryffindor? Do I have to ride a griffin or something to prove my bravery?"

Fred and George sniggered and even Ginny hid her chuckle behind a cough. Harry was about to answer when a knock on the door revealed Sirius.

Percy quickly stood up and made his way over to his uncle's side. Any tension that Percy showed before seemed to relax in Sirius' presence.

"So Percy," Sirius said, leaning against the doorframe, "I thought I might give you a tour of the house before the Order of the Phoenix arrives. Show you all the awful gifts my mothers left behind in this godforsaken place. I'll even let you meet Buckbeak."

"Buckbeak?"

"You'll see," Sirius said, leading Percy out of the room. Sirius gave Harry a wink as he exited the room, closing the door behind them, leaving Harry even more confused than he had been in the first place. And not for the first time that day, Harry wondered, what made Percy so important?

Finished! I was originally going have this chapter go until the end of the Order of the Phoenix meeting, but it was already longer than the other chapters and I think I want Percy to narrate the meeting. I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as I can and as soon as my brain stops ramming itself again a brick wall of procrastination. Hope you enjoyed