This story takes place after The Lightning Thief and during The Chamber of Secrets moving the Harry Potter timeline forward 14 years just because it's convenient and any complex time travel or portals would not work with this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter. Done for fun.
Chapter 1 – The Girl Who Lived
Albus Dumbledore sat among the whirling and ticking instruments in his office. He stared at two very brief yet concerning letters on his desk, deep in thought. The first of the perplexing letters read:
June 21
Albus,
I have found information regarding the child I sought. We should meet soon.
L. W. Taylor
After the first letter, Dumbledore had replied, but he had never received a response. When he inquired, he was informed that Lawrence had traveled back to the States, so Dumbledore had patiently waited for further news. After a week, he received a second letter:
June 28
Albus,
We need to meet. Your office tomorrow at 9:00 pm.
L. W. Taylor
Hopefully, Lawrence would explain more once he arrived. A knock on the door interrupted his musings. "Come in," Dumbledore called. An older wizard entered though not nearly as old as Dumbledore himself. His once brown hair was streaked with gray now, but bright intelligence still shown in his brown eyes even if his face was more wrinkled than the last time Dumbledore had seen the wizard. Currently, he looked rather haggard.
"Please have a seat," Dumbledore referred to the chair in front of the desk. "May I offer you a cockroach cluster?"
The other wizard sank into the seat but refused the candy with a shake of his head and a small smile at Dumbledore's famous love of unconventional sweets.
"It is good to see you, Lawrence," Dumbledore said. "I trust you have been well."
Lawrence shrugged, "For the most part, but this month has been . . . busy."
"I assume this has to do with finding the child?"
"Yes, after all these years, I had assumed it would be impossible, but I am positive that I have found her."
"So it was a girl?" Dumbledore muttered softly,
The other wizard nodded, "Yes, as you know 33 years ago, Elizabeth Smith mysteriously disappeared only for us to find her body in a muggle hospital in Worcester a year later. The muggle reports stated she was found lying on the road by emergency responders to a large fire. She was badly injured and going into labor. The muggles rushed her to a hospital and according to the records both Smith and the baby boy died. That was how the Ministry left it. However, due to the unusual circumstances, you asked me to investigate further, unofficially. Initially, the nurses refused to contradict the report, but eventually one of them admitted that upon birth the baby was switched. Smith's dying wish was for her child to be given to the couple next to her that had just lost their newborn.
"I attempted to locate the couple, but they were American and returned to the States shortly after their baby was born. I did my best to continue the search. Unfortunately, my resources are limited across the pond, and Jackson is an extremely common surname."
"I believe that is how we left things all those years ago," Dumbledore reflected. "We believed the child to be safely hidden somewhere in a muggle community in the States. A place where even Lord Voldemort would not be able to find her."
"I kept an eye out as you suggested," Lawrence continued, "for any unusual, possibly magical activity coming from a muggle Jackson family, but for the past 30 years my sources had found nothing until one of them sent me these newspaper clippings two weeks ago." The younger wizard handed Dumbledore two clippings from a muggle newspaper.
The first one, dated June 9th and titled "Boy and Mother Still Missing After Freak Car Accident," described how a Sally Jackson and her son Percy had seemingly vanished in the Long Island countryside after a rather strange automobile accident. Dumbledore also noted that the stepfather, a Gabriel Ugliano, claimed that the boy was a troubled child and had been kicked out of several schools. Trouble in muggle schools was often a sign of accidental magic in young children. The second newspaper article, "Twelve-Year Old Suspect for Kidnaping, Assault, and Arson," was printed on June 13th. Apparently, Percy Jackson had been sighted in the New Jersey countryside after accosting older women and blowing up a bus. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in surprise, "This clearly is not a simple case of accidental magic. For an untrained child to cause this much damage, he would either have to be unstable or in serious danger."
"I agree," Lawrence stated. "I immediately went to the States to investigate. At this point both Percy, full name Perseus, and Sally were missing though Perseus kept popping up in strange situations all across the country, including an explosion at a national monument." Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at that. Even the Marauders would never have dared to do something so public.
"Looking through the muggle records, I discovered that Sally Jackson's parents had to be the muggles Smith had given her daughter to. Her adopted parents Jim and Estelle Jackson died in a plane crash when she was young, and she was raised by an uncle who later died from a muggle disease. At 18, she had a son named Perseus Jackson with an unknown father. Three years later she married Gabriel Ugliano." He frowned, "A most unpleasant muggle. I went to the Magical Congress, but there was no record of either Sally or Perseus in their magical user registry. I tracked down a few of Sally's childhood friends, but none of them mentioned anything that could possibly be signs of accidental magic which makes me believe that Sally is a squib. The son though is anything but. There seems to be incidents of accidental magic at all six muggle schools he has attended. Despite this obvious evidence of magical ability, Perseus seems to have escaped the notice of the Magical Congress."
Dumbledore sighed, "Strange, but not completely unheard of in the States. Their record keeping is not as organized as our own, so unfortunately magical children in muggle families have slipped through the cracks. It is surprising though that the Magical Congress did not investigate after these events made the muggle newspapers."
Lawrence sighed, "I am not sure that they did not interfere, Albus. After a week of investigating, I returned to England. I tried to find the boy before I left, but there was no trace of him or his mother. I sent you that letter upon my arrival. I intended to explain what I had discovered, but the next day, I received this. I had subscribed to several US newspapers to keep abreast of the situation." Lawarence gave the headmaster a third newspaper clipping:
Innocent Percy Jackson Battles Crazed Kidnapper in Los Angeles - June 21st
Apparently, Percy Jackson and two other children had been kidnapped by a mysterious man who had dragged them across the country. Percy had caused trouble on the bus in a desperate attempt to escape, and the man had even tried to destroy a national monument with the explosion that people had previous attributed to the boy. Finally, in Los Angeles Percy obtained a muggle weapon and fought his captor causing the destruction of many law enforcement automobiles. The captor escaped, but Percy and his friends were safely returned to their families. "I am uncertain which of these stories are more outlandish," Dumbledore mused.
Lawrence shrugged, "I assumed it was a less than stellar cover up by the Magical Congress, so I immediately returned to the States."
Dumbledore interrupted here, "You did not think it important to inform me first?"
Lawrence looked down in embarrassment for a moment but then met the headmaster's gaze, "Forgive me Albus, but I wanted to get all the facts first and not bother you with half completed investigations." Dumbledore nodded in understanding, once a Ravenclaw always a Ravenclaw. The wizard continued his tale, "I went straight to the Magical Congress, but no one seemed to have any idea about the boy or the recent news articles, not even their version of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. It was like everyone including the squib who originally sent me the news clippings had been Confunded. I know it was risky, but I visited the Jackson-Ugliano residence posing as an Interpol officer hunting down the kidnapper. Sally was there, but Perseus is apparently at some summer camp until the end of July. When I questioned her though, she just told me exactly what the latest news article had reported. As for her own disappearance, she claimed she had been searching for her son that whole month and avoiding her husband. I do not believe she was lying, but I also think that she knows more than she said. I did not want to press her and raise her suspicions, so I returned to England again to share my discoveries with you."
"Hmm, most interesting indeed," Dumbledore stated. "You did not try to find the boy?"
"I considered it, but I figured it might be best to wait until he came home either to let him settle down after a traumatic experience or catch him off guard a month after whatever he did."
"And how would you describe the boy's relationship with his family?" asked Dumbledore.
Lawrence shrugged, "His mother loves him very much, and I believe she would do anything for him. She also seemed proud of him for fighting off this kidnapper. The stepfather, on the other hand, is a nasty piece of work. Probably, the worst muggle I've ever interacted with, and he hates the boy. There's something else though, Albus. Sally seemed almost a little afraid of her husband. She would wince at odd times. I think . . . I think he might be abusive."
Dumbledore frowned, and for a moment his eyes momentarily lost their normal twinkle. Instead, they gleamed with fury. "Very well, I'll send someone to watch over Sally to make sure she remains safe. Once the boy returns, I will visit them, myself." The anger in Dumbledore's eyes faded as the old wizard smiled, "I cannot thank you enough for your devotion to this project Lawrence."
The other wizard chuckled, "Of course, Albus, though when I accepted the assignment, I did not think it would take over thirty years to complete." The laughter quickly died though as Lawrence looked at the headmaster. "Albus, do you really believe Sally Jackson is the daughter of You-Know-Who?"
"All of the evidence suggests that she is," Dumbledore stated wearily. "We later discovered that the house that was burnt down was a Death Eater base. I suppose there is a chance that her father is one of Voldemort's supporters, but frankly, there was no other reason for Voldemort to abduct Elizabeth. Back then, he had not come out in the open yet. If it was a political move, Voldemort would have picked a far more wealthy and influential family than the Smiths. No, I believe he took Elizabeth for something else. Voldemort had a twisted obsession with the Hogwarts founders and immortality. I believe he discovered that the Smiths were allegedly descendants of Helga Hufflepuff, and for whatever reason, probably one he later considered as a moment of weakness, Voldemort attempted to become immortalized through an offspring descendant from the Hogwarts founders. I am sure Hufflepuff was not his first choice, but there are very few families with as strong of a claim to a founder's lineage. It is terrible to consider what poor Elizabeth must have endured while she was captured."
Lawrence also grimaced at the thought, "How do you suppose she managed to escape? I remember from my days as a student that while gifted, Elizabeth did not have nearly the power to overthrow You-Know-Who?"
A small smile appeared on the headmaster's face, "If I remember correctly, Voldemort was out of the country then. While I am certain Elizabeth was well guarded by Death Eaters, I believe she made a desperate attempt when she knew the baby was coming. A mother's love for her child is a very special and powerful magic of its own. Something Voldemort seemed to underestimate. Nevertheless, during her escape, I believe Elizabeth exhausted her own magic and unconsciously tapped into the magic of her unborn child. This seems likely to have permanently damaged her child's ability to perform magic which is why Sally Jackson appears to be a squib though she clearly was able to pass the magic onto her son."
Lawrence hesitated for a second and looked down at his hands before returning his gaze to the older wizard "What will become of Sally and her son, Albus? I know it's likely that whatever happened between June 9th and 21st is because someone, either a former ally or enemy of You-Know-Who, discovered them. Plus, someone else, someone very powerful must have covered it up."
For once Dumbledore looked his age. "Yes, that is the most likely explanation for these strange events. The whole scenario is too bizarre to not include magic. However, in my experience the media is never completely accurate, so I suppose there is a chance that what truly occurred is not as outlandish as it currently seems."
"Will you bring the boy to Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore sighed, "If I am able to, I think it would be best. As a young wizard, Perseus has every right to a magical education no matter who his grandfather was. Additionally, I would be able to offer him protection which he clearly needs and keep an eye on him as he becomes a man."
"You mean make sure he doesn't follow in his grandfather's footsteps."
"I first met Voldemort when he was younger than Perseus," Dumbledore admitted. "The signs were there, but I chose to ignore them and convinced myself that they were not important. I will not make the same mistake again. That is why I will meet the boy before I offer him a place in this school."
"For what it's worth," Lawrence added, "based on meeting his mother and interviewing the neighbors, Perseus seems like a good boy whom bad things seem to happen to. He helps his elderly neighbor carry her groceries up the stairs whenever he is home and is apparently the best dog walker in the neighborhood. Somehow, I have a hard time imagining a young You-Know-Who doing that."
Dumbledore smiled, "No, I do not believe Lord Voldemort ever did any of that. Even as a young boy, he inspired fear in those around him, but Perseus will have a fair chance. After all, I believe the monsters of this world are not born, rather they are made."
"I know you will give him a fair chance, Albus," Lawrence muttered, "It's the rest of our community that I'm worried about."
"I agree which is why I think it best if Perseus's heritage remains a secret. It is also necessary for us to flush out who else knew about Voldemort's descendants and what exactly his intentions were. I trust I have your cooperation in this."
The younger wizard considered for a moment and then nodded, "Of course, Albus if you think it's best, I will not tell anyone."
"If Perseus does attend Hogwarts, I will inform the Heads of House, but everyone else must be kept in the dark, at least for now."
"Even the boy and his mother?" Lawrence asked in surprise.
Albus nodded, "Yes, until the boy is ready. A child should not be burdened by the sins of his forefathers."
For a moment the two wizards sat in silence contemplating everything they had discussed that night. Then, Lawrence managed a small smile and said, "You know what bothers me most about this whole investigation? Not knowing who the boy's father is. No one seems to know, and when I asked Sally, she only told me that the father was lost at sea. I wanted to ask more, but the poor woman was on the verge of tears. It just seemed wrong to pry after whatever she had gone through the past month. I can't help but think that the father could be one of us. For Merlin's sake, Albus, the boy's named Perseus, and you know what those old pure-blood families are like when it comes to names."
Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, that is definitely a possibility and also a complication. If the father was indeed a wizard, it offers an alternative explanation for the strange events of this June, particularly knowing the politics of pure-blood families. It is possible that this whole thing is related to this mysterious father, and it may have absolutely nothing to do with Voldemort."
"Well, I hope it has to do with the father then," Lawrence stated. "No matter what craziness the man could have done to cause whatever happened this month, it can't be worse than anything having to do with You-Know-Who."
Dumbledore nodded his head in agreement, though his thoughts had already returned to a far more troubling matter. Voldemort had an heir with magic, and the boy appeared to be quite powerful.
Yes, this is another Percy is the grandson of Voldermort story, but with a bit of a twist. It is inspired by two of my favorite Harry Potter/Percy Jackson crossovers, pheonixroses' "Slytherin's Heir" and The rational kiwi's "Unexpected Relations: Convergence." These were some of the first fanfics I ever read, but unfortunately, they haven't been updated in years.
Warning updates will be slow since most of my free time will go to my firstborn, "The Father," a Percy Jackson/Star Wars crossover.