Me: Someone pointed out my gramma issue and I want to say sorry for it, I'm not from English speaking country and often I mix times. I'm happy people actually like this story.

THREE OLD LADIES KNITTHE SOCKS OF DEATH

Ron: "Interesting title"

Sirius: "I have bad feeling"

I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr-a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip-had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.

Ginny: "Do you think it's might be some kind of spell?"

Remus: "That would explain thinks"

Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho.

Tonks: "I'm not surprise"

It got so I almost believed them-Mrs. Dodds had never existed. Almost.

Fred: "Let me guess, it's Grover?"

But Grover couldn't fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.

George: "He really need to learn how to lie"

Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum. I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat.

Harry moved his arms. Dreams about Voldemort are bad enough.

The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room.

Molly: "It must scare him so much"

A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.

Ron: "How powerful must be wizard do do things like that?"

Hermione: "A very."

I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.

Harry: "Ohh, poor guy."

Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good

Hermione burst out laughing.

Ron: "What's so funny?"

Hermione: "It's means old drunk"

Remus: "I'm not surprise teacher was mad"

The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy. Fine, I told myself. Just fine.

Hermione: "I just realize it's his 6 school in 6 years"

Fred: "Wow, even we aren't so bad"

I was homesick.

Ron: "I'm not surprise"

I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.

Molly: "I don't like the sound of that"

And yet... there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. I worried how he'd survive next year without me.

Harry really likes how this boy cared about his friend.

I'd miss Latin class, too-Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well. As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.

Remus: "Good decision"

The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room. Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards.

Hermione: "It's basically dyslexia"

Arthur: "That's horrible"

There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.

Fred: "Same"

I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.

George: "The worst feeling ever"

I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson. I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book.

I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried.

Remus: "That's how teacher-student relationship should look like"

I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor. I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "... worried about Percy, sir."

I froze.

Tonks: "Oh hu"

I'm not usually an eavesdropper, but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.

Ron: "Impossible"

I inched closer.

"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too-"

"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."

"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline- "

Sirius: "Deadline?"

Arthur: "Don't sound good"

"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline- "

"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."

"Sir, he saw her... ."

"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."

Ginny: "Mist?"

They shrugged.

"Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."

Ron: "Fail?" He is worried for Grover, he really started liking this guy.

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall-"

The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud

George: "Oh come on guy! I bet he would get caught"

Fred: "Nah uh I believe in him."

Mr. Brunner went silent. My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.

Harry: "Good"

A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.

Hermione: "Why he need bow in school?"

Ron: "If something like Ms. Doods attack me I would walk with bow too"

Harry: "First you would have to know how use it"

I opened the nearest door and slipped inside. A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop..

Hermione suddenly understood who he is.

Hermione: "He's a centaur! That's the sound of hoofs"

Harry: "He has a centaur as a teacher just like us"

Sirius: "That would explain a few things but how he fits in a wheelchair?"

Ginny: "Maybe it's this mist that's they were talking about?"

Remus: "That's possible"

like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on. A bead of sweat trickled down my neck. Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice.

"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn ..."

"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."

"Don't remind me."

Harry: "Same"

The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office. I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever. Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm

Fred: "Ha! Told you."

Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.

"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?"

I didn't answer.

"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Just... tired"

Harry: "I wouldn't be able to sleep next to him after what I heard"

I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed. I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing. But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.

Harry knows that feeling. He remember how people acted when he talked to snake.

The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam,

Harry: "I'm sorry how long exam?" asked horrified

Twins: "This is torture!"

Remus: "Knowing about his 'ailments' it's must more than a torture"

Molly: "Poor boy, he should make a special test for him"

my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside. For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.

"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best." His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear.

Remus: "He don't even wait until they be alone? Come on, you are better than that"

Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.

Tonks: "Oh that explains things, but I still don't like her"

Harry: "What do you mean?"

Tonks: "She has crush on him so she tease him, one of the more annoying type of crush"

I mumbled, "Okay, sir."

"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."

Remus: "And he start losing in my eyes."

Arthur: "I'm sure that wasn't what he meant."

My eyes stung. Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.

"Right," I said, trembling.

"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be-"

Remus and Snape: "Just stop talking."

Arthur: "Yeah, I admit he make things worse."

"Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me."

"Percy-" But I was already gone.

.On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase. The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies

Ron: "That's not always bad"

They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.

Molly: "How nice."

What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.

George: "Does even 12 years olds can work in muggle work?"

Hermione: "I'm not sure. They can sell lemonade or mow lawns but can't get a real job like with a boss."

Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool." They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.

Molly: "That's was rude"

The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city.

George: "I have a bad feelings"

During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"

Sirius: "He must got a heart attack"

Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha-what do you mean?" I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.

Fred: "Bad idea"

Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"

He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..."

"Grover-"

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..."

"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar." His ears turned pink

Ron: "Why don't he just tell him already?"

From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer. The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

Sirius: "Keeper? I would run"

Ginny: "Why would they need a hill for half-bloods?"

"What's Half-"

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address."

My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.

"Okay," I said glumly.

"So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion." He nodded. "Or ... or if you need me."

"Why would I need you?"

Molly: "BOY"

Harry: "Wow"

It came out harsher than I meant it to.

Molly: "At least he realize it"

Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I-I kind of have to protect you."

I stared at him. All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.

Ron: "Don't know what type of mission he has before but I kinda see why he failed"

"Grover," I said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"

There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else. We were on a stretch of country road-no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.

The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of bloodred cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.

Ron: "Why would they make it in a fruit stand?"

I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.

All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.

Sirius: "Don't sound good"

I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.

"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man-"

"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"

"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"

"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors-gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.

Snape: "Does in a muggle greek myths are something about it? Cause it's seems like they are connected to the story."

Harry and Hermione start thinking.

Harry: "I think there are this type of persons in a underground if I remember correctly."

Hermione: "I remember now! Those are 3 fates!"

Snape: "Fates?"

Hermione: "They were responsible for human fate. Basically decide when human die, they end his life by cutting a string- oh my don't say..."

Ron: "He's gonna die?"

Fred: "No! I like this guy!"

Now they are starring worriedly at the book.

"We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."

"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."

"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.

Sirius: "Yeah this time it's gonna be better if he listen to him."

Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for-Sasquatch or Godzilla.

The room was silence.

Harry: "I mean I was also supposed to die, maybe he also gonna live."

Remus: "You are similar so maybe there's hope."

Fred: "Wait, I just realize we're worrying about a guy who don't exist."

Hermione: "That's the magic of books. You attach to their heroes."

Ginny: "Real or not I don't want him to die"

Ron: "Agreed"

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life. The passengers cheered.

"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"

Sirius: "Of course it can't be repaired 5 minutes ago"

Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu. Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.

"Grover?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you not telling me?"

George: "Everything?"

He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve.

"Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"

"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?"

His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds.

He said, "Just tell me what you saw."

"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn."

He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost-older

Sirius: "That's what stress do with people"

He said, "You saw her snip the cord."

"Yeah. So?"

But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

"What last time?"

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."

George: "That's wasn't creepy at all"

"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."

This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could. "Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.

No answer.

"Grover-that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"

He looked at me mournfully, like he was already pick-ing the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.

Ron: "That the end"

Fred: "My turn!"

Molly: "If I know that you actually gonna be interested in muggle books I would buy them. At least you would be reading something."

Arthur: "I could go with boys to muggle word and buy some when we're gonna have time"

George: "If there's gonna be more book like that I would read them… I never thought I would ever say that sentence."