I'm so mad at myself for not getting on with this sooner. If anyone's still out there and still interested, here is the sequel to "Nico di Angelo and the Philosopher's Stone"
Thank you Snowflake 13300, you made me realise just how much i've been dragging my feet!
Some dialogue between Potterverse characters are quoted from the book
I don't own anything recognizable
Nico di Angelo and the Chamber of Secrets
Nico had stopped for the night at a run-down inn and was trying not to think just how much warmer and more comfortable he would be curled up in a bed at Camp, or Hogwarts, or even the Underworld. He'd been travelling for weeks and had finally reached the edge of a vast and mostly unexplored forest in the heart of Albania. The shades of some recently deceased locals had spoken of an evil that resided in the woods, and for some reason, Hades had thought it was worth investigating.
Scowling, Nico contemplated his meal (it was supposed to be some sort of soup - but it looked more like water with bits floating in it). Across the dark eating area, optimistically labelled the "restaurant", a skeletal looking man with a strange feral glint in his eyes was studying him. With the hairs on the back of his neck prickling, Nico stood up, leaving some coins on the table. As he left, he noticed the man standing over the place where he'd previously been sitting, taking long deep breaths like he was inhaling some delicious scent.
Nico's room was at the end of the hallway, the only two other guests were three rooms along, by the stairs. On a spur of the moment decision, Nico unscrewed the light bulb from one of the lamps in his room, smashed it in his jacket and sprinkled the broken glass in front of his door.
That night, he lay awake unable to sleep. The moon shone through the gap in the curtains, almost blinding him with it's light. He was just drifting off when he heard the unmistakeable crunch of shoes on broken glass. He tensed on the bed, eyes trained on the door, hand gripping his sword. After a few minutes, the entity the other side of the door moved away, but Nico stayed tense, heart racing. He didn't relax until the first rays of dawn could be seen on the horizon.
Two nights later, Nico was sprinting through the unknown forest, the full moon gleamed brightly, illuminating the dense undergrowth, throwing shadows across Nico's path. He could hear the werewolves gaining on him. It was just his luck to have chosen to stay at an inn run by Lycanthropes.
He had been close to where the stories pointed, so very close...
Shadow travelling now would mean giving up. He couldn't go anywhere within a fifty mile radius, and even that would be risky. The wolves would find him.
Nico stumbled into a clearing and cursed. The wolves worked well as a pack. In his panic, he hadn't noticed that they had been hearding him. Now he was trapped, where there were no shadows, surrounded by a pack of very angry looking werewolves.
He stood stock still and turned back to the leader - the skeletal man who had stalked him at the inn.
He raised his sword in challenge, hoping that by threatening the Alpha, he would get the chance to duel one on one instead of being leapt upon and eaten.The Alpha growled baring his teeth, hackles raised. The two opponents circled, Nico still wondering how to get to a shadow before the surrounding wolves tore him to shreds. The wolf lunged suddenly and Nico dodged, swinging his weapon, shoving the beast away before teeth or claws could reach skin. These steps were repeated, with the occasional lunge from Nico. But he couldn't seem to get the right angle to inflict serious damage.
Nico was running out of options, his wrist was sprained and the wolves were getting restless. As if sensing weakness, his opponent lept at him. It was a higher jump than all the others, and Nico didn't quite raise his sword in time. The werewolf shoved him to the ground and snapped at Nico's neck. The Stygian iron blade was the only thing keeping the lycan from ripping Nico's throat out.
The demigod grinned, his feint had worked, and smirked at the Alpha's howl of rage as his prey melted into his shadow and disappeared.
Nico stared at the entrance to the long cobblestone street in wonderment. It was crammed with witches and wizards all pushing to get into the various shops and stores. He would soon return to Hogwarts to start his second year, and he was anxious to continue his search for horcruxes. This time he'd had a bit more than an hour's forewarning, so he spent a few days trawling through the alley choosing his new material and keeping an eye out for his friends. Last year he had found everything he needed in his suitcase, but it seemed that he had to do things the traditional way this time. He'd managed to persuade the Lord of the Dead to open an account for him at Gringotts. He was actually quite surprised when his father agreed. Hades was God of Wealth amongst other things, but that only made him all the more reluctant to part with money.
He'd bought most of what he needed and knew from the school booklist that the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was going to be a joke. Gilderoy Lockhart... Well if that man had really done all the things he said, Nico was a hellhound. Whoever this person was, they had to be more stupid than Geyron at the Triple G ranch. (Skin cancer was up threefold in Manhattan since Apollo found out - unfortunately he couldn't have his revenge as the cowherd hadn't reformed yet, so the Sun god was taking it out on everyone else.)
There were a still few issues he needed to address before he went back to Hogwarts, like a rainbow summoning charm or a spell that translated texts into Ancient Greek. He was still mystified at how he'd survived the year with his dyslexia and ADHD causing trouble all the time. Still, his new timetable was lot more forgiving than it had been last year, so he might be able to sneak off to this Hogsmead or whatever it was called and meet up with Percy or Thalia. He knew better than to get his hopes up. Percy was at school in New York, (although Nico was surprised he'd managed to keep his place at Goode so long) and Thalia had her lieutenant's duties.
His father had worked him hard over the summer. He could still faintly smell the brimstone from the fields of punishment on his clothes. He'd also travelled to Albania in search of Riddle, for all the good it did him. he shuddered as he remembered yet again just how close those serrated canines had come to piercing his neck.
Nico wandered down one of the more...shadier streets, passing a peeling and crooked sign that read Knockturn Alley. The Son of Hades barely noticed the change of scenery, too deep into his internal musings. He was jolted back into awareness when he heard an all too familiar voice up ahead, accompanied by the unmistakable wrench in his gut that signaled a nearby horcrux.
"Father, you promised me a racing broom." Draco obviously hadn't changed much over the summer. Nico was however, curious to see the boy's father. As he had learnt from the second Titan War, a person's family was a strong influence on their character. Of course that didn't excuse Draco's obnoxiousness, just explain it.
"Later, Draco, for now we have an appointment to keep with Mister Borgin." Mr. Malfoy's voice was an impatient drawl. Nico spied a man with long bleach blond hair motioning towards a shabby looking shop. Inside, he thought he saw a movement by a large black cabinet. He couldn't be certain; the windows were so filthy. Nico could feel the horcrux nearby, but he couldn't just barge into the shop with Malfoy there. He watched as Draco looked at the various objects on display while his father haggled over something with the store owner. Draco was scowling about something. Nico felt it was a pity he wasn't in the store so he could find out what had gotten Draco's toga in a twist. He waited in the shadows as the two exited. Draco really did look like his father. Same hair, same face, same sneer. Nico felt the wrongness shift as the horcrux was moved. One of the Malfoys had it. His bet was on Mr. Malfoy, and Nico was about to follow when Harry stumbled out of the shop. He was covered in filth and his glasses were cracked.
"Harry!" His friend spun around and almost shoved his wand up Nico's nose.
"Nico! Don't startle me like that!" Harry looked relieved and lowered his weapon. Nico chuckled, before looking at Harry's attire questioningly.
"Floo Powder" Harry said sheepishly. Nico raised an eyebrow. But before he could ask what this Floo Powder was they were interrupted.
"HARRY, NICO, What d'yer think yer doin' down there?"
Hagrid loomed above them. A quick glance around showed them that they'd amassed some unwanted attention, but the curious onlookers shrank back into the shadows when faced with Hagrid's giant form.
"I was lost...Floo Powder..." Hagrid grabbed them both by the collar and dragged them away before Harry could continue.
"Yer a mess!" Hagrid growled, releasing Nico to brush Harry down, much to the demigod's amusement. "Skulking around Knockturn Alley, I dunno – dodgy place – don' want no one ter see yer down there – "
"I realised that!" Harry interrupted, ducking as Hagrid made another attempt to brush him down. "I told you I was lost – what were you two doing down there anyway?" He asked suddenly.
"I was buyin' flesh eatin' slug repellent. They're ruining the school cabbages." Hagrid explained gruffly. Nico was about to ask why flesh eating slugs would ruin Hagrid's vegetables, when he noticed Harry looking at him meaningfully.
"I wasn't looking where I was going and sorta..." Nico shrugged. He didn't have a valid excuse. It was entirely possible that the only reason he'd got so far through Knockturn Alley without hindrance was the natural eau-de-death that he constantly reeked of. Harry didn't seem to buy it, but didn't question him further.
"Yer not on yer own?" Hagrid asked them both, frowning.
"I'm staying with the Weasleys but we got separated. I've got to go find them..."
"We've got to find them." Nico corrected "I was going to meet up with you lot before we took the train." He spoke hurriedly, trying to avoid more awkward questions.
"How come you never wrote back ter me?" Hagrid asked Harry. Harry began to explain about his summer. Nico was mildly interested about Dobby and Harry's relatives. He wasn't quite sure how his father would react to him dumping cake on Persephone, but he resolved to never find out. He felt a little guilty that he'd not IM'd Harry during the whole of summer break, but then again, Harry'd want to know the spell and how it worked. Nico continued to mull over the pros and cons of telling him the prayer (the Ancient Greek version of course) but the offering of a coin... Would it work for wizard coins? It wasn't normal mortal money, and if Galleons were pure gold then perhaps they would work... The entire point would be moot if Harry didn't have money. From what Nico'd heard, his aunt and uncle weren't likely to lend him any. So, IM-ing was out, for now, and he couldn't use owls – because animals generally avoided him – and Hermes would likely let slip that he was returning to Hogwarts, of which Zeus was currently ignorant.
It struck him suddenly how absurd his situation was. It was as if he were stuck between two worlds, and in a way, he had become two people. There was the battle-hardened-warrior Nico who had fought in the 2nd Titan war, and the (supposedly) twelve-year-old Nico, wizard-in-training. Was this how Persephone felt when spring and autumn came? Did she yearn for the warmth of the sun during the winter months only to find that she missed the world below when she ascended in spring? Did she feel like she was being torn in two when she couldn't
"Ruddy Muggles, If I'd've known..." Hagrid stormed, abruptly bringing Nico out of his sudden identity crisis.
"Harry, Nico, over here!"
Hermione ran to greet them. "What happened to your glasses? Oh it's wonderful to see the three of you again...Are you coming to Gringotts?" She looked at them both expectantly.
"As soon as I've found the Weasleys" Harry replied. Nico just shrugged. He didn't need to per say, but he wanted to tag along anyway.
"Yer wont have long ter wait." Hagrid stated. Sure enough Mr. Weasley, Ron and three other red heads were pushing their way through the crowd, relief evident on each of their faces. From what Nico could remember, these were Ron's older brothers. They hadn't been introduced, but they had stood beside Mrs Weasley on the platform at the end of last year.
"Harry," Mr Weasley panted. "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far... Molly's frantic, she's coming now."
"Where did you come out?" asked Ron curiously.
"Knockturn Alley" Hagrid answered before either Nico or Harry could reply.
"Brilliant!" exclaimed two boys simultaneously. They were obviously twins, and Nico was forcibly reminded of the Stoll brothers from the way their eyes hinted mischief.
"We've never been allowed in " Ron griped.
"I should ruddy well think not!" Hagrid growled.
By now, Mrs Weasley had caught up, with a small ginger girl clinging to her hand. Nico guessed that this was Ginny, Ron's little sister.
"Oh, Harry – oh, my dear – you could have been anywhere...And Nico too! Poor child, you're far too thin..." Nico grimaced. She was reminding him of Demeter. It wasn't his fault he had such a skinny frame. And contrary to popular belief, he could eat the fruits of the Underworld without fear. He was a Son of Hades, and if that meant he couldn't eat in his father's house then he would have starved to death long ago. Molly Weasley brushed more soot off of Harry's robes, scolding them both for going into such a dangerous place, while her husband fixed Harry's glasses.
"Guess who I saw at Borgin and Burkes?" asked Harry as they entered Gringotts "Malfoy and his father"
"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" Mr Weasley asked. Nico snorted quietly. Ridiculous names obviously ran in the family for the Malfoys.
"No, he was selling"
"So he's worried" Ron's dad seemed very pleased by this information. "Oh I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something..."
"You be careful, Arthur, that family's trouble, don't go biting off more than you can chew." Molly warned her husband sharply.
"So you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" asked Mr Weasley, but before Molly could reply, he was distracted by Hermione's parents, who were waiting nervously for Hermione to help them with their transactions.
"But you're Muggles!" Arthur Weasley exclaimed, excitement clear in his voice. "We must have a drink! What's that you got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed at the notes that Hermione's dad held in his hand. Nico couldn't believe that wizards could live in such ignorance of their peers. How could the wizarding community be so cut off? They didn't even have the excuse of being half god. Sure, some of the more powerful demigods were year long campers and didn't see much of the outside world, but they still knew the basics. What were they to do if a quest came up, but didn't know how to pay the train fare?
"Meet you back here" Ron told Hermione and Nico as Harry and the entire Weasley clan were lead away. Nico milled by the entrance. Hermione was busy helping her parents convert Muggle money into wizard Galleons. Some of the Goblins were eyeing him suspiciously, and Nico was sure that had he been anyone else, they would have asked him to leave. He wasn't sure if the goblins were clear sighted, or if they were classed as monsters, but then they hadn't made any indication that the Mist wasn't working... It was fair to say that Nico got more than a little paranoid when faced with an unknown non-human species.
The Weasleys came back up, Harry looking very miserable. They divided off into groups and Nico stuck with Ron, Harry and Hermione. They trawled through the shops, most of which Nico had already visited, eating ice creams courtesy of Harry. Nico resolved to send Tyson a box of the peanut butter flavour.
His suspicions about the twins were confirmed when they came across both them and their friend Lee Jordan in a joke shop. Nico wondered absently what would happen if the Weasley twins met the Stoll brothers and shuddered; he wasn't quite ready for that type of carnage just yet. They saw Ron's other brother, the prefect Percy, immersed in a very dull looking book. Nico couldn't believe someone so studious and, according to Ron, power-hungry, could share the name of his best friend. Percy Jackson was the complete opposite of this guy.
As they made their way to Florish and Blotts for the rendez-vous, they noticed a large crowd gathering outside the bookstore. Nico had almost forgotten about the book signing that was taking place today. He would now see for himself if this Gilderoy Lockhart was indeed the attention seeking fraud Nico thought he was.
"We actually get to meet him!" Hermione said excitedly. "I mean, he's written almost the entire booklist!"
Nico could hardly believe what Hermione was saying. Had she not read the books? Didn't she see that they were grossly exaggerated and extremely self-glorifying? It hadn't escaped his notice that most of the crowd were witches, so he guessed there was more going on than mere wizarding talent.
A man was pushing through the crowd; he seemed very irritable and was trying to keep a sense of order about the place. When the four friends finally got inside, they were greeted by an enormous queue all the way to the back of the shop, where Lockhart himself sat, quill in hand, signing books. Each grabbing a book as cover, they made their way through the shop to where Mrs. Weasley stood waiting in line.
"Oh there you are, good." Molly looked flustered and kept fiddling with her hair. "We'll be able to see him soon."
Gilderoy was a handsome man. It couldn't be denied. But the image was somewhat ruined by all the photographs of himself waving and winking out of the frames. He seemed to have a lot of charisma and natural charm, but Nico couldn't help but feel that behind the dazzling teeth, lay ...nothing. He tried to imagine the man before him chasing werewolves or standing up to Banshees, but he couldn't. It was like imagining a daughter of Aphrodite doing something other than rearranging her wardrobe.
A man was prancing around making puffs of purple smoke. Leaning in a little, Nico realised that he was actually a photographer. He seemed in a very bad mood.
"Out of the way there" he snarled at Ron as he bumped into him. "This is for the Daily Prophet."
"Big Deal" Ron muttered, but he was unfortunately overheard by Lockhart. The author looked up, he took in Ron and Nico, his eyes not resting long on the Son of Hades. It wasn't really surprising seeing as Nico wasn't hiding his contempt for the man. When his gaze landed on Harry, things began to get interesting.
"It can't be Harry Potter?" The crowd pushed Harry forward and the two were immediately swept into a long photo session with the photographer, much to Harry obvious dismay. Over the applause, Nico heard Lockhart say:
"Nice big smile Harry, together you and I are worth the front page."
Nico had felt he'd had quite enough of this man's arrogance and turned to leave, only to find his way blocked by witches and wizards all pressing to get closer.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Gilderoy announced loudly, and Nico turned around reluctantly. He saw Harry, red as a tomato, clamped tightly to Gilderoy's side while the man waved for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time! When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography – which I shall be happy to present to him now, free of charge..." the crowd applauded loudly, while Gilderoy shook Harry slightly to get an, albeit forced, smile out of him, glasses almost falling off. "That he would shortly be getting much much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his school fellows will, in fact, be getting the real, magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that, this September, I will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
Nico stared. No way. His first year teacher had Voldemort sticking out of his head and his second year teacher was that! What was Dumbledore thinking? The lessons were going to be torture!
Harry meanwhile had given Ginny all the books he'd been presented with, not noticing the greasy blond stalking up behind him.
"Bet you loved that didn't you Potter?" Harry turned, startled. "Famous Harry Potter can't even go to a bookshop without making the front page!"
"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" Ginny defended, she was glaring at Draco, eyes narrowed.
"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Draco crowed. Ginny was now beet red, while Ron and Hermione had joined the scene.
"Oh, it's you, Bet you were surprised to see Harry here, eh?" Ron was looking at Malfoy with the same expression that Percy had used when eying the Aegean stables.
"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop Weasley." Malfoy responded, sneering "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for that lot." Ron flushed and took a threatening step forwards. Nico grabbed him before a fight could break out. He was distracted, Mr. Malfoy was approaching and he had the horcrux somewhere on his person.
"Ron!" Mr Weasley had arrived with the twins. "What are you doing? It's mad in here, let's go outside."
"Well, well, well – Arthur Weasley." Lucius Malfoy put a hand on his son's shoulder and mirrored his sneer perfectly.
"Lucius." Mr Weasley greeted him curtly.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear. All those extra raids, I hope they're paying you overtime." Taunting ran in the family it seemed, as Draco's father held up a Ginny's copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration "Obviously not. Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
Ron's dad was doing well to control his temper from Nico's point of view.
"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy." He replied through clenched teeth.
"Clearly" Lucius replied, his gaze sweeping to Hermione's parents and back. "The company you keep Weasley... and I thought you family could sink no lower-"
Ginny cauldron was knocked on the floor as Mr Weasley launched himself at Draco's father. The two hit a bookshelf sending dozens of heavy tomes on top of them. Poor Molly was trying to stop her husband, while their children were egging him on. The fight was only ended by Hagrid, who waded through the quagmire of spell books to yank the two adversaries apart. Malfoy thrust Ginny's book back at her. Nico's gut wrenched and he tried to move forward. Could Horcruxes be moved from object to object like that? Had Lucius Malfoy cursed Ginny's textbook?
By this time, he'd already left the shop with Draco close behind. Making a split decision, Nico decided to confront him. He needed to know if Malfoy was aware of what he had just done. He would have plenty of opportunity to destroy the horcrux at Hogwarts, away from prying eyes.
He caught up with the duo as they were passing Madame Malkins.
"Mr Malfoy!" Nico yelled, catching their attention. He glared at Draco's father. "What did you do to Ginny's textbook?"
Lucius' eyes widened a little before narrowing. "Nothing, you insolent child, anymore damage and that pathetic excuse for a book would disintegrate."
Mr. Malfoy turned abruptly and ushered Draco into the shop. Nico wasn't fooled by the hateful sneer, Lucius had been rattled by the question, he hadn't expected to be caught so soon, if at all.
How'd I do?
it's been a while, so any reviews especially constructive ones would really make my day.
Is Nico still believable? Is the shadow travel escape getting old?
Unlike last time, i haven't got all the chapters lined up waiting for editing so i'm playing this by ear. (I know fast updates are popular, but if I don't get enough time to edit, the end result could be a complete rewrite of the fic, with all the plot twists already known)
Swiss