Twiddling his thumbs wearily, he rifted through a pile of paperwork accredited towards the oncoming half-blood.
The headmaster skimmed his eyes hungrily across the student form. Nico di Angelo, he mused before resuming his search. The headmaster's dilemma was, however, interrupted as an unseen force drifted through the air duct and into the headmaster's office.
The force hummed with power as it made its way across the room and straight in front of the elderly Albus.
"Now, what in the blazes!..." was out of Dumbledore's mouth as the force formed the shape of a man, handsome but cruel, merciless though kind, to stare darkly at Albus.
"Hello, Blessed of Hecate," the newly formed umbramancer growled as he smirked, unmoving at the pale wisp of a man.
"Hades!" The headmaster cried, before slumping to the floor, unconscious.
"Answer me!" Nico opened an eye lazily and wasn't shocked to find the sensible people in the compartment staring at him, though the bespectacled boy's expression held only vague signs of fear, in which doubt and anger seemed to take its place. His wand, still leveled directly at Nico's chest, was wavering, as if the kid's arm was trembling.
Sighing, Nico sat up quicker than anybody present would have thought possible. The ginger boy had stopped cowering under the table and had taken up the role of 'interrogating' Nico, who noticed this with a smirk on his face.
"Now, then! E-explain yourself!" Raising an eyebrow quirkily, Nico rose, rested his elbows on the compartment table, (which darn near gave the redheaded girl nearest him a fear-induced heart attack) and chuckled mirthlessly.
"Explain... what?" Nico squinted, but he was hiding a smile.
The ginger boy seemed lost for a moment, and Scar-face took up the 'interrogation'.
"I-if you're here from Malfoy, tell 'im to bugger off!" He attempted to look confident, and almost succeeded, but that was until Nico gave him a terrifying glare that was bested only by Hades, under which he shrank.
The blonde-headed girl with the dreamy, out-of-focus eyes seemed to notice the dilemma for the first time.
"Who is this?" Nico was surprised to notice that her voice was not interwoven with fear, as with the others. Hers was a dreary calm, and it didn't bother Nico, but it came darn close.
Before Scarface or Ginger could reply, Nico spoke. "Nico. di Angelo. What's it to you?"
The redheaded girl seemed to be on the verge of replying with what British might call a "witty comment" when blondie shook her head towards her and stared at her upside-down magazine.
"Well, Nico... uh... you a student here?" Bushy-hair changed the subject, and Nico turned to her. No use in lying, after all, and accepting his "mission" was for the best. In his years, he had learned that this was truly a better strategy.
Nico nodded slowly, and replied with, "Well, an exchange student from America, but I suppose." Bushy-hair seemed to be hellbent on filling his night with questions, but Ginger boy spoke up, glaring at Nico, though slightly less intense.
"Hold it, 'Mione. This guy could be a phoney." He turned to Nico, and he had the strong urge to laugh, which he resisted. Barely.
"A... a what, a phoney? What'd make you think that?" Nico turned, unexpressionless, towards the boy, whose eye twitched.
"Maybe 'cause you just illegally Apparated off of school grounds!" Nico raised a questioning eyebrow. Apparating. There was that word, again.
"Not to mention that wicked shadow stuff!" Scar-face broke in, his wand now at his knee.
"Don't worry about it." Nico snapped his fingers, and, manipulating the Mist, he spoke. "I never appeared randomly. What you saw was your imagination. I've been next to you the whole time." He snapped his fingers again, and the other residents of the compartment slumped down into their seats.
He picked up his leather sheath and his belongings from the ground. As he pulled open the compartment door, he thought better of it.
I could go for some sleep, he thought.
He closed the door back, and envisioned a dark, secluded corner of the train. With a running start, he shadow travelled...
But, not successfully.
