This is Chapter Ten. It will be followed by Chapter Eleven, to be posted some time in the next two weeks, which will conclude this story. Following Chapter Eleven there will be an Epilogue to provide closure on one of the minor plot points. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Previously:

"What in the world do you think you're doing?"

They both looked up at the greasy-haired professor who had his arms folded and was glaring across the hallway at them.

Now:

"Nothing," Nico said quickly, "Actually, we were just leaving."

"Maybe you were," Percy leaned back against the wall. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Percy, don't do this to me," Nico hissed. Percy had his eyes locked on the professor.

"See," he said, levering away from the wall, "I've dealt with a lot of bullies in my time."

"Percy."

"And I don't particularly like them."

"Percy, don't do something stupid. Please don't do something stupid." Nico did not need this, Nico really did not need a confrontation, especially with one of Dumbledore's people.

Snape glared at both of them, "Which one of you would like to explain what you're doing in this corridor at this time of night?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you," Percy said, "This is a free country."

Nico coughed, "This is a magical castle in England." Percy still wouldn't look at him. Nico didn't get why the son of the sea God had so much trouble playing by the rules, just for a while, but Percy wasn't budging.

"Same difference," he said. Sometimes, when Percy was particularly pressured, he would put on an expression like he was the Sea God himself, like he could slaughter titans and defeat Giants and save the world without blinking an eye. All of that was true, Nico knew, but Percy only looked it every once in a while. and when he did, there wasn't any stopping him.

"Since neither of you seem to be in a sharing mood, both of you can serve detention tomorrow in my office at three."

"Um. Tomorrow really isn't going to work for me," Nico glared at Percy. Maybe he could slaughter titans, but he sure as hell couldn't get Nico stuck in this castle when Nico had orders to obey. "but Percy here can serve double."

"I'm afraid that won't do. Tomorrow at three. Both of you." He dried the hallway with a wave of his wand and Percy scowled as he swept away.

"That was not fun," he coughed, "ugh, what was that?" he coughed and spit a little, "there's no moisture, what the hell?"

"Drying spell?"

"That sucked," Percy waved his hand and a surge of water came through the window, splashing over everything. Percy breathed easier. "That's better. Ugh. Are you almost done? I want to go home."

"Is that why you were so eager to kill Dumbledore?"

"Nico, I'll sink the entire castle if it gets me back in America faster."

"You're the one who tamed the hellhound, can't you just whistle or something?"

"I didn't tame the hellhound and you're the one with an entire army of them, can't you whistle?"

Nico sighed, "I have a feeling we're both stuck here until the work is done. So. I need to do some exploratory research, and you need to lay low here. Which means please no more tidal waves in the corridors."

"But I'm bored."

"That's not my fault."

Nico shadow traveled out of there, checking his pathway to the underworld for the fifth time and finding it resolutely blocked. Same as it had been before. Nico got the message, same as it always was when he was on missions like this. He came back with the right souls or he didn't come back.

The Grey Lady was up in a tower near the West end of the castle. It was easier to find her than Nico had expected.

"You've returned?" Her ghostly pale figure was agitated at his reappearance and he knew why. He briefly regretted coming at all. He'd given her hope.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"You can summon me. I wouldn't mind."

Of course she wouldn't mind, Nico thought bitterly, she wouldn't mind anything that might get her out of this purgatory faster. She would take on Voldemort herself if Nico could promise her a ticket out of the limbo she was in. But he couldn't. So he didn't look at her as he spoke.

"I don't mind coming and finding you. You have information I need."

"I gave you all the information I have."

"Riddle. You met him. You knew him. How?"

"I've been in this castle a very long time."

He wished she didn't sound so desperate. Why did the dead always have to sound so desperate?

"You were here and he was here."

"Yes."

"You gave him the tiara?"

"It's a diadem."

"It's a tiara."

"Diadem," she said, "It's a diadem."

He'd forgotten, just for a moment. But when you were dead, the little things mattered. The tiny connections to the mortal world, if they were the only connections you had, those mattered.

"Diadem," he repeated, "I apologize."

"No-I'm sorry. It... it hardly makes a difference, does it?"

"It does," Nico said, "It does make a difference. But that's not why I'm here. How did he get it, if you didn't give it to him?"

Her white cheeks went alabaster. "I... I told him where it was. I'd hidden it, long ago, after I'd stolen it from my mother. Riddle, He had dark magic, extremely dark magic, and he was very persuasive. He went immediately to the forest and took it from its hiding place."

"We have it now."

Her eyes snapped to his hands, his pockets, searching with something not unlike greed. "You have it?"

"Yes. It's tainted now."

She couldn't touch, she couldn't feel, but she was a daughter of Hades and that counted for something, and Nico wasn't letting her near that diadem until it was safely soul-free.

"Can I-?"

"No."

"But-"

"It isn't a good idea," Nico said quietly. "I'm sorry. But I have gone to the underworld."

She drifted up at that, forgetting the diadem entirely. "Did you speak with my mother?"

"Not yet. I did make a few arrangements, though."

"Arrangements?"

"Help me, and we can discuss the rest."

"You're wondering about the others."

"I know six. I need to find the seventh. I need to know what you know about Riddle."

She hesitated. "I know very little of him, other than his ambition and his disregard for anything other than himself. He knew of dark magic lost since the days of the founders."

"The Founders?"

"The original four founders, my mother among them. They built this castle and this school on all kinds of magic, some darker than the rest. They sealed records of many of the spells they used. Riddle had knowledge of some of those spells."

"How?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"You're clever. Guess."

She shook her head, "He would have to be descended from one of the founders. The Ravenclaw line died with me and my uncle Godric was childless—Godric Gryffindor. I know a few of the Hufflepuff line still exist. A child comes through these corridors every generation or so. But my guess would be his blood is Slytherin."

"What does that mean?"

"It could only tell you that his ambition is inherited. Salazar was ambitious. He and my mother were like-minded in that way. But he always went a step farther. He was more competitive, especially with Gryffindor. And he had these disgusting snakes."

"Snakes?"

"Three or four of them, always crawling over him, and everything he did was with those awful snakes. I remember my Uncle Godric would blast them off of the table when they were in a particularly bad argument. Slytherin was a parseltongue and he tried to teach the language to us in the school."

"Parseltongue?"

"He could speak to them—to his snakes. He spoke the language of the snakes. He always hated me—he had a lot of respect for my mother, but he always suspected I was impure because my mother was so secretive about our Lord and Master. He left here—and he took his God-awful snakes with him—when his own son was born. He didn't want his child consorting with me and others of dubious ancestry."

"He actually spoke to snakes?"

"Riddle can do it too. But he is not of Godly stock, if that had you worried. Even the Messenger's children cannot commune with creatures like that."

"I'll keep it in mind."

"A piece of a soul that latches to it's kin will be stronger," she said quickly, "This we know."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean if Riddle were clever-clever at all-and he is truly descended from Slytherin, then he is kin with snakes. If he were to turn a Snake into a horcrux, it would be stronger than a normal one."

"He could bind part of his soul to another living soul?"

"Yes. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Nico bit his lip. "Thank you," he said.

"Is it helpful?"

"Yes, very."

"Do you think... in your arrangements... you could mention to certain parties that I was helpful?"

Nico softened a little. "Of course," he said quietly, "And I'll take care of you. Understand? Don't worry."

"Thank you."

Nico waited for Percy near the lake.

"You called?"

"I wanted to ask you about something."

"Okay."

"Horses."

Percy blinked. "Horses?"

"Right. Horses."

"What about them?"

"You can talk to them, right?"

"Typically, yes," Percy said slowly, "why?"

"Just wondering."

"You called me out here to ask me if I can talk to horses? You know I can, you've seen me do it. You talk to dead people, you don't see me complaining."

"There's a difference. Horses are animals. They aren't intelligent—"

"Hey!"

"What?"

"Who are you to say they aren't intelligent? I know horses that are smarter than you."

"Okay, sorry, sorry. But they aren't people."

"No kidding. They're horses. Why are we talking about this? You can talk to animals too. Those ones they use to pull the carriages."

"Oh. But that's different."

"Not really."

"The man I'm supposed to kill can talk to snakes."

"That's cool. He's not a demigod is he? Hermes or Apollo—"

"Nope. Stone stock human. I think."

"You think?"

"Well I don't know what all these magicians and wizards count as."

"Oh. I see. So how are you going to kill him? And if you don't mind my asking, is it going to take much longer?"

"I need to figure out where he hid the rest of his soul and I think he may have attached it to a snake and once I figure out how to kill the snake and which snake it was I can shoot him in the back of the head with a 9 mm and we should be all set."

"Forget I asked. I'm going to hang out in the cool castle with the indoor plumbing and heating and everything and, um, there's a forest over that way. Let me know when you've checked all the snakes and shot all the people and I can go home."

"I hate you."

"Two demigod children of usually-disgruntled-with-each-other Gods? Sorry if I'm not surprised by your animosity."

"You're being deliberately unhelpful. With both of us looking for the soul, we'll be able to get out of here faster."

"Yes, but you have magical soul-detecting powers and I don't."

"Percy, you're the best swordsman of our generation."

"You said you're going to shoot him! If you said stab or decapitate or drown, trust me, I'd be there, but you distinctly said shoot with a gun and I have no special aiming-with-distance-weaponry powers."

"What if I gave you a harpoon?"

"Nico. I'd love to help, really, but unless you want me to interrogate all the fish in the area I don't know how much help I can be."

Nico stared at him for a second. "Actually, that would be really helpful, yeah! If you don't mind."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not, there are mermaids in the lake, if you could ask them just to confirm that Riddle latched his soul to a snake—and potentially figure out which snake—that would go so much easier!"

Percy stared at him, then glanced at the lake. "Didn't I meet them when I was here before?"

"Yes, so you should be best friends."

"And if I do this it will get me home faster?"

"Yes."

"Have I mentioned I hate you?"

"That's my line."

"Still." Percy jogged over to the shore, tapped the water experimentally, then dove in. A splash and a gurgle and he was gone.

He resurfaced about fifteen minutes later.

"Merpeople didn't know anything," he said, sounding out of breath, "but the squid was very talkative."

"The squid?"

"Yeah. Told me there's a giant snake. Lives under the castle—or, lived, I guess. Basilisk. Got killed maybe three years ago when the Potter kid destroyed the diary."

"What?"

"Hey. You asked me to translate from the lake-people. You didn't ask me to interpret what they said."

"How the hell does a Squid know about a kid destroying a diary?"

"Giant Squids are the worst gossipers," Percy said offhandedly, "he keeps up on all the drama. Told me a whole story about a giant snake that was killing people and stuff. Said a snake killed a girl a few years ago and then Potter came back and killed the snake but there was a whole bunch of stuff about a diary too. Seems like you may need to ask Potter."

"Ask him? He's useless."

"He can't be too useless. He killed a basilisk. Those suckers are mean."

"I'm not talking to Potter."

"Okay, fine, search the forest for all the snakes if that's what floats your boat, but if you don't ask him I will because even an idiot can see that it's the fastest way to get out of here."

Nico tried to shoot him a dark glare but only managed a half of one, "fine. just fine. Where's Potter now, anyway?"

"How would I know that?"

"You're so eager to talk to him, you find him."

"Fine! He's on a date with Ginny Weasley."

"How do you know that?"

"I told you. Squids love gossip."

Nico stared at him. "You know I used to think you were cool?"

"Hey!"

They trekked back up to the castle, Nico steeling himself for yet another conversation with Potter. He didn't like the accusatory stares. And they thought he was Riddle's son? It still made him nauseas.

"Potter," he said, keeping his arms folded, leaning against the wall, wishing his stomach would stop churning. Potter and the Weasley girl were giggling over something. It wasn't helping the nausea. "Potter. Hey. I need to talk to you."

Harry looked up, finding him standing so still against the wall he might as well have been stone himself.

"Nico? Can it wait?"

"No."

He glanced at the girl, "Er, alright then. I'll be back in a second, Ginny."

Nico noticed he had one hand on his wand as he followed into an empty classroom.

"What do you want?"

"I need to know what happened when you killed the Basilisk."

Harry stared. "What?"

"Killing the basilisk? Remember? Giant snake under the school, somehow you managed to kill it? Yeah, I need to know how that happened."

Harry stared at him. "And this couldn't have waited?"

"Not really, no."

"I just killed it, alright? I shoved a sword through it's head, that tends to kill things."

"How did you end up near it? Did it come after you, or did you seek it out?"

Harry shifted, uncomfortable. "I went after it," he said, "it kidnapped a friend of mine and was going to unleash itself on the school. It was hungry, and it wanted to kill all the muggle-borns—"

"Wait, wait. How do you know that? Can you talk to snakes?"

"Of course Harry can talk to snakes," Ginny said from the door, "Everybody knows that."

Nico looked at her again with renewed interest. "What do you know about all this?"

"I was the one who was kidnapped."

"Oh. That, um, that sucks. I'm sorry. How does a snake kidnap somebody?"

"It's complicated."

"What does the diary have to do with all this?"

Harry shifted. "How do you know about the diary?"

"A little bird told me. What does it have to do with any of this?"

Ginny coughed. "Voldemort put a piece of his soul in the diary and it possessed me. That's how I was kidnapped."

"A piece of his soul? Where's the diary now?"

"It was destroyed," Harry said stiffly, "I killed the piece of the soul and ruined the diary. That's how."

"Seriously? You just killed it? How? With what?"

"With a basilisk fang, is this really all that important?"

Percy burst into the room, "Nico, there you are, I found out the diary had a bit of Riddle's soul in it and Potter killed it with a tooth or something. I don't think the Basilisk is the right snake."

Nico stared, "Well, thanks Percy, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"No problem," Percy said, "Can I go home now?"

"Can it, Perce. If the Basilisk wasn't the right snake then we're going reptile hunting in the forest."

"Wait, wait," Ginny said, "Slow down. You're looking for a snake?"

Nico glanced at her. "So?"

"Like a snake that's important to you-know-who?"

"What's your point?"

"We've been fighting him all summer," Ginny said, "You know, if you wanted information about him, you could always ask us."

Nico blinked. He stared at her. "So you know something about this snake?"

"Of course I know about the damned snake, everybody knows that Voldemort has this huge boa constrictor called Nagini that never leaves his side!"

"Oh."

"Yes, oh, and if you'd gotten off your high horse for thirty seconds and bothered asking for help once in a while you would have found that out ages ago!"

Nico blinked again, almost astonished. "who are you?"

"Ginny Weasley, one of about fifty resident Voldemort-hunters, if you're looking for him then maybe you should pull the stick out of your arse and ask!"

"Hey! The last time I did that, your crazy friend locked me in a room and beat me up!"

"Well you were being rude!"

"Rude? He beat me up!"

"You kept disappearing!"

"Nico," Percy said, "Not to be that guy, but if they know where the snake is then lets find the damn snake, kill the guy, send me home, and then you can argue with whoever you want about whatever you want. Canoe races are on Thursday and I'm going for my seventh championship."

"You cheat."

"It isn't cheating! You use skeleton horses to win the chariot races, which, by the way, were about forty-five minutes ago, so let's please get the show on the road? We just have to find a snake, right?"

"Right. snake. Oh, there's one more thing. You, girl—Ginny, right?"

"Right."

"Yoou know the other girl?"

"The other girl? I'm afraid you're going to need to be more specific."

"The one from the library who you all can't shut up about."

"Hermione?"

"That's her! Find her, would you? Oh, how good is your swordsmanship?"

"My what?"

"Swordsmanship," Nico said, "You know, can you fight?"

"I'm decent with charms."

He blinked, "That's lovely. But can you fight?"

"I can hex well enough."

He looked a little befuddled. "Nevermind, then. Um, Percy, I'm thinking our strategy here should be one fell swoop. We go after the snake, presumably this fellow—Riddle—comes along to protect it, and you kill the snake and then I kill him."

"You know how you always get talked over by Annabeth and Clarisse in our tactics meetings?"

"Yeah."

"Have you considered there might be a reason for that?"

"Hey! I do alright on my own nine tenths of the year, don't I? Oh, and we'll need Potter and the Hermione girl."

"I'm coming too," Ginny said quickly.

"And Ron," Harry added, not sure what was going on. It sounded like they were going to try to kill Voldemort, though, and that was good enough for him, "But if we're going, we should get Dumbledore and the rest of the Order."

Nico stared at him. "Dude, we're sneaking out of school to commit homicide and you want to call up your headmaster? What's wrong with all of you? No, we're doing this now and we're doing it quietly and nobody beyond the four of us and Hermione need to know."

"But they can help us! If you know how to defeat Voldemort, we can help you. Sirius and Mad-eye—"

"Will most likely imprison or kill me on sight," Nico sighed, "Besides, they're adults, and Percy and I have some deep trust issues when it comes to adults. Now, are you going to come quietly or not?"

"I'm—we should tell Dumbledore," Harry insisted, "We have to tell Dumbledore."

"Have to tell the Headmaster?" an extremely high-pitched voice sounded behind them, "I would hope you're ready to tell him what the four of you are doing sneaking around corridors in the middle of the night, whispering lies about terrorists."

Nico and Percy just stared at the fat woman in the pink suit. Harry scowled.

"They aren't lies. Nico knows he's back too."

"Mr. Potter, I thought we'd cleared up the little incident with the lying. Detention in my office tomorrow night. And which of you is this Nico character?"

Nico glanced sideways, "Him," he pointed at Percy, "You should give him lots of detentions too. He tells all kinds of lies."

"Hey! I'm not Nico, he's Nico!"

"Is that so? Then I suppose both of you will have to serve detention until you remember who is who."

"Cool," Nico said, "I mean, we won't, but it's funny you think that way. So, anyway, we're going to go out to kill Voldemort's snake. It was nice talking to you—hey, Potter, now we've told an adult so you don't have to worry."

"You may not leave Hogwarts grounds," Umbridge snapped, her fake smile turning ugly, "Doing so would be grounds for expulsion."

"Expulsion?" Percy perked up immediately, "Like they'll send me home? Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"You insolent boy," Umbridge scowled, "If it's expulsion you want, you'll get it, mark my words. I don't play games with children."

"Damn," Nico said, "I brought my Monopoly board for nothing."

"What is this gibberish?"

Nico sighed, "Bitches," he said, "there's no reasoning with them—oh, sorry. Witches. I meant witches. Anyway, I'm gonna go now."

"I won't let you leave," Umbridge raised her wand, "You'll come with me, back to my office, and I'll take this straight to the headmaster!"

Nico stared. "Yeah," he said, "or not. Come on, guys." He pulled the four of them into the darkness, leaving the ugly professor spluttering at empty shadows.

The fell out of a bookshelf into the restricted section of the library. Nico brushed himself off while Percy crouched low, "A little warning next time, would you, Di Angelo?"

"You didn't warn me about the poisonous crown," Nico said, "fair is fair. You—Ginny—are you okay?"

"Fine," her eyes were bright and hard, "What was that?"

"Shadow travelling. Like teleportation but kind of cooler."

"Unless it's a foggy day," Percy muttered, "turns out it doesn't work well in San Francisco."

"Shut up."

"No shadows, no travel, Percy nearly gets eaten by a Manticore," Percy muttered, "Does that sound cooler than teleportation to you?"

"I said shut up. Anyway, it's dark magic, I guess, but it's harmless. And here we are in the Library."

Harry was still gathering his wits, "Why did you do that? Umbridge will kill us, or expel us!"

"Well, technically you could say I kidnapped you," Nico said, "or that Percy did. We don't really care about being expelled because we aren't really enrolled."

"And you're really going to just kill Voldemort?"

"That's the plan," Nico said, "we just need to pick up someone."

"And you can travel anywhere like that?" Ginny asked, "Anywhere there's shadows?"

"Yeah, sort of," Nico said, "But it's exhausting, and sometimes some pathways are blocked. Like now, I can't get home, because my father has sealed the pathways."

"Well it makes sense, what with you trying to kill him and all."

Percy glanced at Nico, "you're trying to kill your father? That's extraordinarily ambitious of you."

"No! Why does everybody think that? He's not my father, alright!"

"He isn't?" Harry asked, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! My father is the one who wants him dead!"

"Oh," Harry said, "Sorry. Guess we assumed."

"I'm not related to Riddle!"

Percy chuckled. "Well, this is terribly awkward. But I'm glad we don't have to go after your real father. I'd have to jump ship on that one, pal."

"I'd jump ship too."

"You'll fight Voldemort but not your father?" Harry asked.

"I'd fight a lot of people before I fought my father," Nico muttered, "I'd actually fight anybody."

"How bad can he be?"

"He wouldn't be bad, I'd just be dead," Nico said, "and then he'd follow me down into hell and make sure I suffered. Anyway, that's no fun and we're short on time. Let's get Hermione."

"Why does Hermione have to come and not Ron?"

"Because Ron is an idiot and we already have Percy along so the idiot position has been filled."

"Oh, don't mind me, all I've done is go on three quests and win two wars—"

"Which wars?"

"Labyrinth and Olympus!"

"Please. Labyrinth was primarily me."

"Primarily started by you."

"Hey!"

"Oh would you two quit bickering?" Ginny snapped, "We're in the restricted section of the library, you've kidnapped Harry Potter and you're plotting to kill Voldemort, is now really the time for a pissing contest?"

Percy and Nico stared at her.

"She's Annabeth reincarnate," Percy stared, "Look at that."

"Please don't use the word reincarnation in your common vocabulary," Nico muttered, "If you say it where my father can hear you're in for a world of trouble. And a two hour lecture. But she's right. Let's go get Hermione."

"Why is Hermione important?"

"Because she's cleverer than most," Nico responded, pushing back farther into the restricted section, glancing through the shelving.

"What makes you think she'd be in the restricted section of the library?"

"Because I doubt they keep the books about horcruxes where just anybody can find them. Although with Dumbledore running the show, it wouldn't surprise me."

"What do you have against Dumbledore?" Harry demanded.

"What don't I have against Dumbledore? But now isn't the time for debate, we need to find Hermione. Oh, there you are, are you ready?"

The girl looked up from her books, "Ready? Now?"

"It's now or never."

"I need ten more minutes."

"What can you learn in ten minutes that you don't already know?"

"Did their souls merge or are they separate?"

Nico stared. "Does that matter?"

"A little, yeah."

"Potter, come over here."

"What? What are you doing?"

"I said come here, I need to check something."

"It's fine, Harry, you can trust him," Percy said, so Harry drifted forward and let Nico grab his arm, pressing two fingers to his wrist like he was taking his pulse.

"They're separate," Nico ruled, "rattling around and squishing up against each other. That's disgusting," he dropped Harry's arm, "Does that help?"

"Yes. Yes, if they're separate, I should be able to use the spells in here to eliminate Voldemort's without damaging Harry's."

"Then what are you waiting for? Get it done!"

"Now? Right now?"

"Wait," Harry said, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't ask questions—"

"Nico," Percy said, "Answer him. He has a right to know."

Nico heaved a sigh, "This is why we don't invite heroes to Homicide parties," he said, "Potter, at some point in your dealings with Riddle—most likely when he killed your mother—his soul splintered and part of it latched on to baby you. It's still there and before we can kill him we have to get rid of it. Hermione has some spells she can use to do that, and as soon as she does we can rocket on over, kill the snake, and pop Riddle in the back of the head in a lovely execution. After that, Percy and I can get Cheeseburgers in New York. So, with all due haste, Hermione?"

"Wait, wait," Harry said, "I can talk to snakes."

"No, you can't," Nico returned, "The Voldemort part inside of you can talk to snakes. We're gonna kill that part."

"But aren't you going to kill his snake?"

"Good gods, do we really need to go over that again?"

"No, I mean—don't you think it'd be helpful to have somebody who can talk to snakes if you're planning on killing a snake?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Well how were you planning on finding it, then?"

"Well. Winging it was only plan A. I'm still working on plan B."

Harry shifted, "I have dreams, sometimes. I can see him. I know where he is. You leave that part of his soul in me until you kill the snake, and that'll give Hermione time to get better at whatever spell this is, and then you can kill Voldemort."

Nico blinked. "Well where have you been this whole damned time? You and the ginger girl coming out of the woodworks with good ideas, making me do all this work! Come on, guys, this is a team effort here! Next thing you know, Percy will say he has a way to get us directly to the shack where they're keeping Riddle and the snake!"

"If it's near water, that's entirely possible," Percy muttered. "Also, I found the Pegasus stables."

Nico stared at him. "You're kidding."

"Okay, they aren't Pegasi, they're creepy dead horses, but same difference."

"You want me to get on a flying horse?"

"A flying dead horse," Percy said, "that should count for something."

"Sure, and while I do that, you can take a helicopter with waves painted on it."

"Okay. I see your point. But if I shadow travel again I'll throw up."

"That sounds like a you problem. And you don't mind if it's Mrs. O'Leary."

"Mrs. O'Leary has more finesse than you."

"I'm hurt."

Hermione was staring at them. "So, are we going or what? And did somebody tell Dumbledore?"

"Why does everybody think we should tell Dumbledore?"

"He'll know what to do," Hermione said.

"I just told you what we're going to do," Nico said, "We have a plan. What more could he get us? And Harry, if you could get me a geographic coordinate on that snake, it'd be nice."

"I'm not exactly a map, I get some faded images and blurry pictures."

"Harry," Percy said, "You need to try."

"I will."

Nico stared, "why do you listen to him? He doesn't have any more credit than me."

"He looks more trustworthy."

"That's racist."

"What?"

"Now I know why it took you four years to come back and cause trouble," Hermione said, "You probably sat around bickering about whether you should come or not! I'm going to get the headmaster."

Nico twisted and grabbed her arm and they vanished.