Just a reminder that I don't own any HP/PJO...wish I did, but I don't. Lol. Anyway, hope you liked Chapter 9. This one is pretty long, and I still didn't get to what I wanted...so I'll unfortunately have to put it into Chapter 11. Enough ranting-enjoy!
P.S. Solangelo fans-there's a little snippet for you! However, I did try to be realistic, so don't expect anything crazy...
Order of the Olympians
Chapter 10
The poor woman reached out to grip Percy's arm in frustration, but gasped as if all of the air had been sucked out of her the second she touched him. When she spoke, it sounded painful and raspy.
"A half-blood of the eldest gods-" The demigods froze, fear forming in their eyes, "shall reach sixteen against all odds, And see the world in endless sleep. The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap, A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze."
The entire class went silent. The demigods were rooted in their seats, unbelieving what they had just heard. Annabeth and Will immediately reached their hands to pry Professor Trelawney's grip off of Percy's arm. When they began tugging, her free hand clawed towards her neck, and she continued.
"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire, the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."
Percy, Will, and Annabeth had had enough. If this woman, who was obviously a descendant of Apollo or something, continued, she might reveal the prophecy that led the demigods here in the first place. They all shook themselves off of their Professor and shouted at her until she fell out of her trance.
"My dears, why are you shouting so loud? It does not bode well for those who disturb the peace of the spirits! Back to your seats!" She huffed and returned to trapeing around other students, questioning the "answers to the universe" they might find in their crystal ball.
The demigods were slow to return to their seats. Every eye was on them, and when they reached the gaze of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, their jaws practically touched the ground.
"Uh, guys? What the bloody hell was that?"
XX
"Class dismissed." Professor Flitwick called out, causing a ruckus of students jumping out of their seats to head to the Great Hall for dinner.
Nico di Angelo packed up slowly, not in any hurry since he didn't have any plans to attend dinner. After a full day of being around Malfoy and his gang, Nico needed a break. He headed off towards his dimly lit common room, smirking along the way at the fact that his new home was in fact, inside a dungeon.
He felt oddly at home in the massive room, which lay underneath the Great Lake. The large elaborate windows carved into the stone gave a small glance into the eerie body of water, giving off an underwater shipwreck feel. Nico couldn't help but smile thinking that Percy would love it in here.
He dropped his books off on the bed, and brought a treat to his new pet. Her feathers ruffled in excitement as Nico got closer, "Hey B, I'm gonna bring you to the Owlery so you don't have to be by yourself all day, okay? Don't worry, the sun just set." The owl nipped happily as he brought her out of the cage and rested comfortably on Nico's outstretched arm.
Nico made his way outside, and as he passed the doors to the Great Hall, Will Solace was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed with an annoyed look on his face.
"Well finally!" Will tossed his arms up, exasperated.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be inside eating?" Nico asked, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Shouldn't you?" he challenged.
Nico rolled his eyes. "I wasn't hungry. We are still meeting after dinner though, right?" He asked, glancing around nervously.
"Of course we are still meeting later, I haven't forgotten. But you didn't want to talk about what happened?" Will asked, annoyance still on his tongue.
Nico looked confused, "What happened?"
Will stared at him, then looked back and forth between him and the owl, who was watching him with unblinking eyes.
"Let's walk and talk." He said, taking Nico's free arm and pulling him along.
Nico almost put his free hand in his pocket, but decided to leave it by his side...just in case Will had decided to stop being angry with him and hold his hand.
They walked through the deserted courtyard and towards the long wooden bridge that led towards the Hogwarts' Grounds.
"So what happened?"
Will rubbed his face, "Percy, Annabeth and I were in Divination, and the professor started freaking out."
Nico narrowed his eyes while Bianca chittered her confusion. "What do you mean by 'freaking out'?"
The Son of Apollo stopped at the edge of the bridge and leaned against the wooden pillars with his hands in his pockets. Nico tried not to focus on how much he liked Will's face when it was scrunched up like that. "I mean she started sprouting off prophecies. Our prophecies."
Nico stilled and felt a trickle of fear begin to unfold in his chest. "What did you do? How did she know about them? Is she some sort of Oracle, or one of your siblings? Did the other students notice?"
Will finally took Nico's hand and covered his mouth with the other. "Now you can understand why I was pissed you didn't show up for dinner."
"Professor Trelawney seemed to be in some sort of trance when she gave them out, so I don't know that she had any idea what she was saying. Everyone definitely noticed, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were really freaked out. We tried to play it off like we had no idea, but…" Will shrugged, and began leading them towards the Owlery again.
Nico was quiet for a few minutes trying to take in this new information. "It's still a long shot for them to come up with the correct explanation. I wouldn't worry about them finding out the truth."
Will examined his boyfriend and gave him a playful punch in his free arm. "Look at you being all positive. I knew I was having a good effect on you."
Nico furrowed his brows. "You are not having a 'good effect on me,' I was simply trying to be realistic."
The Son of Apollo laughed out loud. "Sure, Nico. Whatever you say" He turned away from Nico and started whistling with his hands in his pockets.
Nico ground his teeth together, and then smiled darkly as an idea formed in his head. He turned to Bianca and whispered for her to meet him at the front of the Owlery, about two hundred yards from their current position. She gave a happy "hoot" and took off, stretching her wings.
Will only had a second to look over his shoulder before Nico came up behind him, wrapped an arm around his waist, and brought them both into the shadows.
When they reappeared in the rendezvous spot, Bianca circled around the two laughing demigods now lying on the grass.
Will shook off the chills that he felt all the way in his toes and covered his face with one arm. "Ugh Nico, you know I need a heads up when we shadow-travel!"
The Son of Hades easily stood up and brushed off his black jeans. "Yeah, but where's the fun in that? Plus, you should be happy I kept us on Hogwarts Grounds, I could have taken you to-I don't...Australia or something. I would have left you there as giant spider food."
Nico helped his boyfriend up, and felt his chest heat up when Will kept hold of his hand. "You forget, I'm not Annabeth, so I would've just killed the giant spiders with my new fancy-smancy wand/bow with no problem. They probably would have made me their king."
The Son of Hades rolled his eyes-something he did often when he was around Will. "Alright, Sunshine, let's not go crazy. And let's be glad there are no giant spiders at Hogwarts that you can overthrow."
"Thank goodness for that!" Will brought an arm up for Bianca so she had a perch to rest on as they began climbing the stairs.
When they reached the top, their eyes widened at the sight of so many owls. Their intelligent eyes followed the two demigods as they did a sweep of the landing, looking for an empty space. Nico found a spot in the corner that seemed untouched, and called WIll over to help him prepare it for Bianca.
"There we go, looks like our girl will have plenty of shadows in this spot during the day." Will dusted off his hands on his jeans before remembering something about his least favorite class.
"Oh...I forgot about this, but there was some guy in Divination when I got there. I don't remember seeing him after Professor Trelawney said the two prophecies."
Nico shrugged, "Maybe he just ducked out or something. Was he a student?"
"No, he was older. Had a giant beard like Dumbledore. But he gave off a weird energy, it seemed familiar." Will replied, shaking his head.
"Let me know if you see him again. Maybe he's some sort of Professor that likes to sit in on other classes?" The Son of Hades suggested. He gave Bianca one last treat before heading down the twisted staircase with his boyfriend.
Will gave him a two-fingered salute, "You got it boss." He checked his watch and tapped it as they began crossing the grounds heading back towards the school. "Looks like dinner will be over soon, we need to meet Annabeth."
Nico smirked, "I mean if we are in a hurry…."
"Wait-no no no-" Will protested wildly before Nico clapped him on the shoulder and let the shadows overtake them.
…
From atop of the Astronomy tower a pair of kaleidoscope colored eyes watched the two demigods from behind a powerful telescope. The man chuckled softly to himself, and twisted the edge of his grey beard with one finger.
"I think it's time to keep an eye on you demigods…"
XX
Hermione was finishing her soup at dinner when Annabeth checked the time and stood up, untangling herself from the table.
"I'm going to go meet Will and Nico at the library, I'll see you guys later." She waved goodbye to the group and disappeared behind a throng of students.
Hermione would be lying to herself if she said that she wasn't getting suspicious of their new friends. They come from a school in America that she had never heard of, they all gave off some sort of energy that makes her want to turn right around and run the opposite direction, and then Professor Trelawney spouted off some nonsense that seemed to scare them half to death.
She closed her eyes as she remembered the words that hung heavy in her mind.
A half-blood of the eldest gods shall reach sixteen against all odds, And see the world in endless sleep. The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap, A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze.
Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire, the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.
Hermione furrowed her brow as she thought about how much the words sounded like some sort of prophecy. Maybe Annabeth had the right idea about going to the library tonight, they only had about an hour left before it closed.
"Hermione?" a voice asked.
She shook herself out of her thoughts, and looked up to find three pairs of eyes staring at her. "What?"
Harry looked concerned. "We called your name like, four times. What's going on in that brain of yours?"
Hermione looked at them sheepishly. "Just thinking about how Defense Against the Dark Arts will go tomorrow. Professor Umbridge will be an interesting teacher."
"Maybe she will bring some sort of monster to class for us to check out, like Lockhart or Lupin did." Ron suggested.
Percy raised an eyebrow. "You guys have monsters brought into the classroom? That might save them a trip. They usually have to break in to find me. Then something usually gets set on fire." He casually went back to eating his dinner while the Golden Trio eyed him warily.
"Okay….well I for one just hope that she actually teaches us something. Now that You-Know-You is out there, we need to know how to defend ourselves." Hermione huffed. "I am going to go start on some homework. I will see you lot in the Common Room." She pushed herself up and headed straight to the library.
She didn't have to walk that far since the library was on the first floor, but she still lost her breath everytime she stepped through the giant elaborate doors. The smell of musty old books and the lingering silence that hung in the air was like home to her. Thousands upon thousands of books filled with infinite knowledge were just waiting for her to read.
Hermione found her way towards the "Myths, Legends, and Folktales" Section. She knew she didn't have too much time, so she began pulling books off the shelf that had the reference words she was looking for.
After she had about seven books in her hands, Hermione went off towards her favorite corner of the library, where she often found herself as to not be disturbed by anyone. Before she turned the corner, she heard Nico di Angelo's gruff voice, and froze in her place.
"I don't see anything useful yet…"
"Nico, we've only been looking for thirty minutes. Don't worry, we will find out what the Sorting Hat meant." a voice she recognized as Will Solace tried to comfort the boy.
"Plus, there are thousands of books in here. At least one has to have some sort of information on your family." Annabeth chimed in.
Nico sounded exasperated. "But I don't understand why it would be in here in the first place. My family is from Italy, not the United Kingdom. And they wouldn't have anything to do with magic."
It sounded like someone was drumming their fingers across one of the tables. "So, tell us exactly what the sorting hat said again?" Will asked.
"It said, 'You have the potential to be a very powerful wizard, Nico di Angelo. You have a past you have yet to unlock, and Hogwarts might be the key to unlocking it.' Which doesn't make any sense. I don't even know anything about my family, why would this stupid hat know something?" Nico's voice was beginning to shake with frustration.
"Chill, Ghost King. We will figure it out, you just need to be patient." Will's voice was trying to calm Nico down.
Ghost King? Hermione thought. She lost control of one of the books in her stack, and cringed as it hit the floor. Oh well, I'm caught, she thought as she swung around the corner, trying to mask her anxiety.
"Hey guys, funny running into you here." She readjusted the books in her arms.
Nico and Will tensed and gripped their wands, but Annabeth didn't bat an eye, "Hey Hermione, what are you doing here? Getting a head start on homework?"
Hermione held her breathe. "You bet. Let me know if you guys need any help with yours later." She offered with a tight smile.
Annabeth's stormy grey eyes never left Hermione's, and Hermione could feel her stomach flip at the tension. "Thanks for the offer. I think we are going to call it a night, I'll see you upstairs." An easy smile played across Annabeth's lips, and she waved her goodbye, Nico and Will following closely behind her.
When they were out of sight, Hermione's head dropped towards one of the books and she tried to calm her heart rate down. They definitely knew I was listening to them...way to be sneaky Granger.
With a frustrated grunt, Hermione began flipping through her books, looking for anything about gods and prophecies.
Just before the library was about to close, she found what she was looking for. With confusion and possibilities running through her head, she hopped up and checked out "The Library of Greek Mythology."
XX
Annabeth found Percy sprawled in front of the fireplace in the Common Room reading a book on potions. She knelt down next to him and ran her fingers through his messy black hair. Percy's throat made a rumbling sound, and he flipped himself so his head was in her lap. "How was the library, Wise-Girl?"
"No luck yet, but we will find something." She leaned down to kiss him on the forehead, and whispered, "I think Hermione might be a little suspicious though. She was eavesdropping on our conversation."
Percy closed his eyes at the contact, and breathed her in. Without opening them, he whispered back, "She can be suspicious all she wants. It's not going to keep us from protecting her, Ron, and Harry."
Annabeth smiled down at her boyfriend, "You're right. I think we are too worried about this." She repositioned herself to where her back was against the couch and she brought her knees up to her chest, leaving Percy to fall back into his original position.
"Read to me, Seaweed Brain." He shot her a wink that sent a warm current throughout her body, and started reading his book out loud. As she listened to her boyfriend and watched the tendrils of fire dance along the logs, she was happy that she found Potions interesting. Although, she knew she would listen to Percy talk about just about anything.
XX
Percy's eyes fluttered open as light flooded into the dormitory. The boys around him absentmindedly moved around the room, showering, changing, and preparing for the day ahead. He immediately noticed that Harry and Ron were absent from their beds. Percy jumped up, quickly showered and felt the familiar rush of adrenaline course through his body as the water woke him up.
He came off the last step of the staircase to enter the Common Room to find only Annabeth waiting for him. Percy kissed her forehead and asked, "I thought we were all going to Defense Against the Dark Arts together?"
Annabeth shrugged, "guess they had a change of plans. Hermione came in late last night and left early this morning."
Percy gave her a mischievous smile, "Then I guess it's just you and me, Wise Girl."
She moved her books to one side and roped her free arm through Percy's. "I guess so, Seaweed Brain." As they made their way towards the third floor, they talked about home, and decided they should give their friends a call later in the day.
"I miss my bro Jason!" Percy grumbled, finding an empty seat in the classroom behind Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They nodded their hello's, and Ron said, "We got some breakfast early this morning. Glad you found the classroom okay."
Percy just waved him off, "No problem man, Annabeth never gets lost."
A high pitched, "Ah-hem" brought everyone's attention to the front. Professor Umbridge was in her bright pink ensemble again today, and Percy had the urge to look anywhere else but directly at the woman.
"Good Morning class!" She stood rooted in her spot, the black velvet bow on top of her head threatening to lean to the side.
A few people mumbled "Good Morning," in reply.
"Tut, tut, " said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good Morning, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good Morning, class!"
"Good Morning, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her.
"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."
The Gryffindors looked at each other strangely at the request, but did as they were told. As the rustle of parchment sounded throughout the class, Professor Umbridge took out her own wand and tapped it against the board.
As the words: 'Defense Against the Dark Arts, A Return to Basic Principles' appeared on the board, Hermione groaned in frustration.
"I believe you have been very unfortunate in your learnings, children. A new teacher every year, each one providing you with curriculum that was not Ministry-approved. All of this has left you unprepared for your O.W.L's this year." She added a disappointed "tisk, tisk" sound, causing Percy's hand to tighten into a fist.
"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."
With a flick of her wrist, a few lines that seemed exceptionally boring to Percy appeared on the blackboard. Professor Umbridge proved him right as she began a lecture on "Basics for Beginners." he looked around and noticed the entire class' attention was on anything and everything else. Ron was twirling his quill in between in fingers, Harry's eyes were on the window, and Annabeth and Hermione both had their books closed, looking cross.
Percy raised an eyebrow at Annabeth, and she narrowed her eyes in response. They had a mental conversation that Percy thought went like this:
What's going on?
We aren't learning anything useful?
...so what?
Percy, they need to know how to defend themselves!
Ah, now we are on the same page.
More and more people caught on to Annabeth and Hermione's silent protest, and Professor Umbridge seemed to be trying hard to ignore the two ladies in front of her.
Hermione raised her hand, narrowing her eyes at the woman.
Professor Umbridge let out an annoyingly high pitched sigh-however that was possible-and addressed Hermione. "Do you have a question about the material, Ms.-?"
"Granger." she replied, "And no, not about the reading. I'm just curious as to why there isn't anything in here about using defensive spells."
A few members of the class frowned, and flipped through their books to confirm Hermione's observation.
Professor Umbridge let out an annoying giggle, "Using spells? Why would you need to use a defensive spell in the classroom, Miss Granger?"
Annabeth scoffed, "How about for practice? If we are going to be taking these tests at the end of the year, we will need to know the spell."
"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Ms. -?"
"Chase," Annabeth said, and quickly put her hand in the air. Professor Umbridge empty smile grew, and she turned her back on Annabeth.
Percy grit his teeth, nobody turned their back on his girlfriend. "Isn't this class called 'Defense Against the Dark Arts?' How are we supposed to learn how to defend ourselves if we don't practice spells?"
"Hand! Mr.-?"
"Jackson. Answer the question."
Professor Umbridge narrowed her eyes at the boy in front of her, who was sending daggers in her direction. She tugged at the collar of her suit, ignoring the sweat that began to trail down the side of her face in response to his wolf-like stare.
"I'm afraid you are not a Ministry-trained educational expert, Mr. Jackson. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way-"
"How is that going to help anything?" Harry now spoke up. "If we're going to be attacked it won't be in a -"
"Students will raise their hand to speak in my class Mr. Potter!" Professor Umbridge's voice rose a couple of octaves.
Harry and a dozen other students threw their hands into the air. The woman simply turned her back on all of them again and began her rant. "As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is not reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions."
She turned to face Harry, "and you will not need to use any defense spells in this classroom, because there is nothing trying to attack you."
"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" Harry spit out, his eyes holding Professor Umbridge's.
"What could you possibly think you would need to use these spells on out in the real world Mr. Potter?" His name practically seethed through her teeth, and Percy immediately recognized she was baiting him, goating out the answer she desired.
"Hmm, let's think…" said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice, "maybe Lord Voldemort?"
Throughout the classroom, the students had the same reaction. It was obvious to Percy that these people did not have any experience hearing this baddie's name spoken out loud. Gasps could be heard throughout, and Neville accidentally slid out of his chair.
Professor Umbridge's eyes grew cold, and she offered a dark smile. "Ten points from Gryffindor."
As the silence grew, Harry's temper threatened to boil over, and Percy couldn't blame him-this woman was dangerous, more dangerous than anyone in the classroom realized.
Professor Umbridge drew up slowly, "You have been told that a certain Dark Wizard has returned from the dead...this is a lie."
"It NOT a LIE!" Harry roared.
Percy had had enough. He stood up abruptly, drawing all eyes on him. Annabeth's eyes willed him to sit back down, but he wasn't about to subject Harry to this anymore. "So, you're telling me, that you honestly believe that you are safe out there? That if we spent the entire year learning the 'theory' of defensive spells, instead of practicing them like we are supposed to, that we can protect ourselves out in the real world?"
He held up a hand to Professor Umbridge when she tried to butt in, "I'm not finished. You might not believe that Voldemort is back, which I suspect that you really do, but you know what else is out there. We still need to be able to protect ourselves from things like Dementors, Werewolves, Trolls, Lethifolds, Manticores, Chimaera's...Dark Wizards...Death Eaters...you are leaving these students defenseless to what is to come, and I will hold you personally responsible if anything happens to them."
Everyone held their breath as the entire classroom flipped their eyes between Percy and Professor Umbridge. His frustration and power was almost tangible as it flowed off of him. Professor Umbridge seemed to snap herself out of whatever was holding her silent and still as Percy laid into her.
When she spoke, her voice was shaky and had lost its edge. "I-I don't know who you t-t-think you are, Mr. Jackson, but I am the authority here. Detention. You too Mr. Potter." She regained her confidence and was pleased with her decision. "Come to my office at five o'clock for your punishment."
Her eyes lingered on Percy and Harry, laced with hate, for another few seconds before she turned to the rest of the class. "Dismissed."
Nobody needed to be told twice, every student rushed out of there as fast as they could. Hermione was waiting outside for the two boys with her arms crossed and her foot tapping furiously. Percy almost laughed, but then saw the look on Annabeth's face behind her and thought better of it.
"Follow me." Hermione huffed. Their small group followed her through two corridors and around a few corners. When she was satisfied that they were alone, she turned on her heel. "What were you two thinking!"
Harry looked taken aback, "She called me a liar Hermione! I was just telling the truth!"
"Do you really think this is about truth or lies, Harry? I know you didn't listen to Umbridge's speech at the feast, but did you listen to me?"
Percy thought back, "You said the Ministry was interfering at Hogwarts."
She nodded, "You both have to be careful around that woman. She will be reporting everything back to the Minister, and she could even come down on Dumbledore for this!"
Harry paled. "But Dumbledore didn't do anything! He won't even speak to me!"
Annabeth placed a comforting hand on Harry's arm. "Harry, they probably think that Dumbledore is the one telling you to say these things, to stir up trouble. People are like that-blind, careless, and suspicious. We know the truth, and for now, that might need to be enough."
Ron was shaking his head. "We still have a problem, guys. If we won't be learning anything in class, how are we going to protect ourselves? We know...You-Know-Who..is out there, so we need to learn defensive spells."
Percy crossed his arms, twirling his wand between his fingers. "We aren't going to let anything happen to you. I promise."
Annabeth smiled at him, this was her Seaweed Brain. "Of course we won't, but Percy, they still need to know these things."
"I appreciate that you are protective over us, Percy, but it won't just be us who needs to learn these defensive spells, it's our whole class. Including you guys." Hermione gave him a look.
"Listen, let me think about this. Maybe we can come up with a solution. In the meantime, we have Charms." Hermione walked away with a hand on her head, muttering softly to herself.
Percy turned to Harry as Annabeth and Ron began following Hermione. "Listen, man, we both know Umbridge is dangerous, and she is going to be gunning for us now. In class, let's try to keep a low profile, and not rise to her bait, okay?"
Harry sighed, and shook Percy's outstretched hand. "Deal."
XX
Hermione was fuming as they entered Professor Flitwick's classroom and filed into the first row seats on his right. The Head of the Ravenclaw House stood on top of an old wooden table with heavy books stacked high, so that he was above his students' eye level. He twirled his mustache as he explained the importance of the O.W.L.s. they would be taking at the end of the year.
"Please remember that these tests will be influential in your years to come. Your futures will be at stake here, students! Take the time to think seriously about what careers you might be interested in. Now, let's begin the semester with a review of the Summoning Charm. Books out!"
Hermione took a few deep breaths and tried to put Harry and Percy's argument with that awful woman out of her mind to focus on the lecture.
She was unsuccessful, of course. As Professor Flitwick discussed the etymology and correct pronunciation of the charm, she thought back to the effect Percy had on Umbridge. How was he able to shut her up? And why did he feel so protective of people he met only such a short time ago?
Hermione felt the pit in her stomach grow larger as she thought about Harry. He had been through so much, and he had begun to lose his temper now more than ever. Percy seemed to be able to placate him, but she was worried that something might push him over the edge. With all of these people doubting his story, and Dumbledore keeping him at arm's reach, she was worried about him.
"Ms. Chase, can you please give the class a description of the Summoning charm please?"
Hermione was shaken from her thoughts, and turned her attention to the girl next to her. "The Summoning Charm, Accio, is a spell that causes a target at a distance to levitate or fly over to the caster. This spell needs serious thought behind it. Before trying to summon the object, it must be clear in the caster's mind."
"Excellent Ms. Chase, would you please come up to the front to give a demonstration?" Professor Flitwick looked delighted when she stood up in her seat.
Hermione was interested to see how Annabeth performed the spell, knowing she had never practiced it before. She seemed so confident in herself, something Hermione envied.
Annabeth stood in front of Professor Flitwick, waiting for further instructions. "My dear, do you see that apple on my desk near the end of the classroom? Please use the Summoning Charm to retrieve it."
She gave him a confident smile, and faced her challenge head on. She held an almost hungry look, Hermione thought, as she put her wand in motion and called out "Accio!"
Hermione's eyes widened as the apple moved without hesitation towards Annabeth's outstretched hand. "Wonderful, simply wonderful Ms. Chase! Ten points to Gryffindor."
Annabeth came back to her seat with a proud smile, and took a bite of her apple. Hermione leaned over and whispered, "You must be stronger than I thought, Accio is a tough spell to master, especially on your first try."
She shrugged, "I guess it's beginner's luck." and turned back to listen to the rest of the lesson.
Hermione leaned back in her chair, making a mental note to not underestimate her new friends' abilities.
XX
After breakfast, Will had taken advantage of his free period to continue searching for any books that might mention the "di Angelo" name, but unfortunately came up empty. He began feeling a little restless and decided to head to History of Magic a little early.
He was excited about having a class with Nico, but was a little nervous about how the dynamic would be with his new friends. Thankfully Hannah and Ernie would be meeting him here as well, they seemed to make great peacemakers.
As he paced the first floor corridor that led to the classroom, he caught a glimpse of his professor and froze. Professor Binns was a ghost, looking shrivelled and ancient with thick horn rimmed glasses. Will's mind fluttered with all of the ways this teacher could expose Nico to the rest of the students.
When the class he was waiting for finally ended, Will watched the tired looking students file out and found a seat in the back of the room. He began drumming his fingers against the desk waiting for Nico.
Slowly but surely, students began filling up the classroom around him. A group of Hufflepuff third years walked in and caught sight of Will, giggling wildly to themselves. They moved to take the various seats open next to him, but thankfully Hannah saved the day. She swooped into the chair in front of Will, and without saying a word pointed to the three open desks on the opposite side of the classroom. The girls pouted, shooting daggers towards Hannah.
Will chuckled, "Thanks Han. I don't think I could've dealt with that all morning long."
"Not a problem Will, the effect you have on these girls is hilarious. If only they knew you-" Hannah was cut off as Nico entered the room, followed by Malfoy's gang.
Nico looked thoroughly relieved the see Will, and quickly took the desk next to him. Draco, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed a few students out of their seats so they could sit next to him. Ernie came in behind them and found his seat next to Hannah, biting his tongue at sitting so close to the Slytherins.
Nico scooted his desk closer to Will's so that he could lean in and whisper, "Percy and Harry got detention in Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Will shook his head. "Already? It's the second day. What happened?"
"I guess they got into an argument with Umbridge. People haven't shut up about it."
He sighed, "It sounds like Percy. At least they are in it together."
Nico nodded in response, and glanced between Will and Draco with an uncomfortable look on his face.
Will tried giving him an encouraging smile and spoke up, "Do you want to introduce me to your friends?"
Nico paled, and gave Will a hard look. Draco moved from his desk to stand next to Nico, "So you are the last American I have yet to meet. I'm Draco." He nodded to the group of boys behind him, "That's Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise. We've been keeping di Angelo company." He added with a sneer.
Will did his best to put on a welcoming smile. "Nice to meet you. Nico, this is Hannah and Ernie. They are the Hufflepuff Prefects."
Nico waved to them awkwardly, but they only looked at him for half a second before meeting Draco's eyes. "Abbott, Macmillan." He nodded.
"Malfoy," they spoke in unison. After a few seconds of silence, Will whistled to try and break the tension, and Draco returned to his seat.
"Nico," Will caught his boyfriend's attention, "did you notice who our teacher is?"
Nico's eyes widened as he stared at the ghost at the front of the classroom. His eyes met Will's in a moment of panic, and Will's heart dropped. "Let's see how this plays out, okay?"
They nodded towards each other, and Nico slipped further into his chair, earning a curious glance from Draco.
Professor Binns began his lecture with a discussion on the upcoming O.W.L.s. without looking out towards the class. His voice had a droning vacuum tone to it, and Will could see the eyes of the students around him drooping within the first thirty seconds.
He had a feeling he would be feeling the same way if he wasn't scared out of his mind that Professor Binns would say something about Nico.
"We will spend our year discussing the history of the Giant Wars that plagued the Wizarding World at the end of the nineteenth century. Now-" when he finally drew his eyes out over the sea of students, Binns froze when he caught sight of Nico.
He fussed with his transparent tie, and went back to the lesson. "N-n-now if everyone could...please...open their books to page two hundred and thirty four."
Will and Nico looked at each other with obvious relief that he didn't say anything further. Will tried his best to follow along with the reading, but found himself under the same spell as the rest of the class.
"Class dismissed...except for you, Mr. di Angelo, please." Professor Binns called out after about an hour and a half.
Draco stood up from his desk and stretched. "What's up with that? I saw the look he gave you earlier."
Nico shrugged, "My dad, I guess."
Draco gave him an impressed once over, "I really gotta meet this father of yours, di Angelo. I think he might get along with mine."
"He's pretty private…" Nico glanced quickly at Will, "I can guarantee neither you nor your father would not want to meet mine."
Will stepped in, "I can second that. He's a little...underwordly. Best to stay away as long as you can." He laughed inwardly at his little joke.
Draco narrowed his eyes at the two. "Consider me warned." He shrugged his bag over his shoulder and motioned for his friends to follow, leaving the two demigods alone.
Nico punched Will in the arm. "Underwordly? Really?"
Will chucked, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."
"You were right, of course." Nico and Will jumped at the voice. Professor Binns had appeared behind them, nervously pulling at his tie again.
"As much as Lucius Malfoy deserves to visit the Fields of Punishment, I would not wish it upon my worst enemy." He said with a far off look. "I was given a chance to continue my work here at Hogwarts, with help from the goddess, Hecate, but during my short stay in your father's kingdom, I heard the screams of those souls…" He trailed off with a shiver.
"Trust me, I get it." Nico responded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Listen, Professor Binns, we are here...incognito, if you know what I mean."
Will rolled his eyes. "What Nico means to say is that nobody except Professors Dumbledore and Mcgonagall knows who we really are, so can you please keep this information a secret?"
Professor Binns nodded his head, "I will not expose the offspring of the Lord of the Underworld...but..who are you?"
Nico stifled a laugh. "This is Will, Son of Apollo." Professor Binns' eyebrows disappeared under his hair. "A child of the Sun, friends with a child of the Underworld?"
"Sure, friends, whatever makes you comfortable." Will dismissed with an eye roll.
They almost lost it when the friendly ghost fumbled out apologies as he fidgeted with everything he could get his transparent hands on. "I-I-of-course! S-so sor-r-ry!"
Nico composed himself as much as he could. "It's fine. But, like I said, please keep this information to yourself. Nobody needs to know we are demigods."
They took their leave as Professor Binns sputtered out as many confirmations and apologies as he could. Once outside the classroom, Nico laid back against the stone wall. "That, was close."
Will followed suit. "You can say that again. But we have a bigger problem…" Nico stood straight up, "What do you mean?"
The son of Apollo gave out a dramatic sigh, "We have SO MUCH homework to do!"
Nico gave a small smile and rolled his eyes, pushing off from the wall and headed towards the Great Hall for lunch.
Will couldn't help the flutter in his chest at the knowledge that Nico's smiles were ninety-percent reserved for him, and him alone.
XX
Thanks for reading...let me know what you thought! I love it when y'all R&R. Also, let me know if you want to see any parts of the story from someone else's point of view.