Hey! I am soooo sorry, my computer crashed an i am now stuck rewriting this on an ipad (not fun) so heres the deal, i read BoO and OMG curse you Rick for ruining my terribly laid plans anywho while I refuse to ignore all the happenings in he last book I will try my absolute hardest not to include major spoilers, this will still be a Jasico fic, and thanks fro all the reviews any and all comments are appreciated if you notice something not right feel free to PM or review to let me know specifics. ANNNNNDDDD last point I pinky promise i wont g this long without updating again if I do Just yell and scream until beg for forgivness, guilt is not an emotion i am comfortable with ;) GO AHEAD REVIEW
The nest weeks passed fast the days were the same, routine comforted me in a way nothing else ever had and I was beginning to enjoy it. Wake up before dawn, training, get ready for day, breakfast, shadow Harry's classes, lunch, training, supper, shadow Harry's detention, common time, exploration of the castle, attempt sleep and finally repeat. The packed schedule kept me busy and my ADHD mind more than a little happy. It was early morning of snow and I loved it, while the cold weather and I had never really gotten along I would do almost anything for the snow. It blanketed the world and calmed my death sense as it cover all living things, and by default dying things as well, relaxing. Looking up at the sky I cursed it would be nearly breakfast now which meant that Harry would be getting up soon which meant that I had a job to do. I was buried waist deep in snow in full winter battle gear if this trek to around the catle wasn't a great workout then I was a son of Aphrodite. Snow burned my skin where it entered my armour and I shivered picking up the pace gritting my teeth as I finally made it back to the common room.
"Please Harry, we need your help to do this," I heard Hermione's bossy voice a moment before I saw the one speaking it. A fully dressed and ready trio stood by the fire in the common room.
"No, Hermione I'm not doing it, Angelina is talking about a quidditch reform and like you said we have O. to study for and I don't enjoy detention with Umbridge. Not to mention the fact that it wouldn't work anyway I can barely get that git off my back long enough to talk to snuffles or even go to the loo," Harry's replied with a scowl that I mirrored before smoothing my face, a git was I? It didn't matter that I didn't know the exact meaning of the word, it was the principle.
I resisted the urge to attempt shadow travel and avoid what would be yet another awkward confrontation, I steeled myself, Percy wouldn't hide, you're not that weak little boy anymore, stop acting like it I berated myself, not only that but if my father had caught me acting as such I shuddered ending that thought before stepping into the light and clearing my throat to let my appearance be known with workout clothes pulled over my armour. The three of them instantly clamped their mouths shut as I stalked past to the dormitory showers pulling on a winter shell then the recently repaired leather jacket and twining the top half of my curly hair into a braid. When I got down to the common room the three left without a word to me, it had been like that for a few weeks and was steadily growing worse, at first hermione and grudgingly Harry had been amiable, but with the suspicion that I had bred with avoiding questions and plenty of other strange mannerisms and if they had been dubious of my intentions it had evolved involved into alienation and I would suspect outright hostility soon. Those were things I could deal with, that I was familiar with.
The hallways were quiet with a sort of repressed rage of which I knew the likes the woman, Umbridge, had seemingly sucked all the cheer and wonder that the school once possesed and replaced it with a hopeful sort of desperation. Fortunatly if one knew what to look for beneath the downtrodden obedience and opressed creatvity there was a spark of resistance. I happened to be one such person who knew what exactly the small flame could mean, first after surviving under the iron handed rule of Mussolini and then the Gods. If this woman wasn't careful she would have a revolution on her hands, not that it mattered to me, my job was to protect Harry Potter nothing else.
If anyone noticed the distinct lack of ghosts nothing was said about it. First there was the bullied girl, Myrtle something or other that had required a quick admission on my part too keep the long dead teenage girl's hands of the one living being who could touch her, persuading her had required a bit of flattery and the lie that Olive Hornby, whoever that was, was currently resting in the fields of punishment before she finally left. Then there was a murderer ghost in the dungeons, I always had to be careful woth those types, of course I did have the power to simply banish them but it was better for everyone if they agreed themselves. Even if people had been reassured that all was well by thier heads of house now doing the ghosts' job people were still worried whispering to each other when I came in the room and the like. Didn't these people understand that ghosts were unnatural? They could become violent? Of course they didn't they were peacefully oblivious.
I pushed food around on my plate not really hungry and rubbed my eyes with my hands I knew how I looked as I caught the concerned eye of Dumbledore at the head table. Sleep was definitly a commodity these days, at first the other students in my room would shoot my bed with a scilencing charm which helped them but slowly I weaned myself off sleep, nights were spent wandering finding ghosts to speak with or sword training in the strange room on the seventh floor next back to bed for a couple hours rest before my morning workout. I was fading if I could make it until christmas break two months form I could make it back to camp get some kids from the Hypnos' cabin to knock me out for a few days it wasn't the first time I had done that.
I sat through another brain numbingly dull DADA class Iknew for a fact that this group wouldn't be able to defend themselves against the smallest of monsters let alone these so called Death Eaters if they had to. pulling my hood up I shadowed Harry to his detention he had been acting weird after and I was determined to find out what was up. Pulling the shadows in a cloak I slipped into the door after him leaning against the corner where the two walls met and the shadows were thickest. the room actually hurt my soul a bit it was completely pink chock full of lacy doilies and porcelain kitten dishes. I fought to keep my gag reflexes in control.
"Now Mr. Potter we will be continuing with your lines today this is the last day of your punishment but we will just have to make sure that the message sinks in. A few minutes later the sharp tang of blood filled my nose I pulled the shadows around me and walked towards Harry who was sitting all the muscles in his back tensed and he was writing "I must not tell lies," in red ink. A small hiss escaped him and it drew my attention to his clenching and unclenching fist the terrible truth hit me like a freight train.
My power rose around me crashing in a way similar to a tidal wave the windows blew open and the door smashed against the wall as hundreds of porcelain cats crashed to the floor. I let the death pulse out full power and felt the air drop at least fifteen degrees around me and stripped he shadows away from me so that I stood in all my regal glory in front if a cowering Umbridge, "I don't know what kind of show you are trying to run here, but you will be sure that the Ministry in America will hear of this," I felt the ground buck and roll around my feet and fought down the panic this was beginning to feel a lot like war and the last thing I needed was flashbacks right now. Keep calm Nico I took a breath of ice cold air and pulled back the shadows and fear and stuffed it deep down I glanced down and saw shadows glancing along my fingers and clamped down my teeth grinding together. Don't go down that road . Behind my closed eyes I saw flashed of screaming campers sinking into the mud and darkness terror running wild in their eyes.
"Nico, Nico, Nico do Angelo!" I felt someone grab my arm and jerked almost throwing said person over my shoulder before I realized that it was Harry. I grabbed his forearm grimacing as the tips of my fingers went through his robes I cursed and pushed him out the door ahead of me so hardthat he stumbled.
"Sorry," I mummbled trying to get my breath under control. When we got back to the common room it was empty everyone already headed to bed and I helped a silent and shaking Potter to the big armchair by the fire. "Gods, Potter I'm sorry, just wait here I'll be right back." I ran full torque up the stairs not wanting to risk the shadow travelling at the momment I grabbed my camp bag and began rifling though Ron's disaster zone of a trunk and sprinted backdown the stairs soundlessly. Harry was staring directly into the flames I shook him a bit an he blinked owlishly up at me. "Here," i handed him a half crushed chocolate bar that had been Ron's until a few minutes ago and pushed his hand up to his mouth. Hazel had once found out that chocolate worked well after my death pulse got out of control and lashed out at other people terrifying them causing untold horror to flash before their eyes. I had gotten angry at her for something and we had both suffered the consequences, this seemed like a lot of the same thing.
"N-Nico?" he asked coming around I kept my distance not wanting to se the flash of disgust and fear in his eyes. "Merlin, what was that, are you okay?" He asked.
"Fine," Ilet out a short bark of a laugh, man this kid was so much like Percy it was comical. "Hades kid why didn't you tell me?" Iasked rifling through the pack with once again solid figers pulling out a celestial bronze dagger that glinted danerously in the firelight.
"Hey! what are you doing?" Hary scootched away from me wheen he spotted the gleaming blade.
Spinning the blade around expertly I handed it to him hilt first. " need you to make a little cut somewhere on your skin, it will tell me if you are compatable with the medicine I can give you for that," I gestured to his hand that he was cradeling yet was still dripping a steady strem onto the plush carpet. Slowly he slipped the bade across his thumb and I grinned while it sizzled and smoked and he cried out sticking the cut into his mouth. "Great," I smiled ripping a peice of his robe of and pouring a small bit of nectar onto it. It was safer than having him ingest it this way there was no chance of overdose. He put the cloth on his hand and let out a little sigh of relief closing his eyes.
"You should have said something Potter, how am I supposed to be your body gaurd if you are so against letting me help," of course I realized the thick irony in the air, it wasn't like I would accept help either, but this kid wasn't me and I would damn well do everything in my power to make sure he didn't end up like me either. "Listen, i'm not going to make you go to the teachers or Dumbledoor or anything as I assume you had reasons you didn't in the first place but this isn't just you on the line anymore, I fail this quest and I am screwed, and less importantly you are dead", I gave him a half smirk but still kept my distance.
"How am I supposed to trust you I don't know anything about you, I dnt even know what you are?" he yelled his face getting red, "I mean what was that back there because I sure as hell know it wasn't Umbridge, you want me to trust you, it goes both ways.
I let out a small huff of air rubbing the back of my neck when a peircng pain sear my fore arm above my vivre le ombre tattoo I clamped a hand there slipping to my knees. The pain lasted only a minute more and it wasn't unbearable so when Harry rushed to my side to help me up I waved him off and slowly lifted my hand, a very familiar symbol was branded into my forearm in black ink. It was symbol of Pluto the bident, or pitchfork, with a circle in between the two, my mind flashed back to a similar one on Preator Reyna's arm it had been a blessing for her, and by extension me, was that what this was a blessing from my father, or more importantly a miture of mine and Hazel's.
"What is that? We should probably get you to the hospital wing Nico," Harry went to take my arm but I jerked away.
"It's fine," I pulled my sleeve back down it would be a good idea to keep this hidden, it would blow my cover way out of the water if anyone in astronomy/astrology saw it plus it was always nice to have a trump card.
"Mate, in my experiance magical forearm tattoos are never a good thing," he eyed me wearily.
"Believe me Harry, this is most definatly a good thing, anyway about the me telling you things, give me some time to think about it okay? It is kind of a big decision and I need to be sure I am making the right one."
Harry seemed to accept that and I followed him up to bed collapsing and tracing the new symbol on my arm, truth was no matter how much I pretended not to care there ewould always be a part of me that wanted acceptance from my dad and while I might utterly despise that part and however much I might lie to myself it was still there. That abhorrible need to prove myself, as I had shown over and over. A sound stirred me from my thoughts a whimpering I recognized as Harry having another nightmare sighing I sat up and pushed a wave of pure power in his direction quelling hs dreams and sending him into a deep state of unconsiousness, it was sort of an unspoken deal, I did this for him and when I dreamed he would put a scilencing charm on my bed a symbiotic realtionship really. His mummblings quelled and I was left once again in scilence, soon after I became lost to the world and my own worries.
AN- next updat should be in the next 24 hours night all, go ahead and leave a review :D