A/N: The events of The Last Olympian occurred without significant departure from canon.

Hermione walked through the Hogwarts Express, anxiously looking for Nico. To her profound relief, she found him—though not alone. He leaned against the wall, fast asleep, while a girl with dirty blonde hair and a rather vacant expression sat across from him. The girl was absently petting Vescia and reading a colorful magazine.

"Uh…hello," Hermione said. "Do you and Nico know each other?"

"Oh, is that his name?" the girl said vaguely. "No, I just saw this fascinating Kittrangle and so I asked if I could join him. He didn't wake up when I shook him, so I assumed he was fine with it."

"Kittrangle?"

"Yes, a Kittrangle," the girl repeated, pointing at Vescia.

Hermione stowed her trunk next to the girl's. "I'm pretty sure that's just a reanimated kitten."

"No, he's definitely a Kittrangle," the girl insisted. "I'm Luna, by the way, Luna Lovegood."

"Hermione Granger. And the kitten is a girl."

"She's a Kittrangle, then. They're very friendly, you know."

Hermione gave up and sat down. "What's that you're reading?"

"The Quibbler," Luna answered, holding it out. "My father's the editor."

Hermione quickly skimmed the magazine. It was full of bizarre conspiracy theories and a number of 'facts' about something called a "Crumple-Horned Snorkack".

"Well. That's…ah…interesting," Hermione finally said, handing back the magazine. "So, are you starting your first year?"

"Yes," Luna confirmed. "You?"

"Second year. Same as Nico."

Luna shot Nico a look of vague interest. "I do hope he's all right. He's cold as ice. If he weren't breathing, I'd think he was dead."

Hermione swallowed nervously. "I'm sure he'll be fine. But I'd advise against waking him if you don't have to. The one time I tried that, he nearly punched me in the face."

"Hmm. Violent awakenings are often a sign that the brain is infested with Nargles."

Hermione gaped at the bizarre yet serene statement. They had barely known each other five minutes, and already this girl was giving her a headache.

Fortunately, Neville chose that moment to enter their compartment. "Hello. Had a good summer?"

"Yes," Hermione answered. "Neville, Luna Lovegood. Luna, Neville Longbottom."

"Nice to meet you," Luna said pleasantly.

"Nice to meet you too." Neville stowed his trunk and sat down. "Uh…is Nico all right?"

"We hope," Hermione replied, biting her lip. The train began moving.

"He was like that after Christmas, too," Neville said thoughtfully. "Completely dead to the world, no matter how much noise the rest of us made."

Suddenly, Hermione remembered what Nico had told her about his unique mode of transportation—traveling over long distances took a tremendous amount of energy. Hopefully that meant he was simply recuperating, though she couldn't exactly share that with Neville and Luna.

"Dead to the world," Luna repeated pensively. "He does seem to give off an aura of death…"

Hermione stiffened, slightly concerned by this observation. "What gave it away? The skeletons on his t-shirt, the skull on his ring or the undead cat?"

Luna shook her head. "No. He gives off an aura of death. Are you sure he's not a vampire?"

"Uh…pretty sure."

"He does seem to hate sunlight," Neville mused. "I've never met anyone so pale in my life."

"Yeah, but in case you hadn't noticed, he's in the sun right now and he hasn't burned to ashes," Hermione retorted. "And he likes garlic just fine. Every time there's garlic bread for dinner, he practically inhales it."

Someone knocked on the door to their compartment, and a head full of red hair poked in. "Mind if I join you?"

"Sure," Neville replied, gesturing to the empty space between him and Luna. "Are you Ron's sister?"

The girl nodded. "I'm Ginny. And I can't find Harry or Ron anywhere. They were right behind us in the station…"

Neville shrugged. "I haven't seen them, sorry."

Ginny sighed. "First Fred and George hold my luggage hostage, then Harry and Ron go missing…" She turned to Hermione. "I remember you from Diagon Alley. Hermione, right?"

"Yes. And this is Luna, this is Neville and that's Nico."

"Nice to meet—AAAHHH!" Ginny scrambled away from Luna and almost fell into Neville's lap. "What happened to that poor cat?!"

"She's a Kittrangle," Luna replied.

"No, she's an undead kitten," Hermione corrected grumpily. "And she's completely harmless, don't worry."

"Why…why do you have an undead kitten?" Ginny asked shakily.

"The Kittrangle belongs to Nico, actually," Luna said cheerfully.

"Nico…" Ginny looked at him with an expression of dawning comprehension. "That boy that Harry keeps ranting about?"

"Whatever Harry's told you, it's probably exaggerated," Neville replied. "For some reason he and Nico instantly hated each other, but apart from that Nico's really a nice person. He just doesn't show it very often. Kinda like his cat, actually. Looks scarier than he really is."

Ginny cautiously reached out to pet Vescia, who purred. "Huh. She really is nice." She continued petting Vescia for a few moments longer, then looked up again. "So…is it true that they sort you by making you wrestle a troll, or was Fred making that up?"

Hermione and Neville ended up spending the next hour or so debunking a number of outlandish stories about Hogwarts that Ginny had heard from her brothers. Luna occasionally contributed an outlandish story of her own. Eventually, the witch with the sweet trolley came by. Neville and Luna got up to buy snacks while Vescia hopped onto Nico's lap and began pawing at him.

"Vai via, sto cercando di dormire," he grumbled.

Vescia meowed loudly.

"Che cosa?!" Nico blearily opened his eyes and looked up. "Oh. Cibo." He stood up and walked over to the trolley. "Tre…sorry, three Skeletal Sweets and a pack of Fudge Flies, please." He spoke with a slight but noticeable Italian accent.

"Here you go, dear," the witch replied, handing him the sweets he requested. He gave her five Sickles in return.

Nico sat back down, then looked around the compartment. He blinked in confusion when he noticed Luna and Ginny. "Who are you?"

"Luna Lovegood."

"Ginny Weasley."

"Oh." Nico yawned. "Hello, I'm Nico di Angelo."

"Nice to meet you," Luna and Ginny chorused.

"When did you become Italian?" Neville wondered.

"When I was born." Nico bit off the head of a Skeletal Sweet.

Neville's eyes lit up. "Oh, did you finally get your memory back?"

"Dad was finally nice enough to return it. Turns out he took it in the first place because my uncle tried to kill my sister and me and our dad was trying to keep us hidden."

"Uh…that was a joke, right?" Ginny asked nervously.

"Nope." Nico took another bite.

"Nico, let's not go scaring the first years with tales of your dysfunctional family," Hermione said sternly.

"My mother accidentally blew herself up when I was nine," Luna offered.

"And my parents were attacked by You-Know-Who's followers when I was a baby," Neville added, staring at his lap.

"…this wasn't quite the alternative that I had in mind," Hermione grumbled. "But if we're going to stay on the topic…" She reached into her pocket for the old newspaper clipping she'd found and she handed it to Nico. "Found that when I went to Washington DC this summer. Thought you might want it."

Nico unfurled the clipping. It was from the Washington Post and dated March 8th, 1942. It contained a large black-and-white photo of Nico, Bianca, their mother and their grandfather. Beneath the photo was an article headlined "Family of Italian Ambassador Killed In Freak Explosion".

For a few long moments, Nico stared at his family, then he ripped off the photograph and handed the article back to Hermione. "I know what happened," he said quietly. "But thanks for the photo." He tucked it into his pocket.

"What was that about?" Neville asked curiously.

"A long story that I'd rather not discuss," Nico said somewhat curtly. He yawned again, then noticed that Vescia had returned to Luna's lap. "Oh, you've made friends with Vescia? I'm impressed, most of the boys in our dormitory are still scared of her."

"Well that's silly," Luna said dismissively. "Kittrangles are quite docile."

Nico stared at her. "Huh? She's just a cat." He glanced at Hermione. "My grandfather's cat, actually. Some horrible kid tortured her and her siblings to death, and my grandfather and his sister brought the kittens back to life so they could avenge themselves. Then they tried to take the kittens back to Italy, but this one got lost in the chaos of packing up to go home. It was sheer luck that I found her again seventy years later."

Luna didn't seem to know what to say to that, and awkward silence reigned for several moments. Finally, Hermione cleared her throat. "So, Nico…did you have a nice summer?"

"Could have been worse." Nico glanced again at Hermione. "I found out I have some Roman cousins…on my dad's side."

Hermione got the impression he meant Roman demigods. She would have to ask him about that later.

"Well, I went to Washington DC," Hermione stated. "The Smithsonian is amazing, I hope to go again sometime."

This sparked a lively discussion of their summers. Nico yawned frequently and soon fell back asleep. When they got close to Hogwarts, the other students tried unsuccessfully to wake him. Fortunately, Vescia seemed to catch on to what they were doing and she pawed at Nico until he woke.

The girls went out into the corridor while Nico changed into his robes. Shortly afterward, they pulled into Hogsmeade station.

The corridor rapidly filled with students, all pushing and shoving their way toward the exits. Nico, Hermione and the others all joined the throng. Partway down the train, Nico suddenly froze and turned toward a nearby compartment. "Harry?"

Hermione glanced into the compartment. "There's no one there, Nico."

"You sure?" Nico asked. He tried to take a closer look himself, but the crowd forced him to continue down the train. He repeatedly glanced over his shoulder, frowning.

Out on the platform, Luna and Ginny joined the other first years with Hagrid. Nico, Hermione and Neville joined the other students as they headed toward a rough mud track containing about a hundred horseless stagecoaches. Nico walked up to the empty space where a horse would be. "Hello," he said, petting thin air. "What are you?"

"Uh…Nico?" Hermione said worriedly. "There's nothing there either."

"What are you talking about?" Neville asked, joining Nico. "Can't you see these…horse things?"

Hermione walked over to them and pulled out her mirror. Looking into it, she could see the reflections of two skeletal horses with dragon-like heads and bat-like wings. "Okay…what on earth are those, and why can't I see them normally?"

"Dunno," Nico said, frowning again. "You can see them in that thing?"

"Yes, it's enchanted to…" Hermione began, but she broke off when the carriages at the front of the line began moving.

"I think we should probably get in," Neville said. He, Nico and Hermione boarded the carriage, and it soon followed its fellows.

Once they reached the castle and disembarked, Hermione spotted Percy Weasley emerging from another nearby carriage. She walked up to him. "Excuse me. What are those things that pull the carriages?"

Percy gave her a strange look, as did several other students in earshot. "The carriages pull themselves." He walked over to a Ravenclaw girl, shaking his head.

Neville nervously looked at Nico. "Are we the only people who can see them? What's so special about us?"

"I don't know," Nico mused. "This may seem like an odd question, but do you know who both your parents are?"

"Yes. Frank and Alice Longbottom, why?"

"Just checking," Nico said evasively.

Suddenly, people began pointing at the sky. Nico, Neville and Hermione whirled around to see what all the fuss was about. A beat-up old car glided down from the sky and landed on the front lawn. The crowd clapped and cheered as Harry and Ron climbed out of the car.

"Why did we never think of that?" Leo complained to Fred and George. "God knows I've spent plenty of time tinkering with that car…"

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron collected their luggage. The moment they were done, the car started on its own. It zoomed toward the crowd, causing people to shriek and scatter. Then it stopped right in front of Leo.

"Um…hello?" Leo said hesitantly.

The car flashed its headlights.

"Uh…good car. You did a good job." Leo awkwardly patted the car's hood.

The car's engine made a contented-sounding humming noise. Then the car reversed, turned around, and sped off into the Forbidden Forest.

Leo turned to the twins. "Is it just me, or was that really weird?"

"It's not just you," George assured.

"That was really, really weird," Fred added.

"Potter! Weasley!" called a voice at the castle. Professor McGonagall stood on the front steps, her expression even more severe than usual. "And Mr. Valdez, you too. Come with me."

The three boys shared a nervous look before following Professor McGonagall. Nico watched them, frowning. If Harry had been in that flying car, then what had he sensed on the train?

The rest of the students climbed the castle steps and made their way into the Great Hall, gossiping about Harry and Ron's spectacular entrance. "What were they thinking?" Hermione grumbled. "That was incredibly dangerous—and what if the Muggles saw them?"

"Lighten up, Hermione," Neville urged. "They looked fine to me, and you have to admit that was pretty cool."

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," Nico agreed. "Maybe even cool enough to get them expelled. I just hope Leo doesn't get into too much trouble, it's not like he actually did anything."

"Can't you lay off Harry for two minutes?" Neville complained, taking a seat at the Gryffindor table.

"I didn't mention him all afternoon, did I?" Nico retorted, sitting opposite Neville. Hermione sat next to Nico.

"Yeah, but only because you slept through most of the train ride," Neville countered. "Didn't you sleep at all last night?"

"He's probably jet lagged," Hermione interjected. "Right, Nico?"

"Right…" Nico agreed, staring at an unfamiliar wizard at the teachers' table. He was a very good-looking man with wavy blond hair and aquamarine robes that perfectly accented his eyes. Blond hair and blue eyes, perhaps an even better combination than black hair and sea-green eyes…

"Nico?" Hermione asked. "Are you all right?"

Nico tore his eyes away from the new teacher, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Fine. Who's that new guy?"

"That's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart," Hermione explained. "You know, the guy who wrote most of our new textbooks?"

"New textbooks?" Nico repeated, frowning. "We have new textbooks?"

Neville gave him an odd look. "Didn't you get the letter?"

"Uh…guess not."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can order them through the post," Hermione told him. "And until then, you can share mine."

"Thanks." Nico paused. "Oh no, was there homework too?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Uh…yes. They told us that before we left."

"Yeah, well, I had other things on my mind," Nico defended. He lowered his voice so that only Hermione could hear. "Like saving the world and surviving the summer…"

At that moment, the doors opened and Professor Flitwick escorted the first years into the hall. He then left the hall again and returned a few minutes later with a stool and the Sorting Hat. Once the stool and Hat had been set at the front of the hall, the Hat opened its mouth and sang a song in which it extolled the virtues of the four houses.

Once the Hat was finished, the school applauded. Professor Flitwick held up a roll of parchment and began calling names. Nico didn't pay much attention, but he clapped whenever a student was placed in Gryffindor. He was slightly disappointed when Luna was sorted into Ravenclaw; she'd earned his respect when she readily made friends with Vescia. The Sorting ultimately ended with Ginny Weasley, who joined her brothers in Gryffindor.

Once Professor Flitwick had removed the stool and the Sorting Hat, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet. "Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Now, before we begin our excellent feast, I have a few start-of-term announcements. First years—and older students—should note that the forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden to all students. On a happier note, I would like to welcome Professor Gilderoy Lockhart to the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor!"

The female students burst into loud applause. A few of the male students joined in, though with much less enthusiasm.

"Well, I believe that's everything," Dumbledore concluded. "Let the feast begin!"

Food appeared on the tables, and students began helping themselves. A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall and Leo entered the hall. Professor McGonagall went to the teachers' table while Leo joined the Weasley twins.

"Are Harry and Ron okay?" Neville asked.

"Fine," Leo answered. "They haven't been expelled, but they've got detention and McGonagall forbade them to attend the feast."

"And you?" Fred prompted.

"Took a while, but I finally convinced her I never used magic on the car. If I had, you can bet the Invisibility Booster wouldn't have given out…"

"Were they seen?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. By seven Muggles, apparently."

"Ouch," Seamus commented. "Still…awesome entrance…"

"Yeah," Lavender agreed dreamily. "The wind blowing through Ron's hair…"

Parvati nudged her. "And Harry's."

"Yes. And Harry's…"

Hermione rolled her eyes at her dorm-mates' silliness, then turned to Nico and lowered her voice. "When you said 'Roman cousins', I assume you meant demigods?"

"Yeah. They've got a whole legion out in California. Dad showed me to their camp last week. But I'm not allowed to tell any of the Greeks, because apparently the Greeks and Romans have a habit of starting massive wars. It got so bad that the gods erased their memories of each other."

"Wow. So why did your dad tell you?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't know. Most of what he does is a mystery to me."

"Huh." Hermione ate another bite of her dinner. "I'm also guessing that when you told that story about your grandfather, you really meant that you and Bianca animated those kittens?"

"Yeah."

"What happened to the others?"

"Took them back home to Italy, then to America, then…well, you read the article, didn't you?"

"Yes, but obviously the Muggles got some facts wrong. Clearly, you and your sister weren't actually in the hotel when it exploded."

"Oh yes we were," Nico said grimly. "Zeus destroyed the hotel in an attempt to kill us. Dad shielded us at the last second, but he was too late to save our mother. To this day, I have never seen him as furious as when he found her body." Nico shuddered.

"I'm so sorry."

Nico put down his fork and stared sadly at his plate. "That was when he decided to erase our memories and send us to the Lotus Hotel. We didn't even have time to grieve before we forgot our mother had ever existed. As for the other two kittens, I assume they were destroyed in the explosion."

"Well, at least you have Vescia."

"Yeah." Nico picked up his fork again. "And it was all a long time ago. I don't want to talk about it any more."

Hermione decided to leave him alone with his thoughts and chat with the other second years. Nico did not join in.

The rest of the feast passed uneventfully, and finally Dumbledore dismissed them all to bed. Most of the Gryffindors decided to wait in the common room for Harry and Ron, but Nico went straight up to his dormitory and climbed into bed.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry and Ron came upstairs, quickly followed by the other second years. Nico rolled over and looked at Harry, unimpressed. "Congratulations, you didn't get expelled. Hope you don't expect me to join your cheerleading squad."

"Don't worry, I don't," Harry snapped. "And what's with the accent?"

"I got tired of pretending to be American."

"Pretending?" Harry repeated in disbelief.

"What, my name didn't give it away? I'm Italian. Spent a few years in America, which is how my English got so good, but I'm Italian by birth. I'm also very tired. Good night."

Nico shut his curtains and pulled the covers over his head. Just because he now knew that Harry Potter wasn't evil, that certainly didn't mean he was going to start being nice to him.

A/N: If anyone's wondering why Nico wasn't in a shadow-coma last year, stay tuned. That question gets answered next chapter.

And for the record, the other kittens were destroyed in the explosion. They will not be making any surprise appearances.