A/N:
Meet the Di Angelo Family!
Maria Di Angelo: 52, born in 1937. Maria became entangled with a life of crime from a very young age. She meets Voldemort in 1959, who had been travelling the world, gathering supporters. Initially, she wanted nothing to do with him or his Death Eaters, due to not wanting it to conflict with her position in the Mafia. She joined the Mafia in 1956 at age 19. She meets Voldemort a second time in 1985, and this time she joins his ranks as a spy within Italy, taking the Dark Mark. In 1989 she was sent to the Italian prison until she escaped a month later with the help of Voldemort's followers.
Bianca Di Angelo: 29, born in 1960. Bianca and Nico were taken from Maria by Hades when they were 10 and 8. They were placed in Camp Half-Blood in England where they would both attend Hogwarts. Bianca was sorted into Slytherin, and formed a close friendship with Severus Snape. Following Bianca's graduation, she went back to Italy as an Auror in the Italian Ministry of Magic. In 1988, Maria finally found her, and Bianca took the Dark Mark.
Nico Di Angelo, 27, born in 1962. Nico was sorted into Gryffindor, displeasing Bianca greatly. This led to Nico and Bianca's first fight. After graduating from Hogwarts, Nico worked alongside Hades for several years, hunting down the remains of Voldemort's soul. He was able to track and destroy two Horcruxes-the ring, and the locket. After tracking another Horcrux to Hogwarts, he approached Dumbledore about a teaching position to locate the Horcrux. After Maria's escape from prison, he went into hiding before the Hogwarts term began. He has no desire to rekindle with his mother, and he's not sure how far Bianca's corruption has gone, but he is willing to do whatever it takes to bring both of them down.
Percy Jackson and the Ministry of Magic
Chapter 5: Nico's Predicament
Nico's POV
Nico was sitting at his desk grading papers. He had given his third years an essay to do about boggarts, and man, did they need to study! The Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws were fine, but the Gryffindors and the Slytherins' essays were borderline disastrous. He knew there was a war going on, but seriously?
"Nico?" A squeaky voice asked.
He looked up with slight surprise at the small form of Flitwick. "How can I help you, Filius?"
"We have an emergency staff meeting to attend." Filius said.
"Now?" He glanced at his watch. "I have a class to teach in ten minutes."
"Albus says that the ministry workers are here to talk to us."
That got Nico's attention.
"Say what? They don't waste time, do they?" He grumbled.
Filius shrugged. "I was just told to tell you."
"Yeah, yeah," He said, getting up from his chair. "I'm coming."
Nico turned to the chalk board behind him, pulling his wand from his pocket as he did so. With a flick of his wand, the chalk hovered and wrote on the board:
Left for a staff meeting. Read the chapter about vampires. I will return shortly.
He followed Filius out of the classroom, trying to figure out what to say if the new law was brought up. Would all the staff know about him? About Dumbledore and Snape?
"Lemon tarts." Filius said as they reached the stone gargoyle.
Nico could hear chatter as soon as the door opened. The small office was packed; Dumbledore sat in his chair behind the clawed desk, with Professor McGonagall standing next to him. Then he noticed Sprout and Snape to his left, and two ministry workers to the right. He was instantly drawn to a witch wearing bright pink robes with an equally horrendous pink bow in her curly brown hair. The witch turned to him and smiled, but to Nico it looked more like a grimace. The witch's large face gave him the impression that she looked like a rather large toad; but of course, he didn't say any of this.
"Professor Di Angelo, I presume?" The witch said curtly.
"The one and only." He said.
"You're late to the meeting." The witch said. "No matter, you're here now and that is what matters."
Nico had to resist the temptation to roll his eyes. "My apologies Madam…?"
"Umbridge." The witch said, extending a hand. "Delores Umbridge."
"My apologies Madam Umbridge." He said, shaking her hand once then pulling his back. "You see, I am supposed to be teaching a class right now."
"You can get back to your class in just a moment." Dumbledore said. "Now Delores, since we are all present, would you mind telling us what the issue is that the Ministry is here so early in the morning?"
"Ah, yes." Umbridge unrolled a scroll. "The Italian Ministry has had an escaped convict that they believe will be targeting Hogwarts."
"Targeting Hogwarts?" Albus frowned deeply. "Why?"
Italian Ministry? Could it be…?
"We're not completely sure." The second ministry worker, who Nico hadn't noticed beyond being in the room, spoke. "We've had reports of Death Eaters being seen in my country."
Nico glared at the other ministry worker. The way the woman was standing had completely hidden her from view. But Nico would know that voice anywhere.
"Bianca." Nico growled. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"
Bianca stood into the light more as she spoke. "Are you not happy to see me, fratellino?"
"Not particularly." He replied, then in Italian, added, "What are you doing, siding with them? Do you not remember what happened last time?"
Bianca scoffed, choosing to reply in English rather than Italian. "I make my own decisions, Nico."
The other professors were eying the interaction between Nico and Bianca wearily. Nico knew that the other professors would pick up on the familiral appearance between them.
"How silly of me, Bianca. I had completely forgotten you were there. Allow me to introduce Auror Bianca di Angelo from the Italian Ministry of Magic." Delores said.
"But what does that have to do with Hogwarts?" Dumbledore pressed. "After all, it's not very common to have Aurors from other countries inside our school."
"It is when I found this," Bianca said, pulling a vanilla folder from her pocket. She set it on Dumbledore's desk, sliding it to him. "I was hoping you could prove some insight for this, since you are the ex-Minister for Magic and Fudge refused to hear me out. Luckily, Madam Umbridge talked to him and got Fudge to reconsider allowing me to enter Hogwarts."
Nico scoffed softly. He couldn't believe Bianca. He didn't have to look at that folder to know that his mother, the notorious Maria Di Angelo was the escaped convict. He had no doubt in his mind that Bianca had something to do with it, but why drag him into this?
Dumbledore looked at the file closely, his light blue eyes sparkling in interest. "It seems we have to discuss this matter further."
"I believe it's completely necessary for the students to be interrogated in this matter." Delores said.
"I do not grant you permission to speak to my students." Dumbledore said calmly.
"No, but the current Minister for Magic did." Umbridge smiled cruelly. "But you wouldn't know much about that, would you Albus? After all, you are no longer Minister for Magic after your last debacle."
"That is hardly relevant now, Delores." Nico said coldly. "Albus is our Headmaster; what he says goes in Hogwarts and if he doesn't want the students interrogated, they don't get interrogated."
"Ah, but you are mistaken there, Professor." She said with a smile. "All wizards are to be interrogated, Professors included. I would think that with your, ah, ties to Italy, you'd be our prime suspect, Mr. Di Angelo."
"Absolutely not, Delores!" Dumbledore got to his feet at this comment. "I must ask you and your Auror to leave now."
"Are you hiding something, Albus?" She grinned coldly. "Perhaps… a conspiracy against the Ministry of Magic?"
The room was silent enough that Nico could've heard a pin drop.
Taking the silence as an answer, she continued to read off of the scroll. "By the order of the Minister for Magic, all wizards will be interrogated at 10 A.M. Monday, September 11, 1989. Refusal of this order automatically deems any witch or wizard guilty and who will be stripped from their wands by force if necessary."
"This is ridiculous." Minerva scoffed. "Everyone in this school has rights."
"But is it right though, Minerva? To potentially let a criminal run free and gain access to Hogwarts?" Delores said in the same tone as a mother would scold her children, "Or is it a mockery against the Ministry?"
Minerva's face contorted into fury. "Excuse me?!"
"How dare you?" Nico said at the same time Minerva spoke.
"Fine," Delores said with a tut. "But don't believe for one second that this matter will be resolved."
"We will continue researching where this criminal will head. We will update you when we have more information." Bianca's inky black eyes met Nico's. "You would do well to hold your tongue, brother."
Nico's hands balled into fists, and reached for his wand. "You dare show your face here after that stunt you pulled?" He asked in fury.
Albus, seeing the rising tension in the air, rose to his feet once more. "Nico, perhaps it's best-"
Bianca, seeing Nico's movement, cried "Expelliarmus!" and Nico's wand shot from his hand into her outstretched one. She walked forward slowly, tucking Nico's wand into her pocket, her boots clicking the ground with her steps. "Tut tut, brother. The intention to strike an Auror is an offense in Britain, am I correct Madam Umbridge?"
"You are correct, my dear." Delores grinned sadistically.
"Nico Di Angelo," Bianca said calmly, "You are under arrest for the suspicion of aiding a known Death Eater and assaulting a ministry worker."
He grit his teeth as Bianca waved her wand and magical cuffs appeared on his wrists.
"Is this necessary, Madam Di Angelo?" Albus asked calmly. "He meant you no harm."
"That is for us to know, Albus," Delores tutted. "We will send you an owl with the information on whether or not you can have your teacher back or not."
The grin on Bianca's face told everything that Nico needed to know about his sister. Somehow, his Mother had corrupted Bianca and drove her to join the Death Eaters in Italy. But why? How? For the longest time, Bianca and Nico were together against their mother. What had his mother done to break her?
"I'll be back when you find me innocent." Nico told Albus.
"Let's go." Bianca told him, shoving him roughly out the door of the office.
"You won't get away with this." Nico told Bianca in rapid Italian. "I will find out what you've done and you'll regret dragging me into this."
"I already have gotten away with it, don't you understand brother?" Bianca told him as if he were a child. "You just haven't realized it yet."
He felt guilt bubbling in his chest. He had let Bianca be alone in Italy as he fled with their father in his grief about his mother's actions. How could he have been so selfish to not realize she would be hurt as well? They only had each other now, and now he was by himself.
As they exited Hogwarts, he felt the familiar tug of side-along Apparition.