The Weasleys, Hermione, Harry, and other members of the Order of the Phoenix walked quickly to King's Cross Station, and made their way through the barrier without trouble. Tonks hugged Ginny and Hermione goodbye, and they all got hugs from Mrs. Weasley. Ginny glanced around the platform, looking for her friends from camp. Draco was boarding the train, and Luna was saying goodbye to her dad. Neville was wrenching himself from his grandmother's grasp, and Nico was nowhere to be seen. Ginny shrugged it off, and started walking towards the train. He was probably already on the train. All of a sudden, she felt someone push her from behind, and fall on top of her.
"What the hell! Seriously, watch where you're going, you-" she stopped as she looked up into the very apologetic face of Nico di Angelo.
"I'm sorry, ok?" he stood and helped her up, smiling at her. "My step-sister pushed me." Ginny looked around Nico, and sure enough, Arianna was smiling at her, waving her little fingers. Behind her were two people that could only be Hades and Persephone, here to see Nico off.
"Nico, why did you push that pretty girl over? Seriously, that is not the way to get a girl to like you." Arianna was grinning evilly, with a mask of innocence. Yep, she was Persephone's kid alright.
"Hey, you pushed me, you little brat!" Nico retorted, teasing, but only a little. The two still didn't get along well, and showed it. Nico glared at his step-sister, and was given one in return.
"Ginny!" Ginny turned around and saw her mother waving over at her. She glanced up at the clock and saw that she only had two minutes left until the train left.
She quickly turned around to Nico and said, "Well, it was nice meeting you."
He shook her hand politely. "You too. And it's Nico, obviously." He pointed over his shoulder at Arianna. Ginny smiled back in kind.
"And I'm Ginny. I'll see you at school?"
"Sure. Bye."
"Bye." Ginny winked at him and started running over to the train, desperate to board in time. She grabbed onto a rail and pulled herself onto the train, turning to look at her parents and wave, stealing a glance at Nico. His dad hugged him stiffly, and Persephone gave him one stiffer. Arianna just punched him on the shoulder. He started running over as well, and Ginny made herself scarce, and found Harry, who had her trunk. She thanked him, and started looking for a seat. They ran into Neville Longbottom, who was also looking for a seat.
"There's an almost empty compartment right there." She said as she saw Luna sitting by herself. Neville muttered something about not wanting to disturb, though Ginny knew what he meant. At Hogwarts, they had to keep up appearances, which meant that Luna acted far more queer than she normally was, and Neville was a little more fearful. At camp, they were also a couple, but had only gotten together two days before camp ended. They would probably officially be together at Hogwarts around November, maybe October. It all depended on how often they would see each other.
"Don't be silly, it's only Luna Lovegood." She reached over and opened the compartment door, poking her head inside. "Hey, can we sit here?" Luna looked up and saw Harry there and gathered an air of dottiness, maintaining her Hogwarts personality. She nodded as her eyes ranged over Neville and Harry, who were taking in her appearance as well, butterbeer cork necklace and all. "Thanks." She entered the compartment, followed by Neville and Harry. Harry and Neville stowed their trunks and Hedwig's cage in the luggage racks above and sat down, Harry right across from Luna, and by the looks of it, not particularly pleased. "How was your summer Luna?" Ginny asked, trying to lighten the mood. Of course, if Harry wasn't there the mood wouldn't need to be lightened. She mentally shook the thought from her head. It wasn't Harry's fault that he wasn't prefect, though not hearing Mum exclaim over Ron getting the position she could have done without.
Luna was about to respond when the compartment door slid open, and a dark-haired head poked its way inside. "Excuse me, but everywhere else is full." Nico smiled apologetically. Harry looked like the idea of a complete stranger in his compartment was the last thing he wanted, but wisely kept his mouth shut. The rest of them nodded, and waved him inside. He sat next to Ginny, and she instinctively wanted to lean onto his shoulder, but repressed the urge. Harry didn't know about her second life, and she was determined to keep it that way.
"I'm Nico, Nico di Angelo." He offered after a few minutes of silence, nervous slightly, waiting for someone else to say something. Neville was the first to respond.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Neville Longbottom." Neville leaned forward and shook Nico's hand, the two shaking hands firmly. Harry soon followed his example, introducing himself, and shaking his hand as well. Ginny followed his example, keeping up pretenses. Luna just said her name and nodded. Nico sat back, was quiet and held himself defensively, falling back into his son of Hades moodiness.
About a half hour into the journey, Fred and George poked their head into the compartment, and grinned. They had slipped into the girl's room over the summer and had searched for pictures. They had found a few of the mysterious kid that was now sitting next to their sister. They could only assume that this kid was the one that Ginny talked about while with Hermione. "Why hello there." Fred started. Nico looked up and recognized the unique shade of ginger hair that all Weasleys possessed. These two must be the twins, a.k.a. his future pranking partners.
"I don't believe we've ever met." George continued.
"Let us introduce ourselves." Fred added.
"He's Forge." George continued on.
"And he's Gred." Fred finished, Nico very confused. He turned to the rest of the people in the compartment. Harry decided to let the poor kid out of his misery and explain.
"He's Fred, and the other's George. They're twins, obviously, and Ginny's older brothers. Be careful, they're not good people to cross. They are the ultimate pranksters." Harry explained, pointing to each in turn.
"In that case, they should be worried. Their titles have been threatened." Nico warned, leaning back with a little smirk.
"Really, kid? What makes you so sure you can beat us?" Fred and George had sat by now, and it was George who directed the question, though both were leaning forward, chins rested on elbows, which were rested on their knees lightly.
Nico let out a smile that was a scarier than it was kind. "I was expelled from Salem for pranking. Trust me; I know a thing or two on the subject."
Fred and George, however, looked like they had just met their hero. "Really? How bad could you have been?"
"The final straw was somewhere in between the raining puke and turning all of the students and teachers Pepto-Bismol pink. I don't think the professors found either funny though." As Nico finished, Fred and George found themselves looking at the kid in awe. At least their little sister had good taste!
"Would you consider working with us on a few pranks?" Fred asked.
"Yes, we would be oh so delighted if we could borrow your services. You see, we have a pranking product company-"
"Plan to put Zonkos out of business-"
"And a little help with some new ideas would be lovely."
"Yes, absolutely lovely my good fellow." Fred finished, though with the way those two were going the only way he knew was because Fred's bangs were gathered in the middle, while George's were pushed out to reveal a space in the center. Of course, he couldn't say this, so he decided keep it general while speaking to them for a month or so.
"Sorry, but my dad made me promise to be good and not get caught. I'll do a couple funny ones with the planning and everything, but with the execution you're on your own." Nico laid down a rule. If his dad got sent one owl saying that he had been caught pranking, he would be sent straight to Durmstrang. And since he liked seeing his brother and girlfriend, he would be a good boy- for now.
"What! But we need the expertise of your mind, the finesse, the polish, the-"
"Guys, if you have lasted this long, I'm sure you don't need Nico's help." Ginny quickly intercepted, saving her boyfriend from her brothers. Maybe they wouldn't try to kill him.
"Thank you Ginny. And I'm really sorry guys, but my father doesn't make empty threats. I don't think he even knows the meaning of the phrase. And when he says that if I get caught doing anymore pranks I'll go straight to Durmstrang, he means that if he hears a rumor that I did something even related to the matter, I will be sent to Durmstrang. And the idea of learning another language doesn't really appeal to me."
"Why not?" this time, it was Hermione's voice that broke through the general babble of the compartment. Apparently she and Ron were done with the prefects meeting, because they were lounging outside of the compartment, leaning against the doorframe.
Nico turned to smile at them, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I already speak English, Greek and Italian. I don't see the need to learn another."
Hermione's jaw dropped wide open, and Nico smirked a little. "Best close it before the flies go in." as if on command, Hermione's jaw did as asked, but that might have been the way Nico said it, channeling his father.
"How, I mean, you're only, and why?"
"My dad's from Greece and my mom is from Italy. I don't have much of an opportunity to practice the Italian, but my cousins and I on my dad's side speak Greek all of the time. Trust me, sometimes you're trying to remember which language you're speaking, and remember who you're speaking to. And of course, I'm born in America, so English was sort of pushed on me."
"Impressive. You're a shoe-in for Ravenclaw." Harry said. Nico just shook his head lightly at this.
"Ravenclaw?" Nico already knew what the houses were and everything, but appearances must be kept.
"Oh, it's one of the four houses of Hogwarts. When you get there, you will be sorted according to your dominant personality traits. Gryffindors are really brave, Hufflepuffs really loyal, Ravenclaws really intelligent, and Slytherins really cunning. But the Slytherins also have this idea that purebloods are better the rest of us. Honestly, it's so stupid." Hermione had explained all this, already launching into her duties as a prefect.
"I'll have to agree with you there. Pureblood supremacy is the stupidest thing ever. Then again, they're all so inbreeded I don't think half of them have the brains to realize how stupid it is. At Salem we had a group like that, and the entire way there my first year I was praying I didn't get caught up with them. Needless to say, they became the butt of a lot of nasty pranks."
The rest of the group shared smiles. At least Malfoy wouldn't try to sway their new friend.
The rest of the ride continued with no incident, and no further interruptions, thanks to people avoiding Harry. Nico slowly settled in with his new friends, praying that the hat didn't put him into Slytherin. If that happened, then only disaster would ensue. Drake may be there, but his housemates would be horrible. He had the confirmation from Drake that while he might definitely have several traits that were appreciated there, he would not do well with the crowd.
When they got to Hogwarts, Nico was taken with the first years, and the rest went into the carriages. Harry saw the Thestrals, and Luna explained what they were. Once at the castle, the group separated into their respectable houses, and waited for the sorting to begin.
When Nico heard the call for the first years, he was pushed over to an elderly woman with short cropped gray hair and a prominent chin. He quickly plastered a smile on his face, and approached her, faking the extreme politeness.
"Excuse, me, but I'm a transfer student, and don't know where I'm supposed to be. Could you help me out?"
The woman put a huge grin on her face, and answered jovially. "Sure thing, Professor Dumbledore told me about you. You're going to ride with me to the castle in the boats, and then wait by the doors to the Great Hall when we get there until you're called for to be sorted. No big deal." She put a hand on Nico's shoulder, and dragged him over to the main boat, where he reluctantly stepped in, remembering Poseidon. Luckily, the ride to the school was uneventful, Nico praying under his breath to his uncle that he not get thrown overboard. 'I promise, for the solstice I'll get you a nice tie and everything, just don't tip the boat. Don't tip the boat, please don't tip the boat.' were the lines of his mental mantra.
When they got to the castle, a few of the first years were looking around in complete awe, though Nico kept his silent. Hogwarts was rather impressive, but after seeing Olympus and the Underworld, it was hard to be impressed. Very hard indeed.
The first years finally noticed him waiting in the back, despite his best efforts to press into the wall and hide in the shadows. There was some murmuring about him for a few seconds before a gutsy kid came forward and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Transfer student."
"Hogwarts doesn't take transfers." The kid said this with a very obvious tone of superiority, suggesting being spoiled from the cradle.
"Well, obviously, they do, or else I wouldn't be here." At this, the doors to the great hall opened, and a stern looking woman with spectacles and a severe black bun, dressed in dark green robes with a matching hat emerged. Obviously, this was Professor McGonagall. She looked pointedly at the first years. She then looked up to Nico.
"Mr. di Angelo, if you will wait here until the first years are sorted, that would be good. The Headmaster will call for you when we are ready. First years, come along." The second part was directed at the now trembling, smaller students, awaiting their first real view of Hogwarts. Nico leaned out a bit, but the door shut behind the other students before he could get a good look at the room. He let out a sigh, and repositioned himself directly outside the doors, waiting to enter, listening for a cue or signal for when the sorting would begin. After a few seconds, when sounds inside had died down, a voice drafted back to Nico, washing over him and the rest of the members of the castle.
In times of old, when I was new,
And Hogwarts barely started,
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted.
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach"
The four good friends decided.
And never did they dream that they
Might some day be divided.
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw,
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there, so I can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry's purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest"
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name."
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light.
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning just like him.
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest
and taught them all she knew,
Thus, the Houses and their founders
Maintained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
for several happy years,
but then discord crept among us
feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four
had once held up our school
now turned upon each other and
divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
must meet an early end.
what with dueling and with fighting
and the clash of friend on friend.
And at last there came a morning
when old Slytherin departed
and though the fighting then died out
he left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
were whittled down to three
have the Houses been united
as they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
and you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
because that is what I'm for.
But this year I'll go further,
listen closely to my song:
though condemned I am to split you
still I worry that it's wrong,
though I must fulfill my duty
and must quarter every year
still I wonder whether sorting
may not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
the warning history shows,
for our Hogwarts is in danger
from external, deadly foes
and we must unite inside her
or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
let the Sorting now begin.
Applause filled the silence when the hat was done, though it was punctured with mutterings and quiet remarks. The black-haired woman's voice drifted through, cutting the noise at the same time.
"Abercrombie, Euan" a moment later a loud "GRYFFINDOR" blared through the rooms, and applause erupted from inside. It continued along this line until "Zeller, Rose" was sorted to "HUFFLEPUFF", and the Sorting ended for the first years. But for Nico it had yet to begin.
A loud, male voice rang throughout the Hall and through the doors. "Hello and welcome back our older students, and welcome to our first years. I do have some exciting news before the feast begins. This year Hogwarts is also welcoming a transfer student. He is a fifth year from America, previously attending The Salem Witches' Institute. Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in welcoming our new transfer student, Mr. Nico di Angelo!" Nico took this to be the signal, and opened the doors enough to go through, before letting them quietly fall into place, using the shadows to cushion the sound. He held his shoulders back and walked forward proudly, an emotionless mask on his face. Nico held himself in a position of power, and authority. Whispers grew around him, but Nico paid them no heed. He was used to the whispers from camp, he would merely have to deal with them here as well.
Calm on the outside, but internally a nervous wreck, Nico walked up the steps to where an ancient and patched hat was held by the dark-haired, severe woman. He sat on the stool, and the hat was placed on top of his head.
"Hmm. Very interesting. A demigod, and a son of Hades at that. Highly cunning, and extremely brave. Quick-thinking, and faithful to those that you trust, but those are few and far between. Slytherin would be a good place for you, I think."
"NO! I don't want to be stuck with the blood purists, just ignore the whole cunning part and focus on the bravery. My wonderful Gryffindor girlfriend says I'm too chivalrous for my own good, isn't that available for you to see?"
"Ah, I see the cunning with you trying to redirect me. But that won't work. Thousands of students have tried to hoodwink the Sorting Hat, and none have succeeded. Don't worry; Slytherin may be a good house for you, though it isn't the best house. You tend to take the obvious approach, such as with your father, desperate to get information. You have a strong sense of self-preservation, but you will throw that out the window when someone that you care about or owe is in danger. And you have a strong sense of honor and duty, holding anyone, including yourself, to their word. And the sense of chivalry is most definitely present add that to all the horrors you have faced that come with being a demigod, and I would have to say that the house for you is most definitely GRYFFINDOR!"
The last word was shouted for the entire Hall to hear, and applause erupted, especially from one particular table. Nico started over to that table, all the while scanning for his brother on the other end of the Hall. He finally caught his eye and gave a brief smile, receiving one in return. Nico felt a familiar presence in his mind and relaxed as he sat down next to Fred and George, his brother's voice washing over him.
"Good luck with the lions Nico."
"And the same with the snakes." Nico returned, teasingly. A scowl was sent from Draco, and then the connection dropped.
An old man at the center of the table stood, and announced clearly to all, "Tuck in!" and food appeared on the tables. Nico immediately complied, digging into the food. Soon the food changed to dessert, and after that it was finished. After the food disappeared, the old man stood again, and started a speech.
"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said the man, who Fred explained to be the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. "First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students – and a few of our older students ought to know by now too." Snickers and smiles were exchanged around the Hall, primarily by occupants of the Gryffindor table.
"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me to be the four hundred and sixty-second time that magic is not permitted in the corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, the full list being attached to Mr. Filch's office door.
"We have two staffing changes this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubby-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also pleased to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There was a round of quiet, but polite applause at this.
"Try-outs for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the—"
He broke off, looking inquiringly at Professor Umbridge. As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge said "Hem, hem." And it was made clear that she had stood and intended to make a speech.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."
Her voice was high-pitched, breathy, and little-girlish, and Nico felt a rush of dislike for the woman. And judging by the expressions by those around him, he wasn't the only one. She gave another throat-clearing cough and continued: "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" she smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "and to see such happy little faces looking back at me!" on the contrary, the people of the hall seemed annoyed and taken aback at being addressed as if they were five years old.
"I am looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll become very good friends!"
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to this historic school. However, progress, for the sake of progress, must be discouraged. Let us preserve, what needs to be preserved, perfect, what can be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited." She sat down, and the teachers clapped, though only once or twice, glad the speech was over. The students had zoned out, but before they could really start clapping properly, the headmaster stood again.
"Thank you Professor Umbridge, for that illuminating speech. Now, as I was saying, tryouts will be held…" but Nico wasn't paying attention. He had heard about Quidditch, and had no inclination of getting on a broom. A son of Hades in the sky on a regular basis? No thanks, if he wanted the paranoid uncle to kill him, he would have asked. No, he was more worried about the speech from the new teacher. There was something about her that suggested that she was going to try to change Hogwarts as much as she could, and not for the better.
Finally, Dumbledore bid them goodnight, and Nico followed his housemates to a portrait of a fat lady. The password was given, Mimbulus mimbletonia. Nico quietly went up to his dorm, and walked in on some of his roommates having an argument over something.
"What's going on?" the rest of the boys turned, remembering that they had a new dorm mate. Ron introduced him to Dean and Seamus, and explained what the fight had been over.
"Well, I see no reason for a person to lie about that stuff. So either he is completely off his rocker—"
"Oi!" Harry let out, annoyed.
"Or he's telling the truth. And since most of my family can be crazy at times, especially my dad, I doubt Harry is insane. Trust me; I know the signs well enough. You're just as sane as I am. Probably saner." With that Nico walked over to the empty bed and pulled out his pajamas. He silently got ready for bed, and lay down, pulling the hangings around his bed closed. And then he fell into a dreamless sleep for once in his life.