Hullo! I know I promised to choice who'll be making the major change, but no one really reviews much, so I can't do that. So I'll do something else instead; who ever makes the suggestion I like most will have his or her idea in here. And what's more, I can do over more that one suggestion, too! PM me, or review, it doesn't matter. I'll give it a four days time. (I may or may not publish more chapters within those four days since I'm a pretty quick writer)

Enjoy! (It's not a 4000 word chapter, but still more than I usually have the will-power to write and re-read!)

Two frantic wizards were grabbing at Briana's hands when Hermione got there to help. Hermione, naturally, was working on a Transfiguration essay. As usually, Nico di Angelo was there too. He always was in his free times. By far, he was even Hagrid's favorite student, but only because he didn't complain about having his face blown-up by blast-ended skrewts.

When Hermione heard Briana's frantic voice, she turned to survey the scene. Only to have her faint. Hermione had acted on instinct, when she had rushed to help her. But apparently, she wasn't the only one. Nico Di Angelo, and a boy she didn't know were there, too.

"What's wrong with her?" The unfamiliar boy asked, lifting her up but her right arm. Nico Di Angelo had a calculating look on his face. His dark eyes hovered over Briana's form for a moment before he answered.

"She looks like she's been under pressure lately, but not in a small feat. That doesn't matter now, anyway." Nico hoisted the girl up by her other arm. "She needs medical attention as quick as possible."

The boy nodded. Hermione turned to look at the two boys. "What can I do?" She asked, feeling like she should help.

"You," the boy said. "Can forget anything ever happened and go back to your book." He snapped, looking at her with angry eyes.

Hermione was just about going to decide he was a Slytherin when Nico spoke. Tall and commanding, and sounding a lot older than he looked, Nico glared at the boy. "Don't charge at her, Dalliyan."

"Damien." the boy immediately corrected.

Nico frowned. "Whatever. You're supposed to be a Ravenclaw, so what are doing, taking your anger out on Hermione?"

There was an awkward silence for a moment in which Nico continued to glare.

The Ravenclaw- Damien- didn't reply. He looked at the ground in a less than ashamed manner, but didn't speak with Hermione.

Hermione was torn between thanking Nico, feeling surprised, and snapping back at Damien. What kind of Ravenclaw was he?

"Hermione, I appreciate your offer and all that, but Bri needs to be at the infirmary right now." Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but Nico beat her to it. "I know you want to help," he said, looking at her with that calculating look of his. "And you can. I'm no healer, but you're-uh- resourceful. Something's wrong with Bri, and I know Madame Pomfrey can fix her in no time, but we can use some extra brains, huh?" He tried for a smile, but it came out more like a grimace.

Hermione opened her mouth, then closed it again. She nodded stiffly and watched nervously as Damien and Nico carried Briana away.

Well, that was her role wasn't it? She's the one who had to do the research, to find out what was wrong. Let them do the practical work, then. Hermione was helping in her own way.

She made her way slowly to where Nico and Briana were sitting. There, sat a potions book that belonged in the restricted section. Hermione knew she wasn't supposed to read it without a note, but then again, a quick scan wouldn't hurt, huh? And, why was Briana so anxious to have it back on the shelf? Why did that book matter more than her health?

Making sure no one was looking at her, Hermione picked it up.

-LINE BREAK-

Madame Pomfrey was not thrilled about having her lieutenant as a patient. She probably tried to act it away, but Nico knew she favored Briana greatly.

So as she was lied there, Madame Pomfrey was fussing over her, muttering spells and rummaging for the right potions.

"What happened to her?" Madame Pomfrey muttered as she measured half a cup of a refreshing potion.

"Don't know," Nico said. "She was fine a few minutes ago, but then she looked like she was having a fever. Then she started throwing up, and blacked out right after that."

Madame Pomfrey added a few spoons of crushed dragon horns to the potion. She frowned, trying to recognize the symptoms. "That usually happens when people apply too much burning potion."

Damien shook his head quickly. "No, Madame. She's got potions with me every Monday, and we don't make burning potions. Haven't done that since second year."

Madame Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly. "She's my lieutenant, Darren."

"Damien!"

"That's what I said. Anyway, she makes potions for me quite often, she must have had an accidental dose, the poor thing."

Nico frowned. He didn't think so. There was something beyond, he just knew it. "Madame, isn't there anything besides excessive burning potion that matches these symptoms?"

Madame Pomfrey squinted at the potion, making sure it was measured precisely as she wanted it. "I should say, Nico dear, that these symptoms appear in any potion containing dried mermaid scales. But I can't imagine any other potions you commonly use that contain it. Others are either too complicated, or will be learnt in higher grades."

Nico nodded. He was going to have to work with Hermione on that later. Madame Pomfrey nodded approvingly, then tipped the glass to Briana's lips, slowly, carefully, and a small dose at a time.

At first, Briana's eyes blinked a few times. Then, she looked around, took in her surroundings, and put on a confused look. Memories seemed to fall into their place, and her expressions turned sour. One look at Nico, Damien, and Madame Pomfrey, and she broke into tears. Her shoulders shook violently and her sobs echoed around the small clinic.

Madame Pomfrey put a hand to her cheek in surprise. "Oh dear," she quickly walked out of the room, probably to bring a soothing potion.

Nico had no idea what to do. He'd never really seen anyone crying like that before. Besides Hazel, a few rare times, like when they thought Leo was dead. But this was foreign to him; he didn't know what to do, and how to comfort her.

Damien beat him to it. He hugged Briana so tight she stopped sobbing for a second. For a second, she was quite. Then, she started crying even worse than before. Nico could tell that wasn't the reaction Damien expected. His face fell, but he didn't let her go.

When Nico came up to Briana and looked at her, he saw something he knew too well in there. Pain. Nico was immediately reminded of the look on Percy's face when he figured out Nico had betrayed him to Hades, but her expression also looked guilty. Nico had never known why then.

-LINE BREAK-

"Mom!" Lou-Ellen protested, throwing her hands about in the air. "Mom, you can't be serious. I can't believe this." She massaged her head, and looked at her mother with plea.

Lady Hecate shook her head. "Child, I'm sorry. But this has to happen and it will. I can't change that, but I told you now so it wouldn't come as a shock."

"No!" Lou-Ellen protested, and kicked a stone. Hecate had brought her here, to the Lake of Patronuses, and relieved horrible secret to her. But Lou-Ellen was not accepting it. She wouldn't. She wouldn't!

"Lou, dear, I knew this would-"

Lou-Ellen glared at her mom. Hecate was the controller of magic, manipulator of mist, and she was a lot looser than the other Olympians around her children. Hecate owned magic; no one controlled magic, and no one could try.

"You knew? " She growled. "You knew, and you still sent him on this quest? You knew and you still let him go?"

Hecate stared at Lou-Ellen sadly, but did not comment. "You can't restrain magic, Lou-Ellen." She raised her chin. "And I'm reminding you, this will not happen soon. Not today, not tomorrow, not even this year. But we can not prevent it. I can't at least. And you must understand-"

"Understand what?" Lou yelled. A shimmering dear Patronus flew out of the river and placed itself behind her in an almost comforting manner. That didn't calm her down. "Understand what mother? Risking our lives to run your errands? Because that's what you've been doing these past millenia. What about Alabaster? Look what happened to him now, only because he trusted you!"
Hecate stiffened. She frowned deeply, but didn't argue. "Your half-brother made a choice, Lou-Ellen. I only told him what was likely to happen."

"He's in exile, because of you. Because he wanted us, his siblings to live in peace. You've made it clear you want to repeat that. But this time, it's different. This time, Nico didn't do anything wrong like Alabaster did. And this time, it is not our war!" She screamed. The patronus scurried away, and hopped back into the lake.

Hecate's face grew sour, but not in anger. "Lou-Ellen, I can't help Nico. But I know who can. He'll have to dig his own way, and I can't interfere. Listen, dearest. I don't want this. I never did. Apollo wouldn't approve of me telling you, but I had to confide in one of my children. Nico will need you, Lou-Ellen. And soon. He'll need quite a few demigods, but mostly, he'll need her."

Lou-Ellen frowned. Sure he needed her. She knew he did, and she would help. But that didn't mean she had to like it, and that didn't mean she was doing it for her mother. Not this time, at least. This time, it was for Nico.

"Why didn't you send me?" Lou asked suddenly. "You know I'm immune to curses when I want to be. So are all of us. Why?"

Hecate shook her head, then smiled slightly. "You'll know in good time. Nico will do many great things at Hogwarts."

Lou-Ellen snorted in a humorless way. She glared at her mother, standing her ground unflinchingly. Hecate was right about one thing; magic could not be restrained or controlled. And so couldn't Lou-Ellen. "Oh, he'll do great things alright. Before he dies. Thank you, mother, for nothing. Remeber what you told us back at the Titan War? Magic at its purest form can not be manipulated, cheated, or countered. Expect by one thing. Love at its purest form."

Hecate looked at Lou-Ellen inquiringly. "Yes, I remember what I told you, Lou-Ellen. That is how Harry Potter survived, wasn't it? Pure love."

Lou-Ellen's hands were twitching. She took a deep breath, and forced her self not to do some accidental magic out of anger. "Yes, mother. That's how Potter survived." Lou-Ellen's eyes softened, and her hands stopped shaking. "His mother died for him. And although us demigods will readily defend one of our kind, we can not deal with magic in that way. Expect us, your children. And we can't do anything about it. We are made of pure magic, and we can't fight against it." Lou-Ellen took a deep breath, then let it out gradually.

"What I'm saying is, mother; Harry's parents died. Anyone of his closest friends will willingly do it anytime. Us demigods can't do a thing, no matter how much we want to. So, I ask, and may I; if Harry Potter's mother died protecting him," Lou-Ellen drew in a breath and continued, stone-faced. "Who's going to die for Nico? Who loves him enough in the magical world to save him?"

Hecate's face betrayed no emotion. But then, her eyes dropped. Her lips twitched into a wary smile. "Who said anyone in the magical world will save him? Who says anyone will save him at all?"

Dozens of patronuses owned by people who had died years ago formed a whirling hurricane around Hecate. The souls created by the essence of happy thoughts faded, and in the place where Lou-Ellen's mother stood seconds ago, was nothing but a purple mark on the floor.

Lou-Ellen, angry and defying, glared at nothing in particular. The irony of the place annoyed here. Right there, in that lake-river- whatever, thousands of souls purely forged of happy memories lied, proving that even the dead were happier than she was right now. She took one look at the purple mark on the floor, and knew her mood wouldn't be improving anytime soon.

Because right where her mother stood, was a sign she recognized too well. Lou-Ellen huffed. "Nice move, mother." Lou-Ellen muttered to the air. "Like I don't have enough on my shoulders." Lou-Ellen glared at nothing again, turned around, and started walking away from the scene. From the river of happiness, from the memory of the horrible conversation she'd just had with her memory, and from the dark, purple mark of the Deathly Hallows.

DUN! DUN! DUN! I'VE MADE A CHOICE; I'll write this up to book seven, I swear it to god and on the River Styx. Do you guys approve? I can finish this in less than three months, I can promise THAT. And I just finished my exams, so I have three weeks of freedom at home and plenty of time to write! (P.S Alabaster is not an O.C. You probably know him if you've read Son of Magic from the Demigod Diaries, written by Haley Riordan (Uncle Rick said the least he could do was let him write one story. It's quite good, I couldn't tell the difference!)