Mrs. O'Leary burst into a scene Nico would never forget- it horrified him greatly.
Umbridge was holding up her wand at Harry, who looked like he didn't believe what was going on, and was just muttering a spell that Nico knew brought trouble (Crucio!)
"HEY!" Eight heads whipped to Nico immediately- he didn't blame them. Ginny, Neville Hermione jumped back in horror as Ron and Harry gaped at Mrs. O'Leary, backing away cautiously- Umbridge looked like she was torn between screaming or running off to Australia.
"You-you're supposed to be in Azkaban!" Umbridge squealed. "You can't-you-you!"
"I said, I'd be back," said Nico warily, glaring at her as he climbed off Mrs. O'Leary. "And I did, just at the right moment, too."
Hermione, whom Nico noticed had tear-tracks on her face, like she was crying (or faking tears) ran up to him and gave him a hug that gave Sally Jackson and Molly Weasley a run for their money. Ginny came next, and then Neville, who finally managed to tear his eyes away from Mrs. O'Leary and Nico, stuttered a greeting.
"What's going on here?" Nico demanded, surveying the scene- the ruined office and the ash-ridden fire-place, the terrified looks on his friends' faces, and the look of craze on Umbridge's face.
"Oh, I'll tell you what's going on!" screeched Umbridge, pointing her wand at Nico- Nico immediately reached for his,, but then remembered it wasn't there and groaned inwardly.
"Your friends here are speaking about a dangerous weapon that must not exist in the first place- the weapon you and dear old Dumbledore were planning to use against the Ministry! And I will use any necessary means to find out where it is and exterminate it!"
Mrs. O'Leary growled, causing Umbridge's hand to shake, but she didn't let down her wand.
"Weapon?" Nico asked, frowning. He'd heard of it, sure- the Order spoke of it several times, but he was ever told what it was, and nor did he really ask. He knew his mission-what he had to do- and there was nothing else that concerned him, unless the Order thought it did. But ico knew one thing- if Umbridge knew about the weapon, then they were in big, big, big trouble.
"What weapon are you talking about?" Nico said, staring at the wand in her hand defiantly. "And really? You were planning to torture them for infirmation they have nothing to do with?" he narrowed his eyes. "You disgust me."
"Nico," Hermione said, she gave Nico a look that blankly said 'just play along'. "she knows...She knows about it-and-and-" Hermione broke into tears again, and Ginny was fake- comforting her as Luna gazed dreamily at Mrs. O'Leary.
Mrs. O'Leary nudged Nico- he sighed, making a big show of it.
Fine, I'll play along. Nico thought, as he put on his best annoyed expression.
"What did you tell her for!" he yelled at them, looking at them with play-anger. Umbridge's expression turned smug, though her hands were still shaking. She gave a high-pitched laugh.
"Yes, yes I know! And you, di Angelo, along with your little friend here, will lead me to it!"
"Over my dead body!" Nico spat.
"Or over theirs..." Umbridge said with a sickly smile, pointing her wand towards Luna and Ginny, who stared at her in horror.
"You wouldn't-"
"Oh, try me!" Umbridge said gleefully. "It was I who sent the dementors after Potter here, wasn't it? Going a little further won't do me any harm...And once I tell them about Dumbledore's weapon and di Angelo's escape from Azkaban- why, I may even get a promotion for this!"
"You're sick!" Nico said. "Fine- I'll show you where it is, but when I do, you'll regret ever considering the idea." he swore.
Umbridge slowly lowered her wand, looking smug. Mrs. O'Leary, who looked like she didn't want to be left out of the game, growled at her with narrowed eyes.
"Ah-ah-ah!" Umbridge chided. "I don't want your hound with us di Angelo- don't want it jumping me, do we?"
Oh, we do. Nico thought, but didn't say anything. He looked at Mrs. O'Leary, who was performing the equivalent of pouting for a hellhound, and looking like she understood every word of what they were saying.
"Go on, girl." Nico encouraged."I'll be fine." Mrs. O'Leary waved her huge tail, scattering about things in Umbridge's office, and causing said person to screech on duck. Mrs. O'Leary then jumped off into the shadows, as if she had never been there in the first place.
"That was odd..." Luna said dreamily. "I like it."
Now that there was no danger to her anymore, as she was facing five wandless teenagers, lowered her own wad, looking visibly ecstatic.
"Let's see this weapon, shall we?"
-O-
"Is it Hagrid's hut?" said Umbridge with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
"Of course not!" said Hermione scathingly. "Hagrid might set it off accidentally!"
Umbridge snorted cruelly. "Yes, he would, the half-breed oaf." she looked at Nico pointedly while saying the word 'Half-breed'. Hermione threw him a questioningly glance, but he shook it off.
"It's in the forest...we had to keep it somewhere students wouldn't wander off to." Hermione said.
"Of course, of course." Umbrdige muttered as they trudged deeper into the forest. "You three stay ahead of me."
Nico felt a flood of anger moving through his veins at her cowardice- she would readily use an Unforgivable curse that caused inexplainable pain on a teenager, yet she herself didn't want to be put it danger- that was more than just dangerous; it was hypocritical. Low.
"Can we have your wand, then, if we're going first?" Harry asked cautiously, and Nico was, for a third time, considering giving Harry lying and persuasion lessons.
"No, I don't think so, Mr. Potter." she said sweetly. "The Ministry values my life more than yours, I'm afraid."
Nico's muscles tensed. "It's not that, is it!" he found himself yelling. "You value your life more than his! You're-you're-inhumane."
"You're the one to speak, di Angelo?" she retorted. Nico glared at her, but she was unmoved, and kept ushering them forward. Oh, if only Nico had his wand..if only.
They walked in silence for a few seconds, with nothing bu the roaring wind and the rustling of trees to keep them company. Nico was fairly sure than running off into the Forbidden Forest, which was clearly Forbidden for a reason, was quite stupid- but since this was Hermione leading them, he played along without hesitation. They ran through thick trees, which Hermione leading the way and sprinting so quickly that Umbridge had trouble catching up with them- Nico really hoped they would lose her and leave her there, lost in the Forbidden forest. At first, he thought that perhaps this may have been Hermione's original plan, but although she moved quickly, she made sure the others caught up, although that could have been because Harry and Nico had no idea where she was going.
It was Nico's first time in the Forbidden Forest, but he didn't notice much because there seriously wasn't a lot to notice in the first place- the trees were thick sometimes, and thin sometimes. Sometimes they bonded together, wrapping their branches around each ther in a strange manner, almost covering the night sky- sometimes they were straight and parted from each other, visibly viewing the stars. There noises in the forest- growls and howls that made Umbridge jump way higher than Nico would have thought she could. Other than that, though, it was just like some of the deeper areas of the forests around Camp-Half Blood, so there was nothing remarkably new or anything that could his attention.
"Is it very far in?" Umbridge squeaked after a nearer sounding howl was voiced.
"Do you think Dumbledore will want it on the edges of the Forest where someone might accidentally cross it? Do you think he wanted some Quidditch crazed fools to notice something while riding their brooms and go wandering to investigate in here?" Nico sneered- he was surprised at his own lie, and how convincing it sounded. Hermione looked at him approvingly, and Harry blinked twice to indicate he was keeping up.
"Yes, I understand." snapped Umbridge, but it came out more as an annoyed squeak. "It's well hidden."
As they went deeper into the forest, Nico noticed Harry's troubled look- he seemed to be constantly trying to catch Hermione's eye, as if he knew something was coming ahead, and he didn't like the sound of it. Nico caught his eyes and tried to comminucate through looks. Just keep playing- she'll know something's wrong if you don't.
Harry gave him a look, like- Got it- just have a bad feeling about this. Nico could tell by his pursing of lips that he was going to be play along, but by the frown on his face that he wasn't completely comfortable with this, either." Er - are you sure this is the right way?" he asked her pointedly.
"Oh yes," she said in a steely voice, crashing through the undergrowth with what Nico thought was a wholly unnecessary amount of noise. Behind them, Umbridge tripped over a fallen sapling. Neither of them paused to help her up again; Hermione merely strode on, calling loudly over her shoulder, "It's a bit further in!"
"Hermione, keep your voice down," Nico heard Harry muttered, as he started hurrying to catch up with her. "Anything could be listening in here - "
"I want us heard," she answered quietly, as Umbridge jogged noisily after them. "You'll see . . ." That, caught Nico's attention. Apparently, Hermione wanted someone to hear them- but who, or more likely what, did she know in the Forbidden Forest? And why was she so sure it- or he, or she, whatever, was/were going to help them? He wasn't stupid enough to voice this question, of course, but the thought still haunted the back of his mind.
They walked on for what seemed a long time, until they were once again so deep into the Forest that the dense tree canopy blocked out all light. Nico's demigod senses immediately picked up on something, suddenly- he felt a prick at the back of his neck, the way he usually felt when he knew someone was watching him
"How much further?" demanded Umbridge angrily from behind him.
"Not far now!" shouted Hermione, as they emerged into a dim, dank clearing. "Just a little bit - "
An arrow flew through the air and landed with a menacing thud in the tree just over her head. The air was suddenly full of the sound of hooves; Nico could feel the Forest floor trembling; Umbridge gave a little scream and pushed Harry in front of her like a shield -
He wrenched himself free of her and turned. Around fifty centaurs were emerging on every side, their bows raised and loaded, pointing at Harry, Hermione and Umbridge. They backed slowly into the centre of the clearing, Umbridge uttering odd little whimpers of terror. Nico looked sideways at Hermione. She was wearing a triumphant smile.
Let's get someonething straight. The only centaurs Nico knew were Chiron, and the Party Ponies, who were naturally likable. As far as Nico knew, Roman centaurs were not as awesome as the Party ponies, but that wasn't his concern.
A pack of centaurs that looked like they were about to drive their arrows through their hearts, however, was his concern.
Nico had heard tons about the forest centaurs from the books about Magical Creatures he'd been reading, and from what he'd read, they were rather hostile- they were prideful, and quite protective of their home, which happeed to be the forbidden forest. The only forest centaur Nico knew was Firenze, who taught Divination after Trelawney had been kicked out of the post, and he didn't really fit the description of forest centaurs.
"Who are you'" said a voice.
Nico looked left. A chestnut-bodied centaur was walking towards them out of the circle: his bow, like those of the others, was raised. On Nico's right, Umbridge was still whimpering, her wand trembling violently as she pointed it at the advancing centaur.
"I asked you who are you, human," said the centaur roughly.
"I am Dolores Umbridge!" said Umbridge in a high-pitched, terrified voice. "Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic and Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts!"
"You are from the Ministry of Magic?" said the centaur ("Morganian," Harry mouthed), as many of the centaurs in the surrounding circle shifted restlessly.
"That's right!" said Umbridge, in an even higher voice, "so be very careful! By the laws laid down by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, any attack by half-breeds such as yourselves on a human - "
Nico had time to think, Wrong move, Umbridge, before the centaurs gave sounds of protest and stomped their hooves impatiently, as if they just couldn't wait to stampede Umbridge.
"What did you call us?" shouted a wild-looking black centaur. There was a great deal of angry muttering and tightening of bowstrings around them.
"Don't call them that!" Hermione said furiously, but Umbridge did not appear to have heard her. Still pointing her shaking wand at Magorian, she continued, "Law Fifteen 'B' states clearly that 'any attack by a magical creature who is deemed to have near-human intelligence, and therefore considered responsible for its actions - "
"Near-human intelligence?" repeated Morganian, as the black centaur and several others roared with rage and pawed the ground. "We consider that a great insult, human! Our intelligence, thankfully, far outstrips your own."
Umbridge, shaking with fright and indignation, had had it when Morganian had rightfully asked what they were doing in 'their' Forest.
"I should remind you that the Ministry permits you certain land-"
WOOSH.
Slicing through the air, and arrow flew so close to Umbridge's head that it caught her mousy-hair- she let out a deafening scream, shouting and cursing. "Filthy half-breeds! Uncontrolled animals!"
Ropes flew out of midair like thick snakes, wrapping themselves tightly around the centaur's torso and trapping his arms: he gave a cry of rage and reared on to his hind legs, attempting to free himself, while the other centaurs charged.
Panic flooded Nico as he threw himself onto the Forest floor, dreading the sounds of trampling hooves- Harry, he knew, who was closer to Hermione, had grabbed her and pushed her onto the floor. The centaurs had fortunately leapt over them, shouting and bellowing with rage.
"Nooooo!" he heard Umbridge shriek. "Noooooo . . . I am Senior Undersecretary . . . you cannot - Unhand me, you animals . . . nooooo!"
Nico saw a flash of red light and knew she had attempted to Stun one of them; then she screamed very loudly. Lifting his head a few inches, Nico saw that Umbridge had been seized from behind by Bane and lifted high into the air, wriggling and yelling with fright. Her wand fell from her hand to the ground, but before Nico even had time to hope for reaching it, the black centaur's hooves came down on the wand, snapping it in two. Umbridge's screams grew fainter and fainter, and Nico could tell she was disappearing out of vision-shot
Nico felt himself being lifted up to his feet- sensing no real danger, he cracked an eyes open, and saw two other centaurs who were holding Harry and Hermione, but unlike they did him, the centaurs didn't put them on the floor, though they were giving him looks that said he better not interfere.
"And these?" said the hard-faced, grey centaur holding Hermione.
"They are young," said a slow, doleful voice from behind Harry. "We do not attack foals."
"They brought her here, Ronan," replied the centaur who had such a firm grip on Harry. "And they are not so young . . . he is nearing manhood, this one."
He shook Harry by the neck of his robes, causing Nico to give him a look of protest, which he ignored deliberately
"Please,"said Hermione breathlessly, "please, don't attack us, We don't think like her, we aren't Ministry of Magic employees! We only came in here because we hoped you'd drive her off for us."
Nico knew at once, from the look on the face of the grey centaur holding Hermione, that she had made a terrible mistake in saying this. The grey centaur threw back his head, his back legs stamping furiously, and bellowed, "You see, Ronan? They already have the arrogance of their kind! So we were to do your dirty work, were we, human girl? We were to act as your servants, drive away your enemies like obedient hounds?"
"No!" said Hermione in a horrorstruck squeak. "Please - I didn't mean that! I just hoped you'd be able to - to help us - "
But she seemed to be going from bad to worse.
"We do not help humans!" snarled the centaur holding Harry, tightening his grip and rearing a little at the same time, so that Harry's feet left the ground momentarily. "We are a race apart and proud to be so. We will not permit you to walk from here, boasting that we did your bidding!"
"I thought you do not hurt the innocent!" said Hermione, real tears starting to slide down her face. "We didn't do anything to you, we-"
"Hey!" Nico demanded- he just couldn't not interfere anymore- they were clearly planning to drive away his friends, which he did not want to happen.
"You do know that is not what she meant, don't you?" he said softly. "Believe me, if not them. I-I've been taught by Chiron, and I'll let you know he'd perhaps the wisest living creature that I know, let alone centaur. What my friend here's been trying to say is," he took a deep breath, pausing. "we were simply trekking through the forest, trying to loose Dolores Umbridge in here so she wouldn't hinder us anymore."
"The girl said you were awaiting our arrival." sneered the centaur with Harry, although he seemed the tiniest bit reluctant.
"You make her nervous." Nico said simply. "But we won't be lying to you- it is true that you have helped us more or less." he said, breathing heavily with anticipation.
"We will not harm you, half-blood." said the centaur, finally. "But these two-"
Hermione never got to complete that sentence, for at that moment,there came a crashing noise on the edge of the clearing so loud that all of them, Harry, Hermione and the fifty or so centaurs filling the clearing, looked around. Harry's centaur let him fall to the ground again as his hands flew to his bow and quiver of arrows. Hermione had been dropped, too, and Harry hurried towards her as two thick tree trunks parted ominously and the monstrous form of a giant appeared in the gap.
The centaurs nearest them backed into those behind; the clearing was now a forest of bows and arrows waiting to be fired, all pointing upwards at the enormous grayish face now looming over them from just beneath the thick canopy of branches. The giant's lopsided mouth was gaping stupidly; they could see his brick-like yellow teeth glimmering in the half-light, his dull sludge-colored eyes narrowed as he squinted down at the creatures at his feet. Broken ropes trailed from both ankles.
He opened his mouth even wider.
"Hagger."
"What the-" Nico couldn't even think of what to say- he reached for his wand, which of course, wasn't there.
Hermione gripped Harry's arm tightly; the centaurs were quite silent, staring up at the giant, whose huge, round head moved from side to side as he continued to peer amongst them as though looking for something he had dropped.
"Hagger!" he said again, more insistently.
"Get away from here, giant!"' called Morganian "You are not welcome among us!"
These words seemed to make no impression whatsoever on Grawp. He stooped a little (the centaurs' arms tensed on their bows), then bellowed, "HAGGER!"
A few of the centaurs looked worried now. Hermione, however, gave a gasp.
"Harry!" she whispered. "I think he's trying to say 'Hagrid'!"
"What?!" Nico breathed. "Why would he- I mean-"
"Thta's Hagrid's half-brother." Harry explained breathlessly. "On the giant side, obviously. He's-"
But at this precise moment Grawp caught sight of them, the only three humans in a sea of centaurs. He lowered his head another foot or so, staring intently at them. Nico could see Hermione shaking as Grawp opened his mouth wide again and said, in a deep, rumbling voice, "Hermy."
"Goodness," said Hermione, gripping Harry's arm so tightly it must have been growing numb and looking as though she was about to faint, "he - he remembered!"
"HERMY!" roared Grawp. "WHERE HAGGER?"
"I don't know!" squealed Hermione, terrified. "I'm sorry, Grawp, I don't know!" Nico stared at them, not knowing what to do, and bot exactly planning on anything.
"GRAWP WANT HAGGER!"
One of the giants massive hands reached down. Hermione let out a real scream, ran a few steps backwards and fell over. Devoid of a wand, Harry braced himself to punch, kick, bite or whatever else it took as the hand swooped towards him, before even Nico's reflexes could interfere, and knocked a snow-white centaur off his legs.
It was what the centaurs had been waiting for - Grawp's outstretched fingers were a foot from Harry when fifty arrows soared through the air at the giant, peppering his enormous face, causing him to howl with pain and rage and straighten up, rubbing his face with his enormous hands, breaking off the arrow shafts but forcing the arrowheads in still deeper.
He yelled and stamped his enormous feet and the centaurs scattered out of the way; pebble-sized droplets of Grawp's blood showered Harry and Nico as they pulled Hermione to her feet and trio ran as fast as they could for the shelter of the trees. Once there they looked back; Grawp was snatching blindly at the centaurs as blood ran down his face; they were retreating in disorder, galloping away through the trees on the other side of the clearing. Harry, Nico and Hermione watched Grawp give another roar of fury and plunge after them, smashing more trees aside as he went.
"Oh no," said Hermione, quaking so badly that her knees gave way. "Oh, that was horrible. And he might kill them all."
"He'll be all right," Nico thought firmly. He had not idea why, but somehow, the fact that Grawp was Hagrid's half-brother seemed to have made him have a little sympathy for the giant.
"I'm not that fussed, to be honest," said Harry bitterly.
The sounds of the galloping centaurs and the blundering giant grew fainter and fainter.
"Smart plan," he spat at Hermione, with so much anger that Nico frowned at him, thinking it was unfair. "Really smart plan. Where do we go from here?"
"It's not her fault, you know." Nico said softly. "And her plan did work after all. Don't-"
"We need to get back up to the castle," interrupted Hermione faintly.
"By the time we've done that, Sirius'll probably be dead!" said Harry, kicking a nearby tree in temper. A high-pitched chattering started up overhead and he looked up to see an angry Bowtruckle flexing its long twiglike fingers at him.
"Sirius?" Nico's head snapped towards Harry as he gaped unconsciously. "What happened to Sirius?"
"I had a dream- he's being tortured, okay? Voldemort's got him- and-and it's my fault that he's-" Harry turned away, so they couldn't see his face.
Nico didn't even know what to think- Sirius, the cheerful ex-prisoner, under the mercy of the cold, heartless Tom Riddle was enough to make him shudder.
"Well?" Nico said, his voice lightly higher than usual. "Are you going after him? If you are, then I'll let you know that I'm coming, too." he said firmly.
Harry turned to him- he opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then-
"Yeah, we were just talking about that." said a familiar voice from behind her.
The three moved together instinctively and peered through the trees.
Ron came into sight, closely followed by Ginny, Neville and Luna. All of them looked a little the worse for wear - there were several long scratches running the length of Ginny's cheek; a large purple lump was swelling above Neville's right eye; Ron's lip was bleeding worse than ever - but all were looking rather pleased with themselves.
"So," said Ron, pushing aside a low-hanging branch and holding out Harry's wand, "had any ideas about getting to London from Scotland?"
"How did you get away?" asked Harry in amazement, taking his wand from Ron.
"Couple of Stunners, a Disarming Charm, Neville brought off a really nice little Impediment Jinx," said Ron airily, now handing back Hermione's wand, too. "But Ginny was best, she got Malfoy - Bat Bogey Hex - it was superb, his whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Anyway, we saw you out of the window heading into the Forest and followed. What've you done with Umbridge?"
"She got carried away," said Harry. "By a herd of centaurs."
"And they left you behind?" asked Ginny, looking astonished.
"No, they got chased off by Grawp," said Harry.
"Who's Grawp?" Luna asked interestedely.
"Hagrid's little brother," said Ron promptly. "Anyway, never mind that now. Harry, what did you find out in the fire? Has You-Know-Who got Sirius or - ?"
"Sirius is alive." Nico and Harry said at once- they looked at each other, blinking twice.
"How do you know?" they said in unison, again.
"Long story- and you have a longer one to tell, don't you?" Ron interrupted, staring blankly at Nico.
"And I will." Nico promised- he could feel his heart beating harder than even against his chest. He had definitely missed a lot while he was gone, and it was quite an important bit, too. If anything, he was really, really, really glad he made it on time.
"Just...not now. Let's go help Sirius first."
"We'll have to fly, won't we?" Luna said dreamily.
"OK," said Harry irritably, rounding on her. "First of all, 'we' aren't doing anything if you're including yourself in that, and second of all, Ron's the only one with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll, so -"
"'I've got a broom!" said Ginny.
"Yeah, but you're not coming," said Ron angrily.
"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" said Ginny, her jaw set so that her resemblance to Fred and George was suddenly striking.
"So do I!" Nico interjected, not wanting to suddenly be missed out.
"We were all in the DA together," said Neville quietly. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real - or was that all just a game or something?"
"No - of course it wasn't - " said Harry impatiently.
"Then we should come too," said Neville simply. "We want to help."
"That's right," said Luna, smiling happily.
"Hey," Nico said, forcing on a smirk. "If you know me a lot, you know that I'll come with your approval, or without it- I still haven't taught Sirius all the Greek curses I know, he can't die just yet."
"Look," said Ron, barely containing his anger, "you might be able to fly without a broomstick but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we - "
There are ways of flying other than with broomsticks,' said Luna serenely.
"I s'pose we're going to ride on the back of the Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?" Ron demanded.
"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly," said Luna in a dignified voice, "but they can, and Hagrid says they're very good at finding places their riders are looking for."
Harry and Nico turned around simultaneously. Standing between two trees, their white eyes gleaming eerily, were two Thestrals, watching the whispered conversation as though they understood every word.
"Yes!" Harry whispered, moving towards them. They tossed their reptilian heads, throwing back long black manes, and Harry stretched out his hand eagerly and patted the nearest one's shining neck.
Nico moved forward and patted another one- he felt a strange sort of connection to it- maybe because it was a creature of the Underworld, or maybe he was just cool like that. Then, he remembered Hagrid saying something so, so long ago...
"...name O' Tenebrus...He's my special favorite, first one born in the forest."
"O'Tenebrus, huh?" Nico whispered, smiling. The Thestral neighed softly, leaning into Nico's touch.
"Is it those mad horse things?" said Ron uncertainly, staring at a point slightly to the left of the Thestral Harry was patting. "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"
"Yeah," said Harry.
"How many?"
"Just two."
"Well, we need four," said Hermione, who was still looking a little shaken, but determined just the same.
"Five, Hermione,"said Ginny, scowling.
"I think there are seven of us, actually," said Luna calmly, counting.
"Don't be stupid, we can't all go!" said Harry angrily. "Look, you three - ' he pointed at Neville, Ginny and Luna, and Nico was glad he didn't point him out. "you're not involved in this, you're not - "
"You don't be stupid, Harry." Nico protested. "We can't all not go. D'you honestly think we'd be able to live with ourselves if we didn't?"
The group gave more protests, until Harry finally, and quite desperately, said, "OK, OK...It's your choice, but if you go, we need more Thestrals."
"Oh, more will come." Ginny said calmly. "Because if you haven't noticed, you, Hermione, and Nico are covered head to toe in blood, and we now Hagrid draws them with raw meat."
Nico looked back to see she was right- a Thestral was licking Harry's sleeve.
"OK, then," he said, a bright idea occurring, "Ron and I will take these two and go ahead, and Hermione can stay here with you three and she'll attract more Thestrals - "
"I'm not staying behind!" said Hermione furiously, And Nico was feeling even more mad at the thought of Harry thinking he would agree to staying back.
"There's no need," said Luna, smiling. "Look, here come more now . . . you two must really smell . . ."
Harry turned: no fewer than six or seven Thestrals were picking their way through the trees, their great leathery wings folded tight to their bodies, their eyes gleaming through the darkness. He had no excuse now, Nico thought, smirking.
"All right," he said, defeated, "pick one and get on, then." But before he even finished that sentence, Nico was smiling down at the rest, having place himself on O'Tenebrus, adrelanin shooting through his veins, and feeling like his ten-year old self again.
There! I'm soooo glad I managed to update today! So, I just had my German test today...totally sucks. French is WAY easier than German, I'll let you guys know. So...what else is new? OH YEAH, IT'S MY BIRTHDAAAAAYYY! My thirteenth birthday, so I'm offically a teenager now! YEZ! Mum's on the way, and we're gonna eat out and all...Hey, BTW, I don't know what to get her for mother's day- anyone got an idea? I want to get her something special, and I don't know what. Suggestions welcome! P.S, I don't know how many of you exactly ship Tskiera, but if you do...well, that's seriously unexpected!
I hope you guys liked this chapter, and thank you for sticking by me this long!
RR:
SenkoHasegawa: Hm...thank you! Well, the Ministry can't be too happy, right? We'll see, next chapter! Thanks for reviewing again, and I'll be sure to re-read and re-write this fic after I finish it!
Princess of Flames: Nope, he can't. Yes, he is the only Son of Hades, and that's what makes his awesome. That's part of why Mera was angry at Tskia for talking with Dementors- they're creatures of the underworld, but no one orders them around. They're just a basic embodiment of misery, hopelessness, and fear. Yes, Tskia and Mera...I really don't know what to make of their relationship now, but it is a bit too way up to friendship and what not..
Neon Wish: Hello! Awesome name, By the Way!
HowlingRain: Haha! Totally agree with the Luna thing, but that just makes her cool...Thank you! I really wanted something original for this fic.
personunknown686: Yes, it would...I agree, but I had a little time, and a lot to write! I'll have more time later!
Winterlover6: There! Your wish, is my command!
pandasuar727: Thank you for reviewing, and your measures are appreciated!
Guest: There :).
NICO PERCY JACKSON: Thnaks for reviewing!
Daughter of Demeter The Hufflepuff: Oh! And I'll let u know I spent the last minute hyperventilating because urs hyperventilating on my reply to yourr review- trust me, it's only the decent thing to do- if someone asks u a question, you shouldn't ignore it! And yes, the Son-of-Hades prejudice is quite a problem, isn't it? That's why Nico's a Gryffindor here. Yes, be proud of Hufflepuff! There is nothing wrong with being one, unlike many people so unpleasantly protest! Jo Rowling herself is a Hufflepuff, you know? And what kind of a question is that- OF COURSE I'LL READ YOUR STORIES ONCE YOU GET THEM UP! I like to think myself either a daughter of Hermes, or Athena, btw. PS, I don't really plan to kill off Nico- there, I told it off, but he will be, ah...Momentarily dead? Not like Harry or anything, because that's his own part of the story and I don't want to steal the spot light from him or anything, because most stories with half-bloods show Harry as a helpless bloke which he certainly isn't, but I'll shed something strange upon Nico's 'death'. And yes, the tragic death of Fred Weasley... *crys* Was Sirius' death not enough? Did she have to kill off Fred, too?
P. Percabeth Rules: Thanks! Oh, my OCs are just for personal amusement, really. I could rewrite the story without them if I had enough patience. This story is Nico centric, and it'll always be that way. (PS, did I tell you how cool your name is?)
Hunter of Artemis: Sure! Thank you for taking the time to review, and I really do try to spice this up and make things original!
Kerowyn6: I really like how you're dead honest with me- a hard reviewer to impress, which just forces me to improve more. Thank you for taking the time to review!
Fangirl2471999: Thank you for taking the time to review- here's your update!
Bookworm: Thanks! I try to be as original as possible.