Timeline what timeline? Estelle is about 16 months old in this
We put down our bags just as Sally pokes her head around the doorway. "Percy, Nico, hi!" She says, "I didn't hear you come in, how long have you been here?"
"Just a few seconds. We thought it would be easier to just come directly in," Percy smiles, and Sally beckons us in for a hug.
"Oh, so you didn't have anything to do with Freddy shouting about sticks and deckchairs?" She raises an eyebrow and steps back to properly judge us.
"He's called Freddy? Also, that wasn't our fault. There was this weird gremlin thing that we had to deal with."
"On his balcony?"
"Yeah."
"We were just about to start lunch, do you want any quiche?" Sally decides to change the subject swiftly.
"Sally you know I love your quiche," I say, "But we just had dinner and Hogwarts has this all you can eat buffet system made by a group of elves that single handedly destroys all stereotypes about British food."
She laughs. "Well you can sit with us anyway and tell us how your job has been."
"They have a society that has the potential to be really cool, except they are all really stupid," Percy explains as Sally and Paul eat their lunch and Estelle mashes hers into the table.
"They wear pointy hats and use quills but half of them don't know basic maths," I add on, "And they all live like it's still the Middle Ages."
"But it's fun?" Paul asks, "And they're paying you well?"
"Don't even get me started on their currency..."
After lunch, we all help decorate the apartment for Christmas, hanging misshapen paper decorations in the windows and adding the most awful homemade, glitter covered, badly spelt and questionable decorations to the small tree that I think Percy may have made when he was in playgroup. Sally and Estelle had taken the morning off (from work and sleeping, respectively) to buy a small pine tree to fit by the window, and although it made the apartment feel slightly cramped, it looked lovely with little white lights twinkling on the branches.
Over the next few days, we spend our time hanging out with Estelle and watching films whilst Paul and Sally are out working. It's nice to have a break from everything, and to be with Estelle, who has the happiest smile and an obsession with a huge glittery bauble that she keeps hitting as though she is a cat.
The Jackson family has a tradition in which they make pizza on Christmas Eve, and then watch A Muppets Christmas Carol. It's got to the point where Percy can recite all the lines as the characters say them.
"Was Christmas anything like this back when you were a kid?" He asks as the film finishes, and Sally leaves to put Estelle to bed.
"I was raised really, really Catholic. From what I can remember, I spent half the time in church. I did get the occasional ghost visit, although of course no one believed me." I say, smiling slightly as I remember telling Bianca I had seen a ghost at the back of the church. 'Oh be quiet Nico. Everyone can see him, you're not special. He's there every day. You've never seen him before?' "Well, except Bianca. But she thought everyone could see them."
"I've had to teach A Christmas Carol to many students," Paul says, "It's great, because the kids know half the lines already." And then he says to me, "I didn't know you were raised Catholic."
"It was Italy in the 1930s. Everyone was raised Catholic," I say. "I don't remember it well though. My memories aren't 100% there."
"Oh," Paul says. I don't know if he actually is aware of my time in Italy and the Lotus Casino fiasco that follows, but I suppose living with Sally probably means that he knows bits and pieces.
We spend the rest of the evening chatting, and it's only until I start yawning that we realise it's getting late, so Percy and I head to bed.
I wake up in the morning to the sound of low voices, and squinting blearily, I see that Percy has his back to me, sitting on the edge of the bed and speaking quietly to an IM.
He must have heard me move as I woke, as he spins around, grinning and swiping away the IM as he does so.
"Merry Christmas Nico!"
"You too," I reply, still half asleep. "Who were you talking to at-" I check the clock on the wall, expecting it to be at least earlier than 5 "-oh. 9 in the morning?"
"Apollo, actually. He's helping me with your present."
"Is it a book of poetry?" I ask, half joking, but half horrified because what if it actually is...
"Well, if you would prefer Apollo's poetry to the super cool sound system and CD player that he's set up in our classroom then I'm sure it can be arranged..." He lets the question hang in the air as I let out a gasp and scramble over the bed to hug him.
"Thank you," I mumble into his neck, "Please don't arrange any poetry."
"It's out of my hands now, sorry," He laughs.
"Hang on, I'll get your present now," I say, releasing him from my hug and getting up to rummage in my backpack. Standing up, I pass him a small rectangular object, about the size of a playing card, wrapped in the gaudiest wrapping paper. It has little motifs of presents that sparkle whilst a tiny Santa and his sleigh zoom about streaking gold glitter.
He blinks at the paper, then carefully unwraps it, using the edge of Riptide to slice through the tape and keep the paper in one piece.
"...Mirrors?" He says.
"Well, you can use them to look in I guess, but they are actually cooler than that. It's like the mirror that Mr Weasly had. Here, I'll show you," I say, and I whisper Percy's name into one of them. The mirror that Percy is holding glows slightly, before my face appears in it. I give it a little wave, and I can see his shocked face through my mirror.
"Woah. That's cool. And useful. Do you know what the range is?"
"Haven't had time to test them out yet. Selene helped me order them, they came by owl yesterday."
We leave for Camp the day after boxing day, figuring that we had taken up enough of the Blofis' apartment over Christmas. It was a good enough time as any to test out the range of the mirrors, so I shadow travel there alone first, holding onto the mirror tightly. On the outskirts of Camp, I whisper Percy's name into it, and a brief moment later Percy's whooping face is seen through the mirror.
"It works!" He cries, "Now come back and pick me up, I want to see everyone at camp!"
Word count: 1128
Song: Qué Más Quieres, The Warning
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Defense Against The Dark Arts
FanfictionNico knew that he and Percy weren't done with the wizarding community, and he was proved correct when Dumbledore turned up to camp unexpectedly, and offered them a teaching position. At a magic school. Which teaches kids magic. Something that he and...
