Black Magic: Nico visits Hogwarts

13: Author - PART OF THE STORY

I waved to the door, welcoming my guests into the room. As usual in an authors note, Nico and the seven filed in, and took their places on the sofa. I smiled at my compatriots as Hazel snuggled closer to Frank. I flipped open my laptop, the artificial light illuminating my face with the orange welcome page that informed me I was on wattpad. Low chatter filled the room as I logged in.

"Isn't this gonna attract monsters?" Jason asked, looking to Annabeth for an answer. She shrugged, but I smiled.

"Perhaps," the demigods tensed, "But I can always send you back to the book, and besides," I said, pulling a hard drive from my USB port, "This is imperial gold. I can defend myself." Piper crossed her arms.

"How did you get that! Supplies of imperial gold in New Rome are running low!" I raised my eyebrows.

"My mother gave it to me... You know, Providentia." She sighed in frustration. I clicked on my favourite of my books, Black Magic. Nico glanced over my shoulder in anticipation.

"Awwww... Death Breath likes his fame." Percy grinned, and Nico glared. the temperature of the room began to decrease, though the fight was disrupted by a squeal which I don't want to admit came form my mouth.

"You sound like I strangled Umbridge." Nico remarked, though I was too overjoyed to react. Nico caught sight of the screen too, and gave me an unusual grin. "Woah!"

I read, re-read and read it again; 5.1k. Five thousand, one hundred and sixty eight reads. Leo ruffled my hair, then patted me on the back, and Nico was still smiling. Frank and Hazel, however, were on my phone, and seemed to be comparing my latest chapter with the original book.

"Well done!" Annabeth smiled at me, her skin crinkling around the corners of her stormy grey eyes. Finally Hazel piped up.

"Did you copy some of this word for word?" She asked, and eight heads snapped to face me, my previous victory all but forgotten.

'The speech." I said slowly. "How would this be faithful to the lovely JK Rowling's ideas if I didn't." I was comforted to see that Annabeth had nodded in agreement. "I don't claim to own it, or to have written the speech, but I do claim to have injected it with new life, and a new plot."

"Definitely an improvement on it too." a quiet voice said from behind me.

"Did he just compliment you?" Leo gasped, his hair flickering with flame. "He did... He's gone soft!" Nico stood up, and the room darkened. I realised that things were perhaps about to get very messy, and I had no intention of letting my sofa pay the price.

"ENOUGH!" I shouted, "Back to the book! The lot of you" I said, standing up and ushering the demigods towards the door to the fictional world.