When Myths Meet Magic || 5

6|| Piper

Piper walked miserably to the dungeons alone. Pansy and Draco were up ahead, leading the first years. Even if they weren't prefects, there was no doubt they'd not talk to her anyways. She hoped Leo or Will would be Slytherin too, but noooooo.

Suddenly, she bumped into someone who went tumbling to the floor. A second year Slytherin. Piper bent down to help her up, but she let out a terrified squeak and darted down the corridor. Frowning, all Piper could do was stand and stare after the second year for a while. Did she do something wrong? Mystified, Piper continued on into the coldness of the dungeon.

When she entered the common room, Piper went straight up to bed. Millicent and Daphne were there, but she didn't talk to them as she pulled the silk green drapes across, shielding herself from sight. After all, she had a long day of being ignored tomorrow.

>>>•Leo•<<<

The girl, Luna, showed him up to the Ravenclaw common room. It was blue themed with a lovely view of the mountains. It was something Annabeth would appreciate. But Leo, not so much. The whole structure of the tower was serene and carefully thought out, but it was so simple. It's literally a pointy cylinder jutting out from a castle. No pizzazz, no show.

"And the boys dormitory is up this way," Luna said dreamily. "There's a plaque that says fifth years. That's you."

Leo nodded. "Okay," he said, disheartened. It seemed all the other demigods had friends with them. Frank, Hazel, and Will had each other in Pufflefluff. Jason had Percy, Annabeth, Nico, and Thalia in Gryffindor. Piper... well, Piper was a loner like him. Maybe they could hang out. Flopping dejectedly onto his blue sheets, he opened his wand pocket in his tool belt. The long, light brown stick felt odd in his hands, too fragile, too easily snapped. Besides, his wood was made of fir, one of the most flammable woods according to Hecate. And with a phoenix feather core... man, the wand was just asking to erupt into flames. Leo let a flame dance on his fingertips, tauntingly close to the wand.

"Hey, Leo?" A voice asked from behind the curtains. Extinguishing the fire, Leo peered behind the curtains.

"Terry Boot," the Ravenclaw introduced. "I just wanted to say... welcome to Hogwarts, I guess."

Leo grinned. "Thanks," he said.

"Don't feel bad if you get lost for the first few months," Terry assured him. "I don't know how it is at Ilvermorny, but Hogwarts can get pretty confusing. So if you need help with anything... You can just ask me or something."

"Thanks," Leo said again.

Terry shifted his weight onto his other leg. "Well, goodnight then," he said finally.

Leo pulled his head back into his little private bed, eyes wide awake. He wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon.

Reaching mindlessly for his tool belt, Leo began to work the wires together. There was usually something calming about the act, but tonight all Leo could think about was that pink terror, Umbridge. He smiled maniacally to himself and pulled out a small, bronze feather. Twisting it, his mechanical owl appeared. Leo shoved a handful of the bronze machines he crafted quickly itno the compartment, and set the owl free. As he had the bed closest to the window, it caused little pandemonium as it swept out into the sky, then circled around towards Gryffindor tower.

>>>•Will•<<<

Will was sitting on his bed when Nico shadow-travelled. For a moment, the shadows between his and Frank's bed seemed to darken, then a small, skinny, fifteen year old figure popped out of the shadows.

"Hey, guys," Nico said.

"Holy shoot!" Frank toppled off his bed in surprise, then he regained his composure and climbed back on the yellow blankets. "What the Hera, Nico?"

Will anxiously cast a glance around the rest of the boy's dorms, but Ernie was in the common room with Justin, and Zacharias Smith was tucked behind the drapes. He turned back to Nico.

"What're you doing here?"

Nico shrugged. "I was bored," he said. "Thought I'd come visit you."

Frank rolled his eyes and bent back over his charms book when he realized Nico had turned his full attention to Will. Will sighed.

"How did you know no one was looking?"

Nico grinned. "I took a chance," he said. Will rolled his eyes.

"I see turning fifteen has not matured you in the slightest."

"Says you," Nico shot back.

"I hope you're not shadow-travelling all over the place," Will said sternly. Nico rolled his eyes and, just to make a point, shadow-travelled across the room, to the opposite corner, the middle of the room, out of the dormitory, then back again.

"See," Nico insisted, swaying precariously on his feet. "I'm fine." He reached for his wand in his pocket and conjured a flask out of mid air, filling it with unicorn draught. "Little trick we learned from Hermione," he explained.

Will rolled his eyes. It was like they were having an eye-rolling contest, Frank thought to himself. "You can't just whip this up every time you over exert yourself," He reprimanded. "It's like demigod steroids."

Nico drained the flask and waved it in Will's face. "Oh yes I can," He said before shadow-travelling back to the Gryffindor common room.

Will sighed. "This is why I needed to come," He said to Frank. "Otherwise Nico's going to get himself killed."

Frank shrugged in response.

>>>•Leo•<<<

At the Ravenclaw table, Leo sat as close to Piper as he could. The Ravenclaws were nice, but he preferred Piper much more. Now, if only he and Piper were with the Gryffindors, that would be perfect.

Suddenly, there was a faint rustling of wings that steadily grew louder. Leo shot a panicked look at Piper, who didn't look surprised in the slightest.

"It's the post," she explained. "It comes every morning."

Hundreds of owls swooped in through the windows, carrying letters and other parcels in their claws. To his surprise, a small barn owl swooped closer and dropped a letter before soaring off. Expecting a letter from Chiron, Leo was surprised to see an untidy scrawl of two seventeen year olds.

Hi Leo
Your owl broke
Machines don't cope well with magic
Gred and Forge

Leo leaned over and peered at the Gryffindor table. He spotted Fred and George, looking very apologetic as they held up a limp bronze owl.

Sorry, Fred mouthed. Leo shrugged and asked an unspoken question. In response, George held up a handful of dead bronze insects. Leo sighed. He'd have to figure out a way to make the machines run, or else Operation Destroy the Toad was off.