Young and Old, Back and Bold

Chapter 16

Nico woke from a night of constant terror, having forgotten to go to the forest to fight off those demonic nightmares. That place, as dark as ever, had been at the front of them. Maybe it really meant something, maybe it was important. Yet as terrifying as it was, for his own sake and sanity, he blocked it from his mind when he woke.

He couldn't take it. Not today.

There's an odd sense of calmness before a battle, before a match, before the big showdown. It's the calm before the storm. You prepare yourself, you take it in as long as you can. You don't know when that calmness will hit you again.

Nico felt this calmness as he got dressed, as he threw those robes on and brushed his teeth. The mirror reflected him, showed those dark eyes and haunted soul. He didn't look.

His shoes were too small, a hand-me-down of George or Fred's. They clung to his small feet and made them even smaller. The bones of his ankles stuck out over the top, but the robes hid all from sight.

He ignored the reflectant windows as he sat on his bed and waited for the other Hufflepuffs to wake up.

Would they realize something was wrong? Would they see that these exchange students meant trouble?

As Dominic woke up his eyes immediately moved to Nico, his sleepy eyes half open in curiosity. "You okay?"

"Yeah, almost breakfast time." Nico grabbed his wand and ran his finger over the smooth wood. "You should get ready. I'm not going down alone."

Dominic sat up, his hair as messy as Nico's from the constant turning in his sleep. "Okay, okay. I'm up." He stood up and stretched, his old pajamas as ratty as Nico's hand-me-downs. "Have you talked to Allyson lately?"

Nico shook his head. "No... Why?"

Dominic grabbed his clothes as a blush escaped over his cheeks. "You know why."

"You're still that into her?"

"You bet."

Nico rolled his eyes as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to flatten the dark mess. Where had the curls come from? What family member of his had them?

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They walked down to the Great Hall together with their bags and wands. Schoolboys, they could be called. Innocents. They looked the part if you didn't look in their eyes.

Nico stepped one foot into the Great Hall before he was stopped short, the exchange student immediately in front of him. Percy...

"Can we talk?" he asked, his green eyes full of desperation. "Privately. Please."

Nico looked into the eyes and felt a deep sense of home. Before he could think, the words escaped his mouth. "Yeah... I know where we can go."

"Nico." Dominic grabbed his shoulder. "Are you sure?"

Nico looked to his friend for some time before nodding. "I...I need to get this done, Dominic... I really need to get this done. Maybe things will make sense."

"And we don't need you there." Percy gestured for Dominic to leave. "It's private."

Dominic clenched his fists. "That isn't for you to decide. If Nico wants me there, I'll be there."

Loyalty. Fatal flaws of many, not just heroes.

"It's okay, Dominic." Nico gestured to the Hufflepuff table. "Go eat and get my work from our classes. I'll meet up with you at lunch."

"You're just gonna skip?"

"Yep."

Dominic sighed at the expected rule breaking. "Fine. I'll see you at lunch."

"Thanks, Dom." Nico looked to Percy, stared into those green eyes. "Follow me."

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The shadows loomed in on them as they walked. Percy followed in silence, his eyes never leaving Nico as if he expected him to fade away with the ghosts. Could a night's sleep take away such shock? It didn't for him.

Shock. Exhaustion at the end of a hunt. Fear at what was next.

Nico entered the woman's bathroom, his dark hair bristling with a cold breeze. As Percy followed, he saw the ghost of a teenage girl sitting on one of the sinks. "Nico...is this safe?"

Nico sighed as Myrtle disappeared, knowing by now that she didn't want to make him mad. Why? He still wasn't sure.

"Just sit and explain yourself," Nico commanded. "Who are you? What's wrong with me?"

At the first question, Percy's heart dropped. "You don't know who I am?"

Nico sat on the cold ground and put his head in his hands. "I saw you at that cabin. I don't know how that happened. That's all I know of you. Should I know you?"

Percy glared at the ceiling as if it had caused all their problems. "Somebody took your memories? How am I not surprised..."

"I have most of them," Nico mumbled. "I remember growing up with my stupid brothers and my overprotective mother. I remember getting my Hogwarts letter. I just don't remember anything before they found me."

"Before they found you...?"

Nico looked up at Percy. "I was found when I was five by the Weasley's. They took me in and raised me. I'm a wizard though we don't know who my parents are... I've had a lot of nightmares and I can move the shadows. Can you? Do you know how to travel through them like I did that one day?"

Percy paled, paled until his face felt like pins and needles. Then, before he could say a word, he stumbled until he was sitting with a severe sense of nausea. "Holy shit..."

"Are you okay?" Nico asked, looking up at the older boy. "What's wrong?"

"...we need Annabeth..."