Nico Di Angelo at Hogwarts

Chapter 28

"Will, I need to figure out what I'm going to teach tomorrow!" Nico giggled as his boyfriend pressed soft kisses behind his ear. 

"There isn't anything they can't find from the books in the library, and you've taught them a lot of this already." Will commented, taking in Nico's expansive inventory of history books. 

"So?" Nico sighed in frustration. 

"So, teach them what they can't find in the books, tell them about Percy and Annabeth, tell them about Reyna, tell them about Zoe Nightshade, tell them about Bianca, and tell them about Luke, tell them everything." Will proposed the idea, nestling his nose behind the son of Hades' ear. The older thought it over for a second. 

"Okay, that's the best plan I have, I guess." He closed the book that was open in front of him. Will grinned and pulled him into the bedroom, falling onto the bed with Nico in his arms. 

"That means I get to have snuggle time!" Nico giggled at his boyfriend's cuteness, wondering how on earth he got such a wonderful man. 

"WILL!" Nico shrieked as the son of Apollo pinned him to the sheets and began ticking his sides with no mercy. The two laughed and played until their sides ached and tears streamed down their cheeks. Several candles snuffed out, but Nico couldn't care less, because Will was all the light he needed. 

"Tomorrow night is the full moon," Will said randomly as they lay on the bed, limbs entangled. Nico looked up at him in confusion. 

"So? Are you wanting to go werewolf hunting or something?" Will let out a breathy laugh. 

"No, I want to take you on a moonlight date. You've been through a lot recently and I want to make happy memories with you." Nico nodded, smiling and snuggled into Will's chest, enjoying the sent of his boyfriend. 

"Speaking of happy memories..." Will lightly gripped Nico's chin and brought it up, meeting their lips in a passionate kiss. 

Tom sat in the clearing by the Quidditch pitch, staring off into space. Seventeen mounds of dirt were still freshly piled, a stark contrast to the white snow. His heart ached, and he desperately wished that he could do something, anything to change why those piles were there. Seventeen gleaming marble headstones glimmered in the early morning sun. 

On each, a Hogwarts house mascot moved gracefully across the stone. The Slytherin snake twirled slowly, tracing the names of it's former students as if in sorrow. Ravenclaw's eagle was perched on a branch, her head down. The Gryffindor lion prowled around the entire headstone, growling and roaring in anger and grief. The Hufflepuff badger snuffled around the names of her students, grieving. 

The demigods had been taken back to their respective camps for a proper funeral ceremony, their bodies draped in soft cloth. 

The young son of Zeus let his head fall back into the breeze, enjoying the feeing of his hair being gently tousled in every direction. He let his arms rise into the wind childishly, as if he was an airplane. 

"We thought we might find you here." A soft voice called from behind him. The blonde turned to see who now joined him, letting his arms fall to his sides. Emma stood there, her hands clasped together in front of her. She had on dark red leggings, a warm brown coat, thin gloves and a warm grey hat with a diamond owl. Behind her was Matthew, in simple black jeans and a dark green coat, unzipped to reveal a white jumper. Clinging to his arm was Luna, dressed in light blue leggings and a soft grey jacket. Her many necklaces wavered in the wind, clinking together. 

"You missed breakfast." Tom nodded faintly and gave them a soft smile before looking back at the graves. Emma sat next to him, leaning her head onto his shoulder as she gazed at the headstones. It comforted both of them greatly that they were now able to be completely public with their relationship. Tom was hesitant to show any form of affection in front of anyone, but a small smile from Emma always managed to put his mind at ease. 

Matthew and Luna sat next to them, Luna on Matthew's lap. She leaned back into his chest, gazing at the headstones. "Why isn't there ever an end to the evil in this world?" Matthew wondered aloud after a few minutes of silence. Emma shrugged. 

"Many scholars and philosophers have been debating that question since the beginning of civilization, and no one has come up with a widely accepted answer, at least to my knowledge. I suppose there have been lots of answers over the centuries-" 

"Because they balance each other out." Tom said quietly, cutting her off. The other three turned to him in slight surprise, not expecting him to answer. "Good and evil, you need both." He clarified, not looking anyone in the eye, his visual focus still lay upon the Slytherin headstone in front of him. Blaze Zambini. 

"If there was no true evil, than the good itself would become corrupt. They balance, a never ending seesaw, a measuring stick for the other. If we had no evil in this world, then everything would be good, so nothing would be. We would never know the true beauty of kindness or love, if it were shown all the time, because then there would be nothing special about it. It is the darkness in the world and inside each of us that makes the light truly special. 

"And if there was no good in the world, then everything would be evil, so nothing would be. The same situations apply, hate wouldn't be so hurtful. We find it hurtful because we know love, but if love never existed, then hate is all we would know, so it wouldn't hurt. It's like a temperature, you don't know you're cold until you've been hot, and you don't know you're hot until you've been cold. So that is why I believe that evil is in the world, so goodness can exist and flourish." Tom's eyes never left the headstone in front of him. 

"I think he's right." Luna spoke up. "A lot of people don't have that realization, but people usually do when their pillows are infested with loud mouthed jigglets, I could check it out if you wish." Tom smiled slightly, closing his eyes. 

"No thank you, Luna. Thank you though." She hummed quietly, completely unfazed by the rejection. 

"Nico's class starts in ten minutes, we should probably go." The daughter of Minerva whispered. Tom nodded sadly, not wanting to face his peers. He staggered to his feet, slightly light headed. Emma gently took his hand, and put her other in her pocket. After a few steps, she brought out a green apple and held it out to him. His blue eyes flickered between her and the fruit, not liking how it glimmered in the early morning light. To him it was dangerous, it showed weakness, and it set that little voice in his head off like a firecracker. 

"One bite, is all I ask. A single bite." Her words were soft, so the couple ahead of them couldn't hear. His shaking hand reached for the fruit. 

"Just a bite, then I can throw it away?" He clarified. She nodded. 

"As long as you actually swallow it. Then you can throw it as far as you want." She promised. He groaned, there went his only loophole. It took him most of the walk to do it, his body having a civil war. Every fiber of his being craved it, while detesting it at the same time in some sort of torturous cycle. But, just before the castle entrance, the side that needed it became triumphant and he bit into the fruit. It was a small bite, but it was a bite. The sour taste exploded in his mouth, seeming to suck all the moisture from his cheek and tongue. He dropped the apple in a waste bin as he passed by, chewing slowly. He swallowed shakily, and was rewarded by a soft peck on the cheek by the woman holding his hand. He smiled softly, uncomfortable with the almost foreign feeling of food entering his system. 

The four of them stood outside the classroom, less than a minute until the class began. Emma, Matthew and Luna had deposited their bags at their desks before going to find Tom early that morning. Tom breathed in deeply before pushing open the door slightly to give him enough room to slip into the classroom. Any and all noise in the classroom dropped to nothing in less than a second. All eyes were on the three demigods as they awkwardly made their way to their seats. 

As soon as they sat, the door to Nico's office unlatched with a click and opened, allowing two figures to exit. Their professor was followed by a woman who appeared to be around his age, with stormy grey eyes and blonde princess curls. She was wearing a long sleeved blue hoodie, Jackson written across the back, and underneath read Goode High Swim Team. 

"Class, meet Annabeth Chase." 

a/n 

i don't want to interact with people today, thank you and good night 

Stay Alive frens 

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