Nico Di Angelo In Hogwarts

finding dory

I was awoken by the sound of my ears popping as Lûn started descending, the air pressure building.

"Argh!" I yelped, using a hand to cover my ears. "Ow ow ow ow ow!"

It felt like my eardrum exploded. I swear I could feel blood trickling down my ear, although it was just my imagination.

"I guess we're here," I grumbled as Lûn landed in a sketchy alleyway.

After jumping off the winged black horse, Lûn immediately rose up again, flying south.

I watched him until he was a tiny black dot in the distance before turning back to the rows of houses in front of me, scanning them each.

"Number ten, eleven, thirteen, four - wait a minute!"

I glared at the empty space between houses number 11 and 13, then sighed. Now what?

"I guess I could stay in 13 for now," I mumbled to myself. "It sure looks abandoned."

(a/n i just realized how rushed that was, i'll try to slow it down oops lol)

I cautiously walked over to Number 13, climbing up the steps to it and knocking on the door.

After making sure no one was here, I unsheathed my sword and hacked at the rotting door with ease.

I quietly made my way inside and trotted upstairs, knowing that it would be safer there in case some monster followed me here or something. Knowing monsters, most of them would have trouble climbing up the steep stairway.

I settled down, not daring to IM anyone yet.

I fell asleep faster than I wanted to, exhausted. Man, this is weird.

---

I woke up to clattering downstairs. I shot up, looking around, getting ready to shadow travel again.

Except I couldn't. Whenever I tried, the shadows would stretch thin as if inching away from me, the floor quivering with effort to keep me here. Grunting in frustration, I unsheathed my sword again.

I guess I'll just have to take the beast down.

Peeking downstairs, I was surprised to see a woman with brightly coloured hair. She was holding a twig tightly with determination on her face; I almost laughed at that.

What did she think a twig would help her with? Summoning nymphs or something?

I sheathed my sword, deciding that she was no threat; just a mere mortal.

The woman stalked off in another room of the house, and I took that as my chance to sneakily climb down the stairs and quietly make my way to the door.

Before I could, though, the woman noticed me and screamed something in gibberish, the tip of her wand pointed at me.

I collapsed to the floor, my legs tied together with rope. How did that happen?

Grumbling, I wriggled and thrashed my legs like crazy. With the help of my very skinny and short legs, I managed to get out of the ropes' grasp. I got back up nimbly, wiping my skinny jeans.

The woman looked bewildered, staring at me, then the rope, then back at me. "How did you get out of the bounds?" She demanded, voice shaky. "How did the spell not have an effect on you??"

I sighed, rolling my eyes. I guess she was a threat after all I didn't really remember her in the greek myths, but figured it was a monster.

"Look, lady," I growled, unsheathing my sword. "I don't know what you want from me, but take a step closer and I'll turn you into a pile of monster dust."

She huffed, pointing the twig at me and chanting something along the lines of "expili-anus". The sword jumped out of my hands as if I was flu season and clattered to the ground, a good distance away.

I let out a surprised but frustrated yelp, turning towards her and glaring daggers. My satisfaction got the best of me when I saw her squirm under my gaze.

"Who are you?" she screeched. "How did you get past the house's barriers?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I shot back, inching towards my sword slowly by slowly. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Fine then," she huffed "What's your name at least?"

"Nico," I glanced towards my sword warily. SO close, just a few more tiny steps . . . .

The brightly haired woman's eyes widened, and her face showed relieved. "So you're that half-blood kid!"

I lunged for my sword, and pressed it against her neck. She audibly gulped, looking down at my sword as she sweated buckets. "How do you know about that?" I hissed.

"I - I don't what you're talking about," she stuttered. 

"I could slice and dice you into golden dust right here." I growled, pressing the blade closer to her neck and restricting airway.

"Dumbledore informed me," she yelped, choking. "I can assure you, he only revealed this information to me, and me only."

"Dumbledore . . . ?" I quickly let go of her, finally realizing what she was. The woman held her neck, huffing and puffing, her blue and flushed face slowly turning back to its original colour.

"So you're those wizards?" I asked. "Hecate's pets?"

The woman looked at me, confused. "Hecate what now?"

I sighed, turning my sword back to the ring.

Thank the gods for Lou Ellen's blessing. Maybe I can ask Lou Ellen to permanently give my sword the ability to turn back to the ring when I finish my quest.

"Nevermind," I said. "You're Nymphadora, right?"

"Call me Tonks."

"....Dora suits you better."

"How dare y -"

"You can lead me to 13 Grimmauld Place anytime now."

Grumbling, Tonks walked out of the house, and I followed. Like before, there was no 13; it just skipped from 12 to 14.

Tonks mumbled something under her breath, waving her twig around in a clockwise semi circle and then flicking it upwards.

The empty place between 12 and 14 flickered; it looked like the hologram of an abandoned unstable house was going haywire.

"Well that's not right," she grimaced.

Tonks did her little spell again, except this time she flicked her wand downwards.

Now the hologram of the house fully appeared, and I realized that this wasn't a hologram; it was an actual abandoned and unstable house, so flimsy that it looked like it was gonna tip over any second now.

Tonks looked over at me with a proud twinkle in her eyes, but it soon faded when she saw my blank, bored face.

"What," her face fell, "aren't you impressed or something?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "Why should I be?"

"The house appeared out of thin air! It was magically hidden from the naked eye!"

". . . . So?"

Tonks gave up, sighing exasperatedly. "Does nothing fascinate you demigods these days?"

"When it comes to the wizarding world, then yes, quite not."

"Why, you little - aergh!"

I smirked at her frustration.

Getting under people's skin was something I did quite well, with a lot of ease. It was quite fun, in fact; I usually even did it on purpose.

People can be so easily manipulated to be angered, it was quite funny actually.

"Just follow me," Tonks muttered, walking towards the house.

And follow her I did.

nov 7