Death Breath, the Debt Collector. (PJO/HP XC)

Chapter 11: Demonstration

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After the deal had been struck they split ways. Harry was meeting Cho in a tea shop, and Ron and Hermione were continuing to Honeyduke's. Nico had no interest in sweets, but he did in rumors.

Particularly, the rumor of the most haunted establishment in the United Kingdom: The Shrieking Shack.

Nico ducked out of the Three Broomsticks, and quietly made his way through the crowd. He stopped under the eaves of various shops to peer in and gain his bearings and explore the street.

"Angelo," A voice called.

Nico ignored the drawl. "Are you deaf as well as daft? I called you," Draco stepped in front of him, his goons surrounding Nico. "What are you up to in Hogsmeade? I thought you were an orphan. You look as if you've been raised like one."

Nico smirked in his direction, and raised his figure to his full height, allowing him to meet Draco's gaze even. "It appears those without parents behave themselves better than those with two," Nico let him think whatever he wanted about his parents. As long as it wasn't the truth.

Draco scoffed. "You better watch yourself, Di Angelo," his eyes darted to a medal on his cloak, marking him part of the Inquisitor Squad.

Nico looked into his eyes and felt his jaw tense. "I'll be on my toes," Nico smirked, and considered stepping on Draco's foot to add to his sass, but decided he needed to keep his head down.

When he got tired of the looks thrown his way, both from curious girls and boys, and suspicious adults, he decided to blend in. Due to the dark skies, this was relatively easy.

He neared the end of the line of shops, and was met with a sign:

The Shrieking Shack Ahead: Beware!

Nico could feel the shadows growing thickly around him, and noticed how time had stretched. Most students would be milling around back to the castle, but Nico had a mission tonight. He would not be interrupted.

The village of Hogsmeade was now a dwindling pavement of a brick road, curious, half-empty establishments and no foot traffic. The closer he got to the Shrieking Shack, the closer the tree line grew, until he was surrounded by coniferous pines and the like, all shrouded in a coating of snow.

Nico paused to take stock of his surroundings. Just as he suspected, he felt the presence of Thantos' cloak wrap itself around his torso, cluing him into his three stalkers. He huffed a sigh, not wanting to deal with them at the moment. He was still recovering from 'fading away' to be able to use paranoia to scare them off, instead he had to hope that they would come to their senses and leave him be, otherwise he wouldn't be able to investigate.

He came upon the pathway the led directly to the Shrieking Shack. He patted his side to make sure that his sword was still hidden, and walked on. Every few feet he mentally checked that the trio were still following him, trying not to be deterred.

Once he reached the door, he tried the handle. No luck. Not surprised, Nico whispered Alohomora to it, smiling at the ease with which the door swung open. Of course, there was the standard creeaak which Nico was accustomed to when investigating strange places. It added to the ambiance.

Nico stepped in, closed the door, and locked it with magic, remembering a spell he had read about that wouldn't be swayed by Alohomora. He was alone in the Shrieking Shack.

He stopped to listen hard. He vaguely heard whispers from the trio outside, holding conference about their next step, but he also heard a whisper at his consciousness, which he perked up at. That was a ghost, or some other presence.