THE EXCHANGE - Nico Di Angelo at Hogwarts

Three ; Cantatio Lane

Nico's shut his eyes, but he couldn't stop his imagination. He saw himself being dragged back down the elevator, back into Tartarus, where he stood in the burning fire of the River Phlegethon. Barely alive and unable to escape, being impaled by the monsters surrounding him. He could almost feel the excruciating heat of the fire river. 

His boyfriend intertwined his hands with his, bringing him back to reality. He opened his eyes and saw that the doors of the elevator were open and everyone was getting out. He stumbled a little but Will steadied him, and they followed Jemma and the creature. 

"Are you okay?" Will whispered, looking concerned. 

He nodded. "Now I am."  

They winded along a multitude of long, white corridors that split off constantly. It reminded him of a split between a hospital and the Labyrinth. Finally, they stopped at a tall, silver door with a lock. 

The creature held out its hand, and Jemma passed over the key. It placed it in and turned, making a series of clicking sounds, and swung open. 

Inside was a glittering pile of gold, silver and bronze. She moved forward inside and took out a small bag and scooped up the coins, revealing that the bag must have been made of magic since it seemed practically bottomless. Once she was satisfied, she moved back out and passed the bag to Nico. He was surprised by how light it was. 

"Next stop is Cantatio Lane, where you can get your supplies," Jemma said, grabbing a handful of Floo powder from a bucket just beside the fireplace back at the Bank entrance. "See you in a sec." She threw it on the flames, and walked to the centre, speaking clearly and then disappearing completely. 

"Huh, It's weird to watch," Nico muttered. 

Will snorted. "Think about how I felt, you disappearing like that."

"Aww, you do care." He elbowed him. 

"Not even a little bit." 

They left from the bank and appeared again at a market street. It was bustling with colour and interesting people, with storefronts displaying all kinds of wonderful products. He saw owls flying around of confined to cages, books piled upon books, strange drinks that young children sipped on happily. 

It triggered a memory flash, wherein he and Bianca were enjoying icecream while their mother was buying fresh fruit at the market stall. His sister was scolding him for letting the icy treat melt, but her eyes were sparkling with laughter at the incredible mess he was making. His mother walked over and sat them down at a bench, ruffling his hair and straightening Bianca's floppy hat. 

The memory faded, and he saw Will staring at him in confusion. He tried to not let the aching sadness show in his face, not wanting to talk about it. He had still not recovered all of his memories from his childhood, but sometimes he had these episodes. It was nowhere near as bad as Hazel's when she had her blackouts, as it was more like gently recovering an old memory that he had forgotten. 

Jemma walked towards the boys, pulling something from her pocket. It was the letter, which she promptly opened and skim read. "Okay, we should probably get your wand first. Usually, Ilvermorny gives them out when the first years arrive, but there are always exceptions. We can just say you broke yours. Whoever sent you this letter included a wand permit, which is highly illegal however it will prevent people from asking questions. Also, I'm sure the owner will make an exception."

They approached a gleaming white building, much cleaner than the other stores surrounding it. Nico decided to not even attempt to read the sign; he wasn't nearly as badly dyslexic as other demigods, but he still had plenty of trouble reading anything that wasn't Ancient Greek or Latin.