When Nico's not at camp (book the first)

Hermione

By the time we get to the clearing, whatever danger Harry had encountered was gone. Instead there was a centaur speaking to him while Nico examined a dead unicorn and Ron stood off to the side like he was not 100% sure he was supposed to be there. The centaur looks up as we enter the clearing. "You are safe now Harry Potter. You are amongst friends."  Hagrid walks us all back to the castle and then dismisses us from detention.

"Okay, explain it to me again." I say as we walk up the secret staircase and out from behind the tapestry. Nico rolls his eyes. "How many times are you going to ask me to explain it to you?" "As many as it takes for it to make sense." I say. Nico sighs. "Okay. The last ghost king had died a couple thousand years ago. He was a king in Ancient Greece. But he liked power, so he came back as a ghost and consolidated power. But he was an ass, and everybody hated him. Are you still with me?" He looks around at us. We all nod. "Okay. So i met him over the summer and he convinced me too... well we were making plans together. But he double crossed me. There was a fight, i banished him, I took the title of ghost king." He looks at me accusatorially. "Where did you banish him to?" I ask. Nico Narrows his eyes. "A place he cant cause me anymore trouble."  He replies. And i can tell by looking into his eyes that i will never get a more direct response than that. We all stop at the portrait hole for a few moments and stand in silence.  "Do you have a crown?"Ron asks. "Yeah." Nico replies. "You wanna see it?" "Okay. Explain it to me one more time." I interrupt. Nico face palms then gives the fat lady the password.

As we sink into the squashy arm chairs Nicos Kneazel jumps into his lap and purs contentedly. He turns to Harry. "So what happened in the woods?" "It was Voldemort." Harry declares after describing his encounter with the creepy snake monster. "Snape isn't trying to steal the stone for himself. He wants it for Voldemort." "Well" Says nico stroking his cats shiny black fur." I'm sure Dumbledores on top of that." "But what if he's not?" Harry insists. Nico shrugs. "Well just have to keep an eye on Snape ourselves." Ron decides. "If he makes a move we can warn Dumbledore." Nico scoops up his cat and stands up. "I just want to say, when my dad sent me to this school he explicitly promised me that i would have a nice quiet year to clear my head. I could have stayed at camp and put up with this kind of nonsense." And with that he marched up to the boys dormitory. "Do you think hes telling the truth?" Harry asks. "About being the ghost king." "He couldn't possibly be." I say matter of factly. "And yet I'm absolutely certain he was."

We all manage to keep our heads down for the remainder of the term. And much more importantly we all manage to pass our exams  I barely edge out Nico for top of the class. He would have taken the top spot if not for herbology. He had gotten a hundred percent on the written exam but barely passed the practical section. Herbology is the only class he ever struggled in. No matter how perfectly he understands the theory, plants just seem not to like him.  Everything was going swimingly. Untill harry overhears quirrel giving in to Snape's demand.Harry,

Ron, and I burst into the common room. Nico is sitting alone with his violin in his hand examining a piece of sheet music. "What are you doing up here all alone?" Ron asks. "Ive been practicing." Nico responds. "Here, listen." Nico rests the violin on his shoulder and plays a rendition of when the saints go marching in that was truly haunting. "Wow" Ron says. But listen to what happened. Harry explains about our most recent talk with Hagrid. How hagrid had told the stranger how to get past fluffy. And how Professor Mcgonnogal had told them that Dumbledore had left the school. Nico sighs. "Were gonna go do something stupid and reckless and heroic aren't we?"