Big Three at Hogwarts

Part 12

After lunch, they had herbology and Nico was honestly scared. His step-mother had cursed him, any plant he touched would wither and die.

He looked at the greenhouse in horror and was soon being ushered inside by Thalia and Percy. As soon as he got close to a plant, it shriveled up and turned grey. Everybody looked at him and his face flushed. The stout woman in the front frowned.

"What happened?" She asked. Nico flushed again.

"My stepmother, ah, kind of, um, cursed me." He said it more like a question than a statement and the woman softened a little.

"You're excused, I like my plants alive, thank you." Thalia and Percy were trying not to laugh and he saw Thalia pass Percy a single golden drachma. Nico walked out of the greenhouse, hitting both Thalia and Percy on the back of the head as he passed.

As soon as Nico was out, he decided he would walk around, try to get a better lay-of-the-land. He walked around and eventually saw Hagrid's hut. He walked closer and saw that Hagrid was in front of it, trying to feed a thestral. Nico walked up, he loved thestrals. His father created them and they roamed around the Underworld.

As Nico got closer, Hagrid looked up.

"Hello there!" He shouted. Nico couldn't help but smile. He'd never met a half-giant this kind before. Now that he thought about it, Nico had never met a half-giant that didn't want to kill him.

Nico went up to them and the thestral bowed its head. He went up and pet it. Hagrid looked at them in surprise.

"You can see it?" He asked. Nico nodded. He knew the conditions of seeing a thestral; you'd have to have seen death.

"Yeah. I can." Nico said gravely.

"Demigods have hard lives." Hagrid said, "If you don't mind me asking, who's your godly parent?"

"Hades." Nico could see the surprise flicker across his face for a second.

"What about the Big Three Pact?" Nico sighed.

"You have a lot to catch up on."

Nico spent the entire herbology period catching Hagrid up on everything that happened over the two wars and the Trials of Apollo. Eventually, people came up to the hut and assembled, Nico switched to greek when he wasn't done and people were close enough to hear. Soon, the long story was over and all the students were there for Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid turned to the students and Nico walked to stand by Percy and Thalia. Hagrid cleared his throat.

"Today, we will be talking about thestrals!" He said. The Ferret snorted.

"There's nothing there! Have you finally lost your mind?" It said. Hagrid cleared his throat again.

"They can only be seen by people who have seen death. Step to this side if you can see them. Step to that side if you can't." He said. The majority stepped to the right — the side who can't see them — but a few stepped to the other. Harry, Nico, Thalia, and Percy were on that side. Harry looked at them in surprise.

"You've seen someone die?" He asked. They remembered the war.

"Luke," Percy said.

"Zoe," from Thalia.

"My mother," From Nico.

"Bianca," Percy.

"Lee," Thalia.

"Daedelus." Nico.

"We don't have all day," Percy concluded. Harry stared at them, wide-eyes.

"What about you?" Thalia asked.