THE EXCHANGE - Nico Di Angelo at Hogwarts

Eleven ; Divination

They moved into the great hall for lunch. Nico was asking the group about their other adventures. They had apparently had a very eventful time at hogwarts.

A teacher who hosted Voldemort on his head, a Basilisk (apparently the wizard ones were huge) and a wrongly convicted god father. They seemed to have luck rivalling a demigod's.

When the food arrived, Hermione's started shovelling it down. Nico got distracted by another student from another table (Slytherin, he remembered) who was staring at him.

Hermione got up and Nico frowned, asking Harry where she was going.

"You didn't hear her? She is going to the library to study."

Nico was confused. "But class has barely started? Do we even know what we are studying this year?"

"That's what I said! She's crazy." Ron snorted and continued eating.

-

They made their way to the North Tower for Divination. He wasn't feeling very excited for it; he would have rathered Ancient Runes with Hermione. He had had enough of prophecies to last a lifetime. Besides, he was good at memorising things like that.

But he'd been signed up to have all of his classes with Harry. So Divination it was.

They went up the spiral staircase and through the trapdoor to the classroom, which smelled heavily of sweet perfume. All the windows were covered and the room was dimly lit by lamps.

They sat at a table and a misty female voice called out from behind them. Harry and Ron jumped a little, and spun around. Nico was already looking at her, having sensed her presence a little before she spoke. It wouldn't do for him to start relaxing, even if the castle was 'the safest place in the world' (which he highly doubted, after hearing the trios adventures).

"Good day." She paused.

She was very thin, with much too large glasses and beaded necklaces hanging off her neck. She smelled slightly of alcohol.

"You are preoccupied, my dear," she said mournfully to Harry. "My inner eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas... most difficult... I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass... and perhaps sooner than you think..."

Ron rolled his eyes, but Nico stared at the seer curiously. She was strange, that's for sure.

Her eyes fell on him, her magnified eyes behind the glasses going even wider. "Now you, boy, the exchange student. You have death surrounding you, thicker than i've ever seen. What did you do to offend the higher powers?"

"Oh, a lot i'm sure." He held back a smirk.

She shook her head, and then continued with her lesson. Two girls who seemed very interested in what the professor was speaking about (teachers pets, no doubt) stared at him in confusion for a second. They quickly turned their attention back to Trelawney.

Nico barely listened to her speaking; she wasn't a very strong presence and he gave up attempting to stop his mind from wandering. He wondered how Will was going at his new, mortal school. He hadn't spoken to him since he left camp, and missed him greatly. They had been at each other's sides for so long.

He was brought back by Ron moving to nudge Harry. He stopped himself from reacting on instinct, and surveyed the situation. It seemed that the professor was asking Harry a question.

It was nothing it turned out; just just her assuming his birthday based on his looks, and getting it terribly wrong. They then moved onto the work.

They had to fill out a circular chart with the planets alignments on their birthday. Thankfully, his birthday was one of the only things that survived being dipped in the Lethe. Although he had a sneaking suspicion that it hadn't, and Hades had somehow told him and Bianca theirs.

Regardless on the true story, the planets were one of the things he was obsessed with when he was younger. He knew how to do the work like second nature, and finished quickly. Although he kept having to remind himself of his new mortal-approved birth year (which had to change yet again so he would be in the same year as Harry). He ended up helping the other two as well.

"I've got two Neptunes here," said Harry after a while, frowning down at his piece of parchment, "That can't be right, can it?"

"Aaaaah," said Ron, imitating Professor Trelawney's mystical whisper, "When two Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry..."

Nico, and Seamus and Dean, who were working nearby, sniggered loudly. But apparently not loudly enough to mask the excited squeals from Lavender Brown.

"Oh Professor, look! I think I've got an unaspected planet! Oooh, which one's that, Professor?"

"It is Uranus, my dear," said Professor Trelawney, peering down at the chart.

"Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?" said Ron.

"Gross, Ron." The son of Hades groaned and punched his arm softly. The professor seemed to have the same opinion and reflected that in her sheer amount of homework.

"Miserable old bat," Ron said bitterly, as they joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall for dinner. "That'll take all weekend, that will..."

"Lots of homework?" said Hermione happily, falling into step with them. "Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!"

"Well, hurray for Professor Vector," said Ron moodily.

"I wish I chose his class, damn it." Nico sighed. He knew he wouldn't be allowed to change (with the whole protecting Harry job) but it didn't make him feel better.

They joined the cue for the food, when a loud voice rang around the room.

"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"

Nico and the others turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking much too pleased about something.

"What?" said Ron shortly.

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. He was wearing a very cruel smile, his eyes sparkling.