Another War

Chapter 11 : To Hogwarts We Go

Percy sat in The Leaky Coulderon, his leg jumping up and down as he waited for Nico to come meet up with him so that they could get going to Hogwarts.

Percy and Nico had split up a few days after Percy got released from the hospital on August 22, both agreeing that sometime apart would do them some good- although, Percy knew that Nico needed the space more than him. Percy just felt awkward around Nico, not pained, not heartbroken.

Now, on October 1st, was the first time they're meeting up after a month an a half of being apart. Both were nervous, and one was filled with dread.

Nico wasn't ready to see Percy again, he wasnt ready to look into the eyes of the man that unintentionally broke his heart and smile and say that everything was okay now. Nico wasn't ready, but they needed to get to Hogwarts as united representatives of Hecate's Academy.

Who knew it would be so hard.

Nico entered the Leaky Coulderon with a sigh and headed to the back, immediately spotting Percy in the almost deserted inn. Right as Nico sat down, 3 scrolls appeared on the table. One directly in front of Percy, one directly in front of Nico, and the other in the middle of the table.

With the awkwardness momentarily set aside, the two Greeks exchanged a look that said "this looks suspicious" as both picked up the scroll nearest to them.

In Percy's scroll, there was a wand with white wood and waves carved into the wood. Percy then glanced at the Greek writing on the paper.

Length: 14 1/2 inches long
Wood: Beachwood
Core: Pink Coral - still alive - and sea water

Nico got a wand to, but his was very different from Percy's. His wood was pitch black, and there was carvings of souls swirling  from the base of the wand to the tip. For a wand, it looked intimidating. His scroll read:

Length: 13 inches
Wood: Pomegranate Tree Wood
Core: Thestral hair and pomegranate seeds

Percy was about to ask Nico what his wand was made out of, but Nico spoke first, the middle scroll already unrolled and in his hands.

"The gods wrote that as soon as one of us says some code word, two hellhounds with a carriage will come up from the ground and take us to Hogwarts," Nico said stiffly, sliding the letter over to Percy so that he could see the code word, which was Extraordinary.

Percy nodded and got up from his seat, grabbing his trunk and placing a few sickles on the table before heading out of the Leaky Coulderon, waving a goodbye to Tom, the owner of the inn. Nico followed Percy in silence, doing his best to stay calm and not think about anything painful.

The two walked to the nearest deserted alley, checking to see if anyone was looking before saying the code word.

Immediately, the ground started to rumble and two hellhounds burst out of the ground, an elegant black carriage trailing behind them.

The boys quickly got in, hoping that the noise didn't attract anyone to the alley. As soon as the Greeks were inside the carriage, the hellhounds went back underground and started to shadow travel, the cement and cobblestone they cracked open going back to its origional position, as if never damaged by two gigantic monsters.

The inside of the carriage was just as elegant as the outside, but it wasn't the decor that surprised them.

"Hello, boys."