The Coming of Nico di Angelo

Nico Finds Friends His Age

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Nico thinks about Teddy Lupin's offer. Percy and Ron try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

BEGINNING NOTES

Chapter Rating: General Audiences
Content Warning: Cursing, Violence (mild).
Word Count: 3208

And all the characters are owned by JK Rowling, or Rick Riordan.

____________________NICO____________________

"Help me!" Teddy Lupin begged, tears streaming down his face. "There isn't much time! I don't want to be an orphan! Please! Help me! Let me make you strong!"

Nico woke with a gasp and was hit by an onslaught of guilt. How could he not trust a boy so much like him? So weak and vulnerable, when all he wanted to do was help? It was still night, but Nico couldn't stand still. On a table sat a jug of water, Nico got up and grabbed a drink, thinking about what to do.

What would Percy do? Well, he'd tell Annabeth and me, and we'd come up with a solution to solve this. But, no one would understand what he's going through. This is my problem. No, I'll deal with Teddy Lupin on my own.

Nico went to the bathroom. It was empty since everyone was still asleep. He added more marks to his scarred arm to ease his worry. It made him feel better, more relaxed and calm. Even the ambrosia felt good on his skin, like a hug from Bianca. Thinking about Bianca made his mind drift to Westover Hall, which brought him back to his dream.

Gods, I need sleep.

Sleep never came. It was around midnight, but it felt like it was seven as he still hadn't gotten used to the time difference. He thought about his memories of Bianca, of Westover Hall and of Teddy Lupin, and tried to ignore the guilt that came from him cutting himself. He knew how Bianca would react. She'd think he was a monster. Unnatural, like one of Riddle's horcruxes, which were little monsters anyway.

"Stop it," Nico whispered to himself and played Will's playlist at full volume.

But he couldn't stop thinking about everything. When he finally fell asleep, his dreams were full of his worst nightmares: Bianca's death, Percy and Annabeth finding out about his cutting, and Teddy Lupin dying, screaming it was his fault. To top it all off, his dreams were based around weird images spawned from different Panic! At the Disco songs.

Nico woke up the next morning in a cold sweat. To make his morning even worse, Draco Malfoy was already awake and had noticed the tear tracks on Nico's face. Of course, Malfoy could've kept his mouth shut, but then he wouldn't be the Draco Nico knew and hated.

"Oooh, I'm Nico di Angelo, and I cry in my sleep with mudblood devices in my ears. I'm so edgy," Malfoy mocked.

"Go fuck yourself, Malfoy," Nico retorted, and to his surprise, Malfoy looked confused. That is, until another Slytherin whispered in his ear what 'fuck' meant. Then Malfoy's eyes darkened.

"You want to use muggle insults around me? Maybe you're not worthy enough to be a Slytherin. Go run to your Gryffindor cousin and his sorry excuse of a girlfriend."

Nico looked at him hard, staring him down with a face worthy of the term 'death stare.' "I don't give a damn what you say about me, but when you insult Percy and Annabeth..." he growled, and Malfoy looked terrified. "You want to make me an enemy? Do it at your own risk. Now get out of my bed area." If anyone could make 'bed area' sound badass, it was Nico di Angelo.