Big Three at Hogwarts

Part 5

A/N: Lots of creative liberties taken. I just got bored, so, yeah. I wanted to add something of my own. Don't get triggered. Or do, I don't really care. 

Nico dreamed of something he barely remembered. A time before the Casino, and the war, and everything that made his life complicated. He was in an orphanage with his best friend, playing a prank on their "caretaker". The woman who always yelled at them. She was never cruel enough to lay a hand on any of them but it was only a matter of time. Nico smiled and waited for the aftermath of what he did. Well, not just him, his best friend, Tom, helped. He always helped. However much Nico liked pranks, Tom liked them more.

A shriek sounded from Mrs. Mirrien's private bathroom. She soon came rushing out, blonde hair now neon green. Nico and Tom were hidden in shadows, Nico always had a way of hiding in shadows, he became almost invisible.

Mrs. Mirrien's face was splotchy and red and she was turning her head frantically, looking for something. Or someone. Tom and Nico couldn't hold in their adolescent giggles. Mrs. Mirrien's gaze fixed on the shadow they were hiding in and, just for a second, there was a flicker of . . . something. Her skin broke out in green scales and a forked tongue flicked out of her lips. Nico gasped and her icy blue eyes zeroed in on their exact location. Nico felt a sliver of fear and shot Tom a discreet glace. He looked like he was holding back a laugh. That's when Nico decided, no matter how much he might want to, he was never going to tell Tom about this. He wasn't going to let his own problems become Toms. No matter what, Nico would protect him. Always.

His dream changed to Tartarus' landscape. He saw Bob with a sword facing hordes of monsters, a scared but determined look on his face. Nico was standing away from it all but still had a perfect view. He saw Bob brace himself, look over to where Nico was standing. They locked eyes and Bob nodded ever-so-slightly. Nico wanted to scream for him not to do it. But his voice wouldn't work. The hoard overtook him, crashing into him like a tidal wave. He cut down hundreds but it wasn't enough, a sword ran through his chest. Nico could see the shock and pain register on his face and he met Nico's eyes once more. Nico could hear Bob's words echo in his head.

"Tell the sun and stars hello for me." The final request buzzed in his head, even if he wasn't there to hear them. It hit Nico full-force now. Bob would never tell the sun and the stars hello.

He woke suddenly, mind still reeling from the memory that had been previously washed away by the waves of the Lethe and the memory. He opened his eyes and saw Thalia standing over him, ear-piercing shrieks sounding in his ears.

"Thank the gods one of you woke up. You were both screaming." He looked over to see Percy screaming his lungs out. Ron, Hermione, Molly, and Harry were standing by the door, hands over their ears. Nio swiftly got up and went to Percy's side.

"Thalia zap him!" Nico yelled.

"Don't you think I've tried?" She yelled back. Nico took a deep breath and concentrated. It might be odd, but shadows were the absence of light, the absence of warmth. The more dense the shadows, the less light, and warmth there was. Nico experimentally lowered the temperature of Percy's body, it didn't help. He thought of a way to do this without aftereffects. Only Annabeth had ever been able to wake him up from a nightmare. Nico tentatively grabbed at the thin wisps of Percy's soul and grabbed it. He took hold of the strands and tugged lightly. Then, he yanked his soul up.

The screaming stopped and Percy fell limp, his skin went pale and his body went cold. Nico was still holding the strands of his soul and he couldn't hold it longer. It yearned to find its way to the Underworld, to cross the river Styx. He quickly pushed the soul back into the body and Percy gasped. Nico tried to catch his breath, that particular skill took a lot out of him. Percy looked around confused at saw Nico's pale face.

"Dude, what happened?" Percy asked into the silence. Nico smiled sagely.

"I killed you." Then, he passed out.

Nico woke with several blobs above him. The blobs slowly solidified into faces as Nico's vision cleared.

"Blimey, mate, what happened?" Nico gasped for breath.

"Just, took a lot out of me," Nico answered.

"Why were you screaming?" Hermione asked.

"Nightmares." This time it was Percy.

"Been there," Harry said.

"No," Percy snapped, "You haven't and you don't want to." Everybody seemed taken aback at this but Nico knew what he meant. This boy, no matter what he survived, could never know the horrors of The Pit. Could never begin to imagine what they went through.

"I feel like . . ." Nico started, "I feel like it's time to tell the sun and stars hello."