To Thwart The Darkness {Book 3}

In The Clearing

Nico fumbled with the sling.

"You good?" Leo asked next to him. Nico shrugged. "I don't think I need to be the one to tell you not to go back into battle," Leo continued.

"You're just as bad as Will," Nico croaked and turned his head to face the doors. Harry stood there, silent and unnoticed, watching. Nico blinked. Then blinked again. Harry turned and walked away, heading out of the castle.

"Oh my gods," Nico whispered.

"They're not doing much right now— what's wrong?"

Nico ran after Harry. The quest, the very reason they came to Hogwarts in the first place, was to protect Harry Potter. Now, Nico was the only one who could see the dark aura around him, growing stronger and more foreboding.

The Chosen One was hurrying towards the Forbidden Forrest.

The Chosen One had chosen death.

---

Nico followed Harry into the forest, stumbling and cursing at the sticks and undergrowth that scratched his already sore legs, slowing him down and putting more distance between him and his friend. He had to stop Harry, who was about to do something very, very stupid. Smart people didn't confront the guy who wanted to kill them alone and unarmed. That was not something smart people did.

Eventually Harry stopped in a small clearing. Nico stopped too when he realised that Harry was talking to himself. Or, perhaps, not himself but someone Nico couldn't see.

"It is the Resurrection Stone."

Nico spun, uninjured hand going for his sword, but paused at the sight of Thanatos, god of death, standing behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Nico asked, because gods didn't usually show up in battles fought by mere mortals and demigods.

"I know what you want to do, son of Hades. But you cannot stop Harry Potter. Not this time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nico hissed. "He's going to get himself killed."

"Yes," Thanatos said simply.

"We were sent here, to Hogwarts, almost twenty years in the past, to save Harry Potter and keep him from dying and now you are telling me that I cannot save Harry?"

"Nico di Angelo. This is not your battle to fight."

"Not my battle— do you know how hard it has been this past three years? I lost my memory! My friends almost died! I watched people die, knowing I couldn't save them, and now you want to tell me that I have to stand by again and leave it to Fate?!"

Thanatos frowned and his dark wings twitched in irritation. Now Nico had done it, but he didn't care. He had not spent the past three years trying to protect Harry only to have him die right before the whole war was over.

"You children cannot understand the ways of the world," Thanatos said. "Harry Potter must die. The monster inside him must be killed. It is the only way that this war can be resolved and you can go home."

Nico was about to say something else, but the god of death continued.

"Now I have warned you, I have something else that you must do for me." Thanatos held out his hands. "I wish to have my Hallows returned to me."

"You're what?"

"The Elder Wand, The Invisibility Cloak and The Resurrection Stone. Return them to me, Nico di Angelo. This is not a request."

"Fine," Nico almost rolled his eyes. He turned back to the clearing, but Harry was gone. Nico looked over his shoulder. Thanatos had also disappeared.

"Return the other two Hallows," the god of death warned, reappearing where Harry had been. He stooped and picked up a small, gem-like stone from the grass. Then he vanished, leaving Nico alone.

"Great," Nico grumbled. He trudged into the clearing but before he could reach the trees on the other side, the forrest ahead of him flashed green. His throat dropped to his stomach and he ran.

---

Nico stumbled into a tree, crouching and searching the large clearing occupied by numerous Death Eaters for any sign of Harry. He found him. And his centre of gravity tipped. Nico's knees found the dirt, his eyes unable to move from Harry's body.

Harry's dead body.

The Death Eaters cackled.

The demigods had failed. Nico had failed. Harry was gone. Harry was—

Nico stared intently at Harry's face. There it was again. Harry's eye twitched.

A woman who could have only been Draco's mother was told to check if Harry was breathing. 

Nico was not stable enough to deal with this. Too much anxiety. He weighed the chances of not dying if he were to jump out and summon an army of skeletons. Will would kill him if he died by using his deathy powers. But maybe it would be entertaining and very ironic if these Death Eaters were taken apart by the dead.

Narcissa - Draco's mum - bent over Harry's body, her hair shielding Nico's view of Harry's face. It was now or never. Nico used the tree to stand, but Narcissa straightened up before he could do anything.

"He's dead, my Lord."

Thank the gods, the Malfoy family isn't all bad, Nico thought, wincing at Hagrid's distressed sobbing.

"To the castle," Voldemort said, probably psychotically grinning. "Make the half-giant carry him."

Nico took that as his cue to leave, and shadow traveled back to the castle.