Americans, Mate
Nico
"You've got to be joking, Dumbledore." This was from a scarred man with a large, magical, fake eye. That seemed to be the general sentiment around the table. Dumbledore had just introduced him, and explained that he would be joining.
"I assure you, Alastor, I am not joking," Dumbledore said. "The Sorting Hat advised me to have him join very strongly. He may be a bit young, but the Sorting Hat has assured me that he is very capable."
"We don't know who he is, or where his allegiances lie," Alastor protested.
"I was similarly concerned when he mysteriously apparated into my office, but the Sorting Hat reassured me of his loyalties."
"Regardless," a young woman with long silver hair said, "He eez too young."
Nico frowned. They really couldn't afford to be picky, and besides, he appeared to be as good a candidate as many of the others in the room. There were less than twenty members, most from the fringes of society.
"May I speak?" he asked Dumbledore. Dumbledore nodded. "If I may, I think I may be of use to the Order despite my age. I know about a wide range of magics, beyond the scope of what is usually taught at Hogwarts. In particular, I know a lot about necromancy and dark magic. Seeing as Voldemort returned from a death-like state, I may be able to provide valuable insight."
"You shouldn't risk your life at such a young age," Mrs. Weasley said. "Who are your parents? How can they allow this?"
"My parents are dead," Nico said, "And as for my age, well, I don't really see how that has anything to do with it. Everyone here is risking something. I will gladly die if that means Voldemort will too. I don't think my life outweighs the millions that will die if Voldemort is not defeated. A world ruled by Voldemort is one where no one is safe. He has proved already that he will kill children. It won't matter to him how many innocent lives he takes. He wants power, and he will do anything to get it."
The Order stared at him, a mix of emotions of their faces. Pride, respect, suspicion, fear, and confusion plastered their faces.
"We should let him join." Nico recognized the speaker as Sirius Black, escaped mass murderer. "He's brave, he's smart, and we need the numbers."
"We do need the numbers," another Weasley said, "but we shouldn't send kids into danger."
"He can come to Hogwarts," a severe-looking woman said, "I can keep an eye on him, he can continue his education, and the library there is quite extensive. He can research necromancy there."
Nico tried to protest, but the man with the scar cut him off. "That's an excellent idea," he said, grinning maliciously at Nico, "Especially the keeping an eye on him."
"I already have living arrangements planned for the school year," Nico said. "I can't attend a boarding school."
"Voldemort is more important than that," one of the Order members fired back, "Unless you didn't mean what you were saying before."
"I --" Nico sighed. He could think up an excuse to not go, but . . . maybe it it would be nice. To live somewhere where no one knew who he was. Who his father was. "I'll do it."
Harry
Harry was tired of being left out. He had been left out all summer, stuck at the Dursley's, scrounging for scraps of news. Dumbledore had shut him out, talking to the members of the Order, Ron, and Hermione, but not him. Now, this boy who nobody had met before today, who was even younger than Harry, who hadn't faced anything near as terrifying as Harry had, got to join the Order but Harry didn't. Harry was sick of it.
Nico di Angelo had strode out of the Order meeting looking like he owned the world. He was getting to join the Order. Him! He was only a kid with an obsession with dark clothes.
Harry stormed up to his room, only to find Nico already there? "What are you doing here?"
Nico stayed maddeningly calm, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sleeping here too."
Harry scowled. "Well, you better leave me alone then."
"Gladly."
Harry flopped onto his bed, trying to ignore Nico as he moved about the room. Finally, Nico moved into the bathroom. Harry sat up. He got up and welt to look for Ron and Hermione. He found them with Ginny up on the third floor. "What are you doing?"
"Shh," Ron said, "We're hiding from Mum. She wants us to clean out a moldy cupboard. Grab us a deck for Exploding Snap, would ya?"
Harry retrieved the desired deck. "What do you think of that Nico boy?"
Hermione considered. "I'm not sure. He must be very powerful, if Dumbledore thinks he should join the Order so young. He seems a bit lonely. I hope we get to know him a bit more before school."
"You just want to ask him about his schooling, Hermione," Ron said. "I think he's creepy, the way he wears all black and has that creepy ring. And did you see him in the kitchen? He didn't eat anything at all. Unnatural, that is."
"Ron --" both Ginny and Hermione started. Ginny continued. "Just because he wears black and doesn't stuff his face like you do doesn't make him creepy. I think he's interesting. And rather cute."
Ron stared at her. "Cute? Ginny, he's creepy and weird. Didn't you see the way he talked? He's like Draco Malfoy. Also, you're too young for boys."
"Pfft," Ginny said. "He's not like Draco. He's been nothing but polite to us. I hope he goes to Hogwarts this year. He'd be in my year."
"Let's go ask him," Hermione said, standing up. Harry suspected this sudden desire may have been prompted by the fact that she was losing horribly. "Harry, do you know where he is?"
"He was in our room last I know," Harry said, "But he's annoying."
"Really?" Hermione asked. "He doesn't seem to be the type to talk a lot."
Harry didn't respond. Hermione wouldn't get it. They snuck down the stairs and into their room. Nico was just coming out of the bathroom.
"Hi, Nico," Ginny said, holding up the deck of cards, "Wanna play with us?"
Nico looked at the cards. "I'm afraid I don't know how."
Ginny smiled warmly. "Don't worry. We'll teach you."
She began setting up the game. Nico hesitated, then joined them.
"So Nico," Ginny asked, "Are you going to be going to Hogwarts this year?"
Nico nodded. "I believe I will."
"What house do you think you'll be in?"
"I've heard of the houses, but I don't know what the requirements are."
"Well, there are four houses," Ginny explained. "Hufflepuffs are loyal and hardworking. Ravenclaws are smart. Slytherins are ambitious and cunning, and Gryffindors are brave. We're all Gryffindors."
Nico shrugged, "I think I could be anything except a Hufflepuff, really."
"You don't think you're loyal?" Harry asked. Ginny glared at him.
"Not as loyal as some people I know," Nico said.
"Have you ever been to Hawaii?" Ginny asked. Traitor.
"Briefly," Nico said, looking relieved at the change in conversation.
"What's it like? We went to Egypt a couple years ago, but we haven't travelled out of the country other than that."
They spent the rest of the game talking about all the places Nico had travelled to. Ginny and Hermione seemed to conspire to steer the conversation away from anything Harry could use to find more about the strange boy, and Harry left the game no more satisfied than he began it.