Bad News.
The day they left for Hogwarts was chaotic as always. Dawn was the only one who had everything she needed already packed, so she just made some sandwiches with the ingredients that Mrs Weasley had set out for her to use.
The others though... They weren't very well organized. In fact, they had to turn back multiple times. Luckily the last time they turned back was for Ginny's diary. After that though, they managed to get to King's Cross.
They made it onto the train on time. Harry and Ron were the last on, but at least they were on.
The train pulled out of the station. Crying first years waved to their parents as they went around a bend.
"C'mon, let's go find somewhere to sit," Harry suggested. They did. Ginny went off to make friends, Percy went to the Prefect carriage, and Fred and George went off to find Lee Jordan.
The five of them left over found a compartment that was mostly empty except for Draco.
"Hi, Draco. How're you?" Ron asked. It was a far cry from where they had been the first time they had met on the train.
"I'm alright. Though I have something to tell you guys, and it's not good."
"If that's not my entire life, then I don't know what is," Nico joked.
"Heh. Trauma. Not fun."
"You've got to catch me up on that. Is Kronos..?"
"Defeated. Luke Castellan defeated him by... Stabbing himself in his 'Achilles heel' which, from what I've heard, was his armpit." Dawn pulled a face at that.
"Being injured in your Achilles heel like that would kill you though," Hermione said. Nico nodded.
"Luke's dead," he confirmed.
"Among other casualties, like most of my siblings except for three. There's four of us left, and we were one of the largest cabins before the war started." Dawn sounded incredibly bitter about it.
"Let's get back on track. Draco, you said you had something to say?" Nico said, diverting attention off of the tragedy that had taken place that summer and onto what they were originally going to talk about.
"Oh, yeah. That. Something's going down at Hogwarts. All that Father told me was that it includes Muggleborns and a snake. I don't know what snake it is, but it's got to be something dangerous, or he wouldn't have told me nor sound so gleeful about it," Draco explained.
"Well, shit," Dawn said. Nico had to agree with that.
"That's why you wanted that snake book, then? To try and figure it out," Ron said, recalling the book that their friend had asked his mother for.
"Exactly. I think Dobby overheard it, but when I found out that he went to warn Harry about it, I ordered him to not try and prevent you from coming."
"We thought that he was Barlow's elf!" Harry said.
"Nah. The Barlows lost their House elf a few years back. It was released because of something stupid, and they haven't bothered to replace it. They've got human servants, but I think they miss having an elf."
"One great mystery of the world has been solved," Dawn joked. The group laughed.
They moved on to other topics, like their homework (which, thankfully with Percy's help, Dawn and Nico had finished) and the fact that Lockhart was their DADA teacher that year.
"He'll end up either dead, quitting, or with his memory wiped clean," Dawn commented when they started to talk about his fate.
They ate food that they bought from they trolley and the baked goods from Nikki, who had sent them for the train ride, and played games together. Ron just barely managed to move his face in time to prevent himself from ending up without eyebrows for a while.
People came and went, saying hi or just waving. Hannah Abbott stopped to talk to Dawn and Hermione for a while, but left to go talk to others. Neville ended up joining them, anxious just as he had been the previous year. Dawn offered him some chocolate brownies, which he couldn't turn down.
The sun had set when they pulled into the station at Hogsmeade. Just like the previous year, they left their things on the train and got off.
They followed the crowd this time, ignoring Hagrid as he called for the first years and instead headed off to the carriages that carried the majority of the students up to the school.
Nico and Dawn stopped short when they saw the creatures pulling them.
They were bony, and looked like pegasi if they were left to loose their hair and their feathers. Their eyes were pure white, and really quite creepy.
"C'mon, we should go," Draco said. Nico was pulled out of his stupor.
"Yeah, you're right. Dawn, come on," Nico said, gently tugging at Dawn's arm. He managed to get her to climb into one of the carriages.
When the door closed on Justin, who had joined them, the carriage started to move up the pathway. The bumps in the ride were made obvious as they went up to the school but honestly, being in a carriage that was being pulled by zombie pegasi was probably the most normal thing ever. The bumps were the least of Nico's worries, anyway.
They finally made it to the school and climbed out. Nico cast one last look at the beings and joined his friends up to the school.
At the doors into the Great Hall, Draco went off to join Blaise Zabini, who was the only Slytherin who didn't hate his guts. Dawn and Nico headed to the Hufflepuff table with Justin. Hannah, Susan, and Ernie joined them.
The sorting went by slower then Nico remembered. Maybe it was because he wasn't up there this time, and he was hungry rather than nervous. He watched with a smile as Ginny was sorted into Gryffindor and joined her brother's at the red and gold table.
Dumbledore stood up. The hall went silent.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. This year, we have a new member of staff. Please welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart," he said. There was a mixture of applause. Some were enthusiastic, some weren't, and Dawn... Was Dawn about it. By refusing to clap for the man.
Nico thought that she was onto something.
"Now, with that out of the way, enjoy."
Food appeared on the table. It was the usual food that Nico had come to expect from Hogwarts for their feasts. There was chicken, potatoes cooked in a hundred different ways, and a pot of food that Nico had no idea what it was.
Dawn seemed interested in it. She grabbed the ladle and stirred it a bit. Her face lit up.
"Beef stew!" She said. She poured a liberal amount onto her plate and dug in. It looked good, so Nico also grabbed some.
When the students had finished the dinner, dessert appeared. Nico ate as much as he could of that as well.
They were sent to bed after that. Nico decided to get changed in the bathroom to avoid questions about the scars and also, he could brush his teeth.
He allowed himself to go to his bed and curl up into a ball and go to sleep.
_______________________________________
He had a demigod dream, which were as mysterious as they were informative.
He found himself many years in the past. It was the only logical thing he could think of, especially when four people showed up wearing old robes and arguing.
"It is madness to keep that thing inside the castle! Think of the students!" One of the men, who wore red, shouted.
"I am thinking of the students, Gryffindor. It is there to protect them, just as much as Ravenclaw's moving staircases are," the man in green replied cooly.
Nico understood now. He was watching the four founders fight over something that Salazar Slytherin was using to defend the castle.
'Right. Hogwarts was built during the witch hunts, so they had to defend the castle. Moving staircases and trick steps were smart,' Nico thought.
"If it falls into the wrong hands then it could very well kill all of us. How would we explain to parents why their children are dying because of that thing?" Ravenclaw asked.
"It will not kill the students. If it does, then you may kill me and the being, but it shall stay," Slytherin told Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff, a plump woman in soft yellow robes, gasped.
"Let the monster stay," a voice said. Nico turned to see Hecate standing there. As per usual when it came to goddesses, she was rather pretty. Her golden hair cascaded down her back and her robes were a dark purple. Gold thread was embroidered into the robes.
"My Lady, it is a pleasure to see you again," Gryffindor said, bowing to the goddess in front of him. His friends also bowed to Hecate.
"Stand, and listen to me," Hecate ordered.
"We are listening, Lady Hecate," Ravenclaw said.
"The beast shall stay in the castle. Keep it in a chamber hidden away under the castle, protected in a way that only those who speak the language of its kind can open it. The creature can be ordered to protect the school from foolish humans who do not appreciate the gift my Blesseds have."
"It shall be done, Lady," Slytherin agreed. Nico thought that the man was quite happy to be able to keep the monster in the castle.
The dream faded, and Nico was thrown back to the present. He laid in his bed for awhile, listening as his dorm mates started to wake up.
Just what was Slytherin's monster?