Arrival of the Ghost King [PJO x HP]

XX: "Leo" Forges a Birth Certificate

Hermione and Ron were arguing with Harry about the Half-Blood Prince book as they were walking back to Hogwarts, having just left Hogsmeade. Coincidentally, Katie Bell and her friend were also walking from Hogsmeade back to Hogwarts, and were also arguing about something, although it was about a necklace instead of a book. And, coincidentally, Nico di Angelo was in the woods right next to where Katie's hand brushed the necklace, levitating her into the air and making her scream.

"Stay there!" Harry shouted. "I'm going for help!"

At the same time, Nico heard the scream and a tug in his demigod gut, a tell-tale sign meaning that something important had just happened.

"Hagrid!" Harry yelled.

"Harry!" said Hagrid. "Jus' bin visitin' Grawp, he's comin' on so well ye wouldn't-"

"Hagrid, someone's hurt back there, or cursed, or something-"

"Wha'?"

"Katie Bell's been cursed!" bellowed Harry.

And so as Harry and Hagrid neared towards Katie Bell, so did Nico. In fact, it was so well timed that Nico crashed into Hagrid. Since Hagrid was so huge, Nico simply bounced off him and landed in the snow.

"Sorry 'bout that," Hagrid said, not really paying attention to Nico. He was more focused on Katie Bell, who was lying in the snow flat on her back and her screaming friend.

"Don' touch that!" Hagrid bellowed, referring to the package that Katie had dropped. Everyone- Harry, Ron, Hermmione, and Nico- scooted back away from the opal necklace that was dropped on the snow.

Hagrid scooped up Katie, and Katie's friend followed Hagrid back to the castle, sobbing the whole way.

Hermione turned towards Nico, who was still in the snow, and acknowledged him for the first time. "Are you alright?"

Nico opened his mouth to respond, but then clamped it shut. He didn't want his accent to give away where he was from, or she could start asking questions, and she looked exactly like the type of person to probe further when dissatisfied with an answer. Sure, Nico could lie, but the last time he lied, it hadn't worked out so well. Instead, Nico gave a nod.

Harry and Ron also turned towards Nico to get a better glance, having noticed him for the first time.

"I haven't seen you around much before," Hermione said, making polite conversation as she helped Nico up. "What's your name?"

"Er," Nico stuttered.

"You must be so cold, it's so windy and snowy right now. And you're only wearing a thin jacket," commented Hermione. "How'd you stand it?"

"Er," Nico said again, using his fine toolkit of conversational knowledge.

With Hermione's polite questions, Harry and Ron's stillness and silence, and Nico's masterful "er," the whole situation was very awkward. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at Nico and Nico stared back at each of them.

"Er, I'd better go," Nico said, mustering as much British he could into his voice, to keep his place of origin secret. He took a step forward away from them, but was interrupted by Hermione.

"Wait!" she said. "I mean, you were around when Katie was cursed. Surely you've had to have seen something? Anything?"

"I didn't see anything. I just heard a scream and came running," Nico said, still keeping up his fake British accent. So far, the actual British natives didn't seem to notice that Nico was faking, or at least didn't voice their thoughts about it.

"That's kind of you," Harry said, who up to that point had been musing on how he had seen the necklace at Borgin and Burkes before.

"Well, either way, all four of us need to go back up to the castle. Katie's friend probably already told them everything, including how the necklace was the probable cause-" Hermione pointed to the package laying in the snowdrift- "and we'd better tell McGonagall everything we know. Besides, you'd probably want to go back to the castle anyway! You wouldn't want to get frostbite and a bad cold, would you?"