Hecate's Kin

Chapter 20 - Love and Control

Leo's POV

Holidays were great. I mean obviously magical school is better than normal school but none of it is really as good as camp. It was the end of the Christmas holidays and we were preparing to take an international portkey back to Hogwarts (a method of transport which I would happily never use again in my whole life).

We'd all done presents for Christmas day but the best thing had been the nativity play. Annabeth was Mary because apparently Mary has to have blonde hair which mean that Percy had to be Joseph because he wouldn't let anyone else even pretend to be Annabeth's husband. I mean they were pretty normal but Jason was Gabriel so he could actually fly in with Piper (who was the singing part of the duo) and Frank was the donkey, the camels and the sheep. Hazel was the king who gave gold, Calypso did the Frankincense (because no one else knows what it is) and we managed to bully Nico into putting on a crown and doing Myrr (apparently it's got something to do with death). And I got to be a Shepard with Festus as my fire-breathing dragon-sheep.

Hermes came down a couple of days later and said we'd depicted the Nativity perfectly and it had all happened exactly as we'd acted. I think I might get a career as an actor now.

Nah

"Are you seriously taking Festus to Hogwarts with us." Calypso asked from next to me, where we were standing by the plate which was going to take us half way around the world (see how ridiculous it sounds).

"Of course, no one else plays with him at camp so I'm going o put him in that cool room that Draco showed and then he'll have company."

"Can't he just stay with Mrs O'Leary," Calypso sounded a bit exasperated but she was smiling.

"Oh come on, love. Consider it a favour for me saving you." I tried.

"I don't owe you any favours, if I owe anyone then it's Festus and..."

"Exactly." Now I'd definitely won. "So you want him to be happy and come to Hogwarts with us."

"Oh, shut up!" Calypso laughed but didn't complain any more about me bringing the big golden suitcase which was Festus.

"For his father's sake, where is Nico?" Jason asked, checking his watch. "This thing is leaving any minute now."

"Speak of the devil." Piper said as Nico suddenly appeared next to Jason.

Everyone grabbed hold of the plate just in time as it began to glow and we were spun into oblivion.

"And where were you." Jason asked, turning to Nico once we'd landed just outside Hogwarts.

"Saying bye to Will to save myself from another Howler. Sorry I didn't check with you first, mother."

"Fine, I guess that's a reasonable excuse." Jason was trying to keep a strict face but I could see that he was just happy that Nico might have finally accepted he had friends. Jason was very protective of the son of Hades.

"So, one term down and no 'war to make worlds end' as of yet." Percy said, breaking up Nico and Jason's impromptu staring contest. "Let's hope this one is just as successful." And with that we all stating making our way to the front hall where the start of term feast was just about to begin.

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3rd Person (First Wednesday back at school)

"Right then class." Professor Cielo said from behind his desk. "This is another spell which some of you did but I'm not sure all of you managed it at the time. Today we're going to be working on reciting the imperius curse." Murmurs broke out around the room but the professor silenced them immediately. "I know what some of you are thinking but I have checked with Professor McGonagall and she says it's fine as long as I don't teach you how to use the actually curse and all of this is optional. For those of you who don't know, could someone please explain what the imperius curse is. Yes Miss Granger."