The Ghosts of Millennia

The Most Expensive Lyft Ever

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Annabeth, Ron, Hermione, and Cho meet Slytherin, god of magical creatures.

BEGINNING NOTES

Chapter Rating: General Audiences
Content Warning: None
Word Count: 2903

I might post the final two chapters tonight, if not, they'll be up tomorrow. It's just that I have to edit the final chapter a bit and I don't know how long that will take me.

And all the characters are owned by J.K. Rowling, or Rick Riordan.

Credits at the end.

____________________HERMIONE____________________

Hermione slept fretfully that night. Surrounded by bad memories, her dreams consisted of Snape, Lupin, and a disheveled Sirius ready to attack. Cho, the traitor, stood by as Harry died again and again, screaming, "I thought you loved me, Cho! Help me!" "It was necessary," Nico di Angelo whispered in her ear. Then, he turned into Merlin. "Do not fail me my dear, or the Wizarding World will die. Be my champion or Harry died for nothing..."

"Hermione! Hermione!" Ron shook her awake. "You were screaming in your sleep. Are you all right?"

"Bad dream," Hermione admitted. She was beyond tired, but Merlin's words echoed in her mind. Harry's face gave her a surge of energy. She would get the Philosopher's Stone, and she would get it today. She'd save the Wizarding World just in time for Ceres' trial against Hades tomorrow. There was no other option.

"We need to get to Loch Arthur," Hermione declared.

"How?" Ron asked. "We can't apparate, we don't have brooms, thestrals don't exist anymore..."

Cho held up her cell phone. "The nearest muggle town is Fort Augustus. Loch Arthur's only four hours away by car; I have Lyft on my phone. It's not cheap, but I can use my debit card, I saved a lot of money last summer."

"Don't you want any money when you go home?" Annabeth asked a little suspiciously.

Cho said nothing.

The sun was rising over the Scottish Highlands by the time they made it to Fort Augustus. To Hermione's surprise, they found a Lyft driver willing to make the four hour trip. He cranked up the radio in his car and chatted amiably to them, joking and telling stories of his grandkids' antics. It was wonderful to be distracted from her worries of Cho and fears of meeting Slytherin, but it was also so... odd. The Wizarding World was in a state of anarchy, but the muggle world was perfectly fine. The apocalypse would come tomorrow unless the demigods could stop it. World War Two among the gods. The Wizarding World felt straight on the path to Armageddon. The muggle world had no idea what was happening.

"Have fun, girls. Stay warm," the driver said as he pulled up to the lake. The three of them said goodbye as they stepped out of the car. They waited until the car was a pinprick in the distance. They were all alone.

Hermione looked around. This lake was nothing like Hogwarts's. Sure, there were green hills in the distance, but that was where the similarities ended. Dark, almost black trees crowded the edges of the lake. Driftwood floated as far as the eye could see. The water was dark and cloudy; it didn't sparkle at all. She suddenly felt very cold, even in her warm ski jacket.

"Slytherin would be somewhere secluded," Annabeth decided. "That's usually what nature gods do, and he is the god of magical creatures."

"Don't tell me," Hermione groaned. "The woods?"