We make a plan
HAZEL: When we were discussing the possibility of our sign to act coming in a vision, I was expecting it to come from me. Trelawney had been speaking all year about how I was the 'one.' This was what she had been talking about. I wasn't, however, expecting said vision to happen tonight.
***
The goddess was trapped in the same cage she had been in. Except this time, her words were clearer. The scene around her was clear as well: a graveyard.
"Hazel," she spoke my name very clearly. "It must happen now. I'm growing weaker...I don't have much time. You have to help." She spoke.
She was looking directly at me. I knew I wasn't physically there, I was sort of looking at the scene from a distance. Still, she sensed I was there. How? She was a goddess, that's how.
"You can do this, darling," her voice broke. "He's coming."
***
I hit my head on my bedpost as I shot awake.
"Ah!" I mumbled, rubbing the forming welt.
Robin was sat on the edge of my bed sleeping. As I woke up in such a violent manner, he fell into the floor. Robin glared at me the best a niffler could. But once he saw the alarmed look in my eyes, he looked less annoyed.
"Robin, you know my friends' names, you're smart, you're quick. Go to the Ravenclaw girls' dorm and wake up Annabeth. Then, you need to fetch Leo, Piper, and Nico in the Slytherin house. Make them follow you, and meet me in the Gryffindor house where I'll fetch Harry, Jason, and Percy. Go, now!"
Robin knew how to follow orders. I ran to the Hufflepuff boys' dorm and found Frank.
"We need to go, now." I told him as he woke up. He didn't need an explanation.
Will was another story. Frank and I had to practically drag him out of bed. Once we got him up, they followed me as I sprinted to the Gryffindor house.
I ran to Harry's dorm.
"Harry, you need to wake up." Nico was lying on the floor beside his bed. He was half-awake.
"Oh my god, you used more of your ability tonight!" I lectured.
Nico tried to sit up but his head hit the floor.
"Magnus said he had to restart my heart," Nico giggled. He was completely out of it.
I pulled him up.
"You are an idiot!" I lectured. "I received the sign, we have to go now!"
Nico groaned. Harry and I helped him up as we drug him downstairs. Harry insisted on getting Hermione and Ron as well. With that logic, I insisted that we also have Ginny come along with us. She was a good friend to me and a damn powerful witch.
Frank and Will fetched Jason and Percy.
When I returned to the Gryffindor common room, I was pleased to see Robin had performed his task perfectly. Leo and Piper were sat beside each other looking quite annoyed to have been woken up. Annabeth on the other hand was wide-awake. I wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't slept at all.
Everybody took a seat. Harry gave Ginny a quick summary of what we had been dealing with all school year, since she had been the only person not caught up yet.
I explained to them what I had seen in my vision.
"You mentioned a graveyard?" Harry asked. I nodded, not thinking that was a particularly vital detail. With all of the graveyards in the world, how could we know which one to go to? But Harry seemed sure he knew the location. I wasn't about to doubt the determined look in his eye.
"We need a plan before we jump into action," Harry said. "We hardly have Nico--since he decided to use his power to let me talk to my parents."
Will glared at Nico.
"I told you not to do anything stupid! We have a battle to fight and you we're going to be one of our most vital elements. You can barely stand!"
Nico wasn't particularly with it at the moment.
"Magnus said I died," Nico giggled. "My heart stopped."
Magnus sighed.
"Will, maybe you and I could work on healing him just a bit more. It's only one battle after all, and we have quite an army."
While Annabeth went over a plan, Will and Magnus worked tirelessly to heal Nico.
Everybody listed off their abilities as potential helpful points to Annabeth. After only a minute, she rambled off a plan just like that.
"Thalia, you're good with a bow you said. Reyna, you are strong in physical combat. You two can be our non-magical defense--"
Percy interrupted her. He picked up his wand and set it on the table.
"Every day I'm at this school, my memory of magic is fading. I'm not as quick with spells as I used to be. I can, however, use this sword. It's like riding a bike, I haven't forgotten how to use it." Percy insisted.
"In that case, everybody apart from Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny, put down your wands," Reyna said. "We know your skills better than you do."
"Solace, I have a spare bow you can use. Memory or not, once and archer always an archer," Thalia said.
Will's face was bright red.
"Change my name from wolverine to hawk eye."
Jason glared at Will, mumbling: "D.C. Is still better."
Percy looked ready to bite Jason's head off.
"Jason, catch." Reyna tossed him a coin. Once it was caught, the coin turned into a sword. Jason looked like he was remembering something.
"Cool," he said.
Magnus pulled a pendant from his neck. The pendant turned into a sword.
"Is it just some sort of requirement in your world to have random items that turn into swords?" Harry asked.
"Negatory, sir. Not all of those swords can talk." Magnus' sword spoke. "Lady riptide, it is lovely to see you again!"
Magnus looked down at Percy's sword, who didn't respond.
"Anyway," Reyna continued. "Annabeth, Piper, here you go." She tossed Annabeth a dagger, as well as Piper. They were both different, however.
"Valdez, figured you'd appreciate this." Reyna tossed Leo a tool belt. Leo beamed as he picked it up.
"This is mine! God, it's magic, isn't it?"
"Great job figuring that out, genius," Thalia mumbled.
"Frank, I would have brought you a bow, but I feel like your shapeshifting skills are enough," Reyna admitted.
Frank pondered that for a moment.
"I'd feel safer having one. Thalia, have another extra?" He asked.
Thalia smirked.
"Three archers, awesome. Yeah, of course I do!" She exclaimed.
Reyna unveiled a long sword.
"Hazel, this is for you," she said. "It say seem like a lot now, but once you start fighting you'll remember the feeling."
Reyna was right. Just holding the weapon felt familiar.
"Di Angelo, if you're feeling up to it." Thalia tossed Nico the most intimidating weapon of them all so far, a flashy black sword.
"It's sharp," Nico giggled.
Everybody glanced at Will and Magnus, who were continuing to try to heal the loopy nature out of him.
"Working on it," Will announced.
"There's no doubt Voldemort will bring in an army of sorts. We need to be prepared to face his death eater gang before going after him," Harry said. "Thoughts, Annabeth?"
"Frank, Will, and Thalia will be our distance fighters. If more help is needed, Will can come in to heal and Frank can shape-shift into whatever creature will be beneficial." Annabeth began. "Hazel, Percy, Jason, Nico, Piper, Magnus, Alex and I can fight hand to hand. We have our swords, daggers, and garrotes."
Alex smirked at that last comment.
"Ginny, Ron, and Hermione are good with spells. You three are under Hermione's command. She's the best with strategy," Annabeth continued. Hermione smiled to herself. Nobody disagreed.
"Avoid use of power unless absolutely necessary. We can't waste our energy. But if we need some serious help, Magnus can use his peace of Frey to buy us a few seconds, but you'll have to warn us just so we aren't caught off guard and we can pick up our weapons with ease." Annabeth explained. Magnus nodded.
"If we are severely outnumbered, a surprise lightning strike may benefit us." Annabeth continued. Thalia and Jason smirked to themselves.
"Percy, your water power won't do us much of a service. The graveyard isn't absolutely overflowing with rivers." Annabeth said. Percy shrugged.
"I've got my sword, I can manage."
"Nico, how are you feeling?" Annabeth asked. He sat up, seemingly better.
"Embarrassed for the amount of giggling I've done in the past few minutes. Other than that, better." He swatted Will's hands away from his own. "Don't waste any more of your healing. We'll need it in battle. I can sense death."
"Are you sure that isn't just me you're sensing?" I suggested.
"Or me?" Alex added.
"Or me?" Magnus echoed.
Nico shook his head.
"It's something more. If we don't pull through tonight, people are going to die. Whether that's the death eaters or us, I can't say...but I can feel it, and a lot of it at that."
A darkness fell over the room at that comment. Following the darkness, a more light-hearted duo appeared.
The doors to the common room opened.
Fred and George stumbled in. Fred was supporting a stumbling George, who was no doubt intoxicated.
"Shit," George mumbled. "Thought the house would be asleep by now. What's this about?"
Ginny raised her eyebrows.
"What's that about?" She pointed to the stumbling Fred.
"He had a bit too much to drink. I found him passed out on the floor in the Ravenclaw house beside some girl who was also no doubt passed out from being drunk. I don't want to know what those two did." George smirked. Fred didn't.
"My head is pounding, can you just get me to our dorm?"
"Wait—hold that thought." Hermione took out her wand and performed a charm on Fred that immediately brought him up to spirits.
"What was that?" Fred asked, rubbing his head. "I'm not even hungover anymore! I mean—not that I was in the first place, Ginny." He laughed nervously, mumbling 'please, don't tell mum' under his breath.
"Sobering charm. Rids the victim of all symptoms of a hangover," Hermione explained. "A lesser-known spell."
"I didn't know that was a spell, I don't even want to know how you know." Ron said in awe.
Hermione shrugged.
"You know, I have a life outside of spell books and classes. I can hardly stand any of the girls in my dorm room, how do you think I've gotten through that all of these years?"
"Hermione, you're fifteen? How long have you--you know what, I don't want to know," Harry said. "But we're going to have a talk later, young lady."
"We're about to go into battle," Ginny explained to Fred and George. "Do you need a summary, or are you willing to join us?"
Fred and George shrugged.
"Quick summary wouldn't hurt." Fred said. Both of the twins glanced at Hermione.
"These people don't belong here. Most of their minds were changed by a goddess who sent them here. The exchange students were sent under cover to find them and bring him home. The goddess who sent them here is immortal, and we think Voldemort's captured her. We're going to go find them and fight." She summarized.
"Cool weapons," George observed.
"Why thank you!" Magnus' sword replied. Fred and George didn't even blink at the sight of a talking sword.
"We're in." The twins agreed.
"Excellent! Now, how do we get to the graveyard?" Annabeth asked. "I'd propose that Nico travel us there, but that would surely drain him."
Thalia smirked. Jason did as well.
"I have an idea!" They both spoke. "Wait, what's your idea?"
"Thestrals!" Jason said. Him and Percy smirked at each other.
"Since there won't be enough for all of us, how about some of us take the hell hound?" Thalia proposed.
"The what-hound?" Percy asked.
"Oh, Percy," Thalia grinned. "Mrs. 'O Leary will be excited to see you."