He Who Walks Between Worlds

Americans, mate

Beginning Notes

Warnings: Swearing (mild)

All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling and Rick Riordan.

Harry

"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff!"

Harry had just come back from his trial at the ministry, and everyone was celebrating the good news. He could go to Hogwarts!

"They were bound to clear you," said Hermione, who had looked positively faint with anxiety when Harry had entered the kitchen and was now holding a shaking hand over her eyes, "there was no case against you, none at all."

"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering you all knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling.

Mrs. Weasley was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George, and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went: "He got off, he got off, he got off--"

"That's enough! Settle down!" shouted Mr. Weasley, though he too was smiling. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry--"

"What?" said Sirius sharply.

"He got off, he got off, he got off--"

"Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on Level Nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."

"Absolutely," said Sirius. "We'll tell him, don't worry."

"Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet waiting for me in Bethnal Green. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner--"

"He got off, he got off, he got off--"

"That's enough--Fred--George--Ginny!" said Mrs. Weasley, as Mr. Weasley left the kitchen. "Harry, dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast. . . . "

Ron and Hermione sat themselves down opposite him, looking happier than they had done since he had first arrived at Grimmauld Place, and Harry's feeling of giddy relief, which had been somewhat dented by his encounter with Lucius Malfoy, swelled again. The gloomy house seemed warmer and more welcoming all of a sudden; even Kreacher looked less ugly as he poked his snoutlike nose into the kitchen to investigate the source of all the noise.

Harry barely noticed the front door open, but he did notice when Dumbledore strode into the kitchen, followed by a pale, scary-looking boy, and an angry Snape.

"Molly, Sirius," Dumbledore said, nodding at them. Harry couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment that he hadn't greeted him. He hadn't even acknowledged Harry at the trial either.

"Albus!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "I wasn't expecting you. Is everything all right?"

"Yes," Dumbledore reassured her. "But I would like to let everyone know that there will be an Order meeting tonight, if you could pass the word along."

Molly nodded. "Of course."

"Who's the boy?" Sirius asked.

"This is Nico di Angelo," Dumbledore said, stepping aside to let him through. "He will be staying here for the remainder of the summer."

Harry noticed a momentary look of confusion flash across Nico's face before it was hidden under an icy mask. It almost seemed like Nico hadn't known that, or that he was unhappy about it.

Harry stuck his hand out awkwardly. "I'm Harry Potter."

Nico seemed to hesitate before taking it. "I know. You three have been in the paper quite a lot."

Harry felt a surge of anger towards the boy. "And I suppose you think I'm crazy and delusional, then?"

Nico stepped back and raised his hands defensively. "No. I think their propaganda is a load of bullshit, honestly. All I'm saying is that I can recognize you from the photographs."

"Oh. All right, then." Harry felt embarrassed about his outburst, but what was he supposed to think?

Dumbledore clapped his hands. "Well, I'll leave you to get acquainted, then." He turned and strode out of the room, Snape still behind them.

"So!" Hermione said, overly cheerfully. "I don't think I've seen you at Hogwarts. What house are you in?"

"I was homeschooled, actually," Nico said.

"That's cool," Hermione said. "What's it like? What subjects do you study?"

Nico smiled, but it looked fake. "It's pretty cool. I can learn about pretty much whatever I like, and I get to travel a lot."

"That's nice. Where have you been?"

"Oh, all over," Nico said. "I went on a long trip to Italy and Greece last month."

"Is that why you have a weird accent?" Ron asked. "Because you travel?"

Nico shrugged. "Maybe. English isn't actually my first language, and then I spent a lot of time in America."

"You hungry, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "You look half-starved."

"I'm fine," Nico said, and Ron stared at him incredulously.

"Nonsense," Mrs. Weasley said, putting a bowl of soup in his hands and pulling out a chair for him. Nico sat down, but didn't eat.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. Hermione shot him a look, but he ignored her. He wanted to know.

"I'm here to join the Order," Nico said. Everyone's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

"Blimey, Nico," Fred said, "I didn't peg you for a sense of humor."

Nico looked around at them. "What do you mean?"

"Well," George said, "There's no way Dumbledore will let you join because we're of age, and we're not allowed to join."

"And you're not of age," Fred continued. "How old are you? Thirteen? Fourteen?"

"I'm fourteen," Nico said, flushing slightly.

"Not that we think age should have anything to do with it." George said. "It's all about skill."

"Of which we've got plenty," Fred intoned.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "You two are not joining the order. I don't care how old you are. You are my children and I say no. I don't care what his parents decide he can do." She looked like she wanted to say more but was restraining herself.

"Can I join the Order then?" Harry asked, "Since my parents are dead?"

"No." Mrs. Weasley said. "None of you are joining the order. And that's final. If you're all done eating, why don't you show Nico around."

They all stood up. Nico still hadn't touched his food, Harry noticed. Ginny took the lead on the tour. Far from being bothered by the gloomy shadows, musty cobwebs, and creepy house-elf heads on the banister, Nico seemed to be right at home.

Nico was creepy. His pale skin seemed faintly luminescent in the dark. His eyes were sunken, as if he was recovering from a long illness, making him look like a skeleton. His hair was dark and messy, like he couldn't be bothered to brush it in the mornings. He wore all black muggle clothes and a silver skull ring which he kept fiddling with. He glanced around almost involuntarily, like he was so used to looking for danger wherever he went that he didn't even realize he was doing it anymore. He looked, Harry realized, like Sirius had after Azkaban. There was the same haunted look in his eyes. But where could be worse than Azkaban? Why was Dumbledore letting him join the order? He seemed to young to be a dangerous criminal, but then why was he acting so suspicious? Could it be possible that he had imperiused Dumbledore? Maybe that was why he was acting so strange.

I'm keeping an eye on you, Nico di Angelo.

End Notes

Hoped you liked that chapter. It's a bit fluffier than most will be. There'll be more plot next chapter. 

I'm not sure whether I'll do the whole 'Nico's a death eater' drama. He was never technically a part of Camp Jupiter so there isn't the dark mark drama. There will be tension between them, though.

Thanks for reading, peeps. Don't forget to comment and vote!