He Who Walks Between Worlds

How Do Swords Even Work?

Beginning Notes

All characters belong to J. K. Rowling and our good friend Rick.

Nico

The confrontation with Michael was expected; the notebooks and Hermione were not. Great. Now Hermione would be onto him too. It was fine. He would be leaving soon--just as soon as Dumbledore got back.

"What is your explanation for yesterday?" Michael asked, notebook in hand and an enchanted pen already scribbling of its own accord.

Nico had prepared his explanation. "I was practicing my fencing in the woods. I heard a scream, so I came running. I guess I just got lucky in killing it."

"That wasn't a fencing sword," Michael pointed out.

How did Michael know? Did fencing even use a special type of sort? "It's a family heirloom."

Nico watched Hermione purse her lips. Oh, right, she knew that his father was 'well known'. Great. 

"What do you know of the creature you fought yesterday?" Michael asked.

"It seemed like a giant dog."

Michael flipped through one of his notebooks, then shove it at Nico. Nico stared at it. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to read it, even if he hadn't been dyslexic. That handwriting was messy. He did, however, recognise the picture that Michael had drawn. It was a hellhound. 

He handed it back. "I can't read this; I have dyslexia."

"Oh, right. I can read it to you."

"What about the spell you use to translate it?" Hermione asked.

Nico shook his head. "It doesn't work with handwriting."

"Hellhounds," Michael read. "They are from the Underworld. They are black with red eyes and are generally about 2.5 to 4 metres. Cerberus is considered a hellhound. There are reports of them emerging from shadows that obviously could not hide them. This could perhaps be explained in two ways. Firstly, they may be able to become insubstantial and shadow-like as a camouflage mechanism. Secondly, they may be able to access an alternate location not accessible to humans or travel through shadows."

What was Michael doing? If he was a demigod, why would he have frozen up yesterday, and why would he be involving Hermione? If not, how did he know this? Hermione looked completely unfazed. 

"So you think it was a hellhound then?" Nico asked. 

"Yeah. They're featured in a lot of mythologies," Michael said, "but I'm primarily interested in Greek mythology. You speak Greek, right?" 

"Yeah. And Latin and Italian."

"If you look," Michael said, showing Nico a page in another notebook, somewhere between 10 to 15 percent of magical creatures appear in Greek mythology and 10-20 percent of magical creatures in Greek mythology occur or have similar counterparts that have been documented by wizards."

Hermione must have misinterpreted the expression on Nico's face, because she gently said to Michael, "I don't think Nico understands what you're trying to say. Can I take over?"

Michael assented, and Hermione began to explain. "What Michael is trying to say is this. Several years ago, he saw a boy fighting a Lamia. He wielded a sword which Michael later determined to be of a Hellenistic style. Michael noticed that the boy used wandless, nonverbal magic, to accelerate plant growth. He also noticed that you did wandless, nonverbal magic to make plants wilt yesterday in Hogsmeade. We both felt strongly that there was likely some connection between you two, and also possibly Hellenistic culture."

Ah, merda. This was . . . great. Was Michael a demigod and just didn't know it? Or maybe he had clear sight. Either way, Nico had not prepared an explanation for this.

"Oh, wow!" he said, trying to by time. "You saw Dimitris Esposito? I am so jealous."

"Dimitris Esposito?" Hermione asked. "Who is that?"

"He's so cool," Nico gushed. "He travels around the world to find dangerous magical creatures and tries to defeat them using only a sword."

"He was doing magic," Hermione pointed out.

"Oh, yes," Nico said. "He uses his sword a bit like a wand if the creature is especially hard to fight." Did wizard magic work like that? He hoped so.

"So you decided to copy him?" Hermione asked. Doubt lay thick in her voice.

"Yep!" Nico said.

Hermione still looked skeptical, but Michael was convinced. He started explaining some scheme of his requiring Nico to wear a metal earplug. Generally Nico was opposed to putting strange magical objects in his body, but if this would draw attention away from the events of yesterday, he might consider it. And indeed, as soon as he put it in his ear, Michael started walking towards the Great Hall, happily explaining as he went. 

Nico

Dumbledore didn't return until Halloween. In that time, Nico tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible. He used none of his demigod powers, and spent most of his free time in the library, studying wizarding magic and necromancy. He avoided all of his friends--no, not friends, acquaintances--even Ginny and Luna. He was used to being alone.

He had asked the ghosts of the castle to let him know when Dumbledore returned. The summons came just before the feast. He immediately ran to Dumbledore's office, only to be met with Dumbledore coming out. To Nico's dismay, Dumbledore refused to skip the feast. Nico was writhing with impatience and anticipation, but he forced himself to wait. He paced the office impatiently. Finally, Dumbledore returned. 

It was late of night when they finished. Nico had already known much of the information about horcruxes, which seemed to disappoint Dumbledore, but he did now know what some of them were. 

Finally, Dumbledore returned. There were many more memories to look at. They stayed late into the night, but finally they were done.

"Thank you for your aid," Nico said. He had learned a lot from these meetings of theirs. "I'll be leaving Hogwarts tonight, to hut down and destroy the horcruxes."

He had expected Dumbledore to protest, but he didn't. "I will inform the Order." Dumbledore said, "and make your excuses to the staff and students. If you are to leave, however, there is one question I would like to ask you."

Nico gestured for him to continue.

"Are you a demigod?"

End Notes

Things are falling into place. Soon you shall see (some of) my plans. Mwahaha. 

Anyway:

Nico: Books. Yeah. Totally read this book, except for the parts about me. I'm not a big fan of the parts about me, so don't comment or vote on those. Thanks.