To Find What is Lost

Chapter 21: Confused

Yup, so as I said- interesting development... In complete honesty I'm not sure yet where this whole thing is going. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and leave some love -Emmi

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Nico frowned and looked up. Lounging half in and out of the water was a ghost. She was smirking at him from her round bulging glasses.

"Myrtle just wants to help." she said and twirled her pigtail around her finger in a simpy way.

Nico scowled. A ghost. Didn't she know who he was?

"Go away." he ordered.

"Ooooh. Rude boy." she giggled and twirled in the air.

Nico was confused and offended now. "Do you know who I am?"

"Oh yes, you're Hades' son."

Bewildered, "Why are you speaking to me like this? I could break you in half with the snap of my finger! I could send you to the fields of punishment!"

"Ooooooh." Myrtle giggled. "You could."

Nico blinked. This was most definitely the most confusing ghost he had ever met. And Nico had met some strange undead.

He sighed.

"If I tell you what's wrong will you go away?" he asked, rubbing his face with a hand. He didn't feel in the mood for torturing dead people today, however annoying they were.

Myrtle smirked. "That's only fair."

"I'm confused."

The ghost scowled and pouted. "That's not fair. You didn't say anything!"

Nico glared at her. "Hades." he warned.

"But-"

He snapped his fingers and a shadow jumped toward her.

Myrtle yelped and flew up into the air to avoid it. She scowled at him and crossed her arms.

"Fine." she huffed and flew off into the lake.

Nico sighed and leaned back against the tree.

"Will." he whispered to himself. "Will Will Will Will Will..."

***

"Draco."

"Yeah?"

"I'm still confused."

The blonde laughed as he lent across the library table to correct one of Nico's mistakes.

"It's moonweed, not moonwort."

Nico groaned and rubbed his eyes. His head ached from so much writing and reading, and the letters swam in front of his eyes.

"I'm never gonna get it right." he complained.

Draco just laughed again. His voice was clear and soft, and when he smiled his face lit up.

Nico couldn't help but smile when he saw that he had made Draco laugh.

"You can only get better, don't worry."

The son of Hades scowled in a pouty way. "I told you I can't read or write, I've got dyslexia!"

The blonde ruffled his hair, something that usually annoyed Nico, but for some reason he didn't mind it when Draco showed his affection that way.

"Just because it's hard for you doesn't mean you should give up, you may never be an author-"

"Gods forbid."

"-But wouldn't it be handy if you could write a little?" he finished with a smile.

Nico sighed.

"Fine, but only for you."

"That's my Nico. Now-"

He scratched out Nico's last sentence.

"You forgot the crushed beetles."

And with a groan, their study session went on.

***

"Oh gods!"

Blaise raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Oh- um, nothing." Nico corrected his mistake quickly. Then groaned to himself.

"This is not good."

Blaise had just been telling Nico about a prank he bought at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and Nico had just remembered that he wanted to practice apparating last Hogsmead weekend. Instead he had completely forgotten about it and spent the day studying with Draco.

Now he frantically scanned the noticeboard for their next weekend. It was two weeks away. The day after he was due to pick up Will.

"Oh no." he groaned.

Blaise just shrugged, turning back to his quidditch magazine.

"Gods, gods, what am I going to do..." he muttered to himself.

"Do about what?" asked a familiar voice behind him.

Nico fairly jumped out of his skin, "Oh- um, nothing."

Unfortunately Draco was a little more curious and invested that Blaise, and he looked at the younger boy with interest.

"Don't um- nothing me."

Nico sighed and rubbed his eyes, he was tired from staying up all night reading the book Draco had given him. The blonde didn't know how hard he was trying, and Nico knew that if he found out that Nico was losing sleep for his sake, he'd tell him to stop immediately.

He was a bit like Will in that way.

Finally he decided it couldn't hurt to tell Draco what was troubling him, at least part of it.

"I'm supposed to apparate my boyfriend here on Saturday, but I've never apparated before. I know the theory, but I was going to practice last Hogsmead weekend, except I forgot all about it and now I don't know how I'm going to do it."

Draco raised an eyebrow faintly. "You've never apparated before?"

Nico shook his head.

"Then you'd better get in some practice, come on. I know a secret passage out of the castle."

Nico was caught off guard by the suggestion, but Draco had grabbed his lower arm and was leading him off out of the common room and into the halls. The ghost king was left with no choice but to follow him.