To Find What is Lost

Chapter 38: Door

Hi!! I'm so sorry for not posting for ages, this is a pretty short chapter but I needed to get something out. Enjoy this part and I promise I will get to work writing -Emmi

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They were running along the corridors, sprinting from staircase to moving staircase past portraits that yelled indignantly at their precarious pace.

It was just the three of them, Nico, Will and Draco. Blaise and Pansy had been left behind rather confused at the ball.

Finally the boys arrived on the seventh floor, racing down one corridor then the next, when finally they came to a dead end.

Ahead of them stretched a huge wall, and opposite it was a painting of a ridiculous looking lady trying to teach trolls to ballet dance. Stupid idea really, everyone knows a troll could sooner fly than look in any way graceful.

Now Will spoke, "but this is a dead end."

Nico looked at his boyfriend, for some reason he got the feeling Will wasn't happy with the situation. Well of course he wasn't, Granger was about to discover the gods! But still... it felt like something more...

But Nico didn't have the time to consider the son of Apollo's concerns, and he turned his attention back to the problem at hand. Draco was answering the question, "It isn't, hold on."

The wizard then closed his eyes tightly and placed a hand on the blank wall; muttering softly like a breath of wind as he seemingly spoke to the wall: "I need the place where everything is hidden. I need the place where everything is hidden."

Suddenly Nico and Will let out little shocked gasps as the wall melted away to be replaced by a huge wooden door. Probably oak, most things at Hogwarts were; that or mahogany.

Draco opened his eyes and looked up at the door. He wasn't smiling.

"Come on, we need to hurry." he hastened them, and the demigods stepped forward quickly, Will's hand was on the door when Draco spoke again,

"No!" Nico and Will stopped and looked around at the wizard, who looked back at them with hard eyes. "Will can't come."

Will's eyes widened and suddenly he looked angry. "Of course I'm coming! If you're going in there with Nico I'm going in with you!" His eyes were blazing, literally; the blue of his eyes seemed consumed with flames.

Draco didn't flinch. "You don't have a choice, I can't take more than one person with me for fear that the room's magical structure may collapse under so many living signatures."

Will looked on the verge of rugby-tackling Malfoy to the ground, but before he could act on the urge Nico stepped in.

"Will, it's okay. You wait here." he laid a hand on his boyfriend's arm and looked in his eyes, pleading with him to understand. He had to do this. He needed to stop Granger and if that meant splitting up then he would do it.

The son of Apollo looked back at him, and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck angrily.

"I don't like it." he said quietly. And then even quieter, so Nico who stood next to him could barely hear it, "I don't like the thought of you going in there alone with him."

Nico's heart caught, and he whispered, "what d'you mean?"

Now Will groaned impatiently, "I don't know." he said louder, "Just go, if you think it's okay, I trust you. Go."

Nico looked at him one second longer, then nodded. He squeezed his boyfriend's hand and said, "It'll be fine."

Then he turned to Draco, "Alright, I'm coming."

The bleach blonde didn't seem surprised, he just nodded once and turned the door handle, walking through it into the space beyond. A huge maze of old possessions, the place from the vision. Somewhere in that mess was a girl in a chalk circle.

"STOP HER!" screamed Hecate again.

Nico looked once more at his little sun, smiled, and followed Malfoy into the room behind the hidden door.