With Harry safe at Grimmauld place for the time being, Nico was finally able to settle in. He'd considered staying at the village near Hogwarts – Hogsmeade, if he remembered correctly – but something told him that would be far too conspicuous. Instead, he rented a room at a local motel.

He paid for it in cash and provided a blank card when asked for identification. The receptionist, a podgy old man named Angus, had stared at it for a few seconds before nodding as though that were the normal way to proceed. (Nico had improved at manipulating the Mist in the last few years, largely thanks to Hazel.) If anyone checked motel's records, they would find him listed as Mr Damon Walker.

Nico di Angelo became a ghost.

Who would care about a drifter hidden at a motel, or a young boy and his sister hidden in a hotel?

The room was small – the few pieces of furniture it contained barely fit inside. A small, hard bed had been pushed into the corner while the sink, miniature fridge and cabinet sat opposite. There was an adjoining room containing a toilet but nothing to wash himself with. It was a seedy, dirty building, but it suited him just fine. Anything could be considered homely when compared with the Underworld.

Hecate had provided him with several items before sending him on his quest. The first was the time-travelling elixir, which hung from his neck in an hourglass-shaped vial. It was made from crystal glass, with golden trimming around the edges. Strange runes had been etched delicately into the glass. They weren't any language or script that Nico recognised. He knew without having to be told that they were enchanted; the etchings had a magical aura.

The second was a leather-bound case containing several potions, poultices and magical trinkets that the Hecate cabin had gifted him. Each individual item was secured to the inside of the case by a thin leather strap. When folded and zipped shut it was no larger than Daedalus' laptop had been.

The third and final gift was a file containing all the information he might need to complete his quest. Hecate had enchanted it so that no matter which page he turned to, it would show the information that he was looking for. The file seemed to grow or shrink depending on how much information he need. Since there was never a shortage of pages, Nico had begun tearing out the parts that he accessed most. He'd taped a profile of Harry on the wall beside his bed, along with other witches and wizards he associated with. Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley's profiles had been taped just below Harry's, with the Order of the Phoenix and several known Death Eaters taking up the remaining space.

Nico had turned the far wall into a glossary. Words like 'Death Eater', 'Auror' and 'Horcrux' resided there. Above the kitchen were large, colourful maps. Several of them were moving and some changed by the hour.

It felt like Nico had stepped into an alternate universe – there was so much that he needed to learn before he would be able to make sense of it. How would he know if Harry was in danger when he could barely understand the world around him?

At that moment, he was sitting on the bed, back against the wall. On his lap was the file. It was opened to the 'Ministry of Magic' section, specifically the laws regarding regulation of magic. He frowned as he read. "Prohibited?" he muttered, flipping the page. He clearly remembered Harry casting – or attempting to cast – a spell when he was attacked by the Dementors. What were the consequences for that?

The next page allayed his fear somewhat. The punishment for first offences was almost always just a warning, unless the offender had been using the magic with malicious intent. This was blatant self-defence. Still, he felt uneasy. Did he really know that this was a first offense? For all he knew, Harry was a repeat offender. If all was well, what were all those owls for?

He concentrated on the information that he wanted to withdraw and flipped the page. He groaned when he read its contents: Harry was being put to trial.

August 12th. That was just under a weak away. How in Hades would he find a way to help Harry in time?

"No, I'd definitely never seen him before," whispered Harry. "I'd remember it if I had."

Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting in the drawing room at Grimmauld place, miserably cleaning out all the strange and dark objects that had been stowed away there. They were crowded around one of the glass cases, with Sirius, Ginny, Fred and George crowded around another.

"That's really disturbing, Harry," said Hermione. "What do you think he wants?"

Harry shook his head and shrugged. "It seemed like he was just there to keep me safe."

"What if he's like Moody?" asked Ron. "Just keeping you alive so you can do something he wants."

Harry shivered. "I hope not." He reached into the glass case and pulled out a book entitled Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy. "That's revolting."

Hermione made a face at the book. "Do you reckon you've lost him, Harry? He can't know about Grimmauld Place."

"Maybe…" He didn't think so. There was something hard and soldier-like about the boy. Harry could believe that whatever his mission, he wouldn't stop until it was completed.

Ron seemed to pick up on that. "What if he stalks you to Hogwarts?"

Hermione looked at him as if it were obvious. "We'll tell Dumbledore, of course."

"I don't think Dumbledore wants to talk to me," Harry grumbled, thinking of how the older man had avoided him.

"He's just busy, Harry," said Hermione. "Everyone in the Order is. He wants what's best for you"

He nodded, but remained unconvinced. If it weren't for the strange boy saving him, he could have had his soul sucked out by Dementors. That wasn't what was best for him.

He was startled out of his thoughts by Sirius yelling, "Give it back, you mongrel!" They turned to see him wresting a ring out of Kreacher's grasp. The elderly house elf cringed away from his master, spitting racist curses and throwing dirty looks around the room.

Hermione was on her feet immediately. "Don't be so hard on him, Sirius. He doesn't know what he's doing!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "He knows exactly what he's doing. Give it up, already, Hermione!"

Harry sighed. This was the fifth time that day Kreacher had been caught stealing. He threw the genealogy book into a pile with the other dark objects and then reached back into the glass case. While everybody else was distracted, he withdrew a large locket. It was an ugly thing. Harry wasn't sure that even Mrs Black would want to wear it. Still, there was something about it. Something familiar… Harry tried to open it but found that he couldn't. He looked to see if anyone else could help, but they were all still distracted.

He dropped it into his pocket before he could second guess himself.

That locket reminded Harry of his stalker. Even if he wasn't sure why, he knew to follow his instincts. He hadn't survived this long by ignoring them.

The argument resolved itself not long afterwards.

"Blimey, I'm not sure I can take much more of that!" Ron grumbled as he plopped himself onto the ground near Harry.

Hermione joined the boys on the ground. She looked no less exasperated, but for different reasons. Before the two had a chance to start sniping at each other again, Harry asked, "Do you think the wards around Hogwarts would let someone sneak onto the grounds?"

"Probably," said Hermione. "It depends how they arrived. Why?"

"In case the boy in black tries to follow me there."

Hermione gave Harry a blank look.

"Who?" said Ron. He looked confused, too.

Harry blinked. "But– We were just talking about him!"

Ron and Hermione exchanged a worried look. "Are you feeling alright, Harry?" asked Hermione.

A chill ran down his spine. He remembered the way that no one except him had been able to see the boy. Was it possible that he was the only one who could remember him, too?

"Yes," he said. "I- I'm fine. I think I just need something to drink." With that, he fled from the room.

A/N. Sorry about the short chapter, guys! I needed to get some setup in before next chapter, which will be a big one. Harry's got a hearing before the Wizengamot!

Aloever: Yes, the plot will diverge from the books. Nico's presence changes everything. For example, Harry was so startled by him that he went down a different road and nearly ended up facing the Dementors alone. And now he's pocketed the locket. I'm going for a butterfly effect!

Youya: I'll try to work that in :)

CatatonicVanity: Why not both?

Thanks to everybody! As before, concrit is welcome.