Hermione had to (quite literally) drag her friends to the schools library the next morning since they seemed intent on staying under their covers. It turns out it was very hard to sleep while ice cold water is being poured over you.

She hadn't managed to get anything out of the new students during the meal apart from finding out they all spoke Greek, despite all originating from America or Italy. It wasn't much but at least it gave her an idea of where they were from and what sections of the library to hunt through.

She skimmed her eyes over bookcases that lined the walls, full to the brim of hard-cover mysteries waiting to be explored, even though she was still half asleep herself. Hermione pulled out a large stack of leather bound books and carried them back to the desk the three of them had occupied.

Ron reluctantly forced himself to take the one at the top and began to flick through the pages for anything to do with the secretive exchange students. He thanked Merlin that the search was over when the he got to Page 394 of 'Powerful Wizards Of Italy' and found a black & white picture that caught his attention. Not because it wasn't moving, meaning the photographer had been a Muggle, but also because it had a much younger version of Nico in it.

He jumped up excitedly, about to yell that he had found it first for a change, but changed to a whisper after remembering where he was "Guys! I found something!" Ron pushed the book towards Hermione, not bothering to deal with the sleeping Harry, who was face down onto the desk.

He didn't even bring up the small puddle of drool that he was sure Madam Prince would later scold them for. Well, she'd have to catch them first.

Hermione snatched the book up and stared down at the page in shock. The boy was definitely Nico, there was no way it couldn't be him, but that would make him much older than the teenager he appeared to be. Her eyes moved slowly onto the text beside the image, almost unable to tear them away from his face, and read out in a hushed tone.

"The photograph, taken by a popular anonymous muggle Italian photographer, depicts the Di Angelo family, an immensely powerful wizarding family with an unexplained demise. The father is yet to be identified, his name not being in any records or birth certificates, but the wife is known as the pureblood witch Maria Di Angelo. She came from a strict and powerful wizarding line and bore two children: Nico and Bianca Di Angelo (who both took their mothers maiden name). Sadly, the mother's body was found in an American hotel that had been destroyed by a bomb late 1940's, her children and husband were never found and are expected to be deceased. The line of Di Angelo's has supposedly died out without a trace ever since."

"Blimey," Ron's eyes were wider than his stomach "Do you think they're the same Nico then?"

"I mean, they could be family but that doesn't explain how this Nico would possibly be alive. The Di Angelo's should of died out many years ago according to the book. It just doesn't make sense." Hermione leaned back into her chair, crossing her arms over her chest in defeat.

Madam Prince walked around the corner briskly to inform them their first lesson would start in twenty minutes and they might want to leave now unless they wanted to be late. Ron shook Harry awake and practically had to drag him along with Hermione out of the library. She wanted to stay there and continue reading, but then again she always wanted to read. It wasn't like any of them wanted to go to Potions.

Once they had left, Nico emerged from the shadows, going unnoticed by the librarian, and stepped towards the discarded book. He picked it up and was greeted with a younger Bianca and him, beaming up at him.

The day the picture had been taken two days before Zeus sent down a lightning bolt at their house, killing his mother. Two days before Alecto had taken him and his older sister to the Lotus Casino, where it felt like only a few months past when it had actually been 70 years. Two days before his life had been ruined by the arrogant King of the Gods.

He checked his surroundings to make sure Madam Prince wasn't looking and slipped the book into the bag slung over his shoulder. Nico smiled before stepping back into the shadows, a little more cheerful than he had been in a long time.

~-~-~-~-~-~

When Hermione stepped into the dungeons, Harry and Ron close behind her, the first thing she noticed was the exchange students. They were already in their seats with their books open, quills in their hands and ink pots ready for use. Professor Snape was writing instructions in chalk on the blackboard. He was facing away from the door yet somehow managed to know who exactly who had walked into his classroom.

"Miss Granger you can sit in between Miss Levesque and Mr Di Angelo, Potter and Mr Weasley you can sit in the same seats from last year." Snape ordered them, pretending not to hear the complaints coming from the student he despised the most and his ginger friend.

Even though they didn't want to, they sat in the seats Snape had told them to. Hermione was the only one out of them that saw the arrangement as an opportunity, this way she could find the truth about who Nico actually was.

"Hey Nico, do you have any siblings?" Hermione asked while Snape walked out to get more ingredients from the other storing cupboard.

"Why do you ask?" Nico restrained his urge to smirk along with Hazel and Will. He had warned them before shadow travelling to the room, scaring Professor Snape who luckily had been forewarned by Dumbledore to the students 'unusual' transport methods.

"Just wondering." Hermione started to pay more attention to the book in front of her. She hadn't expected him to question her motives for asking.

"I have a sister," He grinned internally as that statement perked the witches interest and he could of sworn he saw her two friends lean closer "Hazel. She's my half sister." He tried to ignore the gut-wrenching feeling for not mentioning Bianca and pretending she had never existed.

Hermione had to stop herself from groaning as her theory crumbled before her and instead nodded as if she didn't suspect Nico to be some sort of time-travelling mystery. The rest of the lesson went smoothly as Hermione didn't bother to attempt to interrogate them again since she no longer thought of them as any sort of threat.

At the end of Potions, Snape dismissed his class along with a cold glare that they had all grown so used to. The young teens all packed away their things into their bags and slowly made their way to their next lesson.

A/N

[PUBLISHED 28/06/2019]

I'm going out just after publishing this so I wont be able to hear feedback for a few hours (I have no data). I do want to say, thank you for all of the support!

How are you all enjoying the story so far? What do you think is going to happen next? Leave your predictions in the comments below!

See you all next friday! :)