AN: As always let us begin with the first verse of the Harry Potter Bible, Chapter 1, Verse 1: I own nothing and it all belongs to JK Rowling, long may she reign. This task is my least favorite, though it allows for things I want to happen later in the story. We have four chapters left of Part I and I hope you enjoy what is to come. As always I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you don't, whatever floats your boat y'all.

"Where exactly are we?" Thomas Potter asked in way that made Aries want to forget his promise, but instead opted for sarcasm.

"Hogwarts of course."

"Where exactly in Hogwarts are we?" Potter was clearly annoyed, though being pulled away from an attractive witch and dragged through the castle without any clue as to their destination would annoy him as well.

"The seventh floor, next to the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy." Aries smirked as a look of pure indignation came to Potter's face and he relented at last. He paced three times in front of the wall and enjoyed Potter's shock as Gryffindor's entrance formed before them. "Welcome to the Room of Requirement."

"This is the Gryffindor common room!" Potter's exclamation brought a newfound dislike for the red room. Aries had not been fond of the color scheme and now knowing that the Gryffindors of Hogwarts were consistently surrounded by this catastrophe made him want to be sick.

"You live in this?"

"I would be careful boy," the deep voice of Godric Gryffindor said. "That's my house you're insulting." Potter looked awestruck, fighting for a word to say but nothing came out.

"Godric." Aries greeted with a slight bow of his head in respect. "I have fulfilled my promise: here is your Heir."

"It would seem he is indeed." Godric gave Potter an analyzing glance.

"Heir? What are you talking about Aries?"

"You don't know?" Did the Potters even care about their lineage? "Merlin, Potter you're the Heir of Godric Gryffindor! Didn't you ever wonder why your family was so powerful? I mean granted that the potential of each Heir ebbs and flows but the Potters have had some of the most influential and powerful witches and wizards for the past few centuries! There's a reason the Purebloods are so obsessed with blood and lineage Potter, it's because it does matter, to a point."

"It would not surprise me if it was hidden intentionally," Gryffindor offered. "Being one of our heirs can be very dangerous, as some of my children unfortunately learned. No doubt there are some that still believe that if you kill a wizard you gain his power through conquest."

"They are led by a misguided truth." Aries interjected. "Gold, heirlooms, lordships. Such things can be claimed through conquest, but to absorb another's magical core is impossible." He missed the sudden sharp look Godric gave him.

"One should never assume anything is impossible Aries Black." There had been a certain emphasis on his name that did not sit well with the Black Heir. Thomas finally regained himself and suddenly had a thousand questions for his ancestor, as Aries had when the portrait of Salazar Slytherin came to life. Aries busied himself with a few of the books, after checking them for any wayward magic of course. Gryffindor did not seem the kind to protect knowledge as Salazar did, but no doubt there was family magic that even Godric would not allow others to learn.

"What do you mean there isn't light and dark magic?" Potter's question caught his attention and he closed the book to look at the portrait.

"Well there is and there is not." Godric answered cryptically. "You have to understand that in our time, before even Merlin, dark magic was considered to be blood magic, something that was neither light nor dark although the evilest kind of magic could be accomplished through its use, but perhaps there is a better way to explain it." He paused for a moment and appeared deep in thought. "Did you know in my time there was no potion to regrow bones or to simply mend them? It was more complicated than that. Spells that you would consider routine were ground-breaking at one point. At one time such curses as the Bone-Breaking Curse and the Blood-Boiling Curse were not dark magic but actually spells used by healers. Sometimes they would need to break a bone further in order to perform a proper healing. Other times a lord or lady had been poisoned and there was not enough time to brew and administer a healing potion, so instead the Blood-Boiling Curse literally boiled the poison out of their system. Painful of course, but effective nonetheless. Countless other spells that in your world are no longer used to help heal but rather to harm did not always start out as such. Medicine is meant to heal you, but too much of it can kill you, the same goes for many spells of magic."

"But how does that explain the Killing Curse?" Thomas asked. "Or the Cruciatus?"

"It all goes down to intent. Despite the intent for the Killing Curse's creation, it was often used by healers during times of war. Too often someone was in unbearable pain and there was no cure or spell or potion at the time that could save them. Tell me Thomas, would you rather die in agony or let a flash of green light take you into the after-life?"

Potter looked as if he did not like what he was hearing at all. "That does not explain the Cruciatus."

"No, it does not." Godric let out a sigh. "My boy you see the world in black and white. During our time there were wars and mighty battles that held the fate of a country or the entire world as we knew it in balance. Men do unthinkable things in war and that is when they often realize that the world is a varying shade of gray. You're looking for an answer to support your own theory, as many do. But it is one I cannot give. Magic is all about intent. You can have the power, the right wand movements, the right incantation and still be unable to cast a spell. You can use a curse such as the Killing Curse to kill an enemy in anger or to show the dying mercy. Yes, there are spells meant solely to harm another, but that does not inherently make it dark magic. It is the intent behind it that matters. Perhaps it would make more since to say that there is no such thing as light and dark magic, but rather that there are those people that are inherently good and those that are inherently evil. And then there are some that fall somewhere in the middle, who are capable of both great good and also terrible evil." Aries did not miss the fact that Godric's gaze landed on him at his last statement. Potter himself looked confused, as if everything he had ever learned had been challenged. "Maybe you will understand that one day Thomas Potter, Heir of Gryffindor."

The library of Hogwarts had been a disappointment since the discovery of the golden egg's clue, offering little to help him accomplish his goal of the Third Task. It was just a few days away and he had still not chosen how exactly he was going to breathe underwater. Draco had surprisingly taken an interest in helping him but after having most of his ideas shot down he had taken to playing with the Snitch he had nicked from the last game.

"Why can't you use gillyweed again?" Draco asked in agitated voice.

"Potter is using it."

"What about the Bubble-Head Charm?"

"Diggory and Delacour."

"So? Why can't you do it as well rather than wasting our time in the library?"

"I want to impress people Draco, using a simple charm won't accomplish that."

"Oh, my bad." Draco drawled. "We can't all be like the great Aries Black."

"I am pretty great." Aries said with a smirk. "Thanks for noticing Draco."

"Tosser." Draco looked up quickly and fumbled with the Snitch. Aries followed his line of site and locked eyes with Arianna. She looked horrid if he had to be honest. Her normal healthy look had thinned slightly, as if she hadn't been eating and the bags under her eyes showed that she still wasn't sleeping well. They stared at each other for a moment before she turned and walked right out of the library, causing Draco to let out a depressed sigh. "She's bloody gorgeous. Too busy pining after you to even look at me. Bloody shame that it is."

Aries ignored that comment probably too intently. He was happy with Daphne, something he had thought he'd never find in someone whom could potentially be his equal of sorts. Arianna certainly would never have filled that role, but even he could not deny that he missed her friendship far more deeply than he'd ever admit. It caused a deep ache in his heart he refused to recognize. If he gave into Arianna then she'd always try to pull him away from his destiny. No, she had to give in first by giving up on him. Aries only hoped that she would find a way before she ruined their friendship forever.

"What about turning into a shark or something?" Draco offered.

"No transfigurations. Not very original."

"Alright, what about doing some crazy ritual, parting the black lake, and flying to get your hostage on a broom?" Aries gave him a shocked look.

"Have you been reading Muggle religious books?"

"What?" Draco look almost disgusted. "I would never!"

"Eh, it wasn't that bad."

"And when the bloody hell would you have done that?"

"I got bored in Jerusalem. Figured I'd read up on the local history. Turned out to be a religious book. Water into wine. Walking on water. Basic magic until the whole resurrection thing." Draco seemed to be content with that answer and went back to playing with his Snitch. It was as Aries was distractedly reading the text in front, trying desperately to put the issue of Arianna out of his mind, that he came across the perfect solution to his underwater breathing problem. It was an old ritual from Ancient Egypt and while not the most impressive solution, it would have to do.

The next night brought his weekly lesson with Daphne, though she seemed far more interested in snogging than actually learning anything of the Dark Arts, not that he minded after all. Her Occlumency had improved exponentially, though he feared that Dumbledore could still break into her mind if he wished, and he was not entirely sure if the old man would resort to measures the Dark Lord had considered trivial. It was the very reason that he was hesitant to reveal any of his plans to her especially with the increased whispers of the Dark Lord's return. The fact that the triumvirate masters of Legilimency were also the leaders of the three sides of the coming war was not lost to Aries. The war would be centered around intelligence and the side that kept their intentions hidden the best would have the greatest advantage.

Daphne's warm weight atop of him and her light caress of his face brought him back from his musing. Her blonde hair was cascading down her face and her blue eyes had a warmth that rarely existed outside of this room. Perhaps that was what he liked best about her. She had a fascination for the Dark Arts that had brought together his friends at Durmstrang, the drive to succeed and shape a society but also allowed him a place to get away from it all without attempting to pull him away from his destiny. She created balance between what was wanted and what was needed. Salazar had advised him to find something or someone that made him whole. He had to wonder if he could honestly do any better in that aspect than Daphne Greengrass.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" A smile threatened to overtake her forced annoyance.

"I think I was rather lucky that the three schools decided to do an exchange program." That caused her to smile at last and Aries could not help but want her to do it more.

"Until you return to Durmstrang, though we'll have this summer. I expect to get the premier tour of Germany."

"Of course, darling." Aries thought they'd spend the rest of the night in silence and more than once thought the blonde witch had fallen asleep. It was near curfew that she lifted her head and gave him a curious look.

"Why have you not taught me the Unforgivables?" He raised an eyebrow at that. The Dark Arts, despite his belief that magic was all about intent, contained a hundred ways to control, torture, and kill someone that it made somewhat pointless to know the Unforgivables, and that had been one reason he had avoided the curses. Godric's conversation with Potter floated through his mind and the same exception they had both known was there, glaring in their hypocrisy.

"I have often told you that magic is about intent." Aries sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. "The Dark Arts has so many spells to do so many things but at the end of the day many of those curses can be used for different reasons. Each of the Unforgivables has only one purpose: to control, to torture, and to kill. At one time the Killing Curse was merciful. There is no pain, no suffering, but at the end of the day the intent is solely to kill. You see killing another person goes against everything in one's nature that it does something irreparable to you. I told you the Dark Arts can change you, but there is no way you can use the Unforgivables without them changing you.'

"You can torture someone with the Dark Arts but there is nothing that can equal the pain created by the Cruciatus Curse. You can control someone with the Dark Arts, but the Imperious Curse gives you such control over another that you can make them defy their own human nature. I stick to my belief that while we call it the Dark Arts, there is no such thing as dark magic. But even I cannot deny the evil that can be caused by the Unforgivables. It takes something inside you so resolute, so deep, to cast them that in many ways once you do there is no turning back. Despite what they may have been created for the truth is that they are undeniably the cruelest of magic, simply because of what they do to your very core, to your soul. Even giving someone the mercy of a painless death with the Killing Curse is beyond anything the Dark Arts can do to you. They will change you and if you aren't strong enough they will turn you into something you can never come back from."

"Have you used them?" Daphne asked after a moment.

"Yes."

"When was your first time?"

"I was eleven the first time I used the Imperious Curse." She placed her arms underneath her head so she could look at him as he talked. "I forced someone to drink a potion that caused them to hallucinate, to suffer their worst nightmares."

"Why?" He had wondered if she would be appalled at his action, but instead she only seemed curious.

"He somehow learned about my nightmares. He thought it was funny, to have to relive your worst memory over and over and over. So, I made him suffer. He changed his mind after that." Aries could tell that she wanted to question him on his nightmares, but thankfully she decided against doing it now.

"And the Cruciatus?"

"Twelve." Aries remembered it very clearly. "A couple seventh years thought they'd teach me a lesson. Arianna tried to intervene and they broke her leg. I got so angry and it was the first spell that came to mind. It was like I had casted it a hundred times before and the spell flew from my wand. Those two never messed with us again." He closed his eyes, bringing the last memory to the forefront of his mind. "The Killing Curse. It was the summer before my third year. Aunt Cassi and I had gone hiking in the mountains of Germany, where the Ministry kept most of the country's magical creature, when we came across a pack of werewolves. They weren't transformed, but they might as well have been. They were almost rabid and we slaughtered them like animals. At the end there was just one left. He had lost a leg and was just staring at me with such hatred, such loathing. I don't how or why but it angered me. They had attacked us. We had done nothing to them. So how could he be angry at me for his fate? Before I knew it my wand was pointing at him and I said the words. I felt detached for a moment, like I had passed through something different from every kill before. It was then that I truly understood that some magic was just not like the rest, regardless of whether it was called dark or light. And that is why I have not taught them to you"

The day of the Third Task had finally arrived and Aries was on edge. Neither Daphne nor Draco had been waiting for him outside the ship as he had asked so he would know ahead of time who he would have to rescue. The short walk to the platform where the other three champions waited did nothing to cool his nerves, but he was not the only one who seemed to be ruffled. Potter and Diggory both had a look of worry, but Fleur Delacour seemed to be in a panic. He caught a word or two through her frantic French, something about her sister and cold water. They took a veela and placed her in a lake in the middle of winter? Were the organizers idiots? Aries hoped that for Fleur's and her sister's sake that they had at least put some sort of warming charm on the younger veela.

"Something was taken from each of our champions." Dumbledore's voice rang out loudly, quieting the students of the three schools. "They will have one hour to find their hostage and return them safely to the starting platform. On the count of three! One! Two!" Aries slide his knife across his palm. "Three!"

Potter wolfed down the gillyweed and jumped into the water followed by the other two champions but Aries did not notice. He chanted softly in Ancient Egyptian, feeling his body react to the ritual. His felt lighter as his hands and feet webbed, but the real change occurred inside him. His entire respiratory system was changing. Unlike with gillyweed he would not have gills, but as he breathed in water it would change into air and expelling the water as he exhaled. Suddenly he could no longer breathe and Aries leapt into the lake and as the cold water poured down his throat into his changed lungs he could breathe again. The ritual would change him until he left the water, a uniquely specific ritual, one that he could not find again no matter how many times he looked for the old book.

Aries did a Point Me charm focusing on Chang who he guessed to be Diggory's hostage. His wand pointed out and down towards the dark abyss of the Black Lake. His webbed feet allowed him to move swiftly through the water and as he swam closer to where he believed the hostages were the sweet melody of the golden egg reached his ears. A scream caught his improved hearing and ripped his attention to his left. The ritual had also improved his eyesight allowing him to see in the dim light of the lake. Fleur Delacour was in trouble and that trouble was grindylows. They tore at her, their long fingers cutting her arms and legs as she kicked at them. Her wand was focused on keeping the water creatures away from her bubble. Aries was torn between going to save her and continuing on but his choice was made for him. Fleur blasted back one grindylow just as the other's long finger popped her bubble.

He reacted on instinct and his spell hit Fleur before the water pressure crushed her skull, but the momentary loss of concentration was enough for the grindylows to swarm her. Suddenly the water was alight with magic as spell after spell flew from Aries' wand and hand. The water turned red as his spells ripped and blasted the dark creatures apart before the last few swam away frantically. He kicked hard to get over to the veela and a wave of his wand sealed up her wounds but she had lost too much blood. A blasting curse pushed them up and he let go of her body, casting a spell to make her float, just before he broke the surface. He pushed the tip of his wand out of the water and shot up red sparks that hopefully would alert someone. Aries turned back and swam as hard as he could back towards his goal, knowing he had wasted too much time dealing with the grindylows. Diggory was just releasing Chang as he approached the hostages but Potter was floating next to Susan, seemingly looking for something. They made eye contact and he shook his head before nodding at Fleur's hostage. It was then that he noticed his own hostage, Draco Malfoy, as he floated next to Susan, both in their respective Hogwarts uniforms. A cutting curse released him but as he went to free Fleur's hostage a trident found itself against his neck.

"Only one!" hissed one of the Merpeople. Aries raised his wand threateningly but that only seemed to agitate the small clan more. He moved quickly and his cutting curse hit the first mermen as he pushed back away from the trident. Potter followed his lead and freed the veela, pulling her and Susan upward after Draco. Bending the water around him Aries threw a current towards the Merpeople, blasting them back and away from them. He used the force of the current to push himself upwards, towards the surface where Potter and the three hostages waited for him. As he broke the surface the effects of the ritual ended and Aries enjoyed the breath of fresh air.

"No!" Aries turned quickly at the sound of Susan's voice just in time to see Potter's head go underwater. He lowered his own and growled at the Merpeople dragging Thomas down. Before anyone could stop him, he took a deep breath, diving after the Hogwarts champion.

Two of the clan came after him but a well aim cutting curse sliced them in half. Aries flicked his wand three times sending long torpedo like spears flying into the next three that came at him. His lungs were starting to burn and Potter did not seem to be fairing much better. Accio! The spell struck true and Potter came speeding towards him in the water. He pushed himself to the side allowing Potter to reach the surface. A sharp pain erupted in his side and he turned angrily back to mermen. Eviscero! The merman that had grabbed Potter suddenly wailed in agony as his entrails were ripped from his body. Merman blood filled the water as Aries frantically swam towards the surface of the water and the merpeople retreated. Draco's face was paler than normal when he reached him and he followed his eyes back down to the still red water, except the trail of red was coming from him. Blackness began to creep into him and darkness consumed him.

"Aries!" A voice called to him. "Aries please wake up." That was another voice, someone familiar. "Please wake up." He recognized the Spanish voice and at last he opened up his eyes.

"Am I dead?" Aries had often wondered about the after-life, but if he really was dead and the after-life meant having a gorgeous French girl, a beautiful English girl, and a breath-taking Spanish girl, then perhaps immortality was not so great after all.

"No, you decidedly are not dead Mr. Black." The matron of Hogwarts said and pushed the three girls out of the way before she started waving her wand all around him. "You let yourself get stabbed by a trident and it pierced you good. A few minutes later and my spells and my potions might not have been enough."

Now that his vision was clear Aries realized that he was back on the platform. Potter and Diggory were holding their respective girlfriends close, no doubt seeking warmth after the coldness of the Black Lake. Fleur had her arms around her sister tightly but her eyes were on him and him alone. He could feel a slight pull towards her and briefly wondered about the possibilities of a life debt from the French girl before arms wrapped around him fiercely. The sweet smell of Arianna's hair came to him at the same time Daphne's possessive growl reached his ears, though it did not deter the Spanish girl. Her small hands cupped his face before she hugged him tightly again. Daphne was glaring daggers into the girl's back and he wondered if he would finally get that cat fight he was dreading.

"Aries please forgive me." Arianna begged. "I was foolish and I should not have pushed myself away from you." Aries knew this was a sensitive moment. Between Arianna's own guilt and the radiating jealousy of Daphne he needed to handle this tactfully. He pulled her hands off his face and held them softly, but not intimately.

"You will always be my friend Arianna. So long as I am yours." She flinched at the slight emphasis he had placed on friend, but she nodded with a smile before pulling back and walking over to Haydn, Ivan, and Draco. It looked like she was having a similar conversation with them and he hoped they would show her more warmth than he allowed himself to show. Daphne gratefully went into his arms as he came to his feet. Jealousy still poured from the girl and Aries had to admit he very much liked it. Often throughout the year she had frightened off anyone that had shown interest in him but she had never acted so possessively. Her icy glare went next to Fleur, who answered it with a smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have made a decision." The rabid whispers of the crowd quieted as Ludo Bagman addressed them. Dumbledore's spectacled eyes passed over each of the champions, lingering on Aries with a slightly worrisome look. "Fleur was unable to reach her hostage but demonstrated an excellent use of the Bubble-Head charm. We award her twenty-five points." Aries could tell the French girl was disappointed with herself, though she seemed thankful enough for her sister's safety. "Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit. We award him forty-seven points." The Hogwarts section roared for their champion. "Thomas Potter used gillyweed to great effect. He returned last and well outside the time limit. However, the Merchieftainess informs us the Mr. Potter was in fact the first champion to arrive at the hostages. His delay in return was due to his determination that all the hostages be returned safely. Most of the judges feel that this shows moral fiber and deserves full marks, however, we award him forty-five points."

There was a hushed paused before Bagman continued. "Aries Black would have been first to arrive at the hostages and would have returned well within the time limit. He was however delayed for as good as, if not a better reason than Mr. Potter himself. Upon finding Ms. Delacour being attacked by grindylows, he not only saved her from impending doom when her Bubble-Head charm was burst, but also chased off the creatures, closing off her wounds, and bringing her to the surface to be taken away for medical attention." There were surprised whispers coming from the Beauxbatons students. "Then upon reaching the hostages he helped Mr. Potter in saving Gabrielle Delacour as well as their own hostages, Draco Malfoy and Susan Bones. It was after their ascent to the surface that some of the Merpeople, acting of their own accord, attempted to take Mr. Potter. Though we are unsure of their intentions it is thanks to Mr. Black, nearly at the cost of his own life, that Mr. Potter was able to escape. It is our view that Mr. Black placing the well beings of his competitors above his own success is deserving of full marks. We therefore award him fifty points." The explosion of sound from the Durmstrang section did not surprise Aries Black, as the school's very competitive nature had been displayed full force since the beginning of the tournament. The other two schools were standing, giving him a respectful and cheerful applause, much to the contrast of their behavior towards him since the Second Task. Aries Black could not help the smile that reached his face. Everything was going as planned and it seemed to him that there was no one that could stop the return of the Ancient House of Black

Hundreds of miles away in his muggle father's manor that disgusted him, a deformed body watched his servant's memory of the Second Task with eagerness. An idea formed in the Dark Lord's treacherous mind, an alteration to his plans. Aries Black intrigued him to no end and he came to one conclusion: he would serve Lord Voldemort, just as his father had before him, or he would die with Thomas Potter.

AN: Next chapter: Unforeseen Consequences

AN #2: Before anyone writes angry reviews about how Aries/Harry accomplishes breathing underwater, I spent two days staring at my computer trying to figure out some awesome unique way for him to survive the task. And I got nothing. What I ended up deciding was what Aries does during the Third Task was far more important than how he completed it. That's my defense, take it or leave it. Hopefully the next chapter is up within the next few days!