Disclaimer: Jo's world, I just live here.
Summary: No more monkeys jumping on the bed.
A/N: I think I'll just have to resign myself to one update per month. On the plus side, I've worked out a timeline for most of this fic. We're about 1/8 of the way through it, but considering we've got twenty years to get through, that ain't bad! Anyway, here's the chappy, enjoy:
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Chapter 11: The Decision
The next morning, the marauders slept very late, giving Aries the opportunity to drag Charles up to the Room before anyone would miss him. The Room had responded to his need for security by adding a few locks to the door, but Aries added a several strong wards, just to be sure.
"What's this about, Aries?" Charles asked, quirking an eyebrow at him
"We've got a problem," Aries answered. He told Charles about the True Sight potion and how Master Tobin had already seen his real face, and included what he'd learned so far about a countercharm.
"This is bad," Charles muttered anxiously. "This is very bad."
"It's not a crisis, really. Master Tobin doesn't even seem to care that I'm not who I say I am, so long as I can do the work."
"And what happens in two years when Harry Potter is born?" Charles demanded. "What happens a year from then when Harry Potter gets a lightning-bolt scar across his forehead?"
"Well, I don't even know if he saw my scar," Aries protested. "And it's not like I can fix it now. What are you so worried about, anyway? You said we can't change the past."
"It's not the past I'm worried about, you git!" Charles shouted, startling Aries. "Look, think like a Slytherin for just a second here; I know you can. You are at a disadvantage. In three years, this man will probably know exactly who you are. You'll still have sixteen years after that before you can afford to make your identity public. That means that for sixteen years he holds your life in his hands. Excuse me if I don't like that fact!"
Aries blinked, nonplussed. Was Charles actually worried…for him? This was such an odd concept that it took him a few moments to actually register what exactly his friend had said, but when he did he had to sit down rather abruptly.
"You mean…blackmail?" he asked shakily. "Why would he blackmail me?"
Charles snorted. "Are you joking? You're Harry Potter! If you'd had anything to keep secret in our time, you probably would have been paying half a dozen people regularly just to stop the threats! Even if you don't have access to your vault, you're still magically powerful, and your name means something. Tobin Kon would have to be an idiot not to exploit his advantage. At least he can't hold it over you forever, since when we get back to where we left the truth comes out and he loses, but still; sixteen years is a long time."
"But what can I do about it?" Aries demanded. "He's a Master Spellsmith! There's no way I could get the drop on him enough to Obliviate him; and even if I did, there'd still be the problem of the True Sight potion – we need to shield against that, and I need Master Tobin's help to figure it out."
Charles and Aries were both silent, contemplating a rough situation.
"I guess," the redhead said hesitantly, "I guess we just hope for the best, and protect ourselves as best we can."
Aries sighed deeply; optimism in a Slytherin was a bad thing. They only 'hoped for the best' when there was literally nothing they could do to keep the situation from getting worse.
How amusing, he thought cynically, that Slytherins only see hope at the point when everyone else loses it.
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If Sev noticed that Aries and Charles were rather subdued, he didn't mention it, not even when Aries announced that they weren't going to be practicing the patronus charm that day. Instead, the three friends just sat and relaxed for once. Sev and Charles played a couple rousing games of chess while Aries read a few obscure books on spell theory that the Room provided. They weren't directly helpful to his assignment, but they did contain a few tips that might come in handy anyway.
Despite his newfound fervor for studying, however, Aries was not and never would be Hermione Granger. By the time Charles and Sev finished their third chess game, Aries was setting the gym up again.
"Are you planning on getting sweaty again?" Charles called across the much larger room.
"I need to work off some energy, yes," Aries replied, laughing. "I'll probably come back after dinner as well, if either of you'd like to join me."
Sev stood and stretched his back, setting off a short series of pops that made Charles wince.
"Alas, I'm afraid I must start reviewing my potions books now, to get ready for Tuesday. So I will have to politely decline your offer to turn my muscles into powdered mush."
"I have other business as well," Charles added. "Potter and Black are throwing a bit of a party for Remus. Plenty of butterbeer and probably some smuggled firewhiskey as well. I hope you remembered to ward your bed tonight, Aries."
"No worries." The brunet waved a hand dismissively. "I even added a couple extra after Potter caught me as a cat and tried to adopt me."
Severus and Charles got a good laugh out of that, then waved a cheerful goodbye as Aries set up the weights. By the time Aries finished his exercise routine, he felt immeasurably better. His muscles ached pleasantly, and all the stress he'd been feeling before had melted away. He was still nervous about Master Tobin, but that confrontation was four years away, no use worrying about it already.
In fact, the only thing he planned on worrying about at the moment was whether or not Remus had made it through the full moon alright. There was still time before curfew, maybe he could go up and visit. After all, Aries thought, we're at least study partners, if not friends.
But no one was supposed to know that Remus was in the hospital wing. He'd supposedly gone home to visit his family. Aries couldn't very well just waltz into the infirmary and ask to see him. Then again, no one ever asked about visiting cats.
Smirking, Aries transformed and took off for the hospital wing, keeping his nose and ears open this time for any signs of the Marauders. He didn't even catch a sniff of them until he got to the corridor by the hospital wing, and even then he could tell that the tracks were leading away. Relieved, he quietly slipped through the swinging doors and into the darkened room.
Aries stalked down the rows of beds, looking for Remus. His nose would have been helpful as well, but he had yet to encounter Remus' scent while in cat form. Still, he could see well enough in the dark to know that all the beds in the main infirmary were empty. Perhaps there was a side room he didn't know about? Aries' tail twitched as he looked around, but the only doors present were the entrance doors and a door the Gryffindor knew led to Poppy's office. Making a vague noise of displeasure, Aries shifted to Magic Sight; he'd never before done that as a cat, and it put such an added strain on his eyes that he knew he'd have a monster of a headache tomorrow, but he could see the hidden door and the way to open it! Oddly enough, puddle on the floor right outside the masked entrance, was Potter's invisibility cloak.
Practically prancing, Aries loped across the floor to the supposed window, enchanted to look just like the other windows beside it, and bumped a thumbnail-sized picture of a moon with his paw. The glass dissolved, giving Aries open entry into the room. Werewolf senses, he knew, were a touch more sensitive than normal humans', and more so around the full moon, so Aries nosed his way under the cloak and walked into the room.
Remus was fast asleep on the bed, turned on his side with his hands arranged like paws in front of his chest. To Aries' cat nose, he reeked of blood, but he could already see that the wounds had been healed. He hoped they hadn't been very bad in the fist place.
Suddenly, Remus' whole body twitched and he let out a small, yip-like noise that startled Aries out of his skin. He jumped straight up in the air, landing on the bedside table and sending about three bags of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans clattering to the floor. Worst of all was the fact that the cloak had all but fallen off, leaving his head and shoulders exposed to Remus' now very much awake gaze.
"Mmm…cat?" Remus muttered sleepily. He blinked a few times before coming more fully awake and sitting up. "Are you the one James keeps talking about?"
Aries blinked.
Remus slowly raised a hand toward him, letting Aries sniff his palm and then rub his head against it.
"Well look at that, you're not afraid of me," the werewolf said with a certain amount of wonder. Aries supposed that most natural animals would instinctively fear the scent of a werewolf, but as an animagus he didn't have those instincts.
"You must be the cat James kept ranting about while he was in here, wanting me to pick one of those idiotic nicknames," Remus rambled, stroking Aries down his back, his hand coming in contact with the cloak just in front of the cat's tail. "And what's this? Is that James's…It is, isn't it? He said something about you and that thing when he was talking about naming you Darkcloak. Horrid name for a cat, in my opinion. Yet you do seem to be unnaturally attracted to it."
Aries mewed and leaned into Remus' hand, hoping to distract him from any unnatural behavior. Thankfully, Remus was still too tired to be really clever, and his thoughts stayed firmly on names.
"A cat's name should be short, especially for a cat as short as you," said Remus, making Aries want to bat him over the head, though he graciously refrained. "Darkcloak, Quickstrike; even if they weren't horrid, they're just too long. Quick, maybe; or Dark…no that's too cheesy. Cloak then, yeah, just Cloak."
And, to Aries' horror, Remus pulled a pad of paper and a quill off the bedside table and scrawled 'His name is Cloak' on a scrap piece. The werewolf then pinned the note to the invisibility cloak with a charm and placed them both on Aries' back.
"There you go, take that to James, will you Cloak?" Remus asked, smiling sleepily. Aries huffed and jumped off the bed.
Well, he thought sarcastically, at least it's better than Inkface.
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The next week was rather blissfully dull. Aries hung out with Sev and Charles whenever possible, chatting about anything and everything, and made a few strategic appearances as Cloak so the Marauders wouldn't seek him out. His sessions with Master Tobin were proceeding well and he was sketching a preliminary spell diagram when the letters arrived that would wipe away the dullness for a while to come.
Both owls arrived at the same – one to Severus, and one to Aries. The handwriting was unfamiliar, so the brunet skipped to the bottom and was astounded when he read the signature: Arnold Septemius Prince Snape, Auror. He looked up and saw Sev staring at his letter with a similar befuddlement. Aries doubted his brother had ever owled him at school before. Sev glanced at him, then looked questioningly at the parchment in Aries' hands; the brunet nodded shortly and looked back at the letter.
Dear Aries,
My brother has spoken much of you, and I hope you will forgive my forwardness in contacting you myself. The ministry, you understand, was very interested in the results of the apprenticeship interviews, and I was quite pleased to note that a member of my own family had become an Apprentice. In his excitement about this fact, Severus wrote home to tell the family – I'm sorry to say our father was less than supportive, but I assure you I give him all my encouragement. In his letter, Severus also mentioned that his good friend Aries had also achieved the lauded Spellsmith Apprenticeship, with none other than Master Tobin Kon.
It may come as no surprise that a young man with such talent as you no doubt possess would be much sought after in numerous circles. My formal employer, the ministry, would undoubtedly under appreciate your talents, so I come to you as a representative, not of any official business, but of a private enterprise. A political group I have discreetly aligned myself with has been searching for a Spellsmith for a long time, and will give you all the reward you deserve for your growing skills.
You do not have to answer right away – I understand completely the suddenness of such a promising proposal. Rest assured though, that my group and I will be following your progress closely. Any time you wish to find yourself surrounded by those who respect the skills of a Spellsmith, even an apprentice, we will be in reach. I wish you all the luck in the world in your ventures, and I'll be in touch.
Sincerely,
Arnold Septemius Prince Snape, Auror
The message of the letter could not be clearer, no matter how much Arnold tried to dance around it. Aries was actually being invited to join the Death Eaters, most likely as soon as he finished at Hogwarts. A shudder went through him at the thought of aligning himself with Voldemort – receiving that cursed mark on his arm. He felt eyes on him and looked up to see a shaky, paler than normal Sev staring back at him.
With a tilt of his head toward the door, Aries and Sev were both headed out into the hall. They stayed silent until they made it to the Room of Requirement, which formed itself into a small, cozy study with a sturdy lock on the door.
"Aries," Sev started, his voice hoarse, "did he send you…is that from my brother?" Aries nodded. Sev sighed, and nodded pensively. "As is mine."
"What does yours say?" Aries asked. Sev shoved the letter into his hand wordlessly and turned away, leaving Aries to unfold it and read.
Dearest Brother,
I was most excited to learn that you had achieved the impressive position of Apprentice to a Potions Master. Father wasn't impressed, but what more can you expect of a muggle? I assure you, mother and I are both most proud of you, and know that you will do our Prince line justice when you reach the rank of Master.
You are most likely aware from your time during winter hols (which was most enjoyable for me, and, I hope, for you as well) that, though my primary work is for the Auror Department, I have also been doing some work on the side for a private interest of mine. He was most intrigued when I told him that my own brother would soon have Mastered the art of potions, as quality potions masters are, indeed, quite hard to come by. It just so happens that my employer sees a need in the near future to have a potions master on staff, and he agrees that having one who is related to a current employee is most fortuitous.
Now, don't be hasty, I'm sure you are ready to jump at such an opportunity, but you must put your education first, little brother. My employer and I can wait until you are ready to come to us. Until then, I will stay in touch, and hope you will continue to send me letters of your progress and your friends.
With love, your brother,
Arnold S. Prince
Aries swallowed, though his mouth was dry.
"Well, that's clear enough, isn't it?" he asked lightly, though the chalky quality of his voice rather ruined any humor there might have been. Inside, his mind was running in circles.
This is how it happens, he thought suddenly, this is how Severus becomes a Death Eater. His own brother is recruiting him. Recruiting us. I can't tell him not to join, because he will, he has to in order for the future to stay the same. So what do I do?
"What do we do?" Sev asked, echoing Aries' thoughts.
The Gryffindor took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know," he admitted. "We don't have to make a decision for a while yet, right? So let's just think about it for a while."
"You…you'd actually consider it?" Sev asked, sounding shocked and, Aries noted, a little relieved.
"Well, I don't know! I mean, I just…" The brunet sighed. "I just don't…know."
Severus nodded edgily, as if he hadn't expected anything more, and ran anxious fingers over the odd trinkets and knick-knacks the Room had conjured. A miniature globe; a brass poodle statue; an award for special services to the school for one Tom Riddle. Aries felt hysterical laughter bubble up within him and he sat down quickly before it could escape, falling into deep thought.
By the time he looked up, Severus was gone and the Room had changed. In the place of the study walls and bookshelves were mirrors. Placing every magical lock and ward he knew on the door, Aries stepped up and looked at his reflection; he spoke the incantation that would remove his glamour and saw, for the first time in months, his true face.
It was like looking at a stranger. Intellectually, he easily recognized the messy black hair, green eyes, and glasses as traits of his own face, but there wasn't the instant recognition he had with his face – Aries' face.
"I am Harry Potter," he whispered, almost afraid to admit it aloud. Harry continued, more confident, when nothing catastrophic occurred. "I am Harry Potter; I was born July 31, 1981 to James and Lily Potter. Someday, I will defeat Voldemort, but not for at least," he made a few quick calculations in his head, "nineteen years, nine months. Until then I have to stay alive."
So far, so good. He'd told himself what he already knew, which was, at least, a start. Carding a hand through his hair – which was longer than he ever remembered it being – he forged ahead.
"This is war, a war in which people on both sides, and even those who want to stay neutral, will die. There is no safe place. However, if the prophecy is to be believed, I will only be killed by Voldemort's hand, if I am to be killed at all. So the safest way to go would be to make Voldemort not want to kill me. The only people Voldemort doesn't want dead are his followers."
Harry looked down at the note in his hand, slightly crumpled, but still clearly bearing its message of invitation – if 'invitation' were the right word for it. He really didn't like where his logic was taking him.
"Severus Snape is my friend. At some point he will join the Death Eaters. Shortly before I'm born, he'll become a spy for Dumbledore. That's still almost three years away. Dumbledore will need a spy before then. Voldemort would be very glad to have a qualified Spellsmith, and might spill some key secrets. Plus I can stick closer to Sev that way."
He looked back at his reflection, but it didn't have anymore answers. Harry didn't think he needed any, but he would have liked the reassurance. At least, after having lived around his parents for the last few months, he thought they would approve of his decision. His father valued friendship over anything else, and believed in sticking together through thick and thin. His mother saw the shades of grey in the world, and would understand having to accept a lesser evil in exchange for the eventual destruction of the greater.
With a little bit more certainty in his life than when he'd entered the Room, Harry reapplied his glamour and left. He would have to be discreet in talking to Sev about it, and he was absolutely positive Charles would scream at him because of it, but he had made his decision.
Aries Hesuchazo would join the Death Eaters.
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A/N: There you go, that's how it happened. Ironically, it's not how I originally planned it to happen in the original version of the story, but that's okay, right? Anyway, what did you think?
