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 chapter is the final set up to the end of Part I and we begin to see the start of things that will happen in Part II. I want to take a moment again to thank everyone that has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed. As I write this AN this story has over 300 favorites and nearly 500 followers. While it is little compared to many stories I enjoy, it is far more than I ever thought would enjoy this story. The first part of this journey is almost over, so always, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you don't, whatever floats your boat.
The weeks following the Third Task was the most peculiar of Aries' time at Hogwarts. Everywhere he went a sense of respect and appreciation followed, most notably from the students of Beauxbatons. Hogwarts' seemed to be grateful for his actions in the Black Lake as well, but it mostly stemmed from the Gryffindors, something Aries still had not decided whether he liked or not. The thing that intrigued him most was the behavior of Fleur Delacour. Throughout the tournament she had been rather flirtatious with him, often hinting at why she would make a more suitable companion than Daphne Greengrass, sometimes even to the girl's face. It had never seemed to bother the Slytherin, often answering the veela's behavior with a back-handed comment of her own. It was the fact that in the weeks since Aries had saved Fleur's life, the French champion had steadily avoided him to a point. Often, he would catch her simply watching him, as if studying him, or she would make as if to speak to him, but then walk away at the last second. Hesitancy was something that annoyed him and if Fleur did not address whatever issue she had, Aries would eventually have to force her hand.
Draco was another one of the many things that seemed to annoy him lately. Not only had the Malfoy heir taken exception to him saving people over winning, but he had the audacity to say that his solution for the Third Task had been unimpressive. Aries wanted to see if he could perform an Ancient Egyptian ritual and not end up looking like Horus for the rest of his life. Draco's attempts at wooing Arianna, much to her and Pansy's annoyance, was nothing short of comicalFor once in his friend's life, Draco had managed to not seem like the pompous ass he was but it had done little to earn the affection of the Spanish girl.
Aries idly finished stirring his Strengthening Solution. His opinion of Severus Snape had dropped immensely throughout the year and while the man may be a Potions Master, he was a rather horrible teacher. At last the class ended and he followed Draco out the door only to spot Fleur Delacour waiting for him. She motioned towards an empty classroom down the hall and he gave her a nod in acknowledgement.
"Draco." Aries said, grabbing his friend by the arm. "Cover for me." Draco gave him a confused look before he noticed Fleur as she slipped into the classroom. They shared an amused look before Draco agreed and made to distract Arianna before she noticed Aries' disappearance. The unused classroom was meant to be an extra Potions lab, though it looked as if it had been abandoned a very long time ago. If not for the house elves of Hogwarts, Aries would not have been surprised if the room had been one massive web of spiders.
Fleur did not look nervous, something that intrigued Aries considering her behavior up until now. She still looked at him as if she was studying him, or rather sizing him up. Did she mean to fight? No. It was something else, something that Aries could not put his finger on. The French girl seldom seemed serious, rather spending her time laughing with her friends or flirting with him. In fact, other than her date with Roger Davies at the Yule Ball, Fleur had avoided nearly every other male from all three schools. Still, there was a difference in her character now, a change in her posture that seemed a red flag in his mind. The silence had stretched out for a few minutes and when he had failed to come to a reasonable conclusion, Aries decided to tackle the situation head first.
"If you have something to say Fleur, I would get on with it." Her eyes flashed with annoyance. "I do not like being forced to wait."
"Zen perhaps you should wait." A smile returned to her lips. She walked forward slowly until she was inches away from him. Aries felt a slight pull, similar to what he had felt on the platform after the Third Task. The situation amused him and rather than stop what he suspected would happen, he decided to roll the dice and see how it played out. Fleur cupped his face with both hands and kissed him. Unlike Daphne's kiss, Fleur's was similar to Arianna's in the fact that it was absolutely intoxicating. The veela's allure had yet to affect him, but somehow, he thought it was now in play. She pulled her lips away and he answered her questioning glance with a raised eyebrow.
"I thought I had made my intentions rather clear Fleur." There was no edge in his tone, rather a challenge. Fleur had yet to end her little game with Daphne, but she also had not been this forward.
"Would you really 'ave zat girl over moi?" Fleur answered him, though she did not pull away from him, rather pressing herself further against him. "You are not looking for a playzing I zink, rather an equal. Who bezzer zan moi?" Now this was a surprise, a miscalculation that could perhaps change things. Daphne was by far the better political choice especially considering the area of his intended conquest, yet Fleur would give him something connected to the continent, the missing link to the French Ministry he had been looking for. Something, however, did not sit right with him, and he pulled away from her. The idea of an equal meant she was thinking in the long term yet she had time to play that game rather than be so forward. So why now? Why after he had saved the life of her sister and her own? The magical pull came back to him, and a glance back confirmed that it was not the allure. He could tell when she was using it, no this was something different. It was the only change since the task and Aries needed the answer.
"I would not consider Daphne a plaything, though she is rather enjoyable. She suits my needs both for now and in the long game." Aries watched her every reaction, waiting for any clue as to her reason behind her actions. "Perhaps I do not want an equal. An equal implies that there is something worthy of that which I intend to ascend to." There it was, a slight flicker of fear. Was it fear of a rejection? Or a missed opportunity? Both if Aries had to guess, but there was still something more. "You seem confident that you can give me something far better than Greengrass. Tell me what is it exactly you can offer me? Because for now all I can see is a more mature figure, something I have a feeling I can wait for with Greengrass." The jab worked as intended, there was a flash of anger in her eyes, but also desperation.
"Loyalty." Fleur continued to surprise and intrigue him. Loyalty was something that was inspired or given through oaths. If Fleur expected him to be impressed with that then clearly she had underestimated him, but perhaps there was more to it. The magical pull came back only for an instant. "When you saved me from ze lake, somezing happened. A life debt."
"A life debt is not uncommon." Aries answered annoyed. Was that it? "No doubt Potter has one to me as well. How does that inspire loyalty? The only thing that gives me is assurance that Potter will not try to kill me until the debt is repaid."
"You are correct of course." She hesitated for a moment. "I am 'alf veela. As such many would consider me a 'alf-breed. A creature razzer than human. Magic in some ways does as well." Fireworks went off in his mind, lightning fast connections working at last to the conclusion that had alluded him for weeks. "Ze magic of ze life debt tezzers me to you. It is not somezing zat can be repaid. I am yours for life, whezzer you want me or not."
The situation might have depressed most people, but her wording and body language caught his attention. She had said 'tethers' rather than enslaved. Her body language gave away her calmness, resignation yes, but also the feeling of content. If Aries had to guess this was something she wanted, an opportunity to latch herself to something that could sling shot her to greatness. And there it was. Fleur did not seek some dream like Arianna. There under her flirtations and laughter, lay a hunger for greatness. She sought a life of luxury and power far greater than the one she already knew. It explained her desire to be a Tri-Wizard Champion.
"And how do you feel about this?" Aries knew the answer, but he wanted to hear her say it.
"Relieved." Fleur brought her coy smile back in full force. "I am no fool Aries Black. Potter? Malfoy? Greengrass? And zen your friends from your school. All powerful. All connected. You seek the life zat I want."
"I'm no Light wizard Fleur." She had walked up to him, letting her fingers trail across his back. "And my goals are not what one would consider good."
"Of course not. The paz to greatness is not for ze weak. But for ze strong. And ze strong must make sacrifices, non?" Aries caught her hand before it touched his cheek again.
"I'm not interested in some harem." It was not illegal per say in Magical Britain, but definitely frowned upon. "Daphne suits my needs here, without her my goals become harder to attain. I will not lose that to someone who is already bound to me." Fleur flinched away from him. "You are not my slave, but you are indebted to me. My plans will not be bent or bowed to the desires of one person. You have much to offer me, but bond or no bond I can cast you aside and let you see my ascent to power from afar. If you wish to have a taste of that then you will do as I ask, though what I ask of you will not be difficult or cruel by any means." Aries gave her a coy smile of his own. "And perhaps while I do not wish for a harem, what happens behind closed doors is something no one needs to know right? There is my offer. Make your choice Fleur."
Fleur answered with a smile. "What would you 'ave me do Aries?"
"I want a meeting with your father." Aries commanded. "I have an offer that I believe he will not refuse."
The months leading up to the fourth and final task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament were passing by in a blur for Aries and his friends. Daphne's preparation for her final examinations had begun to take up large amounts of her time, forcing her to stay in the library or her common room late into the night. While Aries would have much rather spent his newfound free time in a broom cupboard with the Slytherin, it allowed for much more profitable ventures. He had managed to befriend a few influential seventh-years who had the potential to make their way up into the hierarchy of the Ministry of Magic. More importantly though, Aries had finally tackled a project he had intended on completing since his mentor's first lesson at Hogwarts so many months ago: The Patronus Charm.
His initial lack of success had frustrated Aries to no end. The Patronus Charm seemed to be one of the few spells that did not give him a sense of déjà vu. Often when he cast a spell for the first it did not feel like the first time, but he had no familiar sensation with this charm. Perhaps the most difficult part had been choosing the correct memory. Professor von Reich had eased his frustrations stating that even the greatest of wizards had difficulty choosing a memory that could fuel the immense power a corporeal Patronus produced. After a couple weeks he had managed the shield like version of the spell, but the corporeal still eluded him. He could tell it was some four-legged creature though its actual form was too blurry to confirm.
The last Hogsmeade weekend of the year looked to be a disappointment for Aries Black. Daphne had come down with some sort of cold and had taken the opportunity to study for her exams in the Slytherin dungeons. Draco had finally managed to convince Arianna to join him for the weekend, though it might have been more out of annoyance than anything. This left Aries without any plans, until at least he received a letter from his aunt. She, and a few guests, would be coming to the Hogsmeade weekend to visit him. It was a surprise, considering that the families of the champions were invited to view the last task of the tournament, but it was a welcome surprise indeed. They had agreed to meet in the same room at The Three Broomsticks they had months ago with Sirius and Remus, and he had a slight sense of apprehension as he made his way down the hall and entered the room. Cassiopeia was talking to a tall, slim and very pale woman. Her hair was much lighter than was common of the Black family, but she still had the arrogant good looks that never failed among their family. Next to her, sitting stiffly, with a look of mild annoyance, was a man with a pointed face that was framed by long blonde hair. A walking stick with the head of snake, that Aries knew hid his wand, lay across his lap.
"Aunt Narcissa!" Narcissa Malfoy gave him a warm smile, something that would have been much of a surprise to many that dealt with the woman. "It's wonderful to see you."
"I hope you've been behaving Aries." She hugged him tightly. "No doubt Draco has been getting up to all sorts of trouble. You've been a good influence I hope?"
"Of course!" Aries gave her a sly smile, which caused Narcissa to roll her eyes. The Black Heir turned to Lucius Malfoy, the father of his best friend and the older brother of his deceased mother. "Lucius."
"Aries." There was a tightness between them that had existed since the day they met ten years ago. Aries was well aware that up until Lucius' reunion with his sister that they had believed Draco to be the Heir Apparent of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. Aries' existence had undoubtedly ruined many of Lord Malfoy's plans and it kept them from being as close as he was to Narcissa. "How are you finding Hogwarts?"
"It meets expectations, though I find the curriculum to be lacking."
"Well of course." Lucius drawled. "Dumbledore's disapproval of the Dark Arts leaves us in an unfortunate situation."
"The Dark Arts are not for everyone Lucius." Cassiopeia's dislike of Malfoy had been much more venomous than Aries had been able to figure out. There was a missing clue there that no matter how hard he pressed, she would not give up. "Hogwarts allows for what is needed and the last thing we need is for more blood-purists like you to fill the Ministry."
"You mean people who follow the Old Ways?" Lucius sneered at the Black matriarch. "You would see us compromise with those mudblood loving fools."
"A society built by like-minded individuals cannot grow." Aries interrupted. "It may prosper, for a time, but it will not progress. Those mudblood loving fools, as you call them, help our society to improve for all of the Wizarding World."
"At the cost of our traditions." Lucius countered. "It-"
"This is an argument you can have another time." Cassiopeia's stern voice silenced them both. "I invited you both here for a friendly get-together, not a political debate." She gave them both a glare before turning back to Narcissa. "I hear you have few designs that Madam Malkin will be creating. Do tell." The women carried most of the conversation with Aries and Lucius adding in a polite word here and there. Their tension did not go unnoticed by their companions, but they chose not to comment on it.
Aries had never truly liked or disliked Lucius Malfoy. His mother had gone into hiding in France shortly after refusing Lucius' offer to join the Dark Lord, thanks to the help of his father. Regulus had done much to keep her location in Paris a mystery but due to the war no one was ever sent after her. Aries had always partly attributed that to whatever kindness Lucius was still capable of. He vaguely remembered his mother's and uncle's reunion but what he did remember was that Regina had been far more interested in seeing her nephew and sister-in-law than her brother. Since Regina's death, Lucius had been far colder to Aries than ever, no doubt he saw the Black heir as the reason for his sister's death. Aries could not blame him, seeing as he blamed himself as well.
"It's been so good to see you both again." Narcissa hugged him tightly, placing a kiss on each cheek. "You had better visit this summer Aries. Draco will be bored out of his mind without someone to play Quidditch with."
"Of course, Aunt Cissy." The three made to leave but Aries stopped them. "You two can leave," He said to Cassiopeia and Narcissa. "I need a word with Lucius." The obvious dismissal seemed to rub Cassi the wrong way, but he gave a slight shake of his head. He would have to explain later.
"I have some important meetings Aries." Lucius' glare might frighten many within the Wizengamot, but Aries' answered it with one of his own. "Perhaps another time."
"You would do well to do as I say Lucius." Power rippled underneath Aries' skin and his wand screamed to be unleashed at the challenge of authority. Narcissa had paled considerably, but after a nod from Lucius she left with Cassiopeia who gave Aries' a look that clearly demanded answers. They sat across from each other, hazel with green flecked eyes meeting vicious grey. "I am very curious to hear your thoughts on the incident that occurred here at Hogwarts two years ago."
"The one with the Weasley girl?" Lucius hid his surprise well. "A rather unfortunate event. Luckily Potter, how did he put it? Oh yes, saved the day."
"Yes, yes he did." Aries leveled him with another glare, resisting the urge to rip into his mind. "Perhaps you would like to tell me how an eleven-year-old girl came into the possession of the diary of Lord Voldemort?"
"You will not say that name around me boy!" He had flinched at his master's name, but not anger returned in full force. "I had nothing to do with that."
"Sirius, and Potter's memories, have something very different to say. Do not lie to me Lucius. I will rip the truth from your mind and give you a reminder of what your master was capable of." Lucius paled instantly. While he had never been on the receiving end of his master's Legilimency he had seen the effects and knew very well that his nephew was incredibly gifted in the art, perhaps as gifted as the Dark Lord. "The summer prior the Ministry had been conducting raids thanks to the Muggle Protection Act. If I remember correctly it was partially written by one Arthur Weasley. A coincidence then that such a powerful artifact ended up in his only daughter's cauldron."
"Why do you insist on this pointless interrogation when you already know the answer?"
"Because I want to hear you say it." Aries answered. "I want to hear how you endangered the life on an innocent girl, a pure-blood. One that had just begun to experience the beauty of magic. You could have targeted Arthur Weasley himself, instead you nearly killed an innocent eleven-year-old girl."
"What does it matter to you?" Lucius countered. "The Weasleys are blood-traitors! Trying to change our world into something it isn't and washing away the traditions that our ancient families hold dear."
"They can be convinced!" He was suddenly immensely thankful for the silencing curse Cassi had cast before she left. "They are not made of stone. Perhaps one of the older Weasley children could have been convinced to be less closed minded but now because of your actions they become another vote that cannot be swayed."
"You worry about votes and politics" The venom in Lucius voice was palpable. "You have power! Power that could have served the Dark Lord, if not power that could make you a new one! Instead you choose to play the Game. We should wipe them all out, just as the Dark Lord would have wanted."
"Your Dark Lord was a fool." Aries voiced had turned to ice. "And so are you." Lucius made to leave but Aries stopped him at the door. "Tell me about Barty Crouch." The sudden change in topic and tone seemed to surprise the Malfoy Lord.
"Why would you want to know about him? I think you could ask him yourself."
"Not him." Aries said with a shake of his head. "His son."
"Oh." Lucius had a glazed look for a moment, as if remembering something. "He was a fanatic. Not like Bellatrix but close. He did help torture the Longbottoms after the Dark Lord was destroyed. But he died in Azkaban a few years back. Barty was one of the Dark Lord's most trusted followers, and he was a member of his Inner Circle."
"The Dark Mark that scared you and your friends away at the World Cup. Remember it?" Lucius gave him a look of annoyance. "He cast it." The look of shock was almost priceless.
"How do you know this?"
"The subconscious mind remembers things far more clearly than we do. It catalogues everything we see. I looked into Potter's mind and saw Barty Crouch Junior clear as day. There was no mistaking it." The surprise on Lucius' face was genuine and it was somewhat of a relief to Aries. "I see that the Dark Lord has not called you back into his service."
"The Dark Lord is dead."
"Is he?" Aries enjoyed messing with Lucius. "I wonder how he will feel, knowing that you never sought him out. You never suffered in Azkaban like his more loyal followers. You lied and you cowered behind a mask."
"If the Dark Lord has returned then you had best get your priorities straight Aries Black." There was a hint of a threat in Lucius' voice. "He does not share power."
"Neither do I Lucius." The challenge was clear and Lucius made to leave again. "Oh, and Lucius? Should the Dark Lord return, and you drag Draco down your path of racism and destruction, there is nowhere in this world that you will be able to hide from me. I will destroy you for destroying my brother. That is not a threat. It is a promise."
An hour passed that Aries sat in silence, simply thinking. If the Dark Lord had yet to recall Lucius then it seemed that he was lying low, waiting for something. Thanks to Sirius he knew that Voldemort was not alone, rather Wormtail and Barty Crouch Junior were assisting him in his endeavors. But what were they? The death of Thomas Potter seemed likely and Aries had a hunch that the Dark Lord was connected to Potter's name coming out of the Goblet of Fire. The real question was where did Wormtail and Crouch fit into the picture? Did the Dark Lord require a care giver? Were they slowly bringing in the old crowd or were they accomplishing simpler tasks? There had been no mysterious disappearances, besides Bertha Jorkins, and the Dark Mark had not been seen since the World Cup. So, what was the Dark Lord's plan? Aries had plans in preparation for his return, but he also had a sinking feeling that the Dark Lord's return and the tournament were somehow connected.
"Lucius was fuming when he left earlier." Cassiopeia said as she took the seat Lucius had vacated earlier. "I figured I'd give you some time to cool off."
"Thank you, Aunt Cassi." He gave her a warm smile. "Your wisdom, as always, hits the target." She gave him an expectant look and he considered where to begin. They corresponded with letters often, but they lacked detail as neither wanted to risk them being intercepted. "Ginny Weasley came into the possession of a diary, one with the imprint of a sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle. Through the diary Riddle possessed the girl, forcing her to write messages in blood on the wall and petrify students with Salmrissa." Cassiopeia showed no surprise, but Aries recognized her calculating look, attempting to make connections with what she was hearing to what she already knew. "As I told you before, Riddle is my predecessor. The problem is that Riddle is Voldemort."
"An imprint?" Cassi said more to herself than to Aries. "That sounds like a portrait, though portraits cannot possess or affect anything outside their portraits. The exception being the portraits of Hogwarts' prior Headmasters who can sometimes affect the magic of the castle." They made eye contact for a moment. "I know of no magic that can do such a thing to an object."
"Neither do I and I have found the Hogwarts' library to be lacking, which is unusual. The magic itself does not sound dark. If anything, it was Riddle that was dark. But my search has been fruitless, I had hoped you might find something I could not."
Cassi gave him a nod, no doubt already thinking of where she would look. "And Lucius?"
"He gave her the diary." Aries leaned forward, rubbing his temple. "A member of his Inner Circle given a diary that belonged to the Dark Lord himself. There must be some importance there. It makes our plan for this summer important."
"You think she might provide the missing key?" Cassi was clearly skeptical but it did not convince Aries to abandon the plan.
"Yes, I believe she will. And what of the other?"
"Remus works diligently, with a fervor I did not believe him capable of. It will be ready by the beginning of summer."
"Excellent." Aries leaned back, giving his aunt a worried look. "This tournament has accelerated our plans, but so far everything seems to be working out. Almost too well. I think it's time we began implementing the Guard."
"Already?" Cassi had long disapproved of this plan, rather than her normal skeptical behavior.
"Dumbledore and the Dark Lord have their armies, I believe it is time we started one of our own."
The night was dark as Aries walked down to the Quidditch field. It was no longer smooth or flat, but rather looked as if someone had been building long, low walls that twisted and crisscrossed all over it. Fleur was already there, pointedly ignoring the odd looks Bagman was giving her and attempting to stay as far away from the rather large man next to him. Diggory's loud swearing at the condition of the pitch signaled his and Potter's entrance.
"Don't worry Mr. Diggory, Mr. Potter." Bagman said at their offended faces. "You'll have the pitch back to normal once the tournament's over! Now can anyone guess what we have here?"
"A maze." Aries offered. It shouldn't be much of a surprise, it was a common final task for the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
"That's right! Our final task will be very straightforward. The Tri-Wizard Cup will be placed in the middle of the maze. The first champion to reach the cup, wins the tournament."
"Zat's it?" Fleur asked.
"Well there will be obstacles of course." The rather large man seemed to beam at that. "Hagrid, Hogwarts' Care for Magical Creatures professor, will be providing creatures to challenge and hinder your progress to the cup." They all nodded, though Potter looked rather unhappy. Aries had heard of Hagrid's love for dangerous creatures and resolved to look over some of Draco's homework from the class. "Now if there are any questions? Good, we can be going. It is rather chilly."
The four began their walk back to their respective common areas, but Aries pulled Potter back for a moment. Fleur looked disappointed though she continued on her way, choosing to talk to Diggory who looked flustered by the French girl's attention.
"Look Potter, this is embarrassing." Aries rubbed his temples. "Viktor wants to know if there is anything. . . Romantic between you and Granger." Krum had been very interested in the muggle-born girl, mostly because she had never cared about his fame at all, something he was not used to. The recent article from Rita Skeeter calling her a 'heart-breaker' had worried him. He did not believe everything Skeeter said, thanks to Aries, but he worried that there was some truth to the article. That was how Aries found himself now being involved in the romantic affairs of a Quidditch superstar and an annoying muggle-born.
"Oh! Um, no not at all." Potter seemed a little put off at the idea and Aries believed his assumption to be correct, that he viewed Granger as more a sister than anything remotely romantic.
"Good, Viktor will be ecstatic."
"Did he believe the article?"
"Not entirely but. . ." Something caught Aries' attention.
"What is it?" Potter turned confused.
"Get behind me Potter." Aries' wand was already in his hand as he pulled Potter behind him. Was this the Dark Lord's plan? A midnight assassination? Suddenly a man staggered from behind a tall oak. Aries was about to cast a curse when he recognized the man. It was Barty Crouch Senior. He looked as if he had been traveling for days. His clothes were clearly worn out and there were spots of blood all over it. That was not the worst of it. Crouch was muttering and gesturing widely.
"Mr. Crouch?" Potter asked curiously.
"Weatherby?" Crouch said madly. "Send a note to Madame Maxine, will you?"
"Potter go get Dumbledore." Aries could see signs of memory loss, no a memory charm. Something was wrong with his mind and he saw an opportunity to fill in some of his own missing information.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Do as I say Potter!" It took a moment but finally Potter turned away, running towards the castle. Aries tentatively touched the mind of Crouch and upon seeing it a jumbled mess, dived in searching for his answers. It didn't take long before memories came to him.
Crouch walked along the dark halls of Azkaban. The dementors haunted him with memories of his son's trials. Barty Crouch Junior sat against the far walls, muttering pleas for the Dark Lord to save him. His wife wailed as she saw her son's fragile state, pleading and begging her husband to do something. The flask was filled with Polyjuice potion and Mrs. Crouch drank eagerly underneath the invisibility cloak. The Imperious Curse fell over Barty and his mother took his place. A glass shattered at the news of Barty Crouch Junior's death, but the man himself sat stoically, underneath the control of the Imperious Curse. Suddenly Barty was free, and blackness took him as the Imperious Curse came over him.
Aries pulled from his mind as a twig snapped. He moved quickly dropping Crouch and erecting a shield just in time to block a stunner. A man walked forward slowly, into the dim light the castle gave off.
"Barty Crouch Junior." Aries greeted. "Nice of you to join the party." Barty licked his lips quickly.
"Black." Barty had a crazed look to his eyes and he seemed as if he could not decide to have his wand pointed at Aries or his father. "My master is eager to meet with you."
"No doubt he is." A duel here would end in his victory, but he had a feeling Barty would die before he gave up any information. He had been a member of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle, and few had been anything short of dangerous and powerful. Barty Crouch Junior had been an exceptional duelist and while Aries felt confident, he continued his play of letting the dice roll. "Go. Take your father and leave." Barty raised an eyebrow before placing the Imperious Curse on his father again. "Your father's mind is gone. I destroyed whatever was left. I'd recommended dumping his body somewhere far away."
"Why are you doing this?" There was a sincerity of confusion in Barty's voice.
"No one should be caged." Aries answered simply. "Especially by their family. Tell your master I look forward to meeting him as well. Though, I'm afraid the meeting will not meet his expectations."
"Oh, I think you'll be seeing him far sooner than you think Aries Black." A flash of green ended the life of Bartemius Crouch Senior as they left the Hogwarts' grounds. Aries began to form a plan for how he would explain Crouch Senior's disappearance and waited for the arrival of Potter and Dumbledore. Aries had the answers he sought and now the foundation was set for a rather interesting conversation with the Dark Lord. His pieces were set, now he just had to wait for the game to begin.
AN: I had originally planned for 3 chapters to follow this one, but I may combine the next two into one, depending on how long the next chapter ends up being. So I have no title for you at this time. I'm hoping to have it up by the end of next week. Thank you for reading!