The Fallen Renegade

by Project Pseudonym

He hated his life, his relatives, and most importantly, his own weakness. So when he chances upon a Denarius coin, he took it, even if it meant damning his own soul in the process. And now, he's a Denarian, the host of a Fallen Angel, and the Fallen is hungry for vengeance; and for him, absolutely nothing will stand in his way. Based on Shezza's Denarian Renegade. Slight HP/FD.

13. Sympathy for the Devil

Sympathy for the Devil

The headmaster's office was a large circular room with many arched windows and portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses. Amanda had been here only once and that was when she had to meet the old wizard as well as headmaster Smith about her decision to transfer to Hogwarts. After muttering the password, the group had walked up the steps and entered into the office. Various silver trinkets stood lined up on the top of the desk to the side and various tomes of the old were stacked up in the shelves. Off to the side, there was a large perch for something akin a bird and on the top of one of the bookshelves, the Sorting Hat lay still.

Amanda couldn't help but to widen her eyes in awe as she beheld the headmaster's office once more. Molly Carpenter snapped her sister out of her shock by nudging her on the back and the younger Carpenter let out an startled "eep!"

Amanda immediately ducked her head in shy embarrassment when the gathered people stared at her and felt her cheeks redden as the blood rushed up to her face. Chuckling quietly at the embarrassed looking blonde, Dumbledore led the crowd to where his desk was while many of them looked here and there with awe and appreciation, after all, he did spend several decades collecting all the things inside this office.

With a flick of his wand, he conjured up more chairs for the people to sit and strode behind his desk before sitting himself. "Please take a seat everyone." He said politely as he gestured at the various chairs which all looked quite comfortable.

"Mr. Potter , I believe-" Dumbledore trailed off as he looked at the group. The staffs, foreign delegations, Potters and Carpenters all looked around themselves and to their surprise, there was no sign of the boy.

"Where is the boy?" Headmaster Smith asked the question for everyone as they looked around his office.

"Miss Carpenter, have you seen him enter the office?" Dumbledore asked the two blondes as he frowned slightly at this unexpected occurrence.

"Umm.. I don't know." Amanda said with a sheepish smile. "He was with us when we were walking in the hallways."

"Arrogant boy!" The greasy-haired man clad in black robes snarled as his eyes flashed with anger. "Already sneaking off and breaking rules like someone I know." He glared at the Potter men who glared right back at him.

"Why you greasy-" James Potter snarled but Dumbledore interrupted before they could get into another argument, before foreign delegations no less. "Enough! Two of you will cease this at once!"

Albus sighed as he wearily gazed at those in the room, whom many were looking impatient. "I believe we should find him first."

"We'll go get him headmaster." Molly Carpenter said as she rose up while laying her hand on her younger sister.

"We'll go as well" Lily said as she rose along with her husband.

The older Carpenter shook her head. "I think only Amanda and I should go look for him. He's already familiar with us and he has a tendency to be aggressive to anyone he perceives as hostile or new."

Dumbledore quickly nodded before Lily could open her mouth. "I believe that would be for the best, given how he reacted earlier."

With a nod, Molly Carpenter quickly left the office in search of the Denarian Renegade followed closely by Amanda. "I'll look for him on the upper floor, you go search the lower floor." She informed her younger sister briskly as she strode away from the office.

Amanda nodded and raced off to the Great Hall and the first floor. Just where had he disappeared off to? He was there when they walked out of the Hall and to the hallway leading up to the headmaster's office. Amanda was so lost in thought that when she turned from the corner, she ran into something solid with a startled yelp. It was almost running in a brick wall and she heard a grunt before she landed roughly on her butt.

"You stupid girl, don't you know not to run in the hallways?" A familiar voice called out as she lifted her head and looked up into piercing emerald eyes. "Or didn't your mother teach you the basic rules of society?"

She glared at the obvious snide remark. She had been so lost in thoughts that when she literally ran into the person she had been searching for. Aries Angelos had his trademark scowl with narrowed eyes as he stared at her with usual irritation but Amanda refused to back down like she had done so many times from his glare and stood up.

"Where have you been?" She demanded just as angrily. "We went inside the office and you just disappeared! Molly and I had to go search for you!"

Aries merely snorted and rolled his eyes at the irritated blonde. "I forgot my sword back in the Hall. With all the shits going on, I didn't know about it until we were walking in the hallways."

"Well can we go now?" Amanda asked just as irritably at the utterly unrepentant looking Denarian. "Everyone else is waiting for you and they are getting rather impatient."

"Whatever. Lead the way then." He shrugged nonchalantly.

With a annoyed huff, Amanda turned on her heels and led him back to the headmaster's office with brisk pace. Halfway through the way, they reunited with irritated looking Molly, judging by the way she was scowling at him.

"Well the hell have you been?" She snapped at him the moment she saw him.

"I went back to get my sword." Aries responded with lazy smile just to infuriate her. "Can't let anyone else have my toy, not that they can do anything with it."

Molly Carpenter growled at him and he gave her a smug smirk when he saw that she was gritting her teeth. This was one of his favorite pastimes other having sex: needling other people, especially the Carpenters. Molly made an ideal target for him with her fiery temper and small patience against anything evil, mainly him. He had been aggravating her ever since their first meeting and it always gave headaches to Dresden and the Knight, which was just a bonus in his opinion.

With one last glare at him, she turned away much like her sister had done and briskly led him to the office alongside her sister. Aries didn't mind as she walked closely alongside her sister while ignoring him completely, it gave him a perfect opportunity to look at their asses as he walked behind them.

'Technically, it would be arses like the Brits would say.' Meciel let out an amused chuckle. 'You are turning out to be an illiterate Yank.'

'Whatever Meciel.' Aries rolled his eyes mentally as he stared appreciatively at the rear ends of the Carpenters. Like mother like daughters, they had bitchy personalities but they definitely had the curves in all the right places. 'Asses or arses, it doesn't matter. Charity might be a bitch but she sure did pass on her looks to these two.'

'You are looking awfully closely at their behinds lately.' Meciel observed with amusement as she materialized next to him with soft flash of light, her silver eyes twinkling as she looked back at him.

'Nice ass is a nice ass no matter what language or form it is.' Aries defended as he turned his eyes away from the tantalizing sway of their hips to his personal guardian angel. 'Besides, I haven't gotten laid lately cause of the Carpenters and that fucked up contract.'

Meciel rolled her eyes at his comments. It was so typical of him to focus on sex when they were in middle of possible hostile territory. Not to mention, they were about to embroiled in some deep shit. 'You had sex Sephiria after I gave you that lap dance nearly a week ago.' She pointed out to her emerald eyed guardian.

Aries felt his lips tug upward in a wide grin as he remembered the dance Meciel gave him as a reward for killing Balthrail, which he permanently burned into his memory. She had dressed in a skimpy dress that showed off her cleavage while barely concealing her nipples and super-tight miniskirt that showed off her shapely legs and ending just below her butt. Her dress was silver and white as usual and she looked absolutely ravishing in that outfit, not that she wasn't ravishing in her usual silver and white dress. The sight alone was so erotic and seductive that he got a massive hard-on at the mere sight of her appearance and he could only gape and barely stop himself from drooling when she started to dance in front of him.

Needlessly to say, it had done little to quench his thirst and had only served to heighten his already flaming desire for the ethereal Fallen. Like a barest drop of sweetest honey, it had him wanting more and more. In desperation, he had apparated directly to the White Court vampires' base with his lust flaring out of control and all but pounced on Sephiria when she turned up to meet him. It took him an entire night of debauchery to sate his lust after what Meciel had done for him.

'Damn, that dance was SO HOT.' Aries thought as he fantasized about the dance for nearly a millionth time in a week alone. 'And that's a week too long if you ask me.'

'Can we get back to the matter at hand?' Meciel sighed exasperatedly. 'We are about to have a not- too-pleasant meeting with the wand-wizards.'

'I'll worry about it when I get there.' Aries answered lazily as he went back to staring at Carpenters' behinds.

'The brat is growing up rather nicely.' He thought idly as he stared critically at the Amanda's ass.

'I can't believe that Dresden still hasn't tapped that ass.' Aries snorted with amusement as he transferred his gaze to the older girl. Molly Carpenter might have inherited her mother's bitchy personality but she's still hot.

Sadly, they soon came upon the entrance of the headmaster's office and the stone gargoyle moved out of the way before they could even utter out anything. With a shrug, Molly and Amanda walked up the stairs followed by Aries and opened the door to the room. As he entered the room, he couldn't help but to give a low whistle at the various artifacts and tomes gathered in this office. His stance remained relaxed but his eyes flickered around the office looking for possible escape routes, shadows, and the location of furniture that could be of a possible use to him.

Further into the office, he saw that everyone was seated in a semicircle with the old man, whom he learned was Albus Dumbledore, in the middle. There, facing directly at the semicircle was an empty but comfortable looking chair which he supposed was his. He looked quickly at the faces of the crowd and many of them looked at him with impatience, curiosity and wonder. He could practically feel such emotions rolling off them although several of them, such as Dumbledore and greasy-haired man felt as if they were shielded.

'I can sense that those two are very skilled in Occulemency.' Meciel whispered at him as he carefully extended his senses outward. He could still feel their general mood, but nothing solid. 'Dumbledore is especially skilled. Be very wary of him beloved, I sense that he is much more powerful than what we have experienced back in the Hall.'

"Ah Mister Potter, glad you could join us." Dumbledore said lightly as his blue eyes twinkled with very well disguised curiosity. He was good, but not good enough to fool a Denarian like him with Telepathic ability. "May I ask where you have been?"

Dozens of sarcastic reply formed in his mind but he decided to give a truthful answer. After all, the old man was being rather polite, which was a vast difference to the usual murderous glares and furious snarls his enemies gave him.

"I had to go back for my sword." Aries answered with a shrug. "I forgot about it with all the shits going on."

The adults frowned at his use of obscenity and the greasy haired man, who had been glaring balefully at him immediately began to rant.

"Arrogant boy! Just like your father and brother with that attitude!" He snarled as his obsidian eyes flashed with deep-seated hate. "You Potters are nothing but arrogant rule breakers!"

The Potter men looked outraged at the insult and Lily Potter looked disapprovingly at the man but Aries merely raised his eyebrows and gave him an condescending sneer. Deliberately ignoring the man to needle him, he turned to Dumbledore. "You better keep your pet under control Dumbledore. He seemed to be having anger issues, I know a dog trainer who can whip that right out of him" He said mildly as his lips curled in a smirk.

The greasy haired man looked outraged and the two Potter males dissolved into not-so-well-hidden-sniggers. "Severus, that's enough." Dumbledore said firmly when the man was about to rise up from his seat. "I must ask you to stop antagonizing him."

"Now if you don't mind, would you please take a seat?" Dumbledore asked politely as he gestured at the empty chair.

Aries didn't move from his standing position and looked carefully at the seat. 'Meciel? Do you sense anything on that chair?'

'No, I don't sense anything. It's safe.' Meciel murmured as she carefully observed each individual in the room.

Aries strode forward onto the chair before drawing out Judgement from its strapped position so that he could sit comfortably. The people in the room stiffened slightly when they saw him draw out the blade but Aries merely plopped down on the chair before leaning his head on his closed right hand with its elbow resting on the armrest. He swung his leg over the other and casually held the grip of Judgement as the angelic blade leaned against the side of the chair.

From his position, Dumbledore thought that he looked like a bored young prince with the way his head was supported by his enclosed hand. His whole body was relaxed despite the fact that everyone's seat was pointed toward him but he could see that his piercing, emerald eyes remained alert.

'Not bad.' Meciel mused as she looked over the seat arrangement. 'The man positioned the chairs in semicircle facing you to pressure you into anxiety and nervousness so that it would be easier for you to answer their questions.'

It was a common tactic used by the police when they interrogated the apprehended suspects. With his back facing the open area, it would force the person to feel nervousness with the possibility of being attacked from the back. 'Not that it would work, of course.' Meciel chuckled lightly.

'If I was a pathetic and spineless worm like the most mortals, it might have worked.' Aries snorted mentally. 'But I'm not the weakling that I used to be. They are in for a rude awakening if they think these cheap tricks would work on me.'

"For starters, I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts." The old wizard introduced to him. "Seated to my right side are the staffs of Hogwarts: Professors Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Fillius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, and Alastor "Mad eye" Moody."

"And the messy-haired looking man with glasses and the woman with red hair are your parents, James and Lily Potter." Said Dumbledore as he looked closely at the boy, who looked coldly at them much to their dismay. "And your younger brother, Benjamin Potter."

Aries snorted and turned his eyes back to Hogwarts headmaster. "I think I can tell who they are myself given the similarities." He said dryly.

"On the left are Headmaster Smith, Madam Maxime, Miss Delcacour, and Headmaster Karkaroff. They are the foreign representatives to Hogwarts." He said with a nod to them. "And of course, you know the Carpenters."

Aries looked around leisurely at the people around him, silently judging their reactions with his piercing emerald eyes that unnerved them inwardly. The eyes seemed to glow eerily with inner power and many of them felt as if they were being judged.

The staffs of Hogwarts looked at him with mixture of wariness, curiosity and anger. The greasy haired man, Severus Snape, looked particularly venomous. Sliding his gaze further to the right, he saw his biological parents look at him with sorrow, desperation, and undisguised hunger. Lily's lips were trembling as she beheld her firstborn and only James seemed to stop her from pouncing on him or breaking down completely. Off to the side, he saw his younger brother gnawing his lips as his face was contorted with a grimace, probably suffering from the magical backlash.

Turning his gaze away from them, he observed the foreign delegations. Smith was an ancient wizard like Dumbledore but not as powerful, the giant woman who was introduced as Madam Maxime looked at him warily as she sat protectively next to her pupil. The Veela, Fleur Delacour, looked at him with wonder and open curiosity despite the pain she was feeling at the moment. She seemed to shift slightly with nervousness under his icy gaze. Continuing on, the man known as Karkaroff was looking at him suspiciously, who grimaced when his piercing emerald eyes pinned him to his seat.

Carpenters, on the other hand, were the only ones who seemed more relaxed in his presence. Molly Carpenter remained impassive and stoic as she looked at him but he could see the hint of curiosity in her blue eyes while Amanda looked little nervous as her eyes darted back and forth between him and his biological family.

"Firstly, I must say that shocked were not adequate words to express when your name came out of the Goblet, even more so when you showed up today." Dumbledore said as his serious but twinkling blue eyes looked at him with scrutiny.

"That sword was able to cut through the enchantments on the Goblet of Fire," Dumbledore began as he looked more closely at the ancient blade. "It's a powerful weapon you are carrying."

"We should confiscate it." A voice grunted as the heavily scarred man with a wooden leg and revolving magical eye spoke out. "It could be a dark artifact for all we know."

Aries narrowed his eyes as he glared at the insolent fool. "I would like to see you try. I could always chop off your other leg and wrap it around with a ribbon and give it to you as souvenir for your epic failure." He sneered at the scarred looking veteran.

Karkaroff let out a snigger before he coughed hastily to cover up his laughter while others gawked at his impetuousness. Carpenters didn't look all that surprised, given that they were familiar with his sardonic attitude, but Moody met his challenging glare with his own as his revolving magical eye swiveled to focus on him.

"You have a nerve boy, I'll give you that." He grunted as he shifted on his seat before taking out a flask and taking a swig from it. "I have seen lads like you before, nearly all of them ended up getting killed in their arrogance or landed in Azkaban with Dementors as their permanent cell-mates."

Lily gasped as she looked at the Defense teacher incredulously while James growled at him. "My son will not be going anywhere near Azkaban, Mad-Eye!"

Aries smirked arrogantly at Moody as he leaned back while looking bored at the same time. "And what have you faced in your life Alastor Moody? I can guarantee you that I have faced far worse things and emerged triumphant." He smirked cockily.

"I have faced vampires, werewolves, and variety of dark creatures as well as hordes of dark wizards, whom majority of them are rotting away in Azkaban. Things that wizards and witches would go mad from facing them." He growled as he stared at the young teenager with hard face.

The Denarian merely quirked his eyebrow before letting out an amused bark of laughter much to the surprise of those gathered. "That's it? That's all you can brag about?" He chuckled. "The wand-wizards are such a disappointment. What a bunch of weaklings."

"I suppose that the reason they call you Mad-Eye is because you went insane from those pitiful weaklings you have faced?" He taunted the veteran as he shook his head in a mocking fashion.

Moody's face hardened even further and before Dumbledore could calm the situation, Aries ploughed on. "I have killed far bigger and badder things in life." He drawled.

"Like for example... a Basilisk." He informed them dramatically.

The stern faced witch, tiny looking wizard who reminded him slightly of a goblin and a plump faced witch gasped in shock while Snape sneered at his claim. Lily looked ready to faint and sagged on James' shoulder as he gaped at him. Moody let out a bark of laughter.

"There is no way a boy like you can kill a Basilisk of all things. I would say this would be amusing if not outright ridiculous." He snorted.

Aries shrugged nonchalantly. "It's true. I impaled its head with this sword over here. In case you have forgotten, I did fight Dumbledore to standstill earlier today." He informed them smugly.

"I have heard that the old man is rather powerful during the short time I spent here." He smirked at the shocked look on the audience.

"There is no way you could've defeated a Basilisk!" A voice yelled out from the side. Turning his head, Aries saw that his stupid looking brother was looking at him angrily. "And Dumbledore is the greatest wizard since Merlin so there was no way you could've defeated him as well!"

'Just how in the world am I related to this idiot?' Aries wondered as look of disdain crossed his features. 'I can't believe we share the same blood.'

'Indeed beloved. This is the biggest mystery of all.' Meciel mused in his head. 'He has absolutely no talent unlike you.'

"Before anyone can rudely interrupt by shouting," Molly Carpenter spoke out, glaring at the rude boy. "I believe I can answer this question better than anyone."

Aries quickly glared at her. She better not say anything about his ability or his power to anyone here or there will be a hell to pay! Molly silently recognized his threat and carefully spoke out. "My family have known him for years and I know only handful of people who can fight him to a standstill."

"If you really want to take this sword why don't you give it a try?" Aries quickly cut in before she could say more.

Giving a challenging smirk toward Moody, he leaned forward from his seat before impaling the sword on to the ground, its sharp business end sinking into stone floor with sickening ease.

"Go ahead. If you think you are worthy enough to pull out the sword." He said with smug smile as he leaned back.

Moody grunted as he stood up from his chair. He limped toward the sword before pulling out his wand and casting a diagnosis spell, Constant Vigiliance must be practiced all times after all. To everyone's surprise, the spell shattered the moment it came into the contact with the sword. Frowning, Moody cast spell upon spell at the sword but each spell seemed to shatter, slide away, or bounce away from the gleaming blade. With a wordless snarl, Moody glared at the blade before carefully extending his hand toward its grip.

The moment his skin came into contact with the metal, he withdrew his hand back with a painful hiss as black lightning sparked into view. "What kind of dark magic is this?" Moody snarled as he turned around to the completely relaxed Aries Angelos as he looked on with smug smirk.

"What's wrong Moody? Can't you touch the sword?" He taunted from his position. "Or are you not worthy enough?"

Leaning forward, Aries gripped the handle of Judgement and much to the surprise of those gathered, black lightning flashed and travelled down its length. He easily pulled it free from the stone floor and returned it to his side as if nothing had happened.

"The sword is mine and accepts no one but myself." He sneered at the astonished gazed he received.

"We should have someone examine that sword for any dark magic." Moody glowered as he looked suspiciously at Aries and his gleaming sword. "It's far too dangerous to be carried by anyone."

Aries shrugged as if he didn't have any care in the world. "You and anyone else are welcome to try but don't be surprised if you find yourself as a sashimi. I'm not handing over my sword without a fight."

"As interesting the sword is, I believe we are here to know what had happened to Mister Potter." Dumbledore smoothly interjected before the situation could turn violent, he didn't want another fight to occur, inside his office no less.

"Is this some sort of interrogation? Cause if it is, I doubt it would work." Aries replied dryly as he met Dumbledore's stare with his own. "And my name is Aries Angelos, not Potter."

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, this is not an interrogation."

Aries quirked his eyebrow. "Really? The seating arrangement says otherwise." He snorted.

Dumbledore looked slightly abashed and coughed but was saved from answering when the door to his office forcibly opened to reveal Sirius Black who strode in with his eyes blazing.

"Where is he? Where is my godson!" Sirius growled as he briskly stepped toward Dumbledore's desk.

Aries didn't move or stand from his position but merely observed the tall man dressed in Auror robes when he moved into his field of vision. He had shaggy black hair that reached up to his shoulders and had grey eyes which burned with emotions.

"Sirius my boy, calm down. We just started talking, in fact, he's sitting right behind you." He nodded to the person behind him.

Whirling around, Sirius felt his breath caught in his throat as he finally beheld his godson after nearly 14 years. It was as if he was staring at James with Lily's eyes and face. Back at the hall, he was too far away to recognize his features and had to do his Auror duties before all but running to the headmaster's office. He slowly knelt down so that he was on eye-level with him.

"Harry?" He whispered.

The boy didn't move an inch and gave him a flat stare. "Who are you?" He asked bluntly.

Sirius inwardly shivered as his own grey eyes met his godson's piercing emerald eyes. They were so much like Lily's, yet so different. They lacked the happy luster Lily had and was much darker and had icy look to it. It seemed to glow eerily like the infamous Killing Curse.

"Harry, I'm Sirius Black." Sirius introduced himself after swallowing nervously. "I'm your godfather."

"I have a godfather?" Aries asked blankly. That particular piece of information was new to him.

Sirius silently nodded. Aries closed his eyes before opening them once again. "My name is Aries Angelos, not Harry." He said coldly as the man in front of him flinched slightly.

"Harry was the nickname we used to call you when you were young." Sirius explained as he inwardly shivered from the darkness within his godson's eyes. Aries kept his silence and drummed his fingers against the arm of the chair as he worked out the newest piece of knowledge.

"If you were my godfather, then why was I sent to live with Dursleys and not you." Aries asked slowly as he frowned.

Sirius swallowed his dry throat and hung his head in despair along with the Potters. "I-I asked Professor Dumbledore and your parents why I couldn't have your guardianship and they replied that it was for the best." He answered dejectedly.

Aries didn't say anything but his eyes grew colder. These bastards willingly sent him away to those filthy, disgusting failures of life when he had a godfather! By just one decision, they could've saved him years of abuse, torture and misery!

His temper flared and his hands twitched with the need to grab his wands and curse all of them to oblivion and run them through with Judgement. He took a deep, calming breath as Meciel soothed his burning rage. Now was not the time to lose his temper, he needed to stay calm and observe the situation rationally so that he may make the best decision.

"You should've tried harder." Aries replied flatly. Sirius flinched from his answer and seemed to shrink inward in shame. It was probably a cruel response but Aries was beyond caring. The fact that he could've avoided all those years of suffering in the hands of Dursleys pissed him off far too much and he discarded most of his humanity the moment he embraced being a Denarian and the dark powers that came with it.

"Sirius, I think it would be best if you took a seat along with others." Dumbledore said calmly as the man bowed his head in shame. He could feel the boy's power spike suddenly along with his temper and grimaced inwardly at the aura of utter darkness. Just how had this boy become this dark? He had only felt such darkness twice in his life, from Gellert Grindelwald and Tom Riddle, or more known as Voldemort. It took them nearly several decades for their aura to become so dark and yet, Harry Potter, or Aries Angelos as he preferred, was able to reach such level in his teen years.

It filled him with horror and wariness as he examined the boy's aura. So much power, yet so much darkness and his rage and hatred clung to him like a cloak. He was so much like them, and in some ways, even darker than the 2 Dark Lords he had encountered. He would need to be watched closely and monitored, he couldn't allow someone as powerful and dark as him to run around without supervision.

When Sirius dejectedly made his way toward his seat near the Potters, Dumbledore turned his twinkling eyes upon the enigma in front of him once more. "Well I think we started off this conversation on wrong foot." Albus Dumbledore said apologetically.

"I must say it's good to see you alive." Dumbledore said as he rekindled the conversation. "We were all very worried when your relative's house burnt down. For many years, we thought that you had perished along with your relatives."

'I wonder if I should tell them that I'm the cause of the fire.' Aries thought silently. 'It'll be so worth it to see their expressions.'

'I think we shouldn't tell them unless it's necessary. The less they know about us, the better.' Meciel advised him as she observed the old wizard.

'The Carpenters already know about us. There is a chance that they will spill the beans.' Aries replied back as he glanced at the blonde sisters.

Meciel was silent for a moment as she pondered their next move. 'I don't know if they'll get your message to keep their silence but with the way this conversation is going, there is a real possibility that they may find out about me. We'll simply have to observe the situation and play our cards to our advantage.'

The whole conversation took only 2 seconds and Aries made his decision. He would toss some bones to distract them and hope that they don't question too much about his story, not that he would tell them anything important. He would have to keep Meciel's existence secret until they forced his hand.

Aries simply shrugged and stared at those gathered with blank face. Albus Dumbledore looked searchingly at him for something before continuing gently. "I am deeply sorry for your loss of aunt, uncle, and cousin. I'm sure you miss them a lot much like your mother." Dumbledore nodded to Lily Evan whose lips were trembling as she looked raptly at her long lost son.

At that, Aries couldn't help but to burst into fit of laughter. This guy was really testing his acting ability! Him feeling miserable for Dursley's death? Ha! What a joke! There was a limit to his lying skill but this was too unexpected that he couldn't help but to laugh until his ribs started hurting.

Amanda looked incredulously at the boy she had known with wide eyes. As far as she knew, she never remembered him laughing like this before. There was a genuine amusement in his laughter unlike the mocking tone or coldness he generally had and it sounded surprisingly more pleasant than she anticipated. Amanda bit her bottom lip and quickly shook the thought away. The subject of his mirth was rather morbid one and it was not a time to ponder about such things.

The people gathered looked shocked and taken back. How could the boy laugh at the subject like this?

Dumbledore frowned and waited until the laughter faded away but Aries would snigger occasionally. "May I ask what is so amusing?" He asked politely as he scrutinized the young boy. Many youngsters would find it rather unnerving that the famous Albus Dumbledore was scrutinizing them but this boy was completely unperturbed.

"You. That's what's so funny." Aries answered as he shook his head with eyes dancing with mirth. "Me, miss the Dursleys? That's the biggest load of bullshit I ever heard. Trust me when I heard a lot of bullshits but this one just took the cake."

Other than the Carpenters, everyone looked rather shocked. Karkaroff and Snape merely raised their eyebrows in surprise but kept their face rather blank while Moody grunted and narrowed his eyes, or the remaining one. Lily gaped at her son at his audacity as well as total disregard for his relatives. While Petunia and she didn't get along as well as they did back during their childhood, she was still her sister, her family.

"Bu-But Aries, she's your aunt, she's your family." Lily stammered when she met his icy gaze.

"They are not my family." He hissed furiously at her. "They never was, never am, and never will be my family. They were nothing more than a pathetic excuse of lump of flesh and I'm glad that they're dead."

Lily flinched from his harsh words and looked away from his glowing emerald eyes. It seemed to glow eerily like the Avada Kedavra curse and it frightened her more than she would admit.

"What had happened to you Mister Pot-Mister Angelos?" Dumbledore quickly corrected himself after catching the boy's deadly gaze. It might be best at the moment to not anger him, given how destructive he was.

"I changed for the better, obviously." Aries drawled as he rolled his eyes. "I am far better than who I was before."

"I-I don't understand. What are you talking about Aries?" James managed as he looked at his firstborn. He was not what he expected at all. He was so cold, so dark, that his heart clenched every time he met his own son's gaze.

Aries leaned back and placed his head on his clenched right fist as he slowly looked at the room. The Potters looked rather pale as Lily and James shivered from his piercing gaze while Benjamin looked at him with rapt attention but he could see him grimace at his attitude and from pain. Sirius Black sat hovering next to them as he looked torn between helping the Potters and look beseechingly at him.

The Hogwarts staff, introduced as McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout looked shocked at his casual disregard of his blood relatives while Snape had a slight sneer on his face.

Headmaster Smith kept wary eyes on him and he could spot his frown on his weathered face. The French looked shocked as well and Karkaroff kept his face carefully blank like Snape. Carpenters, on the other hand, kept their cool as they already knew his story. However, he could see that Molly's face was rather tight and Amanda's eyes radiated nervousness.

"I hardly see why their death is so amusing." Dumbledore chided in his normal tone but Aries could see that his area around his eyes tightened and his lips pursed in a faint line of disapproval. "What had happened to them Mr. Angelos?"

Aries gave a dark smirk as he chuckled in satisfaction. "Obviously it's very funny since I'm the one who killed them." He drawled.

"WHAT!" Lily shouted as she jumped to her feet only to collapse again to James' arms. James looked frantically between his wife and his son as he desperately sought to make sense of what had happened.

"Please tell me you are lying!" James shouted amidst the shocked and horrified looks of those gathered and the voices started clamoring, demanding explanation.

Sirius and Benjamin was torn between trying to comfort Lily from her hysterical blabbers and demanding more answers from Aries while the McGonagall held her hand to the chest as she sought to calm her heart with horrified looks. Snape, for once, seemed shocked as he stared at the unrepentant-looking boy who sported a satisfied smirk. He had the misfortune to meet Lily's older sister during his youth and she was one of those muggles who purebloods based their disdain towards.

Maxime and Karkaroff didn't say anything as they were foreigners but they differed in their opinions. She grimaced at the boy's casual disregard for his homicide and Karkaroff felt rather mixed at the situation, he had no love for muggles but killing one's blood relatives made him somewhat squeamish.

A flash of fire suddenly rippled into existence and from those flames came a shape of a bird. It was as big as a swan but had red and gold feathers that looked as if it was made of real fire. The bird swept its black coal eyes through the room and opened its beaks and began to sing. Soft melody and trills eased the hearts of the troubled and the soothed the growing tension in the room as it continued to sing its hauntingly beautiful melody.

The angry and hysterical voices calmed down and Lily's sobbing gradually decreased as all occupants in the office looked at the beautiful looking bird. Fleur Delacour and Benjamin Potter sighed in relief as their pain from magical backlash became more bearable and looked at it with awe and wonder. Being a Veela, she was easily able to recognize another being of fire and passion and there was only one thing that fit the description of the bird.

"A phoenix." She murmured as she looked at the beautiful immortal bird of fire with wide eyes.

"I never thought that I would see a phoenix in my life." Molly whispered in awe.

The phoenix turned its head and scrutinized the two Carpenters who looked back unflinchingly. It gave a soft trill as it recognized another being of light and pure hearts and flew toward the younger of Carpenters who looked rather startled but a soft smile lit her face as she beheld the legendary bird.

"Thank you Fawkes." Dumbledore's voice broke the sudden silence brought by the phoenix.

"You know this phoenix headmaster?" Molly asked the ancient wizard with curiosity and surprise. It wasn't everyday that she encountered a wizard who had a connection with a phoenix, a legendary bird which symbolized the light and all that was good.

Dumbledore chuckled and turned his twinkling gaze upon the young true-mage. "I do indeed Ms. Carpenter. Fawkes here had been my companion for several decades."

Amanda looked at the Hogwarts headmaster and felt immense respect for the old wizard. With her father who worked as one of the holy Knights of Cross, she knew that the old man must have done something for the good to have a phoenix as a companion. She hesitantly reached out with her hand and stroked the soft feathers of Fawkes who let out a soft trill and leaned into her touch. Amanda giggled slightly as she ran her hand through its feathers.

The phoenix turned its head toward the girl who sat next to the human in front of it and gave another soft trill. Fleur Delacour swallowed her dry throat and reached out with shaking hands until she gently stroked Fawkes. The Veela side of her immediately recognized the being as something more powerful and greater than it and bowed its head in respect. Both were the birds of fire and the phoenix was much greater in terms fire and power.

Karkaroff, on the other hand, seemed to flinch and squirmed in his seat whenever the phoenix trilled and surprisingly, Moody did so as well, which didn't escape unnoticed by Dumbledore and a certain Denarian. Fawkes took off from Amanda and flew toward Dumbledore where it landed on his shoulder in a show of possessiveness.

"A Fae. A Summer Fae." A voice whispered, cutting through the silence and awe.

Dumbledore stiffened as his eyes widened in shock and alarm and turned his head toward the source of noise. Aries Angelos was no longer leaning back in his seat with casual disregard and laziness, he was now leaning forward with rapt attention as if he would jump out of his seat in a moment's notice. His eyes were hard but the expression of surprise was quite evident on the face of normally stoic and unemotional teen.

Amanda and Molly, obviously knowing the meaning, looked shocked at the revelation. A wand-wizard with a Summer Fae? Dumbledore, on the other hand, looked back at Aries with surprise clearly evident on his face. There weren't many wand-wizards who were aware of the Faes' existence and yet he clearly knew Fawkes for what he was, even down to which Court he belonged.

"You made a deal with a Summer Fae didn't you?" Aries whispered incredulously, even Meciel was surprised as she intently scrutinized the immortal bird.

"A Summer Fae? What are they talking about Albus?" McGonagall asked as she looked confusingly between Dumbledore and the young Denarian. She and rest of the staff had known that Fawkes was their eccentric headmaster's bonded partner for several years now but what was the boy saying?

Dumbledore ignored her for a moment and stared intensely at enigma before him. "How is it that you know Fawkes or the Faes in general Mr. Angelos?"

Aries met the piercing blue eyes of Dumbledore with his own penetrating gaze. "You aren't the only wand-wizard who knows about the Faes Dumbledore." He replied back evenly.

"Albus just what are you talking about?" Flitwick asked his employer with a slight frown.

'No, they are not ready to learn about this knowledge, if ever. The two worlds must be kept separate.' Dumbledore thought grimly. 'Wand-wizards were not ready to learn that there are other worlds out there other than their own or the muggles'.

"It's something to do with Fawkes and I'm afraid it's not my place to tell." Dumbledore answered vaguely as he evaded the question. "I believe we were in middle of something before we got side tracked?" The old headmaster said as he skillfully nudged the conversation away from the Faes and to Aries' story.

'It's better if these wand-wizards don't know anything about Fae in general.' Meciel advised him while still observing the Summer Fae. 'The less they know about the Faes or true-magic, the better it is for us.'

Aries silently acknowledged her point and Dumbledore's attempt at steering the conversation away from the uncomfortable subject. While their motives were different, they could at least agree on that subject.

Deciding to bring attention back to their earlier conversation, Aries spoke out. "Oh yeah that. I killed the Dursleys and it was one of my best memories ever."

As expected, the attention swiveled back toward him and away from the Faes. "And you freely admit this?" McGonagall spoke with horrified whisper. Her face was ashen and her lips were thinned as she looked at the obvious lack of remorse at the face of Denarian.

Aries looked around the room with bored expression and let out an derisive snort. "If you are expecting me to show remorse or guilt for my murder than you are looking at the wrong person and obviously lack any brain capacity." He replied with dry voice as he rolled his eyes at the plaint stupidity of those around him. "In case all of you are deaf, I did say that I was proud of the fact that I killed them myself. It was quite literally one of the best moments of my life."

"Ho-How c-could you?" Lily sobbed out as she looked beseechingly at her lost son. "How c-could y-you k-ki-kill them? They were yo-your relatives!" She hiccupped distraughtly from her husband's arms.

Aries' piercing emerald eyes darkened considerably and those in the room recoiled inwardly as his eyes grew colder than the coldest of snowstorms. "They were never my family!" He hissed furiously as he glared murderously at Lily Potter. To their surprise, the air around Aries Angelos began to crackle and hummed with power as his aura, emerald like his eyes, flared from him.

Albus felt his eyebrows shot upward in surprise at the powerful display of the boy's power. Only few wizards and witches managed to produce auras and it was considered as the sign of skill and power. 'To flare out aura at such age... Just who are you Aries Angelos?' Dumbledore wondered silently as he gripped his wand in case the situation got out of control.

"No matter how much I wish otherwise, the only thing that connected me to those fucking scums was that we shared the same blood!" He snarled at the red-headed woman who seemed to flinch and shrink away from him in fear. "But that doesn't mean that they were my family! Just as you are not my mother!" He snapped at Lily who let out a heart-wrenching wail as she broke down once more in James Potter's arms.

He closed his eyes and blocked out the sounds of Lily's crying, James and Benjamin Potter's shouting, and Sirius Black's pleas as he sought to bring his burning fury under control and prevent his power from flaring out. After several tense moments, he returned to his self and loosened his death grip, which he unconsciously had tightened and destroyed the wooden armrest of the chair.

"Mr. Angelos, why did you kill them?" Dumbledore asked gravely as he sought to control the situation once more. "What possessed you to commit such horror?"

Aries glared at the Potters once more before shrugging. "Let's just say that they were little abusive to me." He said blandly as he once more adopted the stoic and blank poker face.

Flitwick and Sprout looked scandalized and Sirius Black let out a threatening growl. Maxime and Smith grimaced at the news, child abuse was one of the worst crimes in the magical world and heavily frowned upon.

"Zey abused you?" Fleur asked angrily as she tightened her grip. While he may have committed atrocious act of murder, it didn't change the fact that he was still he savior. The one who saved her from the possible life time of slavery and sexual abuse and it filled her with rage at the thought of her savior being abused by his own relatives no less.

Lily Potter choked back her sobs long enough to burst into another tears while James Potter, other hand, exploded from his seat. "WHAT! They abused you?!"

"So you just killed them for a little abuse?" Snape sneered snarkily while ignoring the indignant looks from rest of the people. "You murdered your relatives just because you couldn't take their belittling?"

"I should've known. You Potters are all-" Snape's mocking was cut off as James Potter jumped up from his seat with a snarl and pulled out his wand, pointing it toward his childhood nemesis, his expression contorted with fury at Snape's insults. Snape was just as fast as he also stood up from his seat pointing his wand at his hated enemy.

"Severus! James! That's enough!" Dumbledore snapped as he looked disapprovingly at the two grown men. For the first time Aries had seen, imperturbable Dumbledore looked actually angry. The two men reluctantly sat down at the command of their employer.

"I was being sarcastic you greasy slime ball." Aries sneered back at the sneering Slytherin head of the house. "By the way, have you ever heard of this fascinating product called shampoo? I would give it to you as your Christmas gift seeing as you don't even have two brain cells to rub together since you don't even know the fact that you are suppose to wash your hair." He mockingly taunted the greasy haired man who grew even more infuriated with each words.

"Oh you don't like it? Then I'll just have to shave your head. I hear fleas and lice are rather hazardous your health." He finished with dark smirk as Snape's self control finally snapped under his taunts. He swiftly pulled out his wand again and jumped to his feet with intention to curse the smug looking Potter brat when Dumbledore thundered out. "Severus!"

Severus Snape choked and looked angrily at the Hogwarts' headmaster as different emotions battled inside him. His teeth clenched and his muscles stiffened before he slowly sat down on his seat while glaring furiously at Aries Angelos who matched his sneer with his own.

James Potter would've been incredibly amused if not for the fact that he was feeling very emotional at the moment, the situation was far too morbid to feel any humor. But it wasn't every day that he saw another person match Snape's infamous sneer with his own and it was done by his own son no less!

Dumbledore frowned heavily as he peered over his half-moon glasses and his eyes lost its previous twinkles. "What do you mean by being abusive to you Mr. Angelos?" Dumbledore asked gently. Abused children had the behavior of shutting up on the said subject and rarely expressed themselves.

To his surprise, Aries shrugged nonchalantly but he caught a flicker of grimace. "If you call being stabbed by a kitchen knife a little abuse and belittling then yea, I did kill them because of it." He directed it at the greasy haired bastard with a condescending sneer.

"YOU GOT STABBED?!" Lily cried out in shock as she looked him with horrified expression.

Dumbledore's face dropped in shock and he wearily took off his glasses as he rubbed his eyes tiredly while James and Sirius swore loudly as their face contorted into fury. The rest, other than the Carpenters, also shared revulsion and horror since the blonde sisters had already heard his story long ago but they couldn't help but to grimace. No child should've been forced to endure what had happened to him and physical abuse was one thing but outright attempt at murder was something else.

Snape, for once, had nothing snarky to say him despite the utter fury he was feeling because of the boy.

"Oh Aries, what have they done to you?" James looked sadly at his son as tears began to run down his face like Lily's.

Aries closed his eyes as the memory of his abuse leaped into his mind. He hated those memories with passion but he grudgingly acknowledged them as they were part of him, part of something that shaped him into who he was today. The painful memories were washed away by the tides of white-hot fury he still felt whenever he remembered those awful times followed by the intoxicating rush of bloodlust and immense satisfaction when he went over the memory of Dursleys' slaughter at his hands.

He was no longer weak. He was no longer powerless to protect himself. He had faced his greatest fear and emerged triumphant. He had made sure to kill those motherfuckers in most painful ways he thought of and paid back all his suffering tenfold. While he still wanted to resurrect them again and again so that he may kill them each time, he contented himself by knowing that they were definitely suffering in the pits of Hell in the afterlife.

His eyes snapped open and everyone cringed slightly at the sight of his eyes. They were literally glowing neon green and reminded them too much of the Avada Kedavra curse with their eerie glow. Aries took a deep breath to calm himself and his eyes ceased their glow.

"For first 7 years of my life, I was treated as nothing more than a slave." Aries hissed quietly. "They treated me with contempt, hate, and disgust."

"I was forced to work for them by doing all the chores. I was beaten, starved, and insulted nearly every single days of my life. Starvation, bruises, and broken bones were nearly everyday occurrence for me." He whispered dangerously as his piercing gaze swept over the room, daring anyone to mock him.

People watched with horrified looks as the dark past of Aries Potter, or Aries Angelos he liked being called, was slowly brought to the surface. It was just sickening but they couldn't look away or block out the sounds. It was like one of those morbid fascination where one knew that he or she should look away but can't help but to see it through the end. They felt as if they were under his spell, unable to do anything but to listen as if hypnotized.

"They hated any and all things related to magic and attempted to 'beat it out of me' as they said." Aries spat out angrily. His rage burned within him and was begged to be released. "And if it wasn't for my magic, I would've died long ago."

"And then came one day when I finally snapped." Said Aries.

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked quietly, he really didn't want to anger the boy right now. He may be powerful but the gathering darkness within Aries Angelos honestly unnerved him, not to mention that he was extremely dangerous despite his youth. It was just something he would rather avoid unless he absolutely had to face it.

"My magic was unleashed." Aries lied smoothly. It wouldn't do well for them to find out about Meciel's existence and his loss of humanity, not that he regretted the decision. Technically speaking, Meciel did release his magic that day, both his wand-magic as well as the potent Hellfire.

"I came home late that day and Vernon Dursley, as usual, was pissed off at me and beat me until my arm snapped." He continued softly, ignoring the horrified yet rapt attention of those around him. "And then, he let his son, Dudley Dursley, to use me as a human punching bag while Petunia Dursley merely laughed and shrieked in the background."

"Why I've never-" Flitwick sputtered in outrage. The normally diminutive but cheerful wizard was absolutely seething in righteous fury. "How could he allow his own child to follow his action!"

The rest looked scandalized. Lily closed her eyes tightly and shrank into herself while sobbing miserably. She had a fallout with her older sister after she was accepted into Hogwarts and since then, the relationship between the sisters had turned bitter. Lily had hoped that her sister had let go of her bitterness and hatred but never in her wildest imagination that she expected Petunia to take it out on her defenseless son. It filled her with so much shame and despair that she had been one of the cause of her firstborn's misery. She had failed her duty as a mother, no wonder Aries had all but rejected any ties he had with her.

Aries ignored the dark mutterings and continued on. "I cried out and wished for the pain to be stopped and my magic responded. I blasted that disgusting pig that I had misfortune to call my cousin across the hall. He ran crying like a little bitch to his worthless daddy and Vernon was less than pleased at that."

"An accidental magic. You magic responded to your call to protect you." Dumbledore muttered. "And to throw your cousin away magically such distance at that young age meant that it was rather powerful." He commented softly.

Aries snorted and rolled his eyes. "It wouldn't be the first time that my magic had responded to my distress to protect me." He said bitterly.

"Anyway, that useless Vernon went berserk when he found out that I used magic to protect myself from Dudley by blasting away the little shit that he grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed me in the chest." Aries spat out with murderous expression.

"He stabbed you for protecting yourself?" McGonagall asked with aghast expression.

"The knife actually ended up puncturing my lung and he threw me into my cupboard, giving me concussion and knocking me unconscious." Aries said darkly.

"HOW DARE HE!" James Potter ranted angrily, his voice rising above the horrified gasps and angry mutterings. "HE STABS YOU AND THEN GIVES YOU CONCUSSION?!" He yelled out furiously.

"What do you mean by 'my cupboard' Aries?" Sirius growled. He looked as if he was about jump to his feet like James.

"Those bastards forced me to live in a cupboard under the stairs from the beginning." Aries snarled out as his hands closed into fists.

Everyone was silent for a moment before they started shouting out furiously once more. "They forced you into a cupboard?!"

Albus Dumbledore and Lily Potter bowed their heads in shame as they were the ones who placed him in Dursley's care. It never occurred to them that they might abuse the innocent child.

Fleur gripped her chair tightly until the wood began to groan in protest. Just what had those monsters had done to him? Every action that these Dursleys did sickened her and she couldn't really feel horrified at the fact that he ended up killing them as result, after all, those vicious people deserved their fate after abusing a child like that for years.

"As I lay there dying, my magic reacted and healed my injuries." He continued while his eyes flickered briefly at the Carpenters, silently warning them to keep their silence. "It was during those times when I was hovering over life and death that I began to question myself."

"Why do I have to be treated such way when I have done nothing wrong? Why must I be shackled as a slave when all others remain free? Why do God allow such thing to happen to me?" He continued on ruthlessly as his eyes grew darker and colder with burning fury within him. "I prayed and prayed to the God to rescue me, to my birth parents to come see me and whisk me away from my personal hell and that all this would be nothing more than a nightmare." He spat out with disgust at how foolish he was. He actually wanted James and Lily to see their mistake and take him away when they were the ones who put him there.

James and Lily flinched form every word he spat out and sat dejectedly on their seats as the true horrors of their son's past came out. For nearly 6 years when Aries had been sent to the Dursley's they had never even once seen him, let alone send him birthday cards. They absolutely had no contact with him at all. They truly had abandoned him to his fate and now it was coming back to haunt them.

"When I called out for help, everyone just ignored my pleas and allowed me to suffer at their hands. There were no one to help me, no one to rescue me from them." He continued softly as the occupants in the office stared at him with rapt attention, barely even blinking or breathing. "It was then I realized the truth, nobody cared. I was forsaken. I was alone."

Lily whimpered. "No, you are not alone." James said as his voice shook with emotions. "We care about you. We are your family."

Aries sneered at the man. "I'm no longer the stupid and naive little boy I used to be James Potter. I have a new family now, one that actually loves me." The Potters jerked back and hung their heads in despair while others frowned slightly.

"You renounce the name Potter?" Amanda asked with shock. While she didn't approve of the Potters for their neglect, she still thought that Aries was going too far by burning the bridges completely.

"Are you deaf? I thought I made it clear when I said I never was, never am, and never will be a Potter." He hissed at the girl as she flinched back in fear. Lily and James Potter looked absolutely devastated at their long lost son's decision to cut off any ties he had with them. Sirius couldn't do anything but to look at the situation helplessly while others watched on with grimace.

"What is it that makes me a Potter? My blood? Because it is, then it doesn't mean a thing to me. I raised myself along with my guardian and I was reborn as Angelos." He sneered coldly at them.

Dumbledore frowned. "You mentioned that you had a family and a guardian, would you care to explain more about them?" He asked cautiously.

Amanda and Molly Carpenter looked uncomfortable. "No, you don't need to know anything but the fact that she is everything that I wanted and more." Aries replied with a small genuine smile at the mention of his "guardian."

Albus looked searching at him for long moments before he sighed tiredly. "What happened after you were healed?"

"I discovered my new found power and decided to break the shackles they and the God placed on me." Aries said with a vindictive smile. "The Dursleys needed to pay for their crimes against me."

"So you killed them." Sprout whispered with horrified look.

"If you are going to speak about some bullshit that I should've called the police or handed them over to the law to for justice than don't waste your breath." He snapped angrily when some of those gathered looked as if they wanted to object.

He looked each and every one of them in the eyes and spoke out with deadly intent. "I don't care about justice. What I want is vengeance. I wanted them to suffer for what they had done to me. I wanted to torture them just like they did to me and kill them in most agonizing way possible."

"Then by killing them, you brought yourself low to their level." Headmaster Smith pointed out with as he wheezed.

Aries threw back his head and laughed out. There was no warmth or joy in his voice but dark amusement. "Me, bringing myself low to the level of Dursleys by murdering them?" He chuckled as he shook his head with derision. "Are you saying that I should've let them live?"

"No, what he was saying was that you should've handed them over to the authority for proper procedure. Let them meet justice for their atrocity." Dumbledore said as he looked sadly at the boy before him.

"Let me guess, you are saying that I should've been a better man by doing that stupid bullshit?" Aries sneered at him.

"By committing the evil just like them, you sunk to their level when you could've been better than them." McGonagall said curtly.

"You stupid fools, I am better than them!" Aries snarled out as his aura began to flare once more. "I am much stronger, faster, and smarter than them! I wiped out their very existence by my own hands and I can do things that they can only dream of!"

"But have you not committed an act of evil when you murdered them? The Dursleys committed an act of evil by abusing you and you killed them in retaliation." Smith asked him as he carefully fingered his wand. The boy was far too dangerous and he didn't want to be caught unaware.

"What you are saying is from moral point of view." Aries laughed coldly. "Morality is a useless trash. I discarded that long ago. No, what truly matters is who has the power."

"I am far more powerful and skilled than the Dursleys, therefore I am better than them." Aries continued. "You and the rest of the world may use morality as a measuring stick for greatness but I use power and strength to measure the extent of one's greatness."

"Morality is not a trash. It is through our actions that we become great or not. The decision to do what is right is the sign of one's strength." Dumbledore countered. Twinkles in his eyes had long since faded and his face had hardened considerably.

"And that's just it isn't it? You can try to convince me that your way is the correct way until your face turns blue. However, unless I decide to believe it, it would be worthless. In the end, it all comes down to my decision. My point of view. And things cannot change unless they had my permission." Aries sneered.

"I believe power, intelligence, and cunning is what makes a person great and I'm not going to change that perspective for anyone else. All that matters is what I believe, not what other people think is right." He snapped at them.

"How did you kill them?" Karkaroff asked the young man. He was getting tired of their philosophical argument and it seemed Dumbledore was still a delusional fool. He still believed in those non sense when the boy spoke the truth. He was far more powerful than those filthy muggles and therefore, he was right. Besides, those mudbloods deserved what had happened to them anyway.

Aries took a deep calming breath. It always irked him whenever some idiots sprouted out all those non sense that their views was correct while all others were wrong. What Dumbledore and others preached was nothing more than man-made philosophy while his were the simple laws of nature. Strong survives while the weak perish. Might makes right.

"I killed them one by one. I killed Dudley first so that his bastard parents could watch their son get ripped apart before their eyes. I ripped off his limbs every few minutes to prolong his suffering and my magic ensured that all of them remained conscious until the point of their death. As for the bitch Petunia I grabbed her by the back of her head and bashed her head against the walls until her skull carved in. And for Vernon, that fucking asshole, I made sure to kill him slowly as I ripped him apart. He was missing fingers, toes, hands, and an arm before I burned him alive inside out." Aries said proudly with a bloodthirsty grin.

The Carpenters turned pale but remained still while Fleur Delacour and Maxime blanched from his detailed description. McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout gaped like a fish with look of horror and Dumbledore stiffened and gazed at Aries with a hard look. Karkaroff was quite impressed with the boy's imagination and ruthlessnes. Snape just looked blank but there was a slight surprise in his eyes.

But it was the Potters that truly interested him. Benjamin turned a sickly shade of green while James and Sirius blanched and stared at him with horror, as if they were rooted to their place. Lily, on the other hand, looked as if all strength fled from her body. Her teary eyes were puffy from all the crying and despair and horror radiated from her.

Aries cackled with a touch of insanity. "So Lily, how do you feel now that your precious and long lost son was the one who kill your sister and her family. No, scratch that, I tortured and then killed your bitch of a sister along with her family." He mockingly taunted her. "How do you feel now that your sister and her family was not what you expected them to be and was the reason why I turned so vindictive? Hmmm?"

"I told you Albus that he's a dark wizard." Alastor Moody grunted out after the silence he held throughout the whole story.

"Ho-How could you do something so evil?" McGonagall stammered as she clutched her chest from feeling faint.

In response Aries only laughed coldly as a blazing dark aura envelopes his body. "You know, the famous muggle playwright, William Shakespeare uttered an answer for that particular question."

"There is no good or evil, but thinking makes it so." He whispered, not noticing the growing horror in the eyes of some of his audience. "There is only power and those too weak to seek it." With a crazed look in his glowing emerald green eyes as his aura grew darker and darker and wave of power started rolling off him.

Aries chuckled darkly before giving them a cold smile that could've frozen a erupting volcano. "You know, Vernon Dursley asked the same thing as you did before I burned him alive. His sister, Marge Dursley, also said the same thing before I fed her to the lions in Africa so I'll tell you the exact same words I told them before I butchered them."

Aries paused for dramatic effect before softly speaking them to the silent audience, pouring all his dark intent and malice into it just as he did all those years ago. "You reap what you've sown. Blood for blood. Debt for debt. And evil for evil."

Lily Potter, unable to cope with all that she had learned about her son, finally fainted and sagged against her husband. "Lily!" James cried out. Fumbling from the shock, he waved his wand over Lily's prone body and stuttered out "E-Enervate!"

Lily awoke with a groan and sagged tiredly in James' arms. The Flitwick threw her a concerned look while others remained silent as they grimly processed what they had learned.

"And what happened next Mr. Angelos?" Dumbledore asked as he tiredly rubbed his eyes.

Aries shrugged. "I raised myself in the streets." He answered simply. When he didn't answer any further Dumbledore turned to the foreign guests.

"Ms. Delacour and Ms. Carpenter, you both said you knew him, how did you come across him?" The old wizard asked curiously while the Potters seemed to sit up little straight despite the misery and despair they were feeling at the moment.

" Eet waz nearly 6 years ago when I first met 'im in France. I was kidnapped by slave traders along with ozzer women when 'ee saved me." Fleur answered with a shrug but there was a slight tremor in her voice that none but Dumbledore, Maxime and Aries recognized.

Dumbledore nodded his head in silent thanks while the quarter-Veela looked at her savior with gratefulness.

"And you Ms. Carpenter? You said that he was the one who brought you here and your older sister said that he was a family acquaintance." Dumbledore asked.

Aries glared at them, silently warning them to reveal as little information as possible. "A-An evil man is trying to kill my family. He already sent out several assassins but Aries stopped them." Amanda hesitantly spoke out.

"And who is this man Ms. Carpenter?" Dumbledore asked.

"His name is Nicodemus." Molly Carpenter answered when her younger sister nervously bit her lips and glanced at the silent Denarian.

"I'm afraid I do not know him." He frowned.

"He is very powerful and sent out several muggle assassins and wand-wizards to kill my family." Molly said grimly. The thought of her family so close to being dead still unnerved her greatly.

"How did you meet Mr. Angelos here?" Dumbledore asked politely.

"Well-"

"It was in Israel." Aries answered curtly, cutting across the response. It might be best for him to answer the question himself as he would have the flow of information and prevent them from learning anything he didn't want them to know.

"Israel? What were you doing in Israel?" Sirius blurted out while the rest looked curiously at him.

"I didn't just stay in England. I travelled around the world." Aries answered blandly with a shrug.

"And what were you doing there?" Dumbledore asked as he closely regarded him.

"Had something to pick up." Aries replied vaguely. "I happened to cross the Carpenters while I was leaving."

Dumbledore frowned at the vague answer and was about to ask another question when Aries cut him off. "As interesting as my past is, can we focus on the present? I destroyed the cup and I need to catch whoever responsible."

The old wizard sat thinking pensively as he looked for the best way to approach the problem. "The boy is a murderer Albus," Mad-Eye Moody grunted out as his spinning eye focused on him. "I say we throw him in Azkaban-"

"No! He will not be going to Azkaban Mad-Eye!" James snapped at the ex-Auror angrily.

"Have you forgotten that you are an Auror Potter?" Snape sneered at him. "He did murder his relatives in cold blood regardless of the reason."

"But Aries is a tournament champion! His name came out of the Goblet!" Sirius snarled back at the greasy haired potion master.

"Enough!" Dumbledore barked and quickly silenced any argument from taking place.

"His name came out of the Goblet and there is no denying that he is a champion." Dumbledore said thoughtfully as he reviewed the situation. "He will have to compete and stay at Hogwarts until the tournament ends."

"I don't think so Dumbledore. I destroyed the Goblet and freed myself from the magical contract. There is no need for me to participate in it or stay here for that matter." He sneered at him.

"Perhaps. While you did destroy the Goblet, magical contract will not disappear just because the object binding it is destroyed. I'm afraid you'll have to compete." Dumbledore answered apologetically.

'I believe he has a point. While the power behind the contract may have been weakened considerably, it's far too difficult to destroy it entirely by destroying the Goblet that bind you to it.' Meciel murmured once more. 'The contract's purpose was to see the chosen to compete till the end.'

Aries growled irritably. "This is fucking annoying! I don't want to compete in this shitty tournament!" He snapped angrily.

Some looked disapprovingly at his use of profanity and the lack of respect at the revered tradition but he didn't really give a crap about what anyone else thought.

"But why stay at Hogwarts?" He asked the old wizard as he gripped the handle of Judgement.

"The tournament is held in Hogwarts and if you move too far from the designated place, you will feel pain because of the penalty placed within the magical contract." Dumbledore explained.

"I don't think so old man. I destroyed the Goblet and I'm not feeling the magical backlash like others here." He tilted his head to Fleur Delacour and Benjamin Potter. "Besides, when I first felt the magical pull, I never allowed it to bind me so I'm not as bound like the others."

"But your name still came out of the Goblet." Benjamin grunted with slight pain.

"And where is my name? I never have given anyone in England my full name." He snapped with irritation.

Dumbledore reached into his robes and pulled out a small piece of burnt parchment before levitating it toward him. Aries took it from the air and read the name inside.

Aries Potter.

Aries snorted. "It says Aries Potter, not Aries Angelos and it certainly didn't include my middle name. I legally changed my name years ago and in order to be fully bound to a magical contract, it needs to have the correct full name of a person."

"You legally changed your name?" Sirius questioned with startled expression.

Aries nodded distractedly. "Don't ask me how, I'm not going to explain." He grunted.

He pondered thoughtfully before reaching his conclusion. "I may be magically bound to compete in this blasted tournament but I doubt I would feel pain when I get out of Hogwarts. I was nearly half-way around the world from England when I first felt the pull and it didn't pain me at all, just slight annoyance."

Dumbledore absorbed his reason silently before nodding in acceptance. "Be that as it may, it would be easier if you stayed in Hogwarts, both to compete in the tournament and to find the culprit responsible." He said diplomatically.

"Wait a minute! You are giving Hogwarts unfair advantage! Hogwarts already have 2 extra champions, you don't need another!" Karkaroff accused Dumbledore.

Dumbledore shook his head as his silver beard followed his movement. "No, Aries will still be representing only himself and not Hogwarts even if he is enrolled into Hogwarts. As for Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom, they will also be representing themselves." He calmly explained.

That seemed to mollify Karkaroff and other foreign delegations. Aries silent went over Dumbledore proposition with Meciel.

'It does seem like the best choice we have at the moment. If we are going to catch the culprit, it will be easier if we operate inside the castle as no doubt he or she is still here or will show up eventually.' Meciel advised him.

Aries seethed inwardly but agreed with her, albeit reluctantly. This was the most logical choice they had and it would be foolish of him to let his emotion get better of him and butch up the situation.

'You are learning well Aries.' Meciel chuckled.

'This is going to be a major pain in the ass.' He grumbled mentally. 'I better let Dresden know of this.'

'And don't forget Nightfang. He's going to be pissed if you don't go get him.' Meciel sniggered when he let out a groan. The Diamondback had a rather foul mouth and was able to hiss out string of profanities with surprising ease that never ceased to impress him.

"Fine I'll enroll into Hogwarts." Aries grunted out, cutting across the conversation. "But don't expect me to follow the rules. I'll be here for only a year until this blasted tournament is over."

When a he caught a flicker of concern in Dumbledore's eyes he rolled his eyes. "I won't kill anyone except for the culprit. Although I will respond with lethal force if anyone pisses me off. Warn your students to not piss me off and we'll be fine."

"I hope you won't have to resort to violence." Dumbledore said warily.

"The only one who will be dying is the culprit. He signed his life off the moment he fucked with me." He snapped at him. "As for students, I won't kill them, although I will roughen them up if they bother me."

"He's a dark wizard Dumbledore! And you're going to let him loose in a school!" Moody snapped at the old wizard.

"Alastor, whatever problem he caused in the past can be dealt with after the tournament. Until then, Aries Angelos will have to stay here." He said sternly.

Moody grunted but backed down reluctantly. With a flick of his wand, a dusty looking pointed hat that had been sitting on the top of the shelves floated down.

Aries gazed at it warily. "And what is that supposed to be?"

"This is the Sorting Hat." Dumbledore answered simply. "It sorts you into one of the 4 houses of Hogwarts."

"And how does it do that?" Aries asked flatly.

"It talks in your head." Amanda answered him. "It judges your personality."

"Judges my personality?" Aries frowned.

"There are 4 houses in Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each houses have their traits and the Hat picks your most dominant one. Gryffindor is the house of brave and noble heart, Hufflepuff is the house of loyal and hard work, Ravenclaw is the house of intelligence and sharp wit, and Slytherin is the house of cunning and ambition." McGonagall informed him crisply.

"What I want to know is how." Aries snapped impatiently.

"It looks through your mind." Amanda answered with hesitation, knowing how dangerous and important his secret was.

"No. There is no way that I'm allowing anything or anyone to look through my head." Aries snarled angrily. "My mind is the only sanctuary I have and I won't allow anyone to go through it"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't talk as if I wasn't here." A voice grumbled out.

Aries watched with slight surprise as the old hat came to life. Its folds moving as they were lips. "I am oath bound to never share anything I find in a student's mind with anyone else." The Hat grunted.

"That's not good enough for me." Aries snorted. "I need more assurance than that. Make a Thrice-Bound Oath."

Dumbledore and Molly Carpenter looked at him sharply, both being aware of the Rules of the Old World and knew how important the Thrice-Bound Oath was.

"Swear by your name, your blood, and your magic to never reveal any information you find in my head in any shape or form, directly or indirectly." He said coolly while eyeing the Hat. "But seeing as you're a hat and have no blood, swear by Dumbledore's left butt cheek." He said stoically.

Amanda chocked and Dumbledore looked mildly surprised while others gaped at his audacity. "Why by the Merlin's saggy balls would I swear by Dumbledore's left butt cheek?" The Hat grunted.

"So that if you break your oath, his left butt cheek will be blown off." He grunted back.

The Hat let out a raucous laughter at his demand. "This kid got some balls Dumbledore. No one had ever demanded that from me in my nearly thousand years of existence!"

The Hat regarded him for a moment before giving the oath. "I, the Sorting Hat, swear by my name, my magic and Dumbledore's left butt cheek to never reveal the information I find in Aries Angelos' mind in any shape or form, directly or indirectly." The Hat finished the oath and a bright light surrounded the magical artifact before fading away, signifying the oath.

Dumbledore lifted the Hat and gently lowered it onto his head. However, it was too big and almost fell over his eyes as he sat still. Suddenly, he felt something foreign slide into his mind and reacted instinctively as he raised his natural mental defense to block out the foreign intrusion.

'Calm down Mr. Angelos, it's I, the Sorting Hat.' The voice grumbled irritably.

Aries reluctantly lowered his mental barrier and squirmed uncomfortably in his seat as he allowed the Hat to shift through his head. It wasn't long before the Hat encountered the Fallen living in his head. Immediately, hellfire blazed in his mind and the searing power flowed throughout his being as Meciel enveloped the intruder. Her very presence rushed forward and captured the Hat in its place and Aries could barely stop himself from reeling from her awesome power. The Hat seemed to give a twitch of pain as the dark power trapped it.

'Remember your oath!' Meciel thundered. Her usual soft voice was now majestic and terrifying all at once that both the Hat and the Denarian shivered. 'If so much as a peep escapes from you, I WILL BURN YOU TO ASH!'

With her warning given, Meciel withdrew her presence and the hellfire but observed the shaking Hat like a hawk.

'A-A De-Denarian! You are an Accursed Host!' Hat stammered with fear. 'I have looked into the mind of Amanda Carpenter but never knew that you would be one of them!'

'Will you shut up?' Aries hissed at it with annoyance. 'Your babbling is irritating.'

The Hat seemed to hyperventilate but did cease its mindless babbling. 'Good. Now do your job and sort me and remember, you are under a magical oath.' Aries said coldly.

The Hat slowly calmed down until it wasn't shivering in fear anymore spoke quietly. 'I have gleaned much knowledge from Amanda Carpenter's mind but never expected that you would be one of them. Do I have your permission to continue?' The Hat spoke warily.

'Just don't look too deep, or there will be a consequence.' Aries warned the magical artifact.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, the Hat began to shift through his head, glancing through them and not too deeply. Beginning from his life with Dursleys, his meeting with Meciel and his subsequent achievements all the way up to his memory of duel against Dumbledore.

'You lead an interesting life Mr. Angelos.' Hat commented. 'I have never sorted anyone else like you and I have no doubt this would be my first and last time.'

Aries snorted. 'That would be an understatement of the century.' He replied back dryly.

'You are difficult. Very difficult, in fact. You possess every trait from each of the 4 houses and yet, contract them at the same time.' The Hat deduced after few moments. 'You are a living and walking contradiction.'

'You possess the bravery and courage of Gryffindor. You have faced things that mortals could only imagine and fought them without much fear. Vampires, Basilisk, Denarians, and other beings of darkness do not terrify you, in fact, you thrive in deadly challenges and face them head on while others can only cower in fear. Your balls are so big that the Fate granted a Fallen Angel to carry it around. While courageous, you are not reckless like most Gryffindors and never take any unnecessary risks. And yet, you lack the chivalry and noble intention of the Gryffindor, which is hardly surprising considering your past experiences. You see them as nothing but weakness and are willing to do whatever it takes to win, regardless of how evil or dark it may be.' The Hat analyzed.

'Well that sounds spot on. Have you ever considered becoming a psychologist? Magical world could seriously need a magical psychologist like you. There far too many fucked up nutjobs in the magical world.' He thought back dryly.

Ignoring his jib, the Hat continued on. 'As for Hufflepuff traits, it's far more complicated than others. You are extremely loyal to those who have gained your trust, mainly the Fallen that lives inside your head, almost to the point of being called fanatical. Other than her, you are extremely distrustful of any and all others to the point of being paranoid. You are well versed in the art of cutthroat business where trust is nonexistent. As for hard work, you are lazy and have a slacker attitude but can also be very diligent if the subject interests you.'

'Well I suppose you are lazy.' Meciel quipped much to Aries' annoyance. 'but you are rather a hard working when you are interested. You learned to harness hellfire within a year and a half and mastered variety of powerful spells very quickly.'

'What? I like being powerful. Besides, you are the best teacher I have.' Aries smiled slightly.

'Moving on. You possess the thirst for knowledge of Ravenclaw as well as their sharp wit. You seek any and all knowledge that can be of use to you and are a meticulous planner. You do not charge into a situation headfirst like most Gryffindors but rather observe the situation and gather all possible facts before making the most logical choice. You remain cool-headed no matter how dire and dangerous the situation gets. As for your wit, you posses one of the sharpest mind I have encountered. You have an equally sharp tongue along with sardonic attitude only matched by your ability to insult others. However, you seek knowledge not for itself but for rather what it can bring you later on and are not as studious like most Ravenclaws.' Said the Hat.

'Oh goodie, you are not insulting me as much.' He thought back sarcastically. The Hat merely chuckled, which irritated him further.

'And lastly, you have the cunning and ambition of the Slytherin. You are manipulative and can easily see through any deception with ease thanks to your Fallen as well as your telepathic ability. Your time with Faes and White Court Vampires have forced you to become even more cunning than you once was. Your battles with the darkness proved that you use your mind as much as your dark power. You trick, cheat, lie, and exploit any and all weaknesses in your enemies to kill them and will use whatever means necessary to achieve your goals. Your hunger for power led you to becoming a Denarian and you regret nothing. You value power above everything else and will stop at nothing to obtain it. Also, you possess the resourcefulness and the ruthlessness needed to achieve your goals. You never stick to one set of belief or tactic and adapt to changing situations rather quickly and are almost brutally efficient. You have already killed and slaughtered all those who have caused you pain and will eliminate any and all threats to you no matter what. Also, you are a Parslemouth.' The Hat finished analyzing him.

'Well that was one hell of mental therapy.' Aries drawled lazily. 'In fact, I'd say it was the best I ever had.'

'Beloved, that was the only mental therapy you had.' Meciel said dryly. 'Has it ever occurred to you that you might be a sociopath?'

'Oh please, I'll have you know that my mind is perfectly sane!' Aries snorted. 'And this is coming from a Fallen who have been inside the heads of crazy nutjobs.'

'If I remember correctly, some of your previous hosts included an emo carnivore who ended up eating one of his arm and soon after drowned himself or that really kinky bitch who thought using herself as a fuel in Walpurgis night would be a great idea.' He thought dryly.

'Touche. Those were just some of the hosts I have taken over the centuries.' Meciel sighed. 'And you have no idea how disturbing some of them were.'

'Wow. Compare to them, I'm pretty much normal.' He thought. 'It's ok Meciel, I'll make you feel all right again.' He soothed her gently.

He felt Meciel pulse with amusement and Sorting Hat cleared its throat. 'I believe I still need to sort you Mr. Angelos, others are getting impatient.'

'Right, well I think I know which house I'm going to be in.' Aries thought back, he had almost forgotten about the Hat.

'Whichever house I put you in, you'll no doubt cause chaos. However, you'll do the best in...' The Hat grumbled.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Aries hastily took off the Hat as he didn't want anything in his mind other than Meciel. Opening his eyes, he saw that Potters, the staffs and Dumbledore looked rather shocked although the old wizard quickly hid it.

"A Potter in Slytherin." James mumbled in disbelief. Lily looked shocked as did Sirius and McGonagall seemed to have lost her stern demeanor momentarily. Snape, on the other hand, was sickly pale and looked as if the world had turned upside down.

"I knew it! You are a dark wizard to be sorted into Slytherin!" A loud voice broke through the shocked silence.

"Benjamin!" Lily snapped at her impetuous son.

Aries ignored the worthless idiot and quirked his eyebrow. "Why do you look so surprised? I mean it was so obvious that I would end up in the house of cunning and ambitious considering my past."

"Well it's just that Potters were always sorted into Gryffindor." Albus said hesitantly.

"You mean the house of cannon folders where you charge into a situation blindly?" Aries asked with a frown. No wonder his biological family were bunch of pan-brained morons. McGonagall's nostrils flared at the insult and Dumbledore looked disapprovingly at him, not that he cared.

"Gryffindor is a noble house of bravery and chivalry." Sirius admonished him.

Aries sneered at them. "Then it's a good thing that I'm a Angelos not a Potter. I didn't survive this long by being reckless and chivalry is worthless thing I threw away long ago." He snapped.

"Now if you don't mind, it's been a long day and I would like to sleep." He grunted.

Dumbledore nodded tiredly. "I believe we should retire for tonight and continue tomorrow."

One by one, the group left in twos or threes and Aries remained silently in his seat as they all slowly left.

"Ms. Carpenter, if you would stay for a moment along with Mr. Angelos here?" Dumbledore asked the taller of the blonde politely. She looked slightly surprised and nodded in confirmation.

.oOo.

After everyone but the two had left, Dumbledore turned his blue gaze upon them once more. Silence permeated the office until the old wizard asked the question Aries knew it was coming. "How did you know about Fawkes Mr. Angelos?'

"Like I said Dumbledore, you aren't the only wand-wizard to know about the Faes." Aries said blandly.

"Then I assume that you know Ms. Carpenter uses the true-magic?" He raised his eyebrows.

Aries nodded. Dumbledore silently regarded him for few moments. "I have a gift of feeling auras Mr. Angelos and I'm taking a great risk by allowing you to stay at Hogwarts." He began and Aries narrowed his eyes slightly as he realized where this was going. "Your aura was one of the darkest I came across. I came across only 2 other auras just as dark as yours, they were Grindelwald's and Voldemort's."

Aries didn't bet an eye and kept his relaxed appearance. "Your point?" He asked.

"It's impossible for one to reach such level of darkness unless one is uses Dark Arts all the times or have performed extremely dark rituals on themselves." Dumbledore said with a hard face. "And during our duel, you threw curses that were very dark and quite illegal in many countries around the world."

Aries smiled coldly. "I freely admit that I'm a dark wizard. They are powerful, so I use them." He shrugged despite the way Dumbledore stiffened slightly at his own admission.

"And yet, it is strange for someone so young to reach such level. In some ways, you felt even darker than either Grindelwald or Voldemort. I can tell that your darkness is not same as theirs, it felt more ancient. As if it was... something unnatural." He confessed quietly as he gazed intensely at him.

Molly remained in her seat as she watched two powerful wizards gauge one another. "And you are asking me this because?" Aries asked blandly.

"The school is my responsibility and I cannot let you enter without knowing that you won't harm the students or what you are capable of." Dumbledore said quietly.

Aries stubbornly kept his silence as his dark, piercing emerald eyes clashed against hard blue eyes of Dumbledore. Molly sighed as she rubbed her forehead. It has been a long night and she wanted to rest and wasn't in the mood for any more drama.

"Just tell him about it Angelos." Molly tiredly sighed."I'm tired and want to rest, the sooner this ends the better."

Aries glared at her but she ploughed on. "He is one of the few wand-wizards who knows about the true-magic." She pointed out.

"The subject doesn't belong with the true-magic." Aries snapped at her. "The fewer people who knows my secret the better."

Molly glared right back at him before flickering her eyes toward the interest looking Dumbledore. "I doubt he would go around spilling the secret. Besides, you are under Dresden's employment and work with my dad, somewhat."

Aries silently glared at her. He absolutely didn't want to let Dumbledore know about Meciel. During the short time he dueled against him, Aries could tell that he was indeed very skilled and it infuriated him to admit that he would've lost eventually if they kept dueling. He had gotten lucky because of the advantage of surprise and the fact that Dumbledore was holding back in case the students were harmed. Not to mention, Dumbledore was in rather high position of power.

'I don't think we have much choice in this matter. While you may be a Denarian, you are working with the Knights of Cross and are trying to eliminate the Order of Blackened Denarius.' Meciel whispered as ancient fury and hatred welled up within her at the mention of the blackened order. 'If anything, he wouldn't bother us until the Order is eliminated.'

Aries heaved a sigh and grimaced as he looked at Dumbledore, who was patiently waiting for him to make his decision.

"What do you know of the Denarians and the Order of Blackened Denarius?" He asked quietly.

Dumbledore frowned as he stood up and strode over to one of the bookshelves. He withdrew a thick looking tome that looked very ancient judging by the state of papers. He flipped it open and the pages rustled against each other as Dumbledore scanned for the information. As soon as he read the first sentence, his face paled as the blood drained from his head. His shoulders sagged as if the world pressed down on him and he seemed to age a century.

When the old wizard turned to look at him, his eyes were devoid of twinkles he had.

"Oh Aries, what have you to yourself?" He murmured hoarsely with shock and horror. His eyes radiated sadness and he looked closely at the Denarian before him, as if searching for the boy he once was.

"Don't you dare give me that look of pity!" He snarled furiously and Dumbledore looked rather taken back at his vehemence. "I am happy with the fact that I'm a Denarian and I have no regrets! Meciel is everything that I wanted and more!"

Dumbledore shifted only slightly and looked warily at him, as if to defend himself from the Denarian's attack in a moment's notice. As the old headmaster gazed at him, his eyes grew wide with horror.

"You weren't forced to take up the coin. You chose to become a Denarian." He whispered with horror.

"Obviously." Aries snorted. "I already had this conversation several times in the past Dumbledore and Carpenters were one of them. I will never let go of Meciel, not ever. I love her and I will kill anyone who dares to take her away from me." He hissed as his eyes glinted with the dark intentions.

Dumbledore sat still and took off his half-moon glasses with tiredness, looking every bit old as his age suggested.

"I assume this happened right before the incident with the Dursleys?" He asked with weariness.

"I came across her coin an hour before I killed them." He said curtly. "It wasn't the magic that saved my life, it was Meciel. If I hadn't accepted her offer, I most likely would've died from my wounds." He grunted out.

Dumbledore sighed and nodded his head. "I think this is more than enough for tonight. We'll continue this tomorrow."

With that he called a house elf to escort them to the temporary guest rooms. As the door to his office closed shut, he leaned back onto his chair and let out a deep sigh while the phoenix let out a soft trill as if to comfort his partner.

Albus smiled tiredly at the Summer Fae. "Thank you my friend."

As he stood up slowly to finally sleep, Albus couldn't help but to feel numb as he went over the day's event. So much had happened in a span of mere hours and it would change the very course of fate.

Albus Dumbledore knew without a doubt that Aries Angelos would undoubtedly be the deciding factor in the war against Voldemort, and perhaps even the world.

A new player had entered the game.

---

Damn, that was by far the longest chapter I wrote. I'm not sure if I'm quite satisfied with the chapter and may go back and edit it. I'll let you guys know when it happens.