AN: This chapter turned out much shorter than I expected, but I felt it best to split this chapter into two. So the following chapter should come in the next day or so, since it's almost done as it stands. It's taken me awhile to see where I wanted to go with this story as I've changed certain things and added in others. Thanks for everyone still sticking with this story, it is not abandoned. I will finish it, though it may take longer than I had hoped. I just want to put out the best story I can. As always I hope you enjoy this new chapter, and if you don't, whatever floats your boat y'all.
The Great Hall was nearly empty as Aries made his way to the Slytherin Table, save for the few early risers of Ravenclaw. They paid him no mind, clearly engrossed in their heated argument, though it was kept to whispers. He was an early riser himself, having spent the morning running around the lake of Hogwarts and doing what Cassiopeia had only disdainfully called 'muggle exercises.' She was not wrong, but even she could not disagree with the results. Outside of Quidditch players, few witches and wizards were muscular in any way and the speed and strength brought to him from the training gave him another edge over any future opponents. Fortunately, the food of Hogwarts was more than enough to fulfill the hunger brought on from the exercising.
Aries only gave those that entered the Great Hall a fleeting glance, making a note of any who he felt he should approach throughout the year. Most of Hufflepuff was quickly disregarded, especially considering the more aggressive looks he was being given. He was more than aware of the unfortunate idea that he had killed Cedric Diggory in that graveyard and that there had never been a resurrected dark lord. A completely illogical thought, even though he had, in fact, killed the former Hufflepuff champion, but memories of their dramatic duel during the Tri-Wizard Tournament only fueled the idea. There was little proof, and Potter's own statements freed him of any guilt. Still, there was a clear bias against him in Hufflepuff that might affect his plans for the year. It would need to be rectified somehow, thought at the moment Aries was unsure of just how to go about that.
His musings were interrupted as Theodore Nott sat before him. The boy was a curious case that Aries had not yet decided what to do with. Nott's father was a member of the Wizengamot, and often leaned whichever way Lucius did, but he was also a staunch follower of the Dark Lord. Lord Nott had a mean streak, one that had caused the deaths of men, women, and children alike during the first war, though it was hardly known unless you knew a Death Eater personally. A member of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle, there was little doubt that Lord Nott's stock was rising, as were the expectations for his son, Theodore.
"It's rather unusual for me not to be the first at our table," Theodore said, gesturing to the still empty table. "Most of Slytherin will arrive soon before the rest of the school does anyway."
"I gathered as much from Draco's speech last night," Aries still meant to talk to his friend about his now changed persona. "A united front. Interesting ideas considering our current political state." Theodore simply raised his eyebrows before making his plate. Students began to trickle in, but many of the Slytherins seemed to be wary of Aries. For now, they feared him, but soon they would need to respect him as well.
"Why are you at Hogwarts?" Theodore's question was surprising, but it did not catch Aries' off guard.
"Every Black has walked through these halls," Aries began, watching Nott's reactions closely. "Durmstrang taught me valuable lessons, but I had hoped to attend Hogwarts. Last year only reinforced that idea."
"And the real reason?" It seemed that Nott had no time for games. "I've seen your OWL results. Outstandings across the board and recommendations to take your NEWT's two years ahead, both from the proctors and from Headmaster von Reich."
"You think there is nothing for me to learn here?"
"I think academics is the least of your concerns right now."
"Would the same be said for you?" Aries asked with a smirk. "I hear that the Dark Lord wishes for you to spy on me, and report back to your father. Taking the Mark soon then?" Theodore did his best to not show emotion, but the way his eyes slightly widened and the little bit of color that drained from his face told Aries all he needed to know. "And here I thought you didn't want to be like your father."
"If you know that, then why talk to me?" Theodore asked as he squinted his eyes towards Aries.
"You honestly think I'll give you anything of value to report?"
"And what happens when the truth about Diggory comes out?" Aries smiled, causing Theodore to be even more confused.
"And what truth is that?"
"No one knows what happened to him, besides you and the Dark Lord. One minute he was alive, the next he wasn't. The Death Eaters that were there don't even know." Theo glanced left and right, assuring himself he wasn't going to be overheard. "But I know something happened. The Dark Lord has a no-kill order on you that you're to be brought in alive. That means he thinks you'd make a good follower. What possible reason could he have to want to recruit someone who fought him and stopped him from killing Potter? He wouldn't have us spying on you if you were already a follower, which leads to only one thing: Diggory. I think you killed him."
"A rather interesting theory, Nott. But let me ask you a question." Aries leaned in closely. "Even if that was true, is trying to blackmail someone who killed one of the most powerful students at Hogwarts and then managed to duel to a standstill with the most powerful Dark Lord in history really wise?"
Theodore showed no emotion, but his eyes flicked towards Aries' right wrist, where his wand rested against his forearm. Did he think they would duel right here in the Great Hall? Or was he worried about some discreet curse he might cast? Aries' could feel his wand calling to him, screaming to unleashed hellish magic throughout the hall.
"Great another early riser!" Draco's voice broke through the tension as he took a seat next to Theodore. The Malfoy heir was seemingly unaware of the duel that had nearly broken out between the two sixth year Slytherins, but as Daphne sat down next to Aries, she gave him a rather curious glance. He offered her a small smile, one that did not quite reach his eyes. She sat down close enough to signify something closer than a normal friendship, but lacking the slight touches was evident compared to what occurred between the two just a summer ago. It was clear that Aries would need to deal with the Ice Queen's sudden coldness but now was not the time. "What were you two talking about?"
"The finer points of Arithmancy in the modern magical word," Aries lied easily, locking eyes with Nott.
"Yes," Theodore confirmed, "Though we were about to discuss schedules." His cue was just on time, as Severus Snape neared their group. Aries gladly took the offered parchment from the Potions master, though not without noticing the slightly suspicious glance he received. Daphne noticed it as well, as she sat quietly beside him.
"What are you all taking?" Draco asked with an annoyed look at his own schedule.
"Defense, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes." Aries recited. "Mondays are easy, just Potions and Arithmancy. Defense and Transfiguration, both with Gryffindor, on Tuesday. Charms with Ravenclaw and Defense on Thursday. Friday a nice batch of Potions and Ancient Runes."
"I see we have identical schedules," Nott commented and Draco looked downright insulted.
"Six NEWT level courses?" Draco exclaimed. "Both of you?" He suddenly looked at Daphne's schedule before cursing. "How the hell are you in Potions with us? Oh, who am I kidding. You should probably be in all of our courses with us." Nott seemed surprised, but Aries was not. He had been aware that she had taken her Potions OWL over the summer, thanks to a word from her father and himself. "Tracey, please tell me you won't like these showoffs."
"Oh no not at all," Tracey said, sitting down between Draco and Theodore while clutching her schedule that Snape placed in front of her, to much annoyance at her tardiness. "I don't plan on taking any extra NEWTs next year, besides Care of Magical Creatures."
"You're still taking classes from that oaf?" Daphne said with much disgust.
"That oaf seems not to be here," Aries stated, inclining his head to the now full staff table. "I believe Dumbledore said some Grubby-Pank lady was teaching it."
"Grubbily-Plank," Daphne corrected, though she gave him an annoyed look. "Don't act as if you didn't pay attention to the feast."
"I wonder where he's gone," There was clearly a dejectedness to Tracey. She was softer than most of Slytherin, but her connections would pay off in the long run.
"Hopefully the big oaf is dead," Draco said rather cruelly, as the group stood up to head towards Potions. Tracey waved goodbye to them, as she was the only one in the group not in NEWT level potions, thanks to Daphne's extra work over the summer. "I'll never forgive him for that blasted hippogriff."
"You mean the one where you acted like an absolute idiot and had to suffer the consequences?"
"Aries control your girlfriend," The slight way Daphne tensed was lost to Draco, but not Aries. She had slipped her arm into his, but he felt how rigid she had become, if only for an instant. Thankfully, due to their being in Slytherin, they made it to the dungeons quicker than most and had already found seats in the classroom before the rest of the sixth-year students climbed in. The class was relatively small, so much so that the course was made up of all four houses. Aries only recognized a few, Katie Bell from Gryffindor and Cho Chang from Ravenclaw. The Asian girl looked sullen, and where her face had once been full, it was now thin, almost unhealthily so. Clearly, the death of Cedric Diggory had affected her greatly, and the depth of their relationship deeper than he had thought. For a quick moment, Aries felt a pang of guilt, but it passed quickly. Cedric's death had been guaranteed the moment he failed to escape with Thomas. There had been no way he would have been able to leave alive. Aries had given him a quick and merciful death. He would not have gotten the same mercy from the Death Eaters.
Aries nearly laughed at the instructions on the board for the first potion of his sixth year. The Draught of Living Death. It was a potion he had brewed for years, and one he knew by heart. He was about to collect his ingredients with the rest when he stopped, his eyes locked on the chalkboard. A quick glance at his textbook, confused him even more before he looked towards the potion master. Last year, throughout the lessons, there had never been a mistake in either the instructions or the textbook, but step five was clearly wrong. There was a small knowing smile, and suddenly, it all made sense. One had to know that some things did not work in brewing potions, and thus the mistake was intentional. It may have been an honest mistake in the text, but it was an intentional one from Snape. Aries collected his ingredients, and brewed his potion almost by memory, paying far more attention to the failed attempts of his classmates, though Daphne's was near as perfect as is. Her mother is a potion mistress herself after all. Did she know of the mistake as well? If so, she gave no inclination, or desire to warn her classmates. But why would she? She was a Slytherin after all.
"While most of you have made passible attempts at our lesson," Severus began with a drawl, "Others have failed entirely. Only Mister Black and Missus Greengrass have provided us a perfected potion. The rest of you owe me a foot on the proper brewing of the Draught of Living Death by our next lesson." Aries' assumption of Daphne was correct, as her eyebrows raised at Snape's emphasis. "You are dismissed. Mister Black, if you would stay a moment."
He made no rush to pack his things, allowing time for the small class to disperse, leaving two of the three most dangerous wizards in the school alone. Aries' mental shields had been in place the entirety of the course, and he had little concern that Severus could penetrate his wards. He knew, however, that one could learn just as much from what said and did not say, as from Legilimency. Aries had hoped Severus would approach, and now it was time to win the man's favor.
"The Dark Lord has noticed you, Black," Severus stated with a hiss, "Whatever happened in that graveyard intrigued him, and your success in the Wizengamot as only further his interest."
"So much so that he has asked his spy to attempt to bring me over to his side?" The potion master's face showed no emotion, but Aries caught the slight gleam in his eyes. "And as I understand it, Dumbledore has asked the same of you. It must be interesting, to say the least, to have two masters ask the same mission of you."
"You know much that you should not know," Snape answered. "And yet you do not know everything."
"I know that you told the Dark Lord the prophecy you overhead in the Hog's Head," Aries said with a smirk. "I wonder if Lily Potter knows that. Does her husband or Sirius? I hear Remus is much more familiar with his werewolf side than he was in the Shrieking Shack all those years ago." Now there was emotion, as Snape's face slightly paled. "I wonder what would happen should I let that little bit of information slip?"
"You know as well I do how that would end." Severus had tensed, and his left arm moved slightly free of the desk, giving him room to summon his wand. "The Order and the Ministry would suffer far worse without the information I provide."
"Good reason to stay alive." Aries offered. "Though if the Dark Lord were to discover the extent to which you help the Order, I fear he would not end your suffering so quickly."
"Regardless, I would be dead either way. So, the threat is pointless."
"I think the threat of having the one you love hate you beyond all repair greater than any punished the Dark Lord could unleash upon you. Not to mention, I'm the one who can have you killed by both sides. I guess you could call that the ace up my sleeve."
"What is it you want, Black?" There was an edge to Snape's question, and Aries was happy he had pushed the man past his calm exterior.
"I just want to be kept in the loop," Aries said with a simple shrug. "What is one more master to serve?"
"And you expect me not to tell the other two?" Severus locked eyes with him, attempt to glare into Aries' soul. "There is more at stake here than your silly little game of power." Aries could not help but laugh at the Death Eater's foolishness.
"Oh, but it is Severus," Aries said as he rose to his feet. "It's all a game with each side of the triangle using a different strategy. But in the end, only one of us will remain. The question you have to ask is this: which side do you have the most to gain from? The Dark Lord who will kill your beloved should he win? Dumbledore, whose Greater Good and forgiving nature have cost more lives than necessary? Or perhaps my side? The unknown player who has yet to enter the game. They believe I am a pawn. But I can assure you, when the game has played out, they will all remember my name. I think that's enough of a reason to keep this our little secret, don't you? Just one of many you have kept all these years, Prince."
Bellatrix labored quietly through the use of the limited wand she had been given. She could cast the simplest of spells, and every day her magic returned to her. Aries had given her a pensieve, helping her to remove the worst of the memories that plagued her, reminding her of the atrocities that had been committed in her past. How could she have done such things? She remembered pledging herself to the Dark Lord, and then it was as if the very imagine twisted throughout the years of her memory. She remembered questioning things, but then accepting them, even as she now asked whether she had indeed allowed them. As a child, she had always been slightly cruel and much colder than others. But even then the actions that she would later commit disgusted her, especially against purebloods of all magical beings. Her views still lined up with what the Dark Lord and Aries, no Lord Black, believed, but she was nowhere near accepting of the methods her former master employed. Terrorism, genocide, and the destruction of the very fabric of the world she loved more than anything. Did she want change? Yes, but not the kind that would tear apart the world, leaving behind such destruction that it had compared to the atrocities of Grindelwald.
Thinking of the Dark Lord brought fresh anger into her mind. She remembered everything and all the evil things she had unknowingly endured for her former master. And the way her husband had allowed it all, the husband she had been forced to wed. She could feel her emotions boiling over, and suddenly the wand suddenly cracked in her hand, and a burst of magic was released throughout 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Bella!" Narcissa said with a fuss. "That's the third one this week! I can't keep writing Cassi to approve more of these. You need to control your emotions better."
"We both know I'm poor at that," Bella said with a short laugh. "It's not like I see much of our aunt to feel her wrath anyway."
"That's uncalled for, Bella." She rolled her eyes as she collected the remains of the wand under the careful watch of Lady Malfoy. "You know she's busy handling the Wizengamot, as well as Aries' other projects."
"Truthfully I'm surprised you know about them." There was a cold gleam in Bellatrix's eyes as she stared at her sister, but a knock at the door stopped anything from happening. She felt herself stiffen, a sliver of fear coursing through her body. "I thought no one from the Order would be here today? Sirius made sure of it."
"Sirius did that for a reason," Narcissa answered softly. She heard the door open, and then a few minutes later close. The sound of footsteps floated through the halls, but after years of fighting, Bella knew it to be more than one person, two if she was correct. At last, the door to the lounge opened, and she saw someone she thought she might never see again: Andromeda.
Her sister was much older than Bella remembered, but it had been over a decade since they had last seen one another. Even through the wars, they had never faced off against each other. But then a third woman came forth, with a startled look on her face. Pink hair slowly darkened to black, and the round face sharpened, almost mirroring the very face that Bella knew she wore.
"Bella?" Andromeda said hesitantly, unsure of what to do. There was tension, so much so that she half expected the five women to break into a fight. There was anger, for what the other had done. And yet there was an irresistible elation, to see one another in a different light. Bella could not fight herself as she rose to her feet and slowly walked towards Andromeda. They stood only a foot apart before they could bear it no longer and embraced. Tears fell down their faces, ignored by each other as they clung tightly to one another. Narcissa and Cassi looked away respectfully, allowing the two sisters their moment of emotion in peace.
"I'm so sorry, Andi," Bella gasped out. "For everything. For ever choosing anything of you and Cissy." Andi was quiet and pulled away from her sister, her back turned towards the other.
"I'm not sure I can ever forget what you did," Andi said shakily. "But if you truly have changed, then perhaps I can forgive."
"And the House of Black is whole once more," Cassiopeia stated with a small smile. "Andromeda, I believe you have an introduction to make." The brown-haired sister motioned for her daughter to come forward.
"Bellatrix, this is Nymphadora Tonks, my daughter."
"And a metamorphagus no less," Bella said in awe. "You truly are a Black."
"And now it is time for us to discuss what is to become of our House." Cassi gestured for each to sit and an awkward silence descended upon the women. "Aries is the Head of our House and the Lord of House Black. Yet he does not stand alone. He has us, Sirius, and Draco. Seven scions and one lord. Aries has plans for this House that far extend the reach of the Dark Lord and Dumbledore. He has brought this family together again; we must repay him with our hardest effort."
"I'm sorry Cassi, but is this wise?" Andromeda glanced sideways at Bella. "We are united, yes, but are we sure of everyone's loyalties?"
"Spit it out, Andi," The heat in Bella's voice was undeniable.
"I understand and accept Aries' explanation for who you became." She answered just as heatedly. "But you joined You-Know-Who long before he corrupted you. How do we know you won't rejoin him when Aries' plan doesn't agree with what you want? The way I see it, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain with going back to him."
"He took everything from me!" The scream that broke from Bellatrix was soul-wrenching, and glass shattered throughout the room. "I had three children. Three beautiful children. They would have been perfect. And he tore them away from me. He forced me to miscarry three separate times so that my loyalty would never be divided. And my disgusting monster of a husband never cared. So long as he still had his plaything every night. You think I want to go back to that bastard?" A dark, cruel gleam shined in Bellatrix's eyes. "No, I want to destroy everything he holds dear and take everything away from him like he did to me. I want to be there when Aries destroys him for good." Silence met her words, and tears ran anew from Andromeda and Dora. Cissy and Cassi kept their composure, having been there when Aries' had unlocked that part of her memory that her mind had forced deep down thanks to the compulsion charms from the Dark Lord. It had destroyed her inside, and any thought of the returning to her former master vanished. She had known that Aries had hoped for a spy within the Dark Lord's ranks, but now he had a weapon, one that would stop at nothing to get her vengeance.
Andromeda slowly reached out and took her sister's hand. "I'm so sorry, Bella. No one should have to bear what you did." She turned to look at Cissy after Bella had seemed to gain control of herself again. "And what of you? I know of your dissatisfaction with your husband's loyalties. But will you be loyal to Aries and this house of Lucius?"
"Lucius has. . ." Cissy began as she looked at her hands. "Lucius has chosen his side. I had hoped that with the fall of the Dark Lord that he would change. But he has not, and now with his master's return, he has become worse. Forcing his son to spy on his own nephew and pledging him to the Dark Lord before he's even seventeen. I see only one end for my family in Lucius' plan: death. Perhaps with the fall of the Dark Lord, Lucius will return to how he was before all this. I may be a Malfoy now, but I have always been a Black through and through."
"And you Nymphadora?" Cassi asked, turning at last to the youngest of the women. "Will you join the House of Black as well? Our plan will ask much of you, and it will require difficult tasks of you, considering your role in the Ministry and in the Order. Dumbledore is as much our enemy as the Dark Lord."
"I. . . I don't know." Dora answered honestly. "This is what I've always wanted. For me, for mum. But to fight the two greatest wizards of our time? Just our family? And is Dumbledore really that bad?"
"The Dark Lord and Dumbledore stand at two sides of the spectrum," Narcissa said, not too cruel. "One would kill any in his path, and the other would allow others to die for his Greater Good. How many could have been saved had Dumbledore acted as Aries does now? We move to create a better world, the culmination of all this struggle between two arrogant men. Aries will rise above them, and we, the women of our House, will stand beside him. We will guide him on the right path. We have seen the mistakes and triumphs of others. It is our duty to aid one with the power he wields."
"We are not asking you to break your moral guidelines, Dora." Cassi offered. "Only to do that which you can to help our family. Can you do that?"
Dora looked towards her mother; uncertainty written honestly upon her face. Andromeda simply smiled in return.
"It is your decision, my daughter, and one that should not be taken lightly." Her mother said lovingly. "But, for what it is worth, having suffered from both sides, I believe this to be the right one. For once, our family stands united, and together, we cannot fail."
"Then my decision is obvious, isn't it?" Dora smiled with determination. "For our family."
"For our family," Cassi repeated with a satisfied look on her face and leaned forward. "Each of us will have our roles to play. Soon the world will know the House of Black."