AN: The penultimate chapter of Part II. I'm not particularly good at fight scenes, but I think these will suffice. I hope you enjoy it, and if you don't whatever floats your boat y'all.
A flash of flame brought the Lord of Black to the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry of Magic. His customary robes were replaced by the familiar family armor he had worn long ago in the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the wand which had been at his side since he was seven was outstretched in his hand and yearned for its power to be unleashed. Still unnoticed as he carefully moved forward, he could see the fool-headed Hogwarts students he was here to rescue seemingly having an ambivalent conversation with Death Eaters.
"It's time you learned the difference between real and dreams, Potter," came the voice of Lucius Malfoy, whom Aries had recognized long before he had heard his words. "Now give me the prophecy or we start using wands."
"Go ahead, Lucius," Aries called out. "Can you not see? These children are ready to defy you even now." His eyes met Thomas and he reached out to connect their minds.
I have a plan! came Thomas' thought and Aries saw in his mind's eye the plan.
"Black," hissed one of the Death Eaters as he raised his wand, a green glow beginning to form.
Distract them, and I will get your friends to safety.
"This does not concern you, Aries," Lucius said with irritation.
How?
"As I told the Dark Lord," he replied. "Potter is under my protection."
Just watch.
"Your protection means nothing, Black," another Death Eater said. "The Dark Lord will take what he wants."
"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," Lucius resumed calmly, his focus on Thomas.
"If I hand this over, you'll just kill us anyway!" Aries felt the disappearance of Hades and along with it, one of the students, Lovegood if he remembered correctly.
"Accio prophecy!" Two shield charms, from Aries and Thomas, leapt forward to block the summoning charm.
"This is pointless, Lucius! Let's just kill the brats and take it!"
"I TOLD YOU NO!" roared Lucius. "Potter and Black are for the Dark Lord."
"Then perhaps we persuade them?" This time a ruthless voice came forward, one Aries recognized as Antonin Dolohov. "What about that little red head, eh? We could have some fun, love, and maybe after we're done torturing her, Potter will give up the Prophecy?"
"They're trying to escape!" A Death Eater shouted just as Hades flash flamed back into the hall too close to the front, his talons about to grab Ginny Weasley to transport her away sensing Aries' spike of worry. Shouts of the Killing Curse came quickly, and the streaks of green light came rushing toward the group. Time seemed to slow for Aries as he magically pushed the group into the aisles away from the curses, but the effort left him no time to move himself. He could distantly hear the angry shouts of Lucius as his armor basked in the green light, but before it could hit him, the Killing Curse collided with black flame. Hades exploded and ash fell into a large pile onto the ground. For a second, the Death Eaters seemed stunned, and Aries took the moment, reaching frantically into the pile until he found the small phoenix, and threw himself to the side to land next to Thomas.
"What the hell was that?!"
"Hades, my phoenix," Aries replied as he began to throw spells down at the Death Eaters while tucking Hades into his pocket, "And also my escape plan. He's not dead, just reborn. But he won't be able to flash flame anyone out of here."
"So, what do we do now?!" Hermione yelled. Aries leaned out and pointed his wand towards their enemy.
"Crepitus Solis!" A great flash of light exploded, blinding all in its path. "Follow me!" He paused only for a second, as the orb in front of him glowed interestingly, before he took off, the students of Hogwarts following quickly at his heels. They got to the end of row ninety-seven and took a quick right toward a door that was slightly ajar. He pushed into the room, wand at the ready as he scanned for more Death Eaters.
"Colloportus!" gasped Hermione and the door sealed shut.
"Why aren't we fighting them?!" Thomas asked angrily. "Why are we running?"
"Because our only way through the wards of the Ministry just took a killing curse for me, and despite all my skill, I cannot keep five bone-headed children alive by myself against twelve of the Dark Lord's most powerful servants!"
"Who are you-"
"You, Potter!" Aries yelled. "Why-"
"Quiet!" Hermione whispered aggressively. "Where are the others?!" It clicked in Aries' head that three of his bone-headed wards were now gone. "Wait, listen!" Footsteps stopped just outside the door and the voices carried to their ears.
"Leave him, leave him I say, the Dark Lord cares more for the prophecy than his injuries." Lucius commanded from behind the door. "We'll split into pairs and search, and don't forget be gentle with Potter until we have the prophecy. Kill the others if necessary."
"What about Black?"
"The Dark Lord wishes to deal with him, but kill him if he gets in your way. Rodolphus and Crouch, you take the left, Crabbe, Rabastan, go right, Jugson, Dolohov, the door straight ahead, Rookwood, over there, and Mulciber with me."
"What do we do?" whispered Thomas.
"We keep moving," Aries replied and quietly began to run down the hall away from the Death Eaters. His mind racing as he wondered where the other students went. Alone, he could potentially hold off the Death Eaters with some reckless spell craft, but not without risking injury to those he was here to protect.
"Stand aside," commanded a rough voice. "Alohomora!"
The door flew open just as Aries, Thomas, and Hermione reached the end of the room. The two younger students jumped underneath the desk, giving Aries the clearance he needed. He thrusted his wand forward and a torrent of flame erupted into the room. As it wasn't Fiend Fyre, it would be easy to dispel, but Aries only needed to create an opportunity.
"Run, Thomas!" Aries shouted as a sickly purple spell collided with the smaller of the two men, collapsing him instantly. The other stood tall and returned with a volley of his own spells. They collided with Aries' shield and a quick whip of his wand sent a wave of power ripping through the floor, throwing Dolohov hard against the wall with a sickening crunch. Aries turned and followed through where Thomas and Hermione had gone, throwing a locking spell at the door as he passed through.
He entered another room as the door on the far end blew open with a shout of Impedimenta, knocking Thomas and Hermione back onto the floor.
"WE'VE GOT HIM!" shouted the Death Eater victoriously, but he next words were cut short as Aries slashed his wand aggressively across his body, causing blood to splash against the far wall. The Death Eater collapsed, but Aries felt a sudden wave of incoming magic, he twisted to the side, not having enough time to throw up his own shield, as a streak of purple flame flew past him straight into Hermione.
Aries didn't wait to see if she was okay but instead turned back, throwing the same spell of purple flame back towards its original caster: Dolohov. His arm hung limply at his side and his mask was gone, but a sadistic grin covered his face as he side stepped the spell.
"Oh, the Dark Lord was right," Dolohov said with a laugh, "You are fun to play with it." The two wizards threw the same spell at the same time, the Killing Curse, and they collided with a bright flash of green light and then the room exploded with spell fire. Neither used shields, as they twisted and turned, dogging each other's deadly spell craft. A sudden crash at the door distracted them both for an instant, as another Death Eater came through with his head shrunken down to a baby, but as Aries turned back to Dolohov, the flash of a stunner struck his opponent. Thomas' wand pointed right at the Death Eater before he turned back to the motionless Hermione.
"What did he do to her?" Thomas asked frantically as Aries rushed to him, waving his wand for a diagnostic spell.
"She'll live," Aries reassured him, "But we have to get her out of here. I know the spell; she'll need potions from Severus." The sound of more footsteps came and Aries looked around for a solution. "We're almost to the exit. Take her and go. Get to the atrium, there are Floos there. Get her to back to Hogwarts."
"What? No!"
"Thomas, she will die if you don't. I'll get you there and then you get her to safety." Aries commanded, leaving no room for argument. He waited, as Thomas hefted Hermione's small frame over his shoulder, leaving his wand arm available. "Focus on defensive spells. If we get into a fight, I'll lead the offensive." Thomas gave a quick nod of agreement before they headed for the door. It shut behind them as the entered the circular room and the walls began to rotate. Aries focused hard, keeping his attention on the right door as the room slowed to a stop. But before they could head that way, three figures fell out of a door as it sprung open to their right.
"Ron!" Thomas gasped three surprised faces looked up at him. "Ginny, Neville, are you all-"
"Hey, Harry!" Ron said giggling weakly. "Or, I mean, Tom! Or. . . I mean. . ." Ron was rather pale, and blood dripped from the side of his mouth as he collapsed against Thomas.
"Ginny?" Thomas asked worriedly. "What happened?" It was Neville who responded, as Ginny slid down the wall to sit, shaking her head.
"I think her ankle is broke. They chased us through so many rooms. One of 'em grabbed Ginny and I hit him with a Reducto but. . ."
"What about Ron?" Aries listened carefully for the sound of more footsteps as he walked over to kneel in front of the younger Weasley. Her eyes were close and her breath ragged. He gently lifted her foot onto his knee, pulling her pant leg beg to expose her ankle. It was bruised a deep purple and swollen. He casted quick cooling charm to ice the area before conjuring a wrap to secure her ankle in place. He ignored the blush that had risen in Weasley's cheeks, despite the deadly situation.
"I don't know what they hit him with," Neville answered exasperatedly. "But he's been acting all. . . funny since."
"We have to get out of here," Aries interrupted. "Thomas carry Granger. Neville, get the passed out Weasley. Can you walk yourself, Weasley?"
"It's only my ankle!" Weasley tried to stand up, but immediately collapsed onto Aries' waiting arm.
"At least the useful Weasley isn't passed out," he grumbled. "Protect my side. Let's go." Aries supported Weasley as they walked as quickly as possible to the other side of the room, with Thomas and Neville moving slowly behind him. They had almost reached the other door when their bad luck continued.
"There they are!" shouted the voice of Barty Crouch Jr. Aries kept a firm grip on Weasley's arm as he spun them around, keeping her upright, and instinctively spells flew from their wands. Weasley's Reductor Curse crashed into the door frame just as Aries' blasting curse exploded the floor around the Death Eaters. It gave Thomas and Neville just enough time to escape before Aries unceremoniously threw the younger Weasley through the door and slammed it behind him.
"Seal the doors!" Aries shouted as he moved to follow his own instructions. It didn't take long for the Death Eaters to adapt as a door blasted open, throwing Neville back into a desk with a loud thud before he rolled to the ground unconscious. Aries grabbed Weasley by the arm, while throwing a stunning spell of his own at her brother who seemed to want to summon brains of all things, pulling her up to her feet so she could throw spells of her own. A blasting curse threw them apart and Aries watched as a stunning spell took her in the chest.
"Thomas, run!" Aries unleashed a wave of pure magical force towards the Death Eaters, knocking them all off their feet, before he followed Thomas, hoping the Death Eaters would ignore the unconscious students and follow them, not sure how he would feel about being right. As he ran through the door, he leapt at the last second, seeing that the floor gave out. He landed hard on his feet next to Thomas, who had obviously not noticed the drop. Whispers rang through the large circular room that seemed to originate from the stone archway that sat on a dais in the center.
"Aries, can you hear that?" whispered Thomas as he rose to his feet, but Aries did not answer.
"Oh, my son," came the voice of his mother that stilled him.
"Aries?" It was laughter, not Thomas' worried voice, that broke him out of the trance that had him transfixed upon the stone arch way. Death Eaters seemed to pour into the room from every door, surrounding them as the stood on the dais.
"Your race is run, Potter," drawled Lucius as he pulled off his mask. "Now hand me the prophecy!"
"I'll give you one last chance to leave Lucius," Aries offered as he raised his wand, ignoring the other's words. "This is the point of no return for you. Either go back to your family or throw your lot in with them."
"You're in no place to bargain, Black," Lucius counted, "You think we fear you, after you've spent all this time running?" Aries only flashed a smile, despite knowing the desperate situation of being outnumbered as they were.
"Before I had those whom I needed to protect. Those who could have been harmed. Now there's only us. Protego Diabolica!" He whipped his wand in a circle around his head as black flame erupted around the dais. Shouts of fear came from the Death Eaters struggling to push themselves away.
"What is that?!" Thomas shouted.
"A spell of Gellert Grindewald," answered Aries wearily, the power of the spell pulling on him, "And a last resort."
"How long can you hold that?"
"As long as I have to!" But Aries knew that the spell was not without limits. Unleashed without control, the spell could consume all as well as Fiend Fyre, but to keep Protego Diabolica within one's control required immense strength and concentration. It could not be held forever without consequence.
"You can't hide forever, Aries!" shouted Lucius as he cast as powerful shield charm around his fellow Death Eaters. "Sooner or later, you will have to give up!" A flick of his wand caused a great tendril of flame to strike at Lucius' shield. The older wizard looked about frantically before catching Crouch's and Dolohov's eyes. "Use Finite!"
"Finite Incantatem!" shouted ten voices at once as they pointed their wands at the dark flames. Years ago, five extraordinary witches and wizards used the General Counter-Spell to contain Grindewald's unleashed Protego Diabolica. Now, however, was a wizard more powerful than that dark lord, who still controlled the spell. Aries felt the wave of magic against his own and pushed back, unleashing his own power into the dark flames as they spread out toward the Death Eaters.
"Now!" Lucius commanded. "Avada Kedavra!" Three green spells erupted from the wands of Lucius, Crouch, and Dolohov. Aries frantically summoned the dark flames back to him, creating a wall of flame that exploded apart it absorbed the killing curses. The three Death Eaters rushed forward again, throwing spell after spell that crashed against Aries' newly erected shield that barely covered himself and Thomas. The latter was throwing spells of his own, but they weakened as they passed through Aries' dense shield, allowing the Death Eaters to easily deflect them.
Black and Potter, standing side by side, kept the high ground as they defended themselves from the approaching Death Eaters. The other seven seemed to have an understanding to stay back, that the three more powerful wizards of their group were to spear head this attack. Aries could feel himself being pushed back as the drain of using Protego Diabolica and continuously battling the Dark Lord's three most powerful servants with little to no help was beginning to fatigue him.
"It's over, Black!" Dolohov shouted triumphantly he shattered Aries' shield with an incredible blast of dark magic. "No one is coming to save you!"
"Says who?" The battle seemed to freeze as James Potter and Sirius Black jumped down from the door above to land on either side of him. He felt a slight flow of magic and his eyes found Andromeda as renewed energy filled his core. Members of the Order, led by Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt came from one door, while Cassiopeia, Nymphadora, Remus, Alice Longbottom, and Bellatrix Black came from another. For a moment, there was silence as Lucius Malfoy, Barty Crouch Junior and Antonin Dolohov and their Death Eaters stared down James Potter, Sirius Black, and Aries Black and their Orders before chaos and spell fire broke out.
Aries threw up a wide shield charm covering himself, James, and Sirius, as three powerful curses struck it. The two Aurors wasted no time throwing their own spells back while Aries covered their advanced. Thomas watched their backs as they pushed forward, the three Death Eaters no longer having the advantage as the six of them battled around the dais. Aries could feel Dolohov's aggressiveness as his spells continued to aim where he was shielding the two Aurors while occasionally throwing in his own spell. His eyes caught movement, as Bellatrix and Alive moved in to fight the Lestrange brothers.
The slight distraction was enough for Dolohov, who threw another incredibly strong blasting hex, just as he lowered his shield for his own volley of spells. It collided at his feet, throwing him back and splitting up their trio. James grabbed Thomas as he was thrown back, falling into a roll that soften their contact with the ground. Sirius was not so lucky as he was collided with the ground below the dias. He climbed to his feet quickly though and engaged Lucius and Crouch as James seemed to have a short shouting match with Thomas, pointing angrily at the doorway the Order had come from.
Aries had little time to observe anything else as Dolohov continued his advance, casting another wave of purple flame. He flicked it casually aside and sent a black colored spell which shattered the hasty shield that his opponent had erected. Dolohov pressured forcing them further away from James, Sirius, Lucius, and Crouch. His aggressiveness was not a surprise to Aries, but he could feel the desperation rolling off of the Death Eater now. He ducked under another killing curse before sending a cutting curse that ripped through Dolohov's shoulder. A blasting curse of his own followed, throwing Dolohov across the room.
"Avada Kedavra!" The shout was loud, carrying across the battle to Aries' ears and he turned just in time to see the bright flash of green light from Barty Crouch Junior's wand. Again, time seemed to slow for him, as he saw the intended target was no other than his uncle Sirius. His magic flowed long before his arm stretched out towards his uncle, and he pulled Sirius out of the path of the Killing Curse. The curse continued to fly and just as it passed through where Sirius had been, it barreled towards James.
There was a moment, a single moment no longer than the blink of an eye, in which Aries knew he could save the father of his would-be apprenctice. But in that moment, all of his plans and his hopes for molding Thomas to his will without the guidance of his narrow-viewed father came to the front of his mind, and he hesitated.
"DAD!" Thomas screamed as the flash of green streaking light collided into his father. It seemed to take an age for James to fall as the lifeless body curved in a graceful arc and fell through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.
Aries could see the mingled look of fear and surprise on James Potter's face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place. Thomas' screams echoed across the room, but Aries could pay them no mind as he reengaged Lucius so Sirius could rush to stop Thomas from nearly throwing himself into the archway after his fallen father.
"Another life lost because of your pride, Black!"
"And yours will follow, Malfoy," Aries returned venomously. "You've made your choice. Family or not, you will not stand in my way any longer!"
"Bombarda!" Lucius shouted with rage, slashing his wand with the incantation. Aries side stepped the spell, playing into his uncle's rage and throwing a bone-breaker that shattered his leg. He followed it up with a powerful stunner that blasted Lucius across the room. His eyes roamed around the room, before seeing the ajar door and noticing Potter's and Crouch's absence. The Death Eaters were quickly beginning to lose ground now Crouch had fled and Dolohov and Lucius were incapacitated. Noticing this, Aries left the battle to the others, choosing to chase after his would-be apprenctice.
"Crucio!" The tip of Thomas' wand flashed red and Crouch flew backward with a scream, but did not writhe in terror as the caster had no doubt intended. Instead, Crouch only seemed to laugh as he rose back to his knees.
"Never cast an Unforgivable, have ya, Potter?"
"Crucio." Aries calm voice cut through Thomas' focus as Crouch suddenly began to scream and writhe in pain. He let it last for only a few seconds, before releasing the spell. Crouch lay there, panting in pain as Aries came to stand beside Thomas. "You have to mean it, Thomas, with every fiber of your being. Let your anger feed your magic." Thomas slowly raised his wand, the end already beginning to glow red.
Screams erupted again from Barty Crouch and then pained laughter came once Thomas released the spell.
"Your Cruciatus is nothing, Potter," Crouch croaked out, "When compared to our Dark Lords, our masters."
"Remotio!" Intent drove Aries' spell and blood splattered as Crouch's tongue was ripped from his mouth. Anger flashed through Aries as he turned back to Thomas. "He killed your father. He laughed as James died. He deserves it!" He cleared his mind and let himself calm for a moment and then spoke quietly: "You know the spell. Two words and you can avenge your father here and now."
Thomas held his wand tightly, keeping it pointed at the now frantic and weeping Crouch. Deep, ragged breaths seemed to shake his entire body as he focused on nothing but his hatred for the man before him. Aries waited, knowing this was a moment in which everything could turn. His would-be apprentice could become his fully, and Thomas would be molded into a wizard that that could help Aries reshape the world to their will, as equals.
"I. . . I can't. . ." Thomas said, his wand slowly falling to his side. "I hate him. But I can't. . . It's not our way."
"Avada Kedavra!" Green light flashed from Aries' wand and Barty Crouch Junior died in a pile of his blood in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Thomas seemed to stare at the body before shocked eyes met the disappointed one of Aries'.
"You. . . You killed him."
"If you show mercy to your enemy, they will just take another life," Aries said sternly. "Today your father died, but now he cannot kill another father. Another mother, or son or daughter. Do not give your enemy a chance to strike again."
"He's right, Thomas," slithered a voice from the shadows. They turned, wands at the ready, and found themselves face to face with Lord Voldemort. "Mercy is a weakness." Lord Voldemort walked carefully, almost gliding towards them. "You have killed one of my most loyal servants, Lord Black. And here I thought we had an agreement?" Thomas head whipped so hard to look at Aries that his neck cracked, but Aries paid him no mind.
"He killed James Potter," Aries explained with no remorse. "I told you the Potters were under my protection. An eye for an eye seemed only right." He brandished his wand, settling into his Viper stance. "Stay back, Thomas, this is no longer your fight."
"Not his fight?" laughed Lord Voldemort, "But we are here in his honor. After all, it is he who brought us all here together in his folly. James Potter may have died, but Thomas here as managed to ruin my plans nonetheless. The prophecy is gone, but no matter. I will rid the world of the Potter line and then you and I, Aries, will have a discussion in regards to your place in this world."
"I told you before, Lord Voldemort, I do not share power." The two locked eyes, before Voldemort sneered.
"Avada Kedavra!" Aries flung Thomas towards cover wandlessly while rolling out of the way of the killing curse. He shot off a spell chain of a bone breaker, blood-boiler, and a killing curse of his own. The Dark Lord easily deflected the first two and simply side stepped the last, but Aries was ready. He flicked his wand at the water, summoning it, and bending it into a great serpent that rose to the ceiling. Lord Voldemort only laughed as he summoned a great serpent of his own made of Fiend Fyre.
The two dark lords focused their power into their elemental serpents before attacking as one. Fire and water clashed in the atrium as the serpents fought to strike but Aries would not trust in that alone. He kept control of his serpent wandlessly, moving to the side to allow him to begin casting spells towards Voldemort with his wand, but the Dark Lord would not be defeated so easily. They seemed to move uncannily similar, their spells colliding in the air as their serpents could find no opening for victory. Those spells that did not meet flew past their targets smashing into the atrium. The air seemed electric from the powerful magic that emanated from the wizards.
"Enough!" The Dark Lord shouted as he pushed a sudden surge of power through his Fiend Fyre serpent. It struck out, blasting itself through Aries' water serpent and moved to strike at him. Aries slashed upward, causing a wave of razor-sharp air to slash through and decapitate the fire serpent. He followed it up with three blasting hexes towards the Dark Lord, who was forced to throw up a shield charm. Without Lord Voldemort's control, the Fiend Fyre began to grow wild, but Aries wrestled it into his control and quickly dispelled the flames.
Voldemort lowered his shield and eyed Aries, as if reevaluating him. The Dark Lord cocked his head to the side before he began his attack again.
This time, there was not a back and forth of spells, as Voldemort pushed for an advantage. Aries once again felt the drain of the night's battle. Dueling with Dolohov, the Protego Diabolica, the elemental magic, and now his duel with Lord Voldemort. He was fatigued, while the Dark Lord was fresh. Still, Aries knew he matched the Dark Lord in power and magic, so he continued to fight back, but every time he tried to go on the offensive, he was thrown back. An onslaught of spell fire came at Aries, forcing him to shield, deflect, or simply dodge the spells as he was pushed back from the atrium towards the now empty fountain. A cruel smiling was creeping its way onto Lord Voldemort's face and with every spell that crashed against Aries' weakening shield, it grew larger. A cutting curse slipped past his defenses, grazing his cheek and leaving a long but thin cut. Aries felt his magic pull, quickly closing the shallow wound.
Suddenly, Lord Voldemort stopped sending spells, but continued his advance purposefully. Aries took the opening and began to unleash spell fire of his own. Despite the lack of onslaught from his opponent, his spells were slower and weaker than normal, allowing the Dark Lord to easily deflect each spell until a cutting curse of his own came. Voldemort, from what Aries saw, seemed to step into the spell, allowing it to graze his bare forearm. Within seconds, however, it magically healed in an almost similar manner to how Aries' cut had just minutes before. A disarming spell sent Aries' wand flying away from him while another spell caught him right in the chest, sending him back against the fountain wall. As he lay there, panting from exhaustion and as pain wracked his body, Aries came to one sickening conclusion: the Dark Lord had never been taking the duel seriously.
"We are not so different after all, Aries Black," the Dark Lord said softly. "We seek power. We have performed rituals to increase our power and pushed our magic beyond the likes of any ordinary wizard. We gather like-minded members of our society to help us achieve our goals. Just think of what we could accomplish together.'
"Long have I pondered your purpose, your existence, in this pattern of time. The Heir of Slytherin, yet not a child of mine. But magic is sentient and with purpose, constantly trying to correct the imbalances that we cause in the world. And so magic has brought you to me. A boy without a father, and a lord without a son. An imbalance corrected. You are my heir, Aries. Join me and let us rule this world together."
"NO!" Thomas shouted, rising from his cover, and throwing spells toward the Dark Lord. Each was deflected with ease and Voldemort sent the younger boy flying back into the walls of the atrium with a painful crunch. Aries paid it no mind, lost as he was in his own disbelief.
For years now, he had prepared for this moment, the time to prove his worth. And yet, in that moment, coming face to face with Lord Voldemort himself, his power and training had amounted to nothing. He was meant to be a dark lord himself, meant to destroy all that stood in his path and create a new world order in the ashes of Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort. But here and now, he had two choices: death or servitude.
He had never taken Lord Voldemort's offers of service seriously for more than a moment or two, a slight consideration of all the Dark Lord had could offer. But that decision had been weighed against his own understanding that he was an equal to Voldemort, or at least capable of defeating him. Now, he had a truer understanding of the Dark Lord's skill and power. A year ago, in the graveyard, Aries had held his own due to his own skill and power, but it was now obvious that the Dark Lord had been a shadow of his former self, still recovering from a old and dark ritual that restored his body. And it was even more obvious in the year past that Voldemort had not been idle in his own pursuit of power. Lord Voldemort stood atop the mountain while Aries was at its base staring up at him.
"You will have your chance in the spotlight soon, Potter," Lord Voldemort drawled as his eyes lazily came back to land on Aries, who looked up at the Dark Lord with disbelief. "But I will have my heir stand beside me as I destroy you."
"You will have neither." For the first time in his life, the words of Albus Dumbledore brought relief to Aries Black. Lord Voldemort sneered again as his red eyes lifted to focus on the Headmaster, his wand still dangerously pointed at Aries' heart. "It was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom. The Aurors are on their way."
"By which time I will be gone, and you will be dead," Voldemort raised his wand from Aries and sent a killing curse towards Dumbledore, who side stepped the spell with a graceful movement. "Why do you not retaliate? Do you not seek to kill me? Are you above such brutality?"
"We both know there are many ways of destroying a man Tom," Albus said calmly before he waved his wand intricately towards Aries and for the second time that night, he felt his energy restored. Except this time, it seemed as if an infinite amount of foreign, no, elder magic fueled his core. Wandlessly he summoned his wand back as he rose to his feet.
"There is nothing worse than death!"
The three of them stood apart, points of a triangle of magic each trying to stand taller than the others. They were the stages of power, each representing the quest of all wizards: Albus Dumbledore, the greatest of all; Lord Voldemort, a wizard in his prime seeking to overthrow the one above him; and Aries Black, the successor to both awaiting his moment of triumph. And yet, in that moment they were equals awaiting the deciding variable for how the battle would end.
"You find yourself in a poor position, Dumbledore," Voldemort sneered as his eyes fell on Aries, standing uncertainly as his eyes flickered between the two wizards. "Tonight, my heir joins me at last, and together we shall see you fall."
"You overestimate your appeal, Tom" Albus replied. "The future of the House of Black is still to be decided."
"Soon you will see, you and Potter will die at my hand."
"No," Aries said softly, his eyes going to the Elder Wand in Dumbledore's hand before coming to rest on the Dark Lord, the elder power coursing through his veins. He sidestepped until he came to stand next to Albus Dumbledore. "This is not your hour."
Voldemort let out an angry growl as he raised his wand to attack.
"So, my heir needs one last lesson?" the Dark Lord said with a sadistic laugh. "I will bend you to my will."
Aries struck first, hoping to push the advantage that he was sure to have now that Dumbledore, and more importantly the Elder Wand, had joined him. Dumbledore followed suit, casting a wave of thick magic that forced Voldemort to conjure a shield. It left no physical damage but caused a loud gong-like sound to reverberate throughout the atrium. Powerful, dark magic flew from Aries wand that crashed into the Dark Lord's shields, as Dumbledore began to summon the water that covered the floor and manipulate it around him. Voldemort let out a yell, lowering his shield and sending out a wave of magic that threatened to knock Aries off his feet. The eldest wizard wasted no time, forcing the water to surround Voldemort like a cocoon of molten glass. For a moment, all that could be seen was a shadowed figure that was sure to suffocate from the pressure of the water sphere.
Aries felt it before he saw it, a split-second reaction that allowed him to step in front of Dumbledore and deflect the sudden curse that Voldemort had thrown, though it was enough of a distraction for the Dark Lord to counter the water sphere and fall to the ground. He landed on his feet and threw forth a torrent of dark, magical power. Aries ducked just as Dumbledore threw up a shield of his own. Voldemort's spell crashed into Dumbledore's shield, shooting off to the left and right, ripping apart of the walls of the atrium it came into contact with. Aries slashed across his body, sending another wave of razor-like air that the Dark Lord simply absorbed into a ball of energy that, for a moment, he struggled to contain. Then, with a high-pitched scream mixed with laughter, released as a wave of energy. Glass all around them shattered as Aries and Dumbledore were thrown back. The yew wand slashed upward, causing the glass to rise in the air, sharp edges pointing right at them. Another flick sent them flying through the air, thousands of deadly points ready to pierce them. The two wizards moved as one, conjuring a thick line of greyish magic that caused the glass to transform to sand as it passed through.
Voldemort eyed them both with an angry glare, studying them for a moment before his eyes landed on Thomas. An evil grin formed on his face and then at once disappeared. Thomas made to move, no doubt believing that Voldemort had chosen to flee.
"Stay where you are, Thomas!" Aries yelled frantically. Thomas looked at him in confusion, no doubt wondering why now of all times, he seemed to sound. . . frightened. Then, Thomas screamed. He writhed on the floor in pain, his eyes clinched shut, but when he did open them, a red tint had fallen over them.
"Kill me now, Dumbledore," Thomas spoke, but it was the Dark Lord's voice that came. "If death means nothing, then kill the boy. . ." For a moment, Dumbledore seemed to hesitate, and anger flowed through Aries. He reached out with his mind and touched Thomas'. Pain, unbelievable pain threatened to overwhelm him for a moment. But then, he heard Thomas' voice.
Let the pain stop, thought Thomas. End it, Dumbledore. . . Death is nothing compared to this. . . I could see my father again. . .
"Thomas listen to me," pleaded Aries, "You are the last of the Potter line. A line that has endured the darkness for generations. Your father knew who you were and spent his entire life preparing you. Think of your father, Thomas, and fight back."
Aries took a deep breath and plunged into the depths of Thomas' mind. He was no longer in the Ministry of Magi, but within a prison where Thomas was locked tight in the coils of a red-eyed creature. He wasted no time and thrust his mindscape in a spear headed attack on the creature. A collision, an explosion, or some sort of dynamic event had been what Aries expected, but instead the Dark Lord's mind and his seemed to fuse. Memories flashed before his eyes that he had seen before, long ago, in nightmares past, until a wave of emotion from Thomas ripped them apart, throwing Aries from his mind.
A moment passed and nothing changed, then slowly Thomas began to still. Aries looked up to find Voldemort standing before him, his wand pointed right at Aries' heart, eyes wide and frantic.
"What are you?" whispered the Dark Lord, confusion shown brightly in his blood red eyes. "Who are you?"
A wave of gasps grabbed Lord Voldemort's attention, and together their heads turned to find the Minister of Magic, along with the heads of the Auror Department, the DMLE, and their subordinates staring in disbelief.
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?!"
Lord Voldemort glared at the group, before looking down at Aries once more.
"You will know where to find me." An almost silent pop and the Dark Lord was gone.
AN: Hold in your angry reviews, because I'm about to give out a few notes here which should stow the torches and pitchforks. If these still have you ready to burn me at the stake for some perceived slight and/or not understanding of the story I'm trying to write then hopefully the next chapter will have the answers you seek.
1. Many of you have commented that Aries is OP. Well he is, and believe it or not as the writer I'm very well aware how he is portrayed, just as I'm aware he's a bit of hypocrite (plot twist, it's part of the plot). Almost the entirety of this story has been from Aries' perspective. Have you ever had something that you thought you were just the absolute best in, then went to the big leagues and realized you weren't all that great? Exactly. Aries has wiped the floor with most of his competition, but now has his first good run in with the top DEs and with a fully restored Lord Voldemort. It's not students in the tournament anymore. He may have defeated Dolohov, but they don't call Voldemort the most powerful Dark Lord for nothing. Aries has led every moment in the belief that he is greater than or at least equal to the Dark Lord, to know find out he's not exactly as strong as he thought. How will that affect his plans and his overall mindset? That's the question we hope to find out in the next chapter.
2. One thing I have always had in my head is a bit of a power rankings, but literally for this scene alone I didn't want to ever actually mention it(I may post it eventually), but it's how I've based most of our characters actions. Lord Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore, and Aries Black make up the Big Three (obviously) when it comes to present day magic, all having surpassed the power level of Gellert Grindewald with even their followers eclipsing the followers of Grindewald. With the exception of the argument that in breeding has weakened magic, I go by the idea that magic continues to grow stronger with every passing generation. So it stands to reason that the one or two generational talents that spring up would surpass their predecessors. Therefore Gellert is less powerful than Dumbledore (ignoring the Elder Wand) who is less powerful Voldemort who is less powerful than Aries, *potentially once he peaks in power*. I would use the same argument for our Death Eaters. Lots of fics pass them off as jokes or weak. I disagree. Maybe the mindless mass of DEs, but Voldemort's Inner Circle are made up of some the most powerful witches and wizards alive. Malfoy, Crouch, and Dolohov, even Bellatrix if she were still a DE, would and could be Dark Lords/Ladies in their own right, if not for the likes of Lord Voldemort and Aries. Hence, why Dolohov vs Black isn't just swept to the side. Aries does win, but its not effortless.
3. I know I've seen it commented a few times, so a few things about the Ancient Ones. First, no, they were not just made up because Aries is OP. They've always been a part of the plan meant to come in at the exact time I brought them in. Second, they are NOT zombies. The reference was that in nearly every zombie movie, the never say the word 'zombie,' but it's pretty obvious to everyone watching the movie that it contains zombies. The point is that there are enough hints throughout the series to know what the Ancient Ones are, but we are never going to say the word that describes exactly what they are.
4. One last chapter of Part II, Consequences of Secrets Kept, and then we're on to Part III!