Disclaimer:- This is a work of fan fiction based on the Harry Potter Universe. All recognizable characters, plots, and settings are the exclusive property of Joanne Kathleen Rowling.
I make no claims to ownership nor am I making any profit. Some sections of this chapter are taken from the books.
Type:- Self-Insert OC Fanfic
Pairings- Not decided yet.
Author's Notes-I'll be taking a lot of liberty with some of the canon knowledge of events and certain facts have been liberally changed to better facilitate the plot of the story.
Special thanks to Calamity, AJAvenger01, and Madness Immortality Magic for being the beta for this chapter.
Also, special thanks to 1Valor1 for his considerate help.
Sortes Qui Facit
by
Ares Alexander Potter
Year1: Rising Powers and Immortality Stones
Chapter2: Rebirth and Plannings
St Wool's Orphanage
London
18th of July
Circa 1991
Being reborn in someone else's body was an experience of a lifetime, no pun intended. Ares realized that being reborn as a child had its merits, yet he couldn't figure out where he was. The room was dimly lit with several bunk beds. He realized that he was at the dreaded orphanage.
Pursuing through the memories of the other Ares Potter in his head, it was quite clear that he was neither well-liked nor had any friends in the orphanage. His childhood was terrible due to being an orphan.
Standing up and walking to the loo, he hastily washed his face in the mirror. His appearance was almost identical to what he used to be. With black hair slightly messier than he had in his previous life, he had high cheekbones and pale skin, indicating a limited exposure to the sun. However, his eyes were the most striking feature: pure black irises standing out against the bright whites. While his own eyes only used to be the darkest brown humanly possible, his current eyes were unnervingly black, just like Death's eyes.
"You have been marked by my presence," He remembered her exact words. Words that he could see were undoubtedly true, just by looking in the mirror..
The date was 18th July and if Ares was not wrong, his Hogwarts letter would be arriving soon. The thought sent a shiver of excitement and anticipation down his spine. While a normal school would've very little to offer him, magic was something he was excited to learn and master. Plus, he had to think all about what he could do to be something this time around.
He knew that he was brilliant enough to pull off whatever he wanted to do, provided he had enough resources.
SCREECH. Nudging his thoughts aside, he opened the window. An owl soared into the currently empty room and settled on the end of the neighbouring bed.
Promptly removing the letter from the owl's rather sharp-looking talons, he poured some water in the empty cup and gave it to the owl, who began to lap it up he sat down to open the envelope.
Mr. Ares Alexander Potter,
St Wool's Orphanage,
Charlie's Lane,
Bloomsbury,
London
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)
UNIFORM FIRST YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:
Three sets of plain work robes (black)
One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
SET BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Books of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
You will find all the books and equipment in Diagon Alley
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
Ares deliberated whether he should ask a professor to show him around Diagon Alley. However, unlike his brother, he had no way to know about the magical street and its peculiar method of entry.. it would raise a lot of unexpected questions that he would not be able to answer.
Speaking of his brother, he had to somehow meet him and make sure that the Dursleys were treating him well enough. While Ares was a stranger to him, not to mention a lot older mentally, Harry was his brother and thus he was family.
"Blood is just an excuse to love people before we even know them."
Dear Professor McGonagall,
I presume that the owl will deliver the letter to you. I agree to attend Hogwarts but I don't have any money nor any knowledge on where to purchase these school supplies since I doubt that they would be sold at regular stores. I would appreciate it if you could send me the instructions to access the place where I can purchase the needed items. I doubt that they are sold at normal stores.
Furthermore, can you tell me how to access the required money and if Hogwarts has an orphan fund for students like me? I will be grateful for your assistance.
Thanking You,
Yours sincerely,
Ares Alexander Potter.
Finishing the letter, Ares noted that his penmanship was barely legible. He knew he would have to change that. It wouldn't do him any good to know all the correct answers, only to get low marks due to professors not being able to read them. He tied the letter to the owl, and carefully petted the brown creature on its head.
"Can you take it to Professor McGonagall?," he asked owl hooted as if offended by his lack of faith in it. With a loud screech and a few flaps of its broad wings, it quickly flew out.
Formulating all the knowledge he had in his mind regarding the canon books, he supposed he had to be very careful with regards to the timeline. While he knew quite a lot about what could happen, his presence alone would modify a lot of things. He had to be careful in what he changed. It wouldn't do him any good if he altered everything.
Deciding that he better make a list of his temporary goals lest he forgets something, he formulated a quick mental plan.
Receive Gringotts key from Professor McGonagall
Buy a wand and purchase school supplies.
Get a makeover to not look like James Potter reincarnate
Find a place to live instead of this filthy orphanage
Get books on the Mind Arts
Check if I'm a parselmouth.
Start an information network or become a part of an essential one.
Research Horcruxes: how to remove the one in Harry and various ways to destroy them besides Fiendfyre and Basilisk venom.
Check Knockturn Alley for the above and make sure not to get caught.
Albus Dumbledore would also prove to be quite a thorn in his path. No doubt he would know soon about his placement. It wouldn't be far-fetched for the old man to consider him another Tom Riddle, especially with the way he would be acting. He was extremely gifted in Legilimency it seemed, contemplating through the memories of his counterpart. He'd have to put special focus on that branch of magic. There were already three of the most accomplished practitioners of the mind arts at Hogwarts and a glance would be all it would take to warn both the Light and the Dark Lord.
Yes, the Mind Arts would have to take precedence over all his current studies.
However, for now, he was in alarming need of a shower. McGonagall's response would probably arrive tomorrow. He hoped that the deputy headmistress would try to send her response as soon as possible: time was of the essence and he did not want to fuck up.
The Next Day
Ares was lucky that the room he shared in the orphanage was empty. His remaining two occupants had been adopted and he being 'the freak' had been left here instead. The owl that entered the room this time couldn't have arrived at a better time. The little furball, grey this time, had crash-landed into his bed, making a mess of feathers and dust, dropping his letter at the edge of the window. Luckily, he had been quick enough to pick it up before it dropped outside.
Ignoring the blasted owl and quickly reading the letter, he noticed several other packets were attached to it along with a golden key.
Dear Mr. Potter,
The following pamphlet included with the letter has all the information regarding the wizarding world. I was glad to receive your letter and to find you in the best of spirits. Your parents were exceptionally brilliant and talented students and I do hope you will make them proud.
I have attached your Gringotts key. Show it to the Gringotts Bank and they'll be able to assist you. I do hope that you will use the money wisely, as it will be your vault until you turn 17. I would have personally assisted you but I'm afraid my schedule demands my utmost attention.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress.
The pamphlets were quite descriptive and had several other details about the general laws and other noteworthy things in the Wizarding World. Drawing out a faded blue t-shirt and a slightly ripped pair of jeans, Ares proceeded to dress and collect all the money he had collected *cough* stolen *cough* from various sources. Stepping down the stairs and silently tiptoeing along the hall, it was a relief to find the path leading to the gate clear of people. Quickly running until he reached the orphanage's main gate, he exited onto the main street. If he remembered correctly, the Leaky Cauldron was just a cab away from his current location. Calling a cab, he reached there in a record time of fifteen minutes. Vowing to himself not to ever sit in a cab again due to the recklessness of the driver, he turned the corner and got his first sight of the Leaky Cauldron.
It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub; he wouldn't have noticed its existence had the pamphlets not specifically told him. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the recording studio on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. He quickly entered the little pub.
For such a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old men were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a weird-looking skirt..?(he questioned himself) was talking to the smoking man, who was laughing his ass off. He was highly disturbed by that scene, for some reason.
He quickly approached Tom the bartender.
"Excuse me, sir, can you please tell me how to reach Diagon Alley?" he asked.
"Muggleborn?" the old man asked kindly.
"Yes, sir," Ares replied to him shyly. It was amusing to play as a kid.
Tom laughed. "None of that, just call me Tom. Come on, let me show you how to get through," he said, moving through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a rubbish bin and a few weeds growing on it's brick walls.
"Three up...two across…" Tom explained. "Remember that, my boy,"
He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough for even a truck to pass through, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.
"Welcome," said Tom grandly, "to Diagon Alley. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me."
After explaining, Tom left, but not before informing him not to wander into Knockturn Alley. Pity, but he had many plans that would start just from the Diagon Alley.
His first look at the alley was memorable. Reading about it was nothing compared to the actual thing.
While he wanted to have a proper look at the array of shops lining the side of the street, now was not the time. Gringotts was visible, even from where he stood, towering over everything else in sight.
'Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible! ' said a sign hanging over a storefront. The shop was run by a portly looking man who could pass as a rather big basketball. A greasy looking old man outside the apothecary was shaking his head as he passed, muttering about stupid prices and inferior quality ingredients.
A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy.
Another shop named Baron's Beasthouse was beside it and had rare-looking birds and animals in it. He decided to check it out later on.
The shop across the road was selling Broomsticks. There were many Hogwarts aged children gathered outside, discussing "Nimbus Two Thousand — the fastest ever broomstick!"
There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon.
Ah! There was the entrance to the Knockturn alley. Ares memorized its location, hoping to pay a visit there soon.
Moving on, he reached the front gates of Gringotts. The snowy white building was towering over the other shops like a skyscraper. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was a pair of Goblin guards. They were about a head shorter than him, with swarthy, clever faces, pointed beards, and slender fingers.
They bowed to Ares as he walked. He bowed back and internally smirked as they looked at him with clear surprise on their faces. He internally thought that only a fool would antagonize the people who were responsible for the entirety of Wizarding Britain's wealth.
Now he was facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with the clever poem he knew Harry would be reading in a matter of days.
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
Another pair of goblins bowed at him through the silver doors and after bowing back and receiving an astonishing look once again, he entered into a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, and examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were coming and going through them along with various wizards and witches. None of them looked pleased to be in the company of the other.
Spotting a free teller, Ares approached him. He knew he had to make a good impression on the goblins. These little buggers could make a lot of his plans much easier and all he had to do was be polite, patient, and respectful.
"Excuse me, Mr. Teller,"
"Yes?" the burly-looking goblin drawled on while raising a single eyebrow. He looked bored, but his eyes had a gleam of interest in them.
Sliding the Golden key, "I want to withdraw some mon-"
"Mister? Don't call them Mister you, foolish child. You're a Mudblood considering your filthy Muggle ways. It's not as if it's unexpected. Foolish Mudbloods! Soiling our prestige and noble society," someone yelled, grabbing Ares out of nowhere and shaking his shoulders. In his early forties, the man looked drunk and enraged with the goblins for some reason. He had clearly eavesdropped on their conversation and was glaring at Ares with disdain.
All the goblins halted their work to scowl at the man with anger. The teller looked as if his head would burst with anger. It was apparent that it would not bode well for the man.
Everyone in the bank waited with bated breaths.
"Unhand me. Now." The man flinched. He didn't expect such a cold response from a child.
"You call me a Mudblood when you just barged in a conversation, tried to physically attack me like a plebian Muggle, and tried to insult Mr. Teller here. Your reputation as a Pureblood is in question, considering your rather lack of abilities in decorum and civility." I replied, pissed off. My mother was a muggleborn and I didn't appreciate that man insulting someone who birthed me and sacrificed her life for me. Looks like I did have the imprint of the other Ares in me.
"YOU DARE CALL ME, ARCHIBALD ROSIER, A MUDBLOOD? I have more gold than your entire filthy line has ever dreamt of!" the man was visibly shaking with anger and his voice was ringing in the hallowed halls of Gringotts. The man was turning a lovely shade of puce and it was quite concerning with regards to his blood pressure.
Human or goblin, everyone's expressions were rather funny, and had Ares turned to look at their faces, he would've laughed until he cried. "Then Mr. Rosier, you should better take care of that money," Ares articulated each word as if explaining to a rather dimwitted child. "Insulting those who control it isn't the smartest thing to do. But then again, you're not the sharpest tool in the shed, now are you, Mr. Rosier?"
If the man was furious before, he was livid now. He flicked his wrist and a wand shot into his outstretched hand. Luckily for Ares, or perhaps Mr. Rosier, a battalion guard of goblins had arrived as soon as he had produced the wand and escorted *cough* dragged *cough* the man across the bank. He went all the way kicking and screaming, shouting profanities at everyone.
After the fiasco, everyone was soon back to their business while shooting obvious glances towards him. While he didn't anticipate that the fool would try to curse him, he'd have to watch his back for a few days.
The Teller resumed his seat and gestured to him to speak again, though Ares could see he was now paying more attention than before.
"I wish to withdraw some money from my account, Mr. Teller." He handed the goblin his key.
The teller gestured again, and another goblin arrived to escort him. The ride was both exhilarating and nauseating at the same time. Soon the cart slowed down.
"Vault 687, Potter Trust Vault," the goblin announced while opening the door with the key.
The vault was filled with mounds of gold coins, columns of silver, heaps of little bronze Knuts. A Muggle would've fainted looking at the vast quantity of gold.
"What's the conversion rate to pounds?"
"The gold ones are Galleons," the goblin explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle."
"And how much do I currently have?"
"You have twenty thousand galleons overall. The vault is topped up with two thousand galleons from the Potter family vault on the 31st of July every year. However, you are only allowed to withdraw half of it and the other half can only be withdrawn by one Harry James Potter."
"Is there a way to withdraw money without visiting the bank..?" I questioned the goblin.
"Yes, we offer a Gringotts card which is accepted at all stores in Diagon Alley."
"For a price?"
"Of course," Ares was sure the goblin smirked.
"Then I'll have the Gringotts Card along with three thousand galleons," the goblin nodded, "And take five galleons for your time and assistance."
Ares should've gotten used to making goblins surprised. However, their faces were too funny to pass in his opinion.
He was outside of Gringotts. Guess the goblins were greedy for gold. Anyways, he was sure the goblin would be singing his praises considering the way he was practically bouncing off while helping him. It would ensure that he had allies and he had already gained some ground. However, Ares would be sure to make some more polite visits to establish better relations with them.
He quickly made his way towards the bright-looking building emblazoned Tristan Trunks.
A bell rang as soon as he entered the shop. The owner, a young woman in her early thirties soon arrived at the counter through a door in the back wall.
"Greetings! Ms. Tristan, I would like to buy a trunk, but I don't know what to purchase. Could you tell me what can you offer? Price is not an issue for me," Ares greeted the women charmingly.
The women practically cooed when being told that price was not an issue. She quickly started showing all the enchantments that were possible. While a custom trunk was quite expensive, he knew he had no place to live and probably wouldn't until the fourth year, after Sirius would be free. While he could free him out of prison, he would lose his element of surprise. Better he spent more time in Azkaban, which would ensure his continued survival.
He quickly decided on a four-compartment trunk. The first compartment was for general clothing. The second compartment was a revolving bookshelf with unlimited storage and a sorting system of its own. He could store all his school supplies like cauldrons and telescopes in his third compartment, which also had a dedicated slot to store food items and potion ingredients.
However, the fourth compartment was what he was after. It was an expanded room or a small one-bedroom apartment with all the facilities of a real one. The enchantress - being a Muggleborn witch - had added all the Muggle equipment ideas with the help of dedicated runes.
It also had a blood-based protection system along with password protection on all the compartments. He wanted the best security measures since he might be housing a lot of questionable materials in his trunk. While it was quite expensive at around twenty-two hundred galleons, Ares knew it was worth the price, as he could even live in it.
The witch requested three hours, since she had to add the enchantments and customize them according to the requirements.
The next stop was Ollivander's. Something that he both yearned for and dreaded.
The shop was both narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.
Ares calmed himself down and entered the shop. An old man was standing before him, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.
"Greetings! Mr. Ollivander, I presume." The man kept looking at him. It looked as if he was staring right through my soul.
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon, Ares Potter. " It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's mind, it appears. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Good wand for charm work." Mr. Ollivander moved closer towards him. Those silvery eyes were unblinking. "Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power, and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."
"Of course," Ares retorted, a little sarcasm in his voice.
Ollivander completely ignored the reply and went back only to bring back boxes of wands.
Wand after wand failed and Ares was visibly frustrated. It was like his magic was too powerful for the wands to handle Boxes and boxes of stacked wands and yet no one suited him. A couple even exploded.
Ollivander looked as if Christmas had come early. He brought out a box with golden trimmings. The wand was pale white, with a serrated design that looked more like the teeth of a predator. The handle was just the right size to fit in Ares' palm and he could practically feel the wand calling out to him.
As soon as he picked the wand, a fireball erupted from the wand only to burn the side of the wooden wall of the shop. He could feel his magic ringing and burning in his blood, running through every vein in his body. He felt powerful: he knew could fight a hundred people or destroy an entire mountain. Nothing could stop him. Nothing would stop him.
As the rush faded, he glanced at the destroyed shop. With a careless wave of the new wand, the shop was back to normal.
"I have rarely seen such strong bonding of a wand Mr. Potter," replied Ollivander after a moment's pause. "Though it is curious, very curious indeed."
"What is it made of?" A pause. "What makes it so curious?"
"Nundu Heartstring is not a core that every wizard can handle. It requires respect for the power it provides and an unparalleled ability to wield it without hesitation.
"The wand of yew is reputed to endow its possessor with the power of life and death. The wood in your hand was harvested from a tree which gave only three pieces. It's curious that you got that piece of wood when its sister gave your brother the scar on his forehead."
"Voldemort," Ares verified.
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. Terrible, yet great. Your wand is one of the most powerful I've ever made. Very few wands have so much ability to channel power. Use it well Mr. Potter. I believe we can expect great things from both you and your twin brother. "
"13 and quarters, Yew with Nundu Heartstring as the core. I never expected to sell this wand. It would cost you seven galleons." Ollivanders said.
"I would also like a way to carry my wand, along with a book on wandlore if you have any," Ares requested.
After the purchase, he left the shop with a wand on his right wrist and twenty-seven galleons less.
Since it was early, Madam Malkin's shop was empty. Twenty minutes later and Ares was wearing new and expensive-looking robes and had an entirely new wardrobe shrunken into his pocket. Outer appearances mattered a lot and it would be foolish to compromise on that front. While Acromantula Silk was expensive, he had to look the part of an influential young heir.
Purchasing all the necessary potion and astronomy supplies and writing materials of different styles took another hour. The bookstore, however, was one of the last stores he wanted to visit. Not because he didn't want to, but because he knew he would probably spend days in there if he was left unchecked.
Ares had to admit that the bookstore was quite appealing to his knowledge-seeking side. If anyone saw how he looked at the books, they would've considered him a Ravenclaw for sure.
He decided to splurge a little and buy all the books he could.
Hogwarts: A History; Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts; Magical Theory Compendium; Magical Laws, Customs and Traditions; Nature's Nobility, A Wizarding Genealogy along with the coursebook for the entire seven years of Hogwarts.
While he couldn't read all of them entirely yet, he would try to finish as many as possible. He could always come for more whenever he needed something specific.
The clerk, a girl barely fifteen, Muggleborn by her clothes, was adding more and more books to his basket after Ares asked for some books to add to his collection. According to her constant chattering, she was a Hogwarts student working here to earn some gold as well as to enjoy as many books as possible.
Ares snorted. He would bet his wand she was a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts.
"I didn't get your name, Miss...?" I asked her.
"Penelope, Penelope Clearwater," she answered, giving her hand in what seemed to be a handshake. He knew immediately he had to charm her. It was clear she was not well-liked by many people and was clearly thinking that he would say something rude to her about her enthusiasm. Plus he recognized her name. She was Percy Weasley's secret girlfriend and would be getting petrified by the basilisk in the next year provided he didn't change a lot of things.
Capitalizing on the opportunity, he planted a kiss on the back of her hand. He did ensure that he appeared as a kid and not some creepy little boy. It would complicate things.
"It was a pleasure to make an acquaintance of such a beautiful lady as yourself Penelope. You were very helpful. I'll make sure to visit you again. I'm sure you are a Prefect or something like that in school," Ares said all of it like a proper gentleman. The poor girl blushed. While she was a Ravenclaw and he knew would be a Prefect this year, it was clear that she possessed low self-esteem. Well, it looked like she wouldn't forget him soon.
Better for him, since he planned to have good relations with Ravenclaw House. While they were mostly gray, it could prove invaluable to have some non-extremists on his side. He knew that he could easily pull off the charming young man facade. That thing had pulled him out of trouble a lot of times and he was a clear master when it came to facades. Well, a bit of flattery won't hurt anyone and he would have a potentially powerful ally. He could also make good relations with other Prefects through her.
After collecting his trunk, he quickly started towards the last stop of the day.
Baron's Beasthouse, unlike Eeylops, was fairly quiet. He suspected that a silencing charm was placed on the building to stop any sounds from coming out. It was fairly empty except for an old, wrinkly man who looked like he could keel over from a gust of wind. He was dozing off without a worry.
Searching around the shop was no easy task, there were a plethora of animals there. Most were unrecognizable, but the snake section was what he was looking for.
He approached the section to see whether he had that particular talent of being a Parselmouth or not.
"Stupid Humansss, caging us here."
"What are you looking at, you overgrown baboon?"
"Ha! Buy me, you sssimpleton, and I'll bite your eyesss off!"
"Bassstard insssufferable human pieccce of meat. How I would love to drink your blood."
"My my, you ssserpentssss are quite lovely, aren't you? I wasss sssearching for a familiar but I guessss we're not alwaysss entitled to reccceive what we want, I do however know that sssnake partsss are quite ussseful in potion making."
"A ssspeaker, we're not worthy!"
"A ssspeaker at lassst."
"Pleasse pardon usss ssspeaker"
"We've fulfilled the purpossse of our missserable exissstence. Finally, a ssspeaker"
Ares rolled his eyes, who knew serpents could be so dramatic?
"Lisssten, I need a ssserpent with magical abilitiesss; isss any one of you magical?"
"It'sss an honor to meet you, ssspeaker. I am a shadow ssserpent and I have magical propertiesss," said a snake from a cage that had black-tinted walls.
"I can travel through shadowssss ssspeaker. I would follow you faithfully if you releassse me from thisss ssstupid shop run by the even ssstupider humansss."
"Very well. I do hope that you keep your word, noble ssserpent."
"Of courssse, ssspeaker, it'sss an honor among our kind to be bonded to a ssserpent lord."
He'd have to research shadow serpents later. Musing his thoughts, Ares quickly reached the counter only to see the sleeping shopkeeper now awake and staring at him like he had offended him or something. He should've taken better care of his shop rather then sleeping.
The shopkeeper looked at him like he was batshit crazy when being asked to sell him every snake in the shop. Nonetheless, he complied and now the trunk apartment housed 15 snakes inside its hidden apartment. The shopkeeper was thankful to get rid of the animals and was even happy enough to provide heating pads and all the food for free. Ares supposed the food would be enough for a month. The book he had purchased would also prove invaluable.
Bellezza as she insisted to be called was jet black in a color that seemed to melt and distort like the shadows. She had a mixture of green and blue-tinted eyes and her scales had silver lines going through them. She was quite an impressive specimen at around five feet and a half of length. Thankfully, she could hide in the shadows of his robe without any trouble which he was grateful for. He didn't want to explain why he was carrying a snake that could easily kill him. Plus snakes were taboo and he had to be very careful to keep his abilities hidden.
Calling it a day, he decided to return to Leaky Cauldron and get a room. While he wanted to explore more places, he knew that Diagon Alley was no less dangerous at night than Knockturn Alley. He decided not to return to the orphanage. He had terrible memories of that place and he would rather burn that entire place down with rather than go back there again. It was no wonder Tom Riddle became what he was today.
With Tom's (barman, not the dark lord obviously) help, who also unshrinked his purchase apart from providing him the room, he soon had all his commodities placed properly.
An hour later and a warm meal, he was ready to further his plans. He had asked Bellezza to scout all the hidden places at Diagon, Knockturn, and Leaky Cauldron. No one would suspect some snakes to be spying. Most would consider them dumb animals. And there were only three Parselmouths currently. Only one was well known. That talent was quite a rare one. Thus, they were an integral part of his spy network. Her ability to travel through shadows would make her an integral part of his network.
Plus all the snakes he had purchased were cunning enough to ensure their protection as well as do their jobs. The only requirement being food and warmth which was easy to provide with magic
He knew Belleza would never leave him, unlike others. She would come when he would call her or when he would need her.
Until then, he had his legacy to create. A second chance at life wasn't something that was distributed freely. He knew the resurrection had a cost, he wasn't foolish enough to deny that.
My legacy, my fame, my power, my goals, and my aspirations.
My weakness, my strength, my abilities, my visions and my dreams
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