Disclaimer:-This is a work of fanfiction 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.
Type:- Self-Insert OC Fanfic
Pairings- Not decided yet.
Author's Notes-I'll be taking a lot of liberty with some 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 betas for the chapter.
Also, special thanks to 1Valor1 for his considerate help in verifying the facts for the story, along with the members of the entire Valor Book Club Discord Server. Their efforts are highly appreciated.
I also have a Discord Server where I talk more about the story and updates. Feel free to check it out. I also have plans for some more stories, which will be posted there soon.
The link to the server is in my profile.
Sortes Qui Facit
by
Ares Alexander Potter
Year1: Rising Powers and Sorcerer Stones
Chapter3: Implementing Plans and Forbidden Places
Room 102
Leaky Cauldron
21st July
Circa 1991
It had been three days since his visit to Diagon and Ares had been busy. He had been pouring through all the required things that he needed to fit into the wizarding world, considering that they took Customs and Traditions very seriously.
He had gained a lot of knowledge from the books, and his discussions with Tom were quite informative. The barman enjoyed telling him about the wizarding world and Ares was glad about it. He doubted he'd been able to fit in at all without the aged barkeeper's help.
While he wanted to study magic first, he knew that he would stick out like a sore thumb without the basic knowledge, something he wished to avoid. Besides, no one expected an eleven-year-old to be able to cast spells. While he meant no offence to the Muggleborns, he wished to avoid coming off as a 'Mudblood'.
Entering the flat, he had to clear out the dining hall in favour of a duelling room. The room had been specifically enchanted to work as a place to practice spells. The trace was also negated in the pocket dimension, and thus he could practice most magicks to his heart's content.
Ares took out "100 Spells for Every Witch and Wizard to Know." He had bought the book because he knew it would help him; most of the spells in the book had considerable value in the wizarding society. He turned to the chapter on defensive spells, intending to master them before he visited Knockturn. Buying a black cloak wouldn't go amiss either. And an ageing potion would help him hide his identity.
The Stunning Spell (Stupefy), also known as a Stunner or Stupefying Charm is a charm that renders a victim unconscious and halts moving objects. It is a commonly used spell in duels. If the spell is used by multiple wizards aiming at the same target, the damage it causes is increased exponentially. While the spell is non-lethal in most circumstances, numerous uses of the spell within a short period could cause very painful recovery and short-circuiting of the nervous system.
The effects of a Stunning Spell may be counteracted by Rennervate, but will also wear off with time. It can also be deflected by a Shield Charm (Protego). Species known to be naturally resistant to the spell include dragons, trolls, giants, and half-giants, but again, multiple spells can stun them temporarily with enough power supplied.
"Stupefy."
Nothing happened. Ares tried again. Deciding on a simpler spell, he turned the page.
Petrificus Totalus, or the Full Body-Bind, stiffens a person's limbs and restricts their movement. Only the person's eyes are free while the spell is in effect.
Whilst the Body Freezing spell will work on inanimate objects, it tends to prove less effective than when used on an object. Its counterparts are more common for advanced usage.
The Full Body-Bind can be easily reversed with a Finite Incantatem and is therefore not very useful when you have a number's disadvantage. However, the spell's speed made it extremely useful in the duelling circuits and can even be cast wandlessly by able wizards.
'Petrificus Totalus!' an itch in his magic but no response, much to his surprise.
Even after several attempts at a stunner, a shield charm, various jinxes, and even first-year spells, he could perform nothing. His magic was practically pooling around him and Ares wanted to tear his hair out in frustration.
"Argh!" he screamed.
Furious, he pointed his wand at the stupid rat that was inside the box crawling around and incanted, he wanted to perform anything. It didn't matter if it was "wrong". He mustered all his hate, all his pain, and rage and let the words flow from his lips.
"Avada Kedavra",
Two words, just two words that have vanquished the mightiest and toppled empires like stacks of cards. Words of power, words of death.
Magic is both a brilliant and terrible thing.
Its brilliance lies in its aspects of creation, and the wonderful thing that it can achieve.
One can fly, heal someone from near death, transfigure things, and perform actions that are deemed impossible.
However, it is the wielder that provides true strength. Two words are all it takes to end a life. One can control a person with a single syllable, and cause unimaginable pain with another.
Yet magic is only a force, a sentient tool if you consider it, but a tool nonetheless.
It is up to the user to make use of it however they wish to.
"There is no good or evil, only power and intent."
"It is up to the wielder what they do with it."
How quaint, isn't it, that the realization hit me like a truck? You have to mean it for the magic to work. And here I am, being the object of my irony. Yet, very few people will ever realize the importance of one event.
This is what differentiates a god from an ordinary wizard.
Dumbledore, Voldemort, Grindelwald, Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw.
All were like gods amongst mortals. The impossible and almighty.
It was not their natural abilities that made them so revered, but their connection with magic, their understanding, and their knowledge that it all comes down to a single word, Intent. They could wield magic as very few could. No matter their deeds, their actions with magic were a work of art.
Power, knowledge, creativity, Intent.
A brilliant flash of green light was released from the wand. It rushed through the air with a whistling sound and struck the rat point-blank.
The rat immediately dropped, motionless. The animal was dead.
Ares could feel the magic singing in his veins, whispering sweet murmurings to destroy, dominate, kill. Unimaginable power, he could imagine himself as the superior entity above everyone else.
The rush ended, leaving him feeling cold and empty. It was not a bad feeling, per se, but something he intimately familiarized with. He could understand the lure behind the Dark Arts. It was not the magic that corrupted, but the power it gave you that did.
He felt exhaustion claiming him. He had found that he was capable of something after all. No matter if the spell was the best tool of murderers and dark lords, power had a cost and as long as one knew about it and was willing to pay it, they would never lose it.
Three days later, Ares was busy wandering around Knockturn Alley. Hidden under a black cloak, he had gained some information about the place from his rapidly expanding network of serpents. Apart from Borgin and Burke's, Alenwood and Gauss was a great shop to buy illegal artefacts and all sorts of banned books that were closely monitored by the Ministry of Magic.
Fortunately for Ares, the shop was devoid of any customers. He had specifically brought three more snakes for his protection. No matter what, he couldn't get caught or make his identity known. The shop was looking like an old antique shop that had some salvageable pieces, but he knew that appearances could be deceiving in some cases.
He entered the shop and made his way towards the old owner who was sitting next to a small record player. Another young man was sitting at the counter, looking at him with wariness; he supposed it wasn't all too often they got such a young-looking person entering the business.
"I require the... rather rarer of your services, Mr. Alenwood," Ares articulated with as much grace and pompousness he could muster - which admittedly wasn't much.
The man now looked at him with interest. However, he still appeared to be wary of a hooded person, which was not odd, considering that he could've been an Auror in disguise.
Alenwood glanced at the other person. A silent conversation seemed to pass between them, and Mr. Alenwood gestured for Ares to follow him. It was silent until they reached a bookshelf which, with a wave of the old man's wand, slid into the wall and revealed the library beyond. The room was dimly lit and filled with shelves of old parchment and books, along with magical artefacts on a set of glass drawers.
"I need books on the Mind Arts and the basics you have on the Dark Arts. I also need a copy of Magick Most Evile and Secrets of the Darkest Arts." The shopkeeper showed his brief shock at the request before quickly motioning him to the respective bookcases.
Ares took about fifteen minutes in the section selecting the books he wanted, and the old keeper never let him go out of his sight. He even offered his opinion on some of the books he chose. Ares also had spotted some books that were on Spell Crafting and Dark Wards, but he would definitely need a solid foundation on the basics to even understand any of those. Still, he couldn't deny his urge to buy two rather exceptional-looking tomes regarding Alchemy and Warding.
"And my remaining two requests?" Ares enquired.
The shopkeeper simply told him that there were very few copies of those books left, and it would not be easy to get them and would take him years if not decades. That would prove quite problematic for him, since they were the only texts he knew of that even had any information on Horcruxes.
"That will be 3,000 Galleons," the shopkeeper declared. It was rather apparent that he was trying to capitalize on his errors and the now obvious fact that he was a newcomer to the shop. Ares silently cursed the fact that he was in a child's body. While the Ageing potion made him appear older, it was not infallible enough that he could completely rely on it. However, the fact that the shopkeeper tried to fool him made him furious.
He grabbed the man's robes and slammed him on the nearest bookshelf. Before the old coot could even fire a spell, he simply snatched the man's wand out of his hands. The wizard looked surprised, as if he never thought of the possibility that someone would just grab his wand.
Ares smirked as he closed the distance, pointing his wand on the man's neck rather painfully, and spoke sweetly. "Tell me, Alenwood. What would be the price after I Crucio you for an hour? I do bet your screams would be rather... deliciousss." The last word was said in the Serpent Tongue.
The man flinched and started shaking in disbelief. It was clear that he hadn't considered him a threat at all. Well, it was his loss to underestimate him and put his guard down.
"I will be paying 750 Galleons and not a knut more. Don't consider me a fool as to not know the worth of what I purchase. And for your insolence, I will be taking the stealth ring for free."
Ares collected the items and drew a bag of 750 Galleons from his moleskin pouch, throwing it at the shopkeeper. He turned and exited the room after keeping everything secure. The clerk was sitting there silently: Ares threw the owner's wand at him, smirked and exited the shop without a backward glance.
Ares exited into the Muggle World after leaving the shop to change into his regular attire. He then entered the Leaky Cauldron as his almost eleven-year-old self, had lunch, and retired to his room where he proceeded to glance through his recent purchases.
30th August
Circa 1991
The next two months for Ares mainly consisted of eating, sleeping, reading, and then repeating the cycle all over again. And when he wasn't busy doing the above three, he was busy collecting, roaming the alley, and seeing the wonders of magic. Even the two-three months of exposure couldn't even dent the giddiness and excitement he felt for magic and its infinite possibilities.
His spy network was coming on well. While he didn't have any major news, he had a lot of small tidbits of knowledge - like how Tom the barkeeper had a hidden alcove to store Butterbeer, or the relationships of various young couples, or hidden gems in Diagon and Knockturn. Belleza had been the main centrepiece, as she had been able to gather a lot of information and bring it back to him without fail.
Plus, she had grown to almost seven feet, and it would've been very difficult to hide her if not for her ability to blend with the shadows. Ares recalled what the book had told about her.
Umbra Anguis, or Shadow Serpent, is one of the rarer of the known magical serpent species. They are jet black and their scale seems to melt and distorts like shadowy wisps of smoke. They have generally greenish-blue eyes and silver lines running through their scales.
Primarily found in forests of Magical Egypt, Albanian forests, and some parts of Magical Britain such as the famous Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Scottish Highlands, their venom can be highly venomous and is used in various rare potions. They cannot be tamed and are classified as class XXXX magical creatures according to the classification of Magical Beasts as determined by the ICW(International Confederation of Wizards).
They are almost impossible to catch and generally prefer to remain hidden. However, if threatened, they can be lethal. They can grow up to seventeen feet in length in the wild.
Their most impressive ability is to travel through shadows and pass through most wards. They use this method to hunt and devour prey larger than them and can even stay within the smallest shadows. This has fascinated many Magical researchers and magizoologists alike.
Newt Scamander, the famous magizoologist even described them as one of the most fascinating species he had the pleasure of meeting.
It was no surprise that Ares was proud and even grateful for her company. He had completely devoured the textbooks for the first two years and most of the books hehad purchased, and was even able to perform most of the spells in Leaky Cauldron due to the Trace not working from the high levels of magical activity.
The dark arts was something he was wary of practising alone, due to the various warnings given by the author. He had not even attempted a single dark spell after his rather unfortunate fiasco with the Killing Curse. Although he had applied everything about how Wizarding World worked and was glad that he gave it priority over his magical studies, he didn't want to commit social faux pas no matter how uncaring he was of other's opinions. He hoped this chance would be better than his last life.
"Massster, you're sssad again. Did sssomeone upssset you? I will bite them." Belleza declared menacingly, baring her fangs.
"Of coursse not dear, did you enjoy your prey?" Ares asked affectionately while stroking her smooth scales. She did enjoy his petting very much. Ares couldn't get enough of her. He was quite fond of her vicious antics and her apparent devotion towards him.
"We will leave for Hogwartss tomorrow Belleza, ressst well" hissed Ares soothingly.
Ares woke up at midnight, only to find himself covered in sweat and shaking from his nightmare. Gently as to not wake Belleza up, Ares stood up and started pacing in the flat. He couldn't remember what he dreamt of, but it was enough to shake him.
Walking around his room, Ares's thoughts moved towards his brother. He had told four of his snakes to follow Harry without his notice and ensure his safety. The extent of malnutrition and neglect had been clear on his brother when Belleza told him that the little one was starved, sick and smelled like blood. He had been rather morally ambiguous before, he admitted it himself, but child abuse wasn't something even he condoned. There was no excuse for such a heinous act.
"There are no heroes and villains, only circumstances supported by our truths and ideals that determine how high we rise or how far we fall."
Clamping down on his thoughts with his Occlumency, he hoped that he could hide his thoughts. The possibility of someone digging through his brain terrified him. He had managed to advance to Tier II in the defensive side of the Mind Arts through sheer desperation and hard work during the previous months. Theoretically, he could recognize an intrusion in time to break eye contact. However, he knew that he couldn't advance beyond the third tier without the help of a competent Legilimens. Until then, he had to avoid looking people in the eyes directly.
Speaking of Legilimency, he took to it like a fish to water. The old him had been quite prodigious in the particular art since it was his method to survive bullies and tormentors in his orphanage. He was not a saint either, but still, he could easily categorize himself as a class III Legilimens and be able to gleam emotions and even some loud thoughts. Guess, practising on passer-bys and patrons in the inn had been worth the risk. Also, he had always been extremely gifted in reading people. So it could also have been that part of him that functioned better with his magic.
A very small and almost dead part of him truly wished to be a normal child enjoying magic instead of trying to practically become another 'Dark Lord'. But those times were perhaps not in his destiny. He had a train to catch tomorrow, and he wanted to ensure he had enough time in the morning. Occluding his mind, he finally called it a night and went to bed.
The story has been picking up, and I had never expected such a positive response.
Heck, I fully expected to be criticized and to be told how pathetic my work was.
Anyway, I would like to thank 1Valor1 for being such an inspiration to me to write this fic.
Go check out The Power of Love or The Saviour's Pariah. I'm sure you won't be disappointed by his ongoing fics or his one-shots.
Again my heartfelt thanks to my betas, who have been constantly supporting me in my endeavour. I'm sincerely thankful for making the magic of my works even more spectacular.
With love,
Ares Alexander Peverell.