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.
Some lines have been taken from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone. I'm not the owner of Harry Potter else, Harry would've been way more competent, and Sirius would've never died.
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 specific facts have been liberally changed to better facilitate the story's plot.
Special thanks to AJAvenger01 and Madness Immortality & Magic for being the betas for the chapter.
My other fics, Dulce Periculum and Tales of a Dying Heart, is also something I've been working on. I hope you check it out.
Sortes Qui Facit
by
Ares Alexander Peverell
Year1: Rising Powers and Sorcerer Stones
Chapter9: Ghosts of the Past
Ares readjusted Belleza in his sleeves and silently stroked her from above the fabric. He would support this unexpected alliance with Selwyn, for now at least. The future could wait.
Ares entered the empty room to find a small but richly decorated room. There were several comfortable-looking sofas and beanbags. There was also an enchanted fireplace and a small bookshelf. A couple of tables and several knick-knacks were scattered around the room.
As soon as the door was locked, Arianna went on her tirade.
"Why didn't you deal with that arrogant little shit?!" she almost screamed.
"Ari-"
"Don't Arianna me, Adrian. He had no right to bring that up."
"We know." Selwyn tried to placate the distressed girl.
"How dare he insult our parents. You, you did nothing." she pointed accusingly, her hands shaking.
"Calm down," Adrian spoke, catching Arianna's wrist, seeing she had almost burst into tears.
Interesting. Are there any other dynamics going among these two, or is it just friendship? Ares mused.
After several minutes of standing there awkwardly, Selwyn gestured everyone to sit.
"While I know you may certainly have questions, Potter, I believe that introductions are in order," he started.
"Adrian Pucey" he gestured towards the lean looking boy. Pucey was quite tall, with a chiselled face and blue eyes. His scrutinizing eyes looked foreign on a kind-looking face. He gave a nod towards Ares as he shook his hand.
"Gemma Farley," the Slytherin prefect nodded, offering her hand in a formal greeting. Ares kissed her knuckles, offering a curt nod in return. She had blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Overall, she cut an imposing figure and looked worthy of the Prefect Badge on her chest.
"Natalie Avery," the other girl spoke in an almost breathless voice, offering her hand. Avery had golden-blonde hair, light green eyes and had a voluptuous body. In Ares' opinion, she looked like a supermodel from a magazine.
"Galleous Ollivander," the boy simply nodded at him in greeting. He was tall and broad, with raven hair and brown eyes. He looked quite ordinary, though good-looking in his own way.
Ares couldn't hide his surprise at the surname. "Any relations to the Ollivanders in Diagon Alley?" he questioned.
"He's my uncle." the boy offered in an irritable tone. Ares figured he was asked the question often.
"This is Arianna Rosier, and I'm Adrian Selwyn, but you probably already knew that," Selwyn informed him, gesturing to himself and the girl currently resting her head on his shoulders.
Now that he had observed the two closely, Adrian had black hair, blue eyes and was rather tall. Arianna was a pure-blonde, exceedingly pale and had sea-green eyes. She was also quite lovely in the looks department and a mixture of Avery and Farley in figure one.
"Save the introductions, Selwyn. You're far too Slytherin to offer me protections without something in return." Ares told the man, who was caught off guard at his blunt attitude.
"He's got some guts. I like that," Avery said, sending a saucy wink at him.
"Very well. I want you to move against Malfoy in your year. I can't deal with him personally due to Lucius, and it would be futile to go against him."
"So do you expect me to deal with Malfoy? Last time I checked, Daddy Malfoy has more than half of the Ministry in his pocket." Ares replied.
"Indeed. But even Lucius would not go dare against a Potter. Politically speaking, going against the Potters would almost be suicide even for him." interrupted Farley.
"That may be true. But he's not the only one I have to deal with, is he?" Ares raised a challenging eyebrow.
"While that may be true, Potter, we have far more allies than in this room," Pucey interjected.
"Allies that are not even in this room." Rosier laughed bitterly.
"That's not tr-"
"Spare me the twisting words, Selwyn. You have lost your position as the head of the seven. Most would follow them because of their power, promises of greatness, or simply due to Malfoy name." Ares challenged the man to declare otherwise.
"You have Greengrass and Davies. I know you can deal with the firsties and even some second-year students." Avery stated, a frown appearing on her face.
Ares knew he could even deal with most third years, but he didn't correct her. It was always better to be underestimated.
"Yes, but would they support us? Greengrass is pretty neutral. Davis would go wherever she goes." Galleous said.
"They won't go against me, I can assure you of that," Ares told the group.
"Very well. The offer doesn't just extend to protection, though. Feel free to visit here. I've added you to the wards. Although I won't suggest bringing someone else without me or Ari here. This Chamber doesn't like strangers very much." he warned Ares.
"Wait a minute, Potter."
Ares raised an eyebrow and looked at Rosier.
"What did you do to my cousin to make him loathe you?" she asked Ares.
The attention of the group snapped towards him at her enquiry.
"Not to him. His father though is a different case. I got him humiliated and kicked from Gringotts by the goblins," Ares told the group with mirth shining in his eyes.
Ares was highly amused by the stunned silence of the group. As he left the room, he could hear several people laughing in the background, though none as loud as that of Arianna Rosier herself.
[The Next Day]
Ares had barely entered the almost empty common room when he was joined by Tracey and Daphne. He was sure that their timing wasn't a coincidence.
Mmmm. So they'd been waiting for him. Ares mused.
"Good Morning Daphne, Tracey," he greeted them, a bit too cheerfully than he should have.
"What happened las-"
Ares put a hand on Tracey's mouth, silencing her.
"Not here," he said. His previous cheerfulness vanishing into thin air.
The girl blushed in embarrassment but kept her mouth shut after that.
The trio reached the sparsely filled Great Hall for breakfast. Being early morning, very few members of different houses were even present.
Taking a seat near the end of the table, Ares served himself some breakfast, much to the amazement of the duo sitting beside him.
"What? I'm hungry," he questioned, looking at their raised eyebrows.
After finishing his breakfast, albeit with much haste, since he was sure that his head would soon have a hole with how much it was being glared at.
"Why did you not let us stay?" Daphne asked him, still glaring at him frostily.
"Yes. We could've helped you." Tracey chimed in.
"Help me with what? No offence, but Greengrass have a neutral stance, and you couldn't have helped me anyway. On the contrary, it would've situations made even more difficult." he remarked.
"That's not true," Tracey said reluctantly.
"If it was such, why did you not leave in the first place?" Daphne interrogated.
"That's because I was bored and wanted to see what was happening. Plus, there was an invitation. How could I refuse?" Ares shrugged as if it solved every problem in the world.
"Are you mad? You were at a far greater risk than us." Daphne pointed out.
"True. But Tracey is a half-blood," Ares told her.
"So are you," she fired back at him.
"Indeed. But I'm from an Ancient and Noble House. She," here Ares pointed at Tracey. "is not."
"But-"
"Don't deny it, Greengrass. The entire Slytherin seven broke up into two factions just because of this reason alone. Don't consider that your protection would mean anything for her." Ares informed her.
"You involved us in the Slytherin politics. Not me. First years are never involved in these politics. Mother told me that," Daphne accused him.
"Calm down, Daffy." Tracey tried to placate her anger.
Ares snorted at the name. It was clearly the wrong thing to do, as Daphne became angrier at that.
"It's your fault, Potter." she hissed at him.
"Don't make me laugh, Greengrass. There is no we here. You have your gains with me." Ares almost snapped at the girl. Belleza's squeezing his forearm somehow calmed him down.
He stood up, collected his materials and swiftly left.
"I'll watch your back if I were you. The neutrals are going to face it a lot worse. Choose a side. And choose it wisely!" he gave the parting words as a warning before leaving the great hall.
Ares was not in a very good mood as he arrived in the Transfiguration classroom.
Not good. First the divide of the house, and then this. Guess the others did succeed after all. Selwyn was right. It won't be good for them, Ares mused as he entered the room.
Professor McGonagall was busy grading some papers when he entered the empty classroom. He looked at his watch to see that he was almost forty minutes early. However, he was in no mood to go anywhere else, and he would prefer the quiet silence of the house.
"Good Morning, Professor." Ares greeted Professor McGonagall.
"Good Morning, Mr Potter. I must admit that no student has ever entered my class so fashionably early," she spoke, curiosity clear in her voice.
"I finished breakfast early and decided to practise in the classroom. I can come again later if you want me to," he answered back respectfully.
"There's no need for that. You can stay and practise, but only Transfiguration. We will be doing Switching Spells today, so you can try practising that." she gestured him to enter the classroom and take a seat.
"I can already do that, professor," Ares informed her, seeing a chance to gain some extra knowledge.
The sound of the scratching of her quill suddenly stopped. She looked at him sharply for a moment before speaking.
"Show me. Switch the position of this quill with the ink pot," she said, placing the objects at the end of the table.
Ares flicked his wand into his wand. It was one of the more practical spells that he had learned and mastered, and it had taken a lot of effort on his part.
He concentrated on the two objects. The theory behind the switching spell was quite simple. It simultaneously changes two objects into each other to look as if their positions have been interchanged instantaneously.
"Mutatis Mutandi!"
The spell was cast successfully, and the quill and the ink pot had changed places. Ares was glad to see that the ink had remained inside the bottle.
A brief look of shock crossed her face before she offered her a rare smile in return.
"It seems that you possess the same skill as James," she said, getting a bit misty-eyed, although there was a little pride in her eyes.
"Follow me," she ordered, standing up, and a wave of her wand revealed a hidden door behind the blackboard. Ares warily followed the professor to what looked like her private quarters.
Professor McGonagall urged him towards a wall that had several photos hung up.
She gently picked up a picture.
"This was the photo of Lily and James when they got married. While a teacher isn't supposed to not have favourites, your mother has always been one of my most cherished students. Brilliant, understanding and so full of love and joy." She gently traced her fingers around the photo.
"Your father, on the other hand, was mischievous and a prankster. He had the qualities that just attracted everyone towards him. Always the centre of attention, Quidditch Star, Head Boy and one of the best Transfiguration students I've ever taught in my career." She recalled fondly.
She passed the photo to him. James Potter was a tall, thin man with hazel eyes and untidy black hair that stuck up at the back. He sported wire-frame glasses on his lean and chiselled face and looked quite handsome in his golden and green wedding robes.
Lily Evans had auburn hair and vivid green eyes — Ares realized they were the same shade as the Killing Curse. She was dressed in a white wedding robe that was adorned with intricate gold and red designs. Her face was lit up, and she looked full of life and joy.
These could've been my parents. His inner voice told him. Ares didn't disagree with this assessment. He knew that he was not just the dead Ares Potter or the old him. The transfer done by Morticia had combined them in a sense.
Professor McGonagall sent him a sad smile as he was lost in his thoughts, looking at the picture.
"May I have a copy?" he asked the professor, emotion and sadness leaking into his voice.
She simply nodded as he looked at the photo.
"Duplici Exemplari"
It was the first time Ares had cast the Duplication Charm, but his magic surged to do his bidding, as a flawless copy of the photo appeared. He passed the original back to the professor before storing it in his pocket, feeling Belleza's gentle caress against his forearm at his movement.
"Thirty points to Slytherin, Mr Potter," she spoke.
"Thank you, Professor." Ares thanked her, his voice fluctuating a bit.
"I always thought that your father would surpass and replace me. He could do Transfigurations in his fourth year that even the seventh years struggled to do. I see the same potential in you in this field. Make use of it."
Before he could reply, the sound of the ringing bell signified the end of breakfast. The professor and student duo returned to the classroom, basking in its silence, each lost in their thoughts.
[Charms Class]
The dull toll of the clock tower ended Ares' long day. It had been emotionally draining for him and all he wanted was some quiet. Sitting alone in his classes hadn't done him any favours, either. Granger's irritating voice was even worse. Just because he wasn't in a mood to speak didn't mean that he didn't know the answers.
Ares could see Harry shooting him concerned looks during charms, and even Professor Flitwick looked at him worriedly.
As he slowly packed his bags, he saw the diminutive professor approach him.
"Are you feeling okay, Mr Potter?" he asked, concern apparent in his tone of voice.
"Yes Professor. I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm just a little tired." Ares lied.
"Very well. Make sure to go to Madam Pomfrey if you're ill," he advised, not believing his lie but not deciding to confront him about it either.
He exited the class to see Harry waiting for him along with Ron Weasley.
"Are you okay?" he questioned, looking concerned.
"I just didn't sleep well. I'll probably go and have a nap right now. See you later." he told Harry, internally feeling bad avoiding him.
"But-"
"He said he will be fine, Harry." Weasley insisted Harry
But Ares had already left by then.
[Several Hours Later]
Sitting in Selwyn and co's empty chamber, he looked at the photo. He didn't know what was the urge or emotion that drew him to look at it. He had been looking at it for several minutes, not even noticing the doors opening and closing. The real Ares Potter was dead. He shouldn't feel this much longing for someone he didn't even know.
Ares was so busy in his musings that he never noticed the intrigued eyes carefully looking at him from behind, tracing the photo with her very own eyes.
I am posting the picture of all the characters to offer an even more immersive experience of the SQFverse for my readers. This chapter was a bit boring according to me, but I wanted to be over with it since it is essential for character development in SQF Book1. I can safely say that 1/4th of the SQF Year1 is over with it
Check my other story Dulce Periculum if you like Hellatrix stories. It's currently one of the scant few Hellatrix fics on this site. My latest fic, Tales of a Dying Heart is also being updated here. If it strikes your fancy, go check it out.
I have a Discord server where I post contents that are relevant to the SQFverse, and I'd appreciate you there. The community also has several fellow writers and if you're interested in writing, that's the place you can get all the guidance and the start you need.
Discord Link- /6ngeKHXktN
You're all welcome to Thestral Manor. Our server is a lot more open-minded than most others, along with having several other writers. I also post a lot of spell and story aspects that are not feasible here. I'd love to see you there. :)
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
Ares Alexander Peverell.