Chapter Ten- Aaron
A.N. Chapters one through thirteen have been edited as of 1/18/07.
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The weeks after Christmas break passed quickly and spring was beginning to sneak up on the castle. Aaron looked down through the frosted window at the melting yet still snowy grounds and sighed quietly.
Classes were boring and rather trying. He had to pretend to be hopeless at magic while he knew that he could easily duel the professor and win without even trying. He had to meet with Ginevra every night for faux lessons. The only times he learned anything was when Draco came to those tutoring sessions; but that was rare. In fact, the only good thing in the entire school was Gryffindor house.
The other boys in his year had led him to his dormitory after the welcome back feast and, while they had given him curious looks, they had not asked intruding questions. It was a refreshing change from the childish antics of Draco's rescued children that he was used to.
For the past weeks Aaron had watched the Gryffindors live their lives in Gryffindor house. He had always thought of Gryffindors as shallow and callus fools. After all, Godric Gryffindor was the one who banished Salazar Slytherin and created the original injustice in the first place. Everything Draco and Snape had taught Aaron had only cemented these facts into his brain.
Now that he was living in Gryffindor he could see just how false his assumptions had really been. The other children in his year were friendly and open with their feelings. They seemed so happy and excited at the prospect of another day of learning. Even the outside threat of Voldemort did not faze them; it only made the Gryffindors train harder. In fact, the only fault Aaron could see about Gryffindor house in general was that they believed in the great lie and were so stubborn in that belief that nothing would sway them.
Sometimes Aaron wished that … but he could not voice those thoughts. It would betray everything he worked for in Draco's name.
But the thoughts persisted and only grew stronger as the weeks passed. Sometimes Aaron wondered how Ginevra could do it. How could she have grown up learning the utopian ideals Gryffindors preached and then be able to turn around and follow Draco? Didn't she ever wonder if her life would be different if she never picked up that damned diary? Sometimes, "Sometimes I wish Draco had never bothered to rescue me," my life would be so much better.
A soft inhalation of breath brought Aaron back from his thoughts. He turned his head from the window to look quizzically at Ginny before realization set in and he winced.
"I said that aloud didn't I?" Aaron moaned. He buried his face in his hands and did not dare peek out at Ginny. He had just voiced treason to the one person in the world that Draco trusted with his life.
"Why do you say that?" Ginny asked quietly.
"Just forget I said it!" Aaron snarled. He began to pack all of his textbooks into his bag and was just swinging the straps over his shoulders when a whispered comment from Ginny stopped him in his tracks.
"Sometimes I wish that I had never heard the story about Slytherin." Ginny caught Aarons gaze with her sad one and he resumed his seat next to her. "My life would be so much different. I would be happy in Gryffindor with all of my friends and my boyfriend Harry Potter. I would never have to worry about animosity from my family and friends because I would follow them into the Order of the Phoenix and then out into battle. Or," she took a deep breath and Aaron realized that what Ginny was about to say was very difficult for her, "I could still be in Gryffindor house, lonely and bored. I would never meet my soul mate, Draco. I would never have a true purpose in life. Instead I learned the story of Slytherin and look at where I am now. I am happy and I do enjoy my life.
"And you, Aaron. You say that sometimes you wish Draco had never rescued you from the trash heap you had been living in. If he hadn't you might have gotten a Hogwarts letter at age eleven and have been brought to Hogwarts where you would have made hundreds of friends and have been happy with your life. You would have started learning magic in your first year and would only be one more student living within the walls of this castle. Or," and her gaze became so sharp that Aaron straightened his spine and glared at her, "you could have died in that huge muggle rubbish bin you called home. Starvation, disease, street fighting; all of that could have sent you from this world before you could even dream about getting a Hogwarts letter. Or, the ministry might have decided to ignore a dirty muggleborn street rat. You could still be living in the same dirty hole, not knowing that something better could have come along and you were passed over for someone cleaner."
Aaron looked at her with confusion in his eyes. What was Ginny trying to say?
Ginny shook her head and hid her smile from Aaron's confused glare. "You see, our decisions influence fate so we are guided down the path that best suits our lives. When I decided to write in Tom Riddle's diary I destroyed the path that I could have followed in Gryffindor house. My decision at that crucial time in my life is what brought me here today.
"We are not allowed to know what might have happened if such-and-such never occurred. All we can do is live with what we have and make the best of it." Ginny smiled sadly and Aaron ran a hand through his hair.
"So I made the choice to follow Draco." Aaron grumbled from beneath a fringe of hair that his hand had swept into his eyes. "I was saved from the trash heap and I learned Slytherin's truth. You're saying that the decisions I made back then are the reason I am where I am now."
Ginny nodded.
"Then, if I know and believe in Slytherin, why was I sorted into Gryffindor?" Aaron moaned. "If I had been given the choice I would be in Slytherin!"
"Aaron, just because you know the truth does not change who you are. The hat looks at your base nature. You are courageous and friendly and stubborn just like any Gryffindor. When the hat saw all of that, it knew that you would have the best experience here at Hogwarts in Gryffindor house."
Aaron did not move for a long time. He just sat in the chair in the back of the library with his head in his hands. Ginny slowly stood up, patted the boy comfortably on his head, and walked away to give him plenty of time to think.
III
"I had a long talk with Aaron today," Ginny said quietly. They were in Draco's private rooms after one of their weekly meetings. Blaise and Pansy had just left for their beds. Draco was sitting on one end of the couch sorting notes and Ginny was laying on her back with her head in Draco's lap while she petted Diana.
"Mmmhhmm, what about?"
"Aaron wanted to know if his life would be better if you never bothered to rescue him and he never learned about Slytherin."
"What!" Draco stood up and Ginny's head thumped onto the couch cushion. She sat up and rubbed her head. Draco was pacing in front of her muttering to himself.
Ginny only caught a few words but she had heard enough to know the gist of what Draco was proposing. "Draco, none of your plans are in ruins! Aaron has not betrayed the cause to his Gryffindor loving friends!"
"He spoke of treason!" Draco roared.
"Draco! The boy is only thirteen! He's at the age where children question everything they have been taught. Thirteen year olds push at their boundaries and ignore restrictions. It's just how adolescents act at that age. What were you like when you were thirteen?"
Draco laughed. "The first time I started planning for myself instead of blindly following what my father told me was when I was thirteen."
"Exactly! Draco, Aaron knows his duties and the boy is not foolish enough to spill all of our plans to Dumbledore on an adolescent whim. Give him time to figure out who he is and to ground himself. I believe that he will be more than adequate for the responsibilities you are entrusting him with. We have time, so please give that time to Aaron. He will be a stronger person for it."
Draco nodded but did not stop pacing. When he rounded the couch Ginny stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.
"Draco, what made Lucius decide that his son would not serve Voldemort?"
Draco sat down next to Ginny with a tired sigh. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what made my father originally decide to serve Voldemort. I think father was enamored with the fact that Tom Riddle was a descendent of Salazar Slytherin so he joined the Death Eaters. Yet, as far as I know, my father has never enjoyed being a Death Eater; he was never a true follower. He saw the lies Voldemort was spreading and how Tom Riddle was using his ancestry to manipulate Slytherins like my father into following him. Unfortunately, by the time father realized all this, it was too late for him to escape without risking the lives of my mother and me.
"When I was born my father was supposed to present me to the Dark Lord so I could be marked as a future loyal Death Eater. Father ignored Voldemort's wishes and hid me away until baby Potter sent the Dark Lord into hiding. Instead he started planning to have me take Voldemort's place as leader of all Slytherin.
"I've always believed that my father saw something, some power, in me when I was a baby that showed him that I would never be comfortable with blind servitude to a filthy liar. Either way, I'm grateful."
III
Aaron had made a decision. It was childish, he knew that, but he knew that at least Ginny would understand his reasoning. Hopefully Draco would not be too angry.
Aaron was not planning on betraying Draco. He knew the truth and that small fact would always separate him from the rest of the Gryffindors. Still…he wanted to be a carefree, naive, and innocent child like the rest of the kids in his year. Aaron wanted an opportunity to be free from all his duties while he had the chance because he knew that in a few years he would be working constantly for the cause.
So, until life called him back, he would be just another third year student and he would try his best to be happy.
III
"Ice Mice." Ginny said to the scowling gargoyle outside Dumbledore's office. She let the moving stairs carry her up to where an important meeting about Aaron was about to be held by the Order. She sighed. Lately it seemed that everyone was worrying about the boy. Draco was worried that the boy would let important information slip, Ginny was worried about his mental health now that Aaron was in a new environment, and the Order was worried that the boy would suddenly morph into Voldemort and start killing students.
The door swung open as she reached it so Ginny continued walking into the office. Alastor Moody, Remus Lupin, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall were all waiting for her arrival.
"So what has the boy done?" Moody snarled "Have you noticed any Dark Arts or seen him torturing kittens?"
Ginny glared at the man. "Honestly! How can you say such horrible things? Aaron is a perfectly normal boy. Half the time it's like he never had his memory taken from him. Aaron is so bright. He's learning the magic I teach him amazingly quickly. Plus, haven't you heard Mr. Moody, Aaron was sorted into Gryffindor. If he was doing anything illegal I'm positive someone in my house would have noticed."
"I agree with Miss Weasley," McGonagall added in. "The worst I've seen from Aaron is when I caught him running from a massive dung bomb explosion that Aaron and his friends had set off. I am beginning to think that maybe we are mistaken about Aaron's intentions. It is possible that the boy escaped but the trauma he experienced forced his mind to erase its own memory to protect his sanity. It's a perfectly normal defense mechanism and I saw it happen plenty of times during the first war against You-Know-Who."
Moody nodded. "Keep vigilant when it comes to the boy. It is possible that he is waiting until we are complacent before striking. I will speak with you later Dumbledore." Moody strode out of the office and, after a quick nod farewell, Lupin followed.
"I will direct them to the front door away from the eyes of the rest of the student body." McGonagall said before sweeping out of the office.
"Come Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said quietly, "It is time for dinner and these old bones could use some company down to the Great Hall." Ginny nodded quietly to the Headmaster and followed him out of the room.
McGonagall caught up with them as they reached the staircase down to the second floor.
"I'm sorry Miss Weasley but I need to speak with Professor Dumbledore for a moment. If you wouldn't mind going ahead by yourself…?"
"Of course Professor," Ginny said with a smile. She continued down the staircase alone. Her stomach rumbled audibly so Ginny picked up her pace.
The stairs were not wet nor slippery and Ginny had not been going that fast but that did not explain why she was suddenly falling face first down the last few steps to the ground floor. Ginny called magic the way Draco had taught her to cushion her fall. The magic swirled around her and told Ginny that it had been a tripping charm thrown from her left that had sent her sprawling. She sent the magic away and slowly turned to face her attacker.
He stepped in front of her and snarled. "Clumsy mudblood lover." He spat on the floor next to her ear. Ginny gulped. This was not one of Draco's followers but a Slytherin with the Dark Mark proudly displayed on his forearm. She would never get to her wand in time and if she used visible wandless magic against the Slytherin he would tell Voldemort and she would be in trouble.
Ginny could see McGonagall and Dumbledore rushing down the stairs to her aid but they would be too late.
The boy raised his wand, "Reducto!" He yelled.
Suddenly there was a set of black and red robes standing over her. "Protego!" The reductor curse bounced harmlessly off the shield and moments later McGonagall had her wand pointed at the Slytherin boy.
Ginny's protector knelt down next to her and Ginny looked up into Aaron's wide eyes. He was doing some quick thinking.
"Are you alright Ginny?" He asked quietly.
"Yes, thank you Aaron," Ginny answered quietly. The boy moved fast. If Aaron had been in the Great Hall when he felt Ginny call her magic then he must have sprinted to get to her side in time to protect her.
"It's a good thing you taught me that charm!" Aaron said with an open smile. "Otherwise you would be a blasted hole in the ground." He gave her a hand to help her to her feet before turning his guileless smile on the Professors. "I saw the whole thing!" Aaron said, "I was helping Luna Lovegood look for a Blibbering Humdinger on this side of the castle and I was just following a lead down this hallway. This Slytherin hit Ginny with a tripping charm when she was on the stairs and then tried to kill her!"
"Thank you for saving me Aaron," Ginny said quietly. She ruffled his hair and gave him a chaste hug.
"I'm going to go tell Luna that there aren't any Humdingers here. If you need me I'll be in the Great Hall." Aaron spun around and left before anyone could gainsay his departure.
McGonagall sighed and ushered the Slytherin upstairs to her office. "I'll contact the Order." She called over her shoulder.
"Are you well Miss Weasley? Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?" Dumbledore asked kindly.
"I'm sure that I'll indulge in a fit of hysterics later but right now I'm pretty numb," Ginny answered slowly. Hopefully when that happened she would be in Draco's protecting arms.
She looked down the corridor after Aaron and allowed a tiny smile onto her face. "He's a good kid," Ginny whispered.
"Yes, he is Miss Weasley. I am beginning to think that perhaps we were wrong about him. Young Aaron could be a great asset to the Order of the Phoenix." Dumbledore smiled and walked back up the stairs after McGonagall. Ginny left to meet up with a sure to be worried Draco.