Warning: Rated M, will contain slash, incest, violence, and mature themes.

Main pairing is Tom Riddle / Harry Potter

Feel free to point out any misspellings or butchered sentences.

Trail of Ashes

Chapter 5

Aethonan nervously shifted and adjusted his tie.

"Oh stop that young master! You are ruining a perfectly done knot! And stop fidgeting! Its unbeco-"

Startled out of his whirling thoughts, he glared at the mirror. "Shush, I have no time to deal with you today." With one more glance in the mirror at the pale but handsome looking boy glaring back, the young Malfoy readjusted his tie and stalked out of the bathroom, muttering about annoying talking accessories.

Sighing quietly to himself, the young Malfoy mentally fortified himself for the coming storm. Mother and Brax had both assured him he was ready but no matter their repeated attempts at comfort he could not convince himself the same. It did not help that Father seemed to share his thoughts, though his seemed much more contemptuous and disappointed then Aethonan's own.

Today was a very important date for many reasons, first and foremost at least in Aethonan's opinion, it was the day he would be presented to his family. To be more specific, he was being reintroduced to his extended family of who had not been allowed to visit the manor since his return home. Second and almost equally important, it would be the first day he was truly tested for his ability to not change colors or shapes in the presence of company. The resurfacing of his metamorphmagus abilities had been a curse, not because of their lack of usefulness or fun, but simply because it added even more to his already full plate. Brax had been overjoyed and thoroughly amused when during the middle of a lecture by Aurelius for both of them being late to a shared tutoring session Aethonan's hair had turned pitch black.

Third on the list of reasons and least important was simply that today was May 1st, the twins date of birth as well as Beltane.

Once the blond (a quick check in a mirror hanging from his wall confirmed he was still indeed blond) boy felt that he probably wasn't going to feel any less nervous or ready he walked to the dark oak doors that connected him to the one person who would make sure that Gaia didn't randomly swallow him whole. A soft knock and a quiet crash (at least on his side of the door) sounded before the door opened to a well put together Abraxas. Aethonan immediately frowned when he noticed that Brax's tie knot was perfectly done and evenly placed as if it had been painted on.

Grinning Brax reached over and undid the tie that had taken Aethonan 20 minutes to do, and re-tied it for him with one simple motion.

"It's not fair that no matter how well I do in my studies and etiquette classes that your ties are always better without you even trying." Aethonan pouted, his voice just a little higher pitch than normal.

"Well little brother you will just have to try harder to be as amazing as me!" The smirk on his twin's face was playful and good natured and made Aethonan grin back automatically. The joke was an old one, and Aethonan's laugh was almost completely clear of nerves.

With his tie fixed and his dress robes now perfect the twins hooked arms and headed into the hallway towards the foyer where they were to stand and greet their guests as they arrived.

There was already one guest waiting when they arrived, an older man who stood next to their father. He was obviously a distinguished member of his family, as Aurelius who in most interactions with his family and staff was very distant and stern, but was more neutral and respectful in his expressions and body language with the man. When Carina turned to look as the twins approached the two men stalled their conversation and turned to greet the boys. Carina in the privacy of the manor was usually very open and loving in tone and mannerisms but Aethonan could immediately sense a slight difference in her expression than either her public or private face that made him curious as to the identity of the man. Her expression was open and smiling but her posture was more held back and she did not open her arms to embrace them as she often did. His father stood aside and nodded to the boys but it was the new presence that grabbed most of Aethonan's attention.

The man was tall, taller than his father whose own stature was impressive, the man cut a rather dark imposing figure next to the very light colored Malfoy patriarch. His hair was peppered in grey but still mostly black, clean shaven and a very strong handsome face that was only slightly weathered. His dark grey eyes were what grabbed his attention most, they were intelligent and cold eyes but they also showed a warmth in them that surprised the young Malfoy. The man smiled sternly as the boys came to a halt in front of the three adults. Abraxas bowed his head respectfully and Aethonan followed suit just a second behind.

"Grandfather, it is good to see you." Abraxas spoke respectfully and his words kind but his tone was obviously one of distant formalities. While this was their grandfather in blood, Aethonan took from that tone that he did not involve himself in their family. Through that alone and from his unfamiliar features he concluded that this must be Cygnus Black, the head of the Black line and his mother's father.

"Grandfather," he intoned lightly after Abraxas to respectfully acknowledge his relation without inferring anymore familiarity than 'Brax himself had shown. He had been told to follow his brother's lead as much as possible with the Black family, as there were some whom the Malfoys were barely on friendly terms and others who were to be respected as much as father himself.

"Abraxas and Aethonan, what a pleasure to see you both. Especially you, young Aethonan, we were all so glad to hear of your miraculous recovery. It was very heartbreaking to see the affect of your illness on my beloved daughter's health." His tone was as neutral and authoritative as one could possibly be in a such a simple statement. He spoke their names as if he knew them well but his statement suggested he cared very little for their own well being beyond how it affected his daughter. Turning back to Aurelius, Cygnus ignored the twins and continued a long winded conversation about the minister and the upcoming election. The conversation only ended when the next guest arrived twenty minutes later.

Most of the guests they greeted at the doors were family on his mother's side, though there were also a few Malfoys and other cousins who had managed to procure an invite to the prestigious Malfoy event. Aethonan did his best to remember their names and faces but most of them escaped him before they had even walked into the ballroom. The most notable and memorable ones being closer family members who Abraxas already talked about on a semi-regular basis or those who his tutors made sure he could recognize purely on sight or by how they were treated by other members of the family.

Most of their extended family was not fully aware of Aethonan's new 'condition.' So for the most part the introductions were treated as if they had been done many times before, luckily for Aethonan that these events were usually pretty formal and with so many family members you weren't expected to always remember them. When the twins finally joined the party in the ballroom a large portion of its occupants had already lost interest in the birthday boys and were already off in their own cliques to discuss politics, fashion, relationships, and other family members. It was the children that Aethonan was most nervous about mingling with as he knew that they would most likely notice the change in him as they were the most familiar with his previous mannerisms.

As the twins walked around the room, slowly Abraxas led them to a group of mostly dark haired, dark eyed children who were most certainly Blacks.

The tallest and oldest of them was a young man, Aethonan remembered to be Marius. Next to him a short twelve year old Dorea and a much taller seventeen year old Lucretia stood chatting, while Walburga Black and her cousin Orion were watching the twins approach. Closest in age to Walburga and Orion, Abraxas often talked about them and how they would visit the manor and play.

Walburga, the only blonde haired one among the Black family children smirked when they stopped next to the group and immediately opened her mouth to speak before being quietly interrupted by Marius. "Walburga if you are going to say something rude I would like to remind you that this is a formal event, to celebrate the twins and Aethonan's recovery and Cygnus would not appreciate you slandering the good Black name." His voice was quiet and respectful but with the authority of someone who expected to be listened to and obeyed.

Walburga stiffened before shutting her mouth and glaring only slightly at the much taller Marius. Turning back to the twins she greeted them in an overly sugary voice that made Aethonan want to gag. "Hello Aethonan, Abraxas I hope you are both having such a wonderful and beautiful birth day. As you are both now seven I would like to congratulate you on officially becoming members of the magical community."

Abraxas frowned at this, and Aethonan nearly joined him. As he had recently found out in his tutoring sessions, seven was a very important number for wizards. If a pure-blood (as only they truly followed tradition anymore) was found to not exhibit magical talent by the age of seven, it was assumed that they were squibs and exiled from the magical community. Both Aethonan and Abraxas had shown signs long before their seventh birthday but it was not considered official until their seventh birthday, however it was merely a formality that most would simply ignore. However, as Walburga was born in January and had already turned seven she was most likely implying she had been an 'actual' wizard longer than them. An insult layered within a congratulatory greeting.

Though he had been taking cues from his twin in most situations all night, Aethonan would not idly sit by and let Walburga Black insult his brother whether or not she had previously been a favorable cousin in 'Brax's eyes. "Thank you very much cousin. I hope this Beltane finds you in favorable health. I have heard that Alphard is showing strong signs of magic already. You must be very proud that your brother will be such a magically strong heir. I'm sure Uncle Pollux is very pleased." His smile was kind and sweet, and though his tone was not mocking or sugary as Walburga's own, her smile immediately soured at the mention of her three year old brother. It was well known among the members of the Malfoy and Black children that Walburga was bitter about how much attention Pollux showered Alphard with. He was the Black heir and therefore both Cygnus and Pollux showed an unhealthy amount of interest in his well being and happiness. A jealous and vicious Walburga was known for her temper tantrums and shameful comments her younger brother.

Marius grinned, and the previously distracted Lucretia and Dorea turned to watch Walburga turn an ugly shade of purple. Turning to look at his slightly younger cousin Orion, Aethonan ignored her and asked him how he was doing and if he had yet been allowed his own broom as Abraxas had informed him last he spoke to Orion, his father Arcturus had not wanted him to have one.

Abraxas was grinning and soon the other children joined in on the quidditch conversation. Only Walburga remained silent, watching Aethonan with a strangely angry and admiring look on her face. Most of the adults had missed the exchange but Cygnus who had been watching since the Malfoy twins approached the group had a curious and watchful look upon his face. Aurelius who stood next to him did his best impression of not looking too prideful.

-0-0-0-

Aethonan tactfully (in his opinion) hid a yawn as he watched the majority of remaining guests filter out of the manor. It had been a long and tiring ordeal to keep up his newly acquired pure-blood facade and still be an approachable happy birthday boy who appreciated every person who took time to tell him so. Abraxas didn't look any better, and it was only their young ages that excused them the dreary and exhausted expressions on their faces. As the last of the family members drifted out of the foyer and into the night, one figure stopped to talk to the boys.

Cygnus stood, his robes still perfectly place and his figure just as imposing as his first impression, he eyed the twins.

"Thank you for spending this Beltane with us, Grandfather." The twins spoke in unison, as they had repeated the gratitude many times already that evening.

"Yes, it was very pleasurable and enjoyable to spend the evening with you my grandsons. Thank you very much for inviting me to spend your birthday with you and I hope to see you again very soon." The tone was pleasant and neutral and though he spoke as if to both of them his eyes were only on Aethonan. He smiled, less stern than before, and then turned and left through the door with the remaining guests.

A strange and churning feeling rattled through Aethonan, he felt that Cygnus' strange goodbye held more meaning than the newly seven year old could decipher. Looking at his brother, he noted that Abraxas looked slightly alarmed and worried. Frowning he opened his mouth to ask, before Carina's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Come boys, let's get you two to bed before you collapse in the foyer!" And so the subject wasn't broached and the twins headed off to bed. Though as Aethonan lay in his twins bed that night listening to Abraxas' snoring he could sense that change in the Malfoy family was coming again. He only hoped that it was good.

-0-0-0-

Aethonan stood in front of his father's imposing elm desk, wondering what he had done last night that would warrant such a serious looking Aurelius and mostly likely equally serious conversation.

Standing his father looked at him, a blank look on his face, merely studying and watching his seven year old son. Finally when he spoke his voice wasn't angry or even stern, instead it was proud.

"You did very well last night, Aethonan. You were everything a pure-blood heir should be and even better in some cases than your brother."

Surprise and shock showed on his face, he couldn't control his reaction to such unexpected and contradictory words. Abraxas was everything a Malfoy heir should be, Aethonan was told this constantly, that he should only hope to achieve as much as his brother. To hear his father tell him that he had done better than his brother was against everything he knew of his father.

A slight smile found its way onto Aurelius' face, at the sight of his son's expression. "You didn't only follow your brothers lead in situations where he was most familiar with but also took control of a situation and made not only Walburga Black look like a jealous foolish child, but kept your composure in the face of her ire. You have made me very proud Aethonan, and I want you to know, that I am glad you bare the Malfoy name, even if you are not my heir."

Aethonan felt his entire world shift in that moment. Once again he found himself surprised and on the brink of tears though he managed to contain them. "Thank you, father." His voice was slightly shaky, but Aurelius ignored it and simply nodded his acknowledgement. The young Malfoy left his father's office happier than he had been his entire life. He wasn't an outcast among his family any longer. He had a loving but stern father, a loving and supporting mother and best of all a twin who shared everything with him.

His life in that moment was perfect, there was no Harry or worries of a past Aethonan, only that moment and the feeling that he finally had a place that he wholly belonged. He even failed to notice his hair turn a bright vibrant shade of red until his brother found him wandering the halls and pointed it out. Abraxas did notice but decided not to say that Aethonan's eyes had also turned a vibrant green color. The color was enchanting and Abraxas found it looked very good on his brother, so he let them stay that color for the rest of the day.

Aethonan's high lasted the rest of the week, until it was replaced by dread. News reached the twins that Cygnus would be coming to stay in the manor for a week, to visit and get to know his favorite daughter's sons.

AN- So I'm sure many of you will be surprised to see I'm actually updating this. It's been a long time since the last update, and when I warned that this story was going to be slow to update over a year wasn't quite what I had in mind. A lot has changed since the last time I've updated and my life has been pretty hectic. Since this story isn't exactly going to pay the bills I kind of put this story on the back burner. However, I am and will continue to work on it. I haven't given up and hopefully now that things are settling down I can work on it more frequently. I apologize and hope you enjoy the chapter.

Year in this chapter: 1932