Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K Rowling

Chapter 5

"It was the day when everything changed."

"How come?" Daphne asked calmly, her voice ringing through the quiet courtroom. "Will you please expand on that?"

Closing his eyes, Antares took a deep breath as he leaned backwards on his feet while his head tilted as much as it could in the same direction. Flashes of the event he was about to open up about, zoomed through his eyes. The worst of the worst, and the best of the best.

"It was during the first week of the new school year where I was summoned to the headmaster's office by my Head of House, Professor Snape. I hadn't done anything wrong since the beginning of the school year, so I was quite confused when I was summoned. The only reason that came to my head was that Professor Dumbledore wanted to talk to me about my academics."

Antares had only just started yet questions were being raised already. Why had Dumbledore requested Snape to send Antares to him? It was also quite a shock to many people that Antares had been a Slytherin–during his time after Hogwarts and his attachment with the Dark Lord, most of the world had forgotten about his Hogwarts years and who he really was as a person. Moreover, just what had the beginning of Antares' fifth year had to do with everything and how did it become the day that apparently changed everything?

"So I was summoned to Headmaster Dumbledore's office and I was greeted with not only him, but my father, Sirius Black. I of course didn't know that at the time…" A few more flashbacks passed in front of his eyes, and that is when he got an idea. Looking at Daphne he proposed, "Instead of me recounting the events that I am due to talk about, may I instead share the memories of those time frames?"

"Minister, may this proposal be granted?" prompted Daphne after taking her calculating blue eyes off of Antares.

Seeing no reason for not granting this permission, Amelia gave the green light, "I don't see the problem, but despite the vow you have taken, it is procedure for an unspeakable to analyse the memory to check if it hasn't been tampered with."

Daphne nodded without a second thought and before long an unspeakable had joined the court with a pensieve floating behind him. After gaining permission, Daphne strode over to Antares and took the memory of the event from him.

The memory was then handed to the unspeakable who after verifying that the memory was indeed not tampered with, dropped the mystical strand into the pensieve. They then, with the help of his wand, tapped on some of the runes that were embedded into the pensieve whilst ignoring the curious glances and mutterings from those surrounding them. Much to the surprise of everyone around him, the memory was then projected outwards, allowing everyone to see the memory firsthand.

"Potter, stop what you are doing and come with me this instant," Snape ordered in a hard tone. Even with his own Slytherins, unknown to the rest of the school, he was as strict as ever, just doing so in private.

Quickly closing the book he was reading, Antares followed after his head of house who had already left the common room.

"Where are we going, Professor?" he asked as soon as he was walking parallel to his head of house.

"We are heading towards the Headmaster's office," spoke Snape with his usual sneer.

"And why may I ask, Professor?"

Snape didn't provide him with a response and instead continued walking ahead whilst sneering at any student that they encountered along the way. Eventually they reached the gargoyle that stood proudly in front of the entrance that led to the headmaster's office.

"The password is Skittles," spoke Snape with his sneer even more noticeable than usual. And before Antares could offer a response, Snape did a surprisingly elegant 180 degrees spin before walking back in the direction they came from, his deep black cloak billowing behind him.

Smirking, Antares turned towards the gargoyle once again and spoke with amusement laced in his tone, "Skittles."

"I wonder why I have been called… I haven't done anything untrustworthy since the start of the school year." he mumbled as he climbed up the maroon-carpeted stairs. Suddenly, a thought came to his mind and his eyes widened in worry. "Wait! She must have found out! Oh Merlin, who told her that it was me and Rosy who made Alex's cake explode? Oh, I really hope mum isn't on the other side of this door."

The members of the Wizengamot as well as everyone else in attendance all smirked, chuckled, and in some cases giggled at what they were seeing and hearing. A lot of people currently in the chambers had been present when that said cake had exploded. It was on Alexander's 13th birthday and the view of him covered in pieces of cake, fudge, and chocolate sauce was still firmly and clearly engraved in their minds.

Everyone spared a quick glance towards the Potter family, especially to Alexander and his mother Lily. The former's ears had heated up and he didn't look happy at being reminded of that horrifying and embarrassing incident. The Lady Potter, on the other hand, looked a little amused but certainly not happy, and her eyes remained fixed on her daughter, Rose, for a small duration as the young girl continued to giggle away at that incident, was recalling fond memories of how her brother and herself had pulled it off.

"Come in!" spoke Dumbledore in a calm voice as soon as he heard the first few knocks on his office door.

Opening the door, Antares slowly entered the room whilst his eyes scanned the entire room for a certain redhead who happened to be his mother. Seeing that there was no one else in the room apart from himself and Dumbledore, he took a deep breath of relief.

Dumbledore didn't comment on his behaviour and instead spoke in a friendly manner, as always, "Harry, my boy! Please take a seat, young man."

Taking a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk, the headmaster offered Antares a bowl of lemon drops which he respectively declined.

"Headmaster, how are you, sir?" asked Antares politely.

"As well as someone like myself can be, my boy," chuckled Dumbledore jovially. "Your first school week back is about to end, my boy, how has it gone?"

"I did some studying throughout my summer holidays, sir, so I'm currently faring quite well with what is being taught afterall, most of it so far is just revision on what we did last year."

"Good to hear, my boy," responded Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling as he put another lemon drop into his mouth.

"Sir, why am I here?" Antares asked after a few moments had passed.

"You will find out soon enough, my boy. We are currently waiting for someone to join us?"

Antares felt a pit form in his stomach. Certain as ever that his mother was the one who would be joining them. Not that long later, the fireplace burst alive and out came tumbling someone who much to his surprise, confusion, and relief wasn't his mother but Sirius Black, his godfather, of all people.

"Sirius?" he asked in surprise.

"Hello, pup," greeted Sirius sheepishly as he rubbed the soot off his clothes. "Headmaster," he added as he saw Dumbledore and gave him a friendly nod. Antares grimaced at the mention of the once-beloved nickname, but chose to remain silent.

Taking his seat next to Antares, which Dumbledore motioned to sit on, he gave his confused godson an one-armed hug before looking pointedly towards the headmaster.

"Harry, my boy, I must first say how prudent it is that what we are about to tell you does not leave this room." The twinkle in his eyes had gone and, in fact, got replaced with seriousness and a dash of sadness.

After Antares confirmed that he would not reveal anything, Dumbledore continued, "As you are aware, it was during the height of the war when you were born, and it was during the height of this war when Voldemort was defeated. You were raised as a Potter as everyone believes that you are one, but that is not the case."

Antares was quite unsure on where this conversation was heading to and very confused about the last sentence that Dumbledore spoke. What did he mean by that was not the case? He was a Potter, and even looked like one, for Merlin's sake!

"James and Lily aren't your biological parents because you–"

"You are a Black, Harry," interrupted Sirius due to feeling the need to just say it out, short and blunt. "You were born a Black, pup, and you are my son."

Antares sat there motionlessly. Unsure on what to say, do, or think. He tried to articulate some words but they all came out in gibberish. The eyes of the two men in the room remained fixed on him as he took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts.

"What?" questioned Antares in an emotionless tone. "What do you mean by 'I was born as a Black'? And how in Merlin's name am I your son?"

"You were born during the height of the war," started Sirius. "It was a dark time and a very dangerous place for everyone. Families, who opposed the Dark Lord, were being wiped out, including your mother's. She was a Bones and she had just lost her parents, brother, and sister-in-law in an attack on her family home. Having kept her pregnancy a secret since the beginning, she was planning on letting her sister know about it but after that tragedy, she couldn't bare to even think about losing you…"

"What was her name?" asked Antares in the same tone as before.

"Her name was Rachel Sophia Bones," answered Sirius, his eyes full of regret.

"What happened to her?"

"She died shortly after giving birth to you," said Sirius mournfully. "You were in her arms when it happened…"

Fawkes trilled its musical notes throughout the office, hoping to lighten the atmosphere in the silent room.

"The love of my life, your mother, having died made me feel weak and incapable of doing anything. Not knowing what to do with you, I took you towards the headmaster who made me realise that I was in no shape to be a father to you. So he came up with the idea of sending you to the Potters. It was only meant to be a temporary thing, as after a few years I would take you back whether or not the Dark Lord was gone by then."

Dumbledore, who had been quiet up till that point, decided to re-emerge into the conversation, "That of course didn't happen. Sirius decided to back away from the promise he had made regarding him taking care of you…"

"Something that I am very ashamed of," added Sirius.

"... so the memory charms on the Potters had to be re-cast to ensure that it lasted for a good few years. As for the glamour charm, that had to be re-cast every year but eventually they too weren't needed thanks to the ring that you've been wearing since it was given to you," ended Dumbledore while pointing towards the black ring he wore on his right hand.

Antares sat there listening half-heartedly, still processing the main fact that his whole life had pretty much been a lie. He was in a state of shock, and rightfully so. He let the silence hold for a few moments after Dumbledore had finished before looking at Sirius questionably.

"You were the one who gave me this ring on my 8th birthday. You told me that this ring was a heirloom from your family and that it held many protections…?"

Nodding, Sirius answered, "I was not lying. That ring is a family heirloom from the Black family, which is also your family. It has layers upon layers of protection charms, but it also has a glamour charm that was added by Dumbledore. If you were to take that ring off, your appearance would change to your natural form, which I am assuming you have never seen."

Shaking his head, Antares focused his attention on the blank band that was wrapped around his finger. Sparing a quick sidewards glance towards Sirius, he pulled the ring off. It came off much more smoothly than he had anticipated, as if it was almost a size too big. Nevertheless, it mattered nothing because as soon as the ring was completely off, he felt as if a cold bucket of water had been poured on top of him.

The coldness disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Sirius when he turned towards him, a harmonic trill from Fawkes, and a twinkly eyed look from Dumbledore.

A mirror was promptly conjured in front of him, courtesy of the headmaster, and when he looked into its depth, he saw someone different. Someone, who he didn't recognise. The person staring back at him was much taller than he originally was, and much stronger too, from the looks of it. His hair was no longer messy and he now looked just as intimidating and handsome as any member of the Black family was known for.

"What's my name?" he whispered, as he continued to stare into the mirror. His body started to grow warm in anger.

"Antares Sirius Black," replied Sirius, his father. "Your mother chose the name."

Not looking away from the mirror, Antares spoke with fury laced in his voice, "Why? You waited 16 years to tell me. You made my life a lie. So tell me. Why?"

Whipping around Antares quite literally roared, "WHY?" when no response was immediately given.

The valuable trinkets that were in the office were immediately hurled backwards into the wall as hot suffocating magic started coming off Antares.

Hardly any moment had passed when his unleashed magic was then pushed backwards by a force coming from Dumbledore. The headmaster no longer appeared as calm and collected as his eyes locked onto Antares, but instead, it was replaced by determination and concentration.

The two wizards continued to push their magic, attempting to overpower the other. The coldness and eeriness that described Dumbledore's magic slowly started to push back and, eventually, overpowered Antares'.

The young teen was thrown backwards into the door behind him, but thanks to a quickly placed cushioning charm, courtesy of a heavy-breathing Sirius, he received no significant injuries.

"I think that should be all for now, young Antares," spoke Dumbledore in a calm voice as Antares slowly got himself up. "I'll call you up to this office again soon to talk more on all this. You've just been told some heavy information, it is best to keep it at that for now. You'll get all the answers you need very soon."

Antares opened his mouth to hotly reply but wisely shut it when he saw the look on the headmaster's face as well as the damage that his outburst had caused. Huffing, he turned around and stormed out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him, while completely ignoring his 'father'.

The memory had yet to finish when the muttering began, but as soon as it did, it rose to greater heights. The members of the Wizengamot discussed with each other what they had just seen, and what relative importance it had to this entire trial. However, many could imagine that finding out that most of your life had been a lie would be a changing point in everything.

Sirius was also on the receiving end of numerous glances of suspicion, disgust, and anger. James hadn't said a single word to him and from the looks of it, he wouldn't be hearing anything for maybe until after the trial. As for the rest of the Potter family, the matriarch, Lily Potter, was just as red as her hair—clearly due to numerous emotions, especially anger. As for the youngsters, their eyes were on the person on trial, not him.

The Bones' were also giving him a look but he ignored them all, and instead sought out the eyes of Daphne. It didn't take long for Daphne to turn around and look at him, and when she did, she sent him a discreet nod.

Releasing a silent breath of relief, Sirius was glad that things so far were going as expected. They still weren't in anyone's favour but ever so slowly, they were starting to get people onto their side.

"I'll deal with the Potters and Bones' later," thought Sirius. "Their feelings aren't unjust…"

"So what happened after this event?" prompted Daphne, immediately ending the various hushed conversations that were happening around her.

"I went outside to the lake," responded Antares. "I felt like a kettle ready to explode and despite that draining magical incident with Dumbledore, I was urging to release some magic."

"I recall an incident happening during the first week of term, where the castle quite literally shook as if an earthquake had just taken place," smirked Daphne. "That didn't happen to be the output of releasing some magic, did it?"

Wincing slightly, Antares replied sheepishly, "Yeah… I got a bit carried away."

Some of the audience chuckled while some others frowned in concentration. Many of the people in the room were evaluating what had just been said. This man in front of them, Antares Black, had caused Hogwarts itself to shudder due to his magical outburst. That spoke volumes of his magical strength.

Once the courtroom had quieted down, Daphne further questioned, "Did Professor Dumbledore end up contacting you after your first meeting together?"

"Yes, he did," nodded Antares. "But it was a brief meeting. Sirius wasn't there, for reasons unknown to me, but me and Dumbledore did have a good talk."

"What did the two of you talk about?"

"Nothing that hadn't already been aired in our previous meeting, when I found out my real identity. I asked Dumbledore a few questions, still furious with the ordeal, and he answered them the best he could. Sirius' absence during this meeting had really rattled me as I thought that he was once again running away from his problems. But that wasn't the case—we met the next day in Hogsmeade."

"Did you have any other meetings with Dumbledore after this one?"

After a few moments of silence had passed, Antares replied with a heavy sigh, "We had a few more meetings throughout the school year, but none was as important as the one we had right after winter break. It was this meeting which cemented the path that I would go on in the future. The path that I am on now, and the same path that has led me to sitting here in this chair today."

Before the mutterings could start, Daphne nodded along on what he said and then walked towards him, whilst removing her wand from her holster. Pointing it at the corner of his temple, Antares brought the memory of that meeting to the front of his mind, which was then followed by Daphne wordlessly and promptly taking a copy of that memory out.

Banishing the silver glimmering strand to the unspeakable, she stated to everyone on the whole, "Here is the second memory that I'd like to show you all today. The meeting that took place after the 1993/94 school year winter break."

The unspeakable had by then already completed the standard checks of the memory before playing it to everyone in the courtroom.

The school corridors slowly trickled down in activity as students made their way back to their dormitories. Antares retraced his steps, as he had done a few times since the start of the school year, towards the headmasters office.

Not a lot had happened during the past few months, time flew by just as it had always done. He didn't talk much to his fellow Slytherins—not that any of them tried to—and he was fine with that, but he did plan on changing that. Despite not talking to anyone apart from the headmaster and Sirius, he knew that eventually he would have to claim the Black title. This was one of those secrets that could never be hidden forever.

Pondering on these thoughts, he reached the gargoyle that stood in front of the staircase that led to the headmaster office. Within seconds, he was in Professor Dumbledore's office. Looking around the circular room, he noted that the headmaster seemed to not be here. Figuring that Dumbledore must be running late, he made his way to one of the chairs when his attention immediately diverted to his right.

Fawkes came out in a burst of flames, and immediately let out a trill. Chuckling, Antares walked towards the proud bird and immediately stroked it along its bright soft wings. After a few strokes, Fawkes shifted, which made Antares not only stop petting the majestic creature but also to look into its eyes. He instantly felt a wave of sorrowness come from the bird when he looked into the deep yellow eyes.

Confused, Antares was just about to look into those eyes again when a voice behind him spoke, "I see that you are now fully acquainted with Fawkes."

"Yes, Professor, I am," replied Antares after swivelling around in shock. "I find Phoenixes extremely interesting."

"Ah ha," chuckled Dumbledore. "I too, when I was your age, found Phoenixes absolutely fascinating. And after all these years, I still discover something new about this extraordinary creature." His eyes turned to Fawkes which sat proudly.

"How did you find him, Professor?" Antares further questioned as Dumbledore motioned him to sit down.

"Now that, my boy, is a story for another time." replied Dumbledore, the twinkle in his eye glittering.

"I trust that you had a good winter break?"

"It was alright, Professor… just weird. Ever since I was told who I was, my life has been hazy in a sense. I don't know what to do or say. How to feel or what to think… I'm just…"

"...lost in the present and the past."

Immediately recognizing that voice, Antares turned around to see Sirius standing by the fireplace. He hadn't heard nor noticed him enter, but nonetheless, he was pleased to see him, despite the lie that Sirius had made his life to be.

"Hello, Sirius," he greeted as soon as Sirius sat down.

"Hello, son," Sirius replied back, giving his shoulder a light squeeze. "Professor."

"Hello Sirius, shall we begin?" Upon receiving confirmation, he continued, "Antares, my boy, we have a few things that we would like to share with you. These are not great things by any means but they are highly important and should not be shared with anyone."

Antares nodded his head, already formulating numerous possibilities on what he was going to be told next.

"But first, I'd like to know how proficient you are with the Mind Arts, and more specifically, Occlumency?"

"I'd say that I'm alright with it, sir. I practise a few times a week."

"Oh, how interesting. I assumed you'd know next to nothing on this subject, after all, Mind Arts are an obscure form of magic."

"Well, sir, I like to know a lot of things." Antares wasn't willing to let Dumbledore know exactly he had come across this branch of magic.

Dumbledore immediately caught onto that fact, hence he didn't further push Antares on that topic. But, that didn't stop him from locking onto his eyes and immediately probing his surface thoughts. However, he received nothing in return, no recent memories or current thoughts.

"No luck, Professor?" smirked Antares. While displeased at the unwarranted legilimency attack, knowing Dumbledore, he had been expecting it.

"Apologies, my boy, but it was necessary, as the information I am going to reveal in due course is very sensitive."

Sirius then added, "That is why we asked you about the Mind Arts." He then gave Dumbledore a glare, "But there was no plan of there being a legilimency attack though."

Dumbledore knew that Sirius wasn't likely to forget about this as quickly, however that was a discussion for another time. It was time to get back to the reason he had called Antares here.

Turning his head back to Antares, he asked one more question, "How many people other than yourself, myself and Sirius know of your identity? Have you told anyone else? Your friends perhaps?"

"No sir, I have not told anyone else," he replied. "I haven't felt the need to do so—don't want to make life more complicated than it already is."

"A wise course of action, I'm sure. But I would say my boy, is that you do share it with someone eventually. As the saying goes, 'A burden shared is a burden halved'."

"Trust Dumbledore on this, it helps," added Sirius.

"Now, onto why you were called here." spoke the headmaster. "As you may have noticed, there is something happening around Hogwarts. The occasional wash of coldness when one walks through a corridor, the act of feeling that something moved when, in fact, nothing did. And, of course, the attacks that happened last year. They all circle around one thing…"

"The Chamber of Secrets?"

"That's half of it, my boy. The chamber had indeed been opened and the attacks that had happened were all courtesy to the beast that resides in there."

"The basilisk…"

Dumbledore immediately gave him a hard stare before letting out a light snort. "I should not be surprised that someone as curious as yourself managed to discover such a fact. But that is a discussion for another time."

"The other half centres around one man," jumped in Sirius. "His presence has been noted a few times within these halls, and it all started when your younger brother, Alexander, came to Hogwarts."

While the current information wasn't much, Antares could immediately draw a connection between the various things happening to Hogwarts and Alexander. Ever since Alexander had come to Hogwarts, there was always something new happening. First it was the troll attack three years ago, then it was the Chamber of Secrets, and now Pettigrew's escape from Azkaban.

"And who exactly is this one man? The only person that comes to my mind is Voldemort, but we all know he's rotting in hell now."

Sirius immediately gave Dumbledore a quick glance, which, unfortunately for him, did not go unnoticed.

"He is dead, right?" questioned Antares, his eyes darting from one person to another. "Right?"

"Kind of—"

"Kind of?" spluttered Antares. "What do you mean by 'kind of'?"

Taking over the conversation, Dumbledore spoke patiently, "On the night of Halloween 1981, Voldemort did in fact not die, but instead he was left as a spirit of sorts. Apart from his wand, and cloak, nothing else was found. And while that was sufficient proof for the rest of the world that Voldemort was dead, it wasn't for me." After letting a few seconds pass, he continued, "Through various connections, I heard whispers that Voldemort wasn't dead, and I had proof of that, but it wasn't until your brother arrived at Hogwarts that my belief fully settled in."

Before Antares could reply, Sirius then added, "That year, Quirell was being possessed by Voldemort. And to add to that, he had Voldemort sticking out the back of his head… or so I'm told." Sirius' eye went back towards Dumbledore.

Antares, once again, wasn't sure on how he should react to what he was being told. The most vile Dark Lord to ever live, who was presumed and believed to be dead, was very much alive. Internally, he was all over the place, as wild thoughts came in and out from his mind. However, on the outside, thanks to his practice in occlumency, his expression was a lot more tame. But, you could tell that he was shocked.

"...so that's why he suddenly started stinking of garlic, and actively wearing his turban."

"So it seems."

"So he lives?"

"Indeed, my boy"

"Voldemort?"

"Yes,"

"...fuck."

The memory ended and everyone was brought back to the present. The memories that were being shown, and the information that they were getting was leading the Wizengamot members to have numerous questions.

Before they could turn towards their left or right, to discuss with the person sitting next to them, they were immediately interrupted by Daphne, who after the conclusion of the memory instantly started asking further questions.

"So you were told during your fifth year that you were a Black, rather than a Potter, and that one of the most feared Dark Lords to ever live, was, in fact, not dead?" she questioned.

Nodding his head, "Correct."

"And how did you feel about that?"

"DIsbelief about my identity as well as betrayal. Fear and wonder about the Dark Lord…"

Fleur rose an eyebrow at the last part, immediately holding that moment in her head. She would definitely be using that to her advantage as soon as she could.

"So after this meeting, what happened?"

"Dumbledore asked me to start spying for him," he responded. "Whenever I heard something interesting during my time at Hogwarts, I would send Dumbledore an owl letting him know."

"And how long does this go on for?"

"Until I left Hogwarts I guess."

"And why did you agree to become a spy, Black?" Daphne further asked. "You were a young teen, who still had 2 years left to enjoy Hogwarts. Why did you agree?"

"Safety. Most importantly, safety for my parents. Safety for my brother and sister. Safety for my family and everyone else I cared about." he replied forcefully. "If I could play a part in protecting my family and making sure the Dark Lord didn't rise again, I would be a fool not to."

The entire courtroom watched in utter silence. Many in disbelief and shock at what they were hearing. The leader of the light, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, had used a fifth year as a spy? He had persuaded a young boy, who was still processing his new life, to be his ear in hogwarts? It was so ludicrous that no one would have believed it had the vow of no lying not been given prior.

What further pushed their shock was that Sirius did not say anything against it. Quite frankly, Sirius and even the late Dumbledore, weren't in anyone's good books at that moment. But it mattered little to Sirius at that moment, as he could clearly see the views of Wizengamot members changing.

"I have no other questions, Minister," Daphne claimed, a confident smile gracing her lips.

Without a moment of hesitation, Fleur got up and immediately got to work. She could feel the tide changing within the courtroom, and she needed it to go back to her side. Daphne was good, she had to admit, but she was better.

"Lord Black," started Fleur. "You stated not that long ago, in this very courtroom, that you felt wonder for the Dark Lord when you heard of his survival… Forgive me if I'm wrong, but the only wondrous people of his returns were his followers."

Fleur let a moment of silence pass, so that what she had just said could sink in to those witnessing. "Are you saying that you had some ulterior motives for working for Dumbledore? Were you hoping that spying for Dumbledore would allow you to go under his radar when you would later pledge yourself to Voldemort?"

Snorting, Antares replied. "No. The wonder I felt was due to the fact that no one should be able to survive death, and when he did, I was interested in the magic that was used. As for your second question, I've already said that I became a spy to play a part in protecting my family."

"The magic Voldemort used was clearly dark, so that's a safe assumption that you were attracted to that forbidden magic. It could also be assumed that you practised that magic within hogwarts."

"Objection!" spoke Daphne forcefully. "This trial is based on facts, not speculation and assumptions."

Amelia light heartedly agreed to Daphne, much to Fleur's annoyance. Not that it mattered much to her, however, as she had done what she had planned to—making Antares seem dark and dangerous from the very beginning.

Moving on, Fleur then questioned, "You stated that you were a spy, but how does a spy working for Dumbledore suddenly become within a matter of years, Voldemort's most trusted follower, and his second in command?"

This was the question that was on everyone's mind, and Antares could feel the gaze of every single person in the courtroom on him. It was quite uncomfortable, as one could imagine. After a few uncomfortable moments of silence went by, Daphne gave a slight deliberate cough, pushing him to speak.

"It didn't take me long to get bored of spying. I felt that I could and should be doing something more helpful. Hardly anyone knew about the Dark Lord, in fact, it was my seventh year already where ,during the Triwizard Tournament, I eventually managed to get any new information," said Antares, his voice barely audible. "I started making more friends with my fellow Slytherins, and we started to trust each other. Furthermore, I grew more and more interested in what lay beyond the boundaries of what was considered good, legal magic…"

The lords, ladies, reporters and everyone else listened with rapt attention to what he was saying.

"... so I went to Dumbledore, and convinced him that we needed to infiltrate the Dark Lords ranks. I pushed for this because it not only made me feel more useful, but also for my goals of learning magic."

"And Dumbledore just agreed like that?"

"Merlin, no," snorted Antares. "He was firmly against it, but the more I brought it up, the more he started to consider it. Eventually, he too realised that I would be more useful elsewhere and he agreed. My father, however, was against it, despite knowing the pros of making this move."

"But you are missing something, Lord Black." Fleur smiled condescendingly. "It is well documented that Dumbledore already had someone within Voldemort's ranks. That someone being Severus Snape who— "

Cutting in, annoyed with the condescending way she spoke, "Snape was losing favours. Voldemort was becoming increasingly wary of him and therefore Snape was becoming less useful to Dumbledore and Voldemort. That is why the headmaster, Sirius, and Moody devised a plan which helped Snape start to become less suspicious to the Dark Lord."

"And what was this plan?"

"Snape would put a word in about me to the Dark Lord, and how I was a Black, while I was to be trained. No one was letting me go there unprepared." he replied back. "And before you ask, it were Dumbledore, Sirius, and Moody who trained me, and it was hell on earth."

Fleur really wasn't liking how the trial was playing out. Her plan of attack had all been thrown out of the window, and she couldn't do anything about it. Every question she asked was making more unknown information become present. Everything the man in front of her said was pushing people through a whirlwind of emotions—not sure if they should sympathise with him or not. And to top it all off, she had fallen into Daphne's trap. She had wanted her to ask these questions, and the smile Daphne wore when she looked at her confirmed it all.

As for those witnessing what was going on, many of them stared at the charged person in a new light, wondering what exactly the boy had gone through. It was well known that Alastor Moody was an extremely tough auror who only recruited the best, and alongside Sirius Black and Dumbledore, one could only imagine the sort training that he had gone through. However, for those with a more rational mind, they couldn't take out the huge fact that Antares was willing to submit to the Dark Lord for his own ambitions as well. It wasn't just for the sake of his family's survival.

It also didn't make any sense. Both Moody and Dumbledore had trained Antares and helped him grow, but that ended with both of them dying by his wand. Why? That was the answer that they were looking for. Just why?

Huffing in irritation, Fleur decided to ask another question seeing nothing helpful coming out of her current questioning line. Unbeknownst to her though, she asked the question that everyone at that moment, just wanted to hear,

"Tell me about the deaths of Albus Dumbledore and Alastor Moody."

Author's Note

So here is the fifth chapter. This is by far the largest chapter I have ever written, sitting above 6k words. I'm also aware that it has been over 4 months since the previous chapter was posted, and I'm sorry for that. Real life has just been busy, which I know many of you can relate too.

As for the matter which I addressed in the AN that I posted not that long ago—the Poll results ended with me keeping the story on FFN being the most voted out of the 3 options.. I also read some of your reviews and most of you were against me removing the story. Therefore, the original TAT will remain. :)

I would also like to say a big thank you to my friend, Idefix, for beta reading this. His input is always greatly appreciated. :)

Furthermore, if you wish to interact with me, or anyone else, who loves the Harry/Daphne ship or just in general, feel free to join the Haphne Discord Server. There is chaos, mayhem, murder, game nights, author and general discussions and much much more! You can also meet some of your favourite authors and bully them into writing more chapters! If that has gotten your attention, just join anyways! :)

Discord Server Link: discord dot gg/pKSdvJQvhU (just remember to replace 'dot' with '.')

You can also join my server as well!

Discord Server Link: discord dot gg/dQNSrjgC5t (just remember to replace 'dot' with '.')

Finally, feel free to leave a review as I'd love to hear what all of you have to say. Also make sure to follow and favourite so that you are notified when the next chapter is posted.

Until next time, have a good one!

Hydra